Infinity Ring: Divide and Conquer

Author: Carrie Ryan

Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.

Dak, Sera, and Riq recently were thrown into a world of time-traveling to change major events in history and restore order to their chaotic world. The SQ has taken over most of their world and lots of natural disasters are threatening to end the earth. With the help of the Infinity Ring, a time-traveling device, they must go back in time and change different events the were changed by the SQ. And, the only help they have is their SQuare, a computer that gives them cryptic clues to finding the next discrepancy in history.

Any fans of Infinity Ring: A Mutiny in Time will definitely like Divide and Conquer, the next book in the series. Readers who enjoy action-packed books will enjoy this read because the the lots of action and adventure that Dak, Sera, and Riq face.

Divide and Conquer was one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. It really pulled me in and kept me wanting to read more. Unfortunately, the book was very short and didn’t really include many details, which only would’ve helped this novel. Another thing I would change about the overall series which I noticed was that whenever they were in a very tight situation, the same thing always got them out of it. I think it would’ve been much better if there was a bit more variety to their problems and their various solutions. 

Author: Kerstin Gier
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company

Gwen’s life was turned upside down when she realized she carried the gene in her family that allowed her to travel back into the past. After learning much about her family, the Circle, and the past, she begins to do more trips back in time. Not to mention Gideon, the adorable time traveler from a different family, who Gwen finds herself in love with...

Anyone who enjoyed Ruby Red, the book before Sapphire Blue in the trilogy would definitely enjoy reading this as it continues telling the reader about Gwen’s struggles. Since the book mixes lots of genres together-–fantasy, historical fiction, comedy, and romance–-I believe that lots of readers would enjoy this.

Sapphire Blue has one of the best and most original main ideas that I’ve read in a long time. But unfortunately, the author doesn’t do the plot justice. Throughout much of the story, it found myself not really believing in anything the characters were doing. It just seemed fake. Another thing that would improve Sapphire Blue would be adding more action. There is a lot of dialogue and scenes where nothing is happening, yet they are drawn out.

Under Wildwood

Author: Colin Meloy

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Life has returned to normal...until Prue finds herself with her life at risk once again. She will have to return to Wildwood, where she sees Curtis and joins him to try to save Wildwood from ruin. All the while, in an orphanage on the edge of Wildwood, Curtis’s sisters are working in a machine factory...until the unthinkable happens.

Anyone who read Wildwood would definitely fall in love with its stunning sequel, Under Wildwood. Readers who enjoy fantasy and also just normal life would like this book. Readers who also like fairy tales or folk stories would like this because the author writes in a way which makes Under Wildwood seem like a folk story.

I definitely enjoyed Under Wildwood. It blends my two favorite genres together into a fairy tale that is hard to forget. Unfortunately, some scenes in the book seem forced and awkward, and the characters don’t seem like themselves. But the author makes up for that in the many descriptive paragraphs that really make Under Wildwood what it is.

The Raft

Author: S. A. Bodeen

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

The plane you are on just crashed, and you and a boy are the only survivors. The only things you have? A raft. Some flares. No food, except a bag of Skittles. And no fresh water. Robie’s plane crashes flying to her home from Honolulu and she has to fight for survival with Max, the only other survivor. As things get worse and worse, Robie begins to realize things about herself she never knew and will ultimately survive–-or perish in the middle of the ocean.

Even though The Raft is a pretty easy read, the ideas it presents would be better understood and thought over by readers in late middle school. Readers who have read and enjoyed other books, such as Hatchet, would like this book because of the survival plot.

Overall, The Raft was very good. However, the book was rather repetitive and very similar events continued to happen. In addition, it seemed as though some of Robie’s thoughts were too old for her, as though she was much older and wiser. And in other parts, her thoughts seemed to be coming from a five-year old. If the plot could have newer events and Robie could have more relevant thoughts for her age, this book would be amazing.

Crewel

Author: Gennifer Albin

Publisher: Farrar Strauss Giroux Books for Young Readers

After being taken away from her family to be a Spinster, a glamorous and yet difficult job, Adelice meets an array of new people who guide her. Some are kind, and some are cruel and deceiving. As Adelice learns how to weave, the special way to control her world, she gets to know these people and finds friendship, enemies, and maybe even a little romance.

Crewel would definitely get boring for younger readers. It mixes fantasy and a futuristic world together into a surprisingly believable and relatable story, so readers who enjoy either of these genres would enjoy this novel.

I did like Crewel. But I didn’t enjoy it as much as I could have. In a lot of the book, the plot was very slow and there was nothing that really pushed me to read ahead. There were also just a lot of long explanations that made it less action-filled, which I think this book could easily be with a bit of tweaking. Overall, however, it was a good read. 

The Edge of Nowhere

Author: Elizabeth George

Publisher:Viking

You can hear whispers–or bits and pieces of people’s thoughts, and this special ability forces you to move away from your old home and completely leave you old identity behind. Becca King, previously Hannah Armstrong, moved to Whidbey Island to escape what her cruel stepfather had done. She has to leave her mother as well, and when things don’t go as expected, Becca finds herself learning more about Whidbey Island than she thought she would...including helping to solve a crime.

The Edge of Nowhere is definitely a book for eight graders or high school students because younger readers might easily become bored. Even though the book is centered around a girl, I think that some boys would like this read. Any reader who has ever moved to a completely new place will be able to relate to Becca and her struggles to fit in as the new girl. 

I really enjoyed The Edge of Nowhere. The plot seemed like a very original idea, which made this book even better. The thing I liked best about this book is how it was very truthful and seemed like it could be happening right now. The characters are all very believable and I could relate to them easily even though I’ve never been through anything they are going through in The Edge of Nowhere. 

That Time I Joined the Circus

Author: J. J. Howard

Publisher: Point

What would you do if your mother ran away and your father died? Well, if you were Lexi Ryan, you would try to find your mother–and end up working for a traveling circus. Callie, Lexi’s mom, ran away when she was younger, and Gavin, Lexi’s dad, just recently died. Since he died right after she betrayed a friend, she has no one to turn to and runs away, attempting to find Callie. Little does she know that she will soon be making friends and working in the circus...and finding answers to some of her hardest questions.

That Time I Joined the Circus is definitely a middle school girl’s book. Boys probably would not like it because of the romance that is weaved throughout this funny and touching book. Anyone who has ever felt lost will be able to relate to Lexi in her struggles to find herself.

I loved That Time I Joined the Circus. The author did an amazing job of making running away and joining the circus seem amazing and fun. I also really enjoyed how the author developed the main character Lexi, because even though my parents aren’t dead or gone and I haven’t betrayed a friend, I could easily relate to her woes. Everything in this book was described very well, making it seem better, and almost magical.