Stuart Little by E.B. White

This book is about a mouse named Stuart that runs away from home to find his friend. I like this book but I didn't like the ending. I wish they could tell if Stuart found Margo or not and if he got back home. Still, it's a pretty adventurous book.

Review by Lina C.

Review of Avalon High

Avalon High by Meg Cabot

This story, Avalon High is about a girl named Ellie who moved and has adventures throughout the book. She meets new friends and finds out her life is related to King Arthur's life. Now, she has to let her friend, who becomes her boyfriend, know about the King Arthur life and now his step-brother will murder him. I give this book 4 1/2 stars because it has a mix of romance and mystery. I recommend t his book to others because it really connects to real life.

This book was reviewed by Jenny K., a summer reading club member.

Secret at Shadow Ranch by Carolyn Keene

This Nancy Drew book is about a teenager named Nancy who is always getting herself into mysteries. This time she goes to her friend's ranch for the summer and finds out that a girl, who lives close by, is being "abused" by an old woman who turns out to be a criminal. Nancy winds up rescuing the girl, who gets adopted by a great family. I give this book 3 1/2 stars because I really like the way Nancy always figures out the mysteries. I recommend this book for people who like mystery stories.

**This book reviewed by Nicole C., a member of the teen summer reading club**

The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene

I enjoyed reading this book about Nancy Drew solving a mystery about two elderly women living in an old colonial house. The women think the house is haunted because they've seen odd things happen. At the same time, Nancy's father has been kidnapped and he has to find out who did it. When both crimes connect, Nancy finds out that there are hidden passageways connecting the old house to another one just like it. The duplicate house turns out to be the hiding place of the "ghost" and Nancy's father. But will Nancy catch the people responsible? Find out by reading the book!

Reviewed by Gabrielle U., a member of the summer reading club.

Graphic Novel Update

First up, here's the new books we have in:

Bleach- vols. 15-17

Naruto- vols. 6-12

Fullmetal Alchemist- vols. 3-7

Ouran High School Host Club- vols. 4-6

Pixie Pop- vol. 1



We also have the next MINX graphic novel, called Re-Gifters. If you liked The Plain Janes, try this next!

If you like graphic novels but are now looking for something a little longer to read, try Chain Mail: Addicted to You by Hiroshi Ishizaki which is published by TOKYOPOP (one of your favorite anime publishers!).

Yesterday I tried to spend some time reading some of these new books. The first one I choose was Stuck in the Middle: Seventeen Comics from an Unpleasant Age, edited by Ariel Schrag. This book is all about what being in middle school is like. Each artist tells a story from his or her life as a teenager struggling through middle school. The comics are hilarious and very honest. I read this in one sitting, cover to cover. It was great.
The second title I read was Rock and Roll Love by Misako Rocks! Here's the description of the book from the author's supercute website:
Misako is a 16 year old girl originally from the exciting city of Tokyo, Japan who becomes a foreign exchange student at the not so exciting small town of Kirksville, Missouri. Follow Misako as she stuggles with a new language, a new culture and a new rock-n-roll dream boy!

I really liked the story in this GN and found it to be another fast paced read. The art was great and Misako is one cute girl. Overall, I recommend both for fun beach (or air-conditioned) reads.
Now its time for you to get to the library and pick some of these up!

Abel's Island by William Steig

The book "Abel's Island" was an excellent book. It was a little bit challenging but was very interesting. My favorite part was when Abel got home and gave a BIG surprise to his wife. He thought that most people might have thought that he was dead. I would recommend this book to people who like books that are challenging but easy. This book was a little long. It was an EXCELLENT book!!!!!!

*This review was written by Jennifer F., a member of our summer reading club. Thanks, jenn!

Beige by Cecil Castellucci

Katy is dreading her summer vacation. Not only will she not be going to Peru with her mom, like she wanted, but she will be staying at her dad's house in L.A. It's bad enough that her dad goes by the nickname The Rat, and is in a punk band called Suck. He left Montreal when Katy was two and she hasn't seen him since.

Katy doesn't expect to enjoy her stay in L.A., so she's not surprised when she gets there and meets Lake, the punk girl who was bribed to keep her company and tattooed Trixie, The Rat's burlesque dancing girlfriend. These people are so different from her- Katy doesn't even like music all that much- and to everyone she meets, it's like a religion.

To make it worse, Katy finds out her two week trip has been extended to the entire summer. How will she ever survive?

***** stars!

I really loved this book- all the characters are realistic and the transformation Katy goes through is interesting and endearing. Totally worth the read.