Author: Emi

Just a Drop of Water

By Kelly O’Malley Cerra

320 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

Date read: December 2017 (Fifth Grade)

Synopsis: Jake and Sam have always been best friends. The attacks on 9/11 could change that. Sam is Muslim, and his family faces a lot of criticism. Jake knows that Sam and his family didn’t do anything wrong, but has to prove it. In this novel, their friendship is put to the test.

4 stars

Review: I gave this book a 4 star rating because it was easy to understand, and gave me more insight on this tragic event. I finally realized how many innocent people from all over America were affected by these events. The book was a bit slow in the beginning, and had a couple of slow spots throughout the book, but was definitely worth reading. The book taught me a lot about friendships. I would recommend this book to people who like history, and people who don’t as well. This book can be enjoyed by everyone!

Finding Audrey

By Sophie Kinsella

304 pages

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Date read: October 2018 (Sixth Grade)

Synopsis: Audrey is making steady progress on her recovery from an anxiety problem. One day, her brother has a friend over. He meets Audrey, and she starts getting comfortable with him. With his help, Audrey starts recovering faster, and faster. Audrey becomes a whole new person.

4.5 stars

Review: I gave this book a 4.5 star rating because the plot was very heartwarming, and I could relate to Audrey a lot. However, there were a few spots that were a bit slow. That aside, Audrey’s journey was incredible, and it was easy to get lost in the book. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an inspiring story!

The Neptune Project

By Polly Holyoke

352 pages

Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure/survival

Date read: August 2017 (Fifth Grade)

Synopsis: Teenage Nere Hanson is living a normal life in the future, where global warming is a huge problem. She finds out that her body has been altered so that she can survive under the waves. Suddenly, her past all begins to make sense. Her life has been leading up to this journey. Nere and two others set off to find a colony of kids that are like them, genetically altered to live under the sea. Her journey will change her life forever.

5 stars

Review: I gave this book a 5 star rating because I really enjoyed all of the twists and turns that these kids encountered. I also enjoyed all of the reveals about what was going on, since that added a lot to the book. The book kept surprising me, and I could hardly ever tell what was going to happen. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure, or the ocean!

The Hunger Games

By Suzanne Collins

374 pages

Genre: Adventure/survival, Science Fiction

Date read: September 2018 (Sixth Grade)

Synopsis: Katniss Everdeen’s little sister Prim is selected to go to the Hunger Games. Katniss bravely volunteers to go in Prim’s place. She parts from her home, District 12, and leaves for the Capitol. She goes through training for the games with the other tributes, and Haymitch, a past victor. Katniss’s plan is simple. Win the games, and go home. But little does she know, that the games will be much harder then she ever imagined.

4 stars

Review: I gave this book a 4 star rating because the plot was very intriguing, and I loved the excitement in the book. It was also interesting to see Katniss changing throughout the book. My only problem with the book was that it was a bit slow in the beginning. I was just about to give up when it got interesting. You can make many connections between this book and our world today. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a dystopian novel, something well known, or just something interesting to read over the weekend.

Forget-me-not

By Ellie Terry

336 pages (in verse)

Genre: Realistic fiction

Date Read: September 2018 (Sixth Grade)

Synopsis: Calliope, who loves astronomy, has moved yet again and is at a new school. Being at a new school is hard enough, but it’s even harder for Calli since she had Tourette’s Syndrome. This means that she has tics that she can’t control, and all her classmates think that she’s weird. She befriends her new next door neighbor, Jinsong. This school might not go as the others have.

4.5 stars

Review: I gave this book a 4.5 star rating because I really liked the general story, and I could relate to it a lot. One thing that could be better is the transitions from Jinsong’s perspective to Calli’s. The first time that they did this, I was super confused because the character was wearing something different than the last section. Another plus about this book, is that it was super fast to read. It took me about an hour since it was in verse. This book is really awesome, and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for something simple, but enjoyable!

Nyxia

By Scott Reintgen

384 pages

Genre: Adventure/survival, science fiction

Date Read: February 2019 (Sixth Grade)

Synopsis: A poor teenage boy along with nine others from all over the world are chosen by Babel Communications to go to space to mine a substance called nyxia. The kids are put on a ship to the planet Eden. On the journey there, the kids are trained to use, and mine the substance nyxia. The kids learn on board the ship that they must earn their right to go to Eden. If they get there, it means HUGE paychecks and free healthcare for the whole family. If not, they return to earth with pocket change. How well they complete their tasks earns them points which will determine whether they go to Eden or not.

5 stars

Review: I give this book five stars because it had the right level of mystery, adventure, survival, and fantasy. It was interesting, and hooked me from the very start. It had a lot of relatable situations, and heart gripping scenes as well. It was very easy to finish because it was so addicting. Part of what made it interesting for me was that there were a lot of characters that were fun to keep track of. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes science fiction, or dystopian novels.