Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Reviewed by Ben F.
Grade 11

Infant Daisy Armstrong was kidnapped by a notorious gangster, held for several hundred thousand dollars, and murdered. Her distraught parents committed suicide, along with an innocent maid framed for the crime while the true perpetuator escaped and lived on the run for two years under a foreign alias, eventually boarding a train with thirteen other passengers; The Orient Express.

Hercule Poirot, internationally famed detective is one of those passengers, oblivious to the criminal who shares his destination. Having recently resolved a political scandal, Poirot is ready for a peaceful journey—until a passenger is murdered. Cassetti is dead in his cabin, with multiple stab wounds, varied evidence, and no witnesses. Poirot must call forth all his powers of deduction to trace the killer amongst the passengers; connections are unraveled, secrets discovered, and the truth goes deeper than anyone could have imagined.

A familiar of Agatha Christie’s work, I began this book expecting none other than the best of mystery and intrigue as the plot unwove its tapestry of intricacies. I was not disappointed. The impeccable colloquialisms of the foreign protagonist and the Sherlockian brilliance of his logic will further draw the reader’s nose to the pages until the stunning conclusion.

Highly recommended for fans of Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, The Hardy Boys, and other intellectually sparking mysteries, anyone who appreciates brilliant leaps of logic, and of course Agatha Christie. Due to the intense themes regarding both the murdered and murderer, Murder on the Orient Express is recommended for those above the age of 13. Readers should also be prepared to discuss, whether in mind or family, the ethical implications of Poirot and the passenger’s actions following the conclusion.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Reviewed by Ben F.
Grade 11

A Small Fact: You are going to die. So begins the tale of Liesel Meminger, the Book Thief, narrated by Death himself; the story of a girl in Nazi Germany whose world will never be the same.

Liesel is an orphan in a world at war, adopted by warm-hearted accordionist Hans Hubermann and his stringent wife Rosa into their life on Himmel Street. Liesel's only possession is a book taken from the tomb of her brother, The Gravedigger’s Handbook. Set apart by her ancestry in a post-World War I Germany, Liesel finds friendship with neighborhood scoundrel Rudy Steiner, and education through her adoptive father. Being taught in secret by Hans to read her stolen books, she soon develops an immense appreciation for words and their descriptive power. But everything changes once the Hubermann’s must hide Max, a Jewish fist-fighter, from their Nazi community, a man who will define the way Liesel sees her world. As the years go by, Liesel and Max become close friends and their secret is kept, but every secret must come to an end. Death, after all, forgets none.

I have read few historical fiction books in my time, and even fewer as influential as The Book Thief. As a story told through Death’s eyes, I gained a compelling window into the lives of a family that must constantly mask its beliefs from those of their Nazi-supporting neighbors. The stress of a warring nation is mirrored in the little people of Himmel Street; a much clearer picture than any history text. Death is a simple narrator, patient, agreeable, but painfully straightforward in the passing of characters.

Readers can expect to be emotionally pulled and prodded through every page of this heart-wrenchingly honest tale. Needless to say, The Book Thief is not for the young, with intense themes and provoking questions that only adolescents and above will comprehend and appreciate. Despite the turmoil of the era, violence and bloodshed are minimal, and the higher age rating is due simply to the intellectual age of the book itself. Recommended to readers of historical fiction, books about the Holocaust, dramas, and those who seek other ways to look at the world.

Randoms by David Liss

Reviewed by Ben F.
Grade 11

There is absolutely nothing special about Ezekiel Reynolds. Stumbling through middle school life with a sick mother and a deceased sci-fi-obsessed father, Zeke has enough to worry about before he is forcibly inducted into the greatest foreign exchange program in human history—alien contact. Four juvenile delegates from Earth have been chosen to represent their world’s candidacy in an intergalactic coalition: The Confederation of United Planets.

To best represent the diversity of the planet, three representatives are handpicked prodigies while one is indiscriminately selected from the billions—a Random.
Along with two other representing worlds, the Earthen delegates must prove their civilization through the gaining of skill points; a measuring system for an individual’s contributions to society. Success will grant Earth invaluable technology, knowledge, and resources as well as upgrades to the body-enhancing nanites all delegates receive; failure, the rejection of the world from consideration. Deemed unnecessary by his peers, Zeke quickly teams up with attractive, tech-savvy feline Tamret and carjacker reptilian Steve to rack up skill points, armed only with his considerable sci-fi knowledge and his hacked nanites. But when an accidental dispute with the Confederation’s longtime aggressor flares tensions, the Randoms find themselves in the center of a political conspiracy that runs deeper than anything they could have ever imagined.

