Things Not Seen

Fiction by Andrew Clements
Reviewed by Heidi Riegel
Not in the NVHS Library as of this post

"It's after the shower. That's when it happens. It's when I turn on the bathroom light and wipe the fog off the mirror. [It’s not what I see.] It's what I don't see. I look a second time, and then rub at the mirror again. I'm not there. That's what I'm saying. I'm. Not. There."

Bobby Phillips wakes up one morning, looks in the mirror, and can’t see himself. His parents also are unable to see him. No, they didn’t all go blind. Bobby is just invisible. The family decides to keep this a secret; they don’t want the media to find out. What’s worse than having your picture on the news and in the morning paper? Having your invisible picture there. Bobby’s parents are both professors at the nearby college. His dad, a major in physics, immediately begins to formulate theorems about the cause of this spontaneous invisibility, how long it will last, and if it is possible to reverse. The clothes Bobby wears are not invisible, and if he stands too close to a wall, there is a shadow. To make matters worse, Bobby’s parents are in an accident just days after he becomes invisible. The school begins to wonder about his absence; no one has seen him for over a week. His parents are unable to provide a doctor’s note or excuse, and the government begins trying to track him down. The Child Protection Agency gets on his case and starts to pester Mr. and Mrs. Phillips on his whereabouts. They are given five days to show Bobby to them, or else they will face arrest. He must become visible again.

This book is exciting, intriguing, funny, fast paced, and easy to get in to. Andrew Clements does a great job of grabbing the reader’s attention and keeping it. This book is very imaginative, but it presents the reality of not being seen by others. Before Bobby became invisible, he wasn’t really noticed by his classmates. He finds that he can do almost anything without being noticed, but also feels left out and like an outsider. It is set in the present day in Chicago, and begins on February 23, the date he become invisible. The ending is very touching, but not cheesy.

House of the Scorpion

Fiction by: Nancy Farmer

Reviewed by: Devlin F
Not in NVHS library as of this post
5 out of 5

How would you feel if you were a hated and considered an animalistic clone? Or how would you feel knowing that you weren’t born, but harvested in a lab? Or even knowing that the only reason you exist is to give organs. This is the life of Matteo, Matt as he’s called. At first this book starts just a little bit too slow for me. But when it picks up it picks up. This book takes place in a land between Mexico and the United States, called Opium. For one El patron, Matt’s “owner”, grows opium by the mile. When Matt was young, he was restricted to what he could do and had no outside contacts, beside the TV. But when Matt falls on broken window glass, his world changes, he comes upon the “big house” where el Patron lives. He bleeds profusely and the doctors must save him. The family doctors and maids take care of him until they discover what’s written on his foot, “Property of the Alacran Estate”. Then, because they have discovered he’s a clone, he’s tossed onto the street like a common pig. But, to Matt’s advantage, el Patron intervenes and saves Matt’s life. Then he’s forced into the care of an abusive maid, Rosa. Rosa treats Matt like a bug, as he was forced to sleep on a mound of sawdust! Much later in the book, when el Patron’s dying, Matt discovers his one purpose of life, to keep el Patron alive. Matt tries to deny this to himself but can’t. As he is getting prepped for surgery and death Celia, who took care of him when he was young, tells Matt and everyone something that will cost her her life as a normal human. Find out if Matt survives and what happens to Celia. I highly suggest this book if you like a little fantasy, but the events in the book could still happen.

Nancy Farmer, whose books have had much recognition as the best, is a very good author and tells the story perfectly. Her descriptions of the characters are amazing. She does a grand job in tying up any unknown information at the end. I thought that it was a great read, though it’s over 300 pages long. But if length doesn’t bother you, this is the book you should read.

Girl At Sea

Fiction by Maureen Johnson
Reviewed by Monica R.
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Not in the NVHS Collection as of this post

Clio Ford has everything planned perfectly. She’s going to spend her summer working at Galaxy, an art store near her house. Not only will this satisfy her artsy obsession, she’s also become work partners with Ollie, her crush-at-first-sight when he’d been ringing up her purchases at Galaxy a while back. Now they were friends and Clio was determined to make their relationship develop into something even more...

Then suddenly all of Clio’s plans are crashing down. Her mother has just informed her of a project her job has offered in Kansas. But Clio has to go with her father to Italy on a cruise ship… Although this sounds interesting and exciting, being with her father is Clio’s worst nightmare. Wild Ben Ford is the reason Clio’s childhood was never normal and happy. His knack for spending too much and failing to see boundaries to his adventures has hurt Clio and her mother more than once, causing the divorce in the first place. But now Clio has to spend the summer with her father in Italy, on a cruise ship, with 3 other strangers and her father’s friend Martin.

