The Maze Runner by James Dashner
reviewed by Jake
The book The Maze Runner is a very intense book. In the beginning a boy named Thomas finds himself in an "old mine shaft". He begins his new life standing up, surrounded by "cold darkness and stale, dusty air". He soon finds there is a civilization and the old mine shaft is actually a huge maze. There is no way out of this maze. A day later the first girl ever shows up with a note that says "the last one". Thomas and this girl have a connection. Will Thomas and the mysterious girl escape the maze or will they be trapped for the rest of their lives?
The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
reviewed by Jake
The sequel to the book Maze Runner is an amazing follow up. After Thomas and Teresa escape the maze, there are yet more tests to overcome. This test is to reach across the scorch and find a way out. The scorch is what is left of Mexico. It is like a desert. Without lots of food and water they must make it to a town on the other side. What they don't know is that there is a disease that is taking over the world. They are immune to the virus and are tested to attempt to find a vaccine. Will they be able to get out of the scorch alive?
The Death Cure by James Dashner
reviewed by Jake
The last of the trilogy The Death Cure is a masterpiece. Thomas finally finds out all the answers he has been looking for. And he knows he needs to fix things. Thomas and his friends must figure out a way to stop WICKED's evil plan. When the cranks give the virus to Thomas' best friend he starts to get serious. He says, "They got inside somehow. They're taking me to live with the other cranks. It's for the best. Thanks for being my friend. Goodbye". Will Thomas be able to get revenge and will he be able to save the human race?
Librarians Note: The author's site has more information on this series
Romiette and Julio by Sharon M. Draper
reviewed by Layla
This reverse love story of Shakespeare's most famous play tells the story of Julio and his beloved Romiette. They meet in an online chatroom and find out they go to the same high school. When a local gang, "The Family," A.K.A. The Devildogs, find out Romiette and Julio are dating, they don't approve. Romiette and Julio try to ignore them, but the Devildogs take things too far.
This book was amazingly written. I can't really think of anything else to describe it. It wasn't too sappy and it wasn't too violent. Beautiful love story and amazingly written. Enough said.
The Limit by Kristen Landon
reviewed by Pavan
Have you ever wondered what the future will turn out to be? What will be of the U.S and its trillions of dollars of debt? If you ever have thought about these then this is the book for you.
The book starts with one sentence "An eighth grade girl was taken today". Then the book instantly starts with the fast-paced story that has taken place in a world not far from ours. The main character, Matt is just a normal intelligent teenage boy who enjoys hanging out with his friends. He lives in a world where kids are being whisked away from their homes if they exceed the debt limit which has been imposed by the government.
Matt has thought about it, but has come to the conclusion that he would never be taken away from his parents. After all, his parents were doing fine,and wouldn't his parents tell him if such a thing were to happen?
Matt was wrong. After Matt's parents unexpectedly go over the limit Matt finds himself in a government workhouse. No one has ever been informed about the workhouses, but it poses dangers far more worse than anyone in the outside world could imagine.
Beyonders: A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull
reviewed by Samuel
Beyonders: A World Without Heroesis the first book in the amazing Beyonders trilogy. The book describes the adventure of a regular boy who lives in Colorado and is suddenly eaten by a mysterious hippo. Don't think that the story ends here! Instead of this being the end of his life, the throat of the hippo transforms into a mysterious dark tunnel. At the end of this tunnel a whole other world awaits, called Lyrian.
Jason Walker is suddenly sucked into a mission to dethrone a evil wizard emperor named Maldor. Before he can embark on this journey, another factor is yet to come into play, He wasn't the only one to come to Lyrian. He meets a girl named Rachel from Seattle who he develops a minor crush on. Together they search for a word, This word is the secret to the demise of Maldor. This book is a wonderful intro to an amazing trilogy. It's fast paced, funny, and is truly for all ages. By the time I finished this book I had no more nails left to bite. It is an amazing book and I recommend it for anyone who likes to read fantasies.
Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko
reviewed by Jake
The book Al Capone Shines my Shoes is a very interesting book. A boy named Moose lives very close to Alcatraz Island. Every week they send their clothes to Alcatraz and the inmates wash them. One day Moose finds a note in his shirt from Al Capone. It says to give some flowers to a girl he likes. Now Al Capone wants Moose to do something else. How will he get away with helping one of the most notorious criminals ever?