The Candy Shop War, Arcade Catastrophe

     The Candy Shop War 2 is about a boy named Nate who is in a club called the Blue Falcons. In this club there is Pidgean, Trevor, Summer, Nate, and Lindy. These friends work with a magician named Mr. Scott, who can create magical candy. Supposedly, one of the most powerful magicians name Mozag was captured and imprisoned. Mozag is a police magician that keeps all the bad magicians in line. Therefore his imprisonment is very bad. The Blue falcons hear that there is a new arcade that has opened, and that the magician that captured Mozag might own the place. Together the Blue Falcons found out that at the arcade, there are special stamps one can earn by getting 50 thousand tickets.

     Once Nate earned enough tickets with the help of special candy, he got the jet stamp. Once he got the Jet stamp he found that he could fly! After Nate got his stamp Summer got a tank stamp. Then Trevor got a race car stamp, and last pidgeon got a submarine. Mr. White ( The magician who made the stamps, and who owns the Arcade,) then got the four groups together, and had them all do different quests that was according to their stamps. The Blue Falcons acted as spies, and told Mr. Scott every move that Mr. White made. Soon the Blue Falcons had helped Mr. White to find a map, and a key to help find a treasure that would allow him to dominate the world. Can the Blue Falcons stop Mr. White from getting the treasure? Or have they already helped him to much?

     Brandon Mull did a very good job on this book. It was very creative and fun, just like the first book in this series, except I thought that this book was even better. The Blue Falcons go on many new adventures with new magical powers that make this book very interesting. This book is very exhilarating and keeps you on your toes, just waiting to see what happens next. I would really recommend this book to anyone who enjoys adventure!

  I give this book an A+ because it is very suspenseful and exciting! Once I started reading this book I couldn't stop reading it! If i had to find one thing bad about this book, I don't think that i would be able to do it! I really enjoyed this book and hope that Brandon Mull comes out with another!

The Candy Shop War

     The Candy Shop War is about a couple of friends named Nate, Summer, Trevor, and Pidgeon. These friends would go to a candy shop after school every day to work for a woman name Mrs. White, who in return would give them delicious candy. After a while of working for Mrs. White, she decided to trust them with magic candy that could do amazing things. At first the Blue Falcons (their club name) didn't believe Mrs. White, but once they tried the candy out, they new that it was magic. Mrs. White couldn't just give them magic candy without having the kids do anything in return, so Mrs. White had them do little quests that would help Mrs. White to find a treasure that would make her the most powerful magician ever.

     Mrs. White never told the kids what the treasure was or what it would do of course, but when they're sent to go brain wash another magician, instead of brain washing him they talk to him, and he tells them all about the treasure. The Blue Falcons figure out that Mrs. White was really planning on becoming the most powerful magician ever, so they join Mr. Scott to help him find the treasure first.

     This is a very fun book, that doesn't ever loose one's attention. I liked that the author kept the book at a steady pace, and it never got boring. Brandon Mull was very creative, which made reading this book really enjoyable. The book is very clean and never swears, which I liked a lot. I would recommend this book to anyone of any age.

     I would give this book and A because I really enjoyed the creativity that Mull put into it, with all the different kinds of magical candy. He also did good on making the characters very likable. It's a very cool book because you don't know who to trust and who not to trust, and the missions that the Blue Falcons have to do are very suspensfull. I really enjoyed this book, and I'm looking forward to reading the next!
   
   

   

Michael Vey: Prisoner of Cell 25

      Michael Vey is about a boy named Michael who has a very special power where he can shock people. It's a little like a static shock, but much more powerful. Michael met a girl a girl at school named Taylor who has similar powers, except she can reboot peoples minds. Michael's powers are wanted by a man named Hatch but Michael is too powerful for Hatch to capture him, so Hatch takes Michael's mother as bait. Michael and Taylor find the place where they believe that Hatch is holding Michael's mother but once they arrive at the academy, they get ambushed. Hatch tricked Michael and Taylor. Michael's mother is really held in an academy on the other side of the world.

      Michael and Taylor are both captured and put in to two different cells. Michael is put in a cell where he is tortured by kids who also have electric powers. Taylor is put into a cell with a couple other electric children who hate Hatch, and want to escape. Michael escapes his cell and brakes into Taylors cell, taking all those electric children with him, and an electric child who used to be on Hatch's side. Together all those electric children work together, and escape the building alive.

