DogEar Book Reviews

Among the Imposters is the second book in a fast paced and very suspenseful series. Luke, the main character lives in a world where 3rd children are illegal. So Luke being the 3rd child of his family spent his time hiding until now. He goes to Hendricks School pretending to be recently deceased Lee Grant. The school doesn’t feel right to Luke. There are no windows, all the faces look the same and the teachers are oblivious to all of it. One day Luke finds an unlocked door with light spilling in from outside. Luke has to find out the secrets of Hendricks School for Boys. I enjoyed this story because you never know what happens next and there is always a surprising twist. I recommend this book to everyone who likes suspenseful stories and has read the first book in the series. I give it 4 out of 4 bulldogs.

Reviewed by Matthew Y.

This thrilling chase to find out who murdered four girl’s best friend and who’s blackmailing them all started with one little fight. Four years later a mysterious person named “A” starts stalking them and in this sequel they find out exactly who “A” is. These four girls got themselves into this mess, but you still can’t help but feel like they’re innocent. I loved the suspense and surprises that were on every page. All the people that were accused of being “A” or the murderer kept me on my feet. I would definitely recommend this to any girls who like chick flicks. I give this book four out of four bulldogs.

Reviewed by Christina C.

As Landon says, his whole life changed when he was seventeen. He learned what it was like to be in love, and what it was like to lose someone very dear to your heart. There were many events through the course of this novel, starting with the homecoming dance, where Landon really saw Jamie Sullivan for the first time. Another major point of this book was when Jamie and Landon were in their school play and Landon realized he was in love with her. You see, Jamie Sullivan is the Reverend’s daughter. She spent her free time at the local orphanage and was always nice to everyone. She was all of the adults favorite teenage girl. As you can see, she was not usually what you see as a teenage boy’s first pick. Well, with Landon, things are different. Even though it was unintentional and unexpected, Landon fell in love with Jamie Sullivan. Now, Jamie has some very significant things that are going on in her life including battling leukemia. Landon is heartbroken to find this out and will do anything to make Jamie and their last days together the best, including marrying her in her church, one of the top things on her bucket list.

I found this book very moving and it showed me a lot of things about judging people by the way they look and always having faith. This book had no drawbacks and I couldn’t put it down the whole time I was reading it. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys love stories and rate this book 4 out of 4 bulldogs.

Reviewed by Rose P.

Imagine that all of the Gods could be found on the “new” Mount Olympus located above the Empire State Building and that the entrance to the Underworld is in a music studio in Hollywood! Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief is a mythological adventure featuring Percy Jackson, a troubled teenager plagued by ADHD and dyslexia. Once it is revealed to Percy that he is a demi-god, he is brought to Camp Half Blood to train. Barely into his training, Percy is asked to go on a quest to locate Zeus’s stolen master bolt. Many obstacles threaten Percy and his friends, Grover and Annabeth, but they persevere and bravely confront their fears.

I enjoyed this book because it was a real “page-turner,” and most chapters ended with a cliff-hanger. I appreciated the story much more because of my familiarity with Greek Gods and mythology. Overall, I believe the author is trying to demonstrate inner-strength. Percy discovers his inner-strength, and that gives him a resiliency to confront the problems he encounters with confidence and conviction. I would recommend this book to young adults who enjoy reading literature filled with adventure, mystery, and excitement. I would rate this book 4 out of 4 bulldogs.

Reviewed by Ailish M.

This summer I read Among the Imposters by Margret Peterson Haddix. This book is about a society where you can only have 2 kids and in this case Luke is a third child. The best part of this book is when Luke gets his fake ID and goes to school and finds out there are other third children with a fake ID. The great use of detail in this book allows you to picture the school so easily.

My opinion of this book is that it is very exciting and it makes you want to read the whole series without stopping. There are no drawbacks to this book. It is very exciting and very descriptive. I would recommend it to anyone. The reason why I would recommend this book is the intensity and the great amount of detail. I give this a Bulldog rating of 4 out of 4.

Reviewed by Taylor B.

To travel around the world without a plane is hard, but to do it in the 19th century is even harder. Around the World in 80 Days, as its title states, takes place all around the world. This has a heavy influence on the story because the terrain hinders Phileas Fogg every so often, but with his cool attitude, he can get around these obstacles. The people he meets along the way are very interesting, including a damsel in distress, and Mr. Fix (a policeman from England who thinks that Mr. Fogg stole 55,000 pounds from the bank). I found this story exciting with a different adventure around every continent. I think that the one drawback of this book for some readers might be that it is written in old English; but if you don’t like that you can read the abridged version. I would recommend this story to almost everyone because Jules Verne is an amazing and sometimes under-credited writer. I would give this book 3 and ¾ bulldogs.

