Student book recommendations: books we love and hope you'll love too!

Book Reviews

Play Ball

By Matt Christopher

Have you ever played on a baseball team with your best friend, but then he moved away? That is what happened to Carter Jones and Liam Mccarthy. They are cousins and are going to win the baseball championships together. But Liam moves away, because his mom gets a new job. Now Liam has to play for their number one rivals. Will that split them up? Read the book and find out.

Play Ball is a super great book! I give it nine out of ten stars. I recommend it for fifth grade and up. It is not super hard to read but it has some tricky words. This is the first book in the series. There are a lot more books in the series. If you are not interested in baseball Matt Christopher writes many different books. The three main reasons I love this book are it makes you feel like you're actually in a baseball game and there is lots of action and friendship. You should read Play Ball. -Milo

Out Of My Mind

By Sharon M. Draper

Do you ever wonder what it would be like to have a photographic memory like a video camera since you were born?

Well, Melody a 10 year old girl has this ability. She’s super smart. Melody isn’t just smart she is a kind and loving girl, she even has a younger sister. However, she also has Cerebral Palsy which makes it so she can’t move or talk, but she can think. Melody can hold all her thoughts in her brain since she was a baby. She is the smartest kid in school but nobody knows that. The other kids in the school talk to her likes she’s a baby. Until one day when her teacher notices how smart she really is. Melody is so smart that she got into a contest all the way in D.C. thanks to her teacher, but something goes horribly wrong. You’ll have to read the book to find out how Melodys life changes.

I rate this book 11 out of 10 because this book is truly amazing and well written, and it actually changed me. There is not a series to this book but there are other books in this realistic fiction genre, like Rain Reign and Fish in a Tree

-Autumn

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Dork Diaries: Tales of a Not-So Happy Heartbreakerby Rachel Renee Russell

Dork Diaries is a comedy book series by Rachel Renee Russell. Dorky Nikki Maxwell never can plan something without something going wrong. With her BFFs Chloe and Zoey,the’re unstoppable!

In Dork Diaries Tales From a not so Happy Heartbreaker, It’s almost Valentine’s Day. Nikki wants to ask her crush Brandon to the Sweetheart dance but doesn’t have the courage.She’s worried that Brandon will say no to her. Mackenzie Hollister is Nikki’s enemy and has a crush on Brandon. Who will he go to the WCD(Westchester Country day) Sweetheart dance with? I liked the book because of the drama,and you’ll never know what will happen next. Something funny might happen too. I give this book a 9 out of 10 since it’s so good.I recommend this book for 4th-8th grade.This series is so good I’m reading all 12 of the Dork Diaries books. - Donnia

The War that Saved my Lifeby Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Imagine what it would be like having a twisted foot, and having your Mom hating you and being so embarrassed by you that she never lets you out of the house? Well, a 10 year old girl named Ada lives like that. She stays home when her younger brother Jamie goes to school. When the Germans start bombing London, Ada’s Mom decides to send Jamie out of the city to the country to escape the War. Her Mother didn’t even think about it when she said that Ada wasn’t going with Jamie. Ada plans to sneak out with Jamie early when her Mother is asleep. Will she make it, or will she get caught? Read the book to find out.

I recommend this book to kids from grades five to seven. This book is historical fiction. I give this book a 10/10 because it is an amazing book to read, and has some facts about World War II. This could have happened in real life, so I find that very interesting. I also love that Ada cares so much about her brother Jamie. She would do anything to protect Jamie. There is also a sequel that I am currently reading because I loved the first one so much. It is called The War I Finally Won. - Alexis

Wonderby R. J. Palacio

Imagine that you were born with a facial deformity and everybody looked at you whenever you are in public. In the book Wonder a boy named Auggie had that deformity and he was homeschooled until his parents decided to bring him to school to start 5th grade. Will Auggie make friends or will he be stared at the rest of his life? Read the book to find out how he turns out.

I rate this book a 9/10 because it gives you thoughts of what Auggie feels like and it gives you tons of feelings. I recommend this book for grades four and up. The book also is a great book to read out loud to a class because it leads to a really good discussion. The main idea of this book is don’t make fun of people that look different, and treat them the same way you want to be treated. This realistic fiction book is so great that they made a movie out of it . There are some other books that are based on Wonder called Auggie And Me and a picture book for little kids. This is a wonderful book, please read it. Auggie is an extraordinary character. - Tess

The Boy On The Wooden Boxby Leon Leyson

Could you imagine having to leave everything behind and work at a factory to survive because of your religion?

