Treasure Island
by Robert Louis Stevenson
Young Jim Hawkins is now in the world of pirates, treasure, mutiny and maps. Hawkins sets out on an adventure seeking fortune on the infamous Treasure Island.  Making, using and rebelling against friends and foe will be his only save from mutinous pirates and death.  I read this book because I had to, but I came to like it and although it starts out hard, the memory of Jim and the pirates is well worth it.

Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of  rum...

Fifteen men on a dead man's chest...

Drink and the devil did for the rest...
reviewed by            Cory Reed 

Anne of Green Gables
by L.M. Montgomery
Anne of Green Gables was an interesting book but was boring in parts. It is about an orphaned girl Anne who goes to live with a brother and sister who wanted a young boy to help them work the fields but are then surprised when they find a girl (Anne) at the train station. The two people decide to keep Anne, but she has a lot to learn.   She doesn't know how to pray and gets in trouble constantly.  Anne fights to be the top student of  her school class. I liked the parts in the story about Gillbert and how Anne hates him so much.  Girls may enjoy this book, but guys may not.

reviewed by            Harmony Muller   

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Ethan Frome
by Edith Wharton
Ethan  Frome is an older man and is married to Zeena, who has quite the different personality. I would recommend that this book be read by older people because it takes a little while to understand the book. Ethan is a nice gentleman   that tends to flirt with women and falls in love with Mattie.  Mattie is a younger woman than his wife and she lives with the Fromes'.  Zeena, the wife, doesn't realize that all this is going on.  Luckily for Ethan, she loves him too.  If  this book would have been a little more modern rather than being set on a farm a long time ago, I would have liked it better.

reviewed by            Courtney Gopp 

Invisible Man
by H.G. Wells
The Invisible Man is a guy who has all these bandages around him and makes his living by stealing.  The money isn't really rolling in and he is about to get kicked out of his house...he is desperate.  When he takes off his bandages he is invisible.  After more trouble he goes to a friend who turns out to be very curious at how he became invisible.  He tells his friend that he studied hard for four years and he'd had a breakthrough.  There is a substance in the back of a cat's eye that will dye the blood of humans and when combined with various chemicals will make a person invisible.  His friend turns out to be a traitor and the invisible man has a close call with the police.   The invisible man plots revenge on his former friend.  I really didn't like this book very much because I don't like science fiction.

reviewed by            Shane Longee   

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Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott
Four sisters live with their mother while their father is off fighting in a war.  The girls meet the boy next door (Laurie) at a New Year's party and he and Jo become pretty good friends.  Amy, the youngest sister, is really snoopy when it comes to Jo and Laurie's relationship and one time even falls through the ice when she follows them to the ice skating pond. The girls' family isn't rich although Laurie's family is.  Laurie and the March girls eventually lose touch,  Years later they meet and Amy and Laurie fall in love and get married.  Laurie doubts that Amy loves him and thinks she is in it for the money, but she reassures him that it is true love and she would have married him no matter how much he has or doesn't have.

reviewed by                   Jillian Bates   

Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen
This is a good book consisting of romance and comedy.  Young Elizabeth Bennet is put down by Mr. Darcy at a dance and she thinks he is extremely haughty.  Being the outspoken young lady she is, Elizabeth speaks her thoughts about him loudly.  She thinks him unimpressive and he thinks her below his standard.  Yet, as the story unfolds, they feel a connection between them.  While this is going on, Elizabeth must deal with other courtiers, and her sister, Jane.  This is a good story, but is stretched out into 378 long pages.  It is about a 6/10 for me.

reviewed by                  Casey Lauver   

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Red Badge of Courage
by Stephen Crane
Henry, a northern soldier in Civil War is awaiting a battle.  His regiment had heard rumors that they might be in battle in a short time and Henry feels nervous even though the battle might not even take place. When Henry finally is caught in battle, he runs away.  While running away he saw soldiers killed and his friend die from a wound, which causes him to feel very guilty.  Henry is finally able to use his guilt to achieve more bravery and courage.

