Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to live in a house with seven boys? Although this may seem unrealistic but super super fun, for Megan Meade this is real. It's actually happening. Megan Meade is NOT good at talking to boys and when her parents tell her they're moving to South Korea she refuses to go with them. Her parents tell her that her only other option is to go live with the McGowan boys. Which, I personally don't find that terrible. But Megan hasn't seen these boys since they were little and all she remembers about them is how terrible they are. They're all super crazy all the time and Megan is not exactly excited to go live with them, but it's better than moving to South Korea, in her opinion.

When Megan first pulls into the driveway all she sees are boys. Really really ridiculously good looking boys playing shirts vs. skins Frisbee... Yummy. But Megan wasn't sure she wanted to come live with the boys until her friend Tracy convinces her to go live with the boys and email her all the tips she figures out about boys behavior, and how they truly are. When she pulls up into the driveway of her new home she's glad she moved in with them because they are all, in her words, "blessed by the Abrocrombie Gods", which means they're all just beautiful!!

Megan goes through a ton of difficult times trying to figure out if it's Finn or Evan that she likes. Finn and Evan are brothers, so she doesn't quite know which one to go for. Also, she needs to figure out how to live through the school year without having all the boys hate her in the household. Because honestly, how bad would that suck? Living in a house full of boys where not one of them likes you.

I recommend this books to girls who want to read a book that is some-what realistic but at the same time something that would never happen to most people. This book has good relationships turning into bad relationships and gossip ruining peoples reputations and Megan ends up falling in love with the guy you don't expect, so I guess you could say it is a unpredictable read. There wasn't anything very vulgar about this book. It talked about what most teenagers think/talk about as well. But if you are uncomfortable with the words breast, sex, or tampon, you should probably stay away from this. But if you're not, then PICK UP THIS BOOK! It was great!!!

Harry Potter and the Half - Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half - Blood Prince:

This is the 6th book in the Harry Potter series by the brilliant, J.K. Rowling. Harry just returned from the battle at the Ministry of Magic, where he faced Voldemort and his Death Eaters ( A group of witches and wizards who follow Voldemort ). There, an evil witch named Bellatrix, who killed Harry's godfather, Serious black. Not only did he have to deal with that loss, but also the horrible information that was being held in a prophecy. Which said that the boy who was once marked by the Dark Lord, would have the power to vanquish him, and that neither one of them could live while the other one survived.
The Half - Blood Prince begins slightly different than the other books in the series. A muggle prime minister is visited by Cornelious Fudge ( A wizard ), who tells him that Lord Voldemort has returned, and that several catastrophes like a bridge collapse, a hurricane, and a couple murders were all the work of Voldemort.
Once again, Harry is sent to live with his muggle relatives, the Vernons. His stay there was the shortest ever, as Dumbledore ( head master of Hogwarts ) comes to Privet Drive to take him to the Burrow, the home of his best friend Ron Weasley.
When he returned to Hogwarts, he learns that the unlikeable Potions teacher, Snape, has finally achieved his dream of becoming the teacher of Defense Against the Dark Arts. This is bad for Harry, because Defense Against the Dark Arts is one of the subjects he enjoyed.
Every week, Dumbledore invites Harry to his office to begin a series of trips to learn the true nature of Lord Voldemort. Draco Malfoy ( one of Harry's enemies ) is sneaking around the castle, and seems to be on some sort of evil mission. Harry receives Potions advice from a second hand Potions book filled with notes by someone calling themselves the "Half - Blood Prince". While all this is going on, two students are attacked and almost killed by who knows what? Love is in the air with almost everybody, including Rons little sister Ginny.
In the end, Harry discovers why Voldemort did not die when his curse for baby Harry backfired. It changes the whole story, and makes it even more interesting and intense. There are a lot of unexpected suprises in the conclusion of this wonderful book. In some parts of this book, I just about wet my pants, and while reading other parts, I started to get a little teary eyed. I recomend reading this if you are around the ages of 11, or older. I suggest that you don't watch the movie before you read the book, because the book is so much better, and has a ton more detail than the movie. Read it!!!

The Sphinx's Princess

The Sphinx's Princess by Esther Friesner is interesting but horrible. Fiction mixed with historical importance and facts really enticed me at the beginning of this book. However, the end is like a jarring stab of pain. The Sphinx's Princess is very similar in topic to a book called The Red Pyramid. They both take place in an ancient Egyptian time period. In the Sphinx's Princess, the author really uses the time period and place to prove that truth is the most powerful value and possible weapon in some one's life.

The main character of this book is Nefertiti. She is a very lovable girl who loves her family and honors her gods. When her family comes to receive an invitation to visit her aunt, who is married to the Pharaoh, they soon find out that Nefertiti is to be forced to marry Thutmose, who is next in line to be Pharaoh. Of course Nefertiti didn't like the cold and arrogant prince so she postponed the wedding as long as she could. Nefertiti's friends Sitamun, Amenophis, and Nava help her get out of some tight spots while she is staying at the palace. The plot of this book is really good and you can tell that it is leading up to something great, but right before her real adventure begins the book ends! It is almost like this book is the prologue to the next books in the series.

In this book I felt like I could really feel what the characters felt. For instance, at the beginning of the story Nava could not talk. When ever Nefertiti would long to hear her say something, I would long with her. If one of the characters felt hatred or love to someone else, I could feel their energy and their opinion coursing through me. Esther Friesner was really good at describing feeling and emotion through the characters' words and actions.

I think that one of the most common talents in a teenager is that we know how to use sarcasm. Either Esther Friesner is a teenager or she has that talent too. At the beginning of the book it took a minute to catch on to the characters' constant sarcastic comments. But in the middle and towards the end it became easy to realize the meaning in the words and it became quite funny. Here is a very sarcastic quote from Nefertiti's scribe teacher, "Why are all of my best students girls?" Hearing the sarcasm made me feel like I was a part of the book. Also, it made it sound like this story was something normal that we would talk about at school.

As I mentioned earlier, truth is a very important concept in the Sphinx's Princess. To always tell the truth is one of the many commandments from the Egyptian gods. Throughout the entire book the plot is twisted and turned because the characters always have to tell the truth. Following their Gods' rules is really important to them because they don't want to be accused of wrong doing while being judged in the after life. I learned from this book that telling the truth is the right thing to do some of the time. However, occasionally keeping the truth from the ones you love is the best way to protect them.

Over all, this Sphinx's Princess is really good. But be forewarned that the beginning is kind of slow. Also, as you have probably already noticed, I think that the end is a big bowl of crap. Even though the middle is really good while you are reading it, the end kind of puts a sour cherry on the pie. I would say read it, because it is written so well that you will get enticed. But, I would also say, don't come complaining to me when you see how big of a cliff hanger the end really is.

Fablehaven

None who enter will leave unchanged. That is the promise told to you at the beginning of Fablehaven, by Brandon Mull. This fictional book provides you with imagination and new ideas.

Kendra and Seth were dropped off at their grandparents' house while their parents went on their own little trip. At first they're annoyed and bored. Although, after they realize that the fancy butterflies and birds in the garden are really intricate little fairies, they start to get different ideas about the place. The two grandchildren stayed at Fablehaven over midsummer's night. This is the night that all of Fablehaven breaks loose and all you can do is stay away and not look at the nightmares happening right outside your window. Seth was a rule breaker, so he didn't listen to his grandfather. This leads to disaster, and lives were put in peril.

Kendra follows rules to the nail. Her little brother, Seth, has never followed any rule besides gravity. Throughout the book, problems come with both personalities. For example, Seth's ordeal is obvious since not following rules can only mean trouble. He caught a fairy and kept it in a jar. It turned into a terrible little creature and turned Seth into a walrus! The next time Seth decided to break a rule, it almost killed his grandparents, himself, and the rest of the reserve!! Kendra has her own problems because some rules really are meant to be broken. There was a barn, absolutely prohibited, but Seth and Kendra knew they had to go in there. Kendra struggled to be disobedient, and kinda freaked out until Seth went up ahead with confidence and kicked down the door to get in. Her fear to break a promise made it harder to fight the fantasies in Fablehaven that haunted them.

Eventually both Kendra and Seth realized that rules can go either way, you just have to use your best judgment to know what is right or wrong. Their experiences in Fablehaven changed them for the better. It got Kendra past her fears, and kept Seth double checking his ideas.

I felt like this book was really good. It kept my interest, and kept promising more and more action with every step the characters took. I especially loved the part where Kendra had to go across the lake in her paddle boat. (I wont say why she is doing this in case some of you haven't read this book.) When the naiads tried to tip her and she fought back, they kept going on with it. Quickly, Kendra realized that her reactions were what made their game so fun. So she just stopped. She waited, and kept her patience over and over again. She finally reached her goal. I thought it was pretty funny how she didn't play back. She knew what they were thinking and worked around that. They teased her so she teased back, just in a more silent way.

This book was grand. It made me laugh, and think of times in my life where I can relate to it. I hope if any of you haven't read it, you will read it now. (P.S. this grade I'm giving it makes it seem worse than it is, I guess I'm just kinda picky about which books I give great grades to, ya know what I'm saying? Maybe not...) B+

Massive

I had very mixed feelings about Massive written by Julia Bell. Even though this book was fiction, it was very realistic. However, I would say this is one of the worst books I have picked up. Although it is centered around Eating Disorders, it didn't fit my forte. The book mainly has to do with how a divorce, a move, an eating disorder, and a secret turn one teen's world upside down.

Set in England, 14 year old Carmen has always been overweight. Nevertheless, she is constantly on a diet. Her mother has always been the same except she is thin....really thin. Her mother is obsessed with losing weight and she expects the same from her daughter. At the start, Carmen and her mother live with Carmen's step-father, Brian. But when her mother makes an unexpected move to Birmingham bringing Carmen with her, Carmen is torn from her school, friends, and the only dad she's ever known. Now she is thrown into a life filled with family members she's never spoken too and other teenagers involved in the wrong things. As her life spirals out of control Carmen begins to take charge of the only thing she can--what she eats. She soon follows in her mother's footsteps; sometimes not eating at all and other times throwing up what she does eat. I mean if she were thin, really thin, could it all be different?

First, since reading this book I have discovered how real child abuse is. It isn't just in the physical form but in the verbal form too. And although Carmen's mother, Maria is equipped with a very diseased mind I felt like Carmen was put through what most people don't endure in a whole lifetime. For brief moments there is a sense of love in their small apartment but then that moment ends and reality comes crashing in. Most of the time Carmen has to put on a brave face and make it through with no help at all. She tries to reach out to someone and get help but she never can. Instead, she has to suffer in silence.

Next, in reading this I have discovered how true this story is. It really does relate to problems that regular teens face each and every day. Thrown in with the fun British language is an abusive mother-daughter relationship, teen sex, backstabbing "friends", and drugs/smoking. I could really connect to Carmen in certain parts, but like I mentioned earlier I had mixed feelings. At some points in the story I felt as if the author had mixed more adult themes in there than she had meant to. I felt as if she wasn't sure what she wanted to write about in some parts. But, then again I have a completely different mind compared to the author.

In closing, this book wasn't the best and it wasn't the worst. It was more of a story that you could read if you were looking for a cold, hard dose of reality. Massive is very dark and could scare a few people. I would not recommend this unless you, yourself are going through an issue similar to Carmen's. And even then, I would warn readers to not be afraid to put the book down. C

Jane Yolen's historical fiction book "The Devils Arithmetic" is not about math. It is actually about the very sad times of the Holocaust. This very moving book can be sad in parts, but even though it's sad, it is a great book.

Hannah is starting to dislike family gatherings. They are always about the past, and she couldn't care less about it. Little does she know, this year is going to be very different than all of the other years. As she opens the door for the prophet Elijah, she sees the unexpected. Out of no where, Hannah is in the past during the Holocaust with a different body, but the same mind. She then realized remembering things is important.

This book lacks details in some areas. I wanted to feel like I was there, but sometimes I just couldn't understand what it was like. Yet, in different parts, I did feel like I was there. It had moments that opened my eyes to how horrible and evil the Nazis really were. The word choice was effective, and most of it was explained well.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. It doesn't have many themes that I would worry about, and it's something everyone should read anyways so people can realize how bad the holocaust was.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a masterpiece. This is my favorite book of the series so far (I'm only on the 5th book). The way that J.K. Rowling's writing draws you in and devours you (or do you devour the book?) like a black hole amazes and inspires me. This fantasy fiction novel kept me up all night in pure anticipation and excitement until 3:00 in the morning everyday during the weekends.

