Icebreaker by Lian Tanner

Icebreaker
Author: Lian Tanner
Lexile: 720
Length: 304 Pages
Genre: Fantasy
Awards: None
Reading Ram Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
               
                      Imagine a gigantic ship that is on the verge of breaking completely. They travel in the freezing ocean waters of the north/south oceans. (It was never really specified in the book.) It is always very cold, and everyone on the ship is miserable. There are main tribes on the ship, that feud CONSTANTLY, but the main character, Petrel, is not one of them. Petrel's parents are dead, and she has been left to fend for herself on the ship. She is alone most of hte time, with no allies among the crew. Her only friends are a pair of grey rats. That can talk and do human things. (Go figure.) Now to explain the feuding tribes. There are three groups of enemies aboard the ship, the Officers that steer the ship, the cooks that make the food, and the engineers that fix everything when it breaks. But they are constantly feuding, and the only way they work together is for their own survival. One day, a mysterious child, a boy, is found on an iceberg in the middle of the sea. Naturally, the crew is suspicious, and they lock him up for questioning about where he came from. The big deal is, they never get visitors. Ever. The boy escapes from his imprisonment with the help of Petrel. But when he is discovered missing, he is accused of murdering an officer. Petrel helps him, but her choices might not have been wise. Now she and the boy are running for their lives on a ship, that, is completely and totally against them.
I thought this book was AMAZING!!! The author painted the story so well, with such a unique topic. They have technology, but not that much. And you later learn that there are people who want to destroy the ship, and it just makes the story so much better! I loved it, you should try it out in your free time!

Ink and Bone; The Great Library by Rachel Caine

  

Ink and Bone; The Great Library
Author: Rachel Caine
Lexile: None Yet
Length: 368 pages
Genre: Fantasy/Dystopia
Awards: None
Reading Ram Star Rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars


                 This is a world where the Library rules everything. You may think that is a good thing, but it is not. At all. They control what the people know, and what they aren't allowed to know. By using a powerful new technology called Alchemy, they can copy any book into their system effortlessly. Since the library has all of the knowledge, they have all of the power. Their empire stretches around the world, with members in almost every city.
                  Jess' dad is a rich man. Rich from selling real copies of books. The very books that the all-powerful library ABSOLUTELY forbids. So if anybody finds out about their family, they will be arrested. Jess likes reading the books that his family sells. His family sometimes say that he has ink in the blood. Which is why they send him to be one of the Libraries' assistants. To train there, but also to be his family's spy. As the challenges given by the library grow and grow, Jess wonders how long he can stay loyal to his family. And how long it will take before somebody finds out about him. He meets some amazing people, and one with an even bigger secret then his own. But will he uncover things about the library, or will he be loyal to them?
                   I LOVED this book! It was amazing! I think that it might be one of my favorite books. Yes, it is THAT good. It only came out this year, so the rest of the series isn't out yet. I am DYING for it! It was amazing! The author rewrote history in a way that wasn't necessary, but gave it a nice touch when you are reading it. For example, it mentions in the book that Alchemy was discovered in the 14 or 1500's. You didn't need to know that, but it is a nice to have a little backstory. The reason I gave this book 4.9 Stars though, was because of Jess' name. It is so common. Please, author, make it more interesting. It is a world where the library has taken over! Make it something cool from history. All of his other friends from his library training has interesting, and very nice names. I know I shouldn't be this nit-picky, but I just disliked that when I was reading it. Of course, I finished it in about a day, so I didn't have to struggle very long. :) I would recommend this book to 5th grade and up. No inappropriate parts, but it is complicated, and you need to be old enough to comprehend it. But you should SERIOUSLY try this book out in your free time. You won't regret it. TRUST ME.

Undertow by Michael Buckley

Undertow

Author: Michael Buckley

Lexile: 730

Length: 384 Pages

Genre: Fantasy/Dystopia

Awards: None

Reading Ram Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

Lyric Walker's world has just been turned upside down. The cause, fish people, otherwise known as the Alpha. A new species has come out of the ocean to meet the humans. They have started interacting with humans in Lyric's small hometown of Coney Island, NY, and almost nobody is pleased. The Alpha children have come to her school to integrate with the humans. Riots and protests against the Alpha are now very common, and almost the entire military has come to protect the 6 Alpha kids coming to her school. The streets of her small town are now abundant with criminals and gangs. Her town is like a different planet now. The U.S. is trying to make it work in the town, with few positive results. Lyric starts going to school with the Alpha, and after the new principal makes a shocking discovery about her, she is in serious trouble. She has been forced by the principal to befriend the Alpha prince, but it will be no easy task. Their culture is very different from her own, and the other kids at school shun her, except for her 2 best friends. But she is still forced to do it, otherwise, the principal will alert the authorities about her family, and everything and everyone she loves will be taken from her. But at the same time, she can't help but love the prince. And she ends up helping their culture from something much, much more dangerous than the Alpha could ever be.

I loved this book so much! It was a very creative idea by Michael Buckley, author of the N.E.R.D.S. series, and the Sisters Grimm series. It has never been thought of before, and I think Michael Buckley pulled it off well. Lyric seems like a very relatable character, despite the fact that she is popular, and her dad is a cop. She's like a regular kid with regular parents, sort of. But she does have a secret. A very important secret. And when she becomes real friends with the Alpha prince, it was all too perfect. At least lots of stuff went wrong because of it, which balanced it out. This book was slightly inappropriate, but not insanely so. I would not recommend this book to children who are not mature. Maybe around sixth grade and up? If you think you are fairly mature, you should really try this book out in your free time!

