Raiders Night

By Robert Lipsyte

Reviewed by Marsail J., BCCHS student

“Matt measured the distance across the kitchen table as if Dad were a tackler who needed to be avoided or leveled.”

This book is a very good book; a lot of interesting things happen. This book is about real things that really happen in football in high school, from players getting played favorites to taking steroids to get them musclcular. There’s always that one group that thinks they’re cooler than everybody else; in this book it’s called the Backpack group. They are the juiceheads on the team; all they do is lift and try anything to get bigger and be the best on the team, and they think taking steroids is the key to getting bigger and badder.

There is an incoming freshman that plays tight end/ wide receiver and he is really good, but there is a senior that is starting already, and the senior knows that his spot is in jeopardy, so he decides to do something heinous to the incoming freshmen. The leader of the team finds out and he doesn’t know what they should do: tell or keep it quiet. He ends up with a lot on his plate trying to figure out what he should do. Out of 10 I give this book a 9.57.  I recommend this book to all students in grades 9-12.  Even though some of you may not be into football or like it, I think you guys will still enjoy Raiders Night.

 

Rich Dad, Poor Dad

By Robert T. Kiyosaki

Reviewed by Afshin A., BCCHS student

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki presents many great points about how the rich people make money work for them and how everyone else works for money. The book does a great job on teaching how one should think about work and money. It has good real estate and business management advice, but I do not agree with how the book presents this information. Kiyosaki speaks as if investing in real estate and the stock market is a really easy thing to do, but your average person has virtually no experience in investing in the stock market or real estate. The biggest problem with this book is that it lacks actionable techniques, in other words it doesn’t tell people what to do.

One of my most favorite quotes in the book would be, “Most people never study the subject. They go to work, get their paycheck, balance their checkbooks, and that’s it. On top of that, they wonder why they have money problems. Few realize that it’s their lack of financial education that is the problem.” I like this particular quote because it distinguishes what the working class does compared to the wealthy. I would recommend this book as a way to challenge one’s thinking about work and money, but not as an educational book for tactical recommendations of financial strategies. Overall, I would rate this book as a 7 out of 10.

Runner

By Carl Deuker

Reviewed by Edward G., BCCHS student

Runner is about a boy named Chance, a teenager that is living in a sailboat in Seattle, Washington with his dad who always drinks. He helps his dad pay the mortgage for the boat by working in a cruddy restaurant as a dishwasher. His dad then gets fired, so Chance tries to get a raise in his job but can't. But one day, a fat guy who always looks at Chance run every night comes to him and tells that he has a job for him. He just needs Chance to run and pick up a package everyday under a tree. That’s when the story gets interesting and conflicting.

My opinion of the book is that it’s very intriguing. This book will catch your attention in the beginning and then gets you to read more and more. The title makes you curious about why it’s called Runner; it makes you wonder what the ending would be like, and you will have so many theories about the ending in this book.

My favorite character in this book is Chance. He thinks just like me sometimes and does some things that I do in a related way just like this quote from the story, “… I did what I always do when I feel like my head is about to explode: I ran”. I go outside once in a while to cool myself down whenever I get mad. I like that he thinks so much and wonders about things that he does, what people do, and what people say.

People who might like this book would be people who like mysterious, fast-paced, mind-blowing, surprising, and suspenseful books. This book will blow your mind in the end and I would really recommend this book to anyone. A lot of people will like this book, it’s very simple to read and easy to follow. I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars. To me it’s not 5 out of 5 stars because it needs a little more suspense, but everything else about this book is great.

The Kite Runner

By Khaled Hosseini

Reviewed by Jessica M., BCCHS student
 

Kite Runner is about friendship, loyalty, and cruelty. It’s about Amir’s childhood with Hassan and his relationship with his father in a cruel society. He has to deal with a secret that makes him who he is now.

The story takes place in Afghanistan. This book gives people a good idea of Afghan history, so I highly recommended this book to those people who love to learn about history and who like violent books. I’m not a person who likes violent books, but when I got to some parts of the book, it was surprising because unexpected things happen that are intense. An interesting quote from the book was, “For you, a thousand times over.” Hassan tells Amir these words that mean that he would basically do anything for him, which is disturbing because Amir wasn’t really a true friend and Hassan was.

It would have been a little better if the book had had a mini glossary in the back of the book so that the reader could understand what it is saying because it has a lot of Arabic words. On a scale from one to ten, I would give this book an eight because even though it has violence, it’s still a great book.

