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 Magic Kingdom for Sale - Sold! by Terry Brooks
This book is one of the best examples of how fantasy books ought to be
written, in such a way as to be both funny and serious at once. Reviewer -- Louis Badalament, 2000/2001 Teen Advisory Board.
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli  
Maniac Magee is about a boy named Maniac Magee. His real name is Jeffrey Magee but most people just call him "Maniac." He was four or five years old when
his parents died in a tragic accident involving a trolley. After the accident he was forced to live with his aunt and uncle. They were strict Catholics who wanted a
divoce, but couldn't because of their religion. So everything in their house had two of everything. But there was only one Jeffery so that was one thing they had to
share. So on every other day he would have lunch and dinner with his uncle; on every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday he would have lunch and dinner
with his aunt. One day at the school play, his aunt and uncle were arguing about something while they were sitting in the audience. Jeffrey saw this and he had had
enough. He was so fed up with their arguing and fighting that he went out on stage and started screaming at the top of his lungs. And then the audience just went
silent. Then they realized this little boy was up on stage just screaming, "STOP IT!!!!!" when he wasn't
even supposed to be there. Then Jeffrey felt himself jumping off stage, opening the back exit door, and he just ran, ran, and ran far, far away never to return..... I would recommend this book to anyone that
likes stories about adventure, and life in the past. Reviewer -- Robert Babulescu, September 2002.
Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden
This story is fascinating and well-written. Reviewer -- Gracie Badalament, 2000/2001 Teen Advisory Board.
My Louisiana Sky by Kimberly Willis Holt 
Doesn't this title sound peaceful and a little sad? Well let me tell you this book is not peaceful and
sometimes very sad. In the story Tiger Ann is the main character. She tries to find a place she is happy in her self and in a home. Tiger Ann has a unique life; both her parents are mentally slow, and her
grandma, Jewel, has to take care of Tiger's family. Tigers grandma is very smart. She has two daughters, Dorie Kay and Corrina. Dorie Kay is doing well in a big city far away from Saitter, her
hometown. Corrina is Tiger's mom, who lives in Saitter. Tiger's dad is one of the greatest workers at one of the two big nurseries; his name is Lonnie. This unusual family gets along pretty well except for
Tiger. She is constantly being teased because of her name and parents. Oh yeah, and one more thing: this book takes place when girls were not suppost to play sports, and it figures that Tiger is the
best baseball player in Saitter. She gets teased so much for this that she only has one friend, Jesse Wade. Jesse Wade is the only one who understaneds Tiger, and he is a boy. There is a tragedy, and
Tiger is faced with the choice of leaving her life in Saitter. Will she take it knowing that she will have to leave everything including her parents and Jesse Wade? She tests it out for a weekend and learns a
secret that no one would tell her before. Will Tiger Ann change her life, will she ever fit in with the girls, and how will she cope with her parents. Reviewer -- Taylor, March 2002.
My Side of the Mountain, by Jean George 
"Laugh all you want, I'll prove you wrong," Sam explains in this story that's called My Side of the Mountain. Many people dream of what Sam did in this story and want to
do the exact same. Nobody limits you to a certain place or object Sam explains in this story. You have the freedom to do whatever you want. In this book Sam Gribley
lives in New York City with eight brothers and sisters in a tiny little apartment. Sam gets bored with the small life and is going to run away with a ball of string, a
penknife, an axe, and some flint and steel. How can Sam possibly live under these conditions with only few materials to work with? Well Sam manages to get along
fine... after the first night. The first night was dreadful for Sam. First, during the day Sam has to face the truck driver who justs makes fun of Sam for wanting to run
away. Eyes on the road, back straight, Sam walked on. Second, Sam couldn't get a fire started so he couldn't eat or feel warm but Sam manages to get through the night. In the morning
Sam practices so much he finally gets the fire started. Sam decides he should make a home, and that's exactly what he did. Sam finds an old hemlock tree, burns a hole in it and that's his home.
Suddenly Sam finds something that lightens his days. I really like this book because Sam acomplishes what every kid dreamt of before under even worse circumstances that we would have,
but Sam really does prove anything is possible. The theme of this book is to tell you that you can do anything you want without the guidance of sombody else. If you like realistic adventure I really suggest
you read this book. Reviewer -- Evan David Schultz, March 2002.
