Review Books, Movies or WebsitesWelcome to a page just for you. If you would like to contribute a review for posting go to the Eagle Review Form page, fill it out, scroll down and hit the submit button. Mrs. Absi will post your review on this page.
Share your opinion with the other students here at Ashley about what you've been reading or watching.
Rating System
Q stands for quality of the work. 5Q being the highest grade and 1Q being the lowest grade. P stands for popularity. 5P would appeal to everyone and 1P very limited appeal.
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Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
"Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer is a book on the true story of the disappearance and life of Christopher McCandless. Chris chooses to live in the Alaskan Wilderness and leave every part of civilization behind. McCandless writes a good bye message and his body is later found in a bus. 5Q, 4P Emily / grade 9
Max by James Patterson
Max is a very exciting read. It holds suspense so much that you will find yourself on the edge of your seat; not able to put it down because you just want to keep reading just a little further to find out what happens next. It was so suspenseful for me that I ended up buying the entire series just so that I would be able to keep on reading and re-reading them until the next book came out. 5Q, 4P
Mitchell / grade 12
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
Is aacclaimed to be one of the best novels about the Vietnam War. Instead of stating facts and figures about the war, Tim O'Brien takes a personal approach and writes about experiences. The novel has been criticized for its lack of information about the Vietnam War but the personal approach provides a feeling of being present at the war and the emotions of serving as a soldier. 4Q, 3P
Angie/grade 12
The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch
The book was amazing, very realistic in detail and is closer to the actual sight of the future as you can get. An amazing story of a boy who has to create a new world for his generation because it was destroyed by his father's generation. Very into detail and visual in written detail and as the author of the Hunger Games said, its really a close to home feel, based on juvenile survival and the theme of a new world on top of an old one. It describes the effect of life and people after the P11 attack and how they revert to savages and will just about do anything to stay alive. 5Q, 5P
Jerry/grade 12
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
When seventeen-year-old Bella leaves Phoenix to live with her father in Forks, Washington, she meets a handsome boy at school for whom she feels an overwhelming attraction and who she comes to realize is not wholly human. 3Q, 3P
Ashley/ grade 12
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson
Hacker Lisbeth Salander assists Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist with the invesitgation of Harriet Vanger's disappearance decades earlier, and the two uncover a drk world of secrets about a wealthy Swedish family as well as a surprising connection between themselves. If yu have seen the movie and enjoyed it, the novel is so much better and goes into more detail into certain things. It keeps your attention until the very end. 4Q, 5P
Mickey/ grade 12
Drama High: The Fight by L. Divine
This book is about a 16 year old girl named Jayd Jackson and she is determined to start her junior year drama free, but she soon learns that life in her new predominately white high school is not the same as her tough inner city school as she tries to stop a fight that could ruin everything she has worked for. 4Q, 3P
Dajania/grade 12
Heaven Is For Real by Todd Burpo
Todd Burpo shares his son Colton's experiences having visions of heaven after a near-fatal illness, describing what Colton saw in heaven and the lessons he has learned about faith and love after listening to Colton's stories of his time with Jesus. 4Q, 5P
Tevin/ grade 12
Miss Peregrin's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
This book is amazing and you won't want to put it down. The writer knows exactly how to evoke your emotion throughout the whole story. It's a great read. 4Q, 4P
Alexis/grade 12
Pretty Little Dead Girls by Dean Koontz
The novel Pretty Little Dead Girls is a psychological thriller that is very entertaining. It is borderline science fiction and also contains some references towards religion. The whole story is based around a young student at an Ivy League college slowly discovering that there is a dirty secret hidden in the school's past. 5Q, 5P
Najahma/grade 10
The Plutonium Files: America's secret medical experiments in the cold war by Eilene Welsom
The Plutonium Files is an expansive account of America's secret radiation experiments on humans, beginning with Operation Trinity, the world's first atomic bomb, up through the late sixties and the Cold War. In these times, all that was known to scientists about nuclear weapons was their seismic power, not the effects of ionizing radiation on humans. This book exposes the darker side of human nature in a realistic manner, and shows what happens when scientists lose touch with their humanity in the interest of medical advancement. It is a powerful novel that especially affected me, for I am interested in nuclear and radiological science, and hope to have a successful career in that field. I would recommend this for anyone who is interseted in hard scientific and historical nonfiction, and likes to know the darker secrets of our country's history. 5Q, 3P
Madison S. / grade 9
Gone by Michael Grant
What if one day you just woke up and the world wasn't as it seems, instead everyone over the age of fifteen suddenly disappears; poof; gone. Parents and young adults aren't the only strange thing that happens, because some young kids have seemed to develop supernatural powers that could star a war with the "freaks" and the "normals." Sam and a small group of friends take their journey into this book with a dark and daunting task of trying to find a way out of the world that they have now entered. A small group of power hungry people try and rule the small town and make it a dictatorship. Overall this new series is packed with adventure, romance, choices and danger. People looking for a good read should definitely pick up a copy of Michael Grant's new series Gone.
