Emancipated by M.G Reyes****

Emancipated is about a group of teens who leave home to live together, legally of course. As each one gets to know each other better, relationships begin to form. Paolo falls in love with Lucy, Candace and John-Micheal share with each other, and Grace and Maya talk about their personal lives. Things begin to fall apart, though, when John-Micheal is accused of murder. Already Lucy is under stress from school, and the impact of what could happen to John-Micheal begins to sink in. Maya on the other hand, is reporting to a mysterious source, telling no-one in their tight group. With all of the secrets, lies, and deceptions, will life hold together for these six teens?

I thought this book was relatively good. There were a few parts that really developed characters into who they were and what they were willing to do for the group. There were definitely parts that showed how easy it is to deceive presumed friends. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even if there were some questionable parts for younger readers. I would say it might be a top read.

So glad to be back on Searching for the Perfect Book. I took a very, very long leave of absence. I am sorry for the huge gap, and hope to continue this blog throughout the rest of my high school career. I will try and post a few times a week, but not once a day. Thanks for your forgiveness, Harrison

Dragon Keeper by Carole Wilkinson****

Dragon Keeper is about Ping, a young Chinese slave. She does work that her master is supposed to do, which includes feeding the last remaining dragons. When one of the dragons dies, it falls upon Ping to help her master create a stew from the dead dragon. Ping gets word of the Emperor visiting, and becomes very curious. While the Emperor visits, Ping sneaks around the palace. She eventually gets caught, but manages to escape with the help of the last remaining dragon. Together, they go on an amazing journey to get to the sea that is filled with many exciting events.

This book is my kind of book--fantasy. I love fantasy. I think that this book had a lot of surprise plot changes. Most of the plot changes actually make a difference on the book. I have read books where a major character will die, only to be replaced by someone else with no change in the book. I think that this author did a good job with her writing. I think that fantasy lovers will love this book.

The Infects by Sean Beaudion****

The Infects is about a group of kids who have been convicted of some actions that they did. Nero, one of the boys, worked at a poultry plant, but broke very expensive equipment. At the directional camp, some of the kids there go crazy. They start eating some of the other kids there, so some of the kids, including Nero, escape. They band together and fight of some of the so-called zombies off. They manage to escape, and then learn the worst thing they've probably ever heard.

This book is a very funny book. It made the zombies have more intellegance and speed than most other books. The author makes the zombies feel very realistic. I think that if the place where this happened was more realistic, I might of liked this book better. The way the book ends is such a giant surprise, that you have to like it. I think that zombie-lovers will like this book.

The Outside by Laura Bickle****

The Outside is the second book in The Hallowed Ones series. I think it wasn't as good as the first book, but it is still good. I think that if the way the characters discover certain things changed, this book might have been better. Some of the ideas in this book were genius though. The main characters use fireworks to try and kill the vampires. I thought that the author did a good job writing the book. Many people may like this book.

The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle****

The Hallowed Ones is about an Amish community. They have almost no communication with the rest of the world, so when a disease that makes people turn into vampires erupts, they have no idea. This book definitely had a cliff-hanger ending. It just left off when the main character and her friends were leaving, Some books are able to get away with this kind of transition (those kinds of transitions make me not want to read further), but most books can't. I feel that this book had a good feeling for this series book. It kept true to old legends, like how garlic keeps vampires away, or how they can't enter holy land. That is a strong point for me because the book didn't make vampires totally super-villain-that-does-whatever-he/she-wants, but it also didn't limit the vampires power. It's not like the characters were able to shoot them, guns don't work. It's cut of the vampire's head, or burn it alive. I definitely thought that this book is generally a good book. I didn't like the ending, but the way the author used the older stories of vampires is good. It adds realism, and a story that we already know, so we can infer (predict) a few things about the vampires. I think that teens will like this book.

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth****

Struck's beginning made me interested instantly. I really liked the way the whole book formed. The plot is good, and the details make it even better. I liked the way the disasters happened. It happened in California where lots of fault lines are. The disasters were earthquakes, and were set of by lightning storms. The main character, Mia, is struck by lightning a lot, which helps further the plot. It creates more opportunities for Mia to explore. I think high school students will like this book.

The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman****

The Grimm Legacy is an okay book. It is about a store that contains magical items. They sometimes rent out the items too. I think that the whole idea of renting out a magical item, even if it is a friend, is a bit unrealistic. The store does make you take out a deposit though, like your sense of direction or something similar. I think that if you like books that combine many fairy tales into modern times, you will like this book.

World's End by Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski****

World's End is the sequel to Dormia, and is just as good. It brought back a lot of characters that seemed like they wouldn't be brought back. Take Clink, the pickpocket who help Bilblox escape from jail. He returned in this book, becoming a key part in Alfonso's adventure. Some characters were reinforced in this book as well. Kiril, one of Nartam's key components, has facts added on, like how once he starts to bleed it is hard to stop. I really liked some of the twists and turns in this book. I think anyone who enjoyed the first book will enjoy this one as well.

Dormia by Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski****

Dormia is a okay book. It doesn't really seem logical, with all the sleep activities like climbing trees hundreds of feet tall. If the way the Dormians (or whatever they're called) had a more realistic power, this book might have been more believable. I think that if the concept of how the tree worked is different, I might have liked this book better as well. Also, if some of the other major characters were more defined, this book might have been a bit better. I think that if you like to read long fantasy books, this is the book for you.

