Rain is an orphan grub. Sitting at the very bottom of the hierarchy, she works at her Aunt Willow’s farm helping with the animals. When she turns 13, she will be sent to spend the rest of her life working in the Tubes to collect Root for those higher up on the hierarchy. Problem being, she has Tube Terror. The dark narrow spaces of the Tubes cause her to panic, though she must hide her fear to avoid being dosed with Med, which turns grubbers into mindless, automated workers. During all this, she hears strange, piercing cries coming from her Aunt’s barn, which she has been ordered, under no circumstances, should she ever enter. You know what they say, “Curiosity kills the cat.” Rain’s curiosity gets the best of her, and upon entering, she finds… a wild griffin? That can’t be right, wild griffins haven’t existed for years. Turns out the wild griffin is being trained to help get Lady Orla, a girl at the very top of the social rung, into the Academy, where students learn to be Griffin Riders who enforce the law. Lady Orla plans to enter the Academy under the “Law Of The Chosen”, which dictates that if a griffin naturally bonds with you, you must be let into the Academy, no matter your rank. However, the griffin has now bonded with Rain, and won’t attach to Lady Orla. This, naturally, causes problems. The Griffin Land authorities hunted and disposed of all wild griffins long ago, and if this griffin won’t bond with Lady Orla, his life is at stake. A whirlwind of decisions leads to Rain deciding to take Griff (as he’s been so named) to get herself into the Academy. However, being a grub, the government isn’t so thrilled with the idea of the Griffin Land Order hierarchy being thrown into chaos. It’s a battle to survive and fight her way though challenges to prove that she, too, should have a choice in how her life should be lived. Overall, one of my favorite books I’ve read in a long time. Once started, it’s very hard to put down. Looking forward to future books in the series. 10/10, recommend for ages 10-15.

Rain is an orphan grub. Sitting at the very bottom of the hierarchy, she works at her Aunt Willow’s farm helping with the animals. When she turns 13, she will be sent to spend the rest of her life working in the Tubes to collect Root for those higher up on the hierarchy. Problem being, she has Tube Terror. The dark narrow spaces of the Tubes cause her to panic, though she must hide her fear to avoid being dosed with Med, which turns grubbers into mindless, automated workers. During all this, she hears strange, piercing cries coming from her Aunt’s barn, which she has been ordered, under no circumstances, should she ever enter. You know what they say, “Curiosity kills the cat.” Rain’s curiosity gets the best of her, and upon entering, she finds… a wild griffin? That can’t be right, wild griffins haven’t existed for years. Turns out the wild griffin is being trained to help get Lady Orla, a girl at the very top of the social rung, into the Academy, where students learn to be Griffin Riders who enforce the law. Lady Orla plans to enter the Academy under the “Law Of The Chosen”, which dictates that if a griffin naturally bonds with you, you must be let into the Academy, no matter your rank. However, the griffin has now bonded with Rain, and won’t attach to Lady Orla. This, naturally, causes problems. The Griffin Land authorities hunted and disposed of all wild griffins long ago, and if this griffin won’t bond with Lady Orla, his life is at stake. A whirlwind of decisions leads to Rain deciding to take Griff (as he’s been so named) to get herself into the Academy. However, being a grub, the government isn’t so thrilled with the idea of the Griffin Land Order hierarchy being thrown into chaos. It’s a battle to survive and fight her way though challenges to prove that she, too, should have a choice in how her life should be lived. Overall, one of my favorite books I’ve read in a long time. Once started, it’s very hard to put down. Looking forward to future books in the series. 10/10, recommend for ages 10-15.

They always say “Dead men tell no tales.” Which is obvious. They really can’t speak at that point. Or can they…? Alice English works at her father’s funeral home, where the personal belongings of the dead tell her the corpse’s life story. Working at said funeral home has earned her the horrible nickname “Alice in Zombieland” by her classmates. But when a new body comes in, George Devenish, who died of a rare sunlight allergy, Alice suspects there might be foul play. She teams up with his niece, Violet, to solve the mystery! Was George really murdered, or was it all an accident, like the death report says? This mystery will hook you in. Really enjoyed it, and it improves your vocabulary, double bonus! Would recommend this to anyone 10-15.

