House Rules by Jodi Picoult

The book, House Rules, by Jodi Picoult is a fiction novel. I read this book during the winter for a class.

The book is about an 18 year old boy, Jacob, who has Asperger’s Syndrome. Jacob is an extremely intelligent boy. He is very interested in crime scenes and forensic shows. He watches a crime scene show on the television all the time and then tries to figure out the crime before the end of the show. Jacob also sets up his own crime scenes and has his mom and brother figure out the crime.

One day when Jacob was supposed to meet his tutor for a session, he showed up to the location and finds her dead. He freaks out, runs home and does not speak for almost a whole day. The police suspect it was Jacob who killed her but no one knows for sure. He gets caught in the middle of an accident even though he did not even intend to get involved.

I won’t say any more about the book. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone to read. It is extremely interesting and keeps you on your seat. I learned a lot more about what a person is like when they are living with Asperger’s Syndrome.

Kayla G.

Heat by Mike Lupica

Mike Lupica’s book, Heat, is in the genre of fiction. If you have a love for baseball or even passion for any sport, you would enjoy reading Heat.


Heat tells the story of a young teen who survives his struggles with not only family but society. Michael’s family, who only recently came to the United States, is just barely making ends meet when they suffer the horrific tragedy of their father’s death. While their father was on his death bed, he had a few last words to leave with the family and those were to have them keep his passing a secret so they could stay a family. 

Michael and his older brother, who is soon to be eighteen, have to get by while dodging major obstacles, such as the law. Michael’s brother is not yet an adult so therefore he cannot be legally accountable for him. While all of this is going on in the life of this  unlucky twelve year old, Michael looks to baseball, his friends and his brother to get through this rough time. Michael has to overcome challenges a normal kid could not even dream of and the pressure put on him to do so is immense.

If you are interested in a great story of someone who overcomes great trials then Heat is the book for you. It will help you to really put in perspective how important some things are in life and how their value is priceless.

A.J. S.

The World Made Straight by Ron Rash

Ron Rash’s book, The World Made Straight, is a work of fiction. 


It’s about a seventeen year old boy named Travis Shelton. Travis wanders into the woods near his home one day while fishing. That’s when he discovers a patch of marijuana plants big enough to make him a lot of money. On his third trip up to the patch of pot plants, he steps right into the jaws of a bear trap. 

After hours on the forest floor, he is released from the bear trap and brought into the house of the farmer who set the trap. Before he is brought to the hospital, the farmer, Carlton Toomey, cuts Travis’ Achilles tendon in half with his pocket knife as a lesson for him to keep his mouth shut about the plants. 

Shortly after that, Travis moved out of his parents’ house to live with Leonard Shuler, a one-time school teacher who now deals a little pot and pills to make ends meet. Travis becomes his student, of sorts, and these two outsiders become increasingly involved as they learn about the community’s violent past and the corrupt present with which they have to deal.

Tommy K.

Why I Fight by J. Adams Oaks

J. Adams Oaks' book, Why I Fight, is a realistic fiction book. If you are a person who enjoys watching battles such as UFC fights, boxing fights or WWE you will enjoy reading Why I Fight because this book tells you the story of a gentlemen who decides to bare-fist fight to get money. At the age of twelve, Wyatt decides to leave his house because he does not get along with his parents and his house burned down one day. Wyatt decides to move out and go live with his Uncle Spade. Spade was a man who had his house but he would move in and out of town a lot. Wyatt decided to move in with him regardless of the fact Spade traveled a lot. Spade knew of the skill Wyatt had. Fighting for money was something stuck in Spade’s head. Wyatt began to fight in the streets and he began to make money not only for himself but for Spade as well. After a certain fight Wyatt won Spade began to have problems. Spade began to drink, argue with people and fight outside the boxing cage where Wyatt would fight. These actions caused problems not only for Spade but for Wyatt too. Wyatt then began to get annoyed and he ended up leaving Uncle Spade to go back with his family. He thought that moment would  never come but eventually it did and he liked the fact he was back with his family. Although Wyatt was happy there, he could not help the fact he felt weird being with them and sometimes he felt less happy than at other times. This is how this book concludes with Wyatt being with his family and getting things together.

Diego M.

Sh*t my Dad Says by Justin Halpern

I read "Sh*t My Dad Says" and I thought the book was really good because it told about his own life and the things his dad would tell him.

A few examples from the book of lessons his dad taught him are when Justin Halpern tried out for the freshman football team his dad said “I ain’t letting you try out, you’re too skinny”. His dad also said “No, I hate to break it to you, but you can’t do whatever you want” and “you most certainly are not a man”.

I think people would like this book because it relates to a lot of people’s fathers because of the things his dad would say to him. I can see my father saying the same things to me.

Jon C.

