Mosquitoland by David Arnold

Reviewed by Sedona K.
Grade 9

Mary Iris Malone is a spunky 16 year-old girl who wants to get away. With her father taking her from a comfortable home in Ohio to a new life in "Mosquitoland" Mississippi, she goes with her first instinct and does just that... she runs.

Hopping on a Greyhound bus, teenage Mim begins her odyssey back to Ohio in an effort to reach her former home in time for Labor Day. This beautiful story spans over 6 days and 1,000 miles. Taking only her JanSport backpack, a coffee can filled with money, and her cell phone, she embarks on the journey of a lifetime to regain what it means to be okay and to piece together what it means to be a family. While on her journey she meets new people, and takes the time to write about them, following her Aunt Isabel's wise words to document her life. Through hard times and easy ones, Mim keeps her head held high and her eyes on the prize: to reach her mom back in Cleveland.

From the first ten words of this book, "I am Mary Iris Malone and I am not okay," I was thoroughly hooked on Arnold's writing. This novel was complete with wit and unexpected plot twists which kept me enthralled and made it hard for me to put this book down! Not only did the book fuel my wanderlust, but as I followed Mim on her adventure, I learned what it meant to be a daughter. Reading her letters to a character named Iz, I was able to understand her opinions on subjects in the book. For this being David Arnold's first book, I was sincerely impressed and cannot wait to read his other works!

I loved this book and would definitely recommend it to many people (in fact I already have). It is such a heartfelt tale that takes you through an emotional journey alongside of a unique and true-to-life character. I learned about my own life as well as related my life to Mosquitoland. The book was very realistic because it did not end as you suspected it to, and had language many teens today would use. The language is the only thing I would caution one about, because some of the words used are harsh. Arnold's novel taught me to always persevere and to find my niche in the world because no matter how old or how odd we think we might be, we are all okay.

American Sniper by Chris Kyle

Reviewed by Levon T.
Grade 8

Chris Kyle was a US Navy SEAL. In his autobiography, American Sniper, Kyle illustrates the role of the US Military in Iraq. He also includes his own experiences in the battlefield and at home.

As a young child, Chris Kyle had a great work ethic and a calling to help those in need. He also was a very fit and determined individual. All of this helped him become a Navy Seal, and later a sniper. Kyle was deployed in Iraq for four combat tours, from 1999 till 2009. He became the most lethal sniper in military history. Iraqi insurgents feared him so much they called him “al-Shaitan” (which means “the devil”) and placed a bounty on his head that grew to about $80,000. Kyle became a “LEGEND” among his fellow SEALs, Marines, U.S. Army soldiers, and even the GROM (Polish Special Forces). He fought alongside them in the streets, and protected them from rooftops and stealth positions. Throughout four combat deployments, he was awarded two Silver Stars and five Bronze Stars.

When Kyle came home after the war, he started a company called Craft International, a sniper and marksmanship school for law enforcement and military. He also devoted the rest of his life to helping wounded veterans. Chris Kyle was a very accomplished, generous, and kind person, and he will be remembered for times to come.

I thought American Sniper was an extremely gripping book about the brutal story of war. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about what really went on in the US Military Deployment in Iraq, from the perspective of a Navy SEAL.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Reviewed by Levon T.
Grade 8

Unwind takes place in a not-so far fetched future, where parents can willingly "unwind" troubled teenagers. Unwinding is the cruel process that salvages all valuable parts of the Unwind’s body, and sells them to other people that are in need. Even though the media makes unwinding sound like a friendly alternative to juvenile detention or worse, teens think otherwise. The story begins through the perspectives of Connor, Risa, and Lev, who are all scheduled to be unwound at about the same time. Even though they were going to meet the same fate, their stories couldn’t be more different.

When Connor saw the unwind form that his mother and father signed, he immediately made his plans for escape. The night before the Juvie police arrived, Connor runs off, taking with him only his bare essentials. When a truck driver offers to let Connor ride with him, Connor doesn’t know that his parents were tracking him. When the truck driver tells Connor that his ride was over, Connor does not expect to be confronted by his parents and several Juvie cops. Risa was a child who had always belonged to a State home. Because of extreme budget cuts in the State homes, and a mediocre recital performance, Risa is sent to her unwinding. Lev is a “tithe”, someone who believes that it is his or her duty to God to be unwound. So at his 13th birthday, Lev is taken away from his parents fully willing, to be unwound.

During the confrontation with the Juvie cops, Connor makes a break for it in the middle of an intersection which causes a major car crash. Risa is on the bus to her own unwinding when her entire bus crashes. She too makes a break for it. Lev was on the way to his unwinding too, when Connor rushes toward his car and drags him out of it. After a few more minutes of running and hiding, Connor, Risa, and Lev soon find themselves fugitives from the law. They have to make difficult choices to escape the law, and to keep Lev from escaping.

I thought the story had a very interesting premise, and I really enjoyed the writing style that the author employed in the book. Each chapter was written from the point of view of a different character, and not just the protagonists. Author, Neal Shusterman made the story very engaging, and it was very hard to put this book down.

I would definitely recommend this book to my friends because of the author’s refreshing writing style, and the interesting and thrilling plot.