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THE PRETTIES BY SCOTT WESTERFELD The sequel to The Uglies was The Pretties. After Tally sacrifices herself to the “specials” team, she becomes “pretty” even though she knew the consequences. Unfortunately, her memory was wiped out during the operation so she does not know what is wrong with “pretty” life. She goes to parties, jumps off buildings for thrills and has a boyfriend named Zane. She does not find out anything till she gets a note in a party she went to. Even though she is a “pretty”, she is very muscular and can climb tall building. On the note it says for Tally to go to the top of this one building. Nothing more could be written because if it fell into the wrong hands, it could be disasterous. After her long climb, she goes into the room with her boyfriend Zane. Outside the “specials” start coming and sirens start beeping. They open the note on a chair inside. It has two pills and because they were in such a hurry they split the pills. Tally starts to feel better while Zane starts to have major headaches. She knows she can’t ask the doctors in town, so she decides to take him to the new smoke for help. Why is Zane having these reactions and how will she get to the new smoke? You will just have to read the book to find out. It has a reading level of 5.7 and is worth 13 points. It is fiction and I would give it 5 stars (*****). WRITTEN BY—MOHIT J.
Babe and Me by Dan Gutman 13-year-old Joe Stoshack can travel back in time and he meets baseball greats of the past using baseball cards. When he was little he would get a tingly feeling and later find out that the date of the baseball card would decide where he will go. Joe usually stored his baseball cards in plastic cases for two reasons: 1. To keep rare cards in mint condition and 2. So that he did not accidently transport to the past. In this book, he takes his father along, as they want to find out whether Babe Ruth said that he would hit a home run in one area at 1932 World Series. His dad mainly wants to go back in time to make money. A bag full of baseballs autographed by Babe Ruth would be worth a fortune in today's market, and Joe and his dad try to do just that. They also want to put 5000 dollars in a bank back then and come back to the future which would then be a big load of cash because it would increase 5% yearly. They can live like kings because they had present day money turned into olden day money. You could watch movies at $.15!!! They manage to buy 75 baseballs at one dollar each and get them all signed after saving Babe Ruth himself from being killed. He loves to live large and spend big money giving tips of 20 dollars and 100 dollars, which was a lot of money back then. Suddenly, Joe and his father play with history as Babe Ruth might not get to the game where he hits a famous home run. It is a great fiction book that has a reading level of 4.3 and is worth 4.0 points. Overall I would give this book 5 stars (*****). WRITTEN BY--- MOHIT J.
Jackie and Me by Dan Gutman. Joe Stoshack, the main character in this story, has a weird power that whenever he picks up a baseball card he feels a tingly feeling and later finds out that the date of the card decides where he will go. Joe usually stores his baseball cards in plastic cases for two reasons: 1. To keep rare cards in mint condition and 2. so that he does not accidently transport to the past. As part of a project for Black History Month, he decides to do Jackie Robinson. He finds out that Jackie Robinson’s cards from the 1947 were not printed because WWII needed all the paper and ink they could get. There was a rare pack of 13 cards from a bread company that were printed. They, of course, being one of a kind, were worth 5000 dollars for the set at his nearest card store. Well he rides away from the card store borrowing the card from the owner because he couldn’t buy it at $500. He visited New York City and caught up with the man who broke the major league baseball color line. Joe travels back in time over 50 years, stays at the Robinson's apartment, and becomes a bat boy for the Dodgers, but he is also transformed from a white American into an African American showing him how hard it was for the colored. He finds out the hardships of the colored back then. This is a great fiction book that has a reading level of 4.3 and is worth 4.0 points. It is a great book that I would give 4 stars (****). WRITTEN BY---Mohit J.
THE UGLIES BY SCOTT WESTERFELD This is a fabulous book which is the first in the trilogy. The main character, Tally, lives in a society that you are counted as “ugly” until you turn 16. It is then that you are given plastic surgery that makes you look better than present day supermodels. They refer to us (today) as the past men and think that we destroyed our generation by war. We are referred as the “rusties”. Fifteen-year-old Tally can’t wait till she turns 16 in one month. She is really tempted to turn into a “pretty” until she meets Shay. Shay shows her the broken down buildings using stolen hoverboards. Then she discovers the bad thing that happens to you when you turn into a “pretty”. When she hears of the information she stops cold. There is an organization of people who know about this secret and they have all run away to an unknown area. Shay plans to do the same and Tally offers to come with, but she is denied. A man named David helps them escape. On the day of her operation, a top-secret agency threatens to leave Tally ugly forever, unless she spies on runaway “uglies”. She agrees to reveal the organization called “The Smoke”. These men and women were called the “specials” because they have hearing like a bat, strength of a rhinerous, and their IQ are off the charts. Tally eventually makes friends with one of the leaders, David, who also helps the “uglies” escape from their civilization with one of their leaders. She begins to wonder if betraying these good men is wrong. She destroys the tracker she had put on her. What happens next you must read the book to find out. This has a reading level of 5.2 and is worth 13 points. It is fantasy. Out of 5 stars I give it 5 stars(*****).WRITTEN BY—MOHIT J.
