The Outsiders

Author: S. E. Hinton
©1967
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Number of Pages: 264
Rating: 8/10

Reviewer: Megabob

The Outsiders is a classic about a 14-year-old gang member named Ponyboy Curtis. The gang he's in is called the Greasers and they are rivals with the Socs (another gang). The Greasers are on the poorer side and the Socs are on the complete opposite one. The story really starts getting going when two girls are met at a movie theater by Ponyboy and some of his friends. They see that the girls are all alone and decide to walk them home. That's when the trouble begins. On the way home, the girl's boyfriends (who are Socs) happen to pass by. Without much of a choice, the girls are returned. A few nights later, the boyfriends come for revenge and things go a little too far. Ponyboy and his friend, Johnny, are forced to flee their home in fear of being arrested by the police. Later on, though, they finally figure out that they can't possibly live their entire life on the run so they return and turn themselves in. The rest is up to you to find out by simply reading The Outsiders.

I think that The Outsiders was a very good book. One reason is the plot. It is an exciting, fast-paced, nail-biting adventure that you can't stop once you're going. Another is that everyone, in their own way, will be able to find some way this story relates to their life. Anyone who enjoys realistic fiction or any avid reader who is looking for a fast-paced adventure story that they want to relate to is obligated to read this classic.

Hatchet

Author: Gary Paulson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Copyright: 1987
Pages: 195
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Rating: 5/10
Blogger: Cookie Monster

Brian is 13 years old and he flies from the Hamptons in New York to somewhere in Canada to visit his father. While he is in the plane the captain has a heart attack. The plane crashes into a lake in Canada and Brian forces his way out. He is hurt, but nothing is broken. While he is trying to recover he falls asleep and has flashbacks of his mother and the secret of his parent’s divorce.

Brian has many adventures on his L shaped island. He stayed there for 54 days. During this time, he taught himself how to make a fire, how to catch fish, how to kill birds, how to protect himself, and how to cook on a fire. He does everything with his hatchet, which was a present from his motherTowards the end of his stay on the island, there is a tornado. Everything was destroyed, but the plane in the lake becomes visible. He spends days getting into the plane and getting to a survival bag. He again uses his hatchet. He pulls out the survival bag and finds dried food, soap, a rifle, and an emergency transmitter. He turns it on and off and then leaves it on and walks away.

Even though I didn't really like this book, I kept on reading just to find out what would happen next. The ending was weird and disappointing. The whole book was a bit disappointing. This is a good book for readers who like a living adventure.

The Higher Power of Lucky

Author: Susan Patron
Copyright: 2006
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Range: 9 to 11
Reviewer: Az Scorpio

Lucky, a 10 year old girl, can't wait another day. The meanness gland in her heart and the crevices full of questions in her brain make running away from Hard Pan, California (population 43), the rock-bottom only choice she has. It's all Brigitte's fault -- for wanting to go back to France. Guardians are supposed to stay put and look after girls in their care! However Lucky is sure that she'll be cast away to some orphanage in Los Angeles where her beloved dog, HMS Beagle, won't be allowed. Then she'll have to lose her friends Miles, a boy, who lives on cookies, and Lincoln, her classmate, future U.S. president (maybe) and member of the International Guild of Knot Tyers.

This story shows the growth of a young girl. Throughout the book Lucky tries to find herself by finding her “higher power”. At the end she does, by becoming more mature. I can see why this book has won a Newberry Award. Lucky is a character that anyone can relate to. She has just begun to understand the world around her, and has started her journey into teenager-hood by struggling and fighting with her low self-esteem.