Right off Clio makes friends with the gorgeous blonde Elsa (who is her age), and enemies with arrogant Aidan, Julia’s (Elsa’s mother) assistant in archaeology. Although at first the trip is intolerable for Clio, as she constantly aches for the internet and a phone to call Ollie and her mother, soon Clio discovers that the adults and Aidan are keeping something from her. They are doing whatever they can to make sure she does not figure out what they are up to; this, however, just makes Clio more determined to solve this mystery.

In Girl at Sea, Clio must decide where her heart really lies, if she’s past forgiving her father, and if she can tough up and survive the summer.

I think that Maureen Johnson is an excellent author, and this novel demonstrates Johnson’s ability to hook and capture the reader. I never once wanted to put this book down and when I did, I thought about it the entire time I was unable to read. Boring does not exist in this story. I loved the enticing romance, thrilling action, and exhilarating mystery. I promise that if you enjoy all three of those, this book is going to blow you away.

City of Bones

Fiction by:Cassandra Clare
Reviewed by Lizz L.
5 out of 5 stars
Not available in NVHS library as of this post

Clary Fay is enjoying a night out with her best friend Simon when she see something she shouldn’t. She witnesses the murder of a teen boy, but the weirdest part is that only she can see the murderers, and right after the boy is killed the body disappears. Soon, her mother goes missing leaving an alarming message for Clary. Suddenly she is thrust into a world where she learns that demons, vampires, werewolves, and fairies exist along with other species thought to be make believe. The weirdest part of it all is that all of this has been going on for centuries, on earth. Along with the help of her newly formed demon hunting friends, Alec, Isabelle, and the arrogant, but incredibly hot Jace, Clary discovers her own powers, and learns that her mother is being held captive by the evil Valentine. With the help of her friends is Clary able to defeat Valentine and rescue her mother?

This Book is an amazing fantasy I would recommend to anyone. It’s got the parts of a good story. A captivating plot, a little bit of romance, and enough action to keep the reader enthralled, but not overwhelmed. It is the first book in the mortal instruments series and is a great lead into to the second Book City of Ashes. The third book in this series comes out in May. This book is a mildly hard read because of its vocabulary, and the pure fantasy of it. I really enjoyed this book and I hope other do as well. It makes a great gift, and can be read many times over, with out getting boring. City of bones is strongly recommended to anyone.

Eclipse

Fiction by Stephenie Meyer
Reviewed by Lauren C.
2 books available in the NVHS Library
5/5 stars

Senior year in Forks is full of choices and fear for Bella. With graduation approaching, she is in the midst of danger due to the vampire with an obsession for revenge. There has also been linked murders near by, and is most likely related to Bella. There would be no hope for her if it wasn’t for her set of protectors, Jacob and Edward. However, Bella is reluctantly thinking about which one of her defenders she will choose: the love of her “existence,” or her best friend. She knows that she will have to make that decision, for the rivals can’t seem to compromise. Bella needs to figure out a lot with her future. She also knows she will loose Jacob if she takes the opportunity she’s been yearning for ever since she has been involved with Edward.

Eclipse is the third book in Stephenie Meyer’s romance saga. This novel grabs the reader’s interest quickly, more than the second book in the series, New Moon. Meyer’s descriptive writing style shows the raw emotions of the main character, Bella. Eclipse leads well into the fourth and final book, Breaking Dawn. This romance novel is highly recommended for teens, especially girls.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Fantasy by J.K. Rowling
Reviewed by Nick L.
In the NVHS Collection
5 out of 5 stars

Harry Potter, a 15-year-old wizard attends his annual wizarding school and their headmaster announces they will be hosting a special event. This event extends to 2 other wizarding schools. The tournament is called the “Triwizard Tournament”. The tournament allows any wizard attending any of these schools and over the age of 17 to put their name into what is known as the Goblet of Fire. This goblet chooses one name from each school and those 3 wizards get to compete in 3 tasks of dangerous proportions in order to gain ultimate fame and glory. But after the 3 wizards, Viktor Krum, Fleur Delacour and Cedric Diggory, are chosen Harry Potters name mysteriously flies out. As of that night even though there was 1 too many competitors and he was underage he was a participant in the Triwizard Tournament. Now Harry not knowing full well what he was getting into has to go through the tournament and try to survive till the end. But things don’t always go as well as we hoped and that applies to Harry as well when things go for a bad turn in the last challenge.

In my opinion this book is a great sequel to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and its other predecessors. This book tops them all with its constant thrilling action in the mystical arts and mysterious secrets that lye around every corner. This book I highly recommend to anyone interested in the magic world or in the Harry Potter series. This book gives the readers a chance to envision the book in their own minds. I would give this book 5 out of 5.

