St. John's Book Club

 Book Reviews:

February, 2009 Reviews:

TOUCHING SPIRIT BEAR  by Ben Mikaelsen
   reviewed by Becky Koopman, grade 8
      This is a great book that keeps you wondering about what will happen next.  Cole, the main character, is an angry teenager, who beats up a classroom so badly that he has permanent damage.  Cole is put on trial but given the interesting punishment of being banished to an abandoned island where his lessons are taught to him through Indian leaders.
 
PICKING UP THE PIECES
   reviewed by Brook Poirrier, grade 7
       This is a great book because it keeps you interested.  It is about a girl who is paralyzed from her waist down from a motorcycle accident.  She can't do anything that she is used to doing.  I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a book that helps you deal with problems.
 
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS by J. K. Rowling
   reviewed by Carl Scheffert, grade 8
       This book is amazing because it is a series.  It is an action-packed book with a lot of detail and is an easy read.  If you like wizards and the fantasy world, you will love this book!
 
ABBY HAYES by Anne Mazer
    reviewed by Emilia Kueker
      I love these books because there is so much action!  In most books, you think you could fall asleep-not in these books!  There are eighteen books in the whole series. Anne Mazer, the author, does a very good job writing the books.  Abby Hayes is a fifth grader who dreams of being a soccer star, but she needs a lot of practice.  I encourage you to read these books!
 
THE NEW POLICEMAN by Kate Thompson
    reviewed by William Shepherd, grade 8
      This book takes you back to Ireland through time travel in an effort to fix the problem of lost time.
 
RIFLES FOR WAITE by Herold Keith
    reviewed by Seth Masterson, grade 7
       This book is about a sixteen-year-old teenager who wants to join the service.  His friends share the same dream.  As a band of friends, they travel to the fort to enlist for the Civil War.  This book is about friendships and relationships andis truly amazing.  I recommend this book to all readers.

January, 2009 Reviews:

My Teacher's an Alien by Bruce Coville
reviewed by Emilia Kueker

This book was a very interesting book. It's about these sixth grade kis who have an awesome teacher. Suddenly, their teacher is kidnapped by an alien, and one alien pretends to be the teacher. Mr. Smith is now an alien. I hope my teacher is not an alien!

The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan
reviewed by Carl Scheffert

This is the first in the series of book called The Thirty-Nine Clues. Each book is written by a different author. This book is very action-packed. There are so many good parts wrapped around the two main characters, Dan and Amy Cahill. Follow them on an unbelievable adventure that takes them across the globe looking for a family secret that will change their lives. The book is an easy read!

One False Note by Gordan Korman
reviewed by Seth Masterson

This is the second book in the series called The Thirty-Nine Clues. Dan and Amy Cahill are in Venice, Italy, continuing the scavenger hunt for the thirty-nine-clues. The stakes are higher, and the race becomes more dangerous and death-defying!
The third book is this series is set to come out in March. There is a website where readers can search for clues, and each book contains game cards to help in the hunt. A cash prize is awarded to the lucky reader who puts all of the pieces together.

Students interested in meeting authors through video interviews and having the change to ask questions of them should go to the Scholastic link here. You can also get lists of the latest and greatest novels for your age group. http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/read.jsp

November, 2008 Reviews:

Crypted Hunters  by Ronald Smith

        Review by Carl Scheffert, Grade 8

                This book is very exciting!  There is always a twist in everything.  The book is really not like the cover.  You never know what will happen next.  The book is really awesome.

Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver

        Review by William Shepherd, Grade 8

                This book takes place 6,000 years ago and has three main characters: Wolf, Torak, and Renn.  The setting is the forest.  It is a very good adventure.  This is the first book in a series by Michelle Paver.

Code Orange by Caroline Cooney

        Review by Seth Masterson, Grade 7

                Mitty Blake gets smallpox and survives.  He escapes from two kidnappers from Iraq who try to use him as a weapon of mass destruction.  His report on smallpox is successful, and he passes his science class.  I read it in a week because it was so good.

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick

        Review by Katie Liefer, Grade 8

                This book is so good and interesting.  It is about a boy’s brother who gets sick and how the family deals with the illness.  I read this in a week.  It will change your way of living.