Looking For Alaska

Author: John Green
Copyright: 2005
Pages: 160
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Reviewer: California Roll

In Looking for Alaska by John Green, winner of the Printz Award and written in 2005, Miles Halter, an awkward 16-year-old boy, gets sucked into an unforgettable journey that begins after he transfers to Culver Creek Boarding School. Miles is obsessed with knowing peoples’ last words. He fixates on memorizing them and is constantly searching for new ones. One, in particular, that jumps out at Miles is, “I go to seek my great perhaps.” At the start of the book, Miles decides that he is going to move to Culver Creek in hopes of starting over and finding his own “Great perhaps.” Little does he know he is about to embark on the most memorable and intense adventure of his life, and he is taking the reader along for the ride. It all starts when Miles is introduced to the Colonel, his roommate whose real name is Chip, and Alaska, who give him the nickname Pudge. Ultimately, they teach him how to get by, avoid trouble, smoke, drink, and have fun while attending Culver Creek. After a wild game of truth or dare involving lots of drinking, an incident occurs that becomes the point that the book revolves around. The book, which is being told in the first person by Miles, is broken into two sections composed of the events leading up to the incident and the events that follow the incident. As the reader progresses through the book, the plot escalates to the point where they are begging for more.

While reading Looking for Alaska, I found myself becoming part of the plot and being engulfed in its story. This book is easily one of the greatest books I have ever read. I recommend it to everyone, especially those who enjoy intense, exciting, and funny books. This book is a must-read that will leave the reader knowing exactly why this book deserved to win the Printz Award.

The Outsiders

Author: S.E. Hinton
Copyright: 1967
Genre: Realistic fiction
# of pages: 264
Rating: 9/10
Reviewer: Cassie
SPOILER ALERT

The Outsiders was about Ponyboy, a 14-year- old gang member who runs away from home with his fellow gang member, Johnny, after a warring gang takes things too far one night. Their panicked trip takes them to an abandoned church where they stay for a while. After a few weeks, another gang member named Dally shows up to check on them, and after some discussion, Ponyboy and Johnny decide to turn themselves in as runaways. On their way back home, they see that the church has caught on fire and that there are children inside. Johnny, Dally, and Ponyboy go in and save all the kids, but a falling beam hits Johnny on the way out. He is injured and goes to the hospital, where policemen tell them that because they saved the children, they are free of all charges. Unfortunately, their happiness for their amnesty is short lived, but you're going to have to read the book to find out why.

The Outsiders

Author: S.E Hinton
Copyright: 1967
Genre: realistic Fiction
Rating: 10/10
Pages: 264
Reviewer: Hobo Jenkins

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is an amazing book written in 1967. It is about a 14 year old greaser named Ponyboy. He lives with two older brothers, Sodapop and Darry. The Greasers and the Socs have a strong hatred towards each other. The Greasers are poor and the Socs are rich. They fight all the time, but one day they take it too far. Johnny (a greaser) and Ponyboy are put in a difficult and scary situation with no easy way out.

The Outsiders was a fantastic classic. I couldn’t take my head out of this book. It is an excellent story that everyone can relate to in some way. It had action, drama, humor, and even some romance. It is enjoyable for everyone. When I first heard of this book I thought it would be a book more for boys, but I absolutely loved it and I’m a girl. The writing draws you in and the plot is amazing. I think that people will continue to read this classic for an extremely long time. In conclusion The Outsiders was an excellent book that everyone should read at one point in their life.

Looking for Alaska

Author: John Green
Copyright: 2005
Pages: 160
Rating: 10 out of 5 stars!
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Reviewer: Hey There Delilah
CONTENT WARNING: Some content in the book may be inappropriate for younger readers

You probably don't know Millard Filmore's last words. Miles does. In fact, memorizing last words is not only a hobby for him, but a way of life. (In case you're wondering about those last words they were: "the nourishment is palatable".) Miles is pretty much invisible at his public high school. He lives a boring, friendless life and decides to follow his father's footsteps and go to Culver Creek boarding school in Alabama. Miles claims that the reason for this is that he goes "to seek a Great Perhaps", which were another set of last words, not surprisingly. There, he meets his roommate Chip, better known as the Colonel. The Colonel immediately accepts Miles into his social circle and introduces him to Takumi. Together, the three share a hatred for the rich kids and and Miles even gets a knew nickname, Pudge (for irony). The Colonel and Takumi happened to be friends with Alaska. Drop-dead-gorgeous, smart, sassy, independent, fascinating, reckless, spontaneous Alaska. It didn't matter that she was everything Pudge wasn't, because he had completely fallen head-over-heels for her. Blindly, Alaska makes it her mission to get Pudge a girlfriend. He ends up finding a girlfriend, but he isn't over Alaska. Nevertheless, the five of them have great times together smoking, drinking and most importantly, pranking. But what happens when Alaska's drive to get out of the labyrinth goes too far and ruins everything?