This time, in his 4th year at Hogwarts, Harry finds that Hogwarts isn't the only Magic school out there. At the first of the year feast, he is told that there will be no Quidditch practice, the Wizard sport that Harry has mastered and loved his entire life at Hogwarts. To his great surprise, he finds out that they will be hosting a deadly competition called the Tri-Wizard Tournament. In this competition, three schools, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Beuaxbatons Academy of Magic, and Durmstrang Institute, compete in three tasks. In the first task, Harry has to battle the fierce Hungarian Horntail dragon and wins, despite nearly getting blown off his broom and gaining severe burns and scrapes. The second task, Harry has to survive underwater in the Great Lake for an hour to save his best friend, Ronald Weasley. Luckily, Harry's faithful friend Dobby, a house-elf who feels that he is forever in Harry's debt for saving his life in Harry's 2nd year, gives Harry gillyweed, which turns Harry's hand and feet into flippers and allows him to breathe underwater for exactly an hour. The third task, he has to go through a maze, booby trapped by some of the Professors, to find the Tri-wizard Cup, which gives the obtainer privilege to 1 thousand galleons (wizard money). But, it's not so simple that he has to just navigate the maze, he runs into monsters, puzzles, and a Sphinx with a riddle to solve.

This book was a fun, entertaining, page-turner. I competed in the Tri-Wizard Tournament with Harry Potter and had gravity reversed on me while I was reading this book. J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series is so well written, that you feel as though you actually go on the adventures that Harry Potter is living in the books. She describes the thoughts and feelings of Harry, Ron, and Hermione in such a way that the reader connects almost instantly. Her characters are believable even though they live in an unbelievable world. The author puts so much detail in describing Hogwarts that it seems real. However, you don't don't feel overwhelmed by the details because she uses humor and wit to make them interesting. I would recommend this book to anyone, young or old. I have to warn you, though. You cannot read this book until you read the other books in the Harry Potter series or else you wouldn't get a lot of the things Harry and his friends do and say. So, read the first three before you read this amazing book! A+

Extras

Extras, a Science Fiction by Scott Westerfeld, is the fourth book to the Uglies series. If you want to read it, I suggest that you start with the other three.

Extras takes place three years after the "mind-rain", which was when heroic Tally Youngblood pretty much saved the world from being brainless. But unlike the other books in the series, it's not about Tally. It's about Aya Fuse, an average fifteen year old girl.

In Aya's messed up city, the economy is controlled by popularity: if you're like Aya, you're called an Extra, and you have to work to get the things you want. The unpopular kids. Or, you're like her older brother Hiro, who's popular, and lives a life of luxury, and the only work he has to do is uncover new stories about the city.

Because Aya is so hungry for fame, she lies to the Sly Girls, just to get an amazing story. But, while she's trying to get a story on these thrill seekers, she uncovers something much bigger. Something that could easily destroy a whole city.

The theme to Extras is self-worth. Aya thinks she's just a little nobody, just because she's not popular. The labels they put on people like her (Extras) make her feel even more like a nobody. But then, she helps make the world better. She is so much better than she thought she was. So many people think like Aya, when really they should be happy with who they are, no matter their flaws. Aya has a big nose, and she hates it. But, someone of the opposite gender (who she hopes will be her soul mate) celebrates her nose because it makes her unique. People need to realize that they are amazing.

I thought Extras was a pretty good book, but not as part of the Uglies series. It seemed like an extra book to keep the series going. Also, I didn't like how it was pretty much gossip city where she lived, and it's no big deal when they lie. But the thing that bugged me the most, was that some of the details would suddenly show up. For example, halfway through, you find out she's Japanese. Not a detail that really matters, but it bugged me, because I had a whole different picture in my mind of how they looked. Besides that, it was a fantastic book. B+

Rx

when i picked up Rx, i had no idea what it was about. once i started reading it, i figured it was just a book about a normal teenage girl named Thyme who had ADD, some crazy friends, and a crush on a boy. but one day Thyme was with the boy she likes, Will. Thyme learns Will's parents think he has ADD so he has Ritalin, but never uses it. while Will is in the bathroom, Thyme takes his Ritalin and her addiction begins. after that, she takes her friends and parents prescriptions and passes them out at school. but she doesn't just pass them out to whoever. she gives them to people who need it. if you have anxity, she'll get you something. but you have to trade her for what you need. so, basiclly, thyme becomes a drug dealer.

this book really made me realise what goes on when parents and teachers aren't paying attention. what goes on even when i don't pay attention. i started paying attention to people around me, and you can definetly tell there's something fishy going on. i liked this book. it did however have some cursing. it wasn't terrible, but it was there. other then that, it was a fairly clean book about the danger of drugs. i was actually surprised how clean it was. all in all, it was a pretty good book. B+

Leviathan

When you think of history, the first thing that pops into your head is boring, right? It's basically a fact; everyone thinks that history is boring. Scott Westerfield, who has written popular series such as Uglies, helps to change that in the book Leviathan. He bases it on real events, but they take place in an alternate reality. In this world people are classified as either Darwinists or Clankers. Darwinists use the work of Charles Darwin to create war animals. Clankers believe in using machines. Tensions have always been high between them, all they needed was an excuse to break out in war.

The excuse comes when Germany assassinates Austria's Archduke Franz Ferdinand. His son, Prince Aleksander, was never destined to inherit anything of his father's vast empire because his father chose to marry a woman of "common blood". Austria is a Clanker country, supposedly allied wit germany Alek is now on the run, fleeing from the Germans and anyone who would want to kill him.

We also follow Deryn Sharp, a Scottish tomboy. She has gone Mulan-style and joined the British Air Service disguised as a boy named Dylan. Britain is a Darwinist country. We follow these two characters, seeing both sides of the war.

I'm just going to come out and say it, this book is really good. I really liked the fact that is was historical fiction, so the events actually happened, but it was put into an interesting Sci-Fi story. Any readers will find themselves picking sides, becoming devoted Darwinists or Clankers at heart. There isn't much to warn you in this book, besides a bit of violence but nothing scarring.

The themes in this book were very subtle, the author was kind of hinting at a kind of "When we are separated and choose sides we are weak, when we work together we are strong" thing. The theme gets a lot stronger near the end of the book, and it seems like the author will continue on this in the other books. (Did I mention it was a series?)