      Michael Vey is a very good book with a ton of action and adventure. This book has very clean language, and won't make one feel very uncomfortable. Like in most books these days, there are some deaths in this book, but the author doesn't go into unnecessary detail. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants humor and suspense.

      I give this book an A because it doesn't get boring, it is very appropriate for all ages, and because it was a very interesting book. I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading the sequel. As much as I loved this book, I don't think that it is quite as good as Harry Potter.



   

Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde

     Heir Apparent is easily one of the funniest books I've read. Enough said.
     Giannine Bellisario wants to be a normal 14 year old like everyone else, but it's hard when your parents are divorced and you live with your grandmother because your father is working all day. Consequently, Giannine doesn't know her father very well, but still gets gifts from him. It's Giannine's birthday, and her father has sent her a $50 certificate to Rasmussem Enterprises, a popular gaming center.
     Rasmussem Enterprises is popular partially due to their total immersion virtual reality games. Giannine uses her certificate to play one virtual reality game called Heir Apparent. Unfortunately, the CPOC, or Citizens to Protect Our Children, were waiting outside Rasmussem in a riot against the gaming center stating that the video games were satanic. What's more, they raided Rasmussem and attacked the equipment - while Giannine was hooked up. Now Giannine only has so many tries until she's dead - both in the game and real life. Will she make it to the end of the game or die first?
     As I said before, this is one of the funniest books I have read, which largely improved my rating for the book. Giannine was very sarcastic at times and an overall likeable character - despite the occasional swearing. She interacted with the other characters well, and seeing as the game story made her a king, she kind of had to. Her choices added to the story, and to the theme, which I interpreted as mostly to make good choices; they can affect you in the long run.
     As for the grade I'd give the book, it would probably be an A easily. I mentioned more benefits than downgrades to the book, which should show that the benefit far outweighs the downgrades. I hope everyone gets the chance to read this book - it is seriously awesome.

The Fellowship of the Ring

      The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien is probably the best fiction book I have ever read. It has multiple themes, but one main theme is that even people who seem insignificant have a lot of potential, and there are many characters in the book that this applies to. The Fellowship of the Ring is the first book in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and it starts Frodo's dangerous adventure to the evil land of Mordor. This book contains many different mythical races, including short creatures with big, hairy feet that want nothing to do with adventure, called hobbits.

    Frodo Baggins, a peaceful hobbit, is given a magical ring from his uncle, Bilbo Baggins. A wizard named Gandalf the Grey warns him about it, so Frodo, Samwise Gamgee, Peregrin (Pippin) Took, and Merry Brandybuck rush to Rivendell, a city where elves live. On the way, they encounter evil Black Riders, some helpful allies, and a mysterious man named Strider. In Rivendell, a council is held, and people from many different races attend. At the council, they must decide what to do with the magical ring. There, they form 'The Fellowship of the Ring.' A company that is made up of four hobbits, Frodo, Sam, Pippin, and Merry; Gandalf the Grey; an elf named Legolas; Gimli the Dwarf; Aragorn the Ranger; and a mortal man named Boromir.

      This book was very epic and well-thought through. J.R.R. Tolkien created a whole world called Middle-Earth! You can feel the structure of the plot, the characters, and the settings as you read the book. Also, the author brings up many issues like racism, because of the different races. For example, the elves and the dwarves do not get along well, and they don't treat each other very well. The Fellowship of the Ring affected me, because it taught me that even if someone seems insignificant, or that they aren't good enough for something, they can make a huge difference in the world. We shouldn't judge people that are different than us.

      I absolutely loved this book. I have always loved the Lord of the Rings movies, and I finally decided to read the book. It was very well-written, and I was surprised at how many similarities there were. However, the beginning of the book is VERY SLOW. If you are a reader that gets extremely bored with slow books, than I would recommend not reading this book. J. R. R. Tolkien is a brilliant writer, and his books will continue to be read for many years.

Fablehaven By Brandon Mull

      This book is a fantasy book and is very entertaining for all ages of kids. It is the first book in the series and a great start to a great series. This is a book about two kids Kendra and Seth and their adventures at their grandparent’s home during a summer that they stay there.
      The book starts in the car with Kendra and Seth and their parents. They are on their way to their grandparent’s house. This is where they will be staying while their parents are on a cruise. They arrive at the house with full intentions of spending the next 17 days in full boredom. Although they go in thinking this they come to realize that their summer is going to be a mess of fun and adventure for these two kids. After a couple days of just sitting around waiting for the days to pass Seth figures out that their grandparents home is a sanctuary for magical creatures. As you follow Seth and Kendra through their adventure the suspense is held high as you wonder what will come of this magical preserve when things start to get messy. From the back yard to the depths of Fablehaven you will be frozen in your chair just wondering how Seth and Kendra two teenage kids will save this preserve from what would be a perilous down fall.
      This is a great book and I recommend reading it. It does have kind of a slow start but once you get into it you will really enjoy it!!! A+

...Her plans to Maximize fun, avoid distaster, and (possibly) save the world!!

