Flipped, by Wendelin Van Draanen

Flipped, by Wendelin Van Draanen, is told by the two different perspectives of Juli and Bryce. Ever since Juli was a young girl, she has chased after Bryce who was supposedly the love of her life. However, Bryce has a different point of view and thinks of Juli as an obsessive, weird girl who has always been there for him. But things all start to change after an accidental occurence and Juli keeps her distance from Bryce. Both of their feelings have changed and they seem to have swapped their views of one another. The romance of these two cute, real characters is relatable to any other normal teenagers. I think this book is a very fun one to read and interesting because it's from the point of two different aspects of the male and female teens. I recommend this for teenagers who have felt the pain of a heartbreak or the joy of being in young teenage love because these two characters know how it feels like when their feelings are FLIPPED.

- Reviewed by A., grade 9.

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Wicked, by Gregory Maguire

Probably every kid watched the famous Disney movie, The Wizard of Oz, and wondered why the witch was so twisted. Well, this classic novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, by Gregory Maguire, describes how the witch actually deserves sympathy instead of contemption. The witch was actually a misunderstood mutant green child, Elphaba, who had love affairs and longed for attention from her parents who refrained from their abnormal green girl. This is a book for those imaginative people who can easily draw vivid pictures in their mind. After you read this interesting book, you won't be able to look at The Wizard of Oz the same.

- Reviewed by RJ, grade 9.

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Gathering Blue, by Lois Lowry

Gathering Blue is a part of the series that features The Giver and Messenger. I recommend this book to people who enjoy good mysteries. Lois Lowry is a great author and this is another example of her great work. If you enjoyed either of The Giver or Messenger this is a must-read. I have read all three of these books and Gathering Blue would probably have to be my favorite.

Kira, an orphan who suffers from a twisted leg, is a gifted weaver. She enjoys many privileges because of her special talent but she begins to suspect things aren't all perfect as they seem to be. She uncovers dark secrets about her community. She lives in a town that is blocked off from all outside communication. She is determined to find out what lies beyond their walls, but she is beginning to ask dangerous questions. While on her journey to answer these mysterious questions, she becomes friends with a boy named Matt who accompanies her on journeys to discover new thread colors for her weaving and other adventures. I enjoyed this book and am sure others will too.

- Reviewed by Erick, grade 9.

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Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher

As Clay Jensen comes home one day, he finds a package for him containing tapes. As he listens, he recognizes Hannah Baker's voice and the reason he received these tapes. Hannah tells Clay that he was responsible for her horrible death. As Clay listens to the tapes and goes to the spots in town that Hannah tells him to, he finds out secrets that alter his life. Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher, is a powerful book that explains a girl's loss in humanity. I learned a lot from this book like what rumors and drama can do to a person's life. I recommend this book to any teenager who loves a little amount of suspense and drama.

- Reviewed by CL, grade 9.

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Frozen Fire, by Tim Bowler

Frozen Fire, by Tim Bowler, is a thrilling and mysterious book. The book begins with a girl named Dusty, who gets a phone call from a strange boy. At first, she felt scared not knowing what to do, but then hearing his voice made her curious and pay attention to his words. It seems that this boy wants to escape the miserable life by killing himself, while Dusty decides to help and convince him to stay alive. Even though, Dusty feels scared not knowing what will happen to her, she believes that this boy knows something about her brother's disappearance. She hopes to find the boy and save his life, while finding new clues that will lead her in finding her brother, Josh. However, she doesn't know that she might be in great danger for saving that boy's life. In my opinion, this book is extremely fascinating and at the same time mysterious. I loved this book, because it provides heartbreaking, action, and adventurous experiences that teach people about life. How you can't have everything in life and that it sometimes can be very unpredictable. You must read the whole book to experience the sadness, the danger, and the bravery the characters go through.

- Reviewed by Anna, grade 9.

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Sucks to Be Me, by Kimberly Pauley

Sucks to Be Me, by Kimberly Pauley, is a great book. It's about a girl named Mina who finds out she has to choose between being a vampire or a human. She has to make this decision in only 4 weeks. Her family and friends help her but in the end she is the one with the final choice. This book is great because it strips away a lot of the vampire stereotypes. It's really funny to see the main character struggling with regular teen issues and not-so-regular vampire issues. There are no bad parts to this book because it's a great book for anyone to read. I would recommend this to 9th graders and above.

- Reviewed by Emma, grade 10.


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Gone, by Michael Grant

Gone, by Michael Grant, is a great book [and is the first in a series]. I personally loved it. Well the book is about a teenager named Sam who has a superpower and he does not know that he does. The sad thing is that he also has a brother that he does not know. Well when Sam found out that he had a brother he was mad that his mother kept this secret from him. When he went home to tell his mom that he found out he had a brother, she was not there. He looked everywhere for her but she was nowhere to be found. So Sam waited and waited and waited, but she never came home. In fact, none of the parents came home. Sam was now scared so he went to his friend's house, but on the way there he saw a fire. He started to help and when he did he found out that a little girl was trapped and went in. When he went in, the little girl was scared. AND SHE SHOT FIRE OUT OF HER HANDS. He almost got killed, and after that the girl passed out. Sam went to get her and when she .... well I guess you have to read the rest to find out. I think this book is good for the age of 13-19. The thing I like about this book is its action and adventures. The thing I didn't like about the book is when the action turns into beating and violence. It made me feel like I was in the book when I was reading. It was fun, exciting, and sometimes sad. But overall it was a great book for people who like adventure or action. If not, you still might like it because it has some romance. The best book I have read so far.

- Reviewed by Tanya.

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Flight, by Sherman Alexie

Flight, by Sherman Alexie, is about a Native American Indian teen who starts out planning a bank robbery but as he's about to he goes back in time and learns about what it was like to be an Indian in different time frames. He learns how it was like to live during the Civil War and about his father who never recognized him as his son. The protagonist begins by not giving a care about his life to a mature teenager who accepts his destiny which are in the hands of himself and a thoughtful police officer who saves him from the other foster homes. This book is both funny and is filled with action. This book is simple to read and the language is comprehensible which makes the pages of the story easier to finish. I recommend this book to anyone who loves reading for the fun of it. :)

- Reviewed by Nassima, grade 11.

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