The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

The Time Machine is a classic time traveling adventure, and even one of the first of its kind. In fact, Wells even coined the term time machine. It is about this guy that creates a vehicle that can take him back to a specific point in time. He accidentally goes to the very distant point in time, year 802701. He later meets the very gentle and not violent Eloi. However, he does not live in peace with the Eloi for very long because there are these freaky ape things called Morlocks that are not gentle and are violent. Morlocks are not good business, I’m sure. It is a really short, and fun book. It is recommend for middle-school, or any science fiction nut.

Luqman Sattar

War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

War of the Worlds is another classic novel of H.G. Wells. The book was widely popular, and has gotten a movie, and a few graphic novel versions (we have one in the library… if you check the comic out instead I won’t blame you. I promise). It is about a bunch of aliens invading earth in these tripod thingies. And it all starts on the planet Mars, when astronomers see a bunch of explosions on the surface of the red planet. Then they see a bunch of Martians popping out on Earth and killing a bunch of people. Of course there is a war because then the name of the novel would be different. Anyways, the humans lose and begin foraging through houses and living under ground. The book is very interesting and really cool. I recommend this book to middle school, high school, and science fiction lovers.

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The Merchant of Venice by Gareth Hinds

If you are in grade 10 and don’t want to read page after page of boringness in The Merchant of Venice, I recommend that you check out the graphic novel version. It keeps that same ugly Shakespearian English script found in the original play, so how different can the thing be? Merchant of Venice is pretty much about this guy named Antonio who makes a deal with this guy that say, “If you can’t pay me back I will have a pound of your flesh… you know… for the lolz.” And of course, Antonio can’t pay him back. This happens because Antonio’s friend likes some girl and he has to pay her money to ask her to marry him, and of course, he has no money because he is dead broke. It is a very interesting concept, and I love the medium that is used. It will be a useful tool to anyone learning the text.

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The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby is a classic novel that takes place in the 1920’s, and follows the life of Jay Gatsby from the mind of Nick Carraway. Nick Carraway is the cousin of Gatsby’s love interest. After Nick meets Gatsby, he finds out that Gatsby wants to get back together with Daisy (his love interest). This story is a classic about the life in the roaring 20’s. It is a good book and a classic. Do you know what place good and classic books have in our school? They are a part of our course. The Great Gatsby will be read by high-school students (some of them) as a part of their Grade 10 English course. It is a recommended read especially if you want a good grade.

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The Client by John Grisham

John Grisham is an author that writes law or business related fiction books. The Client is about an eleven year old boy and his brother that witness a suicide. Before the suicide the guy that wants to kill himself tell Mark (the eleven year old) why he wants to kill himself. The police later ask him questions and things begin to get complicated. This book is interesting and really hard to put down because of the events that occur in it. I recommend that high schoolers read this book during their free time. I also recommend reading Grisham novels if you are interested in law.

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The Stranger by Albert Camus

This book is very important to people going into HL English next year because it is part of the IB curriculum. The story is about a guy named Mersault and his life after his mom died. He makes a friend, and while he is walking on the beach with him he killed someone, and later went to prison. This book is very interesting, and is a key book in HL English. This book was originally written in French (things get lost in translation). If you speak French, I recommend that you read it in French. And if you read the book, make sure you read the book found in school because the online version and the one we have in school is different. Reading it would be a good idea. Trust me.

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The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick

Homer manages to escape from his evil foster father to go search for his older brother, Harold, who has been enlisted to fight in the civil war. He journey’s across the United States (well, some of it) to find his brother. Along the way he meets new people, and goes on the adventure of a lifetime. The book is a historical fiction book about one of the bloodiest times in American History. It is very interesting and also very funny because it is aimed for middle schoolers. I really recommend people to read it.

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Soldier's Heart by Gary Paulsen

Do you know who Charley Goddard is? He was a soldier that fought in the Civil War. Gary Paulsen writes about the civil war through the eyes of Charley Goddard in this short novel or novella. It is a very short read, and is no more than 200 pages. It is very short, and incredibly fast paced. Paulsen does a great job at showing the change that Goddard goes through during his experience while fighting in the civil war. The book is recommended to middle school because it is short, fast-paced, and easy to read. To be more specific, I recommend it to 8th grade. It is a definite must read.

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Holes by Louis Sachar

This was one of my favorite books in middle school. After Stanley Yelnats is accused of stealing a pair of shoes and is sent to Camp Green Lake. Camp Green Lake is pretty much a correction facility for juvenile delinquents located at a dried up lake. As punishment for his “crime,” he is forced to dig holes. But something weird is going on. Nobody just digs holes as punishment. Something is up, and Stanley needs to find out why. The story is very cool, and takes place in different times. It was my favorite book in middle school, and if you have not read it I recommend that you do so.

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Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

Chains is about an African slave girl during the revolutionary war that was supposed to be freed, but instead got sold to a really mean family. The girl’s name is Isabel, and she and her sister are alone. Along the way Isabel learns more about the family she is working for, and decides to help people that promise to get her freed. This is a historical fiction book that is exciting and really hard to stop reading once you start. I recommend this to the 8th grade mainly because I read it in Humanities in 8th grade. The book is really worth reading. I promise.

