BOOK NAME: The Summer I Turned Pretty
AUTHOR: Jenny Han

Every year since Belly could remember she has always gone down to Cousins Beach each summer with her mother, her brother, her mother’s best friend and her two sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. Belly has always had a crush on Conrad, the older of the two brothers, but this summer is having second thoughts on Jeremiah. Unlike the rest of the summers this summer is different, everyone’s older and has changed. Belly got rid of her glasses and has matured a great amount since the last visit. Conrad, on the other hand, has made some mistakes that may cost him a lot. Jeremiah is still the same fun self he always was but acts different when he is around Belly. Belly has no clue what the end of this summer may bring but in the end it’s a summer she will never forget.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!! I am in to chick flicks and chick lit lately and this one is at the top of my list! It is very girly and every time I read it, it reminds me of summer and I love that feeling. In about every other chapter there is a flashback to summers before that and it shows the whole story. Every time I opened it I could never put it down! I hope you get a chance to read this book because you will enjoy it very much. This series is going to become a trilogy.

BOOK NAME: Elsewhere
AUTHOR: Gabrielle Zevin

Did you ever wonder what happens once you’ve died?

Liz Hall was a was a teenage girl meeting her friend at the mall and she got hit by a taxi. She woke up in a boat in the middle of the ocean. She thought she was in a dream when she finally realized that she was dead! The boat that she was on was taking her to an island called Elsewhere where all dead people were living (or living in the state of “dead”).

She found one of her dead grandmothers who surprisingly was thrity-two but had died at the age of fifty. She soon realized that instead of getting older in Elsewhere, you get younger. Liz still had her WHOLE life in front of her and she gets to turn fourteen again! She would never be able to drive a car or graduate from college but instead she had to go back to preschool! But Liz gets used to her new life. When everybody in Elsewhere turns seven months old again they get sent off down a river and are reborn back on earth.

This story kinda freaked me out at times. Just thinking about reliving and then dying yet still living…(shiver). The author did a great job writing this book because she was so imaginative about how people acted there and what kinds of jobs were needed and also how the people could look back at their family and friends back on earth. It does get confusing and creepy at parts so make sure you are ready to read a more difficult book but it is another book that once you get caught into it, you can’t stop.

BOOK NAME: Life As We Knew It
AUTHOR: Susan Beth Pfeffer

Miranda was happy being a senior in high school. She had friends and family that loved her. Mainly what she had was a normal life. All that changed one day when a meteor hit the moon unexpectedly and pushed the moon closer to earth!

The moon controls the tides and it was that night that the waves stared crashing over Florida, New York City, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and other major cities around the world!!! Millions of people started dying. People were going crazy at the grocery store as Miranda and her family stocked up on their food supply. Nobody knew how long this could last! Lightning storms exploded and volcanoes erupted. A loss of electricity and MASSIVE snow storms were causing Miranda and her family to struggle through these harsh times. They hadn’t heard from their dad and they didn’t know if they ever would once the post office closed. Would Miranda and her family live to tell the tale? Or would mankind die off and never be able to survive?

This book was absolutely amazing! I couldn’t put it down. It never got boring because it was so intense in some parts. It really gets you wondering if a meteor really could push the moon closer to earth! It also get really scary in some parts and its sort of depressing too so don’t read this if you are looking for a happy book. There are two sequels to it so I will have to find a chance to read them sometime. It is a great fiction novel!

BOOK NAME: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
AUTHOR: J.K. Rowling

For all of Harry’s life he has been treated unfairly by his aunt, uncle and cousin. They put him in a cupboard to sleep in for the past eleven years he has lived there. One day Harry gets a suspicious letter that reveals a secret that has been kept from him. Harry is a wizard.

He goes to a wizarding school, Hogwarts, where he learns all kinds of magic and learns about his past too. Harry and his two best friends Ron and Hermione end up dealing with Centaurs, plants that kill, and teachers with two heads! Can Harry survive his first year with out getting eaten by trolls?

This is one of my favorite books EVER!! J.K. Rowling is and amazing writer because she always keeps you into the book. There are seven books in the Harry Potter series and six movies have been made. The seventh movies comes out late fall and part two comes out mid winter! I know I’ll be there opening night. The genre of the series is fantasy because of all the mythical and made up creatures that are invented in it. Make sure when you are reading this that you don’t skip around pages because crucial information that will come up in later books are found in this one. There are a lot of loose ends at the end of the book meaning you will have LOTS of questions but just keep reading and you will find out more, meet new people, and continue on this great magical adventure!

If you like the Harry Potter series, you should check out The Tales of Beedle the Bard, also by J.K. Rowling and it takes place in the world of Harry Potter.

BOOK NAME: A Faraway Island
AUTHOR: Annika Thor
TRANSLATOR: Linda Schenk 

During the time of World War II, children were sent off to other families in safer countries so they could be protected. Nellie and Stephie were just two of the girls that had to leave their home in Germany. They were separated into different foster families across the street from each other in a little Swedish town. Nellie, who was younger was getting along with her new life fine. She made friends and had gotten used to the different culture and language. Not so much for Stephie. The kids picked on her for being Jewish and she felt like this wasn’t her real home. She was especially worried for her parents, who were trying to get their tickets into America where they would all live a new and better life. Both girls don’t know what will happen next or how long the war or their foster life will last.

