Coraline - By Neil Gaiman

Reviewed by Erick C.

Coraline, not Caroline, has just moved into a new apartment with her parents. Feeling neglected one rainy afternoon, Coraline explores her new home, counting everything blue (153), the windows (21), and the doors (14). One of these doors, however, is unusual. It is a big, carved wooden door in the family's fancy drawing room, and when her mom unlocks it, Coraline discovers that there's nothing behind it, just a brick wall. Coraline's mother closes the door, but doesn't lock it. Why should I lock it," she says, "It doesn't go anywhere." How wrong she is. That night Coraline is awakened by something that comes out from the door, a black shape she can't see clearly, and the next day she decides to take another look.

Coraline opens the door, and the bricks are gone, replaced by a long, dark corridor. On the other side, she finds a duplicate of her own apartment, only better. Her room is filled with colors and wonderful toys, and her closet with bright and exciting clothes. Her "other" parents are here, too, though just a bit different. They are very tall and thin, and as white as paper. Their fingers are long, ending in sharp nails. Plus, instead of eyes, they have shiny black buttons sewn onto their faces. When Coraline returns back to her real apartment, she finds that her real parents have vanished and realizes that there is only one thing she can do.

Coraline is my new favorite book. This is one of the few creepy and scary books that is actually very well written. So give this book a try. You might get a little scared, but that's the best part, right?

Dragon Slayers' Academy book 1 - By K.H. McMullan

One of my favorite books is the Dragon Slayers Academy.
It is about a boy named Wiglaf who is going to Pinwick village for a festival with his mean family. While he was walking to Pinwick, he reads a note, which was on the message tree. It was about DSA, the Dragon Slaying Academy! Wiglaf wanted to go really bad but he had to get his dad's consent. His dad asked everyone in his family except Wiglaf if they wanted to go to DSA. In the end, Wiglaf's dad thought Wiglaf was worthless in the cabbage fields (because he was so scrawny) so he decided Wiglaf could go. Wiglaf was so happy. He didn't think at all about the trouble waiting for him along the way to DSA.

Dragon Slayers Academy is a really good book. I would recommend this book to all my friends. I like Dragon Slayers Academy because Wiglaf meets up with a lot of trouble. For example, when Wiglaf doesn't have seven pennies to get into DSA he has to wash dishes to pay it off until he gets seven pennies. Even though these books are short, they are really addicting. I will definitely read all the books in the series. K. H. McMullan is an awesome author.

The Beasties - By William Sleator

Reviewed by Lauren K. Age 11

The Beasties is a book about a boy named Doug and his sister Collette. They moved to a very eerie town where everybody was jumpy and always had the jitters. They just thought that the people were weird, until they met their housekeeper, Mrs. Sloan. The strangest thing about Mrs. Sloan was that she wore a Halloween mask all the time. Once they figured out that the mask was there because she had no nose, they began to notice that everyone in the town had a missing body part. One day, Doug and Collette went for a hike in the woods. Then, they fell into a square pit. The creature they saw could have been human, except its teeth curved down from either jaw, and it just sat there wailing. Then they noticed that it was all sewn together like a rag doll. Once they got out of the pit, they went to Mrs. Sloan and asked what the creature was. She said that the creature they saw was called a beastie. The beasties are animals who steal children's body parts and sew them on themselves. "That's what happened to my nose," Mrs. Sloan explained. If you want to find out what happens next, read the book.

The Beasties was an action-packed book because it had new and interesting situations that needed Doug and Collette's help. Also, it was filled with suspense and mystery. I didn't like Doug, though, because he seemed way overprotective of Collette. I thought that all of the beasties were really cool. But my all-time favorite character would have to be Collette. She seemed in control, like she knew what to do and what time to do it. Also, it was cool of her to keep calm when she heard about the beasties and how they stole little children's body parts. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves creepy, suspense-filled books.

Septimus Heap Book One: Magyk - By Angie Sage

The Wee Free Men - By Terry Pratchett

I Was a Rat! by Phillip Pullman

Old Bob, the cobbler (shoemaker) and his wife, Joan, the washerwoman had no children. One evening, after hearing a knock, Old Bob opens his door to a young boy dressed in a pageboy’s uniform. “I was a rat!” is all he’ll say. Thinking him lost or an orphan, Joan and Bob take the boy in and call him Roger. And so the story begins for this boy who thinks he used to be a rat. The police don’t want anything to do with him, and he can’t seem to do anything right at school. The royal philosopher thinks Roger is just plain insane. Where does he belong? In the circus as a freak? With a gang of boys as a burglar? Down in the sewers, a giant rat-creature? Or exterminated like a common pest? Roger can’t seem to fit in anywhere.

Philip Pullman is probably best known for the His Dark Materials trilogy, consisting of The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. I Was A Rat! is a very different kind of book. A clever, funny story that takes a classic fairy tale and asks the question, “what if…?” The story is written at a quick, page-turning pace, and is full of humor, adventure, and great twists.

The Looking Glass Wars - By Frank Beddor

The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor is the first book in the Looking Glass Wars trilogy. This is a good book to read if you have read Alice in Wonderland, even if you haven't, I'm sure you will enjoy it just as much. It states the "truth" about Alice in Wonderland.

Beddor makes this book extremely exiteing, compelling, and creative all at the same time. The way he does this is amazing, he uses elements from Alice in wonderland, for instance the character counter parts, and mixes them with his own amazing ideas, to create this fantastical world of action, suspense, and creativity. Also look out for the sequel, Seeing Redd.

Among the Impostors - By Margaret Peterson Hadix

Reviewed By Mike B. age 11

Among the Imposters is a book about a boy named Luke. Luke is a third child. In this society, third children are illegal because of the "shortage" of food. Luke has been hiding his whole life. Now he has a chance to stop hiding. He got a fake ID from Mr. Talbot, a neighbor who use to have a third child names Jen, but she died during a rally. Luke is going to Hendricks School for Boys. He is looking for friends and can't find any until one night when he went into the woods. He heard some voices and there were his mean roommate and his friends. He makes friends with them, but Luke soon finds out that his new "friend" (old mean roommate) is pretending to be part of the population police (an agency that makes sure third children are killed) and is trying to betray all third children by telling the population police their real names. Luke must do something to make sure this doesn't happen. What will Luke do? Read the book to find out.

Among the Imposters is a great book. I liked it because you never know what was going to happen next. It was very unpredictable. It was a great adventure finding out how Luke reacted to not hiding anymore. Among the Imposters kept me thinking through the book. It was one of the best books I've ever read. This is the second book in the series of three books.