A young woman just enrolled in a police academy following in the footsteps of her father. Several years earlier her mother and sister had been killed and they had never found the killer. A killing had taken place on the academy and the victim looked like her sister. She tries to find the killer and teams up with a young man to bring the killer to justice.
Reviewed by Kimberlee.
CHS students and staff: To post brief reviews about books you have enjoyed, click on a category that fits your book. Then click on “Comments” and scroll down to the comment box.
PLEASE: Give the title and author, then tell a bit about the main characters. Say a little about the contents, plot or story line. Also, mention some of the things you liked about the book. End with your name (and teacher’s if class-related).
The name of this book was Glory Road, and it was written by Don Haskins. The genre of this book is sports non-fiction. The coach, Don Haskins, goes out and finds some black players in the ghetto and some white players too. He forms a team in a Texas college and makes it to the NCAA championship game. Read the book and find out the ending. What I got out of this book is that everyone can be good at something because in the last game (the NCAA) Don Haskins played only black players.
I would recommend this book to anyone that likes action, suspense, and sports. I liked the book a lot because I like a book full of suspense. I rated it an 8 out of 10. The language was not hard to read, and the book was 248 pages long. I haven’t read any other books by this author, but he is a pretty good writer.
Reviewed by Ryonn Van Dusen (Ms. Clemens)
The Beast is the story of a 17-year-old boy named Anthony Witherspoon and his struggle between a good education and his life in the streets of Harlem. Anthony is going into his senior year of high school, has a girlfriend that he loves, and is planning on attending a prep school in Connecticut. He was welcomed warmly at his new school and meets many new friends of different backgrounds and origins. He grows a fondness of this new higher-class place, almost more than the streets he is used to. As he starts to hang out with new people, temptation also seems to find a way into his life as he meets another girl, Chanelle. After his first semester at his new school he comes back to Harlem for the holidays and finds that things are extremely different. Anthony’s girlfriend Gabi is having huge problems dealing with her mother’s illness and has started the use of drugs. Before his holiday break ends Anthony has to decide whether or not he should go back to school and get into a good college, or stay in the streets to be closer to his girlfriend.
The Beast is a great book and deals with many issues that relate to a lot of teens. Walter Dean Myers does an excellent job capturing you in the moment and making you feel and see what Anthony Witherspoon feels and sees. This book would be best fit for teens and adults. Younger people would not quite comprehend or understand everything that is going on in the story. This was a very well written book and a great story and deserves a rating of a 9 out of 10.
Reviewed by Nate Anderson (Ms. Clemens)
When Robert Langdon is taken to the Louvre in the middle of the night, he has no idea that he is a suspect in a murder case. With the help of Sophie Nevue he escapes and acquires a code and a key. Together they start off on a search for the Holy Grail and a secret that could change the world forever.
The Da Vinci Code, a fictional thriller, entertains the idea that Jesus Christ was not who he is said to be by the Catholic Church. With a complex plot and many twists and turns, I would recommend it to anyone who loves mystery.
Reviewed by Darcy (Ms. Clemens)
This book is a fictional satire on Joseph Stalin and the Communist Party. This story tells the tale of the oppressed animals enslaved on Manor Farm. They are forced to work long hours by the evil Farmer Jones. But, in a moment of strength, the animals rebel against their oppressor and eject him from Manor Farm. Now they must find a way to organize into a government and fend for themselves and bring liberation to all the enslaved animals of England.
This is one of my very favorite books. I Strongly recommend it to anyone who has the time to read it’s measly 128 pages.
Reviewed by Theo Anderson (Ms. Clemens)
The Lovely Bones entices readers with an interesting concept, a story narrated by a girl who is in heaven. The main character is a 14-year-old girl who was raped and murdered by a nearby neighbor in a cornfield near her own house. The book focuses on her view from her personal heaven. Throughout the book Susie Salmon grows and begins to comprehend her tragic death, and how it has affected her family and their relationships on earth.
The Lovely Bones is a story with emotion and has a detailed view on Susie as she watches all the people who influenced her life on earth, including her murderer. Conflicts in the book are tear jerking and make you feel close to the girl (Susie Salmon) who feels empty, but from her heaven realizes the nature of people and learns to appreciate life more. She eventually feels at peace with her murder and that her family will be okay.
I recommend The Lovely Bones because it’s an easy read that pulls you in from the first chapter; it is packed with emotional events that alter a family and the suburban neighborhood in which they live. The Lovely Bones is a book that entertains and leaves a lasting impression, and it’s available in Chico High’s library.
Reviewed by Maxine Bedell (Ms. Clemens)
Pretty Things, by Sarah Manning expresses the idea of not judging people on first impression. This book is about four people, Bri, Charley, Daisy, and Walker, who are all at a summer performing arts camp together. Bri and Charley are best friends. Charley is gay and loves Walker who is straight. Walker is in love with Daisy who is a lesbian and hates everybody. The conflict is just trying to get along with everybody and keeping friendships. The camp is in London, England present time. The book is written in first person, but each chapter changes who is telling the story.
