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Marina Castillo
1-16-13
8th AVID 2

Imagine that you’re an amazing photo journalist going around the world taking pictures, when one day you notice that there is a strange, beautiful looking man appearing in every single picture you take. In the book Elixir, written by Hillary Duff, a young woman named Clea Raymond is the daughter of a politician and a renowned surgeon, and is an amazing photojournalist who enjoys traveling to different countries and taking pictures. After the disappearance of her father, Clea starts seeing images of a young, strange, beautiful looking man appearing in her pictures…that she has never seen before. Eventually, by fate this beautiful man and Clea are brought together. They seem to have this unbearable connection together and can’t be separated. Who is this man, and why is he brought into Clea’s life?
Both my sister and I agree that once we picked up this book, we could not put it down. Every chapter brings more and more suspense, and leaves you always on a cliff. After we read Elixir and were left on a cliff, we couldn’t help but run to the bookstore to pick up the sequel. I have to say I love the style this book is written. It isn’t all about love, but also involves suspense, and adventure.
The tone throughout this novel changes depending on the chapter. Some scenes you will feel a romantic type of scenery, and other times you will feel a dark, suspenseful type of mood. I have to say for me the best parts in the book are when the mood goes from suspenseful to a sudden romance, love mood because those scenes are the scenes I can imagine the most. The way the author describes the love tension, I can just picture it in my head and feel as if I am Clea.
Just like Twilight, this book includes a love romance between an immortal and mortal being. There’s so much tension and suspense between Clea and her immortal lover, which you can’t help but scream at certain parts. The real suspense comes at the end of the book, when you are left dying to read the sequel of the book.
If you are looking for a book similar to the tension, romance, and suspense in both the books Twilight written by Stephanie Meyer, and Hunger Games, written by Suzanne Collins, then Elixr is definitely the next book you should read. Rating wise, I give it 2 thumbs up.
Hillary Duff

Baylasan Abughali
Period: 08
01/23/13

The book, ‘The Fault in our Stars’ by John Green talks about a girl names Hazel Grace who has lung cancer. She is involved in a cancer support group that she goes to frequently with many of her peers. In support group, everyone has some kind of disease that may not fully be cured and so everyone sits in the heart of Jesus.
One day when Hazel walked into Support Group, she realized that there was someone new in the circle. He came out to be a friend of Isaac, one of Hazel’s friends, and his name was Augustus Waters. Augustus also had a disease as the rest of the group members in Support Group. And as time progressed, Augustus and Hazel started to fall in love. They read the book, An Imperial Affliction; a book that doesn’t really have an ending to it. Hazel has sent the author, Peter Van Houten, many fan letters asking about the ending, but never got a response back. Augustus knew how much Hazel wanted to go, so he ended up emailing Peter’s secretary, and scheduled a visit to Amsterdam to meet up with Peter so he can finish the story. But also as time progressed, there health was getting worse. They were both being attacked with this disease and were always there for each other. But did they get to survive? Did they ever get to find out the ending to An Imperial Affliction?
I think that the best scene in this book is when Augustus calls Hazel at 3 A.M and tells her that he’s at a gas station and to come help him out because his G-cord is stuck. Then when she comes and asks him why he’s out in the middle of the night at a gas station, he says “I just wanted a cigarette. I wanted to get one myself. I cannot even get a pack of cigarette myself anymore.” The reason I love this scene is because it shows how sometimes, we take things like health for granted. It also showed how weak he was getting as a person. Another reason I like this book is because it showed how close his relationship was with Hazel, to the point where he didn’t ask anyone to come help him, except her.
Overall, I think that this book was astonishing to read. I recommend this book to someone who likes realistic books where they feel like they can relate to. In my opinion, the author gives wise words through the character. While reading this book, I had to sometimes re-read some of the text because the words were so beautiful.

Brandon Wright
Period: 4th
Date: 2/6/2013

Have you ever thought your life was to boring and that you felt you were destine for something but didn’t know quite what that was? In this science-fiction comic book “Wanted” by Top Cows production and Mark Millar, JG Jones and Paul Mounts based off the actual movie Wanted which has somewhat of a similar plot and story line to it. Due to that if you ever liked the movie you’ll really enjoy this. Its jam packed action and endless fun learning more of what the movie didn’t put in and didn’t get to.
The story is awesome and really as a kid as myself who barely picks up a book that you’ll start to see that this comic book is something you will never want to put down. I really got into this comic and how generally they make the lives of the people within the story. I mean you will learn a lot more then you actually learned from the movie. It also gives more of that connection to real life besides the fact it can never happen (well to me). The authors truly show the work they put in to this and for that I’m truly looking for the next comic to read because truly this is one of my favorites of all comics.
You read the story of a young man Wesley Gibson who has it very rough in his life who has increased heart rate and adrenaline levels result in bursts of superhuman strength but it all changes when he is told that his “proclaimed” father (That he never got to meet) was killed on a roof top of a photo shoot building in Chicago. He learned this by a woman named Fox that protected him from an attack from a strange man who was trying to kill him (or was he?). After that he notices he like his father is a highly trained assassin killer that only kills people that are destined to be killed because of this like a sowing machine named the loom. He learns then that he is special then anybody in the world because like his father and others that were or are in this loom it entitles them to curve bullets from a gun.
He soon starts to learn that he has to kill the guy he was attacked by. Which he soon learns that man had killed his father and that he has been killing a lot of the highly trained assassin killers. Cross which later on is someone who Wesley knows but really quite doesn’t. As the comic progresses he learns more by the group of assassin killers group named the Fraternity. He finds a secret room later on that was his fathers. But after looking in it he finds something you’ll have read in the 1st issue of WANTED.

Cindy Alanis
Period:7th
Date:2/6/2013
Book:Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson


This story starts out with a girl named Melinda. She is starting a new chapter in her life, high school. The only problem is that she is all alone. It all started with her calling the cops at the end-of-summer party. All her friends dumped her and went into different cliques. The thing is, she had a reason why she called the cops… The downside is that her friends do not want to hear her “excuses” and she has not even told her parents about what happened that night.
Through her freshman year, she is truly trying to find herself, and the only thing helping her do that is her Art class. This is where she can find and express herself through many ways than just talking. Just like Melinda, her school is also having some difficulty trying to find their sense of establishment, in other words, their mascot. Melinda is trying to find her place at school, unlike how her friends have already formed into cliques. Will anyone ever know why she called the cops at the party? Or will Melinda be mute forever?
Overall, the book is very relatable as a teen. Going into high school is a very hard transition from elementary school. It is hard to find friends that will stand by you no matter what happens. Bullying is another aspect in this book, which is present everywhere. It does take courage to “Speak” up and do what is right and stand up for oneself and/or others. Another issue that comes up in the book is the fact of an illness. Melinda is “clinically depressed” and has suffered a severe trauma. It’s what happened to her that has caused her to be depressed. Not opening up to others only worsens the problem.
This book was Anderson’s first novel, but it is one of my favorite books. Seeing how a teen girl struggles to find her place in high school and dealing with what happened over the summer really brings the effect of what she is going through. The way Anderson wrote the book is an original way. In the beginning, we see Melinda as a weak and frighten girl entering high school. But as the story unfolds, she starts to open up and have courage. In the end we find out what really happened to her at the party. Throughout the whole novel, we know her feelings and thoughts, as if we are there with her and her struggles.
In the end, this compelling story will keep you flipping pages until the very end when the cause of Melinda’s struggles is revealed.

Caroline Hoffman
8th period
Catherine Clark
Icing on the LakeWhen I picked up this book by Catherine Clark I was looking for a fun, care free read, that also had some humor in it and this book Icing on the Lake was exactly that. When I first read the overview it did not give me much insight on what kind of book this was exactly going to be so I ended up reading the reviews on my nook. I have to say the reviews were correct about everything. This book got mostly five or four stars on my nook reviews and everyone said how fantastic it was, and they were not wrong.

I think the reason this book was so likeable is because it was such an easy read of 172 pages with likeable characters and an easy story plot. The main character ends up going to Minneapolis, Minnesota to take care of her sister who just recently got a divorce and broke her leg. Her sister has a dog and a kid which Kirsten is supposed to watch over while her sister is looking for a job or otherwise resting. You find all of this out in the first chapter when Kirsten is explaining why she is in Minneapolis, Minnesota while she is ice skating with her friends and watching her nephew.

During the first chapter you basically get introduced to the whole plot in the story, just like any other book but this is more obvious because like I said it is a simple easy read. You meet Sean and Connor in this chapter, they end up being brothers in this book and while one is a hockey jock, the other is good at hockey but holds different interests, such as jobs. Kirsten ends up meeting both of them and connecting to both but in different ways, one through attraction and the other through personality.
This story line is very cute but if you're a girl who is not in the mood to read about a love story, don't go for this one, go for something realistic. However if you are interested in reading an easy cute book, this is definitely something you should try to read. The book is definitely fun and wintry and Catherine Clark is definitely a good writer.

Cristian Paredes
2-6-2013
Book: Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Imagine if you’re a scientist, traveling across the world digging up dinosaur bones and one day on your job you have been given the opportunity to view earth’s extinct animals alive, all put together into one huge park. In the book, Jurassic Park, written by Michael Crichton, a small group of people are taken to a remote island where no man has ever been before. Dr. Grant receives his once in a lifetime opportunity to see animals he has only dug up bones of. Although this “amusement park” was supposedly near completion to be open for the whole general public, it of course like any other amusement park has its problems.

Dr. Grant has always thought about the saying “When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth..” it makes himself think about what extinct animals were like back in the day. When he actually gets the chance to see a “park” of everything he has ever dreamed of, nothing can’t go wrong, or can it? Of course that’s what everyone thinks when they are at an “amusement park” but what happens when something does go bad, and the only way to get everything back in its place is not just by risking his own life but also the life of others. In the book,you follow Dr. Grant and the group as they use everything they got to protect themselves from danger, especially Dr. Grant’s knowledge to these long gone animals. As the book continues on, it goes in-depth to how this small group manages to overcome the odds of creatures from millions of years ago, and try to regain control of the “park” from the animals.

