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Airborn by Kenneth Opal

Reviewed by Nick Baxter

This high flying adventure book is about a young boy named Matt Cruse. The story takes place when they didn’t have jets so they made big gas cells to hold in helium.  These ships were called sky ships because they were the first ships to fly in the sky.  In the book there is an academy that you attend to learn about sky ships.  Matt comes from a poor family and doesn’t have money to go to it.  When an opening becomes available to work on the sky ship as a cabin boy, Matt gets the position.

Matt has many adventures on the sky ship, but the adventures really begin when he and a girl named Kate are caught in a hurricane on the sky ship and are forced to land on an uncharted island.

If you like high flying adventures then this book is one that will have you flying high!!  If you’re like me you won’t want to put it down.

Rating (1-4) 4 Knights

Beka Cooper-Terrier by Tamora Pierce

Reviewed by Helen Kilbury

Beka Cooper-Terrier is one of the best books I've ever read. This book is about a girl in her late teens who is living alone in her own apartment. Beka is training to be a "Dog", a police woman. There is something amiss in her own poor town. So like a dog, Beka goes to investigate. Being a "Dog" is tough. Along the way, Beka gets a few cuts and has to mourn for lost friends. With a little help from her friends, Beka Cooper, nicknamed Terrier, defeats the "come-to-life" children's nightmare. This book takes place in 246 H. E. and with a little bit of sorcery from Beka and her neighbors, it is a perfect, fantastic,(and much more) book for everyone!

Rating(1-4) 4 Knights

Code Orange by Caroline Cooney

Reviewed by Trista Parker

Code Orange is a book about a teen named Mitty finding small pox scabs and his adventures in finding whether or not he is infected with small pox.  Read this book to find out what happens when he is kidnapped.

Rating (1-4) 4 Knights

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick

Reviewed by Zach Augustine

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie is a realistic fiction novel about Steven, and his little brother Jeffrey who is diagnosed with cancer. As Steven's first-born attention wanes and his family life disappears, Steven Alper starts to gain attention in other places. The most popular girl in school starts to hang out with him, and he gets a spot on the All-City Jazz Band. As for Dangerous Pie, you'll just have to read the book to find out.

Middle School Students would enjoy reading this book because Steven is in 8th grade, and kids can relate to him. The book is engaging and entertaining, and the comparisons and relations are realistic and sometimes hilarious.

3.5 Knights - Almost Perfect

Lush by Natasha Friend

Reviewed by Morgan Starley

Sam’s dad is an alcoholic. He won’t admit it but he is. He comes home drunk almost every night and sometimes goes missing, once he went missing for three days! Whenever Sam’s dad says he won’t get drunk again Sam’s mom always believes him even though he says it every time. Her mom does yoga and never really talks to Sam about her dad. Sam really needs someone to talk to and share her problems with, so she writes the note. It is supposed to go to Juliet, a girl in High School that visits the library frequently (Sam’s favorite place). When Sam gets the note that she told Juliet to put in a book that hasn’t been checked out in thirteen years she is very excited to see that Juliet wrote back! The only problem is the person signs the letters A.J.K. Sam is very confused. This can’t be Juliet who comes to the library. Sam thinks it is Juliet’s friend but she goes along with it anyway. She notices that the shelving guy is almost always in the section where she finds the notes. A little suspicious but it doesn’t bother Sam.

One day at the library she meets a high school boy named Drew Maddox. He is really cute and Sam is really happy that he starts talking to her. She really likes him and he really seems to like her. Sam decides to tell her 3 best friends in the entire world that she is sort of ‘going out’ with Drew. They are excited for Sam. Her best friends do not know that Sam’s dad drinks. Nobody at school knows. Even her OLD best friend Charlie Parker doesn’t know. Then one night Sam’s mom goes to yoga thing and Sam’s dad is in charge of Sam and her little brother Luke. Sam’s dad is in his office and Luke is watching the Wiggles. They start being really noisy and they start dancing. Sam’s dad comes out with some important papers and a bottle of whiskey, his eyes are bloodshot. Luke says: “Wiggle with me Daddy” and he spills a cup of juice on the papers. Sam’s dad gets really angry and smashes the bottle over Luke’s head. There is blood everywhere and Sam runs outside to get her neighbors' help. Then they go to the hospital and Sam’s mom comes. They decide that they need to put Sam’s dad in a rehab center. Sam’s dad stays there for a long time.

