The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas***

The Burning Sky is about Archer. He is a boy attending Eton, a school for boys. Some people in his world can control some four elements. The elements are: water, air, fire, and earth. There are some sub-branches of these powers as well. Archer has control of these powers, and what nobody knows is that Archer is really a girl. It's her goal to stop Bane, the head of the villains in this book, and to help restore the world/region to its former peace.

When I figured out there are only four elements, fire, earth, water, and air, my mind went straight to the Last Airbender.  This is (or was) a show that I saw some, but not much. I briefly picked up details on it, and I think that the author of this book might be ripping the show off a little. The four elements in the Last Airbender are fire, earth, water, and air (from what I can remember). I think that element/magic is very overdone, it's not bad, it's just that most books I read have this. I don't know what time period this book is set in, it's pretty confusing. I think that if you like fantasy books, you will like this book too. Tomorrow I will give an update for the summer.

Swim the Fly by Don Calame***

Swim the Fly is about a group of kids who have set themselves a goal each summer. This summer's goal is a bit unrealistic, but that doesn't stop them from trying. One of them, Matt, stepped up and volunteered to swim the butterfly. The butterfly is the most difficult stroke to swim. Can Matt accomplish his own personal goal?

This book is pretty good. It is a bit inappropriate, but I really liked the development of Matt. It felt that you could see him growing as a person and a friend. I think that a lot of high school students can relate to some of Matt's problems. This book is a real laugh (it's funny), and I think that a lot of people will like this book.

Pieces of Us by Margie Gelbwasser***

Pieces of Us is a story about abusive dating. Abusive dating is when one partner knowingly abuses the other partner in the relationship. This could be in any way, and some are: emotional abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse, and sexual abuse. This is a big problem that needs to stop. Pieces of Us captured this perfectly. It told a story about a girl whose boyfriends, both of them, abused her. She was Ms. Perfect, but then she got caught at a party drunk. She was forced by her boyfriend to do some very bad stuff. Her boyfriend recorded it and threatened her. Then, later, her new boyfriend finds out and does stuff that's censored here because I'm a good person. I highly do not think that kids under the age of eighteen should read this book. Very powerful book though.

The Night She Disappeared by April Henry***

The Night She Disappeared is a book about kidnapping. A girl was asked to take out a pizza, but was given a false address. She was abducted, and everybody thinks she's dead. I wondered when I finished this book, was if the author had been kidnapped before, or had someone close to her gotten kidnapped. The level of feeling that goes into the stories about kidnapping, and the way the author makes the kidnappers feel real is really good. I think that middle school students will like this book.

Close to Shore by Michael Capuzzo***

Close to Shore is about the shark attacks of 1916. They happened near New Jersey, and in a creek eleven miles inland. This happened when knowledge about sharks was almost nothing, and most statements were not tested. A few people died from the sharks, but it still provoked fear in everyone. I don't like non-fiction books, so I really wouldn't know who would like this book. If you want to read this book, you can.

Croak by Gina Damico***

Croak is about Lex. She's been acting out lately, so her parents decide it's time to send her to her uncle's farm. It turns out to be a place where reapers collect dead souls and send them into the afterlife. She hears stories of a reaper that lived long ago after seeing many deaths that nobody knows about. The reaper had very special powers, and discovered many secrets. But with people dying of an unknown cause, Lex doesn't get a break-until her uncle comes up with a plan to stop the rouge reaper (look at that alliteration). All Lex has to do is scythe her way to the death site fast enough. She manages to find the reaper, but is given the choice of a lifetime. Kill all the people who have done wrongs, or save them.

Sometimes I read the Amazon reviews just to see what people thought about it, and somebody wrote something that I hadn't even realized (here's a link, last review of the section). This book resembles Harry Potter. She points out that Lex is taken on a motorcycle with a weird man, finds out that they're different from everyone else, given an education in this subject, and even has a blond haired nemesis. Remember, this is written by someone else, so click on the link above, this review is really smart and pointed out something that I didn't even think of. I did like this book, and I am sort of excited for the sequel. I think that this book should be read by high school students. It is very inappropriate.

