Girl, interrupted by Susanna Kaysen

4.5/5
This book goes in depth on why mental illness occurs. It goes into the mind of a suicidal girl. It gives a great analysis of life.

Running Out of Time by Margaret Haddix

5/5
Running out of time is a wonderful novel with adventure, thrills, history, and suspense. A young girl in her teens is trusted with the responsibility of saving her town when all the children get sick. As she struggles to find a cure, she also learns that the life she has been living is not real. She lives in a historical town stuck in the 1800s, while the rest of the world lives in 1999. The girl has many adventures as she strives to save her siblings and all the kids in her town.

Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper

3.5/5
Sophie is given a journal for her birthday and she proceeds to document the demise of her current life on the island of Montmaray. It is the late 1930s and Sophie lives on the island kingdom of Montmaray with her sister Henry, and cousin Sophie and Sophie's mad father their reigning king. There pleasant existence is changed forever when some Nazi soldiers arrive on the island. The beginning of the story is a bit slow as Cooper builds the characters and history of the island but soon the pace quickens and you will hardly be able to put it down. Recommend for 7th grade and up.
-Suzanne

Pirates by Celia Rees

4/5
Using the overly cliche plot of a princess running away from her homeland to avoid marriage, this author turned it into an adventurous novel. This story takes place in the 1700s when royalty and pirates existed. The princess has run away from a marriage and climbs aboard a pirate ship. This exciting book is an absolute must for adventure lovers.

Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

5/5
As the fifth book in the Chronicles of Narnia, it matches up to the standard of it's predecessors. It follows Edmund, Lucy, and Eustace, a new character. The trio is sucked into a picture and sent into the Narnia world. This book has many adventures with Caspian, who is the new king of Narnia. Other characters from the books before also appear. The newest character Eustace is very well developed. Edmund and Lucy also mature as the story progresses, and this book shows how much.

The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen

4.5/5
Macy Queen has been merely going through the motions of life after she witnessed her father's death. But then she joins the Wish Catering crew and meets Wes, and her world turns upside down. Slowly, Macy begins "living" again. This is not just a love story - it is the story of how a emotionally-scarred girl ventures out of her shell. The Truth about Forever is touching, heart warming, and beautifully written. I highly recommend it for a rainy day.
-Lucia

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

5/5
At over 1,000 pages, Gone With the Wind may be daunting at first, but it quickly becomes a book that you simply can’t put down. Margaret Mitchell's masterpiece is set in the Civil War era and tells a captivating story of the southern belle Scarlett O'Hara and the infamous Rhett Butler. The novel was later made into one of the most successful films in history, starring Vivian Leigh and Clark Gable, however the movie cannot even compare to the book. Margaret Mitchell depicts characters in the book as multi-faceted, understandable, and all with lifelike human emotions and interactions. Through all of struggles in the course of the novel, Scarlett stays strong, and in the end, she is still hopeful of what tomorrow will bring. Gone With the Wind is brilliant in its entirety, so complete with historical facts and engaging with an unpredictable plot. Poignant and enchanting, Gone With the Wind proves itself to be one of the best novels ever written. It is a book I would highly recommend to anyone.
-Alice

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

4.2/5
I was very skeptical at first when I picked up this book(despite my love for Sophie Kinsella)because it is a story of a girl haunted by the spirit of her Great-Aunt Sadie, who can't find rest until she finds her necklace. However, Kinsella makes the situation almost believable through her vivid description. Lara a jaded twenty-something and her Great-Aunt, who comes back from the dead as a 23 year old from the 1920's, make a hilarious duo. Infused with Kinsella's trademark wit and charm, Twenties Girl is am immensely satisfying and uplifting novel.

-Neha

Fever by Robin Cook

5/5
It was an interesting book about a young teen girl who gets leukemia. It mainly goes through her father's adventures while he looks for a cure. It is very heart warming to see the daddy-daughter scenes. There are some very dramatic scenes, all of which help contribute to the advancement of the plot.

