Touch Blue

                                 Touch    Blue

                                                      BH

Touch Blue is a exciting adventure that takes place on the water in Maine! This book is about a girl named Tess who lives on an island in Maine. Her mom teaches school there but the State of Maine plans to shut down the school because they don’t have enough kids in the school. If that happens she has to go live on the mainland, which she does not want. So the islanders come up with a plan: Each family on the island is going to adopt an orphan.

This book has a lot of nature and adventure! They go on boat rides all the time. Which really connected to me because I live in Maine.

                            Out on the bay,  the Tess Libby, our lobster boat,

                            waits on her mooring. It’s always a comfort to see

                            her there, her nose up and her wide, flat, open

                            deck in the back. No matter how rough the seas

                            are  or how hard it rains, she stays right there,

                            waiting for us.

Tess loves the anything about the sea. She wants to get Aaron (their foster child) to like it too. She think everyone should love the sea as much as she does. At first Aaron is very quiet and has some bad experiences but also good ones!

In this book I had many different feelings. I was sad when Aaron got picked on. I felt very happy when he played his Trumpet for the islanders. It keeped me hooked through the whole book with all the twists and turns. because one minute everything is going great then Tess sees Aaron is not what she expected and try to make him love everything she does.

One of my favorite things in this book is the chapters! In every chapter they have little quotes. For example:

                                       Chapter 4

                If you watch a boat disappear from view,

                                you’ll never see it again.

               

I enjoyed this book because I live in Maine and Tess really connected with me. I would rate this a 9 out of ten. It is for someone who likes nature and adventure.  If there was a sequel I would read it!

Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

By: Suzanne Collins

With a perfect combination of violence, betrayal and romance, The Hunger Games,  by Suzanne Collins, has something to offer to everybody. 

                     

Throughout The Hunger Games, the characters change a lot. Suzanne Collins has written very believable characters with many different sides. Katniss’ first impression in  the book is stubborn and shy but very loving towards her family and friends. That stubbornness to stay alive is what keeps her believing since her family is very poor and struggling to eat. Also, She is shy and it is apparent early on in the book when they are driving to the Capitol and Katniss stays put while Peeta waves to the people. Here is an example of when Katniss is loving towards her family and friends:

“Rue’s eyes have fluttered shut. Her chest moves but only slightly. My throat releases the tears and they slide down my cheeks. But I have to finish the song for her.”

Obviously Katniss cares about her family and friends.

Later in the book,

    “The comment about Rue has filled me with fury, enough fury I think to die with some dignity. As my last act of defiance, I will stare her down as I can see, which will probably not be an extended period of time, but i will stare her down, I will not cry out, I will die, in my own small way, undefeated.”

As you can see Katniss changed from being shy to being unafraid.

To add to the greatness of the characters Collins has the book wonderfully constructed so that each moment of the book is loaded with feeling and packed with suspense. There are many moments in The Hunger Games where it feels where you are right next to Katniss. Back stiff, stomach in knots and full of anxiousness watching her as she pulls back her bow to shoot her game. Just that moment will leave you thinking about the book for days. Without a doubt, Collins has jam-packed this book with action, feeling and suspense.

By the time I finished this book I felt as Katniss was part of me. Her rebel attitude and her sensitivity towards her family is something I will remember. This book makes us think of how lucky we are to not be ruled by a bad  government.

The Hunger Games is a wonderfully crafted story about perseverance, love and the power of will.   

The Indigo Notebook

Review: The Indigo Notebook

By MY

The Indigo Notebook is an exciting adventure about loving the life you have and being careful what you wish for. It’s a story about a girl named Zeeta with a crazy mother named Layla. Every year Layla decides to move to a new and more exciting country. But Zeeta longs for the suburban American life where she can listen to her Ipod and eat pancakes for breakfast with a normal father and a normal house.But is that really what she wants??

This book shows great characterization through the teller of the story Zeeta. She has a strong personality and it really feels like she is telling the story. you can feel her emotions in the things she says about her life.

“Its always the same, no matter where in the world we happen to be.     Just as I get used to noodle soup for breakfast in the Laos, or endless glasses of super sweet mint tea in Morocco, or crazy little Tuk Tuk taxis in Thailand, Layla gets that look in her eyes,that faraway,wistful look, as though she's squinting at a movie in the distance, and on the screen is a place more exotic, more dazzling,more spiritual than wherever we are.”

