Monday, March 8, 2010

Juice

by Eric Waters

Moose has been made captain of his high school football team. When the old football coach retires, the new coach in town brings in a lot of money and promises of a fantastical winning season. During practice, the strength training coach starts giving the players protein shakes. A little too late Moose discovers that the drinks contain steroids. Now he has to make the biggest choice of his life. The author does a good job of keeping the story interesting and realistically describing the drastic way steroids effect the football players lives.

-- Matthew M., Student

Kicked Out

by Beth Goobie

This story is about a family that has two teens dealing with a tragedy. The son, Darren, has been in a horrible accident and is severely physically disabled. Darren's sister, Dime, is a typical bad girl. Chasing any guy with a leather jacket and motorcycle, she is struggling to deal with her brother's accident. Told from the perspective of Dime, the author does a good job of writing from a teen's perspective and the story has lots of action.

-- Maria N., Student

Tell

by Norah McClintock

This book tells the story of David and his step-dad Phil. Phil has been murdered, and the police arrive at the Benson house to share the news and investigate the death. David's mom, Mrs. Benson, sobs while David is questioned by the police. He soon becomes the main suspect. As he thinks back to his life with his step-father, David begins to have some realizations about who the man really was and uncover some secrets about their family. This book is full of mystery and very suspenseful. If you like thrillers, then this is the book for you.

-- Syndi, B., Student

Exposure

by Patricia Murdoch

Exposure is a book that deals with the relationship between two girls. Dana and Julie don't get a long. Dana constantly picks on Julie with threats and physical attacks like stabbing Julie in the back with a pencil. When Julie's brother comes home with a camera full of incriminating pictures of Dana, Julie sees how she can get her revenge. But revenge might not be as sweet as Julie hoped.

-- Katie, H., Student

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Beastly

by Alex Flinn

A modern twist on the "Beauty and the Beast" fairy tale. Kyle seems to have everything: good looks, money, charm, and popularity. Unfortunately he is also majorly self-centered and narcissistic. As a cruel joke, he invites an unpopular girl to the prom and plans to humiliate her in front of the whole school. What he doesn't expect is that she is really a powerful witch. As payback for his cruel ways, she curses him by stealing his gorgeous looks and turning him into a hideous beast. Kyle's only hope of reversing the curse is to find true love and be kissed. But who could ever love a beast? Soon to be a movie, this book is a thrilling update to the classic story.

-- Hollie Hawkins, Faculty

Tears of a Tiger

by Sharon M. Draper

Four high school basketball players win a basketball game and go driving around to celebrate. They all drink some beer, and Andy, the car's driver, ends up swerving into a wall. The car catches on fire, and Andy's best friend dies while the other three basketball stars survive. The surviving three go on with their lives trying to deal with tremendous guilt. Andy, however, has a hard time dealing and seeks help through counseling. Although he tries to convince everyone he's doing better, his girlfriend knows the truth - Andy is on the brink of falling apart in a major way.

-- Jamila, R., Student