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"A book is a garden carried in the pocket." -Chinese Proverb

READ STUDENT BOOK REVIEWS 

Are You in the House Alone?

Richard Peck

            Gail Osburne has always had that feeling she was being watched.  One day Gail found an obscene note in her locker, she was scared.  A couple of weeks later she got another one.  Her best friend Allison told her to ignore it but Gail couldn’t.  Even the school couldn’t help her.

            One night while Gail was babysitting for Mrs. Montgomery the phone rang many times but no one said anything when Gail picked up.  Then finally as she picked up a horrible voice yelled, “Are you in the house alone?” Scared, Gail hangs up.  The doorbell then rang.  Thinking maybe it was her boyfriend Steve, she opened the door but she was wrong.  The book “Are you in the House Alone” is an amazing book, full of suspense.  You definitely want to read it.

                                                           Lisa Nguyen

Dream Factory

Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler

Several teenagers are employed to work at Walt Disney World in Florida after the main workers go on strike. Ella, Luke, Mark and Cassie are the four main characters who dress up as the Disney characters Cinderella, Dale, Prince Charming and Chip. There is a team-building scavenger hunt and Ella and Luke and Cassie and Mark are paired up. They uncover Disney’s Magic Kingdom that is full of secrets and surprises. The groups grow closer and gain each other’s trust and support as they go throughout Disney World on the scavenger hunt and also when they are at work. The group learns more about the Magic Kingdom and also discovers a few surprises along the way.

I really enjoyed this book since it was not dull at all and was filled with vivid imagery throughout the whole novel.

                                                   Jackie Kotsch

Sandy Koufax: A Lefty’s Legacy

Jane Leavy

            In this biography on Sandy Koufax it tells of his struggles trying to make it into the Major Leagues.  He tells about his daily routines and some of the biggest games that he has pitched in.  There are many things that Koufax went through that not many people go through in order to make it into the Major Leagues and it tells of his triumphs and his defeats.

            I think that this was a good book because it gives Koufax’s events in life that led up to his Major League Debut.   

                                                     Jarrod Janzing

One Good Punch

Rich Wallace

Michael Kerrigan was a star athlete. He spent his years at Scarton High School either training for track, or participating in it. He never got into any trouble, until his senior year of high school. The school liked to do random drug busts, and his locker was one found with marijuana in it. What was he to do? Tell the truth- that he bought the drugs, but he wasn't the only one involved, or lie- and blame it all on the kid who sold him the drugs, and get off the hook? Find out!

                                                           Mary-Kate O’Brien

Gone With the Wind

Margaret Mitchell

            Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind is, although over 1,000 pages, a wonderful read.  Taking place in the Civil War era, this book tells the story of selfish Scarlett O’Hara, a typical Southern belle. In the beginning, Scarlett lives on the Tara plantation with her sisters, slaves, and beloved parents.  She believes she is in love with Ashley Wilkes, although he is virtually the only young man in the territory who has not made her a proposal of marriage. Throughout the book, Scarlett learns what it is to be alone, impoverished, and self-reliant.  She goes through a transformation from the spoiled daughter of a wealthy plantation owner to loving the land she grew up on and making the farm successful through her own efforts. Scarlett outlives two husbands, one of which she married to make Ashley jealous, and one she married for money. By the end of the book, she has married again, but this time, she eventually falls in love with the man she married.  When a tragedy occurs, there is question whether or not that marriage will last. I am a strong believer in happy endings, so my recommendation of this book is a very rare happening. The characters are very easy to identify with  in their obvious human weaknesses, and the plot intriguingly keeps you reading all the way through to the end. Although I was allotted two months to read this amazing book, it was so passionate and easy to read that I finished it in half the time.  I encourage anyone who has an interest in history or unconventional romance to pick this book up next time you stop in the library. 

                                                                                         Sarah Schwindt

World War Z

Max Brooks

            World War Z is set in the not too distant future. It is placed after a world epidemic of a disease that turned humans, once infected, into the living dead. This book is a collection of first person stories of different events that happened during the epidemic. Some of the stories come from the army, some from the film industry, and some from just the everyday citizen. Not only does it include stories from everyday people it also includes the stories from people all over the world.

            Max Brooks does a great job at making every story as real as possible and makes it seem like if it didn’t already happen, that zombies might one day find their way into the population and start a world of destruction, terror, and fear. At the same time it also will bring about amazing people who will do anything to save themselves and save the others around them.

                                                    Jon Prange