The Summoning-reviewed by Nallely S.

* * * * * STARS

reviewed by Nallely Saavedra

Chloe Saunders knows she isn't crazy. So why is she put in a center for disturbed teens? Well....for one thing she isn't really "normal". Chloe sees dead people. At Lyle House, Chloe notices there is something off about Lyle House. Chloe only wanted to "recover" and get out of there a.s.a.p. But when her room mate disappears, after confessing her secret, Chloe can't just leave. Chloe, along with her fellow room mates, must uncover the truth, even if it means unveiling her secret.

I gave this book 5 stars because I remember checking it out last summer and I was captivated. Yeah, it might be like any other paranormal series/book yet it's so different. Armstrong's characters captivated me like no other. I felt that unlike other paranormal books, Armstrong didn't make her characters perfect, they had flaws from the very beginning. To me that shows that no one is or will ever be perfect. That's reality. I liked that. Haha. I loved the plot and overall enjoyed reading this book!

-Nallely Saavedra

Sweethearts reviewed by Molly Varney

By: Sara Zarr     * * * * *

Jennifer has never been popular. In fact, she is the most picked on, lonely little girl in her school.  She is quiet and not as skinny as any of the other girls. Her only other friend is Cameron who was also picked on and excluded from everything. They did't mind though and were perfectly happy with each other. There were things Jennifer didn't know about Cameron though. Like when he came to school once with his arm in a cast and wouldn't talk for days then acted like everything was fine. They were best friends forever all the same. Then Cameron didn't show up for school. Jennifer heard from one of the girls at school that Cameron had died. Her mother had comforted her when she got back from school and tried to help her move on.
Now in her junior year of high school, Jennifer, now Jenna, has a totally new life. She has friends, a boyfriend, a new school, and has lost weight. She is happy, or as happy as she can be. Just when things were going fine in her life, everything got turned upside down when Cameron enrolled in her school. Now Jenna has to figure out everything that had happened, keep her life in line, and deal with her mother who didn't know what happened when she and Cameron were little.

I gave Sweethearts five stars because it was a very well written and interesting book. It was full of twists and surprises that made it enjoyable to read and kept you guessing. I thought it was a cool plot and loved reading it. I didn't really like the ending but it made sense. It showed that not everything goes how we want it too.

The Great Gatsby by Kaitlin Kimbrell

The Great Gatsby

by: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Jay Gatsby thought that by changing his whole life and throwing big parties he would end up with the love of his life. Jay started his life in the Midwest with a different name. Jay Gatsby's real name is James Gats, but after he met Daisy he wanted to change his life. He went out and created a life that he knew would win Daisy over. However, life doesn't always turn out as we plan and we cannot recreate the past.

Nick Carraway went to start a new chapter in his life. He moved closer to his cousin Daisy and met Jay Gatsby by happenstance. The two became neighbors and with Nick's help Jay re-meet Daisy. Their lives will forever be changed.

I didn't really enjoy this book because there was too much deception, cheating, and fake people. When we meet Gatsby to me he seems creepy he stares at Daisy's house from a distance and she doesn't know he is there. Then they make Nick help them sneak around Tom (Daisy's husband) so they can see each other. All the while Tom is cheating on Daisy. None of this is okay with me and I really just dislike this book. 



Summer Reading Program at Midcontinent Public Library!

Wanting to keep up with reading this summer? Join the Teen Summer Reading Program at your local Midcontinent Public Library.

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Visit your nearby branch today to find out more!

Just like that--reviewed by Nallely S.

by Marsha Qualey

* * * * Stars

Hanna just broke up with her boyfriend, and no one understands why. Stressed and tired, she takes a midnight walk to a lake near by. Depressed, and mad, she sees two teens drive by on a snow mobile. Later she realizes she just witnessed a tragedy. She's convinced she could have prevented it from happening. Soon she finds out she's not the only one involved. Will, a boy she soon develops a relationship with is connected to the tragedy. Hanna finds herself in a turmoil, having been captivated by Will and trapped by the image she can't forget of that night. Follow Hanna and Will in this beautiful tragedy.

I gave this book a 4 because although I did enjoy it, I didn't really feel the plot. I felt that Qualey could've elaborated more. It was a fun read and I loved Will's sisters and Hanna's mom. Hanna rushed things when she shouldn't have! Hanna felt guilty for something she really didn't have power over and that kind of bothered me because although she could have said something to the guy and girl, they wouldn't have really listened to her. Since they were there on there own accord. Overall I liked this book. ^ ^  I really wish there was a sequel but the ending pretty much made me happy! ^ ^

-Nallely <3

Runaway Reviewed by Molly Varney

By: Wendelin Van Draanen * * * *

Holly's life has never been easy. Since she can remember her and her mother had lived in apartments until they got kicked out, in a van, or just on the streets. Since her mothers death she had been living in foster homes and hated all of them. She had run away before but this time she stayed away. The most recent house she lived in was horrible. The Benders posed as loving parents but were heartless people. Holly's plan was to run away and this time it worked. As she writes in the journal her teacher gave her, she writes about her mother that she would never talk about. She writes about her love for dogs, and her dream of becoming a veternarian. Soon though she starts to need a plan. Holly is only a twelve year old girl but is more grown up than most people. Holly needs a plan for her future now that she's away from her horrible past, but how is she going to survive the next six years?

