The Westing Game

The Westing Game
By Ellen Raskin
Reviewed by Katherine

I read the book The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. This was an amazing book that my brother recommended that I should read. I recommend this book to anyone who likes murder mysteries and suspenseful stories. I love reading those kinds of books, so, naturally, I liked this book even before I started it.

Sam Westing, the founder of Westingtown (in Wisconsin) and owner of Westing Paper Products Corporation, left his mansion to his sixteen heirs in his will, which was read after he was murdered. The heirs were Madame Hoo, Jake Wexler, Turtle Wexler, Flora Baumbach, Chris Theodorakis, Denton Deere, Sandy McSouthers, J.J. Ford, Grace Wexler, James Hoo, Crow, Otis Amber, Theo Theodorakis, Doug Hoo, Angela Wexler, and Sydelle Pulaski. All were chosen to play “The Westing Game”. The sixteen heirs were split into teams of two and given a set of clues and $10,000. The clues supposedly led to Sam Westing’s murderer. The clues were not clear; they seemed like random words just drawn out of a hat. The clues weren’t the only mysterious thing going on: four explosions occurred, Theo was playing a game of chess with an unknown opponent. The object of the Westing Game was to find the murderer without getting killed yourself. Who was setting off the bombs? Who was the mysterious chess opponent? And, most importantly, who killed Sam Westing?

This was one of the best books I have ever read because it was full of depth with plot twists that made me rethink everything that I thought I knew, like who set off the bombs and who everyone really was. This book really keeps you on the edge of your seat. It also was very funny, and a really hard book to put down.

Star Crossed

Star Crossed
by Barbara Dee
Reviewed by Abigail

Crushes are never easy. Whether it being afraid, unsure, or just completely flustered all the time, there are never just a simple thing. Especially in 8th grade, where everyone is watching couples every move.

Star Crossed is a book about every typical 8th grade crush. Maddie’s story follows her, her friends Tessa and Lucy, and her crush the beautiful and kind Gemma. As Maddie struggles with her feelings for Gemma, opening night for the 8th grade play Romeo and Juliet comes ever closer. Maddie is cast as Romeo after another student drops out, leaving her next to her Juliet; Gemma. With all the stress of the play, her friends are starting to catch onto Maddie’s crush and are pressing her more and more about it each day.

The author Barbara Dee translates Shakespeare's beautiful story of Romeo and Juliet into a modern day love story. She used clever clues and brilliant writing to make a story that leaves you wanting more. My rating for this book is high, at least 9/10. My only criticism is that the story moves along a bit slow in the beginning, but overall really amazing. I highly recommend this book, especially if you’re looking for a casual queer story.

The books a little below 7th grade reading level, but it’s still an interesting story. I’m glad that there are more books like this where characters can have a same sex relationship without it being the main topic of the story. And the author's subtle hints and storytelling that leads the reader into a moment of realization whenever you see things meetup. In conclusion, I feel like this book is a great story of literature and cleverness, and recommend it to everyon

The Name of This Book Is Secret

The Name of This Book Is Secret 
By Pseudonymous Bosch
Reviewed by Brandon

In this book the author does not tell you his name, which I mean is awesome.. After some pages you find that it is filled with hashtags. It’s background information, and he can’t tell us that/ The story follow Cass, if that even is her real name. Cass is a survivalist, and is always prepared She makes friends in school with a boy called Max-Ernst, who is not your typical Max. His parents are divorced but live in one house. His father and mother divided the house down the middle - one side's for the father, the other's for the mother.The mystery begins when the pair investigate a dead magicians house and finds his diary. There's a 400-year-old witch who's the main villain, named Mrs. Mauvais or The Golden Lady. The story has many turns. Much is up to the reader to take it as they wish. It has many thrilling adventures, like going to a spa where you bathe in gold to follow a kidnapped artist. Or the story about the Bergamo Brother’s (One is the magician) and how they have synesthesia. All to figure out the burning secret!

In my opinion this is a magnificent book. Very well crafted, and full of thrills. From the beginning it sucks you in and you keep reading. You want to figure the secret out, and so it keeps you on your toes. Twists and turns litter this story. A good book for thrill seekers and risk takers. I have read this book many times, and each time it’s still amazing. I am so happy that the secret doesn’t end in just one book. It;’s a 5 part series. A 4 more excellently crafted books to fill our readers desires.

The Perfect Score

The Perfect Score
By Rob Buyea
Reviewed by Piper



If you like humor, and books with multiple views, you would like Rob Buyea’s new book; The Perfect Score. I really enjoyed this book, once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down. This book is good for most ages and teaches us the real meaning in life is to help as much as possible without breaking any rules. Much like Because of Mr.Terupt, also by Rob Buyea, The Perfect Score has multiple views of different students that are all in Mrs.Woods sixth grade class.

 In the bunch there is Randi whose mother is pressuring her to be the top gymnast and be on the A honor roll. Gavin, who loves football, has always had bad grades at school and feels as dumb as his father who dropped out of high school to be a plumber. Trevor tries to act tough and mean and doesn’t listen to anyone, but really he is just getting hurt by his older brother and his goons. Scott has a big heart and wants to help out everyone especially his grandfather, but his plans don’t go that well. Natalie is by far the most engaged person in the class, therefore the smartest. She wishes to become a lawyer and follows all the rules until the SAT’s that she feels she must break a few of them.