I rate this book 9 out of 10 because it was a good, entertaining book that was funny and sad at times. Pretty Things is a romantic comedy. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys British humor and drama.
Reviewed by Hannah L. (Ms. Clemens)
Skeleton Key follows Alex Rider’s adventure around the globe as he attempts to save the world one more time. Alex is a 14-year-old spy that England sends o stop an evil man that is threatening the world with a nuclear bomb. Durng his mission, Alex gets captured but uses the various gadgets his agency gave him to escape and continue with his journey. The message Anthony Horowitz, the author, is trying to tell is that you should always do what’s right for others not just what is right for yourself. And that is what Alex did for his country.
If you are interested in kid-spy books, then you will sure like this one. Though I still think I am a little old for this book, so I rate it a 6 out of 10. It is an easy, fun read, so whenever you are bored you should check out Skeleton Key.
Reviewed by Wes Prater (Ms. Clemens)
Have you ever read a book by Jenny Carroll? Well, I did and it is called Shadowland. The main idea of this book is for Susannah, the protagonist who is a sixteen-year-old girl, to solve and help souls or ghosts that are stuck in transition between the spirit world and the real world. Susannah lives in California where she encounters that there is an 18th century ghost who lives in her bedroom. At school Susannah also go involved with this very mean ghost, Heather. As Susannah seeks to solve the mystery of the two ghosts, she doesn’t know what lies ahead of her.
I rated this book an eight out of ten because it was a little boring in between some parts, but for the most, it was mysterious and interesting. I want to recommend this book to anyone who is interested in mystery and ghost stories.
Reviewed by Yer Thao (Ms. Clemens)
Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz is about a young boy 14 years old named Alex Rider. He lives with his uncle in London, England. When he is informed that his uncle was in a horrible car crash and died, he didn’t believe it. When he investigates he finds that there is a lot about his uncle that he never knew about. His uncle was a spy for England’s highest trained spies. It’s an organization call M16. He finds out about the last project his uncle was working on about a very wealthy man who is donating a brand new computer to every school in England. This was not just any computer but rather one of his new inventions called the Stormbreaker. He says it is the fastest and most advanced computer ever made. But M16 thinks that he is up to something. So that is why they sent over Ian Rider, Alex’s uncle, who was killed. Now they want to send Alex because they think it will be the perfect disguise.
I would say I am being generous when I rate Stormbreaker a 6, but I don’t rate a 6 because it was a bad book. I just felt it was directed towards a little younger age group. If you are anywhere from ages 10 to 14 and like action adventure books it is probably a perfect book for you.
Reviewed by Ryan Conroy (Ms. Clemens)
It is a 209-page historical fiction novel. It is about the soldiers of Vietnam and how they survived and what they had to do to survive. Where the story takes place is in Vietnam, in the forests of Vietnam. I interested me to read it because I like history and I’m interested in any kind of war. One of the main characters is a sergeant named Gates. He led a force to the Vietnamese people. He led them very far but tons of his soldiers were killed.
I rated this book a 9 out of 10 because I’m very into history and I like learning about a war. I would recommend this book if you like wars and learning about soldiers and all the certain types of guns and stuff they used throughout the war. My opinion on this book is, it is really good. I loved it, but there were points when it was boring.
Reviewed by Beau White (Ms. Clemens)
Andy Galloway is a 14 year-old boy who slips away from his sea kayaking group to make a pilgrimage to visit the wilderness site of his father’s death. A storm strands him on Admiralty Island in southeast Alaska where he struggles to survive continually finding food and rescue to get out of the island. As he waits for rescue, he discovers that he is not alone, but is being observed by a wild man living on the island. The Wild Man that Andy discovers was also a trained archeologist just like his father, and he continues to explore the island as he tries to live truly back to nature. The adventure is driven by secrets where Andy discovers an extensive cave making a fabulous discovery where danger, suspense, and discovery await.
I enjoyed reading this book, so on a scale of 1-10, and I give it a 10 because this novel is very exciting to read and educational due to the historical background. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in archeology or anyone who loves stories about mystery, adventure, and suspense because this book is filled with it.
Reviewed by Rhone Rebusit (Ms. Clemens class)
Candy Quackenbush is a 15 year-old girl from Chickentown, Minnesota. Wanting to be free from the most boring town in the world, and wanting to escape her own troubled home life, she runs away. She soon encounters a creature named John Mischief, a master thief who wears the heads of his seven brothers on his antlers. She helps John open up a sea that is the door to the Abarat. They are pursued by a creature named Mendelson Shape and by the Prince of Midnight, Christopher Carrion as they travel throughout the world of Abarat. Abarat is another world with 25 islands where each island is a different hour of the day with one other mysterious island.
