Sanity & Tallulah

Written and illustrated by Molly Brooks

A graphic novel for readers in grades 3 and up reviewed by Madison

    

Sanity and Tallulah is a book about two friends, Sanity Jones and Tallulah Vega. They both live in a space station, but find that living there can be pretty dull. As a result, they conduct fun science experiments to help keep them from being bored. When their new experiment escapes from the station, they need to find it before it causes mayhem.

I like Sanity and Tallulah because it was written and illustrated in a comic book format, which is fun to look at while you are reading. This book is interesting and makes you want to continue reading to see what will happen next. Overall, I would recommend it to other kids.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection Volume 2

Written and illustrated by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird

A graphic novel for readers in grades 9 and up reviewed by Donte

        

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection Volume 2, which was originally published by Mirage Studios in the 1990s, continues the adventures of the four Turtles and their rat sensei, Splinter, as they battle new enemies and face old foes. This volume features a more complex storyline and character development, with the Turtles questioning their purpose and struggling with their identities. The art style continues to be simple yet effective, with detailed illustrations that showcase the action scenes and emotional moments. The introduction of new characters, such as Casey Jones and the vigilante Nobody, adds depth to the story and creates new dynamics in the group.

Overall, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection Volume 2 is a great continuation of the series’ first volume. It builds upon the foundations laid in the first volume while exploring new themes and introducing new elements to the TMNT universe. As a fan of the Turtles and a comic book enthusiast, I enjoyed this compelling and entertaining volume. I particularly liked how it developed the Turtles and progressed the story.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection Volume 1

Written and illustrated by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird

A graphic novel for readers in grades 9 and up reviewed by Donte

        

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection Volume 1 is the original comic book series created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird that launched the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) franchise. Published by Mirage Studios in the 1980s, the series follows the adventures of four mutated turtles named after Renaissance artists - Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael - who are trained by their rat sensei, Splinter, to fight crime on the streets of New York City.

The first volume of TMNT is a gritty and violent comic that takes a darker approach to the characters compared to the more kid-friendly adaptations that would follow. The art style is simple yet effective, with black-and-white illustrations that capture the raw energy of the action scenes. Despite its initial cult following, the series would go on to become a massive cultural phenomenon, spawning countless adaptations in film, television, and merchandise.

The original TMNT comics remain a beloved part of the franchise's history and are a must-read for fans of the Turtles and comic book enthusiasts alike. I loved reading this book for its action and story. It was fun, and the dark and comedic scenes kept me engaged.

Shatter Me

Written by Tahereh Mafi

A book for readers in grades 9 and up reviewed by Shayne

    

Shatter Me is about Juliette Ferrars, a 17-year-old girl who can kill people with just one touch. Her parents called the authorities on her, and she was imprisoned because she killed a little boy by accident with her lethal touch. She was sent to an asylum, where she’s had to fend for herself for 264 days. 

One day, a boy named Adam, who Juliette use to know from school, becomes her roommate. She then gets transferred to another facility, where she meets Warner and realizes Adam is posing as a soldier. Warner is the chief commander of Sector 45. He wants to use Juliette as a weapon to torture people who are part of a resistance. Because of this, Juliette and Adam plan to escape.

I really like Shatter Me because I feel its words visually represent Juliette's mind as a whole. Everything she sees, thinks, and feels are described throughout the book. The ending shows how Juliette doesn't just want to escape from Warner. No matter what, she wants to save everyone from him, and she is ready to fight.

The Dangerous Days of Daniel X

Written by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

A book for readers in grades 3 and up reviewed by Shayne

    

The Dangerous Days of Daniel X is about an Alien Hunter named Daniel, whose parents died when he was three years old at the hands of a mantis known as The Prayer. The Prayer is number one on The List of Alien Outlaws, with number one being the strongest and most evil. Daniel's target is number six on The List. His name is Ergent Seth, and he ends up being the main antagonist of the book. He has enslaved children, who he uses to sell drugs. But, as Daniel tries to find Ergent Seth, he starts to mess around with him.

I really like The Dangerous Days of Daniel X for its many twists and Daniel's willingness to keep on going. Daniel’s friends help him against the aliens, and they support him whenever he needs it. All of Daniel’s friends have unique personalities and skill sets that they use to help him.

Slaughterhouse-Five, or, The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death

Written by Kurt Vonnegut

A book for readers in grades 9 and up reviewed by Amin

        

Slaughterhouse 5, or, The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death by Kurt Vonnegut begins as the author reflects on his time in the war and the period after that. His inspiration to write the book unfolds in the following chapter. The book jumps around the life of Billy Pilgrim, its main character. It goes from his youth to his time in the army and war, then to his post-war life.

