Student Saturday: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

 

Genre: Middle Grade, Science Fiction

Student Reviewer: Haven W.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner is a young adult science fiction novel. It is the first book in a trilogy, complete with 2 prequels. The book is set in the future. It is told from the point of view of the main character Thomas. He wakes up in a maze with no memories surrounded by a bunch of teenage boys all having experienced the same thing, but it doesn’t take long to figure out that Thomas is special. After Thomas arrives, strange things start happening. Thomas and his new friends must go on an adventure, risking their lives, to unlock the secrets of the maze and who created it. This series is one of my favorites, it is perfect for young teens, or any teens who want a clean, but action packed read. I especially recommend this series to people who enjoy the Divergent series by Veronica Roth, they share a similar concept of defying test groups and simulations run by a corrupt government. It has a great concept, but I usually find that with a lot of books like these, they are confusing and not well written. This book contains none of those issues, it was fast paced, but easy to follow even though information was left out in the beginning to add suspense. The characters are well written and fun, with great personalities that make it easy to become attached to them. Overall, I highly recommend this book. 

Genre: Middle Grade, Mystery, Horror
Student Reviewer: Jaiden W.

"The Ash House" is an excellent middle-grade novel that explores the themes of belonging, friendship, bravery, and defiance. The author has done an exceptional job of creating an intriguing, mysterious, and eerie setting that keeps the reader engaged throughout the story. The characters are well-developed, and their backstories are revealed gradually, making the readers invest in them emotionally. The protagonist, Sol, is an incredibly relatable character, and his struggles with his complex pain syndrome are depicted sensitively. The Ash House is a place where the abandoned and forgotten children live, and the headmaster is a mysterious figure who controls everything. The story takes a dark turn when Sol realizes that the headmaster's intentions are not as benevolent as they seem, and he must find the courage to defy him and rescue his new friends. The book's pace is perfect, and the tension builds up gradually, culminating in a thrilling climax. The author has also included several plot twists that keep the readers guessing until the end. Overall, "The Ash House" is a compelling and thought-provoking read that is perfect for middle school readers and anyone who enjoys a well-crafted, engaging story. 

 

Student Saturday: The Cat With the Yellow Star by Susan Goldman Rubin and ElaWeissberger

Genre: Middle Grade, Biography
Student Reviewer: David P.

This book was cool, finding out about my own country's history even more, that the place where they make good pancakes has had such terrible things happen there. Anyways this takes place in... Czechoslovakia (Now the Czech Republic) in the city Terezín (The place with the good pancakes!) and the main character is Ela with her friends. They are stuck in a camp for the Jewish population built after the nazis invaded us. They are sad, however they find out that the main composer for brundibar is also there, so they decide to have some fun.... Did you really think I was going to tell the entire thing to you? No, you will have to read this book to find out though... Anyways as a Czech myself I really enjoyed this book, so I recommend this to anyone who likes WW2 history or History in general.

 

Student Saturday: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Genre: Middle Grade, Young Adult Autobiography

Student Reviewer: Sofia D.

 

This book is a remarkable read and I think it is very interesting and informative on the tragic events of the Holocaust. Anne Frank was a girl which such a daring personality and I think she is very clever and independent. This book took place in 1942 and ended in 1944 when she was only 13-15 years old. The diary talks about her thoughts and experiences in hiding in the secret annex which is a covered area behind her dad’s work. The diary also discusses betrayal and tragic loss. I liked how descriptive it was the book painted a picture in my head as I read. If I was in Anne Frank’s place, I would not handle it as well nor, be as intelligent as she was. I think it is a wonderful book, and I recommend it to people interested in historic events and being on that side of events from a personal point of view. 

 

Student Saturday - Odette’s Secrets by Maryann Macdonald

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Student Reviewer: Camilla M.

The book an Odette's Secrets is about a young girl that went through much hardship during the Holocaust. Odette was a yound girl with curly hair. Odette started out as a young girl in Paris. Throughout the story she grew up and moved to the country and eventually back to the city. Madame Marie was her godmother, who played a big part in Odette's life. Madame Marie, her mother, and her father all cared for Odette very much.  Odette was forced to move around to escape the soldiers. She moved to the country where she met great people. Her mother then forced her out of the country to go back to the city. Odette had a hard time finding out who she was and where she belonged. She found that poetry would soothe her mind. I sometimes wonder where I belong. Just like Odette I find things and activities that help me with calming my mind. This book teaches great lessons and exceeds my expectations. I would reccomend this book to someone that likes history and heartfelt books. 

 

Student Saturday: The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

 

Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Myths, Adventure
Student Reviewer: Aliyah E.

 Percy Jackson: The Battle of the Labyrinth is an adventurous book about five courageous kids Percy, Anabeth, Grover, Rachel, Tyson known as half-bloods, cyclopes and mortals all fighting for their life to save their camp.

