Kids Books - Contemporary

My Side of the Mountain

My Side of the Mountain

By Jean George

This book is about a boy named Sam Gribley he ran away from his parents to a forest where his great grandfather had a farm. Sam thought that his great grandfather was still alive and that is part of the reason why he ran away. The other reason is that he did not like it in the city because it was too noisy. He hollowed out a tree and and started to live there, he got a little lonely so he stole a hawk from it's mother and started to live with it. I recommend this book for ages 9-15 because it is a little too violent for people who are younger.

Gulliver's Travels

Gulliver's Travels

By Jonathan Swift

Gulliver's Travels gives an account of an Englishman (Gulliver, of course) who goes on voyages but is very unlucky. He meets (famously) Liliputians, the small people; Brobdinagians (the big people); Laputans and Balinarbians; and Hounyhnms, the virtuous talking horses. Through these travels, Jonathan Swift, the Irish writer of satire, weaves in criticisms of the world during the 18th century, criticizing the following: Whigs, Hanoverians, people from the Netherlands, and Europeans. It is interesting to read all the brilliant sarcastic ways things are allegorized in this book. The sheer absurdity of some events was diverting too. For example, LIliput battles its rival, Blefuscu based solely on the "correct" method of cracking eggs, and Gulliver urinates on the place in a noble attempt to put out a fire, and is promptly sentenced to blinding and slow starvation. Of course, you will have to read the book to realize all of its brilliance. But as this book does not have dialogue, only long monologues without even quotation marks, and because the sentences are long, and semicolons put in at strange places, this is not so quick to read. This, I know, will detract from the reading experience of some. But if you are prepared, you should read these pages and bask in its deep glory, irony, and wit. I especially recommend it to people who like reading classics or are prepared to think while they are reading. Lastly, I recommend that you read it with some footnotes to understand political references, such as the Sterling Edition, which also has good printing and large font.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1)

By J.K. Rowling

I am a BIG fan of the Harry Potter series! It’s about this boy named Harry who lives with his mean aunt, uncle, and cousin. Then, on his birthday, he learns the truth about what really happened to his parents, and found out he was (and still is) a wizard! He gets to go to Hogwarts, a school for witchcraft and magic! On his first day, he picks Gryffindor, the brave, which is one of the four houses. He makes friends with Ron and Hermione, who are also in his house. He also learns about You-Know-Who, aka. Voldemort (who, by the way, has no nose 😂), and is determined to find out the secret behind the evil antagonist/villain. I would recommend this book, and the whole series to people who like fantasy and adventure! I’ve read all the books so far, and I’ll give it a five star! 🤩

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

By Holly Jackson

Holly Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is a mystery/thriller book. It is the first in a series of 4 total books. The main character, Pip, wants to find out what really happened to Sal Singh and Andie Bell on April 18, 2014. The whole town thinks that Sal killed Andie and then himself, but Pip doesn’t think he did so she goes to ask Sal’s brother Ravi for help. So once he agrees to help her, they start their mission on ringing the killer, but there are a lot of unknowns and there are people who don’t want her to find out the truth. Though she may have to ruin some people's lives and break their trust, it’ll be worth it once she figures out the truth. The topics addressed are murder, drugs, suicide, lies, and pedophilia. I think this book was very well written because of how the author described people's emotions and actions and it also kept you at the edge of your seat. I also loved how the author made you think everyone was a suspect and I would recommend this book. I rated this book a 5/5 and I definitely am going to read the next book. “Darkness was the easiest of disguises; it made the familiar unknown and strange.”

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

By J.K. Rowling

How do you think it would feel to be the only one to stop a being of pure evil? In the book Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling.The protagonist is Harry Potter a teenage wizard boy who lives with his aunt and uncle. They treat him like he doesn’t even exist and his room is a cupboard under the stairs. The reason he lives with these horrible people is because his parents died at the hand of the antagonist Voldemort the greatest evil in the wizarding world. I find the book very interesting and descriptive. The author did a very well job making this book and this series in general. There are parts that made me quite sad as important things went on. Such as how someone very dear to Harry died right in front of him or how he has to struggle through having a very mean and evil teacher controlling Hogwarts. There are a lot of twists and times where you don’t know what to expect. J.K. Rowling created pure perfection in a paper back cover that will most likely live on and entertain many generations to come and withstand the test of time. Harry Potter and the order of the Phoenix was a very thick book with eight hundred seventy pages and definitely not the last nor biggest book in the series. So far this book is my favorite and I recommend it to anyone looking for a great and long read. I believe J.K. Rowling did a amazing job in describing areas, characters and magical creatures in the book and the whole series. I also believe that this is straight from the heart and mind of the author and will inspire many whether it be adult or child to pursue their dreams and to never give up on what they believe in. The characters are all filled with such description from the way they speak to their dreams that they wish to come true. When you first introduced to characters you get a description of what their wearing, what they look like and how they seem to appear in stater. The ending was both wrapped up well and made me want to read more from the other books. I know I will feel sad when I finish the last two books, but I will feel happy to have read these books. I suggest this book to someone between the ages of 7 to adult because this book has odd words some people may not be able to pronounce.

