Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Pena

Alicia Arellano


Plot Summary
This book is about a boy named Danny who visits his dad's family in National City. When he gets there he has trouble making friends and he hangs out with his cousin Sofia and her friends. When he gets there he is a really shy person and he doesn't know anybody besides his cousin Sofia and her friends.

Excerpt
" He's Mexican, because his family's Mexican, but he's not really Mexican. His skin is dark like his grandma's sweet coffee, but his insides are as pale as the cream she mixes in. Danny holds his pencil above the paper, thinking : I'm white boy among Mexicans, and a Mexican among white boys.''
   
Critical Evaluation 
This book deserves a 10 out 10 because it talks about how a boy doesn't know any Spanish and he has to go with his dad family in National City, a city where most Mexicans live. He has  to try to make new friends but he is a really shy boy who only talks to his cousin Sofia at first and then after he starts talking to other people.

Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina

Gordon Jack

Plot Summary
It's 1977 and New York City is in chaos. A record heat wave is scorching everyone. Arsonists are burning buildings for the insurance. A serial killer named Son of Sam is killing young couples kissing in cars. And then there's a city wide blackout. Amidst all this, Nora struggles with her own crises. Her mom just got laid off from work, her father spends all his time (and money) with his new family, and her brother is becoming increasingly violent and abusive. Can she keep her family together, while the city seems to be falling apart?

Critical Evaluation
This historical novel from Meg Medina is easily a 10 out of 10. I don't know which was more engaging: being taken back in time to one of the worst summers in New York history, or taken into Nora's chaotic family. The city's and Nora's troubles keep escalating with every page, making this a suspenseful and completely satisfying read. Nora is such a strong and sympathetic character, I wanted to see her succeed despite the odds against her.

The Merciless by Danielle Vega

Ana Favela

Plot summary:

A girl named Sofia Flores is new in town. On the first day of school the popular girls ask her to sit with them during lunch. She figures out that the girls are religious and they think that one of their ex best friends is possessed because she goes rebel. They try helping Brooklyn but in a cruel way.

Excerpt:

“ She lunges forward, grabbing a chunk of Riley’s face between her teeth. Riley’s horrified screams cuts the silence. Brooklyn’s lips are coated with red when she pulls away. She spits and a blood covered chunk of skin slides across the concrete floor.”

Critical Evaluation:

This book is a 10 out of 10 because it describes the scenes in detail. It gives you a clear image in your head about the scenes.

Final Crisis by Grant Morrison

Raul Villasenor

Plot Summary: 
This book is about Superman and The Justice League trying to find out who is trying to kill them. New enemies appear from another dimension and try to control people and attack the superheroes. As they struggle to defeat the enemy they see their partners go down.

Critical Evaluation:
I give this book a 7/10 because overall it was good but towards the end it was boring. There was lots of action throughout the book.

A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer

Joseph Gomez-Garcia

Plot summary 
A Child Called It is a book written by Dave Pelzer in which he recounts  the abuse he had to undergo by his own mother on a daily basis. Young Dave would go days without eating and would sleep on the cold concrete floor in the garage . Dave's only source of food was at school where he had to steal lunches. The abuse ranged from several punches in the face, being forced to eat regurgitated food and spoonfulls of ammonia.

Excerpt
" Childhood should be carefree, playing in the sun , not living a nightmare in the darkness of the soul . Inside my soul become so cold and I hated everything "

Critical evaluation 
This book is a must read because it is a very engaging and descriptive book. It also has several parts  that are very unexpected. It deserves a 10 out of 10 because it is one of the few books I've read and liked.

Goth Girl Rising by Barry Lyga

Antonio Sanchez Ortiz 

Plot Summary:
This book is set 6 months after The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Gothgirl, but instead of it being The Fanboy”s perspective, it is Kyra's perspective (Goth Girl). Kyra throughout the story is plotting her revenge against Fanboy since she believes that he never wrote her or tried to communicate with her while she was away in Maryland Mental Health Unit. Throughout the story we also see her changing to find who she really is.