Jurassic Park is a very action packed book, one of Michael Crichton’s best written novels. You will enjoy the in-depth scenery as they deeply explain where you are at. It will make you feel as if you are there in the book with the characters. I really got into this book because myself I am a dinosaur lover, I enjoy reading books about dinosaurs. When I first began reading this book I could not out it down because as I read along it got more and more interesting. This is one book that I’m pretty sure all dino-lovers will enjoy reading. Although, I know everyone will enjoy reading this book, it’s all up to you to give it a chance or not. Michael Crichton, the author, does a very great job at making sure he keeps the book alive as you read every word page by page. It gives me a very visual idea to what would actually happen if dinosaurs were brought back today. In conclusion, I really love this book, it is and will always be my favorite book of all time. This book will grab the attention of many people, with its mixture of science fiction, thriller, and suspense it is really one book I recommend others to read.

Anna Drabik
P.8
2/5/13

“Bad Girls Don’t Die”, by Katie Alender is about a young teen named Alexis, who is an outcast at school. To make matters worse, her parents’ marriage is drifting apart. Her younger sister Kasey is starting to act strange. Weird things start to happen around Alexis’s house, like ominous glowing lights appearing out of nowhere, and her sister starts talking in a unusual way and has a weird obsession with dolls.

Alexis realizes that her life is creeping from dysfunction into danger. Kasey is acting stranger than ever. Her blue eyes go green sometimes, she uses old-fashioned language, and she even loses track of chunks of time. She seems to know nothing about her strange behavior. Their old house is changing, too. Doors open and close by themselves, water boils by itself on the stove, and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough that they could see their breath. Alexis wants to think that it's all in her head, but soon enough these strange things are becoming life-threatening to her. Alexis knows she's the only person who can stop Kasey, but what if this green-eyed girl isn't even Kasey anymore?

The scene that stuck out the most to me in this book was when Alexis was talking to her sister, Kasey, and Kasey says her “friend” is the one causing all this nonsense. Then Alexis notices a bruise Kasey has. She doesn’t tell where the bruise came from. Alexis yells, “You got that bruise because you hit yourself in the face!” Kasey gets angry and a certain force throws Alexis across the room, her head hitting the dresser. Alexis knew not any normal thirteen year old could have that kind of strength. Things only got worse from here. Alexis realized something that day. I like this scene because it changes the rest of the book by making you think about what is really happening to Kasey. It made you want to keep reading to find out more information on this mysterious girl.

This book is great for anyone who likes mysteries or horror stories. In my opinion, the author gave enough information about all the characters so you were never lost or confused. She used great detail that constantly grabs your attention and makes you want to keep reading.

Monika Rodriguez
Period:3
2/7/13

SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson
198 pages
Fiction

"SPEAK" by Laurie Halse Anderson begins with Melinda Sordino at her freshman year at Merryweather High School with a big secret. Over the summer Melinda was busted for calling the cops at an “end of the summer” party. Her old friends won’t talk to her and people who she doesn’t know don’t like her and she already has a reputation. She thinks the safest place is alone, in her head. But that’s not even safe, her own thoughts about what happened that night always seem to haunt her. No matter how hard she tries to let go of what happened she would have to speak the truth and that’s what she’s afraid of.

Melinda meet a new girl named Heather which tries to get Melinda involved into her schemes to popularity, but Melinda does not seem to care and spends most of her time in the abandoned janitor’s closet at school. Melinda’s grades have dropped and her parents and school counselor try helping her and get her to speak up but she refuses. “Deeply depressed” doesn’t quite describe the way she feels. She feels isolated from society, completely alone, and broken. Her “get away” is art class where she is working on a year-long project to create different meanings of an object she’s assigned, a tree. Will she be able interpret the meaning? But most importantly will she speak up about happened the night of the party?

When I finished this book, it was very mind opening. It reminds the reader that they shouldn’t make assumptions to what’s happening in peoples’ lives and that they don’t know what they went through or are going through. But more than anything SPEAK reminds the reader that you cannot create change or get help if you’re silent, you should speak to someone who can help you or help someone who needs it.

This book is an absolute must read. Its powerful in a bitter-sweet way, and it’s the kind of book that will stick with you and you wont forget it.

Ashley Specht
2/5/13
Period 4-AVID

That Summer by Sarah Dessen
198 pages
Genre: Young Adult

The book, That Summer by Sarah Dessen, is about a fifteen year old girl named Haven who is trying to get through her life with the smallest amount of interruptions as possible. She doesn’t feel in control of her life anymore and is extremely overwhelmed with everything that is going on. At fifteen, Haven is almost six feet tall and not quite done growing. Her parents are divorced, her dad recently got remarried to the TV weather anchor Lorna Queen, and her sister, Ashley, is soon to get married to Lewis Warsher. Haven and her sister have never been close and every boyfriend of Ashley’s has only made them grow further apart except for one: Sumner Lee.

Sumner Lee was the first boyfriend that Haven truly liked. Ashley was always happy around him and that one summer, when her family and Sumner went on vacation, things seemed perfect. Now that Ashley is getting married everything is so hectic that is until Ashley’s ex-boyfriend, Sumner, reappears in Havens life. All the memories flood back to her mind and she wishes that she could just go back to that one summer again. Haven always question why Ashley and Sumner broke up in the first place but was it Ashley’s fault that the relationship ended or was there more to the story?

My favorite part of the book has to be towards the end where Haven and Ashley are talking about what really happened between her and Sumner. Haven finally realizes that no one’s perfect and that you just have to move on and forget about what happened in the past and look forward to the future. I love this part so much because it shows that no matter what, even though siblings may fight or may not have a close relationship, they always know deep down they really do love each other.

I thought this book was a really great book. It was full of detail and twists and turns in the plot. In my opinion, this book is very relatable. All girls go through that period in their life where they aren’t sure of anything. This book brings you through a fifteen year olds journey from becoming a teenager to a young adult and for someone that is currently going through situations like Haven, they won’t feel alone. If you like books that you can relate to, then this book is definitely for you.

Period 8
Natalia Sikora
2-6-13
Divergent by Veronica Roth

In the future there are only 5 factions in the city of Chicago which you can belong in. Dauntless are the fearless leaders that guard the fence around their factions. Abegnation is the faction of the selfless people and the governments. Erudotite are the ones that seek knowledge at all times. Candor are the ones that always speak the truth. Amity are the people that are always happy, their job is to farm. At the age of 16 you must pick one of these factions to finally become an adult. Beatrice a simple selfless teenager lives in Abegnation and has finally come to this age, and she must take the aptitude test to find out what faction best suits her. When she finishes her test the results do not come back as expected. The certainity that usually lets these teenagers what faction to go to has been flawed for Beatrice. There is NO match for her. What faction will she choose? Will she continue living in Abegnation? What will she do?

Divergent written by Veronica Roth is a science fiction that takes place in future Chicago. The book is written in first person narrated by Tris. This book’s intended audience was mostly for 14-25 year olds but will intrigue younger and older readers as well. The book flows and is a page-turner once you get through the introduction of the characters.

My favorite part of the book would be when Tris was hanging out with Dauntless initiates and they zip-lined off of the John Hancock tower. Took a risk to have fun and to fit in and that is something I wish I could do sometimes. But in my opinion the best part of the book was when she climbed the Navy Pier Ferris wheel. It was a perfect situation with multiple emotions running through the scene that is what made it so relatable to everyday life.

The book was a good read, it kept the reader interested while throwing some major curve balls at you. Overall this book has a little for every type of reader, it has sci-fi, adventure, and for the teen girls, a little bit of romance. If you liked The Hunger Games this book will interest you. It is a trilogy that is very similar to The Hunger Games.

Mihaela Miladinov
2/6/2012
AVID 8th
Blue Bloods book review
Schyler Van Allen is not your typical teenager. As she and her schoolmates from Duchesne High School, a rich and snobby place with “connections only” admission, go about their regular lives they begin experiencing non human things. The Force twins seem to handle the weirdness easily and are the only ones who know what is going on, along with the elite club members “The Committee” that Schyler and everyone at Duchesne is a part of. Committee members are of old and powerful decent. When Schyler starts piecing things together she realizes that no one at Duchesne or on “The Committee” is human. Along with the coma of her mother, Shyler begins to investigate recent deaths of people of her kind. What shocking discovery will she make and what relationships will form?


This book is a must read! If you enjoy romance, fiction novels this would be great for you. Blue Bloods is the first book of the trilogy “The Van Halen Legacy” which continues investigating the impossible murders among the vampire communities of New York. In every book of the trilogy we find out a secret about Shyler, Bliss and the Force twins lives making them mysterious and provocative to read. For people who enjoy the Twilight novels, The Van Halen trilogy is even better! Written in a suspenseful manor as it flips from one characters mind to the next, the books are absolutely irresistible.


I enjoyed the book because it was a mixture of all my favorite things. A romantic aspect, making it tasty and fresh, the mystery and darkness of vampires mixed into the life of the rich and famous and the suspenseful style of writing make it appealing to any teenager. The most memorable parts for me were the heart to heart conversations and the hope she has in her mom’s health. Melissa De La Cruz manages to perfectly capture the lifestyle of the rich politicians and their families, adding a historical aspect to the story itself. I highly recommend Blue Bloods because of its different perspectives and the amazing imagery used throughout the novel.