Candy is pursued from one island to the next, making friends and a surprising amount of enemies, meanwhile encountering the wonderful creations that reside in the islands of the Abarat. During the journey she begins to realize something. She has been here before and there is great purpose for her being there. She is there to save Abarat from the dark forces that are stirring at its heart.
Abarat is a good book if you enjoy books about fantasy. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy books and to anyone who likes art. Clive Barker painted more than 300 paintings for the Abarat series. Out of ten I would give this book an eight because it s a good book, but it jumped around a lot and was sometimes hard to keep track of. Other than that though, I enjoyed it. So, in my opinion, it is a good read.
Reviewed by Austin Castle (Ms. Clemens class)
My Life in Dog Years is a short story autobiography/diary written by Gary Paulsen. Each chapter is a short story about a separate dog that Gary has had during his life. Each story is fun and exciting to read.
There were lots of different conflicts because each chapter is a separate shot story. One conflict in the book was that Gary fell through the ice and his dogs had to save them. It’s pretty amazing how Cookie (the dog that saved him) saved Gary’s life. You’ll have to read the book to find out how. There are lots of different conflicts and stories later on in the book, but you have to read it to see what happens. The stories and conflicts took place in Gary’s house, the wilderness, the mountains of Colorado, and Alaska. The characters in the book are Gary and his dogs.
The rating I give my book is an eight. I give it this rating because I enjoyed the book, but there were a few boring spots and I’ve read better books before. I recommend this book to most people, but I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes dogs and enjoys reading about them.
Reviewed by Matt Davis (Ms. Clemens class)
The Dark Wind by Tony Hillerman demonstrates the hardship in being a Native American. Tony Hillerman presents a realistic fictional story that is intriguing to all ages. The Dark Wind is a mystery about drugs, money, and Native American tribe rituals. It is placed in southwest United States involving the Navajo chief policeman Jim Chee.
I thought this book deserves a rating of an eight out of ten because of the way Hillerman writes his stories in a first person narrative. He made me feel almost like Jim Chee when he described everything so vividly. I would recommend his story to anyone who prefers a good mystery.
Reviewed by Dylan Oliva (Ms. Clemens class)
This is a captivating story following the tragic, broken life of a woman named Sarah. As a young girl she is sold into a corrupt world of prostitution and abuse. Her broken childhood turns her into a bitter person who doesn’t allow herself to feel anything in an effort to protect herself. Throughout the novel her new experiences and the friends she meets along the way help to show Sarah that it is safe to love others and give them your trust. You also see the strong influence God has on her life and that no matter what she did He always loved her. After years of denial, she accepts the fact that she needs him to become whole again. This book is one of my personal favorites. I give it an 8 out of 10 because it is great, but I’m going to be honest, I’ve liked other novels better although this one has an amazing love plot and complicated character dynamics. Every chapter holds your interest as you read to see just what will happen next. Definitely, give this novel a try.
Reviewed by Janet Stapp (Ms. Clemens class)
The book, The Black Stallion by Walter Farley illustrates how a young boy named Alec Ramsay who never gave up of the hope to get the trust of the wild stallion. In the book, the main character is Alec Ramsay who went through dangers and heroic adventures. Alex Ramsay who lives in New York City faced good and bad experiences with the wild beast, the black stallion. As each and everyday passes, their trust in each other grew stronger and stronger.
As the reader, I would rate The Black Stallion a 9 out of 10 because I started out confused in the beginning and gets more understandable and more interesting towards the middle and end. To my opinion, this book is wonderful and amazingly cool, and I would recommend other readers to read this book.
Reviewed by Meng Lee (Ms. Clemens class)
The horrific story Sold, by Patricia McCormick expresses the struggle and pain following a young girl through a terrifying story. A young 11-year old girl, Lakishma grew up in a poor village, in the brothels of India. Her family was struggling with numerous problems including their debt and hunger. Her stepfather decided the family was in need of some quick cash so he decided to sell Lakishma to a prostitution house. As Lakishma tries to face her troubles she loses hope in herself and forgets who she truly is.
I thought this book was very realistic, and taught me more about the world around me. Reading about a story that dealt with sex slavery was very intense and heartbreaking. I would give this book a nine out of ten. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to read great and thrilling stories.
Reviewed by Megan Wysong (Ms. Clemens class)
Melissa King demonstrates a girl through her struggle to find herself. A girl named Melissa is in her late twenties starts to relive her childhood passion: her passion for playing basketball. Melissa starts playing pick-up games in the inner city courts. Throughout the book, she moves from Chicago to California then to Arkansas. When she moves back to her home state of Arkansas is when she starts to find herself. Melissa found herself through basketball.
I thought this book was good but I did not like the ending. I thought something big was going to happen. I would rate this book a seven out of ten because it was a little boring in some parts. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to play basketball.
Reviewed by Chloe Bartel (Ms. Clemens class)
