Student Saturday - The Girl Behind the Glass – Jane Kelley

Student Saturday is a day I post reviews written by other students.  The review that follows is written by Lauren

The Girl Behind the Glass is about two twins, Hanna and Ana that move to an old house on Hemlock Road.  I liked how it was a ghost story that wasn’t that scary. There was no really scary things in it. I liked how the girl behind the glass narrated the story and slowly revealed things about her and what had happened.  I liked how she could read everyone’s mind and talk to them without anyone else hearing her.  I think kids ages 9 – 13 would enjoy this book.  It’s a fun and enjoyable book to read and I couldn’t put it down.

Student Saturday - Bullyville - Francine Prose

Student Saturday is a day I post reviews written by other students.  The review that follows is written by Kaylie

At first Bart was just a normal thirteen year old boy.  Well… sort of a normal thirteen year old.  His parents were getting divorced and dad already had a girlfriend named Caroline and all three of htem worked in the office (A.K.S the Twin Towers).  But then Bart had a high fever one day and his mom refused for him to stay at home alone.  Little did they know that it was the day that would change both of their lives.  ON the T.V. they saw it all and the buildings came crashing down. They then got a call from Caroline saying that he didn’t make it. Bart then becomes the miracle boy that saved his mother’s life. Yet, being famous doesn’t help the fact that he has lost his dad ad his world is turning upside down.

To make everything worse, in an act of kindness and charity, Bart is given a full scholarship to the local private prep school, Bailey well, or as he calls it Bullyville.  Everyone knows that kids go there to learn how to bully.  Bat learns this up close and first hand when the biggest bully ever is assigned to be his mentor.

I really could relate to this because my parents are also divorced, but my dad is not dead.  Bart never really talked to his dad and I don’t talk to mine either. When his dad called he refused to talk. I do the same when my dad calls.  His dad also texted him and he never answered them. I do the same with my dad.  I think it would be really cool if I could meet Bart just to talk so I know I’m not the only one just knowing how much we have in common is really interesting. Also, I started relating to Bart in the first chapter.        

Dead Man's Hand - Eddie Jones

Publisher:  Zondervan

Pages:  224

Genre:  Middle Grade/Young Adult Mystery

Source:  Review copy received in exchange for my honest review

If you are looking for a great mystery for your tween/teen to read this summer then this book is the one for you.  This is a book that both boys and girls will enjoy.  Nick Caden is doomed to spend his summer vacation with his parents and his young sister Wendy at the Deadwood Canyon Ghost Town in Montana.

He can think of nothing more boring.  It is supposed to be an old time western ghost town complete with cowboys, re-enactments and history lessons. To me this sounded wonderful.  I live in Florida and when I was in my teens we had an old western town in Ocala, Florida called Six Gun Territory.  This story immediately took me back to that time and place.  I had great memories there.   I assumed that since I loved something like that, then maybe a teen would as well. 

Nick stumbles upon the dead body of Billy the Kid.  When he gets the sheriff and they return to the spot, there is no body.  He is told that it was probably all a part of the act.  Nick doesn’t buy it.  In his free time back home he and his friends participate in a Cyber-Super Sleuth club.  Solving mysteries is what he does and he is determined to solve this one.  He is helped in this adventure by Annabel, also known as Annie Oakley.  Her uncle, Marshal Buckleberry deputizes him and allows him to question the tourists as long as he doesn’t mention the dead body.    You know that at some point he is going to question the wrong person and that can and will lead to trouble. 

This is the first book in the  Caden Chronicles and not the last one I will read.  This is a book I know several of my students will enjoy.  From the book we learn that Nick’s family are not Christians.  Nick finds a Bible with highlighted passages and begins to question things.  This is very light on the Christian end of things. I do hope there is more along that line in the second book.  I know as an author myself that balancing on  that fine line is very difficult.  I do believe that Eddie Jones is up to the challenge.  I recommend that tweens, teens and adults read this book.  It would definitely make a great summer read.