ARC Review: Grenade

ARC Review: Grenade 

The book Grenade by Alan Gratz is arguably the best book he has written so far, two hundred eighty eight pages of pure excitement and thrilling history of both Japan and America. Hideki, an Okinawan student was just forced to fight the battle of his life. As bombs explode on his school as he is only in fourth grade Hideki has to fight the battle of his life. In the middle of WWII, on the small island of Okinawa American naval ships are bombing anything they could on the island. Back then there were no rules of engagement so if an American saw a Japanese soldier they could shoot them. The Americans knew that there were not allied forces on the island so they had the green light to bomb it. That is exactly what they did. As the bombs were falling, Hideki graduated early into “The Blood and Iron Student Corps”. Their Sargent gave them to grenades, “one to kill an American soldier, and the other to kill yourself” Gratz added. Hideki was responsible to kill someone. Hideki did not know if he could do it, but at the same time, he did not want to lose his family, country, and most importantly his dignity during the war. “For every ten Americans is one Japanese soldier” their Sargent screamed as he sent them to fight.
Ray, is a rookie American soldier. This is his first battle, and very well could be his last. He did not know much, but he knew he would either live protecting his country, his childhood, his life or die to trying. Ray faces many challenges along the way but none compares to the biggest one of his life. As Ray and Hideki unknowingly cross paths, they realize they have a lot in common, and eventually run into a dangerous situation where both of their lives are at risk. One will perish and the other will rise and overcome other challenges they may face. Read the book to find out what will happen and how Ray and Hideki unknowingly form an unbreakable bond.

Title: Grenade
Author:Alan Gratz
Publisher: Scholastic
Reviewed By: Patrick M.

ARC Review: The Collector

ARC Review: The Collector  

The Collector, by K.R. Alexandar, tells the story of siblings Josie and Annie are forced to move to their Grandmother’s house they begin to see bizarre things they hadn’t noticed in their previous visits. Grandma’s new set of rules being one of them, “Never leave your windows open after dark, No dolls in the house.” and “Never, ever go by the house in the woods”, these rules deeply unsettle them. That, however, isn’t the creepiest part, Grandma keeps mentioning a person, or thing, called Beryle. 

As Josie and her sister begin their enrollment in yet another year in school, they don’t make many friends. Except for one girl by the name of Vanessa, who is one the nicest people they had ever met. Vanessa invites them to her house, and under the pressure of not wanting to lose the only friendship they had, they follow her into the woods, the very woods their Grandmother forbade them from going into. As the story progresses these rules get broken, one by one, things soon escalate until Josie is faced with all of the consequences of her actions into one terrifying moment of shock and disbelief. 

The author writes it in a simplistic way that makes you want to read more by ending every chapter on a cliffhanger, for example, the end of chapter one “I swore I’d heard an old woman laughing.” He builds up suspense throughout the book as well, like when Annie brings home a doll from Vanessa, in fear Josie throws it out of the window, but it keeps coming back. I wouldn’t call it the greatest book of all time, but it is surely worth a read if you like horror, you could read this 217-page book in a day if you wanted to! There were some parts I didn’t expect, which was nice! 

Title: The Collector

Author: K.R. Alexander

Publisher: Scholastic

Reviewed By: Summer M.

ARC Review: More Than We Can Tell

ARC Review: More Than We Can Tell

More Than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer brings the reader along for a crazy peek into the two characters lives: Emma Blue, and Reverend Fletcher. Emma Blue, a girl-gamer, has created her own online video game. She has many players, most of whom were very supportive of what she was doing, some of them were not. Nightmare, a not-so-friendly player, has started sending Emma harassing messages on the game. On top of this, Emma’s parents are constantly fighting. Emma’s only escape is to her game, until Nightmare takes her only safe place. When out one day, Emma meets Reverand Fletcher, who could turn out to be her new safe place to talk to. Reverend was adopted into a nice family, away from his abusive father. Until one day, when Reverend receives a letter from his birth father, who he hasn’t seen in a very long time. When Reverand and Emma meet, they are each other’s only support system. But as things start to pull them away from each other, will they be able to find their way back? Or will they veer off the path, and land in a lot of trouble? I would rate this book a 5 out of 5, because the author really engages you as the reader, and makes you feel as if you are with Emma or Reverend during the story. You can really see the real-life connection throughout this story. If you enjoy realistic fiction and interesting turns-of-events, you should definitely read this book!

Title: More Than We Can Tell
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Reviewed By: Eliazabeth Morgan

ARC Review: Estranged

ARC Review: Estranged

When I first picked up Estranged I thought it was going a quick read I would forget about and leave it. behind

 

Boy was I wrong. 

When I saw it was getting the sequel, I got really excited. The story starts off with The Childe who was swapped with the dominating species of the world below, the Fae, a species capable of wielding magic. Every so often they would switch a human child with one of theirs (called a changeling), just to have a human. There is peace in the world below before the evil sorceress Hawthorne comes and takes the throne. The human Childe goes to find his changeling, to save the world below.

