Summer 2005 Authors and Titles:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

To Top

I bring my bathrobe into the shower and pour gasoline over it. The gas can is only about a quarter full, but it seems like enough. I step into the bathtub and I put the bathrobe over my shoulders. It’s wet and heavy, but there’s something kind of comforting about the smell, like going on a long car trip. I hold the box of matches out in front of me in my left hand. I take out a strike-anywhere match and hold it against the box. Should I do it? Yes. Do it. I strike the match, but it doesn’t light. Try again. I light the match. Nothing happens. I bring it closer to my wrist and then it goes up, all over me, eating through me everywhere. I can’t breathe. I’m screaming, “Craig! Craig!”(20)

     This book recounts the suicide attempt of a boy named Brent Runyon. It is a true story. He set himself on fire and survived to author The Burn Journals, which is about surviving tragedy and fighting back to become healthy again. Brent Runyon set himself on fire in February of 1991. This book spans from that month to January of the following year, as Brent goes through psychiatric and physical therapy. He also goes through many buildings and many stages of health. Finally, after months of hardship, he heals.

            This is an extremely revealing book with an in-your-face attitude. It shows the truth behind the eyes of a depressed teenager. It shows what it’s like to not know enough of the world to understand what it is you are doing to yourself. Most importantly, it shows that no matter the circumstances, you can get better. Even if it hurts and you scream and cry in pain, it will stop, and you will be better for it.

            This book should appeal to everyone, but it will not. There are always people who don’t want to know about things such as teenage depression and suicide. I believe that the book shouldn’t be read by anyone under the age of about thirteen due to the language and the content of the book. The book is like nothing I’ve ever read, but I can tell you this:  it’s an amazing book. No matter what you think of suicide, pick it up and have your eyes opened for you.

~ Brian Adams, grade 11, Linesville High School

To Top

A man like Ed Kennedy is completely normal. He is nineteen and has an average house, no car, and an average job. He has a few friends and a seventeen year old dog named Doorman. His life is boring and ordinary until he stops an already botched bank robbery. He gets his name in the paper. No big deal right? Wrong. Someone decides to change his ordinary life due to this heroism he showed.

            He receives an ace of diamonds in the mail and sees three addresses written on it. What are they there for? Who lives at each one? Are they connected? Will there be more aces? And most importantly, who sent the Ace?

            The Marcus Zusak novel I Am the Messenger is a great book. It is fairly simple to read and has huge amounts of character depth. I enjoyed the interaction between the characters and laughed out loud at some of the humor involved in the book. There is no possible way to know what will happen in this book as it keeps you guessing until the very end. It has so many twists it is hard to keep up. On the downside the ending is a little more flat than I like, but it portrays an extremely important message.

This book would be a great read for an advanced middle school reader to an octogenarian. If you can understand the writing style, you should be able to relate either to the humor and friendships or to the more serious parts and the hardships. Also, if you enjoy Dean Koontz you might want to check this book out. It will keep you reading so be warned, don’t pick it up if you can’t finish it

~Brian Adams, 11^th Grade, Linesville High School

To Top

Jackson Jones and mission green top is a story we can all learn from.  I think Jackson is a kid anyone can relate to.  He’s a young boy with friends who sometimes make things worse.  He is a kid trying to make a reputation for himself.  All he wants to do is play basket ball and act like a kid.  When trouble happens to Rooters, the local garden, Jackson is called to do something greater than all of them.

  Jackson is a kid who loves to play basketball, but when his mother gives him a plot of land at Rooters, Jackson finds that gardening isn’t the coolest thing to do.  The school bully finds this as Jackson’s weak spot and begins to bully him.   When friends try to stick up for Jackson, the bully only uses this as an excuse to bully him more.  On top of all this, his mother is starting school to study plants leaving Jackson to be a guy Cinderella as he would say.

When the Jones’ receive a phone call that Rooters is going to be bulldozed to the ground, Jackson and his friends suddenly become heroes and must save the garden.  When rain stops their protests, Jackson finds that he is the only one to save the garden.  Will Rooters stay in the city or be bulldozed?  What will ever happen to the bully?  I’ll leave you to read the book and find out.

