Divergent Book Review by 7th Grader Nora March 21, 2023

Sixteen year old Tris lives in a dystopian society in future Chicago. In her life, once somebody turns sixteen, they have to choose one of the five factions to live in for the rest of their life, and cannot see people from any other faction, even if they are family. Their best match for a faction is chosen through a personality test that normally turns out with just one answer. In her case, however, she matches with three factions, which means she is divergent. She has to hide this fact or she would either get killed, or live homeless. She chooses to pick the exact opposite of her old faction, going from abnegation (values selflessness), to dauntless (the fearless). She has to go through the long process of initiation to find out if she can stay or become factionless. 

See Tris as she struggles to prove that she is just as tough as the rest, not be able to see the rest of her family, and try to keep her secret hidden. This is the perfect book for middle school as it covers mature topics and language, while it still has an amazing storyline that makes you want to just keep reading it. Divergent by Veronica Roth is followed by the books Insurgent and Allegiant with great movie adaptations that are unforgettable. This is truly one of the best books I have ever read and I couldn’t put it down!

Following Book Review by 7th Grader Lily

Alden seems like a regular kid to most, but his friend Charlie knows his secret. To Alden, following others doesn’t seem weird, but Charlie disagrees. One day after school, Alden finds his new target to follow: Greg Matthes. He thinks it will be a perfect chance to practice his skills so he can one day become a detective, even though he promised Charlie to stop following others.

Greg is just an ordinary kid who likes to play baseball and is nice to everyone. But today Greg is looking mad as he exits the school. Alden follows Greg, and Greg leads him to a park where he meets his girlfriend Amy. But as time passes, Alden cannot believe what he has seen! It looks to him as if Greg is hurting Amy, or possible worse. But when Alden goes to investigate, things take a wild turn!

The book Following by Jeffry W. Johnston, is a great book for those who love mysteries. This book has so many wild turns and twists that pull you in. As I got farther into the book, I couldn’t put it down! There were so many questions I had about what would happen next that kept me on the edge of my seat. 

The Maze Runner Book Review by 7th Grader Ava

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to wake up in a strange place and not be able to remember anything? Well that’s how the situation is for Thomas. He wakes up in a magnificent glade. (A glade is a big open space in a forest) 

However, he can’t remember anything…his name, his past life, nothing. Surrounding him are dozens of boys. They all seem to be around the age of 14,16,17, or maybe even 18. Then he sees it….the maze. Massive walls are covered in thick ivy. The doors close every night. You don’t want to be trapped out there at night. Why? The Grievers. They are huge metal spider-like creatures that will sting you and infect you. The Gladers think that’s the only way out of this horrible place. 

Thomas soon adjusts to their way of living. He starts to become close to two boys named Newt and Chuck, especially Chuck. All is going well until two days later, a girl soon comes up from the box, Theresa is her name. Strange things start happening all throughout the glade. They believe it has to do with Thomas. Ever since he came, things have started to change. All the Gladers blame him. The only allies he feels he has are Theresa, Chuck, Minho, and Newt. Soon Thomas becomes a runner. The Gladers start losing valuable resources. 

Will they ever find a way out of this nightmare? Will Thomas be able to lead them to the exit? Read The Maze Runner by James Dashner!

Goodnight, Boy Book Review by 7th Grader Azul

In the book Goodnight, Boy by Nikki  Sheehan, a boy named JC just writes everything about his life and how he lives. JC talks about what stuff happened when he was adopted. JC’s adoptive parents arent the best at taking care of him. They make him live inside a kennel with his pet dog, Boy. Boy and JC live inside a kennel and are locked in there so they are not allowed to leave. 

In all honesty, I really enjoyed reading this book because it tells a lot about Jc’s life and it shows the truth of what some adoptive parents can do. It is really quick to read because some pages are short. It is an easy read.

The Outsiders Book Review by 8th Grader Jaden T. March 10, 2023

Ponyboy is the youngest, he’s 14 years old and he lives with his brothers. 