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
What would you do if you were trying to survive in the wilderness and you only had some things to help
you? You also have only some experience. You only have a penknife, a ball of cord, an ax, forty dollars, and some steel and flint to help you survive. This was the situation Sam Gribley was in. Set in the
Catskills Mountains, this novel is about a child struggling to survive in the wilderness. Sam Gribley, the main character, is tired of living in a crowded apartment building with his family in New York City. He
seeks a new life away from New York City in which he can be independent. The Catskill Mountains, located just out of his home, was a perfect place to forge his new life. There he finds a hollow tree to
live in. He now has to survive by using his wits and what nature has for him. Within a few days, he has already made friends. As Sam makes more friends, he finds that life is much easier. Yet he still faces
problems. Throughout the book, Sam faces lots of dangers and gets to know how hard it is being independent in the wilderness and surviving at the same time. Some problems were involved with
nature; others were involved with mankind. Some things Sam had to face were blizzards, tourists, and hunters. Surviving through winter was the biggest obstacle he had ever faced. Preparing for winter was
the cause of other problems he faced. Some problems were not caused by winter. Tourists came in the spring and hunting season was a hard time for Sam to hide. Yet problems weren't so big.
Learning how to fish was his first problem in surviving. He somehow manages to solve the problems with the help of his friends and family. This book is like a metaphor about life in my perspective. Have
you wanted to be independent? That was what Sam Gribley wanted. Life is like surviving in the wild. With only so much experience, it is going to be a tough journey. You just can't go through life by
yourself. You need friends and family to help you through the journey. Once Sam made more friends, he found that surviving was much more easier. Once people make friends, life is so much easier and
more fun. I recommend this book to anyone that is searching for the ultimate meaning of life. Reviewer -- Samuel Lai-Yue Luo, March 2002.
Nobody's Daughter, by Susan Beth Pfeffer
It's about a girl who has no family but a younger unknown sister. She is sent to a girl's home and has
to deal with girls getting her in trouble and lying about the the things she didn't do, like how they killed her friend and lied about it. Reviewer -- Alexandria Haynes, 2000/2001 Teen Advisory Board.
Nose Pickers From Outer Space by Gordon Korman
Devin Hunter is a normal kid at school, until he picks up his exchange partner. He is a nerdy alien with a computer up his nose. Devin is not so normal anymore. He must save the Earth with Stan, from
being moved by Stan's planet. Nobody believes Devin, but he is trying to save the world. The best tool they have to help them is a special computer. Devin Hunter comes to the airport to pick up his national
exchange partner named Stan. Once he sees Stan he knows Stan's a nerd. Devin does not like nerds and even has rules on how to be cool. Devin brings Stan to his house and Stan unpacks his suitcase
with everything put away perfectly in one second, when Devin's not looking. Stan tells Devin and Devin looks and he is freaked out. Devin knows there's something going on with Stan. The next day Devin
had to take Stan to school as a guest student. All of the exchange students had to introduce themselves, and Devin was scared because since Stan was a nerd and as Stan's buddy it kind of
made him a nerd. That night after dinner Stan did the dishes in less than two seconds! When they had to go to bed that night Devin noticed there was a computer up Stan's nose. Once Devin told Stan he
knew he was an alien Stan told Devin everything. Stan's planet (called Pan) was wondering which planet would be better to vacation on, Earth or Mercury. So they sent two travel agents. One went to
Mercury and the other went to Earth. Stan was the person for Earth. If they decide on Mercury they will move Earth behind Pluto so they can see Venue's rings. If they move Earth behind Pluto all humans
will freeze to death. The next day they go to a competition at school and Stan gets his nose wet and the computer starts sparking. Stan's computer broke so he sends a letter to a guy with a nose computer.
He gets a nose computer from the guy a few days later. Stan puts it up his nose and his nose computer starts working. Stan's time is running out. He has less than 30 seconds before time runs
out for Earth. Stan sends Earth's logo "Sah-choo" to Pan just in time. Earth wins over Mercury and is not moved past Pluto. I give this book 5 out of 5. This book is for people who like good funny books.
Reviewer -- Todd, March 2002.
