Pond Scum — Alan Silberberg
Published by Hyperion, 2005

Pond Scum (by Alan Silberberg) is an amazing book that made me laugh out loud. The story is about this kid Oliver who has to move to the country where he finds this gem that turns him into any pond creature he touches. It's a cool story any kid would like—and you should check it out!

—Zachary, 12, Montreal

Foundation — Isaac Asimov
Published by Spectra, 1991

I LOVE the Foundation novels by Isaac Asimov. They are my favorite books. If you liked the movie I, Robot, then read these books. They have the complexity and intellectual charm that are in all of Asimov's books, and compelling action as well.

—Zakary, 10

The Time Machine — H.G. Wells
Originally published in 1895

The Time Machine is a science fiction story by H.G. Wells, a famous English author. It was first published in 1895. It's about a man who invents a time machine that he uses to travel to the year 802 701.

In that year, the world is controlled by beings that live underground called the Morlocks. The Morlocks control a humanlike group of beings that live on the surface of Earth. They are called the Eloi. The Morlocks treat the Eloi very badly. They butcher and cook the Eloi as a source of food. They are strict carnivores, and the Eloi are terrified of them.

The Time Traveler spends most of his time on Earth's surface with the friendly Eloi. He ends up saving the life of an Eloi named Weena. Weena becomes dedicated to the Time Traveler and accompanies him in his exploration of the world as it existed in 802 701.

The Time Traveler becomes an enemy of the Morlocks. This causes them to attack the Time Traveler, who uses the fire from matches to win over them. Unfortunately, the matches start a forest fire that injures the Morlocks and also kills his good friend Weena. The angry Morlocks try to capture him, but he frees himself and his time machine (which had been captured by the Morlocks). He uses it to escape from the year 802 701. Before the Time Traveler returns to his time, he sees glimpses of the future. He sees the end of the world starting to take form.

Then, the Time Traveler returns to his own time. He tells his friends what had happened to him. They, unfortunately, do not believe him.

I think that the main idea that the author tried to express is that mistreatment of others now will lead to a sad future—just as the Morlocks abuse the Eloi and use them as a food source. H.G. Wells used the example of the friends not believing the Time Traveler as an example of mistreatment in the present. I think people should pay more attention to this concept because this might be true some day.

—Amara, Grade 6

Outernet — Steve Barlow and Steve Skidmore
Published by Scholastic, 2002

Have you ever wondered if there was an alien Internet? There is, and you can find out about it in the superb novel Outernet.

Jack received a laptop that he learned was not an ordinary computer. It could send Outernet mail and transport to other planets in the universe. You might think this story happens in the future, but it does not. It takes place in the present.

If you like books with lots of action and intergalactic adventures, you will want to read Outernet. The story is great because of the suspense and actual science the authors use.

Jack and his two friends, Merle and Loaf, thought Outernet was just a game, but were they ever wrong! During one unsuspected travel, Jack escaped from prison just before alien guards could capture him. He was the first to discover that Outernet was not a game but designed to save the universe from evil aliens.

The main idea the authors were trying to express was that ordinary things in our world can be more than we think. They were also trying to tell us that we are not alone in our universe.

—Jacob, Grade 5

The Giver — Lois Lowry
Published by Laurel Leaf, 1994

The book is about Jonas, who lives in a world of the future. At age 12, a Committee of Elders determine what profession each child will have. This society has many rules, and those who disobey are "released." Very few disobey because life is pleasant and structured.

Jonas is a unique and special 12-year-old. He is chosen by the elders to be the next "Receiver." His teacher is the "Giver," who possesses all the memories of his people's history. He remembers war, famine, disaster, and feels the pain and suffering associated with it. By doing so, he spares his people this hardship, and they are able to continue living their artificial but happy life.

The "Giver" is old and needs to download this information to Jonas. As Jonas becomes more knowledgeable, he despises this society for their ignorance and their destruction or "release" of life just because people do not conform or become too old. He plans to escape, and by doing so, the society will have all of their memories return to them. He takes with him the infant Gabriel. Jonas loves Gabriel and wants to save him from being released.

The Giver is a book unlike any I have read before. Even though it had very little action, I was fascinated and felt a lot of emotion. I thought that Jonas was very brave, intelligent, and kind. My favourite part was when he decided to escape in order to rescue Gabriel from being "released." His absence would also result in the memories of the past returning to the community, resulting in chaos. His escape to "Elsewhere" was a struggle for survival. Jonas shared pleasant memories with Gabriel in order to ease their fear and pain.