    BEST BOOK EVER!! This book is written by: Katherine Hannigan. She is such an awesome children's author! She is really good at bringing real life situations that seem to be overlooked, to the readers realization. This book is a fictional and a realistic one. The main purpose of this book is to have you take a step back and really come to realize that terrible things really do happen in life and it can effect you in many ways.
     Alright, lets get to the good stuff! So this book is from a 1st person point-of-view. It follows the life of a girl named Ida B Applewood who claims that "There is never enough time for fun(pg 3)." Ida would be in the fourth grade, but she is home-schooled. Ida is home-schooled because she tried going to school in kindergarten and it just wasn't working for her, so her parents decided to try home-schooling. Ida has many "friends," her backyard is an orchard and so there are many trees and a stream that goes though it. So she talks to the trees, all of them have names, the stream even has a name. Those are her friends. She claims that they talk back and that if you're quiet you can feel them speak to you. Well a turn of events is making a change of plans, Ida's mom gets cancer and Ida has to start going back to school. Ida HATES school. So she decides that she is going to have a "bad" heart and completely rebel and shove everybody out of her life. Family, "friends", and all the people that she will come into contact with at school. Her policy is no friends, classmates, parents, or teachers. The question is, will she be able to pull out of this awful trance that she has gotten herself into? Will she continue to be mean and have a sad depressing life? Well that is up to you to go pick this amazing 246 page book with 32 chapters inside and read what this 4th grade girl has to go through.
     This book was definitely one that I will never put in the attic! It really helped me to really try and look out and try to help people that look like they are having a bad day, because you never know what that person is going through and they might just need someone consistent to check on them everyday. Maybe they don't have support at home, or they just need some lifting up. This book was definitely one that was a fun read and very exciting. It was exciting and fun because of the way Ida talks and just the funny things that she says and the way she thinks. I will give this book a big fat A+!

The Death Cure by James Dashner

The Death Cure by James Dashner is the final book in the Maze Runner Trilogy.  Like the other books, this is a work of fiction, and it continues to follow Thomas and the Gladers.  At this point in the trilogy, WICKED says they are done testing the Gladers, and that the 'time for lies is over.'  However, Thomas knows he can't trust WICKED.  This book follows him in his efforts to stop them.

At the beginning of the book, Thomas and his friends are told they are done being tested.  Along with this, they are given some shocking news.  Not only are Thomas and the Gladers smart, most of them are immune to the Flare, the horrible virus threatening to destroy the human race.  WICKED has been testing the Gladers because of the fact they are immune.  They've been mapping their brains in a desperate attempt to find a cure to the Flare and return the world to its former glory.

Despite this news, Thomas knows he can't trust WICKED.  He has remembered far too much already.  The next day, WICKED tells the Gladers they are going to get all their memories back.  They are going to remember everything before the Maze.  Thomas doesn't want to get his memories back.  He is scared of WICKED and what he might remember.  Thomas, along with a few other friends, decide to do something about this, and before long, they break out of WICKED.

Shortly after fleeing WICKED headquarters, Thomas and his friends find themselves in Denver, which is considered one of the few "safe" cities left in the world.  Although they've escaped WICKED, Thomas and his friends aren't free from what is out in the real world.  Are they really safe, or were they better off staying with WICKED?  Thomas can only guess.

This book was absolutely incredible.  I have to admit, at first it went really slow.  I didn't really get into it until the end.  However, the end was amazing.  It completely won me over and made me really like the book.  Last book review, I mentioned that at the end of the series, I would have to decide if the ends justified the means.  And, to be completely honest, I'm torn.  Essentially, WICKED failed their ultimate mission: to find a cure for the Flare.  However, at the end of the book, Thomas and his friends are given a new life, giving us hope that the human race will continue on.  At the end of the book, WICKED themselves say things similar to what I've said.  They explain that they failed, but also succeeded in a sense.  They also can't decide whether they will be viewed as good or evil by people in the future.  I'd imagine Thomas is pretty torn up over this whole situation.  Several times, he says that even if WICKED did find a cure, it wouldn't be worth it, considering all he and his friends had to go through.  Because WICKED failed, he's probably mad about all he lost for nothing.  But, I believe he will be able to find happiness in his new life.  Although there are many ways to interpret the end of this book, I believe it depends on how the reader views it.

