Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase

Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase
By Carolyn Keene
Reviewed by Brooke




Nancy is a teenaged sleuth, that has been recently investigating the house of Twin Elms, which belongs to a friend of Nancy, Helen. The house had recent reports of missing items, like food, jewelry, and silverware. Meanwhile, Nancy’s father has recently gone missing, and Nancy is too busy to do both at once, so she notifies the police. Will Nancy every find out the mystery of Twin Elms? Will her father ever be found? Read the book to find out.

This book was a good book because it was filled with suspense(well, enough suspense). It also seemed very realistic. It wasn’t like,”And then the magical sparkle pony, came down from the sky, and ate all of the cherry donuts.” It was very lifelike, and it was almost like the book was a not-very-boring biography.

Things I didn’t really like about the book: One, this book is older, and it didn’t have as much suspense as stuff nowadays would. Two, It was kind of predictable. It was kind of obvious some stuff was going to happen. And Three: The setting. It doesn’t make clear when it takes place, and where it takes place (city wise).

Other than that stuff, I agree that this was a pretty good book. I’ve played the video-game version on my DS, so I was pretty familiar with the plot. Some stuff was changed though. But, anyway, I hope you enjoy the book if you read it.

Awkward

Awkward
By Svetlana Chmakova
Reviewed by Alice



Awkward is one of those books that tells the story of a regular middle school life. So, Penelope is a new student who immediately embarrasses herself by falling over and making a fool of herself. The person who fell with her by the trip tries to help pick up her stuff, but as embarrassed she tells him to go away because of how she made a fool of herself. Couple weeks went by and she wants to apologize to him but is busy with her club trying to get a table for the Annual School Fair Club. The reason for this is that their seat is taken by the rival club the science club.

Soon, a later the clubs have a competition of which class deserves the table for The Club Fair, but what a surprise the boy who she pushed ( named Jaime) is in the science club. She is caught in the middle on who side to take, she knows both sides are not as bad as they may seem. Will she ever apologize, will she help the art club or even the science club, find out in Awkward.

What I liked

I liked how it shows how Peppi ( Penelope has a nick which is Peppi ) has trouble trying to confront Jaime because, of how it portrays Peppi as a social awkward girl. Also, my favorite character had to be Peppi’s friend Maribella because I can’t tell you cause that will reach spoiler territory. May favorite part was when a couple of bullies stole something from her she told them to stop reading and when they continued she screamed very loud.

What I didn’t like

Ok, I like this book a lot but, there's one thing that I wish they add more of. Some of the characters weren’t that important, for example a nerd in the art club does something, but not a whole lot. I wanted to have a little more characters but some of the characters that were basically important have their own sequel to Awkward.

The Advocate

The Advocate
By Bill Mesce Jr and Steven G. Szilagyi
Reviewed by Leila



Harry Voss, an American Major and lawyer working overseas in England is appointed by the Judge advocate's office to handle a case, which was an American plane having been shot down by one of its mates. As the crippled plane fell, the pilot who is shooting attacks the cottage of an old man and his wife, who are known as the Greshams. Harry is told to keep the case a secret, and as he gathers information from people who knew the suspect and victim, he cannot tell them why he is asking. Unfortunately, some people find out more than they should, while others are strictly sworn to silence. Harry is faced with the fact that everything seems so complicated while the case seems to be open and shut at the exact same time.

 The author has written a fiction book taking place in World War Two, and is also a mystery, involving what the speaker has learned from the main character Harry Voss. The story has a lot of details concerning Harry’s surroundings, the personalities of the people he interacts with and the thoughts he has concerning the case of O'Connell’s death. The authors thoroughly explain the background of the suspect, along with the backgrounds of the ones who died, to give some idea as to what led them to enlist in the army.

The authors have made some parts of the novel in first person, with the speaker talking about how he acquired the information, from Harry Voss, but for most of the story, the speaker's name is not said. In addition, there is a man who is often referred to as The Master or Himself, and his name is not spoken for most of the story. I would have liked for these characters to have been identified a bit sooner, but leaving them unknown for most of the time can engage readers to keep reading in order to find out who these men are.

As a result, I would rate this book 4.5 stars, because it is detailed, suspenseful, and engaging. The Advocate is a great combination of WWII and a murder mystery

Dork Diaries

Dork Diaries
By Rachel Renee Russell
Reviewed by Jade

The book I read was a fiction book called Dork Diaries. The book was about how the main character Nicki and how she would survive her new school year. She started a new school which had her with mixed feelings because a new school meant new friends and new teachers. Starting a new school is not always easy for a kid, especially when you’re trying to fit in.

Her first day of school didn’t turn out that great, in fact as she became known in the school she was bullied by another student who was popular, her name was Mackenzie. Being bullied made Nicki feel angry at times, but she was able to make new friends. Their names were Zoey and Chloe. They made her feel comfortable at school. Nicki also fell in love with a guy at school named Brandon. It was a secret because nobody in the school knew except for herself and her two best friends Chloe and Zoey.

This book has many strengths because many kids can relate to going to a new school. I like the author’s ideas of talking about the many different adversities new students face when going to a new school. I think the older you are the harder it is to adjust to a new school.  I wouldn’t say that there were any weaknesses because I liked pretty much everything in the book. I liked the characters and their personalities, the setting and the funny things in the book.

This book was a good choice for me to read because it reminded me of my first day of school when I first came to SCPA in second grade. I would recommend this book if you like books that include lots of drama, but also for many kids that have gone through what Nicki experienced going to a new school

One Came Home

One Came Home
by Amy Timberlake
Reviewed by Leila

Georgina Burkhart lives in Placid Wisconsin in the year of 1871, the time of pigeoners. Her sister Agatha has run off with the pigeoners, ones who hunt the passenger pigeons. After a some time, Sheriff McCabe returns to Placid, with a body that is wearing Agatha’s dress. Her mother identifies the body saying that it was her daughter. Everyone else agrees that Agatha Burkhart is dead, except Georgie. Refusing to accept what is laid before her Georgie sets out to find the truth about her sister, facing unimaginable adversities on her journey.

The author has written a historical fiction about the time of the pigeoners on the western frontier. Her narrative is rich in details and all loose ends are tied in her writing. Her story keeps your wanting to read more. Many middle school novels are not on the subject of the time of the passenger pigeons nesting in 1871, but Timberlake uses her words to make the uncommon subject a source of interest.

Using many sources, her book alone is a good source of information about the passenger pigeon nesting, and she has a note about her sources in the back of the book. However, the author was not able to get information about what the reactions of the people were in specification to the nesting in 1871. This book also shows the main character having a flashback of events leading up to the present, and the author could have made these flashbacks shorter, but Timberlake is quite descriptive in her writing, which doesn't take too much away from the book itself.

Overall, One Came Home is a strong piece of writing: it has a unique motif, uses strong descriptive writing, and makes sure the reader does not want to put it down. An excellent read for anyone looking for something a bit different.