Wonder by R.J. Palacio is about a kid named August Pullman who has to try and navigate school for the first time. He hasn’t gone to school ever because August has a rare disease called treacher collins syndrome, so he looks a little different than other kids. August did want to go to school because he didn’t look like all of the other kids. Later on in the book his parents convince him to try and go to school and he does. Even though August had some hard times throughout the year he still made it.
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty is a realist fiction novel. To Lucy Callahan, the world has been all about math and numbers since she got struck by lightning. She is incredibly good at math and science, but she isn’t so good with her social skills. Her Nana told her she isn’t allowed to go to a math college until she completes at least one year of middle school.
This book is about a girl named Wren. She is a 7th grader who goes through lots of changes when her parents get divorced and her dad's remarried. She moves with her mom she starts getting into a new obsession with special effects makeup videos and an internet sensation named Cat FX. She tries to duplicate one of the techniques but somehow she cannot! Wren's mom tells her to stop using her laptop, so she agrees to do makeup for a Middle School production.
Raina is just entering middle school and changes are starting to happen. Friendships, relationships, mood swings etc. every day is different for Raina, and nothing is certain. How with Raina deal with everyday challenges that are thrown her way? This book was definitely an eye opener. Seeing Raina go through 6th through 10th grade, was an experience. The feeling this book gave me was very exciting. I was anticipating what was coming next and loved seeing her growth throughout.
Wink is a weird and not so enjoyable fiction novel by Rob Harrel. This book is about a kid named Ross, one day in the middle of summer he finds a big lump on his right eye. Ross gets diagnosed with a rare eye cancer, at school, he is known as the cancer kid. Ross has to deal with a lot of stuff like his eye goo, winking, and bullies. I love the way the author adds funny comics and pictures to describe the story, but the way the author presented the book wasn’t enjoyable to me.
In need of a job, 14-year-old Lavaughn takes a babysitting job for Jolly, a 17-year-old with two children. Lavaughn enjoys the work, but when Jolly gets fired from her job at the factory, Lavaughn decides to work for free. What happens next? Read more to find out!
The Unteachables is a hilarious and interesting fiction novel by Gordon Korman. This book is about a group of kids who are disliked by teachers and students. Their teacher doesn't care about teaching anymore, but that changes when the Unteachables jump in the river to save their teacher's life. Soon after, Mr. Kermit realizes how much he loves the kids and how much he loves teaching.
Closer to Nowhere is an inspiring and eye-opening fiction novel by Ellen Hopkins. This book is about a boy named Cal, who has PTSD. When his mom died when he was nine, he moved in with his dad. His dad, who went to prison two times, abused Cal by hitting him and telling him to lie to the government on his behalf. When Cal’s dad went to prison again, he moved in with his aunt and uncle, and his cousin Hannah. Every so often he would run away for one reason or the other.
This book is by far better than Ungifted, in my opinion. I liked how Donovan was one of the main characters in this book but I really liked how they switched the role and made Noah the second main character. In my mind I thought if Gordon Korman was going to make a second book Donovan would be the main character but it was surprising how Noah got to be a main character in this book more than he was in Ungifted.
I had an amazing time reading this book. When I started reading about Donovan Curtis it seemed like he was just a prankster and could not change. The book is about how Donovan makes a terrible prank and then gets transferred, accidentally, to a higher-level school. He tries really hard on all of his tests so that he doesn't get transferred to the school he was supposed to get transferred to. He meets new people at his new school and it takes a while for Chloe to like him but I did like how Noah, another character, had a role in this book but later in the second book he had a bigger role.
