Kids Books - Trending Books

"May the odds be ever in your favor!" After a bloody war, twelve districts rose from the ashes of what was formerly known as North America, lead by a glorious Capitol. As revenge for the districts' betrayal in the war, the Capitol requires one young man and woman from each district to participate in an annual televised fight to the death, commonly known as the 'Hunger Games.' And when Primrose Everdeen, an innocent twelve-year-old from District 12 gets selected to participate in the Hunger Games, her sister, Katniss, is shell-shocked - and in a life-changing decision, volunteers to take her place. Her fellow tribute from her district is announced as one Peeta Mellark, who helped Katniss and her family in their time of need.. and there will only be one survivor. In order to survive, they are presented to the frivolous citizens of the Capitol as "star-crossed lovers", and must play the part to stay alive.. together. Prepare for an action-filled adventure of betrayals, poisonous berries, unexpected allies, bloody deaths, wildfires, heartbreak, and maybe even true love..? I highly recommend this book - please give it a try! This book fit right in the "dystopia" label, honestly - even though I completely fell for this book my first time reading it, I grew a little more critical the next few times around.. I felt like the "star-crossed lovers" cliché didn't exactly "fit" Katniss and Peeta - I felt like Katniss would be better off with her sister, Prim, even in the absolutely terrible conditions of District 12 - that would have been a "happy ending" for her. Instead, Katniss is stuck in a confusing love triangle between basically useless Peeta and her long-time friend, Gale, and I feel like even though the bloody Hunger Games is supposed to be the "main" storyline of the series, the whole overwhelming romance thing just pushes everything else aside. Aside from the cheesy "romance" side of this series, I absolutely loved some parts of the book - the sacrifice Katniss made for Prim felt so.. so heartbreaking, but I was absolutely devastated when a specific friend of Katniss died in her arms.. The emotional aspect of such an event was so well captured in this book, how heartbreaking it would be to lose your family or friends.. I could not stop sobbing. This outshone the "romance" storyline for me, and now, I am happy to say that I believe that Suzanne Collins wrote an absolutely breathtaking novel.. thank you.

This book reminds me why I always tell fellow readers to give young adult books a chance. The only complaint I have about The Candymakers is due to the fact that these books are unfortunately targeted towards young adult readers rather than adults that are young at heart. On that note, the only real problems I had were the same reasons this was not targeted to me. Again, unfortunately. The sentences were more concise and simple then I believe necessary for teens; there was a lot more telling than necessary, although there was notable detailed showing. Some of the plot was rather unbelievable; it all came together a little too easily. But, it is a fantasy world filled with candy, after all. How could I not fall in love with this book? The only other two fictional books that I have read set entirely in the Candy World are "True Confections" by Katherine Weber and, of course, "Charlie and The Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl. And now this one, which holds its own among them. My favorite thing about this novel is its structure. The author is able to successfully write from different points of view- something many adult books cannot get right. Furthermore, these accounts are sold separately, in different chapters- a difficult thing to do. With impeccable exactitude, no facts, no details, none if the timeline, not the characters are mismatched. Readers get the feeling that they are experiencing the event as they switch between the four childrens' minds, each with their own secrets. They all have their own reasons for being there and all eventually really want to win competition. At first a few are enemies, but, of course, they eventually grow to really care about one another and sincerely can each other friends as they learn each other's secrets and inner thoughts. **** Spoilers **** Logan, The Candymaker's son, feels the need to prove to his parents that he is worthy of inheriting his father's position. He has no other friends because his parents have kept him sheltered since he was a young boy. During the annual factory picnic, he met Philip, who was touring the area. This was one of the first boys had met and he was excited to find a new friend. After playing like boys do around the candy factory for most of the day, they were at the chocolate vat when Phillip lost his toy truck in it. Not wanting to upset his friend and wanting to return it, he crawled into it. He ended up not getting it in time and scarring his entire face. He is still a very happy boy; it seems that he notices his scars far less than anyone else does. In fact, he often forgets that they are there. Daisy, who grew up in a special family- spies with all the technology and ninja moves- is on an assigned mission. She is there for reasons that at first she does only because she was told; until certain events cause her to truly consider what she is doing. And what is right and wrong. Finding and taking Life Is Sweet's secret ingredient with the goal to shut down the factory? Certainly in the latter category. Miles, whom carries a life jacket around everywhere and has taken an interest in the afterlife ever since he was out boating and watched a girl drown. He eventually funds or that girl was actually Daisy, who of course never died because she was utilizing her super powers. Last but not least, there is Philip, whom is extremely negative, pretentious, rude, and full of animosity as soon as he meets the others. We eventually find out that he is the former boy with the toy truck. As expected, he typically is not this type of guy. But as an equally lonely child, when he was erroneously informed by his father that he had been banned from the Life Is Sweet candy factory (he was actually invited back by the family), he is there to win the competition; to take Logan's thunder. I also loved his secret violin talents and music genius. Looking forward to reading her other books!

