The Summer Experiment by Cathie Pelletier

This book was a great book. It's about a girl named Roberta, her friend Marilee, and UFO's. This book takes them on an adventure to space where they meet aliens! You should read this book.

--6th grade

Space Boy By Stephen McCranie`s

To Amy every one has a flavor. her mom is the flavor of mint - sharp and bright. her dads flavor in like hot chocolate - sweet and full of gentle warmth.

Amy lives in a mining colony out in deep space, But when her dad loses his job they were forced to move to earth. Amy says goodbye to her best friend Jemmah and climbs into a crytube where she will spend the next 30 years frozen in state of suspended animation, hurtling in a rocket towards her new home. Her life will never be the same, but all she can think about is how when she gets to earth Jemmah will have grown up without her.

When Amy arrives on earth, she feels like an alien in a strange land. the sky is beautiful but gravity is heavy and the people are weird. Strangers still is a boy she meets at her new school- a boy who has no flavor.

space boy is a sci-fi drama about a high school girl who belongs in a different time, a boy possessed by emptiness as deep as space, an alien artifact, a mysterious murder and a love that crosses light years.

--Rafa, 6th grade, Cambridge Street Upper School

Robots Rule: The Junkyard Bot by C.J. Richards

If you could be or had to become one character in the book, who would you choose to be and why?

If I could be one of the characters in this book, I would choose to be Professor Droid, because he is really amazing at robotics and computer skills. I also have always been interested in those things for some reason, so I would really love to be him.

- 8th grade

The Death Cure by James Dashner

The Death Cure is the third and final book of the Maze Runner Trilogy. It follows the story of sixteen-year-old Thomas, who struggles to escape from a group called WICKED in a dystopian society.

This book and the whole Maze Runner trilogy is absolutely AMAZING. I cannot express in words how much I enjoyed this series. Unlike some other dystopian novels, The Maze Runner books were intriguing and easy to follow, and I was able to relate to the characters (which is not the case in most other dystopian YA novels.) I found it impossible to get bored with the books, because every time it seemed like things were slowing down and getting less exciting, the story would take a sharp, unexpected turn that would have me itching to read more. Some parts of the Maze Runner novels had me laughing hysterically, others made me sob. Sometimes, I was so scared for what would happen next that I would have to put the book down and take a few deep breaths before resuming. James Dashner has the extraordinary ability to pack a single book with so much action, and yet so much emotion at the same time. Many books I had previously read, especially dystopian books, didn't elaborate much on the characters and I found it difficult to know what the characters were thinking and feeling. That NEVER happened while I was reading the Maze Runner series. There is truly something special and unique about the series that I will never forget. The Maze Runner (the first book) actually might be one of the best books I have ever read. I would give this series 6/5 stars (:P), and for anyone who hasn't read it yet, please please please give it a try. You won't regret it, trust me!!!!!!
--8th grade

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

This book is about someone named Montag. Montag is a fireman so, he burns down books and the houses they are in according to firemen in this book. But, he soon realizes what he is doing is not right after meeting and talking to a few people. He decides to stop burning books and wants this to come to a stop. Some big events happen while he is trying to stop this nonsense. You should read this book to find out.

--6th grade

The Martian by Andy Weir

If you could rewrite one part of the story, what would you change?

I would rewrite the end of the story, because the author, Andy Weir, finished the book before the spacecraft had made it safely back Earth. This made me VERY mad, because it was as if the was not over yet. I felt like I had read an unfinished book. The rest of the book is thrilling and great.

Ido, 6th grade, Vassal Lane Upper School

Ender’s Shadow by Orson Scott Card

This book is really good!!! It is about a genius boy who is found on the streets by a nun . She sends him to battle school , a school for the smartest children so that they can fight the buggers , an alien species that threatens Earth, and become military commanders, which Bean is sent to when he is 2 years underage. This is so, because at 4 years old Bean taught himself to read and write on the street and taught his crew ( a pack of little kids who band together and share food) civilization. In battle school Bean prospered, cracking systems and spying on teachers. This book is riveting, I read it at a fast pace as it constantly draws your attention. Every chapter ends with a cliffhanger or some kind of hint of what’s next, it always makes you want to keep reading.

6th grade

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

This book is really good!! What I like best about it is that every time you read it you notice different things in the book and you see the book 📖 differently! It is science fiction . The author basically imagined the whole world in the future with politics and everything. What happens is that there are these aliens 👽 that they call buggers that attacked Earth. Earth won the fight thanks to Mazer Rackham but barely. Now the humans are preparing another attack. The I.F (Which is in charge of the stuff that goes on in space) picks genius children of the age of seven to come up to the space station and train to be space commanders. Ender (Andrew) Wiggin is a third child in his family. You are only allowed to have two children per family because the population is too big but his parents were given special license to have Ender. They got this license because Ender’s older brother was a genius but way too violent and his sister was a genius but too gentle. So Ender was the balance between them. It is a very interesting and insightful story and if you read it you will probably enjoy it.

6th grade

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

Read a book that takes place in a country other than the United States.

Would you recommend this book? If so, who would you recommend it to, and why? If not, why not?

First, I guess this book takes place in a different country other than US, because it also takes part in Camazotz. would recommend the book to the people who is in love with Fantasy books. If you’re Non-fiction person, and is very technical about it, I don’t think you’ll like this book.

-Amy, 7th grade, VLUS

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire By Suzanne Collins

Would you recommend this book? If so, who would you recommend it to, and why? If not, why not?