Maximum Ride: the Angel Experiment by James Patterson The book Maximum Ride: the Angel Experiment by James Patterson is one of the best books I have ever read. The book is worth nine points and is a 5.6 reading level. It is about six kids: Max, Iggy, Fang, Nudge, Gasman and Angel. These kids are not ordinary for one reason: they can fly. See, in an illegal lab where they were created, they were given wings that they can retract inside of their backs! But, they have escaped, and the lab wants them back, dead or alive. And, matters get worse when the wolf- like erasers the guards of the lab) kidnap Angel, the youngest of the group at six years old. It's up to Max to get her back, no matter what. In the book, Max (the fourteen year old heroine) and her 'flock' must go on a mission with only one goal, get Angel and live. Out of five stars, I give this book a well deserved five(*****). --Bridget T
Eragon, by Christopher Paolini. The book Eragon by Christopher Paolini, is a great page-turner for those who are up for a long book. It consists of a fantasy world in that there are wizards, witches, elves, dwarves, dragons, and many other magical and imaginary creatures. See, it all starts one day when a fifteen-year-old farm boy named Eragon is hunting in a forest called the Spine, in order to get meat for his family, that is his uncle Garrow and his cousin Roran. Anyway, he is walking along, when he sees a beautiful blue stone sitting by an old tree. Curious, he brings it back with him to his house on a small farm. One night, a few days later, Eragon is waken up by a strange noise coming from the stone. Suddenly, the stone starts shaking rapidly, and a crack appears in the side! Then, a baby saphire dragon pops out off the stone. Right at that moment, Eragon realizes that the stone is an egg! Surprisingly, the dragon jumps on to Eragon's hand, leaving him with a strange mark on his hand! Eragon must keep this dragon a secret, so he takes it into the woods in front of their house, and makes a place for the dragon to stay. The dragon grows, and he starts visiting it more and more until they befriend each other. This is a thrilling fantasy worth 25 points, and the reading level is 5.6. out of five stars( five being best) I give this book four and a half stars! -Bridget T.
Raven’s Gate Author: Anthony Horowitz Points: 10 Reading Level: 4.4 This book is about Matt, a boy who always is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Matt’s parents died when he was little. He now lives with his psycho aunt, who Matt hadn’t heard of until that time. But when Matt is charged for a crime he didn’t commit, Matt is sent away to Lesser Malling, where something strange is happening. Read on to find out what happens to Matt. Rating: ***** Review by: Dallas L.
Red Rider’s Hood Author: Neal Shusterman Reading Level: 4.8 Points: 7 Genre: Science Fiction Red rides around in his blood red Mustang. The speed of it usually keeps him safe from the two gangs in his town, the Crypts and the Wolves. But then Red’s gran is mugged by the Wolves, Red is out for revenge. This book will entertain you the whole way through. Rating: ***** Review by: Dallas L.
The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 5) By: Lemony Snicket Level: 6.7 Points: 6.0 Fantasy In the fifth book in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, the Baudelaire orphans are sent to a terrible boarding school called Prufrock Preparatory School. The school has a depressing motto, ugly grounds, cruel rules, and, worst of all, the staff, including a tyrannical vice principal and the evil Count Olaf, who will stop at nothing to obtain the Baudelaire fortune. To make things worse, the orphans must live in a hideous shack instead of the nice dormitories. Luckily, they make two friends whose lives are similar to the Baudelaires' lives. Disguised as a gym teacher, Olaf makes the orphans run all night long, exhausting them so that they will flunk, get expelled, and be put in the care of Olaf. The Baudelaires and their friends do everything they can to survive these troubles. Nimansha J.
