Carrie by Stephen King

Anyone who loves Stephen King horror novels or movies will definitely love this book. I couldn’t put it down because of the entertainment it gave me. I personally love the way Stephen King writes and this book was a perfect example of that.

Carrie is the story of a timid, shy girl who is ridiculed and verbally abused or bullied everyday by her senior class. Little does she know she has a telekinetic power she is barely noticing. She ends up using this power to her advantage for revenge on her classmates for what they put her through on Prom night.

It’s a classic horror novel and a film as well. It’s creepy and serves as a thriller because the issue of bullying is so common today and the fact the tables are turned on her classmates is a great twist to a horror story. This is why this story will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the entire book.

I loved this book and will read it and watch the movie again and again because I’ve always loved the horror themes in films and in books. If you love stories about revenge, I definitely recommend this book because even though the book serves for entertainment to scare people, a lot of Stephen King’s novels have a hidden underlying moral theme to them. In the case of Carrie it teaches the audience the effects of bullying with a horror story that will make you remember Carrie forever.

Gianna D.

Supernaturally by Kiersten White

Kiersten White’s book, Supernaturally, is a work of fiction. Sixteen year old Evie has not lived an easy life. While she was at the International Paranormal Containment Agency she fell in love with a prisoner named Lend. Eventually the situation at IPCA started to get complicated and Evie and Lend left. Together with Lend’s family they begin living a normal life. Unfortunately, Evie’s Fairy ex-boyfriend comes back revealing things about her past. She soon is told there is a war going on between the Fairy courts and Evelyn is the only one who can prevent the chaos. Evie does not know from where she came and she has been told she was not born but rather, she was created by fairies.  After that she learns when she was born a Prophecy was also written. She thought she had left the International Paranormal Containment Agency and her own paranormal activities behind but she was wrong. This book has it all; from Vampires to Werewolves to Faeries to Shape Shifters and true love. Now she has to make a choice. She has to decide if she wants to stay in the normal world with the love of her life and eventually die or go back to the paranormal world and live. If you want to find out if the Prophecy comes true,  I recommend you read this book.

Jenny G.

Solitary by Alexander Gordon Smith

Alexander Smith’s book, Solitary, is a work of fiction. The book is a sequel to the first book, Lockdown, and this book also keeps you hooked. This book starts where the first book ends and it jumps you right back into the suspenseful and dark story. Alex and his good friend, Zee, made a plan to blow a hole in the cavern floor to finally escape the prison that is buried deeply underground. After fighting the rushing currents that lay below, they finally find an area where they can see light. But while walking toward it they realize it is not a natural light coming from outside but an illuminating light coming from a light bulb. Before they know it they come face to face with a black suit. Alex and Zee are punished by having to spend a whole month in the hole which is a black hole dug only six feet into the ground and about four feet wide. While spending time in the hole they finally have a break through. An unknown figure named Simon opens up Alex and Zee’s hatch to let them out. Simon tells them he needs their help to escape hell on earth. Alex agrees to help and the book goes on to tell of numerous events of them getting essential materials to benefit them in their escape. You stay in great suspense with this book along with the series that relates to it.

Colin W.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

The book  I recently read is Coraline by Neil Gaiman. This book is about a girl who recently moved into a new home and is an only child. Her parents are journalists and work at home writing catalogs about gardens. Coraline notices a small door in a room where there is basically nothing and one night she opens it and sees there is  a little passageway. When Coraline goes into the passageway she finds herself back in the same place she started. Yeah, kind of weird but the thing is she’s not in the same place. When she walks down the hallway she finds her mom, only it is not her real mom; it’s her other mother. The world into which she walked was the same in which she lived. The only difference is her parents, neighbors and everyone in this world have buttons for eyes and are controlled by the other mother. The other mother pretends to love Coraline and spoil her with presents and fun and games. Coraline eventually loves to be in this world much more than with her real parents and she becomes attached to the other mother. Little does she know  the other mother has played this game with other children and is planning to trap her and eat her soul just like she did to the others. When the other mother requests to sew buttons into Coralline’s eyes, Coraline refuses and this infuriates the other mother. Coraline starts to get uncomfortable and when she wants to leave, the other mother traps her and  her parents  and has the ghost children’s souls trapped as well. It’s up to Coraline to save all of them and trick the evil other mother before it’s too late and Coraline loses the game. This book is thrilling and exciting; it is funny and creepy all at the same time! If you’re a person who loves Narnia and loves to be nervous and not know what’s going to happen next, you’ll love this great fantasy! If you want to find out if Coraline can be a hero herself and save everyone before she’s trapped in that other world, go read Coraline by Neil Gaiman!

Dyana C.

