Snicket, Lemony. The Reptile Room. New York: Harper Collins, 2000. 190 pages. (Adventure Series)
Meet Violet, Klaus, and Sunny. These three children have miserable lives full of unfortunate events. Their house burned down, their parents got killed in the fire, and Count Olaf was trying to get his greedy little hands on the Baudelaire fortune. Now, since their house has burned down, they were going to live with their Uncle Montgomery a very famous and respected herpetologist. He studies snakes and lizards from all across the world. His previous assistant quit, and he has a new assistant, Stephano. When Stephano arrives, Klaus automatically knows it is Count Olaf. What happens next? Read The Reptile Room to find out. I felt that the book was very exciting and once you started reading it you do not want to put it down.
Reviewed by: LT28
Friday, May 30, 2008
Twister Summer
Robert, Willo. Twister Summer. NY: Simon Pulse,1998. 190 pages. (Mystery)
The book I selected was Twisted Summer. It’s about a girl named Cici, who can’t wait for summer to start. She is so excited because she is going to one of her childhood hideouts: Crystal Lake. Little did she know that this summer was going to change her life. She finds out that one girl and two boys died at the camp. These were kids that she had grown up with at this lake. Everyone thought that this one guy killed them, but Cici doesn’t believe that he was the actual guy. So, she started to investigate. Cici has a hard time believing what she has uncovered. The killer could be someone close to her, a friend, maybe even someone in her family! She must be on the right track because she now becomes the murder target!
This book is very interesting. I really enjoyed it. I don’t really have an interest in these types of books but wanted to try it anyways. I usually read books that aren’t really serious. But, I still liked it. I give it a 7 ½ because it’s not really the type of book that I would normally get.
Reviewed by: PradaPanda
The book I selected was Twisted Summer. It’s about a girl named Cici, who can’t wait for summer to start. She is so excited because she is going to one of her childhood hideouts: Crystal Lake. Little did she know that this summer was going to change her life. She finds out that one girl and two boys died at the camp. These were kids that she had grown up with at this lake. Everyone thought that this one guy killed them, but Cici doesn’t believe that he was the actual guy. So, she started to investigate. Cici has a hard time believing what she has uncovered. The killer could be someone close to her, a friend, maybe even someone in her family! She must be on the right track because she now becomes the murder target!
This book is very interesting. I really enjoyed it. I don’t really have an interest in these types of books but wanted to try it anyways. I usually read books that aren’t really serious. But, I still liked it. I give it a 7 ½ because it’s not really the type of book that I would normally get.
Reviewed by: PradaPanda
Mermaid Park
Mayall, Beth. Mermaid Park. New Jersey: Razorbill, 2005. 248 pages. (Fiction / Romance)
Amy is a normal teenaged girl just like everyone else her age. But what makes her special? Is it that no girl ever saw a mermaid before? Well Amy has, and she will do whatever it takes to get a job at the Mermaid Park. But Amy finds out that there is a trick: they’re not real mermaids at all. After each show, they change into their “normal” selves in the dressing room, and Amy is not that surprised at all because she knows that there aren’t real mermaids. There is still one more surprise in store: how can they breathe under water if they are not real mermaids? One night Amy was curious and decided to see what it was like to be in the pool where the mermaids had preformed. She was wondering if she could do it with all the water pressure on her. She was born with a pre-mature heart. Can she do it? We will find out soon.
A summer romance, Mermaid Park, a little sister who thinks she owns the universe, a mom who is hard to get along with, and a step dad who has no qualities of a real dad… a recipe for disaster? Or can everything work out? Read Mermaid Park and find out. I thought the book was very good. It kept me entertained and at the end of each chapter it kept me wanting more which, in a book, is what I am looking for. It’s a great book, so read it.
Reviewed By: DolphinGirl76
Amy is a normal teenaged girl just like everyone else her age. But what makes her special? Is it that no girl ever saw a mermaid before? Well Amy has, and she will do whatever it takes to get a job at the Mermaid Park. But Amy finds out that there is a trick: they’re not real mermaids at all. After each show, they change into their “normal” selves in the dressing room, and Amy is not that surprised at all because she knows that there aren’t real mermaids. There is still one more surprise in store: how can they breathe under water if they are not real mermaids? One night Amy was curious and decided to see what it was like to be in the pool where the mermaids had preformed. She was wondering if she could do it with all the water pressure on her. She was born with a pre-mature heart. Can she do it? We will find out soon.
A summer romance, Mermaid Park, a little sister who thinks she owns the universe, a mom who is hard to get along with, and a step dad who has no qualities of a real dad… a recipe for disaster? Or can everything work out? Read Mermaid Park and find out. I thought the book was very good. It kept me entertained and at the end of each chapter it kept me wanting more which, in a book, is what I am looking for. It’s a great book, so read it.
