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Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Review by Ella; dreamer, ski racer, writer, and rock climber. Ella lives in SV, Idaho with her mom, dad, cat, dog, gecko, and fish.

In Catching Fire, Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen are the new victors of The Hunger Games after defying the Capitol with a simple handful of berries. They are about to be married as part of the fake love strategy they started in the past games. The ruthless President Snow is not happy with their act of defiance so he decides to make sure they will never do anything of the sort again. He takes one female and one male victor from each district, including Katniss and Peeta, and forces them back into the arena.

The other victors are trained fighters and are cunning, vicious, and clever. Katniss makes a decision to save Peeta and make sure he comes out as victor, at whatever cost. But as the games begin everything starts to go wrong. Just as Katniss is about to enter the arena her beloved stylist, Cinna, is dragged off by Peacekeepers. Katniss and Peeta team up with Finnick and Mags from District 3 and start their journey into the jungle. They suffer many losses and soon find out a horrifying, bone-chilling secret.

Find it in print, ebook, eaudiobook, CD and DVD here.

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

My name is Madeline. I am in middle school and enjoy playing the violin, ice skating and reading good books!

Number the Stars, by Louis Lowry is a historical fiction story of life in Denmark during World War II.

It is 1943 and the Nazis have been growing steadily hostile to the Jewish citizens of Denmark, harassing them, and closing their shops. These actions frighten ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen, whose best friend, Ellen, is Jewish.

Then, one day, news comes that all the Jewish people living in Denmark are to be relocated that very night. The Johansens quickly decide to hide Ellen in their house. They plan for her to act like one of their own children in the event any soldiers should enter their home. Everything seems to go smoothly, until late at night when the Nazis come to their apartment. Though they fail to discover Ellen, the Johansens deem it too close a call. They resolve to help Ellen and her parents escape to Sweden.

This is an intense story relating some of what happened in World War II in Denmark. I recommend this story for ages ten and up.

Find it in print, ebook, eaudiobook and CD here.

Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson

Hi, my name is Duncan. I am in the 6th grade. I love to Nordic and alpine ski in the winter and like to bike, hike, and camp in the summer.

Chasing Lincoln’s Killer is set in 1865 and is about the murder of President Lincoln and then the chase for the assassin and his companions. My favorite scene was when the barn was burned down and he was caught. so much for his life.  I like this book and would recommend it to anyone that is into history or mystery. I would recommend it because it is very well written and has lots of good detail. Some of the other things that made me want to keep reading it are because wherever you stop it is hard because it will always leave you wondering until you read more and that will happen every time you stop until you finish the book. My favorite part was at the very end of the book but you do not get to know what happens until you finish the book. The reason I read this book was I was somewhat interested but then my friend recommended it to me so if a friend recommends a book in a genre that you like then it will probably be a good book. I think that this was a great book and a lot of you could like this book.

Find it in print here.

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

My name is Judah and I am in the 6th grade. I enjoy playing soccer and baseball. In the winter, I enjoy Nordic and alpine skiing. When it comes to reading,  adventure books are my favorite.

Where the Red Fern Grows is story about a boy named Billy and his coon hunting dogs. It takes place in the Ozark Mountains in Oklahoma on an Indian reservation, with his three sisters, his ma and pa, some chickens and a cat. It starts out with Billy’s desire to get two pure bred coon hunting dogs. His family is poor and can’t afford to buy two dogs themselves. However, his families’ lack of money does not stop Billy. He is a boy of great determination and works hard to save enough money to buy his pups.

The dogs become his best friends. He trains them how to hunt and they set off on hunting adventures almost every night. He even enters them in a coon hunting competition. It is amazing how strong the dogs’ relationship is to Billy. The dogs and Billy seem to understand each other and have a great love and loyalty towards one another. This is a very exiting book which includes sleeping in a cave out in the wild, and even coming face to face with a mountain lion!  It is a book about great determination and never giving up on your dreams. I recommend this book because it is exciting, fun and makes you want to read more.

Find it in print, ebook, eaudiobook, DVD, CD here.

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

Hi! My name is Madeline, I am in 9th grade and live in Hailey Idaho. I love politics, philosophy, writing, and playing the violin. I could talk about these topics all day. I also love reading, my favorite books are The Lord of The Rings, anything written by Tolkien, and Fahrenheit 451.

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R Tolkien is about an epic quest, set in fictional the land of Middle Earth.

Frodo Baggins is as ordinary as a hobbit could be, and lives in the Shire, the most comfortable land on Middle Earth. Frodo is happy with his peaceful life but is unexpectedly thrown into an adventure when he is left a magical ring by his uncle. His mentor, Gandalf, warns Frodo that the ring his uncle gave him has the potential for great harm. It is the One Ring that Sauron, the greatest enemy of Middle Earth, has lost. If Sauron were to find it, all of Middle Earth would be destroyed. Gandalf tells Frodo he must destroy the ring since Middle Earth is in danger while it remains. However, the ring cannot be destroyed easily. It can only be decimated where it was created by Sauron, in the fires of Mt. Doom in the land of Mordor. During his dangerous journey to Mordor, eight companions join with him creating the Fellowship of the Ring. Frodo is appointed to be the ring bearer, and though he has many companions it is his job alone to cast it into Mt. Doom.

The Fellowship of the Ring is the first book in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. It exemplifies courage in the face of danger, and hope when all seems to be lost. I recommend this trilogy for ages 12 and up.

Find it in print, ebook, eaudiobook, DVD, CD here.

Gulliver’s Travels by Johnathan Swift

Hi! My name is Madeline, I am in 9th grade and live in Hailey Idaho. I love politics, philosophy, writing, and playing the violin. I could talk about these topics all day. I also love reading, my favorite books are The Lord of The Rings, anything written by Tolkien, and Fahrenheit 451.

Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift, is a witty, satirical book sure to make you laugh and shake your head at times.

The story focuses on an adventurous man named Gulliver, who can’t stay on land for long. He signs up to be a ship’s surgeon. The voyage is everything he hoped for until a fierce storm starts, and the ship is torn to pieces. Fortunately, they shipwrecked a few miles from land and Gulliver is able to swim to shore. He sees no trace of his companions and realizes he is the lone survivor. He is too tired to worry and promptly falls asleep. In the morning, he finds he has been taken captive and is tied down with ropes. This is unsettling, but what shocks him most is the size of his captors, who are only six inches tall. The book describes this and other adventures he has, including his encounter with many strange peoples and places, such as giants, a floating city, and an island of civilized horses.

This book is very symbolic and satirical and Swift uses the adventures of Gulliver as a way to criticize English society where he believes people think more highly of themselves than they ought. Swift constantly uses changing perspectives to highlight his opinion that people are prideful and overestimate their greatness when, in reality, they are petty and frail.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book, although it became redundant after a while. I recommend it for ages 12 and older.

Find it in print, ebook, eaudiobook, evideo here.