Actual Rating 4.5
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain, is a pretty good novel. The main character of course being Tom goes through a series of interesting things. He witnesses things he probably shouldn't have and spends a lot of time with his small group of friends. He faces a lot of adventures and risky things throughout. This book is good especially if you read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn after.
Reviewer Grade: 12
Actual Rating: 2.5
Heart of Darkness is a classic book by Joseph Conrad that is deep, heavy, and somewhat disturbing. I probably would have given this book more stars if it were not for the immense amounts of dialogue and a maddeningly complex storyline. I did find what the book was actually about interesting, however, trying to follow along with what was happening with all the detailing and talking practically made my brain come out my ears. So, in spite of the complexity, I will sum it up as best as I can. Here’s basically what happens: The book begins with the narrator (presumably an unnamed sailor), along with several others, listening to a man named Marlow tell a story on board the Nellie, a sailing vessel. Marlow tells them a story about when he was a young man working a job as an ivory transporter on the Congo. Through an ivory trading expedition, he develops an interest in a man named Kurtz, who seems to have a godlike power over the natives. Through talking to several others, he discovers three main things about the mysterious Kurtz: that he is in poor health, that he has tons of ivory, and, according to one source, that he may be trying to steal the manager’s job. Marlow and some of Kurtz’s acquaintances then take a boat to bring relief to the man, but are attacked by the natives. They later learn that the natives attacked them because they were worried that Kurtz would be taken away from them. I will not give away any more as it may ruin the story, but it is a somewhat tragic one. I would recommend this book to people who like books that are deep and thought provoking, and can comprehend complex plots and conversations.
Reviewer Grade: 7
This book caught my eye because of the title. Just the sound of "The New Recruit" makes the book sound like it is full of adventure...and it is!
The story opens with the introduction of the main character, a prospective freshman varsity basketball player named Spencer Garmond. He is living with his grandmother in Pilot Point, California, and has been living with her ever since his dad left the family and his mother died. Spencer's grandmother threatens to pull him out of his Christian school and put him in military school. Fortunately for Spencer, a mysterious man named Mr. Stopplecamp wishes to recruit Spencer for a Bible club called Mission League. Forced to chose between military school and the league, Spencer signs up with the Mission League, but soon realizes the true purpose of the league (which is not to be Bible geeks). This book is filled with adventure, action, spying on Russia, and other "fun stuff." A must read for anyone who is looking for a James Bond type story with lots of humor and, maybe, a bit of romance.
Reviewer Grade: 9
Actual Rating: 3.5
This book is about a teenage boy who tries to become the youngest person to climb Mt. Everest, while doing so he finds his true self. I liked this book because it demonstrates the problem teenagers have growing up. I picked this book because it was recommended by a friend with similar literature interests. I enjoyed that this book shows that even the worst people of this world still do the right thing. I did not enjoy that the book could be very repetitive. This book was sometimes predictable, which made it less interesting. I cannot relate to these characters because they were too complex. This is not one of the best books I have read this year.
Reviewer Grade: 8
I honestly was not expecting this to be as good of a book as it was. I guess I was thinking it would be more like Treasure Island (which I didn’t like too much). It actually turned out to be a really good story about a twelve year old girl named Charlotte Doyle who has booked a voyage with two other families on the Seahawk ship to return home from her school in England to see her family. Charlotte then discovers that the two other families have mysteriously cancelled their trip, making her the only girl on the ship. She then has many adventures on the Seahawk with the shipmates and the cruel Captain Jaggery involving a silver dirk, storms at sea, muskets, round robins, watery coffee… and possibly murder. I highly recommend this book to anybody who likes historical fiction, books told in diary form, books about seafaring, or is just looking for a good book to read.
Reviewer Grade: 7
Oddball children with specific circumstances. A strange series of tests only some can pass. When these children see an advert in the newspaper asking for children with smarts, these parentless kids meet by chance. Soon after, they get thrown into a world of futuristic danger and must solve one problem after another the only way children can-creativity.
I very much enjoyed this book because while reading, you are just as much lost in the confusion as the characters are! You go through the tests and the challenges with the mains, and the twists never stop coming, yet somehow intricately connect in the end. This book makes you look at the world with more imaginative eyes, and you see the more creative solutions to problems as you take inspiration from the characters. Upon seeing the cover, I was already intrigued, and reading the synopsis only further increased my curiosity. Not at all predictable, yet still an easily-followable plot line, this book was a fantastic read from start to finish.
Reviewer Grade: 9
This is a fascinating and controversial tale of one woman’s experience in Australia traveling with an Aboriginal tribe. She leaves the hotel one morning to attend a meeting with the tribe and ends up on a three-month trek through the outback. Whether the account is 100% true or not, the message can be relevant and provocative: that our society is pulling us away from our true nature and our innate connection with the environment. I really enjoyed the different lessons from the Aboriginal tribe and how perceiving our society in a totally different light can be very beneficial. This is one of the books I have read that stays with me long after I have read it and that I continually ponder, so I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a thought-provoking read.
Reviewer Grade: 12
Yes, some might think this is only a children's book, but I am a teen and I loved it! This book is the predecessor to The Mysterious Benedict Society series, but you could read it by itself and still understand what is going on. Maybe that is why I loved it so much.
Basically, the story is about the life of the creator of the Mysterious Benedict Society, Nicholas Benedict, but when he was nine (which makes him all the cuter) and his troubles in an orphanage from bullies to friendships.
In between all of this, he also tries to figure out the mystery behind the orphanage he lives in. The downside: he had a chronic sleeping disorder that makes him fall asleep anytime, anyplace. The upside: he's a downright genius.
I think this is a lovely, well written book that will charm people of all ages. Don't give a second thought about reading it!
Okay...I had heard about this book, and then I read it. I thought it was AMAZING. Characters were very good. First person was great, but very funny and realistic. I loved it. I loved Fang, Iggy, Nudge, and the Gasman. I felt like Angel was just a character I personally didn't connect with (she is the kind of character I never like- the kind of character who everyone just adores and dotes over, when, in reality, they are kind of annoying) and Max was great too- tomboyish, but not so much that she was super annoying. I read this book in two or three days (it is around four hundred pages) and the only reason I would say it isn't a five star, is that there is language. Now, mind you, there isn't very much. But what there is is not polite and offensive.
They say Oh my _ , which is extremely offensive to me, and it is used very often in this book. I just wanted to tell you, great book except for these words. I would suggest this book for thirteen years old at the very youngest. I myself am a teen, but I did not enjoy reading the language James Patterson uses. Still, I like the series A LOT, even though some of the characters annoy me more now than when I first started. Great, great, great book! I loved the characters and story!
When you start reading this, you can't put it down, kinda like the Hunger Games. I would recommend this to people who like to read action/adventure. This is about a girl who goes on a plane and it crashes and all she has is a raft, a total stranger named Max, and a bag of Skittles.
They have no water and there are sharks in the area and no sign of help. Will they survive?
An exciting adventure that takes you all across the globe! A mix between Indiana Jones and The DaVinci Code. Discover ancient secrets and avoid deadly booby traps as you join Jack West Jr. in his search for the seven wonders.
While not as good as previous Dresden adventures Cold Days is a welcome return to Harry's universe. It's always nice to visit with Harry and his friends. He always manages to find himself in the most precarious of situations. And even though it's no surprise that he always gets out of trouble it's still nice to see how he accomplishes it.