photo courtesy of Google
This is a non-stop ride with thrills around every bend and as a reader, I did not want to get off. Hari, a brown- skinned Burrow’s boy who eats rats to survive, has vowed to help his captured father, Tarl, escape from Deep Salt. Pearl, a blond, blue-eyed privileged beauty, has run away rather than face an arranged marriage to a ruthless man. They couldn’t be more different from each other, but both end up on a path to help save the world from the substance found in Deep Salt. They rediscover their abilities to communicate and control the mind of man and animal from Tealeaf, Pearl’s former maid. The two escape and begin their quest with little hope and loads of hatred towards each other, but through a series of events the two become allies and eventually lovers. The substance found in Deep Salt reminded me of pure and lethal uranium, and the descriptions of the animals in this book were ghastly. I very much enjoyed this fantasy of worlds where privilege and want collide. If you enjoyed The Hunger Games then you’ll enjoy the Salt trilogy. Cynthia Cruz, Howenstine.
This is the second book of the ghostgirl duo. The story focuses around a girl named Charlotte Usher. Charlotte was practically invisible at school until one day when she died, accidently choking on a gummy bear. Ever since that day she has struggled to find her place in death, but now Charlotte has finally found her place in the eternal afterlife. Instead of going to Heaven, she goes to a call-in center that advises troubled teens; she becomes their conscience. Although she feels that no one will call her and nothing will happen, she soon finds out that in the world of the living, her best friend Scarlet is in trouble. Scarlet’s sister, Petula received MERSA from a bad toe infection and is now in danger of “passing over.” Not only that, but Homecoming is right around the corner and they must find a way to bring Petula back before it’s too late!
This is a story of friendship, tension, paranoia, rekindled feelings, deception, determination and comedy that is sure to give any reader a chance to dive into the world of the dead and come back — just like Charlotte Usher.
Genre: Horror, Comedy Rating: ***** 5-stars
Highly recommended for high school readers. Be sure to read Tonya Hurley’s first book entitled, ghostgirl.
Reviewed by: Cheyenne @ Catalina H.S.
Edited by: kb
Picture Credit: Google Images
This book, entitled Being Nikki is confusing at first. The story takes place in New York City. The reader is introduced to a girl named Emerson Watts, known as Em. She lives inside of the body of teenage supermodel Nikki Howards. Em’s brain has been transplanted in Nikki’s body. She has problems adapting her new life since her mother went missing, and her brother that just shows up at the front door. Em also has to figure out how to juggle school and modeling at the same time. Her real family doesn’t know what she has done. The only two people that know about the transplant are Em’s sister and her maternal grandmother. Steven, Nikki’s brother, moves in with her and Lulu (Nikki’s best friend) and notices that something has changed in Nikki. It is hard for Em to handle all this since she was only just an ordinarily girl who went to school, studied and back home, before she had her brain transplanted into Nikki’s body. “But then again, no one said it would be easy Being Nikki.” – Meg Cabot.
This book gets interesting once you get into it. I really recommend it to teens that like mystery books. Be sure to read the other two Being Nikki books.
Genre: Supernatural/Mystery
Reviewed by: Loanna R. @ Catalina H.S.
Edited by: kb
Photo Credit: Google Images
This book, Classic Poems to Read Aloud has poems by many different authors. Each poem tells something different. There is a poem called “Nature” by H.D. Carry that talks about the Earth. It is a good poem for Green Week. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech is also in this book. It was very moving. There is one poem about a sick rose. It’s more for if you lost someone close to you. This book of classic poems also has fairy poems, as well as poems about more realistic things. There is a very good selection of Christmas poems. I thought most of the poems were boring, but there are a few good ones if you look for them.
Genre: Poetry
Reviewed by: Shanequia W. @ Maxwell Middle School
Edited by: kb
Photo Credit: Google Images
A girl name Kat, like her mother is a medium. A medium is a person who can interact with spirits. She and her best friend Jac have to combine their talents to help the spirit of a girl that is trapped in their middle school.
This book is very exciting. It is happy, eerie, mysterious, funny, and heart warming. It is a great imagination builder! I thought this book was really great and I’d happily recommend Suddenly Supernatural to readers looking for a story that is both creepy and adventurous.
Genre: Supernatural
Reviewed by: Lilliana R. @ Maxwell Middle School
Edited by: kb
Photo Credit: Google Images