The author was pointing out that what seems to be perfect on the surface may not always be. There may be different ways of living but nothing in life is perfect. It made me appreciate the life that I have and not to take it for granted. Along with bad memories, there are a lot of good memories, so it is better to make your own choices than to have someone else make them for you. He showed that having emotions was better than not feeling any at all.

—Derek, Grade 6

The Giver tells about how if everybody was the same, we would not be very happy or have feelings or be able to see color.

I liked this book because it gives lots of information.

—John, 10

Halo: The Fall of Reach — Steve Nylund
Published by Random House, 2001

Have you ever heard about the Spartan warriors and their battles in space to save Earth and the Planet Reach? I learned all about the Spartans when I read the book, Halo: The Fall of Reach.

The story takes place in space in the future. It starts in the year 2517 and ends in the year 2552. The main character in the story is Master Chief Mendez. There are other important characters such as John, Kelly, and Lieutenant Keyes. Master Chief Mendez is one of the best Spartans in the universe. He lives on the Planet Reach where the soldiers are trained to become "Super Soldiers" or Spartans. Mendez and the other Spartans need to save Earth by keeping the alien spaceship (the Covenant) from finding Earth and wiping out humankind. Mendez and the other Spartans have a huge battle against the aliens to save Earth. After the battle, Mendez is the only Spartan left, but the aliens are fought off and Earth is saved.

I liked the book because when I read it, I felt like it was happening in real life and I was there. I found that it was very descriptive, especially when it talked about the battles against the aliens. There is a lot of action in this book because there are a lot of battles, missions, and training obstacle courses. I liked the main character in this story. He was the best Spartan and he survived the battle with the aliens. Earth was saved because Mendez was the bravest Spartan of them all. My favorite part in the whole book was when the training camp started for the Spartans. It was neat hearing about the missions and obstacle courses that Lieutenant Keyes had John and Kelly do.

The main idea that the author shared was that if you try your best you can accomplish anything—just like the Spartans did. I learned from the book that if you are a Spartan, you should try your best and you can accomplish it. The Spartans were able to save Earth and all of humankind because they tried their very best.

—Mitchell, Grade 6

Interstellar Pig — William Sleator
Published by Penguin

The book Interstellar Pig is a very detailed story that leads you through a twisted path of mystery and science fiction. The writing paints a vivid picture in your mind.

It's about a teenager named Barney who takes a trip to the beach with his family. While there, they make friends—or so they thought—with some neighbors next door. Barney becomes curious about a board game that the neighbors enjoy playing. In his curiosity, he finds he is being led into something much more than just a game.

This book, although greatly enjoyable, is just a little bit too long. It is appropriate for kids ages 11 to 15.

—Maxwell, Grade 6

Animorphs #1: The Invasion — K.A. Applegate
Published by Scholastic, 1996

Have you ever wondered what’s it’s like to be an animal? Imagine all the new things that you could do! Ask Cassie, Rachel, Jake, Tobias, or even Marco.

My story, The Invasion, by K.A. Applegate is based on five kids who are 12 or 13 years old. The location and the year are not identified in the story. One casual night they are all hanging out at the arcade in the mall. Soon enough they all run out of quarters so they decide to head home. There are two ways of getting home, the long and safe way and the short but dangerous way. Foolishly they take the short way. The short way happens to pass through a construction site. While they’re passing through it they meet an Andilite. An Andilite is a creature from another galaxy. It looks part human and part horse, except that it has four eyes and its body is blue. Well when they meet the Andilite he tells them about Taxxons, Hork Bajirs and Yerks (these are all aliens). He also tells them about their scheme to take over the earth. Since there isn’t much the Andilite can do, he gives them power to morph into any animal they want. This is where the story begins.

The main idea of my story is how five kids strive to save the world. They do this by working together. I think this is a great book because it really is exciting and it makes you feel like you’re in the story. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes adventure. The story really made me wonder if some day there might be animorphs.

—Angela, Grade 6

Animorphs #19: The Departure — K.A. Applegate
Published by Scholastic, 1999

This book is about a girl named Cassie who is an Animorph. This means that she has the ability to change, or morph into an animal. After a battle, Cassie decides that she doesn’t want to be an Animorph anymore. Cassie doesn’t like battles because she doesn’t like hurting other creatures for no reason. Now that she has quit the Animorphs, the Animorphs’ leader, named Jake, tells her not to morph anymore. Cassie agrees.