-Rohini

Maximum Ride: the final warning by James Patterson

5/5
I liked this book for many reasons. I liked it because it was a cliffhanger at the end of every chapter. It makes you want to turn the page and you really don't want the book to end. It combines a lot of life values. It is about 6 humans who were mutated and have wings. These 6 people were tested and tortured until they were able to escape. Max is the leader of this gang. The rest of the gang includes Fang, Nudge, Gasman, Iggy, and Angel. This story is about how they are trying to save the world because some people want to demolish half the world.
-Chaitanya

Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

4/5
Imagine a world in which you can hear every man's thoughts. That is the reality for Todd and all the men in the town of Prentiss. One day Todd stumbles across a startling secret. But how do you hide a secret when everyone can read your thoughts? Todd soon discovers that to protect himself he has to flee the only home he has known. But fleeing may not be enough because an army is hunting him down. A great adventure/sci-fi tale. Grades 9 - 12

Antsy Does Time by Neal Shusterman

5/5
Antsy decides to help a dying friend(Gunner) by giving him a month of his life. Before he knows it the whole school is donating time to Gunner. Time becomes a commodity that kids can use to purchase other things. You can prove your love to your girlfriend if you give her a week of your life. Soon Antsy is the overseer of years of time. Gunner seems a bit cheered by the response of his fellow classmates but difficulties at home keep him somber. As Antsy gets to know Gunner he soon realizes that there are deeper issues brewing in Gunner's life and Antsy begins to suspect that Gunner may be faking his illness. Find out what Antsy discovers about life, love and family in this great read. Grades 7 - 10.

Airman by Eoin Colfer

3.5/5
Connor has always wanted to fly. In the end of the nineteenth century there is no precedent for individual flight. Connor will not be deterred and he becomes apprentice to a brilliant scientist in the king's court. Together they scheme to design a flying machine. One day as Connor's teacher is meeting with the king they are ambushed and killed by a rival. Connor witnesses the event and is thrown in prison by the rival of the king. Connor's mind begins to be consumed with revenge and flying. Will he escape his prison? Could his interest in flying be able to give him the ultimate freedom? Find out by reading the book. If you have read it then tell me what you think by posting a comment. Grades 6-10.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

3.5/5
The sequel to Hunger Games starts slow but finishes strong. Katniss is back at home and trying to make sense of her victor lifestyle. Her defiance of the capitol during the games has sparked uprising in the districts. The government is trying to control the districts through her and her tour as victor. In a desperate attempt to reign in the districts the capitol celebrates the 75th hunger games by pitting previous victors against each other. Good action as usual but the romance seems cheesy and a bit forced. The questions that remain will leave most "hungry" for the final book.

Make Lemonade by Virginia Wolff

4/5 Stars
LaVaughn needs a job so that she can earn money so that she can go to college. She sees a posting for a babysitter and calls the number. When she shows up for the job she meets Jolly a teenage mother of two. LaVaughn has a bad feeling from the start that this won't be the money making opportunity that she imagined. She watches the kids and begins to be-friend Jolly. The two girls struggle and fight together to learn how to change their circumstances. It is written in a prose format that makes it easy to read. This is a touching glimpse of urban life.
Grades 8 - 11.

Grave Shadows by Jerry Jenkins

Grave Shadows is one of my favorite books I have read this summer. I decided to read this book because there are many other books like this one in the Red Rock series that I liked. The genre of Grave Shadows is mystery and Bryce and Ashley are trying to figure out 2 mysteries at once. Bryce and Ashley’s friend Jeff has cancer and his dream is to be able to ride a 200-mile bike ride to raise money for cancer research. But the doctor doesn’t think Jeff can make it through the bike ride. But Jeff is a kid with a lot of determination .Can he prove the doctor wrong? While Bryce and Jeff ride the bike race together on a two person bike, Ashley is trying to find Jeff’s missing sports memorabilia. At the same time Ashley is also trying to find her friend Haley’s missing cousin .Can the two mysteries be connected? I really liked this book and if you like mysteries you will too. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Compound by S.A. Bodeen

