Walker, Alice.  The Color Purple.  New York: Harcourt Brace. 

Warren, Robert Penn.  All the King’s Men. 

ÙÙÙÙÙ Mr. Greenlee

While undoubtedly a great book, there were times when I wanted to give up this novel.  Robert Penn Warren is a master of digression, and sometimes indulges himself a little too much.  His book is stuffed with the digressions great and small: the great being such as the pages on Jack Burden's ancestor Cass Mastern, and the lesser usually being in the form of extended similes.  These pepper the book.  

Washington, Booker T.  Up from Slavery.  Find it in 9bio Wash or on G:/Library

Waugh Brideshead Revisited. 

Wells, H.G.  The War of the Worlds.

ÙÙÙÙÙ Scott, senior

 I’d wanted to read H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds for quite some time before I finally got around to picking it up. I had always thought that seeing both film adaptations before reading the book would kill any kind of excitement and suspense in the read. I was wrong. The book on which the two films were based is far superior to both and I enjoyed it completely. Usually I take my time reading books but this one I couldn’t put down; finishing it in less than a week. Yes, it is a short read, but a complete and compelling one at the same time. The amount of detail that Wells uses to describe everything from the setting, to the people, to the wicked aliens themselves is outstanding; keeping you quite involved throughout. Whether or not you have seen either movie based on this wonderful book or not, you need to give this a read. The worst that could happen is you don’t like it at all. But even then, it’s a short book so you won’t feel like you wasted much time. What I’m assuming however is that all readers will truly enjoy this book for its detailed action, gripping narrative, and shocking conclusion. I couldn’t give this book a better recommendation!

ÙÙÙÙÙ Mr. Greenlee

Wells, H.G.  The Time Machine. 

ÙÙÙÙÙ Onaca, 9th grade 

The Time Machine was a slow book that was exceedingly heavy on the main character’s thoughts and surmises. It continually went off into tangents on what the character thought might have been true, then immediately dismisses the whole two page rant with, “But that’s only what I thought then, mind you.” This isn’t a book for the easily bored or impatient. However, it isn’t a bad book at all. In fact, it presents a lot of interesting ideas such as the human race dividing into two different species completely because of the gap between high and low class peoples. It’s thought provoking, and as long as you have the patience to get through pages of the needless (though at times somewhat interesting) thought processes of the main character, then it’s a wonderful read.

ÙÙÙÙÙ  Mr. Greenlee

When a man travels from New Year's Day of 1900 to the far future, he finds that people have devolved to simple-minded beings that are human only in appearance; their minds have sunk to the level of animals.  But there is something more sinister here as well, and it has stolen his time machine – his only method of returning! 

Westerfield, Scott.  Uglies.   

ÙÙÙÙÙ Leo, 9th grade 

In Uglies most of the worlds population has undergone surgery.  Surgery that changes each person and makes them flawless.  The logic in this was that everyone fought because everyone was different, now they’re not.  The operation takes place at the age of 16, but until then you’re an ugly.  Tally cant wait for the operation because she wants to see her friends and be able to have fun in Pretty town with them, that is until she meets a new friend name Shay who dosen’t believe in the operation.  She runs away causing Tally to second guess everything she has been told and she wonders if the operation is really what it seems to be.—A very good book in my opinion.

ÙÙÙÙÙ Adrienne, 8th grade 

Beauty is key for Tally’s world.  When people turn sixteen they become beautiful.  Well, for most that is.  Some revolt to a hidden city called The Smoke. There, people aren’t changed and morphed into people that they aren’t.  When Tally’s sixteenth birthday arrives she spends it searching for her friend that left to go to the smoke.  If tally brings back her friend and turns in the Smoke, she will become beautiful.  Tally discovers interesting information while at the Smoke… that could change her life forever.  This is a very good book and I recommend it many readers.

ÙÙÙÙÙ Amelia, 8th grade 

Uglies is a good book. Tally is a trouble maker who likes to play ticks, and once her best friend Peris leaves to become pretty she’s alone. Then Tally meets a new friend Shay who wants to run away. Tally gets called in for knowing Shay when she ran away and has to make a choice. Either she never becomes pretty, or she betrays her new best friend by leading Specials to the smoke. This book is filled with adventure and suspence which is my favorite kind.