In this book there are people called human-controllers. Human-controllers are people that have something called Yeerks in their brains. Yeerks are slug-like things that go into people’s brains and take over. When a Yeerk takes over, it hurts a lot; the Yeerk sprays this chemical and then you feel like you are being paralyzed, a little bit at a time.

I did not really like the book because I felt that there was too much fighting. In the first six pages Cassie had already been in two fights. I liked Cassie because I thought she was brave, but she also did some stupid things. She was brave to quit the Animorphs, and then still have battles. She was also brave because she would not fight when she thought it was not right to have a fight. Cassie was stupid when she pressed a human-Controller’s ear against her own, which allowed a Yeerk to crawl into her brain. My favorite part was when Cassie quit the Animorphs because she had to be brave to say that.

I think the main idea that the author is trying to share is that even though you may think something is right, it may not necessarily be the right thing to do. I think this is the idea because Cassie does some things she thinks are right but which most definitely are not right. For instance, she seems to think that it is okay to morph in front of a human-controller. Also, she lets a Yeerk get into her brain by not thinking things through before she acted. This was one of my first science fiction books, and it was fun to read something new.

—Colleen, Grade 5

Ender's Game — Orson Scott Card
Published by Tor Books, 1985

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is an amazing book. It is set in the future, when humans have begun leaving Earth, but in leaving, they have run into a foreign species, the formics, or buggers. They are a species who made no attempt to communicate with humans and simply killed all humans they met.

Ender, a child on earth, is recruited to battle school, an orbiting battle training school for brilliant children. There he engages in rigorous training and becomes the best, though he is one of the youngest. The training is in the form of all kinds of games, which Ender always wins. He’s smart enough to know that the formics will come again and that time is running out. But is he the one to lead the battle when they come?

The book is amazing, and anyone who likes it should also look into its sequels, Ender's Shadow, Xenocide, and Shadow of the Hegemon.

—Evan

The Guardians — John Christopher
Published by Macmillan, 1970

A really good science fiction book is The Guardians by John Christopher. I recommend it for people who like science fiction books with plenty of action!

The main character is Rob Randall. He lives in a place called the Conurb. The Conurb is a place where the people's lives are based on very advanced technology. The opposite of the Conurb is the County. In the County, the people have turned the clock back. They are living in the time before the car was invented. In both places, life is perfectly organized and pleasant. Conurbans stay in the Conurb; the gentry stay in the County. Conurbans look down on the gentry; the gentry look down on the Conurbans.

When Rob's father dies, he is sent to boarding school. There, the rules are strict, and boys who have been there longer torment Rob. He remembers that his mother came from the County into the Conurb, and he decides to escape by going from the Conurb into the County.

After he escapes successfully, he is found by a boy named Mike. Rob is adopted into Mike's family. The two boys become friends. Then, Rob discovers that Mike is part of a rebel group. This group does not like the rules laid down for the people. Rob must decide whether or not to help Mike. Is it possible that, behind the pleasant things in life, there is a problem Mike sees and Rob does not?

—Sarah, 11

Dinotopia: River Quest — John Vornholt
Published by Random House, 1995

Somewhere on a lost island, where half of the population is made up of dinosaurs, is a world full of adventure. And when you get there, you'll never want to leave.

The main characters, Magnolia and Paddlefoot, are the new habitat partners of Freshwater. They live in Waterfall City, on the west side of Dinotopia. After their 6-year apprenticeship, their master Edwick decides to turn the job over to Magnolia and Paddlefoot because of his recent injury near Volcaneum. As soon as they get back to Waterfall City, they have to start on their first assignment before they even get their coronation ceremony! The Polongo River, the lifeblood of Waterfall City, has mysteriously stopped flowing, and it's up to Magnolia to fix it.

In this book, the two partners, along with their new friends Birch and Rogo, were constantly in some kind of a jam and having to figure their way out of things. Magnolia was always quick to think of a solution, but still depended a lot on Birch and Rogo. My favorite part of the book was when Paddlefoot, the 6-ton dinosaur, sank down to his waist in quicksand and tried lying on his stomach to float to the top.

Dinotopia had a lot of interesting information, and I learned a lot about nature and dinosaurs. I think that the main idea of this story is that there is a whole "other world" inside our world that's full of opportunities just like our world, and a dinosaur has just as much of a chance as a person. Here, anybody should have just as much of a chance as anybody else. In Dinotopia, Magnolia has one of the most important jobs on the whole island, and she's only 13 years old.

