Still Alice by Lisa Genova

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was very emotional in the sad way yet there were still moments that would make me laugh out loud. The beginning of the book was not the most grabbing book I had ever read but my sister had told me that she loved it and she said it was probably one of the best books she had ever read so I was motivated to keep reading. About 1/3 through the book, it started to really grab a hold of my attention and I have rarely been able to put the book down for the past few days.

This is a book about a woman named Alice. She is a Harvard Professor who would give stunning lectures on language and psychology. She lives with her husband and they have three children, all in their 20s - 30s: Anna, is their oldest daughter, married to a man named Charlie; Tom, their only son, and middle child; and Lydia, their youngest daughter who hasn't yet gone to college but has started her career in acting. Something is wrong with the way things are and the way Alice feels so she visits a doctor. It turns out she has early-onset Alzheimer's disease. This book tells the story of Alice and how her children, her husband, her work, and most importantly, herself, live with the knowledge and the hardship of Alzheimer's disease.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. It's more of a mature book so older middle school students to high school students and up. It's also a New York Times Bestseller.

I would rate this book a 9.1 out of 10 because I really liked it but the beginning was not the most grabbing and it was a very sad emotional book.

-Flounder

A Dogs Life by Ann M. Martin

When I was younger, I used to love this book. I'm not saying that I don't love it now, but when I was younger I really, really, really loved this book! It was my favorite book, whenever I was asked what my favorite book was I would always answer with this book. Now that I am older than I was then, I have started to read thicker books with more story and more plot. I still love this book very much. I don't think it can ever leave my top 10 favorite books.

This is a story about a stray dog named Squirrel. The story is about her life being a stray dog. She faces many, many challenges. I would recommend this to anyone who is a dog person, I certainly am and this book certainly touched me. I think I would also recommend this book to kids who are about 2nd or 3rd grade students. Although, anyone of really any age can and should read this book.

I would have to rate this book a 10 out of 10 because although it may not be my all-time favorite book, it is still wonderful and even though it is sad, it has an amazing plot and it is wonderfully written.

You really should read this book. :)

-Flounder

Diary of a wimpy kid #3: The Last Straw

This is the third book in the series.

This book is more of focused on Greg's father and how he really wants to shape and mold Greg to be different and in better shape, etc.

I guess I would recommend this book to elementary school children and middle school students because it's a fun type of book to read with the cartoons and the fun font. But also because it has a relation to their lives. They probably would understand how this guy is feeling more than an adult would.

I would have to rate this book a 7.89 out of 10 because (1) that's a cool looking number, (2) it was fun to read but (3) it didn't exactly have a fantastic plot but (4) I still did like the plot, therefore I'm rating it 7.89 out of 10

-Flounder

Diary of a Wimpy kid #2: Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney

This is the second book in the series. In my opinion you don't really have to read the first book to understand the second one because they both start out with the same kind of explanation, the first book is a little bit more detailed but whatever.

I guess I enjoyed this book because I read it and the 1st, 3rd, and 4th all in one afternoon. Which also goes to show that they're kind of easy reads.

I think I would recommend someone who likes to read books with pictures and dairy-type books and probably middle school students and elementary school students, too, because this sort of relates to their lives. Also, if you're bored and you want something interesting to do, I think this is a good book to read because the style of font used and the pictures make it a more interesting read.

I think I would rate this book a 6.4567 out of 10 because it wasn't fantastic, but I did enjoy it and it wasn't bad or anything like that.

-Flounder

Diary of a Wimpy kid by Jeff Kinney

This is a story of a kid named Greg Heffley. This is his "journal" which tells of his life in middle school. I think that this book it fun for people to read because it's written in a fun font and it has pictures. Also, it's fun to read about kids who are also in middle school and have similar to worse problems.

I guess I would recommend this middle school students because they may think it's a fun read for the reasons I just listed.

I guess I would rate this book a 7 out of 10 because it's fun to read and I read it all in one day, but also, it wasn't exactly the most exciting book ever.

-Flounder

Diary of a Wimpy Kid #4: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney

This is the fourth book in the series. This book takes place during the summer when (spoiler alert!!!!!!) Greg's family gets a dog. 

Just like all the other books in this series, I would recommend this book to a 5th - 8th grader because they can relate to it the best. Also, the font and cartoon style are fun and enjoyable to read. It's not a difficult read, just a heads up on that one.

I guess I would rate this book a 7 our of 10 because it was good but not like my all-time favorite or anything and it didn't leave me with this emotion or feel or anything like books really should.

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Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

I really enjoyed reading this book. I read it two summers ago at my grandmothers house on her swing. The book is kind of short but I really enjoyed it. The book didn't go flat out to tell you what was going on, instead you had to wait until the end of the book to really fully understand what was happening.

