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

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.

Period 8 by Chris Crutcher*

Period 8 isn't very good. Most of the book is a boy trying to figure out feelings and swimming. Near the end of the book the plot starts to pick up. There you learn that some characters run a underground business that ruins kids' life. When I first picked out this book, I thought that this was a book about the future. I was surprised when I started reading this book, but still didn't like it. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.

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.

Missing on Superstition Mountain by Elise Broach**

Missing on Superstition Mountain wasn't very good. I think it has a pretty random plot, and just ends abruptly. Unless there's a sequel, the ending isn't good at all. I think that the whole story-line with a kid falling down a ravine, landing on a ledge, finding skulls, and then managing to get back to their house safely. Then they go back to the ravine with research done at the local library. They have the police figure out the skulls were from sixty years ago. I feel that this whole book is very cliche. There are so many T.V shows based off of this, and books too. I think that this book is too cliche, but if you want to read it, you can.

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.

Panic by Lauren Oliver*****

Panic is about Heather and Dodge. They are competing in a game called Panic that brings out fear in the bravest people. They go though insane challenges, and are both fighting for a better life. Heather, to get her sister away from her mother. Dodge, to avenge his sister losing her legs. Can these two competitors team up and beat the rest?

I really liked how both the characters were desperate enough to risk their life to better siblings. Heather put a gun to her head and pulled the trigger, all for the sixty-seven thousand dollars to get away from her mother. I think that this book has a very weird sense of desperation to it (the characters). I really like this book, and I think that high school students will too.

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.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel*****

Life of Pi is a book/movie that everyone should know. It is fictional, not non-fiction which surprised me. The author made the story seem so convincing that I thought it was non-fiction (until I looked it up for this). What really impresses me is that this story is so far-fetched that it actually seems believable. I really like this book, and I think any adventurous person would too.

Never Ending by Martyn Bedford**

Never Ending is really depressing. I really don't like the fact that the story is told in third person. This is Shiv's (the main character) story about her brother. I think that this book is too depressing, and feels more fake than real. If the author changed the way the place Shiv is staying in reaction and rules, it would definitely be more believable. They gave the children a schedule and made them see pictures of the people who died. I thought that this was really cruel. I really don't recommend 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.

The Lives We Lost by Megan Crewe**

The Lives We Lost isn't very good. It is very dull, predictable, and not very grabbing. I couldn't get into this book. I think that I would have liked this book better if the plot was more adjusted. It felt to mechanical. It is like someone is a robot traveling through the land. I think that middle school kids might like this book.

Stained by Cheryl Rainfield*****

Stained is about sixteen-year old Sarah Meadows, a teen with a port wine stain. She is kidnapped by a close friend of their family, who says that she is just a person playing the part of the victim. He has killed other girls like her with port wine stains, or more noticeable birthmarks. He tries to degrade her confidence, but Sarah never gives up, she keeps fighting, trying to find a way out. Her best friend, Nick, wants her to escape, and spends his time grieving and drawing comic strips about her. He uses some superheros that Sarah created to make the story. He also may be in love with her. Can Sarah escape the clutches of her kidnapper? Can Nick confess his true feelings?

I think that the author did a really good job with this book. Since I've read so many books, I know whether or not I'll be able to really, really enjoy a book. This is definitely one of them. It is always fast paced and continues to keep your attention for hours. It makes you emotional, and makes you think of ways Sarah could escape her kidnapper. I think if the author had put a little more detail into the kidnapper, the reason why he did it would be more clear at the beginning of the book. It would also help explain his motives, and help explain his emotions. This book has a lot of inappropriate spots, so it is definitely for high school students.

Now is the Time for Running by Michael Williams*****

Now is the Time for Running is about a 15-year-old African refugee (Deo) whose family is killed, all but his 25-year-old brother and perhaps his father, who he has never met. His brother, Innocent, is slightly mentally challenged (the result of the doctor's negligence when he was born), and he cannot go anywhere without his Bix-box, a tin box that holds his most cherished possessions. When Innocent is forced to run (without Deo, who is helping someone), he forgets his Bix-box and must return to a very dangerous place to get it. Deo is heartbroken when he returns to get Innocent. Deo is forced to go on without his older brother. Can Deo get across the border and find his father?

This book is amazing. It is adventurous, emotional, humorous, and educational. It is also well-written, and I liked how well-developed the characters are. I got really attached to Deo and Innocent and all of the characters. I haven't felt this sad about a book in a long time. I encourage all middle schoolers to read this book. It is definitely memorable. 

The Final Four by Paul Volponi*****

The Final Four is about four players. Two players on each team. Each with a goal: to win the game. They have all had rough times throughout their time in college ball. Who will win? This book is very good. The detail when describing the players and their emotions is really good. I think that anybody who is watching the NCAA tournament would like this book (P.S, I think that Kentucky will win).

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.

Trash Can Days by Teddy Steinkellner****

Trash Can Days is all about a group of teens that are all connected in different ways. Jake used to be friends with Danny, who was dating his sister. Hannah, Jake's sister, is writing a blog to put people down because of what people said about her. D. Wu, Jake's "girlfriend," starts a writing club and gets a bunch of popular friends. This is a tale of a bunch of teens making their way through middle school, and learning about life.

This book is something else. I (I am in 7th grade) can totally say that what the author writes is mostly true about middle school, but some of the aspects are better. I loved the amount of detail that the author used on the characters and the gangs. I think many middle school readers would relate to this book.

The Universe Against Alex Woods by Gavin Extence*****

The Universe Against Alex Woods is all about a kid who was hit by a meteorite. He suffers from seizures and bullying. Then he meets Mr. Peterson when he is found cowering in the back of Mr. Peterson's greenhouse. They strike up an unlikely friendship that helps both of them out. Alex, with his seizures. Mr. Peterson, with his loneliness. But this friendship doesn't last much longer as Alex helps Mr. Peterson with his life, which may be short.

This book is very weird. It has a lot of elements that aren't appropriate for children, teens, or just anyone. It's not horrible, but it can get really tense. Alex cannot see beyond logic. I think that this book is a really deep story. It has a good plot and many people might like it.