Book Reviews by Ehlen Administration

Spartanica by Powers Molinar My rating: 4 of 5 stars A young adult novel full of fantasy, Spartanica is the first in a series that follows brothers Ty and Marcus as they find themselves transported from their average suburban Chicago home to another dimension. While there they discover a decimated world that may offer clues to some parts of their past and help rescue a group of children attempting to escape captors, with the help of some of the local creatures. Spartanica is a great read, even for adults, and I think it provides an intriguing series to hook readers during middle school. There is a lot of fantasy, including super powers, an arrival to an apocalyptic landscape to navigate, anthropomorphic creatures, a hostile takeover and fantastic technology. Tweens will easily be able to put themselves in the position of Ty or Marcus, and I think that they will clamor for more in the series. Author Powers Molinar provides clear, concise writing that is quite engaging without fal...

Heist School Freshmen by Alan Gallauresi My rating: 4 of 5 stars I have a teenage brother, and Heist School Freshmen sounds like it was written by him. This is a good thing, in this case, as the story is about teenage boys who band together, led by their intrepid leader Angelo Bastillo - who now goes by Angel because it just sounds way cooler - to attempt a treasure hunt of epic proportions in their very average high school. It also meant I understood a lot of the lingo and text speak, which is very encouraging for an otherwise uncool older sister like me. I really enjoyed the story, and I think the series has potential. The character development was detailed and largely accurate for modern teenagers. I am also a big fan of anything that gets boys to read, and I really think that this story would be great particularly for middle schoolers. It has suspense, teenage “romance,” a lot of comic interludes and even a little SAT prep thrown in, all narrated by Angelo. I would recommend...