I would recommend this to people who are looking for a short read and a plot that will keep you wondering.

I would rate this book a 8.9 out of 10 because it was short and sweet but could have been really good if it were longer as well.

-Flounder

From Bad to Cursed by Katie Alender

This is the second book to the Bad Girls Don't Die series. When I first saw this book, I thought: They really don't need to add a sequel...  Then my sister ended up borrowing the book so I decided to read it myself too. I wasn't so sure that this book would be any good...
The book is about when Kasey gets herself involved with ghosts again and then Alexis gets caught in as well. I find it amazing how Alexis' emotions change so much throughout the book, but the book is written so well that you don't see the sudden change of thought. Amazing yet terrible. I loved this book, and I hated this book.
At first, I was a little bored, reluctant to read- then I was really pulled in and getting excited.
Suddenly...
Plot twist! This book already had a plot twist, this one wasn't needed. The book was wrapping up fine but then it was like Alender wanted to drag it out more. That was a major disappoint. There were other parts in the story that I found unnecessary, annoying and other stuff.
I enjoyed this book, and it is very nice... but it just wasn't quite right. Anyone who read Bad Girls Don't Die can read it, of course, it's not that big a deal if you don't.
I rate it a 6/10
~Mushu

Late Summer Rain by Aubrey

It's a short story but it's incredibly cute, sweet and totally touched me. I'll never forget it. I was pretty much hooked as soon as I began reading. I put off everything to read this book.
The adventure of Dannie and Ryan as the two follow out Ryan's summer-to-do wish. They do some amazing things... including falling in love.
I just loved this book. It's just such a cute plot and the writing's great. At the end, there was an amazing plot twist. The book didn't end how I expected, but I loved this ending even more.
You'd have to read this on Wattpad, Aubrey's user name is AubreyEatsHearts.
I highly suggest it to anyone, especially those who love an adorable romance.
I rate this a 9.99/10 it was a little too sweet.
~mushu

Magyk by Angie Sage

I read this book over the summer actually. I didn't read any of the following books in the series because I didn't want to wreck my view of the book. I really enjoyed reading this book. In my opinion, the plot was very interesting. It was a creative idea. The story takes place in almost another world, but that's not directly mentioned or anything. Anyways, it's about this family whose son died and was taken away on the day of his birth. This wasn't just any son, he was the seventh son of the seventh son. But this family was given a baby girl by a lady in a mysterious way, and they were told to tell no one of the switch. The tale takes place 10 years later on the birth day of their daughter when the life of that family starts to get complicated.

I would definitely recommend this book to people who like fantasy and magical books because this is exactly that type of book. It had me hooked until the end and I bet it will be the same for you if you decide to read it.

I would rate this book a 9.5 out of 10.0

Enjoy ;)

-Flounder

this lullaby by Sarah Dessen

I just finished this book and I have to say that I loved it! I had been bugging my friends about how I really wanted the book to end but it just wasn't going that direction. They were probably getting tired of it. The ending was satisfying in a way that's different than how i wanted it.

Anyways, it's a story about a girl named Remy who doesn't believe in love. She only dates guys who follow her list and if they haven't had sex after x weeks, she gives them The Speech aka she dumps them. This is the way things have always been and the way things are. Until Remy meets Dexter. Dexter is different, he doesn't follow the list. The plot line of this book follows Remy and Dexters relationship. 

I really, really, really liked this book! I would recommend this book to people who like teen romance and stuff like that. The ending made me feel satisfied. It gave me enough room to get to imagine the possibilities of what could happen next but not too much room that I felt it was incomplete. I would really recommend this book.

I think I'll have to rate this book a 10 out of 10 because over all the book would probably have been a 9.5 but the ending was really good. I hope you read this book and enjoy it as much as I did. :)

-Flounder

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Okay, first of all, I just got to mention this: Apparently according to Johnson, every freaking Asian that goes to Europe is Japanese. That just really bugged me. Since this book involves traveling, there are many races mentioned but every Asian character is freaking Japanese. Not that I mind Japanese people but seriously?
Anywho... on with my review.
This story is about how Ginny's run-away-and-now-dead aunt has suddenly sent her a package with 13 little blue envelopes. Each envelope has a task, and if she chooses to, Ginny would be experiencing many things because of those letters.
I didn't really understand what was the point of this book, what the conflict was. It was just a bunch of little tasks and then a little story on what happened because of the task. The book was pretty good, I guess, but I didn't like the writing. It was too casual and too unprofessional. I didn't like the ending either. At one point, very close to the end, then something terrible happens. I skipped the rest of the chapter to get over the scene.
I don't highly reccomend but it's still a fun read when you're bored. Anyone could read this, really.
I rate this book 7/10
~Mushu

In my opinion, the book wasn't half that bad. But I didn't really like it as much as I thought I would. The title made me think it was going to be super duper good, but then it wasn't. There were some things I liked, like hearing about the pretty background(landscape) and reading about Herods but other than that I didn't really like the plot line, it felt dull to me.