Hole in My Life

By Jack Gantos

Reviewed by Adrian H., BCCHS student

A Hole In My Life is a very interesting book, but if you want to enjoy the book you must always be thinking as you read and trying to predict what’s going to happen so that you understand what’s going on. The book keeps you on your toes. It’s mainly about this young teen who is forced to become a man at a young age because of his life situation. He has his own apartment, his own car, and he is a student in high school trying to do everything in his power to become a professional writer, and the way he does it is unique: Instead of making his writing plain and boring, throughout the story he forces himself into situations that are dangerous and daring, which get him into trouble and sent to jail, and from there the story begins!

If I were to rate this book, I would give it eight out of ten, which is good. This book is mainly for anybody that likes reading, but it also depends on what type of a book reader you are. For example the book is based on a true story, and it is based on somebody’s life. You must begin with high expectations for the book to actually like it.

I found it interesting and unusual that the character is a good kid and his mentality in life is positive, but from out of nowhere he goes to jail for a mistake that he will regret his whole life. It was interesting when he said, “I wasn’t raised around this level of violence.” He’s not a bad man; he’s just put in a spot where he doesn’t belong. And many people can relate to this situation because when you least expect it you can make a mistake that will make your life go downhill. So reading this book will keep you aware of how anything can happen even though your intention isn’t to do anything bad. The book makes you visualize his perspective so that you don’t make the same mistakes. This book can be looked at in many ways—from entertaining to an eye opener to many other subjects. That’s the main reason why you will enjoy this book, guaranteed.

Dark Places

By Gillian Flynn

Reviewed by Jazmine L., BCCHS student 

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn is about a girl named Libby Day. Libby Day was only seven when she lost both her sisters and mother in “The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.” After seeing her family laying there all cut and stabbed, bleeding to death, she runs to a tiny little farmhouse, freezing in the middle of January. You will never believe who killed her family.

My favorite quote from the book is, “I have a meanness inside me, real as an organ.” I like this quote for many reasons, but I believe it means that she has so much pain and hate against someone who hurt her.

The best thing about this book is that it has so much mystery and suspense. I personally recommend it to everyone who enjoys a good mystery. You will also see how Libby thinks and feels, what she thinks of everyone, why she’d rather be alone, and why she has so much hate. I rate this book a ten, because I love how she is, the way she sees people, and how she doesn’t care about anyone other than her mother and sisters.

A Walk to Remember

By Nicholas Sparks
Reviewed by Ashely P., BCCHS student

A Walk to Remember is a wonderful book by Nicholas Sparks who writes about two young teens that fall in love with each other. The main teens are Landon, a popular guy who basically does whatever he wants, and Jamie a girl that was born in her dad’s church and is an intelligent student who doesn’t really care what people think. These teens wind up getting stuck with each other in a school play, and they soon get to know each other and fall madly in love. I recommend this to anyone who has an interest in romance and tragedy. Other authors who talk about love and death at same time don’t really have it quite down like Nicholas Sparks. This author really puts you into his own book, and you feel like you’re actually there.


One of the quotes from the book that really stuck in my mind was when Landon said, “Our love is like the wind, I can’t see it but, I can sure feel it.” It made me go back to a friend of mine that passed away that I had a really close connection with.

This book is going to give you some happy tears and some sad tears. It gave me mixed feelings.  I give this book 5/5 stars. I think maybe people who like love stories would really want to read this book. I say maybe 10th graders and up would appreciate reading this book.  Again, I really recommend that teens read this book. Trust me you’re not gonna want to put the book down.

Wicked Lovely

By Melissa Marr
Reviewed by Sarah G., BCCHS student

“Studying the art and realizing that beauty wasn’t in the order, but in the unplanned harmony.”

To me this quote not only signifies art but it could represent a person too. Things aren’t always going to be beautiful at first, but to see someone for who they truly are-- That’s what makes them beautiful. That’s what makes someone truly special. 

Wicked Lovely is a story about a summer king looking for his summer queen. Ash is destined to become the summer queen but throughout the story you read of her struggle to remain human and remain in the semi-normal life she has been living. Also, the struggle to remain with the man she loves and not fall prey to the fairies of the summer court.

I enjoyed this book very much. My favorite character in the book is Seth because even though he doesn’t exactly believe that fairies exist, he still tries to find ways to help Ash to defend against the fairies. And another weird thing is that the summer king’s parents were the former summer king and the winter queen. The reason it’s so strange is because the summer king and the summer queen cannot stand to be around each other because one brings warmth and the other brings frost.