Reviewed By: DolphinGirl76
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Taylor, Mildred. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. NY: Puffin, 1976. 276 pages. (Historical Fiction)
This book is about an African-American girl, Cassie, and her family who live in Virginia. In one year, the family has to deal with nightriders (mean white men who try to set African-American’s homes on fire and kill them), burnings, and being humiliated in public simply because they are black. Cassie’s family is also at risk of losing their land because they owe taxes. The land is very important to their family because it ties them together. In the end, they must destroy what is most important to them, the land, to save someone’s life.
I selected this book because at first the front cover looked interesting. Then, I read the back, and it sounded very interesting. On the back there was a quote that said this book was full of thrilling adventures. This book was very exciting, and I couldn’t put it down. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends.
Reviewed by: Kae5495
This book is about an African-American girl, Cassie, and her family who live in Virginia. In one year, the family has to deal with nightriders (mean white men who try to set African-American’s homes on fire and kill them), burnings, and being humiliated in public simply because they are black. Cassie’s family is also at risk of losing their land because they owe taxes. The land is very important to their family because it ties them together. In the end, they must destroy what is most important to them, the land, to save someone’s life.
I selected this book because at first the front cover looked interesting. Then, I read the back, and it sounded very interesting. On the back there was a quote that said this book was full of thrilling adventures. This book was very exciting, and I couldn’t put it down. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends.
Reviewed by: Kae5495
Walking with Grandfather: The Wisdom of Lakota Elders
Marshall, Joseph. Walking with Grandfather: The Wisdom of Lakota Elders. Korea: Sounds True Inc., 2005. 114 pages. (Non-Fiction / Native Americans)
This book is about a man named Joseph who is talking about what his grandparents had told and taught him as a child. Throughout the entire book, Joseph is talking about his life as a child. His grandfather’s name was Albert, and he was a Sicangu Lakota in his sixties. Now he is an Elder. His grandmother is Annie, Good Voice Eagle Two Hawk, and is most likely in her sixties too. Joe lived with his grandmother when he was little. He talks about everything his grandparents taught him: how to find and make arrows in a dried piece of ash stave, and several life lessons, stories, and Indian languages. This story takes place in South Dakota, where the Lakota had settled. There were some hard times for Joe and his grandparents. First they moved out of a beautiful log home on a plateau in a prairie with horses. One of the horses was found in a snow filled gully, smothered. There was nothing left other than her carcass that was mangled by the coyotes. Shortly after they moved, the house was sold and then ripped down. Each chapter is like a different story that took place sometime in his grandfather’s life.
I really loved this book because it was moving and touching. It taught me things like how to make arrows out of wood and some words in Lakota. I think this book was very well written. I recommend this book to anyone, especially anyone who has a good relationship with their grandparents. This author would most likely make a great teacher (but I’m afraid he’s too old) because he wrote this book, and it’s so good and has so many good stories and life lessons that I couldn’t stop reading it!
Reviewed by: ChickenNoodleSoup
This book is about a man named Joseph who is talking about what his grandparents had told and taught him as a child. Throughout the entire book, Joseph is talking about his life as a child. His grandfather’s name was Albert, and he was a Sicangu Lakota in his sixties. Now he is an Elder. His grandmother is Annie, Good Voice Eagle Two Hawk, and is most likely in her sixties too. Joe lived with his grandmother when he was little. He talks about everything his grandparents taught him: how to find and make arrows in a dried piece of ash stave, and several life lessons, stories, and Indian languages. This story takes place in South Dakota, where the Lakota had settled. There were some hard times for Joe and his grandparents. First they moved out of a beautiful log home on a plateau in a prairie with horses. One of the horses was found in a snow filled gully, smothered. There was nothing left other than her carcass that was mangled by the coyotes. Shortly after they moved, the house was sold and then ripped down. Each chapter is like a different story that took place sometime in his grandfather’s life.
I really loved this book because it was moving and touching. It taught me things like how to make arrows out of wood and some words in Lakota. I think this book was very well written. I recommend this book to anyone, especially anyone who has a good relationship with their grandparents. This author would most likely make a great teacher (but I’m afraid he’s too old) because he wrote this book, and it’s so good and has so many good stories and life lessons that I couldn’t stop reading it!
Reviewed by: ChickenNoodleSoup
The Million Dollar Shot
Gutman, Dan. The Million Dollar Shot. New York: Scholastic Inc, 1997. 114 pages. (Sports Fiction)
The story takes place in a trailer park and is about a kid named Eddie Ball who won a contest. For winning the contest, he got to make a foul shot during halftime at the NBA finals for a million dollars. The million dollars could change his life and put an end to his and his mother’s problems. But someone really doesn’t want Eddie to make the shot. He sent letters and painted “you’re going to miss” on the backboards which distracted him. His neighbor, Mr. Oakley, walked up to him one day and asked him if he wanted to know the secret to making foul shots. Eddie said, “There is no secret.” Mr. Oakley took ten foul shots and made all of them. Eddie asked, “How did you do that?” Mr. Oakley replied, “If you let me be your coach, I will teach you the trick.” Eddie agreed and practiced with him every day. Mr. Oakley made him take five hundred shots every day for practice. But Eddie cannot shot as well under pressure. Will Eddie make the shot?
