Rock 'N' Roll Soldier by Dean Ellis Kohler and Susan VanHecke

Title: Rock 'N' Roll Soldier
Author: Dean Ellis Kohler and Susan VanHecke
Publisher: HarperTeen
Reviewer: Benny
Rating: 4.5 Cheeseburgers

Prepare to have your mind blown. Rock n’ Roll Soldier is a unique, true, memoir about Dean Kohler’s service in the Vietnam War during which he starts a rock band, gets some chicks, and even records a single. This is a book that made me look at music in a different life-changing way. I no longer see it as a way to entertain people, but as a way to lift their spirits and let them sink into it. All that Kohler had to do while fighting the Viet Cong forces in Qui Nhon. The effort described in the book was surprising and entertaining to me and I congratulate Kohler for his great efforts and loyalty.

Anyone who loves music and warfare will love this book, though it has some mild language and some weird moments that the little kiddies wouldn’t understand. Also, the plot will have some gaps unless you know about the Vietnam War. At first, I wondered why Kohler had a Vietnamese girlfriend when they were attacking Vietnam, but then I looked it up and found out they were supporting southern Vietnam whilst fighting northern Vietnam.

I like the fact that something that actually happened turned out to look so much like a fictional story. However, I think the Author’s Note would be much better labeled “Prologue” because it seemed more like a prologue than an author’s note, because I didn’t know what was happening because I skipped the Author’s Note. But it was a very good book which was very well put together, and not only taught me the power of music but also how humanity can work together to build skyscrapers, form an organized society, and even play rock bands in warzones. This book restored my faith in humanity, as well as taught me the true meaning of music.

For more info, visit the book's web site: Rock 'N' Roll Soldier

Once Was Lost by Sarah Zarr

Title: Once Was Lost
Author: Sara Zarr
Publisher: Little Brown Books
Publication Date: October 1, 2009
Reviewer: Bethany (15)
Rating: 5 cheeseburgers

“Once Was Lost” is the story of fifteen-year-old Samara Taylor, the daughter of a pastor. The book takes place at the end of a long, hot summer, when her mother lands in rehab after a DUI and her father seems more interested in his congregation than his family. Sam struggles contemplatively with her faith, what little she had left fighting for survival once another tragedy strikes the hot Californian town in which she lives.

I liked “Once Was Lost” because it was different. It wasn’t a love story, even though Samara does develop an interest in a boy in her town, and it wasn’t about whether God exists or not. It was about the characters; not just Sam, but everyone, and their suffering and recovery. My favorite line in the book is, “I want to believe the stories, that there really is someone who would search the whole mountainside just to find that one thing that he loves, and bring it home.” It basically sums up the novel in its entirety. Thanks to Sara Zarr, Samara is now one of my favorite literary characters. The religious aspect is a device used to show how Sam really loses herself, and though you never really learn where she stands on the subject of God by the end, I think the book was better for it. I give it five whole cheeseburgers; my love for Sara Zarr is cemented.

Note from editor: This book has a new title, What We Lost. Don't be confused! :) It was a National Book Award Finalist too. 

Hunger (Gone #2) by Michael Grant

Title: Hunger (Gone #2) 
Author: Michael Grant 
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Reviewer: Shira (11)
Rating: 11/10

 Readers won't be able to put the book down, and will be submersed in the world of the 'FAYZ' -- A world of kids all under 15 years of age, trapped in a forcefield like bubble, and gaining mutant superpowers.

 In Hunger, we follow the main character, Sam Temple, and his friends as they try to survive in the world of the FAYZ while fighting Sam's brother, Cain Soren,and his posse. In the end, the kids team up to fight the 'Gaiaphage',a mutant power that has been growing in the depths of the earth, living off of nuclear power from a meteorite that hit Perdido Beach, CA, 13 years prior.

 This book is undoubtedly the best book I'v read ,I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves action, drama, and excitement.

