Review: Operation Oleander by Valerie O. Patterson

Operation Oleander by Valerie O. Patterson.

Clarion Books
Publication Date: March 2013
List Price: $16.99
ISBN-13: 9780547244372

Review: Troops, bomb. The words in my head repeat like music that won't stop. At the bottom of the TV screen the words 'BREAKING NEWS' blare in red letters." Operation Oleander by Valerie O. Patterson has many suspenseful moments like this that keep you reading until the end. The main character of this book is a thirteen-year-old girl named Jess, whose father is enlisted in Afghanistan. She will make events such as this one leave you eagerly waiting to see what will happen next. Jess will additionally cause you to really love this book, just like I did.

On a pleasant morning, government men surprisingly show up at Jess' house to inform the family that a bomb went off in Afghanistan. They tell Jess and her family that her father is injured, and two other American soldiers are dead, one including her friend, Meriwether's mother. Later in the day, Jess goes to set up the Operation Oleander donation table. All of the donations go to an orphanage in Afghanistan, so they can pay for supplies to get an education. Today, it seems as if people don't appreciate it as much because of the bomb. Therefore, she leaves to visit Meriwether, who was not in a good mood at all. Meriwether gave Jess a feeling she didn't want to be her friend anymore. Will Jess ever be able to start Operation Oleander again, and will she reclaim her friendship with Meriwether?

Operation Oleander is a book that certainly keeps you on your toes. For example, when Jess debates whether or not her dad really is okay when she talks to him over the phone. On top of this, Valerie O. Patterson creates a very inspiring plot, one that many readers 10 years and older would enjoy, and not be able to put down. Operation Oleander is intended for this age for a few reasons. First, there are a couple parts where kids might not understand if they don't have insight about wars between countries. In particular, when Jess' mom tells her that her dad suffers shrapnel being in his eye, people might not know what shrapnel is. Secondly, there are some intense situations, such as when Meriwether tells Jess, "If it wasn't for you, my mom wouldn't have been at that stupid orphanage in the first place." However, the vocabulary isn't too complicated, with only some words such as casualties and fulfillment, so it would be a comfortable read for kids this age. In addition, if you read at fair level, it wouldn't be a long read only being 187 pages. Likewise, some students that read at a lower level may think this is a long book. Furthermore, the theme of this book is if something goes wrong, you should still try to keep with it. This can be a very important message to people of all ages, especially kids, who are discouraged easily. The main character, Jess will compel you to get up and try to resolve your problem. For instance, when someone detours around the Operation Oleander donation table, Jess has to find out what she can do better so people appreciate it again. Besides that, she could just make you want to start helping others, like she did for the orphans. I doubt that readers will disagree--- Operation Oleander is a great novel, and I would definitely read it again!

Review written by Amber (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Houghton Mifflin for providing a copy of Operation Oleander for this review.

Have you read Operation Oleander? How would you rate it?

Review: Arrival by Chris Morphew

Arrival by Chris Morphew. Book 1 of The Phoenix Files.

Kane Miller
Publication Date: October 2013
List Price: $6.99
ISBN-13: 9781610670913

Review: You just moved to Phoenix, you learn the world will be destroyed in 100 days; a crazy hobo is your only guide to save the world. The police are after you. How would you react? In Chris Morphew's book Phoenix Files Arrival, a group of friends find themselves in that situation. But this is only the beginning of the adventure. Phoenix Files Arrival is only the first book in the exciting new Phoenix Files series.

"Saving the world and super powered hobos", this is Luke's life. Luke is an average boy who has just moved to Phoenix. Since he had been here he suspected something was weird about Phoenix. Could it be the security officers all around the town, or the fact that the neighborhood hobo has sent Luke, Peter, and his other friend Jordan some hard evidence? Evidence that the head of security is plotting against the human race and will annihilate the world in 100 days. After all that has happened a secret meeting is established between the hobo, Luke, Peter, and Jordan to discuss saving the world. At that meeting, the police come and try to arrest the hobo, but the hobo didn't go down without a fight. He also gave Luke, Peter and Jordan clues to a hidden map. The map gives Peter and Jordan the location to two places that give them information needed to save the world. But can they overcome all the obstacles in their way to save the world?

