Summary: In this book Lynne Cox writes about her long distance swimming. She started swimming when she was young but was not very good. One day one of the moms told her that she would swim the English Channel after seeing Lynne swim in the pool for through a hail storm. Those words became her goal. After she starts doing open water races she wants to find more and more challenging goals. The goals that she sets for her self start to make on impact on the rest of the world. Lynne starts doing swims that would bridge countries and make fore a more peaceful world. Her biggest and last swim in the book is her attempt at making a one mile swim in the thirty two degrees water to Antarctica. The whole book is her determination, how she relies on the crew, and her effort to make the world a better place through swimming.

Commentary: I enjoyed the book very much because it showed that if you work hard at a goal you can make it happen. I liked reading about what Lynne learned and how it can help you. Since I am a swimmer I enjoyed reading about what she did in her swims and how she showed what can be accomplished through swimming a race or distance. The book was well written not only talking about what she went but also the affects it had on her daily life and her friends and family. Lynne created great suspense in each swim and she wrote her next goal at the ends of chapters so you wanted to keep reading. She also puts in her self talk that she does in her swims, so you can see how positive she has to be to complete the swims. I also enjoyed how she wrote about how hard the swims were to coordinate and to prepare for. For one swim she spent several years trying to get support and permission and I loved how much determination she had to stick with the same goal and want to complete it. This book is great for anyone who likes to read about sports and autobiographies. There also is a little love story that adds something special to the book. Overall I thought it was an excellent book and an easy read. Reviewed by Eva in 2007

Plot: Hole in my Life is an autobiography about an aspiring writer’s (Jack Gantos) dangerous journey for money. In the book he is hired to travel to New York with one other person on an old sailboat for $10,000. Aboard the boat is 2,000 pounds of hashish, which is to be sold once they reach New York. Once they are almost done selling it all, the police arrest them and all of the buyers. He ends up getting sent to jail for a sentence of up to 6 years. Through his prison experience he took a long, hard look at his life and realized that he has what it takes to write, he was just being too impatient.

Commentary: The author writes the book in the 1st person point of view, because he is the main character of the story. There is a wide range of characters starting at his family and friends, to prison-mates, and fellow drug dealers; however he is the only main character. This book interested me because I thought the story was intriguing. It sounded like an interesting way of discovering your true talent. Overall, I gave this book 3 out of 4 stars. I felt the story was very interesting and easy to follow. It showed me a life that I could never even imagine, and the consequences to go with it. The story was somewhat humorous, sad, and action-packed, giving a good blend of different emotions. Reviewed by John in 2007

Plot: Looking back after a distinguished NASA career that engulfed his boyhood dreams, Homer “Sonny” Hickam Jr. tells the story of his youth and his journey to get out off Coalwood, a small coal mine town with no hope and no future. With much help from his friends, his mother, his chemistry teacher, and secret help from is father, the Big Creek Missile Agency, AKA the Rocket Boys, thrive in not only making rockets out of scrap material from the local mine that fly miles high, but in helping restore faith and hope in the town that has none, all the while getting shutdown by siblings, teachers, parents, and many citizens of Coalwood which sometimes ends up with them in trouble. Finding himself an outcast of the whole town, Homer must find the strength to go on with his journey to become a NASA engineer in a town where all men become miners.

Commentary: Rocket Boys is an inspiring read, convincing many to follow their dreams and achieve their goals. I chose this book because I had really enjoyed the movie based off of it “October Sky” and decided that it should be a good read. Hickam paints a beautiful story with his words. I really felt like I was right there in Coalwood watching those rockets fly high. Hickam lets you really relate to some of the common teenage problems in the story and feel the emotions of the characters. He beautifully captures a moment in which a dying town, a falling family, and a group of teenager dreamers dare to look beyond their differences and set a goal to become the future of America. This is neither a famous astronaut’s autobiography nor a dramatic portrayal of life in Cold War America. It's simply a true-life adventure that tickles the imagination while it evokes a more idealistic time. This book is a great read for anyone trying to find the one thing that they can excel in. I recommend it to most if you are interested in teenage stories. Reviewed by Sam in 2006

Plot: This fun read is another one to add to a list of must-reads by Gary Paulsen. How Angel Peterson Got His Name is a quick read that takes the reader on a journey to Gary Paulsen’s stunt filled childhood in northern Minnesota. Gary relives the stunts that he and his friends, Carl, Wayne, and Alan attempt that will leave you laughing out loud. This group of boys did many amazing things with old army surplus gear, like breaking the world record for speed on skis, without any hills. Gary and his friends act first and think later. This leads to some hilarious, exciting and scary events. This group of boys would do any stunt to impress the ladies, break a record or to just gain bragging rights.

