Sam: The Boy Behind the Mask

Sam: The Boy Behind the Mask 

by: Tom Hallman, Jr.

Synopsis: This is a book about a boy named Sam Lightner. He was born with a very rare disfigured growth on the left side of his face. This growth has determined everything about his life. It affects him and how people see him. This book is meant to show the real Sam to the world. The book is about Sam's life and all the struggles he has had to endure. 

Review: This book is really good! It's pretty old, it's from 2002, but I just found it in my basement and decided to finally read it, and I'm so glad I did! To be honest I didn't know weather this book was fiction or nonfiction until halfway through and there was real pictures of Sam. It was very cool to read about Sam and it was interesting to read about all of his medical procedures and issues. This book is kind of funny, but more so sad. This book is very well written and it also has a great lesson, which is to never judge someone based on their looks. 

Salt to the Sea

Salt to the Sea 

by: Ruta Sepetys

Synopsis: In the Winter of 1945, four young people try to get to the coast to escape the Soviet advance. Each born in a different place, each with their own secret. When all of their paths cross, they are on a ship that promises safety and freedom, the Wilhelm Gustloft, bur not all promises can be kept. 

Review: Salt to the Sea is an outstanding book. This is the kind of book I could read a hundred times and not get sick of it. It's absolutely amazing. It's historical fiction, my favorite, and has all different sides covered, in the end of World War two. It was written by the same author who wrote Between the Shades of Gray and even alludes to it. It was so cool to learn about something in history that isn't usually taught. The sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloft really happened, which was extremely shocking. This book had amazing characters, and it had a really cute love story. The only bad side was one of the characters, Alfred, he was basically crazy, and reading his parts were very creepy and annoying. However, he was an example of how Hitler actually got people to believe what he was saying was true. So he was important to see that side of the story and history. My favorite part of the book was the fact that it had genuinely good characters in it, and showed that war doesn't have to turn people into animals. Overall this book is great and I recommend it to everyone. 

The Boys in the Boat

The Boys in the Boat 

by: Daniel James Brown 

Synopsis: This is the inspiring story about these nine American boys and their epic quest for gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics and the journey they took to get there. 

Review: While I read this book, I went through several emotions. At the beginning I was confident and looked forward to reading it. The book has some pictures, and I thought they were going to shorten the book a little. They didn't. There was only 19 chapters but it felt like a 100. It was so so long. I started to doubt that I would ever finish it, because I had no motivation. However, whenever I actually read it, I couldn't put it down, until a random bit about Berlin would pop up in the middle of an important moment. Although it was interesting to see what was happening to the characters parallel with what was happening in Germany, it got really old really quick. The story was great and very interesting. It was also cool to read and learn about rowing, but sometimes that took over and I would have to take a break. Even with all the negative, it was worth it, the ending was amazing and it made me cry and even gave me goose bumps. So, even if you're not into rowing or never even heard of it, you should read this book!  

We Were Liars

We Were Liars 

by: E. Lockhart

Synopsis: We Were Liars is a book about a girl, named Cadence and her three best friends, two of which are her cousins. Together they are known as "the Liars". It's about their relationship throughout their summers on the family's private island. Most importantly the story follows Cadence tries to figure out and expose the biggest lie in her life. 

Review: This book is very suspenseful and basically the craziest book I have ever read. It's not crazy because it's full of adventure or because it's action-filled, it's crazy because the ending is the most unexpected thing ever. It's a mystery, sort-of, and it gets frustrating, but the end is insane. This book is separated into parts and in the last part, which was like 50/60 pages, I cried the entire time. I was crying so hard, I could barely read it. Personally I hated it. It was literally the most boring story I've ever read, until the end. Still, I hated the end. The writing was annoying to read, it was sometimes written in chopped up sentences and the memories were never really clear because the sentences weren't completed. I was so glad that I finished that book, but also I was devastated by the ending. If you enjoy happy books with happy endings, then do not read this. If you don't want to cry, don't read this. If you like depressing, sad, messed up books, and if you enjoy hating the main character, then read this book. 

 

The Giver

The Giver 

by: Lois Lowry

Synopsis: The Giver is about a 12 year old boy in an utopian society, who gets placed to work as The Receiver, which is considered to be a great honor. However, Jonas has his doubts about his new job and his teacher, The Giver. Jonas lives in a society which shields its people from heavy emotions like love and pain. The people of this society are taught to never lie and to have precision with words. After Jonas gets his job he is told he's allowed to lie and he is to never talk about what happens at his job. At this job, Jonas learns and experiences the past through The Giver. This makes him actually feel emotions, which eventually leads him to do something no one has done before to protect himself and the people he loves. 

Review: The Giver is a great book, a classic really. I think everyone should read it at least once in their life. It's the first of a quartet which loosely follows the story. This book is a fast and interesting read, and the rest of the series is great too! 

Everland

Everland 

by: Wendy Spinale

Synopsis: Everland is a fictional book about Germany destroying London with a series of bombs, one of which releases a deadly disease. The only survivors are the children, who are forced to live in hiding from German military leader Captain Hanz Otto Oswald Kretschmer, or HOOK, and his soldiers. Hook believes the only way to find the cure is to experiment on the children, who seem to be immune. His soldiers snatch children off the street and they're never seen again. Then one day Gwen's little sister Johanna is taken and Gwen is set on getting her back. Along the way she meets the leader of the Lost City, Pete, and his faithful companion, Bella. Pete, Bella, and some of the other Lost Boys decide to help Gwen get Johanna back and try to stop Hook. It's told in alternating views between Hook and Gwen.

Review: Everland is an adventure filled book. I loved it so much! If you can't tell by all of the names, it's a spin off of Peter Pan. Personally Peter Pan is my favorite Disney movie and dystopian books, like this one, are one of my favorite type of books to read. So this book is really the perfect book for me. It was so amazing and action filled. It was a little violent and one part really freaked me out, but that's only because I'm horrified of aquatic animals. I loved the story and I loved the characters. Some parts were a little predictable, but nothing can ever be perfect. This book was amazing and it just came out so I'm not sure their will be a second book or not but if there is I will be the first buyer. If you enjoy Peter Pan and like dystopian books, this is the perfect book for you. 

    

The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby 

by: F. Scott Fitzgerald 

Synopsis: The Great Gatsby is a story bout Nick Carraway, a Mid-Western man, who moves to Rhode Island and becomes a apart of the glamorous lives of the rich, in the Roaring Twenties. He meets and befriends his neighbor, a millionaire, Jay Gatsby. Nick experiences the positive and the negative parts of the intense Eastern lifestyle. 

Review: The Great Gatsby was good, but it wasn't the best. I think it was very interesting to read about the 1920s, even if it wasn't 100% real. Most of the book I wanted to keep reading, but other parts were so boring I could barely read it. There was a lot of symbolism throughout the book, and this could be both good and bad. It's good because it makes you think and look harder throughout the book. However it's also bad because sometimes while reading it's nice for the author to straight out tell you what's going on and not force you to interpret everything. I liked the end very much. It had explanations and concluded each person's story very nicely. I'm glad I read it, but I also wish I could've read it outside of school, so I could enjoy and appreciate it even more.