 I would recommend this book to kids of the age of 12 or under but the lesson it teaches should be learned by anyone.

 I enjoy this story and would defiantly read it again. I enjoyed the fact that Jackson is such a real character.  This story is very believable and I liked the moral it teaches.  When you read this book, you can actually visualize the characters and the problems they’re facing.  Jackson is just a normal kid who doesn’t like vegetables, plays with his friends, and is trying to be the man of the house.  What else could go wrong? 

~ Casey Curry, grade 7,  Linesville High School

To Top

    This book was about a princess in Japan in 1858 that wrote poems. She was about to get married to a guy she did not even know. She ended up marrying another guy but four years later he died and they are not sure of what. I’m not really sure if this is really what happened because all the facts were really confusing.

    This book was one of the most boring books I have ever read in my whole life because it was hard to follow along. There was one part I did like was the end of the book when they put in the extra facts about who the people were and what exactly they did. I think more books should do that because it would make them more interesting. In this book there are a lot of things that need fixed like maybe some of the facts like the way they are said so that we can understand what is going on so that younger kids can understand them and it would not take them so long to read. I also liked the fact it was non-fiction because it really happened and it tells us facts that went on when we were not born yet. But other then those two it was really really boring.

    I don’t think this book is meant to be for younger children the age it should be is around 13- and older to kids who like non-fiction because it would be way too confusing. I think it is easier for younger kids to comprehend fiction books to non-fiction book because they get more into them. But if someone likes non-fiction they would love to read this book because it would inform them a lot but to me it is just plain confusing.

 ~ Jennifer Shelatz, Grade 7, Linesville High School

To Top

“Perfect” deals with a 13-year old girl’s quest to cope with the death of her father and her basically “absentee” mother. The main character, Isabelle Lee, tries to alleviate the pain that she feels by binging and purging. As a result, her mother sends her to therapy called “Group”. While Isabella Lee thinks this going to be the worst thing in her life, in walks the popular girl in her grade, Ashley, and the two form a friendship that Isabella could have only dreamed of. But, by the end, she’s not so sure that Ashley is as perfect as she thought.

I think this is a great book because it tackles the issue of teens doing what they have to just to be “cool”. Also, it gives you a little insight into how much one family can pull together or drift apart in different situations.

This book would be very appealing to middle school-age students because it is a very believable situation, into which anyone could fall. The characters could be anyone that you know. The book could help readers cope with issues and see the positive influences. Also, not only is the book well-written as the mind of a 13-year old, but it also does a good job of telling the story in a way that it’s not so emotional it will make you cry, but to the point where it still speaks to you. 

~ Shantell Ross, grade 8, Linesville High School

To Top

One journey, one purpose, one enemy. It all begins with an innocent girl secluded in a world of ice and cold, a world of learning, a world where only women reside and teach each other the power of Ice. Calwyn, the main character of the novel, does not realize that there is a whole world out there and that she will soon be in control of the fate of Tremaris. When Darrow ends up in Antaris, where Calwyn is learning how to become an ice priestess, he becomes the first man to enter her world. They become friends and discover a way to escape Antaris and the dangers that a powerful enemy named Samis brings upon them. Soon, a journey begins, and they flee from Samis, who wants to become ruler of Tremaris and master of all nine songs of power, earning the title of the Singer of All Songs. However, they recruit other singers to aid them in their fight for peace and create a united world once again. In Kate Constable’s novel, Calwyn and Darrow undertake a difficult quest to destroy the evil Samis with the help of other friendly singers and bring about justice to their world.

This novel is suitable for readers from grades six through twelve. I found the novel to be very enjoyable and full of suspense. Kate Constable builds up plot and adds new characters to the main party in a way that makes the book interesting. The main characters begin with Calwyn and Darrow, then progress to people with the other powers who help when Samis becomes more dangerous. This allows the reader to become accustomed to a character until another one is introduced, which avoids the confusion of introducing too many characters at once. Although The Singer of All Songs does not use much high vocabulary, it is still something that older people can enjoy. This allows younger readers to comprehend the novel as well. Some aspects of the novel that I loved were the suspense created whenever Samis appeared and the way that the author gave Calwyn powers that arose throughout her journey with Darrow, making her seem special and important to the plot of the story. Furthermore, I found that I could relate to her personality, which made the book seem more realistic. The Singer of All Songs is a great novel that makes me impatient to read the next book in the series. 

