Gym Candy by Carl Deuker

I’m going to do my book review on Gym Candy by: Carl Deuker. High School football star Mick Johnson is determined not to follow in his father’s footsteps and make the same mistakes his father made on the field. But after being tackled outside the end zone in a crucial game, Mick decides his current training plan isn’t working. It isn’t long before Mick finds himself purchasing and using “gym candy.” Mick gets the results he’s been looking for, and a lot more he didn’t have in mind, and he soon finds himself trapped. . . Will Mick ever stop using steroids? If so what will happen. This book has not won any awards but I think it will in the future. The recommended reading age is 12 and up. Quotes from famous writers and reviewers are, “Kick of the football season with this riveting title.” Says The Bulletin. “Deuker. . . knows his stuff. . . This is a solid sports tale with a valuable message.” Says KLIATT. A quote I liked from this book is when Mick’s Dad tells him when he is little boy, “There’s no crying in football.” Other books by Carl Deuker are, Payback Time, Heart of A Champion, Night Hoops, and many more. I really liked this book and it kept me on the edge of my seat and I’m sure it will do the same for you. Recommended by Noah Smith

Penny from Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm

Today I’ll be recommending the book Penny from Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm. It’s about an 11 year old girl, Penny, who is living in 1953. She has great ideas of what she wants to do to have fun in the summer, but it seems like her mother is saying no to all of them. Worst of all her mom starts dating the milkman. How will she make this summer more fun? Well her troublemaker cousin, Frankie will try to help. Penny is a really great character who just wants to have fun, but will she have even less fun if she gets in trouble with Frankie? The recommended reading age is 10+. This book is most like Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson. I think Jennifer Holm writes most like Wendy Mass (She wrote Jeremy Fink and The Meaning of Life.) because they both write in the perspective of kids that are 11 and 12 and make it believable. My favorite part from this book is “Nonny starts crying. “My Freddy good boy.” “That’s right,” Uncle Paulie says, a fat tear running down his cheek. “Regular party in here,” a voice says from the top of the stairs.” I like this part because it just shows how funny the book is. The author has also written Turtle in Paradise. This book has won a Newbery Honor and is a fast historical fiction read that will also count as award winning. The School Library Journal said, “Penny and her world are clearly drawn and eminently believable, made up of seamlessly interwoven details from everyday life.” So will Penny make this a great summer, or will her mother ruin it all? Recommended by Laura Snyder

Shades of Blue by Karen Kingsbury

Have you ever known what you are doing is wrong, but you’re doing it anyway? Have you ever walked away from your past life to start a new one? Brad Cutler did just that. Brad’s life turned out amazing. He is getting married to the girl of his dreams, and has a job working for her dad. His high school girlfriend is the only one standing between him and his fairytale life ahead of him. I am recommending the book Shades of Blue by: Karen Kingsbury. It is about how a man walked away from everything he had in Holden Beach. One day, what he had done in his past years finally caught up with him. He goes back to reconcile, and ask forgiveness from his first love, Emma. Shades of Blue was copyrighted in 2009. Karen Kingsbury has won many awards including, 2009 Extraordinary Woman of the Year award, and the 2007 Evangelical Book of the Year for her novel, Ever After. Her other books include, the Bailey Flanigan Series, the Red Gloves Collection, the Above the Line series, Ever After, the Redemption series, the Firstborn series, and many more. She is an amazing author for children and adults. I can not wait to see the movie Shades of Blue after reading the book. It has 336 pages packed with faith filled messages, and mistakes not to be repeated. It is recommended for ages 18 and up, but I thought it was a good book for 14 and up also. “Karen Kingsbury's books have a way of grabbing your heart and refuse to let go until the last page is turned. I read this book in one sitting. I just couldn't wait to find out how the story would end.” says LMS on Amazon. “Powerful! I couldn't put it down, and the message still stays with me. Kingsbury tackled another difficult subject beautifully.” Tammy shared about the book. My personal reaction to the book was, I loved it! It was the second best book I read this year after Catching Jordan. It not only has a powerful message, but it will bring out the emotions of anyone who reads it, guaranteed. Shades of Blue reminded me of the book Muted Grey. It was about the same topic, and both made me want to do something for the main characters. I thought this fit into many different genres such as Romance, Realistic Fiction, and Religious. I think it is geared more towards girls because it is emotional, and men don’t usually like to show their emotions. It was overall a really phenomenal book, that I hope you all read. Recommended by Isabel Brehm

