TOP 10 BOOKS OF THE YEAR!!!

1st- WORDS ON FIRE

AUTHOR- JENNIFER A. NIELSEN            GENRE- HISTORICAL FICTION

2nd- MY DIARY FROM THE EDGE OF THE WORLD

AUTHOR- JODI LYNN ANDERSON              GENRE- FANTASY

3rd- TO NIGHT OWL FROM DOGFISH

AUTHOR- HOLLY GOLDBERG                   GENRE- REALISTIC FICTION

4th- MAKING BOMBS FOR HITLER

AUTHOR- MARSHA FORCHUCK SKRYPUCH        GENRE- HISTORICAL FICTION

5th- SWEEP

AUTHOR- JONATHAN AUXIER          GENRE-  HISTORICAL FICTION AND FANTASY 

6th- THE FALSE PRINCE

AUTHOR- JENNIFER A. NIELSEN       GENRE- HISTORICAL FICTION

7th- GREETINGS FROM WITNESS PROTECTION

AUTHOR- JAKE BURT          GENRE- REALISTIC FICTION

8th- ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME, MARGARET

AUTHOR- JUDY BLUME      GENRE- REALISTIC FICTION

9th- BLUBBER

AUTHOR- JUDY BLUME                 GENRE- REALISTIC FICTION

10th- A TALE MAGNOLIOUS

AUTHOR- SUZANNE NELSON       GENRE- FANTASY

Allies

AUTHOR- Alan Gratz

RATING-⭐⭐⭐⭐

BOOK DESCRIPTION

June 16, 1944: The Nazis  are terrorizing Europe, on their evil quest to conquer the world. The only way to stop them? The biggest, most top-secret endeavor ever, with the allied nations coming together to storm German- occupied France.

Welcome to D-Day
Dee, a young US soldier, is on a boat racing toward the French coast. And Dee- along with his brothers-in-arms- is terrified. He feels the weight of World War II on his shoulders.
But Dee is not alone. Behind enemy lines in France, is a girl named  Samira works as a spy, trying to sabotage the German army. Meanwhile, paratrooper James leaps from his plane to join a midnight raid. And in the thick of battle, Henry, a medic, searches for lives to save.

WHAT I THOUGHT

I liked this book because most of the characters were on deadly missions filled with action. It was very sad and lots of people died or were seriously injured.  The ending wasn't that good though because it made you feel like it was only the middle and it would have been better if  the author added and made the book longer. Over all though it was a pretty good book and I read in one day. If you liked this book you might also like Grenade by Alan Gratz.

The Sign of the Beaver

AUTHOR- Elizabeth George Speare

RATING-⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Although he faces his responsibility bravely, thirteen-year-old Matt is more than a little apprehensive when his father leaves him alone to guard their newly built  cabin in the wilderness. When a renegade white stranger steals his gun, Matt realizes he has no way to shoot game and no way to protect himself. It is only after meeting the resourceful Indian boy Attean that Matt begins to discover new ways to survive in the forest.

And in getting to know his friend, Matt also comes to learn the heritage and way of life of the beaver clan, and their growing problem in adapting to the white man and the changing frontier.

WHAT I THOUGHT

I really liked this book because I really like survival books but it was also was a little about friendship because two very unlikely friends meet. In the end Matt is stuck with a really tough decision. If you liked this book you would probably like Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. They are very similar books because the main character has to survive alone in the woods.

The Losers Club

AUTHOR- Andrew Clements

Rating-⭐⭐⭐⭐

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Alex can't put a good book down. So when Principal Vance lays down the law-pay attention in class, or else- Alex takes action. He can't lose all his reading time, so he starts a club. A club he intends to be the only member of. After all, reading isn't a team sport, and no one would want to join something called the Losers Club, right?

But as more and more kids find their way to Alec's club, he realizes something. Words like loser and bookworm are just labels. And labels don't tell the whole story. Maybe it's time the Losers Club members take their story back.

WHAT I THOUGHT

I really liked this book because it was about other kids who loved books like me. I thought the part about him wanting him and Nina to be more than friends was not necessary. It teaches a really good lesson that labels don't matter; like nerds and jocks and in this case, bookworms and losers. If you liked this book you might like Ban This Book by Alan Gratz.

Our Castle by the Sea

AUTHOR- Lucy Strange

RATING- ⭐⭐⭐⭐

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Growing up in a lighthouse, eleven-year-old Pet's world has been one of storms, secret tunnels, and stories about sea monsters. But now the country is at war and the clifftops are a terrifying battleground. Pet will need to muster all her bravery to uncover why her family is being torn apart. 

WHAT I THOUGHT

This is a hard book to rate because the beginning was really hard to get into. It would be boring, boring, something good just happened. Boring, boring, and so on. The ending had a good twist and I could not put the book down. The ending was soooo good. If you liked this book you might also like The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.

A Wrinkle in Time

Author- Madeleine L'Engle

Rating-⭐⭐⭐⭐

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Out of this wild night, a strange visitor comes to the Murry house and beckons Meg, her brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin O'Keefe on a most dangerous and extraordinary adventure- one that will threaten their lives and our universe.

WHAT I THOUGHT \

At first it was pretty weird and boring and it took a little while to get into it. Once I was a little more then half way through it, it started getting good. It was also kind of scary. But it had a happy ending so that was good. It was better than the movie and it followed the book book pretty closely. If you liked this book you might also like The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster.

Greetings From Witness Protection

AUTHOR- Jake Burt

RATING-⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

BOOK DESCRIPTION

The marshals are looking for the perfect girl to join a mother, father, and son on the run from the nation's most notorious criminals. After all, the bad guys are searching for family with one kid, not two, and adding a streetwise girl who knows a little something about hiding things may be just what the marshals need.

Nicki swears she can keep the Trevor family safe, but to do so she'll have to dodge hit men, cyberbullies, and the specter of standardized testing,  all while maintaining her marshal-mandated B- average. As she barely balances the responsibility's of her new identity, Nicki learns that the biggest threats to her family's security might not lurk on the road from New York to North Carolina but rather in her own past.

WHAT I THOUGHT

I really liked this book. The ending was good because it made you want there to be more but it was also happy at the same time. I also really liked how Nicki wasn't ever really nervous except for when she was meeting the family for the first time. She always liked to talk and adapted to the changes really easily. If you liked this book you might also like Breakout by Kate Messner.

Cyclone

AUTHOR- Doreen Cronin

RATING-⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Riding the Cyclone, the world famous Coney Island roller coaster, was supposed to be the highlight of Nora’s summer. But right after they disembark, Nora’s cousin Riley falls to the ground…and doesn’t get up. Nora had begged and dragged Riley onto the ride, and no matter what the doctors say, that she had a heart condition, that it could have happened at any time, Nora knows it was her fault. Then, as Riley comes out of her coma, she’s not really Riley at all. The cousin who used to be loud and funny and unafraid now can’t talk, let alone go to the bathroom by herself. No, she’s only 10% Riley. Nora, guilt eating her up on the inside worse than a Coney Island hot dog, thinks she knows how to help. How to get 100% Riley back. But what Nora doesn’t realize is that the guilt will only get worse as that percentage rises.

 WHAT I THOUGHT

It was pretty good. When I got to the last about 100 pages I just had to keep reading. That was when Nora could not hold in her emotions anymore. She was sad, angry, embarrassed, and full of regret. I really liked how Riley communicated when she was starting to talk again and it made me laugh out loud. If you liked this book you might also like The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin.