"Gilgamesh" By John Gardner and John Maier

This book contains a translation and interpretation of the great epic, Gilgamesh. It was written down upon many stone tablets thousands of years ago in ancient Mesopotamia. It is the tale of the great king Gilgamesh, a mortal beyond all others. It tells of how he met and befriended Enkidu, how the two of them battled against Humbaba in the cedar forest and against the bull of the heavens. I enjoyed reading this epic poem, though most of it was lost. I also enjoyed reading the interpretations of this poem. I give this fantastical epic a five of five stars.

"Buddha Boy" By Kathe Koja

This book focuses on a boy named Justin as he gets to know a boy called Jinsen, or as he is labeled by the others at school, "Buddha Boy." He wears over sized tie-dyed T-shirts with dragons on them, his head is shaven, he is always smiling, and is considered a freak. He also begs for change at lunch like a monk, and doesn't let things get to him. Normally, Justin would just avoid a person like Jinsen, but they are teamed up for a class project. At first, Justin just wants is to be over quickly, so he doesn't have to be around this strange kid. But Justin then learns of Jinsen's amazing talent in art, and then he starts to like him. However, none of the kids at school seem to feel the same, especially McManus, the school's social leader. I enjoyed reading this book, it helped me understand a little more about Buddhism, art, understanding, and Karma. I also enjoyed how the words were used together, making this book not only a story, but a work of art. I would recommend this book to anyone age 13 or over (due to language). I give this wondrous fantasy a five of five stars.

"Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist" By Kazuki Takahashi

Yu-Gi-Oh is about a boy named Yugi in the tenth grade who solved the Millennium Puzzle. Upon doing this, another spirit entered his body. Yu-Gi-Oh, the King of Games. He is a dark avenger who challenges evildoers to "Shadow Games" of life and Death. This book picks up right after the Duelist Kingdom series. The story starts with Yugi's Grandpa Mutou sweeping outside his games shop. Yugi's friend Anzu then comes by to walk to school with Yugi. Grandpa Mutou yells this to Yugi and it shows him in his room wearing the Millennium Puzzle on a chain. Yugi's other self tells him that it looks good on him, but Yugi says it's kinda flashy. Yugi's other self then says, "It's still too subtle if you ask me! I think you need some silver chains on your arms!" Yugi yells back. "C'mon! that isn't my style at all!" Yugi then runs out to meet with Anzu. She questions him about the new chain. Yugi explains that the puzzle is an important bond between him and his other self and the chain shows that too. The two of them start walking to school. Anzu tells Yugi that she's glad to see Mr. Mutou doing so well. She says to Yugi that it was scary when Pegasus stole his soul (during the duelist kingdom series). Yugi then tells her that his Grandpa's not too happy right now. Anzu asks why, and Grandpa Mutou yells out, "I thought you'd never ask!! I, Sugoroku Mutou, at 72 years of age, am facing my biggest crisis ever! MY STORE IS IN DANGER OF GOING OUT OF BUISNESS! BEHOLD! OVER THERE!" He then pointed to a large shop called Black Crown. According to Yugi, the store sells the newest games, and it's having it's grand opening tomorrow. Grandpa Mutou says that the games at the store can't be purchased anywhere else. Curious, Yugi decides to go over to the new game shop. He sees a clown with a poster on it's back advertising the shop's new game, "D.D.M." Anzu then tells Yugi that they'll be late for school and better leave. The clown then says, "So that brat is Yugi.." "That's him all right," replied the person next to him "That baby-faced little kid is supposed to be some kind of super-gamer.." He then turned to the clown and said, "But is it true Dad..? Did you really lose a game to that guy Mutou..? "yes it's true.." replied his father, "It was because of that game that I have to wear this mask to cover my face.." "I can't forgive them." His son replied. "Ryuji...I raised you to take revenge for me!" He told his son. "I know Dad," Ryuji said, "Watch me...one by one, I'll take away everything Yugi cares about. Get ready Yugi, I invented all kinds of games just to fight you! I will beat you! For my Father! and for the title of "King of Games!" And to start with, Today I'll steal something important to you..." This is a great fictional manga, especially if you like games. 5 of 5 stars.

"Shaman King" by Hiroyuki Takei

Shaman King is a manga about a boy named Yoh Asakura. While most people only scoff at the idea of ghosts, he befriends them. The story begins with a short kid running through town after cram school (Just a heads-up, he's not Yoh). He cuts through the cemetery when someone asks him what his hurry is. The short kid looks up to see a kid sitting on top of a gravestone looking up into the sky with a pair of headphones on. The short kid mistakes him for a ghost and runs, only to have the kid on the gravestone ask him what his hurry was again. He then says, "Stargaze with us. There's a sky full of beautiful stars. Want to look at 'em with us?" The short kid corrects him, telling him that he shouldn't use us when referring to himself. The headphone kid then gets off the gravestone, and replies, "But I mean with all of us...The Whole Cemetery!" As he says this, a huge group of ghosts surround the headphone kid. The short kid stares with wide eyes, and the headphone kid says to him, "Take it easy. These are my friends...even if they are a bunch of bums who couldn't get into heaven. The short kid then just freaks out. The next day at school, the short kid tries to tell a group of students about what he say. One of them just replies, "You're out of your [censored due to standards] mind, Manta." (Told you he wasn't Yoh.) The teacher then comes in, and announces that there's a new student. He looks just like the kid Manta saw in the cemetery. The teacher says that his name's Yoh Asakura and that he moved from Izumo all by himself for family reasons. Manta recognizes him, and tells everyone that he's the one he say in the cemetery with the ghosts. Yoh then tells him that there's no such thing as ghosts and that he's never seen him before. Manta then decides to follow him after school to get the proof he needs to expose him. He ends up spending 3 hours watching Yoh stare at a river. He then blows his cover, and ends up telling Yoh why he was following him. Yoh then asks Manta if he was following him because he denied knowing him at school. Yoh then tells him that if everyone knew his secret, they'll drive him crazy. He tells Manta that he moved here for advanced training, and that he's a Shaman. I'd have to give this series a five of five stars. Great fictional manga for you spirit seeking manga fans out there.

"Heart of Dorkness" By John Kovalic

Heart of Dorkness is a full collection of issues #13 - #17 of the Dork Tower comic series. It's a series about Matt, a bald, nerdy guy, Igor, a short obnoxious guy with a big nose, Carson, a muskrat who talks, and Ken, the responsible one of the group. What do all these people and the one animal have in common? They are all gamers, all geeks, all fanboys! John Kovalic does a wonderful job in portraying Dorkness in a funny and true way. This collection starts with Matt going through his mail, when he gets a letter he didn't expect. His ex-girlfriend Kayleigh is moving back into town, and she wants to get together with Matt for a drink. After a bit of drinking and talking, the two of them leave, then share a passionate kiss (causing a great disturbance in the force). Afterwards, Matt realizes that he left his sketchbook inside. As he goes inside to get it, he runs into a girl named Gilly. Afterwards the next morning, he wakes up with a bad hangover, and little memory of what happened last night. All he remembers is the he kissed Kayleigh. Igor then tells him that he really doesn't need to worry about it and that they're going to the Renaissance Fair. The story then shifts to Kayleigh who's at a cybercafe talking with a friend. He friend questions why she 's getting back together with Matt. Kayleigh says that Matt's smart, fun, funny and cute in a neurotic way, though he wastes his talent. Back at Matt's house, Igor is screaming over the fact that Matt invited Kayleigh to the Renaissance Fair. Someone rings the doorbell, Igor tells Matt that he invited a friend too. I shall leave it there, so there's more for you to read. This fictional comic book series gets a five of five stars in my opinion for the same reason Lawell Cunningham, creator, Men in Black liked it, "Through Dork Tower John manages to show the basic humanity of geeks and the basic geekness of humanity." I recommend reading this if mild language and alcohol use doesn't really get to you.

