Gaitskill, Mary Veronica.   

Gardner, Graham.  Inventing Elliot.  The Penguin Group.    

Click on pic.

ÙÙÙÙÙ Morgan, 11th grade 

 Elliot is a fourteen-year-old boy who hasn’t quite figured out who he really is, in turn he doesn’t really fit in. Transferring to Holmister High brings more challenges into his life when he is brought into a secret group. This secret group changes his mind set about himself, he now is trying to become someone different. He ends up altering his physical appearance, and pretending to be far more confident and 'cool' than he actually is. His aim is to 'stand out just enough to fit in'. Changing yourself to fit in doesn’t always work, especially for Elliot. Does he change himself to much and become the bully he once despised?

ÙÙÙÙÙ Fuller C., ninth grade

Elliot is a young boy growing up with his mother and father and their going through rough times so money is tight around his house.  The school he goes to he is being bullied around by the bigger kids.  Then his parents decide to switch schools and he transfers to a nicer side of the neighborhood where he is treated well and all the kids are rich.  He makes many friends but then one day after school he overhears his parents talking and saying they can’t afford to keep him in the school and he must transfer again.  His next school is bigger but not so nice, so he comes up with a plan to stay unnoticed so therefore no one can pick on him or make fun of him.  This novel is a great story for all ages I highly suggest it to everyone.  I give this book a five stars and its fairly difficult on the reading scale. 

ÙÙÙÙÙ Mr. Greenlee

This is an intense book, similar in some ways to After the First Death by Robert Cormier, although it is easier than that book.  The ending is somewhat abrupt.   

George, Jean Craighead.  Julie of the Wolves. 

George, Jean Craighead.  My Side of the Mountain. 

Outdoor Survival

Gibbons, Kaye.  Ellen Foster.  

Gibbons, Kaye.  A Virtuous Woman.

Giff, Patricia Reilly.  Pictures of Hollis Woods. 

ÙÙÙÙÙ Dana, 8th grade

This story takes place in the present and Hollis’ memories. Her memories are described as pictures. Hollis is a foster child who was abandoned the day she was born and struggles to find the right family. I thought this book was very relatable and the characters are very realistic. The story was so descriptive it almost felt as if you were in Hollis’ shoes. Overall, this was a fabulous book and I would definitely read it again.  

ÙÙÙÙÙ Shelbie, 9th grade 

It is phenomenal to pick this book up and read it. The whole book is written in description of pictures. At first this book is a little hard to understand, it jumps back and forth in between it seems like two different lives, like what she has to what she could have or something, but then it all makes sense. She is having flashbacks and she is wishing that she didn’t do some of the things she did and how grateful for some other things she had done. She was abandoned as a child and was brought in by an adoption agency and was sent from home to home as a child. When she would decide that she had enough of a family she would pack her backpack and run away. After a few days of running the people from the agency would find her and bring her back and the whole thing would repeat. Then she found a family she really liked and they liked her too, but she broke there number one rule and because of it their was a very bad accident and she thought the family was going to hate her. She ran away again and continued moving from family to family. Will she ever have a true family to call her own?

ÙÙÙÙÙ Marie, 8th grade 

      This book takes place in the present and it also takes place as a past memory of Hollis Woods. Hollis was a banded as a baby and has been in an out of homes, she always is running away from her new families. Finally when she goes to a home that she really likes she never wants to leave. After a couple months Hollis makes a big mistake and she ends up running away (this was the past picture). In the present picture Hollis is living with an old lady, who is becoming senile and she might be taken away. Will she end up going back to the past family or will she be taken to a complete new one?

 ÙÙÙÙÙ Mr. Greenlee

A misplaced girl is shuffled from home to home because she always runs away - even she cannot say why.  Then something happens...

Gipson, Fred.  Old Yeller.  

ÙÙÙÙÙ Paul F., eighth grade

This book is about a family back in the late 1800s or early 1900s, their dad left home to go on a cattle drive to make some money for the family.  Now, his 14-year-old son, Travis, has to take care of his younger brother and mom.  They run into some of trouble with wild animals but luckily, they found a dog that will protect them from all their troubles.  The dog is able to fight off bears, wild hogs, wolves, and other wild animals.  One of the main problems is that there is a bad case of rabies going around in the wild life around them.  Will Old Yeller get rabies or live the rest of his life peacefully?  I would recommend this book to people who like outdoor adventures.

Godwin, Gail.  Violet Clay.  

Golden, Arthurl.  Memoirs of a Geisha.  

Goodkind, Terry.  Wizard’s First Rule.  

