The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman

If you love reading about world wars then here is a book about that, this book is how they treated people during the world war 2 when Hitler was a bad dictator, this book has animals instead of humans, the cats are the Nazi's the mice are the Jews and the pigs are the soldiers. I recommend this book to people that are interested to read a book that just tells you how they lived thru the holocaust and how the gas chambers looked liked this is a graphic novel it haves both of the books in one volume, part 1 and 2.

Reviewed by Raul ~ 7th Grade

El Deafo by Cece Bell

I read the book El Deafo. It is about a real story that happened to the author Cece Bell. It is about a young girl who gets meningitis. She soon is unable to hear. This book takes place in the 70's so science is not as advanced as now so she has to wear BIG hearing aids. Her journey is rough but she lives through it. Halfway through the book Cece came up with a nickname for herself named El Deafo. I liked this book because it is one of my favorite kind of books, a comic book! The author from Wonder, R. J. Palacio said "I love El Deafo! It's everything you could want in a book: funny and touching and oh so smart."


Reviewed by Allie ~ 6th Grade

Rebecca Caudill 2016 Book Trailers

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The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan ~ (Ranger's Apprentice: book 1)

Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan is the first book in a 12-book series (which I've read all of them so I know they whole thing). It all starts with an orphan boy named Will and his orphan friends Alyss, Jenny, and Horace. Choosing day is coming up. Now at this point your probably asking yourself "What's Choosing day is it like Harry Potter or something"? Well I'm glad you asked, Choosing day is a event in which every 15 year old chooses a class (or a job specifically) that will be with them for the rest of their lives. They have multiple classes but I'm gonna name a few. They have Courier, Ranger, Knight, and Cooker (or something like that).

I recommend you read the book to know what all these classes are because if I told you the definition of every class then we'd be here for hours. So let's just focus on two in particular, a Ranger and a Knight. A Knight is something every fantasy reader should know so I'm gonna skip that. A ranger is a very special force that specializes in planning wars and deadly assassinations. Now at first Will wants to be a Knight but he's too short and not strong enough. So he doesn't get chosen to that class. To make things worse no other teacher (or whatever they call them) wants Will. Then the Ranger Halt passes a note to Baron Arald. (Baron: A position before king or queen. Kinda the second most important person in a kingdom or Fief.)

Skipping ahead Will gets accepted as a Ranger and starts training. In order to stop you from getting bored I provide you with one last sentence. Just then as Will is training a storm's brewing as evil Morgarath is planning a war, and a deadly war for sure.

So that's about it there are HUGE bits and pieces I've missed out so be sure to read the first book. Also here's a quick note: The first book MAY be boring because it's introducing you to everything but as you read for book 2 beyond everything gets better. I don't think you should skip around between the books as that will confuse you. Thanks for reading and be sure to check out Ranger's Apprentice at the Grove JR High Library (In the fantasy section).

Reviewed by Conrad ~ 6th Grade

Lexile 920

I Am Number Four (book 1) by Pittacus Lore

I Am Number Four is an a amazing book where Four or John Smith is a alien from the planet Lorien. Nine of them came and three are dead. John and his guardian Henri hide from there enemy the Mogadorians that are trying to kill them.  John is in the process of developing his powers for example he can use his hands as flashlights or is fire/heat resistant. I would rate this book 9 out of 10. This is the first book of the series, Lorien Legacies and I look forward to reading the rest of the books.

Reviewed by Brendon ~ 8th Grade

Lexile 800

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (book 1) by Ransom Riggs

Jacob Portman believed he had a normal life until a great tragedy happens. He then has to go to Wales to discover his grandfather's hidden past. Little does he know that the stories he was told as a kid were real the whole time. A mysterious orphanage that serves as the home for many peculiar children. Children who can levitate or control fire with their hands. 

Once he arrives at the island he learns that the orphanage is destroyed due to the bomb attacks during the holocaust. Then during one of his search missions into the house he finds proof that the kids that used to live in the house might still be alive. Thrust into a world full of wonder, he must decide whether he stays with the peculiar children or return to his "normal" life back home. 

This book is well written and full of mystery. It constantly kept me on my seat asking what would happen next. The book is full of creepy, but amazing vintage pictures. The one thing that I felt disappointed about was the lack of scary moments. The book took more of a whimsical and fun turn then I had expected. I still think this book is good due to the fact that the author wove a story out of a bunch of random pictures. I found this to be really creative and new. I recommend this book to anyone whose interested in fantasy and mystery books.

Reviewed by Daniel ~ 8th Grade

Lexile 890