I most certainly recommend this book. Especially for those who love fantasy love story drama. On a scale to 1 to 10, 10 being the greatest, I rate this book a 9. This book is good for anyone from middle school to high school and maybe for older people who enjoy these types of books.

A BCCHS Patriot publishes her story on FanFiction.

Senior Sarah Gonzalez has gone from spinning her supernatural tales on paper to sharing her stories on the World Wide Web.

Check out this Patriot's first installment by clicking on the link below:

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7540462/1/



___

Snitch

By Allison van Diepen

Reviewed by Gloria X., BCCHS student

I have to admit, Snitch is one of my favorites.  Since the first day I saw it and my teacher told me about it, it got my attention.  This story is basically about how this girl named Julia started high school.  Before starting school, she made a pact with her friend Q to never be part of a gang and stay in school.

At the beginning of the story, Julia gets sent to the dean’s office for making a stupid comment.  That same day she meets this cute guy named Eric Valiente.  After time passes she starts talking to him, but things start to change in South Bay High School.  A lot of arguments are going on between her and her friend, and despite her pact, Julia begins to feel that she has no other choice but to join a gang for protection.

I think most teens, such as high school boys and girls, will like this book because it talks about how things in high school change, and although you try to stay on the right path, things don’t really work the way you want them to.

One of my favorite quotes was, “He kissed me again, taking my breath away. It thrilled me and scared me at the same time.” I chose this quote because it reminded me of me and my boyfriend. That first day we started talking.  When he kissed me and I felt butterflies in my stomach.

I recommend this book to everyone, and to be honest, this is the first book I’ve liked.

Perfect Chemistry

By Simone Elkeles

Reviewed by Elizabeth F., BCCHS student

Perfect Chemistry is an interesting, entertaining love story. There are two main characters, Brittany and Alex. Brittany is a girl that has a reputation to keep at school. She lives a perfect life in the eyes of everyone, when in reality her life is pretty tough. Brittany has a sister named Shelley who is disabled, so her parents expect Brittany to be the “perfect one.” On the other hand, Alex is a gang member that has the worst reputation at school. He is in the gang called Latino Bloods, and the kids at school don’t really mess with him.

Brittany and Alex have a little misunderstanding on the morning of the first day of school. Alex drives a motorcycle and parks it in the school lot, but Brittany has a car, and she doesn’t see Alex’s bike parked so when she tries to park, she almost runs over his bike. That causes a misunderstanding, which makes Alex and Brittany hate each other. Things get interesting when Alex makes a bet with his friends and then tries to talk to Brittany more. 

One quote that really touched me was when Alex says, “I don’t belong here. It doesn’t matter, because even if I don’t belong in this place, she’s here and I want to be where she is.” That shows how much he really loves Brittany. It was so cute and romantic for him to think like that. I wish a guy would say something so caring like that to me.

The character I feel a connection with is Brittany. She has to keep an image, so that she isn’t judged, and sometimes I feel like I have to keep an image too. It’s not only with my friends, but with my family as well. I have three older brothers, and I am the only girl, so in my family I have to be the “perfect one” kind of like Brittany.

I think it is a really good book, and I enjoyed reading it. I would definitely rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. It kept me in the mood of wanting to know what would happen next, and I couldn’t put it down. I think all high school students would enjoy this book. Those who like love stories will really enjoy this book because it is a funny entertaining love story. 

Boot Camp

By Todd Strasser

Reviewed by Christian H., BCCHS student

Boot Camp deals with a fifteen-year-old boy named Garrett. One day Garrett is kidnapped in the middle of the night and taken to Lake Harmony, a teenage boot camp. What he doesn’t know is that his parents have paid for him to be taken to Lake Harmony to learn respect and self-discipline.

As this story progresses, we get to see the corruption and violence within the boot camp. Garrett has to deal with abuse and many failed attempts at brainwashing by staff member and students of Lake Harmony. “The concrete floor of TI feels colder than last time. Fall has arrived. I’ve lost count of how many times Ron and Jon have come in to twist my legs and arms and leave no visible marks or bruises. Every part of my body hurts.” (Strasser, 113) This quote made me think even though this book isn’t based on a real person, it shows us the physical and emotional abuse Garrett has gone through. The book not only deals with violence, but also with love, as Garrett has memories of his girlfriend Sabrina, who is the main reason he is in Lake Harmony.