Suspense, action, and a crazy hobo, all you can ask for in a book. To me, the Phoenix Files Arrival was an extraordinary book. I loved this book because of all the suspense. The following passage is an example of the adventure: "It was all real. Every last stomach-churning bit. And Ms. Pryor knew it." The many cliffhangers kept me turning the pages. The creative plot and interesting characters gave the book depth. I especially liked when Luke, Peter and Jordan were faced with a new dilemma that could lead to disaster with any small mistake. For instance, when they were sneaking around in top-secret facilities. The action came into play when the mischievous Luke, Peter, Jordan and the hobo got together in the meeting at the airport. In addition, more action ensued when the hobo became imprisoned behind bars. I would recommend this book for anyone fourth grade to seventh grade student. I think this because although I loved the book, it may be harder to process when you are smaller or too easy when you are older. I think that some of the words are too advanced for littler kids, like Òcohort.Ó I also think the book would be good for a boy, or any girl who likes action and fast-paced novels. I also believe that this story would be good for any reader who likes inspiring characters. The characters in the story are inspiring because they take on the world even with all of the events going on in their own lives. For example, Luke's parents divorced. I believe that taking on the world is an important quality in a character that I think all stories should have. My final reason why I love this book is because of Chris Morphew's excellent writing style. ÒIf this thing is legit, we could be in serious trouble,Ó and ÒThen a shoulder collided with my face and I was suddenly on the ground.Ó These are examples of how Chris Morphew creates suspense. To me, the suspense that was created tied the story together. All in all, I loved Phoenix Files Arrival, and I encourage you to read this remarkable book.

Review written by Sam (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Kane Miller for providing a copy of Arrival for this review.

Have you read Arrival? How would you rate it?

Review: The Caged Graves by Dianne K. Salerni

The Caged Graves by Dianne K. Salerni.

Clarion Books
Publication Date: May 2013
List Price: $16.99
ISBN-13: 9780547868530

Review: In Catawissa, sometimes the dead don't stay where you put them. This is merely one suspenseful quote from Caged Graves, the excellent book by Dianne K. Salerni.

The book begins when Verity Bonne, a teenage girl, returns to her hometown, Catawissa, Pennsylvania in 1867 to meet her soon-to-be husband face-to-face for the very first time. At this point, it all goes wrong. When Verity arrives in Pennsylvania, everything doesn't go as planned. She has a distant relationship with her father, Nate's not all what he seemed in his letters, and some shocking news is revealed about her mother and aunt's death. While in Catawissa, Verity goes to see her mother's grave and finds that it is caged along with her aunt's grave. She wants to find answers to everything. Some mysterious events happen that lead up to all of the answers such as on the Fourth of July, two men almost kidnapped Verity, because of the reason her mom and aunt's graves are covered in cages. During the story, a close relationship forms between Verity and another guy even when Verity is engaged. Who will she end up with? At the end of the story, Verity, her aunt, and two of her cousins are put in serious danger and Verity learns some very shocking and tragic news. All of the cliffhanging events lead to tough decisions and even put Verity in serious mortal peril.

