I enjoyed The Color of My Words by Lynn Joseph. I got to learn about the culture in the Dominican Republic (not current). The book was filled with figurative language. I liked this about the book because it almost made it more personal. It felt personal because the words used reminded me of situations I have been in. This book deserves the full five stars for it's illustrating words, and a heartbreaking ending. I would recommend this book to mainly students in middle school.

I enjoyed reading Ghost by Jason Reynolds. I gave Ghost all five stars because it gave me a view of a life that I fortunately don't have. Jason Reynolds well displays Castle's (Ghost) thoughts for different situations. I liked the way this book was written because I could see from another person's perspective and how Castle handled a situation differently than your "average" kid. Overall a non-suspenseful but a super entertaining book.

I enjoyed to the plot of 'A Year Without Mom'. The plot was very unique and educational. It taught me the perspective of a twelve-year-old girl living in Moscow in the 1990's. I don't believe this book deserves the full five stars. As much as I liked the plot and found it interesting, the actual descriptions weren't very good. Dasha Tolstikova, the author and main character, did not explain her family and friend's personality. Dasha Tolstikova also didn't explain the political side of Russia. I was very confused because I didn't have any background knowledge of Russia.

I rate 'A Night Divided' by Jennifer E. Nielsen four out of five stars. I did not give this book the full five stars because the actual writing of the book wasn't the best. It was hard getting into the book at first. Otherwise than that, I really enjoyed reading the narrated view of a twelve-year-old girl during the division of the Berlin Wall. I loved the suspense of the book. The last couple of chapters of 'A Night Divided' kept me at the edge of my seat. I liked how many of the situations resulted in a very unpredictable way. Overall, I would recommend this book to more mature readers.

I really liked Theodore Taylor's book 'The Cay'. I enjoyed how the author was able to put 'The Cay' into a narrated view of a boy's crazy life during World War II. The author also used figurative language throughout many scenes. These details made me as the reader picture what the characters were going through. I noticed the two main characters had a very strong connection. When they were separated, I felt for them both. Overall, I enjoyed this sad and fascinating book very much. Five out of five stars.

'I Am Malala' deserves the full five stars. 'I Am Malala' is an autobiography, making it feel more personal to the reader. I enjoyed this autobiography by Malala Yousafzai becuase it quoted Malala's Pashto speaking parents, but then translated their quotes to English. I liked the quotes because it made the book feel more authentic. This autobiography is sectioned into important sequenced events. Each being about ten pages long. The sections gave interesting details of before and during Malala's inspiring life.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson, was a really interesting and powerful book. I really enjoyed how this book is very personal. I say this because Jacqueline Woodson had made this award winning book from memories when she was little. She also went into lots of detail about her family as a child. Her writing made it almost feel like I actually knew her family and friends. Overall, this autobiography of Jacqueline (Jackie) Woodson's childhood was very interesting. The plot was very cool, but the writing was even cooler. I would recommend this book to any reader.

I rate Out of My Mind, by Sharon M. Draper, five out of five stars. I rate this book the full five stars because it's a very real and touching story. It's really creative how Sharon Draper displayed Melody's (main character) emotions without actually making the character speak out loud. I loved how this book was very real. It was not "cheesy" and fake like most books written about kids in middle school. For me, Out of My Mind was a perfect length and had the perfect amount of events throughout the book. I would definitely recommend this book to readers any age.

I rate the Outliers by Kimberly McCreight a three and a half out of five stars. I gave this book almost a full five stars because it is very mysterious and keeps you at the edge of your seat. I also enjoyed how Wylie (main character/narrator) would tell a story from of her past to help understand and relate to the current situation. I would not give this book the full five stars. I'm aware this book is written for young adults, but the profanity was a bit over the top and unnecessary for any reader. Another reason I did not give this book the full five stars is because there were so many plot twist to the point were I got a little confused. I also did not like how the author made every character have a secret making all the characters untrustworthy.