Author: Alexander Gordon Smith
Published: 2009 Furnace Penitentiary is a prison for kids that goes deep in the ground. It was built after the Summer of Slaughter. The Summer of Slaughter was a summer filled with murder when kids from gangs killed members of other gangs. Adults started to get scared of kids, so Furnace Penitentiary was built and kids who killed were sent there for life. Alex and his friend Toby are thieves. They have been stealing for awhile and have gotten pretty good at it. One night, they hit this really nice house. While they’re there, they get caught. These huge, mysterious men with silver eyes and a creepy man with an old rusty gas mask stop them. They kill Toby and frame Alex. Alex runs but he gets caught and sent to Furnace, charged with murder. It turns out that these huge men with silver eyes are guards at the Furnace. Living in Furnace is absolute torture. The guards don’t stop other prisoners from hurting people. When a siren sounds, everyone is expected to get back to their cells for lockdown. If you don’t make it in time, these terrifying dog-like creatures are set off on you, and you are killed. At night, the creepy men in gas masks come and take certain prisoners who are never seen again. There is no possible way to escape. Alex soon finds out that there are other kids like him who were framed by the guards. Why were they brought there? Is there really no way to escape the Furnace? This was a creepy book that kept me interested until the very end. I am definitely going to pick up the next one in the series.
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Author: Michelle Gagnon
Published: 2012 Noa wakes up in a hospital gown on an operating table, hooked up to an IV. She has no idea how or when she got there. When two doctors come into her room, they are shocked to find her awake. One of them runs from the room and the other tells her she was in a car accident. Noa can tell that he is lying. She manages to escape but doesn’t know where to go. Peter is looking through his dad’s files one night. He discovers a new file that wasn’t there before called AMRF. Peter is a hacker, so he starts to dig around and finds out that AMRF is a mysterious medical research company. He doesn’t get the chance to find out much more because soon his door is kicked in, and a bunch of men come in and threaten Peter and then take his laptop. Noa and Peter’s paths cross while Noa is on the run. Noa is also a hacker. Peter reaches out to her and asks her to help him research AMRF. Noa discovers that what happened to her has something to do with AMRF and that she is so important to a project they are doing that they they will not rest until they find her. Don't Turn Around is a great thriller that will keep you on your toes! Author: Eve Bunting
Published: 1999 Brodie’s summer is ruined because his cousin Alex is staying with his family for the summer. Brodie had all kinds of adventures planned, but now he has to stay home and spend time with his troubled cousin. Early one morning, Brodie takes Alex to Blackwater River to teach him how to swim in the calm part of the water. When they get there, Brodie sees his crush Pauline with a boy named Otis. These two are all over each other, and it is clear that Pauline likes Otis. Brodie is jealous and decides to play a prank on them. But the prank goes too far, and Pauline and Otis disappear into the rough waters. Brodie tries his best to rescue them, but he is too late. Alex and Brodie lie to everyone about what really happened. But when someone leaves an anonymous note for Brodie, he discovers that somebody else was there and saw what happened. Will he come clean before it’s too late? Author: Terri Libenson
Published: 2017 Emmie is invisible. She goes through school unnoticed. She’s really good at drawing, but she thinks she’s not much good at anything else, especially at socializing. Luckily she has one really great friend named Brianna to help get her through the school day. Then there’s Katie. Katie is popular. She always knows what to say, and everyone wants to be around her. She never goes unnoticed. This book follows Emmie and Katie, who go to the same school and are complete opposites of each other. Emmie is just trying to get through the day by drawing as little attention to herself as possible. Then there’s her crush, Tyler, who she wants to talk to but can’t muster up the courage. Emmie and Katie’s paths cross at school, and the two help each other out in important ways. Author: Steve Moore
Published: 2017 Steve is King of the Bench, AKA a benchwarmer, AKA some who sits the pine. The only time he gets to play on his baseball team is if his team is winning by a ton. Steve has a problem. Ever since tryouts, he has been traumatized by what he calls the Valentine’s Day Schnoz Massacre. Now he is absolutely terrified of being hit by a ball, which is a problem if you are on the baseball team, even if you never play in games because everyone plays during practice. And kids tend laugh and make fun of someone who dives out of the way every time the pitcher throws a ball his way. Find out what happened on the Valentine’s Day Schnoz Massacre and see if Steve ever gets over his phobia in King of the Bench: No Fear! Author: Kaitlin Ward
