Things Hoped For by Andrew Clements

The book Things Hoped For was a very entertaining book. I enjoyed reading it because it was suspenseful and kind of sad. This book is the second book in the series of Things Not Seen. This book is about a girl in New york City. She is a magnificent trumpet player at the age of 14, living with her grandpa. One day her grandpa goes missing, and she is left alone. On the subway, she meets a boy who helps her find her grandpa. Anyone who enjoys a real -life suspense with some fantasy and sadness here and there will love this book; I did.

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter

I highly recommend Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy. It's the second book in the series, the first book being I'd Tell You I Love You, but Then I'd Have to Kill You. The main character, Cammie, thinks maybe things can settle down at her secret school for spies after the breakup with Josh, who put the school's security at risk, but why would it do that? Then, a group of boys from the code name Blackthorn comes to her school for the first time. She finds herself trying to figure out Zach and the truth about the new school. Along the way, multiple obstacles occur, and she starts wondering if she can do it. Anyone who likes a nail-biting but romantic story won't want to put it down.

Princess in Waiting by Meg Cabot

This book Princess in Waiting was not a very good book. It was pretty boring because it explained everything way too much. The only thing that the book was about was how Mia was afraid that Michael would break up with her because she forgot his birthday and because she cancelled their first date. The two other books that I have read in the series have been really good, but this one was a disappointment. The only good part was a few pages in the back of the book, where Michael told Mia that he loved her and not just like a friend. I would not recommend this book because it is really boring, and there is way too much unnecessary information. I would recommend the series, but not Princess in Waiting.

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

I recommend the book Stormbreaker to anyone who loves nonstop adventure and action. This book is about a 15 year old boy named Alex. Alex has just found out that his uncle, Ian Rider, has died in a car crash, and according the police, he didn’t have a seatbelt on, or he would have had a chance. Alex knows that his uncle was the most careful man in the whole world; he wouldn’t even start the car without Alex putting on his seatbelt. At his uncle’s funeral, his suspicion rise when so many people arrive. Alex knew that his uncle was very secretive, private and was never the social bird. After the funeral, when Alex goes to the junkyard to see his uncle's car, the mysterious holes on the side of the car make Alex even more suspicious. Alex soon finds out that his uncle worked for the MI6, Britain’s top-secret intelligence agency. He finds out that his uncle was working on his latest mission, the Stormbreaker, made by Herod Sayle, who will give thousands of free Stormbreakers in exchange for becoming a British citizen. The MI6 has their suspicions. When Alex gets an offer to take his uncle’s place, he doesn’t know if he should trust the MI6 or distrust them. Stormbreaker will have you at the edge of your seats throughout the whole book.

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

Last summer, Percy Jackson found out he is the son of the sea god, Poseidon. He went to a camp for half- bloods or half- gods. This summer he and his half- brother Tyson ( a cyclops) and Percy's friend Annebeth go to save their friend Grover and get the Golden Fleece. The Golden Fleece will protect the camp and bring everything there to health. They travel most of the East Coast and The Bermuda Triangle. On the way, they run into enemies, old friends, and monsters. I think this book is amazing with adventure and suspense. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure books and the Greek gods. I would also recommend reading the first book in the series The Lightning Thief.

First Light by Rebecca Stead

I recommend this book to whomever likes suspense, action, and mystery. It's a great book, and it's really hard to put it down before you finish it. I liked it because the book changed perspective - one chapter it was showing the perspective of Thea, who lived under the Greenland glacier with her clan. The other character was Peter, who lived in New York, until he, his family, and a friend of Peter's dad went to Greenland for his dad to study the glacier. It's amazing how everything ties together in this book, and I bet that anyone who read it would love it.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by: Brian Selznick

About a week ago, I finished reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. I really enjoyed reading the book because not only do its words describe what happens, but also the black and white hand-drawn sketches really made the book fun for me. It gave me a description and a visual of what was really happening. I felt many different emotions while reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret, I felt excitement, fear, sadness and overall enjoyment that a book could be so captivating! The story begins with Hugo and his father, a clock maker living in Paris, a long time ago. Hugo's father returns after work one day with a strange automaton. Together, they think that if the automaton can be fixed, he will write a secret message...

But as time goes by, all the elements are against Hugo and his father: a mysterious fire, an orphan, a toy mouse, The Key and The Man On The Moon come together and help create the wonderful story that is "The Invention of Hugo Cabret": a truly enchanting piece of literature that would put day-dreamers, imaginers and everyone in a trance.

Shift by Jennifer Bradbury

I think the book Shift is a very good book. It is about two friends who go on a cross-country bike trip. One of them,Chris, got a flat tire while they were riding but his friend, Win, didn't stop and kept going. After looking for him for a while, Chris finally gives up and assumes that he probably will see him at home. Chris goes back home and to college, only to find out that Win never did come home. I recommend this book to people who like mysteries and adventure. This book teaches you about the values of friendship and is very enjoyable to read.

Invasion of the Boy Snatchers By: Lisi Harrison

I highly recommend this book to readers who love better-than-life drama. This book is about 5 friends: Massie Block, Alicia Rivera, Dylan Marvil, Kristen Gregory, and Claire Lyons, also known as the Pretty Committee. The girls are determined to dominate 2nd semester at their school, Octavian Country Day, or OCD. But when Alicia's boy-grabbing, high-fashion cousin Nina comes and lives with Alicia for the 2nd semester, the Pretty Committee has to face sacrifice, and fight for their boyfriends, before Nina takes them away. Will the Pretty Committee be able to prove to OCD that they're still the rulers of the school, or will Nina take that away as fast as zipping up her all-the-rage European boots? This book will keep you hooked until the very end and make you keep reading and wanting more.

Jimmy's Stars By: Mary Ann Rodman

Jimmy's Stars is about the relationship between Ellie McKelvey and her brother Jimmy McKelvey. Jimmy is going to war like so many other people in the community. Many have died, and Ellie is afraid that this is going to happen to her brother. This book is set during World War II and deals with how hard it is to lose somebody you love. I really enjoyed this book's emotion and sensitivity. I also like this book because it teaches you that people you don't like also have problems in their lives. If you like meaningful,sad, historical books, then you should really pick this book up at the Hinsdale Middle School library.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

This book Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a very interesting book. It has many plots in the story because it is written like a journal. The main character Greg is an average, unpopular boy in middle school with a weird best friend Rowley, an even weirder neighbor Fregley, a mean brother Rodrick, and a little brother Manny. Greg encounters a lot of difficulties in this book, like trying to make the biggest snowman to get in the book of world records, trying to win the title of class clown, or trying to be the cartoonist for his school paper. Greg is a character that I really like because I can relate to him. I think that this book is a great book for all kids.

Welcome to our Blog!

This blog will be maintained by students at HMS, a middle school in suburban Chicago. It will include book reviews written by students about books that they are reading - some may be positive reviews, and some may be negative, but they will all be honest! Thanks for visiting -come back often!