Caged Graves by Dianne K. Salerni is a magnificent book that leads to turn every page you read. Although there is a negative side to this book, and that is the many challenging, very accelerated, and some slightly inappropriate words for some people. Caged Graves' storyline is intended for girls more than boys because of some of the events that occur during the story such as the romance and some of the small events that happen. However, there are some parts that boys may enjoy, such as the parts that include some gory details. I would recommend this book to girls 7th grade or higher because of the accelerated words and some of the gory, and mysterious events. Caged Graves is definitely a blend of mystery, fantasy, and realistic fiction. In the book, there is a lot of violence involved at the end of the story, for example "Clasping it in both hands, she turned around and fired it" and "There was blood everywhere." There are many cliffhangers, especially the suspense of it all when Verity is figuring out why her mother and aunt's graves are caged. There are elements of witchcraft, buried treasures, grave robbers, gory violence and kidnapping involved. In my opinion, the book was a little too violent and intense closer to the end of the story; otherwise Caged Graves couldn't get any better. I really enjoyed the all the suspense that kept me at the edge of my seat. All in all, I thought that Cages Graves was a marvelous book to have read and the author, Dianne K. Salerni, did a wonderful job writing this book!

Review written by Chloe (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Clarion Books for providing a copy of The Caged Graves for this review.

Have you read The Caged Graves? How would you rate it?

Review: The Short Seller by Elissa Brent Weissman

The Short Seller by Elissa Brent Weissman.

Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: May 2013
List Price: $15.99
ISBN-13: 9781442452558

Review: Maybe you should call a lawyer. Mrs. Sachs said, "Dad needed a lawyer? Was he going to jail?" The book The Short Seller is an excellent book written by Elissa Brent Weissman. The main character is Lindy Sachs, and she is a very ordinary girl until strange events occur.

The year starts off as a normal year for Lindy. Then, all of a sudden, she gets sick with mono (short for mononucleosis). Mono is a disease when you get a sore throat and you feel very tired all the time. So since she is at home all day and has nothing to do, her father asks her if she can trade a stock for him. Once she made the trade, she thought that it was fun. So she asked her dad if she could borrow $100 to trade stocks of her own. Her father said that he would talk with her mom about it. They decided that it was okay for her to make trades. She got the money, but since Lindy still had the information on her parents' account from when she made the trade for her dad. She went into it and took the money without her parents knowing, but then the stock market took a big plunge, and she lost all of the money that she took from her parents. How will she ever get all of the money back in time before they notice it is missing?

When you read The Short Seller, you will find that you have been glued to the book because in every chapter there is something that leaves you wanting to read on. Also, another element that I liked about the book The Short Seller is that I can relate to Lindy because she is in accelerated classes and in middle school, just like I am. This is also a good book because things always happen when you least expect them to happen. For example, when Lindy was sleeping for long hours and nobody knew what was happening to her, the doctor said, "I was afraid it might be mono". Nobody expected her to have mononucleosis. I also learned some new information. For example, when Lindy got sick, I didn't know that there was such a thing as mononucleosis. I also learned that some actions in the stock trading market could be illegal, even though it doesn't seem like they are illegal. This is a good book for ages 10 and up because there are sophisticated topics in the book such as the stock market, and younger kids might not understand trading on the stock market. In conclusion, I enjoyed this book The Short Seller, and I hope to read more books by Elissa Brent Weissman.

Review written by Veronica (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Atheneum Books for providing a copy of The Short Seller for this review.

Have you read The Short Seller? How would you rate it?

Review: Written in Stone by Rosanne Parry

Written in Stone by Rosanne Parry.

Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: June 2013
List Price: $16.99
ISBN-13: 9780375869716

Review: Just a daddy's girl who likes to stay inside? You better think again. Written in Stone by Rosanne Perry is an interesting book. The main characters are Pearl, a tween girl, Henry, a teen boy, and Mr. Glen, a grown man. This book is full of so many interesting things about Indians' lives and has so many cool phrases in the Indian language, like "Nah-gwee-nau" and "Oo-nu-gwee-nau".

The year was 1923, and Pearl was waiting on the shore for the whalers to come back from their trip. Pearl was so excited for their return, but things started going wrong. A man wants to buy masks and their artifacts to display at the museum, but are the masks what he's really looking for? Pearl knows something's going on, and she wants to get to the bottom of it before it's too late. Will it be too late?