I guess as I'm rating this, I would rate the book a 3/10 because it just wasn't all that great..
~Flounder

Red Scarf Girl by Ji-li Jiang

I had to read this book for school. This is a true story about a girl living in China during the time of the Cultural Revolution, when Chairman Mao was leading the Chinese on with the great leap forward. Anyways, Ji li, the girl, is telling the story from her point of view about everything that happened because she came from a family with a black background. If a family has a black background then it means that one of the ancestors in the family had a not right job (this could be a spoiler for you, if you're anything like me but in ji li's case it was that her grandfather was a landlord which is bad because all landlords "exploit" people).

In my opinion the book was good. It could have been better, but it was still good. I love to read and write and I kept noticing little details that could be changed to make the book happier and maybe give it more plot. But now, looking back after I have read the book, I think that if any of those details had been changed the book would have to have been completely different and wouldn't have shown the realistic harshness of that time.

If you have to read a book for school about China during this time period, or even if you're given this book to read for school and you're doubting it a little bit I will tell you this: it's better than you may think. I didn't have a very high expectation for this book when I read it because usually books for school are boring. When I started to read the book there would be times where I had to read another chapter and times when I wanted to stop in the middle of a chapter. But when I got about halfway through the book I just didn't want to put it down.

I guess I would rate this book a 6/10. Also, I'll just let you know right now, I'm a sappy person and this book made me cry.

-Flounder

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Extras by Scott Westerfeild

This is the final book in it's series. The other books include Uglies, Pretties, and Specials. The book takes place a few years after Specials ends. The plot line doesn't really relate to the plot in the other books. Some characters are mentioned from previous books and some even have a part in it, but they are not the leads.

Here's what I have to say about recommending this book: you don't have to read the previous books to get it. If you plan on reading the other books, I think you should read them first because otherwise this book makes them less entertaining. I also think you don't have to read this book if you've read the other books in the series. Personally, I didn't think this book was very entertaining. I guess I could understand someone liking it, but the characters didn't interest me and I didn't feel a strong connection with them like I did with Tally and Shay and David and Zane from the other books.

I guess I would rate this book a 6.45 because it wasn't that great out of 10.0

-Flounder

Specials by Scott Westerfeild

This is the 3rd book in this series. It's about the Specials. The plot line of Tally mostly follows how much she misses Zane and her love for him and she tries to stay near him even though told otherwise. His brain is still damaged and she really wants him to be a special too. That was a really bad summary but I didn't want to totally ruin the book for you. It's actually really good. It made me cry, I was a little bit upset with it, but looking back I think over all it's a pretty good book.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has read Uglies and Pretties. The book has a resolved ending unlike the previous two. If you like action, adventure, fantasy and romance novels then I would recommend you read this series and this book.

I would probably rate this book a 8.5 but because of the ending that I think was good I'll rate this book 8.9 out of 10.0

-Flounder

Pretties by Scott Westerfield

The second book in the series. This is a book about Tally, Shay, Zane, and Paris. They are all Pretties in the same group of friends called the Crims (Criminals) which they got voted into due to the amazing stories that Tally and Shay have to tell of living in the Smoke and even better: Tally's adventure getting there. This is their struggle to overcome being pretty and all the things and thoughts that come with it.

I really enjoyed this book. It's the second in the series and I would recommend reading it if you've read the first. Especially since the first leaves you with a cliffhanger. This one begins a few months later. If you like fantasy, action, and adventure novels you should read this book and the previous in the series.

On a scale from one to ten, with ten being the best, I would rate this book a 9.99 or even a 10.0

-Flounder

Uglies by Scott Westerfield

Everyone is waiting for their 16th birthday when they get to get the operation to make themselves pretty. All of Tally's friends have gotten the operation and she is left in the dorm building by herself, waiting for her birthday to arrive. But then Tally meets someone new; her name is Shay. All of her friends have also had the operation and she is also left waiting. Tally and Shay become good friends. But then something changes Tally's relationship with Shay. This is their adventure.

I really, really, really, really loved this book!!! I could read it over and over and over and over. I would recommend this book to people who love to read fantasy, action, and adventure novels.

On a scale from one to ten, with ten being the best, I would rate this book a 10.0

-Flounder