The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan*****

The Lost Hero is about three teenage demigods, each with their own secrets and shady pasts. When Piper, Leo, and Jason embark on quest to save the queen of the heavens, the fate of the world and an attitudinal satyr become involved as well. Throughout their journey, their friendship grows stronger with each obstacle that they must face. Together, they survive an ice princess, a gold investor, and a few nasty car dealers. Can Piper, Leo, and Jason's bond survive when dark secrets are told, and pasts rise to the surface?

I thought The Lost Hero was an incredible book. There is a great deal of humor and sarcasm in this book. The emotions in this story are real and make you fall in love with each and every character. It almost seems like they are real people that you can sit down and have a conversation with. This book is a continuation of the Lightning Thief series, with each new series being just as good, if not better, than the last. Overall, I loved this book, and will look forward to posting on Searching for the Perfect Book. - Amy

Chupacabra by Roland Smith*****

Chupacabra is one of the many books that Roland Smith has written. It is in a series about animals that are so rare they are considered myths. These animals are known as cryptids. I really like what Roland Smith writes about. It combines nature and technology very well. I think that if new technology is added in the next book, I might like the series better. I think that the way some of the technology is used, and some of the ways people escape makes the series all the better. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

Unforgotten by Jessica Brody*****

Unforgotten is such a good book. I really liked how the book changed randomly, but still kept true to the character thoughts/feelings. She always wants whats best for people, so, in this book, she has to make some of the hardest decisions in her life. The ending is a complete twist from what I thought it would be. Reading a lot of books has (sort of) let me predict the ending of books closely. This ending completely threw me off. I really liked this book, and I think that if you have read the first book, you will like this one too.

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse*****

Out of the Dust. It's poetry, good poetry. It is a bit messed up at times, but it stays pretty true to what actually happened during The Great Depression. I think that this book didn't feel like poetry, but is still poetry. I actually had to read this book for school (a poetry unit), but I really enjoyed it. I think that middle school students would 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.

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.

The Dead by Charlie Higson*****

The Dead is about Ed, a survivor of the disease that only effects people sixteen or older. He knows everything is done for when the news announces that they're pretty much dead. He and a few other kids manage to escape their private school. They get a few kids out of church. Most of the children are followers of the Lamb, a made up religion created by one of the kids. They manage it to a museum that has been taken over by a "general." The "general" is named Jordan, and helps them many times during the journey. Ed loses many friends, most of them like family, and learns that being the hero is the hardest thing of all.

I really loved this book. It's actually pretty thick, over four-hundred fifty pages long. i might have liked it better if another kid was meant to carry on. Jake, with his background, seemed more like the perfect candidate for a main character, but I never really thought it was Ed. I know how the book shifted between people, but I really think that Jake should've survived. I think that high school students will love this thrilling tale.

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.

Outcasts United by Warren St. John*****

Outcasts United is a non-fiction book about a group of refugees who all love to play soccer. They all can't really play until a coach takes the refugees and creates the Fugees, the refugee's soccer team. I think that this book is very touching, and sets a very good image for kids to follow. Many times the coach or her team had an obstacle in their way, but they always surpassed it. I think that this book is a very good inspiration, and everyone should be allowed to read it.

Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals*****

Warriors Don't Cry is about the segregation in the town of Little Rock, Arkansas. Melba Beals is one of the students chosen to integrate Little Rock Central High School. Students, parents, even teachers disapproved, but Melba never gave up. With the help of the few decent people at the time, she made it through the whole school year, and became a hero in the end.

This memoir is amazing. It is one of, if not the, most moving books I have ever read. I think that everyone should read this book just to get a feel of what it was like in the nineteen-fifty-seven. I hope everybody realizes how big of a problem this was. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

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).

No Safety in Numbers by Dayna Lorentz*****

No Safety in Numbers is about a group of kids who are stuck in a quarantined mall. They are trapped, and being hidden from the public while a rampant virus runs through the the mall, killing many. This book is very good. The whole plot of how a one of the kids finds a bomb that shuts down the mall is really good. I think that the book has a bit of a cliff-hanger at the end, and makes me wonder if there will be a second book.

Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly*****

Angel Burn is about Willow and Alex. Alex is an Angel Killer, a group of people who have been traveling around the U.S to kill secret angels. Willow is a normal teenage girl who can see the future. She reads someones future and sees an angel in their past and future. She tries to stop the angel from hurting her classmate. That's when Alex gets a call to kill her. She is apparently an angel, but not like any he's ever seen. She's half human, half angel. Something both worlds have never seen.

This book is really good, it provides detail and didn't come up with a happy ending. Willow survived the blast, but still let thousands of angels into her own world. I think that the sequel to this book will be great, and I am really looking forward to it. I think high school students would love this book.

Beyonders: Chasing the Prophecy by Brandon Mull*****

Beyonders: Chasing the Prophecy is about Jason and Rachel. Their goal is to destroy Maldor, the evil emperor who rules over the land. They fight their way to his keep, and lose many friends along the way. But it's all worth it. They help save an empire.

This book is very good. It always has the right details, the right twists, and the right ways of putting things into context. I think that this book never even got boring, and always had an interesting plot that brought back ideas from the older books. This book is very long, but I think any middle school reader would like it.

Graffiti Knight by Karen Bass*****

Graffiti Knight is about Wilm, a sixteen year old boy living in Germany right after World War II. He decides to strike back at the Soviets. He paints graffiti of a stick figure, and next to the graffiti he writes "marionette," or puppet. He is soon famous for criminal acts around the city, harassing the police and Soviets. He now has to escape the Soviet territory, an save all his friends at the same time.

This book is very good. It moved me when Wilm carried his dying sister to the hospital. I think that the whole book is amazing, and the way the author put the book together. I think that almost anyone would like 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.

Beyonders: Seeds of Rebellion by Brandon Mull*****

Beyonders: Seeds of Rebellion by Brandon Mull is a book like no other. I love the way the author writes. I have read all of his Fablehaven series, and loved them, and the Beyonders trilogy is no different. I really love how the characters are defined even more in this sequel, and this book really built upon them. I think that a lot of people will love the first book more than they will love this book, but I highly recommend this whole trilogy.

Blackout by Robison Wells*****

Blackout is all about four teens who are living in a time of crisis. America is overrun with seventeen to twenty-three year-old people attacking national monuments and destroying power supplies. The military is taking all the teens to test for a virus that apparently gives them a special power that is unique to the person that has the skill. The rebellion that is destroying monuments are all teens that have these kinds of special abilities. Can these four teens stop, or help this cause?

This book is highly interesting. It seems like there would be a sequel. The characters are always changing, and the way this book adds the mutation from a virus instead of some sort of injection that every teen has to go through. The detail is great, and the way the U.S is taken over is pretty good as well. I think any reader would love this book, especially if they like longer and more thought out books.

Frozen Fire by Tim Bowler*****

Frozen Fire is an amazing book. You could piece together the story, but some of it was surprising. You could never know who the boy was, or where he was. I think the way the boy was wrongly accused of stuff, like kidnapping people. 

This book is a heck of a tale. When the boy is revealed to Dusty, he tells her that no one every is happy being friends with him. I think that this book is really good, and is really deep. The ending sort of surprised me, and I really liked Dusty, the main character. The boy really built onto her description, giving me a sense of feeling. I really recommend this book.