Skinny by Donna Cooner

Title: Skinny
Author: Donna Cooner
Publisher: Scholastic Teen
Publication Date: October 1, 2012
Reviewer: Maggie (13)


“Skinny” tells the story of Ever, a 15 year old girl who has to deal not only with being over 100 pounds overweight, but also with a voice in her head that tells her she won’t ever be good enough – a voice called Skinny. Ever loves musicals, fairy tales, and singing, but doesn’t enter the school musical because she doesn’t want people to judge her. After Ever accidentally breaks a chair at a school function, she decides to undergo gastric bypass surgery, which basically cuts down the size of her stomach permanently so she won’t eat as much (and will therefore lose weight).

The book is mostly about Ever’s life after the surgery, and how her life at school changes when she loses weight and gains some confidence, therefore defeating Skinny. However, there’s a subplot where Ever chases after a guy, Jackson (who hasn’t noticed her since she started gaining weight) only to realize that her best friend, Rat, has been in love with her the whole time.

“Skinny” was pretty well written – I really liked the scene near the end when Ever realizes that Skinny doesn’t actually know anything about her, and all Ever needs to do to move on with her life is ignore the little voice in her head. The book had some funny bits, and it showed that losing weight isn’t always as easy as dieting and exercise. That said, Ever wasn’t always a really sympathetic character to me. She obviously had good reason to be upset – besides her problems at school, her mother died of cancer when she was ten, and she doesn’t really get along with her stepsisters that well at the beginning of the book. But that’s kind of Ever’s fault – she’s so busy feeling sorry for herself that she kind of assumes her stepsisters hate her, and she’s pre-emptively mean to them. That goes for most of the people at her school, as well – whenever Skinny tells her “Oh, those people think you’re a waste of space,” Ever gets annoyed at them even if they never actually said anything.

In the end, I think this is a pretty good book, but I think it’s definitely geared more towards teenager-ish girls than boys.

The Encyclopedia of Me by Karen Rivers

Title: The Encyclopedia of Me
Author: Karen Rivers
Publication Date: September 2012
Publisher: Scholastic
Reviewer: Martina (11)
Rating: 4 ½ Cheeseburgers

The Encyclopedia Of Me is written from the point of view of “Tink” Isadora Aaron-Martin, a 12-year-old girl from the outskirts of New York, New York. It takes you through her friend troubles, boy drama and shows you the hardships of having an autistic brother, while sorting it alphabetically and in the layout of a proper encyclopedia. This book gives you the definition of friendship, loyalty, and love. It is an amazing book for 10-14 year old girls though I wouldn’t recommend it for a guy because it’s a walk in a girl’s shoes and probably wouldn’t make much sense. Overall, The Encyclopedia of Me is an exhilarating, funny and captivating novel that left me begging for more.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Author: Ernest Cline
Publisher: Random House
Publication date: August 16, 2011
Reviewer: Benny (12)
Rating: 5 Cheeseburgers


In a very popular virtual reality online multiplayer game, something that could change the world happens, and it all comes to life in this great novel. This book uses video game language, so it's easy for gamers to understand.
  The creator of the game passed away, and left behind the greatest video game competition of all time, so great that some people would kill to win it. It's up to five game adicts to rescue the game from going into the wrong hands. This thrilling novel has kept me longingly reading for a long time. Anyone who's addicted to video games will love this book.
  This book has mild language, but it isn't very strong. The book is also relatively hard to comprehend by people who aren't gamers due to its occasional video game language. It also has some very tragic points in it. Some points that made me feel as if the end of the book was really close.
  The characters in this book are really well thought through, and the position the main character finds himself in. Him having a crush on a girl who he's never known except for how hot her avatar looked. The
book also makes a good impression on what it might be in the future. How terrible it is with everyone starving, homeless, and having to escape it all by playing a video game.

Infinity Ring by James Dashner

Author: James Dashner
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication date: August 28, 2012
Reviewer: Stephen (11)
Rating: 3 Cheeseburgers


It’s about two nerds, Dak and Sera, who have a time travel device and try to save the world. Dak’s parents invented the Infinity Ring, Sera got it working and they are approached by the Hystorians, who need the Infinity Ring to correct Breaks in history, stop the SQ, and save the
world from a Cataclysm. The book was interesting because of the time travel concept and science stuff, but the plot is not really explained and there is no explanation of what is going on and what the SQ is. I think it is a decent read for ages 11 and up, and I would give it 3 stars.