If I were to rate this book, I would give it a two out of five. This book would appeal to tenth graders because of the way it shows love, action, and depression. Boot Camp can be boring due to the author’s tendency to repeat the same scenes over and over again. Besides that I feel that this book will make you wonder about the many boot camps that possibly are like this. If you want to find a good book to read, this is probably one of them due to the shocking ending the author leave us with.

Street Pharm

By Allison van Diepen

Reviewed by Ser Michael V., BCCHS student

“Know your enemies. Understand them. Figure out their next move,” “Never show weakness.” This is some of Tyrone Johnson’s personal code. It means he doesn’t trust people easily because it might bring him trouble.

The book Street Pharm takes place in the city of Brooklyn, New York where some illegal activities are happening, a noisy place where you can see gang fights on the streets. A place that is not the easiest place to live in. A boy named Tyrone Johnson takes over his dad’s drug dealing business because his dad got caught and went to jail. When Ty was 14 yrs. old, he took over his dad’s business and worked hard to fully control the business. Ty is a really good and smart person; everywhere he goes they know him because his father is one of the best hustlers in town when it comes to drug dealing. He has a lot of rules and one of the most important is don’t let a girl into your life if you’re dealing because it might ruin your reputation and put your family and love ones in danger. However, Ty meets Alyse, a very nice girl who catches his attention, and at first they don’t know if they are really in love with each other. But when they get to know each other and become closer, they fall madly in love with each other.

When the business is doing well, a guy named Darkman wants to take over Ty’s territory. Darkman plans to kill Ty, but Ty knows how to survive. How will he take the challenge of Darkman? Will he survive or die? If you want to know more, read this book—It’s really a good book. The book has a lot of intense parts; it has funny and sad parts that make the book more interesting. I would recommend this book to everyone, even if you don’t like reading books. I will definitely say that when you start reading this book, you won’t be able to stop because it will be interesting at the start and will be more interesting as you read on.

I like this book because it relates to problems that most teens today might be going through and therefore they might be able to connect with the book at some point. Having a broken family might lead you to be a rebellious child to your family and even get involved in some illegal activities. I like how Allison van Diepen wrote the story because it’s easy to picture the scenes as you read and not hard to understand what’s happening, and also, it gets you to predict what will happen next.



The Morgue & Me

By John C. Ford
Reviewed by Fatma S.

This is a great book--I'd rate it 8 out of 10.

Chris, a boy who gets a job at the morgue, gets suspicious when the owner of the morgue has a briefcase with $15,000 in it.  He suspects a murder and thinks his best friend, Mike, has something to do with it.

Chris meets a girl named Tina, and Chris and Tina try to solve the case of who killed the dead guy at the morgue.  Things are getting weird and Chris's best friend, his best friend's girlfriend, the mayor, and Tina's ex all become suspects.  Who is it; who is the murderer?  Chris and Tina plan to find out.

The Dead Zone

The Dead Zone

By Stephen King

Reviewed by Alan Nguyen, BCCHS student

John Smith—nice guy, teacher at Cleaves Mill High School—has a great girlfriend. Life is good for Johnny, but when he is one of the victims of a car accident, he is in a coma for four and a half years. When he finally wakes up from the coma, he realizes he has a gift, a gift to look into the dead zone gift, a realm that holds the fate of everyone who comes in contact with him. When people don’t believe his predictions, they pay the ultimate price.

Great, suspenseful, unpredictable, mind-blowing, one of the most dramatic books Stephen King has ever written.  Not as scary as his other books, but a great suspense novel.

“Suddenly, terribly, Johnny Smith’s voice began to climb and change. It became the unsure and cracked voices of an adolescent…‘Remember me Terry,’ the adolescent voice begged. ‘Stay clean, Terry….please, for God’s sake stay clean…’” 

"Stop it! Stop it you bastard!”

There's a New Book Club in Town!!!!!!!!!

Come check out the new
Birmingham Book Club!!!
The club will meet Wednesdays at lunch in Rm. 401.
Let's get this party started...

Hate List

Written by Jennifer Brown

Reviewed by Vanessa Culpepper, BCCHS student

I stumbled across this book one cold Monday morning, I believe, and was almost immediately enthralled. These pages told the story of the ultimate case of bullying that lead to a high school shooting, but not in the way you might expect. Unlike most other books pertaining to this subject, we never truly see the shooters path to this horrid act. Instead we get to know and understand his girlfriend, Valerie. She had survived that fateful day in the Commons and lived to tell the story and become the anew outcast of Garvin high school. Despite being shot in the leg and being constantly called a hero and a monster at the same time, she goes back to her old high school to patch back the shattered remains of fond memories.

