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The Great Greene Heist by Varian Johnson

My name is Espen. I like to play sports such as soccer, baseball, skiing and biking. I also like to play video games and watch TV.

The Great Greene Heist was written by Varian Johnson on May 27, 2014, it is an awesome book with a very interesting story line.  The book is about a character who is in middle school and his name is Jackson Greene. He is a con artist but he insists that he is retired. Then he is faced with a school president election between Keith Sinclar, his arch nemesis, and his crush who won’t talk to him because of something he did beforehand. You’ll have to read the book to figure that out.  Jackson decides to rig the vote counting machine in favor of his crush, Gaby.  But at the same time, Keith’s dad bribes the principal, Dr. Kelsey, to rig the machine, tipping the vote in Keith´s favor.

Jackson and his best friend Charlie try breaking into the room where the school keeps the voting machine. With the help of a team of students, they almost pull their heist off right away, but the lock on the door is the same as the one on the principal’s door. It’s the Guttenbabel 4200, the only lock Jackson cannot pick.  How will he and his friends do it?  Will they break the lock?  Will they somehow switch it out with a different one?

Read the book and find out.

Find it in print and ebook here.

Tales from a Not-So-Graceful Ice Princess by Rachel Renee Russell

My name is Simone, I’m 13 years old and I’m going into 8th grade. I enjoy skiing, playing volleyball, skateboarding and I have a love for fashion.

Tales from a Not- So- Graceful Ice Princess is the fourth book in the Dork Diaries series, and by far my favorite! This book is about growing up, dealing with mean girls and gaining confidence. Nikki, the main character, has to perform in an ice performance for her physical education class. Whoever wins the competition gets a prize of 3000 dollars to the charity of their choice.

Nikki’s crush named Brandon volunteers at their local animal shelter, which is in danger of closing. If the shelter closes something will happen to Brandon that she can’t let happen. Even though Nikki is not the best at ice skating and, has an arch-nemesis named Mackenzie who is trying to ruin it all for her, she needs to compete in the show.

Mackenzie somehow always knows how to do everything better than Nikki so she wants to compete against Nikki for the same charity try to win over Brandon.

I definitely recommend this book for middle schoolers because it’s a very easy read but super drama packed! I’ve read every single one of the Dork Diaries series and this one is definitely the best.

Find it in print here.

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

My name is Simone, I’m 13 years old and I’m going into 8th grade. I enjoy skiing, playing volleyball, skateboarding and I have a love for fashion.

The One and Only Ivan is an amazing read about animal cruelty and the difficulties that zoo animals have to live. The chapters are very short, about 1-2 pages and it’s all like poetry. This kind of reading style was very easy to understand and comprehend. I loved this book because I care a lot about animals and their well-being.

This book is inspired by a true story about a silver back gorilla that lived in a concrete box for 27 years at a mall. In this book he has friends, a little girl, a stray dog named Bob, an old elephant named Stella and a baby elephant named Ruby. Stella immediately forms a connection with Ruby but sadly Stella is very ill because of the neglect all those years. Her dying wish is for Ivan to save Ruby and get her out of the mall so she can live freely unlike the rest of them.

The One And Only Ivan is written in the perspective of the gorilla, Ivan. The book shows how he feels and acts being caged. Although this topic is very sad, the author finds a way to make the book very optimistic and hopeful. People of any age could read this book because it has a very heartfelt meaning and is very easy to read, Hope you read it and enjoy it!

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

Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson

My name is Simone, I’m 13 years old and I’m going into 8th grade. I enjoy skiing, playing volleyball, skateboarding and I have a love for fashion.

Middle School: The Worst Years Of My Life is about growing up, changing as a person and going through life. Rafe, the main character, and his best friend created the project RAFE (RULES AREN’T FOR EVERYONE) because they have a very long list of rules at school that their principal provided. Since they don’t like being bossed they decide they want to break every single rule. Rafe was quickly noticed by his crush, Jeanne, and was more inspired to continue. Rafe doesn’t mind his punishments unless he has to sit in detention with Ms. Donatello who’s always wondering why he’s pulling these pranks. Leo always sketches out what the next prank should be to keep on inspiring Rafe. After reading further into the book you find out something shocking about Rafe’s best friend.

Rafe’s mom starts to worry about his grades because he is more focused on pranking the principal than school. The only thing that’s saving Rafe from being held back a grade because of his grades are his art skills. One night while pulling another prank they see the principal doing something at school that could get him in trouble. Rafe could get the principal fired but then he couldn’t prank anymore, what will Rafe do? Read to find out!

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

The Hero Two Doors Down by Sharon Robinson

Hi, my name is Sebi. I am eleven years old and I am entering middle school. I do freestyle skiing, I also play soccer, lacrosse, baseball, and football.

Compelling is the first word I would use to describe this book.  Can you imagine having your hero live on your street? This is what happened to Steven Satlow in Brooklyn, New York in 1948. Steven is a huge baseball fan and is amazed when he finds that his hero, Jackie Robinson, a legendary African American baseball player and his family, moved two doors down from him while playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

A friendship builds between the families. Jackie helps Steven through some hard times with school. One example is when Steven faces bullying. Jackie tells Steven that he will always have to deal with bullies, he should ignore them, and do not let them win. The building of friendships and learning from his hero made lasting memories for Steven and helps him through hard times in the future.

Even if you are not a baseball fan, there are many interesting topics in this book. Steven is taught some valuable lessons on friendship, perseverance, racism, racial injustice, and religious difference. The book teaches you an understanding of what it was like to be an African American back at that time in everyday life and that friendship should not be based on the color of your skin.

Find it through Interlibrary Loan here.

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

My name is Jamie. I love reading fantasy and realistic fiction books. My favorite book is Percy Jackson & the Olympians. Hockey is one of my favorite sports to play, and I’m in the 7th grade.

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen is an incredible book that uncovers the surprising story of a native Mexican tribe that runs ultra-long distances at very fast speeds—without wearing shoes. 

The book starts with a team of five training for a 100-mile race who find out about a tribe of super athletes and become interested. The Tarahumara tribe is a hidden band of runners in Mexico’s dangerous Copper Canyons. They will run up to 500 miles barefoot in deathly desert heat without stopping. 

Micah True, known by the tribe as “Caballo Blanco,” is an American long-distance runner who watches how these special people survive in terrible conditions. Wanting to help them, he organizes an ultra-marathon in the horrendous heat. Word soon gets out and some of the best runners in the Northwest—Barefoot Ted McDonald, Ruth Heidrich, Luis Escobar, Scott Jurek and so on—come to train. 

All of these runners train and train until the race day arrives. A gunshot rings through the starting line and the runners are off. Ted McDonald even runs after his feet have been burned and blistered so badly by the desert heat. The Tarahumara runners were in front by miles—nobody thought they were that fast. The Tarahumara win the race easily,  3 hours before any other contestant. Everyone is amazed, but the tribe only wants everyone off their land.

Overall, this was an action-packed book that I would recommend to anyone who likes running or a good story. I enjoyed reading Born to Run.

Find it in print and ebook here.