Commentary: How Angel Peterson Got His Name is a great book if you're looking for a fun, quick book that will leave you laughing out loud. Gary Paulsen creatively tells about each stunt being sure to let the reader know that he now realizes how crazy and stupid they were. Each chapter has a new stunt; this makes it easy to pick up and get a laugh. The craziest daredevil of all of Gary's friends is definitely Carl. There is a Carl-like character in most everyone's life and it is portrayed perfectly leaving the reader saying, "I know someone just like him." Overall, this is a great book for all ages to have fun and laugh. Reviewed by Jack in 2006

Plot: A real story of a young boy getting very abused while he was growing up. His mother only abused him out of their family. His father didn’t abuse him, and would try to help him as best he could but his mother over ruled both of them. She would do many horrible things to the young boy like, not feed him, beat him, make him sleep in the garage, and even make him eat his own poop and vomit. The young boy soon had bad habits occurring from this like, lying to his teachers about the marks and bruises on his body and stealing food from his classmates and even from stores.

Commentary: I over all think this book was excellent. It’s an inspirational story. It made me want to keep reading and see what was going to happen next. It was very interesting and very sad. It was kind of gross at some parts in the book, but questioning thoughts were always going through your mind. It was hard to believe some things that the author wrote about since it was a real story. But reading this story also taught me a lot and I find that most books don’t teach me anything. It taught me how respectable my parents are towards me, and how good they treat me. I liked it how the author wrote in the words of the little boy. So reading it, you think the boy is telling the story. It was a very good book and I recommend you read it if you want to read an interesting book that makes you want to keep reading. Reviewed by Kady in 2006

Plot: A Child Called “It” is about a young boy thriving for the love and attention all children deserve. After five years of abuse and neglect from “the family”, which he no longer is considered part of, he learns to play his mother’s “games” and survives being “the family’s” slave. He is no longer considered a son, brother, or even a boy. He isn’t even a boy to his only hero, the one person he knew would one day take him away from his alcoholic mother, his dad. He is an “it”.

Commentary: Pelzer writes his tale, the tale of an abused and neglected boy. He writes as if he were reliving every memory, and feeling the pain and agony all over again. This book is very powerful, throughout the entire book you can’t help to wonder what happened to “the mother”, “the brothers” and Dave Pelzer himself. This boy overcame so many obstacles; he had been brainwashed, beaten and ignored, and yet he still had the will to keep going, knowing that somehow he was going to escape and one day be free. I would recommend this book to everyone. This book is not only just a great story it’s helping to raise awareness around the nation. After all every 1 in 5 children is abused. Look around the room, how many kids are there? Now, maybe you see the other side, the side of a child longing for freedom. Reviewed by Stephanie in 2006

Plot: This book is about a little boy named Dave who is endures his childhood being abused. His mother started abusing him ever since his little brother was born. Dave’s older brothers for some reason are the mother’s favorites and she doesn’t abuse them, she only abuses Dave. Dave has a father but he is always drunk so he doesn’t do anything to try to help his son. His mother’s abuse has gotten so bad that she doesn’t call him by Dave, but by “it”. Even though this abuse was obvious to everyone around Dave, for some reason, no one stepped in to help.

Commentary: The author’s style of writhing included a lot of detail. This story is a true story, it happened to the author. This book interested me because it’s just so sad what this mother did to her own son, I never thought that a human being could treat one another like this mother treated her own son. I wanted to keep on reading to see what other horrible things she did to him. After every chapter there was a cliff hanger and I had to keep reading to find out what happened next. This book was amazing and I enjoyed it a lot. I have decided to read the 2 sequels to this book which are called A Lost Boy and A Man Named Dave. Reviewed by Rachel in 2006

Plot: The Lost Boy is a autobiography about David Pelzer as a little boy and his struggle to survive the brutal and extreme abuse of his mother. Dave has finally been able to get free of the hold his mother has had on him, as he journeys through the Florida foster care system he searches for a family to care and not give up on him. This proves harder than expected as no families want a little boy who is so full of rage due to the harsh beatings of his mother. Finally he thinks he has found a home and that his troubles are over, but can he escape his mother once again or will he be forced back to live with her, as the court pities her situation? One thing is for sure Dave has to keep up the will to survive otherwise all hope will be forever lost.

Commentary: I chose this book firstly because it is the sequel to Dave Pelzer’s first book A child called it. Another reason is the fact that this book seemed so interesting, how this little boy had to overcome so much and try and keep the will to survive. Another thing was that it was a true story, it wasn’t something someone just made up it was real obstacles that Dave Pelzer had to go through. I really love the fact that the writing was so descriptive I could almost feel what he was going through. I cried when I read this book tears of sadness and tears of joy. This is a wonderful book for anyone who like non-fiction books and like a bit a suspense. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone it is one of those books that you never really forget. Reviewed by Taralin in 2007