ÙÙÙÙÙ Andrew, 8th grade

  The Wizard’s First Rule is about an 18 year old boy who is named Richard Cypher. He discovers his destiny as a seeker. This is a great book that is full of action, lust, and vengeance. This is a great book for those who chose to tackle the 800-ought pages of it.

ÙÙÙÙÙ Mr. Greenlee

While in the mountains searching for clues to his father’s mysterious death, a man runs across four assassins chasing a woman in flowing white dress.  From there to the end, it was all action.  This was a fun book to read.  Although it is a fat book, it didn’t seem so long when I was reading it.  I recommend it to all fantasy lovers who wish to indulge in some not so serious reading.  A fun book, but not a memorable one.  

Gordon, Amy.  When JFK Was My Father .  

ÙÙÙÙÙ Danielle, ninth grade

     Georgia is a girl who lives a life full of sadness. When she’s with her parents, who she calls by their first names, all they seem to want to do with her is change her into the kind of person that they want her to be. They want her to look like she comes from a rich family, but that isn’t the way that she wants to be. 

      After the summer Georgia gets shipped off to boarding school in the states. This really makes her mad because her parents are making her leave Brazil, the only place that makes her feel happy. 

Grafton, Sue.  F is for Fugitive.

Miranda, junior

This mystery novel is about a murder that happened over seventeen years ago. Private Investigator Kinsey Millhone is studying the old case trying to find out who the real murderer was and their motive. The many small details that need to be memorized to help solve the case are straining to remember, and not everything is explained leaving a partial cliff-hanger ending. Since this is part of a large series starting with "A" is for Alibi, and going through to "Q" is for Quarry.  This book would probably be recommended to anyone who is interested in murder mysteries, with a semi high reading level. 

Graham, Kenneth.  Wind in the Willows.

Gray. Adam of the Road.

Graves, Robert.  I,  Claudius.  

a biography of the Roman emperor.

Green , Graham.  King  The Power and the Glory.  

Green , Graham.  The Third Man.   

characters 

ÙÙÙÙÙ Jane F., 12^th grade 

Graham Greene tells the tale of a man traveling to Vienna to visit a friend, but when he gets to Vienna, he discovers that the man he is visiting has been murdered!  Greene tells the story in a way that keeps you captivated, but doesn’t keep you on the edge of your seat.  It is supposed to be a suspense thriller, and it fits the bill.  Every time you think he is getting close to solving the case, everything is up in the air again!  I would recommend this book to someone that likes mysteries, but isn’t looking for a scary book.  This book will keep you think he is getting close to solving the case, everything is up in the air again!  I would recommend this book to someone that likes mysteries, and isn’t looking for a scary book.  This book will keep you interested enough to finish it, but I don’t see it being anyone’s favorite story.

ÙÙÙÙÙ Thomas R., 12th grade 

The Third Man by Graham Greene is a decent book, although the writing style of this book is different than most other books I have read it is still very good. In the novel the main character, Rollo Martins, is in Vienna attending one of his friends funeral. After the funeral Martins gets suspicious about the death of his friend and decides to look into it more closely. The deeper and deeper Martins digs into his friends death the more he finds out about what the his deceased friend was actually into and also finds out a few things that he did not expect at all. All in all this was a very good book and I suggest it to anyone who is capable of reading it, and one word of advise is to stick to the book and don’t give up at the beginning of the book because it really picks up and ends with a bang.

ÙÙÙÙÙ Jeff, 10th Grade

This book is one of the best I’ve ever read.  After WWII, the city of Vienna is divided into four zones, American, British, Russian, and French.  When  Harry Lime is killed when he gets hit by a car, three people rush to the scene of the accident.  Rollo Martins, the main character, is curious to find out if Lime’s death was really an accident.  Or was it a murder?  Martins and some of Lime’s old associates, look into the case further.  The first man to rush to Lime’s death, claimed he didn’t die right away.  The second man, claims he did.  But the third part of the evidence is missing, the third member’s part, who was The Third Man?

Green , Roger Lancelyn.  King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table. 

ÙÙÙÙÙ Tyler M., ninth grade

I thought that this book was not all that good; I thought it would be good because the movie and game was good. The book was about King Arthur and his knights going on quests, each one of his knights would have to go on a quest to prove his loyalty to the round table and be part of King Arthur’s army. On one of the missions Lancelot was banded from his court and told him he will return when the time is right. 

Greene, Shep.  The Boy Who Drank Too Much.  New York: Dell. 