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

“ As a rule, Ginny Blackstone tried to go unnoticed-something that was more or less impossible with thirty pounds (she’d weighed it) of purple and green backpack hanging from her back.” This is my favorite quote from the book 13 Little Blue Envelopes Maureen Johnson. In this quote it shows the funny and witty side of Ginny. in this captivating novel Ginny goes on a self discovery. She gets a package telling her to get on a plane and go to London. When she arrives she can open the envelope in the package. The envelope leads to another and then another until the 13th envelope. All the envelopes lead her to do things she’s never done before and push her to the limit. Maureen Johnson has a writing style similar to Sarah Dessen. They both have very realistic writing styles. Some other novels Maureen Johnson has written are, The Name of the Star, Suite Scarlett, Scarlett Fever, Girl At Sea, and The Key To The Golden Firebird. Publisher’s weekly says, “Equal parts poignant, funny and inspiring, with a delicious fairytale ending.” I could not locate a review from an author for this 13 and up novel. This book had not won any awards. To get to the 13th envelope you’ll have experience every tear, laugh, and awkward exchange Ginny goes through to get to where she needs to be. Recommended by Meg Stecklein

The Enemy by Charlie HIgson

How are you all doing now? In the final quarter of this lovely and educational year I read and recommend the book The Enemy by Charlie Higson. "The Enemy grabs you by the throat...and bites off your ear. It's kids versus zombies and no one is playing nice. The action-and boy, is there action-takes us through a London transformed by the unexplained illness that has turned every adult into a shuffling, drooling, kid-crunching machine. Bonus: zombie royals." Is what Michael Grant said about it. Your first thought is probably awesome and a little scary. You are absolutely correct. It is about a post apocalyptic London. Everybody on Earth above the age of fourteen either died or worse turn into a zombie. Most of the kids of London went either to Waitrose or Morrisons, the supermarkets nearest to them. They stay alive by going out of the sanctuary of the store to search for food and kill dogs who have been infected. It starts out with Small Sam, a main character, getting kidnapped by zombies, another character getting killed by zombies, and Arran, another main character, getting bit by a zombie. Then there are two plots: one is about Small Sam, who was the kid who got taken, and him getting back to his group and the other is about the people in the supermarkets getting a visit from Jester, a kid in a patched coat, telling them to go to the Buckingham Palace where a bunch of kids are and life is much better. They go with the strange kid and make their way across London fighting “adults” AKA zombies, crazed monkeys, and more zombies. Will they get across London? Will Small Sam find his way back to his friends? Only way to know is to read this 448 page science fiction novel. Also a reason to read is that this book has a map. I really liked this book. It had a lot of action and adventure. The characters were very brave, or they were very manipulative and power hungry, both things characteristics make the book interesting to read. Amazon said, “Full of unexpected twists and quick-thinking heroes, The Enemy is a fast-paced, white-knuckle tale of survival in the face of unimaginable horror.” I agree totally with that statement. Charlie Higson also wrote Happy Now, Full Whack, Getting Rid of Mister Kitchen, King of the Ants, Young Bond series, The Fear, The Dead, Monstroso. The Enemy have not won any awards. It is for people 14 years and up, and I would say not for the faint of heart. A quote from this book is “Standing in the corridor was a large plastic bin on wheels. He looked inside. Empty tins of dog food. That explained the spaghetti with meat sauce. Oh well, he'd eaten worse.” I picked this quote from the book because it shows how bad they are and a bit of what they are going through. I would say this book is a lot like the Gone series by Michael Grant. In both the kids have to survive by themselves. Also both text has a great amount of gory details. I also think in this book Charlie Higson is a lot like Michael Grant. I think this because they usually have a lot of characters in their books. They both wrote books from a young adult perspective. This is a breathtaking story that will keep you reading until it is done. Hope you read it because I can’t say it enough it is a really awesome book. It is also okay if you read it just to look at the map. Recommended by Carl Schneider