This book was fantastic.  It was interesting and attention-grabbing.  I think everyone should read it.  A

The Kill Order

   

       Life in the mountains for Mark was just starting to become bearable, when a berg flew into his little village, and started raining darts down at anyone they could. One of Marks good friends who had helped him through the sun flares, and many other exciting adventures got shot and went down right away. The people in the village realized that the people who got hit by the darts, caught a terrible virus that jumped from person to person making them go crazy and eventually die. Mark, Trina, Alec, and Lana all went out to follow the berg, and on their way they found another village that had the same thing happen. At that village they found a little girl who got hit by a dart, but wasn't sick.

      From there, they took the little girl and went to find why this happened, and if there was a cure for the horrible virus that they started calling, The Flare. Together they went on many action packed adventures, and actually found the people who started the whole thing. Mark and Trina, end up giving the little girl to these people, so that these people can make up for what they did, and test this girl to find the cure to The Flare.

        I really enjoyed how quickley i got hooked to this book, and I also liked how much action is in this book. It was well written and would be enjoyable to most teenagers. A few things I didn't like about this book is the swearing and detailed deaths that wasn't necessary. It doesn't swear a whole lot, but it still is annoying, because the swear words almost seem forced. The deaths were very vivid, and didn't need to be described as much as they were.

         Over all I gave this book a B+ because it was very interesting, and at the end of every chapter the author left a little cliff hangar to make one want to keep reading. It is a must for those who like the Mazer Runner series. I personally thought that Maze Runner was a little bit better than The Kill Order, but once you read The Kill Order, Maze Runner will mak a lot more sence. I would recomend this to those who like Hunger Games, or other books like that, but if you don't like gore, then you probably shouldn't read this book.

     

Point Blank by Anthony Horowitz

 

    Point Blank is the second book of the Alex Rider series, following book 1, Stormbreaker.
     To recap, Alex Rider is a 14 year old boy who lives with his uncle, Ian Rider, and the housekeeper, Jack Starbright. However, Alex's uncle died in a suspected car crash and was found with his seat belt unbuckled - a precaution Ian always made sure to take. Alex had never known much about his uncle, and to satisfy his curiosities, he started to hunt down clues about Ian. All of what he uncovered eventually had him all tangled up in MI-6, Britain's top secret intelligence agency. After completing a mission that his uncle started, Alex has been called back from his normal life to complete another mission.
     One of the United States' most powerful man has died, and nobody knows the cause. Michael J. Roscoe was leaving his office for lunch, and when he stepped into his elevator, he disappeared, and was later found dead at the bottom of the elevator shaft. What's more, his son, Paul Roscoe, was sent to a finishing school for the sons of rich men and women, due to Paul's unsteady relationship with his father. However, MI-6 is suspicious and has decided to send Alex in as a student to investigate. After living with a rich family to get to know his environment, Alex is sent to the school where, right off the bat, meets the odd director.
     It took me a while to get fully hooked, assuming a day or two is a while. However, despite the slow beginning, the story picked up fairly quickly and kept me intrigued to the very end of the book, and then some, where you are left with a cliff hanger. I loved the action in the book, especially in the end (but then again, who doesn't love a good action novel?) where there was even action on the very last page.
     However, the theme of the book was a little cliche. There's a bad guy who wants to rule the world, but there is one person or group standing in their way that they have to get rid of first. This theme appears a lot in novels and even sometimes in real life, but there is only one solution that Horowitz also seems to agree on: good will always prevail over evil, or at least that is the solution in fiction. Sadly, the same is not always true in reality, but plenty of times it is. I think that despite the cliche theme and the other little downsides, anyone who gets their hands on this book ought to read it. This book deserves an A- grade - a grade that could be better, but not by much. I anticipate that the following books will be even better than this book was.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkein

     Welcome back to Middle Earth! As we explore Tolkeins land, please try to avoid the giant Balrogs, Orcs, Spiders, and do mind the boring elves. But first, we revisit our old Hobbit who was the star of The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins of Bag End under The Hill. He is living somewhat happily in his hole with his relative Frodo Baggins! Now, Frodo is very much like Bilbo and doesn't think very highly of great, dangerous adventures. With the many events that follow after the birthday party (long story), Frodo starts to edge toward the start of an adventure. Along with the help of Gandalf the Grey (not to be confused with Albus Dumbledore), Frodo learns lots of things that he should know, but didn't, about the Ring. Yes, this is the same Ring that Bilbo picked up in the Goblin mines before meeting Gollum in The Hobbit. All of a sudden, the Ring then becomes a big deal instead of a cool thing-a-majig to disappear with. This sets the rest of the story in place in which I will not talk about because I don't want to ruin it.

