Jonathan Normilus
Red
06-13-13
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
    What would you do if you woke up one day and have know idea who you are. What about if you don't know anything about you but your name? Well thats what happens to a boy named Thomas. He is newest one of the group of children who this happen to them too. The group Every day they try to escape the maze. there are these special people that leave the maze and they are called runners. They are a group of people who go in the maze and look for a way out. They do this every day and when the come back they go to this building that only they can go to and make maps of the place they went to they look for a way out. But they can't stay in the maze during the night because it changes and it becomes more dangerous. Half robot half animal monsters come and they only have one thing to do and that is to kill every person it sees. So the kids go to the base(or their home) which is called the glade and the people that live that live there are called gladers and stay there until morning. There are these giant walls that move when it is night and it protects them from the monsters.

    I liked everything about this book but he one thing that i liked the most about it is the action and the suspense. The author did an awesome job with that. Like during the beginning of the book when thomas wakes up and he didn't know anything about himself or where he is. Another part is that there are monsters that come out of know where and attack the kids during the night if they aren't safe behind the walls.

    HONORABLE MENTION

Some other books that are great but i didn't choose for my book review is The Enemy series if you love zombie book you will like this one! Another is The Heros of Olympus series and the Mark of Athena. if you have a craving for greek gods and myths this the perfect book for you.

The Girl Of Fire And THorns By Rae Carson

Noel D's The Count of Monte Cristo

Kaitlin T's Before We Were Free

Alex A's Gone

James Walter

June 23, 2013

Plague by Michael Grant

Reviewed by James Walter

Kids, abandoned by their parents by a mysterious cause.  They are fighting among each other for survival.  Now there is a sickness traveling through the setting of Perdido Beach, Florida.  The protagonist, Sam, struggles to find water and is out of the town when a psychopath named drake is tracking down him and the rest of the people who run the Fallout  Alley Youth Zone or FAYZ.the conflict in the story is that the kids of the FAYZ are facing many problems that come up behind them.

I did not like this book because this is the only book in the series were the main character is away from the setting. Also Sam is not involved in the conflict until about ¾ of the way through the book. This book and entire gone series has showed me what life would be like without adult.

Safe Haven By Nicholas Sparks

Ophelie C's Animoto The Other Side Of The Island

Escape Under the Forever Sky

 

                  
          Nezzi D's Red Pyramid

Vivi M's Tangerine

Vivi M's Tangerine

The Adventures of Hugo Cabret, Jose M

EllRay James is a Rockstar, Stella P

EllRay James is a Rock Star :

By: Sally Warner

Reviewed by : Stella P.

  In Oak Glen Primary School, EllRay, who is the protagonist of the story, is not one of the popular kids. He was jealous of all the kids, because their dad, has cool things, for example Jared’s dad owns a brand new car with flames, and Kevin’s  dad is rich, but EllRay’s dad is just a geologist. He thought it was so boring , until he finds out that his dad, brought some crystals from all over the world. When EllRay brings them to school, everyone is so impressed, but so impressed, that they keep the crystals for themselves. EllRay needs a plan, to get his dad’s crystals back, before valentine’s day, which is in two days. Read, to find out what happens next.

I really liked this book, because it has an exciting plot and twists, that you can’t imagine, for example, EllRay was a pretty shy kid, and the minute his friends dared him to go into the girls bathroom, he did it. He did it only for one thing, the crystals. I would recommend this book for 12 years old an up. This book is really well written, and that connects to the idea that, if you do something wrong, by accident, you break something, you have to do anything, give anything, to make it right, and especially if it’s not yours.

I would like to give and Honorable mention to the books I read , but didn't choose to write a review about: The Hunger Games series, Unspoken, My best frenemy, Cleopatra VII, and The Secret Life Of Bees

The Fault In Our Stars by John K Animoto project

Maddie animoto

George S. Alex Rider

Kian R's The Angel's Command

E.L.A

Class: red

Book Review: The Fear

Jake Matton

    The book that I thought was the best that I read this year is The Fear by Charlie Higson. It starts of in London no specific date just modern times. Now in London there is disease that anyone over the age of 16 becomes... a zombie! Originally there was a big group of kids from the previous book that got split up and this book takes place with the half of the kids that settled in The Tower of London. Now they are doing pretty good there they have food, water, weapons and organization but DogNut can’t seem to forget about a crush he had on Brook, even though she was long gone with the other group. but he has one problem that he doesn’t know about Brooks best friend Courtney who is in the same group as DogNut has a crush on him!

   

    Now this book is a very intense one with a lot of pain and hardship. I would say this book reminds me of importance of the little things in life that don’t matter but they make life just that much better. I would say the little things in life are so important because in a horrible world filled with zombies where you constantly live in fear you need those small things that give you just that small jolt of happiness.