Holes

Holes

By Louis Sachar

If I had to choose one word to describe this book, it would be: AWESOME! Hit rewind-- flashback time! The great-great-great grandfather of present day Stanley is chasing after a girl. Not just any girl, but the most beautiful girl in town. But someone else also wants to marry her- an old 60-year-old farmer! The only way to get her hand in marriage is to bring her father the largest, fattest pig. Not having something to bring, young Stanley goes to Madame Zeroni, who gives him directions to climb the mountain, and have a pig drink water from the river, while singing a special song. On the last day, he should bring Madame Zeroni up the mountain and have her drink while he sings the song. If he doesn't fulfill this, his whole family will be cursed. Stanley never carried Madame Zeroni up the mountain. Is the curse real? OK, fast-forward to now: Present-day Stanley Yelnats is an average boy, until one day fate hits him in the head. No, literally, it hit him in the head!😂 A pair of valuable sneakers fall out of the sky as Stanley is walking home from a hard day at school and the police believes Stanley stole them! He has a choice for punishment once he arrives in court: he can either go to jail, or go to Camp Greenlake. Easy decision, right? Camp Greenlake, of course! But Stanley soon figures out that this camp doesn't even have a lake! It's been long dried up. Every day at this camp Stanley must dig a 5 by 5 hole in the hard, crusty, desert ground. Not much better than jail! One boy nicknamed Zero asks Stanley to help him learn to read and write in exchange for help shoveling his hole. After Zero runs away, Stanley runs after him-- but they have no water. Can they survive, and will the curse finally be broken? And what are the holes kids have been forced to dig really for? This book was so good! The plotline flowed together, and I was hanging on the edge of my seat to read more! The story itself is brilliant, I would have never thought of it myself! 5/5❤

Defy Me (Shatter Me)

Defy Me (Shatter Me)

By Tahereh Mafi

This book is awesome it inspires me so much

Olivia

Olivia

By Ian Falconer

i used to watch this on tv Olivia is always in trouble she has a younger brother she is funny her brother cry to much

The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants

The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants

By Ann Brashares

4 best friends. 4 different destinations for the summer. 1 pair of magical pants. This is a recipe for a summer Carmen, Tibby, Lena, and Bridget will never forget!! The 4 friends are all going different places for the first time in their lives this summer. It’s going to be very different. On their last day together before parting ways, they find a seemingly normal pair of pants in Carmen’s closet. But when they try them on, they realize the pants fit everyone perfectly!!! They must be magic, because they all have different body types and heights. They decide to send the pants back and forth during the summer so they can each have some of its luck. Get ready for a wild ride, because this book has a lot of fun and energy inside! I personally really enjoyed this book, but it does have some mature content, so I recommend it for grades 8 and up, maybe 7th grade if you are a mature reader. What will the Pants have in store for you?? :)

All This Time

All This Time

By Mikki Daughtry, Rachael Lippincott

I truly wanted to like this book. I did not. In All This Time, the protagonist, Kyle Lafferty, gets broken up with by his lifelong girl Kimberly right off the bat. Then, while they're fighting in Kyle's car about why they don't work together anymore, there's a freak storm that causes Kyle and Kimberly to get in a car crash. Kyle wakes up to learn that Kim is dead. Unable to cope, he defers his dream school, UCLA, which he was supposed to go to in September. After months of nightmares and not really living, he meets Marley, a sweet girl who shares similar trauma. Slowly, they fall in love while trying to heal together. But what first seems like an okay story takes a complete turn, and there are so many twists and inexplicable events that the story doesn't make any sense at all by the end. There are so many attempts at plot twists and shocking the reader that it's a confusing, nonsensical pile of pages. The beautiful cover and the famous authors first attracted me, but now, I can't look at this book the same way. Please do not let yourself down by reading this. It is truly confusing and overwhelming.

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