Inherit the Wind

Inherit the Wind


Directed By: Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee
Reviewed by: Kayleigh , 16
Rating: It was alright...


“The tense drama of the most explosive trial of the century!”

Maybe, maybe not. In 1955, this book was published after the play opened in New York City. It was a dramatized reenactment of the Scopes trial, also known as the widely controversial “Monkey Trial.” In this trial the State of Tennessee prosecuted John Scopes, a schoolteacher, for teaching Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. This book/play sensationalizes this trial and poses ethical questions to the reader. Should there be true separation of state or should Christian values be still upheld in school?

This book is a quick and easy read, but is thought provoking and worthwhile. My AP Composition class finished this in two days, but we analyzed the meaning of religion and science and debated the meaning of separation of church and state. This provided me a little clarity about the actual trial, which we had just glossed over in U.S. History class. I recommend reading it just to give you some background knowledge and something fun to read.


Recommended to: everyone, especially history lovers

Skeleton Key

Skeleton Key


By: Anthony Horowitz
Reviewed by: Kenny C., 14
Rating: It was amazing!


Skeleton Key is the third installment in the Alex Rider Series. As usual, it starts where book two left off. He gets approached by MI6 to go be a ball boy at the Wimbledon tennis tournament. Alex learns the Triads are fixing the games and screws up their plan. He is now being targeted to be killed by the Triads.

Anthony Horowitz did it again. He wrote another brilliant book to follow up the first two books in the series. Similar to the other books, Skeleton Key is filled with suspense and you will not want to stop reading.


Recommended to: Anyone that read the first two books

Point Blank

Point Blank


By: Anthony Horowitz
Reviewed by: Kenny C., 14
Rating: Really liked it


Point Blank is the second book in the Alex Rider series. It continues where Stormbreaker left off and starts with Alex being sent to investigate the deaths of 2 billionaires. MI6 found out they both had sons that went to Point Blank academy. So they enrolled Alex into the academy to make sure nothing bad was going on.

I think that Point Blank did a great job as a follow up to Stormbreaker. It is another action-packed novel that does not disappoint. Once you finish the book, you want more. Luckily, Anthony Horowitz already came out with the next books in the series up until book 8.


Recommended to: Anyone that read the first book

Stormbreaker

Stormbreaker


By: Anthony Horowitz
Reviewed by: Kenny C., 14
Rating: It was amazing!


Stormbreaker is about a teenage boy named Alex Rider that lives in England and winds up turning into a spy in the MI6. Alex's uncle, Ian Rider, had just been killed in a car accident, but Alex didn't think that was true. Alex found out his uncle had been shot and killed, but he found out too much and was taken to the MI6 headquarters. He learned that his uncle was a spy in MI6 and he was hoping to follow in his footsteps.

Stormbreaker is one of my favorite books of all time. It maintains a serious and realistic plot that can actually happen in real life. This book is filled with action and suspense that will definitely keep you coming back for more.


Recommended to: Everyone

Call of the Wild

Call of the Wild


By: Jack London
Reviewed by: Kenny C., 14
Rating: Really liked it


Call of the Wild is about a domesticated dog named Buck. He is living the average life of a house dog, until he gets stolen and sold to become a sled dog. While in the wilderness in a sled dog team, Buck pulls out his primordial instincts and reverts back to the ways of his ancestors. The story then goes on about Buck's life as a sled dog.

I personally think that this book is really good. It was interesting to see how Buck transformed from being house trained, to becoming just like a wolf. This book was very fun and interesting because you don't know what to expect.


Recommended to: Everyone

Flush

Flush


By: Carl Hiaasen
Reviewed by: Kenny C., 14
Rating: It was alright...


Flush is basically about a boy named Noah Underwood who goes through this crazy adventure to get his dad out of jail. His dad is crazy about the environment and does whatever he can, legal or not, to help the environment. When he is sent to jail this time, things get a bit strange.

I thought this book was nothing special. It was interesting enough for me to finish the entire book, but it lacked a serious story line.


Recommended to: i wouldn't recommend this book to anyone

The Last Song

The Last Song


By: Nicholas Sparks
Reviewed by: Yuuki, 14
Rating: It was amazing!


Ronnie is your average rebelious 17-year-old, about to be 18 years old, girl. When her parents had divorced years ago, she was angry at her father and hasn't spoke to him in about 3 years. Her mother decides to have Ronnie and her brother, Jonah, stary with their father for the summer in South Carolina. Upon arriving, Ronnie refuses to get along with him, even playing the piano for him, something that she'd love to do when she was younger, but that all changes when she falls in love with Will and her summer starts to seem more enjoyable.

Nicholas Sparks's works are truly life changers, an eye openers, and heartwarming stories. I truly felt that I can relate to both Ronnie and her ability to play piano, since I'm a musician, and her father and his love to music, since I love music as well. A heartwarming tale that anyone, even boys, would love to read.


Recommended to:

Clueless

Clueless


Directed By: Amy Heckerling
Reviewed by: awesomeVia, 15
Rating: Really liked it


As soon as I saw the movie, I realized how much my life is like Clueless. The movie is based on "Emma" by Jane Austen.
Cher (Alicia Silverstone) is a girl (basically spoiled) who only has her father that's a successful lawyer. She loves to shop and talk about boys. I like that she had this electronic clothes-picker gadget that helps her pick out clothes for the day. Her friend who's just as wealthy named Dionne (Stacey Dash) is one who already has a boyfriend. One day, Tai (Brittany Murphy) is a new student at Beverly Hills High and catches the attention of Cher and Dionne. The two give her a makeover, find a guy for her, and teach her how to be cool. Eventually, Cher feels guilty for making Tai more popular than she is. She has had some ups and downs with finding various guys for herself until she realizes that she's found the one but finds that Tai was falling for her ideal one as well and she fails her license test. At the end, alls well that ends well.

The movie is known for it breakthrough fashion of the 90s, it's interestig slang, and etc. This is a movie that teens will understand.


Recommended to: Teens, especially females

Vampire Knight, Vol. 8

Vampire Knight, Vol. 8


By: Matsuri Hino
Reviewed by: Yuuki, 14
Rating: It was amazing!


Yuki is having vivid hallucinations, as she tries to recall her memories, visions of blood covering everything in the room, the walls, the floors, everything. Yuki ended up trying to strangle Zero, the visions making her jumpy and torturing, as well as scaring, her. Finally, Kaname takes Yuki from her room, taking her to the top of a building overlooking the town.

All around Yuki, red snowflakes are falling. She believes that " . . . the world is tainted red and cannot return back to what it used to be" (it isn't the exact words, but it's close to it). Kaname tells her to try to remember her past or else she'll be destroyed. The last thing Yuki feels is a pair of fangs sinking into her neck . . .

OMG!!! This was, to me, like the most amazing thing that happened!! I was so surprised at what happened I was screaming at the book! I won't tell you what happens exactly, but let's say that the world is tainted red and cannot return back to what it was.


Recommended to:

Vampire Knight, Vol. 7

Vampire Knight, Vol. 7


By: Matsuri Hino
Reviewed by: Yuuki, 14
Rating: It was amazing!


Yuki is determined to find out about her past. Did her parents abandon her? Did they die? These are the questions that pulls at Yuki's mind. Also, why can she not remember anything past when she was 5, when she was saved by Kaname? As she looks for answers, she begins to suspect whether or not Kaname had anything to do with her erased memories, and why he was there that snowy night.

This is so climatic, yet it isn't the most climatic part of the series yet. Zero is truly a good companion, although he's cold he's actually very helpful and somewhat kind to Yuki.


Recommended to: