STUDENT REVIEW- The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney

The Third Wheel (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #7)

By Jeff Kinney

Published by Abrams, Harry N., Inc., 2012

224 pages (hardcover)

Love is in the air—but what does that mean for Greg Heffley?

A Valentine’s Day dance at Greg’s middle school has turned his world upside down. As Greg scrambles to find a date, he’s worried he’ll be left out in the cold on the big night. His best friend, Rowley, doesn’t have any prospects either, but that’s a small consolation.

An unexpected twist gives Greg a partner for the dance and leaves Rowley the odd man out. But a lot can happen in one night, and in the end, you never know who’s going to be lucky in love. (from barnesandnoble.com)

[I liked that] it had a lot of funny parts in the book. The plot line was hard to follow sometimes and it was hard to keep up. Yes, I would [recommend] the book [because it] was funny and any middle schooler could connect to it.

--David G.

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

Ship Breaker

By Paolo Bacigalupi

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2011

352 pages (paperback)

In America's Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota--and hopefully live to see another day. But when, by luck or chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it's worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life.…

In this powerful novel, award-winning author Paolo Bacigalupi delivers a thrilling, fast-paced adventure set in a vivid and raw, uncertain future. (from barnesandnoble.com)

Wow. It was like the author took post-Katrina New Orleans, the BP Oil Spill, dystopian themes, and the crazy dog-things from The Hunger Games and mixed them all together into a unique & compelling story. Bacigalupi created a detailed world that was believable (as much as a dystopian novel can be). This book was action-packed, yet filled with a fantasy/whimsy that kept the reader engaged and hopeful. Amazing.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Creatures

By Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2009

592 pages (paperback)

There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything. (from barnesandnoble.com)

Beautiful Creatures is the first book in a series of four so I’ve had the first couple books around for a while but never picked them up. I just assumed it would be “white noise” in a sea of fantasy-realistic fiction books. But then I heard that a movie based on Beautiful Creatures is coming out in February 2013 and is staring some awesome people. Well I just HAD to read it so I could see the movie.

Admittedly, it took me a while to get into the book. I think I just didn’t have time to devote to reading several chapters at a time. But I found it compelling and the connection between Lena & Ethan was interesting. Of course, an added bonus for me was that there are family tree diagrams in the book for the Wate, Ravenwood, and Duchannes families. I LOVE family trees.

Several chapters in the book picked up pace (though it still had a relaxing, winding Southern flow to it) and I couldn’t put it down. Literally. I stayed up until 3am reading the last 2/3 of the book. The characters were unique and have so much depth.

The first book left a LOT of questions unanswered so thankfully there are 3 more. I have started book #2 and I figure I will finish it before next week. Now I am anxiously awaiting the movie!

STUDENT REVIEW- L8R, G8R by Lauren Myracle

L8R, G8R

By Lauren Myracle

Published by Abrams, Harry N., Inc., 2008

296 pages (paperback)

The third book in the Internet Girls series.

Through their instant messages, the “winsome threesome”—Angela, Zoe, and Maddie—have battled the ups and downs of high school. Now they’re seniors, ready to rule the school. Unfortunately, they also have to deal with queen bee Jana, who has it out for good girl Zoe. Not that Zoe, who’s deep in love with Doug, seems to notice. So it’s up to Angela and Maddie to defend their friend, engaging in a series of pranks that escalates at a senior prom that no one will forget, even if they want to! (from barnesandnoble.com)

What’s good about it is that it grabbed my attention and told me that parties are fun but don’t get into the bad ones. What could have been improved is the lifestyle and talked more about when the characters go off and live their lives. I would recommend this book because it talks about when you grow up and get into high school. It shows you how to get into a good college and keep up your grades.

--Nikki G.

UMS Young Author's Workshop

Don't Forget!

If you want to come to this year's UMS Young Author's Workshop on December 14th you need to turn in a rough draft of your original work by December 7th to Mrs. Welch in Room 2701 or Mrs. Ruud in the Library!!!

Paranormalcy series by Kiersten White

Paranormalcy Series (Paranormalcy, Supernaturally, and Endlessly)

By Kiersten White

Published by Harper Collins, 2010

335 pages

Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only one who can see through glamours.

But now Evie’s dreams are filled with haunting voices and cryptic messages—and she’s realizing that she may be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal. (from barnesandnoble.com)

There are a lot of paranormal teen books out there. Shoot! Barnes & Noble even has a specifically labeled section of all these young adult books that have vampires, werewolves, faeries, etc! I think, after reading so many books like this, it takes a lot to impress me. I mean, I have started and stopped reading more books in this genre than any others just because the stories seem the same or dull.

But Kiersten White surprised me. Although the subject matter could have blended in with the rest of the paranormal books or have gotten really dark and depressing, White kept it light-hearted, lively, quirky, and sarcastic. The characters in this series are fresh and original while the concept has some unexpected twists. Even at the most tense moments, Evie was able to add in some silliness or snark  to change the tone.

And speaking of Evie, I really liked her. In a world of brooding teens who think their lives are over when the littlest things don’t go their way (I’m looking at you Edward & Bella!), she didn’t get into the woe-is-me funk. Sure, she got down about things, but when she got down, she got moving and tried to make things better. With some spunk and amazing shoes.

A bonus is that all the books in the series are out so you don’t have to wait months to read books #2 and #3!

STUDENT REVIEW- Gemini Game by Michael Scott

Gemini Game

By Michael Scott

Published by Troll Communications L.L.C., 1997

156 pages (paperback)

When players of their virtual reality computer game fall into a coma, Liz and BJ O'Connor, teenage owners of a computer games company, flee from the police in an attempt to locate a copy of their game and correct the programming. (from barnesandnoble.com)

It was so cool how a brother and sister worked so good together. I think all brothers and sisters should get along. [The book] could give a little more detail about what happens because they just give a little and need more specific info. Yes [I would recommend this book to a middle schooler because] they could learn new things.

--Kyra N.