When Valerie met our murderer, Nick, she was fascinated by his chill demeanor and adopted it. She fell in love with him and never thought she would have to hit the ground. To Valerie, Nick was never a monster. In fact, Valerie felt she had never met the Nick that took the hopes, lives and sanities of an entire population of students. She had only ever known the human in Nick. Together they braved the storm as the odd ones out and ignored the bullies that favored them as their prey.

Then came the hate list. She was broken apart as she watched what was at first a helpful way of venting take a monstrous form and even more horrible impact on her life. She watched her broken family become tight-knit, with her as the monster they had to protect the world from, and then watched them fall apart. She endured her mother’s frantic mistrust and her father’s hardened coldness. She also had to suffer her own thoughts. With the aid of a psychiatrist, an unlikely friend, touching memories, and maybe even the horses and paint, she learns to shape a brand new life out of the wreckage created by The Hate List.

Keysha's Drama

By Earl Sewell

Reviewed by Ashley D., BCCHS student

Have you ever felt the need to run away from something that was so negative in your life? What about asking yourself if it's worth living? Keysha had this problem, and there was even more to it. Everyone may have problems, but there are always other people who have worse problems than you do.

Keysha and her mom had been living together while her father was like most, and wasn't around while she was growing up. While her mom was out running the streets and doing anything for money, Keysha was going to school; she'd rather be at school than at home where it was so empty. Finding out that her mother and grandmother had been in so much trouble in the past, she wanted to be different going into the future. Later, Keysha is taken away, and put in a place to live, but with whom?

Keysha barely has any friends to tell her problems to, her family members are never around, and she hasn't met her father until now. If you took a walk in Keysha's shoes, what would you do? You need to know the whole story to make the right choice!

I liked this book because it made me be thankful for the things I have, and accept the things that cannot be changed. It really showed me how to love your family, even if there are ups and downs. It may be especially moving to a reader coming from an African American background.

Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend

Book by Carrie Jones

Reviewed by Erykah Hudgens, BCCHS student

Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend is about a girl, Belle, who is in a long-term relationship with a guy named Dylan. She thinks they are in love and he means everything to her. They spend so much time together in school and out of school. As a senior, everything is going perfectly for Belle. One day, Dylan has a dark secret to tell Belle.

The title of this book is what caught my eye and as I started to read it made me love it more and more. This book has a lot of emotions in it: anger, frustration, guilt. Belle’s life is changed in a second with just a couple of words: “I’m gay.” This quote from the story means everything. Dylan expresses how he loves Belle, but he is just not in love with her or her gender.


The writing style of this book is suspenseful. There is a build up to everything. When Belle is told that Dylan is gay, she gets depressed thinking that everything they did was a lie, a scam; she felt used, like all this time she was just his experiment. Later on in the book, she finds a new guy that she is content with. Belle and Dylan remain friends.

Slaugherhouse-Five

Written by Kurt Vonnegut


Reviewed by Bryan H., BCCHS student

Summary

Slaughterhouse Five is the story of Billy Pilgram, a man who is able to travel back and forth in time, seeing his birth, death and the rest of his life out of order. The author himself is also included in the novel as he describes the troubles he had with writing the story. Billy goes through many dilemmas in his life; however, in the beginning, he was a common man in New York going to the Ilium School of Optometry until he was drafted to the war to fight in the Battle of the Bulge. All of these incidents happen out of order in the novel and occur at different times as the memories come back.


After he is saved from the war and bombing hide-out, he goes back to the school he once attended, marries the daughter of the owner of the school, and becomes very rich with two children.


Billy is then kidnapped by aliens from a planet called Tralfamadore. He says they view time differently than humans do, and they see it all at once rather than in sequences as humans do, and all of this happens on the day of his daughter’s wedding. He says the reason for him not missing any time is because the aliens are able to travel through time and send him back so he didn’t miss anything or so no one else would notice. All this happens after he was in a zoo on their planet mating with an actress named Montana Wildhack.

