Thoroughly held my interest.

Bud, Not Buddy is a hidden gem in the world of books. It has the potential to be a beloved classic, but not many people know about this book. In Bud, Not Buddy, you will meet ten-year-old Bud Caldwell. Bud may have a rough life, but he knows how to navigate it. His single mother passed away when he was six, and he has been living in orphanages ever since. But Bud isn't ready to succumb to the dreary life of an orphan. When she was still alive, Bud's mother collected many posters. They advertise many different bands, all led by Herman E. Calloway. Bud is convinced that Mr. Calloway is his dad. Why else would his mother collect his posters? Bud embarks on a journey to find his father. Unbeknownst to him, he will discover much more than just his father, including the truth of his past. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I gave this book five stars because you become very attached to the characters. You will find yourself befriending Bud and rooting for him. You will become emotionally invested in the characters' well-being. I also enjoyed how exciting this book was. There is a thrilling and mysterious plot that leaves you hungry for more. The only complaint I have about this book is that the language can sometimes be a little hard to understand. This book is set in the 1930's, so the characters talk how real people talked back then. I think this historical accuracy contributes to the excellence of the book, and I am glad that the author made this book historically accurate. It can just be a little hard to understand at times. I found that you can decipher most of the phrases by using context clues. I really enjoyed this book, and I recommend it to all readers.

The magic fish is a heartwarming story about a boy who is trying to find the words in Vietnamese to come out to his parents. But he just can’t find the words. When his grandmother passes away his mother had to go to Vietnam and so it was even more tough for Tien to tell his mom. In between the stories we get told two beautiful fairytales.

A moving and real book about Paul Kalanithi's story as a doctor with lifelong lessons and messages that he wanted to share with the world. It was evident from the text that he was genuine and completely real while writing this book. He was diagnosed with lung cancer and decided to document his story and lessons to provide another perspective to others. Paul writes about his journey, starting from the memories of his childhood, to his life as a medical student, and all the way up to his death. He shares small details about his life that were momentous to him and adds his own personal and creative touch to this book. The importance of acceptance and enjoying life were highlighted in his book. Paul also wrote about the family he created and how much that impacted his life in a positive way. He applied the lessons that were taught to him during his childhood, medical school, and residency to his own life and writes a beautiful and touching memoir that is worth a read. This book is definitely worth 5 stars. It was important while so heartbreaking of a book to read. His wife wrote the final moments of his life and the raw emotion of the book puts into perspective how important the bigger picture is and how much you need to treasure the small moments. I would definitely call this my favorite book just because of the meaning behind his words and the fact that he decided to spend his limited time writing this eloquent book for others to read.

Big adventure and sudden and unexpected events

City of Bones, written by Cassandra Clare, plays on the idea: "All the stories are true." The universe is like our own except it includes warlocks, shadowhunters, vampires, faeries and much more. Clary Fray, one of the main characters, doesn't know about this secret world of demon-fighting and runes until she meets Jace Wayland. She learns of her mother's secret and realizes there is much more to her world and life than she thought. City of Bones was a good book, though the beginning is slow. It had a wonderful mix of romance and action and little relatable life bits in between. People who love fantasy would love this book. It is part of six book series, and as the series progresses the books get more and more exciting. I absolutely loved the characters, specifically Alec and Magnus, and I'm sure others will too.

"Percy Jackson: The Titans Curse" is the third book of the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. The story continues as Percy, Grover, and Annabeth are sent on important missions to save something or someone. From the very beginning of the book, Percy and his friends are in danger. Grover had been sent on a quest to collect two demigods from a school, but little do they know that the principal of the school is a dangerous monster. Percy is called to help out and things aren't looking too good. They find out that an important Goddess has been kidnapped and they are sent on a long mission with the help of some people to go save her and stop the Titans from taking over. By the end of the book, Percy needs to figure out a way to save his friends and fight off the titans at the same time. I rated the book 5 stars because it is very action-packed and there is no moment of rest. It keeps your attention the whole time as the mission and its obstacles are described with illustrious details. We meet new characters in this book and the author describes them very well.

Ally has lived on her family owned campsite since she was a little girl. There, she’s learned to find every star, identify almost every object in the night sky, and look for her very own comet. Jack wants nothing more than to draw aliens and sit in his treehouse everyday. He doesn’t want to go to school, play sports, or do anything that isn’t drawing. Well, almost everything, because at night: Jack can fly. Bree is the most gorgeous girl in town, and she knows it. She’s an aspiring model, and does everything in her power to make her dreams of fame and beauty a reality. When these three people cross paths by total coincidence, they bond over the two weeks leading up to the greatest coincidence of all: the solar eclipse. Every Soul a Star is a simple book, but a powerful one. As someone who has actually seen a total eclipse, it brings back wonderful memories of my family and I watching real magic. I would suggest this book to ages 8 and up, because no matter how old I am when I read it, I just appreciate it more and more. Three unlikely friends leave an impact on each other, and on the reader, for the rest of their lives. I gave this book four stars because it was extremely enjoyable, and brought me back to the fanatical time when I saw a total solar eclipse.

This is the second book in a series about Tris and Four. In this book Tris experiences the grief of lost loved ones and Four battles the aftermath of his rough childhood. All of this happens while trying to overthrow the evil dictator of the factions to show the world that divergents are not bad. They have to uncover the hidden truth to save themselves and their world. I give this book 4 stars because it was very good, however I liked the first book better. There is also a movie to this book, but the book is so much better.

This story begins in an unnamed city that is full of refugees yet teetering on the edge of civil war. Saeed and Nadia live in this city and they meet by taking the same evening business class. As time passes, they begin to get to know each other better and they slowly fall in love. Because the city is constantly getting more and more dangerous, they are forced to go through greater risks to see and communicate with each other. One day in the wake of Saeed’s mother’s death, Nadia moves in with him and his father. Rumors of magical doors that can lead anywhere in the world are circulating around the city and people are desperate to flee, but the militants that have taken over much of the city are guarding the doors they know about and gravely punishing those who they catch trying to escape. Saeed and Nadia are able to secure safe passage out of the city via one of these doors and they venture into the difficult refugee life. Doors are opening all around the world as well and people are moving about like never before. Life will never be the same for anyone on earth, and this story follows the journeys of Saeed and Nadia as they migrate around the world and develop in their relationship with one another. This book received 5/5 stars because it is simultaneously imaginative and realistic. The problems, difficulties, and emotions featured in the story are true to real life while the book has a unique twinge of fantasy.