I have tried writing this paragraph many times. But every single time I try to think of words worthy enough to describe how amazing I thought this book was, my mind goes blank. Mere words can't describe the tangled mix of stirred feelings inside of me when I was forced to finish the book. Other reviewers (who have found the perfect words) have called Looking for Alaska "a masterpiece, powerful, brilliant and unforgettable." And I have to say, I won't ever forget this book. Looking for Alaska was unlike any book I have read, and it stands apart from many other books in the YA Fiction category. Looking for Alaska deserved The Printz Award one hundred percent and is a book that every single young adult should read. So, I am not just recommending that you read Looking for Alaska (if you haven't already), I am urging you to stop whatever you are doing this second and go read this book right now! Yes, it is that good!

Where The Red Fern Grows

Author: Wilson Rawls
Copyright: 1961
Genre: Realistic Fiction/Adventure
Rating: Very Good
Number of Pages: 249
Reviewed By:Smackers
SPOILER ALERT - SPOILER ALERT - SPOILER ALERT

Billy, a ten-year-old boy who lives in Ozark Mountains on Cherokee Land in northeastern Oklahoma during the Great depression, dreams of having two coon- hounds. He saves his own money to buy them and trains them to be two of the best raccoon hunters in the country. The dogs – old Dan and little Ann - become champions of a national coon-hunting tournament. While doing so they also end up finding Billy’s grandfather injured and lost in the snow. One night while hunting raccoons near their home, the two dogs end up treeing a mountain lion. Old Dan bravely fights the mountain lion to save Billy, but sadly ends up dying from his wounds the next day. Little Anne becomes too depressed to live without Old Dan, and dies soon after. Before moving to town, Billy notices a large Red Fern growing on top of the dog’s graves, which according to Indian Legend means an angel has been there.

Drums Girls and Dangerous Pie

Author: Jordan Sonnenblick
Copyright: 2004
Pages: 273
Genre: Realistic Fiction

Drums Girls and Dangerous Pie is about Steven Alper, a 13 year old boy, whose life gets turned around when one day he finds out that Jeffery, his younger brother, is diagnosed with a serious illness. Steven lives in Pennsylvania. He is an average boy who goes to middle school and has to deal with his social life, his school life, and most importantly, girls and drumming, his favorite hobby.

In my opinion this book is great and tells the story of an average 13 year old boy in middle school as his life gets turned around by something he wishes never had happened. It’s a book that once you get into it you can’t put down until you have finished.

Spanking Shakespeare

Author: Jake Wizner
Copyright: 2007
Pages: 287
Rating: 9.5/10
Genre: Humorous Realistic Fiction
Reviewer: California Roll

In Spanking Shakespeare, by Jake Wizner, the reader follows the senior high school year of a boy unfortunate enough to be named Shakespeare Shapiro. This story is not just another teen high school story and it is not just because the boy has an unusual name. Jake Wizner takes the reader on a hysterical journey that can relate to the random, crude, rebellious, and perverted mind of the average teenager. This book is perfect for a reader that loves to laugh, whether boy or girl, but may be inappropriate for children younger than 14.

In the book, Shakespeare begins his senior year in high school. He has never been considered popular. He has never had a girlfriend and he only really has two friends, Neil and Katie. Neil is a perverted boy that has a freakish obsession with bowel movements and Katie is a tom-boyish tough girl. Also, Shakespeare’s younger brother is way cooler than him and he fits in more easily. Throughout the book, the reader will see the humorous mishaps that Shakespeare goes through, including a long-time girl crush and prom. I highly recommend this book for anyone around the age of 14. This book is a riot and will keep the reader laughing and interested the entire time.

