The Last Apprentice by Joseph Delaney

          The Last Apprentice series is about a young man named Tom Ward. Tom is the seventh son of the seventh son, which gives him special abilities. One night, Tom hears something on Hang Man’s Hill and his mom walks outside and does something that makes the noises stop. Tom’s mom wants him to be a spook, so she sends a letter to the Spook asking him to give Tom an apprenticeship. He agrees and comes to pick up Tom. After the Spook and Tom go up to Hang Man’s Hill, Tom discovers that the noises that he heard were ghosts that had been hung there from the war.

The Spook lives in Chippeden, and he takes Tom there. The Spook teaches Tom about the dark, and one of the things he told Tom was to never trust girls with pointed shoes. Later, the Spook told Tom to go out and get some groceries. On his way back, Tom meets a girl with pointed shoes who saves his life from some kids trying to rob him. The girl’s name is Alice. Alice’s aunt is Bony Lizzy, one of the most terrible witches in the country. Later on, the Spook, Tom, and Alice defeat Bony Lizzy and bind her in a pit that is six feet by six feet, coated with salt, and covered with iron bars. The iron and salt both drain the witch’s power.

          I loved this book. It put you in the action from the second you started to read. This book was suspenseful and exciting. It seamed like every time you turned around there was someone after Tom. This was one of my favorite books. I strongly suggest reading all the books, so it makes sense. If you are into magic and witchcraft, this is a book for you.

Regular Guy by Sarah Weeks

Regular Guy is mostly about two boys who think they have been switched at birth. They think they have each other’s parents, so they try to find out more about their parents. The boys find out that they were born at the same hospital, on the same day, and that their moms shared the same room. The boys lied to their parents and said they had a project at school, so they would need to switch houses. Their parents believed them, so Guy stayed at Bob-o house, and Bob-o stayed at Guy’s house.

I really like this book because it’s funny and you just want to find out if they were switched at birth. The funny part was Bob-o smelled like fish because he had tuna balls in his pants in his dresser. I think people should read this book if they like funny books.

Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Well, first off I give this book a four out of five. This book is about a 16-year-old girl named Jessica who lives a little country life. Everything is fine until a mysterious boy keeps watching her. Turns out, he is a vampire, and he came to get her to marry him and for her to become a vampire. She finds out that she and this vampire were meant to be married at birth. So, will she go with him and leave her family, or will she stay and start a war? I HOPE you find out!

I know what you must be thinking…”WHAT A DUMB BOOK!” I felt the same way too, and then I tried it. It was an AWESOME book! It’s a twist, and I have NEVER read a book like this before! However, I didn’t like the ending.

Black Ships Before Troy by Rosemary Sutcliffe

I gave the book a rating of four out of five, because it was good. It’s really about the Trojan War and tells about why and how it started. It also tells why Athena hates Troy. Athena hates Troy because of Aphrodite and Prince Paris. Aphrodite bribed Prince Paris to say she was more beautiful than Athena. In return, Aphrodite gave him Helen of Sparta. The Greeks attacked Troy because the beautiful Helen of Sparta ran away with Prince Paris. King Menelaus of Sparta came home and didn’t see his wife, Helen. King Menelaus asked his brother King Agamemnon for help and all of the allies for Greece formed the biggest army the world has ever seen.

The action was good, but there was too much of it. I would have liked to have known more about what was happening in people’s lives during the war. I personally think it should have been told from Helen’s point of view. If you like legends then you may like this book. The book is a war book with lots of battles. If you don’t like Greek mythology/legends, then don’t read the book.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay is the third and final book in The Hunger Games Trilogy. Katniss Everdeen has survived against all odds. She made it out of the Quarter Quell and is now in District 13, which actually does exist. The rebellion is beginning, and almost all of the districts are rebelling, except for her home, District 12, which was destroyed. The rebels want Katniss to become “the Mockingjay,” the symbol of the rebellion. If she accepts then she may help the rebels win the war, but it will put everyone she loves in danger, including Peeta who is already being held prisoner in the Capitol.

I thought Mockingjay was a really good book and gave it a four out of five. I didn’t like it as much as the past two books in the series though. There were a few parts of the book that I didn’t like including Peeta’s hijacking, but the rest of the book was really good. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a book with a lot of action, but you have to read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire first.

Breathe by Cliff McNish

Breathe is a ghost story about a boy named Jack. Jack lost his dad at a very young age; therefore, he can see ghosts. He hasn’t had much experience with this before, because most ghosts go to the “other side”. However, when Jack and his mom move to the old farmhouse, Jack starts to have problems. All of a sudden Jack has constant asthma attacks, starts seeing a lady in the house who calls herself the Ghost mother, and his mom thinks he is crazy. Jack disregards the last issue as nothing to be worried about. He wants to know everything about the Ghost mother, but the more Jack finds out, the less sure he is he wants to know anything at all. Is Jack in over his head?

I loved this book. It has a great plot and is very descriptive. Some, however, may find this a terrible book solely because it is a ghost story. I suggest you don’t read this book if you hate scary stories. I would give Breathe 4 out of 5 stars.

Baby by Patricia MacLauchlan

Baby is a book about a family that gets a special surprise. Twelve year old Larkin comes home to see her family gathered in her driveway around a baby in a basket. The baby’s name is Sophie and was abandoned by her mom who couldn’t take care of her. The new arrival helps the family revive from a dark past. Sophie changes the lives of the family and the whole island. Everyone takes care of Sophie and teaches her new things. The mother claimed she would be back for her, but she just sends some money and wrights occasionally. As Sophie becomes part of the family everyone is unsure of her fate. Will she come back if her mom comes back? Will she remember them? Will she be happy living without a real mother? Read the book to find out.


The book Baby is a sweet and heartwarming book. I love this book because it is simply sweet with a twist of mystery and sorrow from the family’s past. It drags you in and makes you feel like you know the family, Sophie, and Larkin. I would recommend this book to someone who is looking for an uplifting weekend read book.