Book Review: The Ruins of Gorlan

The Ruins of Gorlan 

by John Flanagan

The beginning of a great adventure is about to begin for Will, a young orphan without direction. Everyone is being chosen for careers amongst his friends, and Will is unsure of what awaits him. When he is chosen to apprentice with the mysterious ranger Halt, Will knows little of the adventure and danger that await him as he leads this new life.

Filled with witty dialogue and action, these books will not disappoint. I started reading this book with hesitation, but once I finished I was hooked on the entire series.

-James

Book review: Shine

Shine
by Lauren Myracle

Shine centers on sixteen-year-old Cat, who decides to take investigative matters into her own hands after her best friend is the victim of a truly horrifying hate crime.  In order to figure out who is responsible, she has to examine all of the unsavory secrets that the residents of her small North Carolina town have been hiding.   

After Shine was nominated (and then dramatically un-nominated) for the National Book Award last October, I was curious to see what all of the controversy was about.  What I found was a fast-paced, sometimes scary, always engaging mystery.  The story is complicated and the characters are, too.  This book is fantastic!   

- Sarah

Book review: Okay for Now

Okay for Now
by Gary D. Schmidt

It might seem like Doug Swieteck has a lousy life.  His family lives on the wrong side of the tracks, and the police are always showing up to talk to Doug’s brother about his involvement in incidents around town. Doug’s other brother is a soldier in Vietnam and his Dad is a drunk with a bad temper.

Despite these factors against him, he has a lot going right in his life.  He has a great friend and love in Lil Spicer, the daughter of his boss.  The people he meets on his job as a grocery store delivery person are friendly and want to see him succeed. He also has the public library and the pictures of the John James Audubon birds that he loves to draw.  

Doug learns not to rely on those who have let him down in the past, and instead look to his own strength to see him through rough situations.

This is a companion novel to The Wednesday Wars.

-Angela