Lincoln's Grave Robbers by Steve Sheinkin

I read the book, Lincoln’s Grave Robbers, by Steve Sheinkin. The story takes place in the 1880s in Springfield and Chicago, Illinois. It centers around an undercover police officer who is originally sent to bust an undercover fake money ring. However, he stumbles onto something way more intense than that. 

In this book you will experience laughs and many intense moments. If you like historical fiction, this is the book for you. This book is a quick read for the casual reader. I recommend this book if you want to have a book to read during your free time, like a nice relaxing Sunday morning with eggs and a hot cup of coffee for breakfast. I highly recommend this book.  

I myself don’t really care for books but once I got into this book I couldn't put it down. Page after page I found myself wanting to read the book even more. Steve Sheinkin did a very good job of giving descriptions in the book; the detail was very vivid. I highly recommend Lincoln’s Grave Robbers to people aged 13 and up who would enjoy a good historical fiction book.

Mark S.

Enrique's Journey Sonia Nazario

Many of us have relatives who also live far away from us and sometimes we go years without seeing them. Enrique’s Journey is about a teenage boy who is left behind in Honduras located in South America. His mother, Lourdes, is an illegal immigrant who makes it through to the U.S. and starts taking any cleaning services position. Years pass and Enrique grows older without his mother. He lives with his grandmother and his aunt and uncle. Each time Enrique receives a phone call from his mother he gets upset because he doesn’t get a firm answer from her. He wants her to come back home or to take him where she is because he misses her. Years pass and Enrique is not 13 anymore; he is 17 and he is getting worried his mother might not care about him anymore. So he makes a decision and leaves Honduras and heads up North. I feel he made the right decision because back in Honduras as he was getting older he began stealing from people and doing drugs. His journey wasn’t easy because he got robbed, hit and caught by the Mexican patrol a lot of times. When he finally made it to the U.S. he changed a lot. At one point he did not feel the love from his mother anymore so he was a rebel. I think he acted this way because his mother was gone for almost four years. He just went through a lot of things without her. At the beginning of the book his father was an alcoholic and he abandoned Enrique and Becky for another family. His mother leaves but not to make him suffer because she really wants the best for her kids. Yet many people out there still live this way and for many kids a mother’s love can’t be compared to anything.

Maria P.

House Rules by Rachel Sontag

Through the book, House Rules, Sontag tells the unbelievable story of her family and their struggle trying to deal with her father’s obsessive and controlling ways. If you've read the book, A Child Called It, by Dave Pelzer and found it to be an incredible book, than chances are you would enjoy reading House Rules as well. However, unlike the book, A Child Called It, House Rules does not involve physical abuse but instead emotional abuse. Rachel Sontag is writing about her family’s struggle while also demonstrating emotional abuse can be as severe as physical and sexual abuse. House Rules tells about the life of Rachel Sontag, a ten year old girl living with her sister, Jenny, her mother who is a social worker and her father who is a well-respected doctor. Rachel is the type of daughter any parent would love to have. She respects others, does well in school, is involved in activities and does everything she is told to do. While she would be the perfect daughter to one, her father wishes she was never born. Rachel’s father is extremely strict even on topics most wouldn't notice. She is forced to have short hair and nails because, according to her father, it gives her a more respected view from others. If she ever disobeys, she must write him a well written apology letter. This is one of the few unbelievable things he does that makes Rachel feel as if she is in a prison with no escape. If you are curious to find out what else her father makes her go through, I recommend you read House Rules.

Ariana E.

The Pacific by Hugh Ambrose

The Pacific is a book about soldiers fighting in WW2 in the Pacific theater. The Pacific is written by Hugh Ambrose. You can see the TV miniseries based on this book, The Pacific, on HBO. This book follows six main people, Lieutenant Austin C.  “Shifty” Shofner, Ensign Vernon “Mike” Micheel, Sidney C. Phillips, Sergeant “Manila John” Basilone, Eugene B. Sledge and Robert “Lucky” Leckie. This book tells about their experiences during WW2 and all the stories and all the people are real. All six of them are fighting the Japanese but not all of them are in the same unit. Throughout the book it shows how they have to deal with death all the time and how hard it is to get through each day without dying. This book tells about the very first battle against the Japanese to the very last bullet shot in the war. This book mainly focuses on the Marines and the First Marine Division. If you like WW2 and want to find out what happened to these soldiers and are interested in reading a good book, read The Pacific.

