Shadow of Darkness - Rashad Freeman

Pages:  264
Source:  I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
Genre:  Young Adult, Thriller

From Goodreads

Anthony Dimair isn't your average teenager. Anthony Dimair doesn't have your average teenage problems. Unfortunately, Anthony dimair doesn't know that yet. By most accounts Anthony's been a pretty normal kid his whole life. When he starts what should be a normal year of high school, he suddenly begins to change. There's something dark buried deep inside him, but it wants to get out. As people start disappearing and unknown assailants start following him, Anthony turns to his Uncle for answers. With only the help of his friends he sets off on a quest to discover the truth. But discovering the truth may very well get him killed. Follow Anthony on an epic adventure as he races against time and the darkness inside him. Will he survive to find out the truth? Or will he get himself and his friends killed in the process?

My Thoughts

This was a fabulous book. From the first chapter where you read what seems to be a lab experiment gone terribly wrong the action never stops.  There is a lot of humor built into the book that will definitely grab middle grade kids.  Anthony Dimair has started high school with his best friends.  However, in addition to the normal teenage angst he suddenly sprouts wings and doesn't know why.  The author has created characters that are very believable in their actions.  You get a feel immediately that they are teens.  He has created a plot that will keep you reading from beginning to end.  I read the whole book in just two hours.  I was surprised by the way the book ended.  I didn't want it to end that way.  However, I have to say that since this is the first book in this series that it definitely had a great ending.  I can't wait until the next book comes out.  I am sure this is a book that my students will definitely love.  I can't wait to introduce them to it tomorrow.

You can find his book at:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Student Saturday: The Future of Us - Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler

Student Reviewer: Isha

I would say this is the best teen romance ever! This book was written in the past when there was no Facebook. Emma's dad had just bought her a computer, and her best friend Josh had given her a CD so she could download the Internet. Once she did she had decided to get an E-mail. Something unusual was that under social was Facebook. No one else had this, not even Josh. Once she logged on the future of their lives was right ahead of them, literally. I could connect to this book because I have a Facebook and an E-mail.

The main characters of this book were Josh and Emma. Josh is a tall and a good looking guy. Emma is very nice and she is not that short. She has brown hair.l The nest two characters are Tyson and Kellan. Tyson is Josh's best friend and Kellan is Emma's. Kellan looks a lot like Emma. There there is Graham who went out with Emma. After that there is Sidney, blond hair, blue eyes, and very pretty, who ends up not like in a real relationship but acted like they were with Josh. Also, there is Cody one of the best athletes in the state. He is very tall. There there is Mom and Marin and the dad, and her baby sister. The setting of this book was mostly Emma's house, Josh's house, Pete's Pizza, their school, and the lake.

I would recommend this book to teens that like romance, There is some inappropriateness but then again it is a young ADULT book. Hope you enjoy it because the future and past at the same time with the same two people is something you would want to know more about.

Student Saturday: Allie Finkles Rules for Girls: Moving Day - Meg Cabot

Student Reviewer: Annabre

I like this book so much that I have started reading the second and the third one. This book is about a nine year old girl that is about to move with her second grade brother Mark, her kindergarten brother Kevin, and her mother and father who work at a college. But, Allie the fourth grade girl disagrees about going to a new house. One reason she doesn't want to move is because she doesn't want to leave her best friend Mary-Ann. Allie and Mary-Ann have done everything together. My questions when I read this part was: "Are they still going to see each other?, "Are they still going to still be friends?", "If they are still going to be friends how are they going to live without each other if they have done so much together". I had many questions about this book and that's what made it so interesting, because I love books that make me question because then I can make a prediction what the answer is and then when I'm done with the book I can compare my prediction to the real answer. But Allie agrees about moving because her parents said if she moved with them (I don't know where she would have gone if she didn't go with her parents) she would get a baby kitten. She has always wanted a kitten because she loves cats. I didn't think she would want to move because she would not know anyone for one and she wouldn't have the same school for two, and three she would have a different house. I really enjoyed this book! It had a lot of twists and turns but that's what also made the whole book so interesting to me. These kinds of books have caught my interest.