Spy School

Title: Spy School

Author: Stuart Gibbs

290 Pages

Genre: Comedy, Action, Realistic Fiction

Date read: 2017 (Fifth Grade)

Synopsis: Ben Ripley comes home to a spy in his house. The spy wants to recruit Ben Ripley, a nerd, to be a part of a spy school for kids working for the CIA. The recruits at the spy school are all better than Ben. Ben’s struggles in the spy school will make you laugh.

4.5 Stars

Review: I really enjoyed this book. I got weird stares from my family when I laughed out loud. This book sounds dark at first, but it’s very light hearted, and I loved the spy school idea. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants something funny.

Fish in a Tree

Title: Fish in a Tree

Author: Lynda Mullaly Hunt

320 Pages

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Date read: 2017 (Fifth Grade)

Synopsis: Whenever Ally moves schools, she is very clever. She is able to hide her inability to read from everyone by being disruptive. She doesn’t ask for help with reading from anyone. Her newest teacher sees how smart Ally really is, and they begin on a journey Ally thought would never be possible.

4 Stars

Review: I thought this book was really well written. Ally was a very relatable main character. When I first heard about the book, I was interested because I can’t imagine my life without words, books, and reading. I liked this book for a different reason than most books; I liked it because I wasn’t able to relate to it and got to explore something new. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a good realistic fiction or something different.

Belly Up

Title: Belly Up

Author: Stuart Gibbs

320 Pages

Genre: Mystery, Realistic fiction

Date read: 2017 (Fourth Grade)

Synopsis: When someone kills FunJungle Zoo’s mascot, the hippo, everyone is horrified. Teddy decides to investigate. Teddy’s parents both work at the zoo, so Teddy has access to the zoo. Teddy discovers that the death of the mascot might not be the accident that it seems to be.

4 stars

Review: I really liked this book when I was in fourth grade because it was very interesting and I couldn’t put it down. I really liked the mystery because it was very well thought out. I enjoyed trying to solve the mystery with Teddy. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes animals, comedy, or mysteries

Among the Hidden

Title: Among the Hidden

Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix

153 Pages

Genre: Science fiction, dystopian

Date read: August 2019 (Seventh Grade)

Synopsis: Luke is a third child. That basically means that he’s illegal. In the word that Luke lives in, parents are allowed two children. He has to hide every minute of his life, can’t go outside, and doesn’t know anyone outside his family. There has always been a forest outside Luke’s house. That changes when it is chopped down to make room for houses for Barons. One day he sees a shadow in a house. He was sure that everyone in the family had left for work. What he decides to do about it will forever impact his life…

4 stars

Review: What really made this book was the intensity. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest during certain parts of the book. It felt horrible to put myself in Luke’s shoes because he’s forced to hide his whole life. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes intense books, dystopian books, or wants to try something new!

Counting by 7’s

Title: Counting By 7’s

Author: Holly Goldberg Sloan

384 Pages

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Date read: June 2019 (Sixth Grade)

Synopsis: Willow is not your average kid. She loves to do botanical experiments in her garden at home, and her best friends are al plants. Willow is having a normal day when she hears the news. Both of her parents are dead. She’s lost two sets of parents, and her world is turned upside down. What comes next will surprise you!

5 stars

Review: I thought this book was so well told and thought out. I couldn’t put this one down! I had first heard of it a couple years ago. I tried it and I couldn’t quite get into it. Then I needed something to read, picked it up, and loved it! I could relate to the characters, and it made it really enjoyable. I would recommend this book to anyone who is feeling lonely, or has a few minutes!

Ungifted

Title: Ungifted

Author: Gordon Korman

280 Pages

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Date read: July 2019 (Sixth Grade)

Synopsis: Donovan is in huge trouble. He made a huge mistake when he knocked the head off of an Atlas statue at his school which rolled around damaging the gym. Shortly after he is invited into the gifted program. Donovan doesn’t understand why he’s there, but he knows he shouldn’t be there, he should be in detention or expelled, and it’s the perfect place to hide. Donovan’s experience at the Academy is truly unique!

4 stars

Review: I enjoyed this book a lot. I found the nerdy humor very interesting. I also really liked the friendship problems that Donovan had. It was very intriguing to watch how he changed as a person during his stay at the Academy; and how he changed everyone else! I would recommend this to anyone still in school or anyone who likes humor.