    During the course of this book there are many things i love about it. The thing that I liked most about it is that everything connects. What I mean by that is all of the things that happened in the two previous books fit absolutely perfect, even the most minute of details. Another thing I like about this book is that the author gets incredibly in detail with every thing and its amazing especially when it comes to the gruesome parts. When I read this book or any of the previous books I feel like i’m in the middle of the action right there with the characters.

                    HONORABLE MENTION

• The Enemy series by Charlie Higson

• The Maze Runner series by James Dashner

Crossed by Allie Condie

Eva McDonald

Red

06/16/13 Book Review-Final Draft           Crossed

Ally Condie

 Imagine yourself in a futuristic dystopian world, where there is labor rather than lounging, where the government picks who you marry.  Where you are destroyed with one word of rebellion, where you are secretly tracked through your own trusty coat.  You are controlled through red pills, causing you to lose control.  The government is almost torturous, your survival is hanging by a thread.  There is no one to trust, your own childhood friend can betray you, can side with the enemy, and defeat you with the slightest lift of a finger.  Countless people are killed from false nature, one action and you may end up dead.  The world is full of lies, nothing is trustworthy-not even the ground beneath you.  This world is called Society.

They say two is better than one, this story is told in two different points of views by lovers who were separated by Society’s harsh government.  Cassia, sent to work with other girls at a strict camp and Ky, forced into the fields where he tries to survive the enemy’s bombs almost nightly. Letters aren’t enough anymore, the space between them has grown since Xavier has come back into Cassia’s life.  Cassia already has enough problems with her match, Xavier.  He isn’t acting normal and she has to choose between Ky or him-To break the wondrous rules of love or to break one man’s heart?  Word is there happens to be a rebellion, started by an old town known for its bravery and freedom.  Society hears-the town fleds to another headquarters.  The word reaches Ky and Cassia, Ky leaves for another field nearby, while Cassia sneaks onto a plane to work in the same fields as Ky.  They search for the rebellion, to stand up for their history.  The real question is; will they ever be reunited again? Or will she choose Xavier and live an easier life?

 This book was exactly what I was looking for, a touch of romance, history, and full of action.  It made me come out of my shell at the time; I would never have been brave enough to escape a guarded camp and run for my life in an open canyon.  So much happened, it was mysterious within every chapter.  The book felt like your average Scratch & Win.

 Condie sent many messages throughout the book.  But the book always reminded me of a quote I had always heard; “If you love someone, set them free.  If it’s true, they’ll come back.” Ky never wanted to let Cassia go, but he had to.  Their love is questioned throughout the book, depending on who she chooses.

Honorable Mentions

1. Twilight-Stephenie Meyer

2. New Moon-Stephenie Meyer

3. Eclipse-Stephenie Meyer

4. Breaking Dawn-Stephenie Meyer

5. Ash-Unknown

A Living Nightmare Animoto Project

Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

Girl of Fire and Thorns By Rae Carson

Reviewed by Christine S

Girl of Fire and Thorns Book Review

Imagine yourself as a 16 year old princess of the kingdom named Joya D’arena being married to a man you’ve never met. Not only that but find yourself chosen from god, holding a secret stone inside your body, destined to act in a heroic service. This is the life of the protagonist Elisa of The Girl Of Fire And Thorns by Rae Carson a long time ago in the lands of Joya D’arena, Great Desert, and Brisadulce. Elisa troubles to find her act, and finds herself useless, as she is larger in size than the average princess.

This book was amazing! The storyline seems to fit together like a puzzle. A large self-conscious princess, who  has been chosen by god, and  feels lost in her life, is the perfect mixture to fit it in the fact that this book seemed to go back more than 1,000 years, and was really easy to compare the life back then to now. Messages were written, and it took about a month to arrive at its destination, and sometimes it won’t make it at all! In present day, we can send messages online or over text, and make phone calls in seconds. This really made me think about the developments of technology over time.

The character Elisa partially reminded me of Cinderella. She has a older sister who was slim, beautiful and had the attention of many men. Cinderella had stepsisters who had all the glory, and lived life being well served. Elisa was always forgotten, and no one really cared for her even though she was a princess, just like no one cared for Cinderella even though she was gorgeous, and well rounded. Elisa just needs time, and a friend to help her reach out of her comfort zone, and be the heroic princess god wanted her to be!

Honorable Mentions

• Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers
• Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
• Closed for the Season by Mary Downing Hanh

Gone by: Michael Grant

Alex Abrahamyan

6-15-13

Red Class

Book Review: Gone

    My favorite book that I read this year was Gone, by Michael Grant.