"Inu Yasha" By Rumiko Takahashi

This Manga series is about a modern-day girl named Kagome who lives at a Japanese shrine. She didn't believe in things like spirits, demons, or anything supernatural, until she was pulled down the shrine's well by a centipede demon into Feudal Japan. There she finds a young man bound to a tree by roots with an arrow in him who also seems to have dog ears. She is found by the local villagers, and brought back to their village. The village's priestess, Lady Kaede, then examines her, and finds that Kagome looks a lot like her dead sister Kikyo, the former priestess and protector of the village. Soon after, the centipede demon who attacked Kagome before comes back, looking for "The Jewel of Four Souls." Kagome runs into the forest, and finds the young man from before tied to the tree. The man mistakes Kagome for Kikyo, and tells her to destroy the centipede like she destroyed him. Kagome then tells the young man that she's not Kikyo, as the centipede demon continues to attack. The demon bites into Kagome, ripping out the jewel of four souls. The young man yells to Kagome to give him the jewel, but the demon wraps up Kagome to the tree with Inu Yasha and says to the young man, "Inu-Yasha who seeks the Shikon Jewel... I have heard of a half-demon by such a name... At last we meet." The demon then eats the jewel, mutating into a more powerful state. Inu Yasha then demands that Kagome pull the arrow out of him. Kagome does this, and Inu Yasha bursts out of the roots, and the grasp of the centipede, and with one strike, sends the demon bursting into many pieces. There's much more, but I'll let you read it. After all, this is just the first manga. This book I would recomend to older teens who like a lot of demon killing, and don't mind mature content. I rate this manga series a five 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!

"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.

"Skylab" By William J. Cromie

This is the true tale of Skylab, man's first Space Station. In 140 pages, this book tells the tale of all three missions into Skylab to collect information about what space does to humans. Not all that was planned happened in the missions, and disaster almost overcame the station from day one. But true to the motto of Skylab, "We fix anything," these errors were overcame. Much information was gathered in space, and new discoveries were made. It was proved that humans can survive an extensive period in space without complications. Many other discoveries were made, such as that forging is better done in space, where lack of gravity lets any element combine, and with less impurities. It was also found that spiders, after a little bit of time, can spin webs in zero-gravity. One interesting discovery is that an adult fish brought into space needs time to get used to swimming with no gravity, yet a fish born in space swims like it was meant to be there. This was a glorious book for me to read, and it made me realize just how far we've come. This, the information provided, and the images are the reason I give this book a 5/5 stars.

"The Language of Cookery An Informal Dictionary" By Betty Wason Illustrated by Ruth Feibelman

This book is for all those chefs out there. It is titled, "The Language of Cookery" and is just that. It is a dictionary of cooking terms, from A-1 Steak Sauce to Zwieback, it covers every cooking term you'll come across. It is an amazing book, with over 1100 words, and with an appendix section that includes Beef, Lamb, Pork, and Veal cuts, and also has a chart of pan sizes, and equivalent measures for dries, liquids, and foods. I enjoyed reading this book, as it increased my interest in cooking, and has given me new vocab, and a greater understanding of food terms and where they originate. For example, the term, "Cordon Bleu" is a French term that literally means, "Blue Ribbon," and is a famous French cooking school. Another example is that gingerbread is more of a spice cake than a bread. If you like to cook, or rather just eat, this book is a great one to have, in the kitchen, in the home, and anywhere you might cook. The book's coverage of terms is why I give it a 5/5 stars.

"Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" By Mildred D. Taylor

The book, "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" is one that I read in Social Studies. It has won many awards, such as The Newberry Medal, it was a National Book Award nominee, it was an ALA Notable Book, and has won the Pacific Northwest Young Readers Award. It is the fictional tale of the Logan family living in Mississippi during the height of the 1930's Depression. As quoted from the jacket of the book, "More than a work of fiction, this is a story culled from Ms. Taylor's own family's life and it stands and it stands as an important record of an African-American experience from our country's complicated and not-so-distant past." I recommend this book for those who wish to look into the life of an African-American family during the depression. Such a vivid recollection of this kind of life, is why I give this book a Five of Five stars. I however, didn't really enjoy reading this book. True, the tale of Cassie is inspirational, but it didn't really capture my attention. Other than that, all aspects of the book were beautiful.

"Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events Book The First, The Bad Begining" By Lemony Snicket

This book is the first book in the Series of Unfortunate Events. It is the first book the author, Lemony Snicket worked on, and should be the first one you read. It is a fictional tale of three children, Violet, Clause, and Sunny Baudelaire. Violet is the oldest and wears a ribbon in her hair when thinking, Clause is the middle child who is an extravagant reader, who has probably read more books than most people do in a life time, and Sunny is the youngest, and is a baby who enjoys to bite. The book starts with the three of them at Briney Beach, when they receive terrible news from their family's friend and financial advisor, Mr. Poe. The Baudelaire's parents have died in a fire that burned down their entire mansion. The three orphans then are forced to live with their uncle Count Olaf. The three Baudelaires soon discover that he is a cruel man, who is the leader of a theater troupe. I would recommend this book to those who do not mind books with no happy endings. I give this book a 5 of 5 stars, as I can read and reread it, and still feel the story.

"The Lorax" by Doctor Seuss

The Lorax, by Doctor Seuss, is probably one of the best books I, or any other person, shall ever read. It is the tale of a little creature known as the Lorax, who is the guardian of the Truffula trees in his quest to try and stop the Once-ler. It becomes a sad tale, but one that truly shows what effect industry can have. I give this book a 5 out of 5, because of how it truly tells the story of what's being done to our environment. I don't want to spoil any part of the story for you, so I think I'll leave out the summary. But I will say that this book can be a great source of inspiration.

"American Civil Liberties Union Handbooks for Young Americans The Rights of Students" By Eve Cary, Alan H. Levine and Janet Price

If you are a student interested in knowing your rights, this book is for you. It is an easy to understand book about what rights students have. If you are in need of information for a court case, or just need to know your student rights, then pick up this book. It is a powerful nonfiction, that I rate 5 of 5 stars based on the amount of information it holds, and it readability. It was a very enjoyable book for me, and it let me know my rights.

"Break into the Game Industry" By Ernest Adams

If you are interested in getting a career as a video game tester, designer, or any job pertaining to the video game industry, this book is for you. It doesn't teach you the skills needed to be one of these people, but it does teach you important information about getting a job in the video game industry. It will teach you about making a resume, the time it takes to make video games, and add in stories and comments from actual people in the game industry. This book also reveals some of the history of video games, like the video game crash caused by atari in 1983, (although the full effects were in 1983) to nowadays video game history. This book was one I enjoyed because of it's informative writing style and straight forward, and easy-to-read text. I rate this book a five of five stars to those who aspire to work with video games!

"The Time Machine" by H.G. Wells

This book is about a man (whose name is stated as The Time Traveller) who has created a time machine. The book begins with the time traveller stumbling into a room where some of his colleges were talking. One of the people, Filby, remembers the events of one week ago, when the time traveller showed them his new machine. The Time Traveller then tells his tale of time travel. His story begins with him in his lab, about to test his machine. After his trip from 10:00 to 3:30, he then travels to the year 802,701 A.D. In this strange future, he finds out the fate of man. Afterwards, he travels to a desolate future. Returning to the past, he makes one more stop, arriving in a strange future where the humans have divided agains each other in the North and South. A great tale of possible futures, I give this book a five of five. This is a classic every one should read!

"A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 13, The End" By Lemony Snicket

This book, as the title suggests, is the final installment in the A Series of Unfortunate Events book. After escaping from the burning hotel Denouement with Count Olaf, (Read book 12, The Penultimate peril) the orphans find themselves adrift at sea. Their ship is soon swept away by a terrible storm, and the four of them are soon stranded on an island. The inhabitants of the island allow the Baudelaires to live with them, but ban Count Olaf from staying. The Baudelaires soon start living a peaceful, yet boring lifestyle. Soon, a raft of books end up on the island's shore and the person riding it is the Baudelaire's friend, Kit Snicket. Ishmal, the islands arbitrator, believes that Kit should be left on the coastal shelf, because she has the same tattoo of an eye on her ankle as Count Olaf. However, the orphans stay with Kit, and are also left on the coastal shelf. When night falls, some of the islanders visit the Baudelairs and ask them if they want to join in their mutiny. The orphans, left with no other choice, agree to help the islanders. They travel to where all of the items the islanders find are kept, in search for weapons. Once there they find a tree with a hallowed spot in the trunk. They travel down the tree into a room filled with books, machinery, and spices. They are not there long, as Ishmal finds them and forces them out. When they get back to the island however, the mutiny has begun. I loved this book because it ends, but doesn't really end and in my opinion, this book is a 5 of 5 stars!