Student Saturday: The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman

 

Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy

Student Reviewer:  Olivia S.

Elizabeth Rew is a Highschool student in New York, that just moved to her new school. Due to her mother's death and her father's remarriage, her family goes through a rough financial situation. Elizabeth gets recommended a job as a page at “New-York circulating material repository” to earn some money and to make some friends. She soon gains access to the Grimm collection and learns that the library is magic. When some of the items in the Grimm collection go missing, Elizabeth and some of her new friends must investigate to find out where the stolen objects are. Can Elizabeth find out where the stolen objects are disappearing to and find out who is stealing them before the entire Grimm collection disappears and gets into the wrong hands?

This book is called “The Grimm Legacy” and is centered around a girl named Elizabeth. Elizabeth is sarcastic, easy to talk to, and loves fairytales and anything magical. This book reminds me of another book called “Mr. Lemoncellos library.” Kyle Keely and Elizabeth Rew both go to a library and discover magical things and objects. I would recommend this book to ages 11 to 16, since it is light on any violence and there is some romance. This book met my expectations, and I am looking forward to reading this series.

Student Saturday: Crocodile Tears by Anthony Horowitz

 

Student Reviewer:  Robert M

Genre:  Middle Grade, Adventure

Alex Rider is back in the eighth installment to the series called Crocodile Tears. He yet again has to save the word, and this time, there is a virus so powerful that it can destroy a country’s resources, and while doing that also making sure he secret doesn’t get out.

The story begins with Alex, Sabina Pleasure, and her dad— Edward Pleasure— going to a party hosted by a millionaire named Desmond McCain in the Highlands of Scotland. Quickly, Alex finds himself in danger as the tire of Edward's car blows on the icy road and they plummet into the deep below-freezing lake. Back in London with his housekeeper and closest friend— Jack— he fights people claiming to be an employer of Major Yu, the main antagonist of the previous story. Long afterward, Alex is taken to Africa and tortured, and a man who he had seen after he had gotten out of the lake saves him. Some of this book reminds me of a movie called “Breakthrough” about a boy who falls into a frozen lake and eventually comes out safe. This is a very good book for people with time on their hands because once you start, you can’t stop reading it.

Student Saturday: The House With Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson

Student Reviewer: Jillianna H.

Genre: Middle Grade, Traditional, Fantasy

  Marinka is a red haired girl who is also what is called a yaga. A yaga is someone who is in charge of guiding the dead through The Gate. She lives with her grandma, named Baba, who is also yaga and has been raising Marinka since she was a baby. Marinka's house has chicken legs and moves to a different spot about three times a year. The house does this so that Marinka and Baba can guide the dead.  

   As a baby Marinka used to love playing with her house and helping her grandma guide the dead. But as she gets older, she realizes that she doesn’t want to be yaga or guide the dead. Marinka does everything to try to change her fate of being yaga. She tries to make human friends, which wasn’t allowed, and she even tries to make a ghost friend. All of these events lead to trouble, either for her, Baba, her friends or the house. She ends up having to make a big decision that would risk her life but maybe save another. During this I wasn’t sure whether to think she was being selfish or making the right decision for herself and her future. This is because she wants to do it because she doesn’t want to be a Yaga or guide the dead. There are a ton of risks if she decides to go through with it, and she gets told all of these risks by another yaga but doesn’t mind them and is only thinking about what would be best for her.

  I found this book very entertaining and would recommend this book to everyone who likes stories that have unexpected endings. The book definitely surprised me and kept me on my toes.                             

Student Saturday: My Cousin's Keeper by Simon French

 

Sttudent Reviewer: Humberto G.

Genre: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction

The characters in "My cousin's Keeper" are Benn,Kieran, Renee, and Gina The setting takes place at his home and school.

Kieran, and Ben are related. At the start of the school year a boy shows up, which is Kieran ' cousin he doesn't know. Ben is in a really bad conditiona at home and at school. There are people at school who bully him. Kieran wants to be in a popular group with teh popular kids. When seh found out that they were relatedhe feels embarassed because of the way Ben looks. At home Ben has a mom who doesn't take good care of him. Ben has long braids, a babyish hat, and has a funny voice. Ben has an only friend which is Julia who likes Kieran.

Things I would do in this situation would be stand up for family. As we know Kieran and Ben are relatives and Kieran feels embarrassed to be Ben's cousin. Kieran lets people bully his cousin. I I was in this situation I would stand up and not be embarrassed over family and the way they look. This story has a big meaning to it and would recommend it to people who dealt with this tough time. I would also recommend this book to people who love drama.

