Every Falling Star by Sungju Lee & Susan McClelland Biography Nonfiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Sungju Lee was just shy of 10 years old in 1997 when his family was forced to leave Pyongyang, North Korea. His parents said they were going on “vacation,” but they were really leaving their home for good. Sungju didn’t discover the truth until much later. Even though Sungju’s parents were supposed to receive rations for their work, … Read more
Who Was Bruce Lee? by Geoff Edgers Biography Nonfiction Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) It is a great book for middle school kids.
Obsessed by Allison Britz Biography Nonfiction Allison is 15 when she has a vivid dream that awakens her obsessive compulsive tendencies. Prior to that she’s a high-achieving student, athlete, popular, normal. Suddenly, everything around her holds danger and she has to avoid everyday objects like pencils and socks and sidewalk cracks, or perform little rituals to offset their toxicity. Her weird behavior distances her from her friends and family who don’t understand what is happening … Read more
Father and I Were Ranchers Little Britches #1 by Ralph Moody Biography Nonfiction Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Little Britches is a book that depicts strong emotions. Ralph and his family move to Colorado for Ralph’s father’s lungs. They think they are journeying to a developed ranch, and instead, they find a three-room cabin. The story continues with Ralph’s family trying life on the ranch, from scratch. They have to raise … Read more
Dear Celiac by Kristen Adam Nonfiction Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Dear Celiac by Kristen Adam is a book any kid (or grownup) with celiac should read. This book takes you through Kristen’s personal journey with celiac. since several people I know have Celiac, this book really rings true with me. The emotions in this book are depicted extremely well. I definitely recommend this book for anyone to read to understand … Read more
They Called Us Enemy by George Takei Autobiography Biography Graphic Novel Nonfiction * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) After Japan entered WWII and bombed Pearl Harbor a wave of fear and distrust of Japanese people washed over the United States and the government enacted policies that removed those of Japanese ancestry (US citizens included) from their homes to internment camps where they were closely monitored for acts of treason. Anti-Japanese sentiment ran high over … Read more
Almost American Girl: An Illustrated Memoir by Robin Ha Autobiography Biography Graphic Novel Memoir Nonfiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Robin Ha gets a most unwelcome surprise when her single mother decides to turn their “vacation” into a permanent situation by marrying a man she barely knows who lives all the way across the world – moving them from South Korea to Alabama one summer. Robin is devastated. She’s only 14, speaks very little … Read more
Wildflower by Drew Barrymore Autobiography Biography Nonfiction Review #1 * * * Stars (Pretty good) This book is by one of my favorite actresses which is Drew Barrymore, and I first heard about this book when I was watching “Ellen,” so I knew it had to be good. There were a lot of things in this book about her that I knew nothing about, so it was pretty interesting hearing about her history of acting. … Read more
Positive by Paige Rawl and Ali Benjamin Autobiography Biography Nonfiction Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) The memoir “Positive” is a real-life told story about a nineteen-year-old girl who is also the author, Paige Rawl. She tells the story of how she was bullied in middle school and how she was able to overcome the ordeal to change her world for the better. I personally thought this book is truly amazing because it … Read more
Tortoises by E.T. Pirog Nonfiction Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) I liked this book a lot because it taught me a lot about turtles. Tortoises can sometimes be difficult to care for, but this book made it really easy. There are eight chapters in this book and each explains something different about tortoises. Turtles and tortoises are different because turtles swim in water and tortoises cannot swim. The most important thing … Read more