Review: Beck

Beck
by Mal Peet and Meg Rosoff

Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date: April 11, 2017

BECK, by Meg Rosoff and Mal Peet, is a story that follows the life of a boy named Beck, an orphan who is shipped from England to Canada and escapes to America, where he struggles to make a life for himself. The story takes place in the early 1900s which is intriguing to me because I am a bit of a history buff. I liked the character development and the side characters. I also enjoyed the book's realistic nature and how it is unique, as it deals with an interesting journey; I have not really read anything similar to this. I would recommend this book to older audiences, as in high schoolers, because there are some intense scenes that are not really appropriate for younger kids. However, I really enjoyed the book and definitely think it is worth reading.

Review: Death on the River of Doubt

Death on the River of Doubt
by Samantha Seiple

Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: January 3, 2017

DEATH ON THE RIVER OF DOUBT by Samantha Seiple talks about a scary and somewhat unknown story about the near-death experience of Theodore Roosevelt, one of America's finest Presidents. He was on an expedition in the Amazon, when he was injured, and his group struggles to find food. They face multiple roadblocks and challenges in an attempt to get Roosevelt back to safety. I thoroughly enjoyed the book's action and how the story is kept exciting despite it being nonfiction. I personally was interested in this book because of my interest in history, and was curious as to what happened during this expedition. I would recommend the book to most people, despite the small amounts of violence, because other than that it did not strike me as inappropriate at all.

Review: Avalanche

Avalanche
by Melinda Braun

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: November 29, 2016


AVALANCHE by Melinda Braun was an intriguing and exciting book about a boy named Matt and his best friend who go on a skiing trip in the Rocky Mountains. All seems fairly normal until an avalanche hits them, and they are stranded. The book covers Matt's journey and fight against the elements for survival. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and its unique and realistic suspense. The tragedies that occur and the triumphs that happen leave the reader without a chance to predict what will happen next. I would recommend this book to slightly older people because of the darker plot, and the use of some poor language. However, the book kept me excited the whole time, and its realism kept me on edge throughout.

Review: Every Hidden Thing

Every Hidden Thing
by Kenneth Oppel

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: October 11, 2016

EVERY HIDDEN THING by Kenneth Oppel is a compelling story that is quite similar to Romeo and Juliet. There are two rival families, the Bolts and the Cartlands, who are attempting to be the first to discover a massive set of dinosaur bones, and the two teenagers of the respective families, Samuel and Rachel, are brought together. Although this is very different than books that I usually read, as I am into mainly action and adventure books, the romance does not take up the entire story, and there is still plenty of suspense to keep me interested. I enjoyed the book largely due to this mix of action and romance, and I feel as if other people would enjoy it too. Overall, I had a great experience reading this book and would definitely recommend it to others.

Review: Black River Falls

Black River Falls
by Jeff Hirsch

Publisher: Clarion Books
Publication Date: July 5, 2016

The book BLACK RIVER FALLS by Jeff Hirsch is, at its core, about the value of friends and family. It's about a boy named Cardinal, who lives in a town that was taken over by a virus, and quarantined. The virus leaves its victims alive, but takes away all their memories. Cardinal has not been caught by the virus, but chooses to stay to care for a group of orphaned kids. The book was interesting to me because it made me speculate on what could happen if everyone lost their memories, and the effect that it could have on a society. I also liked the books action-packed and fast paced mystery. The depth of the book was enjoyable, with multiple side plots to keep the reader interested. I would recommend the book to anyone who really likes being able to critically analyze a fiction book, as there wasn't anything gory or gruesome, just action.

Review: Riverkeep

Riverkeep

by Martin Stewart 

Publisher: Viking

Publication Date: July 26, 2016

  

RIVERKEEP by Martin Stewart is an adventurous and thrilling book about a boy named Wulliam, who is attempting to cure his father after he was possessed by a dark spirit. Wull is almost 16, and is set to become Riverkeep, where he tends to a magical and treacherous river. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and its adventurous nature. Furthermore, I really liked the character development and the diversity amongst the characters as a whole. I liked the book largely due to its action and the way the book is written: keeping accents for each and every character really helped me to keep a good idea of the characters’ traits in my head. I would recommend the book to people who enjoy action and adventure. However, the book had some gore in it, so people who don't enjoy that kind of description may not like it as much.

Review: Zero Day

Zero Day 
By Jan Gangsei

Publication Date: January 12, 2016

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion 

ZERO DAY, by Jan Gangsei, is suspenseful to the core, with plenty of action.  Gangsei intertwines modern day politics with the haunted and mysterious past of the President, Mark Webster. His daughter, Addie, disappeared eight years ago, and she reappears at a strange time.  This thriller of a book kept me constantly anxious, waiting to see what happens next. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mystery, action, and page turning suspense.

Review: Mark of the Thief

Mark of the Thief by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Publication date: February 24, 2015
Publisher: Scholastic

The book, MARK OF THE THIEF, by Jennifer A. Nielsen, is a great adventure story about a boy named Nic who discovers Julius Caesar's bulla, which gives him great power. However, this great power comes with a great cost. When he hears of his enemies' plans to defeat Rome, he and his friends know they must stop it. This is a great, jaw-dropping book that has intense action, comedy, and a little romance. I would recommend this book to ages nine and up due to all the action. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would like to see some of the authors other books, and can not wait for the sequel!

Review: Stranger

Stranger by Rachel Manija Brown and Sherwood Smith
Publication date: November 13, 2014
Publisher: Viking Juvenile

The book, STRANGER, by Rachel Manija Brown and Sherwood Smith, is very exciting and suspenseful. The book switches between points of views, and although it could sometimes be confusing, it helped show the ideas that the characters were forming. The different views allowed more insight into the characters' lives.The plot is also a great idea. The story takes place in what is known as Los Angeles to us, but is now, generations later, Las Anclas. The main character in the story is a man named Ross Juarez, who has brought an ancient artifact into Las Anclas, and people are chasing him down to get it. This story has a great mix of suspense, action, and deceit. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes action-packed thrillers.

Review: The Nethergrim

The Nethergrim by Matthew Jobin
Publisher: Penguin
Publishing date: April 8, 2014

THE NETHERGRIM, by Matthew Jobin, is an action-packed adventure book about three teenagers named, Edmund, Katherine, and Tom. Although each character is very different from one another, they are best friends. When Edmund's brother is captured by an evil monster named the Nethergrim, the friends set out on a journey to get him back. This book is very action-packed and suspenseful, and once you start reading, it is very hard to stop. The characters in the story feel real and you can relate to what they are feeling. This book resembles The Chronicles of Narnia because of its fantasy style and the time and because of the middle age fighting techniques. I highly recommend this book to readers of all ages because of the action in each page.

Review: The Nerdy Dozen

The Nerdy Dozen by Jeff Miller 
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication date: June 10, 2014

The book THE NERDY DOZEN by Jeff Miller started a little slow, but turned out to be a great book. There was constant action, and I didn't ever know what was going to happen next. Also, the idea that a nerdy group of kids could become pilots for the United States Air Force helped to create comedy in the book. I would definitely recommend this book to ages 12 and up because it is easy to read and has lots of comedy that is very appropriate. I would definitely read this book again.