ÙÙÙÙÙ Maggie, 8th grade

 Tally is just about to turn sixteen, which means she is turning “pretty.” This book takes place in the future. Before the people turn sixteen they are considered ugly and they all live in a town with all the other Uglies, as soon as they turn sixteen they get an operation that makes them pretty and they move to a town with all the other Pretties. Tally’s friend decides to run away, live in the wilderness, and stay ugly, which is illegal. Tally is sent to Special Circumstances and has to decide if she wants to turn pretty and rat out her friend, or keep her friends promise and live her life ugly, forever.

ÙÙÙÙÙ Jane, 9th grade

ÙÙÙÙÙ Danielle, ninth grade 

ÙÙÙÙÙ Mr. Greenlee

This was not only a fun adventure, it actually had a strong theme and a significant message for people of our time.  Like much science fiction, it is actually a commentary on ourselves rather than a prediction of the future.  I especially liked the use of  monoculture as a symbol of our society's values and attitudes.  

Westerfield, Scott.  Pretties.   

ÙÙÙÙÙ  Maggie, 8th grade 

Tally is finally pretty, just what she always wanted. She is very bubbly and very popular. She is finally starting to forget her ugly days, when an old friend from the smoke reminds her that she needs to help cure the disease all the Uglies get when they turn pretty. Tally shares the cure with her friend Zane, and Tally feels cured, but a different effect happened to Zane. Tally and Zane escape the city to get help and hopefully solve the cure. This was a fairly good book. I enjoyed reading it. It is not too hard to read so I would recommend this book. 

Westerfield, Scott.  Specials.   

ÙÙÙÙÙ  Adrienne R., 8th grade 

The book Specials is an amazing science fiction novel.  The story takes you on a suspenseful journey of two cities fighting between self choice, and city choice.  It also shows Tally’s conflict: do what the world wants, or do what SHE wants.  This story will bring you on an adventure of unexpected twists and turns, leaving you thriving for more.  I may add though, that the series of novels as a whole instead of separates can get quite boring because they are all so similar in so many different ways.

Weyn, Suzanne. The Bar Code Tattoo.

ÙÙÙÙÙ   Jeremy, 8th grade

The Bar Code Tattoo was a interesting book that has a good plot. There were twists that kept me reading all through the book. There are no boring parts in this book and many things for me to figure out on my own. The book is fast paced and very sci-fi, and I recommend this book.        

ÙÙÙÙÙ   Robert, eighth grade 

  What if everyone around you is getting a new bar code tattoo? The tattoo is a credit card, it’s an ID, it makes your life a lot easier. However, what if you say no? Seventeen-year-old Kayla is soon to be 18 year old and she decides not to get the tattoo because she thinks there is something the government isn’t telling her. She meets up with a group of people that go to her school who call themselves Decode who are people just like her. This book is a non-stop thriller there isn’t one boring part in the whole book. I thought the book was very good but the only thing that I didn’t like was how it ended in the last 30 pages.

ÙÙÙÙÙ   Arial, ninth grade 

The barcode tattoo separates people from fitting in or being an outcast. The world around Kayla is changing. They all want her to get the barcode, everyone is doing it.  Kayla doesn’t want it. She joins a decode group to stick up for what she believes in. There is something wrong with the codes, something the government is not telling her. 

This is a very suspenseful book.  The relationships Kayla makes are interesting and fun to read. I definitely enjoyed reading this book. The only part I did not like was some parts were unrealistic.  The writer pushes on you too much to believe that it is the future by saying things are holographic or neon jumpsuits.  I enjoyed the originality of the story line. 

ÙÙÙÙÙ   Shelbie M., eighth grade 

 Do you want to become a code? For a girl who is about to turn 17 that is a choice she has to make. Everyone is getting one and they are supposed to make life easier. The bar code becomes everything like credit cards and driver’s license. On top of it all, everyone, is doing it so why not? As she researches the tattoos, she realizes that they are so much more complicated than that. Her dad has committed suicide, now her best friend’s family can’t get a mortgage so they are moving right away. On top of it all, the kids at her school are saying she is an outcast for not getting the tattoo. She joins a group called Decode. Which is a group trying to stop all these people from getting tattoos before they are the next one to fall into the unforgiving side of this life-destroying tattoo.   