I found the character of Zeke to be refreshingly human in his struggles to fit in with his diverse peers. Even with so many other interesting beings integrated in the story, Zeke still manages to shine through as a lovable and engaging protagonist in his quest for the galaxy and his friends.

No doubt about it, Randoms is one for the nerds, with several Star Wars, Star Trek, and Firefly references only true fans will recognize. Science-fiction lovers will find themselves quickly caught up in the vast network of the Confederation and the logic behind the gadgetry.

Unpredictable and enticing, readers will find themselves drawn in until the thrilling conclusion. Recommended for ages 12 and up, fans of science-fiction, and action-adventure.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Reviewed by Ben F.
Grade 11

For centuries, the fairy People have hidden undisturbed from the perils of humanity--that is, until one criminal mastermind dares to con them of their wealth. The catch? He’s only 12.

Artemis Fowl is many things; a criminal, a millionaire, and a child prodigy, but he is no fool. So, when he attempts the impossible, cheating a fairy of their gold, he is well prepared for anything the People have to counter--until they change the rules. Artemis Fowl delivers superbly, from the brilliant mind games and ploys, to the compelling, diverse nature of the players, and the vast magnitude of the hidden Fairy world, one which is both believable and imaginative. Fowl serves as an enticing, yet diabolical character; one will easily empathize with the boyish sentiments behind the calculating genius. Supporting characters Butler and Juliet shine in their immense trust of their young charge, and the charismatic presence of Commander Root will be sure to bring a smile. The brightest player, though, is undoubtedly the spunky Holly Short, whose street smarts and gut instincts provide a perfect contrast to the scheming mind of the young master Fowl.

In short, Artemis Fowl is recommended to young readers over the age of 11-12, fans of detective dramas, heist stories, fantasy adventure, and anyone intrigued by the summary.
Language count is at a minimum, and hardly a problem excepting the concerned parent; at least one count of ‘damn’, ‘dammit’ , and ‘hell’ each; a fairy fill-in cuss word “D’Arvit’ is quoted at times.

Drugs/Alcohol; A fairy drinks whiskey, another has a habit of smoking. Sleeping pills are taken with champagne in a scene, but is a minor part of a scene, the major emphasis is elsewhere. Truth serum is spoken of/administered. Dock workers illegally roll cigarettes in a brief scene. In all honesty, book content should be treated separately than film content, and all of the above, including language mentioned are small turns of phrase, such as ‘he lit a cigar’ and easily overlooked in the grand story.

Violence: Nothing above a PG-13 equivalent rating. A character is nearly mauled to death, with graphic language at a medium.

Adult Content; None.

Spiritual/Religious themes: Magic is naturally a major part of the story, but is treated more as a currently inexplicable science, and seen as a natural ability of the fairy kind. Fairies all possess a Book that holds their laws and could be seen as a ‘fairy bible’. Fairies also have a limited amount of magic that is refilled through ‘The Ritual’ which involves a brief chant and superstitious tie-ins; while a critical portion of the story, superstitions and religion are not present.

Concepts to discuss; The character development and morality of Artemis Fowl and his decisions serve as excellent discussion material for children and teens alike to consider.

For the Teen readers; Childish and toilet-level humor are present in small doses to appeal to a younger audience, particularly showcased in the magical abilities of one character, but it is kept minimal.

Spaced Out by Stuart Gibbs

Reviewed by Andy P.
Grade 11

When Dashiell Gibson woke up on lunar day 217, year 2041, he did not expect his base commander to go missing. You see, he was one of the first people on the moon, and his commander was responsible for everybody. So when she went missing, chaos broke out.

It all started on the previous day, when Dash got in trouble by Patton Sjoberg for sucking his face with a toilet hose. However, this wasn't without reason. Dash was just showing his alien friend, who wasn't actually there, Star Wars, when Patton and his sister, Lily, burst in looking for Dash's friend, Roddy. Dash told them that he didn't know where he was, but they didn't believe him and started chasing him around the base. They eventually ended up in the restroom, where the incident happened. Patton told Nina, the
base commander, about what happened, so she called Dash to her room. But while she was talking to him, she received a mysterious text, and the next day she disappeared. He and his friend Kira went up to her room (against the rules), and found something that surprised them.