Dana Swanson
2/6/13
P. 8
What happens when people chose entertainment over humanity? In “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins, the results are extraordinary. One of the main characters, Katniss Everdeen, takes her little sisters place in being a one of 24 tributes that are forced to fight to the death on live television. This all takes place in Panem, a place once known as North America, but was destroyed by natural disasters. Panem is split up into 12 districts and every year, the Capitol (the government) chooses one boy and one girl from the age of 12 to 18 from each district to fight in an arena until there is only one tribute left alive. “Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games has begun…”

With a combination of suspense, romance and science fiction, The Hunger Games, also made into a movie, is no doubt original. Suzanne Collins writes chapter after chapter with surprising twists after each one that will make readers addicted to finding out what will happen next. Personally, I could not put the book down the first time I started reading it! In a way, it is very futuristic because the author also adds multiple types of technology that does not even exist today, creating a modern concept.

The Capitol takes a big role in what this book is all about and they are extremely controlling of all the districts. So let’s just say that if Katniss and other tributes don’t put on an entertaining show for the rest of Panem, the Capital will take action… This causes people to be afraid to talk badly about the Capitol loudly in any way. One of the main characters says “’Have you been on the roof yet?… The wind’s a bit loud though’ I (Katniss) translate this into ‘No one will overhear us talking’”. This is very different compared to today, where everyone has free speech. But for people in The Hunger Games, they better watch what they say, because people who work for the Capitol will always secretly be listening. Nobody wants to be a tribute in The Hunger Games, since only one person comes out alive. But thoughts like these are hidden, making the mood very mysterious and suspenseful.

I would highly recommend this book, there is not anything I would complain about that the author did or should have done. The theme is interesting because it is so different than what things are like today, always making the reader compare the book to reality. The author does a spectacular job executing these ideas as well. I recommend this for people ages 12 and up who enjoy science fiction, exciting stories. Reading this book will leave you thinking and never leave you bored. So with the blend of romance, suspense, and science fiction, The Hunger Games is definitely a must read.

Maria Garcia
Period 4th
1-7-12
Book: Go ask Alice by Anonymous

Go ask Alice is not your normal diary of a teenage girl going through adolescence. The diary tells us the story of Alice, a typical teenage girl at first but after an encounter with a drink laced with LSD in a deadly party game her life is forever changed. This diary lets go through Alice experience of her become a hooked on drugs, love and freedom. The diary also more importantly lets us go though the departure of Alice’s innocence, home and family.
In the Diary at first Alice seems like a normal teenage girl who is alone and looking for her place in the world and something to live for. With a sensitive, observant style, she records her teenage problems with her new diary that was at first intended to be a book of beautiful thought s about a guy. Some of the challenge she faces is her sexual awakening, insecurity about school, but her difficult relationship with her parents. After a difficult move, heartbreak, death, loss Alice soon becomes vulnerable to anything and anybody which soon make her diary the only safe haven she has. Soon after Alice encounter with LSD, drugs become her life and the new solution to all her problems in life. But how will Alice deal with this new life as a drug addict? Will she be saved or will you perish?
The scene that stuck out most to me was when after experiencing LSD for the second time Alice compares her voyage into the new world of drugs to Alice in Wonderland and wonders if Lewis Carroll took drugs. This scene stuck to me because I believe this was the transformation of Alice’s innocence to a drug raged female. During this day in her journal I liked the fact that Alice’s who experience was written as she had just had simply done nothing life changing to herself. After reading this scene in the book my perspective of reading this changed from an interesting life to know a concerned reader for the safety of the author’s life.
Overall, I think this book is breathtaking to read. I would recommend this book to the young adult who is curious about experimenting with drugs and alcohol. My opinion is yes it is a breathtaking book to read but you do have to realize at the end this diary is the diary of someone who actually existed and struggle with these problems. So with this knowledge this book is more of an informational read also. While reading you feel as if your Alice therapist listening to her point of how her life is destructing before her eyes. While still trying to remain a person that Alice can count on to help hear her problem.

Veronika Klocek
Lipstick Apology by Jennifer Jabaley
321 pages
Young adult

When Emily kicked off her end of the year party with her best friend Georgia little did she expect that that night her life would change forever. After a devastating plane crash that takes the lives of both her parents Emily is left to wonder what her mother’s final words meant : Emily Please Forgive Me.

Now its fall and Emily is forced to move to New York City with her aunt Jolie and go to a new school with people she doesn’t know . While she is there Emily meets Owen the captain of the swim team who only has eyes for her and Anthony the nerdy lab partner who she can’t seem to stop thinking about. But Emily still remembers her mothers last words and can’t help but wonder what they really mean.

If you enjoy teen romance, drama, and a good late night read this book is right for you. Jabaley does a fantastic job showing the hardships of fitting in and having your life change in the blink of an eye. A scene that stuck out for me was when Emily, Lindsey and Anthony sit down to watch “When Harry Met Sally” and Emily calls Georgia so that she can watch the movie with them even though she is not there. It shows that you can keep old friendships while making new ones and not everything has to change. I recommend this book to anyone who doesn’t mind sitting down and reading because I guarantee that you won’t want to put it down.

This book makes you realize that you never know what kind of curve balls life can throw at you. You have to expect the unexpected. The secret that Emily’s mom kept from her is something that the reader will not expect. Jabaley keeps the read exciting and it never gets boring. If you are looking for an easy read this is definitely the book for you.

Anna Bourdon
02/06/2012
AVID

Anna Bourdon
02/06/2012
AVID
Santillian, 04
Thirteen Reasons Why
By Jay Asher
It all started when Clay Jenson received a box thirteen tapes and a map of the city at his front door. There are thirteen cassette tapes, and the map is covered with red marks on it. What are these for he wanders, better yet where is he going to find a system that still plays cassette tapes? After finding a beaten down radio in his father’s garage he begins to listen to the tapes and is shocked at who the speaker is. The speaker is a girl named Hannah, who had committed suicide a few weeks before.

The tapes start out. Hannah’s voice is calm and normal, while Clay is distressed and horrified. Hannah begins the first tape by saying there are thirteen tapes, because there are thirteen reasons why she took her own life. The reasons are people and she wants them to feel responsible for everything they have done. The tapes had to get around to all thirteen people otherwise they would be publicized. The more Clay listens, the more he realizes there was more to Hannah’s life than just teenage drama. Drugs, sex, rape, and alcohol are just some of the things she talks about. If these tapes were publicly displayed some people would loose friendships…some people would be put in jail. The tapes describe when and what happened with the people that were significant, and the map is given so that the listener and can go to these places and really get a sense of what she went through or how she saw everything. The more Clay listens to the tape, the more he wonders why he is one of the thirteen reasons. The last memory he had of Hannah was them kissing at a party, but she was the one who kissed him. She can’t be holding that against him, can she? The more he listens to the tapes, the more he realizes he does not belong on one of them. The people on the tapes are ex boyfriends, ex best friends, and people that have hut Hannah physically and emotionally. He hadn’t done that.. had he?

Thirteen Reasons Why is such an eye opener. It talks about controversial topics like suicide, but watered down so the book can be read by a variety of audiences. I love this book. It’s one of my personal favorites. If you want to find out all thirteen reasons why Hannah took her own life and why Clay Jenson is even on those tapes, I would recommend reading this amazing book.

Alexis Perez
February 7, 2013
AVID 8th Period
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer of Stone Book Review

The Harry Potter series consists of seven books. Each book tells a story of Harry’s life after his parent’s death. The first book of the series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer of Stone, begins with one of the main characters, Albus Dumbledore, leaving baby Harry Potter in front of uncle Dursdley’s steps after his parents had been killed by the evil wizard Lord Voldemort. When Harry is a young teen, he finds out he is a wizard. He also finds out that he was the only person to survive Voldemort’s death spell and was able to drain Voldemort’s energy. Harry attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he meets his two best friends Ron and Hermonie. Harry’s adventure begins when he finds out that Voldemort is trying to bring back his power by obtaining the sorcerer’s stone, a stone that would make any man immortal. Would Harry be able to stop Voldemort before he reaches the stone?
Despite being a single mother with a daughter living on welfare, J.K Rowling managed to give us one of the best book series published; the Harry Potter. The book got good critic reviews and even won the British Book Award’s Children’s Book of the Year prize, as well as the Smarty’s Book Prize. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone emphasizes the virtue of humility by explaining the modesty of its hero and by making this modesty an important part of Harry’s success on finding the Sorcerer’s Stone.
This novel is definitely a good read. Not only does this book feature love, friendship, adventure, suspense, and mystery; it also includes a magical place called Hogwarts. I would definitely recommend this book to everybody because it a lot of suspense and the way the author explains each scene is breath taking and shocking. J.K Rowling explains the book so well that it is impossible to guess what would happen next. Throughout the whole book, Harry struggles with a problem, whether it is with his friends, enemies or even teachers. The way that Harry overcomes all these problems is surely amazing. I really enjoyed this book because I could really sink myself into the words of the book. “Seeing” Harry overcome many obstacles makes me feel like anything is possible, even if all hope is lost. The ending of the story is so great that it would get you pumped up for book two, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Claudia Glodz
Period 8
Mr. Santillan
2/7/13
Book: “Esperanza Rising” by Pam Munoz Ryan


“Esperanza Rising” is a powerful and realistic novel. The main character named Esperanza, a wealthy and young Mexican girl who has grown in a town called El Rancho de las Rosas on the ranch, with her parents named Ramona and Sixto Ortega. She is enjoying a life filled with parties, long silky dresses, dolls she could play with, and many more anyone could ever think of. But one night a tragedy struck their family, right before she turned 13, Esperanza’s father was killed by the bandits. After the death of her father, her mother and Esperanza and her grandmother Abuelita, have been facing many struggles with life and the ranch. But situations just kept on getting worse…Will Esperanza able to handle everything? Will she have everything under control? One way to find out!