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

“May the odds be ever in your favor.” Effie Tinket repeats a lot in the book The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.This is a must read for all! A lot of people have read this but if you haven’t you need to. It is the best book I have read all year, and best movie I have watched in my entire life. The Hunger Games was a well-written fiction novel for young adults. It is a great mix of action and a romantic love story, that kept me reading during independent reading time. It all starts in North America as it is today has been destroyed and after the area is divided up into 12 districts. The region is controlled by a very rich and weird government that is called “The Capitol”. A 16-year-old girl named Katniss Everdeen chooses to take her little sister’s place to participate in the Hunger Games held at The Capitol every year; Katniss was one of 24 “tributes” that are chosen each year. The games were made to place children from 12 to 18 years old in a big, dangerous arena to fight until the death. The fight is not only highly publicized, but it is also televised around the country. Unfortunately for her, she must deal with deciding whether or not to kill strangers, or have a love connection between Katniss and another from District 12. You must read to find out what road she takes in her life. The reading age for this book is 12 and up. It is a 384 page turning book that kept me reading. This book hasn’t won any awards yet. But I think it should in the future. It was awesome. Suzanne Collins also wrote Catching Fire, and Mocking Jay. My favorite character in this book is Katniss, I like her because she is the best person ever. She is willing to help anybody. But she also has a nasty side to her, when it comes to the hunger games. I also went to the movie and found lots of difference so I suggest you all read the book and go to the movie. “I was obsessed with this book. The Hunger Games is amazing.” A quote from the famous author Stephenie Meyer author of the twilight saga.”Brilliantly plotted and perfectly paced.” said John Green, The New York Times Book Review. My favorite quote from the book is “Here’s some advice. Stay alive,” this is said by Haymitch, Katniss and Peeta’s weird mentor, this was my favorite quote because it is kinda funny, and very good information for just going into the hunger games. It is funny because obviously that is the best advice you can get, and it is true because the statement is true. "One more time? For the audience?" read this awesome book to find out what this sentence means. I recommend this book to everybody! Recommended by Megan Maahs

Batboy by Mike Lupica

The book that I am going to do my book review on is, Batboy. It is written by Mike Lupica.It is about a kid named Brian and how he wants to get his dream job, Being a Batboy! He tried to get it when he was fifteen and they said he had to wait a year. So, the next year he wrote a letter and got the job, with the Tigers. After he had been working with the Tigers for a while, his all-time favorite player got drafted to the team. Brian thinks he is a hero until he finds out the truth. Read to find out what happens with brian and how he figures this out. This is a great book that is filled with twists and turns at every page. This book is probably more for boys than for girls. I liked this book because it is easy to relate to because Brian is my age. The recommended reading age is 10 and up.Other books by the same author are, Travel Team, Heat, Summer Ball, The Big Field and many more. He has been the New York times bestselling author, and has many bestselling books. People who bought this also bought, Two-Minute Drill (Comeback Kids), Travel Team, The Big Field, Heat, Hero, and Long Shot. A quote that I liked from the book was, “ Brian Felt like he was close enough to baseball that he could reach out and grab it.” I liked this because it shows how much Brian loves baseball. A quote from Kirkus reviews is, “This book is great who ever likes sports and sadness and action read this and you will not stop reading this book and you will love it.” Overall I thought this was a great book! Recommended by Frank Brehm