Dave B.
|
| The main character in Slot
Machine is Elvin Bishop. He is a pre-freshman in high school. His mom sent
him to a school summer camp, and he has to find something he is good at
and join that group. Slot Machine is good reading material for elementary
school kids, ages 8-12 years old. I give it four out of five stars, but
I think some younger kids would enjoy this book a lot more than I did. Dave B. |
 | This book was originally written by Gudrun
Pauswang in German and was translated by Patricia Crampton. It is a good
book, but it includes mild swearing. In the book a girl and her little brother
find out about a nuclear fallout in a town not too far away. They get on
their bicycles and pedal to a town with a train station. Their parents are
out of town, so the girl is in charge. When they try to take a short cut
through a field, the plants growing in the field cut them, so they get back
onto a road with loose gravel. Uli, the younger brother, tries to "free-wheel",.
Due to the loose gravel, Uli falls off of his bicycle into the path of a
car. The driver doesn't even slow down and kills Uli. Janna, the girl, goes
into shock, and after a while is exposed to radiation from rain. She then
goes through ordeal after tortuous ordeal and lives with her aunt Helga.
Janna doesn't like Helga. She then lives with another aunt, whom she loves
dearly. Her aunts and one set of grandparents are all she has left. Helga
told her grandparents that the whole family was still living, but this was
a lie. Janna then went back to where her brother Uli was killed and buried
him. Then she goes home to find the living set of grandparents living in
her house and tells them the story. I give this book two thumbs up. I recommend
that if you are in the age group of 13 to 18, read Fall-Out by Gudrun Pauswang. Stephen K. |
 | My book was entirely too sexually explicit,
having kids 2-3 years older than our age group having sex and going into
great detail about it. On the other side of the coin, the book was good
because of how it delved deeply into teenage kids' emotions and feelings.
Also, the book was one of the few I could actually relate to. The book,
I believe, would be better for older grades and ages because of its explicit
content. Ryan S. |
 | The main character in this book is named
Todd. Todd has two sisters: Diana, who is the same age as he is, and Marnie,
his younger sister. Diana is actuallyTodd's cousin. Her real parents died
when she was younger, and then Todd's family adopted her. Todd's younger
sister Marnie needed a baby-sitter for after school. The person that Todd's
mom and dad hired, Laurel, is someone that Todd likes. Laurel starts teaching
Marnie about evil things like witches and how Halloween is a very bad time
of year. Todd still likes Laurel but isn't sure what to do. A little boring
at times, but a good book for high school or Jr. High school students. I
give it three stars. * * * Nikki P. |
 | Fourteen year old Jessie feels like her
life is not complete. Her family consists of her mother and her Aunt Zis,
but no father. Who is the man that left her and her family so long ago?
As Jessie watches her friends with their fathers, she decides she is going
to find her father and pick up all the missing pieces. Can she find her
dad? This is an excellent book for students from Jr. High to High school
level. Thumbs up. Johnna M. |
 | Can you picture what it would be like having
your life turned upside down by your own father? That's what happened to
Erika. Her father got in trouble with the law, and now it seems life her
life is as bad as it could be. Unfortunately, it only gets worse for her.
This is an excellent book for high school students. Thumbs up! Johnna M. |
 | Hannah is in a family of three girls. In
1918, war separates her and her two younger sisters from their parents.
The girls move into a crowded apartment with Tanta Rose and her friend Vashti
to watch over them in this hard time. Influenza hits and Hannah is forced
to leave Boston. Guided by a girl with violet eyes, Hannah makes her way
to Vermont. After her recovery, Hannah then needs to make her way back to
Boston to reclaim her family. This is a very powerful story filled with
great description. I recommend this to anyone who loves a great book. It
is a woman's journey to a more compassionate, tolerant understanding of
the world. I really enjoyed it; I know you will too. Four Stars from me!
**** Kristina R. |
| | Hannah is in a family of three girls. In
1918, war separates her and her two younger sisters from their parents.
The girls move into a crowded apartment with Tanta Rose and her friend Vashti
to watch over them in this hard time. Influenza hits and Hannah is forced
to leave Boston. Guided by a girl with violet eyes, Hannah makes her way
to Vermont. After her recovery, Hannah then needs to make her way back to
Boston to reclaim her family. This is a very powerful story filled with
great description. I recommend this to anyone who loves a great book. It
is a woman's journey to a more compassionate, tolerant understanding of
the world. I really enjoyed it; I know you will too. Four Stars from me!
**** Kristina R. |
 | I read the book Dean Duffy. Dean Duffy is
the main character. He was asked to apartment-sit for a few months, and
while he was apartment- sitting, he was offered a one-semester scholarship
for baseball. During this time he met a girl and started to go out with
her. At the end of the book they never told you whether or not he took the
baseball scholarship. I would recommend this book to people who like to
read fiction books. I give it 2 stars. I wish they would have told if he
had taken the scholarship, because I prefer to know the ending of the book. Jason H. |
 | Juliana and Samantha are best friends --
practically inseparable. Both want to pursue a career in dancing, until
Juliana is diagnosed with cancer. Learn how they cope with it and the fact
that it might not be curable. This is an excellent book for high-school
students. Two thumbs up! Angela W. |
|
| Ipa-tah-chi is a fourteen-year-old girl
that lives with her uncle, aunt, cousin, and younger brother. She learns
to use medicine from her Grandmother who was killed in an Apache raid. After
Ipa-tah-chi is captured by Spanish invaders, her life is forever changed.
Indio is a great book for high school students. I give it two thumbs up.
