"Everlost" by Neal Shusterman

In the book Everlost by Neal Shusterman there are two kids who die in a car accident, but instead of going to heaven they get stuck in a place between heaven and earth. The two kids, Nick and Allie, become friends with this boy they call Lief. Lief died when he was nine. Nick and Allie meet alot of kids in their journies with Lief, but none of them stay together for very long. If you want an adventure then read this book. i would rate this book a FIVE out of FIVE because it was a book I couldn't stop reading.

"The White Darkness" by Geraldine McCaughrean

As a teenage girl who is obsessed with Antarctica, Sym is thrilled when her brilliant Uncle Victor steals her away from home and school for a three-week trip of a lifetime to that frozen wonderland. Sym is definitely in need of an adventure after experiencing the death of her father and bullying at school, and at first, Antarctica is everything she had always dreamed it would be - a place of incredible beauty and unimaginable emptiness, which somehow makes Sym feel stronger and more confident than she had ever felt at home. Soon, however, the other members of the travel group are feeling sick and incapacitated, and Uncle Victor's hidden agenda for the trip is revealed. Sym soon finds herself fighting for survival is one of the most uninhabitable places on earth, where even a few seconds of unprotected exposure means certain death.

McCaughrean's writing is lyrical, spell-binding, and spine-tingling. The visually lush descriptions of the hypnotic beauty of Antartica are seamlessly intermingled with Sym's attempts to remain sane and alive in unendurable circumstances. The reader, along with Sym, is drawn slowly and magnetically into the truths hidden in the alien landscape.

I rate this fiction tale of suspense FOUR and a HALF out of FIVE Stars.

"Years of the Sword" By R. J. Unstead

This book tells the tale of Europe during the Middle Ages from 1300 to 1485. This book has within it, 42 chapters, each consisting of 2 pages and has a time chart and and index, the total number of pages being 90. This book uses many pictures, and in my opinion, too many pictures. I felt that there was a lack of text, and thus, a lack of detail. The book brings up subjects such as The Black Death, The Wars of the Roses, and Corruption in the Church, but does not go into detail. I would recommend this non-fiction, to someone, mildly interested in the Middle Ages, but would not use it for research. A lack of detail, far too many pictures, and short chapters, is why this book gets a 2 of 5 stars. Better luck next time, R. J. Unstead.

"Early Japan" By Jonathan Norton Leonard

This book is for those who wish to learn about Japan's early history. It covers history from Japan's savage beginnings to Commodore Matthew Perry's landing in Japan. It tells all it can about this mystical land, sparing no detail. At the end of each of the eight chapters is a picture essay that tells about Japan with images and captions. This book explains Japanese culture, religion, and traditions. It crafts the story of Japan's civil wars, the rise and falls of its countless shoguns and emperors. If you are interested in early Japanese culture, or just like to know about many different cultures, then this is the book you should read. I give this nonfiction a 5 of 5 stars. Hail to the land of the rising sun!

"The Secret Life of Bees" By: Sue Monk Kidd

This book is about a girl named Lily Owens who is growing up in the year 1964. When Lily was around 4, her mother was killed and now Lily is forced to live with the guilt of what really happened. As if that wasn't bad enough, Lily's "Stand in Mother", who is black, insults three white men in South Carolina, where they live. Lily breaks her out of jail and they escape to Tiburon, South Carolina, where Lily stays with three black beekeeping sisters. While there, Lily learns much about her mother and is introduced to the world of bees and honey and the Black Madonna.

Overall, this book was a pretty good book. There were a few parts that made me want to stop reading, but I couldn't since it was for English. Everytime there was a bad part and I wanted to stop reading, I continued and was glad that I did. I would reccommend this book to anyone that is mature enough to read it since there is alot of bad language throught-out it. I would give this book a 4/5 stars.

"Horseradish Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid" By Lemony Snicket

This book is by Lemony Snicket, but is not in the series of unfortunate events, even though the book is a very unfortunate one to read. It is a book full of advice about many things that you'll commonly come across. It is full of witty exerts from his thirteen book series of unfortunate events, and will really make one think. Perhaps however, it is better to avoid this book, as it is better to avoid a very angry football star on his way to jury duty. If you do choose to read this book, do not try to come to it for advice, as if you wanted good advice you should have listened to my warning. You could come to this book if advice is not your concern and if you rather you would like to think upon things, such as someone may wonder why you're reading that book and not something more pleasant. All in all, I give this book a 5 of 5 stars, for I was not looking for advice, but was looking for a good book from a great author.

"The Rag and Bone Shop" By Robert Cormier

This book is a tale of an innocent young boy, a determined interrogator, and a dead young girl. The story? A young girl named Alicia was killed, and the only one to see her alive was a young boy named Jason...except, of course, the one who killed her, unless Jason was the one who killed her. To find out if Jason was that man, an insomniac detective named Braxton hires an interrogator named Trent. Throughout the coarse of this book, Trent peers into the mind of Jason to discover his true nature. Trent ruthlessly warps Jason's mind, twists Jason's thinking, and defaces Jason's state of mind. I found this to be a great book. However, the ending was somewhat unsatisfying. The irony is almost idiotic when the murderer is found. However, I did somewhat feel satisfied with how Jason turned out. All in all, I give this fictional book a 4/5 stars. Too bad we can't see more great things from Robert Cormier, as he died after finishing this book.