The Very Nearly Honourable League Of Pirates "Magic Marks The Spot" by Caroline Carlson

All Hilary Westfield wants is to be... a pirate. There's only one problem: The Very Nearly Honourable League of Pirates refuses to let any girl join their ranks of scourges and scallywags.

But Hilary is not the kind of girl to take no for answer. To escape a life of petticoats and politeness at her stuffy finishing school, Hilary sets out in search of her own seaworthy adventure, where she gets swept up in a  quest involving a map without an X, a magical treasure that likely doesn't exist, a talking gargoyle, a crew of misfit scallywags, and the most treacherous—and unexpected—villain on the High Seas. 

I really recommend this book and its sequel: The Terror Of The Southlands along with Book 3: The Buccaneers Code.

Inside Out - Maria V. Snyder

Keep Your Head Down.
Don't Get Noticed.
Or Else.
I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I've got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? The only neck at risk is my own…until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution.

Inside Out is totally a different story altogether. It is a dystopian based story, where Inside is a place where people live in. The place is divided into four levels, and it is the home of the Uppers and Lowers (aka Scrubs). 

Trella is a Scrub and works as a cleaner in the pipes of Inside. She mostly keeps to herself and her only wish was to escape and have a better life in Outside. But then a new prophet claims he knows the location of a Gateway- the ticket to escape. Trella finds herself starting a revolution, makes new friends, and develops into an awesome heroine.

The first half of the book is quite slow, but it was worth it because the author created vivid descriptions of Inside and Trella's life there. Rate it a 3 and a half out of 5 stars. :-)

(There's a copy of this book in the school library. Sequel to this book is Outside In).

- Alecs Almazar
 

A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness, Illustrator: Jim Kay

The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.

But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming...

This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.

It wants the truth.


When I first saw the book cover in the school library, I was like:
"Hmm... should I read this? I mean, it looks scary. I shouldn't read it."
I checked for any signs of scariness.
There wasn't a label screaming "senior fiction".

Note my confused self. 

That time I didn't want to be a chicken. And so I read the book. Every night. By the end of Friday, I cried my eyes out.

Why? The emotions in the book... it was raw, vulnerable and so intense. Each chapter I had to read.

Do I recommend this book? A million times yes and a million times no. How can I recommend something that will break each and every heart of every person who reads it?

...

How can I not?

Just like the recommendation for the book, 0.4 by Mika A. Lancaster, I can't give away too much detail without spoiling the whole plot. For the plot in the book is so unique, it just isn't fair telling all the details.

But what I can tell you is this: Prepare for tissue boxes, cryptic answers, and strong words. Recommended this book to both genders. A Monster Calls is beyond amazing. :D :-) :P

(This book is in the school library, in the 'Fiction' section)

- Alecs Almazar

0.4 - Mike A. Lancaster

Kyle Straker volunteered to be hypnotised at the annual community talent show, expecting the same old lame amateur acts. But when he wakes up, his world will never be the same. Televisions and computers no longer work, but a strange language streams across the screens. Everyone's behaving oddly. It's as if Kyle doesn't exist.

In one of our library sessions, Jane recommended this book. She asked if anyone has read it. I did. And so I raised my hand. What to describe this book? I described it: "The book is creepy, weird. At the end, there's an event where it just gets too creepy."

And it is.

0.4 (Human.4) is a book, in my opinion, is a sci-fi, alien-ish type of book. It is the first book in the series.  

The book is sophisticated, thought-provoking, and almost impossible to put down. The science fiction behind the book is just so haunting, it gives me the chills sometimes when I read it at night.
When I read the book, I thought I wouldn't like the tape recording format in the chapters, but weirdly, I liked it. The tape recording format made the book have an element of mystery.

I can't say anything more for I can't say all the details without spoiling anything, but really, it is a great book to read. Recommend the book to readers who like reading science fiction. :D

(There is a copy of this book in the school library :))


- Alecs Almazar

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Bilbo Baggins is a young hobbit who does not know the meaning of "adventure" he thinks such things are 'nasty','disturbing' and 'uncomfortable' not to mention that they make you late for dinner! But when the Wizard Gandalf The Grey comes looking for 'a burglar' he is whisked off into a journey to liberate a mountain full of gold and treasure from a fire breathing dragon with the help of the  mountain's previous owners, the company of Thorin Oakenshield.

This enchanting prelude to the Lord Of The Rings Trilogy is an adventure for everyone, young and old.

I have loved this book almost all my life ever since my Mum read it to me, it is my favourite book ever!!! 1000/5

P. S.
There is also a movie trilogy based on the book directed by Peter Jackson. I also recommend that 1000/5

The Key And The Flame by Claire M. Caterer

Holly Shepard is a normal eleven year old girl who longs for adventure. When her family moves to a small village in England everything changes. She is given a strange gift, an iron key, from their new house's caretaker, the mysterious Mr. Gallaway. When she, her whiny brother Ben and there new friend Everett unlock a tree in the nearby woods they are transported to the fantasty world of Anglielle where magic, knights and centaurs await them. But when Ben and Everett are captured by the strange king who despises magic, Holly must be the hero and rescue them before its too late, with the help of some magical creatures along the way.

Scorpia Rising - Alex Rider

Alex Rider is a 15 year old teenager who is working for the MI6 - Englands secret agency. He is an agent who goes on missions as a spy to give information back to the M16, this book is about one of his several missions and is byfar the best Alex Rider book I have read. Alex, who is not keen on working for M16 anymore, is forced back into the spy buisness to infultrate Scorpia, who are apparently spying on a school in Cairo. But in reality Scorpia are organising Alex to turn up here to capture him and release a clone. I would recommend you read Scorpia first, before reading this book, Scorpia Rising as the story would make more sense. This is great read for someone who is looking for sci-fi, spy, action genres.