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Ender's Game
Author: Orson Scott Card
Lexile:  780
Length: 357 Pages
Genre: Science Fiction
Awards: None
Reading Ram Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

                       Ender Wiggin is just one of three genius children. Not only that, but he is the youngest too. A third. Most parents only have 3 kids. So Ender is constantly mistreated by everyone. He has an older sister Valentine, and an oldest brother, Peter. He has had a monitor, that is what the government uses to watch them, since he was three. He is 6 years old now, but that doesn't change much. It is an incredibly long time to have a monitor in, and Peter is jealous of him. Peter is sweet and charming to the adults, but to Ender and Valentine, he is a monster. Then after a fight, Ender is sent to Battle School, the very thing the monitor was testing for. In Battle School, Ender is singled out immediately for being so brilliant, but it doesn't last long. He  makes some friends, but the commanders of Battle School had other plans for him. He joins one of the armies, Salamander Army. They are made up of kids, but none as young as Ender. He is hated there too. Finally, he is moved to his own army. Then rushed up to Command School. And what happens there will change Ender's life forever.
                        I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!! I was reading it in school, and I just couldn't stop! Once you get started, you will just need to keep reading and reading and reading. It is a very complex book, and I believe it deserves more than a 780 lexile. There was hard vocabulary in it. I have a high lexile and there were couple words I didn't understand. There was a little bit of cussing in it, but nothing extremely profane. You should definitely try this book out in your free time!!!

Sophia's War by Avi

Sophia's War
Author: Avi
Lexile: 730
Length: 336 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Awards: None
Reading Ram Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars



                               Sophia is living in the Revolutionary War. And she is on the Patriot's side, living in occupied New York. Occupied by the British. Wearing a red ribbon everywhere so she will not be shot, she must be careful of who she talks to, and who she can trust. One phrase is running around in her mind, no one can trust anyone. And she feels it is true. Once she learns of the whereabouts of her brother William, who is fighting with the Patriots, life is meaningless. And the fact that her heart has been captured by a young BRITISH officer by the name of John Andre. With her heart betraying her, she has no idea what to do. Finally, she accepts an offer to become a spy for George Washington. And what she learns is shocking, but what is even more shocking is that she is the only person who can stop it. What will she do? Stand by and let the war go sideways? What does she have to lose?
                                I loved loved loved loved loved this book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was soooooooooooooo amazing. And I personally think it deserves a higher lexile. It was written from a Patriot's side of view, in a time when it was most dangerous to be a Patriot. Not that it isn't bad now too. BOO deflatriot's!!! :) Anyway, this book was awesome! Just seeing how brave she was made me want to do something selfless. Imagine how scary, and how real the risk would've been back then! I would recommend this book to 5th grade and up. It was awesome! You should really try this book out in your free time! Or make time for it! Because it is that good!

The Whisperer by Fiona McIntosh

The Whisperer
Author: Fiona McIntosh
Lexile: 780
Length: 312 Pages
Genre: Fantasy
Awards: None
Reading Ram Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars



                    Griff is just a grunt worker at an amazing circus. Nobody pays him much attention except his two older brothers, who are performers in the circus. But Griff has one secret only his brothers know about. The reason he prefers doing grunt work along, up in the scaffolding.
                     Lute is the Crown Prince of Drestonia, next heir to the throne. He has lived a happy life so far, even if his uncle, the Duke, has made his life uncomfortable so far. He has a bodyguard/friend, Pilo, who will protect him against all odds.
                     What do these boys have in common? Nothing, it seems. But this tale brings them together in a a way that can never be broken, shattered, or smothered. But Lute is hiding from the Duke, who has taken over the kingdom, and Griff is hiding from the show master who wants to utilize his talents for his own personal gain. Can these two boys pull off what they need to do against all odds? Or will they simply fail, and never be seen or heard from again.
                       Wow. This book was awesome. It had that old fashioned-y twist that most fantasy books have. At least when it comes to castles and kingdoms. But it utilized it in a good way. Most of these tales
deal with the royal family, and this one did. But at least the sole purpose isn't to save the royal family. There were some common folk involved at least. I gave this book 4.5 stars because the plot was easy to guess. I could tell what the big surprise that brought these boys together would be. Before it happened, at least. You should really try this book out in your free time, you won't regret it!!!!!

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Brown Girl Dreaming
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Lexile: 990
Length: 336 Pages
Genre: Non-Fiction
Awards: National Book Award
Reading Ram Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars


                               Jacqueline Woodson used to live in Ohio. Her father lived in Ohio, and her mother did too, at least for a little while. That was when Jacqueline was little, about 5 years or younger. Then her mother and father started having fights more and more often. Then her mother moved her, Odella her older sister, and Hope, her older brother, down south. The south was still recovering from the Civil War, and anyone who said segregation was wrong would be bombarded by the KKK. But Jacqueline and her family moved there anyway, in with their grandparents. No more city life, just open country, becoming a Jehovah's Witness, and always dressing up and having perfect manners. Then her mother left for New York City, and Jacqueline was with her grandparents for a few years. Her mother returned pregnant, and ready to uproot them like one of the weeds in their grandfather's garden. They went to NYC. Left their grandparents. Jacqueline had a new younger brother, Roman. And her life spiraled from there. With books and poetry in school, not being as good as her older sister Odella. Ever. But learning to accept life for what it was, and realizing that segregation was truly wrong, no matter what the south thought.
                              This book was amazing!!! I can see why it won the National Book Award!!!!!!! It is written in poems, in first person, from Jacqueline's point of view, and how she sees the world. The thing is, it is a true story! Which is amazing, considering all the hardships that happen to her along the way. She was moved so many times, changed in so many ways. It was so good!!!! This book is not inappropriate at all, but it is so so sad!!!! You should SERIOUSLY try this book out in your free time!!!