By: Travis T. / grade 10
Rogue by Rachel Vincent
Rachel Vincents book Rogue has a very interesting and catching plot. It keeps you guissing and wanting more, filled with suspense and mystery; it's edgy and dark. Second in the series Werecats.
By: Sydnee R. / grade 11
Perfect Shot by Debbie Rigaud
Tells a story about a young African-American girl who thinks she is out of place. Volleyball is her life. One day she meets this nice looking guy who happens to be a photographer for a fashion contest. From volleyball to fashion maodel her life changes drastically.
By Jasamine L. / grade 12
Artemis Fowl : The Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer
It was an amazing book filled with magic, crime and science. Artemis was the the main character and my favorite. He had a very interesting life growing up and such an epic kid in many ways. I wish it would be made into a movie.
By: Cedric H. / grade 12
The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks
It is about a man named Wilson Lewis who is forced to face the fact that his wife has fallen out of love with him after thirty years of marriage. Wilson Lewis then seeks help from his in-laws (Noah and Allie Calhoun from The Notebook). After seeking advice from the Calhouns, Wilson Lewis works on finding a way for his wife to fall back in love with him in order to save their marriage.
I like this book because it is about a boy trying to fix the relationship as opposed to the girl doing all of the work. I learned a great deal about men’s perspectives on these situations, and I think that this will help me in the future. I would highly recommend this to someone who likes romance novels.
By: Crystal L. / grade 9
The Return of Rafe MacKade by Nora Roberts
This book is about the brother who was always one to get in trouble. He left his small town to make something of himself. He returns and finds interest in antique dealer. They have many obstacles to overcome. I could not put this book down so I finished it in one sitting. I found it to be a great book which caused me to want to read the other books about his brothers. This book has interesting characters that make you care about them and those who you want to see locked up but only time will time. I think anyone who likes a bit of romance and some history mixed in will throughly enjoy this book.
By: Claire K. / grade 12The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
The book is about a young man with both physical and mental disabilities who is trying to figure out his own identity. While doing this, he also has to deal with various family problems, bullies, racism, and extreme poverty. He is so poor that he constantly has to worry about where his next meal will come from.
I loved this book because it was so realistic and I could easily relate to many parts of the story. My favorite part of the story was when Arnold finally stood up to a bully. I was so proud of him. I would highly recommend this book to any teenager because of the content and the language that the narrator uses.
By: Takesha B. / grade 9
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
This is an awesome book. I like it so much that I have read it twice, and I have never done that with any other book. It is about a boy who wants to hunt, and who works really hard in order to pay for his own hunting dogs. Throughout the story, something happens with the dogs and the main character has to make some serious personal changes with his life. I would especially recommend this story to hunters or people who love dogs.
By: Adrian I. / grade 9
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
This book is about a Native-American boy who leaves his reservation in order to attend a better school that is located in an all white farm town. When he arrives at the school, he gets picked on because he is Native-American. After he starts dating the most popular girl in school, his life at school gets better.
The reason I like this book is because it is different from the other books that I have read. It has realistic language in it. The author writes in a way that lets me understand what he is talking about. I would recommend this book to a teenager because it has too much “bad” language, for a little kid to read. I think that teenagers will be able to relate to what the author is saying.
By: Haley H. / grade 9