Review

The story told by Kurt Vonnnegut is well written but very difficult to understand, as the story jumps from time period to time period. Many of the adventures he tells of for Billy are complicated and contain many twists. One aspect of his writing I did appreciate was his description of writing the story from his own perspective. I did enjoy reading the many different points of view of the characters on many of the things that happened to Billy. I, however, did not enjoy that the characters are too simple in personality, as you don’t really grow to like any of the main characters. The theme is a little difficult to figure out in the story as well, as it may be against wars or just a novel for fun. However it is a famous novel and there are many references to this story over time and in other novels, so I do advise reading it, and it can be a fun read as well.

Go Ask Alice

Written by "Anonymous"**

Reviewed by Marsail J.,  BCCHS student

My favorite book of all time might be yours too!

There’s a good book for everybody to read, but I chose to read Go Ask Alice; it is one of the best books in my opinion. It is a mix of every kind of drama, and teenagers would like this book a lot because it has things that kids need to know. This book changes your whole process of life and shows that you should not take advantage of it and live life to the fullest. From beginning to end, this book grabs the reader’s attention; no part of this book is boring.

This book is about a girl that lives a civilized life until she gets hooked on drugs. Drugs change her whole life and she can not get away from them. Her closest friends become her worst enemies when they make her take the drugs and she doesn’t know it. When she finds out about it she just thinks it is one of the best things that ever happened to her, but really, in truth, it will tear her life up and split her family apart. She loses her virginity and loses her family, friends and everything she ever had. She finally starts to get off the drugs but then her friends just keep on bringing them to her and she doesn’t have the strength to resist. She gets worse and worse until she is sent to a crazy hospital, and that still doesn’t do anything for her; she is still the same.

Alice’s story ends in tragedy, and they released this book a couple of years later to inform children and people about the dangerous things that drugs can do. All the stuff that happened in the book came directly from her diary; they just changed the people’s names and it became a great book. This is the best book I’ve read in a long time.

(**Note from Ms. Freeman:  Go to Snopes.com for the truth about who wrote this book!)

A Child Called It

Written by Dave Pelzer

Reviewed by Cynthia Kaye, BCCHS Student

A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer is a suspenseful and agitating book. It is about a very young boy and his struggle to survive the severe abuse of his alcoholic mother. This biography doesn’t leave out any detail and the way Dave describes everything makes you feel as if you were there watching the whole thing. The book consists of the horrible things his mother would do to him. From starving him almost to death to making him sleep in a cot in the cold garage, and even locking him in the bathroom with poisonous cleaning product fumes.

Dave had a good heart and did his best to stay positive throughout his horrible experiences. Even while being forced to endure the embarrassment of wearing the same dirty, torn up clothes to school everyday, Dave never let it get to him. He was a young boy full of hope. His prayers to God kept him sane. He was a smart boy who learned how to play the awful games his mother enjoyed so much--over exaggerating the pain of being beaten, stealing food to survive, and putting a wet cloth over his mouth while being suffocated by cleaning fumes.

"You are a nobody! An It! You are nonexistent! You are a bastard child! I hate you and I wish you were dead! Dead! Do you hear me? Dead!"  --Daves mother.

This quote shows just a part of her cruelty. Those are just words that don’t even compare to the evil and inhumane things this monster would do to her own child.

I have a lot of respect for the author. He let the whole world into his experience and I know it must have been hard to rethink the monstrous moments. Letting people read of his miseries and how he stayed strong sends out a great message to everyone. People take for granted the life they live. Reading this book has opened my eyes to realize the world isn’t always nice and easy. Reading this has made me appreciate my parents.

I rate this book five out of five. When I first started to read this book I couldn’t put it down. I read this whole book in one day, not putting it down for anything. I suggest this book to everyone and anyone who is mature enough to handle the disturbing and life-changing events this boy has to go through. If you have a queasy stomach, I don’t recommend reading this book, although this is definitely a book you have to read in your lifetime; you won’t want to miss out.

IT

By Stephen King

Reviewed by Alan Nguyen

Derry is a small town in which many strange and bizarre events take place, where an evil orb of light becomes every child’s worst nightmare. Seven kids of the town each have an encounter with the evil with no name. Twenty-seven years later, none of them can withstand the force that brings them back to Derry, and they each remember the monster that takes the form of a clown.

“George’s eyes rolled in the picture…[His] artificial say-cheese smile turned into a horrid leer… Bill threw the book across the room…The book struck the wall and fell to the floor, open. The pages turned…to that awful picture again…Blood began to flow from the picture.”

IT is one of Stephen King’s best. The book is excellent, addicting, a book to read if you enjoy horror.