The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

This book was my favorite book I have ever read. It is about a teenage girl named Katniss in a corrupt future world where there is an event called the hunger games. A boy and a girl are chosen from each of the 12 districts to compete in the hunger games, which is a horrific fight to the death. She must survive with the help of a boy named Peeta from her district through the games.  The Capitol, which controls all of the 12 districts, has always had certain rules about the competitors in the games, but when Katniss and Peeta find a loophole in one and exploit it, they mush move carefully to make sure that they aren't destroyed by the Capitol. The story continues in the next 2 books!

"The space gets tighter, more claustrophobic as people arrive. The squares quite large, but not enough to hold District 12's population of about 8000." I liked these sentences because I can really imagine the crowd closing in around her and swallowing her up.     

The Wright 3 - Blue Balliet

This books was spectacular. Its a mystery about the Robie House, a house that is considered a work of art. There are strange things happening inside the house, slamming doors, open and closing windows,  weird voice. There isn't supposed to be anybody inside because the house is considered hazardous. It is going to be knocked down soon. 3 kids have to solve the the mystery inside house while at the same time trying to save it from being knocked down.

My favorite character, Calder, loves to solve all kinds of puzzles. He always carries a set of pentominoes in his pocket, which are like Tetris blocks. They can be made into all kinds of shapes. He also has to balance two friendships. His old best friend Tommy moved away for all last year and then came back, but he made a new best friend, Petra, over that year. He and both his friends have to find a way to work together to solve the mystery and save the Robie House.

Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli

Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli

This book was truly amazing. It's about the hard life of a Jewish orphan in Nazi-occupied Warsaw, Germany. He learns from another older orphan about the world he lives in and how not to get caught. He has many close calls and other surprises as he grows up. He meets many different people, some he is afraid of, others he wants be with. He has to steal, run and hide to survive.

The introduction:
"I am running. That's the first thing I remember. Running. I carry something, my arm curled around it, hugging it to my chest. Bread of course."

This was very effective to me because you learn just enough to keep on going, but not enough for you to predict everything in the book. You learn a little about him and about his life.  It also makes you ask questions about what he is doing and why.