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.

         

Book Review: Treasure Island

If you ask me which book was more suspenseful The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins or Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, I would say Treasure Island. But I didn’t expect that to be my answer before I started reading it.

Treasure Island is a classic coming-of-age story about an 11 year old boy named Jim Hawkins. The story starts with Jim at the inn that he and his mother run. A scary, drunken, pirate comes to stay at the inn. We find out this pirate is being hunted down by his ship’s crew because he took off with a treasure map that belonged to all of them. The pirate has a stroke, and Jim and his mom run off with the map seconds before the other pirates descend on their inn and start to tear it apart to find what’s rightfully theirs.

Jim turns the map in to some trustworthy town members. A few of them decide they will follow the map knowing it will lead them to a real treasure.  

This story is full of adventure, shock, deceit, betrayal and the narrowest of escapes. I never would have thought I would have become so intrigued by a story about an 11 year old boy and some pirates, but this book had me turning pages faster than The Hunger Games did. I had to know what happened next! I thought I was only reading it to keep up my literary reputation. Little did I know, it would become one of my all-time favorites.

Check this book out next time you stop by the DHS library. You won’t regret it.

                                                                                                  Reviewed by Ms. Myles

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: Gym Candy



Images from http://www.amazon.com/Gym-Candy-Carl-Deuker/dp/B008KUDC16/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1368108859&sr=8-2&keywords=gym+candy



GYM CANDY by CARL DEUKER

When sixteen year old Mick Johnson gets stopped on the one yard line at the end of the most important game of the season, he realizes that the normal offseason workouts weren’t enough to make him stronger. Mick joins a gym that’s sponsored by his dad’s radio station where his trainer offers him a deal that could make or break Mick. If you’re looking for a suspenseful thrill ride about a teenage football player then Gym Candy is a book for you! I enjoyed it very much and found situations in this book that were easy to relate to.  I definitely recommend it to any teenager! Check it out at the DHS library.

                                                             Reviewed by a DHS student

Book Review: Death Cloud

Death Cloud by Andrew Lane

(Sherlock Holmes, the Legend Begins)

http://www.amazon.com/Death-Cloud-Sherlock-Holmes-ebook/dp/B004EPYWKG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1361993144&sr=8-2&keywords=death+cloud

Sherlock Holmes, the famous consulting detective, is one of the most famous literary characters out there.  There have been countless movies, tv shows (including my personal fav, Sherlock), and book series spin-offs.  What makes this book different is that it is the first Sherlock book actually endorsed by the family of Sir Aurthur Conan Doyle (the man who wrote the original Sherlock Holmes books). 

Young Sherlock Holmes, only 17 and shipped off to live with an estranged aunt and uncle for the summer, expects to spend the next few months bored and lonely. Instead, he finds himself smack in the middle of a murder most mysterious. Two men are found covered with sores and a strange yellow powder.  As they lay dying, a black cloud leaves their bodies, a cloud that seems to have a mind of its own.  With the help of his new friend Matty, an orphan who lives on the canals, and Virginia, the attractive and spunky daughter of his tutor, Sherlock learns to put the pieces together and use his blossoming powers of deduction to solve the riddle.

There is plenty of action and suspense in this book.  In the midst of fistfights, gunshots, and narrow escapes, we meet a Sherlock who we easily see becoming the hero we know today.  Mix in a very creepy villian and you have a story that's definitely a page turner. 

If you like it, check out the sequel, Rebel Fire!

Book Review: The Outsiders

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

http://www.amazon.com/The-Outsiders-ebook/dp/B007ZUV4TO/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1361993645&sr=1-1&keywords=outsiders

Tensions between two gangs become a life or death situation.  Two Greasers (Johnny and Ponyboy) become friends with two wealthy "socialite" Soc girls at a drive-in.  The rest of the Soc gang finds out and beats up Johnny and attempts to drown Ponyboy in a foutnain.  Johnny kills one of the Socs in the process of trying to save Ponyboy.  They know they're going to get into trouble, so they go their older Greaser friend Dallas, who find them a place to hide out for a while.  Meanwhile, the two gangs back home plan to fight. 

I would recommend this book to anybody who likes a good fight or drama.  If you like happy endings, The Outsiders would probably work for you. 
             
                                                                                               Reviewed by Courtney P.
                                                                                                 (a DHS student)