Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Goliath, by Scott Westerfeld


The book Goliath by Scott Westerfeld is about a young Austrian prince aboard the airship knows as the Leviathan. The Leviathan, and Alec with it are sent to Russia to rescue an inventor from giant fighting bears. As it turns out the inventor made a machine capable of destroying whole cities with just one blast. The weapon however is all the way in America and before they get to it, Alec and the inventor have to let everyone know about it in hopes of scaring Germany out of the war which would make the war itself end. However things go wrong and that's what this book is about.


 I enjoyed reading Goliath, by Scott Westerfeld. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes history, is a fan of steampunk, or simply enjoys good and long fiction books. I really liked how the characters and other things were presented. Throughout the book there were many conflicts the solutions to which were not always clear but in the end were quite creative. I also liked the illustrations as they helped visualize the setting in the eyes of the author.

Reviewed by Anton V., Grade 9
Montrose Library

Friday, January 26, 2018

Gilda Joyce: Psychic Investigator, by Jennifer Allison


The book, Gilda Joyce: Psychic Investigator, by  Jennifer Allison, the main character, Gilda, goes on an investigation, to see who killed her Aunt Melanie. She had gone to San Fransisco to stay at her uncle's house when see meets her cousin, Juliet Splinter. They find newspapers in her uncle's mansion saying her Aunt Melanie had died mysteriously. They both had to know what her cause of death was. This experience made them very good friends when at the beginning they despised each other. As they had tried to find out what the cause of death was, Gilda had written all of her foundings on her "Magic Typewriter". She had believed that everything she had written on it would be read by her dead father.


I really enjoyed this book. I had read this book last year, and I still find remember the plot by heart. This book was very interesting. It involved action pact scenes and very unique and entertaining characters. The author wrote it in a very simple way, which made everything very easy to understand. I really enjoyed how fast past this story went, which prevents it from being boring to read. One thing that I did not like about the book, is that it did not teach the reader a lesson that could be used in life, which is something a good story needs. If you like an action pact, murder mystery book, you will enjoy this book.

Reviewed by E.B., Grade 8
Grandview Library

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Leviathan, by Scott Westerfeld


The Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld is a book about a young Austrian prince who wakes up to the unfortunate news of his parents being dead. What at first seemed like kidnapping to Alec turned out to be a plan thought of by his father to, with the help of Count Volger, get him out of Austria and to a safe fortress where they will await the end of the war until Alec can claim the throne of Austria. Things however take an unexpected turn when the Leviathan crashes near their fortress and Alec just cant resist the urge to help the crew of the air ship.


I enjoyed reading Leviathan, by  Scott Westerfeld. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes history, is a fan of steampunk, or simply enjoys good and long fiction books. I really liked how the characters and other things were presented. Throughout the book there were many conflicts the solutions to which were not always clear but in the end were quite creative. I also liked the illustrations as they helped visualize the setting in the eyes of the author.

Reviewed by Anton V., Grade 9
Montrose Library 

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Prince of Persia: The Graphic Novel, by A.B. Sina


The very beginning of Prince of Persia: The Graphic Novel, by  A.B. Sinabegins with a princess who's in love with dancing finds out that she cannot have anymore dance lessons because her instructor has to leave of what is happening all around. Therefore, she decides to make herself look like a guy by changing her voice, cutting her hair and changing the clothes so she could go out to find out what her instructor meant. As she stays outside of the castle, with the society, life gets tough for her so she decides to leave the city. On the way to the desert, she meets some people traveling in groups, they force her to bring water for them, but on the way, she sees someone in water and that makes her so afraid. However, when they were gone, she decides to go and check if what she had seen was real or just an illusion, but unfortunately, she drowns. This was when the forgotten Prince saves her, he was the one she saw in the water. The main part of this book starts from their love to when they face many difficulties and how they try to defeat the enemy.


Prince of Persia: The Graphic Novel, by  A.B. Sina is about 190 pages, but that does not mean it is boring. This one is so interesting instead. Each event has been illustrated with details. However, it might get confusing sometimes if you don't really pay attention to what's happening. The story itself, is such a unique one and is really different from other stories we've ever known. New culture, names and places are what you have to expect from it. However, it doesn't mean that it would be confusing for you to understand because how everything is arranged would make sense to you, as the reader. For me, I liked everything about this graphic novel, but sometimes when I wasn't really paying attention, it got confusing and I was really lost. But, that didn't stop me from reading the rest of it because the story gets you to read more and more without getting bored or exhausted. I believe this would be amazing for young adults and teenagers who are in love with old times stories, it is one of the bests to read if you are looking for something different. At the very end, I felt really good by finishing this book. I really recommend you to read this graphic novel and don't miss it!

