Character Driven by David Lubar

Gordon Jack

Plot Summary
Seventeen-year-old Cliff Sparks has only been on two dates, both of which ended in disaster. He doesn't want to graduate high school a virgin, but he's got no prospects and no game. Then Jiliian transfers to his school and he immediately falls for her. Problem is, she's way out of his league and he doesn't have a clue how to get her to notice him. As the school year winds down, he becomes increasingly desperate to make a love connection. When his dad starts becoming increasingly abusive, he realizes he needs to act fast before he graduates and his opportunity is lost forever.

Critical Analysis
I give this book a 10 out of 10 mostly because the voice of the main character is extremely funny. Here he is describing his first encounter with Jillian. "She'd never notice me unless I had the misfortune to suffer a memorable death in her presence. Something involving spontaneous flames would do the trick. For the moment, I wasn't tempted to pursue that approach - or departure. I really didn't want my encounter with her to be a short story, or a long obituary." The humor is balanced really well with some sad, realistic events that touch on the struggles teens experience with parents, friends, and relationships.

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Alicia Arellano

Plot Summary
Anne Frank was sixteen years old when she died in a death camp in Lower Saxony, Germany in 1945. She was short, had brown eyes and wavy hair. She was born  in Frankfurt, Germany on June 12, 1929. She lived in the Secret Annex with her mom Edith Frank, dad Otto Frank, and sister Margot Frank from 1942-1944.

Excerpt
She writes " What does that matter ? I want to write, but more than that , I want to bring out all kinds of things that lie buried deep in my heart."

Critical Evaluation
I gave this book a 10 out of 10 because it shows how Anne Frank lived in a Secret Annex during WW2 because the Germans were going to take her sister Margot to a camp. She writes in her diary about her fears of getting caught every day while she lived in the Secret Annex. She also writes about her feelings towards Peter, who lives with them, and how he only likes her and doesn't love her. Even though she is in this horrible situation, she still has feelings like everyone does.

Caged Warrior by Alan Lawrence Sitomer

Brandon Sanchez

Plot Summary
The book Caged Warrior by Alan Lawrence Sitomer is about a boy named McCutcheon Daniel who lives in the ghetto side of Detroit. Since he was a kid his father forced him to get into caged fights and train martial arts to become better so one day he can fight in the MMA. But McCutcheon doesn't want to keep living his life like that anymore, always forced to fight to get money for the whole family,so his little sister named Gemma can eat, while his dad is a drug addict who always steals the money.But when McCutcheon wants to leave that life, the mafia running the caged fights and his dad don't let him leave, or do they?

Critical Analysis

The character is interesting because McCutcheon is mysterious and he comes from a place where everything is chaos and he is different from everyone else; he is respectful and quiet.He also tries to change the way he is and wants the best for his sister and not himself, so he is caring.He also has dreams of becoming the best fighter one day.

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Ana Favela

Plot Summary
Cas Lowood is a ghost hunter. He kills ghosts ever since his dad died. He took over his father's deadly and mysterious athame, which is a knife. He and his mother, (who is a witch) travel the world to kill ghosts. When Cas Lowood is faced with a ghost he's never seen before named Anna Dressed in Blood. He finds something else in Anna, He falls in love with her and it makes the hunt even more difficult.

Critical Evaluation
I give this book a 10/10 because this book is filled with so many scary parts and it involves witchcraft too. Something I've never read before in my life. This book describes the scenes very well and it gives so much detail. It shows how Anna has many sides to her that she can't control. It also shows how Cas falls in love with her.

Any Day Now : The London Years 1947-174 by Kevin Cann

          

   

Joseph Gomez 

Plot Summary:
This book depicts the days from when David was born and the start of musical career and to his infamous days of his most famous character Ziggy Stardust. This book also tells the reason why one of his eyes is permanently dilated.  The book covers various album setlists, his secret affairs, and tells the story of how he broke up the band Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars.  David even states ¨  the truth is of course that there is no journey. We are arriving and departing all at the same time."