Trafficked by Kim Purcell***

Trafficked is about a girl from Moldova. She is sent over to the U.S and is promised to get four hundred dollars a week working as a nanny for children. But she is illegal, and is never paid for her work. She can't even leave the house. It's only when she's beaten by her employer that she manages to get the secret out that she is illegal.

This book is okay. Human trafficking is real, and very bad, but I didn't really understand this book. In the beginning of the book she is fine with her job. It doesn't really start to get to you that she's been trafficked until she starts to think that something is wrong. Also with the nanny job, I wouldn't know, but would somebody traffic a person over to be a nanny? I think that middle school students might like this book.

Starters by Lissa Price***

Starters is about Callie, a teen in a future where all middle aged people are dead. Elders (or Enders) rent out young peoples bodies to do what they can't. There are rules, but many Enders don't follow them. Callie realizes that her chip is malfunctioning, so now she is waking up while the renter is supposed to be in control of her. Follow Callie in her adventure in this dystopian series.

This book is okay. I thought it would be really good, but it really didn't catch my attention. I think if the characters were more likable, this book might have been better. Callie had a reason to be sort of withdrawn, her parents are dead, but the way they die drives me crazy. Don't spores come from plants and fungi and other stuff like that? I would like to know what plant produced the spores that are so deadly to the public. I think that middle school kids would like this book.

Invisibility by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan***

Invisibility is an okay book. It picked up in the end, but it could have been better in the beginning. It felt too romance-y in the beginning, and then the book completely changed. It might have been better if it was more gradual or started that way. It is also very girly. I think that middle school students will like this book.

Matched by Ally Condie***

Matched was a highly recommended book for me, but I thought it was okay. It is mostly about a girl exploring feelings. To me, that is pretty dull. I think if you're more into romance novels, you would like this book better. I also think that this book is more for girls. If it had more action, I might have liked it more. Matched probably won't appeal to boys. I think that if you like more girly books, you would like this book.

The Worlds We Make by Megan Crewe***

The Worlds We Make is about Kaelyn and her friends who are trying to get a vaccine to the CDC to mass produce it. Along the way, some close friends die, and Kaelyn is captured by a group of people who want the vaccine to get power. She manages to hide the vaccine in a stream before she gets captured. With her brother's inside help, the group manages to escape the compound. Kaelyn's group finds CDC and brings the vaccine with them, but Michael (the head of the group that wants power) is already there, ready to steal it. She works out an agreement between the two sides, and respects the dead who helped her on her journey.

I think that this book would've been better if it included more action scenes. It felt dull throughout most of the book. The few spots that they actually were escaping, fighting, or running from enemies became dull very quickly. Most of the time the group is hiding or trying to get to CDC. I think that if this had changed, I would've liked this book better. I think that high school students will like this book.

Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott***

Fire & Flood is about Tella. Her brother is dying, and only she can save him. She gets an invitation to the Brimstone Bleeds, a game where the winner can get the Cure, something to cure all illness. She plays through the first two rounds, with help from some allies.

I think if the author had a different intro, I might have liked this book better. It made me almost not read it, but I'm glad I did. This book is a lot like the Hunger Games, but with little animals to help the characters along. I think that people who enjoyed the Hunger Games will love this book.

The Strictest School in the World by Howard Whitehouse***

The Strictest School in the World is very creative, but it is a bit unbelievable. The Kitty Hawk, the first real aircraft wasn't invented yet, but somehow, in the 1800 to 1900 range. Also, the birds. I think that this added suspense, but took away from the book as well. I won't spoil the birds, but there is a boy who you meet early one who is practically rubber. He can get hurt, but is indestructible. I also think that a fourteen year-old girl shouldn't be able to build a whole glider/aircraft. The tech in this book shouldn't even be around. It tells how to make an aircraft. I think that this could have been a bit more believable if she hadn't read multiple books. I think that someone with a very, very creative mind will love this book.