It is hard for me to find a book that I’m willing to actually reading in my spare time or even say I enjoy. This was one of the few books I loved! I liked reading about a girl who lives during the time of War World II. It wasn’t a completely boring book either, which I find rare. The book did get a little emotional when the girls didn’t know how long it would be until they got to see their parents again. When I read about Stephie, the main character, being embarrassed I could relate that to my own life. She had a little sister that she had to take care of and I know how that feels because I have two little brothers that I feel are my responsibility to take care of when my parents aren’t around. This was a really good book and sometime in the future I know I will read the sequels to it!

BOOK NAME: Twilight
AUTHOR: Stephenie Meyer

I know DogEared fans have been requesting a review of this book. It is one of the most popular books ever. So here it is.

Bella Swan just moved from Tennessee to a rainy city in Washington State called Forks, where she had decided to live with her dad for a few weeks. At Bella’s new school she discovers this creepy family, the Cullens, who like to keep to themselves. One of the kids name is Edward. One day Bella nearly gets hit by an out-of-control truck! Edward somehow saves her by stopping the truck. Soon she finds out that the Cullens are vampires! Bella and Edward fall in love with each other but it’s not long after when a bad vampire comes into town trying to chase down Bella. The Cullens have to save Bella, and save the rest of her family before it’s too late.

I LOVED this book!!! I did cheat and go see the movie first. It was a long book but totally worth it. I am now reading New Moon (I went to go see that movie first too!). I would definitely recommend this book to kids who are in middle school because it is a hard read. There are four books total in The Twilight Series and they have already made two of the movies. Eclipse and Breaking Dawn are the others.

I am a Team Jacob fan! Write back if you are a Team Jacob or a Team Edward fan!

BOOK NAME: A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie “Peanut” Johnson
AUTHOR: Michelle Y. Green

This is a biography about an African-American girl who wants to play baseball. Her name was Mamie “Peanut” Johnson. Mamie loved baseball so much that people think that she was born with one in her hand! She wanted to play in the higher leagues but they wouldn’t let her because she was African-American. They would yell at her if she tried to go in any training facilities because they are for Whites only. So Mamie tried out for the Negro League and made the team. She played hard with a winning record of 33-8 and a batting average of .284. Mamie is still alive and lives in the Washington D.C. area.

I read this book for a biography book report. I chose her because I was a softball pitcher so I thought that I would like to read a book related to that. Mamie is an awesome baseball player I found out. She even struck Babe Ruth out! I don’t read biographies often so it was cool to learn about someone I hadn’t ever heard of.

If you were to write a biography about yourself than what would you title it? EXAMPLE: Jordan; the Blog-Writer. Leave a comment with your answer.

BOOK NAME: So B. It
AUTHOR: Sarah Weeks

Heidi’s Mom is not normal. She’s been diagnosed with Down syndrome and can’t talk right. Heidi doesn’t know anything about her mother’s past. They live with a friend named Bernadette who took care of them after Heidi’s mom was caught wandering outside with a baby. Heidi has been living with Bernadette for years now. Bernadette, on the other hand, is afraid to go outside ever since her father died so both Heidi and her mom has to go get the groceries and other chores.

One day Bernadette finds an old camera in the closet with peculiar pictures in it. One of them had her mom at some Christmas event next to a sign that read: Hillside Home. Heidi decided to take a bus all the way to Liberty, New York alone to try to find out the history of her family. The trip takes her about three days to arrive in New York, when she discovers the secret about her family.

I enjoyed reading this book because l liked the story line to it. It did get a little boring at parts though. I took a long time to get started since the first six chapters were from the past rather than present. My favorite part of the book was when Heidi found out that the manager of the Hillside Home was her grandfather and one of the mentally disordered men was her dad. My least favorite part of the book was at the end. I would like to read another one of her books because I like her creativity and the way that she writes.

BOOK NAME: Scat
AUTHOR: Carl Hiaason

This story is about Nick and Marta who go to school in Florida. Their teacher Mrs. Starch is a mean and weird teacher who you don’t want to mess around with. After the disappearance of Mrs. Starch on their field trip to Black Vine Swamp things start to get spooky. First this kid named Smoke has a bad reputation with Mrs. Starch so they think he has something to do with her disappearance. Second, Nick and Marta go take a look around her house and another intruder drags them to his car and brings them back home. And lastly, a panther has been spotted at Black Vine Swamp.

This is one of the many books written by Carl Hiaason. He seems to like writing stories in Florida. I liked the book but half the time I was reading I was scared and had to turn on my closet lights or go under my covers. You will enjoy reading this because it has a lot of surprises. The point of view keeps on changing so you will have to keep up.

This book’s genres are mystery and fiction. If you like this book then you can read some of his others like Hoot (which is also a movie), and Flushed.

Keep on reading!

Thea spends six weeks every year at her Grandma’s beach house, but this year is different. She spends most of the time there either babysitting her nosy 7-year-old cousin, or writing in the Book of Truths that her mom gave to her. The thing about Theadora Grumman is that she is a liar. Because she’s such a liar, Thea’s mom is making her write a book with 100 true things, like the story that when she was at Three-Mile Creek and her friend almost fell through the ice and died, and the truth that she doesn’t even have very many friends. 

Thea’s cousin is always trying to find out what Thea’s writing in her book. She is bugging Thea like crazy, but what is also bugging her is that something is going on with her aunts.  They’re acting very secretive and suspicious and they won’t tell anyone what they are up to so it’s up to Thea to find out why.
       This was definitely a book I would read over again! I like how the author really made it a fictional mystery and exciting all at the same time. I could never put it down!   really hope that the author has other books of hers that I can read. I hope you find it somewhere because you don’t want to miss out on a great read.