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway 
The Old Man and the Sea is a well-written book between an old fisherman and the greatest catch of his life. The fisherman, named Santiago, has gone eighty-four
days setting out to sea and returning empty handed. His partner and friend for these unlucky days has been Manolin, who has been forced to leave the old man in order
to fish in a more exciting boat. Feeling a strange urge to sail farther, Santiago sails far beyond the shore on the eighty-fifth day. A couple of hours has passed when
Santiago is startled by a Marlin that has took a bite from one of his bait on a line. Because Santiago must hold the line with his entire body, he endures pain from the
fishing line the entire time. I felt that the book was one of the best books that I have read in a long time. Not only is it a well written book, but it is also a very powerful
book. It is powerful because it has many symbols and meanings that the reader can relate to. First, the marlin is a worthy opponent for Santiago to face against. In the book, Santiago says
that "everything kills everything else in some way", and Santiago is proud that this creature is putting him to his very best. Ernest Hemingway has included the struggle of defeat and death. In the
beginning of the book, Hemingway describes that Santiago is faced with struggle because of his physical and mental age. Going out the sea, Santiago is faced with an opponent that is full condition
and in turn, has an advantage. There were many interesting parts of the book. My favorite part was when Ernest Hemingway described the captivating fight between the marlin and the fisherman. If I was
to refer this book to a friend, I would tell him not to stop. Spend a long time reading the book. Understand the context, but don't skip a night of reading. If you do, you will miss connecting details
throughout the story. Reviewer -- Phil Stakich, September 2002. .
On The Beach by Nevil Shute rating
 "On The Beach" takes place mainly in Melbourne, Australia. Peter Holmes is a
father to his daughter, Jennifer, and husband to his wife Mary. He works for the Royal Australian Navy. A huge war took place in America with the dropping of
2,700 nuclear bombs. The outcome of the war was that almost everyone in America, and the rest of the planet, is dead. Dwight Towers is a United States
Submarine Commander, and came to Australia at the end of the war to find that no one in the U.S. survived, including his family. The radioactive dust from the war
is traveling around the world, causing sickness and killing people. It will arrive in Australia within the next few months and kill all humans and animals on the face
of the Earth. Nothing can stop the radioactive dust from spreading around the planet. Throughout the novel, the characters know they will die, and it explains
their feelings about death and their last days on Earth. My feelings about this book: I personally thought this was a very depressing book. It really makes you think "How would I feel
and react if I knew it was the end of the world and all mankind?" Many people in the novel had goals in
their lives, like Moira wanted to get married and have children, and she couldn't. I feel the characters in this book were very brave. They accepted death, because they knew in all circumstances, it was
inevitable. They had to accept it. I think Nevil Shute did a very good job writing the book. He didn't make it sound gruesome about the deaths, but more briefly described it and let the reader use their
imagination. I overall thought it was a very good book, but very sorrowful and moving. After reading "On The Beach", it makes you really think about what could happen. In the book, it makes you feel you
really know the characters because Shute did a great job of describing everything about them and their personalities. After putting down the book, it makes you scared and frozen, trying to comprehend
everything that happened. If I could change one thing about the book, I would make it move a little faster, but I really had no dislikes. It was a well written book and I really enjoyed it. Reviewer -- Kristin
Gerhart, September 2002.
On The Beach by Nevil Shute rating
On the Beach is a story about the human race's last generation. A nuclear war has taken place in the
Northern Hemisphere during the 1950s and releases radioactivity across the world. The radioactive substances in the atmosphere have already killed everyone in the U.S and Europe. The only country
where people remain alive is in Australia. In Melvin, Australia, a U.S. Navy Commander, Dwight Lionel, recruits an Australian Liaison Officer, Peter Holmes, for his submarine. They are set out to complete a
few last missions before the radioactivity wipes out the human race completely. Dwight becomes friends with Peter Holmes' family and friends. Eventually, all the characters die according to how they
lived their lives. On the Beach was a very well written novel. I usually enjoy reading depressing novels because you always know how the story ends. Although I could predict the ending, Shute did a nice job
of making the plot and characters interesting. I seemed to also find many moral points in the story about life and education. I felt that Shute was trying to warn us about how self- destructible technology
really is. I also liked how Shute gave each character their own unique qualities. The only dislike I have to this story is how Shute wrote more about Peter and Dwight's missions, which were extremely
boring, rather than their families and how they were dealing with their tragedy. I felt that the setting fit the plot and character, because it gave the story a lighter mood and more of a happier sense. It broke
up the characters' sense of reality of what would become of them. I didn't find the character development to be very well written. The only change that I noticed with any characters, besides the
fact that majority of them went insane, except for Moira, a friend of Peter Holmes who falls in love with Dwight. In the beginning of the story, she wasted her life away with parties and drinking until she met
Dwight. Dwight made her realize how she should value her life and what she has left and not ruin her last few moments. There were a few themes within Shute's novel. The major theme is that nuclear war
is humanity's self-destruction. There is no winning in Nuclear War or any war for that matter. Innocent souls are lost over ridiculous and drastic decisions. Shute is using his on looking point of view to warn
us for the sake of our own lives. We should value each waking moment here on this earth, because we don't have a lifetime to live our lives. Reviewer -- Kristin Sparschu, October 2002.
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