Horowitz’s Alex Rider series, beginning with Stormbreaker, is extremely popular, especially with boys. In Raven’s Gate he takes a break from the spy/thriller genre and delves into fantasy/horror. The result is a new series that will be just as popular as the Alex Rider books. It may also serve as a segue into another genre for his dedicated readers, leading them to meatier fare like Terry Brooks’ Shannara series and authors like David Almond and Kevin Brooks.

Raven’s Gate has everything a reluctant reader could want: a troubled hero with checkered past facing overwhelming odds, good vs. evil, and lots of heart-stopping action. The protagonist, Matt, is an orphan who is in trouble with the law. As an alternative to jail Matt is sent to a foster home in an isolated village, far from the temptations of the city. Matt lands in the home of Mrs. Deverill, a harsh, unsmiling woman with a bleak, run-down farm in the middle of nowhere. Matt soon discovers that something bizarre is going on. When he tries to get help people begin to die. Matt must either defeat the evil forces about him or become a tool in their sinister plot. The fast-paced action and the dark, foreboding atmosphere make this a real page turner and a fun read.

Highly recommended for grades 7-12.

By Mr. Doyle

Stopmouth is a human boy living in a brutal world where humans and other sentient creatures (”beasts”) hunt each other for survival. All of the plant life in their world is poisonous so eating flesh is the only way to survive. The humans and the beasts hunt each other for food. Stopmouth, who has a severe speech impediment, is thought to be dimwitted by his tribe. If he cannot contribute to the tribe then he may become a “volunteer”. The old, the sick, the injured, and other non-contributors “volunteer” to be traded to beast tribes– flesh for flesh. So, to live, Stopmouth must show he can help provide for the tribe.

Events conspire to shake Stopmouth’s world to its very core. First he is betrayed by the brother who has always protected him. Then a beautiful woman falls from the sky into his village. And suddenly several beast tribes, who have never been able to communicate well, begin to cooperate and to hunt other species to extinction. It is only a matter of time before they turn their attention to the humans. Stopmouth learns that things are not what they seem and he embarks on a most unusual hero’s journey.

Because of it’s size the book will intimidate some readers. But it is filled with riveting action and there is enough depth to make the reader think about big ideas (loyalty, duty, honor, morality, etc.). Highly recommended for grades 7 and up.

By Mr. Doyle

By Saray Mendoza

Rayford is in shock as he lunges himself into his bedroom. His wife isn’t in bed. His devastated as he pulls back the covers only to find his wife’s nightgown laying their along with her wedding ring. He runs to his son Ramie’s room already knowing what his going to find.

Overall the book is fascinating as the people left behind, non true believers in Jesus Christ, struggle to understand what‘s going on. Only to come to the conclusion that the hardest point in their life’s is yet to come, the Tribulation Years. You will be intrigued by this book with all its twists and turns, not being able to take your eyes off the pages

By Perla Magallanes

This novel is amazingly shocking, reveling and dramatic. It has twists and turns that will have you in a daze, I sure was. I would recommend this to all high school students. Especially those of you who are outcast there’s one in everybody.

By Maricela McKean

This book is about a kid name Darren; he lived a happy life with him and his family. Till one day something strange happened to him he and his friend named Steve where in school when they found a paper that said “Cirque Du Freak” .They saw that they had a show of unbelievable animals that were inhuman. They went to buy the tickets they went to see the show but after a while when the show was over they stayed for a little while and they caught that a guy that was a vampire.
They never thought they were going to get into to this big deal just because they went to a show of weird things. Darren and Steve were nothing alike they been friends since they were small but Steve always have been different from Darren. Steve has the more troublemaker type of guy, the one who punks on the other kids. When they got home Darren had the spider that they had in the show, he had practically stole the spider. Days passed Steve and Darren were playing with the poisonous spider they never thought the risk they were taking when they were playing with the spider. The spider almost killed Steve, Steve went to the hospital and nobody knew how to cure the poisonous bite. Darren went to find the owner of the spider witch was the Vampire he was called Crepsley. He went looking for him telling him hell do everything he can to save his friend, if and only he gives him a cure for the poisonous bite. Months passed and he became the vampire’s assistant he worked in the “Cirque Du freak” then he and the vampire went to the vampire mountain where there he had to pass some trial to become a respected half-vampire.
Darren passed all of the trails that the other vampires but him threw. The were amazed because only the vampire generals could pass the trails and they took them years to pass it or failed it. But Darren was a brave kid because he had passed the trials. But he never expected that one of the vampires was going to betray them for the vampaneeze the vampaneeze were like vampires but they were the ones who killed. Darren was going for another journey he wanted to get revenge because, it wasn’t going to stay like this. I really liked this book or the whole section of Cirque Du Freak. I really recommend you to read this book it’s going to live you for more you’re going to want to read more and more.

By Betsy Peralta

Killing Steve Leopard is a difficulty challenge for Darren Shan, because the relation ship they had in the past. Since he went to the Cirque Du Freak and met a vampire which turn Darren in to a half –vampire. Then all of his sacrifices he had to do for the vampires to accept him. Darren then had to go to were vampire live.

Later his quest that he has to do is kill Steve Leopard. Steve the one that use to be his friend and even a brother is now his greatest enemy. The fait of the world depend of Darren if he win’s or die’s, which it is because of the second clan of vampaneze. The vampaneze are meant to bring evil to the world.

The story of Darren Shan is some thing that people think could happen to them. Even though the book is fiction, the book keeps wondering about it. The story has twist and turns, and when you think you have salve the question 100 more comes out which keep you thinking on you’re feet the hole time. Also it is full of avouched to different parts of the world. This book is better then the rest of the novels. The story has twist which keeps the reader hungry for more.

By Emmanuel Pulido

Darren Shan was an ordinary school boy when he got blooded by a vampire to save his best friends life. Later on he becomes the assistant of a vampire called Mr. Crepsley. Then they both and some other friend go 2 some town to hunt down a vampaneze, a mutated vampire. Years passed and they went to vampire mountain where he had to pass five trials to be part of the clan, then becomes a prince, started hunting for the vampaneze lord, got arrested along with his friends for killing innocent people but they escaped. Darren then goes to a weird dimension world with his pal Harkat to discover who he really was. Two years pass and Darren was at the Cirque Du Freak where he is going to meet up with the vampaneze lord named Steve leopard and Darren must kill him to save the clan.

Darren is along with the Cirque Du Freak going to different places and he ends up being at his own town when he was a normal child. There he discovers that his parents had leaved the town and his sister stayed and that she had a child. Darren then meets his old friend Tommy and he invites him to a game to see Tommy play. While Tommy was playing a vampaneze comes and kills him. Later on he finds out that the child that his sister has is also Steve’s son.

What I think about this story is that Darren should be very careful and should always take some weapon with him so that he could protect himself. I recommend this book to other people because it’s very interesting and they leave you wanting to read the other books that he has in the Cirque Du Freak series.

By Alberto Calderon

There are many problems in the book. First, music is bad luck to Chass’s mother because it brings too many problems that can sometimes cause death. One of the struggles that Chass’s mother has is trying to hide the tape. They run away but somebody constantly tracks their phone.

I would recommend reading this book because it makes you feel tense. The book keeps you so focused that you create your own images and it feels real.

by Adriana Banales

By Denise Pulido