I saw this book and book 3 of this series at a used bookstore and I wanted to try them because I love Ann M Martin's other famous book series aka The Baby-Sitters Cub. For anyone who hasn't read this series yet, I'll give you a synopsis. Main street books are about Flora and Ruby Northrop who are two girls who've lost their parents in a car crash, and move to Camden Falls Massachusets with their grandmother, and the adventures they have with your friends. There are some complex topics, like a character's abusive alcoholic father which may be intense for some readers. All in all I recomend this book for ages 8+

William Stanton, one of 8 siblings of the Stanton family who would turn 11 on one Midwinter day as he discovered that he's an "Old One" by his uncle, Merriman Lyon, so he set out on the quest to find six magical Signs of Power in order to able defeat the Dark. Despite the conflict between the both sides of good and evil, it's can be also very dangerous if Will isn't very careful with the important quest going on with the help from his uncle and siblings. This book would take you in different world, on the adventure with Will Stanton and you'll enjoy this as much as I do. - Happy Reading!

Geillis Ramsey, also known by simply Gilly, a young woman with the hope and dreams. But since her mother death one year after she enrolled in the university, Gilly had decided to resign and go on the different way, then since after her father's death, she felt alone but even feeling hopeless since she heard that her cousin, the only cousin that Gilly herself had known for her whole life, Geillis Saxon had passed away in her sleep. So, despite the three deaths that were close to Gilly, she went over to her cousin's Thornyhold, left in the will by Miss Saxon to Gilly as she started living there. Met a maid, Mrs. Agnes Trapp, who then became partly Gilly's friend, then met a young boy, William Dryden who has the different hobbies and dreams unlike other boys his age. But later on in the book, the possible murder would happen as the suspense is building up, also the love is in the air, too when Gilly had met a man, which is actually William's father. This book is possibly my favorite book written by Mary Stewart as its SO GOOD! - Happy Reading!

Christmas is almost here and the Heffley family is way behind on all things Christmas and they want to get away. Even though Greg thinks it's not a good idea as he is perfectly happy staying indoors by the fireplace all through Christmas break, his family decides to go to Isla de Corales for the Christmas and be away from the excruciating cold. They are all packed and they leave for the airport but without taking in consideration all the traffic they will get. They make it to the airport and hit snag after snag. After lots of bumps, they make it to Isla de Corales and instantly they feel better as the hot air hits them. But family holidays aren't family holidays until there is a lot of bickering and that's exactly what ensues. Greg's mother wants the family to spend time together but Greg's dad wants to do his own thing and Rowley wants to do his own thing too. Greg is looking to do lots of cool activities so that he can finally show Rowley that he had stellar time on his getaway. Let's just say that short of getting thrown in jail, the Heffley family gets in all sorts of trouble. I don't know what it is about the Heffely family holidays that they remind me so much of my family holidays. From not leaving for the airport in enough time to end up sitting on the plane in the middle of a different family to getting lost at the resort to birds eating our lunch to not be able to get a single decent family photo are all so relatable and not to mention hilarious. I loved this. 5 stars