They always say “Dead men tell no tales.” Which is obvious. They really can’t speak at that point. Or can they…? Alice English works at her father’s funeral home, where the personal belongings of the dead tell her the corpse’s life story. Working at said funeral home has earned her the horrible nickname “Alice in Zombieland” by her classmates. But when a new body comes in, George Devenish, who died of a rare sunlight allergy, Alice suspects there might be foul play. She teams up with his niece, Violet, to solve the mystery! Was George really murdered, or was it all an accident, like the death report says? This mystery will hook you in. Really enjoyed it, and it improves your vocabulary, double bonus! Would recommend this to anyone 10-15.

Scary stories are often told around a campfire, preferably with some s’mores. But what happens when that story you tell to scare your friends turns into a real issue? New Rotterdam, an eerie place well known for its monster legends (it even has its own wiki!) is no place to grow up. Emrys, a young boy who happens to enjoy various items of the horror variety, absolutely loves this place. He is an admin on New Rotterdam’s wiki, helping upkeep the many articles of the fabled monsters of the town. When he and his friends, Hazel and Serena, run into a talking book that used to be their neighbor (Yes, talking book. You read that right.) they learn that maybe the legends aren’t so fun and games after all… They’re very real. The End is here, and it’s hungry. Lock your doors. Not big into horror, but while I don’t recommend reading this before bed, the plot line was very good. It keeps you tied in and ready for the next book in the series. I would recommend to any Horror enjoyer.

Scary stories are often told around a campfire, preferably with some s’mores. But what happens when that story you tell to scare your friends turns into a real issue? New Rotterdam, an eerie place well known for its monster legends (it even has its own wiki!) is no place to grow up. Emrys, a young boy who happens to enjoy various items of the horror variety, absolutely loves this place. He is an admin on New Rotterdam’s wiki, helping upkeep the many articles of the fabled monsters of the town. When he and his friends, Hazel and Serena, run into a talking book that used to be their neighbor (Yes, talking book. You read that right.) they learn that maybe the legends aren’t so fun and games after all… They’re very real. The End is here, and it’s hungry. Lock your doors. Not big into horror, but while I don’t recommend reading this before bed, the plot line was very good. It keeps you tied in and ready for the next book in the series. I would recommend to any Horror enjoyer.

Scary stories are often told around a campfire, preferably with some s’mores. But what happens when that story you tell to scare your friends turns into a real issue? New Rotterdam, an eerie place well known for its monster legends (it even has its own wiki!) is no place to grow up. Emrys, a young boy who happens to enjoy various items of the horror variety, absolutely loves this place. He is an admin on New Rotterdam’s wiki, helping upkeep the many articles of the fabled monsters of the town. When he and his friends, Hazel and Serena, run into a talking book that used to be their neighbor (Yes, talking book. You read that right.) they learn that maybe the legends aren’t so fun and games after all… They’re very real. The End is here, and it’s hungry. Lock your doors. Not big into horror, but while I don’t recommend reading this before bed, the plot line was very good. It keeps you tied in and ready for the next book in the series. I would recommend to any Horror enjoyer.

It is excellent that it's for charity but think about all the microplastics and pollution that's being made from this event. There could be better ways to do charity than harming the environment.

Ever had to work with someone that didn’t quite work with you? In this book, we meet Evelyn, a girl in eighth grade, who has just been disqualified from a robotics contest she so badly wanted to win, while still struggling over her best friend moving away. And Allie, an artist who is now in the principal’s office for the fifth time due to an anger outburst. If Allie gets kicked out of another class, she will be sent to Sunrise Junior High, a school for flunk-outs. Allie gets placed in Robotics for a last chance elective, while Evelyn is learning that she has to let her other team members work on stuff, she can’t do it alone. Only problem is, Evelyn’s teammates keep slacking off, and Allie keeps going to hide and draw. When news comes out that their Robotics class may be shut down due to lack of students, it becomes clear that these two are going to learn how to work together if they ever want to do well at this competition! Overall, not my favorite book, but not bad either. I recommend this book for ages 12 and up.