—Katie, Grade 6

Dinotopia: Firestorm — Gene DeWeese
Published by Random House, 1997

I'm sure you've wondered what the world would be like today if dinosaurs existed. Well, I decided to read a book about an island where dinosaurs exist. The book is part of the Dinotopia series, and it's called Firestorm.

Olivia has always wanted to become an apprentice for Esther, a female part of the round table. The round table is filled with Dinotopians who try to figure out what's causing problems in Dinotopia. But there's something going wrong on the island: A blight is causing all Tribulor plants to die. The residents need the Tribulor plants because they make Dinotopians live up to 200 years! It's up to Olivia, her partner Albert, and their dinosaurs Thunderfoot and Hightop to save Dinotopia.

The plot in this story was very interesting because, if I were Olivia, I would be trying so hard to find out what was causing the blight. She always wanted to become Esther's apprentice but her partner Albert was trying to help her with her theories about the blight, but what he was really doing was giving her a better chance at the job than him.

I liked the main character, Olivia, because she always stayed focused on the task that needed to be done. I liked the part where Olivia and her companions are trapped in the middle of a raging fire. This part was interesting because the book didn't really have a lot of action in it and this part couldn't be more exciting.

The main idea of this book was "never give up." Olivia and Albert were so close to finding out what was causing the blight and every time they had a theory they were so close to the actual answer that it was really starting to bug them. So when you read this book, I hope you learned what I learned: Never give up.

—Rachel, Grade 6

Aliens Ate My Homework — Bruce Coville
Published by Minstrel Books/Pocket Books, 1993

The book, Aliens Ate My Homework, takes place in a small town in the United States. By the way the characters talk to each other and the description of items from their daily lives, I think the book takes place within the last 10 years. It is a story about a boy named Rod Allbright who goes to school like any other normal kid. Unfortunately, the class bully always picks on him because he is overweight. While he's working on a school project for the science fair, tiny aliens come crashing through his bedroom window in a space ship. They come to Earth to capture another alien, an evil one named BKR. He is known in other galaxies for his cruelties. Rod gets bullied throughout the entire novel. The bully's name is Billy Becker, alias BKR! Rod does not discover that Billy is an evil alien until later on.

This book has lots of action and the main character is fun to read about. The most exciting part is when the aliens and Rod find out that BKR is Billy Becker and they skip school to go search his house. They get caught when BKR comes home from school. He traps them in a storing device where he keeps his alien items. They break free of the device and escape the house with some difficulty. Rod Allbright is fun to read about because he can never tell a lie. This gets him into trouble when the aliens eat his homework and he can’t make up an excuse.

The main idea that the author shares is that there can be other galaxies out in the universe with intelligent life forms that could be almost like our human race. In this case, the aliens are just like humans in the way they think even though they look different and have a different language. I learned that if you are nice to people they will be nice in return. This is proven in the book because Rod is nice to the aliens and they return the favor.

—Daniel, Grade 6

Space Guys! — Martha Weston
Published by Holiday House, 2000

Space Guys! is my favorite book. It is fun to read because the boy in the story has an adventure with aliens while his parents are sleeping. They don't believe him. But the boy took pictures. When the parents see the pictures they are surprised.

This book made me wonder how we go to space and travel from place to place. Will we ever live on other planets?

—Kevin, 7, Frankfurt, Germany

Marco's Millions — William Sleator
Published by Puffin Books, 2002

This book is about a boy named Marco and his sister named Lilly. Marco and Lilly's parents think that Lilly has a mental problem, but really she doesn't. She just sees everything differently. One day she leads Marco into the basement and tells him that she sees a hole in the wall. Marco steps through and sees a whole different world with different creatures. These creatures tell him to bring his sister back next time. Marco is frightened by this and tells Lilly never to go in there.

One of the times when Marco goes into the other world, the creatures say that they need his help or else their world and Marco's world will be destroyed. Marco finally agrees. He has to go through all these little challenges to save the worlds. He gets through all the challenges successfully, and when he is jolted to the present (since time goes slower so he would stay a lot younger), he's startled by what has happened to his family. If you want to know what happened to his family you will have to read the book.

Marco is the main character and a lot happens to him. He has to overcome his fears enough so he can save the worlds. He also has to lie to his parents saying that he is going on a trip with his friend, but really he is going to the other world. He also has to do a lot of problem solving to get through his challenges. This story takes place in other worlds/dimensions, and in Marco's basement. This story happens throughout years in the human world and days in the creature's world.