I liked this book a lot, but there is a character in the story that I despise very much, Mr. Finkle, because he is the one who is running the contest, but he doesn’t want to give away a million dollars.
Reviewed by: Sally56
The story takes place in a trailer park and is about a kid named Eddie Ball who won a contest. For winning the contest, he got to make a foul shot during halftime at the NBA finals for a million dollars. The million dollars could change his life and put an end to his and his mother’s problems. But someone really doesn’t want Eddie to make the shot. He sent letters and painted “you’re going to miss” on the backboards which distracted him. His neighbor, Mr. Oakley, walked up to him one day and asked him if he wanted to know the secret to making foul shots. Eddie said, “There is no secret.” Mr. Oakley took ten foul shots and made all of them. Eddie asked, “How did you do that?” Mr. Oakley replied, “If you let me be your coach, I will teach you the trick.” Eddie agreed and practiced with him every day. Mr. Oakley made him take five hundred shots every day for practice. But Eddie cannot shot as well under pressure. Will Eddie make the shot?
I liked this book a lot, but there is a character in the story that I despise very much, Mr. Finkle, because he is the one who is running the contest, but he doesn’t want to give away a million dollars.
Reviewed by: Sally56
Too Many Secrets
Wright, Betty. Too Many Secrets. New York: Scholastic, 1997. 118 pages. (Mystery)
The book that I chose was Too Many Secrets. The main characters are Chad, Jen, and Benson the dog. In this book, the story takes place at Mrs Beane’s house because Mrs. Beane fell down her stairs and had to go to the hospital. While Mrs Beane was in the hospital, Chad was asked to watch Mrs Beane’s dog, Benson. Whenever Chad tried to take Benson out for a walk, he wouldn’t move. He would just hide under the couch. Then, Chad remembered that Benson had a blue fuzzy bone that he would always carry around with him even on walks. Chad had to go to Mrs. Beane’s house to get it. When Chad went to get it, he thought he saw a person in the house. When Mrs. Beane fell down the stairs, she thought that she saw the person too. Now, Chad needs to see what is going on in Mrs. Beane’s house.
An interesting thing in the story is that Chad goes to Mrs. Beane’s house every day to watch the house and see if anybody is breaking in. This is a book that I would share with my parents because my dad is a police officer, and he likes to hear about those kinds of things.
Reviewed by: ???
The book that I chose was Too Many Secrets. The main characters are Chad, Jen, and Benson the dog. In this book, the story takes place at Mrs Beane’s house because Mrs. Beane fell down her stairs and had to go to the hospital. While Mrs Beane was in the hospital, Chad was asked to watch Mrs Beane’s dog, Benson. Whenever Chad tried to take Benson out for a walk, he wouldn’t move. He would just hide under the couch. Then, Chad remembered that Benson had a blue fuzzy bone that he would always carry around with him even on walks. Chad had to go to Mrs. Beane’s house to get it. When Chad went to get it, he thought he saw a person in the house. When Mrs. Beane fell down the stairs, she thought that she saw the person too. Now, Chad needs to see what is going on in Mrs. Beane’s house.
An interesting thing in the story is that Chad goes to Mrs. Beane’s house every day to watch the house and see if anybody is breaking in. This is a book that I would share with my parents because my dad is a police officer, and he likes to hear about those kinds of things.
Reviewed by: ???
Killer Angles
Shaara, Michael. Killer Angles. NY: Random House, 2003. 355 pages. (Historical Fiction)
This book is by the father of Jeff Shaara, one of my favorite historical fiction authors. It seemed pretty obvious to me that Jeff obtained his writing capabilities from his father because this book is phenomenal! Killer Angles is about the Battle of Gettysburg through the eyes of Confederate Generals Longstreet, and Robert E. Lee, as well as Federal General Buford, and Federal Colonel Joshua Chamberlain. Gettysburg is a town in southern Pennsylvania that saw some of the bloodiest fighting of the United States’ Civil War. This book describes some of the worst parts of the three days of battle such as the battle at Little Round Top, a large hill at the extreme left of the Union line. Michael Shaara really brought history to life, as we followed the thought processes and strategizing of these military master minds. He made you feel like you were there. The descriptions and details were incredible. I thought he did an excellent job of keeping the book historical accurate while making it interesting and hard to put down. I really enjoyed this book, and continue to try to get my hands on books by either of these authors. I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys books about historical battles. This is an especially good book to read before making a field trip to Gettysburg. Having this background information would make your visit that much more enjoyable.
Reviewed by: SuperReader22
This book is by the father of Jeff Shaara, one of my favorite historical fiction authors. It seemed pretty obvious to me that Jeff obtained his writing capabilities from his father because this book is phenomenal! Killer Angles is about the Battle of Gettysburg through the eyes of Confederate Generals Longstreet, and Robert E. Lee, as well as Federal General Buford, and Federal Colonel Joshua Chamberlain. Gettysburg is a town in southern Pennsylvania that saw some of the bloodiest fighting of the United States’ Civil War. This book describes some of the worst parts of the three days of battle such as the battle at Little Round Top, a large hill at the extreme left of the Union line. Michael Shaara really brought history to life, as we followed the thought processes and strategizing of these military master minds. He made you feel like you were there. The descriptions and details were incredible. I thought he did an excellent job of keeping the book historical accurate while making it interesting and hard to put down. I really enjoyed this book, and continue to try to get my hands on books by either of these authors. I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys books about historical battles. This is an especially good book to read before making a field trip to Gettysburg. Having this background information would make your visit that much more enjoyable.