The setting feels really real. You can almost see the beautiful colors in the market place, or feel the cold waterfall. The setting either makes

“This town feels almost cozy,it's in a valley surrounded by towering mountains , all shades of dazzling green rising into stone peaks. The suns starting to heat up the morning air,reflecting off the cement buildings, some painted pastels, some bright blues and yellows. The stores look welcoming and cherry with the doors propped open.”

I loved this book because it made me feel something. It’s written in a way that makes you really happy or sad or excited! I found myself looking forward to reading the book in class and sometimes I would even take it home to read. Also I like how the book kept you on a cliffhanger until almost the end.

    I think really think that I would recommend The Indigo Notebook to anyone who likes adventure stories, but still likes things to be a little realistic. On a scale of one to ten I would definitely rate this book at ten! also the it makes you want to keep reading. I’m not sure if theres a sequel but I would be excited to see where Zeeta and Layla move next!

Angel

ANGEL

By LW.

“I KNOW HE’LL come for me. He has to come for me. Fang wouldn’t let me die here.” If you like action packed books about flying bird people you would like the book Angel by James Patterson.

The suspense in this book is very good. He uses it when it’s the end of the chapter to keep you reading. The way Patterson uses suspense is by bringing something up the stops the suspense and goes to the next chapter so you have to turn the page and start the chapter. This is one time when he used suspense at the end of a chapter.

I sat up straight, my jaw dropping. “The Doomsday Group?”

That is definitely suspense. If you don’t believe me then read the book and find out.
    Throughout this book I realized how much I wanted Max to save the world (and not die.) I cared for Max so much. Which showed that  kids will be able to read it and understand the book even though it is an adult book. (#1 New York Times bestselling series.) I am so happy I read it.
    This book is great for everyone who loves fantasy even though its not, its Sci-Fi. I loved the book but you should read the other books in the series starting with The Angel Experiment. Also there's another coming out on August 6th, 2012. (I really want to read it.) If I were to rate this book I would give it a 9.6 to 9.7 out of 10 it’s a really good book. Anyone would love this book if they have been reading for a little while. Everyone loves this book who has read it, so will you.

When You Reach Me

            When You Reach Me

“I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own. I ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter.” This is just one of the many creepy mystery lines that Rebecca Stead has put into When You reach Me. She has been able to put mystery, laughs, and creeps into one book.

   
    One thing Rebecca Stead does great is the plot. She can give you clues but you aren't able to figure them out. With some books you get way too frustrated and you leave the book. This book almost seems that it has the power to make you read on and find out about the clues. Eventually in the end the plot all ties in with plenty of suspense.

Miranda:

Your letter must tell a story-a true story. You cannot begin slow, as most of it had not yet taken place. And even afterward, there is no hurry. But do not wait so long that your memory fades. I require as much detail as you can provide. The trip is a difficult one, and I must ask my favors while my mind is sound.

A postscript: I know you have shared my first note. I ask you not to share the others. Please. I do not ask this for myself.

There is just one piece of the ongoing suspense and clues that you just can't figure out and still keeps you reading.

While I was reading this book I notice that it was a very hard book to read and follow. I had to read over a lot of pages to get what is going on. It all made sense in the end so don't get to frustrated. What I found myself doing was read over a lot of the book because it gets really hard to keep track of what’s going on. I would recommend reading over pages if you don’t know what’s going on or else you will have to clue what’s happening in the end. What surprised me about  When You Reach Me is how good Rebecca Stead wrote the book and how all the clues fit together in the end.                           

My final thoughts are to remember to read over if you don't get what's going on. If you get to frustrated keep on reading. If I had to rate this book 1 to 10 I would give it a 7. I would recommend this book to people that like mystery and don’t get to frustrated. That is why I think people that like mystery and don’t get to frustrated should check it out.            

- Joe Truesdale          

   

I'll Be There

I’ll Be There

Holly Golberg Sloan

With the perfect combination of adventure, survival, and romance, I’ll Be There is an amazing read. Holly Golberg Sloan writes a story that draws in the reader in from the beginning to the very end with its twisting plot and wonderful characters.

The characters in this book are unique and extremely well written. Sam, the main character, is an extremely realistic character, caring for his little brother and trying not to set off his dad to protect both of them. Emily, a girl he meets when she is forced to sing in her church choir, is strong and likable, the way she refuses to accept that Sam and Riddle are dead, even though all odds are against her. However, Holly Golberg Sloan does the best job on Sam’s little brother, Riddle. Riddle thinks in a different way than most people, and Sloan does a great job expressing this by showing what is going on in his brain. She shows, by writing chapters from Riddle’s point of view, how he thinks of Emily’s Mom as the sweet cake lady because she made cake for him, how he is attached to an old phone book because it’s the only thing he can rely on to be the same every day, and how drawing the insides of things calms him, because he knows how they work.

