1. Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
This book was one of my favorite books of all time. In the book a girl named Melody has cerebral palsy and a photographic memory. She is the smartest kid in the school but nobody knows it. She can't talk to people until she finds this way to communicate, with that her future starts. I love this book because it is so inspiring, it gives you courage and hope. Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down.
When I first knew I was going to read this book I was excited. I had never heard of the Cultural Revolution in China, and I wanted to learn more about it. The book is about how a girl named Ji-li has to choose between her love for the Communist Party or her family. Everybody has turned against her except for her family. This is how a girl struggles with selflessness and pressure. I love this book, it is through a child's eye and you can really feel the emotions the author is trying to say.
3. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
When I was little my mother had my brother's and I sit down on her bed to read a book. She had never done this before and I was very surprised. My mom pulled out a book and said every night we would read before bed. As she read it to me I got more and more intrigued. There was captivating pictures and drawings that looked authentic. The book is about how a boy named Hugo has too many secrets to keep. When a girl comes in the picture he might give away what is is keeping him alive and well. He must face his past and accept it.
4. A Drowned Maiden's Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz
This book captivated me because it takes place a long time ago and has a supernatural base. The book is about how a girl is is chosen to help stage elaborate seances and to pose as a dead girl. She learns the truth about who she can trust and who she can't. I love this book because is explains that you might not think who someone's true self is.
5. The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
A German boy is pulled into the lies of German Nazi's. He is brought up to believe in that speaking out is wrong and he should keep a bad secret a secret. As he grows up he sees the evil that surrounds him and chooses against it. The Nazi's find out and sentence him to death. This book is one of my top ten because instead of having a book through the eyes of a victim it is through the eyes of the enemy. I think that everyone should read this book.
6. The Orphan of the Sun by Gill Harvey
I loved this book because it was based in Ancient Egypt and told from an orphan girl's point of view. It is about how a 13 year old girl has to choose if to not to marry a man she does not love. She goes to the gods to help her decide, while doing that she uncovers some secrets that hold another girl's live. She learns how grateful she is to be in the position she is in. It really made me feel differently about how lucky some of us are to be born in this century.
7. The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen
When my mother read this book to me as a kid I finally found out that I wanted to read every book I could. I was so small that I couldn't even read. I strived to learn how to read as fast as I could so I could find a book that captivated me the same. The book is about how a mermaid fell in love with a human. She went to desperate measures to be with him, although it did not turn out how she expected. I loved this book because it didn't have the classic fairy tale ending, but something deeper.
8. Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series by Jeff Kenny
The whole series by Jeff Kenny is amazing. It talks about how a boy goes through his awkward years and survives. I was pulled to this series because they are a quick fun-read. Sometimes when I am bored I open one of the books to a random page and read for hours. It has a good message that you are going to get through it.
9. Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
I first saw the movie with my dad and felt very emotional. Years later I read the book in school. I felt the same emotions I had previously felt. The book is about how a pig named Wilbur and a spider named Charlotte become friends. I think the author did an amazing job with writing this book.
10. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
This was one of my summer reads. It was one of those books that you couldn't put down once you started reading it. The book is about a girl named Hazel Grace Lancaster who has cancer, her life is dull and meaningless until she finds this boy named Gus Waters. Her life will be changed forever. I was touched by this book and learned what is was like to lose someone.
I Commented on: Yazmin Evelyn, and Sumar
