Book Review: NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society

In the book known as NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society, which is book one in the NERDS series, there is a lad known as Jackson Jones, who lives in Arlington, Virginia. He is immensely popular and well-liked, but he is a bully who picks on the nerds in the school. However, after he gets the largest set of braces ever glued to a human being, his life starts to fall apart rapidly. After this tragic incident, he starts to start following the Nerd Herd, a collection of five nerds who seem like they don't want to fit in. after he sees them go into lockers and disappear, he, in a twist of irony, shoves himself in, and gets sent to the underground Playground- a lab in which cutting-edge technology is developed for the nerds, who are actually secret agents with the equivalent to superpowers. Jackson is caught by the scientists, which chase him into a mysterious room filled with all sorts of painful-looking appliances. Will he ever make it out of the Playground alive?

Book Review: Wings of Fire (Book 1)

The book series known as Wings of Fire has captivated my attention for the past two years or so. The first book, The Dragonet Prophecy, is a bout five young dragonets (baby dragons) known as Clay the MudWing, Tsunami the SeaWing, Glory the RainWing, Starflight the NightWing, and Sunny the SandWing. The other tribes of dragons I have not mentioned are IceWings and SkyWings. These five are known as The Dragonets of Destiny, prophezised- no- propetsised- no- prophesied (nailed it) to save the continent of Pyrrhia from the Great War. They have been squirred under the mountain since they were born, but when they try to escape the torments of their guardians/captors, they get captured by the SkyWing queen and sent to her sky arena. Will they make it out of there alive?

Book Review: Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf

In the book Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf by Curtis Jobling, in the magical world of Lyssia, there are creatures known as therianthropes, which are like werewolves, (are werewolves in some cases) can transform into an anthropomorphic beast (picture an animal with the body shape of a human) at will. In a farm near the Cold Coast, in a cabin free of Wi-Fi, like the rest of the world, lives Drew Ferran. Drew lives a simple life, but when a Wererat attacks and kills Drew's mother in a matter of minutes, and when Drew transforms into a furry beast, his life is flipped upside down, turned sideways, and any other ways you can think of. He eventually makes his way to the woodland city of Brackenholme, where he learns that he is adopted, and is the last of the royal line of the Wolves of Lyssia. When he is hunted by the current king, Leopold the Lion, trouble will befall him. Want to know what happens next? I'm not a spoiler, so read the book to learn more!

Book Review: The Candy Shop War

In the book The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull, there are four friends in the fifth grade known as Nate, Pigeon, Summer, and Trevor. One day after school, they go to their nearby candy shop known as the Sweet Tooth Ice Cream and Candy Shoppe, run by a nice old lady known as Mrs. White. After they do some chores to earn some treats (at the time, they had less money on them than I do after I go anywhere near the LEGO section at Target) she lets slip a mention of secret candy. Turns out, Mrs. White is a magician, whose secret candy makes dreams become reality. Some examples are rock candy that makes you feel like you're on the moon, chocolate spheres that that change your appearance, and skittle-like treats that are electric. she rewards the candy after the friends complete various tasks for her, which will eventually lead to the finding of a treasure with untold power. The tasks to help find this treasure get shadier and shadier, until the friends are tasked with wiping the memory of the local ice cream man, Mr. Stott, a rival magician. However, Mr. Stott is a guardian of the treasure, not its seeker. Will they be able to get to the treasure before the opposition? Will they be able to trust anyone? To find the answers, read The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull!

Book Review: The Land of Stories

In the book TheLand of Stories: The Wishing Spell, by Chris Colfer, there are two twins known as Alex and Conner Bailey. Alex is a learnaholic who devours books like a plate of haggis (Whoops, I meant chicken). Conner is a class clown who falls a sleep during lectures on Mesopotamia, and is a big writer later in the series (book two is The Land of Stories: The Enchantress Returns). Their dad died about a year ago, and they have to move into a shoddy rental to keep food on the table. On their 12th birthday, their grandmother visits and gives them her emerald-colored storybook known as The Land of Stories from when they were children. Later, Alex discovers that the book is glowing, and when she meets with Conner about it, she falls into the real Land of Stories, where all the characters from classical fairy tales live in harmony, with Conner by her side. Will they ever be able to find their way home? Read the book to find out.

Book Review: The Unwanteds

In the book Unwanteds by Lisa McMann, there is a dystopian city known as Quill, situated on an island. Every day on the Purge, the creative Unwanteds are sentenced to death, while the "strong and intelligent" (according to Quill) are sent to be trained. This year, Alex and Aaron Stowe are separated at the Purge, with Alex being sentenced to death, and Aaron going to the university. When he is eliminated, Alex discovers the magical land of Artimé, run by the enigmatic Mr. Today. In Artimé, the Unwanteds can harness their creativity to do magic, animate statues, and summon cheeseburgers. (Okay, not that last one.) However, Alex is missing Aaron because of their special twin bond. Would he do anything, including a permanent elimination to get Aaron back?

Book Review: Story Thieves

In the book Story Thieves by James Riley, a boy named Owen Conners is bored with his world as much as I love playing Pokemon, which in other terms, is a lot. Later, in his mom's library, he finds out that one of his classmates, Bethany Sanderson, can jump into and interact with books. He then begs her to take him into his favorite book series, Kiel Gnomenfoot, and when he tells one of the main characters, the Magister, that he is a character in the book, the Magister escapes, and starts wrecking havoc on the nonfictional world. Fortunately, the hero, Kiel, escapes too, and he and Bethany team up to stop the Magister, while Owen has to take on Kiel's role to live out the final book in the Kiel Gnomenfoot series, Kiel Gnomenfoot and the Source of Magic. However, this book may be a bit more "final" than Owen thinks it will be! 

Book Review: The Lightning Thief (Book 1)

If you haven't gotten into the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan yet, you're missing out on some pure amazingness. The first book, The Lightning Thief, is about a 12-year-old kid named Percy Jackson who lives in New York City. When he goes to Montauk with his mom for vacation, he finds a camp called Camp Half-Blood, where kids born of the Greek gods live. In an intense game of capture the flag, Percy learns that he is the son of the Greek god of the sea, Poseidon. The next day, along with his friends Grover and Annabeth, he goes on a quest to find Zeus's master lightning bolt, which Zeus believes Percy stole. He must return the bolt to Zeus by midnight on the summer solstice, or else the gods will be embroiled in a civil war. There are five books in the Percy Jackson series, see if your library has them!