47 by Walter Mosley***

47 is about 47, a slave on a plantation. He meets a runaway slave who calls himself Tall John. Tall John says he comes from somewhere where everyone is treated equally, and also has futuristic technology. 47 doesn't believe it, and is very stubborn to accepting Tall John's beliefs. Can 47 learn how to be free, and if he can, can he save his friends?

I generally dislike historical fiction, but I love sci-fi and fantasy. These two elements in 47 do not go well together. I think that this book would be a lot more powerful if it is just historical fiction. I felt that the whole idea that Tall John was from another planet is sort of a bad idea, but the book is pretty good when it's just historical fiction. I think that middle school kids might like this book.

Unaccompanied Minor by Hollis Gillespie***

Unaccompanied Minor is about April, a 15 year old girl who has been hopping from flight to flight with her mother's flight attendant identification. She has a horrible stepfather, and a stepmother that wants to kill her. April is caught in the hijacking of a flight, and does almost anything she can to get out. Can April save the flight?

This book is a bit boring, it only picks up when she is nearing the part with the hijacked plane. I really think the author could have done a better job with the details, and the whole plot of the story. I think middle school kids would enjoy this book.

Feral Nights by Cynthia Leitich Smith***

Feral Nights is about Yoshi, Aimee, Clyde. These three teens are all caught up in a murder of Clyde and Aimee's friend. And did I mention that two of them are were-animals? Yoshi is looking for his sister, who is being convicted for murder, but cannot be found at the moment. They must go and find Yoshi's sister and find out who really killed Clyde and Aimee's friend.

This book has a lot of action. It isn't the best book, but it is one that incorporates a myth into it without twisting it in some huge way. I also noticed how the were-animals were actually friendly throughout the book, unless on a drug or forced to cause pain. I thought that high school readers might like this book.

The 6th Grade Nickname Game by Gordan Korman***

The 6th Grade Nickname Game is a decent book. It has a lot of details that were left out. I think that if the book were a bit longer it would have been better. This book also has a good plot. It felt very thought out. If this book were a bit longer, it would have been much better.

This book is all about two kids, Wiley and Jeff. They nickname everything. They even nicknamed their class the "Dim Bulbs." I really think that this book could have been more specific with Snoopy, the snoop of the school. Or even with Iceman, The lamest kid in the school turned cool. This book was overall good, and I recommend it
.

Where You Once Belonged by Kent Haruf***

Where You Once Belonged is another average book. It wasn't anything special, and it lacked in characters. The only real defined character was Jack and his "loves." The narrator, though an important character, was never really defined. All I knew is that he worked for the news ans his last name was Arbuckle (I think that's how it's spelled). I really think more detail on the narrator would have made this better.

I have a story. Where I was born, Kent Haruf's wife worked with my father. His family went out to dinner with my parents while my mother was pregnant with me. I thought that this was a cool story. I really can't recommend this book. It was a bit adult.

The Line by Teri Hall***

The Line is one of the books the that isn't good, but not bad. It didn't have an amazing plot, and felt more thought up on the spot, than planned. I also thought that if there's an impenetrable barrier, nobody can hear through it, or see through it, or interact with people on the other side. This book was very "enh."

I really can't say anything too negative, or too good about this book. I really think that the characters could have been more developed, and that the whole idea of the government was sort of dumb. I don't recommend this book to anyone.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck***

Of Mice and Men is a really deep book. It was really scary towards the end when Lennie, the giant with a child's mind, kills a puppy and a woman on accident. This book was really good, but it just freaked me out. All in the dream of wanting what you can't have. All in the dream of owning some rabbits, Lennie kills. This book is really messed up, and I really don't recommend it.