~Rebecca Theophanous, 10th grade, Boardman High School, Boardman, OH

To Top

        Wing Nut is a story about a family who are trying to find their “home”. Grady and his mother, Lila, have been traveling to find a stable place to live. Ever since Grady’s dad died in a mechanic accident, the pair has been on the road. They tend to not live in one place for to long. Grady and Lila have lived in many different towns, states, and communes. After leaving the latest commune, the pair hit the roads again. The two end up in a quaint town in Pennsylvania. In order to support Grady and herself, Lila applies for a job. A diner owner informs Lila of this job. They tell her that she will not have the easiest time if she takes the job. The job that the dinner owners tell her about is to take care of an elderly man named Charlie Fernwald. Lila ultimately gets the job, so Grady and herself move into a cottage on Fernwald’s farm. The time with Charlie starts out rocky, but the relationship is tight in the end. Charlie teaches Grady about the Purple Martin bird flocks that visit his farm every year. Charlie even teaches Grady a little bit about mechanics. After many arguments, highlights, and surprises, the three people learn to care deeply for each other. Grady and Lila finally found their home with Charlie Fernwald.

            This book would suit readers from the age of 11-15 years of age. The book is very heartfelt and uplifting. The reader gets engrossed into the story about saving the birds. I believe the characters are phenomenal in this story. Each character has a different personality that appeals to many. Readers younger than eleven might not get the powerful theme of the story. Grady and his mother go trough many hardships to find happiness. Wing Nut is a great book in which a family ends up with a place to call home in the end.

~ Kiley Thompson, Boardman Center Middle School, Grade 8

To Top

        The Revealers is a book about three misfit kids that turn their school upside down. Catalina, Russell, and Elliot start a network of bully stories on the school’s KidNet. The KidNet program is specifically used by the students of Parkland School to find out information, homework, and interact with fellow students. The three friends call the network they started “Bully Lab”. Since Catalina, Russell, and Elliot are unpopular, they are usually bullied. The popular girls oust Catalina, especially Bethany De Mere because of her physical appearance. Catalina is actually the first one to post a story to the school. Her story is a biography about herself. Her biography shows the student body what she is really like. Elliot is constantly beat up by a group of boys in which he calls the “Jock Rots”. Richie, the school bully, harms Russell on numerous accounts. Russell and Richie actually come to a bond by the end of the book. The three friends post their bully stories on the network and send their messages to the whole school. Eventually many students end up posting their stories too! This book shows how a group of friends reveal information to their peers.

            This book would suit readers from the ages of eleven to fifteen. The Revealers is a story in which young adults can relate to. The book touches topics that are issues in middle school such as: popularity, bullying, and misjudging. Readers can relate to the book because most likely these topics are issues in their lives. The main characters’ experiments are funny and interesting. By the end of the book, you will be so happy for Catalina, Elliot, and Russell. The Revealers is a great book!

~ Kiley Thompson, Boardman Center Middle School, Grade 8

To Top

        Star Wars Episode Three is based on the story and screenplay by George Lucas. This story entails the fall of Anakin Skywalker to the dark side and his transformation into Darth Vader. It also accounts for the destruction of most of the Jedi. During this book, the Clone Wars end, and an Empire is born. There are many light-saber duels that are detailed magnificently in this book. Also, by reading the book you may receive some insight into what each character was thinking at different parts of the movie. 

        I read the book before watching the movie, and although I enjoyed the great sound effects and settings, I felt that the book was also an important part for my knowledge of Star Wars. In the book, you learn the characters thoughts, and sometimes subplots are intertwined with the whole story. When you read the book, you can go slower and are better able to make matches between all of the different Star Wars books and movies. I think that people who enjoy Star Wars and are under the age of 12 should read this book. For older Star Wars fans, I recommend the other version of the book. The other version has the same title but is longer and may be more difficult for some readers. 