     I really liked this book and couldn't put it down. My fingers kept flipping the pages chapters ahead to see what happens because they are impatient, even if I told them not to. (Naughty fingers.) This book is perfectly plotted out for the other events that follow. If you are going to read this or are currently reading it. Please make sure that you get your names and rings right, there are too many names for one person! I also really enjoyed how some parts relate to events in The Hobbit. It will also give you hints on what happened to the dwarves in between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring. There is also lots of foreshadowing that will later take place. (If you get curious to what the foreshadowing was for, don't peek ahead!) I would totally recommend this book to anyone who likes a good fantasy book and has read The Hobbit. By the way, this book has a bit prologue, read it! It will be a big help later on!

P.S- I mentioned reading The Hobbit before The Fellowship of the Ring because it will be mighty confusing to read for those who have not read The Hobbit.

P.P.S- When you get to the part with the long talk with the Elves... Don't put the book down! You will regret it!

Unwind

    What do you do with an unwanted pregnancy? Depending on your moral views, you would abort it. But what if that wasn't possible? What if abortion was illegal? What if the alternative was so shocking, so ghastly, so completely illogical and insane, yet it was totally ordinary and accepted in American society? Granted, most people wouldn't view it as that, because it was just so common. It's called unwinding. Unwinding is where between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, an unwanted child can retroactively be aborted by the parents. It is done so by practically dismembering the child, which all of their body parts are then given to those who need them (excluding the 'useless' body parts such as the appendix). However, since all of the parts are still alive, just with somebody else, the child is not technically 'dead', but in a 'divided state'. This shocking book tells what happens when the unthinkable is the norm, and when three teenagers scheduled to be unwound rebel.
    Connor is a sixteen year old who inadvertently discovered his unwind document in his parents' files. His parents view him as an out of control delinquent. Risa is a ward of the state, a very talented pianist, and is being unwound due to budget cuts. Lev is a tithe to his religion, being raised from birth to believe that his unwinding is a service to God. These three will accidentally cross paths (Lev under the impression that he is being kidnapped by the first two, and is probably the only one in the world that wants to be unwound) and the journey they take will forever change society as a whole.

    I absolutely loved this book, I have never been so intrigued by an idea which is absolutely mental, but everyday practice. During the first about five pages, I hated the characters of this book (I'm like that with every book). After that however, I started to gradually like him, and the others. What's interesting about the point of view in this particular novel, is every chapter, you follow another character around, it's still  told in third person, but you gain insight onto what the other characters think and feel. I actually felt terrible for Roland during his unwinding (It goes quite into detail on the process), who was one of the central antagonists of the book. It's actually pretty chilling to think about how this would actually be possible within the next couple of decades, if people were to get so uptight over a very dumb issue. For the record, I think abortion is okay up until around six weeks after conception. I do not however, condone it. Other than that, I think it's wrong to get one unless the mother's life or the baby's life were in danger. But I also believe that if you want one, get one. It's your life, not mine. I shouldn't have control over your choices. I give this book an A+ by far, it totally deserves it.

The Scorch Trials By James Dashner

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner is the sequel to The Maze Runner.  It is a fiction book, and like The Maze Runner, is similar to The Hunger Games.  In this book, the Gladers have escaped the Maze, and have been taken away to "safety" by people who claim to have rescued them.  The Gladers think they are safe, but in reality, they're not.  This book is about their continuing struggles.

Since escaping the Maze, the Gladers have learned many things.  First, they've learned they are under the control of a group called WICKED.  Although the Gladers viewed the Maze as an unspeakable horror, WICKED claims that all the challenges they face the Gladers with have a purpose.  Also, after escaping the Maze, the Gladers are exposed to the real world, which isn't looking too great.  The climate has become brutally hot, and with the climate has come a new disease known as the Flare.  People infected with the disease have gone completely insane, and the world looks like it is about to fall apart.