Enders Game by: Orson Scott Card Reading level: 5.5 Points: 16 This is a fantasy book about Ender Wiggin and when the human race is being "threatened" by "buggers". He is sent to Battle school. Soon he gets past the levels and becomes a leader. Then they ship him to another school where he does stimulations to train to kill the buggers . Read how it ends. Aaron S.*****
The People of Sparks by: Jeanne DuPrau The People of Sparks is the sequel to the City of Ember. The People of Sparks is about how the Emberities arrive one day in the city of Sparks and how the mayors of the city of Sparks decided to let them stay there for 6 months and while they are there they said they would teach them everything they needed to know to live on their own. Then some things start to happen, like someone throws a crate of tomatoes at this wooden thing and somehow a building gets on fire. Who is doing this? Can the Temerities survive on their own? Reading level- 4.9 Points- 11 Genre- Science Fiction by: Jenn L.
Wishing Moon By: Michael Tunnel Reading Level: 5.4 Reading points: 10.0 Fantasy This book is about a girl names Aminah who goes to the Queen or the Full Moon of Moons and tries to get a job to earn money because both of her parents are dead and she is living on the streets. Then the Queen throws the Genie lamp at Aminah and lets her leave with the lamp unknowing of it's powers. This book tells about how Aminah struggles with boys, tries to help those who are kind at heart and how Genie finds who he used to be. Aaron S.*****
Maximum Ride- Angel Experiment By: James Patterson Points: 11 Reading Level: 4.4 Genre- Fantasy Stars- ***** This is the second book in the trilogy Maximum Ride. Max’s cover is blown when the FBI finds out that she has wings. Surprisingly Ari is alive, the annoying voice is still in her head, and erasers have wings now! Also the FBI found out about the despised SCHOOL. Max is given a chance to live a normal life. She is given a chance to find her biological parents, go to a normal school and live in a house with an unlimited supply of food. Sounds like a pretty good deal for 6 mutant kids. WRONG! She is miserable, and Anne is getting more attention from the flock then she is. Max doesn’t like this! Also the voice in her head keeps telling her that she has to save the world. Plus angel has a new talent, mind control and talking to fish. Max feels her life plummeting. She is confused, and something strange happens. The school makes another Max. Read this book and seek the adventures in this book. By: Jai M.
The Amulet of Samarkand Author- Jonathan Stroud Level- 5.9 Points- 19.0 Stars- ***** Genre- Fantasy The Amulet of Samarkand is one of the breathtaking books in the trilogy. This is the first in the trilogy and what a book is was. Nathanial who is the main character is separated from his biological parents and is forced to be an apprentice of a magician. Nathanial is a boy in the training of magic. He lives in London where magicians rule. His master Arthur Underwood is a cruel selfish mild ranking magician in Ministry of Magical affairs. At age eight, Nathanial is learning geometry. His teachers are cruel, his master is cruel. The only person who is keeping him sane is Mrs. Underwood. She is a hearty joyful caring person, and Nathan loves her. Nathan respects his master till he is eleven. When he is eleven some of his masters friends came over to his house, Lovelace publicly embarrasses and humiliate him. From that day on, Nathan swore revenge. He had devoured a good deal of books and secretly summoned demons. Then one day he summons Bartimues a 5,000 year old djinni to steal the Amulet of Samarkand. From that day on his life was full of murder, rebellion, death, deceiving ministers, and A LOT of magic. Read this book and follow the adventures I did. Jai M.
Shapeshifter's Quest Reading Level: 5.6 Points: 7 ( Fantasy ) Shapeshifter's Quest is one of the best book's I've ever read. Plot: Syanthe is a shapeshifter, one of many who's responsibility is to keep the forest in balance. She can change her form into any animal, and can speak to animals as well. Syanthe is unique, though, in that she doesn't bear the evil King's mark. You see, years ago the Shapeshifters led a rebellion against the King, and now he has confined them to the forest. To keep them from getting out, he has them each stamped with a magical tattoo that turns to poison if they try to cross the border between the forest and the outside world. The king has marked the border with large stones. Syanthe, though, was hidden when she was born, so she doesn't bear the tattoo. Then one day, a horrible sickness reaches the forest. It's victim: Syanthe's mother. The healers tell Syanthe that there is a certain medicine that will cure the sickness, but it is very expensive, and can only be reached outside the forest. It is up to 18-year-old Syanthe to get this cure, and if she is caught, it will mean death. Will she be able to succeed? Read Shapeshifter's Quest to find out! I give this book four stars out of five ( ****) By Bridget T.
