Threatened by Eliot Schrefer

This book takes place in Africa. It is about a boy named Luc, who's mom died a few years ago from the worm, owing a ton of money because of the hospital bill. His father left after his mom died, leaving Luc all alone as an orphan with Monsieur Tatagani and the other orphans who's parents owe a ton of money to the city. One day, a man comes by the orphan house and calls himself Prof offering Luc a mission that is to study chimpanzees in the dangerous jungle. Prof will give Monsieur Tatagani all the money Luc's mother owes, just so Luc joins him. Soon they head out to the jungle where Luc finds himself a new family, until that family gets under attack. This was a really good book that is a realistic fiction, survival type. It doesn't have any language, but a lot of violence, but that makes the book more realistic, dealing with all the problems that might come up living in the African jungle. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

This book is about a girl named Astrid Jones who's parents don't really care about her. I don't really know her age, but I think she's in high school or college. She likes to spend her time sitting on the picnic table in the backyard watching airplanes. Astrid also thinks about her personal life as well, and that leads to her being in love with a girl. This is pretty much what this book is about, so there are mature topics. I liked this book, but it was a little confusing as well, but I would recommend this book to anyone who is okay with mature topics.

Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman

Caden Bosch is a high school student that likes to think a lot. He spends hours and hours thinking about anything, and even pretends to join the track team in school like his parents told him to; but instead he just walks around and thinks. He also is on a ship that's going to the deepest point on Earth, Challenger Deep. Apparently Caden also has schizophrenia, which is a mental illness that is talked about a lot in this book. I don't really know how to summarize this book because I was really confused. This is a realistic fiction book, and it written in first and second person. I liked this book, but as I said I didn't understand anything that was happening, because it switched from Caden's life with his parents and him on a ship. This book makes you think a lot. I would recommend this book to people who like books with action going on, and it doesn't really have mature topics.

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

The Yellow Fever has ruined many lives, especially Mattie's. She's 14 and has to learn to take care of herself and others. Polly, Mattie's close friend has passed due to this disease but Mattie isn't even able to think about that. The closer the Yellow Fever gets to her family the harder it is for Mattie. It is very hard to describe this book without giving the plot away, but it is a realistic fiction (I believe) story about a girl dealing with many people around her dying. Although I've read this book as a read aloud in 3rd grade, I didn't really remember anything. When we read this book as a read aloud, I just really didn't like it because it was really sad, but I didn't really know about everything going on in the book, that's why I wanted to give it another shot. I still think this is a really sad and terrifying book, and has a lot of description. This book wasn't my favorite, because of how intense it was, but I would still recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it. It has a lot of mature topics.

Wringer by Jerry Spinelli

This book is about a boy named Palmer who is turning 10. Turning that age is a very big deal in the small town of Waymer, because that is when you become a wringer at the annual Family Fest, but Palmer really doesn't want to become one. The problem is, he can't break the tradition, or tell anyone that he doesn't want to become one. I didn't really like this book because I felt that it didn't really have a plot, and it was pretty boring. It didn't really have any mature topics or language, and it was a pretty quick read even though the story went on forever. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, even though only some parts were interesting.

Soar by Joan Bauer

This book is about a boy named Jeremiah who survived a heart transplant. He doesn't really know how old he is, because a few months after he was born his mother left him in the kitchen of where she worked, knowing a man named Walk would find him; but he thinks he is 12. Jeremiah really likes baseball, but because of the heart transplant he can't play, so he decides he wants to be a coach. When he and Walt move to Hillcrest, Ohio, they realize one of the best baseball teams is from there. It is a high school team- the Hornets. A sad thing occurs and baseball in that city is almost forgotten. This was a pretty good book, and I think that it was really interesting. It was a pretty quick read, and funny too. It doesn't really have any mature topics or language, and I would recommend it to anyone.

Rules by Cynthia Lord

This book is about a 12 year old girl named Catherine and her brother, David, who has autism. Catherine's life pretty much revolves around David. She has to babysit him a lot, and that isn't easy. She has to make rules for him, like "No toys in the fish tank" and "Sometimes people walk away from you because they can't hear you, sometimes they walk away because they don't want to talk to you." David tries to follow these rules, but sometimes forgets. Every Tuesday and Thursday Catherine and her mom have to take David to therapy, where Catherine meets a boy named Jason who can't talk and has to be in a wheelchair, and talks through his communication book, and they become friends. Summer just started and a new neighbor moves in next to Catherine. There is a girl who is the same age as her named Kristi, and Catherine tries to become friends with her. I can't say very much without giving the book away, but it was a pretty interesting book. This was a really quick read, and it was also really easy. It was realistic fiction, and dealing with real life problems, even if they don't happen to everyone. I enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to anyone. It has no mature topics of language.