    Imagine all the parents, teachers, nurses, policemen, firefighters...GONE. It is a very frightening idea right? Well this happened during the “FAYZ”. All were gone except the boys and girls under fifteen. Bullies make new rules for kids to follow. Kids start mutating and having unbelievable powers. Animals change, evolve and start to talk. There was a round barrier of electricity surrounding everything like a cage. It was a challenging place to live in the FAYZ for everybody. The protagonist in the book is Sam Temple. He is a clever, kind, and loving boy. He becomes the leader that faces the bullies with his many helpers. He develops powers, so magnificent. The setting of the book is the FAYZ but this includes Perdido Beach, Coates Academy, the power plant and more. The problem that everybody is trying to solve is how to get out of the FAYZ. They are all trapped in there like animals. They are running out of supplies and food. Will they survive the FAYZ?

    I enjoyed this book very much because even though it is very hard to imagine that this type of thing would happen to you, it is believable that this could have happened to somebody else in the world. I liked the idea that the author had in mind when writing this book because it is very creative. The characters seem real but their powers make it seem like they are completely different people. It is an incredible book and I enjoyed reading every sentence of it. This book reminded me of the types of problems that we can actually have in our world.  Gone taught me that no matter what happens, your friendship with others will save you.  Our world is not perfect and never will be. Gone makes me think about how massive the importance of friendship and family is. You cannot survive by yourself, you need others with you. I recommend this book to all of my friends because it is a very creative book and I think that they will all enjoy it.

Honorable Mention Books:

• Hero- Mike Lupica
• On the Devil’s Court- Carl Deuker
• Million Dollar Throw- Mike Lupica

Things Not Seen- Andrew Clements

The Roar by Emma Clayton

King Alexander Jelly James Felix Feltner Harrison Barnes III Jr

6-11-13

Humanities AM

Book Trailer

The Roar

In the future, things aren’t the same. The Plague has terrorized humans into hiding behind The Wall. The Wall means safety, away from the dangerous Outside. Inside of London, animals are dead and The Plague is non-existent. Every human in the world is behind The Wall, and guarded with utmost importance. The city is dirty, fresh food is gold. The  poor live in nothing but flooded, moldy broken-down shacks underneath the fairy-palace in the sky.... every day seems mundane and gray, but one day something is different. Mika can’t find his twin, Ellie. They’re different than other children, mutants even. Bullied and harassed, life isn’t so great. But one day, a new game comes to London, sponsored by the government. Pod Fighter is the biggest that anyone has ever heard of... the greatest game ever made. At least, you think it’s a game...

I loved this book. Emma Clayton’s  Futuristic Sci-Fi Action blew me away. This book reminded me of Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, however it was not as steam-punk as much Future Dystopia.   From the Arcade to London to the Sky, everything flowed and excited me until the very last sentence.

HONORABLE MENTION BIBLIOGRAPHY

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld bookyurt.com

Divergent by Veronica Roth pettuselem.blogspot.com

Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez

Book Review: Before We Were Free

Reviewed By: Kaitlin T.

A world with no privacy; no democracy; no mercy; just a cruel dictator with levels of cruelty never seen anywhere else. This is the Dominican Republic in the 1960’s. Imagine being a 12 year old girl during this time of horror. Now imagine all that horror in addition to your cousins moving to America, your house being searched, your dad getting in trouble, your uncle going into hiding, and your sister having to leave the country. All that horror, all that sadness, all the confusion and all the mysteries in one book; that book is called Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez.

This book was so amazing. I know it takes a lot to make a teenager grateful for what they have, but this book accomplished just that. I had no idea that a girl about my age could go through so much and still be brave. Her dad was taken from her to go to a cruel jail that not many people come out alive from and she still stayed strong. When she and her mom had to go into hiding, she still stayed strong. When her sister left the country to avoid the dictator’s so-called love toward her and she still stayed strong. This made me feel for her, I always would say to myself, “What would I do if I was in her position?” and I would always end up thinking, “I don’t know”. But this girl actually put thought into her next move; every choice was a one of life or death. I compared some current issues in my life to hers and it made me realize that I have an awesome life. For this reason I think that this book opened my eyes to see that you only live once, (yolo), so at least try to make your life better, it is better to die trying than to have died giving up.

Honorable Mentions

• “Jane” by April Lindner
• “No Strings Attached” by Judy Blundell

“Gathering Blue” by Lois Lowry

Lovely by Allison Liddelle

Calla Chaiyaruk
June 13, 2013
Red
Book review.                                                                              
 

Have you ever felt like there was no hope for you, and wanted to give up your life? That's all Alice thinks and feels every day in the story, Lovely, by Allison Liddelle. In the book, Lovely, Alice is the main character who lives in the present. Alice has all these feelings of no hope and always having to cut herself and commit suicide. The conflict in the story is, well, her life; her abusive father and the fact her own mother won't even stand up for her own daughter.