        While reading, I noticed that when I am reading a good book, I totally zone out. While I was reading it in my room, my dad was testing the carbon monoxide detector outside my door and I didn’t even notice or look up! I also learned that I get really angry at characters in books. I was so mad at one of the characters that I almost threw the book at a wall.
    I’ll Be There is a great book about that everyone should read! I would Recommend it especially to people who like realistic fiction. I would rate easily 10 out of 10 for the great story, and awesome writing.

The Land I Lost

The land I lost                  

By SR

Huynh Quang Nhuong did a good job writing the book The Land I Lost. He wrote a great story about his childhood adventures in Vietnam. It is an exciting story about his many experiences. I am not usually interested in non fiction books but this one was very entertaining. In many cases the people of his hamlet must defend themselves from wild animals like a horse snake. A horse snake can move as fast as a horse with powerful venom. I found myself wanting to keep reading to see what happened to the villagers.

      I found the villagers fight to stay alive very suspenseful. He tells the story of an attack of a boar on two villagers and their dog.
     
There was no place in the field big enough for both the farmer and his daughter to hide. So the farmer picked her up and put her in a small clump of elephant grass. He quickly ran away from the place that he had hidden her hoping the wild hog would follow him and leave his daughter alone.

      The author made me want to keep reading to see what happened. I wanted to know if they survived the attack.

This is a fun adventurous book made up of great stories about a chapter long. This book is so good I was strongly tempted to read the book on my outboard but the only reason I did not read then was because I thought the book might get wet. The book is a fun cool way to learn about the culture of Vietnam through great storys. I did Vietnam for my worlds fair project.The book helped me understand vietnamese life more than all of my worlds fair research.

The message of this book is hard work pays off. I liked this book a lot and I am not a big fan of reading. I would rate it a 7/10 it is short book and I think you should take the time to read it. people who like outdoor adventures would most likely like this book. now I am reading the sequel Water Buffalo Days.      

Gregor the Overlander

Gregor the Overlander

By JR.

Action, adventure, and good cliffhangers that was all created by Susan Collins a wonderful book called Gregor the Overlander. This book is filled with mutated rats, giant centipedes and more dangerous creatures that hide in the dark.

    What Suzanne Collins did that was amazing was that she made suspense in every chapter. One way that Suzanne Collins made suspense is that she makes so many problems in the story. You want to know how Gregor gets by all of these problems so you keep reading. By doing that she is able to make a cliffhanger and you just keep turning the page.

    He had reached the mouth of the tunnel when he ran headfirst into something warm and fuzzy. Startled, he staggered back a few paces, dropping the torch. The something stepped out of the dim light. Gregor’s knees turn to jelly and he sank slowly to the sand. The face of a monstrous rat broke out in a smile.

This is the end of the chapter and you want to keep turning the page, don't you. I picked this Example because Gregor ran into a big rat and you want to know what he going to do about it. The message of this book is that family is the most important thing Because in this story he is fighting for his dad and nothing stops him to get his dad back.

Compound

The Compound

SP

The compound, will make you laugh, cry, envy, hate, admire, and make you feel almost any other emotion you can think of. The author of this book, S.A. Bodeen is a master of making the reader feel however she wants them to feel. It is a powerful book and while reading it, it made me realize how lucky we are to be living in the situation we are.

The suspense of The compound is what really makes it stand alone from other books. It is especially  suspenseful when Eli (the main character) is figuring out what could really be going on outside the compound.

The laptop came on. Out of habit, I clicked on the internet icon. Because it was there. I waited for the message to come up and tell me I was not connected to the world. Instead, another message came up. Wireless Network Now Connected.

Throughout this book, the suspense is incredible, and it certainly keeps you at the edge of your seat.

One of the other critical features of this book that makes it so good, is the setting. When S.A. Bodeen describes the setting in the book, it will probably make you think, “wow that sounds pretty cool,” or, “Why wouldn't someone want to live there.” But as you read further into the book, it makes you realize why they may not like it there or why they may be desperate to get out.

The bathroom was dark blue marble, with a huge whirlpool tub as well as a step-in shower that could hold an entire football team.

The setting may not be the best thing about this book but it is definitely one of the most important.

