Ashes of Roses by Mary Jane Auch Historical Fiction Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) In Ashes of Roses, a teenage girl comes into America at Ellis Island from Ireland like thousands of others. America represents her new life and new freedom. Only one problem – her baby brother is sick and isn’t let into America. So, her dad and her baby brother go back to Ireland, leaving Rose and her sister … Read more
Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey by Margaret Peterson Haddix Realistic Fiction Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Tish’s life is spinning out of control and she doesn’t even realize it until her English teacher, Mrs. Dunphrey, assigns homework. Before then “homework” wasn’t even in Tish’s vocabulary, but now the assignment has become the center of her world, her best friend, and an escape from her abusive father and emotionally-unstable mother. … Read more
The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian Realistic Fiction Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) Like every teenager in the world, Josh has an opinion on everything – and a strong one, too. So, he creates a website to express his thoughts and adopts the name “Larry” so nobody knows who he truly is. He finds that many agree with “Larry” and his website attracts national attention.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon Mystery Realistic Fiction Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) The main character in this book is Chris – a gifted, autistic 15 year old. At first I thought it was just another book about a weird kid and how he won an award in the Special Olympics, but this book is so much more. Chris has a view on anything and … Read more
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Realistic Fiction * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) This is one of my all-time favorite books. It shows what truly goes on in some kids’ minds and that you are never truly innocent. The ending wasn’t that great, but the rest of the book makes up for it.
One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones Novel in Verse Realistic Fiction Review #1 * * * Stars (Pretty good) 15 year old Ruby’s life is changed with a blink of an eye. One moment she’s with her mom, the next her mother is dead. Ruby is sent to Los Angeles, or “Lost” Angeles as she calls it, to live with her movie star dad who’s never been a part … Read more
Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy by Sonya Sones Realistic Fiction * * Stars (Just ok) I usually enjoy most of Sonya Sones’ books, because they always get me thinking. But this one didn’t really spark my interest. It’s about the struggle of a young girl as her sister goes crazy. It’s a good plot, I just thought she could have done a lot more to it.
Big Fish by Daniel Wallace Fantasy Realistic Fiction Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) After reading this it became my favorite book. I think anybody will enjoy this book, and I’m sure they can relate to William, the main character, who realizes his father’s a complete stranger to him. Like many people, William sees that he might not miss his dad when he’s gone because he really has nothing to miss.
Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata Realistic Fiction * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) I love this book. It’s a great book because it wants the reader to understand that having a sibling isn’t all that bad. It also talks about how prejudice is affecting the earth.
Eragon Inheritance cycle #1 by Christopher Paolini Adventure Fantasy Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) (Best book of all time!) Eragon is a magnificent story written by the presently 19 year old Christopher Paolini. It is an epic tale of dragons, elves, men, an evil ruler, and a boy on the verge of becoming a man. No book is better than this one! Review #2 * * * * * Stars (Amazing) … Read more