In the end there is a huge cliffhanger, with the author being plain old cruel. The next book, Behemoth, is already out, so if you read it you can go straight to the sequel. Darwinists all the way! A

Here's a video to sum it all up for you:

Rangers Apprentice: Erak's Ransom

The Ranger's Apprentice Book 7 was written by John Flanagan. It's an adventure that follows Will, Halt's apprentice. Once they get separated it alternates every chapter between following Will, then switches to Halt, Horace, Svengal, Cassandra, and Gilan. This book constantly shows a theme of friendship, like when Will goes off on his own to try and find his horse, Tug. Basically, the story starts out with a wedding between Halt and Lady Pauline, which is unusual because of their positions. During the wedding they find out that Erak, the Oberjarl of the Scandians, has been captured and has a ransom of 80 thousand silver reels, which is A LOT of money. After the wedding they all go to Al Shabah to help Erak. Once they get there they find out that they have to go through the desert to get to him, but on their way there there are a few unexpected turn of events which leads to Will needing to rescue everyone else.This book is interesting, and entertaining. It has a lot of things in it that help the story along that most people wouldn't even realize has anything to do with it until later. It's just plain entertaining when it gets to the battles, at least more entertaining than the rest of the book. This book is pretty amazing all around, but you need to start at the beginning of the series.

Alex Rider: Scorpia Rising

Scorpia Rising, by Anthony Horowitz, is the last, and best, of the Alex Rider books. So in order to read this book you should probably read the other 8 in the series. This book is the only book of the series that tells you the bad guy's whole plan before the real book even starts. They do this by making two parts. Scorpia and Alex. Anyways, after Alex's last mission in Kenya almost got him fed to crocodiles, MI6 has finally decided to leave Alex alone once and for all. Even when a case comes up that is perfect for him Mrs. Jones puts her foot down and says no. That all changes when a sniper goes to Alex's school to try to kill him. After Alex beats that guy MI6 decides for Alex's own "safety" he should go on this one last mission. Alex is shipped of to Egypt to investigate a school that Scorpia has been interested in and might even be planning to bomb. This time Jack Starbright comes along with him and Mr. Smithers. Now Alex has to find out Scorpia's plan and stop them. If he does this Scorpia may been stopped permanently since they have already failed twice in the past year. Will Alex be able to stop them or will Alex's last mission come to a disastrous ending? I really liked this book despite how bad Crocodile Tears was. It was a brilliant story. Bringing back an old villain I had completely forgotten about. It also shows you how Mr. Smithers is with his one last secret that is the most surprising of all. The only part that i didn't like is that they had to kill one of Alex's best friends. This book was great and kept me reading up until midnight to figure out what happened to Alex. I really like this book and recommend it to all of you Alex Rider fans. A+

All's Fair in Love, War, and High School by Janette Rallison

What's one of the hardest things to do as a teenager? That's right: go to high school! All's Fair in Love, War, and High School by Janette Rallison is a creative, interesting book that portrays the difficult life of high schools students along with their endless troubles and worries. This story is somewhat fast-paced and can seem a little blunt at times, but it definately reinforces its main theme; the importance of kindness. Rallison showed herself to be a very talented author.

The story shows the complicated life of Samantha Taylor, a high school cheerleader who has a new boyfriend every month. For most of the book, she is mean, cliquish, and loves to hand out insults (though she can't handle them when they're thrown back at her). Samantha has a huge problem: she got an 810 out of 1600 on the SATs, and there's no way she'll get into the college she wants to go to. Her solution? Run for class president, of course! But during the crazy race to fame, Samantha has to deal with backstabbing friends, an insane bet, and her long-time crush coming back to town. It's all she can do to hang on to the impossible tidal wave of high school.

All's Fair in Love, War, and High School by Janette Rallison showed me how some high schoolers really need more help in studying for standardized tests, especially when they don't have enough support from family and friends. In this book, Samantha got a lower score on the SATs than she wanted, even though she paid attention in class most of the time. She obviously did not have the attention she needed from her teachers. I learned to help those who do not do very well in school because I feel terrible every time I imagine myself in a position similar to Samantha's.

I enjoyed reading this story and learning more about high school. This book was entertaining and funny, and I can't wait to read it again. I would definately suggest this book to anyone who likes books about the stereotypical high school cheerleader's journey trying to make herself a better person. It does have some unique and funny situations that set it apart from other books of its kind. I hope you like it as much as I did! Grade: A-

The Maze Runnner

Thomas Edison was a brilliant man for his time, and even to date, he has 1, 093 patents in the United States alone. From 1877 and on he was able to invent things that we use to this day, like the video camera, long lasting light bulbs, and things that have contributed to communication.

But, he was also stuck.

The Maze Runner. by James Dashner, show Thomas as he tries to crack the unsolvable code of the Maze. Every month, a boy rises from a shaft elevator, nicknamed "The Box". The boys in the box wake up traveling in this elevator, with their memories completely wiped out. They reach the top, and join a community of Gladers, who have been trying to solve the eve-changing maze for over two years. As another boys emerges from The Box, it should be another ordinary day. But it's not... instead as soon as Thomas appears, people are concerned. People who have been through "The Changing" are concerned.

The Changing is a process that you go through after you get stung by a Griever. The medication gives you your memories, a painful process for all to go through. Those who have been through it know that Thomas had been up to no good in his before life. The strange thing is that Thomas doesn't even remember this, so it throws him off and people start getting suspicious that he's trying to hide even more.

Suspicions get to a dangerous high when the next day arrives and The Box emerges once again to reveal a break in all patterns. Another Glader with only a day separating her and Thomas, and to make matters worse- it's a girl. She screams the message-"Everything will change," and she falls into a deep coma.

As his first days grind by, he discovers that learning there is by experience, which really drives him crazy, but it also drives him to glimpse at the maze mystery. He observes the Runners, and strives to become one of them. Runners are the people who search the maze everyday and look and map out any changes or patterns. Thomas has an automatic goal to become one of them.

The opportunity appears when two of the communities big leaders go missing after going to check out a dead Griever. The walls go to close like any other night, and Thomas notices that Minho is having to carry passed out Alby, and that they won't make it. So, he gets this sporadic idea to sprint in there with them. The Grievers come out to attack and Thomas is left to defend himself and Alby, as Minho sprints away. He climbs the ivy on the walls, and hoists Alby alongside himself. Soon the inevitable happens and the Grievers come to attack. But by the end of the night they've saved themselves, and Alby and make it out alive.

Once again suspicions raise. But they are able to put that aside as Alby goes through the changing. It's painful for all of the Gladers. When Alby awakens he calls for only Thomas. This offends his friends, but he insists on only Thomas. He tells Thomas about what he had seen, which was odd because those who went through The Changing are usually very secretive. After the information is told, Thomas is determined to find a way out, to not only save himself, but all the Gladers.