Reviewed by: SuperReader22
Prince Caspian
Lewis, C.S. Prince Caspian. NY: Harper Collins, 1959. 223 pages. (Fantasy Series)
This fantastic book is a true masterpiece. Prince Caspian is the fourth book in The Chronicles of Narnia. Since I knew that a motion picture based on this book was going to be released, I decided that I should read the book before I see it. I am so glad that I did. The book is about a young prince whose parents are dead, and so he lives with his uncle, the false king of Narnia. This book takes place many years after Peter, Lucy, Susan, and Edmund were last in Narnia even though for them it had only been a year in their land. Narnia is now inhabited by mainly humans or Telmarines instead of the original inhabitants, or the talking animals and other fantastic creatures. The original king and queens of Narnia must now come and aid Caspian and his few dwarves and beasts. If you loved The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, then you are sure to love this book. (Fantasy)
Reviewed by: SuperReader 22
This fantastic book is a true masterpiece. Prince Caspian is the fourth book in The Chronicles of Narnia. Since I knew that a motion picture based on this book was going to be released, I decided that I should read the book before I see it. I am so glad that I did. The book is about a young prince whose parents are dead, and so he lives with his uncle, the false king of Narnia. This book takes place many years after Peter, Lucy, Susan, and Edmund were last in Narnia even though for them it had only been a year in their land. Narnia is now inhabited by mainly humans or Telmarines instead of the original inhabitants, or the talking animals and other fantastic creatures. The original king and queens of Narnia must now come and aid Caspian and his few dwarves and beasts. If you loved The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, then you are sure to love this book. (Fantasy)
Reviewed by: SuperReader 22
Kidnapped Book Two: The Search
Korman, Gordon. Kidnapped Book Two: The Search. NY: Scholastic Inc, 2006. 138 pages. (Mystery)
Everybody wants to know, where is Meg Falconer? Aiden, Agent Harris, and Aiden’s parents, who live in Baltimore, are trying to find a lead to Meg’s kidnapping. When Meg’s kidnappers decide to move to a new hideout, she decides to leave a trail for Aiden and the FBI to follow. Every time Meg’s kidnappers stop at a rest stop, she asks to go to the bathroom. Whenever she goes into the bathroom, she clogs the toilet. When Aiden hears that there have been clogged toilets all down Route 119, he thinks it must be Meg. He tries to tell Agent Harris, but he won’t listen. He finally gives up and runs away from home to go and try to find Meg by himself. With winter coming, will Aiden and Agent Harris find Meg in time? There is one interesting thing in the story. While Meg is trying to escape, the 20-year-old kidnapper, one of the three kidnappers, lets her go because he feels bad about holding Meg hostage for so long.
I selected this book because it was the sequel to the book I read before this one. I also selected this book because I love this author and the series.
Reviewed by: Sally56
Everybody wants to know, where is Meg Falconer? Aiden, Agent Harris, and Aiden’s parents, who live in Baltimore, are trying to find a lead to Meg’s kidnapping. When Meg’s kidnappers decide to move to a new hideout, she decides to leave a trail for Aiden and the FBI to follow. Every time Meg’s kidnappers stop at a rest stop, she asks to go to the bathroom. Whenever she goes into the bathroom, she clogs the toilet. When Aiden hears that there have been clogged toilets all down Route 119, he thinks it must be Meg. He tries to tell Agent Harris, but he won’t listen. He finally gives up and runs away from home to go and try to find Meg by himself. With winter coming, will Aiden and Agent Harris find Meg in time? There is one interesting thing in the story. While Meg is trying to escape, the 20-year-old kidnapper, one of the three kidnappers, lets her go because he feels bad about holding Meg hostage for so long.
I selected this book because it was the sequel to the book I read before this one. I also selected this book because I love this author and the series.
Reviewed by: Sally56
Lost in the Secret Cave
Doyle, Peter. Lost in the Secret Cave. Colorado Springs, Colorado: Focus on the Family Publishing, 1996. 127 pages. (Mystery)
The main characters in this book are Penny, David, and Mark. This story takes place in Portugal. The problem they face is that they have found a secret cave on a high up cliff. They decide to explore it, and while they are in there, they run into some trouble with the people who made the cave. But these people are not just normal people, they are bad people who are stealing gold from a near by body of water. How they go about solving this problem is by running and scattering around in the cave away from the bad guys. But the question is, do they get out of the cave or do the bad guys get them first?
I thought that this book was very interesting and it had a lot of good action. Also I thought that in some parts Peter Doyle did a very good job of explaining and detailing each scene. The character who was most like me in the book would be Mark because he made a choice of either splitting away from David and Penny or getting caught. I thought that when he did this, it felt like something I would do.
