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. 

This is Where it Ends

This is Where it Ends 

by: Marieke Nijkamp

Synopsis: This is Where it Ends is a fictional story about a high school shooting. It's told in four points of view throughout the 54 agonizing minutes, as a student determined to get revenge, takes control and locks down the school. 

Review: Although this book is fictional, this kind of thing actually happens and that is probably why this book is so hard to read. However it's so gripping that it's literally impossible to put down. It reminds the reader how fast everything can change and it makes the reader question what he or she would do in that situation. But then you realize that it's impossible to know what you would do, because you can't even imagine it happing to you or someone you know. Reading this as a high school student, I was speechless and filled with emotion, because I kept comparing it or imagining it happening in my school, and that was very hard. I don't know why, but I didn't expect this book to be as sad as it was. I knew it was a book about a school shooting, but I still expected it to have a happy/decent ending. It didn't. The end was horribly sad and I was forced to read it through my tears because I couldn't wait to see what happened at the way end. Even though it was sad and I cried a lot, the ending was good and somewhat fulfilling. 

  

Orphan Train

Orphan Train

 by: Christina Baker Kline

Synopsis: Orphan Train is about two very different women forming an unexpected friendship, and learning that they are actually more similar than either thought possible. Molly Ayer is a 17 year old, who will soon "age out" of the foster system. She is forced to help Vivian Daly, a 91 year old woman, clean out her home as community service on the coast of Maine. Molly thinks no one will ever understand her, this is until she starts finding Vivian's secrets hidden in her attic. She discovers that Vivian was an orphan sent from New York to the Midwest with hundreds of other children on trains to find homes. These trains that the orphans traveled on became known as "orphan trains", they would make stops at towns and people hoping to adopt would come and pick their new children. After learning this and the rest about Vivian's past, Molly is determined to help solve the mysteries that have haunted Vivian for all of these years. 

Review: This is another historical fiction, and it's exceptional. I devoured this book! It was so good and full of emotions and wonderfully written. I think the coolest, but also the saddest, part was the fact that "orphan trains" were real. Between 1854 to 1929, more than 200,000 orphaned/abandoned were sent to the Midwest on the "orphan trains". It was interesting to learn about apart of our history that we never learn about in history classes. Overall this book is amazing and I have read it multiple times and will continue to reread it occasionally. Everyone should read it at least once in their lives.

   

Sarah's Key

Sarah's Key

By: Tatiana de Rosnay 

Synopsis: Sarah's Key is a story following two people involved with the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup, a mass roundup of Paris Jews by the French police in 1942, during the Holocaust. One of the people is a 10 year old Jewish girl named Sarah who was one of the Jews rounded up. Before the police take her family away, she hides her brother in a cupboard and locks him in to keep him safe. Then it follows her story as she does everything in her power to get back to her brother.  While this is happening, in alternating chapters we follow a journalist Julia Jarmond, who is asked to write an article about the roundup on it's 60th anniversary, in 2002. While researching she stumbles onto a long-hidden family secret that connects her to Sarah. She then retraces and learns more about Sarah's story. After learning about Sarah, Julia must decide if she belongs or even wants to stay in France. 

Review: This is a life changing, unforgettable book. It's a historical fiction, which means that the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup and the other events are real, just not the specific people.

I love these types of books because they teach the history but through an engaging story. This book is very sad, so do not read if you don't want to cry. But it's amazing! It's interesting to read about the thing happening and then reading the reactions of the future generations. I think everyone should read it. 

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

By: Betty Smith 

Synopsis: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn follows the life of a second generation Irish-American girl named Francie, in the first two decades in the 20th century. Francie lives in Brooklyn with her parents and little brother Neeley. The book is about the successes and struggles the family faced and how Francie dealt with them. It's a coming of age story about a poor Irish girl who just wants to pursue her education. 

Review: This is a book that you can't forget once you read it. It was pretty long and it was hard to read during certain times but it's unforgettable. This is a Historical Fiction novel full of emotions.The book made me feel angry, sad, happy, and excited as I read about Francie's incredibly hard life. Personally I love immigrant stories and I love learning about the history of these immigrants and the hardships they faced. It reminds me of how lucky I am now, and it shows how my ancestors felt and shows me what kind of things they went through. This book is full of history and is just an amazing book overall. 

