Mortal Engines

"Mortal Engines" by Philip Reeve is a VERY GOOD BOOK I read over the summer. If you like Sci-Fi novels in which humanity totally screws up the world, then this is your kind of book.
The premise of the book is that it takes place at least two thousand years in the future, but the actual time period isn't mentioned. It takes place in a world where cities, many of which are from today's world, have all become individual nations that move around like tanks, boats, planes, etc. Each city wants to come out on top of the others, and the way the cities sustain themselves in the ruined world is by "eating" other cities and taking their resources.
The story follows an orphaned teenager named Tom. He has dark hair, is very skinny, and has few friends *cough* Harry Potter *cough.* He witnesses an failed assassination, carried out by a girl with a mutilated face. This encounter leads him to something that could reveal the horrible truth about the "traction cities." For this, he and the assassin are exiled from the city, and that's when it gets good...
I thought this was a REALLY GOOD BOOK. I haven't gotten around to reading the sequel yet, but this is the first in a series of four and I want to soon.
- Sam

The Rules of Survival

The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin tells the a story of three siblings trying to survive living with their heartless, brutal mother. Matt, Callie, and Emmy have a very strong bond with each other, perhaps this is what kept them going for so long, fighting for a better life. One night, in a convenience store Matt, the oldest witnesses a man named Murdoch coming to a child's aid. This experience gives Matt hope, for him and his sisters. Astonishingly Matt's mother, Nikki starts to date Murdoch. When Murdoch breaks up with Nikki, she starts to gets very malicious towards her children. Matt, and his siblings must be strong willed during this time, if they are ever to free themselves of their mother. 

I thought this book was very intense. I will say Matt, Callie, an Emmys mother is a horrible person, and shouldn't be able to call herself a mother. It is very shocking how she treats them. I think this book is well written. After reading this book I thought how surprising it is that parents can treat their children so viciously, and get away with it. I would give this book an 8. 

bone chiller

a boy is walking home in northern canada in one of the coldest winters known.

suddenly he hears something moving around in the forest to his left, is it a dog?

Suddenly out jumps a monster that is big pale and has absolutely no fur,

the boy tries to run but cant, the monster has him in complete control it jumps into him knocking him into a ditch, it then pricks his hand with its tongue and leaves him.

The boy wonders why it didn't eat him.

He feels very warm even thought its -20 degrees

Bone chiller is a very scary and enthralling book

It is written by Graham. McNamee

Black Box

Black Box by Julie Schumacher is about two sisters, Elena and Dora who have gone through their whole lives together as best friends. When the older sister Dora is hospitalized and diagnosed with a mental heath problem, Elena is worried about her sister and is also wondering why her sister didn't tell her about anything she was going through. As the story progresses, Dora goes through her up's and down's with her rehab. While all of this is happening to Dora, it is also very tough on her sister Elena. Elena finds her-self building a strong friendship with a so called "bad boy" named Jimmy. Jimmy gives her some tips on how to get through the rough times and he reveals a secret to Elena that she never expected. As the story keeps going, Dora seems to start trusting Elena with more and more detail and information on what is going on with her. Elena has to manage keeping her sister's secrets while making sure that her sister doesn't hurt herself more that she already has. In the midst of that, every night, she hears her parents fighting. All of this might just be as hard for Elena as it is for Dora.

This book is a page turner and isn't very long. I think that the plot was very good and was well written. It really grabbed my attention and kept me interested. I would give this book about a 8 out of 10. As I said before, it really kept my attention and kept me wondering and wanting more.

The Knife of Never Letting Go

The Knife of Never Letting Go, by Patrick Ness is about a young boy, Todd Hewitt about to become a "man," living in an environment were women don't exist. One day Todd, along with his dog Manchee travel along the outskirts of town, and accidentaly come across their very first girl to see. Todd is then told to leave Prentisstown, the very place were he grew up. It is after that the intense and thrilling adventure begins. Todd and his dog find themselves running for their lives from the men of Prentisstown; accompanied by the girl they found, who's name is later revealed as Viola. The three journey very long trying to survive dangers from crocodiles, to a murderous maniac; all in order to reach Haven, the place where they were supposedly told they'd be safe. 

After reading this book I found that I was very interested in reading the second book of the trilogy, because it ended in such a cliff hanger. I thought this book was very adventurous, and tense. I liked the layout of the book because it really got me intrigued. You are always predicting what is going to happen, and for the really shocking parts you just want to keep reading. 

I will probably read the last book in the trilogy given how exciting the first two are. 

Leviathan

Leviathan is by Scott Westerfeild, and is about an alternate world war one. In this alternate time line, the world is split into two factions. Darwinest, and Clanker. The Darwinests use geneticly fabricated animals (courtisy of darwin), and the Clankers use large machines bristling with weaponry. The main character is Alek, the prince of Austro- Hungary. One night Alek's teacher takes him on a practice run of a Clanker machine. And reveals to him that his parents have been asassinated. His country turned against him, Alek, his teacher, and a small crew of loyal men escape to the allied west, and are taken aboard the living airship Leviathan. On the other side, a commoner named Darryn Sharp joins the British air force, and joins forces with the exiled prince aboard the Leviathan. Although the plot is at times very generic, the book is very good and rivating, and anyone who likes steampunk and/or Sci-Fi should read it.

Life of Pi

Life of pi, Written by Yann Martel is about a boy who's name is Picene Molitor Patel (Pi Patel) who lives in India and loves exploring the different cultures and religions of the world. His father is a zoo keeper. When Pi and his father decide that there is a better political and social life somewhere else, they set off on a boat to Toronto, Canada, to set up a new zoo there. When the boat they are on sinks, pi goes on a wild adventure on a rescue boat in the middle of the ocean with a hyena, zebra and a Bengal tiger he calls Richard Parker. It all comes down to whether he can survive without getting eaten. This book is for people who like surprises and description. It is a very thought provoking and mystical. Not magical, but very strange. This book is also very adventurous, even though he is on a boat for the majority of the book.


I absolutely loved this book. It's beginning might bore people, but the rest is fabulous. It's main character, Pi, was a "not your average character" character. After I read this book, I closed it, stopped in silence for a minute, and said "WOW." I was recommended this book by my mother. She too, said wow. I'm sure, even if you don't like very descriptive books, a part of you will just say, "WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!"

-Grace M-H