    The experience I had while reading this book is one that I have almost never gotten from reading a book. It makes you cringe, your heart beat unusually fast, and sometimes while reading this book, I had to stop myself from letting out a yelp of surprise and jumping out of my seat. The cause of all the craziness is no doubt the suspense, the plot, and the overall madness.

    This is most definitely one of the best books I have read in a long time. Hopefully, enough people liked this book as much as I did, so that S.A. Bodeen decides to write a sequel. On a scale from 1 to 10, I would give this book at least a 9, if not higher. The compound is a great book and keeps you turning the page nonstop.

Compound

Compound

BN.

The Compound by S.A. bodeen is completely unexpected and action packed.  When main character Eli and his rich family go on a camping trip and right where they were camping a huge explosion happens. The father says it is a nuclear war and knows a safe place. He brings them to The Compound. Which has been there for many years and only the father has known about it. This is where Eli’s life takes place for the next 10 years!

One intense part of the book is when he thinks that his brother might be alive            

Welcome Twinyan2! the following buddies are online Twinyan1 Eddy? how could that be I didn't stop to think I just typed. Eddy? RUT there’s no way. still, I held my breath a reply popped up.

I really wanted to know what happened because throughout the book you really get hooked to this character. This really shows how well S.A. bodeen knows a teenage boy and what a teenage boy would do.



Very quickly I loved this book. And throughout the book it got better and better until I couldn't stop reading it. The ending really really surprised me. after reading this book I was talking to everyone about it. And some people said it even got annoying how much I talked about it. A thought of mine is for S.A. Bodeen to make a sequel to this book.




If you love action packed book full of stress and a tad scary you would love The Compound. I am really happy that my favorite character lived through this book. if i were to rate this book I would rate it a 9.5 it was a amazing book. so I hope you try this amazing book and if you do you will like it.

Harris And Me

Harris and Me

GK

Humor, nostalgia, sadness, and anger sounds like a questionable mix but Gary Paulson is able to combine this so well in, Harris and Me. This story of two boys on a farm, makes you laugh out loud, and cry your heart out.

Harris and Me may seem like a goofy book at first glance, but it will pleasantly surprise you. When the main character goes to live with his Aunt, Uncle and their family, he expects to be bored out of his mind. But when he steps out of the car, a young boy about his age, begins to change his life. Harris, his cousin, is a hyperactive kid with the imagination of a fairytale author. He takes the narrator to the pig pen and they play war. They make sticks guns, and name pigs “commie japs”. They surprise the animals by jumping on them and riding them like tanks.

It is possible the sows had never been commie japs before-although since Harris lived there it’s doubtful they could have missed out on such entertainment long. And it is also possible  Harris had never jumped on them before in just this way, screaming and stabbing with an imaginary knife- although again, with harris there all the time it’s doubtful. But I think it’s fairly certain the sows had never been jumped on by two boys weilding imaginary  Knives,     

screaming death and mayhem at the tops of their lungs.

When I read this book, I felt like I was right beside the two boys laughing and playing. Gary Paulson gives the reader a great visual so that when harris hurts you hurt and when the narrator loves, you love. At first glance, you might think this book is some old story about pilgrims, but it is so much more. Throughout the book you will find laughs, but also Mr. Paulson adds many strong words. It may surprise you with the vocabulary that the book holds.

Harris and I were walking in back of the grown ups, and Glennis, and I looked around for Ernie on the way back and Harris saw me and shook his head.

“He don’t come when there’s big folks around- he’s yellow clear through. Just a d**** coward.” SMACK. Glennis could hear a pin drop and she turned and whacked Harris across the head without missing her stride or her place in conversation with Clair.

Harris and Me is an incredible book. I almost never cry when reading, and it is hard to make me laugh at a book. But this book made me do both. Every chapter unfolded more of an understanding and more of a love for Harris. I would strongly suggest this book to anybody. This story put a new perspective in my mind about the world, and I hope you will enjoy it too.

City Of Orphans

City of Orphans

                                    By: Avi

Book review by: NH.

The City of Orphans by Avi is a book with action, suspense, and mystery. In addition you learn about the time period.

In this book the different plots are perfectly done. The three plots start different than throughout the book Avi weaves them together perfectly.  InThe book starts with Maks walking home after being a newsie( A boy who sold newspapers) and he gets attacked by Bruno and put into a corner. He yelps for help and a girl jumps out of the trash and beats all of the boys up. Maks Thanks her and than starts to go away slowly, but when he sees she won’t rob him he asks if she wants to go to his house. Maks apartment is a small one with three younger boys two older sisters mom dad and himself. Both of his sisters ( Emma ,older, and Agnes) work. Agnes at the factory with their dad and Emma at Waldorf Hotel ( the fanciest hotel in the world then). Maks family is very poor and always hungry.