My favorite part of the novel was when Esperanza saved up all of her money orders to bring her grandma, Abuelita, to California in order for the whole family to be together. Also to support her mother that was sick and had to stay in the hospital. This part really made me realize how much her family really means to her and how much she loves and cares for them. This part really touched me and inspired me to be the same way for my family.

I usually don’t like many books I read but this one is really up there! I loved this book it was touching, sad, funny, and everything required in order to write an excellent novel. The author did a very impressive job in keeping the novel interesting at every moment and there isn’t a part in the book where it ever gets boring. I highly recommend this book to any who is interested in historical fiction and hardships in life; this is definitely the book for you! I’m certain no one would be disappointed in this novel.

The way of the shadows
By: Brent Weeks
Book review
Period 3
bart olszewski
325 pages

The way of the shadows is a book about an infamous and feared assassin that goes by the alias Durzo Blint. Durzo Blints past is not as exercised all we know is that Durzo is one of the best at what he does and he personally glances upon it as an art form. But after Durzo goes off on a Mission he catches a glimpse of a young man called Azoth that lives as a guild rat and doses everything he can possibly do to survive. Through his unrelenting survival skills Durzo Blint offers him a new life with a certain catch to it, which involved killing his guild leader who treated him as just another worthless rat. Along with committing murder Azoth needs to change his name and keep it as a secret to himself. But it all doesn’t come easy with the amount of learning involved azoth is discouraged but when he gets his first contract Azoth is conflicted if he’s actually ready to be a hired hand. But after he kills the king he notices there are more obstacles in the way then he originally expected and he needs to make some life changing decisions to execute the given contract.
The way of the shadows is a very suspenseful novel that has won the New York Times best seller award. If you’re really into a good book that always has you guessing and keeps you on your toes this book is for you. The way of the shadows jumps from theme to theme, Plot to plot, Character to character. As well as giving the insight on the train of thought of a hired hand that is always ready to kill. The best scene in the book for me that really caught me off guard was after the king has been killed and everyone has calmed down there’s struggle for power and a self proclaimed prince comes to power, and that prince is the guild leader that Azoth had to kill to become an assassin, this causes a wide array of new problems which lead into the sequel Beyond the shadows.

Tajuo brown

Wifey: By Kiki Swinson
Looks can be very deceiving .From the looks of things Kira’s life is all spontaneous. She’s living like the celebrities she owns her own hair salon and living in a gorgeous top of the line mansion worth at least 5000 to 6000 dollars. With a beautiful diamond ring to top things off, her closet is full of designer clothes, shoes, and jewelry. With a powerful husband standing behind her, Kira’s husband Ricky spoils her from head to toe buys her whatever she wants and taker her on trips. But at the end of the day he’s still a hustler after everything. Ricky is a well respected, powerful, and feared drug dealer. Ricky got plenty of baby mama drama and ton of women chasing him down. Ricky may think he’s playing kira but he got the game twisted. Kira knows that she’s his forever wifey and on top of that she got the pass code to the bank account and the safe. Kira running the game to little do Ricky know. That’s how she became wifey in the first place .playing her cards right she doesn’t always like it but she’s got to do what she got to do and she about feed up with Ricky childish ways and selfishness. When one of his workers is busted by the feds getting involved kira see’s away out. But does she take her shot? Nothing on the streets are easy so she has to be careful or she may fall in to deep. Everything she ever worker for may be gone in the flash of an eye. Will she say good bye to Ricky or play the game better than before?I love this book. This book is full of excitement, thrill, and drama. I highly encourage you to check this book out. Wifey is awesome I didn’t even want to put the book down. Check out Kiki Swinson series.

Alex Munoz: A Clockwork Orange
AVID 8P

A Clockwork orange by Anthony Burgess is an extremely controversial and intriguing book. In fact the book was so good that Director Stanley Kubrick, director of highly adored films such as Full Metal Jacket, Dr. Strangelove and The Shining, made a live action Movie about the book. The movie is considered to be one of the most disturbing and controversial films of all time. It was so graphic that it was even banned from some theaters when it came out. The book is no different, in fact the book is actually superior in some ways, being as how the books ending is the intended ending while the movie just throws away the last three chapters of the book.
The setting of A Clockwork Orange is a dystopian future in which law is falling apart and teenagers’ gang together to commit acts of “ultra violence” on the elderly, homeless and themselves. It is within this world that we are introduced to our main character/narrator; Alex DeLarge, a fifteen-year-old boy that likes to spend his time assaulting innocent people, robing, fighting other gangs, raping and above all else listen to classic music. The book starts off with Alex and his three “droogs” (friends) Peat, Georgie and Dim, getting high off of drugged milk. They then proceed to beat up a professor, assault a drunken homeless man and do much worse things to other innocent people including a writer and his young wife all in the period of one night. The first act of the book is nonstop with just terrible acts of violence that you would expect from a serial killer, not a group of fifteen-year-old boys. The first forty pages will have you laughing at these acts and then hating yourself for laughing at them. However Alex finally does take things too far and is taken in to jail where he is forced to share a cell with many other convicts. However things change when Alex overhears a conversation between some of the staff, about a procedure that is said to change any person with evil intentions good whether they want to or not. Alex, thinking that this is the quickest way to get out of jail, asks to take part in this experiment. He eventually does get in and at first glance everything is nice and perfect. Alex is being taken care of, fed good food. Then the actual experiments occur and things suddenly get a little less sunny. Alex eventually does end up leaving a changed man, not able do anything wrong and now associating everything bad with the sound of the one thing he loved most, classical music. Sadly the world does not see him any different. He encounters several people from his dark past and is even tortured by one particular person he wronged in a very terrible manner. I will not spoil the ending, but I will say that it is a very satisfying conclusion in which we finally get to see Alex’s progress from a fifteen-year-old boy, to a twenty one year old man.
A Clockwork Orange is a terrific book for those who want to see a glimpse of a future not too far, as well as people who like psychological stories of good vs. bad. In fact the main point Anthony Burgess wanted to convey is that the definition of a human being is free will. If someone only lives their life doing good than they are just as awful as someone who only does bad. It is our right to choose to be good or bad and no one should be able to take this right from you. The only negative part of the book is the fact that Anthony Burgess created a special slang for the teens in this book known as “Nadsat”. I myself thought it added a sense of reality to the world and thought it was quite easy as well as fun to learn. A Clockwork Orange will forever be one of my favorite books and I hope you will get a chance to read it as well. This book will change the way you think about your life and decisions. This is what I have to say about A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, a great read, intriguing story and awesome ending.
For help with Nadsat translation visit this website, http://www.mattiavaccari.net/mis/nads...

Mark Van Giesen
Jacks Run by Roland Smith
246 pages
Fiction
Period 8
Jack Osborne’s father was involved in drug trafficking. After getting arrested he agrees to tell the authorities everything he knows about Alfonso Anzar his ex-boss in return for his release. Every action has its consequences. The Osborne's have been in the witness protection program for over a year switching last names and having to move from place to place.
With his trial fast approaching Alfonso search for jack and his family grows more severe. Jack has messed up once before and Is being extra careful this time. Unfortunately someone else in the family isn’t. With their lives at risk find out what happens when the Osbornes are on the run… again.
“Jacks run” is a very action packed and suspenseful book. This is a book that anyone will enjoy. It shows how to kids work together not only to save themselves but their family as well.
A scene in the story that sticks out is when Jack and Joanne come up with a scheme to get them out of the bedroom that they are being held captive in. The author does a good job showing the hardships of the witness protection program and writing a book that you don’t want to put down He uses much detail that grabs your attention and leave you wanting more.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes books about danger, adventure, and books that make you wonder what will happen next. When the kids are kidnapped you never knew if they would even live or not. It is always is exciting and has no slow parts. It is a great book for anyone to read, I highly recommend it.

Frankie Senese
2/7/13

Book Review The Hunger Games BY: Suzanne Collins

This book was one of the few books I have read in a while. This is the first one I read out of the series. I’m looking forward to reading the second book. This book was outstanding and great. Suzanne Collins did a really good job of making the audience want to keep reading. This book always kept me guessing on what would happen next. Suzanne intended this book to the audience of Teens and Young Adults. I Recommend this book to every who wants to be on the edge of there seat guessing what will happen next. Besides that it should be a all read for all teens. There were a lot of themes In this book, some of them that stuck out to me were Survival, Trust, Strength, personal Independence, and the Dedication to win.
North American has been Destroyed and taking over by the Capital and divided into 12 Districts. Each year the Capital has a fight to the death. 2 members from each District, 1 boy and 1 girl, which is called the reaping. Katniss is a hard working self made girl from district 12. When Katniss younger sister Prim gets called Katniss Volunteers to take the place of her in the Hunger Games and everybody is shocked. This Took a lot of courage for Katniss to do, and it surprised me to. Katniss strentgh is with the bow and arrow and will try to use this as her advantage in the Games. She gets paired up with the boy Petta, who is the bakers son and grew up with her in her District. Petta and Katniss both grow up in a very poor District. It is interesting how Petta and Katniss relationship shapes out, from strangers to lovers. They share 1 sponsor who can help them with supplies to help them if the audience pays for them. 1 winner, 24 Tributes, who will win? MUST READ!!

Paper Towns by John Green

Paper Towns is a book by John Green (who has also written Looking For Alaska & A Fault in Our Stars). It is a young adult fiction novel. Its about a Boy named Quentin Jacobsen. The author writes this book to entertain young adults. The book is written in the point of View of Quentin Jacobsen, a senior in high school and a resident of the state of Florida, who is trying to find his childhood friend when she vanishes mysteriously after a very eventful night with Quentin. This book has kept me on edge every moment I was reading and I could NOT put it down. It's the kind of book that makes you think one thing is going to happen and then completely throws you off. I would definitely recommend this book if you like mysteries or have read any other of John Green's books. The theme of the book is that no one is ever who you really think they are. Will Quentin ever find his childhood friend? I guess you'll just have to read the book to find out. ;)

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen has been taking care of her family after she lost her father in a mining accident. She does this by illegally hunting outside of District 12, in which she lives in. The animals she kills are used for food or for barter. Katniss is getting prepared for the reaping of "The Hunger Games", in which two tributes are picked at random for all twelve districts. The tributes have to be one boy and one girl per district. All 24 tributes must fight to the death and the last person alive will win. This event is hosted each year by the Capitol (government).