Thomas defied all odds and I think that's why it's such a big theme in the book. Even in the end the whole reason why they were all there was something similar to "survival of the fittest". He was amazingly quick-witted and willing to do anythings, even though he'd barely know anything about the community. He helped so many people throughout the book, and it's very interesting to know that he and other char actors are well known people.

This book was amazing. It was a surprise as I got into the book, how much of a mystery it was! I was expecting a more adventurous, creepy rendition, but I liked the unexpected way of the story. The only thing that was a little frustrating was that it was hard to really imagine things, despite the precise detailing. I might read it parts of it again to actually understand some things. But, other than that I thought The Maze Runner was absolutely fabulous! I can't wait for the second book. A-

"We were nine. Three are dead. I AM NUMBER FOUR."

I Am Number Four, by Pittacus Lore, is a great sci-fi book, similar to Superman. It wasn't my all time favorite, but I liked it enough to finish it in about two or three days. 
John Smith, a teenage guy, might look like a human, but he really isn't. He's from the planet Lorien. A few years ago, when John was about four years old, aliens from another planet, the Mogadorians, attacked Lorien. Out of all the inhabitants of the planet Lorien, none survived except nine small children and their own guardian each. They fled to our planet in hope that they would be able to fight the Mogadorians one day.
But how would they fight the ferocious and powerful Mogadorians? Each child is a Garde, and their guardians are Cêpan (don't ask me how to pronounce that :). The Garde start getting their Legacies (a.k.a. "superpowers") when they're teenagers.  John moves to his new home for what seems the millionth time for him. (I mean, give him a break! The longest he's stayed in one area is nine months.) Then he disappears, changing his name. This time he moved to Paradise, Ohio. On his first day of school there, his first Legacy appears: his hand starts to glow. He had to hide in a room because he didn't want people to think he was a freak. 
Finally, Henri, his guardian/Cêpan, decides to start training John. He starts learning how to fight in combat and how to turn his hand glow on and off. Mysteriously, a puppy appears on John's front door and decides to keep him. He feels really attached to the dog. Every morning when John would work out, he would go running with Bernie Kosar, his dog. John always ran "super-speed" and surprisingly, he would find the dog ahead of him. 
As John is living in Paradise, trying to hide from the Mogadorians without knowing where they are, he starts getting attached to his new friends, Sam and Sarah. He realizes that it would be really difficult to leave in a few months--especially when he considered Sarah more than a friend. How will John stay hidden when he keeps giving himself away too much? Will he die?
This book is pretty good overall, however, I found it easy to compare to Superman. Both John and Superman are "aliens" that look like humans. They both have superpowers, for example, "super-speed". Superman's Louis Lane is John's Sarah Hart. It's very similar, however, I like I am Number Four better than Superman. It has more action and you can kind of self connect sometimes. 
I am Number Four taught me responsibility and to care for the people who care for me. I wouldn't agree with Micheal Bay, director of Transformers, who said that "Number Four is a hero for this generation"  but it was pretty unique in its own way. Something I really liked is how it made me feel like it was really happening. For example, on the back of the book, the surviving Garde are "talking" to us. Also, the author's real name isn't really Pittacus Lore. Pittacus Lore is actually a very minor character in the book who apparently "wrote" the book. 
If you are looking for a good book to read, I strongly recommend that you pick this book off the shelf. I'm pretty sure anyone of any age and gender would like it. It's really intense. There is a movie that came out. I haven't seen it but I have heard it's really good. Grade: A :)

Widow's Revenge

Widow's Revenge is the second book in the Serpent Tide trilogy by K. L. Fogg. (Meaning you'd have to read Serpent Tide in order to understand this book.) I really enjoy these books and have read them several times. K. L. Fogg is a local author, and I am rather pleased with the way she writes.

Widow's Revenge is about a boy named Wesley Mackey, formerly known as Wesley Vandergrift. When he was a baby he was kidnapped by an insane (and also extremely wealthy) woman named Imogene Vandergrift, and was raised thinking he was the heir to billions of dollars. But he found out his real father is the famous Jack Mackey, more commonly known as The Snake Stalker. Wesley has escaped from Imogene and has now been reunited with his father. But now that his life has just begun as a "normal" teenager, his former mother wants him back. She will do anything and everything to get her son back, or more accurately, she will do anything and everything to make sure she gets her inheritance money. You will be enthralled and find yourself getting sucked into the story of each and every character. I literally cannot put this book down whenever I read it. I think that the characters are so relatable, even though their stories may be somewhat bizarre.

I'd say the main theme of this book is that people can change. They aren't only what they seem to be on the outside. They may seem awful and horrendous and atrocious, but everyone has the potential to be a good person. No matter what their circumstances may be. I can't really give any examples without giving the book away, so you'll just have to read it to find out. :)

Widow's Revenge is just an overall fun and exciting read, and I would recommend it to literally any teenager. You won't be able to set the book down, perhaps to the point where your brain will be fried from reading so much. Actually, I don't even know if that's possible. . . never mind. Just read the dang book. You won't regret it. A

Witch and Wizard

Of all the books about wizards and witches, Witch and Wizard by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet is the next best thing since Harry Potter. It has suspense and a lot of action. It kept me up until midnight two nights in a row.

The story goes like this. Whit and Wisty, who are brother and sister, are violently dragged from their home in the middle of the night by soldiers. They are accused of being witch and wizard, and because of that they are thrown in jail. Of course they escape; there wouldn't be a story if they didn't. Shortly after they escape they join up with a group of kids who are trying to destroy the One Who is The One, the person that turned America's government into a monarchy. This guy basically tells everyone what they can and can't do.

This is where Whit and Wisty's adventure begins. During their incredibly awesome adventure they fight brain washed dogs, other witches and wizards, and they even battle against themselves.

There is one thing that I discovered while reading this book: if

something is unfair do something about it. For example, as you will find during

this book there is a group of rebel kids trying to take the extremely

unfair One Who is The One down. This gives me reason to believe that I don't

need to just listen to the people in charge if they're making me do things that

are unfair. So don't just sit there if you feel like you're being told do

something that seems totally unreasonable. Do something about it.

This book was great and it hooked me from the first page, and for that

I would give it an A-. Also I recommend this to anyone who likes Harry Potter.