Maks was hungry twenty-five hours a day eight days a week.

This shows how Maks is always hungry. With Emma being accused of being a thief and Maks having to prove otherwise, Maks not getting beat up by Bruno, Bruno not getting turned in, and Maks family being in a financial crisis, what will happen by the end of the story.
    This book was a definite page turner, I could not put it down. I found myself thinking about what is going to happen next a lot of the time. There are many turns and twists in this book that make it much better.
    Avi’s book The City of Orphans is a great book. I would rate it a 100 out of 100. If there is a sequel to this book ( I hope there is) it can not be bad. This book is truly great I would recommend it to anyone ten and up.

Catching Fire

 Book Review

Catching Fire

By Suzanne Collins

Do you like action and romance? Are you the kind of person who would take a book out to dinner with you and read it under the table it’s so stinking good? And one more question, do you like cheese buns made by the best dang cake decorator in The Seam? Well, this book will be just the perfect one for you. (But this is the second book, so I think you should read the first book before this.) Suzanne has brought the si-fi book to life with descriptions that will have you crying, cringing, and every once and awhile, you’ll have to put down the book so you can stop sobbing a take it  all in.

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When Katniss steps into her new home in the Victors Village, she thinks she is done with trying to kill other people for the Capital’s entertainment . She visits Peeta, a boy with blond hair that falls in waves over his head, and star crossed lover from the very start, even though she does not know it yet. She and her friend Gale, hunt for his family every sunday, even though Katniss can make rich with just a tiny bit of her fortune she got for winning the Hunger Games, a survival show and a fun game for the rich and snooty people in the Capital, Panem. And she tries hard to erase all the memories that still feed her nights dreams and taint her soul of The Hunger Games, but then the Quarter Quill comes. The Quarter Quill is every 25 years, and it is The Hunger Games with a twist, always unfair and always deadly.

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    Suzanne Collins has so much perfect writing that it was hard to choose just one to write about, but I think the best thing she did was really make Katniss and Peeta come alive, (Description) with her writing so it’s like a movie in your head. She also writes the book in the present tense so it’s like it’s happening then and there. She has an amazing way of describing the poisonous fog when she says,

The elusive rain shuts off suddenly, like the storm did last year in the arena.

Moments after it stops, I see fog sliding softly in from the direction of the recent downpour. Just a reaction. Cool rain on the steaming ground, I think. It continues to approach at a steady pace. Tendrils reach forward and then curl like fingers, as if they were pulling the rest behind them. Then I inhale, it seems out of place. Something sweet, no, sickly sweet, is in the air. I scream, trying to wake everyone up, and thats when my skin started to blister.

It just painted a picture in my mind that stayed there for a long time. And that’s just a taste of what will happen in, Catching Fire...

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I realized when I was reading Catching Fire that I loved si-fi and that I could keep up with new people easier than I thought I could. As soon as I started reading I was hooked and could not put the book down even when I was sleeping I had one hand on the book so when I woke up then I would not have to spend time looking for it.

Usually, when there are so many new and old characters in the book, I have to go back in the book to find out who they are. But in Catching fire, it was easier to remember them because Suzanne does such a good job at telling you about each and every person and creature it’s so easier to recall them. She also does a great job at making the characters come to life by giving them traits that make them stand out, like this

When I hear screams in the crowd, I think it’s because I must look stunning. Then I notice something is rising up around me. Smoke. From fire. Not the flickery stuff I wore last year in the chariot, but something much more real and devours my dress. I begin to panic as the smoke thickens. Charred bits of black silk swirl into the air, and the pearls clatter to the stage. Somehow I’m afraid to stop because my flesh doesn’t seem to be burning and I know Cinna must be behind whatever is happening. So I keep spinning and spinning. For a split second I’m gasping completely engulfed in flames. Then all at once, the fire is gone.

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This book is truly one of the best books ever. I would totally recemend this book to anyone from age 10 to 110, but this is not the book for the faint hearted. Remember that hundreds of people die in this book, (Some more dramaticly than others).

I think the message of this story is that even though you’re living a broken life, and you’re looking death in the face, fight as hard as you can, because it can always get better.

So after you read this book, you can answer all the questions that you are dying to ask. Sooooooo, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???