When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago

Genre: Non-Fiction, Autobiography
Book Summary: Mrs. Santiago tells the story of her life in Puerto Rico and its many moves. She starts the story as a child and as the reader, you can see her change in tone as she goes on with her story and progresses in age.
Rank (0-5): 3
Would you recommend this book to a friend? No
My review of this book: The author focused a lot of her writing on her parents fighting and the fights were all basically about the same things. Some of the events in her life were so much more important, and I feel she wasted pages with stupid stuff. I can't criticize her entire life though. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning about another culture.
by Jessica F. in grade 10

Basher 52 by Scott O'Grady

Genre: Non-fiction
Book Summary: This book was about a F-16 fighter pilot named Scott O\'Grady. He was shot down by Serbian missles in Bosnia. It was the true story about Captian Scott O\'Grady trying to survive. He is rescued by the U.S. Marines after 6 days. He was treated like a hero when he was rescued
Rank (0-5): 3
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Yes
My review of this book: I thought this book was ok. I liked the description when he was being rescued by the helicopters. This was a true story which made it interesting to read. Scott O'Grady did not consider himself a hero, because he feels a hero is someone who helps someone else. He felt he was not a hero because he saved himself.
by Brian K. in grade 7

Soul Surfer by Bethany Hamilton

Genre: realistic fiction, non-fiction
Book Summary: This book is about a 13 year old girl named Bethany Hamilton. She loves surfing more than anything! But all of that changes one Halloween morning when she goes surfing with one of her friends. The first moment, she has two well working arms, the next, a 15 foot long tiger shark has attacked her and she has one arm! This true story is about one teenage girl who will need her faith and her family to get back on the board!
Rank (0-5): 5
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Yes
My review of this book: This book was AMAZING! It is one of the best ones I have read in a long time. I rated it a five because it was an autobiography. I like the way Bethany told the story and I don\'t think it would be the same if someone else wrote it. The way Bethany tells it makes it seem a lot more real because it actually happened to her! I would (and will) definitely recommend this to all my friends because it is about a girl my age and it just shows that that girl could\'ve been me! All in all, this book is definitely one of my all time favorites!
by Lauren D. in grade 8

Tending Lives: Nurses on the Medical Front by Echo Heron

Genre: Non-fiction
Book Summary: Tending Lives is collaborated by Echo Heron, the author of two medical novels, (Mercy and Pulse), Intensive Care, and Condition Critical. Echo and many other nurses, (and two paramedics), shared their interesting stories or overviews about the job. They describe the miraculous recoveries, tragic deaths, funny incidents, established relationships, and struggle under the never understanding and always looking for the money and not the people administration.
Rank (0-5): 5
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Yes
My review of this book: Most teens probably wouldn\'t want to read this book, but it\'s great. Even if you\'re not into the medical stuff, it also make a wonderful novel-like book. I describe it this way because it just totally captured my attention, but everyone\'s like \"why would you read THAT?\"
By Amanda J. in grade 8

PADI Open Water Diver Manual, edited by Drew Richardson

Genre: Non-Fiction
Book Summary: This book was about learning to SCUBA dive and how much fun you can have. It taught me what I need to do and know to be a safe SCUBA diver.
Rank (0-5): 5
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Yes
My review of this book: This was a very interesting book. It taught me a lot about what I need to do to bea SCUBA diver. It showed me what I need to be aware of when I am SCUBA diving. Ittaught me how to use the dive tables, computers, and gauges that I need tounderstand so that I can dive safely. This is a mandatory read as part of an OpenWater SCUBA diving class.
By Danny in grade 6

Chicken Soup for the Girls Soul by Jack Canfield

Genre: non-fiction
Book Summary: This book tells stories about real life situations. It helps you understand some of the problems you are going through if you are a girl in the preteen years.
Rank (0-5): 5
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Yes
My review of this book: This book is a must read for all girls. It helps you understand many things about being a girl. Some of the stories in this book may be funny, but some are also sad. You will soon realize that you may have faced many of the problems in this book or these stories may help you in the future. Since I loved this book so much I'm going to submit a story in the next one.
By Elizabeth in grade 8