reviewed by                    Logan Stahley   

Tom Sawyer
by Mark Twain
Tom Sayer is a mischievous boy. His adventures vary from falling in love to attending his own funeral.  One night, while at the cemetery, Tom witnesses a murder.  He stands as a witness against the murderer in order to save another person's life and the murderer looks for revenge.  Between getting lost in caves and looking for buried treasure, Tom nearly loses his life.  This is a fun tale about youth seeding adventure.  It is said that if you have ever been young, then you will be able to relate to this book with great ease.  I rate it  about 7 or 8 out of 10.

reviewed by                   Erin Schneider  

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White Fang
by Jack London
White Fang is the only wolf pup that survives after being born to a small pack. After White Fang's father is killed by a lynx. he and his mother leave the area and come across the man who owned his mother before she joined the pack. Gray Beaver is a fair owner to White Fang and his mother until the she-wolf is sold to pay off Gray Beaver's debts.  White Fang ends up with another much crueler owner who keeps him caged and uses him to fight other dogs.  After a difficult time, White Fang is rescued by Weeden Scott who eventually is able to teach White Fang to love and be loved.

reviewed by                 Larissa Walker     

The Secret Garden
by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Mary moves into Misselthwaite Manor with her uncle.  She learns of a secret garden that has supposedly been untouched for ten years.  After finding the key to the garden and making friends with Dickson who works very well with animals, she hears crying in one of the house corridors and wonders where it is coming from.  She later discovers that the crying is coming from Colin, a boy who is kept locked indoors because they think is will die soon.  Mary and Dickon take an interest in Colin and boost his confidence by taking him to the garden and helping him find meaning in his life and the desire to live.

reviewed by                 Jade Senger     

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Of Mice and Men
by John Steinbeck
This is an exciting, heartbreaking story. Lenny and George travel together trying to earn a stake, so they can buy their own farm.  George is the thinker and Lenny is the worker.  The only major problem is that Lenny is obsessed with touching things and doesn't know when to let go. Poor Lenny gets himself into trouble with the new boss' son's wife.  He didn't mean to hurt her, but accidents do happen.  For his own safety, George is forced to shoot Lenny, while retelling him his favorite story about the bunnies.

reviewed by                 Chase Brown     

Treasure Island
by Robert Louis Stevenson
I thought this classic was okay.  I really liked how the author made me feel as if I was reading about real pirates with all their different personalities.  However, I found that the pirate and old fashioned jargon was quite hard to understand at times.  Jim Hawkins finds himself going with pirates and other men to find treasure.  Problems arose due to backstabbing pirates that forced everyone to have a good ole' fashioned pirate fight.  It was up to Jim to rescue the rest of the honest crew.

reviewed by                 Ellen Seder     

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Captains Courageous
by Rudyard Kipling
I thought this book was OK.  It all starts with the son of a millionaire, Harvey, who sure has an attitude.  Harvey and his family are traveling on a big fancy boat when he gets seasick and falls overboard. Luckily he is rescued and demands that they take him back.  The captain of the rescue boat doesn't care how much Harvey's wealthy father will pay, so Harvey has to wait until the boat is full before going back.  Harvey learns the ways of a fisherman and how to do things without being waited on.  I liked this book, but it wasn't one of my favorites.

reviewed by                 Ashley Welborn     

Dracula
by Bram Stoker
I really liked the first part of the story and the interesting setting and some of the scenes.  However, after getting into the story a ways, it becomes a lot harder to follow because it is told from five different points of view which is confusing.  I will eventually finish this book, though it may take awhile.

reviewed by                 Jacob Pecarina     

To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee
The story is told from an 8 year old girl's point of view.  It takes place in Maycomb, a small Alabama town during the 1930's. A white girl claimed she was taken advantage of  by a black man and since at that time race was such a hugh issue, a controversial court case takes place.  The narrator is the daughter of the lawyer appointed to the case.  The man was innocent, but still was convicted because he was black.  Despite the sad outcome, it was a good story and I suggest reading it.  I rate it a 9 out of 10.

reviewed by                 Sarah McDonald