The Island of Dr. Libris Review by Adrita Talukder

Chris Grabenstein - the author of a great book that I love, Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library. So when I was in the library, I was pretty surprised when I saw this book. If you’d read Escape from Mr.Lemoncello’s Library, you’d know it takes place in a library, and it involves books. Well, The Island of Dr.Libris doesn’t just involve books, it involves characters from the books.

Billy Gillfoyle is just your average 12 year old boy with a huge imagination and parents who are almost the complete opposite. Billy’s mom is a mathematician, and Billy’s dad produces commercials. And they don’t live together. One summer, Billy goes to spend the summer in a lakeside cottage that his mother had rented from Dr. Xiang Libris. There he meets his siblings Walter and Alyssa, and his soon to be enemy Nick Farkas. On the first day he’s there, his mom tells him that Dr. Libris has a library. Billy goes to explore the library and sees the glass case full of books his mom told him was locked up. Billy inspected the lock, and using what he had learned from books, Billy was able to find the key, which was something no one else had been able to do before. He opened the case and grabbed The Labors of Hercules. Upon opening it, Billy heard something. He kept on reading and realized the sounds he was hearing was the story. Billy rushed out, but he couldn’t see anything as it was night. The next day Billy went back to the library then went outside. He knew that there was an island nearby, so he took a rowboat to go there. The only problem was that Billy hadn’t ever been in a rowboat before. As he was struggling to get to the island something helped him. At the time he thought it was something mechanical, but he realized later that it was Poseidon. Billy got to the island, only to see two huge men battling. Billy was about to experience an adventure he had never imagined before…

I liked this book, so you might as well!

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The Night Gardener Review by Renee James

Yesterday, I finished reading The Night Gardener, a book I was pretty skeptical about before I read it. The book starts out by introducing two Irish orphans, Kip and Molly, whose parents had died on a lost ship.  After spending several weeks on the street, the older orphan, a girl named Molly, is desperate for a place to stay. She is very hopeful and happy when she hears that there is work to be done at the Windsor Estate. However, there are many strange rumours about the estate.

Kip, the younger orphan, isn’t very happy with Molly when she decides to go. Every time Molly asks a local for directions to the estate in the Sourwoods, they refuse to give them directions. Molly, frustrated, asks an old woman singing on the road for directions. Turns out this witch’s name is Hestern Kettle. Hester gives them directions, but makes them promise to give her a story about everything that happens at the estate. Molly is curious, but agrees without asking questions. Sure enough, they reach the estate. There is a tall dark tree guarding the house. As Molly looks closer, she realizes it’s not just guarding the house, it’s growing into the walls of the house. She ties up the horse and brings Kip to the door. She knocks, but no one answers the door. Instead, a little girl invited Molly in and Molly opens the door just enough to see the girl’s limp dark hair and dull dark eyes . . .

The Night Gardener would be great for you if you like fantasy and/or horror. It’s gets very suspenseful and scary. You’ll find yourself turning pages quicker than ever before.

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Out of My Mind Review by Hamna Ahmad

Out of My Mind is an outstanding book written by Sharon Draper.  It starts out as a girl named Melody, who was born with a disability.  Her body was stiff and that she couldn't move.  She has been stuck in her wheelchair all of her life. She can’t even talk! Melody gets  frustrated when she is not able to communicate with other people. Sometimes she can get out of control.  She is the smartest person in class and nobody knows!  Mrs.V is Melody's neighbor who has been helping and supporting Melody since she was 3 years old.  Finally, after years and years of waiting Melody gets to talk for the very first time! Well of course with the help of her new Medi-Talker.  The Medi-Talker speaks out words so Melody can communicate.  Soon, Melody's classmates get to know and understand her personality.   Shortly after, she gets to express her knowledge in front of everyone. How does she do this? Does it turn out to be a disaster?  You have to read the book to find out!

I personally thought Out of My Mind was a fantastic book.  I liked the plot and ideas, as well as all the different characters.  The author described things very well, however sometimes the book was slow and didn't go as fast as some other parts.  Overall, Out of My Mind was an amazing book, and it definitely is one of my favorites.  

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Snap Book Review by Lily Bang

If you’re a reader that likes the supernatural, then Snap is the book for you.  It is a great tale about a girl named Madison who gets her life turned upside down in the most mysterious way.

Madison has what she claims to be the best life she could get; she has a spot in the newspaper, photography, a big house, and her best friend Lexie. She then gets dropped off at a new town called Sandy Land.  The town is not a vacation spot, it’s pretty run down.  Madison thought that she could make the best of thing by taking photos, her one passion.  Well, when her camera goes in for a fix, the strangest things start happening.  The photos start coming out with figures in them that were not there when she took them.  Are they spirits or not?  

The reason I really liked the book is because once I got to a very interesting part in the book I couldn’t put it down.  I also did not notice that there were many slow parts of the book, if any.   The only thing I did not like about the book was that it was a bit of a slow read for me.  Overall, I’d rate this book a nine out of ten, because it is not at all what you think it is.  

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Old Mythology with a Modern Twist by Jack Haris →

One of the most successful and well known authors, Rick Riordan, is now coming out with a new series.  Following his usual fashion of making mythology of different cultures well known, Rick Riordan is making a new series on Norse mythology.  The Magnus Chase series will be hitting shelves on October 6th, 2015 with their first book called The Sword of Summer.  

Magnus has always been a homeless, troubled kid on the streets of Boston.  But when on his sixteenth birthday he talks to a strange and dangerous man he learned the truth.  His father was a Norse god.  Now Magnus has to journey through the Nine Worlds to find a special weapon that has been lost for thousands of years. With trolls, giants, and worst monsters on his tail.  But when Boston is attacked by fire giants Magnus must make a big decision, save himself, or thousands of innocent lives. What would you choose?

This 640 page book will sure be a page turner.  But make sure you get your copy at most stores, or be the first to recommend it in our school or Schlow library.