He and his brothers like to fight. Pony is a part of the Greasers. They are called Greasers because of their greasy hair. Socs are fancy people who live in a wealthy  neighborhood, They wear colored shirts and drive nice cars. They call them Socs because of their nice clothing. This book has two different sides of the story because all they do is intimidate one another. 

You shouldn’t be worried about how someone is dressed as long as they have the common sense to respect you as a person in general. The Socs thought the Greasers were disgusting because of the way they dress, and how their style was. The Greasers don’t like the Socs because they think they’re better than the Greasers with their fancy clothes, cars, shoes, and money. 

In the middle of the book, Ponyboy gets into some trouble, and then runs away, and gets into even more trouble. The book is called The Outsiders, by S.E Hinton. I love the plot, the setting, and all the characters in the book! In my eyes, this is a two sided story of the Greasers and Socs. 

Basically, if you like two sided stories and plot-twisting events, The Outsiders is just for you.

The Running Dream Book Review by 7th Grader Dylan V. June 4, 2019

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen is a book about a girl named Jessica. Jessica is really good at track and she just got 50 seconds flat on the 400 meter. On her way home from the track meet a truck runs into the side of their bus. In the process, Jessica loses a leg and has to get it amputated. Jessica has recovered and has running dreams about running with her dog in the morning and other running activities. Then her best friend Fiona and track coach show her a video of people with running prosthetic legs. The track team now is trying to get Jessica the running leg but it cost $20,000 dollars. Will they raise the money and have jessaca running or not? Read this book and find out what challenges Jessica and her track team face.

 

I really like this book because of the theme to never give up and to have confidence in yourself and your peers.

Running Dream Book Review by 7th grader Michael K.

Running Dream, by Wendelin Van Draanen is a book about a girl, Jessica, who lost her leg in a bus accident. Unfortunately she had to get it amputated. The one HUGE thing that she can’t do is run, and she absolutely loves to run. But she can’t anymore. Jessica needs to get a prosthetic leg. She wants to run again, but will she?

I rate this book a 5 out of 5. There is not one part of the book I disliked. I like this book because it was inspiring and it made me feel like nothing is impossible. I hope the author makes a sequel or a prequel to this book so I could be reading something over the summer.

Stuck in Neutral Book Review by 7th Grader Michael

Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman is a book about a young boy called Shawn. Shawn was born with cerebral palsy ( C.P.). It is not a disease, it is a condition that he has to have for the rest of his life. Because of his condition, he is not able to move any of his body parts. Everyone thinks of him as dumb and stupid but in reality, he is very smart. Just because he can’t move his body parts does not mean he can’t understand people. Well that’s what Shawn’s dad thinks. Shawn’s dad thinks that he is suffering and that he is going through a lot of pain. He wants to end Shawn’s life. Shawn doesn’t want to die because he thinks he is too young and thinks that he is unique.

I loved this book a lot and I would recommend it to anyone. This book would make you a little sad. This book helps you also understand about cerebral palsy.

Beanball Book Review by 8th Grader Luke

Beanball by Gene Fehler is a book about a high schooler named Luke. Luke was the star player of his high school baseball team. Luke “Wizard” Wallace is up to bat in the last inning against their rivals. Luke sees the pitch coming and BAM he gets hit in the eye. Read to find out what happened after this tragic accident.

Beanball is a very short novel in verse. It is different from other books. It gives different perspectives of different people so you won’t get bored while reading this book. Overall, I liked this book. I felt like I was actually in the book because my name was the main character. I would give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars. Recommend for 6th-8th graders.

Frozen Charlotte Book Review by 7th Grader Leslie May 10, 2018

Frozen Charlotte is by Alex Bell.

This story is about a group of girls who live in a boarding school and they play with a doll called Frozen Charlotte.  The doll was created when the school mistress gave them scraps of fabric and ribbons from the sewing room. They practice their sewing skills by making little dresses and bonnets. They also made a doll with the scraps. The doll is possessed with a spirit and becomes a killer.  

I really like this book because it’s based on a horror book and I like to watch horror movies when I am at home or at the movie theater.