Keeper of the Lost Cities by Sharon Messenger

 

Sophie Foster has always been able to hear other people's thoughts. She is only twelve years old, but is in high school already. Sophie is nothing like her family, and is cast out from society. One day, she meets Fitz, a boy who turns out to be a telepath, just like Sophie! Fitz shows her a new, magical world- a place where Sophie belongs. Some people from the new, magical world aren’t very happy about Sophie coming to her dream world, though...

This book is one of my go-to reads, and I have re-read it several times. Keeper of the Lost Cities is part of a series, and all of the books are very good. My favorite character is Sophie Foster because she always tries, and is incredibly brave. One of my favorite quotes from her is “I would rather be punished for making the right decision than live with the guilt of making the wrong one for the rest of my life.” Sophie also has a sense of humor- especially when she finds out about the world that she belongs in. Sophie says, “What, I’ll just wake up and suddenly be able to walk through walls?” to Fitz when she finds out. It is hard to explain my favorite part of the book without giving away tons of spoilers. I would say that my favorite part is when Sophie finds out that she is an (spoiler), and is in such disbelief when she finds out that there is a whole new world- a world that she could never believe that existed!

I would recommend this book to tweens or younger teens who like some romance, mystery, and fantasy. There are interesting and relatable characters, who will make you smile. This book is a 5 out of 5 stars! 

Review by Quynh S. 

The Complete Chi's Sweet Home Part 4 by Konami Kanata

 The book is called The Complete Chi ‘s Sweet Home and this is Part 4. The characters of this story are Chi, Cocchi, Mommy, Dady, Yhony and ect. Those are some of the main characters of the book. The story takes place in many different places and these are some of the places… They are outside a lot of the time but they are also in their house. Chi and Cocchi are cats and Mommy, Dady, and Yohey are humans. Yohey and Mommy found Chi and took her home and she has been living with them ever since. They have always let Chi go outside and that is how Chi met Cocchi. 

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was very fun and a light read to me but may not be to everybody else. My favorite characters are Chi, Cocchi, and Yohey. Yohey is a little boy, if i had to guess i would say he is in 1st grade or second grade. He is brave and has a very close connection to Chi. Chi is a very sparky cat. She has lots of energy and she is a fun character. Cocchi has more of a stubborn character and he has more of a temper but is logical and can be funny. I really enjoyed this book.

I totally would recommend this book if you are looking for a book with some difficult words. If you get overwhelmed easily, this would be a great book because it is a graphic novel and there are not a lot of words on a page. Some pages have more than others. It is also a very fun book and can make you laugh. I know it made me laugh. I really enjoyed this book a lot. I would give this book a 5/5. It is truly an amazing book. I loved reading this book so much I definitely recommend this book.

Review by Mae H.

The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen

 

A boy named Sage is bought from a orphanage by Conner. Conner has also bought Tobias, Latamer and Roden from orphanages too. In the end a Deadly mystery is solved. Read on to Find OUT!

I absolutely love this book! My favorite character is Sage because no matter what he never runs nor is he afraid. ( Except in the middle of the book.)

For anyone who likes books with medieval settings and with knights, castles and Royal families you will love this book!

Review by Esad O.

The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson

 

Matthew, a 12 year old boy, is trapped in his OCD. Obsessiveness is a cleaning compulsion if he doesn't clean people will die. Matthew sees a lot of things from his window including when a 15 month old child goes missing, The perfect crime has an imperfect witness.

I really liked the book. It had suspenseful moments like when at some point after 12:55 p.m. on that bright scorching day the boy from next door goes missing. I really like when Melody Bird at the hospital was so kind and talkative when Matthew didn't know what to say. “That's why I'm here. I've got a cluster of them on my big toe. They hurt like crazy. Got to get them burned off, I guess. You had a verruca before?” Matthew couldn't think of an answer so he kept quiet. Another piece of evidence. Your moms really pretty, isn't she? Matthew couldn't think of an answer so he kept quiet. I can relate to Matthew in that moment when he didn't know what to say so he kept quiet. My favorite character was Matthew because I can relate to him a lot.

I would recommend this book to any one who likes kid lead mysteries and realistic fiction about people who are different from them because a kid goes missing and that is a mystery and a kid named Matthew has to figure out who does it with him and some partly friends. Also Matthew had OCD.

Review by E.J. L. 

The Last Kids on Earth and the Midnight Blade by Max Brallier

 

The main characters are Jack, Quint, June, and Dirk. They are surviving a zombie/monster apocalypse.

I like the book because the main character fails, trains and then wins.

I like this series because it has high action and a good story line. I think that you might like it if you like humor, a good story line, monsters, and zombies.

Review by Magnus G.

The Royal Ranger: The Red Fox Clan by John Flanagan

 

Maddie, a 3rd year Ranger Apprentice of Will Treaty, the most famous and skillful ranger in the entire Ranger Corps, is on her 3rd year test. She has NEVER failed a test. But bad luck strikes her as during her test, she was hiding when a 4th year apprentice stepped on her. She cried out and was caught. She was mad but moved on. After that, Gilan, the Ranger Corps Commandant, went on a mission with Sir Horace, Maddie’s dad, and The Champion to Queen Cassandra, Maddie's mom. Sir Horace was led into a trap and was unable to escape, due to them being pinned on a hill with a small force of the best archers in the kingdom, and 30 cavalry troops. But what they don’t realize is the encounter that was about to unfold at Castle Aruelan, the castle of Queen Cassandra, and only Maddie can stop them from taking the impenetrable castle.