At first, most of the students didn’t like Mrs.Woods. She was a no-nonsense old lady that was strict but inside, very sweet. When she read all the kids were memorized and hated when reading time was over. When all the kids were getting used to Mrs.Woods and her spectacular reading, it was time to prepare the SAT’s.

Three months before the tests, the school feels that they need to prepare more. They took away the kids recess and reading time. All the students have something to lose if they don’t ace them, so they make up a plan. Will their plan succeed?

I really enjoyed The Perfect Score. This is the perfect size to read in about a month. I love the multiple views, it helps create the perfect story but not to complicated that you can’t understand it. I hope you get this book at the bookstore and library and enjoy it as much as I did.

Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre
By Charlotte Bronte
Reviewed by Ellise

Being an orphan and being stuck with your crazy aunt and cousins at a young age seems bad enough. Imagine you then get sent to an extreme boarding school that you are stuck at for eight years. It all seems bad, right? It only gets crazier from there in Jane Eyre.

Jane starts life as an orphan with family issues. Her aunt sends her off to boarding school, where Jane adopts many new skills and endures lots of pain. After finishing school, Jane proceeds to find work as a governess under Mr. Rochester, working with the child he has taken in. Jane soon finds herself falling in love with her master, keeping her supplied with lots of pain and confusion.

Her story of love does not fail to amuse. Charlotte Brontë opens up a world of romance and confusion in this third edition of Jane Eyre. The reader gets to dive into a page-turner about Jane and her journey through life. The many plot twists and cliffhangers are guaranteed keep you interested. Jane founds out that Mr. Rochester is to be married, and it toys with her feelings. Many exciting things proceed to happen prior to the news of his engagement, including her (almost) getting married to Mr. Rochester.

Charlotte Brontë unveils many surprises and plot twists along the way, keeping you interested the whole way through. Jane runs away without any provisions and gets miles away from Thornfield (where she was a governess) to somebody’s doorstep. The man, St. John, decides to take her in, and Jane develops new relationships with these new friends. Jane goes to find Mr. Rochester, and yet another surprise is unveiled. Including Jane, the many diverse and interesting characters like Mrs Fairfax, Adelé, Mr. Rochester, Mrs. Reed, Bessie, St. John, and Diana make up this wonderful adventure through Jane’s life. Anyone who reads this is sure to be slightly, if not very, entertained and amused.

This book is highly recommended to anyone who likes reading of the secrets of somebody’s life, and who likes a good romance. Brontë’s style of writing could make the book a bit slow at times, but sticking it out until the good parts makes it all worth it. I highly enjoyed Jane Eyre, and I think anyone who enjoys reading will.

A fair warning to readers like me who are not really into reading long books: the book is over 450 pages long, so keep that in mind as you choose your next read. It should be no problem if you are willing to read a thrilling and enchanting life story that keeps you interested.

Pandora Gets Jealous

Pandora Gets Jealous
By Carolyn Hennessy
Reviewed by Lily



When I started reading Pandora Gets Jealous, I didn’t know what to expect. I had previously heard of the series from former classmates, but I hadn’t read any books by Carolyn Hennessy, the author of the book. I found that Pandora Gets Jealous is a very simple and interesting book to read. It’s the first in a series of books, all a rather action-packed and simple retelling of the Greek Myth of Pandora and the box of evils.

 The story follows Pandora, a student at the Athena Maiden Middle School, who one day brings a mysterious box to school for her project on the gods. The box was given to her father, Prometheus, by Zeus. However, the box is opened by two of Pandora’s classmates, Helen and Hippia, and it is revealed that seven evils are inside of the box. Pandora and her family are summoned to Mount Olympus, where Zeus orders Pandora to locate the evils and return them to the box. Zeus’s wife, Hera, gives Pandora a map to locate the evils, but first, she must find the key to decipher it. After discovering a way to read the map, Pandora sets off on her journey to retrieve the evils.

Pandora Gets Jealous has many strengths, including an easy to understand plot and well-developed characters. The storyline is a wonderful example of how sometimes, less is more. The story is not very complex, but it doesn’t linger on key events. The entire story is balanced out, switching between key events of the book and actions or descriptions in between. The characters feel real in their reactions to situations, and you can tell how they’re feeling without the book telling you.

 On the other hand, the main weakness of the way the story is told is that it doesn’t take enough time to explain things. The story, in its most important scenes, only focused on the plot instead of explaining how the event occurred. I often found myself re-reading pages before important scenes thinking I missed a page, only to find that sometimes it switches from one event to another without anything in between two important chapters

In my opinion, Pandora Gets Jealous is a fairly good book. It has relatable characters and a well balanced story. It definitely has its moments, even though it is too fast paced at times. I would definitely recommend reading Pandora Gets Jealous or any of the sequels if you’re looking for an interesting story that grabs your attention and leaves you wanting more.