Ben T.

Naked Pictures of Famous People by John Stewart

I have never read a book like Jon Stewart’s Naked Pictures of Famous People before. The way this book is formatted is like none other. The book is a fictional story about the lives of famous people with a different truth to it. Naked Pictures of Famous People is made up of many different stories in one. For example, one chapter will be about President Ford and the next one will be about Martha Stewart. I am not much of a reading guy but I laughed out loud reading this book. Every story has a totally different meaning. My favorite story in this book is the story about the Chihuahua from the Taco Bell commercial. This book is full of random topics such as the Chihuahua from the Taco Bell commercials. This book keeps you on your feet wanting to know what will happen next. I recommend this book to anybody who has a good sense of humor; it will not let you down.

Matthew T.

Band Of Brothers by Stephen E. Ambrose

The book, Band of Brothers, is written by Stephen E. Ambrose. The book is based on an HBO mini-series. The book tells a non-fiction story about the 101st Airborne who were the men who parachuted on D-day in WW2. The book follows E Company, a platoon run by Lt. Winters, who is a well respected leader among the men. The author gives you vivid images of what the men saw during the war and how the men bonded together as a family. The book describes how E Company was a key factor in some of the battles that were fought on the European front and the men had to endure hard conditions during the one of the coldest winters in Europe. The author also gives you an idea how the daily life of a soldier was eating the same type of meal three times day and sleeping in a foxhole so you could lower your chances of getting hit by a mortar round. I really enjoyed the book because I like reading about events that happened in history and I like learning about WW2. The book will be a good read for you if you are interested in America’s history of war and like reading non-fiction books.

Austin P.

Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger

Friday Night Lights is a work of non-fiction based on a high school football team in Texas. Permian High School is, in many ways, just like any other high school except for the fact it did not desegregate until the 70s and Permian football is a religion in Texas. This book is about the 1980 Permian Panther football team and all the iconic people and the moments that happened. Along with all of that, the author talks about what a school day is like for a Permian football player where they aren't treated like students but get special treatment just because they are on the team. This book is an account of how a football team can come together after losing their star player, James "Boobie" Miles, and overcome all adversity and still win throughout the entire season but eventually they get taken down but they fought until the end and made it a game. If you have seen the movie, Friday Night Lights, or are looking for a great sports story based on the real thing and how a team can bring change to a town then Friday Night Lights is the book for you.

Dean P.

The Buried Life By: Ben Nemtin, Dave Lingwood, Ducan Penn, and Jonnie Penn

I read the book called The Buried Life and they have a TV show for it as well. This book is about four friends who make a list of 100 things they want to do before they die and then they go across the country doing the things they have on their list. It sounds easy to do, right? But it’s not that easy for some of the things they want to accomplish.  For anything they get to cross off their list they help out a stranger do whatever they want to accomplish. Jonnie, Duncan, Dave and Ben are best friends on a mission to complete 100 things they want to do before they die and to help and encourage other people to do the same. It does make you stop and look around and actually think about life and think about the things you want to accomplish during your life time. I believe it is an inspiring story because it might give someone the courage to try something they might have been afraid to try for a very long time. One episode I saw  I thought was good was when the four friends helped a stranger find her actual father she had never met and I thought that was very touching. I think other students would like this book because it might give them the courage to try something new or to try to change the world around them. So that leaves the question, if nothing in the world was impossible, what would you do?

David M.