Don't Scream

Fiction by Joan Lowery Nixon

Reviewed by Kristal S.
1 available in the NVHS library
4 out of 5 stars

Jess and Lori are best friends and they think their lives are great and when two cute guys move to Oakberry and go to their school they think things just got even better, but they were in for a surprise. Mark Malik moved in right next to Jess and she thought he was a real nice guy but her neighbor, Mr. Chamberline, thought different. Scott Alexander was the other guy and when Jess started thinking there was something weird about him she had her friend Eric Dobson look information up on the internet about him, but there was nothing about a Scott Alexander that was still alive. After Jess and Mr. Chamberline's cats turned up missing, and Jess feels like someone is following her and watching the neighborhood, she starts getting suspicious. Jess later finds out that Mark is a murderer and Scott was seeking revenge, and that's why they both ended up in Oakberry at the same time.

Joan Lowery Nixon does a great job of keeping you on the edge of your seat and wondering what will happen next. While I was reading this book I didn't want to put it down because toward the end of every chapter something exciting or interesting would happen and make me want to keep reading.

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies

By: Sonya Sones
Reviewed by Nicole W.
In the NVHS collection of this post

Ruby’s mother is dead and all that she has left is her aunt, her best friend, her beloved boyfriend, and her good for nothing dad who’s a movie star. She has to move to her dad’s house in California, but she would rather not. She hates her father because he left her mom and her when she was little. She has never see her dad in person but every year he aunt secretly takes her to see his newest movie. Now that she has to go all the way to California and leave all of her friends and family behind her dad is her worst enemy. In California she makes new friends but still misses her old friends. Many things happen to Ruby while being in California. Read this book to find out what terrible things happened to Ruby in California.

This book is the one of the best books that I have ever read. Sonya Sones is a fantastic author and has written a few other books as well. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes lifelike stories and a little bit of drama. This book is a fast read and you cannot wait to see what is going to happen next. Every person can relate to it someway. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of her books. This is an overall fantastic book.

New Moon

Fiction by Stephanie Meyer
Reviewed by Lauren C.
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
2 available- Check it out of the NVHS Library

Bella thought everything was set with her and Edward. That is until the Cullen’s decide to leave Forks. Put in a deep depression for about four months, Bella has been affecting everyone around her. Her friends take her depression offensively, and her father Charlie threatens to send her back to her mother. Desperate to find a new purpose, Bella starts hanging out with an acquaintance, Jacob Black. Bella decides to be rebellious, and buy two motorcycles that needed repair. Bella just needed something to do, so she asked Jacob if he would help her repair them. She got more than she expected from the time spent with Jacob, and started becoming surprisingly close with him. Then, Bella didn’t hear from him, and she didn’t know why. Was Bella moving on from Edward? She knew there was something wrong about Jake Black, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. What could it be?

This sequel from the well-known Twilight series will have you questioning. The beginning of the story is a little slow, draining on about Bella’s depression for about 200 pages. After that, the storyline picks up, and becomes easier to read. New Moon is a great thriller, and will have you wanting more. This book would be great for someone who loves romance, and a sense of the unknown. Stephanie Meyer does a wonderful job captivating the reader, once they are well into the story. This story forces you to create an opinion of the series, and provokes the thoughts of readers of any kind.

Ambition

Fiction By Kate Brian

Reviewed by Marley N.
Not in the NVHS Collection as of this post

5 out of 5 stars

In the book before Ambition, Legacy, Reed Brennan and everyone else in the Billings house at Easton Academy sneak of campus to an exclusive party that they were specifically told not to attend, but get caught coming back. They used an underground tunnel that started in one of the oldest buildings on campus, and somehow the building caught on fire in the time they were gone, so they have to find a way to get out of the punishment for that too. So now, in Ambition, the headmaster threatens to eliminate Billings, forever. But the Billings Girls make a deal with the Easton Academy school board that if they can raise five million dollars in one month, Billings will remain as it is and they will find other punishment for the girls. Since Reed is president of Billings, it is her job to plan and organize a fund raiser that will assure that the five million dollars will be raised. And as if this wasn’t enough, the death of her friend Cheyenne that occurred only a month ago is starting to haunt her, literally. Reed doesn’t know who is responsible for what is going on or even if it is really happening, but somehow Cheyenne’s old things start showing up in Reed’s room and e-mails are sent from Cheyenne’s address. But this is impossible, isn’t it? Reed has suspicions that a girl on campus, Ivy Slade, has something to do with it because of her mysterious, and strange, past and reputation. But there is no way to be sure. And you would think this is enough for someone to handle, but added to all of this, Reed and her boyfriend just broke up because of Reed’s mistakes at the Legacy, with her best friends boyfriend.

I thought that this book was one of the best in the series. It really keeps you reading, and you’re never bored. It is the seventh book of it series, and I enjoyed all of them. But to fully understand Ambition, you would have to read the whole series.