Full Tilt By: Neal Shusterman Level: 5.0 Points: 7.0 FANTASY I read the book Full Tilt, by Neal Shusterman. This is a novel about a sixteen-year-old boy named Blake. He receives an invitation to a carnival from a strange girl named Cassandra when he is at Six Flags Great Adventure. Blake pretty much decides that he is not going to attend the carnival because he’s afraid of riding roller coasters, until, he realizes his brother Quinn has stolen his invitation and has gone to the carnival on his own. Blake immediately takes his two friends, Russ and Maggie, and they head to the carnival to find Quinn. When they reach the carnival, they have to ride the most thrilling and unexpected rides of their lives. The characters are told that they need to ride seven rides by dawn or they will be stuck in the park forever, so they have to do it to get to their long lost brother somewhere in the rides. The rest of the novel explains Blake's journey from ride to ride. Read the book to find out what happens, if he will pass all the rides before dawn or die. Nimansha J. ****
Inkheart by: Cornelia Funke level = 5.4 pts. = 23 Genre = Fantasy This book is about a girl named Meggie who has a pretty different family. The weird part is that her dad can read out characters of a book. Many years ago, Meggie’s dad read out of a book called INKHEART. Instantly, an evil ruler named Capricorn came out with some of the other characters. Capricorn is now free and has one ambition, to destroy all of the Inkheart books so he can rule. Will he win? Find out in the book. This book is one of my all time favorites! I'd rate this book as ***** (5 stars). By Alyssa F.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets By: J. K. Rowling Level: 6.7 Points: 14.0 Genre: Fantasy This book is about Harry Potter who goes to Hogwarts for his second term. That year the Chamber of Secrets is opened for the second time. Harry is trying to find out, with the help of Ron and Hermione, what is in the chamber and why it was opened. When Harry finds that the heir of Slitherin is someone out to meet him, and kill all the muggle- borns, he knows that he is in grave danger. I give this book ***** By: Jami D.
The Black Tattoo By : Sam Einthoven Fantasy 5.4 Reading Level 17 AR Points The Black Tattoo is about a couple of friends named Charlie and Jack who live in London. Jack has always been secretly jealous of Charlie. Like how cool Charlie is, how relaxed and casual he can be. However, Charlie’s parents are having an affair, so most of the pressure falls on Jack. One day, as the boys are getting cash, Charlie’s card is stolen by a beggar, who is stopped by a mysterious man in all black. This curious looking man asks for a small favor in return. Both the boys take a test, a little test. They agree, but little do they know that as soon as they say the fatal word ‘yes’ their world is cast into mayhem and misery beyond their wildest dreams. Suddenly Charlie can do all sorts of new things he could never do before, like move like blur, fight like Jet Lee or Jackie Chan times two. But what he doesn’t know is that a demon parasite is now using his body as a host, and is slowly taking over. This book contains magic, demons, pain, adventure, excitement, and some sad parts. Be prepared for the ride of your life. I give this book **** Dallas L.
The Lightning Thief By: Rick Riordan Reading Level: 4.7 Points: 13.0 Percy Jackson is different from other kids you would normally see at your school. He always gets into trouble which causes him getting expelled from the school he is attending. Part of the problem is that he is dyslexic and suffers from ADHD. Soon something leads him into finding out that he is a half-blood. It also turns out everything he learned in Latin class is true. Later on in the story he ends up in a summer camp made especially for half-bloods. That’s where he finds out he is a son of on of the three gods who aren’t suppose to have a kids Poseidon. Before he knows it he’s of to complete a quest with two of his friends Grover and Annabeth. If he fails to complete his quest it might start a huge war between the gods. Read the rest of the book to experience a great adventure in which you fight monsters, save your friends, and meet your father for the first time.
Genre: Science Fiction Nimansha J. Rating: *****
The Sea of Monsters By: Rick Riordan
Reading Level: 4.6 Points: 9.0
The Sea of Monsters is the squeal to The Lightning Thief. At the beginning of the book Percy, the son of Poseidon finds out someone has poisoned a tree that guards Camp Half-Blood. The tree keeps deadly monsters from entering the camp, but now with the tree poisoned, its power of protecting the camp is dieing. To save Camp Half-Blood from disappearing Percy has to find the Golden Fleece which was stolen by a monster a long time ago and has been missing since. It has the power to heal anything it touches and to make it healthier and prettier. He also finds out he has to help rescue his friend Grover, who is being kept hostage by a Cyclopes on an Island. The only clues he has to locate where Grover is two coordinates. On the quest Annabeth and he go on, might cause them to get expelled and kicked out of Camp Half-Blood. The quest was truthfully given to Clarisse, which forced them to sneak out of camp and complete the quest. They run into lots of monsters, crazy people, and sheep. This book is like riding a rollercoaster that never stops.
Genre: Fantasy
Nimansha J. Rating: ***** |
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