The Darkest Path

Author-  Jeff Hirsch

Lexile- 810

Page count-  pages

Genre- Dystopia, Adventure, Science-Fiction

It is on the St. Louis Area 2015-16 Book Battle Reading List

Have you ever had to make a touch choice? Every day Callum Roe has to make several tough choices - especially ones to keep his brother safe. Cal doesn't agree with the Glorious Path's message or existence, but he does what he can to survive. A Civil War has broken out between the Glorious Path - a military based religion created by one former US soldier, and the United States government.

Callum Roe and his little brother, James, were captured as young children and forced to convert by "choosing the Path." Each are given jobs to do, as well as prayers to memorize. Cal's main job is to be in charge of the dog kennels, and he tries to sneak them food when he can. He is sent out one day beyond the walls of the camp to find a stray dog, that eventually befriends him and travels along side him on his journey to freedom. Cal meets many kind people along his journey to escape "the Path." Many people make sacrifices to help him, and does what he can in return. This book is action-packed with many struggles within the main character, Cal, as well as external struggles. He attempts to save all he can around him, including the world. Such a huge task for a young man in a torn world.

If you like adventure and science-fiction, this is a great book to read.

The Eye of the World

Author- Robert Jordan

Lexile- 810L

Page count- 782

Genre- Fantasy

Awards- Bestselling series

My rating- ⅘ stars!

Ever thought you were meant for something more? That's exactly not what young farmer Rand Al'Thor thought, but he still gets caught up in something dangerous when the Dark One's army tries to attack him. Now he must travel to the city of the Aes Sedai, the witches of the land, for protection. But as the story progresses, the mystery increases as unanswered questions pile up. Why are the Dark One's soldiers after him? Who around him are really spies for The Dark One? Will the Aes Sedai protect him, or do they also have a hidden motive? Bestselling writer Robert Jordan takes you on an exciting adventure full of magic, mystery and action. 

I have it 4/5 Stars for the book being an exciting ride through an extremely detailed land.

Contributed by Hiram A.

PRISONER B-3087

Author- Alan Gratz, Jack Gruener, and Ruth Gruener

Lexile- 760

Page count- 260 pages

Genre- Realistic fiction
Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars

It is on the St. Louis Area 2015-16 Book Battle Reading List

The book is based upon a real story about survival. In the 1930's a Jewish boy in Poland named Yanek, has his life change when the Nazis have taken over his world. Everything he has, and everyone he loves have been taken away. Yanek becomes a prisoner and is tattooed with the words. 

He is forced from one harsh concentration camp to another - 10 concentration camps to be exact. All of these places where he is starved, tortured, worked to the bone, and taught to be numb while somewhat surviving. It's something no one could imagine enduring.

Prisoner B-3087 is a rich book chockfull of detailed personal and emotional restraints, growth, revelations, and unspeakable infractions thrusted upon the human spirit. I connected with Yanek, the main character, on many levels; yet, at the same time, I could not imagine what he endured. Grit, loss, love, hope, fear, pain, mental anguish, self-discovery, religions faith...this book has it all. I enjoy most books I read, and this book will always haunt and inspire me.


Book trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3AQB21Wjx0

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Author- Ann Brashares

Lexile- 610

Page count- 294

Genre- Realistic fiction

Awards-  Book Sense Book of the Year Award for Children's Literature

My rating- ⅘ stars!

Have you ever imagined a summer being separated from all of your best friends? Well, that’s what summer is like for four best friends Carmen, Lena, Tibby, and Bridget. They nickname themselves, “the sisterhood.” The mothers of these four best friends met in a pregnant yoga class and the girls have been best friends ever since. Bridget has to go to a soccer camp in Mexico, Lena goes to Greece and visits her grandparents who barely know any english, Carmen visits her dad, and while every one of her friends going away, Tibby stays home and works at a local drugstore. Every girl is going on their own journeys, learning new things, seeking independence, making friends, and having fun.  The only thing that is keeping these girls connected to each other throughout the summer is the jeans. What jeans you may ask? Well, I guess you have to read the book to find out! I rate this book a ⅘ stars because I really love how the story is divided within four different perspectives of four very different girls, however, some people might not like an all girls based book. I also really liked seeking the hero’s journey behind it though.  I personally love this book because I never wanted to stop reading it and I always wanted to keep knowing what was going to happen next and it is a pretty quick read.     


Contributed by Lily K

Scarlett Undercover by Jennifer Latham

Scarlett Undercover
Author: Jennifer Latham
Lexile: 670
Length: 320 Pages
Genre: Mystery
Awards: None
Reading Ram Star Rating: 4.8 out of 5 Stars



                  Scarlett is smart as a whip. She is also an amazingly sarcastic 15 year old girl. And she is a detective. The little sister of the best friend of a boy who committed suicide has contacted Scarlett and is looking for her help. Scarlett figures it will be an easy case. She thinks that it was a regular suicide, and nothing more. But she is proved mistaken. The little sister claims that her brother has been acting strangely lately, and she suspects that he had a hand in the suicide. Soon the suicide is looking just a little too much like a murder. Scarlett is now deep in the world of cults and curses, possibly the same things that murdered her father...
                   I really love this book!! I thought it was very clever with all of the mystery and secrecy. Scarlett was a super likable character. She was very sassy and awesome. She was one of my favorite characters in all of the books I have ever read!!! The reason I gave it 4.8 stars was because what they made Scarlett into was just a bit far-fetched. Sure, it made sense with the plot, but I just didn't like it. She was supposed to just be a detective, not... Well, I can't tell you that. I would recommend this book to 7th grade and up, because it deals with 'suicide'. So, yeah. I definitely recommend this book to you! It was amazing! You will not regret reading it!!!
               

