Student Saturday: Seventy Times Seven by Sandra Stiles

Student Reviewer:  Genesis L.

Genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

The main character in this story is Frankie. We see his struggles and what he goes through . This story starts out with seeing how Frankie releases his stress in an unhealthy way. The reason behind it is because he’s having a rough time at school. His math teacher Mr. Fugate is picking on Frankie because he is Hispanic. We see later how far Mr. Fugate will go just to make Frankie suffer. Then a new kid moves to town. Jacob Wingate and his family move to town and meet the Bonitas. They get along great. Jacob has never really had someone to talk to or any real friends because being a pastor’s kid, people tend to distance themselves from him. With Frankie and Tanya it was different. Jacob could be himself. When Mr. Bonita and Mr. Wingate start talking more it gets rough for Frankie and his family. In the past Frankie has had a lot of problems, but no matter what it will always be okay because he will always have his sister Tanya and Jacob.  What will he do when all of a sudden they both go missing?

I would definitely recommend this book to kids who have problems at home or who have strict parents. Frankie and Jacob’s characters are just so relatable. It really shows that teens can be going through something at a young age that they shouldn’t be dealing with at all. I honestly did not expect the book to show such overlooked but real topics. It definitely exceeded my expectations. Overall I rate the book a 10/10 or 5 stars!

Snake Food by Kristin Fulton

Genre:  Middle Grade, Adventure

Source: I won a copy from LibraryThing

Theo and Olivia's parents are suddenly called away to Africa to help after an earthquake. Olivia and Theo's summer plans are changed. They will be spending their summer with their great-uncle Hazelsmith. They have never met this uncle. Their father tries to tell them how much fun they will have. He relates the fun times he had with his uncle. Arriving by train, their uncle never picks them up. They take a taxi to his house, where a grumpy-looking housekeeper meets them.  She shuts the door on them and returns a few minutes later with another man who claims he is their uncles lab assistant. Something doesn't seem right. They tell the kids that their uncle has gotten forgetful and has sailed his boat to Florida. When they meet the young man who mows the grass they are told not to listen to anything he says because he is a liar.  Something is definitely not right and they must figure it out quickly.

This was an, on the edge of your seat page turner. I loved it.

 

Henry Bingle’s Transformation: A Fable for all Ages by Kristin Fulton

 Bingle does.

Genre: Middle Grades, Traditional Fable

Source: I won a copy from LibraryThing

When Henry Bingle is thrown from bed by an earthquake. He claws his way out from under a stack of debris that has been accumulating in his room for a very long time. He grabs the first things he finds to wear. When he leaves for school he realizes how weird he looks and decides to skip school. Besides, everyone already laughs at him and calls him names. He heads down to the river only to find a Nixie. This little elf needs his help. His family is trapped inside their home by the debris that careless people have thrown along the river. All of it was shaken loose by the earthquake. Henry helps the elf and then helps clear the debris from around the tree. He agrees to come back each day and help clean the mess around the river. It's funny he's never realized how much garbage Hogville has along its riverbanks. He goes home, and after cleaning his own room passes out waking up in the hospital. The bump on his head he received when the earthquake knocked him out of bed was more serious than they all thought. When he is finally released form the hospital he decides to make it his mission to clean up his town. His elf friend predicted he would do great things.  Read this wonderful story to find out all that Henry Bingle does.