High Rhulain

High Rhulain, by Brian Jacques [YA Fiction]

by Monica, entering 12th grade

Another part of the Redwall series, this book features Tiria, an ottermaid destined to become High Rhulain (otter queen) of Green Isle. But three stories must intertwine before that destiny is fulfilled. Brian Jacques, as always, cleverly and deftly weaves together three plot lines — Tiria’s own adventures, the challenges of her friends at Redwall as they solve riddles to help her, and the struggles of the otters of Green Isle as they fight for freedom against villainous wildcats.

Once again, Brian Jacques spins a great “yarn,” as he calls it, full of laugh-out-loud humor, edge-of-your-seat action, scratch-your-head riddles, and I-can’t-think-of-a-hyphenated-phrase emotion. I’ve always loved Redwall books, and this was no exception.

A Wedding in December

A Wedding in December, by Anita Shreve [adult Fiction]
by Melanie, entering 12th grade

A group of high school friends are meeting again after 20-something years apart. they are at an inn owned by one of the friends for the wedding of Bridget and Bill, who were high school sweethearts reunited. The group fell apart after tragedy struck them weeks before graduation.

It was interesting to follow all the characters as they were in the present and were also reflecting on their years at boarding school. One of the characters was also writing a book, so you had to read clips from her book as she wrote it, which got pretty annoying after awhile.

Overall, it was a good, quick read.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling [J Fiction]

REVIEW #1 by Dyllon, 8th grader

Harry’s adventure continues in this book, the sixth of the series. This year he faces the war against Voldemort, the evil wizard lord. Daily Ron and Hermione scan the obituary pages of the Daily Prophet looking for familiar names.

But besides that, the sixth years learn to apparate this year and manage to lose a few body parts in the process. Fred and George manage to expand their business and while all this is going on, Harry is getting potions help from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince. As Harry and Dumbledore search for what may be Voldemort’s only vulnerability, you cannot put this book down for one second.

Books are limited, so read it while you can, and if you already did, read it again. You never know what you might have missed the first time.

Review #2 by Jeana, 8th grader

WARNING! DO NOT READ ON IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!

In essence, you could read the last 5 chapters (and a couple in between) and get all the important info from the book. All you need to know is there’s lots of “snogging,” Hermione’s jealous, Lavender’s a cliche, Ron’s an idiot, Ginny’s even more of a cliche, Professor Trelawny’s a drunk, and Snape kills Dumbledore (yes, I said it).

Review #3 by Elizabeth, 7th grader

Warning! Spoiler Alert!

This is a good book ruined by the desire for money. This book could have easily ended the series by having the horcrux that Dumbledore died for have a note from Voldemort taunting Harry. The fact that someone else had already destroyed it was just an excuse to make more money. Harry would have just gone off to fight He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and we could have imagined the rest. Instead we will have to suffer through another book and see who dies this time. Irritating!

Eragon

Eragon, by  Christopher Paolini [YA Fiction]

by Dyllon, entering 8th grade

Eragon is an amazingly written book filled with magic, mystery, and even dragons!

When Eragon finds a mysterious stone in the mountain range behind his village, called Carrhal, called the Spine, he has no idea what is in store for him. The stone happens to be a dragon’s egg and hatches soon after Eragon brings it back to his house. He names the sapphire blue dragon Saphira after they share consciousness from the Gwedy Insignia that shows on Eragon’s palm after the first time he touches Saphira. His life is soon filled with the events of a Rider’s life — loss, death, even betrayal.

I highly recommend this book to all fantasy readers.

Song of Solomon

Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison [adult Fiction]
by Monica, entering 12th grade

This, I thought, was a fantastic, really impressive book. Morrison’s mastery of style, characters, plot, and theme come as close to sweeping the reader away as any novel out there.

Morrison writes in her introduction that every sentence has a meaning beyond its words, and this book really makes the audience think about what she’s saying. It shows that Morrison knows exactly what she is doing, that she never strays from her purpose, and that she can always find just the right words to convey her meaning — all trademarks of a wonderful writer. I would definitely recommend this book to both adults and teens, but it takes a certain willingness to think things through to read this book. To get the most out of it, I think a reader has to sit down and really dig in. But after the challenge, the reward is great, indeed!

The Other Shepards

The Other Shepards, by Adele Griffin [YA Fiction]

by Monica, entering 12th grade

The “other Shepards” died twenty years ago in a car accident, leaving Holland and Geneva Shepard living in the shadow of their loss. Never having known their brothers and sister, and with everyone else seeing them in the light of their lost siblings, the two must find a way to live for the future rather than dwell on the past. Meanwhile, a painter named Annie shows up at the Shepard house to paint a mural for Mrs. Shepard’s birthday. She recruits Holland and Geneva for help, and many lives are changed forever.

This novel is fairly good, but in my opinion, it doesn’t quite deserve the superb reviews that some critics have given it. One suggestion, though, if you choose to read this book: don’t read the book jacket. If you do, the “twist” at the end of the book becomes too obvious and predictable to be enjoyed.