Reviewed by Oscar

Rating: High Five!

Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of Eragon, The Ranger's Apprentice, and the Young Samurai series.

Synopsis (from Amazon):
When the Brotherband crew are caught in a massive storm at sea, they’re blown far off course and wash up on the shores of a land so far west that Hal can’t recognize it from any of his maps. Eerily, the locals are nowhere in sight, yet the Herons have a creeping feeling they are being watched.
 
Suddenly the silence is broken when a massive, marauding bear appears, advancing on two children. The crew springs into action and rescues the children from the bear’s clutches, which earns them the gratitude and friendship of the local Mawagansett tribe, who finally reveal themselves. But the peace is short-lived. The Ghostfaces, a ruthless, warlike tribe who shave their heads and paint their faces white, are on the warpath once more. It’s been ten years since they raided the Mawagansett village, but they’re coming back to pillage and reap destruction. As the enemy approaches, the Herons gear up to help their new friends repel an invasion.

Reviewed by Oscar

Rating: High Three

Who I'd Recommend To: N/A

Synopsis: Jack has finally found a home and a purpose on a farm, where he keeps a flock of sheep safe from coyotes and helps train young pups to do the same. But when two sheep disappear in broad daylight, Jack doesn't know what happened to them. Was it his fault? Is he just getting too old for this job? Still, he's determined not to disappoint his boy, Luke, who thinks that Jack is the smartest and fastest dog around. Then Jack and Luke discover that the animal threatening their farm is far more dangerous than any coyote: it's a rabid wolf. Jack knows that he must gather the courage and strength to protect the ones he loves most―but can an old dog learn new tricks?

Reviewed by Olivia

Rating: High Five!

Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of any other of Pam  Munoz Ryan's books, Cornelia Funke, and (just a little bit) Jerry Spinelli.

Synopsis (from Amazon): Lost and alone in a forbidden forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and suddenly finds himself entwined in a puzzling quest involving a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica.

Decades later, Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California each, in turn, become interwoven when the very same harmonica lands in their lives. All the children face daunting challenges: rescuing a father, protecting a brother, holding a family together. And ultimately, pulled by the invisible thread of destiny, their suspenseful solo stories converge in an orchestral crescendo.

Reviewed by Olivia

Rating: High Four
Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of Confessions of a So-Called Middle Child, Rick Riordan, and overall just those books that make you want to read forever...
Synopsis (from Amazon): 
During a spy school game of Capture the Flag, twelve-year-old Ben Ripley somehow accidentally shoots a live mortar into the principal’s office—and immediately gets himself expelled. Not long after going back to the boring old real world, Ben gets recruited by evil crime organization SPYDER.

And he accepts.

As a new student in SPYDER’s evil spy school, which trains kids to become bad guys with classes likeCounter Counterespionage and Laying Low 101, Ben does some secret spying of his own. He’s acting as unofficial undercover agent, and it becomes quickly apparent that SPYDER is planning something very big—and very evil.

Ben can tell he’s a key part of the plan, but he’s not quite sure what the plan is. Can Ben figure out what SPYDER is up to—and get word to the good guys without getting caught—before it’s too late?

Reviewed by Olivia

Rating: High Five
Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of Jerry Spinelli, Pam Munoz Ryan's Paint the Wind, and anything Jacqueline Woodson.
Synopsis: 
When Jack Baker’s father sends him from his home in Kansas to attend a boys’ boarding school in Maine, Jack doesn’t know what to expect. Certainly not Early Auden, the strangest of boys. Early keeps to himself, reads the number pi as a story, and refuses to accept truths others take for granted. Jack, feeling lonely and out of place, connects with Early, and the two become friends. 
 