After being "rescued", the Gladers relax, thinking their troubles are over.  The next day however, things begin to go terribly wrong.  At first, they wake up to see the dead bodies of their "rescuers" hanging from the ceiling.  What's more, Teresa, the girl from the Maze, is missing.  Instead, they find a boy in her room.  The boy's name is Aris, and he explains to the Gladers that he was also from the Maze.  But his Maze had all girls and only one boy, the complete opposite of the Gladers' Maze.  Thomas and the other Gladers begin to realize that things are going to get very interesting.

A few days later, a man comes, bearing news for the Gladers.  He explains that he is from WICKED.  After reassuring them that WICKED is "good", he tells them about their next task.  They are told they must cross the Scorch, the most burned and dried-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven within two weeks.  The next day, the Gladers begin their journey.  And, right from the very beginning, Thomas knows that whatever WICKED has planned this time, it's not going to be easy.

This book was incredible.  James Dashner really knows how to make a book grab your attention from the very start and keep you on edge until the end.  There is still one more book in this series, and then a couple of prequels.  By the end of the series, I believe the question I'll be asking myself is whether or not the ends justified the means.  WICKED claims that all the challenges they inflict upon the Gladers have a purpose.  In fact, they believe they might even save the world by doing what they are.  I have no doubt that they will accomplish the ultimate goal they have set in mind.  However, by doing these things, they are putting these young boys through a lot.  They have exposed them to unthinkable horrors and have drained them both physically and mentally.  These boys will never be able to forget or fully recover from the things they have experienced.  So, by the end of the book, I'll have to determine whether or not the ends justified the means.  I'll have to decide whether or not putting these boys through all these things was really worth it in the long run.  This book has made me really excited to read the next ones and find out what happens.

In short, this book was amazing.  I encourage everyone to read it!  A

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

     Alex Rider was just a normal 14 year old living a normal life with his uncle, Ian Rider, and his uncle's housekeeper, Jack Starbright. Alex's parents died in a terrible plane crash years before and he was left mainly with Jack because Ian was always out of the country for "business".  Tragically, Ian was discovered in his car, dead. Before he knew it, Alex was picked up by MI 6 - Britain's secret intelligence agency. At their headquarters he was told that his uncle was really a secret agent who died during a mission that MI 6 wants Alex to complete. Alex reluctantly accepts and has to race against time to complete the mission his uncle started; a mission that will have catastrophic results if he fails.
      This book had me hooked from the very start. However, it got to the action a little bit too quickly--leaving little time for exposition. Throughout the entire book I was confused about exactly how to picture Alex, which was a bit of a problem for me. Also, I thought that part of the book was insignificant to the whole story, and appeared to me to just be a page filler. However, the action scenes were very well written and were very vivid.
     I would probably grade this book with an A-. Although the action scenes were vivid, they were quite short and I would have liked just a tiny little bit more. Everything else was great. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a bit of excitement. This book is an easy, but enjoyable read for most. Though I have not yet read the rest of the series, I plan to and anticipate that they will be just as entertaining as this book was.

The Death Cure

     

        The Death Cure written by James Dashner is the third book in the Maze Runner trilogy. The Death Cure is about a boy named Thomas who is immune to The Flare, a disease that is threatening the human race. The Flare slowly makes one go crazy and basically turns him or her into a zombie. Thomas was put into a few different trials to see how his brain reacted to each so that an organization named WICKED could find a cure to The Flare. In this final book Thomas escapes from WICKED and teams up with another organization called the Right Arm, which tries to destroy WICKED. While teamed up with the Right Arm, Thomas and the Right Arm make a plan to stop WICKED once and for all. Thomas is faced with many obstacles, but is able to overcome them with the help of his friends Minho, Brenda, Newt, and Jorge.
        This book is very entertaining, and the author leaves a little cliff hangar at the end of every chapter which makes you want to keep reading, but it has a few problems that I didn't like. In this book there were many deaths that go into detail that may be a little bit disturbing to some people. Also, the people that have gotten The Flare, go crazy and are a like zombies. In one scene it talks about a person that has The Flare, that is eating another person.
        I personally, didn't like this book as much as the others in this series. I gave this book a B+ because in this book the author focused on the people with The Flare a lot and made them seem as if they were zombies, where as in the other books he didn't make them seem like zombies. Although I have made this book seem horrible, it is actually very interesting, and is a cool book. I wouldn't recommend this book, unless you like zombies, and gore, but if you've read the other two books in the series then you've got to finish the trilogy!
         

