Wondering About Wonder?- Wonder written by: R.J. Palacio

Are you wondering about Wonder? Well have no fear (kinda hard not to), August is here!

August (Auggie) Pullman thinks he's just a typical 10 year old kid with... a facial deformity that he was born with. When August was little he use to wear a space helmet around to help. But when August heads off to start fifth grade at Breecher Prep he knows he is going to be picked on. August was home schooled so he never experienced a school before. All the kids make fun of him, but he is use to it. August gets surprised when a girl decides to be friends with him, no one ever wanted to before. In the end after all the ups and downs; including his dog Daisy dying, getting hearing aids, and a massive fight, things start getting a lot better and August finds his true self. Join Auggie as he finds who is true friends are, including himself. This story is very heart breaking but ends with a happy ending. It's an emotional read, that you will find yourself enjoying.

What I liked about this book:
This book was so emotional and realistic. I loved the detail and the emotions. I would recommend this book for younger audiences and people that love sad, happy, emotional, and realistic stories.

What I didn't like about the book:
This book for me was a too easy read. I would of loved something more complex. Therefore I recommend this book for kids ages 10-12. I also didn't like "Justin's" part of the book, it really threw me off. I wold of also liked a longer story, something more. This book was overall good and sweet.

By: Tally <3 :)

The maze runner by: Jaque Lae :)

Thomas wakes up in an elevator and can only remember his name. He can't remember anything else-where he came from or who his parents were or what happened before he woke up. When he gets out of the elevator he finds himself in the glade. The other gladers are like Thomas-they have no memory of their life before entering the glade.  There is a maze that surrounds the glade, and each day the gladers try to solve the mystery of the maze to see if there is a way out of the glade. After Thomas arrives, the first girl appears the day after and before collapsing says: "everything will change." The next day Thomas works with the other gladers to solve the mystery of the maze and hopefully find there way out!
What I thought about this book: This was an amazing read, by far my most favourite too! The ending left me wanting more & I can't wait to read the next two books in the series when they come out. The action was non-stop and I loved how the reader didn't find out before Thomas what had happened to him in the past. recommended for ages 10 and above
Why I think this book should move on: If you love fast paced action, thrilling adventures and a mystery to find out at the end of the book then you'll for sure love this book! It describes the image so well that you literally feel like your right beside Thomas in the glade/maze. 

It's The Final Smackdown! ♪♫

(Doo-da-loo-doo, doo-da-loo-doo-doo)

It's down to the final two books! Which book will have all the glory and which will lose it all?

The Maze Runner ★★★★☆

“Tonight, they’d make their stand, once and for all...”   - James Dashner 

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He's surrounded by strangers-boys whose memories are also gone. They call themselves the Gladers, and just like Thomas, they don't know why or how they got to the Glade.
Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It's the only way out-and no one's ever made it through alive. 

Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the Maze Runner is a thrilling book filled to the brim with heroic action and wild moments! This book is fast paced and heart-pounding until the very last words!

Wonder ★★★☆☆

"When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind..."  - R.J. Palacio

August Pullman is an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face.

When August begins at middle school, he is nervous. Not only is he nervous for the same reasons as every other kid in his new class but because August cannot walk down the hall without being the subject of stares and cruelty. Auggie has a facial deformity that makes him appear different from everyone else. But is he really that different? Can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances?

R.J. Palacio has written a feel-good, warm, uplifting story that will have readers laughing one minute and wiping away tears the next. 

Hmmmm...Who to pick? Who to pick? Such a tough decision arises when both books are outstanding in their own right. I found that both books contained some life lessons in them, and good ones at that! 

Wonder: Our own words and actions are capable of building up or breaking down the human spirit.

The Maze Runner: If you never act, you'll never know for sure.

Now I must ask myself which book I enjoyed more and would like to see win. 

The Maze Runner of course! Good for Wonder for making it this far!

By: Kiah Vail
 7H2

And there were mazes vs The maze none

 Maze runner VS And then were none, although Maze runner has action and adventure, it also is very descriptive on most parts of the book and has bits of mind blowing awesomeness.And with And then there were none describes how every murder took place and where, it also leaves you confused about the killer.Both of these books are great but I choose And then there were none(gasp).  

And then there were none VS Maze Runner

 

In this smack down I have read both And Then There Were None and Maze Runner, and they were both good reads. But in the end there can only be one, and I believe the winner between the two should be Maze Runner. Maze Runner is by far better than And Then There Were None, it was so intense and more interesting. As much as I love And Then There Were None, half of the book was very dry and uninteresting, unlike Maze Runner. Maze Runner is one of my favourite books and I believe it has what it takes to win this smack down. 

The Maze Runner ~Aaliyah Jomha

The Maze Runner by James Dashner.

Summary by Aaliyah Jomha.

For the third round of the smack down I was assigned the book; The Maze Runner.  At first I will be honest, I was not excited to read this novel, but was pleasantly surprised at how intrigued I became.

This is an action packed novel about a boy named Thomas. He woke up one day inside a dark box, not knowing where he is and who he was. The only thing he could remember was his name. Thomas heard noises from outside the box, and shortly after the box opened. A large group of boys and young men, ranging from all ages, stood around the box staring, then acting to pull him up onto leveled ground. He was in “The Glade” trapped in a different world having no clue what was happening.

The Glade was a maze that someone each month was sent to. The maze is filled with creatures called “Grievers”, and if you were ever to face one, your death is almost surely concluded. The main point is to figure out a way out of the maze, which was the runners jobs. They had to go and explore the maze, and be back before the maze doors closed for the night. Thomas disparity wanted to become a runner as soon as he heard of the job. This story goes through his struggles, and the conflicting events he faced in becoming a runner. Thomas experiences many dreadful action packed adventures that were really intriguing, and full of suspense. “Is the maze solved?”, “Do they survive?”, “How were they trapped in there anyways?”, this book has the answers.

 

What I liked about the book was how it kept me wanting to read more. I’m not usually fond of books like this, but the events that happened even though they weren’t real, they almost seemed possible.  It keeps you thinking, and makes you wonder what you would do. I recommend this book to all teenagers no matter what genre they prefer.

Even though it was a good book, I really dislike the ending. It had too much stuff happening it almost was annoying, and frustrating. I would’ve made it simpler and cut out a lot of the events that occurred. It also was also really saddening how they killed my favourite character.  I wish the author had chosen someone else instead of him.

Overall it was a great book, and I’m not surprised that it won.

And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie - Owen 7H1

          Ten strangers are invited to Indian Island by a mysterious and absent host, U. N. Owen.  Everyone on the island has something to hide.  Shortly after their arrival it is revealed that each guest has caused the death of another person or persons in their past.  Each person wasn't punished for their crime.  One by one, the ten guests are killed.  The murders follow the pattern of a nursery rhyme that is hung on the walls of the rooms in the house on Indian Island.  After each death, a china Indian figurine is removed from a collection that originally was made up of ten.  Unable to leave the island or determine who the murderer is, the guests live in fear until none remain.


          I liked this book because it was suspenseful.  I never knew who was going to die next and I couldn't figure out who the murderer was. I also found the characters interesting.  The narrative was in omniscient so that you got to know what each character was thinking.  I liked how the murderer was revealed through a written confession at the end of the book.


          I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good murder mystery.

READ THIS BOOK TO FIND OUT WHO DID IT AND HOW THEY DID IT!