A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
5-star book review by Anonymous, 8th grade
Plot Summary
Pippa Fitz Amobi, a sharp high school senior, decides to solve a cold murder case for her project. Everyone in the town knows that Sal Singh killed his “perfect” girlfriend, Andrea (Andie) Bell, then commuted suicide himself. While this the story everyone thinks is true, Pip isn’t as easily fooled. She teams up with Ravi, Sal’s younger brother, to find the real killer. Their investigation reveals a web of secrets in their small town like drug dealing, abuse, and chaos underneath a curtain of perfection. Although Pip starts getting death threats to stop her project, she and Ravi go through suspect after suspect, working hard to find the real killer, too invested to stop, eventually finding the killer in the most unexpected place.
Personal Review
I love this book so much because it just has so much interesting turns and really keeps your attention on it. The book has many plot twists that eventually match together like a puzzle to the real killer which is my favorite part of it. I also really loved the small romance between Pip and Ravi (in the second book) in the background and how it wasn’t the main objective in the book. In the book, you could see both characters slowly getting from strangers to friends to partners while the main focus was the mystery needing to be solved. Additionally, although the book was long, it was so interesting that there wasn’t a moment where I was bored or tired of reading it. If you’re a murder mystery fan, this book is a must. It’s super interesting with all of its storyline and turns and I absolutely adore it.
Book Tags
Mystery, suspense, dark, intriguing
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Spy School by Stuart Gibbs
5-star review by Anonymous, 7th grade
Plot Summary
The book starts off with Ben Ripley, a nerdy 12 year old, being recruited to the CIA’s Academy of Espionage. Upon arriving, he quickly realizes the academy is not what he thought it was. He isn’t ready for the school as he’s had no experience with fighting or espionage. He receives harsh treatment from classmates and instructors. He also finds out he is under target by an enemy organization called SPYDER. He teams up with a legendary spy, Erica, to uncover the truth. As the pressure mounts, Ben tries to survive in an environment where nobody can be trusted, all while struggling to prove to himself worthy of being a spy.
Personal Review
I really liked this book! I liked how Ben is just a nerd, but he’s brought up to the Academy of Espionage. I also love how thrilling this book is. Ben faces many assassination attempts and is put up as a target by an evil organization. He isn’t prepared for this as he’s had no experience with fighting which makes the book pretty funny. He never really gets a break. The plot is fast-paced and there’s always something for Ben to worry about. The book also has strong supporting characters. Erica, Zoe, and Chip all make up for Ben’s incompetence as a spy. In summary, the book is amazing and just a fun book to read when you’re looking for a small escape. It contains humor, it’s thrilling, and it’s just a good book to read overall. This book is an amazing start to a fantastic series.
Book Tags
Action-packed, suspenseful, thrilling
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Otherwood by Pete Hautman
5-star review by Lars, 7th grade
Plot Summary
A book I recently read was called Otherwood by Pete Hautman. The protagonist's name is Stuey Becker, who lives in Westdale. His great grandfather owned a golf course which overgrew and evolved into a mysterious part of Westdale Wood. In this book, I think the antagonist is reality. One day, Stuey was in “The Deadfall” aka “Castle Rose,” a secret spot in the woods that Stuey and Elly had discovered, with Elly talking about some of their rough family history, when Elly fades away. Stuey doesn’t know what to do, and whenever he tells anyone, they think he is crazy. The story follows Stuey, occasionally switching to Elly’s POV, over the years. It turns out that their realities had split, so in Stuey’s reality Elly went missing, and in Elly’s, Stuey is missing. Occasionally, their realities cross over. The story ends with their realities permanently merging into one. Stuey’s internal conflict is that he repeatedly sees Elly, over long periods of time, but he can’t tell anyone or they will think that he is crazy. However, his external conflict is his struggle against reality. A motif in the book is Stuey’s compass necklace that Elly gave him for his birthday. It represents their relationship, however when their realities merge, the compass turned into an amulet on a chain.
