Homecoming: by Cynthia Voigt

Homecoming

by Cynthia Voigt

Reviewed by Jonathan Qin

Fall 2016

REVIEW: Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt

ISBN#: 0-689-86361-6

THE STORY:

The Tillermans were going to Aunt Cilla’s house in Bridgeport for support after having a financial crisis. The entire family thought that Aunt Cilla lived in a huge white mansion by the seaside. However, during the trip there, the four children were abandoned by their mother in the car in the middle of Connecticut. Their mother just left and never came back, putting the eldest child, Dicey Tillerman, a thirteen year old girl, in charge. After a day of waiting for their mother to return, the four children, led by Dicey, decided to travel to Aunt Cilla’s home by foot. Along the way they find jobs, make friends, catch fish and clams, and steal; whatever they need to do to get to Aunt Cilla’s house in Bridgeport. However, upon reaching Aunt Cilla’s house, they find that the huge white mansion was actually a small house, and that Aunt Cilla was dead. Cousin Eunice takes them in, yet they all feel that this wasn’t the home they were looking for.

Mockingjay

Mockingjay

By Suzanne Collins

Reviewed by Shuntaro Akeyama

Fall 2016

REVIEW: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

ISBN#9781594135866

THE STORY:

Katniss Everdeen, a seventeen years old girl, who survived the Hunger Game started a war against President Snow. Hunger Game is a game where there are two representatives from each District meet at an arena and they fight until death. She is trying to change the way of society, where people have suffering under unfairness between districts. Throughout the story, she suffers from terrible events and sadness.One particular event, was that her home District, District 12, was bombed by the President’s army, and most of the people who

Summoner Book One: The Novice

By Taran Matharu

Reviewed by Alex Chen

Fall 2016

Review: Summoner Book One: The Novice by Taran Matharu

ISBN#: 9781250080059

The Story:

Fletcher Wulf, an orphan, apprentice blacksmith discovers that he can summon demons.  His journey through this begins by receiving the journal of an old demon summoner who found the way to summon his salamander demon called Ignatius.  He is now chased from his village of Pelt for a crime he did not commit.  He soon travels to an academy devoted to teaching those adept at summoning demons how to summon demons.  

The Rule of Three:Fight for Power

Shrinidhi Balachandra

Period, Mr. Oncay

Book Review: Fall 2016
16 August 2016

REVIEW: Rule of Three: Fight For Power by Eric Walters

ISBN: #978-1-338-04407-2

THE STORY:   

Adam Daley, a sixteen year old freshmen, has gone through one of the most terrifying events in history. It has been sixty days since the global blackout and things have not been going well for him after that. Many people have died because of starvation and other diseases. In order to prevent attack from outsiders, Herb blows up the bridge connecting Adam’s village and a nearby forest. Afterwards, when Brett goes out on patrol he and his team kill the tent people. The tent people are survivors of the catastrophe. Herb soon realizes what Brett and his team has done and becomes very furious. Herb then orders Brett to come to the meeting hall immediately. Once Brett admits that he and his team killed the tent people, Herb orders Brett and his team to go to jail. A few days later, Brett and his team break out of jail and kill Herb (the most important member of the village). When Adam comes to know about this mishap, he immediately calls his mother, who then calls everyone to search for Brett. Sadly, nobody finds Brett . The members of the village then realize that Brett had made an alliance with a rival group outside the walls almost two months ago. This confounds the people because he was such a loyal person before. Adam then realizes that there are benefits and detriments  for being the most important person in the town. Even though Herb became famous for being the most important member, Adam realizes that Herb was killed for the same reason. (261)

My Opinion:       

This was a book I had owned but had not yet started to read.When I first saw the cover I started to regret my decision because the art design on the front cover was an unpleasant black. I did not really want to read the book but then, my brother said that the cover may look unappealing, but the overall quality of the book may be better than it seems.When I started to read the book, however, I found the story the story to be surprisingly engaging. I had to agree with my brother because what he said was very much true. Another part of the book I appreciated is how the author conveys messages to the reader in effective ways. The subject matter was so bizarre that it became difficult to keep reading. The author created situations that were very unpredictable and shocking. One main reason why the book was so appealing was because developed characters based on through the events in their lives. Although there were a few things that a six or seventh grader would know, I would recommend this book for 6th-8th graders. Overall, based on my experience while reading this book, I would rate this book a eight out of ten. (185)

STUDY QUESTIONS AND VOCABULARY

FIRST THIRD

1. What is the main character's name?(pg.1)

1a. The main character's name is Adam.