Thanks for reading!

Serpent Tide

This exciting fiction book is full of adventure and fun. K. L. Fogg was a genius when writing this book. She used the theme of family to bring this book together into something you just can't put down.

Wesley Vandergift is "The Billionaire Boy." You can't expect less from the richest kid in school. Wesley has a billionaire mom, a huge house and yard, and 47 servants to serve him every day. Nothing could be better, right? Wrong. Everything is wrong in Wesley's life and has been for almost 12 years. He has no freedom whatsoever. His rich mother, Imogene Vandergift, is way overprotective and will do anything to keep Wesley safe. He can't help but notice that him and his mother are completely different. He wants to be more like Jack Mackey, the star of the TV show, "The Snake Stalker". Jack Mackey lives in Australia and "stalks" all kinds of dangerous animals like alligators and bats, but his real specialty is snakes. However, Wesley does sometimes experiences these adventures when he finds snakes in his own garden with the help of their gardener Abraham.

Amanda is Wesley's best and only friend in school. All of the kids there think he's some snotty rich kid, but really he's just someone really lonely that is constantly called "Wussley" at school without any reason. That's when everything changes. Maggie, the nearby vet, comes to take a look at Wesley's birthday present when it appears sick and both Wesley and Maggie feel that they've seen each other before but just can't place it. Wesley dives into this adventure, not really knowing how deep he's gotten into it. Could this connection be placed as a real live relative? How can he prove it without getting into gigantic trouble with "EvilGene" Imogene? Turns out he's into much more trouble than he thought possible.

The theme of this book is definitely family. Wesley has never felt like he's had a family and this is his one chance to actually get one. Family is very important to a child. They are the people you can look up to and you can depend on them when you need help. Wesley doesn't have that. For the first time in his life, he has an option to be with real family and this book shows the true meaning of family. They stick up for each other, care for each other, and especially love one another.

This book was great. The characters were practically alive in my head and it was so hard to put the book down because it was so exciting and especially the end of the chapters gave you a huge cliffhanger to think about. I'm still thinking about it because K.L. Fogg wrote it so well and it really makes you wanna start reading the second book to see what happens. This has no swearing and is very appropriate and clean so you don't have to worry about that. I'd recommend this book to anyone because it seems that it has a little bit of everything.

To sum it all up, I really liked this book. These kind of books are my favorite. They have the right amount of adventure, comedy and romance. It was the perfect read and I can't wait to read the second book. (This is a trilogy series.) If you need a book, this is the right one because it will satisfy you. All of these other series leave a huge cliffhanger for the next book but this one has a satisfying ending. So, will Wesley be able to reunite with his family? How will Imogene stop him? Who is his real family? You can only find out with this amazing book, Serpent Tide.

Grade: A

Review of, "Catching Fire," by Suzanne Collins

 First off, I would like to say that this book wasn't anywhere near as good as the first in the series. Catching Fire was much slower, duller, and does not have as great of a story as the first installment in this series. Yes, I know that this was just the set-up book for the third book in the series, but Suzanne Collins could have made this book much better. However, even though I did not enjoy it as much as the other two books in the series, I did like it enough to finish it. And for me, that's saying something.

    The story starts a couple of months after Katniss' and Peeta's win in the Hunger Games which launched them into fame and fortune. Katniss and Peeta are getting geared up for the Capitol's victory tour which is strategically placed midway between the annual hunger games. Ever since the two got back from winning the Hunger Games, their relationship has been remarkably icy. Katniss, Peeta, and Katniss' best friend Gale are stuck in this sort of love triangle that just seems to make everything a little more complicated than it should. (Alright, a lot.) But everybody in the entire nation of Panem believes that Peeta and Katniss are, "Star-Crossed lovers," or whatever that means. (In fact, in the book they are supposed to get married, until the Quarter Quell comes up, then everything gets mixed up in the book.) 

    Also, at the end of the first book, Peeta and Katniss end up being the last two competitors in the Hunger Games. And because they are in, "Love," they refuse to kill each other. (Or at least Peeta is, Katniss was just faking it at the time.) So, they find these poisonous berries, and they agree to eat them because they cannot kill one another. And right before they take the berries the announcer, Caesar Flickerman, tells them that they both won the Hunger Games! But the Capitol did not like that one bit. In fact, the little stunt those two pulled off was seen as a start to a rebellion, a rebellion the Capitol did not want. So, when Katniss and Peeta finally leave for their Victory Tour, everybody in the districts is fired up and ready to go! When Katniss and Peeta show up at each of the districts, it's like the spark that sets off this powder keg, and everybody just goes nuts.
    When they get back from the tour, its time for the reapings for the next, "Quarter Quell." Except, there is one twist, this year the contestants will be past victors of the Hunger Games. And since there are only three victors ever to win from District Twelve, this means that Katniss and Peeta will be sent back into the arena. Now, this was a huge twist in the story, because right when this happened, I knew I would keep reading. (Before that point the book was really dull, but after that the book was just as exciting as the first one.) So now they're in the Capitol, meeting their competitors, getting prepared to fight to the death inside of the arena. But, everything seems just a little bit off. Everybody there just seems a little bit too friendly with one another, like it's just a reunion of some sorts, instead of a giant, free-for-all manhunt. Weird, huh?
     When the Hunger Games finally come to a start, Peeta and Katniss team up with former victors Beetee and Wirus. They hope that these two will give them the best chance of winning because of their smarts, but they know that's probably not likely. Later, the group is joined by pretty-boy Finnick Odair, and then Johanna Mason, who Katniss dislikes. They survive the jungle like arena, discovering more and more secrets about this years Quell every day. They survive day after day, catastrophe after catastrophe, until Beetee blows the whole place sky-high with his wire and some help from mother nature. (A lightning bolt hits the tree the wire was tied to.) This was all part of a plan to escape from the arena and rebel against the Capitol, but it went horribly wrong. The blast injured many people, and triggered the start to the rebellion.
    As I said, this book is not nearly as good as the other two in the series. This book is boring until Katniss and Peeta are chosen to go into the Hunger Games for the second time. After that point it gets good, good enough to not make you want to put it down until it's finished. All in all, I liked it, but I would definitely change things. B-  