Elephant Run by Roland Smith****

Elephant Run is about Nick, a teen who visits his father's elephant camp. This is happening during the beginning of WWII. The Japanese invade Burma, where Nick is, taking over his father's elephant camp. Nick's  father is taken captive among other men, but Nick is stays in the Hawk's Nest, which is the family house. Can Nick get back to his father?

I really liked this book. I really like Roland Smith's type/style of writing. I like stories more about wildlife with realistic characters that people can relate with. I thought that the book sounded far-fetched (yes, it is fiction, but Roland Smith usually writes pretty realistic books). I think that middle school students would like this book.

Feed by M. T. Anderson****

Feed is about a community where people know nothing about their government. They have a small device, called a feed. It pretty much rules over life and blocks important skills like writing and reading. Titus visits the moon and finds someone who is fighting the feed. Titus immediately realizes that this is big, and stupid. He has to get to know her. She notices that Titus is the smartest of all of his friends. Can Titus help Violet?

This book is a book predicting the future. This could happen, or it might never happen. I really liked how realistic the situation is. In time, who knows what humans can produce. We could have unlocked so many things we thought were fiction. I think that this book is a bit more inappropriate than most. High school students would like this book.

The Vampire Stalker by Allison Van Diepen****

The Vampire Stalker is about Amy, a high-schooler who is obsessed with the same books that almost everyone is obsessed with. The stories feel so real, so real that Amy stumbles upon two of the biggest characters in the book. At first Amy thinks that the boy she has encountered is a wannabe Alexander Banks, but then he gives proof. Amy also realizes that the person who attacked her is the vampire that Alexander is hunting, Vigo Skaar. Can Amy and Alex kill Vigo?

I think if the author didn't have Mrs. Super-power librarian, this would've been a better book. Mrs. P, The librarian, studied quantum physics, and has read all the books that Alex comes from... and is an athlete. That is way too much. It drives me crazy when people do this. It's like the librarian runs the world and knows pretty much everything. I did like though, the way some of the characters grow onto you. I think that middle school kids would like this book.

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly****

Revolution is a pretty good book. It is pretty interesting when the main character's key fits a lock that unlocks a diary hidden in a guitar case. The key belongs to her brother. Her dead brother. I also like how the main character is musician. I think that this builds on to the whole book. I think that middle school kids will like this book.

The Lord of Opium by Nancy Farmer****

The Lord of Opium is about Matt, the youngest drug lord. He owns Opium, the most healthy country. He has wildlife and good soil. This allows him to grow the Opium in mass amounts, but in the fields he has people who have microchips implanted in their heads working. They follow any order, and cannot do anything by themselves. People call them zombies. Matt's goal is to stop the opium production, and save the people with microchips.

I think that this book is really good. It kept me entertained, and it is in a series. I have read the first book, House of Scorpion. I really hope that there might be a third book. I think that if you are in high school, you would like this.

The Ward by Jordana Frankel****

The Ward is pretty interesting. It has a good plot. I loved how the story used water to create the disaster. The water is to filthy to drink, so it is rationed, not helping the disease that causes cancer.  But during this Ren, the main character, tries to help find a cure to save her friend. I really liked the whole book, and I think that high school students would like this book.

Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick****

Shadows is a pretty good book. It could've used more of a direct plot with the main characters. The story flips from character to character, not focusing on one specific character. I think that with the characters, the plot should be more focused on them than on characters that will, or have, died. I do like this series, and I think that high school students would like it too.

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick****

Ashes is pretty good. It has a pretty reasonable plot, and is believable. I think that if the author had this book in a first person story (told by one person), it would be even better. I liked the way the author didn't make the hero and his/her friends the only people that were still normal, there were other normal people, and also some of the people that got seriously effected by the EMP (electromagnetic pulse). I think that zombie-horror-sci-fi people will love this book.

Wise Young Fool by Sean Beaudoin****

Wise Young Fool is about Ritchie Sudden. He's a teenager in a band that isn't even real, until his friend decides to enter them into a competition. His friend gets a bongo drummer and a singer to join them for the contest. They are amazing, but don't win. The contest guaranteed a chance on TV, and some money. Ritchie is sent to juvie after the contest because he drives through a house. The reason: his sister.

I loved Ritchie. He is a character that many teenagers can relate to. He has his struggles, but also his high times. I really liked some of the other characters in the story as well. The author could have changed the way Ritchie disrupted the system in juvie, or the way he brought on life problems. I really think high school readers will love this.

Unstoppable by Tim Green****

Unstoppable is about a boy who is stuck in foster homes. He loves football, but has never played. When he gets a chance, his teammates call him unstoppable. Then a teammate out for revenge hits him in the knee. The doctor finds something wrong, something very wrong, when he gets the knee checked out.

This book is very good. It has a good plot, and tells some troubles of the teenage life. The boy is bullied, and also loves to fight. He is told to hold the anger back until he gets on the field. A lot of teens can probably relate to having anger towards teachers, parents, or even friends. I think that a lot of teens would like this book.

Angel Fever by L. A. Weatherly****

Angel Fever is the last book in the Angel Trilogy by L. A. Weatherly. It has many plot twisters, and things that push the characters to their breaking point. Some characters are forced to do things that they would never do. This book is really good.

I think that if this book was a bit shorter, I would have enjoyed it more. I also loved how some characters seemed to disappear in the first book, only to reappear now. It keeps the book more realistic. If new characters were introduced, I'm not sure I would've liked this book as much. I think that high school readers would love this series.