In the sixteenth installment to the iconic series, Greg is set on becoming an all-star. With a high-stakes Field Day quickly approaching, Greg needs to step up his game- literally. With all this sporty spirit in the air, Greg's mom encourages Greg to try basketball. Will Greg emerge as a big shot? Or will he perpetually warm the bench? Read this hilarious journal-style novel to figure it out! Once again, Kinney returns with our beloved anti-hero. He weaves humor rarely found in the middle-grade set into his simplistic yet elaborate works. A few gripes: Manny's favorite show, previously called The Snurples, was titled The Murples, and the outcome of the Heffley's moving misadventures still remains a mystery. However, this was a light and charming read. New and longtime fans alike will get a kick out of the new Wimpy Kid book!

I read the book. I still think Hawthorn could be considered a villain. His ambition got the best of him, and he definitely had some malicious intent. He used the othermind to his own avail. And while I agree, the othermind is the BIGGEST villain, that doesn't mean Hawthorn isn't one too. Besides, this is a fairly old review of mine, when I was new to DOGO. Can we just... agree to disagree? Sorry if I caused any confusion.

Welcome to Albert Einstein Elementary School. For Ravi, it's not all it's cracked up to be. For Joe, it's the same as it's always been. Save Me A Seat follows the perspectives of two different boys- Ravi, who's just moved to America from India, and Joe, who's lived there his whole life. The pair's relationship starts out, to be frank, rocky. The resentment's source? None other than Dillon Samreen- a popular crowd-pleaser who's also the prince of mean. Joe has been dealing with Dillon since he was five, and can easily see through his "cool guy" facade. Ravi, on the other hand, only sees a fellow Indian- someone who he can relate to and make an easy friend. After an act of outright bullying that Dillon blames on Joe- and Ravi believes- neither boy is sure about where they belong or who's really their friend. And with personal struggles peaking- Ravi being patronized by teachers, Joe growing more distant from his father, and, worst of all, an upcoming assignment looming over their heads- this school year seems to be one challenge after the next. Will Joe and Ravi navigate their way through the obstacles of school united? Or will they remain at opposite ends of the lunch table? Find out in this beautifully written novel! I ADORED Save Me A Seat. I'd read some of Sarah Weeks' previous works (Pie and Honey, you should check them out if you liked Save Me a Seat!) and enjoyed them, so when my brother checked Save Me A Seat out from our library to reread it, I decided to give it a shot. I'm glad I did. The characters in Save Me A Seat are raw, relatable, and so utterly human that it's nearly impossible to be bored when learning their stories. This was a delightful and witty read, and I recommend anyone looking for a realistic fiction read to pick this up. A solid five stars.

The MOMENT I saw that there were human-avian hybrids in Maximum Ride, I immediately checked it out from my school library. Human-avian hybrids (or as I affectionately call them, birb bois) are one of my favorite tropes ever, and they were executed wonderfully in the first installment of Maximum Ride. Maximum (Max) Ride and her "flock"- her ragtag group of adopted siblings- have been living peacefully in the mountains ever since Jeb, their former caretaker, busted them out of the lab they were raised in- they'd been experimented on since they were babies. But now Jeb is gone. And the lab's "Erasers"- lupine-human hybrids with a taste for blood- are on their tails. When one of their own is taken away- 6-year-old Angel, with her strange telepathy powers- Max and the others must get her back- or die trying. This book was an INSANE start to the series. 5/5. Would definitely (and aggressively) recommend.

Stuart Gibbs never fails to amaze me. His works are some of the most clever, creative, and enticing books I have ever had the pleasure of reading- FunJungle included. The series takes place in a tourist attraction called- I bet you'll never guess- FunJungle. We follow Teddy Fitzroy, a twelve-year-old boy, as he solves mysteries revolving around FunJungle's animal inhabitants (a hippo that appeared to have died unnaturally, a rhino being shot at, etc.) Later on in the series, the focus shifts to animals outside of FunJungle (dinosaur bones being stolen, a local mountain lion, a bear at Yellowstone), a change I personally wasn't too fond of. I also wasn't Summer x Teddy's biggest fan- I felt as though their relationship became pretty bland after they started "dating"- but it wasn't too distracting from the plot overall. That being said, the mysteries and action were RIVETING. I can proudly say I binge-read this series! With its unique characters, fun animal factoids, and a rollercoaster of a plot, FunJungle had me hooked, and I hope it hooks you too!

I hated the Sun and Moon anime. Most of the characters were bland and annoying (I will admit, I did enjoy Sophocles' character, though) and Ash was, as usual, almost completely oblivious to the fact that he'd actually had experience with Pokémon before. But, this review isn't about the anime. It's about the manga. My library had volumes one through three, and I decided to pick them up on a whim. The plot follows Sun, an errand boy who dreams of one day earning a million dollars, and Moon, a girl who is in pursuit of new scientific discoveries. Sun is "delivering" Moon to Professor Kukui- a friend of Sun's- and the two encounter a strange Pokémon and Team Skull's Grunt on their journey. With its cute characters, unique and well-made region, and Pyukumuku- LOTS of Pyukumuku- Pokémon Sun and Moon's first installment made for a light and fun read! Whether you're a fan of the anime, video game, or TCG cards, these manga are lovely.