~ Stelios Theophanous, 9^th grade, Boardman High School

To Top

The Ear, The Eye and The Arm was originally published in 1994, but was recently republished with a few minor changes. The new version includes a few changes in the book, a new preface by the author and a discussion guide. It is a 1995 Newberry Honor Book, A Parent’s Choice Award Winner and has also won many other awards. 

Zimbabwe has changed much by the year 2194. The whole country is made of cities and technology. Only the small village of Resthaven remains untouched by advancement, and is blocked from the rest of the city of Harare, the capital, by a magnificent wall. Very few people are accepted into the village, and once the go in, they must never come out. Tendai and his brother and sister have escaped from their father, the chief of security, and are lost in Harare. They do not know much about the outside world and are kidnapped. Their father has enlisted the aid of the only three detectives left in Harare, The Ear, The Eye and The Arm. They each have special abilities, Ear has massive ears and can hear the minutest sound; Eye has larger than normal eyes and can see very far; Arm can read peoples minds and feel their deepest emotions. The General is hoping that these three extraordinary men will find his children. 

I really liked this book. It only speaks about Zimbabwe in the future, but it gives great thought into what the world will be like in about 200 years. There are many unforgettable characters in this story. My favorites were the detectives. If you like futuristic novels, then you will enjoy this one. It was a somewhat long book and wouldn’t recommend it for people who don’t enjoy reading too much. There is a small glossary in the back of the book, which helps you understand some of the strange terms used in the story. I feel that people in fifth grade and up would enjoy this book.

~ Stelios Theophanous, 9^th grade, Boardman High School

To Top

The Kazillion Wish is a fictional story about two young children. Their names are Harlan and Ainsley. These two siblings wish for a very difficult thing: a new wife for their recently divorced father. 

In order to be granted this wish, Harlan and Ainsley must help the frongles and other mythical creatures keep the pace. During their quest, the siblings are led by a strange creature called a Bow. The Bow’s name is Zucchini Spacestation. He is a blue-skinned, long-eared “thing” that is something like a leprechaun. Together, the Bow and the siblings meet some strange characters. 

Now for my opinion, I personally did not think that The Kazillion Wish was all that great. I think that the story could be more suspenseful. Everything is too predictable! The characters aren’t very believable. Even though they are fictional, the feats that Harlan and Ainsley attempt are very far fetched. One example is, at the end, they battle the “Fish Face” clan, an entire army of half human half fish organisms. An entire army against Harlan, Ainsley, and a few Bows! It is just so unreal it is stupid! 

This story is probably interesting for elementary school students. I don’t think that anyone older than a sixth-grader would like the plot and overall story. If you like predictable, happy ending stories, I guess that this book is just for you. But personally, I don’t.

~ Naomi Wasserman, grade 7, Linesville High School

To Top

“Spinning through the Universe” is an emotional and exciting collection of poems from young minds. In the first poem of the book, the teacher of the class starts off the book with a dazzling introduction into the actions of students. She also tells about the difficulties of teaching such different and varying personalities. This introduction makes you want to read more into the likes of the children.

Throughout the story you randomly get thrown into all of the troubles that these children have to face. From children who have lost their bikes, to children who have lost a part of their family, you have no choice but to share in the joy and sadness of these children. I really think that this book is more geared toward parents; I don’t think high or middle school age students would follow it very well.

While I do find “Spinning through the Universe” to be a well thought out and put together book, I don’t think I would recommend it to many people. I believe it is much too hard to follow, and lacks a plot all together. There are no characters to follow, no climax, and no resolution, making it very boring and confusing at certain parts. Also, the poem structure is a little hard to follow. This makes you kind of want to put the book down. Some of the more powerful pieces include: My people, brothers, and River Animals, but other than those the book was kind of a let-down. 

~ Shentell Ross, grade 8, Linesville High School

To Top

Gary Paulson is the author of this book along with his many others. He is world renowned for writing the very exciting and brilliant book, Hatchet. Unfortunately, if you liked the book The Hatchet, you might not want to choose this book to read. It is about a five-year-old boy who goes to live with his grandmother because his mom has to work in Chicago all day and his father is fighting in World War II.

