January 25, 2011
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
American classic about a young man coming of age? Shoot yeah it is, this is a harrowing tale of a boy surviving his years as a student and a young adult. After being kicked out of almost every private school on the east coast, Holden Caulfield (main character) embarks on a journey home before vacation starts, as not to disturb his parents and meet up with a few old gals. Along the way he makes some discoveries, drinks a little and smokes a ton. Who is the famous writer known as D.B, how bout Allie and Pheobe? Read this moving book to find out what its like to be a teenager in the late 1940’s and early 50’s and answer all your questions. Doesn’t sound like your kind of book, well too bad there are many reasons in this award-winning novel for everyone to be fond of it.
I found this book a great pick because it was an easy read, lengthy at times. It had a deeper meaning than first thought inside the plot, that was simple to grasp, for me, myself and I.
Matt S., Class of 2014
The WHS Library owns The Catcher in the Rye.
January 24, 2011
A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer
The book A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer is about an 11 year old girl that lives in a small African village in Mozambique. When her 12th birthday comes around she has to get married to a cruel man that has 3 wives. Her grandmother encourages her to escape the village to Zimbabwe. When the time comes she steals a man’s boat. The journey should only take about 2 days, instead it takes her many months to reach her destination because of the many problems that she runs into. Even though her mother got eaten by a leopard and her dad passed away, both of their spirits’ help her to get through these troubled times.
This book sends a great message that children should never give up. As long as you believe in what you are doing and believe in yourself you can do anything.
Emma R., Class of 2014
The WHS Library owns A Girl Named Disaster.
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Hatchet is an exciting book about a boy named Brian (13 years old) whose parents are divorced. While on a trip to visit his father, Brian’s plane crashes in the wilderness, leaving him alone to survive only with the hatchet given to him by his mother. Injured, hungry, and without shelter, Brian must face the darkness of the forest and swarms of insects. How will Brian survive on his own? You will have to read it to find out.
Ryan D., Class of 2014
The WHS Library owns Hatchet in print and on audio.
Cirque du Freak #8 by Darren Shan
Cirque Du Freak Book 8 was about young half vampire Darren Shan who is traveling the world with 2 other vampires and a little person. In the book Darren was on the search of the Vampaneze Lord. They searched in the city where Mr. Crepsley was born where they found the Lord in the tunnels under the city. The team of vampires had some help by a young school teacher and Darrens old friend from school who grew up to be a vampire hunter. When they found the Vampaneze Lord in the tunnels. Darren noticed a man that used to be his friend from the Cirque Du Freak. Then the Vampire hunter on there team betrayed them, Because he was working for the vampaneze all along. They took him hostage back at there base. Then the cops came to the apartment home that was there base and had it surrounded and accused them of killers. They were arrested and brought them to jail to ask them questions and the book ended there.
Mike K., Class of 2014
If you want to get started with the Cirque du Freak series, the WHS library owns The Vampire’s Assistant and Other Tales from Cirque du Freak.
January 20, 2011
The Voyage of the Frog by Gary Paulsen
The book is about a boy named David who loves to go sailing with his uncle Owen in a boat called the frog. His uncle Owen with cancer and the cancer killed him a week after he went to the doctors. His uncle Owen’s last request was that the boat would go to David, also that David must sail to the middle of the ocean and scatter his ashes. While David sails out and scatters his uncles ashes and then a storm roared over the pacific that he did not expect, he has very little food and no flares or rescue devices. Read this book to find out what happens next.
Zach E., Class of 2014
The WHS Library owns The Voyage of the Frog in print and audio.
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Thomas is a teenager that wakes up on an elevator lift and the only thing he can remember is his name. The lift finally stops and the doors open and he finds himself looking at a bunch of kids all about the same age and a big open area surrounded by walls. He soon becomes friends a boy named Minho and tells him that kids come up that elevator every thirty days. Every once and a while, big giant doors open up to a maze filled with giant bee like creatures. Minho explains that Most of the older kids will make an attempt to the maze but they either come back scared or get killed. Thomas and Minho start making more friends and enemies but will they get out alive or not?
Isaac T., Class of 2014
The WHS Library owns The Maze Runner in print and audio.
January 7, 2011
Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports
In this story a group of half human-half bird kids are trying to save the world and not trying to get killed by Itex, A company with labs that create creatures and created them. To save the world they have to stop Itex. Itex has made Erasers to capture the kids in the past but now they have made robot versions of the Erasers the kids call “flyboys”. Itex also has a plan to destroy at least half the population of the world. Itex thinks that it will be a better world if all the people that aren’t good enough are gone. The group of half human-half bird kids get split in two with the group of boys explore around America and the rest of the group head across the ocean to Europe. The smaller kids want to have fun and explore wherever they go but Max, the leader of the group wants to stop Itex as soon as possible. In Europe they ask for help from the group of boys in America but get captured by Itex after sending the message. While locked in a dungeon, the group hopes the group of boys comes to help them escape and stop Itex. This book is a very interesting book to read.
Hansel, Class of 2014
The WHS Library owns the Maximum Ride series.
January 6, 2011
Sea Legs by Alex Shearer
Two eleven year old twins Stanley, and Eric stowaway on a boat with their father… without him knowing. They are supposed to be with their granddad and gran. They think that father knows all about it but really he is the only one who doesn’t. They stowaway on the cruise because they miss him too much when he takes his yearly cruise trip for his job. Their “mum” left all of them long ago so she has no idea they are on the boat either. The twins are forced to stay in a storage cabin, and few workers know about the stowaways. The few workers who now of the stowaway twins help them out. For the first two weeks on the boat the twins have a lot of fun eating free food, making friends, talking to old woman, also spying on their dad serving people. Eric the younger twin by five minutes, being a lair, told people his dad was the captain. Making unnecessary difficulties staying on the “down low”. They have a nice time until pirates come aboard and make everyone take everything out of their cabins and leave it in a bag outside of their doors. When the pirates think it feels light, they search the rooms for extra money or jewels. But then Stanley and Eric save the day by making the pirates get off the ship and giving all the jewels and money back to the owners. I would recommend it to people who have time to read, because it is a long book, and took me almost since the beginning of the school year.
Marty M., Class of 2014
May 5, 2010
Eagle Strike by Anthony Horowitz
This was my favorite book in 6th grade. It is about a kid named Alex Rider, a secret agent who walked around and said blight. In this book there is an intense car chase, a bullfight, and even have to survive as a human target in a video game. Once you are done you can go out and get the movie at blockbuster. The movie isn’t as good as the book but its still interesting to see how the director portrays the characters.
Alec H., Class of 2013
Scorpia by Anthony Horowitz
It is about a boy named Alex Rider who is a fourteen year old spy for MI6. In this book of the series, Alex must discover the truth about his parents so called “accidental death.” As Alex continues to progress, he discovers a double cover up of his parents’ death. I would highly recommend this book for young adults who want to read a very action-packed, high-paced book.
Gage, Class of 2013
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