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Star Wars: Rebellion by Rob Williams

Back when Luke Skywalker was a kid he was friends with Janek Sunber. The two were inseparable until they grew up a bit and went their own ways. Flash forward a few years, and Luke Skywalker is a legendary Jedi Knight, and Janek has become a soldier for the galactic empire (yes, he becomes a bad guy.) The two meet and spark a rivalry for the first time in many years making both of them question the side they are on, and causing very big repercussions. Star Wars is one of my favorite science fiction series, and I will read anything about it, this is the main reason why I liked it. I really recommend this action packed graphic novel to any middle schooler because that is the level that it is for.

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The Eye of Minds by James Dashner

This book takes a very widely known concept which is virtual reality. In the future, you don’t control a character when playing a game, you are the character. In video games you can die and come back to life repeatedly, but some kind of hacker dude keeps hostages in the virtual world and kills causes them to have permanent brain damage in the real world. Three teenagers are recruited by the government to stop them, and causing them to move into an area of the virtual reality that they have never seen before. James Dashner takes a very interesting concept and makes an action and science fiction novel for young adults! In my opinion I find it very interesting, and reminds me of Tron. A definite recommend to high school and middle school.

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And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

And the Mountains Echoed is Khaled Hosseini’s most recent novel, and follows the emotional journey of Abdullah and Pari through the viewpoint of other characters. The story is about the siblings and how they get separated and the events both of them go through until they meet each other again. I really liked this book and I definitely recommend it to anyone to read it. The characters are very different from each other and show a huge contrast from one character to another. However, I must say that this book is really sad and emotional, so if anyone does decide to read the book I just want you to know what exactly you are going to be getting yourself into.

Luqman Sattar

Bone: Out from Boneville by Jeff Smith

Bone is a comic book series self-written, self-illustrated, and self-published by Jeff Smith. It is about three White peanut-ish shaped characters collectively known as the Bone Cousins (whose names are Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone). The three of them are wandering in the desert until they fall off a cliff and get separated running into various strangers and dangers along the way. However, little do the cousins know that they are about to become involved in something big… and dangerous. I read these comics back when I was in middle school and I was unable to not read them. The comics are funny and exciting, and I really recommend them to middle school (6th grade to be more specific).

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The Language of Tolkien's Middle Earth by Ruth S. Noel

I usually do this last, but if you are not a Tolkien nerd this book is definitely not for you. If you do want to learn elfish and other languages from the Lord of the Rings then maybe it is. This book talks about all the languages featured in LOTR and other Tolkien stories such as Numenorian and Quenya. I personally liked this book because I am a Tolkien fan, and it was interesting to learn about the languages in his stories. Again not for everybody, but of course, give it a whirl if you like. This is recommended for middle school because high school should be doing other things like studying Spanish, French or Arabic and not Elfish.

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The Iliad by Homer

The Iliad is an insanely long poem written by Homer in Ancient Greece (in other words, a really long time ago). The poem is about the war between Troy and the Greek army that was fueled by the love affair of Helen of Troy and Paris. It is considered a classic and is a pretty long read. I thought it was interesting, because I like reading this kind of stuff (mythology and fantasy stuff). In all honesty I recommend reading it, but there is a big possibility that you will get bored while reading it. I recommend this for high school more than I recommend this for middle school.

Luqman Sattar

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell never fails to create thought-compelling books such as, Tipping Point, David and Goliath, and What the Dog Saw. Blink is a book about quick thinking and snap judgement, or “the power of thinking without thinking.” It contains many stories, just like his other books. He various real life stories and situations to complement the points that he is trying to make. He talks about a person’s ability to spot something instantly using an example of a fake sculpture at a museum. He also backs his claim up with a marriage analyst being able to spot whether a couple will stay together or break up. This book is definitely recommended for the high school especially when it comes to making discussion questions and topics.

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The Simpsons Futurama Crossover Crisis by Ian Boothby

The two funniest and well known TV shows of all time have come together to make a seriously legendary comic book! Fry and his friends from Futurama are transported into a Simpson’s comic. And things begin to go wrong in Springfield. Watch the two legendary comedy shows bring out a ton of laughs that will be surely unforgettable. This comic is not written by Matt Groening, but Ian Boothby (it shouldn’t matter because he is still funny). This comic is not really for high school because there is probably more important stuff to read (like Chronicle of a Death Foretold or The Stranger), but this is recommended for middle schoolers who have free time and want a laugh.

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The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Hazel Grace is a teenage girl that has thyroid cancer which has spread to her lungs causing her to lug an oxygen canister all the time. She attends community group for people with cancer, and that is where she meets Augustus Waters. A guy that had osteosarcoma, a type of cancer that caused him to lose his leg. The two have a connection and develop a relationship throughout the book. This book is romance-y and pretty sad, but anyone can read. I liked it. It is recommended for young adults, and falls under realistic fiction. It is also recommended because this book falls discusses real-life situations.

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The Saga of Larten Crepsley: Birth of a Killer by Darren Shan

This is a prequel series to The Saga of Darren Shan. It follows Larten Crepsley’s life before he meets his vampire assistant. Larten runs away after he kills his boss. An outcast, alone in a cemetery, he soon meets Seba Nile, an old vampire, and begins his life as a creature of the night. Along the way he meets many people and learns new things. This series falls under action, adventure, and fantasy. This series is four books long, and can be finished faster than The Saga of Darren Shan. The series is recommended for middle school ages.

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