Well, Leon Leyson was just a young Jewish boy when this happened to him during the Holocaust. The Holocaust happened during World War II when the Nazis were persecuting and killing the Jews. This book is his true life story about how he survived through his TERRIBLY hard life. A man named Oskar Schindler saved Leon’s life by letting him and his family work at a factory. Read The Boy On The Wooden Box to find out more.

I really like this book because it has good descriptive words that make it easy to visualize Leon’s life. Also I like this book because I really like history. I think it is interesting that Leon Leyson shares his life in this autobiography because it is his life and really tells what it was like to live through this time. I would give this book 9 out of ten stars. I rate this book for 5th graders and up, because it has difficult words, but also deals with a difficult topic. The topic is difficult, but it’s important to know about. That’s why I’m glad Leon shared his life. -Cody

Sugar and Iceby Kate Messner

Do you wish your dreams could come true? In the book Sugar and Ice a girl named Claire had her dream come true. She always wanted to be a skater at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid in New York. Finally, she gets her chance. The judges think that she is good enough to be able to go. However, she had to go to practice a lot and didn’t have a lot of time to hang out with her friend Natalie. When Claire goes to practice she doesn’t want to make her best friend mad that she can’t hang out as much anymore. Also, when she starts skating at Lake Placid, she meets othe girls who really only care about winning and not about having a good time skating because of the level of competition there. A girl named Alexis is the meanest.

I like this book because Claire has a chance to do want she wanted to do her whole entire life. Will her dream came true? I rate this book a 9 out of 10 stars because Kate Messner did a really good job when it came to showing what Claire was thinking and writing to her sister. This is one reason why it is a really great book. I also liked how the book shows different types of girls, and how they don’t always get along or have problems. I recommend this book for 4th grade and up because it has some hard words. After I read this book I realized that I can always go after my dream, even if people don’t think it will happen. - Mia

NIM’S ISLAND

By Wendy Orr

Have you ever wanted to live on a tropical island far away from the rest of the world?

Nim did. She was left on the island by her father Jack who is out adventuring and fishing on the sea and he still hasn’t come back. Also, her mother is gone too because when Nim was 1 year old, her mom went off to study the stomach of a whale, and got swallowed by it. I don’t know the exact location of Nim’s Island, but I think it is somewhere in the middle of Australia and South America. If you want to see a map of Nim’s Island, there is a really good illustration of the island with lots of great detail. Nim has to stay with her seal Selkie and ward off the tourists that come to her island to explore. They are her enemies. Using the internet, she makes friends with an author of one of her favorite books, and they end up doing something amazing together, but that’s towards the end, and I don’t want to spoil it for you.

I recommend Nim’s Island for 4th grade and up. I had a few mix-ups when I was reading it in 4th grade, and that was because it had some really tricky words. This book was amazing, and when I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down! It is an adventure fiction book, which I love, because it has so many sudden events happen that you wouldn’t expect and it was awesome in my opinion. This book was made into two movies. The second movie is called Return to Nim’s Island. I give this book 1,000 out of 10 stars, because I LOVED IT! This book is absolutely amazing, and if you like books with islands and adventures, I would recommend this for you. This is the best adventure book I have ever read out of all of the books I have! I hope you will enjoy this book.

Birth of a Foal

by Hans-Heinrich Isenbart

If you love horses, read the book Birth of a Foal. This nonfiction book is about a mare having a foal. The foal is ready to join the herd. The foal has to get used to her mom’s scent and his herd too, and has to get on his hooves or his herd will leave him behind and let him die there.

I love this book. Sometimes I wish I could be a foal and grow up like a horse in the wild. There are a lot of great photographs of the mare and foal and the herd. What I also like about this book is that there are a lot of words for me to read. I recommend this book for 4th grade or higher because the words in it are hard. I rate this book a 10 out of a 10 horses because this book has a lot of details about horses. I love horses so much, and I love this book too. - Colline

Fuzzy Mud

by Louis Sachar

Have you ever heard of mud that gives you a rash with red bumps and blisters with a tingling sensation?

Well the book Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar is about a girl named Tamaya and a boy named Marshall who take a shortcut home, and the school bully follows them. In the woods Tamaya finds a mud puddle that had leaves around it but not on it. She touched the mud. At first nothing happened. Later, when she went home, her hand had a tingling sensation. If you want to know what happens next, read the book.

I loved the book Fuzzy Mud because it had a lot of suspense and action, although it does have some words that are hard to read. It does not have any pictures. However, the book does have something special. On some of the pages, there is script written by another group of people that has something to do with the mud. This is another reason why I like the book. I rated the book 9 out of 10 stars. I recommend it for grades 4 and up because it does get scary. I like this book because in the end the two main groups of people meet, and you kind of figure out what is going on . There is also a cliffhanger at the end of the book. - Aidan

Smile

by:Raina Telgemeier

Have you ever been scared of getting braces?