 

Champion (Book Three of the Legend Trilogy)

Champion 

by: Marie Lu 

Synopsis: June and Day are back working with the Republic, both have important new jobs. When everything is getting back to normal, a new disease breaks out and rips through the Colonies. June knows how to stop it and could save thousands of lives, but she will have to ask her love, Day, to give up everything he has. 

Review: This book is crazy and full of surprises. It's very exciting and most of all very very very sad. Although it's sad, it has a REALLY good ending. It doesn't end like one would think and I think that's why I liked it so much. It had a different kind of ending, which makes you make your own conclusions. Some people don't like that, and I didn't at first, but now I appreciate the different ending. The first one is still the best, but it was nice to see Day and June's relationship develop. Overall it was a great book with a great ending to a great trilogy. 

Prodigy (Book Two of The Legend Trilogy)

Prodigy 

by: Marie Lu 

Synopsis: Prodigy starts right where Legend left off, June and Day are on the run. The Republic thinks Day is dead, and now June is the Republic's most wanted traitor. They are out of money and out of ideas, so they are forced to turn to the rebellion group, the Patriots. Day and June have to decide whether the Patriots are actually better than the Republic. 

Review: Being the second book, I had very high expectations because usually the second book is my favorite, and since Legend was so good, I couldn't wait to read it. Unfortunately I was disappointed. The characters changed drastically. In Legend I loved Day, everything about him, he was funny and always had something witty to say. While June was a little annoying, and was always negative and angry.  However, in Prodigy it switched, it was like Day was a different person, he was not as funny and he was kind of pessimistic and always angry. It was sad. Eventually they switch back to there own selves, with June being a better person. But it wasn't all bad, the story picked up right where it left off and it made me want to read and finish it quickly, which I did. Overall it was still very good, (just not as good as Legend). I definitely will reread it, hopefully soon. 

Legend (Book One of The Legend Trilogy)

Legend 

By: Marie Lu 

Synopsis: In what was once The United States, the Republic now stands. The Republic is constantly at war with it's neighbors. Born into an elite, and one of the wealthiest families in the Republic, 15 year-old June is a prodigy, and being groomed to become one of the highest Military officials. Born in the slums, 15 year-old Day is the most-wanted criminal in the country. But his motives might not be as cruel as they seem. One day June's brother is killed and the prime suspect is Day. June makes it her mission to find and bring Day to justice, while Day tries to keep his family alive. 

Review: This is an amazing, fun, exciting, and over all great book. Day, June, and all the other characters are interesting and each have something amazing about them. I can't think of anything bad about this book, besides the fact that my copy, Day's chapter were written in gold while June's were written in blue, and that it hurt my eyes. It's so amazing and impossible to put down. The relationships in this book are extraordinary, whether it's friendships, siblings relationships, or romantic relationships, they all are amazing. I read it last year and can't wait to reread it! A ton of people I know have read it and throughly enjoyed it, some of them don't even like to read, and they loved it. Overall it's a wonderfully well-written book that everyone should read. It also is the first of a trilogy (Prodigy is the 2nd, and Champion is the 3rd).

 

The Things They Carried

The Things They Carried

by: Tim O'Brien 

Synopsis: The Things They Carried is about the experiences of O'Brien's platoon in the Vietnam War. It's told in O'Brien's point of view and describes what it was like to be in the Vietnam War. 

Review: I read this for my English class and I thought I was going to hate it. But it was very good and I enjoyed reading it. Even though the description makes it sound non-fiction, O'Brien actually made it all up. This was extremely frustrating because I thought it was real and cried and was moved by this real experience, to only find out towards the end that it was made-up. It also was rather deep, like a war story should be, but O'Brien wrote in a way that confused and frustrated me. You had to dig and think very hard to get the real meaning, which was actually very cool. If you want to read a book that doesn't make you think, this is not the book for you. It was a good book, with great characters, and a great story. 

Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Will Grayson, Will Grayson 

by: David Levithan 

and John Green

Synopsis: This is about a depressed boy named Will Grayson, who randomly meets another boy with the very same name. He believes it's fate and they become friends in a way. They both are very different but are both going through something. Both Will Grayson's are friends or become friends with Tiny, who writes the most amazing and most fabulous musical to ever be seen on a high school stage. It's told in alternating views between the two. 

Review: This was an amazing book. It's extremely funny and actually made me laugh out loud. But it also is serious and sad. I read it in about 2 days. At first I wasn't sure because one of the Will Graysons, wrote in all lowercase and not in proper English. It also was sort of dark and I don't really like dark stuff at all, but the comedy evens it out and it turned out great. I am so glad I kept to it and read it all because it is probably one of the funniest books I've ever read. I also really like the end. The other thing that was really cool was that the two authors, David Levithan and John Green, both wrote as a Will Grayson. Usually I would say that that wouldn't work but they made it work so well. This emphasized the differences in the two characters, so when the two different authors wrote, two different characters wrote. They worked nice together to produce a funny, real book that makes the readers feel. 

The Crucible

The Crucible 

By: Arthur Miller 

Synopsis: The Crucible is a play about the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The play is based on real events and the characters are based off of historical people that were actually involved. As Abigail as their leader, this group of girls accuse dozens of people of being witches. This is taken to court because they live in a Puritan society, which is a religion. In court the accused people are given the choice of weather to confess that they are witches or they will be hanged. This obviously causes many issues which need to be resolved throughout the play. 

Review: I usually don't enjoy reading plays, but because it's historical fiction I mostly liked it. It definitely was interesting but it was a little to dramatic for me at certain parts. Also if Miller's point was to make me hate Abigail, he did a great job. Everything about her was annoying. It was very interesting to learn about the witch trials, which I thought I knew, but really didn't, about what happened. Although some stuff was boring, hard to read and understand, and confusing it was still a good read. I'm glad I read it but I probably will never read it again. It also is something I wouldn't recommend to anyone unless it was for school, which is the only reason why I read it. 

   

Brooklyn

Brooklyn 

By: Colm Tóibín 

Synopsis: Brooklyn is about an Irish girl named Eilis Lacey who leaves her family behind when she immigrated to Brooklyn from a small-town Ireland a couple of years after World War 2. Eilis gets a job and she starts to struggle with her new life in America, and to distract her from her homesickness she enrolls in college. Then she unexpectedly falls in love with an Italian man named Tony. Just as she's adjusting to her new life, she receives devastating news from Ireland and she must make some very hard decisions. 

Review: Brooklyn is an amazing book. It's very well written and has a great story line. It's full of emotion and shows the reader what it would be like to live during that time. It makes interesting comparisons between Irish and American culture. Tóibín also makes amazing, unique characters. All of them are different in at least 5 ways and that's nice to have when reading these types of historical-fiction books. Occasionally it became a little hard to read, but it's probably because I saw the movie before I read it. The movie was great but the book was obviously better. It's just when I know what's going to happen in a book it takes me longer to read it. But if I hadn't seen the movie first I would've read this book in a week. Overall it was great, and wonderfully written. (Also a Major Motion Picture.)

The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye 

By: J.D. Salinger

Synopsis: This is a story about a teenager, Holden Caulfield, and the days following his expulsion from his boarding school. It's about him exploring New York by himself and basically the struggles that come along with finding oneself. He has quite the adventure in the two days before he goes home and excepts his fate. 

Review: Personally I hated this book. I thought it was pointless. All it was was the rambling of a spoiled kid who had some issues that really had no importance to anything. Holden talked to  much about pointless things and all of his "problems" were really not that big of a deal.  I can not find anything good about this book, some people think it's a coming of age story or that Holden is trying to help keep children innocent but personally I saw no message. I would rather read a book that has a message or even a storyline, which this book had neither of. I was excited to read this book but I was very disappointed. 