Student Saturday: Four Days of You and Me by Miranda Kenneally

 

Student Reviewer: Amati

Genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction (some mature themes)

Lulu and Alex are enemies I high school and at the end of each of their high school years they go to a big field trip. In their freshman year they go to a science museum. They get stuck together in a room. Do they work together to get out? In their sophomore year they go to Six Flags and Lulu falls in the water causing her top to come off  and Alex is the only one around. Does he help her or leaver her to save herself? I their junior year they have a choice to go watch a football game or go to an art museum. Lulu goes to the museum and Alex goes to watch the game. The game gets boring so he goes and talks to Lulu. They begin flirting. In their senior year London is their last trip and there is so much going on in both of their lives. Will this brin them closer or will they remain enemies.

Many decisions were made in the book. For example, Lulu was talking about how her ex-boyfriend had moved on so quickly and she said “how can he move on this easily? This quickly?” When she said that it made me wonder, how do people move on so quickly after things end so with the person they supposedly loved? I mean, if you really love someone, how would you be able to move on to a new person so quickly? When Lulu and Alex break up and get back together throughout the book, Lulu can’t get over the fact that he moves on fairly quickly while she is stuck, unable to move on from the heartbreak.

The book is similar to my life because just like Lulu, I learned that fallin in and out of love a a part of life. Not everyone’s perfect. Lulu learned to deal with her feelings for Alex and sometimes I’ve got to deal with my feelings too. Lulu got to travel a lot for school field trips and I’ve always thought that was pretty cool for students to do. I would like to travel as well. This book was similar to other books I’ve read because I enjoy reading enemies to lovers and love  the way the story ended.

Student Saturday: The Secret Gardent by Francis Hodgson Burnett and Margaet DeKeyser

Student Reviewer:  Edgely J.
Genre: Middle Grade Realistic Fiction, Mystery

This book opens with a sour-looking girl who is about to experience a sad tragedy with her rich and spoiled family. She finds herself going far away from India to England to live with an unknown uncle of hers who lives in a big manor on a large moor. She never sees her uncle whose wife had died ten years before. She finds that there are may mysteries within the manor. Why are many of the rooms locked? What is that cryng she hears at night? Why is one of the grdens locked? Are all of the flowers dead? Where's the key? through the poer of friendship, nature and curriosity, Mary uncovers all of the mysteries. I would recommend this book to readers who like realistic fiction and mysteries.

Student Saturday: North of Beautiful by Justina Chen

Student Reviewer: Ella S.
Genre:  Young Adult, Realistic Fiction


This book opens up with Terra saying what she looks like. Terra has a port-wine stan birthmark on her cheek. She has had surgeries but they never work. along the way she has an incident with this boy and ends up liking him, but she hiding something form him. this was a really good book. It was cool to read about how some people reacted if something was different about them.

One thing I really loved is how you could see Terra's pros and cons. I think that's great, because you can see everybody different. I can't wait to get other kids to read it and I hope they like it too.

Student Saturday: Flying Solo by Ralph Fletcher

Student Reviewer: Dylan S.
Genre: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction

I finished reading the book Flying Solo by Ralph Fletcher. I had seen this book in my elementary school but just never bothered to pick it up and read it. I think this book was excellent and it owuld be funny if it happened to me. It is about some kids all in the same class that come to school and they do't have a teacher! So, the class decides to try to survive the school day without a teacher. Will they make it or will they get caught by aother teacher?  Read the book to find out! I had a connection to this book, because on the last day of school it feels like we don't have a teacher because we just played games. I really enjoyed this book and I recommend you read it too.

Student Saturday: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Student Reviewer: Rim

I just finished reading Divergent.  Possibly the best book I've ever read! The main characters are: Beatrice (Tris), and Tobias (Four). Tris is the main character in this book. She is the one who chose Dauntless for her new faction. She is divergent (as the title says). Divergent in the book means she is more than one faction when she is supposed to be only one. The faction is basically what you are. First you grow up in a faction, then you find out what you really are, then you choose what faction you want to be at the age of sixteen. The factions are: Dauntless (brave), Amity (peaceful), Candor (honest), Erudite (intelligent), and Abnegation (selfless). Tobias is the trainer who helps Tris and all the other transfers become Dauntless ad goes with Tris and her adventures. He is eighteen and has a mysterious past. Jeanine who is the leader of Erudite wants to kill all divergent including Tris. The basic point of this book is that Tris is in Dauntless making friends and regrets and slowly discovering what Erudite really is. My connection with this book is that living your life normally while everyone is just feeding you lies until you understand  what the lies are. I love the concept in this book. The back stories, the surprises, just everything. The setting is in the Abnegation territory in the beginning ad the dauntless territory in the end. I would recommend this book to everyone!! If you can't read I will teach you how to because you ed to read this!!!!!