During his post-war life, Billy experiences the harsh debts that the war has laid upon his well-being. He imagines himself getting abducted by aliens and living a life with another woman to then come back to reality. Due to Billy’s biased personal accounts, no one knows if what is happening is real or not (although it probably isn't). Whether or not he is telling the truth or lying is ambiguous, but it sure does make for a great story.

Slaughterhouse 5, or, The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death’s jumpiness can be jarring for many. But, when I was caught up with all that was happening, it personally kept me wanting more and was entertaining. Kurt Vonnegut’s language and tone are very casual, so it makes up for the confusion in the timeline of events. The book is comparable to accounts from veterans, war films (not those cheesy ones like Rambo, but ones like 1917 and Dunkirk that are more realistic), and other biographical war novels. This book introduced me to the world of Vonnegut's literature, and I will always remember it for that reason. On a scale from 1 to 10, I would give it a solid 9.

The Missing: Found

Written by Margaret Peterson Haddix

A book for readers in grades 3 and up reviewed by Shayne

    

In The Missing: Found, the main characters, who are 13-year-old Jonah Skidmore, Katherine Skidmore (Jonah’s younger sister), and Chip Winston, are all part of a conspiracy that involves disappearing planes, people, and kids throughout time. Jonah is an adopted kid who wants to find his biological parents. So, he asks his adoptive parents to look for his biological parents. They go to a guy named James Reardon after Chip (who is also adopted) finds his name on an adoption file in his father's safe.

Jonah's family goes to Reardon’s office to speak with him. When Jonah goes to the bathroom to throw up, he finds a man, who Katherine later calls JB (or Janitor Boy). Janitor Boy is a very important character who plays an essential role in The Missing series. He tells Jonah to memorize the things on Reardon's desk when he returns to the office. Jonah and Katherine work together to distract Reardon, then take pictures of a file containing the labels “Survivors” and “Witnesses.” Later, Jonah, Katherine, and Chip go to an adoption conference, where two guys named Gary and Hodge trap them in a time cave.

I really like The Missing: Found because of all its twists. Chip, Jonah, and Katherine’s relationship also really starts to develop throughout this book. The group's teamwork is really amazing, and their journey to discover the truth behind their adoptions is absolutely great and unreal. After everything I read throughout the book, I thought anything was possible.

The Time Machine

Written by H.G. Wells

A book for readers in grades 7 and up reviewed by Caitlin

        

In The Time Machine, a man makes an extraordinary break in science. He creates a time machine with the ability to move through the past and future. The Time Traveler travels to the year 802,701, where life is very different then where he once was. The society humans had built was destroyed and totally different from what he could have ever imagined.

The Time Traveler makes both friends and enemies. He also learns much about the people of the future while also having questions about how the human race got to this point in time.

The Time Machine has to be one of the best books that I have ever read. I enjoy futuristic movies and books, so I automatically loved this book. I also loved how different it was from typical movies and books about the future. The Time Machine leaves you with many questions, and I highly recommend it to those who like to think about what the future holds for humankind.

Don't Turn Around

Written by Michelle Gagnon

A book for readers in grades 9 and up reviewed by Jose

        

Michelle Gagnon’s Don’t Turn Around is about sixteen-year-old Noa Torson, who wakes up in a warehouse with little memory of what happened to her. On the same night she escapes from the warehouse, Peter Gregory discovers the AMRF corporation’s Persephone Project when he hacks into their database.

After teaming up with Peter, Noa hacks into AMRF’s database and discovers a file with her name in it. This causes her to become further entangled with Project Persephone alongside Peter as they try to understand its purpose.

I liked Don’t Turn Around because Noa’s story of trying to understand why she was taken is compelling. In the beginning of the book, the story alternates between Noa’s and Peter’s points of view, giving a nice contrast between the two and showing how they are entangled in Project Persephone. Overall, this book is worth reading if you like stories where the protagonist is trying to solve a mystery about themselves and the situation that they’re in.

Nomad

Written by William Alexander

A book for readers in grades 5 and up reviewed by Jose

        

William Alexander’s Nomad begins in the past by introducing Nadia, who was Earth’s Ambassador. She was on the moon in the Zvezda Lunar Base to discuss the Machinae Lanes with an alien ambassador. The story then shifts to the present and introduces Gabe Fuentes, who is currently Earth’s Ambassador.

Gabe is on the abandoned Zvezda Lunar Base with Kaen, the Kaen alien fleet’s ambassador. The two travel to the Kaen fleet hidden in an asteroid, where they have to find out how the Outlast, a race that wants to dominate the universe, are traveling at an impossible rate and conquering other worlds.

