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.

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was written by Douglas Adams and is a work of non-fiction. I have read many wonderful books in the past and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is the kind of book I enjoy. 

It is a well-crafted sci-fi story about a man named Arthur Dent who is sort of depressed with the nonsense of his life. He gets taken off the earth after the world’s apocalypse and put into an intergalactic adventure on a spaceship called the “Heart of Gold”. He goes on this adventure that takes him through such an uncomfortably absurd universe. 

There are others on his quest with him, including a friend of his who was secretly an alien living on earth for 15 years before the apocalypse. Also on the adventure were a woman Arthur met at a cocktail party, although he never got fully acquainted with her and a man with his eyes set on traveling through the universe. 

The adventure is set on such an excellent scale. It sometimes has moments when it thinks about the world around us and has an interesting inquiry about the tendencies of us humans. The book is written with a wonderful sense of humor, highlighted by one alien species’ attempts to mess with the protagonists’ heads with bad poetry.

The writing includes a lot of detail and usually makes a joke about the human race. Some jokes may be about digital watches or others about being careful what you say. This book can make you laugh at times and can also allow you to think carefully about a situation so you can get a better understanding of the plot. So hang on tight to your seatbelts and get ready for a wonderful adventure through the universe in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Louis C.

Child Called It by Dave Pelzer

Dave Pelzer’s book, A Child Called It, is a work of fiction. If you have ever seen young boys who had a bad childhood because of their uncaring mothers, you would enjoy reading A Child Called It. 

This book is a real life event about David, a nine year old boy, who gets beaten by his alcoholic, mad, heartless mother. She would not feed him for days! Many times on his way to school David would either stop by a store or he would have to steal his classmate’s lunches. His mother was so evil that one day she tried burning him in the stove! Thankfully, his father came home or else she would have burned him to death! 

His father was usually away because of his work. The father was miserable with the mother too, as she was an alcoholic, lazy, angry woman. David was so horrified of his mother he could not ask for help. Sadly, he had to deal with all his mother’s unfair games. 

If you would like to find out what other crazy things David’s mother made him endure, I recommend you read A Child Called It.

Deicy A.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, a fiction story, is written by famous writer John Steinbeck. It stars the two main characters named George and Lennie, two friends who moved to a better place to work and get settled. Their main goal is to buy a piece of land and have a farm. 


Lennie is a grown man with mental disabilities which causes him to struggle. He has a habit of petting rabbits because of their softness. George is a smart man but uneducated who is Lennie’s role model; he is like his dad. Both of them try to live a normal life and make money.

They encounter problems which are caused by Lennie almost getting them killed. It would be because of a woman since Lennie tried seducing her but he didn’t know he was trying something he shouldn’t have ever tried. There is a big question to resolve everything as a mob is about to find Lennie to kill him. To keep Lennie hidden so he isn’t killed George has to choose wisely while at a high stress point. Desperate hounds are coming and they are craving blood and men are armed and running in despair towards the lake where George found Lennie hiding. 

In my opinion, this is a must read book. It gets you wired so you want to stop but it gets interesting with a lot of tension and climax build in.

Gabriel C.

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

Barry Lyga’s book, I Hunt Killers, is an action packed fiction novel. This book was a big mystery and full of puzzles and questions. 

The main character is Jazz Dent who is the son of one of the most notorious serial killers. With Jazz growing up with his dad pushing him to follow in his footsteps, Jazz has all the inside information on what serial killers look to do and why they perform some of their actions. This characteristic is important to Jazz in this book because a few years after his dad has been arrested, a new serial killer is using some of the same tactics. This is a problem for Jazz because now people think Jazz is following in his father’s footsteps. 

The only way for Jazz to stop these accusations is to help the police by using the skills he has learned from his father. He helps investigate the crime scenes and finds more clues about who the new serial killer is. Jazz is able to help the police because he sees crime scenes from a whole different viewpoint because of his past experiences with his dad.

This book is full of description and mysteries that are very interesting as they start to unravel. The author does a great job to help you picture all the scenes and really gets you interested in the book. You will want to keep reading. If you enjoy watching TV shows like CSI or Criminal Minds you will love this book. This is one of the best books I’ve ever read and it has an ending that will keep you wondering. A struggle you have is always wondering what will happen if Jazz will continue to blaze his own future or if he will decide to do what his father had planned for him. You will need to read this book to find out. Go pick it up at your local library and you will not want to put it down.

Lucas R.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I read the book, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. The story of the book takes place in the future of the United States. The states are now districts and they have a dictatorship type government. 

Katniss Everdeen is a young girl who takes her father’s place after he dies in a gold mine cave. After her father’s death, her mother falls into depression and that puts Katniss in charge of the house and responsible for the care of her younger sister, Prim. 

In total, there are twelve districts and two teenagers are chosen from each to participate in the annual games. They are chosen to defend themselves and defeat others in order to win the games. The prize of these games is money and food for their family. 

As the ceremony begins, everyone is in front of the stage were Effie Trinket, the leader, stands to pull the names of the chosen participants from the ballot box. Effie pulls the first name and it is Prim Everdeen. Prim is Katniss Everdeen's younger sister.  Katniss volunteers to take the place of her sister. 

After she volunteers, the second name is pulled and it is Peeta Mellark. Both of them are chosen and they are the participants to fight for their lives in the games. They have personal trainers who help them fight against others. Since they are new, they don’t know how to survive. Both are together and trying to survive for their lives. 

If you are interested in finding out if they survive these games alive, read The Hunger Games.

Kate C.

It's Not Too Late

Don't miss your chance to vote for your favorite Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee. 

You need to have read at least 4 of the books from this list to be eligible to vote.

Click here to place your vote by February 10th.

Our votes will be tallied and submitted to the Illinois School and Library Media Association to select this year's 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners.

Abe Award Winners will be announced at the end of February.