There are many reasons why you should read Written in Stone. In particular, I liked the part when Pearl found out about why Mr. Glen was at their land and what mischief he was up to. A close second was the part when Pearl was really brave and threw the shell from her mom's blanket into the ocean. It was really brave for her to do that because she loves and cares about her mom a lot, and that's hard for her to do. That's the only part of her mom that she has left. I didn't like the parts when she was on the boat because for about a whole page or so, it talked about her riding on the boat, which is boring to the reader. In summary, I would recommend this book to anybody who likes mysteries because of all the little mysteries there are to find out the big mystery in the end.

Review written by Ashlynn (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Random House for providing a copy of Written in Stone for this review.

Have you read Written in Stone? How would you rate it?

Review: I am Jack by Susanne Gervay

I am Jack by Susanne Gervay.

Kane Miller
Publication Date: March 2013
List Price: $5.99
ISBN-13: 9781610671286

Review: Butt head! That is the sound of school for Jack. I Am Jack is a compelling story written by Susanne Gervay. In this book, Susanne really makes it hard to stop flipping pages.

The story kicks off with a perfect life; Jack is living with his mom, his sister and four days a week with his mom's boyfriend. He has friends inside and outside school, until one day when someone named George Hamel calls Jack, "Butt head." Then everyone starts calling Jack, "Butt head". Soon after, his friends stop playing with him. All he has left is just his family and the only friend that wouldn't betray him, Anna. He is also afraid that if he tells his mom, she might miss work and could get fired. Let alone that he hardly has much time to speak to her about anything. In I Am Jack, the author really engages the reader and makes it hard to stop flipping from page to page.

I Am Jack is a very good story. People in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade probably will like it, however, a younger or older person might disagree because of either the vocabulary or storyline. Also, a girl might not like it as much as a boy, (because of how this book is worded) but this book is still great for both gender. It will also be easier to understand if a bullied person, a bystander, or a former bully reads this book. This book also supports anti-bulling environment by showing what it feels like. In addition, this is one of those books that make you feel like you are in it. Readers will empathize and think about what it would feel like to be in Jack's situation. I Am Jack by Susanne Gervay gets four out of 5 stars, in my opinion, for its detailed descriptions and its fantastic storyline.

Review written by John (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Kane Miller for providing a copy of I am Jack for this review.

Have you read I am Jack? How would you rate it?

Review: The Flame in the Mist by Kit Grindstaff

The Flame in the Mist by Kit Grindstaff.

Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 2013
List Price: $16.99
ISBN-13: 9780385742900

Review: There's evil a-comin from the hill. If the mist doesn't get you the Agromods will. A Flame In The Mist by Kit Grindstaff takes place in Anagliva and will have you hanging on every word, on every page.

In Anglvia, the sun never shines. Jemma lives within a web of lies. She is not who she thinks she is. With Her rats, two magical crystals, her stone, and a timeline related to her powers, Jemma must make a decision that could change everything forever.

I absolutely loved this book. I believe that it is intended for both girls and boys. Girls would enjoy this book because it is about a girl and you can hear her thoughts and feelings, like when Jemma has a reoccurring nightmare that haunts her dreams. However, for the boys, there is a lot of conflict and fighting like when Jemma is lost in the dark forest with monsters and the mist fighting her at every turn. Certain grim parts might scare children younger than 5th grade. For instance, an important character has to cut off a body part to stay alive. I would suggest this book for 5th grade and older because of some of the gloominess in some of the chapters, but anyone older would enjoy it a lot. It is a relatively long book, 449 pages, so if you do not like longer books, this book would not be for you. Also if you do not like fiction, this book would not be for you. The plot will keep you hooked most definitely, because there is danger around every corner. Over all, I loved this book and I hope you will give it a try!

Review written by Clare (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Random House for providing a copy of The Flame in the Mist for this review.

Have you read The Flame in the Mist? How would you rate it?