Recommended by Jamie 

     This story is about a teen (the narrator) who becomes friends with another teen (Buff) and slowly realizes that his friend has a drinking problem. He doesn't realize it at first, but when he finally notices his friend's problem, he talks to him and tries to find a way to help him. He doesn't know exactly how to deal with the situation, but with the help of his friends, he tries to help Buff overcome his problem. They all work together and slowly attempt to help Buff overcome his addiction. The story illustrates how friends stick together and help each other, no matter what problems are in their way.   Jamie recommends this book to any junior high or high school kid that wants to be more aware of how alcohol can effect someone physically and mentally.  If you like this book, I recommend that you read That Was Then, This Is Now. It has a similar conflict in it.

Grey, Zane. The Vanishing American.

ÙÙÙÙÙ Tyler M., 11th grade

The Vanishing American is an alright book.  It’s about a boy named Nophaie, who got taken away from his native village and brought into the white lands.  When he is older he notices that he wants to go back to his village that he was born into.  Nophaie goes back to his native lands where most of his family or friends are on a reservation. He changes everything that the whites taught him and only does the things that the natives do. He speaks, wears, and acts like a real Native American.  He is finding out that this is what he wanted all along to be who he was born to be. 

Grisham, John. The Firm.

Grisham, John.  The Last Juror.  New York: Dell.

ÙÙÙÙÙ Tyler J., 11th grade 

The Last Juror was a 4 star to me because of the beginning and the somewhat constant and random chapters. In the beginning, it was slow for the first couple of pages but it gets better and more interesting after the first chapter. The excitement doesn’t go on though like I’ve said there’s random chapters that are just boring and uninteresting, but every other chapter is alright but not perfect. If I had to read this book again I wouldn’t because in my opinion its just not that understandable.

Grisham John.  The Partner. 

Jill. 

The Partner is an exciting thriller that keeps the reader on their toes. The book jumps in with the excitement of a chase for a robber and a mystery.  The author keeps the reader involved by constantly adding characters and new mysteries.  The Partners is a story of Patrick Lanigan, a Mississippi lawyer who runs away from his life and steals ninety million dollars.  The question is why would a young lawyer who has it all steal money and run away.

Grisham, John.  The Street Lawyer.  New York: Dell.

After a group of lawyers are taken hostage by a homeless man, one of the lawyers becomes aware of how poor people actually live.  His experiences with shelters and the street lawyers change him.   

ÙÙÙ Mr. Greenlee

This would have been much better without all the political propaganda.   Grisham is repeatedly throwing in this or that garbage about politics which  draws the reader's focus from what the characters are doing to what the author is doing.  Even without this, there are some problems with this book.  How many times in the first ten chapters does the main character say how White and affluent he is?  We don't need to be beat over the head with it.  While the hostage situation in the beginning is very engaging, and the main character's experiences with shelters and the street lawyers are interesting, his emotional state and "conversion" are less than believable as he moves from a self-centered Republican lawyer (?) to an noble, dedicated- to-the-little-guy Democrat.  It all seems pretty contrived as a mechanism to bring about a preordained conclusion and teach a political lesson.  

Guarente, G. P .  Hook Line and Sinker.  

ÙÙÙÙÙ Danielle, ninth grade

     Fiona is the kind of person that can’t really seem to hold onto a guy for very long. Whenever she goes out with a guy it doesn’t seem to last for more than two or so weeks. 

      Fiona has invented a small thing of her own, to remember all of her boyfriends that she has gone out with. It’s a tank of fish called, the TCG. Tank of Clueless Guys. After Fiona does something with a guy or goes out with a guy she buys a fish that has a personality somewhat like the guy that she is buying him for. When Fiona buys a fish she names it after the guy that she has just gotten over.

     When Ty, a guy that Fiona knew from 2nd grade, comes back into Fiona’s life, she thinks that he is the one that she is meant to be with. But in the end she realizes that the guy that is perfect for her has been right in front of her face the whole time. 

     This book is great, and I really liked it. It shows what most girls go through. When they go through so many guys so fast and then when they think that they have found someone that they can actually be with, everything goes down the drain, but then the guy that has been with them the whole time through it all comes and sweeps them off of their feet. It’s a great book and I recommend it to anyone who likes romance type books.

ÙÙÙÙÙ Arial, ninth grade

           Hilarious, cute and heart-felt story; I loved the story line, very creative.  Whenever Fiona has her heart broken by a guy she buys a fish to add to her Tank of Clueless Guys (TCG).  When Fiona’s best friend from elementary comes back to her hometown looking extremely handsome, she wonders if he is the right guy.  When she discovers who he is with, she wonders if it’s time for a bigger tank. 

Guest, Judith.  Ordinary People.  

Guterson, David.  Snow Falling on Cedars