I LOVE this series! I mean, I love all the detail and danger that the author puts INTO the book.

I would probably recommend this book sequel and the first book to anyone who loves/likes romance, or danger, or detailed, and heart-warming books. To me, this series is ALL of them.

-Ella, 6th grade, PAUS

Spill Zone By Alex Puvilland and Scott Westerfeld

Which minor character in this book would you like to know more about? If there were a whole book about them, what would it be called?

The book Pill Zone is about this girl named Addie and her sister Lexa and they live in a really strange place. There parents died during a nuclear power plant spill. after the nuclear spill every this was weird,. there were weird creatures and the people who died were floating with there mouths open and something coming out of there body. there parents and Lexa were at the seen but Lexa survived but her parents didn't and it happened in the hospital were there parents worked. Addie would always go out there when it was illegal to go to because of what happened that night. Addie took pictures of the place a lot and tried to figure out what is was that did this. her sister Lexa never spoke ever since that day. Addie had a dangerous life. Lexa had a doll but not just any doll a doll that can only talk to Lexa in her mind and Lexa can talk back in her mind to. That scared me. She wanted to keep Lexa safe. I wanted to know more about Lexa because you don`t get to know much about her except that she is 12 her parents died, she survived a nuclear power plant spill and she has a sister named Addison was a scary but not scary book. I really liked it and if the book was about Lexa more then Addie then I would still name it the same thing but make the picture a picture of her.


P.S. This book is young adult so it has some swears, now and then. But besides that it is good!!

-Rafa, 6th grade, CSUS

The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins

What character(s) in this book would you most and least like to be friends with, and why?

This is one of my FAVORITE book/ book series. This is the first book in the very dramatic, romance-y, and adventurous trilogy that will keep you up ALL night.

I would probably be friends with Rue___ and Katniss Everdeen. They both have things in common with me, and they both have that.... "Can-Do-Attitude"

-Ella, 6th grade, PAUS

Warcross By Marie Lu

If you could rewrite one part of the story, what would you change?

This book is set in the near future, where everything has some sort of electronic technology set into it, but that isn't a huge part of the book. The main character, Emika Chen, is a bounty hunter who hacks into the championship of the video game Warcross. She catches the attention of the creator of Warcross, who then offers her a job. But as she gets further into the task, she learns more about Warcross and the dangers lurking where she least expects it. 

The one thing I don't like about the book (and I really like this book!) is the ending. It just ends in a very unsatisfying way, that does pull it all together, but it also makes it unclear if there will be a sequel or you will just forever be wondering what she will do in Tokyo, Japan next. So I would probably rewrite that to cut out the last page and stop it at the memories part where she just thinks to herself, "My offer to you still stands." That would be a good cliffhanger for me. 

But it's good, so read it if you don't mind a mysterious end!

-Emilia, 7th grade, VLUS

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

This is the second book in The Hunger Games series, and before I read it I was skeptical, thought "How is Suzanne going to make a second book without it being SUPER repetitive, and it being very coincidental?" Well I started reading it, and I was SUCKED IN! I thought it was very nicely tied together, and again, very well written. Every time I read I would have bursts of emotion throughout a chapter; I would be happy for Katniss, then I would be on the verge of tear, then I would be angry, (when I found myself angry, it was usually because a character in the book was too,) then I would be confused! And so on, and so forth. Anyway, I would Highly recommend this series to anyone who is okay with gore. I love this series so much I am already half way (or more) through the last book, and I just finished this one! PLEASE READ!

-Samantha, 6th grade, CSUS

Star Wars Infinities: Epic Collection by Chris Warner, Dave Land, Adam Gallardo and J.W. Rinzler

This book is a collection of what could have happened in star wars 4, 5, and 6.
The infinity for 4 is that when they're trying to destroy the death star, Luke fires his torpedoes and one of them explodes short of the reactor. This eventually leads to Princess Leia becoming a Jedi and defeating the emperor with Vader and Luke. The death star, which is still around, is hijacked by Master Yoda. Yoda uses it to blow up the imperial fleet, and then he de - orbits the station and plows it onto the emperor's throne room, killing Sidious, Vader, and a lot of other imperials.
The infinity for 5 is when Luke is killed by the monster in the cave. Vader still thinks Luke is alive, so he searches the galaxy. Finally, Vader goes to Dagobah to find that Luke told Leia to learn to be a Jedi. Vader, Yoda, and Leia battle until Vader defeats Yoda. Immediatley, Han and Chewie blast Vader. This results somehow in him turning good, and then he dies. Just like in episode 6.
In the infinity for 6, Leia is making a barter with Chewbacca. Jabba doesn't like it, so he swats C3P0. This time, C3PO crashes to the ground, temporarily breaking him. Jabba can't understand what Leia is saying after this, so she reveals herself and throws a grenade. In the chaos, Boba Fett escapes with Carbonite Han Solo. Leia shoots and misses. The shot she fired hit the carbonation chamber, which leads to Han Solo losing his eyesight... permanently. Since there is no reason for Leia to go onto the ground, she goes up with Luke to confront the emperor. They fight with Vader, cutting his arm off and then taking them with him off of the station. The emperor escapes at this point. Then, Vader joins with the rebel alliance to hunt down Darth Sidious. The end of this infinity finds Darth Vader... with his armor painted white. Blech.
There is also another issue in there, but it is strictly confidential. You'll have to find out what it is.

-Bruce, 8th grade, CSUS