I loved this book. My favorite part was when Maddie infiltrated the Red Fox Clan’s base and managed to escape. Maddie was surrounded by a hundred Red Fox Clan members and managed to take down 5 and escape despite all odds. Not only that but this brings back her 3rd year test because one of the members stepped on her hand. In the book it says: “Maddie wanted to cry out but held it despite the pain in her hand”. One of my favorite quotes was when she was talking to her horse. What a ranger you are, said bumper, a Ranger Horse, specially bred for Rangers. “I was just telling myself that.’. Warning: This book has a “to be continued” at the end. Do NOT throw the book across the room like I did.

If you liked the previous series and the previous books of this series, you will LOVE this book. If you haven't read the previous series, I recommend you read them. Along with that, if you like medieval action, battle, conquests, ship battles, stealth, and ninjas, this is the book for you!! 5/5 stars.

Review by William Y.

The Case of the Missing Marquess (an Enola Holmes Mystery) by Nancy Springer

 

If you like mysteries and thrilling plot turns then you must read this. From the outside this might seem like another Sherlock Holmes rip off but to be honest it was so good and shined a new light on the tails of Sherlock Holmes. The story goes that Enola Holmes is a 14 year old girl, her two older brothers never come around much so it's just her and her mom, her mom loves puzzles and stuff like that so she named her enola which backwards spells alone and one day her mother disappears. Her brothers now have to take care of her so they want to send her to a finishing school she doesn't want to go to, so she runs away. She has to deal with hiding her identity and solving a mystery.

The book was great. My favorite part is probably when she has to find a disguise. I thought it was clever because she decided to dress up in a morning outfit because her brothers won't suspect that also the clues hidden in the book are cool.

I think people who are fans of mysteries should read this book but to be honest anyone will like this book and almost sure this will end up being a classic.

Review by Gabriella F.

Linked by Gordon Korman

 

In a normal school, in Chokecherry, an anonymous kid or adult vandalizes a school during the night. The first swastika. SInce Michael was the first to see it, he was accused of doing it. Since Link was the most popular kid in school, everybody is looking at him to solve the problem. Since Dana is the only Jewish kid in school, everyone is looking at her like she doesn’t belong. Little does everyone know that everything is connected. 

I kind of liked this book, but I also sort of did not like it. First, what I did like about the book. I thought my favorite character in the book was Link because at the beginning of the story, he doesn’t know that he is part Jewish, and he is the most popular kid in school. But when his mom finally tells him that he is Jewish, he changes. He starts getting ready for his bar mitzvah and starts learning Hebrew chants. He feels like he can do something to acknowledge the six million Jewish people that died in the Holocaust. He wants to honor his Grandma that could of died in the Holocaust. He also wants to honor his cousins that never got the chance to be born. But something I did not like about the book is how the book was kind of boring. I kind of felt like the plot stayed the same during the book. At the start of the book, Michael finds a swastika on the wall and gets freaked out and everyone tries to find the kid who painted it. At the middle of the book about six more swastikas were found and everyone was trying to find the kid who did it. So basically I kind of think the whole time they are just trying to find out which kid did it.

I think if you like books about anti-racism and you like realistic fiction, then you would like this book. I also think that if you like chapter books that have multiple different points of view from different characters throughout the book, then this is the book for you. 

Review by Angela S. 

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

 

Citra and Rowan live in a dystopian world. A world where humans have conquered everything. Pain, suffering, war, disease, misery. They have even conquered death. Now the only ones who can kill are Scythes. Scythes are commanded to glean (kill) a certain number of people each year in order to keep the population under control. They have to go through a year of rigorous training learning the art of killing as an apprentice to an older Scythe. When Citra and Rowan get picked as apprentices to Honorable Scythe Faraday, (a role neither of them wants) they will have to master the art of killing, knowing the consequences if they don’t match up.

I loved reading Scythe. My favorite part was when Citra shoots the “unknown man” (don’t want to give any spoilers) in the leg and then discovers who he really is. I connected with the way that Scythe Curie and Scythe Faraday choose to glean. How they choose to do it honorably and are merciful.

I would recommend this book to older tweens and teens because it can be kind of gory at some parts but it is still such a good book. If you liked The Giver I think you will like this book a lot.

Review by Lorena M.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling

 

There is a boy named Harry Potter whose parents were killed and he lives in a small cupboard. Harry finds out he has powers and gets invited to a school. He meets his friends Ron, and Hermione. Though he has a good time, evil is lying in front of him.

I loved this book a lot. My favorite character was Harry Potter because he is brave and kind. “Go on without me, I have to be the one to go.” I have to rate this book a 5/5 because I enjoyed reading it so much!

If you like fantasy, horror, and magic, then this is the book for you! I recommend this book to everyone, this is definitely a book I would read over and over and over every single day.

Review by Allen B.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

A Wrinkle in Time is about a girl named Meg who is always looked down upon. A lot of students at her school also gossip about her younger brother, Charles Wallace. Their father had disappeared a long time ago so it had just been Meg, Charles Wallace, their twin brothers, and their mother.

My favorite part of this book is when Meg found her father in a glass container full of liquid and when Meg was absorbed into the glass container herself, her father spoke to her saying he couldn't see. Meg removed her glasses off her face and placed them on her father's face. "Yes, how extraordinary! I can almost see the atoms rearranging!"

I recommend this book to anyone who loves sci-fi and fantasy genre.

Review by Elif G.