"Saving Max" by Antoinette van Heugten (376 pages)

Emotionally unstable Max Parkman is a 16-year-old boy living with autism. Now that he’s older, his attorney mother, Danielle Parkman, has lost all hope for Max. After Max lashes out with violet behavior, his mom decides it’s time to have Max assessed at a psychiatric facility. After the assessment, Max becomes more violent, and his behavior has him staying long term at the facility.

A few weeks into staying at the facility, Danielle goes to visit Max one night and finds him covered in blood in his room at the feet of a boy named Jonas who has been severely stabbed. Danielle is shocked and does not know what to do. She becomes an accessory to this murder. Max’s mom doesn’t know what to think of him anymore, but will discover what happened regardless of what the truth is. How far will Danielle go to uncover truth of what happened the night of the murder?

This is one of those books that you finish and you feel like you’ve solved a murder investigation yourself. I couldn’t have asked for a better read. The plot twists came at the best, most suspenseful parts of the story. I wouldn’t change anything about this book; I recommend this book to anyone!
Reviewed by SC

Wonder by R.J Palacio

August Pullman is attending school for the very first time. His parents have homeschooled him up until now, 5^th grade, due to his facial deformity.  Just like every new kid, August faces mixed reactions from students at Beecher Prep. Some are welcoming like Summer, some aren’t welcoming like Henry and Julian, and some are in between like Jack. Can August convince the kids at his school that he’s just another ordinary kid, or are they going to think he has the “plaque” forever? Each character has their own chapters where they share their own views on August.

The actions and events that occur throughout the book are extremely immature, but what can you expect from 5^th graders? You might read this review and think “it’s about 5^th graders, I’m too old for this”, but the overall lesson is something that even high school kids need to learn. I think everyone should read this book, the sooner the better. It will definitely change your view on people that aren’t “normal”.

Every Little Thing in the World by Nina de Gramont

       A trip to tell the baby daddy that sixteen year old Sydney is pregnant results in Sydney getting sent away to a wilderness camp for the summer. Her best friend Natalia hears about this camp and convinces her parents to let her go as well, so Sydney doesn’t have to be pregnant AND alone. New friendships and experiences take Sydney’s mind off of the baby, which allows her to enjoy her life and time in the Canadian woods.  Sydney has six weeks to make decisions. Is she going to keep the baby? How is she going to tell her parents? What is going to happen?

       Nina de Gramont sends a message to the readers about owning your own life and recognizing the choices and consequences that you will encounter.

The Program (#1) by Suzanne Young

     Depression and suicide are considered a virus where Sloane and her friends live. A new course of treatment has been established, called The Program, which is forced upon kids that are depressed or suicidal. Handlers observe kids in the high school and look for certain symptoms that lead to depression and suicide. Starting off every day with a questionnaire about her state of mind, Sloane knows she must hide all of her feelings. Her parents have already lost one child, so they’re willing to do anything to keep Sloane alive, even if it means turning her in to The Program. The only person Sloane truly connects with is James, her boyfriend and brother’s best friend. Even their relationship doesn’t withstand the pressure from the depressing and suicidal town. The Program has come for both of them.  Sloane’s journey through The Program is not an easy one. She knows that the returners lose their memories that coincide with the depression, so she tries to escape the possibility of losing hers.
    The book is broken into three parts, each filled with details and emotions, and I loved every page of it. Just keep in mind when you read it, that there is a second book. The ending is very abrupt, so hopefully the next book The Treatment goes into more detail from where this book left off

"Panic" by Lauren Oliver (408 Pages)

Panic is the newest story from current teen author Lauren Oliver. It is a change of pace from her previously written Delirium trilogy, which captured the attention of many teens this past year. This story takes place in Carp, New York, where the days are long and boring and the families are poor. However, each year every senior in high school gains the ability to partake in the game of Panic, which consists of audacious tasks created to induce panic in each player, but presents a major cash award of up to 6 thousand dollars to whoever wins. Heather is a graduating senior and joins the game of Panic at the very last minute. Once she enters the game she realizes that other motives besides the amount of money that fuel the players, some play for darker reasons that create a dangerous atmosphere she cannot escape from. Through this book you enter the world of Heather and the dangerous tasks she must complete in order to make it to the end of Panic. This is a fast paced story filled with unexpected events, adrenaline, and dark secrets.

Panic diverges from Lauren’s previous trilogy about love and instead writes a story filled with more action. This book is interesting because each challenge is unexpected and the reader can feel the fear and excitement of each character. Lauren Oliver draws the reader in and keeps them there with the fast moving plot and advancement of characters. This book is recommended for anyone who read and enjoyed the Divergent or Hunger Games series, and also those in favor of Lauren Oliver’s works. 

"Thinking to Inking." Thinking to Inking. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 June 2014.

"Bullying Under Attack" by Stephanie Meyer, John Meyer et al

works cited:

""B" Is for Bully: The ABC's of Conflict Resolution." "B" Is for Bully: The ABC's of Conflict Resolution. N.p., 1996-2014. Web. 02 June 2014.
"Bullying Under Attack." Review. Web log post. Goodreads. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 June 2014.
"How Parents Can Protect Kids Being Bullied." How Parents Can Protect Kids Being Bullied. N.p., 2009. Web. 02 June 2014.
S, Freddy, and David E. "For Grades 7-College." Bully Bystanders. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 June 2014.

"Butter" by Erin Jade Lange (294)

J.P. a 16-year-old obese outcast, known as Butter, creates a website called “Butter’s Last Meal” on which he announces to the world that he will eat himself to death on New Year’s Eve. After this announcement is made, the entire school finds out. All the popular kids start inviting 432-pound Butter to parties for the first time, which is where he thinks that he actually has friends and can talk to the girl of his dreams instead of pretending to be someone else online when he talks to her. But as his last meal comes closer and closer, he realizes the friends he thinks he has made really are not good friends at all. When Butter comes to the decision that maybe eating himself to death is not what he wants anymore, he learns that all his “friends” are only there for “Butters Last Meal”. This story delivers a good insight on the struggles of losing weight while trying to gain popularity. Will Butter’s friends tune in for his last meal, or will his popularity run out?
If you’re looking for a quick and easy read, pick this up, I read it in two days.