I thought Runaway was a pretty cool book. I had my doubts about it but it turned out to be ok. I liked how she wrote in it because it gave you a really good insight to how she felt all the time. It wasn't my favorite book but it was a very well written book. I loved how she talked about dogs and how she never really gave up. I loved the ending to the book and how she changed her own life by being stubborn and never giving up.

Such a pretty girl--reviewed by Nallely S.

Such a pretty girl by Laura Wiess

* * * * * Stars

"Today my time has run out."-Meredith

For Meredith, that day changed everything. Her father became somthing that constantly haunted her. For three years she was kept safe, because they promised. Except it was suppose to be nine, they only gave her three. At 15years old Meredith was no longer innocent, having been thrown into darkness by none other than her father. Meredith seeks to break free from what happened that day, three years ago. Yet, her nightmare was returning...and he wasn't going to stop.

Follow Meredith in her conquest to finally be free from the pain and darkness.

I gave this book 5 stars because although it's painful to think about..It was a good book. It was straight to the point and it made me realize people..really go through things like this, out there in this small world. It made me sad to think that there are sick people in this world. Yet Meredith's character broke free from her pain and actually did something to stop her father, whom she once loved. She turned her pain into her strength and that takes a lot from someone who went through what she did. ^ ^ A brave person acts, not sit there and wait for someone to take action. I liked this book.

The Rules of Survival reviewed by Molly Varney

By: Nancy Werlin * * * * *

Matthew's rules of survival are 1. Sometimes, the people who mean you harm are the ones who say they love you 2. Fear is your friend. When you feel it, act 3. Protect the little ones 4. If you coped before you can cope now and 5. Always remember: In the end, the survivor gets to tell the story. These are the rules Matthew, Callie, and Emmy have to live by each day. Their mother, Nikki, is crazy they think. She says she loves them then goes and has one of her horrible fits. She'll lock them in their room for hours or dissapear for a couple days. None of them even think about telling someone else. Until one night, when Callie and Matthewsnuck out to get popsicles, they met Murdoch. You wouldn't look twice at him, he was just another man. But when he stood up to a man hurting his son in the store, Matthew felt someting. That was hope. Hope for a future without crazy Nikki, without having to watch what you say and how you say it. Where he could think about talking to girls and not keeping him and his sister out of harms way. Matthew's story begins with meeting a man who gave him hope for a future where he could be normal.

I thought this was a great book. The story was sad and almost scary sometimes but I enjoyed reading it. I liked how it was written, because Matthew was writing it all down after everything had happened and it was really cool. I really liked how all of the characters were portrayed. My favorite character was probably Matthew because he was the oldest and the strongest out of the three siblings. The story was very realistic and it held a very powerful message. It also wasn't very long and took me no time to finish it.

How to Save a Life reviewed by Kaitlin Kimbrell

how to save a life

By Sara Zarr

We all meet each other in different ways. This different way let us know about the person we are meeting. Many people don't like me new people and other's couldn't live without it. Jill and Mandy have had two different ways of seeing each other.

All Jill wanted was her life back to the way it was before her dad died. She loved her dad and thought it was the end of any true connnection she would have with any other person. When Jill found out her mom was planning on adopting a baby she knew that her mom was just trying to start over and begin her own life. Jill felt betrayed when she met Mandy. If Jill would have been picking the girl giving her mom a baby Mandy would have been the last person she ever would have picked.

For Mandy life was different. She didn't feel loved and got pregnant even though she didn't want to be her mother. When Mandy found Jill's mom she was glad to be giving it to a woman who would truly care for her child. However, meeting Jill was a different story. Mandy took one look at Jill and didn't really want anything to do with her. How was she going to manage til the baby was born.

Will this new life change their lives forever?

Personal this book to me was very average. I did relate to how the girls felt about each other, but couldn't fully get into the book. I do believe, however, that you should think about reading this book. You might get a different feeling from it.

The Farther You Run reviewed by Molly Varney

By: Davida Wills Hurwin ****

A little over a year ago, Sammie would have been in dance class with her friend Jules. She would have graduated with her and they would have jobs, and boyfriends and would be happy with their lives. Now none of that would happen. Sammie had lost Jules to cancer earlier that year. Without Jules, Sammie didn't have a reason to dance or graduate anymore. Her life seemed worthless and she felt lost without her other half. Since she failed her last year in high school, she had to take summer classes. She wasn't expecting to find a new friend. Mona had problems of her own. She had also failed her last year in high school and had to take summer classes. Her mother was bipolar and she was used to not having friends. Soon enough the two had jobs and had moved in together. Things were going good until the one year anniversary of Jules's death was coming up and things started falling apart all over again. She had to deal with her loss again and try to move on with her new life.

This is the sequel to A Time For Dancing. I thought it was pretty good but I liked the first one better. I thought it was good to have a second book because it told a lot about what happened after Jules died and how it affected her family and Sammie. My favorite part of the whole book was probably the ending. It was one of the sweetest endings I've ever read. Both of the books are sad but are written beautifully and have a very good meaning.