Room

                          Room

                         by: Emma Donoghue

Synopsis: Room is written in a 5 year old's perspective, Jack, who is being held captive in a room with his mother, Ma. He was conceived, born, and lived in this room for his whole 5 year old life. He has never been outside and he doesn't even know that the outside is real. His mother was kidnapped by a man, Old Nick, and has been in the room since. Then one day Jack's Ma decides she can't take it anymore and that she needs to get them out. 

Review: I read Room a couple of years ago but it has stuck with me because it is such a great book. I recently saw the movie that just came out and it was amazing, which is why I decided to do this review. Room is captivating and intense and overall amazing. It's so interesting how Donoghue successfully wrote in a 5 year old perspective. It was like I was listening to one of my younger cousins tell a story, which made it even more emotional and intense. The thoughts and descriptions Jack gives are so child-like it's surreal, yet you feel his confusion and understand him like you would an adult. It's amazing because since he's a child he doesn't hold anything back yet he is so naive he doesn't realize how bad his situation is. The only downside is he sometimes is hard to understand, because he is a child and talks like one, with weird sentences but this emphasizes the fact that he is a child. But overall this book is amazing and everyone should read it then go see the movie, it's out in theaters now.

The Paris Architect

The Paris Architect 

by: Charles Belfoure

Synopsis: The Paris Architect is about a man, named Lucien Bernard, living in Paris during the Nazi Occupation in World War 2. He is an architect and he is faced with a very hard decision when offered a large amount of money and other designing opportunities, to design hiding spaces for Jews. He has to decide weather to risk his life for some jobs and money. Eventually he decides to design the hiding space because he couldn't resist the challenge. But when one of his hiding places fails, he is forced to look beyond the fun challenge he believes it is. 

Review: This book is wonderful and full of emotion. The characterization is intense and it's easy to imagine each character and interaction. Some parts were a little too much for me, as in they were a little gruesome. It also gives the reader a good idea of what it was like to live during the Occupation in Paris. It also has a lot of architectural knowledge and references, which can be a good or bad thing depending on the person. It was a little frustrating not knowing where some of the characters ended up, but personally I enjoyed the ending. Overall this book was informal and interesting and fun to read. 


Favorite Quote: "Before I give you information about the project, let me ask you a personal question, Manet said. "How do you feel about Jews?" - Manet to Lucien. I enjoy this quote because it's basically the beginning of the book, if Lucien had answered differently the book wouldn't have happened and he wouldn't have changed and  become a better person. 

The Infinite Sea

The Infinite Sea

By: Rick Yancey

Review: This book is great and lives up to the expectations of the first book in the Trilogy, The Fifth Wave. This book is somehow slower, even though there's only half of the amount of pages of The Fifth Wave. It's also not as exciting. It's sort of annoying that as soon as something exciting and crazy happens, the book ends. The whole book is a lead to the big ending but then the ending sort of falls short because it ends very suddenly. But overall it's necessary to read if you liked The Fifth Wave and if you want to see the story continue after the big escape.

Favorite Quote: "That's the cost. That's the price. Get ready, because when you crush the humanity out of humans, you're left with humans with no humanity." -Ringer to Vosch

  

The Fifth Wave

The Fifth Wave 

by: Rick Yancey 

Review:  It was a little slow at the beginning and kind of hard to get into but after the first 100 pages or so it was like I was watching the story in my head rather than reading it. It' pretty long, it's 530ish pages but it's worth it. I loved this book! It was adventurous, fun, exciting, sad, and funny. It had all of these emotions flowing through the story and t made you feel. The characters were interesting and all had different personalities and stories that you yearned to learn. In general the book was amazing. It also is coming out in theaters on January 22, 2016. 

 Favorite Character: My favorite character is Zombie, aka Ben Parish. He was Cassie's (the main girl character) old crush. They used to go to school together and he ends up being in charge of her little brother, Sammy. He's my favorite character because he is the comic relief and he always has something funny to say, most of the time anyway. 

Favorite Quote: "I had it all wrong. Before I found you, I thought the only way to hold on was to find something to live for. It isn't. To hold on, you have to find something you're willing to die for." - Evan to Cassie