The author did a very good job in general on this book. He described the characters in great detail over time. For example, he shows how Kira "had a thing about entering places that were supposed to be off-limits." The plot was also very good and keeps you turning the pages until the very end. There were many plot twisters and made me feel like reading more to see what would happen.

All in all, I would recommend Spaced Out to anyone who likes a good mystery or sci-fi. The author's style was very easy to follow and keeps you on the edge of your seat to see what would happen next. It was very good partly because of the action and partly because of the mystery. If you decide to read this, get ready to go on an exciting journey!

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

Reviewed by Annabelle N.
Grade 5

One night Luna drank a lot of the moon, which was full of magic that night. She then becomes dangerous. She can use her magic in so many harmful ways that no one knows.

Luna was a girl dropped off by the Protectorate village given to the witch. Xan steals Luna and takes care of her, but then Xan accidentally gives her moonlight, which is full of magic. Xan makes the crazy choice of keeping this very dangerous kid. This magic is locked inside of her until she is older. When Luna turns thirteen everything changes. Xan just happened to be away for a couple of weeks when this came into effect. Soon, it is time for Luna to make a big decision: to sacrifice herself or the Protectorate.

The main character in this book is very creative in several different ways. First of all, Luna is very curious, magical, and she has great talent. Furthermore, in the beginning of the book she was very outgoing and curious. Then, later on in the book she became magical and also became a hero.

I would recommend The Girl Who Drank the Moon to anyone who likes an ever changing plot. This is because Luna has mixed emotions. She can be happy, angry, hungry, sad, mad, tired, and much more. How the author wrote the plot makes the book extremely interesting. She uses fantasy and real-life combined in such a way I just could not stop reading, making a magical story.

Dead Boy by Laurel Gale

Reviewed by Andy P.
Grade 10

It was a normal day, same as any, until he died. After that, nothing was the same. His flesh started rotting, and he got infested with maggots. He stunk so bad that the neighbors moved out. He wasn't allowed to go outside and had no friends.

This is what happened to 11-year-old Crow Darlingson. He was just playing around in his room when he suddenly died. His parents wished him back to life, but the wish didn't go as planned. Instead, he ended up /un/dead. After he died, his mom homeschooled him, and as he didn't have any friends and didn't have to eat, he could just study all day and aced all the tests. However he stunk, and when it was too hot, he stunk even more. That's why his neighbors moved out when the AC broke. However, when his new neighbors moved in, he finally had a chance to make a friend. This friend was Melody Plympton, a girl about the same age as Crow. Melody fully believed in magic,
and not just plain old card tricks. She believed that fairies were real and had abducted her mother. When they learn that there is a wish-granting creature underneath the local park that brought Crow back to life, Crow has a
chance to come back to life for real. However, there is a series of tests that you have to pass to get a wish, and you only ever get one wish. When the monster, called the Meera, abducts Melody's "friends" from school, they are forced to go and confront the Meera. They saved one of their friends, but as they didn't know that the other friends got kidnapped too, they went to get their wishes. They find out that their friend got cursed by the Meera. Now Crow is faced with a tough decision. Does he save Luke, the friend, from the Meera's curse, or does he save himself?

The author does a great job describing the characters of the story. She shows Melody's interest in magic, Crow's deadness, and Luke and Travis's cruelness. For example, on page 92, she shows Luke and Travis throwing firecrackers at a little rabbit. She also does an excellent job on describing the tests the characters have to go through. However, the main conflict isn't very clear until the end.

All in all, I would recommend Dead Boy to anyone in general. This book is about friendship and loyalty, two subjects anyone can understand. I liked this book because of the message it tries to show and also because the characters are very likable. Even though there wasn't much action, there was a great deal of puzzle solving. What would you do if you were in Crow's position?

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Reviewed by Rafael V.
Grade 6

What if the crazy unrealistic stories your grandpa used to tell you turn out
to be true? What if you were not like the rest of human civilization?

Jacob Portman was a normal boy, except for the fact that he was peculiar. He
was scared when he saw his grandpa be killed by a monster only he could see.
His grandpa's last words were to find the bird in the loop on the other side
of old man's grave, September 3, 1940. What could this possibly mean? Was it
a man that could tell him his grandpa's story, or a place, revealing all his
secrets? He finally made up his mind and he visited the island that his
grandpa told him about. When he finally got to the orphanage, it was
deserted, like no one had lived there for over one hundred years. As three
weeks go by he starts to discover secrets about the orphanage and the kids
who lived there. With these clues Jacob discovers his grandpa's secrets and
how the orphans who lived there might have been dangerous.

