Book reviews from the Castilleja Middle School.
Women learning, Women reading
 By: Karen M. McManus
★★★★★ Genre: Mystery Length: 384 pages Summary: One of Us is Lying is a mystery told in four different perspectives, Bronwyn the brain, Addy the beauty, Cooper the athlete, and Nate the criminal. The four of them, and Simon, the school gossip blogger, all wind up in detention. Suddenly, Simon drops to the floor dead and the question everyone is asking is "who did it"? Secrets are revealed, relationships are compromised, and everyone is trying to solve the mystery in Karen M. McManus’ new book. Review: One of Us is Lying is absolutely amazing! Karen M. McManus will leave you falling in love with each character and the relationships they develop. While the book may seem like an average story from a stereotypical high school, unexpected twists will leave you at the edge of your seat. And if you read closely, you might just figure out who killed Simon on that Thursday afternoon. Warnings: Romance: ●●●●○ Violence: ●●●○○ Language: ●●●●○ Substances: ●●●●○ More Books Like This: The Hate U Give Reviewed By Krisaana, 2024
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 By: Karen M. McManus
★★★★★ Genre: Realistic, Mystery Summary: Bronwyn, Cooper, Nate, and Addy are all stereotypical high school kids. Cooper is the jock, Addy is the pretty one, Nate is the criminal, and Bronwyn is the smart one. So it makes sense that they are confused when they all get detention for something they didn't do. But their confusion morphs into bewilderment when Simon, the only other kid in detention, mysteriously drops dead. Review: This who-done-it mystery was very good. I could barely force myself to put the book down as I tried to figure who killed Simon. I loved watching how the relationship between the four teenagers develops as they try to figure it out. Even if you don't normally like mystery novels, you should read it because there is so much more than just a mystery in this book. Only if you pay the closest attention will you figure this insane mystery out. Warnings: Romance: ●●●●○ Violence: ●●●○○ Language: ●●●●○ Substances: ●●●●○ More Books Like This: The Hate U Give  The Name of This Book is Secret
By Pseudonymous Bosch ★★★★★ “He’d only bent his head for a second, but it had been long enough for Cass to get a glimpse of the back of his neck—and to get the proof she was looking for.” … “What?” “The birthmark on his neck. It was shaped like a crescent moon.” One might say that Cass and Max-Ernst are absolute opposites. Some may say that they are the same. Cass is a survivalist. She is ready for any type of disaster thrown at her at any time. She is always prepared. In fact, as you read this, there is a 99.9999% chance that she has all of survival necessities at the ready in her backpack. Some of which include a flashlight one of the most important, a compass, which is always a good idea, and if she can remember, she will have her homework. When a box of old junk is delivered to her Grandpa Larry and Wayne’s junk shop, she finds a curious little box called the Symphony of Smells. The old box of junk was delivered by Gloria Fortune, a common donated to her grandfather's store. Gloria sells houses after the owner has died, and is often coming to donate the previous owners belongings. Gloria says that the owner was an old magician who died in a common home-kitchen fire. When Class starts to dig deeper into the story, she realizes that something isn’t right about Gloria’s story. After meeting Max-Ernst on the playground one day at school, they become collaborators to try and solve the strange mystery. One day they take the dangerous trip to the magicians house to look for some clues. After a very close call with almost getting caught during a house tour, Cass and Max-Ernest realize that the people who visiting the house really didn’t want the house, they wanted something else. They soon realize that they have endangered themselves, and that by visiting the magicians house, they have gotten themselves into quite an mission. Why did those strangers want the personal files of the magician so badly? What really happened to the magician and his home? Most importantly, and though it’s an awfully dark thought, are Cass and Max-Ernest safe? In this exhilarating story, we take a life risking adventure to help Cass and Max-Ernst try to save the magician, while bounding over obstacles that are put in their way. This is a terrific book for anybody over the age of 8! This is a terrific book for a bedtime read-aloud, and fun for the whole family! By Daniella, 2023  By: Shannon Messenger
Book Review By: Olivia ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “I would rather be punished for making the right decision than live with the guilt of making the wrong one for the rest of my life.” Sophie Foster meets Fitz Vacker who tells her that she is a telepath, somebody who can read everyone’s thoughts. After learning to understand everything he told her, she has to go on adventures to save the human world from falling apart. In Keeper of the Lost Cities Sophie learns to be kind, have friends, and how to stay true to herself. Sophie Foster is a completely normal girl except for one thing. She is a twelve year old high school senior. When she meets Fitz Vacker and learns about his world, she questions everything she ever learned. When problems arise in the human world they have to go and fight for the balance that has been contained for years. This book shows perseverance, hope and friendship. I recommend this book for fantasy readers!  ★★★★★
Book Review By Daniella “ ‘Would you say the trunk was big enough for, say...A body?’ ‘ Sure, I guess.’... ‘ I dunno. Tall. He had some kind of accent.’ Goldie Vance is a one of a kind detective. Goldie works at Crossed Palms Resort in Florida. She is the one to call on when something goes wrong. She is the detective of all detectives, and is ready to spring into action at any point in time. Later a priceless necklace goes missing, Goldie takes this as her chance to jump into action. After interviewing around the hotel for clues to where the necklace could have gone, she goes into a deep search to find the missing necklace. Questions arise when an old friend of Goldie’s sets a suspicion around her. Goldie’s father is the manager of the hotel, and after the risk of losing his job, Goldie wonders if she has gone too far. What happened to the necklace? Is there some kind of twist ending to the story? In this beautifully illustrated comic book we get the chance to take a look into the mastermind head, as we follow Goldie around her life in Florida. This is a quick read, which makes it impossible to stop reading! This is a terrific book for all ages! Parents can read aloud this book to younger children, while older kids can read this book in a flash of time. With the other book that are part of this series, you won’t want to stop reading! This book can also give us a glimpse at the genius ways this 16 year old girl solves the toughest mysteries. ` ★★★★★ Book review by Daniella  “It was 7 minutes after midnight. The dog was lying in the grass in the middle of the lawn in front of Mrs. Shears’s house. It’s eyes were closed. It looked as it if was running on its side, the way dogs run when they think they are chasing a cat in a dream. But the dog was not running or asleep. The dog was dead.”
Christopher Boone is 15 years old and lives in Swindon, England with his dad because his mom died 1 ½ years ago. He knows all the prime numbers up to 7,057. One night when he was taking a walk, he saw Wellington, the neighbors dog, but he was dead. Christopher is going to take his A level maths this year, but not before he finds out who killed Wellington. When he finds some strange letters one afternoon, he questions what really happened to his mom and what might have happened to Wellington. Are these mysteries related? And though a dark question, is he safe? In this amazing book by Mark Haddon, we take a peek at the life of a child with a mental disorder and the mastermind for solving this challenging mystery. This book has many plot twists that will make it impossible to stop reading! This tremendous book is great for all ages above 11! Though this book book side tracks occasionally, we get a great idea of the life of this boy, and along the way some ideas for solving this mystery! |
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