World War Z by Max Brooks

I read World War Z front to back and more than once. I think this book is a masterpiece. It’s pretty tense if you really get into it. This book takes place in a post-apocalyptic world and I do mean world. This book doesn’t just focus on one; it focuses on more than one. This book includes survivor stories from China to Russia, Europe and most importantly, where we live, the United States of America. If you’re into zombies and other creatures of death this is the book for you. There are realistic tales of the infected raging across the world. There are exhilarating tales told by the survivors of the apocalypse from their family being lost to how life was for them before the apocalypse. Now their lives are changed and nothing will ever be the same even if they win the fight which doesn’t seem realistic at this point. The armed forces can’t hold them down because of loss of soldiers to shortages of weapons and ammunition. The end seems near. Read this book. I repeat, read this book. It’s a very well put together book and it will definitely keep you entertained the whole time. And this is coming from a person who hates reading books that are not good. Read this book; it won’t disappoint.

Martin E.

Recommended Reading: Kicking It Old Ghoul: Classic Horror Stories

Halloween just happened. So check out stories that used to scare you great grandparents.

F James,H
James, Henry. The Turn of the Screw.
A young governess is hired to take of care of two seemingly perfect children whose parents have died.  Soon after, the evil ghosts of the children’s former governess and a servant appear and the children appear to be hiding something.

F Shelley,M
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein .
After studying natural philosophy, chemistry and alchemy, Victor Frankenstein decides to try to bring a body made up of parts of human corpses back to life. He succeeds, but the monster resents him for creating him and he seeks revenge.

F Stevenson,RL
Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Dr. Jekyll, a respectable London doctor creates a potion that when he drinks it turns him into the evil and murderous Mr. Hyde.

F Stoker,B
Stoker, Bram.  Dracula.
A rich nobleman from Transylvania (Romania) named Count Dracula seeks the help of lawyer Jonathan Harker to help him purchase some real estate so that he can immigrate to England. Harker soon finds that he is trapped in Dracula’s castle. When he finally escapes to England, he doesn’t realize that Dracula has followed him.

F Wells,H
Wells, H. G. The Invisible Man.
A mysterious man arrives in a small town in England with his body completely covered in clothes, bandages and large goggles. The townspeople eventually find out that the man is invisible underneath all of the bandages and they chase him out of town. Driven insane by his inability to reverse the invisibility, he goes on a murderous rampage.

Recommended Reading: Escape!

Stories about teenagers held against their wills trying to escape before it's too late.

F Bodeen,S 
Bodeen, S. A. The Compound.
When a nuclear war starts, Eli's billionaire father rushes his family in into their underground compound. They have everything they need to survive until it is safe to go above ground again. But when things start to go wrong, Eli realizes the real danger is not just on the surface but within his own family.

F Dashner,J
Dashner, James. The Maze Runner.
When Thomas wakes up on the lift, all he can remember is his first name. When the doors open, he finds himself in a huge maze with stone walls called the Glade. He is surrounded by a group of boys his own age who have a similar story. Every 30 days a new boy arrives, but no one has ever escaped the Glades.

F Henry,A
Henry, April. Shock Point.
When Cassie finds out that her psychiatrist stepfather Rick has been illegally prescribing an experimental drug to teen patients who have then committed suicide. To silence her, Rick commits her to a sadistic boot camp for troubled teen in Mexico called Peaceful Cove.  Even if she can escape the brutal camp, she has to get through the Mexican desert and get back to Oregon. And even then, who will believe her story?

F Smith,A
Smith, Alexander Gordon. Lockdown: Escape from Furnace.
Furnace Penitentiary is the world's most secure youth prison. It is a mile underground and its inmates are all serving life sentences. The guards and the other inmates are sadistic, but they aren't the worst things about the prison. Alex Sawyer is a criminal, but he has been falsely imprisoned for murder. Together, with a group of other innocent kids and some cold blooded killers, Alex plans a dangerous escape.

 F Strasser,T
Strasser, Todd. Boot Camp.
Harmony Lake is a boot camp for troubled teens and supposedly a godsend for desperate parents.  Like all kids at the camp, Garrett is taken in the middle of the night. He knows that some of the kids deserve there, but when he is beaten and subjected to psychological abuse, he knows he has to try to escape at all costs before it is too late.

The Demonata: Bec by Darren Shan

This is a really good book and I enjoyed it the entire time I had it. Darren Shan did a great job writing this book as it is another great addition to the Demonata series. Those who have read other books by Darren will like this book because of the way he writes and it is a must read for anyone who is reading the whole series. If you have not read any of the other books in this series, you will be a little bit confused about some of the things going on but it is still a great read. If I had to give a quick summary of this book I would say Bec has come back to life after her soul or spirit is trapped in a cave for a long time. She comes back as a piece of an ancient weapon sought out only by demons and humans with the ability of magic or those who know/hear about it.

Mike S.

Abraham Lincoln Nominees: 5 Book Trailers

The nominees for the Abraham Lincoln Award for 2013 have been announced. So it's time to get down to business and start reading them. There are some great titles on the list--22 of them in fact. Information about the award and the title list can be found on our Abe Lincoln Award page. Here are book trailers for five of the nominees.


1. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld 



2.Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson



3. The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey



4. Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta



5. Matched by Ally Condie

The Dead Tossed Waves Book Trailer

The Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan
This is the second book in her zombie series, but it will still make sense if you haven't read the first one yet. For a great description of the book and an excerpt, check out Carrie Ryan's website.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth Book Trailer

The Foret of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
The Forest of Hands and Teeth takes place in the United States many years after an infection has turned most of the world's population into zombies. Small colonies of people live in fenced in cities with the dead waiting outside, watching them, hoping to feast on their flesh. Mary's whole life has been spent in such a village that is run by an order of strict nuns called the Sisterhood. She has always dreamed of leaving, and then one day, she has no other choice.

For another description of the book and an excerpt, check out Carrie Ryan's website.

Frakenstein by Mary Shelley

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to be challenged as well as entertained. Shelley manages to pull off a spooky horror story while being able to address several controversial issues of her time period. These issues include "When does science cross the line?" and "Who is the real villain in the novel?".

Although it is a quite lengthy book, Frankenstein has a great flow that makes this classic piece of literature not painful for the reader at all. Perfect for Halloween time, Frankenstein is the perfect spooky story that will tug at your heartstrings too.

Sarah B.

666 The Number of the Beast

"666: The Number of the Beast" is not really a book; there are three different parts divided up into six stories. The first section of stories is about evil things people do to others or evil things that happen to them. The second section of stories is about darkness. This is just about the horrible things with which people are faced in the darkness. Then the third section of stories is about beasts - evil creatures people may encounter.

Dan G.

Soulless by Christopher Golden

First of all, I think that everyone who likes suspense will love this book. I liked this book because it is about the spread of zombies. At the beginning, Phoenix is watching her dad perform. Her dad, along with three other mediums and two TV hosts, performs a séance. The séance worked and the people were stunned and still holding hands.

This book has five different stories. They include Matt and Noah, Tania, Sara and Zack and Jack. These characters end up together to fight the zombies outside of the show. The building that was covered with zombies was where the key to the end was. Once they killed all the zombies they tried getting into the building. As they did they jammed the metal door so the zombies were coming inside. While on the top floor they planned how to end this curse. Finally, Phoenix shot one of the mediums in the head and all the corpses dropped to the floor.

Marleny P.

Darkest Dawn by R.L.STINE

I liked this book because it had a lot of suspense building throughout the story. This book is about a girl having connections with Angelica but in reality it is just about her father. The dad haunts the girl because they decided to destroy the house and now he wants revenge. The father is killing all of her friends because he wants to leave her alone so she will suffer. This book is mostly about how the girl suffers seeing her friends being killed and how she needs to pass her senior year. If you like books that are intense, you will like this book.

Diana P.

"Cell" by Stephen King

I liked reading this book because it resembled Zombies. I love reading about zombies. Others will love this book because it happens all over the world and because it is very visual. They will want to read it all over again after they finish the book. This book has a lot of deaths and people beating themselves. It is a good book to read. At the end of the book, even though it leaves you hanging, it is worth the read.


Marleny P.

Lord Loss by Darren Shan

The book is based around the life of a kid haunted by demons. This all begins after his family is brutally murdered by demons. Nobody believes him and he's sent to a mental institution. I think other students will like this book because we can relate to some of the problems he went through. He felt like he was all alone but he found relief when he went to live with his uncle. I liked the book because even though the story was fictional, the problems were real. Sometimes we all feel scared and I think the author did a good job making this character into someone to whom you can relate. All in all, this is a pretty good book.


Eddy V.

Carrie by Stephen King

This story is about a young girl named Carrie. Throughout her childhood, some very strange things have happened to her and she can't explain them. Her extremely religious mother thought she had cancer in her "womanly parts" when she was pregnant with Carrie. Carrie has telekinesis powers and being bullied and teased in school is only going to trigger her powers. Stephen King really grabs the reader and drowns them in this girl's story. It's a very good book and I highly recommend it. "Carrie" was also made into a film, which did fairly well, but as always, the book is better.

Jorge P.

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Breaking Dawn is the fourth book in the Twilight series. I thought the first book was the best and then this one comes in second. In this book Edward and Bella get married. Bella gets pregnant and gives birth to a half vampire and half human child. Directly following the birth of their daughter, Edward changes Bella into a vampire because if he didn't, Bella would die. Bella and Edward have a lot about which to worry in this book. I would definitely recommend reading this book. It was very good.

Lanie S.

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

Eclipse is the third book in the Twilight series. It was a very good book. Edward returns to Forks and things start to pick up between him and Bella again as if he never left. Her relationship with Jacob (her werewolf best friend) continues to fade and grow throughout the book. I do recommend reading this book. I thought it was very good.

Lanie S.