Reviewed by: Anawanasakian
The main characters in this book are Penny, David, and Mark. This story takes place in Portugal. The problem they face is that they have found a secret cave on a high up cliff. They decide to explore it, and while they are in there, they run into some trouble with the people who made the cave. But these people are not just normal people, they are bad people who are stealing gold from a near by body of water. How they go about solving this problem is by running and scattering around in the cave away from the bad guys. But the question is, do they get out of the cave or do the bad guys get them first?
I thought that this book was very interesting and it had a lot of good action. Also I thought that in some parts Peter Doyle did a very good job of explaining and detailing each scene. The character who was most like me in the book would be Mark because he made a choice of either splitting away from David and Penny or getting caught. I thought that when he did this, it felt like something I would do.
Reviewed by: Anawanasakian
Rebel
Cornwell, Bernard. Rebel. NY: Harper Collins, 1993. 416 pages. (Historical Fiction)
Rebel is the first of the four book Starbuck Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell. The books are set in the American Civil War and follow a rebellious young Nathaniel Starbuck. Nate, runs away from his well-to-do family in the North following a scandalous relationship with a French actress, and finds himself in the center of Richmond after the fall of Fort Sumter. He seeks the help of a friend’s father who owns an entire county in Virginia. The man is Washington Faulconer, and he is raising his own legion of southern men to go and fight the Yankees. Nate Starbuck is enlisted and appointed as one of Faulconer’s aids. It seems like Nate is just joining with southern forces to spite his abolitionist, preacher father. After a long time of preparing and training on both sides, battle finally breaks out in the battle of Bull Run, also referred to as the battle of Manassas Junction. The battles have vivid, realistic description. You can almost see it all happening right in front of you. The book also seems pretty accurate based on what I have researched about this time period. There are some historical characters that make appearances throughout the book.
Rebel is the first of the four book Starbuck Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell. The books are set in the American Civil War and follow a rebellious young Nathaniel Starbuck. Nate, runs away from his well-to-do family in the North following a scandalous relationship with a French actress, and finds himself in the center of Richmond after the fall of Fort Sumter. He seeks the help of a friend’s father who owns an entire county in Virginia. The man is Washington Faulconer, and he is raising his own legion of southern men to go and fight the Yankees. Nate Starbuck is enlisted and appointed as one of Faulconer’s aids. It seems like Nate is just joining with southern forces to spite his abolitionist, preacher father. After a long time of preparing and training on both sides, battle finally breaks out in the battle of Bull Run, also referred to as the battle of Manassas Junction. The battles have vivid, realistic description. You can almost see it all happening right in front of you. The book also seems pretty accurate based on what I have researched about this time period. There are some historical characters that make appearances throughout the book.
Read through as Nate leads the Faulconer Legion through the carnage of battle. I thought that this was a terrific example of Civil War historical fiction. Cornwell tells a captivating story full of adventure and attitude. I particularly enjoyed the portrayal of the turmoil that occurred during the period of time before the first battle. It is also interesting how Nate grows as a character throughout the novel. He is not someone that I could really relate to in the beginning because he seemed like a spoiled brat who never really thought things through. I will definitely be looking for the three other books in the series to see how Nate develops.
Reviewed by: SuperReader22
Reviewed by: SuperReader22
Uglies
Westerfeld, Scott. Uglies. NY: Simon Pulse, 2005. 425 pages. (Sci-Fi Series)The book that I read was Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. This was a phenomenal book. Tally, a fifteen year-old ugly from Uglyville, which is just outside of New Pretty town, wants nothing more than to be a new pretty. She has just lost her best friend Peris, who was three months and twenty-six days older than her, and is really lonely. But, she is not lonely for too long. Soon she meets Shay, a fifteen year old ugly who has the same birthday as her. They hit it off immediately; Shay teaches Tally how to hoverboard, they rearrange their faces on their interface rings, and soon Shay mentions something that is thought of as only imaginary myths, the Smoke and David. Then Shay does something that surprises everyone, especially Special Circumstances. She decides to run away to the Smoke and begs Tally to come with her, but when Tally refuses to go with her, Shay leaves without another word. But, Shays disappearance didn’t go unseen. Special Circumstances finds out and bribes Tally with something she can’t refuse: she must go and find the Shay and then reveal the Smoke’s remote location. She hates to betray her friend, but the offer is too much for her to refuse. She has a thrilling new journey on her hands now, but still is unsure of where it is going to lead her.
Uglies was a superb book. It was a complete page turner that I never wanted to put down. It had a wonderful plot that had so many twists and turns that it was a roller coaster kind of book. It had so many ups and downs in its emotional plot and several wonderfully funny parts in the rest of it. I would suggest this book to anybody who loves a good read with a little bit of everything from heroines to a dramatic “two best friends torn apart because of the love life that they share” soap opera like plot. I cannot wait until I read the next book in this series.