Personal Review
I really appreciated the emotional depth. The characters felt genuine in the way they dealt with loss, memory, and connection. There were moments that felt actually meaningful and even a little haunting. The themes about life, death, and what might exist in between were interesting and gave the story more meaning beyond just the plot creating a daunting, but adventurous mood. However, I didn’t love everything about it. At times, the pacing felt uneven—some parts moved very slowly, and I found myself wishing things would progress a bit faster. There were also moments where the story felt a little confusing, especially when it leaned heavily into its more abstract or supernatural elements. While that added to the mystery, it sometimes made it harder to fully follow what was happening. In conclusion, aside from pacing, this story evokes emotion by showing true human genuine feelings. This book ties into the readers personal life by tying into real world feelings and phenomenon.
Book Tags
Mystery, adventure, action, funny
Spy Camp by Stuart Gibbs
4-star review by Anonymous, 7th grade
Plot Summary
In Spy Camp, Ben gets sent to a camp in the middle of the nowhere over the summer. He doesn’t expect much, just training to become a better spy, as he was recently chosen to study at the CIA’s Academy of Espionage. Things quickly become serious as an enemy organization, SPYDER, finds out about the camp. Strange things begin to happen, and Ben begins to realize the camp is not as safe as it seems. Ben and his friends decide to start investigating and they get put into difficult situations. What started as a simple training camp, turns into a high-stakes mission.
Personal Review
Spy Camp is a funny, exciting, and thrilling book that I absolutely loved. I liked how Ben isn’t the “perfect spy” and he still faces challenges physically, and mentally as a spy. It kind of builds up on the first book, he doesn’t instantly become a perfect spy after we see his inexperience in the first part of the series. I also like the setting of the book. Ben and his friends are far from help, and they risk being captured, possibly killed, by their enemies. The story also kept the mystery going throughout the plot. Ben received clues and realized something bigger was going on. The thrill never stopped. What made the story funnier, sometimes more serious, were the friendships. Sometimes the story felt a bit unrealistic, like when Woodchuck Wallace pinned a mosquito by its legs with a 6-inch hunting knife, from 40 feet away, but that’s what makes the story better.
Book Tags
Mystery, humor, action
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The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
5-star review by Anonymous, 8th grade
Plot Summary
This story follows Avery Grambs, a regular high school girl who uses very little planning to determine her future. Out of nowhere her life flips when a billionaire, Tobias Hawthorne, dies and leaves all of his fortune to her. There's a problem. Avery has no idea why she was chosen to claim the inheritance. The inheritance required her to move to a mansion in Texas, called The Hawthorne House. In the Hawthorne House every room has a secret, puzzles, riddles, and clues. She was surrounded by the Hawthorne family, especially the four grandsons who are not exactly thrilled that a stranger was coming to take their fortune. Avery tries to figure out why she was chosen for the inheritance, but that just ended up getting her pulled deeper into death, danger and mind games. She ended up finding out that Tobias Hawthorne did not pick her for no reason, everything was part of a big carefully designed puzzle.
Personal Review
This book made me really enjoy reading. With the cliff hanger at the end of every chapter, I was pulled deeper into the book like quick sand. As a result I would stay up all night reading, so I could find out what happens next. I found the book to truly engage my mind, because it did not revolve around a silly little bunny as if I were a child. It revolved round teamwork, integrity and puzzle solving. Throughout the story the Hawthorne family and Avery solved puzzles to find out why Tobias chose Avery. I wish the author has made the story more realistic because most people wouldn't give their entire inheritance to someone they only met once verses their blood. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fun and engaging mystery. In addition, I suggest using the audio book, because it enhances the tone of the story
Book Tags
Mystery, love triangle, game, fortune, coming of age, secrets
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The Hawthorne Legacy, Final Gambit, Brothers Hawthorne, The Naturals Series