Paper Towns by John Green

Bliss by Lauren Myracle

3/5 Stars

The cover got me with this book. It is a bit creepy looking and I was interested to read a book written by the author who wrote the ttyl series. So my expectations were pretty high for the book. The book is about a girl named Bliss who has grown up on a commune but who is dumped off with her grandmother to attend a real high school. She has all the normal insecurities of starting a new school and a whole new way of life. Also, she discovers at school that she has the ability to understand the dead. An evil ghost is haunting the school and is eager to combine power with Bliss. The ghost communicates with another girl at the school who tries to manipulate Bliss into cooperating. Overall I would say the book is a three out of five. It is creepy but the pace of the story is slow and the characters are not very well developed. The end of the story almost had me gagging. If you read this please share your thoughts. Grades 8 - 11.

Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List: Rachel Cohn and David Levithan.

4/5 Stars

Maybe some things can’t last forever, that they have to change, and people have to move on from their childhoods. Naomi and best friend+boyslut Ely thought that they would be BFFs 4ever... but when Ely violates the sacred "No-Kiss-List..." by kissing Naomi's boyfriend Bruce the Second, everything goes SPAZ. Will Naomi and Ely's friendship stay alive, will they solve their various family, friends, love issues? Cohn and Levithan use simple, hilarious, and straight-talking prose in an endearing story that is 100% original as well.
This story reminds me of Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, but the prose is a bit more choppy and awkwardly timed. The story is told from 1st person accounts, and I feel like there were a bit too many character's to keep track of (in middle of passage -> hey, wait, who's talking again?) The closeness of Ely and Naomi, doesn't need to be stated. But even when they fight, their closeness, their understanding of each other, is touching. The authors manage to create excitement and uncertainty yet still let you into the character’s hearts. And the sign language is so sweet.
Naomi and Ely’s story is about friendships as much as love. It's about relationships: those that change, are born, and are renewed. It's a funny, sweet story, and I would recommend it for some light reading.

Let it Snow: Maureen Johnson, John Green, Lauren Myracle

5/5 Star

I once heard this song, like a fresh breeze singing“...can’t you feel, can’t you feel my heart? My love” Add Christmas bells ringing, and that perfectly portrays the essence of these Christmas stories. The yearning hearts of all these young lovers and lovers-soon-to-be.
Maureen Johnson is absolutely hilarious (I burst out laughing quite a few times). She has an amazing ability to observe and pick up on quirky details, making Jubilee’s account, cute, dorky, and absolutely lovable. (The Flobie village debacle was... (I have no words for it...)) The interaction between Jubilee and Stuart, her love interest, is a bit more serious and their emotions are portrayed with (adorable) honesty, no overdramatic, gushy angst. I do like the rather subtle way they arrive at the conclusion that they are perfect for each other.
John Green’s group of semi-misfits (not in an angry rebel way of course:) Tobin, Duke, and JP blaze on an adventure through the blizzard in pursuit of cheerleaders and some delicious hash browns. Their sarcastic banter and odd adventure will make you laugh. Tobin takes a big leap from friendship to love, and his perspective on the leap is innocent yet insightful. I liked this story best because of character’s attitudes (which I related to most) and the complexity of his theme.
Lauren Myracle tells the last story, the reuniting of two lovers. Abbie’s story felt like the weakest part. First of all, it felt a little too long. Despite this, Lauren Myracle does an excellent job of bringing the characters from the three stories together, albeit a little bumpily. But I loved the feeling of strong, lasting love Ms. Myracle brought to this Christmas picture- contrasting well with the previous two, new, loves to make the big Christmas love story complete.
Let it Snow is what it is, teens+blizzard+Christmas= winter storm that buries the reader in six feet fuzzy, young love. So, READ THIS BOOK, it’ll feel like a fresh breeze in this world of cluttered up overly-hormonic hotguy-hotguy-hotguy-hotgurl pop fiction. Actually, I’m inspired to read some other Maureen Johnson books now.