Do you want to know who A.J.K is? Do you want to know if Sam’s dad is going to get better? Read Lush by: Natasha Friend. I give this book 4 Knights.

Megiddo's Shadow by Arthur Slade

Reviewed by Helen Kilbury

I have recently read a book called Megiddo's Shadow by Arthur Slade.  This is the first book that has made me cry, but, don't let this scare you away from reading it.  All that this means is that the author is a good writer and has made it so everyone gets something out of it.  Boys, this book has a lot of action in warfare that can be gory at times.  Girls, if you like romance Megiddo's Shadow provides a sweet and tragic storyline.  Also, this book lets you explore the plains of Canada and across the ocean to Old Palestine.  I have had an amazing experience reading this book and I very greatly recommend it to all who are willing to succumb to its adventure, love and suspense. 

Rating (1-4):  4 Knights

Something to Blog About by Shana Norris

Reviewed by Morgan Starley

This book is about a girl named Libby Fawcett.  Libby decides to start a personal blog that only she can read. 

In chemistry class she burns her hair on a Bunsen burner in front of the whole class and her crush, Seth Jacobs.  When Libby calls her mom to come get her, the person who answers the phone says that her mom out for a while.  Libby is shocked!  Her mom never leaves work.  Then Libby finds out why her mom left work; to be with her new boyfriend, Manual (Manny) Rivera.  The bad thing about this is that Manny is the father of Angel Rivera, Libby's arch enemy.

Libby wonders if her life can get any worse.  It actually gets better.  Seth Jacobs asks Libby if she will tutor him in chemistry.  Of course Libby says yes, even though she is nearly failing.  While Libby is tutoring Seth, he starts to really like Libby.  He tells her all sorts of things about his life, like his mom left when he was really young.  Libby is happy that he tells her things about his past; so she tells him about how her dad left before she was born.  Of course Libby writes everything that is happening to her in her private blog.

One night Angel and Manny come over for dinner and Libby finds Angel in her room on her computer.  Angel says she is checking her e-mail.  The next day at school, everyone is mad at Libby.  It turns out that Angel had printed out her blog and passed it out.  Will she ever be able to face her school, friends and Seth?  To find out, read this book!

Rating (1-4):  4 Knights

The Uglies Trilogy by Scott Westerfield

Reviewed by Zach Augustine

The Uglies Trilogy is a series of 3 Science Fiction novels revolving around Tally Youngblood. Like most books in the Science Fiction genre, it takes place in a world different from our own. They still live on Earth, but our time has long passed. All that remains of our world as "Rusties" is railroad tracks and massive metal ruins. When we almost destroyed the world with an oil combusting bacterium, a new system began on Earth. When a child reaches 16 he or she will be transformed into a Pretty, a perfect nearly identical person, similar to every other Pretty. People before the operation, "Uglies", dream of becoming Pretty and living the non-stop party.

So why wouldn't you want to be a Pretty? Faced with betraying her friend Shay or never becoming Pretty at all, Tally Youngblood sets off into the wild, to find Shay and a secret resistance. The she discovers the horrible truth about Pretties and fights back.

The Uglies Trilogy is very well written and is enjoyable to read. The many characters are developed well and they act as a portal to the different mind sets in this new world. This book has a good mix of dialog, thoughts and descriptions, and the many twists and turns are mind-blowing. It's very interesting how Tally changes through-out the three books, both willingly inside of herself, and forcefully because of the operations she receives. Middle School Students would enjoy the fact that this is a new world and they would also enjoy the well written story and humor. There is almost nothing to improve on in the series so it truly earns:

4 Knights-Perfect