May 3, 2024
slugfest

Slugfest

A hilarious story about a group of underdogs who come together when they are forced to attend summer school—for failing PE. Funny and fast-paced like all of Gordon Korman’s stories, this one offers whacky characters and situations, and winning lines. Its only problem is having so many characters, all written in first person, presented unevenly throughout the book. For instance, the book allots eleven chapters to main character Yash (initially every other chapter, and further on every two-plus chapters). In contrast, it gives six chapters each (of 29) to two other characters, three to one other, and one each to […]
August 5, 2022

Dogs of the Deadlands

 4/5 Author: Anthony McGowan Publisher: Rock the Boat Genres: middle school/young adult, historical fiction, adventure, animals A tale of courage, companionship, and hope… Chernobyl, 1986. The world is coming to an end. Dragged from her bed in the middle of the night, Natasha is forced to leave her beloved puppy behind and has no idea if she’ll ever return home. Growing up in the shadow of the ruined nuclear power plant, pups Misha and Bratan need to learn how to live wild—and fast. Creatures with sharp teeth, claws and yellow eyes lurk in the overgrown woods. And they’re watching […]