Student Book Review: I Am Number Four

“Protectors from another World”

Review by Joshua C.

          I AM NUMBER FOUR, by Pittacus Lore, deals with nine children from an alien race, which is known as the Loric. These nine children are sent from their home planet, Lorien, to earth in hopes to escape the evil Mogadorians. The Mogadorians are the destroyers of the Loric’s home planet. These evil creatures terrorize the universe in search of the resources to maintain their home planets life, and as they leave Lorien on the hunt for the Loric they have set their sights on a new planet, earth. The only ones that have the powers to stop the Mogadorians are the nine Loric children. These children, who are equipped with many powers, are Earth's only hope. The story is centered on one of the children in particular, Number Four, who might have the ultimate role in defeating the Mogadorians once and for all. There will be car chases, superpowers, and heated fights in I AM NUMBER FOUR, which are some of the many reasons why, as a Denton High School student, I recommend you read I AM NUMBER FOUR.

         

Student Book Review: The Pendragon Series

The Pendragon series by D.J MacHale is a series filled with mystery, fantasy, and an insane guy bent on destroying the universe. Bobby Pendragon is a normal thirteen-year-old, He’s good at basketball, enjoys his school, and believes kissing Courtney Chetwynde is his primary goal in life. Until his Uncle Press visits that is. His normally fun and awesome uncle informs Bobby that not only is his family gone, he also has to spend the rest of his life swinging through dimensions on wormholes called “flumes”. All in all, not a typical visit from family. Now on a desperate chase to protect the many dimensions, Bobby’s only way to record all that is happening to him is to write it down and send it to his best friend Mark and Courtney through inter-dimensional rings. For those who have finished the Harry Potter series and are looking for another fantastic character to follow, the Pendragon series is right for you.

Go pick it up now at the DHS library.

                                                                                                        Reviewed by Troy B.

Student Book Review: New Moon

New Moon is one of the continuing of The Twilight Series. Bella Swan's unusual life in Forks, Washington becomes ever more unusual. When her vampire boyfriend, Edward, suddenly leaves, Bella is heartbroken in a way only a teenager can be, leaving time on her hands to develop a friendship with Jacob Black, another boy with a strange family background. But it also gives Jacob the chance to really get close to her and finally get his chance to try and convince Bella that Edward is bad for her.

But little does Jacob know, Bella is hearing Edward’s voice when she is in danger, so she goes out of her way to take risks so she’ll hear him berating her for being stupid. It’s the sort of desperate, idiotic move someone would make if they were 17 and thought it was the only way to reconnect with their loved one. This is where Jacob Black comes in. Bella initially uses him to get into riskier behavior but his genuine friendship starts to bring her relief from her bereavement and starts a little love interest which confuses her on who she loves or even wants to be with.

For information about this book please go to Denton High School library or watch the movie trailer below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYBF3HKzrmE&feature=share&list=PL41BD206FEF9DB226 New Moon Movie Trailer - Official (HD) - YouTube

                                                                                                Reviewed by She'Keya P.

Book Review: The Raven Boys

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stievfater

Blue has always been told one thing, that if she kisses her true love, he'll die.  Raised in a family of psychics, Blue herself doesn't seem to have any powers herself. That is, until she sees the spirit of a boy named Gansey on the corpse road.  There are only two reasons why Blue would see a spirit on the corpse road, either he's her true love, or he's going to die within the year. 

On the other side of town live four boys who attend the local rich boy school of Aglionby, but really spend their time pursuing a lost and buried king, as ancient as Arthur. 

I wasn't sure if this book was going to be realistic fiction, fantasy, romance or supernatural.  It ended up being a little bit of everything.  One word to describe this book?  Eerie.  And super cool.  Okay, that's four words, but it was. Full of spinetingling secrets and slowly unfolding mysteries, Raven Boys was hard to put down.    Maggie Stievfater is an expert at casting a mood, sinking you deep into the emotion of the characters and the giving the reader a sense of place.  Like Mark Zusak's The Book Thief, Steivfater offers tiny pieces of the story at a time, waiting until the very end to tie it all together in a black lace ribbon.

This is the first book in a trilogy, but unlike some other books in a series, Raven Boys doesn't leave you hanging at the end.  Well, there's definitely some unresolved questions, but no worries. There is enough sense of closure to give you patience for the next book.

Book Review: The Inferno

The Inferno by Dante Alighieri



http://www.amazon.com/Dantes-Inferno-Classic-Collections-ebook/dp/B002MPPU38/ref=sr_1_6?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1361993390&sr=1-6&keywords=dantes+inferno

The book The Inferno was written by Dante Alighieri.  This book is about a man going to hell just so he can be with the one he loves, Beatrice.  In this book it describes the intense challenges he must face and all the punishments of this horrible world.  He must go through all of the nine circles of hell to get to Beatrice.  The first circle is limbo where everyone goes to be told what circle they are going to go to.  The second circle is for the lustful, the third for gluttons, fourth for hoarders, and the fifth is for the wrathful, which is one of the worst.  Level six is for all the heretics who believe in another god.  Level seven is for the violent, those who will cause harm to anything for any purpose.  Level eight is for those who committed fraud.  Nine is for the traitors who are considered the worst of all since they turned their backs on those who believed in them.  This is where Satan himself watches over the people as they drown in their own crimes.  Dante must convince the devil to free Beatrice.

This book was full of detail, a great book and one of my favorites!

                                                                                            Reviewed by Kobe Z.

                                                                                             (a DHS student)

Book Review: The Night Circus

The Night Circus

by Erin Moregenstern

In one word, this book was MAGICAL. Marvelously imagined.  Finishing this book was like waking up from a dream, only to wish I could go back to sleep.  Like the circus itself, the characters play dark and light against each other in a meticulously balanced dance.  While there are many times I am sad that a book is over, I rarely want to go back and read the book again immediately.  The only reason I brought it back to the library is because I want you guys to read it too! 

Here's the description from the publisher :
    
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Check out the website for the book trailer and a special extra scene from the book!

http://erinmorgenstern.com/the-night-circus/