This book is very interesting, but I got a little bored reading it. Being as good of an author as he is, I would have expected a little more adventure and not so much sitting around.  The Hatchet was a great display of survival skills, but I did not learn anything in The Quilt except that quilting must have been hard work back then. Overall I found the book unbearably boring.

This is a companion to Alida’s Song, which is also by Gary Paulson. I read this book without reading the rest of the series, though, so maybe if you’ve read the other books in the series you might better understand what is going on.  

~ Cody Houck, grade 7, Linesville High School

To Top

A giant fish, a royal lineage, an unknown romance, and a near-death experience. These are some of the things you will experience in reading the young adult book “The King of Slippery Falls”. This work follows the path of Louis (Lewis) Poisson (Hinton), the name in parentheses being the one he received as an adopted child. He lives an ordinary enough life in the town of Slippery Falls, Idaho until he receives some startling news. He finds out he is adopted on his 15^th birthday. He learns the story and is trying to find meaning to life through a fish. A big fish mind you, but still, a fish.

This was a very interesting book with quite a few twists though I had a fair idea of what would happen. This may have something to do with the fact that the book was written for younger children not soon-to-be seniors in high school. I did not like the simplicity of the work, though I found the plot appealing. I believe there was a lot to be desired. My choice of recommendation for the level of readers is 6^th grade and up. I don’t know how many older kids will like it but I like to leave, “and up” open to the masses. This book is similar only to one other book I’ve read. This book is entitled, “Hush” by Jacqueline Woodson. It is similar due to the idea of identity crisis but not much else. Is the book okay? Sure. Would I read it again? Probably not. 

~ Brian Adams, 11^th Grade, Linesville High School

To Top

Looking for Alaska is a book about a kid named Miles Halter who goes form Florida to Alabama to seek something called the Great Perhaps at a private school. When he arrives, he is greeted by his roommate, Colonial, Takunami, who becomes a good friend, and a girl named Alaska.  Right form the start, Alaska turns Miles's world upside down. He immediately falls in love with her and allows her to manipulate him to whatever she wants him to do. However, Alaska holds some dark secrets that cause her to be a very strange woman. The first half of the book is real sexual and has a lot to do with drinking and mischief. Then all of a sudden, Alaska dies in a car wreck!! Now during the second half of the book, Miles, the Colonial, and Takunami must figure out what happened to cause her death. All in all it is a good book. 

This is a book that would suit kids grades 10-12. The book has sexual situations in which younger kids should not be allowed to read and deals with a lot of drinking and smoking. Alaska is a girl who fears nothing and is slightly crazy which attracts her to you and makes you want to help her in any way. When she dies there is crying and sadness for at least 20 pages. John Green goes a little too long with the sadness part of the book. When the guys finally try to figure out what happened to Alaska, the book becomes very good. It is a powerful book that shows the dangers of drinking and driving, bending rules, and the affect of one person’s life on another’s. All in all I would definitely recommend this book for people who are very mature and can handle these serious subjects. 

~ Vincent Calautti, grade 10, Boardman High School

To Top

Dark Waters is a book about a boy named Col who saves a boy named Dominic from the dark waters of a lake. Suddenly he is a hero. This is new to him since he is usually a trouble- maker like his older brother Mungo.  Mungo gets into a lot of trouble.  Col thinks he’s mad about him being in the papers because they might find out something about Mungo. Little does he know that Mungo holds a dark secret with the lake. It’s connected to Col’s other new friend, Klaus. Now Col must make a choice: either to stick by his brother and do what is wrong or betray his brother and do what is right. 

This is a book that would suit kids grades 9-12. It is a good book, a little boring in some places but good. There were some parts of the book that didn’t need to be written (like when Col was getting an award), but the main theme of the book - trust and right vs. wrong - are strong in here. All in all, this was a good book. 

