I Survived The Nazi Invasion by Lauren Tarshis

Reviewed by Laith S.

This great book,  I Survived the Nazi Invasion  by Lauren Tarshis and is an amazing book because it supplies the perfect amount of action and a great amount of thrill.  Two kids Max and Zena are trying to survive the Nazi invasion by hiding but they stumble into their lost auntie that is sabotaging the Nazis. In the book, Max and Zena also lose their papa to the Nazis and they are thrilled and determined to find their papa. In my full opinion I rate this book five stars because as I said it does everything well at the perfect time. -

Slob by Ellen Potter

Slob by Ellen Potter is a great book for tweens/young teens. It’s about a 12 year old overweight kid named Owen, who faces bullying everyday. He gets tortured by the P.E. teacher, however, most people don’t know that Owen is a genius. But, when someone starts stealing his oreo cookies, it’s the last straw for him. So, he takes matters into his own hands. He tries to make devices to catch the thief, who he thinks is the new kid.- Review by Anna A.

Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen

Reviewed by Catherine L.

Asking yourself what book you should pick? Taking your time on the shelves? How about this book, Touching Spirit Bear. Touching Spirit Bear is an award winning adventure novel by Ben Mikaelsen. A book that makes you want to take sides & have strong thoughts about the characters. It’s filled of adventure & gruesome events. You won’t get bored of it!


Cole Matthews is a ruthless bully, the one who you’d take the longest route home just to avoid meeting. Worse yet, his parents can get him out of juvenile prison every time until this one case. Cole Matthews commits a horrible crime against 7th grader Peter Driscal that lands him in hot water. Follow Cole & his journey to heal & change.

Totally heart this book! I give it 5 stars!

-Reviewed By Nicholas C.                        

The genre of this book is a adventure novel. Cole is a juvenile delinquent from Minneapolis that is on a boat heading to an island in Alaska to heal. When I say heal that means to let go of all of his anger inside. A kid named Peter Driscal figured out that Cole had ransacked a store and had told the police. So Cole decides to beat him up.  Many things are happening in his life and he has a hard time on the island. There is a bear that does do something you won’t want to know but to figure out you must read it.


-Reviewed by Crystal W.

Touching Spirit Bear is a great book. Ben Mikaelsen does a great job describing the setting and the characters’ personality.  He also does a very good job showing symbolism with normal things that you can see. The characters in Touching Spirit Bear are very realistic and believable.

This book is about a main character named Cole. Cole has a history of violence and stealing. The latest crime that he committed was smashing Peter Driscal’s head into the sidewalk. This time the consequences are much harsher. “ This time Cole will have to choose between prison and a Native American Circle Justice. He will live either behind bars or in insulation for one year.” Cole wanted to avoid jail but he hates Circle Justice so tried to get away then he gets mauled by the spirit bear because the tries to kill the spirit bear.

Reviewed by Kako W.

Touching Spirit Bear is an award winning novel by Ben Mikaelsen. This is a realistic fiction book but its elements fit into the adventure genre. With all its actions and cliffhangers at the end of each chapter, this is a book that will not make you want to put down.

The book is about a teenager named Cole Matthews who has a misguided life. He has beaten up Peter Driscal and his punishment was to survive on a remote Alaskan island in isolation for a year. He sees the Spirit Bear on the island and tries to kill it. He gets mauled by it and clings onto life.

I like that the author is trying to have the book have connections to nature. He also puts in a lot of symbolism which gives deep meaning to the book and makes the reader think about what it represents. When Garvey showed the ingredients and cake, it made me think about what kind of point he was trying to make.  

Penny From Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm

Reviewed by Virginia H.

The book Penny From Heaven is a Newbery honor book by Jennifer L. Holm. It is a historical fiction book that’s filled with tons of adventure. In this book, it’s 1953,and an 11 year old girl named Penny wants her summer to be filled with trips to the pool, going to the movies, baseball, and butter pecan ice cream. But, her mom is afraid she’ll catch polio if she goes to the pool, and nobody says anything about the truth of her father and his death. But one thing isn’t a lie for sure. This summer is going to be the worst summer for Penny ever. This book is a interesting book to read, for many reasons. First of all, there are twists in the book, shocking turns of events that leave the reader really surprised. The story is based on friendship and family tragedies, and Jennifer L. Holm makes these struggles so realistic, so that once you start reading, you can’t stop.You can make so many connections with this book, making the reading more interesting!

The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands

The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands is an amazing book full mystery and suspense. It is the first book in a series of 2 book series that follows Christopher Rowe’s adventures. It takes place in London, in the 1700s, when apothecaries and magistrates lived. The book’s genre is Fantasy/Mystery/Historical fiction.

In this book, Christopher Rowe is an apprentice of the apothecary named Benedict Blackthorn. Recently, there have been murderers appearing in town and killing random people. When Mr. Blackthorn falls as their next victim he leaves a note in code for Christopher. Now it is up to Christopher to decode Mr. Blackthorn’s message and catch the culprit.

I really liked this book. The characters are smart and fun, like at the beginning of the book when Christopher finds out that the key to unlocking his present from Mr. Blackthorn is liquid mercury. All together I would give this book five out of five stars, it was amazing! --Review by Peter S.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney

Review by Zachary H.

The book I’m reviewing is Diary of a wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. This book was written by Jeff Kinney and it is a funny book.

I like this book because it has rude humor. They talk about underwear and Rodrick’s band is called “Loaded Diaper.” I really like the characters in this book. Greg Heffley is my favorite character because he gets into trouble that's funny. One time he wrapped himself in toilet paper to keep warm when he was hiding from swimming  class.  Greg and Rowley are characters who are friends. They both play video games and they are in middle school.  They have crushes on girls. Rodrick is a mean boy who teases Greg Heffley by changing his
alarm. Greg was late for school and got in trouble with his dad.

Jeff Kinney writes this book in a diary style with comic book pictures that makes me laugh.  I would recommend this book because it is so much fun to read. I rate this book 5 stars

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Review by Helen K.

Counting by 7s is a realistic fiction book written by Holly Goldberg Sloan. It’s a wonderful story about the struggles of a twelve year old girl named Willow Chance. This story is sometimes sad, and sometimes funny, but it is always captivating.

Willow's story is a story of loss and survival. She loses her parents, doesn’t have any family,  and doesn’t have any friends at school. Willow Chance is also very smart. For example in the book she says,” I tried to fit in. I researched teenagers. I read about teenage driving, teenage runaways, and teenage dropout rates. And it was a shocker.” I really like the people in Willows community who came to help her even when they were in difficult situations themselves. For example, her counselor Dell Duke, gave up his apartment so that WiIlow and her new foster family could have a place to live.

The author used to write screenplays for movies, that’s why, when you read the book, it’s like you are seeing it right in front of you.