SOLD by Patricia McCormick

This is my favorite book of the week. What I like most about Patricia McCormick's story of thirteen year old Lakshmi is that unfortunately it happens everyday. Lakshmi is unwittingly(?) sold into a life of prostitution in a brothel in Calcutta, India. This is a heartbreaking story of a young girl who is forced to grow up way to fast. What is most interesting about this book is the research the author did. She traveled to India and Nepal to interview girls who had escaped slavery. Reading this book made me feel fortunate for the freedoms in my life. READ IT! or don't

Ms. Meldrim

GOOSEBUMPS: WHY I'M AFRAID OF BEES by R.L. Stine

I think that it was a really good book. It was scary but it could have used a little more adrenaline rush to it too. The end made me wish there was another book about it. READ IT! or don't

-Anonymous student

DEADLINE by Chris Crutcher

What if you only had one year to live and you knew it? With this question on its cover, this book grabbed my attention immediately. Ben Wolf is 18 years old, about to start one of the greatest chapters in his life, senior year. In a routine physical for cross-country he learns he is terminally ill and even with treatment has only a year to live. He makes the brave choice to deny treatment and live his last year as normal as possible. To do so he keeps his illness a secret, even from those closest to him. Its amazing how a death sentence can make you feel invincible. Ben does things he never would have had the guts to do if he didn't know he was dying. He goes out for football even though he is a self-declared little person. He goes after the girl he's had a crush on (and gets her) and he stands up to the teachers in his school, challenging the lessons they are teaching him. This is an amazing story that will make you think about the legacy you want to leave when you are gone. READ IT! or don't!

--Ms. Meldrim