When Katniss' sister, Prim, get called on to be in the games, Katniss volunteers to take the place of her sister and everybody gets shocked. Then the boy tribute got picked, and Petta, who is the bakers son, got chosen. What will happen next? Who will win the Games?

This book was very interesting that it made me want to keep reading it. Suzanne Collins did a good job with making the audience feel suspense, which made me keep reading.My favorite part in the book is when Prim gets called on and Katniss volunteers in place of her sister. I believe that this was a very interesting part in the book because she knew what she was going to face in her next days. I believe that this book is better suited for teens and adults. It is a great book to read, i highly recommend it.

Shane By Jack Schaefer,
Period 4
Rafal Lebiedzinski


Shane is a book written by Jack Schaefer. Shane is a western book that shows how even a first person story can still show how other characters develop in the story. The story begins as the narrator (Bob Starrett) watches a mysterious man rides up to his home asking for some food and water, but Bobs father (Joe Starrett) asks the man to stay. The man tells the family that his name is Shane, nothing more nothing less.Shane stays for the night and a few more days due to weather problems, but soon after Joe asks Shane to stay on the farm indefinitely. Shane gladly agrees due to the fact he grows attached to the family.

Everybody soon started to know more about Shane and so did Fletcher. Fletcher was a powerful cattle rancher who wants to take all of the other farmers ranch just to his own benefits.But one day when Shane went to town he ran into one of Fletcher helpers, Chris. Chris starts making fun of the farmer, he said that they smell like pigs and all you drink is soda. Shane stays calm and walks away ignoring all that Chris said. Then after that everything went downhill for the Starretts and Shane.

My favorite part of the book was when Chris was making fun of the farmers, especially Joe and Shane, Shane kept his cool and didn't start to fight Chris. This shows what kind of person Shane is, even if it isn't in his own perspective. Shane is the role model that every child would need, Bob learned many life lessons by watching Joe and Shane working together on the farm. Bob was taught how teamwork can accomplish anything, in one scene of the book Joe and Shane work together to pull out a tree stump that Joe has been trying to remove for a long time.

Overall the story was amazing, I recommend this book to anybody who loves western books. The theme of the story is that it is difficult to escape your own past. Shane was gunman before meeting the Starrets and he wanted to start a new, normal civilized life. This was accomplished until the Fletcher gang started to mess with Shane, Joe and all the farmers. This is one of my all time favorites now and I can say that I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read a western book or any book for that matter!

Arturo Cadena Book Review
8th

In the book, Beyond Belief, Josh Hamilton with the help of Tim Keown, write an excruciating novel about the life of Josh Hamilton and his struggles. Josh Hamilton wrote this book because he wanted to show everybody that it is not impossible to overcome any difficulties. This book is about struggle and overcoming it. Josh Hamilton struggles and keeps struggling until he realizes what he really wanted in life. When I started reading the book, it got to me. This book was very shocking to me. The words and phrases Josh used for us the readers to imagine what he was going through. Josh was a very skilled baseball player at a young age. At age 11, Josh was able to throw 70mph and in the beginning of the book, Josh describes himself at a little league game when he was pitching. He goes on to talk about how he didn't have control. Josh eventually beams a kid with his 70mph fast ball in the back. Afterwards Josh describes the kid a little bit. Josh got even better throughout high school

This book hits the hammer on the nail. The book is so well thought out. Josh knows how to keep the book interesting. The importance for Josh to write this book is so he can tell people that you can get through any struggle as long as you try. I agree with what Josh is trying to say because I have struggled many times in my life whether it was easy or hard. I overcame all of my struggles by trying and dedication. The issue Josh is trying to tell us that drugs are addictive, but he can overcome any addiction. A particular scene that I enjoyed was when Joshes teacher gave him an A on his paper if he signed some baseballs for the teacher. Josh said he struggled with English and didn't like that he was doing this, but he needed an A. After high school Josh gets drafted into the MLB by The Tampa Bay Rays. Then things start to go wrong. Josh starts to use drugs. Will Josh stop or will he continue to use them?

Josh was first introduced to drugs at the tattoo parlor that he went to days in and days out. Josh was in a fatal accident with his parents. It left him with agonizing back pain. Soon this magnificent guy with God-given talent was going down the wrong path. His family gave up on Josh for what he put them through. The only one that didn’t turn their back on Josh was his Grandma. She always had her door open for Josh. This was up until she seen him doing drugs. The hurt that Josh seen in his Grandmas eyes made him realize that drugs wasn’t for him. God was his inspiration to get healthy and pursue his dreams.

I recommend this book to people who like sports and struggle because those are the two main things about the book. To me this book was amazing. There were a lot of twists that you might not except. This book kept you reading throughout every page. I really like how the book was written. I would rate this book a 4.5.

Denise Soto
Youth In Revolt by C.D. Payne
Pages #499
Genre: Fiction and Humor

“Youth in Revolt” by C.D. Payne will be one of the funniest books you will ever read! It will take you into six months in the life of the world’s most dangerous teenager. It began with introducing the famous, Nick Twisp, a mischievous sex-addicted teenager. You follow Nick as he goes through a typical teenager’s life: parents’ divorce, virginity, and rebellion. Nick Twisp, the 14-year-old, smart-mouth, and sex-crazed adolescent will do anything to lose his virginity to his summer fling, Sheeni Saunders.
In pursuit of Sheeni (and sex), Nick violates a few laws such as faking the death of his best friend, theft, and mass property destruction. Nick is positive that he will remain a virgin forever until he takes an unexpected trip up to Lakeport, where he meets Sheeni Saunders. She is beautiful, intelligent, and a bit manipulative, she takes Nick’s heart into a deadly chokehold and refuses to let go. Sheeni is the reason he goes too far extents to lose his virginity to her. If there is one thing you learn from this book, it is this: males will go to any lengths to get into your pants. C.D. Payne finds a perfect way to capture the not-so-innocent side of youth and shows how much it has become a big deal to lose your virginity.
Youth in Revolt is not for everyone, some people might find it revolting (excuse the pun), because of how much he thinks about sexual intercourse and also due to the fact that he is blunt and to the point. Nick has a smart mouth humor which you find out right from the beginning, when he says, “My name is Nick. Someday, if I grow up to be a gangster, perhaps I will be known as Nick the Prick. This may cause some embarrassment to my family, but when your don gives you your mafia sobriquet you don’t ask questions.”
I honestly really enjoyed this book and all the hilarious things that Nick Twisp wrote in his journals. C.D. Payne writes the perfect book with crazy adventures, teenage romance, and blunt humor. This book became such a huge hit, that it became a major motion picture from Dimension Films. All in all, it is a magnificent novel and it will have you cracking up the whole time!

Tim Gray
Period 8
2/7/13
Book: Rangers apprentice

The book, “Ranger’s Apprentice” follows the story of a fifteen year old boy named Will who just wants to become a soldier like his father but instead gets pulled into a secret order of rangers who protect the kingdom and by default Will’s home of Castle Redmont. Wills mentor and role model Halt is a famous hero known throughout the kingdom for his great feats of courage. Halt is a rough, gritty, and strict man who will train Will beyond exhaustion the only problem is Will is not sure he is cut out to be a ranger.
Throughout the better half of the book Will is bullied by one of his peers who lived at the orphanage with him, in my opinion John Flanagan the author does a great job of developing the story arcs of the relationship between Horace and will throughout the story as well as with halt. The story also does a great job of getting you hooked in with small side stories and characters the you just want to see achieve their goals. You will find yourself captivated by this imaginary world and greatly attached to the characters as they grow and develop throughout the story
The book as a whole is a great story about a boy becoming a man and trying to find his place in life while also honoring his father’s legacy. Most medieval stories are hard to relate to because problems and lives were completely different then, but the characters Flanagan creates are easy to relate to and will inspire you.
As a whole the book is an exciting story about a boy trying to prove himself and will keep you wanting more til the very end.

Lilia Sarah Djerrah
AVID Per:08th
Feb-o8-13


You think you know someone; when you know their deepest secrets, their past, future, and wants in life. When they trust you even better than their friends that has been there for years and you just came into their life. In john Green’s “Looking for Alaska” Miles a loner boy decides to move all the way from Florida to Alabama to a type of boarding school. There he meets the friends of his life they were just what he needed they even give him a nick name Pudge which is kind of ironic given the fact that he is major scrawny. Chip (The Colonel), Takumi, and Alaska take him on the journey of his life they change him for the good and bad but when Miles finds himself falling for Alaska, who might I add has a boyfriend named Jake; he cannot help but let his feelings show. Now the real question is will Miles find his Alaska or will he forever loose her?
My favorite part in “Looking for Alaska” is when miles starts counting the layers between him and Alaska when they are forced to sleep on the same bed (don’t worry miles stayed on top of the covers) in Chip’s trailer home for Thanksgiving. Miles tends to count the layers between him and Alaska when they are together… which most of the time.
I cannot stress enough how much I recommend this book. It left me crying for more. This has to be the book with the strongest page turner ability ever it’s like it has its very own power. I have read 407 books and still counting in the past three years and every time I donate the books that didn’t have a big impact on my life and keep the ones that I cannot get out of my mind in my library and this book is a Lifer I will never let it go(but first I have to get my own copy first this one is Mr. Santillan’s copy) I Give this book a solid and absolute five stars! I know if you read this book it will change your life as it did mine.

