Allie Strom and the Ring of Solomon by Justin M. Stone

Genre:  Middle Grade, Fantasy

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I was given this book to review a long time ago.  Unfortunately, it fell way down the stack of my pile of books.  I am sad I waited so long to read and review this book.  I live in a district where books have to be read and reviewed by a group of people to be considered for our classroom libraries. Unfortunately, this one has not had that privilege. I can recommend it to my students, which I will, but I can’t put it on my bookshelves.  Here is why I believe this should be allowed to be on my school shelves.

First, we have very relatable characters. Allie is just starting middle school.  Her mom is in the military and is missing. She stands up against bullies to defend Daniel, one of the nerds. Their friendship is necessary, as they have many battles ahead of them. When Allie's mom is deployed, she leaves the necklace she has always worn behind.  Allie wears it and, of course, we can expect things to happen. 

There are many lessons to learn through reading this book. One,  stand up for those who seem weaker than you. That’s what Allie does when she defends Daniel. Never give up no matter how impossible it may seem or no matter what obstacles stand in front of you. A great author like this one knows how to wrap lessons up in a story line that is so amazing that the reader doesn’t realize until afterwards all the lessons they have learned. If I asked my students what connections they had with this book after reading it, those lessons would be the things they connected with. I will definitely read more in this series. I will also recommend it to my students. After all, we still have public libraries and bookstores.

 

Student Saturday: Girl In The Lake by India Hill Brown

 

Genre: Middle Grade, Horror
Student Reviewer:

This book was a great read, it had the perfect number of thrillers and twists for it to remain interesting throughout. Main characters have true personalities, and it feels like you are in the story experiencing the events as you read.

  The main character Celeste had failed her previous swimming lesson, so she feels apprehensive about her upcoming trip to her grandparents' lake house. This story also weaves in the history of segregation and has a great message along with the bone chilling ghost aspect of the story. The characters can be relatable, which is great and makes you feel more connected.  This also reminds me of a similar story my brother had told me a while back about a ghost.

  This story is not too scary but has a good plot, the details make this story outstanding, and the curveballs keep you entertained while still having a great, consistent development. One of the best horror/ghost stories I have read so far, this book is great for people who like books with a strong message with some fun twists. I would definitely read it again!

Student Saturday: Up From the Sea by Leza Lowitz

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Genre: Realistic Fiction
Student Reviewer: Aliyah S.

This story takes place in a small town in Honshu Japan. In this town lives a biracial teen named Kai with his mother and grandparents.His best friend in the story is Keiko,a girl in the town his age.Kai’s father lives in New York and Kai hasn’t heard from him in years.

In the story a tsunami hits Kai’s town and you follow the characters through the recovery of the town. After the tsunami Kai is offered a trip to New York to talk to kids who’s lives were changed by 9/11 and while he is in New York he also attempts to find his father.Kai returns from New York to help rebuild his town and encourage others in the town.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the poetry set up of the book and likes an inspiring story. I thought the book was very inspiring because Kai could make good of a devastating situation and keeps hope throughout the book.