If you like graphic novels, Smile is for you. In the book Smile there is a girl named Raina. Raina’s friends are bringing her home and when she runs to the house she falls and knocks out her teeth and gets braces. The main idea is don’t be ashamed of yourself and about how you look.

This is a true story based on the author’s life. It’s an autobiography. Other books by the same author are Sisters ,Drama, Ghosts, and she has also turned the “Babysitters Club” books into a new graphic novel 4 book series. This book is a wonderful book, I rate it a 9 out of 10. This book is great for third grade and up. I love this book because I like graphic novels. - Lydia

Dog Man Series

by Dav Pilkey

Treasure Hunters

By James Patterson

Have you ever read a book about sea ninjas? If you haven’t you should read this one. The book Treasure Hunters by James Patterson is about a dad and his kids who go treasure hunting when there is a bad storm. Their dad has to go out on the deck and put down the sails, when he falls off. The main characters are the four kids Bick, Beck , Tommy and Storm, who now are on their own. I think this is a great adventure book with lots of action, which I love. I recommend the book to 4th grade and up, because there are some hard words to read. I give this book an 8 out of 10 stars. This book is a part of a series of five. I am going to read them all. I like this book because I like James Patterson. He has also written The book series called House of Robots, Middle School and the last one that he has written is I Funny. If you have already read and liked his other books, you should try this book about sea ninjas. - Evan


Dav Pilkey is a great author and artist because he writes the Dog Man books and the Captain Underpants books. I think the Dog Man books are funny and I think you should read them too.

In the first book, Dogman, there was a cop and a dog. The cop’ s name is Knight and Greg is the dog. Knight and Greg are best friends. They’re kind of lazy too and the chief yells at them to get off his couch. The chief told them to get out and they left. However, an evil catcat named Petey wants to get rid of them and sets a bomb.

Then boom!

The only way the doctor can save Knight and Greg, is to sew Greg’s head onto Knight’s body. This is how Dog Man gets created. Each book in the series shows Dog Man’s adventures.

I give these books an 8 out 10 stars. I recommend you read the books to see what happens. I like them because I like adventure books. I also like them because there is action , and they are comics. I have read the first two books in the series , but I definitely want to read them all. - Carson


Click here for Recommendations written by past LES students: LES ALUMNI BOOK REVIEWS:

These students may have moved on to Middle School, but in this digital age, their on-line work can still help us find a good book!


by SavanahSeven Stories Up

By: Laurel Snyder

Have you ever wished you had the power to time travel? Well a little girl named Annie had that power. She was with her mom visiting her sick grandmother when she went to sleep. When she woke up, she was back in 1937! Annie met her grandmother when she was a little girl. Molly became her best friend. They went on adventures. If you want to learn more about Molly and her friend’s/grandmother’s adventures, read the book.

I recommend this book for 4th grade and up. It was a fun book to read, but it has some tricky words. I would rate this book an eight out of 10 because it is a really amazing book. I wish I could go back in time to hang out with my grandmother to see what she used to do.

by Chris Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life

by James Patterson

Are you afraid of Middle school?

Take advice from Rafe, a middle school student.

I read Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson. The book is about a character named Rafe and his friend Leo.When Rafe gets kicked out of 2 schools, Hills Village is the only middle school that will accept him. After learning the teachers are evil, he and Leo come up with something called Operation: R.A.F.E ( Rules Aren’t For Everyone). His plan works where he has 3 lives and he gets a certain amount of points for certain rules he breaks. There is a secret about Leo , but you have to read the book to find out!

I give this book 11 out of 10 stars, because it is funny and entertaining. I highly recommend reading the book before watching the movie because the movie leaves out a couple things you should know, and changes the story around a bit. The genre is realistic fiction. So, after reading this book, you will hopefully know what to and not to do during middle school.

by SemilliThe Trumpet Of The Swan

By: E.B. White

by MorriganThe B.F.G.

by Roald Dahl

Have you ever been scared of being taken from your room in the middle of the night?

Would that be a bad thing, or could it be a good thing? This is what happened to a little girl in Roald Dahl’s The BFG. The book is about a girl named Sophie who lives in a strict orphanage where she can’t fall asleep in the middle of the night. Then out of nowhere, B.F.G takes Sophie and brings her back to his home and then….. If you want to know more, READ THE BOOK!!!

I rate this book 10 out of 10 stars for the creative writing and funky words. I recommend this book for 5th grade and up. It was made into a movie, so it might be fun to watch, AFTER you’ve read the book.

