Review: Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard

Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard.

Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: June 2011
List Price: $16.99
ISBN-13: 9780385740555

Review: There are so many great young adult books in the world, but this is one of the best books I have ever read. Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard is about two young men named Alex and Glenn who are trying to figure out if a teacher saw what happened the day their friend, Thomas, died at the river. That fateful day, Alex, Glenn and Thomas had been drinking- an act that would result in expulsion from school if it was ever discovered Thomas died as a result of diving off a rock while he was drunk. The alcohol in his system impaired his swimming, and he ultimately drowned. So in an effort to save them, Alex and Glenn make a very mean plan to find if the teacher really does know the truth about what happened down by the river.

There are many things in Paper Covers Rock that I enjoyed. Something that I liked was that Alex is a poem writer and that the author includes many creative poems in the book. Plus, at one point, Alex says" Truth: as essential as rain." This metaphorical writing is so powerful. I like it because everyone needs truth. If there wasn't truth, we would all be living in a world of lies. I also practically liked the fact that the book was written like a diary or notebook. Paper Covers Rock is really one of a kind, and in a good way.

I rate this book a ten out of ten because it is action packed and very interesting. I could not put Paper Covers Rock down once I began to read it. It had to be one of the best books that I have ever read. As I started earlier, I also liked the fact that the author gave the book a diary sort of feeling. There are also many creative parts like how the boys are plotting a plan against a teacher. Clearly, there are many things that I really did enjoy. Although this book is amazing and interesting, I believe that children of an older audience would enjoy this story more than the children of a younger audience because of the foul language used by the characters.

Review written by Mia (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Random House for providing a copy of Paper Covers Rock for this review.

Have you read Paper Covers Rock? How would you rate it?