The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

Blurb submitted by Kemberlee Jordan
(The Things They Carried is Fiction)

The Things They Carried is a book that is full of stories or chapters. The stories or chapters are told by a character named Tim O'Brien who narrates a majority of the stories. The characters in the book were sent to the Vietnam War to fight. Each soldier had some type of good that was comforting to that was necessary for their survival, along with personal items. The Characters were Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, Norman Bowker, Rat Kiley, Henry Dobbins, and Tim O'Brien. LT Jimmy Cross  carries letters and pictures from his friend Martha, who he also moons over. Norman Bowker carries the thumb of a Vietnamese boy for good luck. Rat Kiley carried comic books and he is also a pretty good storyteller. Henry Dobbins carries extra portions of desserts. There are other characters in the book like Curt Lemon, Azar, Kiowa, Mitchell Sanders, and several others. Even though almost all of the characters have brought something from back home that helped keep them comfort, a majority of them were scared or trying to brave enough for the sake of the other soldiers. LT Jimmy Cross was in charge of everyone fighting in Vietnam. The stories themselves are interesting and this is a really good book to read, especially if you like war books.

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

Blurb submitted by Colten Frank
(I Am Number Four is Fiction)

Have you ever wondered whether the conspiracies of aliens walking the earth along with us are true or simply just a hoax made up by someone seeking attention? Well, the conspiracies are in fact true. Aliens do walk the earth. And not only do they walk the earth, but they walk the earth disguised as humans. Though not all of them are bad, they are simply trying to survive extinction in a world where they are hunted by an alien of another species. Once the ten remaining come into full power of their own abilities they will be able to unite as one and save their race but, since they started their journey on earth, warriors one, two, and three have been executed and the remaining seven are running out of time. Luckily the bad species have to kill the warriors in order, so as long as number four can survive so will the rest of their race. The story being told from Number Four's perspective shows the difficult and agonizing tasks that he must endure in order to keep the others alive. Will the race survive or will they continue to be diminished until they are extinct? In his book, I am Number Four, Pittacus Lore keeps you at the edge of your seat until the very end where most of your questions are answered and some are left to the imagination. The roller coaster of excitement is most definitely worth it in the end and I would thoroughly suggest this book to anyone wanting to have fun with a book and just read for fun.