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

The Girl of Fire and Thorns
Author: Rae Carson
Lexile: 730
Length: 448 Pages
Genre: Fantasy
Awards: William C. Morris Debut Award FINALIST
Reading Ram Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars


                Elisa is a princess. She is also the bearer of a powerful stone called the Godstone, given by God Himself. (Oh, and it is in her stomach, probably her belly-button.) You would think that she would be cherished beyond belief, right? Wrong. Everyone looks down on her. Even her nursemaid Ximena. They treat her as if she is a small child. As if she is a useless waste of space. And she is 16 years old!!! So Elisa has turned to food for comfort, and now in addition to being looked down on, she is overweight. She is very insecure about herself, especially her weight, and the way people treat her just adds to the misery. But the thing is, she is extraordinarily smart! She has read all of the war books available to her. She is fluent in more than 1 language as well. People had no reason to treat her badly! Yet they did anyway. Then, on her 16th birthday, she is married of to the king of a neighboring country. Her time in the palace is short, for she is kidnapped by a people who need her help in winning a war. Elisa is changed on the inside and out, mentally and physically. She grows stronger, and becomes the true queen of the country.
                I loved this book so much. It was so deep, and it really touched me. It covered obesity and insecurity in teenagers and yet was still a fantasy book! I thought that it was very well written. Thankfully it is part of a series, so now I can read the rest of the book! Elisa sounds like a very real and relatable character. I really enjoyed reading it. I would only recommend this book only to 7th grade and up. It covers topics like being overweight, and insecurity. I don't think that a fifth-grader would truly be able to understand this book. You should seriously try this book out, it is amazing! It was so so so so good and you will love it if you are okay with these topics! And if you love a good fantasy story.

                        Hello Readers! I thank you for reading my blog all year. It has been awesome! Writing a blog about things I like, books! I read a lot, and I wanted to share some good book choices with the rest of the world. Well, I must tell you something. I am transferring ownership of this blog to another person. I have blogged on it for a year, and it is time to let somebody else share their favorite books with the world. Again, thank you for reading my blog. I have had a great time making it! 

Ruby Red by Kersten Gier

Ruby Red
Author: Kersten Gier
Lexile: 680
Length: 352 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction/Sci Fi
Awards: None
Reading Ram Star Rating: 4.8 out of 5 Stars



                   Gwyneth is supposedly a normal girl. Or at least, that is what she has thought for the last 15 years of her life in London, England. The Time Travel gene that runs in her family has skipped over her. Her perky, smart, and perfect cousin Charlotte has inherited it. At least that is what everyone else in her family thinks. Until one day, Gwyneth travels back in time instead of Charlotte. It is not as great as it sounds. Her cousin is instantly jealous, and Gwyneth's life is put through a cyclone. Now aware of her new status, the people in the league of Time Travel scientists are positive that she is the Ruby, the last time traveler in the 12. Her male counterpart from the other time traveling family is Gideon de Villiers. He is smart, handsome, courteous, everything. And he has stolen her heart. Without any training to time travel, Gwyneth is instantly lost in a world of fancy clothing and parties. But what is in store for her? Nobody will tell what her fate is. Will she be destined for greatness or death?
                    I thought this book was amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love time travel (Cough *Doctor Who* Cough Cough), and this book perfectly suited that. Plus the fact that it is a British book. Even more like (Cough Cough *Doctor Who* Cough Cough). Gwyneth was very sure that she didn't have it, but she did. Now on to the Star rating. Honestly, why why why why why was there so much ROMANCE??????? Sheesh. Gideon breaks her heart by doing blah blah blah, and also blah blah blah blah blah. It was sweet at the end, but seriously! In the middle of the book, I thought it was just there to fill up pages. I got a teeny bit bored. Now, did that stop this book from being one of my favorite books? No. (I then proceeded to read the other two books in the series in less than a day. Oops.) This book was a little inappropriate. Not that bad. There was some British cussing though, and that was pretty funny. So I would recommend this book to 7th grade and up. It was really amazing though, and you really, really, really, really, really need to read it. Now. Go to the library and get it. Or buy it. NOW. (Please though, it is very good. You won't regret it!)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief
Author: Markus Zusak
Lexile; 730
Length: 576 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Awards: None
The Reading Ram Star Rating: 4.9 out of 5 Stars

                     Beginning of WWII, in Germany; Liesel became an orphan. She had already lost her father. Then her mother sent her and her brother to live with another family, because she couldn't support them on her own. But her brother never made it past the train ride. Liesel was alone now, sent to live with the other family. There was a man, a very nice man. And a woman. Whose niceness was questionable. The man started to teach Liesel how to read, and she grew to love him more than she ever could've imagined.
                     Years passed. Liesel made new friends. A boy named Rudy was her best friend. She started to steal things with him to quench her hunger, and something else. The desire to read. The war also played a part in her life. It took many people away from her. And it caused many things to occur. As many accidents wreaked havoc on her life, she wrote a book. And that book is the book of her life. She lost many terrible things. She was so sad, she thought she could never get over it.
                      By the way, this book is from the perspective of  Death. He is telling Liesel's story for us. It makes for a very interesting read.
                      I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!! I read it for school, and I cannot get over how deep it is. There are so many hidden meanings, so many tragedies. It was perfect! I only gave it 4.9 Stars because of the ending. It didn't specify a lot of stuff that I really wanted to know. Sorry, I can't give away any more information than that, otherwise it would ruin the book for you. I would recommend this book to 6th grade and up. Because it is a little sad, and there is a lot of bad language, even though it is in German. The bad language, not the entire book. So yeah, read it! It is AMAZING!!!!