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

\    The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, is a prelude to the trilogy, The Lord of The Rings, and it is now a major motion picture. This fiction book takes place in Tolkien's world, Middle-Earth. It's a place filled with elves, hobbits, dwarves, humans, wizards, goblins, and more fantastic/ dangerous creatures. This story focuses on a simple hobbit named Bilbo, and his unexpected adventure.

    Bilbo Baggins is confronted by a wizard named Gandalf, a dwarf named Thorin Oakenshield who is the son of a dwarf-king, and 12 of his dwarf companions. They choose him to go with them on a dangerous adventure to take back the Lonely Mountain. This mountain was once a kingdom of dwarves, but a dragon named Smaug attacked it, sending the dwarves running. Bilbo finally agrees, and off they go on their adventure where they confront evil spiders, hundreds of goblins, un-housewarming elves, and more.

    This book was very entertaining, because it got right into the story and their adventure got more and more elaborate and exciting with each chapter. The suspense literally built up like a volcano, until it bursts.

     This book affected me because it helped me to realize that there's a bigger picture to things, and to try new things. Also, it helped me to realize that I need to live my life to the fullest, because someday, all that I have may be gone.

    I really love all of Tolkien's works and this book was easy to understand and follow along. I recommend this book to everyone, and if you read it, don't drop the book if it drags on. It really is an amazing book.

The Warrior Heir

     As a baby Jack had problems with his heart, and so the brilliant Dr. Jessamine swooped in and saved the day with a heart transplant... or so everyone thought. All jack was, was a normal  sixteen year old boy who loved soccer. The only things that set him apart from other kids were he had to take medicine every day and the scar from his surgery. One day though he forgets to take his medication and goes to soccer try outs. He feels fine the whole time, actually he felt more than just fine he felt great. He felt like he was stronger, faster, and more athletic than ever before. Everything was going great until he almost killed a kid when a blast of something that he says feels almost like lava coming out of his fingertips knocks the kid across the whole field.
     This is when the fun begins. His aunt Linda shows up and tells him and his friends that they have to go with her away from town. Soon the end up looking for an ancient magical sword used by his ancestors and people begin chasing them. As all of this is happening he finds out that he is a weirlind. A weirlind is a group of magical people who are hidden deep in modern people. Also he learns of the roses and how they are after him because he is one of the last warriors alive. Jack was not supposed to be a warrior though he was supposed to be a wizard, and that was were Jessamine came in. Weirlind have something called a weir stone which defines who they are but during jacks so called heart transplant he had his wizard stone replaced with a warrior stone. Throughout the book they meet new characters and are always on the run.
     The Warrior Heir is an exciting and fun book to read. Cinda Williams Chima has come up with a great story that takes place somewhere that may surprise you when you read it because all the magic and fantasy that takes place. This book was full of action, adventure, and even a little drama. The plot line is a lot like The Hobbit mashed with Harry potter and sprinkled with Percy Jackson and the Olympians. It is full of very real life situations and some not so real ones. This book was very easy to picture in my head which I loved. I loved this book because it was a great story line, it was not confusing and hard to follow along with like many fantasy books like it. Also because it was so well described it was like watching a movie in slow motion so that you notice every detail. They only problem I had with this book was the conclusion from this book to the next book in the series. So for these reasons I give The Warrior Heir an A.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

The Maze Runner by James Dashner is a work of fiction comparable to The Hunger Games.  This book is about a group of boys stuck in a large expanse surrounded by immense walls.  Behind those walls is a vast maze.  This book is about their struggle to solve the maze and escape.


The book begins with a boy who is moving upward in what he classifies as a sort of elevator.  Much to the boy's bewilderment, the only thing he can remember about his life is his name, Thomas.  When the "elevator" reaches its endpoint, it opens up, and Thomas is introduced to a large group of boys who call themselves the Gladers.  Much like Thomas, the Gladers don't know where they are or how they got there, and the only thing they can remember about themselves are their first names.

Through the next little while, Thomas is introduced to his new home, a place the Gladers call the Glade.  He learns that they are surrounded by a huge maze.  The Gladers seem sure that if they escape the maze, they will be able to go home, wherever that is.  However, the maze is looking more like it is impossible to solve each day.  Thomas also learns that each month, a new boy is sent up.  No girls have ever come.

The next day, however, the Gladers here an alarm going off.  This is the signal that a new person is coming up.  Stunned, the Gladers rush over to the elevator.  A few minutes later, it opens up and the Gladers look down to see a girl.  Not only this, she looks to be dead.  The Gladers hoist her out and lay her on the ground.  Suddenly, the girl's eyes open and she says, "Everything is going to change."  And I can tell you firsthand that everything did change.