The plot of this story is interesting because it is about discovering who you
are. In the book Jacob, the protagonist, discovers the secrets his grandpa
kept and why he is peculiar. Also it is interesting because of the
characters it holds. There is Emma, who can make fire with her hands,
Millard, who is invisible, or Enoch, who can bring the dead back to life for
short periods of time. These characters are unique and have special abilities
humans will never be able to wield.

I would recommend this book due to one reason--Miss Peregrine's Home for
Peculiar Children shows that even if you are a social outcast, or if people
call you weird, there will be a place in the world for you.

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir

Reviewed by Katherine T.
Grade 9

A Torch Against The Night combines everything you would want in a YA Fantasy book: adventure, violence, twists and turns and even a little bit of romance. It is the second book in a series by author, Sabaa Tahir.

Since this is the second book in a series, it's probably better to explain the premise of the first book, An Ember In The Ashes. The novel follows the point of view of Laia and Elias. Laia is living in the Scholar community with her grandparents and older brother. When her brother is arrested for treason, she, in exchange for help rescuing from the prison he is being kept in, goes undercover as a slave in Blackcliff, an infamous military academy. Elias is the school's best soldier, yet, secretly, all he wants is to be free of the tyranny of the Empire, where the whole story takes place. A Torch Against The Night is the sequel to An Ember in the Ashes and added Helene to Elias and Laia's point of views. It picks up directly after the events of the first book, as Elias and Laia are making the difficult journey to break Laia's brother out of Kauf, the prison.

Although the first book drew a lot of similarities to other YA books (setting mainly being in a boarding school, trials to test the characters' aptitude to be a leader, two characters that should hate each other but
instead fall in love), the second book definitely branched off of that into a unique book that is worthy of the highest praise. Kauf, the prison Laia's brother is being kept in, reminded me of Azkaban in Harry Potter but not in a bad way. In addition, the characters became a lot more fleshed out in this book. They were a lot more relatable and although they didn't all always make the smartest decisions, you could see where they were coming from.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a page turner. Every chapter ends in a cliffhanger that kept me up extremely late one night, but I don't regret a moment of it. This book is definitely not for the
lighthearted or if you are booking for a lighter read, seeing as there is a lot of violence but if you into that then this is the book for you. The novel's setting is also a very attractive place, not because you'd want to
live there, but because it is interesting and unique. I am excited to see where this series goes from here.

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

Reviewed by Sedona K.
Grade 9

“Elementary, my dear Watson” takes on a whole new meaning in this refreshing take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic Sherlock Holmes mysteries. Written from Jamie Watson’s point of view, the great-great-great-grandson of iconic John Watson, this book illustrates the high school lives of both Jamie and a girl named Charlotte Holmes, the great-great-great-granddaughter of sleuthing legend, Sherlock Holmes. Charlotte not only inherited the name, but the smarts and gifts of deduction her grandfather had.

It all started with a murder at a high-class high school, Sherringford Prep. From the second the two long-lost partners meet, their family history begins to take hold, and they immediately have a connection. Quick-witted and shy Charlotte makes a difficult team member with athletic and strong-willed Jamie Watson at first, but as the story progresses, so does their relationship. Jamie wants a normal life, and Charlotte wants to escape what her family thinks of her. With each other’s help, they both understand what it means to have real family and find out how it feels to have a friend who always has your back.

This book was set in a snow-clad Connecticut town, illustrated with beautiful imagery. With each word, I was watching the story play out like a five-star film in my mind. The characters were very realistic, and as you find out their weaknesses and strengths, they become more three-dimensional and as concrete as people we know in real life. This mystery also includes what all good novels do: a villain. The villain embodies every quality that Doyle’s classic culprits did, which makes A Study in Charlotte all that more captivating.

I would recommend A Study in Charlotte to as many people as possible! The book truly takes the classic mysteries we all know and love and transforms them into an updated and relatable plot, filled with characters that re-imagine Sherlock and Watson. I personally enjoyed this book because of my infatuation with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s writing and mysterious flair. The only red flags I would raise would be for both slightly harsh language and notes of substance abuse. All-in-all, this book was very well written, and I cannot wait to see what else Cavallaro has in store for the young adult mystery community.