I liked Nomad because it is very immersive. It describes how different alien races can coexist within the Kaen fleet and explores how Gabe adapts to staying with the fleet. Overall, this book is worth reading if you are interested in science fiction and like to ponder about the universe.

H.I.V.E.: The Higher Institute of Villainous Education

Written by Mark Walden

A book for readers in grades 6 and up reviewed by Jose

        

Mark Walden’s H.I.V.E.: The Higher Institute of Villainous Education is about Otto Malpense, a thirteen-year-old boy who wakes up on a helicopter flying over an ocean with no recollection of how he got there. He gets taken to a school called the Higher Institute of Villainous Education (or H.I.V.E.) that is hidden in an active volcano. The school is run by Dr. Nero with the purpose of training children to become villains. Rather than remain stuck at H.I.V.E. for six years, Otto soon expresses his desire to escape from the school.

I liked reading H.I.V.E.: The Higher Institute of Villainous Education because it has really compelling characters. The book has good dialogue that perfectly captures each character’s personality. I also liked how it has a detailed plot, which kept me hooked as I continued to read.

Overall, H.I.V.E.: The Higher Institute of Villainous Education is enjoyable and worth reading.

The Angel Factory

Written by Terence Blacker

A book for readers in grades 5 and up reviewed by Jose

    

Terence Blacker’s The Angel Factory is about Thomas Wisdom, a boy who was raised in a seemingly perfect family in England. In addition to loving parents, he also has an older sister.

Thomas begins to question if his family life is too good to be true. He somewhat complains to his best friend Gip about how perfect his family is and wishes that they would berate him for doing something wrong.

After Thomas explains his parents’ strange behavior (such as how they go to the bathroom at the same time every morning), he and Gip, who suspects Thomas’ parents might be in the CIA, decide to hack into Thomas’ dad's computer. Thomas discovers that his family is not his real family. He was adopted, and he soon discovers his adoptive family’s motives.

I liked The Angel Factory because I found Thomas and the other characters compelling to read about. There are a lot of twists throughout the story that I found enjoyable and shocking. Everything that Thomas knew may not be as it seems, and I liked reading his reactions to the plot’s revelations. Overall, I would say that this book is worth reading.

The Maze Runner

Written by James Dashner

A book for readers in grades 7 and up reviewed by Andielynn

    

The Maze Runner is a dystopian novel where a group of individuals are locked inside the Glade, a prison with four high concrete walls. Outside of the Glade is a giant labyrinth known as the Maze.

When the Glade's walls open up, the people inside, who are known as Gladers, run out to try and escape the Maze. However, there are creatures within the Maze's walls that could attack and instantly kill them. After trial and error from each of the Gladers, they finally sprint to the Maze's exit only to realize they were all just test subjects for an organization.

I really liked reading The Maze Runner because its action and suspense kept me on my toes. I also like that the book has a movie adaptation. The film makes it easier for readers to visualize the book's events. However, I liked the book better because I felt that the movie did not really capture some of the things that the author wrote.

The 5th Wave

Written by Rick Yancey

A book for readers in grades 9 and up reviewed by Andielynn

    

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey is a novel that takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. It is written from the perspectives of its three main characters, Cassie, Ben Parish, and Evan. However, the majority of the story is centered around Cassie.

Cassie is just like any sixteen-year-old girl going through the ups and downs of high school, where her biggest concern is trying to make her crush Ben Parish notice her. This soon changes when everyone’s world is turned upside down as the end of the world begins due to an alien invasion. The aliens, who are referred to as “The Others,” plan to gradually kill off the human population.

As seen in the title, the apocalypse has five waves. The first wave is an electromagnetic pulse that takes out all the power on Earth. The second wave unleashes powerful earthquakes and tsunamis. The third wave is the spread of a deadly disease. The fourth wave is when the aliens disguise themselves as humans. Finally, the fifth wave is the total removal of the human race. 

I loved reading this book. Right from the beginning, it grabbed my attention, since I could relate to Cassie, who is around my age. The storyline made me start to think about what I would have done in a similar situation, especially how I would attempt to protect myself and my family. Overall, I give this book a 10/10 and would recommend it to those who like reading sci-fi or adventure novels.

Game Changer

Written by Margaret Peterson Haddix

A book for readers in grades 7 and up reviewed by Mary

    

This is a story about a young softball player named KT. At her big game, a freak accident happens that puts her in a coma. In the coma, she experiences a world that makes no sense, and she finds some people there that help her wake up.

I loved this book so much. I loved how it showed the love of a family, especially between a brother and a sister.