Rules of Summer

Rules of Summer by Joanna Philbin; reviewed by Ella S.

"Overall, I thought this book was pretty good. I definitely enjoyed it much more than I thought I would, that was because of the beginning which was not very grabbing. I thought the book was good, not great. I felt that it was more of a check out from the library: "Oh I guess this looks god" rather than a "This looks great let's buy it" kind of book.I also felt that the summary on the back was slightly misleading. Though I did enjoy reading this book, it was simple and sweet." - Ella S.

If you'd like to find out more about Rules of Summer, you can do so here. This review is part of our Summer Reading Challenge.

Ink

Ink by Amanda Sun; reviewed by Mimi S.

"Ink, by Amanda Sun, is a novel about a girl named Katie Green who moves to Japan to live with her aunt after the unexpected death of her mother.  Once there, she meets a mysterious Japanese boy who she soon realizes has godly capabilities with the maneuvering of ink.  This book has a plot very similar to those of many shoujo/shounen manga (Japanese comics geared toward young males and females), with the supernatural occurrences and the fact that it is, well, based in Japan.   It is pretty dark storyline, but with lots of romance mixed in between.  In my opinion, the overall book was okay.  I enjoyed the inclusion of Japanese culture and language, but sometimes the romance got a bit cheesy (however do keep in mind I am not a very romantic novel-minded person).  For those who liked Twilight but wished Bella sometimes did something other than be saved, this is the book for you.  Think Sarah Dessen gets thrown into the Divergent by Veronica Roth, and then is shipped to Japan and put in with mangas like Naruto.  Voíla! Ink by Amanda Sun.  Beautiful artwork included inside the book." - Mimi S.

If this book sounds good to you (it sure does to us!) read more here. This review is part of our Summer Reading Challenge. 

 

Pulse

Pulse by Patrick Carman; reviewed by Hannie R.

"What do you think the world will be like in 2051? A happy place? A place filled with amazing technology? Do you ever think that maybe it will be a dying world? Pulse is the story of the world in 2051 where most people live in "states": giant civilizations with millions of people living close together to try to stop global warming before it destroys the world much sooner than anyone thought. The main character, Faith lives outside of the states. She doesn't like them at all and swears to never move to one. More and more people are moving to the states though, and eventually Faith's best friend moves too leaving Faith all alone to discover that there is more to the states, and herself than meets the eye. Faith has to figure out who to trust, or more importantly who not to trust quickly because her life is about to get a whole lot more complicated.

        Pulse is dystopian fiction.It had a bit of a slow start but once it got going it was really entertaining. I loved the whole idea of the book; the people, the powers, and the adventure. Pulse really makes you think, the people in it depend so much on technology that they could hardly live half a day without it. Is that our future? We already depend so much on technology it could easily happen. This book sucks you in so that all you can think about is what will happen next. It's intriguing and exciting, and of course it wouldn't be teen fiction without a bit of romance. Pulse is a great book and I enjoyed reading it." - Hannie R.

If this book sounds good to you, read more here. Pulse will be available starting in February 2013.

THE END IS NEAR!

Attention all kids who have been participating in the Summer Reading Challenge (or who want to get a very late start): only 3 days left to redeem your (full) punch cards for free advance copies of books! We will continue posting reviews if we continue receiving them. Thanks to everyone who participated by reading books and/or writing these fantastic reviews. Keep reading and we'll see you in the store!

- GGP Staff

Liar and Spy

Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead; reviewed by Hannah M.

"Liar and Spy is a great book that really makes you wonder: is anything true? It's about a boy named Georges (silent "s") who stops by to see what a piece of paper saying "Spy Club Meeting Today" really means. But when he walks through the door, it's only two very strange members named Candy and Safer. This odd meeting sets Georges off to find the "true" nature of Mr. X. This is a great follow-up to Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me." - Hannah M.

If this book sounds good to you, read more here! This review is part of our Summer Reading Challenge.

Hollow Earth

Hollow Earth by John Barrowman and Carole E. Barrowman; reviewed by Cecily B.

"Hollow Earth is about 12-year old twins named Matt and Em, who are from present day London , England . A week before the story in the book begins, they figure out that they have magical abilities–that they can bring to life what they draw and travel through art. The twins are being hunted by a group that wants to  imprison them.  Another group is trying to protect them.  I would recommend this book to people who like mysteries and adventure. I liked this book because it was written really well and had a really unique story-line; I especially liked that the kids discovered their powers before the book started. Usually in these kinds of stories, half the book is spent figuring out what their powers are and getting over the fact that they have powers. All that is done here before the book even starts and the kids are fine with the fact that they're magical. Even though the beginning seemed like any other book in this genre, it got much better toward the middle and end. Overall I thought this was a really good story." - Cecily B.

If this book sounds good to you, read more here. This review is part of our Summer Reading Challenge.

The Chronicles of Egg: Deadweather and Sunrise

The Chronicles of Egg: Deadweather and Sunrise by Geoff Rodkey; reviewed by Cecily B.

"This book is about a thirteen-year-old boy named Eggbert, whose family–his brother Adonis, sister Venus, and their dad–are a bunch of pirates. Eggbert isn't suited to life as a pirate and so he doesn't like anyone in his family–except maybe his father. They live on Deadweather Island , a smallish island where a whole lot of pirates live. It seems, at first, like life gets a lot better for Eggbert when his dad brings the family to a "paradise" called Sunrise Island to live with Roger and Millicent Pembroke. Eggbert is in love with Millicent so he's pretty happy with this situation. He is even happier when the rest of his family floats away on a balloon because that means he can stay living with Millicent and Roger. Suddenly, though, everything goes wrong when someone tries to throw him off a cliff. Eggbert finds himself up to his neck in a mystery involving a strange parchment, weird maps on walls, and someone who keeps trying to kill him. His only friends are Millicent and a possibly crazy cabin boy. This book had a lot of twists and turns and I thought that the character of Eggbert was written really well. It was an unusual story, which I liked and I thought that the author let the story unfold in a very interesting way. Overall I really liked this book." - Cecily B.

If this book sounds good to you, read more here. This review is part of our Summer Reading Challenge.