Quote:
“As angry as I was at Fanboy, as much as I hated him, I still cared about Schemata . So I called him that night and I told him what was wrong with it, and I thought that was going to be it, but...God! Eff him! Eff him!”(51)
This quote shows how Kyra hates Fanboy deeply but still cares about the comic book that he made, so her feelings seem to be a mess at this scene of the story.

Critical Evaluation:
This book would be 10/10. It keeps you on your toes wanting to know more about what is happening and the character development of Kyra is one of the best I’ve seen. It also has plenty of things we can relate to as teenagers. Also had many humorous moments and twists to keep the story enticing.

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

Madeline Cruz 

Summary:
This book is about a suicidal teenage boy who goes into his senior year trying to finish high school as fast as possible. His dad is a total bully, his best friend is dating his sister, and the love of his life doesn’t even know he exists. But everything changes once he gets to school and people see he has changed. He’s bigger, smarter, and even badder, making the love of his life take a second look. But there’s one problem, Bethany’s brother doesn’t seem to happy to see him.

Excerpt:
“I was so desperate to make this night happen, I took the school bus home. The upperclassmen stared at me like I had lost my mind. I nearly told them I had an almost date with Bethany Milbury ( I’ll see you tonight, right?) but that would have tempted the fate, so I scowled at them instead.”

Critical Evaluation:
I liked the book because it made me wonder what would happen next each time I stopped reading. The author really made the book have some really intense parts which really grabbed my attention.This book deserves a 8 out of 10 stars because at times there would be boring parts where it wouldn’t get my attention as much as how the intense parts of the book did.

Tyrell by Coe Booth

Tania SanJuan

Quick summary 
This book follows the life of a boy named Tyrell who is living in a broken down motel infested with cockroaches. To get him, his mom, and little brother an apartment, he throws a party to get money like his dad used to do before we went to jail. After the party, he learns that his little brother got taken away by the state and his mom is never going to change her ways of being a bad mom.

Excerpt
“We still got roaches on the bed, walls, and floors, but Troy ain’t even crying ‘bout them no more. He probably too used to them by now.”

Critical evaluation
This book deserves a 10 out of 10 because it is really well written. The first person point of view helps you understand how the character is feeling and you can get into more depth of what he is thinking. It teaches you about being responsible and appreciate what you have because other people are dying to have it.

A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard

Maria Donlucas

Plot Summary
This book is about how a girl named Jaycee got stolen at age 11. She had to overcome physical and mental abuse. Phillip, the guy who captured her, had a drug addiction so when he was on drugs he raped her. She had two children with Phillip at the age of 13 named A and S. Nancy was mostly a friend in the story, even though she helped capture her. At the end, Jaycee escapes and is free.

Excerpt
"I've been screaming for a long time, but I can't remember screaming at all. All of a sudden I hear him laugh. He is saying something about how he can't believe he got away with it. I want to tell him I want to go home. But I am so scared I am afraid to make the man angry. What should I do?"

Critical Evaluation
I would give this book a 9 out of 10. This book is long and it's filled with strong detail and very nail biting moments. One part of the book is boring, but after that it's great. I recommend reading this book if you are into Thrillers and Memoir.

The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey

 
Haotian Jiang

Summary
This book is mainly about a girl named Cassie who tries to rescue her brother who has been taken to the Alien camp to be trained to be a cold blooded soldier after the Alien invasion to Earth. After the 4th wave, you can’t trust anyone...

Excerpt

“Because if I am the last one, then I am humanity. And if this is humanity’s last war, then I am the battlefield.”

I really like this quote because this is when the main character Cassie is trapped under a car and is bleeding really badly, but she can’t get out because there are Aliens out there waiting for her. She can either get out and die or die of waiting. Because she believes she is among the last people who is still alive, she does not want to die worthlessly, and decides to make something big happen.

Evaluation

I give this book a 10 out of 10 because it’s so fun to read and eye-catching. It’s fascinating to see different people’s perspectives of the world when aliens invade their society. I really enjoyed this book and I strongly recommend to people who like mystery and sci-fi books. Once you start to dig deep into the book, you can’t stop digging and just want to keep reading!