Gateway, by Sharon Shinn

Gateway, by Sharon Shinn is not the best book. It's just one of those books where you're always mad at the characters, because they are just so stupid, naive, dense and so on...
In this book the main character, a girl named Daiyu, is transported into a parallel world where she is recruited to send a charmingly devious tyrant back to his own parallel world. Along the way she falls in love, blows her cover, and emerges a hero in the end. Then returns to her world to find a shocking surprise, but if you ask me it was pretty obvious what was going to happen. This book was extremely predictable and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone!
A big part of this book was the author trying to get you to believe that all people are important and created equal. The girl is always trying to cross social lines in the strange world and that is what ruins her mission, blah, blah, blah.
Gateway is just one of those books that you don't really care what happens, but you're just interested enough to keep reading. I had a hard time getting to the part where the action started and the intro stopped.
The story line was simply boring and the events were unoriginal and pre-used. The names of people and places are about the most interesting thing about this book. Believe me, I'm not very interested in romance, but even I could tell you that the romance in this book really sucked.
I hope I don't offend anyone with my opinion, but if I do, I don't care. Overall it was a boring adventure, a crappy romance and a stupid story. I really had to force myself through this book, it was no good, so I'm giving it a D-.

Children of the Promise: Rumors of War

Rumors of War by Dean Hughes is a phenomenal book. This is the first out of four books. In this book, the characters learn a lot about themselves, others and World War 2. I'm not one to cry in movies or books, but this one really got to me.

In Rumors of War, an LDS missionary is serving in Germany. World War 2 is right around the corner and bad things are starting. Elder Thomas's only intention was to teach his faith to the people of Germany. He encounters a lot of challenges and hardships, but with letters from home and his companion, he's taught many lessons about life.

Elder Thomas is worried that he won't be able to finish his mission. War is on it's way. Mobs are setting synagogues on fire and the Nazis are always around. Watching. Waiting. Nobody knows how to escape them. Everyone can tell that in an instance, their whole world will be turned upside down. Elder Thomas has an idea on how it might affect him, but he still isn't sure how it's going to affect his family back home in Salt Lake City.

Back home, Elder Thomas's family is worried sick about their missionary. Elder Thomas has a little brother named Wally. Wally doesn't really care about anything. He's not that worried about his older brother or what might happen to him. Wally is careless. However, he wants to serve his country in the military. He can't decide. Wally has always wanted to follow his older brothers example and do everything he does. Is he going to choose the military...or serve a mission? Elder Thomas also has an older sister. Bobbi. She's having some troubles. Bobbie is worrying about her brother like the rest of her family and to add to her crazy college life she also has to decide who she's going to marry. Will it be the amazing Phil Clark....or the smart University of Utah college professor who's not a member of the LDS church like Bobbi and her family? Decisions. Decisions.

In Germany, war broke out. LDS missionaries had to leave the friends and families they have met and flee out of Germany and away from the Nazis. Elder Thomas feels bad that he couldn't stay and help the amazing people he was teaching. Elder Thomas is returned home and back to work in his fathers car company. Like other sad missionary stories, he finds out that his high school sweetheart got married while he was gone. He didn't get the job he was promised before he left and he still has to find a better job than the one he has. Things back home didn't turn out the way he expected. Elder Thomas listened to the radio every day to get the update on Germany. He didn't hear good things of course. Elder Thomas starts to get the idea of joining the air force and helping those he didn't get the chance to help earlier. Will he...????

I really enjoyed reading this book. It gave a good look at what happened during WWII. I would definatly recommend this book to others.

A

City of Fallen Angels

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare is a very exciting and thrilling book to read. It is the fourth book in The Mortal Instruments series and covers things like love, killing, demons, demon slayers, angels, werewolves, vampires and things of that nature.

In City of Fallen Angels, you follow three of the main characters, Simon, Clary, and Jace, as they experience their own separate adventures, while still somehow being connected to each other. All of these characters stories add to the story, and give you a better understanding of what is happening throughout the book. A lot of this may be a little confusing, but it will all make sense.

Jace has grown up his entire life training, acting, and thinking like a Shadowhunter, and he is very skilled at what he does. Most of this book, he is motivated by one person. This person is Clary, his girlfriend. However, in this book he gets possessed by Lillith, a Greater Demon, who forces Jace into doing her bidding for her. She gets into his head and demands that he bring Clary to her so Simon will be more motivated to bring her "child", Sebastian, back to life. She believes Sebastian's demon blood will allow him to come back to life.

Clary was just a girl. Until the first book in this series when she discovers she is actually a Shadowhunter. Shadowhunters are the heroes of this world. They help defend humans and Downworlders (vampires, werewolves, faeries, and warlocks) from demons. In this book, she starts her Shadowhunter training and soon discovers that she will have to use these skills a lot sooner than she thinks, and it might have to be against Jace, a person she thought she would never have to hurt.

Simon is a vampire. And in this world, the myth about vampires getting scorched in sunlight is true. Except this rule doesn't apply to Simon. He can walk in sunlight and not get the slightest bit burned. Because of this ability, many Shadowhunters, vampires, and werewolves call him "Daylighter". Simon is pursued throughout the book by many different, not so nice, creatures that all want him to join their side. At one point he even gets tricked into going to one of the worst demons in history to try and bring Sebastian back to life. This demon thinks that turning Sebestain into something like a vampire will make him come back to life. Sebastian is Clary's brother who everyone assumed to be dead beyond the point of return.

In the final chapters of this book, these three characters come together. Clary helps Jace break free of Lillith's spell. Jace then defeats Lillith in a long, grueling and painful battle, but it's too late. Simon has already taken some of Sebastian's blood, and Sebastian has taken his. Now Sebastian has an even greater chance at coming back to life.

I loved this book, but there is one thing I would change about the book and that is how it ends. It sounds like there is going to be another book added to the series. If there isn't another book, it's one of those endings that will make you think of your own ending, and I personally don't like those stories. If you are thinking about reading this book, I suggest you read the other three books first. Grade A-

Bright Young Things Shines!

The book Bright Young Things is the first book in a series by Anna Godberson. Godberson is already quite well-known for her previous series, The Luxe, which takes place at the turn of the 20th century during the Victorian Era in New York City. Fast-forward about 30 years, still in the NYC, and you have the setting for Bright Young Things. Coincidentally, the time period is May of 1929...just five months before Black Friday, the fall of the stock market. I can't help but wonder if stock market crash will have anything to do with the future books.