During a break from school, the boys set out for the Appalachian Trail on a quest for a great black bear. As Jack and Early travel deeper into the mountains, they meet peculiar and dangerous characters, and they make some shocking discoveries. But their adventure is only just beginning. Will Jack’s and Early’s friendship last the journey? Can the boys make it home alive? ​
(click the Read More button below to view the whole review)

Reviewed by Olivia

Rating: High Four
Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of NUMBER THE STARS and SNOW TREASURE
Synopsis:
Hannah dreads going to her family's Passover Seder—she's tired of hearing her relatives talk about the past. But when she opens the front door to symbolically welcome the prophet Elijah, she's transported to a Polish village in the year 1942. Why is she there, and who is this "Chaya" that everyone seems to think she is? Just as she begins to unravel the mystery, Nazi soldiers come to take everyone in the village away. And only Hannah knows the unspeakable horrors that await. ​

Reviewed by Olivia

Rating: High Five!
Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of WILDWOOD and anything written by Lemony Snicket (I only read books 1 and 2 of a Series of Unfortunate Events, and my brother read All the Wrong Questions, but the writing style is definitely similar).
Favorite Quote (I can't decide, so I'm posting both):
"I just want to make sure I have this straight. You say you came across the sea for ballet, even though, thanks to croissants, you're no longer a ballerina. Is that correct?" (the customs officer to Adelaide while moving overseas from Paris to America). 

"Quite easily, monsiuer, quite easily. I have a mole on my back. That mole belongs to me, but that does not mean I want it there." (Mrs. Belmont, Adelaide's mom, after the waiter is astounded that she'll willingly give away her daughter).

Synopsis:
Archer B. Helmsley wants an adventure. No, he needs an adventure. His grandparents were famous explorers . . . until they got stuck on an iceberg. Now Archer's mother barely lets him out of the house. As if that would stop a true Helmsley. Archer enlists Adelaide—the girl who, according to rumor, lost her leg to a crocodile—and Oliver—the boy next door—to help him rescue his grandparents.

Reviewed by Olivia

Rating: High Four
Who I'd Recommend to: fans of Erin Hunter, the Wings of Fire series, and possibly Percy Jackson. 
Synopsis:
A perilous promise . . .

Crookedkit dreams of becoming a great RiverClan leader. Then a mysterious cat appears, whispering promises of greatness and glory—if only Crookedkit will pledge his undying loyalty to his Clan. No cat could have ever imagined the terror and destruction that would lie in one seemingly harmless promise.

Reviewed by Olivia
Rating: High Four
Who I'd Recommend to:  fans of the Hatchet, and books like the Swiss Family Robinson.
Fav Quote: (coming soon)
Summary (from Amazon):
William Golding's compelling story about a group of very ordinary small boys marooned on a coral island has become a modern classic. At first it seems as though it is all going to be great fun; but the fun before long becomes furious and life on the island turns into a nightmare of panic and death. As ordinary standards of behaviour collapse, the whole world the boys know collapses with them—the world of cricket and homework and adventure stories—and another world is revealed beneath, primitive and terrible.Labeled a parable, an allegory, a myth, a morality tale, a parody, a political treatise, even a vision of the apocalypse, Lord of the Flies has established itself as a true classic. 

My Thoughts: Hmm. This book was WAY too long. There was absolutely no build-up to the last four chapters in the first eight, and most of the time I felt bored with the story. However, I normally dislike books classic, or books written in the 20th century. I'm well aware that this book was published in 2003, but the style of the writing is similar to ones like the Hobbit (I enjoyed the Hobbit WAY more than this. All the same, the last four chapters made this story (hardly) worth it, because it did a great job of using these children as a metaphor of our human race (no, I know we don't run around calling ourselves savages and putting war-paint on our faces, striving to kill as many pigs as possible and leaving the head for "the beast.") I was scared along with Ralph, and this story felt very (almost terrifyingly) real at the end... probably until the Naval officer found them. But that's not really the point of the story, although naval officers don't just swoop in and save you everyday (the fire alerting the officer was understandable, though.) 
The characters, though, also bugged me. There were way too many of them - Simon, Samneric, the ten or something "liluns," Roger, Ralph, Piggy, Jack... probably thirty of them. My brother and I were both wondering how all these kids came to be in this plane crash together, and why, by little chance, no adults were left surviving. Were there really so many more kids that not a single adult survived? 
Overall, this book barely earned two stars at the end for the last four chapters, and though I complained a lot in this review, I'd suggest just skipping to the last four, worthwhile chapters, and then if you're still curious, reading every, excruciating,  first eight chapters. 

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.