Babylon Boyz by: Jess Mowry

It was a good book because I was able to relate to it. Other people might like it because even though not everyone would be able to relate to it, it is interesting. It keeps you wondering what is going to happen next. The book is about a group of kids who stumble across a suitcase of pure cocaine. They have to decide whether to sell it or just throw it away.

Gerardo J.

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

I liked this book because the main character, Holden, has a really interesting attitude toward everything that happens to him; he’s really honest about everything he says to everyone even if they don’t want to hear it. There are a lot of things that happen to Holden in the book. He gets into a fight with a real pimp and goes to New York City by himself. Things like this capture my attention. Other students will like this book because this book never gets boring and it captures your attention really well because there is always a lot of activity going on in the book.

Gerardo G.

Among the Hidden by Margaret P. Haddix

Luke, a boy with no freedom, why? Because this was a time when families could only have two children. Well, this family in particular had three kids who enjoyed playing outside in the woods near where they lived and where no people could see them. But time passes and one day people started to cut down trees to make more houses. This was a problem because now this third kid named Luke no longer had any freedom. He needed to hide from these people. Who knows what could happen if they found him? Time passes and Luke started to count how many people lived in each house. One day he found out his neighbor had a third child. He decided to sneak out of the house. What would happen now? Will Luke get his family in big trouble?

Dan C.

Heart's Delight by Per Nilson

This book is a story about a boy who has a simple everyday life that soon changes when on the way to school he notices a girl he's never seen before get on the bus. That red haired girl stole his heart at first glance. The book is written in first and third person, depending on the chapter, since some chapters are flashbacks. At the same time it is written as if he's watching a movie, directing the movie and ordering when to cut and when to add or delete some scenes. This is an innovative style I had never seen before in a book and while it might sound confusing, when reading it, it makes complete sense. This style makes the reading interesting and enjoyable, and is perhaps the biggest strength of the book.


The story includes humor, drama and anecdotes of "He", the unnamed guy who is going through all kinds of trouble just to spend more time with the girl of his dreams.

In 188 pages, the author describes one beautiful but at the same time, heart-breaking story of a boy who's waiting for a phone call one Saturday night. This story sounds like your typical love story but Heart's Delight has an original twist combining an incredible story that should be read by anyone and I believe is worth anyone's time.

Alejandro V.

Staying Pure by Stephanie Perry Moore

This book is about a teen couple who are being pressured to have sex. But their morals, values and religion have a big impact on their decision to not have sex but rather save themselves for marriage.

Melissa G.

The Playa's Handbook by Brenda Jackson

The Playa's Handbook
"Learn to live by the rules and you'll be Playa material"

In "The Playa's Handbook," by Brenda Jackson, a renowned relationship and divorce expert, Dr. Lance Montgomery gives advice to men and writes "handbooks" men follow. The books aren't in women's favor as they teach men how to stay out of long term relationships. Asia Fowler, Montgomery's complete opposite, writes books that encourage women to love independence but to be centered when it comes to dealing with a man. This book allows mature young adult insight on how men think and act. It also gives the opportunity to see the many battles with which men and women of the African American culture deal when it comes to relationships, love and commitment.

Jackson wrote this book in sections. Sometimes I wanted to skip over names to get to the next "juicy" part about the character in the chapter I was currently reading. Example: after reading about Lance, I had to jump back to the last chapter about Naomi because now I was caught up with Lance's character and forgot about Naomi. As an author, Jackson could have used a wider vocabulary. I didn't mind the cursing but others might be offended by her choice of words. However, I truly enjoyed the definition in which Jackson wrote "…his books supposedly helped men understand and accept that there is nothing wrong with being a playa and showing them how to avoid the big C-word, Commitment," said Rachel. Three best friends, Phillip McKenna, Samuel Gunn and Marcus Lowery decide to live by the book, The Playa's Handbook, their best friend, Dr. Lance Montgomery, wrote. You'll read all day, due to curiosity and desire to create your own ending, until you get to the next chapter.

Ashley J.

Hidden Talents by David Lubar

Hidden Talents was an enjoyable book to me. The novel made me very curious to hear of how the kids would control their powers and use them. Being a fan of supernatural powers, this was a very pleasing read. I enjoyed the idea that the scene was set at an alternative school because I never think about where kids go once they have been kicked out of every public school in their district. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking to read a good sci-fi story.

Kevin M.

Theories of Relativity by Barbara Haworth-Attard

I like this book because it relates to a kid who is around our age. His mom ends up kicking him out of the house. He has nowhere to stay so he lives in the steets. Throughout the book he has to find out how to stay alive and he has encounters with people. So if you want a book with action this is the one for you. I think other people would like this book because it's easy to get attached to the book and not want to put it down. So if you want an exciting real life story this is the one for you.

Michael M.