~ Vincent Calautti, grade 10, Boardman High School

To Top

To Top

    Of course we all know the story of Peter Pan, but what about the original? That is just what this book is.  It begins with Mr. and Mrs. Darling heading out for a grand party. Again, we all know that they owned a dog, known as Nana, who was the nanny for the children, and she was banished from the house for being loved so much. During this particular night, Peter Pan was in search of his shadow. He found it in the Darling household, where he woke up Wendy, and their journey began to Neverland. Now, back in Neverland, everyone was jumpy. When Peter left it was never the same, but the fairies always knew when he was coming back. So then the lost boys knew, the pirates knew, the redskins knew, and so on and so forth. Everyone knew, and they were all after each other. The lost boys were after Peter, the pirates were after the lost boys, the redskins were after the wild animals and the pirates, the wild animals were after the redskins, and the famous crocodile after the pirates. Everything went as it did in the movie that most of us are familiar with, but the Darling siblings spent years at Neverland, never wanting to go home. Until the lost boys and Peter Pan were bothered once more by the pirates. On the way home, the Darlings and the lost boys were captured by the pirates, and the poison put at Peter's bed side. Tink drank the poison, and Peter got mad at her, until he realized she was dying. He was so happy Tink saved his life, but he grieved that there was nothing to do to save Tink. Finally she whispered, I will live if all the children in the world clapped their hands. Peter told the children to clap there hands, louder and louder, and tink slowly started to revive. When Tink had regained strength, she brought Peter to the pirate ship. There he snuck into the cabin and killed all the pirates who walked in. Last, after all the pirates were dead, except for Hook, Pan took his chance to kill Hook. Then Hook freaked out because the crocodile made his way over to the ship. Hook jumped over the side of the ship, and went to the crocodile. Pan flew the lost boys, and the Darlings back home, but purposely lost them on the way, so that Wendy would always live with him in Neverland, and stay his mother. Peter just could not do that though, eventually, the Darlings arrived home and introduced the lost boys to their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Darling accepted the boys into their house hold, and everyone grew up, and everyone forgot about Neverland, and Peter, except for one. Wendy remembered, because Peter was supposed to go and get her the first week of Spring every year to spring clean his home, but he forgot, until Wendy was grown.

        I really enjoyed this book, but I found it a little hard to get into. First, there were so many different things than there were in the movie, and there was so much detail, it got a little boring. Although I have to say, the ending was better than I expected. I also found it enjoyable to read a children's book. I would recommend this book for people in grades four to tenth. 

~ Ashley Aldan, grade 7, Boardman Center Middle School 

To Top

To Top

To Top

~ Darla Conti, grade 10, Struthers High School

To Top

This book is about an 11-year-old girl named Harry Sue, whose real name is Harry Sue Clothkin, and her convicted felon parents. Harry’s goal is to toughen up and then commit a crime so that she could go to jail and be with her mom. She didn’t know which prison they had put her mother in and so her grandma became her guardian. Her Grandma has a license to run home day-care center. Harry Sue wants the kids to grow old of her grandma so her grandma can retire, close her day care center, and Harry can begin her life of crime.

Harry’s grandma, though, takes in more kids than she is licensed to have and is neglectful. Even though Harry’s grandma has two older helpers, Dip and Sip, they are always causing trouble.  She would always tell the kids stories and she would take care of them most of the time.

Harry doesn’t like her school either. Harry then becomes a friend with a quadriplegic and helps him come out of his tree house. Harry soon realizes that she does have a softer side to her and it always shows when she is with her grandma’s children.  Harry’s softer side is seen during the kids lunch time they always put in a drop of cold medicine in their applesauce so that they will fall asleep and they won’t have to take care of them. At this time, the two helpers Dip and Sip go out and smoke. After Harry takes Moonie Pie (yes, that is his real name), out of the bath tub she notices that he is always drowsy. She then knew that Sip and Dip put medication in the applesauce and gets revenge for Moonie. Together she and the kids go on wild adventures. The funniest is the Kleenex incident I won’t tell you about it because I don’t want to spoil it.

Overall, the book wasn’t my favorite. It was really confusing and in a way it was frustrating to read but that’s only my opinion. You will never believe the ending though because it is a big shocker. I would recommend this book to 8 or 9^th graders.

~ Lillian Ayana, grade 8, W.S. Guy Middle School

To Top

To Top

To Top

To Top