So, May 1929 in NYC means lots and lots of the Jazz Age. If you don't have any background knowledge on the Jazz Era get ready to be taught a lot about it. The Jazz Age was probably one of the most carefree times in American history. It was all about fun, music and partying. That is exactly how Bright Young Things felt. Similarly to Luxe, Bright Young Things follows several female heroines: Cordelia, Letty, & Astrid. Coredila and Letty, childhood friends from a small town in Ohio, know they are much too big for the insignificant lives they have been born into. Together they make their way to the big city, New York, to make their fortunes. Unfortunately, they end up fighting and abandoning one another. Letty goes on to become a "cigarette girl" in a speakeasy, while Cordelia searches out her mobster father.

Astrid, meanwhile, is already a wealthy young lady, living the high life in the rich part of New York called White Cove. She is dating a man named Charlie, who's father is the famous boot-legger, Darius Grey. Astrid also has a mother who marries and divorces as a hobby, causing great embarrassment to Astrid. Astrid may be a socialite with a lot of money, but she finds that in a time period where everything shines with the help of alcohol that doesn't prevent things from having a really bad hangover.

I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait for the second in the series. Bright Young Things literally shines with its characters, plot, language and breathtaking descriptions. In our current unstable economic times you can't help but long for moments in history like this while at the same time feel a sense of trepidation at what you know is in store for these young people. As Robert Frost has said, "Nothing gold can stay."

To give fair warning to the reader this book does contain a great deal of drinking, especially in underage teenagers. However, readers should know that this was totally commonplace during this time period. Prohibition had been in place for a few years but many people were finding other ways to drink. Besides, Godberson doesn't ever glamorize the drinking. Instead, its all matter-of-fact and part of the Jazz Age world. Also, there are three sex scenes. They are NOT explicit and the reader doesn't hang around for the scene. It's all implied or is talked about after it has happened. But, if these types of things offend you don't pick up this book.

Jazz music, speakeasies, flapper dresses, bobbed hair, men who are "cads" and men who are "dolls"...I couldn't believe how much this book felt like a throw-back to the Jazz Age. I'm not saying that this book will go down in history like The Great Gatsby, but in many ways I feel like Bright Young Things captured the Jazz Age just as well, if not more than Fitzgerald's famous book. I am on pins and needles until the next book is out. :)

Homecoming

The first in the Tillerman Cycle by Cynthia Voigt. This fictional story follows Dicey, the oldest of four children. Dicey is thirteen years old when her mother abandons the four children in a parking lot somewhere in the middle of Connecticut. Terrified that her family will be split up by foster care, Dicey chooses to make the journey to her Great-aunt Cilla's house in Bridgeport. The only relative that Dicey has ever heard her mother speak of. Just when you think that they've finally reached their happy ending, everything changes and they're forced to make choices that children shouldn't have to deal with. The choices they make lead to a surprising conclusion that leaves you in deep thought. As the oldest of a family of five children, I found Dicey a character that was easy to relate to. Cynthia Voigt made the characters and their pain seem so real that at times I wanted to just set the book down, but found myself unable to. She described everything in a way that kept me captivated and made me almost able to feel the characters emotions. Many of her themes are hard to understand because they're things that you really don't want to have to think about. For example, Dicey often wonders whether the only home her family will ever have will be after they die. I found the idea disturbing and heartbreaking at the same time. Another theme is the idea of whether you should stand by your marriage vows even if it hurts your children. However, there were other themes that I found easier to accept and understand. Such as, the importance of family. Dicey stays by the side of her brothers and sister through everything that happens and they manage to make it through their journey together. You also, see the impact of how their mother's family affected the choices of their mother. Because she was raised in an unhappy home she chose not to get married and cut herself off from everyone in her family. This left no support for her own children, except for each other. The book was intense and I did find elements that were kind of disturbing and depressing, but overall I found it a good book. I enjoyed reading about characters that seemed real and that I was able to become attatched to. This story made me think about things that I've never considered before and at times startled me because I could understand feelings from my own life. I would recomend this book to anyone who's willing to think about issues that are larger then your typical teenage novel. As difficult as it was at times to read I found that this book helped me to appreciate my own family and gave me a greater understanding of the motivations behind why people do things.

Story of a Girl

The Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr is well, a story of a girl. Deanna Lambert is not your average teenage girl. She doesn't have a ton of friends, she doesn't have a boyfriend, and she doesn't have the perfect life at home either. And all of that could be completely different if not for what she did when she was 13 years old. How could she have known better? She had never felt like that before. She never knew what it was like to be wanted by someone. Someone who she thought wanted her. But like her bestfriend Lee says, "Everybody has something they want to change about themselves, right?" The Story of a Girl was a very different type of book than what I am use to reading. I'm one of those girls that likes those realistic fiction type books, and that's what I assumed this was. I picked up this book, and continued to read chapter after chapter because at the beginning it seemed as though it was like all the previous books I've read and enjoyed. But towards the middle it took a little turn. It wasn't confusing or illogical, or even bad, but like I stated, it was... different. The main idea of this book, is to tell teenagers or whoever decides to read this book, that just because you've made bad decisions in the past, that doesn't determine who you are. You don't have to be THAT person. You can change who you are no matter what people say. I learned from this book that I can actually change my life even if I've made terrible mistakes in my past. And that you CAN start fresh. I personally really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone. But I should warn you there is some language every now and then, and a few F-bombs dropped unexpectedly. Also, this topic is dealing with something that some readers may not find appropriate, but I don't mind that kind of stuff and had no problem reading it. I cannot tell you what it is they talk about that may or may not be appropriate because that WILL ruin this book for you. But just know, it may be a little risky. Over all, I think this book is a must read.

Among the Hidden: Margaret Peterson Haddix

Imagine being illegal just for being alive. This is the reallity for Luke. He was born third in a country that kills "shadow children" as they call them. Since the day Luke was born he had to stay hidden which was easy because his families farm was surounded by trees in all directions. Untill one day the corrupt government cut down the forest to put barons, the noblety, on that land. Lukes days of freedom are over. In this book Luke spends his days searching for freedom and friendship. This book really helps you learn how lucky you are and how much freedom you have. Luke has no excape from his inside prison and only one small crack in his roofing to look outside through. You see him emerge from a shy kid into a full on hero as he tackles his fears of being seen. He had never met anyone except familly to keep his birth a secret. He runs into another third child that helps him realize his potential to do good. This is deffinentaly one of my favorite books and is followed by seven others. I read all of them in about a week because I just couldn't put it down. If you start be prepared to because you will end up reading all of them. Among the Hidden is an action packed book that will have you fall in love the moment you start.A.