The Secret Life of Prince Charming

by Deb Caletti

Student Book Review submitted by Maddie:

The Secret Life of Prince Charming is about a girl, Quinn, whose parents got divorced and she has just gotten to see her father regularly again. After his longtime girlfriend leaves him, Quinn discovers that her Dad has a disturbing secret. She decides to go on a "karmic quest" with her half sister that she hardly knew existed and her younger sister to find the truth of her Dad's past.

I loved this book because it had a lot of personal thoughts that kids, especially ones whose parents have gotten divorced, can really relate to. Deb Caletti did a good job of mixing a good story with fun-to-read girl drama. This book is not too hard to read, and definitely good for anyone who likes girl-empowering books.

Out of My Mind

by Sharon Draper

Student Book Review submitted by Chloe:

This book is about a girl named Melody who has cerebral palsy. Because of her disease, she can't talk or move. It's as if she is paralyzed, but her brain isn't paralyzed.  In fact, she's one of the smartest kids in her class, but no one knows that because she can't talk. How would you feel if all of your thoughts just built up in your mind and you couldn't communicate them or even use sign language?  The exciting parts in the book are when she gets bullied by other students, but overcomes her problems. One example is when she gets this super high tech computer that helps her communicate her thoughts. It can find a phrase easily and it is designed to help her problem.

I loved this book because it totally helped me see a different perspective.  I usually only see people with a disability like that on the outside, but I have never really thought deeply on what is going on inside of them. I would recommend this book because it totally makes you think of people with a disability like that in a new way and it made me happy to think that there are ways to communicate with them.

A Long Walk To Water

by Linda Sue Park

Student Book Review submitted by Liam:

This is a great book. It is about a civil war in Sudan. This book is mainly about a boy named Salva and his struggles while growing into a man after his family's village is attacked and he's forced to flee. There is another storyline going on at the same time about a girl having to walk the whole day, every day, just to get enough water for her family to live. I especially think this book is amazing because I love reading about wars.

To Kill a Mockingbird

by Harper Lee

Student Book Review submitted by Lucy:

In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout Finch is telling the story of her white father, Atticus Finch, defending a black man, Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell. This book is set during the time in our history when slavery has ended but there is still a lot of racism around. In this story, many people who heard about the case said right away, "The black man did it. It has to be!" They wouldn't think twice about considering that the white girl might be lying and that the black man could be innocent. There was a lot of racism in the South back then and many people were totally unfair.  I find this book sad and...

The Maze of Bones (The 39 Clues Series #1)

by Rick Riordan

Student Book Review submitted by Lucy:

Amy and Dan's grandmother just died leaving behind a will. In the will, they can either take $1 million or the first clue out of 39 that will lead them on a race. Amy and Dan choose to accept the clue, but it leads them on dangerous routes and they come close to death! They almost get poisoned and almost get lost in a maze full of human bones. But despite all of that, they also find what they are as Cahills. Amy and Dan have begun a dangerous race, but only one will finish...

War Dances

by Sherman Alexie

Student Book Review submitted by Emma:

This is a collection of short stories all written around the same theme--Humans aren't perfect, but we can make it through our mistakes. It is full of poems and short stories that will make you laugh and cry.  I loved this book so much! Sherman Alexie writes really sweet poems, and the stories all have a really deep and thoughtful meaning to them. It is a great book--short, but full of fascinating stories and poetry. My personal favorite is a poem about couples on airplanes who always ask people to switch seats with them so that they can sit next to their spouses.

The Million Dollar Strike

by Dan Gutman

Student Book Review submitted by Allison:

This book is about these two boys who love bowling. Their favorite bowling alley is getting shut down.The owner of this bowling alley has more than a million dollars and sets up a million dollar strike contest to bring more customers in. Do they get picked? Do they roll a strike? Find out in The Million Dollar Strike.

I loved this book because it wasn't real but it could happen in real life. I thought that maybe this could happen to me.What if it did? How would my life change? This book left me thinking about what their lives were like after the book ended. How did their lives change?  From this book, I also learned that anything can happen, good or bad, to make your life better or worse.