To The Last Man

Shaara, Jeff. To The Last Man. NY: Random House Publishing Group, 2004. 636 pages. (WWI Nonfiction)

Have you ever wondered what was going through the mind of an average soldier during the adrenalin rush of battle? Jeff Shaara does an excellent job of bringing battle to life. In To The Last Man, Jeff tells the story of four people who went through the bloodshed of WW1. Raoul Lufbery, Roscoe Temple, John J. Pershing, and Baron Manfred von Richthofen are the 4 soldiers chronicled. Raoul is a French immigrant who came to America in search of his father. He joins a squadron of pilots who fight for France but are truly American. Roscoe is the son of farm owners in Virginia. When war breaks out, he joins the U.S. Marines (Semper Fi). Richthofen is the son of a professional soldier and joins the Eastern front as a cable layer then he transferred to the air force. Pershing is in charge of the AEF or American Expeditionary Force. This book really gets deep into the minds and emotions of the common soldier. I would recommend this book to all history buffs and especially those who enjoy military history.

Reviewed by: AusieMax

Twelve

Myracle, Lauren. Twelve. N.Y.: Penguin Group, 2007. 214 pages. (Realistic Fiction)

It's just that thing about birthdays and especially the very day that you turn twelve, it’s always about the glamour. And because twelve is almost thirteen and thirteen is a teenager you have to make a point. I mean teenagers can’t be walking around in public with holes in their jeans and ketchup on their shirts,we all have to grow up and that’s exactly what Winnie had to do, she had to grow up. It was Winnie's first day of seventh grade and her first day in Westminster. On her first day Winnie and her best friend Dinah not only gained a new best friend but they gained a new worst enemy. Winnie and her best friend Dinah and now their new best friend Cinnamon have a worst enemy, Gail Grayson, who is the meanest girl in school according to Cinnamon. Now well Winnie, Dinah, and Cinnamon are trying to get along with Gail Grayson Winnies sister Sandra is off with her new boyfriend Bo and is no help to Winnie because Sandra is always at the mall or off on a date with Bo, and certainly her parents are no help because if you tell your parents every day their just going to want more and more information. Can Winnie handle the pressure?

I thought the book was fantastic! most girls that just turn twelve are really going to like this book.This book always kept you wondering what knid of crazy thing Winnie, Dinah, or Cinnamon were going to do next. I can't wait to read the next book Thriteen. "Myracle['s] narrative remains fresh and lively, inviting the audiance to commiserate and laugh along with Winnie as advances toard her 12th year." - Publishers Weekly, on Eleven

So catch up with Winnie, Dinah, Cinnamon and the rest of the crew when you read the book Twelve.

Reviewed by: RainyDay

Raise Your Voice

Wasserman, Robin. Raise Your Voice. NY: Scholastic, 2004. 187 pages. (Realistic Fiction)

The book I read was Raise Your Voice. The main characters in the story are Terri, Jay, Paul, Simon, Aunt Nina and Frances. The title of the book is Raise Your Voice because Terri has a great voice and loves to sing in the school choir and just about anywhere. Terri also loves to sing and write her own songs. Terri got invited to Bristol-Hillman Music Conservatory. Only the best people in the country were invited to this summer music school. Her dad, Simon, was not allowing her to go to this school because he didn’t want her in LA all by herself. Since her brother just graduated from school, Terri wanted to get him something for graduating so she got him two tickets to see a band. Terri and her brother Paul snuck out of the house and saw the band. When they were driving on the way back to their house a car went through a red light and smashed into their car. Terri lived but her Paul did not.

I would recommend this book to anyone because if a bad event happened to them like it did in the story, then they might relate to the book and realize that they are not the only one that is feeling bad. In the beginning I despised the father for not letting his daughter go to the school, but then I realized that he didn’t let her go because he loved her and didn’t want her to leave because she was his only daughter left. I would read another book by this author because it was a nice topic to write about and had a lot of feeling written in the book.

Reviewed by: April Girl

Pretties

Westerfeld, Scott. Pretties. New York City: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, 2005. 370 pages. (Sci-Fi Series)


Tally is finally gorgeous. She has a hot boyfriend, fashionable clothes, a popular clique, and her best friends with her to help her out. She has everything she could imagine. But that all changes one morning when Tally receives a note from herself… only she can’t remember writing it. That’s when her past comes to haunt her She will soon realize that there is more to being pretty than just the good looks, that it goes deeper than that. Literally.

I love this series!!!!!!! It is full of love and regret, friendship and enemies, and betrayal. On a scale of one through ten, this series is an eleven!!!

Reviewed by: DancingPenguins96

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Verne, Jules. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea New York: Baronet Books, 1992. 237 pages. (Steampunk)

The book I read was 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne. I really enjoyed this book, because I too enjoy sea life. The story starts off with a “sea monster” that seems to be around 60 feet long and indestructible. It even went through another ship! A sea life expert, Professor Aronnax, and his friends Conseil, and Ned go out on a boat to find this sea monster, which takes them around three months to find. When they see it Ned fires at it, and when it doesn’t die, they knew it wasn’t an animal. It ended up being some of the most advanced technology ever seen in their time. Being able to take people under water for about 4 days was very impressive, (It had to go back up to collect more air, but could eventually go back down for another 4 days). I don’t think I’d be so thrilled being sentenced in the ship for life, so that no one knew about it, but being able to see all the things of the deep that no people on land have gotten to see would be one of my greatest adventures. I think most people that read this book would enjoy it, because of the thrilling ride the book takes you through. It’s safe to say this was one of my favorite books yet, and I hope other readers enjoy it as much as I did.

Mator1313