Published: 2017 Mailee and Cara have been best friends for forever. One day, they are invited by someone they just met to visit the Haven, a commune in the mountains where a group of people live off the land. Mailee goes because Cara wants to go. Mailee is interested to see what these people live like, but she is a little weirded out, especially by their leader Firehorse. Cara, however, loves the Haven. She starts going back and spending all her time there. She has even become vegan, like all the members of the commune, and she starts to believe everything that Firehorse says. Soon, Mailee feels like she has lost her best friend who no longer wants anything to do with her. When Cara finally calls her and asks Mailee to come to the Haven and celebrate a festival with them, Mailee is so happy to hear from her that she agrees to go. When she goes, she starts to have major doubts about what kind of people are living at the Haven. Mailee soon discovers that Cara is in a lot of danger, but they are miles from anyone else, there is no phone service, and her car keys are missing. What is really going on at the Haven? Will Mailee be able to save her friend in time? This is a great thriller that will keep you interested until the very end! Author: Steve Sheinkin
Published: 2012 It all started in 1938 when scientist Otto Hahn discovered he could split uranium atoms. When news of this reached other scientists, they quickly found that splitting these uranium atoms could be the key to creating the deadliest bomb in the world. The world at this time was currently fighting in World War II. The President of the United States put together a committee to try to create this deadly bomb. Germany, the United States, and the Soviet Union all wanted the ability to build a nuclear bomb in order to have the power over one another. Germany had scientists working on it, and the Soviet Union thought that they only way they would have a chance at building a bomb is if they stole the plans from the U.S. Bomb is about the all the developments in the creation of this destructive bomb. I found this history extremely fascinating. Once the U.S. built a bomb, the next thing they needed to do was test it to see if it worked, and it did. For many, this was a celebration, but for others it was kind of a horrifying feeling to know that they now had the power to completely destroy entire cities with just one weapon, which they did. With the events going on in our world today, Bomb really is a fitting read. I was horrified and amazed throughout this book. Author: S. A. Bodeen
Published: 2012 Robie lives with her family on a group of islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. She often will visit her aunt in Hawaii for a few days at a time, having to ride small cargo flights to get back and forth. At the last minute, Robie decides that she is going to catch a cargo flight back to the islands. She doesn't tell her parents or her aunt; no one except the pilot and the co-pilot know that she is on the flight. Suddenly, the weather gets really bad, and the plane goes down into the ocean. The only other survivor is Max, the co-pilot. All they have is a raft, a small bag of Skittles, and some flares. They have no water, no protection from the sharks in the ocean, and no way to get help. How long will they be able to survive? The Raft is a great survival story with a pretty good twist! Author: Pittacus Lore
Published: 2010 Nine escaped from the planet Lorien when it was attacked by Mogadorians. They went to Earth to try to hide, but the Mogadorians are after them. Each is given a number 1-9, and they are protected by a charm that means they can only be killed in the order of 1-9. Three are now dead. Number four is next. When Number Four finds out that the three before him have died, he and his guardian have to pick up their lives and completely start over. Number Four becomes John Smith, then new kid at a new school in a new place. He is supposed to try to blend in to keep the Mogadorians from being able to find him and kill him, but it is hard to blend in when the coolest guy in school picks a fight with you. There is something unique about the nine who escaped from the planet Lorien. They are all going to develop Legacies, or powers. John is just starting to develop his. When he uses his powers to help defend himself and some friends against the bullies in school, his secret may be out, and the Mogadorians may be on to him. Author: Patricia Hruby Powell
Published: 2017 Loving vs. Virginia tells the story of Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving who fell in love with each other in Virginia in the 1950s. The problem? Mildred was black and Richard was white, and white people were not allowed to marry someone from another race during that time in Virginia. Mildred and Richard traveled to Washington D.C. to get married; however, when they went back to Virginia, their marriage was still illegal and they were arrested. The couple had children together, but they were not allowed to be with each other. This book is told in verse from both Mildred and Richard's perspectives. Eventually, their case is taken to the Supreme Court where Mildred and Richard hope they can be granted the right to marry each other. This is a great book about such an important case in our history. The book includes pictures from that time period, along with quotes and information about other important things that were happening. |
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