This book was amazing.  Once I started reading, I couldn't stop.  It has so many twists and turns in it that it's nearly impossible not to feel constant suspense.  I compare this book to The Hunger Games for a couple of reasons.  The first reason is that both books have an "arena."  We all know what that is in The Hunger Games, and in this book, it's the Glade.  Also, later in this book, you will realize that these boys were sent to the Glade because of their society, just like how in The Hunger Games the society is responsible for the games.  By the end of the book, it is quite clear to see that it is only the first in a series.  There are still a ton of unanswered questions that make me want to read all of the other books.

In conclusion, this book was incredible.  Just a fair warning, though, it did freak me out a little bit.  I hope everyone will read this awesome book!  A
  

The Sea of Monsters by: Rick Riordan

This wonderful fiction book is about a kid whose name is Percy Jackson. Percy, after completing the task of finding the stolen Lightning Bolt, is now faced with a new problem. Camp Half-Blood (a camp for sons and daughters of a mortal and a god) is not safe anymore. Zeus' daughter Thalia is a tree that protects the camp and now has been poisened so the borders are not protected anymore. The only cure is to retrieve the magic Golden Fleece. Percy with the help of his friend Annabeth and his step brother Tyson had to find the magic Golden Fleece before it was to late. Thalia would die and the camp would be in great danger. Also Percy's best friend is in trouble. He has been taken by a cyclops and Percy needs to save him. He keeps having dreams of Grover being held captive because Grover is sending them to him so he can also be found. In one of the dreams Grover tells Percy that he thinks that he might of found the Golden Fleece.

They travel to where he thinks Grover is and on the way their they have a lot of challenges. Right off the bat they get captured by one of their former camp-mates Luke (Luke was good and then he turned evil and wants the Titans to rule again). They managed to sneak away on a life boat one night and proceded to go on with their hard task. Bad thing after bad thing just kept happening. Next they met up with Clarisse (daughter of Ares and is a camp mate of thiers) and she had an ironclad from the Civil War. They were traveling in the right direction when they got attacked by Scylla (a sea monster that had 6 heads and always attacked sailors and boats). The crew ends up scattered except for Percy and Annabeth. They assume Tyson is dead because they thing he blew up with the boat. They don't know if the nearby islands are even safe so they can swim to them. They need to find Tyson and Grover. Hope is almost lost they need the Fleece to save Camp-Half Blood. They are running out of time and are in a time of desperate need. What will they do?

This book is a great book. I just love Rick Riordan he is such a good author and this series is great so far. I really encourage the people who read this series to study up on their Greek mythology or else you might not be able to understand it too well. I love the way how he puts Greek mythology into characters who live in modern times. He really understands how to make a good page turning book. I really liked this book and so far this series. A

The Lightning Thief by: Rick Riordan

This fascinating book "The Lightning Thief" is a great fiction/Greek Mythology/fantasy type of book. Rick Riordan (the author) in my opinion is one of the best authors ever. This book is is so intriguing and entertaining.

Oh no! Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen! Who would steal it??? Of course they would choose the poor innocent guy who doesn't know the first thing about Greek Mythology... Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon (Poseidon is the god of the sea and the brother of Zeus). Percy Jackson is just a regular guy, besides the fact that he is a delinquent, until the day he is told that he is the son of Poseidon, Zeus including all of Mount Olympus thinks he stole Zeus' master lightning bolt, and that he has ten days to bring it back and find out who did it. Pretty tough for a guy who probably didn't believe what they were saying at first. Anyway, he and his best friend Grover (which he met at a regular school and Percy just found out that he is a saytr) get sent to a place called "Camp Half-Blood" to train for the mission ahead. So to shorten things up he leaves and goes on this crazy adventure that includes chopping of Medusa's head, eating burgers with Ares, and fighting Hades. Its not looking good for him and his friends but Percy's life pretty much depends on finding this lightning bolt. Can they find out who actually stole Zeus' bolt? Can they do it in ten days?

This is literally one of the best books I have ever read. It kept me up all night reading and reading and reading. It was so good. I don't think I would've changed anything in that book although you might want to study up on your Greek Mythology because it gets really hard to remember all of the names of the gods and goddesses. I really like how the author put this in modern day times instead of the 70s or 80s or something like that. I think that it was a great idea and it couldn't of been any better than it was. A+