This Lullaby

By Sarah Dessen
Copyright: 2002
Pages: 304
Rating:4/5
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Reviewer: Lyra

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen is a captivating book filled with romance, emotion, and humor, and will keep you reading for hours. Remy Starr is a stubborn, hard-headed girl who thinks she knows all there is to know about love. When she runs into Dexter, a live-the-moment guy, he is determined to change her. With her confusion about Dexter and her new step-dad (her fifth!!), Remy might just change her mind about everything she thought she knew about love. This story might just change the readers feelings too! This is a superb book about a real life relationship. This Lullaby is an outstanding story about how love doesnt always appear how you expect it.

When It Happens

Author: Susane Colasanti
Copyright: 2006
Pages: 336
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Reviewer: Hey There Delilah

When it came to Sara, it was love at first sight for Tobey. It didn’t matter that they were polar opposites (he’s a rocker and she’s a braniac), or that he had never talked to her before. Tobey walked into his senior year of high school with only one thing on his mind: to make sure Sara fell in love with him. However, there was just one catch; Sara was dating Dave, a popular jock. Nevertheless, the chemistry between Tobey and Sara was undeniable and their love might just be “the real thing”. In any case, this love story makes perfect harmony. One quirk that makes this book extra-special is the alternating narration. Not only do we get inside Tobey’s head, but we know what Sara is thinking, too. When It Happens is the perfect combination of blissful young romance and witty dialogue, and will definitely make the readers fall in love - with this book!

Eagle Strike

Author: Anthony Horowitz
Copyright: 2003
Length: 322 pages
4th in series
Rating: 10/10
Reviewer: Apple Jacks

This book is filled with riveting, heart-pounding action. From trouble in the south of France, to a fight to the death in Air Force One, to a crazed celebrity trying to “save the world,” this is an incredible book for any reader that loves action and adventure. You've got to read this book.

Drums, Girls, & Dangerous Pie

Author: Jordan Sonnenblick
Copyright: 2004
Pages: 273
Rating: 9/10
Genre: realistic fiction
Reviewer: Elmo

Drums, Girls, & Dangerous Pie is a heartwarming story that can teach you many lessons and is very enjoyable. It’s funny, sad, happy, brave, etc. Steven, the main character in this book, tells about how he is dealing with his normal life: family, school, drumming, and girls. On top of that Steven finds out his little brother Jeffery has cancer. Now his whole life revolves around Jeffery’s illness. I guarantee if you read this you’ll never want to put it down. Jordan Sonnenblick did a terrific job with this book.

I am not Esther

Author: Fleur Beale
Copyright: 1998
Rating: 10/10
Pages: 250
Reviewer: Bubbles


I am not Esther is literally the best book I’ve ever read. It’s based on a 14 year old girl named Kirby Greenland. She lives happily with her mother until one Christmas day when her life changes forever. Kirby’s mom tells her that she is leaving. Kirby would have to stay with her uncle and his family. No matter how much Kirby begs, her mother’s mind is set. Her uncle and cousin were there to pick her up in the morning. When they arrive at her uncle’s house she is informed that the family is part of a strict religious cult. The girls are to wear long skirts, long sleeved shirts and cover their hair (it kind of reminds me of Orthodox women…). Soon, Kirby takes interest in one of her little cousins, a girl who is obviously not happy with her condition. Kirby takes it upon herself to look after the little girl and find her mother, who has seemingly disappeared.

TTYL

Author: Lauren Myracle
Copyright: 2004
Rating: 9 out of 10
Number of pages: 224
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Series: 1st in series
Reviewer: Hobo Jenkins

TTYL, an excellent book by Lauren Myracle, is a book completely written in IM (instant messaging). This book is about three girls in their sophomore year of high school who go through boy troubles, popularity contests, rumors, and broken hearts together. My friend recommended it to me and the minute I picked up and read the first page, it was almost impossible to put down. I recommend it to any teenage girl because every teen or pre-teen girl can relate to it. It’s also a great example of how teenagers communicate today since the whole book is written in IM. TTYL is a book full of drama and a book that any teen girl will love.