Have you ever lost your voice for a day or two? Well imagine losing your voice for your whole life. E.B. White has written a book called The Trumpet Of The Swan. He also wrote Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little! The main character’s name is Louis, and he is a Trumpeter Swan, and he has a dream. I really like this book because it is about animals. Louis has to go though a lot of things before he can get a voice of his own.I would recommend this book to third, fourth, and, fifth graders. This book is fun to read and the font is easy to read.

by LukeStar Wars Jedi Academy: A New Class

By Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Image result for jedi academy books

by Keegan

I loved this book because it was really funny. It's based on Star Wars, but has nothing to do with the saga. It's about kids going to school to learn how to be a Jedi. It was funny because Yoda put Victor Starspeeder, a young boy from the ancient planet Naboo, into drama class when Victor was expecting to learn awesome Jedi moves! It is very exciting because there is an epic light saber duel. The other books in the series are created by Jeffrey Brown, but for some reason this book is by Jarrett J. Krosoczka, so it has new characters. This is my favorite series in the WORLD! In my opinion, I like the other books in the series better, but this book is still great. So, you should read this series!

Star Wars Jedi Academy Series

By Jeffrey Brown & Jarrett J. Krosoczka

I love the series Star Wars Jedi Academy. I give the series 10 out of 10 stars because it is awesome. I’d like to read this whole series again, because it’s so good. I would recommend that 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders read the series. The first three books in the series are about Roan, a boy who wanted to be a star pilot but ended up in Jedi Academy. At first he didn’t like being in the Academy, but it ended up being good. That is all I’m going to say because I don’t want to spoil it. The first three books are written by Jeffrey Brown, and the fourth book is written by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. The fourth book has a different main character whose name is Victor and his big sister Christina. They also go to the Jedi Academy. If they come out with a fifth book, I will be the first one to get it.

By MathewThe Lost Hero

By Rick Riordan

Have you ever imagined waking up and having no memory of your life? Well Jason, the main character of the book, has had that happen to him. Jason woke up on a bus that was coming from a camp called the Wilderness School, which is a boarding school for bad kids. Jason notices a girl named Piper, who’s supposed to be his girlfriend, and a boy named Leo, who’s supposed to be his best friend. The problem is he doesn't remember them. When they finally get to the Grand Canyon, which is where the bus was going for the field trip, a kid named Dylan tries to kill Jason. Then Jason pulls out a golden coin,flips it, and it somehow turns into a golden sword and kills Dylan's minions with a single swing.

This book is about Greek mythology and is one of my favorite book series. Also Rick Riordan is one of my favorite authors. This is why I love this book. I rate this book 10 out of 10 stars and recommend it for 5th grade and up.

by JasonOne Piece

By Eiichiro Oda

Have you ever wanted to read a pirate book that includes super powers? Well, then you should read One Piece! I would give this book 9 out of 10 stars. This book is about a boy named Luffy. He has a mission that he made when he was a boy. The mission is to find the buried treasure, the one piece, that the greatest pirate in the world left behind when he was executed. As I said, this book includes super powers. One person that has super powers is Luffy. He got those power by eating the gum gum fruit. The fruit that gives you powers are called the devil fruit. There are different types of devil fruits that give you different powers. The gum gum fruit that Luffy ate gives him the ability to stretch like rubber. It is good if you eat it because you gain powers, but it is also bad, because you can no longer swim. I recommend this book for fourth grade and up, because there is some slightly explicit language. This is book one, but there are over 80 books in this series. The genre of the book is graphic novel. So, if you like graphic novels, pirates, super powers, and lots of action too, this book is for you!

Review By Annika The Trial of Apollo

Book By Rick Riordan

Could you imagine that you were falling from Mount Olympus, on fire, trying to do anything you can, but can’t!?!? Well, Apollo was doing all those things in the beginning of the book, The Trial of Apollo. He falls into a dumpster, in Manhattan. Apollo somehow got kicked out of Mount Olympus and is trying to get back to the place he belongs.This book is a Greek Mythology Fantasy. I would recommend this book for 4th graders and up. I would give this book an 8 out of 10 stars. By the way if you like this book, you may like the rest of Rick Riordan’s books.

Review by Grace

I went home on Tuesday and read the book Took by Mary Downing Hahn in one day!

This book is about two kids, Erica and Daniel, who move to a new house. Every fifty years, a witch kidnaps a little girl to work for her, and if she doesn't do the work right, she is harshly punished. Let's just say, Erica doesn't stay in her new house for long. I recommend this book to 4th grade and up. I give it 10 out of 10 stars!