Reviewed by: So1cc5er
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
The Outsiders - Reviews
Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders. New York: Penguin Group, 1995. 180 pages. (General Fiction)
This book deals all the struggles the greasers and the socs go through with each other. This book tells of two different lifestyles mixing and fighting for the right to call their group better than the other. S.E. Hinton uses the slang of 1960s to write an interesting book that tells so much about the lives of the two groups and the people living in then. This book is very well written and it will suck you into it, as though you’re there living side by side with the characters doing what they do.
Reviewed by: ME
"The Outsiders is a quick read because it is a book that will make you not want to put down."
- Jazzy G
“I thought that The Outsiders was an excellent book. It felt like I was actually there. Anyway I loved the book and I think it’d be great for anyone to read.”
- Jodancer6696
I liked this book because it was exciting and riveting. S.E. Hinton wrote this book with amazing detail and you never expected what was coming around the corner. The only part I didn’t like was when she went into great detail about how the Socs jumped the Greasers. I thought that was a little too violent, and I didn’t need to know everything that she told us. I would give this book a 8 out of ten because she gave too much detail and there was no main problem. I think if the book focused on one main thing instead of jumping around from problem to problem, it would be much better.
- Garfield3
I think that there is a lot of action in this book that makes a reader not want to but down the book. This is one of a few books that I have liked and not wanted to put down. I give very high credit to this author!
- Foroutthou13
Being a girl, this is not the kind of book I usually read. I’m into the diaries of princesses and girls from some of the most important time periods in history. I also like action books about mythological creatures. Perhaps you have heard of The Cry of the Icemark by Stuart Hill (reviews available). That is one of my all time favorite books. S.E. Hinton’s Outsiders was a good book, but too violent for me. I would give it two stars because I didn’t like the style, and it was very violent.
- FizzyJunior31
This book deals all the struggles the greasers and the socs go through with each other. This book tells of two different lifestyles mixing and fighting for the right to call their group better than the other. S.E. Hinton uses the slang of 1960s to write an interesting book that tells so much about the lives of the two groups and the people living in then. This book is very well written and it will suck you into it, as though you’re there living side by side with the characters doing what they do.
Reviewed by: ME
"The Outsiders is a quick read because it is a book that will make you not want to put down."
- Jazzy G
“I thought that The Outsiders was an excellent book. It felt like I was actually there. Anyway I loved the book and I think it’d be great for anyone to read.”
- Jodancer6696
I liked this book because it was exciting and riveting. S.E. Hinton wrote this book with amazing detail and you never expected what was coming around the corner. The only part I didn’t like was when she went into great detail about how the Socs jumped the Greasers. I thought that was a little too violent, and I didn’t need to know everything that she told us. I would give this book a 8 out of ten because she gave too much detail and there was no main problem. I think if the book focused on one main thing instead of jumping around from problem to problem, it would be much better.
- Garfield3
I think that there is a lot of action in this book that makes a reader not want to but down the book. This is one of a few books that I have liked and not wanted to put down. I give very high credit to this author!
- Foroutthou13
Being a girl, this is not the kind of book I usually read. I’m into the diaries of princesses and girls from some of the most important time periods in history. I also like action books about mythological creatures. Perhaps you have heard of The Cry of the Icemark by Stuart Hill (reviews available). That is one of my all time favorite books. S.E. Hinton’s Outsiders was a good book, but too violent for me. I would give it two stars because I didn’t like the style, and it was very violent.
- FizzyJunior31
The Outsiders- Reviews
Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders. New York: Penguin Group, 1995.180 pages. (General Fiction)
“If I were to give this book a one word label it would be ‘fantastic’ because it is perfectly written. It is pretty amazing that only a 15 year wrote such a touching book.”
- Superbeau42
“The Outsiders is the best book ever!!! This book tells reality, not some made up fantasy book where everyone is okay. It is magnificent and one of the beloved books of all time.”
- Antwain
"The Outsiders was such a great book because it was real. The events in this book could happen. Also, the people had real conversations, not the kind that could never happen. This is a sad and scary book but also happy and satisfying."
- Doodles33
"I thought The Outsiders was one of the best books I have read in a long time."
- ???
“It’s not easy to stay out of trouble in this neighborhood. Not all the brothers will make it through. But you’ll just have to read the book and see what happens!"
- Prada Panda
"This honestly is my overall favorite book! The book has lots of action. The characters are awesome and have cool names. It is the book that I have been looking for!"
- Laugher
"It is like riding a log rollercoaster blind folded so you don’t know what is going to happen next until you read it. Mind you S.E. Hinton was only 15 years old when she wrote this book and it got published when she was 17 years old back in 1965."
- LT28
"Grabs you right from the get-go. This book is a must read for young teens who like a suspenseful story with a great plot."
- hockeysniper13
“It was a pretty good book, but I wouldn’t have read it if it wasn’t for school.”
- Jazzy G.
"I like them because they are cool and strong and back up their friends..."
- MC Kibbles
“If I were to give this book a one word label it would be ‘fantastic’ because it is perfectly written. It is pretty amazing that only a 15 year wrote such a touching book.”