Reviewed by Orkideh, Grade 12
Downtown Central Library

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Deadman Wonderland Vol. 1, by Kazuma Kondou


Ten years after a massive earthquake destroyed most of Tokyo, a class is planning a field trip to the amusement park Deadman Wonderland. Deadman Wonderland isn't a normal amusement park though as it doubles as a prison in which the prisoners must work to finish their sentence early. A student in the class, Ganta Irigashi, is planning his trip when a mysterious being comes through the window and destroys the classroom, killing everyone except Ganta. As he is the only survivor he ends up guilty for murder. Now he's on death row in Deadman Wonderland, but he isn't ready to give up yet.

 I really enjoyed  Deadman Wonderland Vol. 1, by Kazuma Kondou. I love the characters and concept. The fight scenes are incredible and the art is astounding. There are thirteen volumes total in this series, and they all fit together perfectly. It made me think abut our crime system and the large amount of innocent people thrown in jail due to lack of evidence. I would recommend this book to a more mature audience, and to anyone who likes anime/manga.

Reviewed by Jackson, Grade 9
Grandview Library

Monday, January 8, 2018

The 100, by Kass Morgan

During the nuclear war that made Earth uninhabitable, There was a colony that decided to live in space. Many years later, the same colony decides to send one hundred juvenile delinquents down to Earth as an experiment to see if they can live there. Among them are Clarke, Wells, and Bellamy. Each arrested for different reasons, they must find a way to survive on this strange foreign planet. And Glass, an inmate who escaped, must learn to live as a fugitive aboard the colony.


Kass Morgan's, The 100, is a very entertaining book. The way it's written makes it seem as if the events can happen in real life. It's suspenseful and mysterious as well as warm and funny. What the characters do is very realistic if one were to be put in that situation. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in science fiction or post apocalyptic books.

Reviewed by Parvaneh, Grade 9
Downtown Central Library

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Behemoth, by Scott Westerfeld


The second book in the "Leviathan" trilogy is "Behemoth". At the start, Alec the Austrian prince, his men, and the crew of the Leviathan along with Dr. Barlow continued their mission in the Ottoman Empire where they discovered it littered with Germans. The Germans have convinced the sultan to block Russian supply ships that were there to deliver food to the Russian fighting bears. As Alec escapes the captivity in the Leviathan, he finds that it's his duty as a young prince to try help end the war.

I enjoyed reading Behemoth, by Scott Westerfeld. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes history, is a fan of steampunk, or simply enjoys good and long fiction books.  I really liked how the characters and other things were presented.  Throughout the book there were many conflicts the solutions to which were not always clear but in the end were quite creative. I also liked the illustrations as they helped visualize the setting in the eyes of the author.

Reviewed by Anton V., Grade 9
Montrose Library

Monday, January 1, 2018

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett


This classic book introduces the disliked character of Mary Lennox, a gaunt and spoiled little girl. Mary lived in India with her parents and maids who took care of her, dressing her and feeding her themselves. One day, everyone in the house died from a contagious illness and Mary was left alone. Thus, she was sent to live with her uncle in England. Mary stayed there for quite some time, hating everything about the situation she was in until she started to befriend various people at her uncle's immense home; these people being a gardener named Ben Weatherstaff, a maid named Martha, a sickly boy named Colin, and a nature-loving boy named Dickon. Through the relationships of Ben, Martha, Colin, and Dickon, Mary grows into a polite, pretty and truly likeable girl. Her outer appearance grew normal and her personality was cleansed as well.

The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, is one of my favorite book that I have ever read so far; the plot, the description of the scenery, and characters had me absolutely captivated. It was so much fun to follow through the adventures of a little girl and how she changed from one thing to another; the way the author worded every sentence blended perfectly with the story. However, as amazing as a book this is, I wouldn't recommend it for just anyone; to feel personally connected with it, this book needs to be read by true lovers of nature and life, who have a thirst for adventure and curiosity. I don't think that just anyone would feel the same way as I do about it. That being said, if you are a person who enjoys a good story, I would definitely recommend it. But, as a personal lover of classic books, I've felt a deep connection with his book and it will remain one of the best books to me until I read another one almost as good as this.

Reviewed by Anna A., Grade 9

Downtown Central Library

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