Book Reviews from a Teacher's Perspective

Author: Marissa Meyer Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy Themes: Coming of age, Freedom, Good vs. Evil, Unconditional Love, Don't judge a book by it's cover Recommended age for reading: Middle School, High school The reading level in the series ranges from 4th-6th grade, but a small portion of the content is for slightly older audiences.  Most of the book is appropriate for younger audiences, but there is mention of "escort" androids.  The story doesn't go into too much detail about these types of androids, but older readers can infer that their purpose is for romantic companionship.  I wish this detail wasn't included in the books, but it kind of plays a role later in the series.  It never gets too inappropriate, but the fact that is there is somewhat concerning.  There's also some mild language in a few of the books.   Cinder Plot:  The first book in the story is a futuristic version of the fairy tale, "Cinderella."  Cinder l...

Author: Markus Zusak Genre: Historical Fiction/ Fantasy Themes: The Power of Words Recommended Age for Reading: Middle School and up. I'm not going to lie, it took me a while to finish this book.  I started it while on vacation with my husband this summer in June, and didn't finish it until sometime in October.  Usually I finish books at a much quicker pace, but I am a busy working mom, and it took me a while to really get into it.  Honestly, I don't think I really ever got "hooked" into this book, but that doesn't mean that it isn't worth reading.  It's actually a book that I think everyone needs to read.   The protagonist of the story is Liesel Meminger who is for some unknown reason is willingly orphaned by her mother.  She is taken in by her foster family during the Nazi Germany era.  The most interesting aspect of this book in my opinion is that it is told from the point of view of "Death."  We see the Nazi Germany and...