Critical evaluation :
I would rate it this book a 10/10  because it was very well organized to help you understand Bowie's various musical eras. I leaned a lot about David that I didn't know. For example, he was poor after the release of his most famous hit "Space Oddity". He was also pale due to eating disorders. Anyone who is interested in unique characters should really read this book.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

By Maria Donlucas

Plot Summary
Christopher is a 16-year old boy. He is short, has brown hair and brown eyes. He has a pet named Toby which is a rat. He wants to take level A math which involves physics. He is mentally ill and can't talk to stranger or be touched by anyone even his father. He hates the color yellow and brown. A dog died named Wellington with a pitchfork to his stomach. Now Christopher wants to find out who killed Wellington but along the way the ones that loved him won't be by his side.

Evaluation
I give this book a 10/10 because it had adventure and mystery. Another reason is because it always kept you on your toes. There was never a part where I didn't want to read it. Once you pick up the book it will become your favorite. Christopher the main character is very interesting. He is complicated like a puzzle but once you put the pieces together you start to know who he is. He has no friends which makes me like Christopher because I always have to be surrounded by people. To get a perspective of someone who does not have friends is very interesting. Christopher also shows to never give up and the ones you love will end up hurting you the most.

We Were Here by Matt de la Pena

  

Tania Sanjuan

Plot Summary 

Miguel is a 16 year old boy, who lives in Stockton, California. When he commits a crime, he gets sent to juvenile hall then transferred to a group home for 9 months. In the beginning of the book Miguel tells us a white lie on what crime he has committed, and continues to be stubborn throughout the story. He soon gets invited to escape the group home with another teen from the group named Mung. Their journey to Mexico opens the closet on Miguel and Mung's lives.

Critical evaluation
I rate this book a 10 out of 10. The main character Miguel is a big reason why I liked the book. Miguel is very stubborn and closed minded which makes you want to read the book more and more to see how he turns out in the end. Miguel doesn't like to tell a lot about his life to other people and pretends to not care for others but himself. Escaping the group home was a big challenge for Miguel because he wants to redeem himself for what he has done. 

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Antonio Sanchez Ortiz

Plot Summary:  

After Shadow gets out of jail he meets a mysterious man named Mr.Wednesday, who offers him a job. While working for Mr.Wednesday his whole life changes and he discovers a whole new world filled with Gods. He also has to deal with his now dead wife who somehow comes to life again, and he tries to finds a way to bring her back.

Critical Evaluation:

I would give this book a 10/10 for its plot, structure, and many character developments that are in it. This book has a structure unlike any other books I have read, at the end of many chapters it includes more information about the Gods or about different things happening. While the plot is one of the very best I have seen. You get really enticed with the story and don't want it to end. The character developments are shown in many of the characters. You get to see Shadow grow as a character, while finding out more and more about Wednesday and why he picked Shadow.

Boomerang Effect by Gordon Jack

Haotian Jiang

Plot Summary
Lawrence Barry is a 16-years-old teenager boy who goes to Meridian high school in Silicon-Valley, California. He uses drugs to get high and get drunk in parties. His dad thinks his friends are "idiots" and is often disappointed in Lawrence because he always gets in trouble at school. When Lawrence is assigned as a mentor for a freshman after a conference with the teachers, he realizes that he needs to change his old lifestyles.


Excerpt

“I had been involved in enough ‘incidents’ in my two years at Meridian that we could go on like this all day” (Page 6) The quote reflects Lawrence's lifestyles during high school, he always causes troubles, and the school Principal hates him.

Critical Evaluation 
I give this book a 10 out of 10 because the main character Lawrence Barry is a really interesting character. Lawrence was miserable and had a messy life when he was around his old crew, but when the Principal threatens to sent him to Quiet Haven, he knows that he needs to start to put his life together. This book is good for readers who likes to read books that has humor and it is about teenagers. I really like this book because some of the things that happened in the book actually related to me, and instead of feeling embarrassed, I actually found it to be fun and encouraging.