1. What did Adam’s side do after they blew up the bridge?(pg.12)

2a. They searched each man and vehicle for any valuables.

2. What did Adam see in the binoculars, when he looked at the door?

3a. He saw a rusty-looking padlock which locked the prisoners inside.

3. What did Adam do to force the deer to go Brett’s way?

4a. He deliberately made noise do that the deer could go Brett’s way.

4. What did Lori do to make Aunt Mary put her gun down?

5a. She crept up behind Aunt Mary and placed her pistol on the back of her head.

Bank(pg.25)

Flustered(pg.39)

Askew(pg.57)

Bullhorn(pg.87)

Vigilance(pg.151)

SECOND THIRD

1. What were the two newer greenhouses made out of?(pg.147)

6a. They were made out of scavenged windshields and car windshields.

2. What did Lori see that made Adam bewildered?(pg.177)

7a. She saw a raging fire on the other side of the walls.

3. What did the committee and Adam think about the tents outside the walls?(pg.192)

8a. They say it was fine but the people in the tents cannot receive any supplies without permission.

4. How moes Brett get supplies?(pg.225)

9a. His team would often scavenge supplies or liberate other towns and gather their resources during the night.

5. Where did Adam get the new plane from?(pg.255)

10a. He got it from the town named Charmsville.

Domestic disputes(pg.147)

Vigilance(pg.163)

Adequate(pg.159)

Vantage(pg.235)

Fusillade(pg.276)

LAST THIRD

1. Why was Brett angry at Adam’s mother?(pg.269)

11a. He was angry at Adam’s mother because she kept on arguing for the same thing many times about him losing two men.

2. What did Brett have taped to his behind?(pg.298)

12a. He had a gun taped to his behind.

3. What was the punishment Brett could get that Herb stated?(pg.307)

13a. He was either going to be executed or kept in prison his whole life.

4. Who was the man that was sitting outside the front walls?(pg.315)

14a. The man that was sitting outside the front walls was Adam’s father.

5. Who was the man that crept into Adam’s bedroom?(pg.276)

15a. The person that had crept into his bedroom was Brett, who had crept out of prison

Rototillers(pg.264)

Convulsed(pg.284)

Marauder(pg.231)

Consensus(pg.232)

Intuitively(pg.247)

Inferno

By: Dan Brown

Reviewed by: Veronica Hahn

Fall 2016

REVIEW: Inferno by Dan Brown

ISBN: 33305227991472

THE STORY:

Robert Langdon, a history professor who focuses on symbols, wakes up in a hospital with a terrible injury in the back of his head. It is there that he meets Sienna Brooks, the doctor taking care of him. Soon after he wakes up, he realizes that he is in Florence, Italy, but the last thing he remembers is being on Harvard campus. The nurse receives a call from the front and a woman comes bursting in with the intent to kill Langdon. Sienna and Robert escape to her apartment where they open a

The Kill Order

by James Dashner

Reviewed by Alicia Chuang

Fall 2016

REVIEW: The Kill Order by James Dashner

ISBN#: 0385742886

THE STORY:

Thirteen years before the Maze Runner, Mark, Alec, Trina, Lana, Toad and Misty had banded together to survive the sun flares. They live in a village until a Berg shows up and starts shooting the villagers with darts. People drop like flies, so Mark and Alec decide to find some answers and break into the Berg. They find boxes containing identical darts to those that had been shot at them, and the boxes are labeled highly contagious. Misty and Toad die from the virus, and Mark, Alec, Trina and Lana decide to find more answers