- Superbeau42
“The Outsiders is the best book ever!!! This book tells reality, not some made up fantasy book where everyone is okay. It is magnificent and one of the beloved books of all time.”
- Antwain
"The Outsiders was such a great book because it was real. The events in this book could happen. Also, the people had real conversations, not the kind that could never happen. This is a sad and scary book but also happy and satisfying."
- Doodles33
"I thought The Outsiders was one of the best books I have read in a long time."
- ???
“It’s not easy to stay out of trouble in this neighborhood. Not all the brothers will make it through. But you’ll just have to read the book and see what happens!"
- Prada Panda
"This honestly is my overall favorite book! The book has lots of action. The characters are awesome and have cool names. It is the book that I have been looking for!"
- Laugher
"It is like riding a log rollercoaster blind folded so you don’t know what is going to happen next until you read it. Mind you S.E. Hinton was only 15 years old when she wrote this book and it got published when she was 17 years old back in 1965."
- LT28
"Grabs you right from the get-go. This book is a must read for young teens who like a suspenseful story with a great plot."
- hockeysniper13
“It was a pretty good book, but I wouldn’t have read it if it wasn’t for school.”
- Jazzy G.
"I like them because they are cool and strong and back up their friends..."
- MC Kibbles
The Outsiders
Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders. NY: Penguin Group, 1995. 180 pages. (General Fiction)
Ponyboy is your average 14 year old greaser. He is in a gang with his brothers Sodapop and Darry and a few more mischievous boys. They are usually pretty good kids, besides the fact that they get into rumbles and smoke and all. Ponyboy is probably the best in school out of all of them. He could have a better life than what he’s living right now if he chose to. He has a strong future ahead of him, until one night in the park. He was walking with Johnny, looking at the stars, when all of a sudden some Socs come and jump them. Nothing ever really happened when people got jumped, until that one Soc tried to kill Ponyboy. Jonny rescues him, but at what cost. Now they are on the run, not knowing what the future may hold for them.
I thought that The Outsiders was an awesome book. It gives you a taste of the true, sad life that these people had to live. It describes how they have fights all of the time and how rough it is to escape the torture of being jumped, beaten, and judged just because they were greasers. I recommend that all other people read this book. It really opened up my eyes to how good my life is even though I thought that it wasn’t at times. I think that everybody should know that they have it well; therefore I believe that everybody should read this book.
Reviewed by: So1cc5er
Ponyboy is your average 14 year old greaser. He is in a gang with his brothers Sodapop and Darry and a few more mischievous boys. They are usually pretty good kids, besides the fact that they get into rumbles and smoke and all. Ponyboy is probably the best in school out of all of them. He could have a better life than what he’s living right now if he chose to. He has a strong future ahead of him, until one night in the park. He was walking with Johnny, looking at the stars, when all of a sudden some Socs come and jump them. Nothing ever really happened when people got jumped, until that one Soc tried to kill Ponyboy. Jonny rescues him, but at what cost. Now they are on the run, not knowing what the future may hold for them.
I thought that The Outsiders was an awesome book. It gives you a taste of the true, sad life that these people had to live. It describes how they have fights all of the time and how rough it is to escape the torture of being jumped, beaten, and judged just because they were greasers. I recommend that all other people read this book. It really opened up my eyes to how good my life is even though I thought that it wasn’t at times. I think that everybody should know that they have it well; therefore I believe that everybody should read this book.
Reviewed by: So1cc5er
The Wide Window
Sniket, Lemony. The Wide Window. NY: Harper Collins, 2000. 214 pages. (Adventure Series)
Meet the Baudelaries. They are some of the most unfortunate children in the history of books. They have had so many events thrown at them in so little time: their parents died in a house fire, their house burned down, and they had to live with Mr. Poe. Since they had to be transferred from their Uncle Monty’s house because he died, they had to go live with their Aunt Josephine. They meet a charter owner, Captain Sham, who seems suspicious to the children. When they got back to their new home, they could not stop talking about him. They thought that he was Count Olaf, and they would soon find out. When Aunt Josephine wrote a letter to the children saying that she committed suicide, she left clues saying that she was hiding from Count Olaf.
I felt that the book was very exciting, and very hard to put down when you start to read the first couple of chapters. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about unfortunate children.
Reviewed by: LT28
Meet the Baudelaries. They are some of the most unfortunate children in the history of books. They have had so many events thrown at them in so little time: their parents died in a house fire, their house burned down, and they had to live with Mr. Poe. Since they had to be transferred from their Uncle Monty’s house because he died, they had to go live with their Aunt Josephine. They meet a charter owner, Captain Sham, who seems suspicious to the children. When they got back to their new home, they could not stop talking about him. They thought that he was Count Olaf, and they would soon find out. When Aunt Josephine wrote a letter to the children saying that she committed suicide, she left clues saying that she was hiding from Count Olaf.
I felt that the book was very exciting, and very hard to put down when you start to read the first couple of chapters. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about unfortunate children.