12 year old Giacomo lives in a Renaissance-inspired world where art is feared and has been outlawed. Giacomo has been living on his own for several years after escaping the orphanage. He spends his days hiding in the sewers and evading Nerezza guards, the evil ruler of Virenzia. The only thing he actually does for fun is to draw in his sketchbooks. Then one day a Genius shows up-his Genius. This is extremely rare, as a Genius (which is a birdlike creature that represents an artist's creative spirit and essence) is supposed to come when you are a baby. Not to mention all the Geniuses are supposed to be extinct. He is even more surprised when three other kids show up to find him, also with a Genius each. They tell him about a secret studio where they are trained to use their energies as weapons. Giacomo thinks he has finally found a safe place. But an evil artist is looking for something, the three Sacred Tools. With them he could destroy the world. So Giacomo along with others must set off with their Geniuses to stop him. There were so many details about this world that I wouldn't know where to begin. I love how as the book goes on you learn little pieces that fit the whole puzzle together. I also loved the suspense and mystery, there was also a lot of action. There were very few, if any, dull moments in the book. Every scene had a purpose. There were some intense parts in this book. Part of the story is told by a man-made creature who has four arms, and his whole purpose is to follow the bidding of his master, which is usually to threaten or even kill somebody. Another aspect of the story revolves around the Lost Souls, which are the artists who are dead. Because of some of those parts I would recommend this book to middle grade and up, not elementary. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

I've read the book and seen the movie

that is SOOOO cool. i want to be in a heroine book some day. that book proves that all girls can change the WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! nothing is impossible for those who believe. DONT BE AFRAID TO............. SHINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was afraid to shine for to long not any more!!!!!!! # girls RULE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL

The name of my book is Scat by Carl Hiaasen. The story is based around a group of characters that all have their own secrets behind a mysterious fire that broke out in the woods while a school was on the field trip. A teacher goes missing while trying to find a little girls inhaler and hasn't been seen in days. Detectives find evidence of arson, and all eyes are wandering. A mysterious arson, a missing teacher, a juvenile student, and a greedy business company all have their secrets that have yet to come out. Two students, Nick and Marta, are the only ones who have the curiosity to piece it together. With them only being in seventh grade, it is hard to convince anyone. All the people in town are turning against each other, yet a culprit is hiding right under their noses. This book is truly amazing. It not only represents mystery well, but it's relatable dialogue and characters add onto the realistic fiction. The clues are given ever so subtly, and connections are cleverly imputed. It switches off between characters, almost telling different stories every other chapter. This gives you different background knowledge and curiosity involving every character as a suspect, instead of having a seemingly one sided story. I believe that this genre is realistic fiction because all the events that happen in it could happen in real life, but the characters are fiction. There is no sort of fake elements to the book, which makes it relatable and realistic. The characters are made up by the author, but the events are based around true life events. The characters are fiction, but the plot is far from fake. A school teacher disappearing, and the students trying to solve it, are things that can happen in real life and have most likely happened. People who would enjoy this book are fans of mystery. The book is based around a mysterious event, but it has a lot more to offer than just that. It has relatable characters, interesting dialogue, and most of the things that make realistic fiction great. Audiences who love relating to characters and plots that involve clues given ever so subtly are going to be more than impressed by what Scat has to offer. An example of an internal conflict would be with one of the characters Duane, or Smoke. He struggles to find his true self throughout the book, as people try to tell him who he should be. This internal struggle is shown throughout the story, as it comes up often. His grandmother wants him to be a gentleman, while his father isn't a big fan of that. Since Smoke lives alone with his father, he hasn't ever had the chance to find out who he truly is without someone telling him. This is an internal conflict because it is man v.s man, meaning he is against himself throughout the story. Although there are no external conflicts, the book is interesting in many different areas. Scat is a book that creates a relatable connection between the reader and the characters. Whether it is the struggle of being at home, being at school, or feeling alone, Scat has all the different types of struggles that readers from different backgrounds can enjoy.