How to Survive Middle School by Donna Gephart

David Greenberg is getting ready to start the 6th grade and is nervous, but he has his best friend Elliot by his side as well as his passsion for for uploading videos to YouTube, which star him and his hamster Hammy imitating the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, whom David idolizes. Then things fall apart his best friend becomes his enemy, his only friend becomes a new kid at school who happens to be a girl, he's tortured by bullies, etc. THis book made me laugh so hard, yet feel so bad for David. Middle School in general is hard for anyone and Gephart wrote such a believable character in David that he's completerly relatable. This would be a great book for a reluctant reader because the chapters are short, but manage to convey so much meaning.

Matched by Ally Condie

Cassia lives in a perfect society, where everything such as what you eat, who you marry and even your job are determined by The Society. The match cermony happens on a person's 17th birthday and she is matched with her best friend Xander. Howver, when she goes to read the microchip to learn more about him, someone else's face appears another guy she knows named Ky. After this things start to unravel because she starts questioning The Society. This book reminded me of a modern day Giver by Lois Lowry. I liked the fact that the whole book was told from the point of view of Cassia. Though it had brief moments of action it was very much about Cassias struggling internally with her thoughts and feelings and the consequences of them. I really enjoyed this book, but didn't like the end strictly because it was a to be continued in the next book Crossed, which doesn't come out till November 1 of this year.

Countdown by Deborah Wiles

Set during the Cold War this was a very powerful book and Wiles did a great job of combining history with fiction. The threat of a nuclear bomb has everyone on edge. This book set during the Cold War era tells about a little girl and her family. However, Wiles manages to incorporate real pictures, newspaper clippings, ads and quotes from that era betwen each chapter, that in someway are tied to what is going on in the story. Though the story itself is a work of fiction, the characters are realistic enough that it doesn't matter what age you are you can relate. This is a good example of historical fiction and anyone interested in this genre would definitely enjoy it. Also, after reading the book, you see how appropriate the title is becuase the whole book was like a countdown to the end.