      This book  is about how the creator Daedalus is in his workshop and the Titans are trying to find him so they can invade camp half-blood. The job of Percy, Anabeth, Tyson, and Grover is to go and find Daedalus before the Titans do. Grover is searching for a lost god named Pan and believes he is in the Labyrinth so he and Tyson search from Pan while Annabeth and Percy try to save camp, but they quickly realize they need the help of a mortal Rachel because she can see through the mist and safely get them to Daedalus. But they did not get there in time.....

       I can connect to this book because like Annabeth I struggle trusting people and is always on the lookout for danger. I would recommend this book to people who struggle with trusting or focusing so that they see they are not alone and there is people to go to. Overall, this is a really good book, and I enjoy

Thirty Seconds at a Time by Tracy Bilen

 

Genre: Middle Grade, Young Adult Mystery

Source: I won a copy from LibraryThing. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Kate didn't understand why her father was packing her clothes. She told him that there were two weeks until Christmas break. As she was trying to unpack the suitcase, he was hurrying to pack; she heard gunshots. She ran down the stairs only to find her father in a pool of blood. She tries to stop the bleeding but can't. He hands her a piece of paper and tells her to burn it and tell no one. Kate's mom finds her at the hospital where she learns of her husband's death. Once allowed to return to the house to get some of their things, Kate discovers her guitar case full of money. This is the beginning of a great mystery. Kate and her mother move away. Her mother takes a teaching job at a private school where Kate will learn to ski. However, she can't let her father's murder go.

Kate meets Ryan, who always seems to be in trouble. He inadvertently gets pulled in to all of this mess. Can Kate extricate herself before someone else gets hurt? What is she to do with the money? Who keeps leaving her cryptic messages? What is with the address her father gave her before he died?

All of these questions lead to one of the most fulfilling mysteries I have read in a long time. Throw in a snarky roommate, a good looking young man and a lot of twists and turns in this wonderful book. One my students will definitely love as much as I did.

The One and Only Family by Katherine Applegate

 

Genre: Middle Grade, Animals

Source: I purchased a copy.

This is the final book in the series. In this book we find Ivan and his mate Kinyani expecting a baby. They are excited. We are taken through Ivan's thoughts about what it takes to be a good parent. On one hand he things it will be easy. On the other hand he is afraid.  Any parent who reads this book could identify with  Ivan on the feelings of excitement and fear when dealing with their first child.  For Ivan, who ends up the father of twins it is even more emotional. He had a twin who made it from Africa to America, only to die of pneumonia. As his two children hit their terrible twos he is faced with several fears.  The biggest fear is that he won't be able to protect his children.  Along comes Bob, his dog friend to teach him what a wonderful father he really is. 

This was such a wonderful book.  It was just as emotional as the other three books in this series.  I can't wait to put it on my school shelves and recommend it to students.

The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate

 

Genre: Middle Grade, Animals

Source: I purchased a copy

The One and Only Ruby is the third book in the four book series written by Katherine Applegate.  The book tells the story of Ruby, the elephant we meet in the first book, “The One and Only Ivan.”  Ruby was a very small elephant when we was brought to the “The Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade”. She lived there with a larger elephant named Stella, Ivan the Gorilla and their friend Bob the dog.”

Ruby now lives in the zoo next  to Ivan.  She is not happy that she has tusks, even if they are small. She dreads having to give a speech about what Tuskday means to her. She sees no use for tusks. Maybe this is because she has seen what happens to elephants when poachers want those tusks. As she tries to work her way through her feelings leading up to Tuskday she tells her story to Ivan, his mate Kinyani, and Bob. Through this story we learn about Ruby and her life in Africa and the herd she was a part of. We learn of her joys and her sadness. Along the way we see Ruby mature and grow and actually become a part of the herd she is with at the zoo.

I was so excited when this book came out. Just as excited as when I read the first two books, “The One and Only Ivan”, and “The One and only Bob”. This book, like the others is an emotional read. It is one that I will never forget.

Student Saturday: Connecting Dots: Poems of my Journey by David L. Harrison

Genre: Children, Poetry
Student Reviewer: Aleah F.

"Connecting Dots” is a poetry book. The reason I like this book is because it is a book of poems about his life. He had lots of pictures he loved, and he always wrote poems about his life. His life was very difficult. His high school year was fun. He played basketball and always tried the best he could. He would always shoot the ball and miss the basket, but he never gave up. He kept going. He did not care who was in the crowd watching him. All he was worried about was if he was getting somewhere in life. 

The lesson he learned was that it's okay to miss the basket but never put that down on yourself. People would always laugh at him, but the lesson he learned was never to care what people thought about him.

After he was done with a basketball game, he was surprised with a puppy, and his teammates were so proud of him. The teammates told him to go outside right after the game, so he did. His coach was outside and told him to close his eyes; when the coach told him to open his eyes and when he did, his coach had a black and white dog for him. 

 After he did all of that, he went home and got puppy love from his new puppy named Freckles.

I would recommend this book to people who like basketball, and to those who believe they should never give up.