Katie M. |
|
| The book,The Rifle, is about a special rifle
that was made from the best looking piece of wood the gunsmith had ever
seen. It took a long time to make, and the gun was sold, much to the sorrow
of the gunsmith. However, he needed the money. This rifle was one of the
truest shooting weapons of its time. It was sold to a man who later used
it in the Revolutionary War, and when the man who carried it died, the gun
changed hands. Its last owner put it above his fireplace. On Christmas Eve
the owner built a fire, tripped, and through a series of coincidences a
spark landed in the powder of the gun and it fired. The ball (which was
used instead of a bullet) went all the way to another house and killed the
neighbor's boy after hitting him in the head. The author made it seem like
the boy being killed was the gun's fault. The gun itself is an inanimate
object incapable of killing anybody or anything. However, the carelessness
of putting a loaded gun, especially a black powder rifle, above one's fireplace
was the man's fault. I give this book 2 stars (out of 4). I gave it that
much because it was well-written. I recommend this book to anybody who is
in the age group of 12-16 who is anti-gun. Stephen K. |
|
| The main character was John Waynewrite.
John's problem was that he wanted to open his own gun shop, but he could
not afford to open one himself. He saved up money till he got enough to
open his own shop. After he opened a gun shop he started making a gun. He
could only work on it at night. John ended up making one of the most accurate
rifles in the 1700's. Then he got married and his wife talked him into selling
it to a man who fought in the Revolutionary War. John died and his wife
got his gun back and hung it in the attic. Now it's in the '90's and some
people moved into the house and found the gun. Then they sold it and someone
hung it in the house. Rick F. |
|
| Runs With Horses by Brian Burks is about
a young Native American. His name is Runs With Horses. He lived up to his
name in that he is very good with horses. The book tells of his trials to
become a brave. He goes on his second raid when the war party is chased
and shot at by the Mexicans. A friend his age and Runs With Horses were
the only survivors of the war party. They (the tribe) are captured by the
U.S. Cavalry and the tribe dwindles away. I liked this book, but it ended
too suddenly. I give it 3 stars out of 4 and recommend that if you like
nature/action books that you should read this book. Stephen K. |
|
| An American boy named Dom and a Thai boy
named Leks share an incredible adventure together in search of a jade Buddha.
Dom does not believe in spirits until he has a terrible encounter with one.
Read to find out if they find the Buddha and about the dangers they encounter
along the way. This book is excellent for people who enjoy learning about
other cultures, along with different myths and spirits. Wonderful! Angela W. |
| | The book I read, A Fate Totally Worse Than
Death, was a really good book. The title tells the story of the book because
that is exactly what happens: "A fate totally worse than death".
The book even has a surprise ending. I recommend this book to anyone who
likes books that are sort of mysteries, but overall I recommend this book
just because it is a good book. Beth K. .td> |
|
| In this story Miriam and Stuart are caught
in a computer game and don't know how to get out of the New World. Later
the computer starts to know their personal lives. It knows what happened
to Miriam when she was little and her father and she were alone in a room,
and how much Stuart is afraid of spiders! I recommend this book to anyone
with a suspenseful imagination. I give it 3 stars! * * * Khadijah M. |
|
| In this book there are a lot of people saying
a lot of things, such as quotes from the people who lived through Vietnam.
People say that Vietnam war was the longest war in American History. The
Vietnam war was also the first war that America had ever lost. The book
tells what it was like to be in Vietnam. Most of the quotes were from people
who lived through Vietnam and were interviewed. I recommend this book to
anyone who enjoys war stories. Erik T. |
 | This book tells the history of three diseases:
the black death, smallpox, and AIDS. It tells about what the disease did
to the people that were infected, what they tried to do to cure it, and
if the virus is still around today. They tell many personal accounts of
people infected with the different diseases and describe their life stories.
The book tells about scientists who tried to find a cure for the different
diseases with some outcomes good and some bad. An excellent book for all
ages 12 and up. Thumbs Up! Mike H. |
 | Galax-Arena, by Gillian Rubinstein, is a
great example of science fiction. The story starts in a silent town where
two friends, Brenton and Vickey, find an extraordinary stranger named Cal,
on a nearby beach. They soon find out that they can see through Cal's eyes,
to see what he sees, in a new cosmic way. I recommend this book for ages
8-12 and to science fiction lovers. I thought it was a great book because
there are so many changes to the setting and characters. I give the book
5 stars and a Bro Rabbit (you have to read the book to understand it.) Jimmy G. |
 | Josh Lewis is a sixth grader at trendy Huckley
School. His older sister, Heather, attends Pence School for girls. Josh
is faced with many problems at home and at school. His mother is trying
to hire a so-called "Baby Sitter" for him and his sister. But
actually she's looking for someone to live with them since his parents are
divorced. His mom found this "Baby Sitter" on the internet at
a place called "Au Pair Exchange." At school Josh is picturing
what it would be like to actually get in the information super-highway.
But he is soon faced with some unexpected visitors from days past. I think
this book is decent. It is really easy reading and it is more caught up
in the modern technology of the 20th century. On a scale of 1-10, I would
give it a 7. Rob P. |
 | Bad Behavior is a book filled with short
stories. I liked all of them; they were all good. One story is "The
Werewolf Game". It's not safe in the city at night when the Werewolves
play their games. Another story was "Thrown Away Child". Old voodoo
tries to ruin a New Orleans woman's family and life; will it? This book
is a good for the ages from 8 to 16. I give the book three thumbs up. Take
a look. Teague W. |
 | Learning how to deal with anger is an important
part of maturing, and is something Bo Brewster is having a hard time with.
Conflicts with authority have pushed him into the Anger Management group
at his school, where he meets several characters who change his outlook
on life including Shelly, "a future American Gladiator". In the
group he learns how to focus his energy on things other than anger. For
Bo, writing to radio celebrity Larry King is his release. I give this book
a three out of four stars. Joe A. Johnna M. |