The Maze Runner

Lexile: 770 - Pages:  374 - Genre:  Science Fiction/Fantasy

Thomas wakes up and finds himself in a box that opens to the Glade, a home for what appears to be made up of only teenage boys.  Like him all boys came to the Glade by the metal box and have no memories of their past life.  All they know is that they need to survive and solve the mystery of the Maze so they can go home before the Grievers get them.  One day the box opens and a girl is present.  The Gladers world is turned upside down when the girl tells them the end is near and they must find a way out of the maze or die.

I loved this book.  James Dashner is a excellent writer that hooks the read in the first few pages.  I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the Hunger Games.  I actually feel that it is better than the Hunger Games.  I can not wait to start reading the second book to see what happens to Thomas and the Gladers.

Rating: 5 out 5 (I stayed up all night to finish the book.)

The One and Only Ivan

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 320
Lexile: NA

Although Ivan is a gorilla, he doesn't live in the jungle.  Instead, he lives inside a run-down mall with a few other animals.  For the most part, Ivan is satisfied with his life until one day Ruby arrives.  She's a baby elephant, and Ivan and the other animals can't stand the thought of her growing up inside of the mall.  When you care about someone else, you can make yourself do things you never would have dreamed to be possible.

Once again, I have fallen in love with an animal story.  The simplicity of the story telling and the depth of the emotion draw in the reader.  This was a story I could not put down until I was finished.  More than anything, you will want the animals to be successful, to make their dreams come true.  You can't help but imagine that the real Ivan would have loved this story, too.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Wonder

Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Lexile 790
310 pages
Genre: Realistic Fiction

I won't describe what I look like.  Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse. 
August is definitely not like anybody else.  He's never gone to school even though he is entering fifth grade.  He hardly has any friends.  And his face is severely disfigured.  It's the kind of face that you can't help but stare at if you were to pass him on the street.  When August decides to actually go to school for middle school, everyone is worried.  How will he do? Will he be made fun of? How will the other students react? August's presence at the school has far-reaching repercussions beyond what anyone could have imagined.

We've been told to not judge a book by its cover since we were young.  We all try to live by those words, right? But what would you do if you were faced with someone who was so obviously different? This book is told from multiple perspectives including August, his sister, and other students in the school.  It shows that no matter how hard we try, sometimes human nature is hard to overcome.  In this case, human nature is judging a book by its cover.

Rating 5 out of 5

The Underneath

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt













Lexile: 830
Pages: 311
Genre: Fantasy

A calico cat is abandoned on the side of the road.  It would be a bad situation if she were on her own, but she is about to have kittens.  With nowhere to turn, she seeks shelter in the unlikeliest of places.  She befriends an old dog and lives with him underneath the porch.  However, the dog's master is an abusive, ornery man who would just love to get his hands on some kittens to use as bait for hunting.  After the kittens are born, it is difficult to keep them contained in safety of the Underneath.  One day, they go out exploring and are discovered.  Life changes forever in that one moment, for the story is much bigger than the Underneath.  The story spans time, animals, humans, the forest.  The story connects us all.

I used to say that I didn't like animal fantasy stories.  I'm starting to think I will have to recant that statement because I loved this book.  Although the main characters are animals, it really is a redemption story.  When you make a mistake, a huge mistake, how do you recover? How do you fix what is broken? How do you find what you have lost? Told from multiple perspectives, The Underneath will make you believe in the power of family and love.

Rating: 5 out of 5