Warriors: Into the Wild - by Erin Hunter (Guest Review)

Shadow clan wants more hunting ground, there is not enough prey in the forest.What will happen to the four clans of the forest?

In this thrilling book, Rusty a house cat stumbles upon Thunder clan, one of the four cat clans of the forest, and is given the choice to join. During his first few days in Thunder Clan, the clan starts growing weaker, and Wind Clan gets chased out of their territory. Will Wind Clan return? will Thunder Clan grow strong again? Find out in this amazing book! 

This is the first book in an action-packed series of seven that I would recommend to someone who likes fantasy books that are full of action.

(This review was written by sixth-grader Isaac R. Thanks, bud!)

Codename Zero - by Chris Rylander (Guest Review by Nicholas)

Not much happens in North Dakota. At least that's what they want you to think...

Codename Zero is an awesome book about an average prankster who is pulling a prank involving fainting goats. Curious? Read more to find out.  When suddenly, a sweaty man shows up carrying a package and says, "Don't open it," what do you think our hero, seventh-grader Carson Fender does? He opens it (of course), and he is life changes forever.

Read this book if you like average people becoming powerful.  I give it five stars for its cool hideouts, weird friends, and unlikely heroes.

(Thank you to fifth-grader Nicholas H., who read this in one night and is never far from a stack of books, for this guest review!)

Pieces of Georgia - by Jen Bryant (Guest Review by Georgia M.)

Georgia McCoy's life is falling apart at the seams. For starters, her mother died when she was only seven, and now, to pay the ever increasing bills, her grieving dad must work overtime. Her best friend, Tiffany, is always playing sports with little time for Georgia. Almost to the point that Georgia's best friends are the horses she tends. And, to top it off, Georgia is on the "At Risk" list at school and has to visit the school counselor. Georgia makes a deal with her counselor that instead of visiting the guidance office so often, she can write to her mom in a journal. That is where Georgia's story begins.

Georgia writes to her mom about everything-- like her love of art, all her troubles, and about receiving a mysterious card in the mail for her 13th birthday. The card is a year-long membership to a nearby art museum which she begins to visit often after school. Through the art and her writing she begins to feel like the pieces of her life are coming together.

This wonderful book is full of great twists and turns resulting in IRA Young Adults Choices List 2008 and many more awards.

(Thank you to charming and talented 6th grader Georgia M. for this wonderful review!)

Hat Trick - by W. C. Mack (Guest Review)

When you hear the phrase “Hat Trick,” what do you think of?  A hockey player scoring three goals, right? Well, the “Hat Trick” in the book Hat Trick refers to the main character Jonathon McDonald, and his quest to get good scores on three math tests.

Everything was going great in Jonathon’s middle school hockey career, until Eddie moved into town.  Jonathon was nervous that Eddie would take over his spot on the starting lineup, because they both play the same position.  Their rivalry continued into math class. But in math class, their play WASN’T as equal as it was on the hockey rink.

Jonathon struggled in math.  His parents decided that it was time that he needed some help.  To Jonathon’s absolute disgust, that help turned out to be a tutor named Eddie: his rival!  To make things even worse, his parents also decided that if he didn’t do well on the next three tests, he wouldn’t be able to play hockey for the rest of the season.

Now Jonathon needed to learn how to work as hard on his schoolwork as he did at hockey.  He also needed to learn how to turn a rival into a teammate.

Will Jonathon and Eddie get along?  Will Jonathon score a “Hat Trick” in math?  If you want to find out, then skate on over to the library or bookstore to “check” out this book!  I rate this book a 9 out of 10, and would definitely NOT put it in the penalty box. I think this book was a real page-turner!

(Thanks to 4th Grader and hockey player  Tyler K. for this excellent guest review!  Go Tonka!)

Ungifted - by Gordon Korman

Special Post:  Not only is this a review for a book that hasn't yet hit the shelves, it is a guest review!  Thanks to my young sixth-grade friend Ryan O. for an excellent write-up of Korman's newest book. 

Are you a kid who pulls pranks and rarely gets caught but then one time you think you’ve gone too far and get sent to another school but still don’t get in trouble? Well then, you sound just like Donovan Curtis from the book Ungifted by Gordon Korman. Ungifted is a story about a middle school boy, Donovan, who accidentally knocks the world of Atlases’ shoulders (Don’t worry, it was just a statue) and sends it tumbling into the glass doors of his school gym!  CRASH! He thinks he’s gone way too far this time and is prepared to be expelled for good from his school.  However, thanks to a small mix-up in paperwork, Donovan gets sent to ASD, The Academy of Scholastic Distinction- a.k.a. School for Gifted & Talented kids.

Donovan thinks that this is the perfect place to hide until the whole Atlas incident is forgotten, but he soon discovers that this “gifted” school is serious about learning. At his old school, Donovan definitely was not “Joe Honor Roll” so all the schoolwork feels ten times harder and if that wasn’t bad enough, some of the kids start to think that Donovan is too dumb to be in their special school. However, Donovan’s unlikely saving grace comes in the form of a robot. You’ll have to read the story to discover the end to this exciting adventure.

 
I really liked this book for a couple reasons. One was the genre- realistic fiction. Gordon Korman also wrote Schooled and Swindled as well as a few of the 39 Clues books.  Also, I loved the style in which the story was told by almost all of the characters! This helped me understand the story better!

Ungifted was one of the best books I’ve read this summer. I would rate it 9 out of 10 because it wasn’t the best book ever (Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan is still at the top of my list) but it was still an entertaining read for anyone who has ever felt out of place or struggled at school.