Hole In My Life by Jack Gantos

Jack Gantos’ book, Hole In My Life, is one of the first biographies he wrote. If you like to read action and suspense this would be a good book to read.Jack moved a lot during his last year of school so it was hard for him to finish that final year. After he graduated, his family was going to move back to his home town which was Puerto Rico. He did not like this idea. He wanted to go to college in Florida because in Puerto Rico it’s not as good as Florida. Months later he decided to come back on his own and rent a place

with a family friend and make some money so he could start school and do what he always wanted. Things started to get difficult and he just couldn't make enough money so he decided to get involved with some wrong activities. This would take about a month sailing a boat with one other person but once this job was done he would have enough money for college plus some extra money to waste. Everything worked out well and he was about to get paid his money but that’s when he ran into some cops who had been looking for him. Everything ended up going to waste and he got nothing.

Edwin S..

House Rules By: Rachel Sontag

House Rules is a very popular book for students who like Psychology. One of the things you learn about in Psychology is abuse and all the affects it has on the people who get abused and also the people who are around all the abuse. This book is a very good example of how emotional and mental abuse can affect people and their behaviors. Rachel, her sister Jenny and her mom were all victims of mental and emotional abuse. Their father was the one who attacked them mentally and physically. You never find out in the story what causes it but if you know the general reasons for being abusive, like he is, you can pick up on some of his past that has caused him to be the way he is. I would have to say this is a very good book for people who want to learn and see real examples of abuse. I do think anyone can read this book. You can read it even though you might not know anything about mental or emotional abuse. I think you would get different reactions to the book because of the content described and this book will open your eyes to realize people actually go through this kind of stuff. For example, some people might think the father is just very strict and some people might say he is crazy. I think this book would also be popular for any mature audience because this book does get a bit graphic in the middle of the story when Rachel is in the foster home. The audience needs to be able to handle the hardships Rachel faces when she leaves home, goes to college, then drops out of college and tries to start a new life without her family, except for her sister Jenny. I would say any reader has to be prepared to not be able to put down this book. Once you start reading, it sucks you in and you want to keep finding out more and more about what is going on at that moment.

Andrea S.

A Child Called By: Dave Pelzer

Dave Pelzer’s book, A Child Called It, is a work of non- fiction. This book is a great book to read if you’re one of those persons who likes to read about people’s lives. You will enjoy reading A Child Called It because it tells a story about child abuse in California caused by his own mother. He had to clean or wash dishes or whatever his mother told him to do to get something to eat. If he didn’t do whatever she told him to do he would get punished for not doing it. He was treated so badly and experienced terrible abuse when he was just a little child. While talking with his mother when doing dishes to acquire something to eat he was rewarded with the left overs of his brother’s cereal. In fact, after that he got help from his school and was removed from his home. Since then his life changed completely. There was no more abuse for him which was great because he had a better life, more safety, was healthier and was treated better. This book is a great book to read. I really recommend it to people to read because although it is a sad story involving violence and sad moments, you will love to read it. It is an emotional story that makes you think many things and react in many ways. It is a powerful book to read and I think you will enjoy it. I totally recommend this book.

Bianca E.

No Easy Day by Mark Owen

No Easy Day by Mark Owen is a fantastic book to read. If you want a book that is action-packed and you are fascinated about the assassination of Bin Laden, then read this book. It gives all the details from the eyes of one marine. 


Mark Owen is the main character of the book. He does talk about the other men who are on each mission with him. Each mission has different men alongside him. Mark starts out by describing what training he went through to get to where he is now. Before he was assigned the mission to assassinate Bin Laden, he had to go through other missions first. Usually each chapter tells about each new mission. 

The book is a timeline from when Mark first begins his training to the killing of Bin Laden. The book even gives you two sections of pictures to better explain and make sure you understand what weapons were used and what tactics were used. This book is high on detail and very good at description. I really liked this book because of the description and that it’s all real. 

If you want to feel like you’re the one that’s on the field right there with Mark, I highly suggest you read this book.

Vincent W.

A Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom

Corrie ten Boom’s book, The Hiding Place, is certainly an interesting book. However, it wasn’t the book for me. 