Amanda Ottaviano
Lucy in the Sky by Anonymous
P.04
266 Pages
Young Adult Fiction
Imagine it… You’re the typical sixteen year old girl with not many friends… you don’t get invited to parties, you spend all your time at yoga or just laying around your room. Until one day your world becomes sort of a parallel universe. Your older brother that you thought was such a good kid brings you to one of the parties he goes to every weekend. It’s not just a typical pizza and movie party that you’re used to though, there are drugs and alcohol all around you. Your brother is standing right next to you having a beer and smoking. Should you be “cool” and drink and do drugs like everyone else is? Should you fake a sickness and go home? No, you don’t… you decide to stay, have a couple drinks, and fit in but you find that you enjoyed the buzz. So you start going to more parties. But one day you see this beautiful girl with long blonde hair. She makes you feel insecure because she’s everything you wanted to be: wealthy, gorgeous, confident. There’s only one thing wrong with her but to you it doesn’t seem so wrong. You find out that she does drugs. Someone introduces you to her and you become instant best friends with her. Striving to be like her, you follow her every move including the amount of drugs and alcohol she does partly because you want to be “perfect” like her and the other part being that you don’t want to lose her as a friend.
Eventually this leads her into deeper and deeper danger. No one can save her since her brother and friends are all in the same situation and her world spirals out of control. Do you think she’ll be able to catch herself before it’s too late? Will she be able to get away from the drugs and alcohol and live a happy life without them? Or will her life keep getting more troubled by these drugs?
This novel is packed with suspense and the brutal truth about drugs, alcohol, insecurity, and betrayal. Once I started reading it, I just couldn’t stop. The inside of this young girls mind and her experiences are just compelling to me. The way she describes the effects of drugs and how they make her feel is very well written by her and I could even visualize all her experiences in my head. You can feel her fear as she puts herself into more troublesome situations but you can also feel her longing to fit in and be liked by everyone. Even though she never wrote this to be a novel, you can really understand her story and see how harmful just one mistake can be. The most surprising thing about this novel was how frustrated I began to feel at some points. For example, “I feel like THIS was how I was MEANT to feel: confident, perfect, beautiful, sexy, in control, smart, and more certain of myself than ever,” frustrated me because I didn’t understand how drugs could make a person feel this way at all. As I read and explored deeper into her mind, I began to understand her struggles and why she would want to keep putting herself into danger just for that feeling.
All in all, Lucy in the Sky was a mind-boggling novel to read. I would definitely give it 5 stars and would recommend it to anyone who loves a book with suspense, drama, and dark experiences. You can get inside her mind and see the cruel reality of life and being a teenager. It will truly inspire you to be your own person and not to follow others mistakes but to learn from them.

Kyle Lutzow
Avid 8th
2/8/13

What could go wrong four girls five guys in a mansion in Mexico all weekend.In the "Weekend" by Christoper Pike. During there senior year Shani and her friends plan on taking a long weekend up to their friends Lena's vacation house.While they are on this dream vacation things start to go wrong phone lines go down explosions and that's just the beginning. When moments from their dark past start to come back fingers start to be pointed and friendships tested. Will this dream weekend up as a nightmare?
This book took me a while to get into. First these chapters are long if you like books that have shorter chapters like 10-15 pages you would not like this book,these chapters are close to 30-40 pages a chapter. I am more used to reading shorter chapter books so these long chapters were new to me. The book takes a while to get the real exciting part its a lot of back story and you need to remember everything or you can get lost easily. But when you get to the good part of the book you will not be able to put the book down you will be glued to the book.There are a couple of key thigs in the story that are not competely ended I just it would have been a little longer so it would sum up everything.My favorite part of these is a story that is told inside the book and you need to know this to because it will keep coming back up in the book
I would recommend this book to people who like to relate to characters in the book in this case teens. while reading this book i kept seeing my friends in this book because its the typical teenagers description. They'res the shy girl, the guy every girl wants and the girl who would do anything to get her way. This book is also like a maze it will lead you one way and then do a complete 360 it will keep you guessing till the last page.

Molly Haneberg
Period: 8
2-8-13

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Pages: 374
Genre: Young Adult, fiction

Katniss Everdeen is a sixteen year old girl who live in the nation of Panem, where North America once existed. The nation of Panem is divided in to twelve districts and the Capitol. Each district has one thing that they provide for the Capitol and only that district can provide it, for example, grain, electronics, coal, lumber,…etc.

The Hunger Games has a reaping, where in every district two people, a boy and girl, are chosen to compete in the games. The games are where twenty-four people fight to the death in a televised event that is aired in all twelve districts and the Capitol. During the reaping in district twelve, Prim, Katniss’s sister is chosen and immediately Katniss volunteers and competes with her fellow district competitor, Peeta Mellark. However, in the games only one person out of the twenty-four can win. Who will win? Can Katniss, a hunter and archer, survive the games? Will she or Peeta survive or will they join the other twenty-three competitors that will be eliminated?

The book as a whole is a very good book and it draws you in to the games. My two favorite parts of the book are when Katniss volunteers to take her sister’s place within the games. I think she was incredibly brave to do it and it shows how much she loves her sister especially since she was the only one that volunteered for their sibling in any of the districts. Another part that I liked was when Katniss lays flowers around Rue of district eleven after she dies. I think this part is really sad but I think Katniss was brave for doing it knowing the Capitol was watching. Also it shows how much she really cared for Rue even though she didn’t know her very well.

The Hunger Games is the first book in the trilogy. The way Suzanne Collins, the author, wrote the story is interesting and draws you into the story and think if our future will be like this. Suzanne also wrote Catching Fire and Mockingjay, the second and third book continuing the games. The Hunger Games book was made into a movie that is very good but doesn’t directly follow the book. This book is a must read and captivates you with what the games entail and how everything plays out.

Mihaela Stamate
Period # 8
City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare


For many of us life can be extremely harsh, boring, or way to normal. Yet, what if your childhood or even existence was a lie? Would you say your life is completely normal then? In the book, City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments series) written by Cassandra Clare. Clary Fray, a fifteen year old girl’s life goes from normal to absolute insanity. Like all teenagers she stopped believing in hideous creatures hiding in the shadows or even under the bed. Yet everything changed when she realizes that those creatures exist. In one whole night she witnesses a murder at a nightclub that only she saw. Her life spirals into darkness, when her mom disappears and only to find a viscous monster lurking in her home. Just when she thought escaping this nightmare was over. Clary meets Jace, good looking teenage boy but with a tendency to be invisible around humans. She realizes that seeing an invisible boy, vicious monster, and a dead body that just vanishes into thin air doesn’t make her normal. With the help of Jace she is introduced to a world of Shadowhunters and Downworlders. Yet also an ancient hidden war between the two and Clary is standing in the middle. Not knowing why she can see any of these things. She joins Jace and the other Shadowhunters on a mission and plays a big role in order to find her mother. Also to seek the answers, which her mother has been hiding from the beginning.

I’ve heard of this book from so many people at Book Club and they just seemed so ecstatic about it! Now I finally understand why! I spend two whole days finishing this book because every single word on every single page caught my attention. Honestly I love taking my time while reading and finish a book in a week or two. Yet I just loved how this book started off quickly with a thrilling plot. It never took me more than fifty pages for things to get exciting! From the beginning I realized that there was a secret Clary’s mother was hiding. I just loved how the author made it seem that way and left me thinking! The character’s also made me laugh all the time. Especially Jace, he was just described as teenage boy with a big ego who always made fun of Clary all the time. This book also involved so many more characters, their frustrations, personalities, and even allowed me to picture them even better. There was even fighting scenes which had me in full suspense then sudden despair!

“City of Bones has everything; vampires, werewolves, faeries, true love, and stuff that blows up. What’s more, Clare’s characters are brilliant-she better not kill any of them off in the next two volumes!”- Justine Larbalestier, author of Magic or Madness. This book is all fantasy, action, adventure, and romance. All perfectly written together, to leave you wanting to be in the book yourself! Also a New York Times Bestseller!

Crank by Ellen Hopkins is a great book for all high school students.The book is based on a true story of the authors daughter who was addicted to crystal meth.
Kristina started off as a very nice girl who got good grades all throughout high school.But during summer break before becoming a senior Kristina goes to visit her father who she has not seen for a few years.when she arrives she tells everybody her name is Bree and acts like a totally different person.She gives people the image that she is a crazy wild party animal.She meets people who get her hooked on crystal meth and she begins doing it with her father.When she comes back from her fathers she still is hooked on the drug and throws away her senior year.Read the book to find out if Kristina got her act together or not.
I would recommend this book to any high school student no matter the age.This book is an eye opener because really it can happen to any of us.It is based on the authors daughter and her view of how she was living life.There is a sequal to these books and i have read them all and would recommend those to but you need to read them in order and Crank is the first one.This is a great overall book that makes you think.

Uyen Tran
Period: 8
2/7/13
Confessions of a Teen Nanny by Victoria Ashton
198 pages
Fiction

Sixteen-year old Adrienne attends a public school and lives an average life like every other teenager. Adrienne’s best friend, Liz, introduced her to work as a nanny for Emma Warner. She agreed to work because the pay is high and there is not much to do. Eight-year-old Emma is an evil super genius who has fired nannies that she disliked. Emma has a seventeen-year-old half-sister named Cameron who is a high society princess. Adrienne soon befriends Cameron and her life instantly turned up side down. Everyone knows something about Cameron…except Adrienne. Will Adrienne be able to survive working as a nanny?