Reviewed by: LT28
The Magician’s Nephew
Lewis, C.S. The Magician’s Nephew. NY: Harper Entertainment, 1955. 100 pages. (Fantasy Series)
The Magician’s Nephew was about a young boy named Digory whose mother wass very sick and could die at any second. While Digory’s father was away, he and his mother were living with Digory’s aunt and Uncle Andrew who was a magician. And last is Polly who lived next to Digory and eventually became friends with him, even though they had totally different personalities.
This book was about how Uncle Andrew had two rings that were green and gold. When they put on the yellow ring, it would take them to a world between the worlds, a flat piece of land with identical pools. To switch worlds, they’d put on the green ring and jump into a pool. Eventually, Digory and Polly got tricked into going there. While they’re there, they run into an evil witch, who incidentally goes back to the real world and makes their life horrible. When Digory and Polly try to get her back they jumped into the wrong pool, which brought them to a perfect world with the fruit of life which gives you everlasting life. Do Polly and Digory get back to their own world? Does Digory’s mother die? And what will Polly and Digory do with all of the rings? You’ll have to read the book to find out.
If I could choose another one of C.S. Lewis’ books, I definitely would. And now that I have finished this book, I am currently reading Prince Caspian, another sequel in The Chronicles of Narnia. Once I am done reading Prince Caspian, I hope that I will finish all of the series. If you’re wondering what the other books are in the series, her they are- The Magician’s Nephew, The Loin, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Silver Chair, The Horse and His Boy, The Voyage of the Dawn Trader, and The Last Battle. I hope to read all of these.
Reviewed by: Jodancer6696
The Magician’s Nephew was about a young boy named Digory whose mother wass very sick and could die at any second. While Digory’s father was away, he and his mother were living with Digory’s aunt and Uncle Andrew who was a magician. And last is Polly who lived next to Digory and eventually became friends with him, even though they had totally different personalities.
This book was about how Uncle Andrew had two rings that were green and gold. When they put on the yellow ring, it would take them to a world between the worlds, a flat piece of land with identical pools. To switch worlds, they’d put on the green ring and jump into a pool. Eventually, Digory and Polly got tricked into going there. While they’re there, they run into an evil witch, who incidentally goes back to the real world and makes their life horrible. When Digory and Polly try to get her back they jumped into the wrong pool, which brought them to a perfect world with the fruit of life which gives you everlasting life. Do Polly and Digory get back to their own world? Does Digory’s mother die? And what will Polly and Digory do with all of the rings? You’ll have to read the book to find out.
If I could choose another one of C.S. Lewis’ books, I definitely would. And now that I have finished this book, I am currently reading Prince Caspian, another sequel in The Chronicles of Narnia. Once I am done reading Prince Caspian, I hope that I will finish all of the series. If you’re wondering what the other books are in the series, her they are- The Magician’s Nephew, The Loin, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Silver Chair, The Horse and His Boy, The Voyage of the Dawn Trader, and The Last Battle. I hope to read all of these.
Reviewed by: Jodancer6696
Annie Between The States
Elliot, L.M. Annie Between The States. NY: Scholastic, 2004. 535 pages. (Historical Fiction)
The main characters in Annie Between the States are, Annie, her mother, her brother Jamie, Thomas walker, and her other brother Laurence. The story takes place during the Civil War down South. Annie has to look after her mother and younger brother, Jamie, while her brother, Lawrence, is at war with the Blue Coats. She solves her problems by trying to help her brother, Lawrence, keep track of the Blue Coats that he is fighting against. She also has another problem when she falls in love with a Blue Coat named Thomas Walker. She doesn’t know what her brother will think. Her little brother, Jamie, is trying to gain independence by joining the Confederate side and show his older brother that he can manage on his own. Annie is a lot like me because she is a young spirited girl who loves to ride horses and climb trees. Her brother, Lawrence, even had to get her out of a tree once when she was ten. When she goes to a prison for murder, she goes through a lot of neglect, she has to sleep on a cold stone floor with hundreds of rats and mice. . The ending was very extraordinary because she ends up with one of the Blue Coats as her husband. The author is one of the best writers that I have read.
Reviewed by: BlackPearl
The main characters in Annie Between the States are, Annie, her mother, her brother Jamie, Thomas walker, and her other brother Laurence. The story takes place during the Civil War down South. Annie has to look after her mother and younger brother, Jamie, while her brother, Lawrence, is at war with the Blue Coats. She solves her problems by trying to help her brother, Lawrence, keep track of the Blue Coats that he is fighting against. She also has another problem when she falls in love with a Blue Coat named Thomas Walker. She doesn’t know what her brother will think. Her little brother, Jamie, is trying to gain independence by joining the Confederate side and show his older brother that he can manage on his own. Annie is a lot like me because she is a young spirited girl who loves to ride horses and climb trees. Her brother, Lawrence, even had to get her out of a tree once when she was ten. When she goes to a prison for murder, she goes through a lot of neglect, she has to sleep on a cold stone floor with hundreds of rats and mice. . The ending was very extraordinary because she ends up with one of the Blue Coats as her husband. The author is one of the best writers that I have read.
Reviewed by: BlackPearl
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