This book is a personal story of why the Holocaust is so horrible and what Corrie had to endure or suffer to be able to live free again. Although I found this book really horrifying, I found there wasn’t enough action. Half the book tells about her family members and I found there were so many of them, I couldn’t keep track of all of them. This story, for me, picks up half way through when you find out Corrie’s family is helping Jewish people escape from the Nazis through an underground tunnel. Corrie’s family then gets caught and they are sent to the concentration camp where only Corrie survives to tell the story. 

I feel like this book would be great if I read it again but, because there are so many characters, I don’t feel I know them personally and that dragged down the book for me. I guess the real reason I didn’t like this book is because I didn’t really understand it. The second half of the book is great and also I have read a lot of other Holocaust books that blew my mind and this didn’t do that for me.

Trevor A.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

This book is a detailed, true account story of what happened to Herbert, Bonnie, Nancy and Kenyon Clutter. Every character is explained in detail, down to the way they combed their hair. We also get to relive the last day of each of their lives before they were brutally murdered that night. Capote also ties in the lives of the killers as well. The way he intertwines all their lives and connects them back at such humane points reminds us that stories like this are real. 

Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood is a non-fiction book about the tragic murders of the Clutter family. If you enjoy watching crime shows such as Law and Order, Criminal Minds or Cold Case, you would really enjoy this book. 

From beginning to end, Capote is skillfully tying together every aspect of the lives of everyone who was affected by these murders. From the moment you begin to read this book, you know the fate of the poor Clutters. However, the thirst to figure out how it all happened is over powering. 

If you are interested in true crime stories or criminal justice, I highly recommend you read In Cold Blood.

Cristal C.

Racial Profiling by Deborah Kops

Racial Profiling, by Deborah Kops, is a non-fiction book. I would have to say this book is a great piece of work because it showed me how much people have used racial profiling, especially law enforcement officials. 

The thing about the book that grasped my attention was the cover of the book. There is a police officer holding a book that has the word police on it and also has the word racially on it. It caught my attention because I had an idea the book was going to deal with police officers and I am very interested in being a police officer in the future. 

This book taught me there are many cases that happened as early as the 1940s about racial profiling and how this caused destruction in many families and the government as well. I am taking Criminal Justice classes at Technology Center of DuPage right now and this book helped me understand a lot about the cases. Some of them are now laws and I have to comprehend them in order to be a police officer. 

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to be a police officer because this book will teach you many things you will have to learn in college in order to be successful.

Mariana R.

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely

In Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely, the author goes over several theories that demonstrate our illogical decision making process. In it, he utilizes ethos and subjective evidence to support his extravagant theories. Dan Ariely studied at Tel Aviv University, University of North Carolina and Duke University. During that time he received his B.A. in psychology and M.A. and Ph.D. in cognitive psychology. He is also a behavioral economist, despite not having any formal training in economics. 

Knowing all this about him we would think he’d know everything there is to know about how we behave and why we behave a certain way. The truth is, (at least I think) his reasoning behind his ideas is extremely biased, but no one seems to notice this because they trust what he says. Don’t get me wrong, the majority of his theories are well-supported. However, there are a few theories in which he appears to be stretching the truth. 

According to him, human beings are naturally attracted to the word “free” because it reduces all risk of failure and one of people’s worst fear is failure/rejection. By offering free things, consumers will instantly crowd around this free product like flies on rotting flesh. Unfortunately for him, these ideas are just theories because as long as there’s one exception, the theory will become invalid. I, for example, am not fond of free things because they are generally cheap in quality and only take up space. Furthermore, all of Dan’s ideas could not be verified using concrete facts and figures, only assumptions. That by definition means his statements on human behavior are subjective. His ideas overall are very well thought out and reasonable, but they are pretty much common sense. 

If you are having trouble saving money or are wondering what compels you to buy stuff or simply want to be more aware of your everyday choices, then I’d definitely recommend this book. As you read it, remember not to confuse theories with facts.

Fabricio M.

A Child Called "IT" by David Pelzer

Dave Pelzer’s book, A Child Called "IT", is non-fiction. When you hear nonfiction, you think of a boring book and why would you care about what happened in someone else’s life? Not with this book. 