Reviewed by Jacob F.

The burden of being perfect is on her shoulders, while Annabel Greene has to discovers courage to speak about the traumatizing night everything changed. Living in a suburban glass house with the town peeking in, the Greenes put on a perfect facade while masking their imperfections. Sophie, Annabel’s ex best friend’s wrath trails her leaving Annabel ostracized at school. Then Owen, the school outcast comes into the picture with his passion for music and determination to tell the truth make Annabel find her voice, and listen to the thoughts bursting inside her. Annabel goes through events and emotions that are very realistic and this makes you believe in her and her struggles while she tells the story in her point of view.

I enjoyed this book because it kept you flipping through the pages to find out what happened the night Sophie and Annabel’s friendship ended, and this kept the story suspenseful. Just Listen is beautifully written with enough figurative language to truly transport you. It has a strong relatable message that true perfection is making mistakes. I recommend this book to girls who want a mature, fun read with strong morals. Overall, I give this book 4 bulldogs.

Reviewed by Divya N.

In picture perfect Rosewood, Pennsylvania, you would never think anything bad could ever happen. But that’s not the case. 4 years after Alison DiLaurentis (the most perfect girl in the world) disappeared and was murdered, her 4 best friends are still living in fear. A year before this book took place, they were almost killed by Ali’s twin sister who killed Ali. It turns out that their friend who died was actually a girl named Courtney who switched places with her twin Ali, and Ali killed Courtney. Even though the story is crazy, the characters seem very realistic. They seem like normal teenage girls trapped inside a crazy world of secrets and lies. I think that the setting of the book is very important, because in Rosewood, you would never expect anything like this to ever happen.

After reading about what happened in the last book, I didn’t think this book would be the same if they already knew who Courtney’s killer was and there was nothing to figure out. But now they have a whole new secret, a secret that if told to the wrong person could ruin their lives forever. I loved how there was more to wonder about and more suspense as more characters were introduced. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves mystery. I would give this 5 out of 4 bulldogs, but since I can’t I will give Twisted 4 out of 4 bulldogs!!

Reviewed by Maeve Bu.

This book is about a set of twins that are tired of being twins at school. They decide to switch off each day at school like there wasn’t a second twin. Soon after they start the new school year a homeroom teacher catches them. Some events that occur throughout the book that kept it interesting are when Ray meets Melissa and starts to like him. Another is at the beginning of the book when they build a cardboard shelter to hang out in during their day off. My favorite part in the book is when his homeroom teacher catches Jay. I do believe in the characters because they are real life people that play sports and go to school. I find that the boys play sports interesting, and they also like that they love school and learning. The story is told in the point of view from the boy’s standpoint. The setting is an important element of the story because if the story wasn’t at school the story would not make sense. The setting does have an effect on the main character because if they were not at school jay would act differently. The author is trying to say don’t try to cheat you are most likely to get caught later. The mood of the story would be that it is very high in energy and adventurous.

I liked that the book was very interesting. My favorite part is when the twins build the cardboard hideout. It was exciting because it was a story of boys my age that are sick of being twins. This book does not have and draw backs the whole book was interesting to me. I would recommend it to others because it does not take a long time to read it is a very easy read and it is very clear and easy to understand. I would rate this book 3 out of 4 bulldogs.

Reviewed by Stephen R.

Imagine loving a sport so much and never wanting to stop! And then one day out of the clear blue a great white shark attacks you. Bethany Hamilton was born on February 8th, 1990 and has always had surfing blood within her. When 14-year-old Bethany Hamilton, of the movie and book, Soul Surfer, experienced a tragic situation it changed her life forever. She was a very strong and competitive surfer until the day when she woke up in a hospital with the doctor, family and friends surrounding her. A shark had attacked Bethany Hamilton and it took her whole left arm off. Surprisingly after all the blood she lost and the shock to her body she was still alive. Amazingly, Bethany had wanted to get right back on the water when she got home. With weeks of training and working out she was ready to surf again. She showed incredible strength.

I found this book very moving. The book made me realize you can really do anything you want whether you have a missing body part or not if you put your mind to it. It showed me how much she loved to surf and was a really strong surfer. I would recommend this book for anyone. I give this book a 4 out of 4 bulldogs!

Reviewed by Seta M.