Alice's character reminds me a bit of myself, and how we both think of our self image and how sometimes we both can be insecure. The author really makes me as a reader think about how Alice feels and how we would feel to be In her shoes. Alice as a character is full of talent,but allows people to only see her in pain, because she doesn't want to let people know how she feels and to burden them.

Honorable mentions
Some girls are, by Courtney Summers
Number the stars, by Lois Lowry
Breaking Dawn, by Stephanie Meyer
Timeless, by Pamela Diana King

One Misssissippi By Mark Childress

Reviewed by: Julie D.T.

The Musgrove family is going through rough times. Their moving trailer blows up as well as all their belongings.  They move to Mississippi, into an almost empty house and only a few sets of clothes. A few months after being in Mississippi, the family begins to settle in. Jeff Musgrove finds a friend by the name of Tom Cousins. His Dad finds a job and they move into a new house near a Drive-In Movie Theater.  Jeff and Tom both find prom dates; Jeff noticed a beautiful girl name Arnita Beecham whom is the first African girl to win prom queen in the history of their school.  After a tragic accident Arntia and Jeff become very close friends and good things keep on happening, until the boys secrets get out. Read more to find out Jeff’s story of moving to Mississippi.

I enjoyed this book because many occurrences took place during the story, and it was a fast paced book. The author did a great job adding things that actually happen in a teen’s life to the book.  I could not put the book down, and always needed to know what happened next, due to every page being a cliff hanger.  I would highly recommend this book to any young adult reader.

           The book, One Mississippi, taught me to always speak the truth and not lie about crimes.  This is because Jeff and Tom committed crimes which lead up to many horrible things happening.  Instead of waiting for the last minute to come clean and face the truth, tell someone what you have done, so you can find help and not cause more problems to happen. Those are just one of the many things this great book taught me. 

Honorable Mentions:

The World, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things

Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets

Johnny Tremain

I Know What You Did Last Summer By Lois Duncan

I Know What You Did Last Summer    By: Lois Duncan
Reviewed by: Kerri T.

I read the attention catching book, I Know What You Did Last Summer.  It’s about a girl named Julie and her boyfriend named Ray, also Helen and her boyfriend named Barry. One summer there driving home from a party and they were a little drunk and probably shouldn't have been driving, but they turned a corner and hit a little boy named David on a bike! They all panicked, David was just laying there, they didn't know whether to call the cops or not...and they didn't because Ray was old enough to go to jail, because he was the oldest. Then they drove away.
A year later Julie gets a letter in the mail that says “I know what you did last summer.” Should they be scared? Did someone find out?
I liked this book because, it’s a mystery and scary book and I really enjoy those kinds of books. A theme that really helps me understand this book better is DUI (driving under the influence).

HONORABLE MENTION:
Wonder
Hunger Games
Holes
Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone

I Know What You Did Last Summer By Lois Duncan

I Know What You Did Last Summer    By: Lois Duncan
Reviewed by: Kerri T.

I read the attention catching book, I Know What You Did Last Summer.  It’s about a girl named Julie and her boyfriend named Ray, also Helen and her boyfriend named Barry. One summer there driving home from a party and they were a little drunk and probably shouldn't have been driving, but they turned a corner and hit a little boy named David on a bike! They all panicked, David was just laying there, they didn't know weather to call the cops or not...and they didn't because Ray was old enough to go to jail, because he was the oldest. Then they drove away.
A year later Julie gets a letter in the mail that says “I know what you did last summer.” Should they be scared? Did someone find out?
I liked this book because, it’s a mystery and scary book and I really enjoy those kinds of books. A theme that really helps me understand this book better is DUI (driving under the influence).

HONORABLE MENTION:
Wonder
Hunger Games
Holes
Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone

Wonder R.J. Palacio

Reviewed by- Jacquie F

           How would you feel if you walked into a public place and everyone just stares at you? Or you are a kid at the playground and all the other kids run away from you because they are scared of you?

A fifth grader named August has never been to public school. His facial deformities have been keeping him from going to public school and many other public places. He feels and acts just like any other typical kid but when he goes out in public that all changes. He gets stared at and when he goes to the playground with other kids they run away from him. But, this year was going to be different, for better or for good. August was going to public school.

This book is about August and his struggle to find his “group”, and face bullies in his first year of public school. It is told from multiple people’s point of view including August, his sister Via and a few kids in his grade.

I liked this book a lot because it was told from multiple points of views. When the other did this it helped me understand everyone’s thoughts. It also helped me realize everything typical kids take for granted. It wasn’t even as if he had Autism or Cerebral Palsy or anything along those lines. He only had a few facial deformities and that affects a person so much. I know a lot about special needs and how it affects peoples social lives and daily activities because my mom works at a special needs school but it never occurred to me that something as simple as a facial deformity would affect someone’s social life so much.

Honorable Mention-

Out of My Mind By: Sharon M. Draper