A Child Called "IT" is about the author, Dave, and how he survived continuous years of child abuse from his mother. His mother had a drinking problem and when she drank she became angry and tried to solve her problems with violence. David would show up at school with cuts and bruises and the other kids would just make fun of him. The school officials tried to help but the mother would always lie her way through it. Dave’s brothers would tell lies just to get David into trouble. His father is in denial about what is happening in his family and completely ignores everything. 

This biography comes from an earlier time period but still today child abuse and alcohol addictions are an ongoing problem. David could have been helped by so many people but they just overlooked him like nothing was wrong. By reading this book, it really opened my eyes to seeing how child abuse is a horrible, continuous problem even to this day. People need to stop overlooking it because it can be stopped if the right people get involved.

Brittany C.

One Bullet Away by Nathaniel Fick

Nathaniel Fick’s book, One Bullet Away, is a great book about the Afghan war. It is a non-fiction book about the war going on in Afghanistan. 


If you have ever seen the series, Generation Kill, it’s similar to the book but it portrays one person in the series, the commander Nathan. In the book, Nathan was going to law school but he did not like it so he dropped out to do something different. One day he went to a local supermarket and there was a recruiter there for the Army and Nathan seemed very interested. The recruiter told him he would be able to join the Officer Cadet School since he had an associate’s degree. He was up for the job and so were his parents. 

He left for OCS and then was astonished when he realized what he had done. When he got there five of the Cadets had dropped out on the first day. He didn't know whether he would pass or even survive. The book does a very good job describing how hard it is to go through OCS. It describes the physical and mental pain you endure going through the program. He eventually passes the program and then the terrorist attack, 9-11, occurs. 

He left for the war and was in charge of a platoon. This book could use a little more detail about the platoon but some is there. The book tells about how war is and what it feels like. Nathan leads his men to victory and then earns a higher rank. You will have to read about what medals and ranks he has achieved. 

If you are interested in war and current events, I suggest this book for you.

Steve D.

A Child Called "It" by David Pelzer

David Pelzer’s book, A Child Called It, is a true story that reveals the frightening truth about child abuse. If you enjoy reading books about real life situations and the struggles people face then you will enjoy reading this book. David Pelzer is both the author and the narrator of the story. 


The book is written in a way that really captures your attention because it is written by a man who has gone through the hardships being shared in this book. The book is based on a young boy's fight to stay happy and well despite the fact he has a very abusive mother. He is forced to go through multiple punishments each day, some so harsh they nearly kill him. Many of the punishments David endured are things I would never even imagine. 

The book shows how alcohol can effect and change people in multiple ways. David’s mother was a victim of alcohol abuse and turned to beating David as a way to let out her frustration with her own life. 

This book really opened my eyes to the reality of child abuse. For me, it’s hard to imagine lives different from my own but by reading this book it is apparent not everyone lives a life similar to mine. If you are interested in seeing how people overcome struggles and thrive, even in a time of hardship, then this is a book for you.

Lily M.

The Boys of Winter by Wayne Coffey

Wayne Coffey’s book, The Boys of Winter, is a non-fiction book. There is also a movie based on the same story called Miracle which came out around 2005. If you liked that movie, you will also like this book. 

The Boys of Winter is about the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team overcoming great odds to go on to win the gold that year. It starts off  with a coach, Herb Brooks, who has a lot of hockey knowledge but has never been able to play for a gold medal. He decides he wants to coach a team on to victory and when he chooses his select group of players, he is criticized. Everyone involved with hockey believes Herb Brooks’ team will be overpowered by a lot of other countries. 

They go into the Olympics as underdogs and end up making it to the elimination rounds. In the game before the championship, they get paired up against the hated Soviets. Nobody in the world thought the U.S. should even be on the same ice as the Soviets, let alone play with them. The book tells the story of Herb Brooks’ dream and how the boys on the team came together as one to beat more superior teams. It shows the long, grueling road to win the gold medal in 1980. 

If you have seen the movie Miracle or even have a little bit of passion for hockey, you should read this book . Also, if you would like to see how a team comes together for a main purpose, The Boys of Winter is a must read.

Kyle N.