“Confessions of a Teen Nanny” by Victoria Ashton is written as a flashback. I love how the author used a flashback to make the readers confused in the beginning of the novel to persuade them to continue reading to find out what is actually happening in the book. There are also sequels for this book and it is for teenagers who are fourteen years old and older. Victoria Ashton attended an elite private school. She has worked and played with the rich and famous. This influenced her to write the novel by sharing the lives of how two girls from two different worlds meet and how they let money and popularity affect their judgment of what’s right and wrong. This book also shows the meaning of a teen’s life and will help teens out there get over their problems and wants. In the book, Adrienne is jealous of Cameron because her family is rich and she has plenty of branded name clothes that Adrienne could never afford. Adrienne feels miserable because she is comparing her average life to the life of the rich people. People tend to compare themselves to others and they are never satisfied with what they have.

My favorite part of the book is when Cameron takes Adrienne to go to shopping and gives her a makeover. This part also reminds me of the time that I went to shopping with my sisters. Moreover, this is the part where one can see how the power of money and peer pressure can change an individual to become a different person. After the makeover, Adrienne totally changed and believed that Cameron is very genial, friendly, and outgoing. However, she does not know that Cameron has a hidden intention. Why did Cameron treat Adrienne like her friend even though she is her sister’s nanny? What is her real intention?

Overall, this book is very interesting and I would highly recommend it to someone who enjoys reading fictional stories and knows about fashion. I really enjoyed this book because it shows individuals how difficult it is to trust people and to always be careful. Adrienne should listened to her friend Liz’s warning about Cameron but she told Liz that she is the one who does not know the real Cameron. Individuals should learn to listen to other people’s advice and not to judge someone based on their appearance. It is a teen book and very easy to read.

Models don’t eat chocolate COOKIES by: Erin Dionne
243 Pages
Genre: Tween fiction
Who ever wanted to be a “chubby” teen? Better yet, who every wanted to be a chubby teen beauty queen?

Thirteen-year-old Celeste Harris is certainly no “skinny banana” but is very content with her life of comfy track pants, chocolate cookies, and adoring celebrity heart-throb Theo Christmas. I mean common, what teen isn’t living this life already? (*cough* One Direction) Celeste, like any other teen, has her insecurities and its no help when the popular and totally fake, Lively Carson, ridicules Celeste everyday at school with fat jokes. And now Lively is making constant attempts to steal Celeste’s best friend Sandra. And just when Celeste thinks it cant get any worse, her Aunt Doreen enters her the HuskyPeach Modeling Challenge. This poses a new problem for Celeste. Why would she want to stand in the spot light and hand Lively another reason to torment her?

In order to stay out of the spotlight, Celeste crafts a plan she calls “Operation Skinny Celeste” to loose the weight because after all, a skinny girl cant be a fat model! With the help of Millie and Katy, Celeste goes on a diet and works out throughout the course of the challenge. But what Celeste didn’t expect that loosing the weight would actually make her out to be way more confident with who she really is, which gives her an even more reason to shine. Celeste then becomes conflicted with whether or not she wants to continue to compete, or go back to her old lifestyle. Will Celeste continue the challenge? Or will she compromise her body to be disqualified from the competition? And is her friendship with Sandra stronger than the intimidation of Lively Carson?

This book was extremely relatable. I find myself, like Celeste, choosing a chocolate cookie instead of an apple or salad. And although her character is fictional, Celeste encourages me to become healthier and to be more comfortable with who I am, instead of envying girls who look good from the outside with perfect features. Because in reality, like Lively, their perfect features and up being fake and their personalities are not attractive. Celeste really shows all teen girls that if you really want something, you can do it. Also, to stand up for yourself when no one else will. And although it seems that her life starts falling into place once she starts loosing the weight, its not like she becomes obsessed with loosing weight. She ends up getting to a healthy weight, not to big, but not stick thin. And it helps her mental and physical well being. I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a really easy read. Its taking me about a 2 years to read it, only because I kept getting distracted. But I’m glad I forced myself to finish. The book interested me because when I purchased it I was a bit self-conscious about my weight. I had a lot of friends who were smaller than me and more active, like Celeste i would seriously rather sit on the couch and eat junk food. But after reading this book, I know that I’m perfectly fine. I am at a healthy weight, I just need to grab an apple once and a while. I highly recommend this book to any girl my age or younger. It was a bit weird to read about a girl who is 3 years younger than me, but it didn’t really matter in the end. I would give it 5 stars!!!

WintergirlsLaurie Halse Anderson
Wintergirls meaning you're a ghost with a beating heart, you're not dead or alive.
Lia Overbrook and Cassie Parrish have been best friends since the third grade, but as they grow up, they both develop obsessions with body image, dragging each other down because they are both afraid of dealing with their problem alone. Lia is anorexic, while Cassie is a victim of bullimia, and when things get too tough in the months before their senior year in high school, Cassie decides that she doesn't want to be friends anymore, leaving Lia really hurt. Six months later, after not communicating with her ex-friend for a long time, Lia receives thirty-three phone calls from Cassie in one evening, but she refuses to answer. When she discovers the next day that Cassie has died. Lia realizes that Cassie had been calling for help and she is feeling guilty for not answering. Lia keeps her parents at a distance, hiding her inner turmoil and faking being normal. Lia's fragile hold on health and reality is failing. She's haunted by Cassie's ghost, she finds herself losing control of her life, cutting herself and starving herself that can only end if she wants to stop it herself.
My opinion on this book was that it was a good read because many teenage girls could relate to it. The book's theme is that you don't have to be perfect and you don't have to face your problems alone. Also forgiveness because in the book Lia had to learn to forgive herself. She felt guilty because Cassie was her friend and she wasn't there for her.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves to read about real life problems. Overall this book was very interesting because it shows girls that you have to love yourself no matter what and to forgive. It wasn't hard to get into the book because it made me want to read til the end.

Beowulf by –unknown-
Pages: 128
Genre: Fiction/Action
Beowulf is the oldest poem in the English language. We do not know who the author was since it can be dated back to 1000A.D or even earlier, but it has been translated for us from old English to modern English by several people, one is Burton Raffel and new afterword by Roberta Frank. This book is a fictionist type of book mixed with action. Its main focus is on Beowulf, the epic hero of the story, which faces several challenges throughout the book. His main goal is to fight evil and protect the people. Some other main characters are Hrothgar (the king of the geats), Grendel (A man eating monster), Grendel’s mother (name not given), and the dragon. Fate decides who wins and who losses and not all times will it be on his side.
The book is written in 3rd person perspective; this is good because you are aware of what is happening throughout the entire book. The author is very formal in the writing, there is some vocabulary that you might not recognize but the message gets through because it is written very descriptively. It tells you small details, especially at major events, that it creates a vivid image in your mind. There are some references to Christianity mentioned in the book, but it is said that this might be because of a monk who translated the book from the original piece.
The story can be divided up into 3 major events that Beowulf faces, the fight with Grendel, with Grendel’s mother and the fight with the dragon. All events are packed with action that you will not want to stop reading. My favorite part was at the battle between Beowulf and Grendel’s mother because that was the most intense part in the whole book; it’s so exciting that you cannot put the book down until you find out what exactly happens. For each victory Beowulf is rewarded by valuable jewels and treasures yet Beowulf does not abuse of his power.
This book may not be for everyone, but if you like books with fights and classic battles with action, you will find this book exiting and entertaining to read.

Suzanne Collins
Jack Henehan
Period:8
02-08-13
378 Pages
Fiction

The Hunger Games is a book about Katniss Everdeen who has to overcome great odds because as soon her sister is called to be a part of the Games Katniss Everdeens life will be forever changed. Katniss before she entered the games was not your average girl because she was a huge part in her community providing for not only her family but her friend Gale also. She was a big hunter that provided food for many people.


When Katniss was in the game she found many strengths which she had to use in everyday life. When in the games though Katniss had to worry about not only herself but also Katniss' own family and Gales family because Katniss and Gale were the providers of the family which when Katniss had to leave would Gale be able to feed both families? Would Katniss' family be there if she got back?


This book is great and I personally get tired of reading books really easily and quickly but not this book. The reason is that one night I read for 5 hours straight and I thought I had read for only an hour and an half. This book really keeps moving and never has any slow points because as soon as it starts getting a little slow the book picks right back up again.

My favorite parts are when Katniss goes into an area just outside of the careers camp which just so happens to have mines lying around the camp which could blow her up so what she does is blow up the camp by shooting an arrow into a bag of apples which spills out onto a mine causing the camp to get blown to smithereens however though since she was close to the explosion causing her to lose hearing in her left ear. I not only think this is one of the more interesting points in the book because Katniss spent hours planning for it. I can relate to this because I also have hearing lost in my left ear so I can relate to her not being able to hear everything.


The Hunger Games is part of a trilogy of books, which are called Catching Fire and Mockingjay I am right now currently reading Catching Fire. I personally think if you like books that keep moving faster then you will love the Hunger Games trilogy.

Marlena Kazecki P4
Title: Nineteen Minutes
Author: Jodi Picoult
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 455

“ In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist; you can fold laundry for a family of five....In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world, or you can just jump off it. In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge.” Many things can happen in nineteen minutes. The most tragic things can happen in the shortest amount of time. And can even be deadly.
Nineteen Minutes shows how much bullying can affect a person, even make them dangerous. Peter is a scrawny boy that is one of the less ‘popular’ people in school. Since he was young he had been picked on by all of his classmates. His anger and rage grew each and everything someone would make fun of him or even humiliate him in public, which in his case happened more often than it should have. After years and years of having to live with such pain something inside of him triggered.

This book is amazing and very realistic. Many people may probably relate to Peter and how he was bullied and picked on his whole entire life. You will not be able to stop reading this book. With every page comes something new and interesting, making you want to read on. This book is appropriate for all ages, teenagers and even adults love this book.

Juan Ramirez
Period: 4
2/8/2013
My Bloody Life: The Making of a Latin King by: Reymundo Sanchez
299 pages
Young Adult Non-fiction/ bibliography

Imagine yourself waking up and having to worry about getting shot outside of your neighborhood day in and day out. My bloody life portrays the life of Raymundo Sanchez "Lil Loco" who was brought to the U.S at the age of 7 and gets involved into the life of drugs and crime because of his abusive parents who he blames is the reason for all the kids in the street living the same life as him. Making his first hit at the age 14, Reymundo gets initiated into the Latin Kings.