ÙÙÙÙÙ  Danielle, ninth grade 

       Kayla goes through a hard time with everything going on around her. Her parents have each gotten the bar code and not it seems to be -driving her father crazy. When things go wrong with her dad, her mother starts to get really weird. And when Kayla finds out what happened with them, it sends her into shock. When Kayla’s friend gets the tattoo, things start to go wrong with her family too. Kayla finds relief in a group of friends that she makes at school. They are all against the bar code and Kayla is very attracted to them. They are part of a campaign called Decode. After a while Kayla’s friend Amber moves away because of how the bar code has messed up her family’s life so much.      

ÙÙÙÙÙ . Mr. Greenlee

They say don't judge a book by its cover, and it's true - this  book is surpassed by its cover art.  The prose is passable, but the dialogue is clichéd and melodramatic, and the plotting is contrived.  The insertions of magazine and news articles does worse than just make the pacing  jerky, it also gives the book a cobbled together feel that comes across as phony.   If you want to read this kind of thing, try Uglies by Scott Westerfield.  

Weyn, Suzanne. The Barcode Rebellion.

ÙÙÙÙÙ Jeremy, 8th grade

 The Bar Code Rebellion was a good book. The book kept me reading with twists around every corner. Not alot of action, but it is a interesting book taking place in a future that could really happen. It kept me thinking trying to put the secrets together. Over all it is a fun science fiction book that I recommend to readers.      

Wharton. Ethan Frome.

Whelan, Gloria.  Homeless Bird.

Jen W., junior 

At the surprising news that her parents tell Koly, she has to leave everyone she knows and move on to a new life without her parents and without her brothers.  She moves in with her new parents and discovers her new husband has a very bad illness.  She goes to places and meets new people and goes on many adventures.  Gloria Whelan shows readers how Indian women are treated in everyday life.

White.  Belle Prater's Boy.

White, T. H.  Book of Merlyn.

White, T. H.  Sword in the Stone.

White, T. H.  The Once and Future King.  New York: Ace Books.

Wiesel, Elie.  Night.    New York: Bantam Books.    

ÙÙÙÙÙ Caleb S, Eleventh grade  

At the age of fifteen Nazis invaded the town of Sighet, Transylvania where Elie Wiesel and his family lived.  At first, the Nazis were nice and didn’t mean any harm or anything, and then they started getting stricter and had more and more rules.  Eventually the Nazis made the town into a ghetto, but the people were not in the ghetto very long.  They were eventually shipped out of the ghetto to Auschwit, a concentration camp, where Elie was separated from his mother and three sisters, never to be seen again.  He wasn’t alone though, his father was with him almost all of the time, and they grew very close.  They moved to several other camps during this time to escape the oncoming Russian Army front.  Eventually the front caught up to them and they were liberated. 

This was an excellent book and I would recommend that everyone read this book at least once.  Sometimes it   can be a little horrific but it has to be to get the point across of the things that people went through.

ÙÙÙÙÙ Kyle, Junior 

Night tells the real-life account of Elie’s Wiesel appalling life at a Nazi concentration camp.  The way in which he recalls those years makes a profound impact on the reader.  He holds nothing back, telling in complete detail all the horrors he and millions of others experienced during WWII.  The atmosphere of this book is haunting, yet sometimes the foreshadowing is too much.  In parts, he gives too much away beforehand, losing some of the profoundness.  But only a small part.  Overall, this is a book for anyone mature enough to handle these emotionally disturbing events. 

ÙÙÙÙÙ Jeff, ninth grade

Night by Elie Wiesel is a very dramatic book about what happened at Auschwitz.  I would not say that this is a good book, because it is a sad story, not because the author doesn’t know what he is talking about, he was at Auschwitz.  This is the reason I gave it a four out of five stars, its just disgusting how cruel the Nazis were.  I would recommend it, but not because it is an instant classic, but because it is just as, powerful than The Diary of Anne Frank.