My favorite character is probably Whick because of his design and how he acts around the other characters. He also feels right in place with the other things and creatures in the story. The way he is made and bound to the human Childe is very creative, instead of him being completely free-willed until part of the book shows them welting away the symbol that binds him. I would love to see more of Whick in the next book and possibly Hawthorne not being gone. 

Title: Estranged

Author: Ethan M. Aldridge

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Reviewed By: Harrison M.

ARC Review: The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein

ARC Review: The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein

In the late 1700s, Elizabeth Lavenza is an orphan being abused by her caregiver. One day she meets Victor Frankenstein and his family. Victor is troubled by his past and seems not to understand how to conduct himself in society, so his mother buys Elizabeth so that she can teach him. In Elizabeth’s present day, Victor has gone off to university leaving her alone with the remaining Frankensteins. He stopped sending letters and no longer made an effort to contact her or his family. Without Victor, Elizabeth is useless, so what’s to prevent the Frankensteins from selling her? Elizabeth takes an emergency trip to Ingolstadt to bring her love back, but what will happen when she starts to uncover what Victor was truly doing there?

The author is Kiersten White and it is a shorter novel compared to others I’ve read at 304 pages. I would recommend it to any Middle Grade or above reader who is interested in that time period and had read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. This book is a retelling of Mary Shellys Frankenstein so having that information before heading into the book would be helpful. I give this book a rating of ⅘ stars. The plot is sound, and the writing is superb.

Title: The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein
Author: Kiersten White
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Reviewed By: Isabella L.

ARC Review: Lenny's Book of Everything

ARC Review: Lenny's Book of Everything

In my book, “Lenny's Book of Everything,” by Karen Foxlee, Lenny Spink and her little brother face many challenges in their own heads. Her brother, Davey, has a rare form of gigantism, and they are bullied because of it. To avoid the pain of others, they escape to the monthly installment of, “Build-It-at-Home Encyclopedia,” and soon find themselves lost in the fantasy. They adapt to this environment and it sounds become their life. For instance, Lenny vowed to become a beetle expert, and Davey wants to run away to Canada and build a log cabin. They start to pull themselves back to reality as Davey's disease gets worse. The story is about two very young children, leaving behind the real world, for an extremely imagined world, and using their bonds of siblingship, they escape the world, and grow up. 

I personally believe this is one of best books I have ever read, not only does it show, the true unbreakable bond between them, it inspired me to be more caring towards my sister. She is by no means the best sister at all, and I will not lie I am a bad brother, but I have been trying to be nicer. I view this try, as a priceless asset I have gained from this read, it is extremely important to be loving towards your sibling, and if you have the same problem as me, I consider reading this book. The plot is absolutely astonishing, as it unfolds you get to know Lenny and Davey, and it is too the point where you start to want to help them. You watch them detach themselves from society, and actually start to believe that these fantasy stories are real. It is kind of crazy to imagine people actually doing this, but they were still children and they grew up. Whilst you may see this as a goofball book with a goofball plot, the words cut deeper than a knife, and I truly believe this book is a masterpiece. I seriously recommend you read this, it tells of them fighting Davey's disease as it worsens, and how the hard truth is sometimes too hard to face, and therefore they turned to a fake believe world.

In conclusion, “Lenny's Book of Everything,” is an absolutely astonishing book, with an amazing plot, and a very well worded one too. It really teaches the read lessons whilst sharing a great story. In my opinion, the undying love between Lenny and Davey, make the book one of my favorites of all time and have taught me what I need to know to become a better person. Ultimately, you should definitely invest in the book, or check it out from your local library because this book is absolutely beautiful.  

Title: Lenny's Book of Everything

Author: Karen Foxlee

Publisher: Random House Children's Books

Reviewed By: John L.

ARC Review: Watch You Burn

ARC Review: Watch You Burn

Watch You Burn by Amanda Searcy is about a young girl named Jenny. After a childhood tragedy, Jenny develops an obsession and a fear of fire. Jenny moves out of her home with her mom and her sister to move in with her father, to start her life over. Once she arrives, she gains four friends- Roe, Kara, Ben, and a stalker. Jenny’s stalker’s identity remains hidden as the deepest, darkest secrets from her past rise to the surface. After Kara’s murder, it is up to Jenny to uncover the identity of her stalker before she is killed next. 

My favorite part of this book is the ending because there is an unexpected, shocking twist that sums up the entire novel. My favorite character is Roe. She is one of the most well-written characters, with new layers of herself discovered as the book continues on. I believe that people, around our age (thirteen), both boys and girls, would like this book. This book is great for readers who enjoy suspense or thriller novels. 

Title: Watch You Burn

Author: Amanda Seacry

Publisher: Random House Children's Book
Reviewed By: Emma J.