Reymundo gets ranked one of the big persons in the gang. gang members respect him and will even die for him. As days go by, Reymundo starts realizing the life he's living. His close friends rather getting shot or getting locked up makes him realize that being a king is not all that. 6 years into the violence of the latin kings, he remembers the beating of a member getting initiated out of the gang; laying down half bleeding to death makes him realize that leaving the gang is not going to be choice.
will Reymundo make the choice of leaving the gang after being at the top of it?

I recommend this book to each and every single teenager having hardships in their life. although i'm not one of them, i definitely got the theme of this book right away. it teaches you how and why not to get into the street life and how to avoid it. this is by far my favorite book. I'm very choosy about the books i read so definitely check out this book.

Anna wrote: "Anna Bourdon
02/06/2012
AVID

Anna Bourdon
02/06/2012
AVID
Santillian, 04
Thirteen Reasons Why
By Jay Asher
It all started when Clay Jenson received a box thirteen tapes and a map of the city at h..." i definitely want to read this.

Anthony Comito
4th Period
AVID II
Sam & Max: Surfin' the Highway
Author: Steve Purcell
2/8/13
197 pages
Fiction

Sam & Max are two well known video game characters, but they didn't actually originate from a game. They came from a short-lived, independent comic book series, titled "Sam & Max: Freelance Police". These comics were collected into a graphic novel, called "Sam & Max: Surfin' the Highway". Not too many people had a chance to read Sam & Max during it's original run, and this book provides a great solution to reading a very valuable part of the Freelance Police's history.

Sam & Max live in a twisted, bizarre, grotesque, sideshow version of New York City. The environments that Sam & Max appear in are all incredibly detailed, and every time I've read this book, I've noticed several new things. Surfin' the Highway is a great book to just look at, but that's not all. It's also incredibly intelligently written.

The premise of Sam & Max is that two detectives, known as the "Freelance Police" go solve cases, but really recklessly. They usually cause more chaos than the criminals themselves. There are several stories in Sam & Max, all varying in length, and none of them are connected. The high point of the humor in Sam & Max is absurdity. Sam & Max is a masterpiece of a parody of the Detective Noir genre of film and comics. The Freelance Police speak in long, intelligent words and vocabulary. It's very clear that Steve Purcell put an extremely long time writing the comics in this excellent collection. Literally, my vocabulary expanded after reading Sam & Max.

The main characters are an anthromorphic dog and rabbit. Sam being the dog, Max being the rabbit. Sam is the more responsible one of this dynamic duo, Max, however is a loose cannon. Max is known as a "lagomorph", which is never actually defined in the book. He's crazy, violent, immature, reckless, and most of all, unique, and that's another strong point of this graphic novel. It's incredibly unique. This is a one-of-a-kind book, there is no book that is like Sam & Max. I'd like to see somebody try and find a book that is similar to Sam & Max, it's just not possible.

If I had to choose a favorite part, I really couldn't. This whole book is filled with moments that are just incredibly memorable, and funny. Though, I do have a favorite story in Sam & Max. "Bad Day on The Moon". This book is a great example of the absurdity in Sam & Max. It's about a dog and a rabbit driving a car into outer space to solve a case on the Moon. It makes no sense when I put it in words like that, but when reading Sam & Max, it makes complete sense. The Freelance Police have this child-like quality to them, where it seems that anything is possible. Whether it be going to the moon, gaining telepathic powers, or saving a bunch of manatees, also known as mermaids, from a bunch of lonely men dressed as pirates, anything is possible with characters like Sam & Max.

Sam & Max: Surfin' the Highway is the only Sam & Max book, sadly. Though, Sam & Max live on through different forms of media. Sam & Max have had their own TV show, called "The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police". There are also the great adventure games, "Sam & Max Hit the Road", "Sam & Max Save the World", "Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space", and "Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse". Every game is available on www.telltalegames.com. (except Hit the Road, since it was made in the early 1990's.) So, if you are interested in the hilarious escapades of Sam & Max: Freelance Police, be sure to check out that website, since pretty much every Sam & Max story is readily available on there. I cannot suggest this book enough, out of every form of Sam & Max media, Surfin' the Highway is my favorite. It's a definite must-have for any fan of comic books, or fans of Sam & Max.

Steve PurcellSam & Max: Surfin' the Highway Anniversary Edition

Irene Heinrich
Huge by Sasha Paley
Pages: 272
Realistic Teen Fiction

This book is written in 2 different point of views, Wil and April. When these two girls walk into their cabin and see how totally different they are from each other, there is instant chaos. Wil is a spoiled rotten child who likes to make her parents mad. She loves music and never sees the beauty of anything. Her parents own a big chain of fitness centers. They sent her to fat camp so that no embarrassing stories hit the media about their overweight teenage daughter. In order to get back at her parents, Wil decides to gain weight this summer. As for April, she has saved up every last dime to go to this summer camp. Her mother doesn’t want her daughter to leave her for the whole summer but April goes anyway hoping to lose some weight, get a nice figure and become popular, which has always been a dream for her. Trying to hid a secret from all the campers is also her other summer challenge.
When April starts crushing on the popular guy at camp, Colin, Wil starts to mock her. When they get into an argument, they place a bet. When that bet seems to be over, they found a common interest. What that common interest is? Just read and find out.
This book is all about finding who you really are. It’s also about dealing with others and making friends with people who were your enemies. In general, everyone can relate to this story somehow. Whether it be facing camp, a person or an obstacle, this book has it all.
It’s a very emotional roller coaster type of book. Heartwarming friendships begin. Troubles happen. Obstacles overcome. Romance flourishing. Frowns are flipping. Stories changing. Point of views switching. The book is full of mystery. You’ll definitely be a happy camper reading this adventure.

Roberto Juarez
Catching Fire by Suzanna Collins
391 pages

When Katniss and Peeta won the hunger games by breaking the rules and going against the capital they did not expect to have to go back. After finding out that he family is in danger Katniss is forced to pretend that she is in love with Peeta. When their attempts to subdue the rebellion fail they return home and only to find out that they will be competing in the 75th hunger games. During the games Katniss and Peeta team up with Finnck and Mags both from district four. After Mag is killed they team up with three other victors and arrange a plan to stay alive. When the arena is destroyed they get transferred to distract 13 where they find out that district 12 has been destroyed. If you have read book one the hunger game series you won't want to miss catching fire. This book will keep you wanting to read more.

Sarah wrote: "Models don’t eat chocolate COOKIES by: Erin Dionne
243 Pages
Genre: Tween fiction
Who ever wanted to be a “chubby” teen? Better yet, who every wanted to be a chubby teen beauty queen?

Thirteen-ye..."
It sounds really interesting and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy!

Period 4
Celeste Castillo
2/6/13
13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Imagine coming home from school and finding a package addressed to you, without knowing who or where it came from. You’re excited; you wonder who could be sending you this. For Clay Jensen, and the 12 others that the package was sent to, getting this package meant something worse. Thirteen Reasons Why is a thrilling novel about Hanna Baker, who before committing suicide, left 7 tapes to 13 specific people. The 13 people that were named in the tapes each are responsible for her death. For Clay Jensen, listening to these tapes meant finding out the truth, something he didn’t want to hear. After learning about the secrets that Hannah exposed through the tapes, he becomes angry, confused, and scared. Clay has always had strong feelings for Hannah, he would never do anything intentionally to hurt her, so why is he one of the thirteen people listed in the tapes? Was he really one of the people that hurt her so bad, t led to her suicide? Or will he find out something bigger that will change his life forever?
While reading Thirteen Reasons Why, you really start to think about you daily actions. All these people that hurt Hannah, ex- boyfriends, ex-best friends, never thought that their actions would lead to such a tragic loss, but they did. For me, this book was an eye opener. People go through this every day, and like Hannah Baker, everyone has secrets, in this story, all the secrets are revealed. “Or maybe I wanted someone to point a finger at me and say, “Hannah, are you thinking about killing yourself? Please don’t do that, Hannah. Please? This line really got to me, feeling alone and feeling like there is no hope must be an awful feeling. A person should never have to feel like this, regardless of their situation. This is one of my favorite parts of the story because in the Tapes, Hannah goes into detail on why she wanted to commit suicide and how no one even noticed the signs.
I would suggest this book to anyone who is interested in getting lost in a book. This is a book that is impossible to put down. Secrets lead to more secrets and until you find out every last detail, you wont be able to stop. This was an amazing book, it was challenging and it really makes you stop and think. It’s both beautiful and devastating, it’s a must read.

Peter and the Shadow Thieves

In a sequel to "Peter and the Starcatchers" a series about how your favorite Disney classic Peter Pan came to be, Peter faces an entirely new dilemma. After finally rescuing the so called starstuff from the hands of evil doers, Peter says goodbye to Molly and her father as the head off for England to return to their regular lives and protect the starstuff until the exchange when it will officially be locked and safe and secure forever. But just as things were beginning to settle down, it looked like there were more people after the starstuff than they previously thought there was. A ghostly figure named Ombra was out to get the starstuff and nothing was going to stop him as he came to the island looking for it. There Peter realized his mysterious powers and knew that this was not a human. Peter sets out on a journey to find Molly and her father Lord Aster to warn and save them from the clutches of evil.
Peter knows not what he'll face but he will stop at nothing to save Molly and her father as they will band together to fight for the good of the world and their very own lives.
This is definately an amazing book. I was completely captivated by the first book of the series and I was so caught up in the action I had to keep reading. It is an amazing series that altogether is a prequel to how the amazing Peter Pan that we all love came to be.