ÙÙÙÙÙ Eric C., senior    

Elie Weisel’s compelling memoir of the holocaust is as good as it gets.  From cover to cover the book is only one hundred and twenty pages but the story, is far more daunting.  It is Elie’s personal recounting of the Holocaust and how it impacted his faith.  For people searching for a great, quick read, this is your novel.  If I had a few dollars to spare, I would swing by your local Barns & Noble and pick this up ASAP.  If you notice on the cover it says in small print “winner of the 1986 Noble Peace Prize” and there was good reason for it.  This one gets a two thumbs way up from this reader and I highly recommend this book to everyone who has a working pair of eyes! 

ÙÙÙÙÙ Mr. Greenlee

So much power in such a thin volume - a story that will stay with me for a long time. 

Wolfe, Tom.  The Right Stuff.

ÙÙÙÙÙ Woody, 12th grade

Tom Wolfe is an excellent writer of thrillers; this book tells about the test pilots at Edwards Air Force base and all the things that they have to go through. Before long seven of the men get tested severely before they chosen to be the first men in space. Personally, I really like this book; it kept me interested the whole time. Right from the beginning he jumped right into the action which was great. I rate this book four out of five, it was very close to five stars but towards the middle of the book it slowed down and dragged for a couple of chapters but other that that is was great. I’d suggest this to upper classmen; it might be difficult for the freshman and maybe the sophomores.

Wood, Bari.  The Killing Gift.  New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons 

ÙÙÙÙÙ Miranda M., senior 

          David Stavitsky, head of the Homicide Department comes face to face with something he’s never seen before, a real mystery.  Long time foe of Stavitsky, Amos Roberts died while robbing the apartment of Jennifer and William Gilbert.  This would be considered good news, except the cause of his death is literally impossible without the help of a twenty story fall head first.  This mystery delves deeper than crime and into science fiction.  Bari Wood creates his characters with personal flaws and ego, which brings them to life, and the death of Amos Roberts sheds light on the paranormal.  The conflict between characters is mixed with personal and professional desires, and it’s only in the end the reader can see Stavitsky’s true self.

Wooding, Chris.  The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray. 

ÙÙÙÙ Danielle, 10th grade

   Thaniel is a one of a kind guy that is out to help all of the people that he can. But when he finds a strange girl in the old quarter, everything changes. 

      When he brings the girl home with him, he could never dream of the things that the girl ends up bringing on him. Thaniel and his mentor go through many thing to try and save this girl from the terrible fate that lays a head of her. But once things go out of Thaniel’s control, he doesn’t know what to do with himself. 

      Thaniel takes his life in his own hands and risks everything he has for this girl. He truly proves that he is in love with her. This story is one that will go straight to your heart. One that shows you what someone who really loves you will go through just to be with you.

ÙÙÙÙ Arial, 10th grade

 Wych-kin are taking over London, and soon the world.  Cataline and Thanel have made it their life goal and job, to destroy these creatures.  When Thanel finds Alaizabel Cray she is crazy and wicked, but later when she returns to normal she is a perfectly polite lady. Turns out Alaizabel is possessed by an evil sprit, Thach.  The sprit inside of her is the key piece to the undoing of the world.  This story is all about the adventure the characters go through to try to save the world and themselves.  This book is a page turner from beginning to end.  The way the author makes you feel about the characters makes you worry for their lives as they hunt, and are hunted by these terrible monsters. 

ÙÙÙÙÙ Mr. Greenlee

Although Thaniel is a young man, he is one of the few people living in London that can defeat the wych-kin, supernatural enemies that haunt the night.  This surprising cross-over between fantasy and horror provides action and an eerie atmosphere.  Chris Wooing, however, needs to work on plotting.  characters and situations seem less to unfold naturally and more to be suddenly and conveniently appear just in time.  it seems contrived, as if he were making it up as he went along instead of luring the reader into a plot of characters and alliances he had previously crafted.  Still, a cool read.  

Woolf To The Lighthouse. 

Wouk, Herman. Caine Mutiny. 

Wright. Black Boy.

Growing up in the hood.

Wright. Native Son.

Growing up in the hood.

Wulfson, Don.  Soldier X.