I liked this book because it has a lot of mystery and a lot of action. For example, at one point in the book, Marco is running out of a dimension and he has to get through a hole to get back to the creature world. Just before he reaches the hole, the author changes the subject so you don't find out right away. At another point in the story, Marco has to keep his backpack away from people when he is in one of the dimensions, and people are chasing him. He has to run away from all of them and escape from that dimension because if he doesn't, then one of the people will get into his backpack and steal his special box that controls gravity.

I liked the main character because he isn't afraid to try things, and he also cares about his sister so much that he risks his life to protect her. My favorite part in the book is when Marco goes through the black hole. In the black hole, there are pictures of different lands. If he wants to, he can jump through them, and he would be in that land.

I think the author's main idea is don't be afraid to do things that you're scared to do and to be adventurous. I learned that you shouldn't be scared to try things that might frighten you. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

—Kayla, Grade 6

Star Wars: Crisis at Crystal Reef (Young Jedi Knights) — Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta
Published by Berkley, 1998

The story takes place a long time ago in a galaxy far away on the planets Yavin 4 and Kessel (Crystal Reef). Addictions in this world can be quite painful and make you do strange things. This is the theme of the book. The main character, Anja Gallandro, has an addiction to a spice that drives people mad. When her supply of spice runs low, she steals a ship from her friend and races off to Kessel in a desperate search to find more. Her friend Zekk, the other main character, follows her in another ship to chase her down before she hurts anyone.

This book contains a great deal of action, from chasing the evil menace, Czethros, to fighting the beast that lies deep within Kessel. It makes the story very interesting. The character Zekk is my favorite because he has plenty of courage and strength and never turns back when things get difficult. He always has an idea just waiting to be let out, and every character respects this. I think the best part of the story is near the beginning when Anja's addiction takes over and she secretly journeys off the planet.

The authors, Anderson and Moesta, try to explain the importance of determination throughout the story. They demonstrate how the characters need to take over their problems before their problems take over them. I also feel they're saying that you need to believe in your friends and never give up on them. I discovered a great deal about technology and space in this book through both real and fictional settings and places. I also learned that even the smallest of things, such as spice, can hold the deadliest evils of all.

—Jacob, Grade 6

Halo: Combat Evolved (Video Game)
Published by Bungie, 2001

Halo is a game for Xbox. In my opinion, it's the coolest game in the world. It's a first-person shooting game. It's a science fiction game because it is set in space and the space ships can go faster than light speed. There are a couple of alien races that you encounter, and you fight them using plasma weapons. Also, the world of Halo is a very unusual place. It's a world with an atmosphere, which means it has a lot of gravity, but it's a world that is made by the aliens.

You start out on a ship called The Pillar of Autumn. You play as the Master Chief. His name is not mentioned, and you don't get to see his face. He is really cool. The ship gets attacked by an alien race called the Covenant. You escape and land on a ring-like structure that has an atmosphere to support life. Unfortunately, you crash land, and everybody but you dies. So you have to survive, with the Covenant all around you, searching for you. You have to use various weapons that you find to beat the Covenant, with some Marine support and health packs along the way. You have to find and rescue the captain of The Pillar of Autumn, whose name is Captain Keyes. You go through various levels, and you meet a new enemy that is nastier than the Covenant—in fact, it scares them half to death. You find out the real purpose for the ring-like thing called Halo, and unfortunately it's bad for you and everyone else. Now your battle to survive is even harder.

Halo allows single-player, multiplayer, and cooperative games. It was named "game of the year" in the year it came out. If you like lots of action, a bit of suspense, and excellent game play, this is the game for you.

Note: This game is rated M for mature, but there isn't very much blood or guts.

—Kayla, 12

Outernet: Friend or Foe — Steve Barlow and Steve Skidmore
Published by Scholastic, 2002

My favorite fiction book is called Outernet. It's about an intergalactic war between the FOES and the Friends, who are fighting over servers, which are machines that connect creatures from other planets through the Outernet. Every planet in the Milky Way has one except Earth. Whoever has all the servers will control the galaxy.

The FOES leader is the tyrant who wants to rule the universe. The Friends want to restore balance to the galaxy. Their leader is the Weaver, who created the Outernet. But no one has ever seen him. There is only one server left in the Friends, and it gives the identity of the Weaver.

—Romal, 14