Reviewed by Oscar

Rating: High Five!
Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of the Hobbit, Harry Potter, and Eragon.
Synopsis (from Amazon):
The kingdom is in danger. Renegade knight Sir Keren has succeeded in overtaking Castle Macindaw and is now conspiring with the Scotti. The fate of Araluen rests in the hands of two young adventurers: the Ranger Will and his warrior friend, Horace. Yet for Will, the stakes are even higher. For inside the castle, someone he loves is being held hostage. And now the time has come for this onetime apprentice to grow up.

Reviewed by (make a guess!) Olivia :P

Rating: High Four
Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of Bridge to Terabithia, Home of the Brave, and historical fiction in general.
Favorite quote: "When Uncle knocked on the door, I told him to give me a password. He said, "Open this door right this minute young lady or bear my wrath." That happened to be the password, so I let him in." 
Synopsis (from Amazon): 
kira-kira (kee ra kee ra): glittering; shining. Glittering. That's how Katie Takeshima's sister, Lynn, makes everything seem. The sky is kira-kira because its color is deep but see-through at the same time. The sea is kira-kira for the same reason. And so are people's eyes. When Katie and her family move from a Japanese community in Iowa to the Deep South of Georgia, it's Lynn who explains to her why people stop on the street to stare. And it's Lynn who, with her special way of viewing the world, teaches Katie to look beyond tomorrow. But when Lynn becomes desperately ill, and the whole family begins to fall apart, it is up to Katie to find a way to remind them all that there is always something glittering -- kira-kira -- in the future.

Reviewed by Olivia


Rating: High Four
Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of Jerry Spinelli's books, as well as unique ideas for our futuristic Earth
Fav Quote: (coming soon)
Summary (from Amazon): 
The Giver, the 1994 Newbery Medal winner, has become one of the most influential novels of our time. The haunting story centers on twelve-year-old Jonas, who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community. 

Reviewed by Olivia


Rating: High Four 1/2
Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of books with a different look on the world - Every Soul a Star, Hokey Pokey, and books like the School for Good and Evil - similarly, this book is darker than it appears. 
Fav Quote: (coming soon)
Summary (from Amazon): 
They called her Water Claire. When she washed up on their shore, no one knew that she came from a society where emotions and colors didn’t exist. That she had become a Vessel at age thirteen. That she had carried a Product at age fourteen. That it had been stolen from her body. Claire had a son. But what became of him she never knew. What was his name? Was he even alive? She was supposed to forget him, but that was impossible. Now Claire will stop at nothing to find her child, even if it means making an unimaginable sacrifice.Son thrusts readers once again into the chilling world of the Newbery Medal winning book, The Giver,　as well as Gathering Blue and Messenger where a new hero emerges. In this thrilling series finale, the startling and long-awaited conclusion to Lois Lowry’s epic tale culminates in a final clash between good and evil.

Reviewed by Olivia


Rating: High Four
Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of poetry books, Locomotion, Hokey Pokey, and Stargirl, as well as the Evolution of Calipurnia Tate
Fav Quote: 
Summary (from Amazon): 
Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become.

Reviewed by Olivia


Rating: High Five! Favorite book of the year
Who I'd Recommend to: Anyone remotely interested in the universe. Fans of Stargirl, and A Mango Shaped Space.
Fav Quote: (coming soon)]
Summary (from Amazon):
And as streams of light fan out behind the darkened sun like the wings of a butterfly, I realize that I never saw real beauty until now.

At Moon Shadow, an isolated campground, thousands have gathered to catch a glimpse of a rare and extraordinary total eclipse of the sun. Three lives are about to be changed forever:

Ally:
Ally likes the simple things in life-labyrinths, star-gazing, and comet-hunting. Her home, the moon shadow campground, is a part of who she is. She refuses to imagine it any other way.

Bree:
Popular, gorgeous (everybody says so), a future homecoming queen for sure. Bree wears her beauty like a suit of armor. But what is she trying to hide?

Jack:
Overweight and awkward, jack is used to spending a lot of time alone. But when opportunity knocks, he finds himself in situations he never would have imagined. 


Told from three distinct voices and perspectives, Wendy Mass weaves an intricate and compelling story about strangers coming together, unlikely friendships, and finding one's place in the universe.

Reviewed by Olivia


Rating: High Five- I LOVED it and will definitely reread! 
Who I'd Recommend To: People who loved the concept of the Giver and fans of Hokey Pokey and other different, beautiful, tear jerking books. 
Fav Quote: (coming soon) 
Summary (from Amazon): Kira, newly orphaned and lame from birth, is taken from the turmoil of the village to live in the grand Council Edifice because of her skill at embroidery. There she is given the task of restoring the historical pictures sewn on the robe worn at the annual Ruin Song Gathering, a solemn day-long performance of the story of their world's past. Down the hall lives Thomas the Carver, a young boy who works on the intricate symbols carved on the Singer's staff, and a tiny girl who is being trained as the next Singer. Over the three artists hovers the menace of authority, seemingly kind but suffocating to their creativity, and the dark secret at the heart of the Ruin Song. 
 
With the help of a cheerful waif called Matt and his little dog, Kira at last finds the way to the plant that will allow her to create the missing color- blue- and symbolically, to find the courage to shape the future by following her art wherever it may lead. 

Reviewed by Olivia.

Rating: High Three- I like it, and would recommend it to some
Who I'd Recommend to: People with a love of poetic writing- people who enjoy writing by Jerry Spinelli (Hokey Pokey, Stargirl, etc.). and who are okay with going a little deeper into the story to grasp the situation. 
Fav Quote: (Lili speaking) "And maybe when you find God, Lonnie, we can be together again." 
Summary (by Amazon)
When Lonnie was seven years old, his parents died in a fire. Now he's eleven, and he still misses them terribly. And he misses his little sister, Lili, who was put into a different foster home because "not a lot of people want boys-not foster boys that ain't babies." But Lonnie hasn't given up. His foster mother, Miss Edna, is growing on him. She's already raised two sons and she seems to know what makes them tick. And his teacher, Ms. Marcus, is showing him ways to put his jumbled feelings on paper.

Told entirely through Lonnie's poetry, we see his heartbreak over his lost family, his thoughtful perspective on the world around him, and most of all his love for Lili and his determination to one day put at least half of their family back together. Jacqueline Woodson's poignant story of love, loss, and hope is lyrically written and enormously accessible.