Have you read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins yet?

Well, what are you waiting for?!  It is one of the best books I have read in years.  It is well-written with great pacing.  The characters are believable and dynamic, flawed but sympathetic.  Katniss, the main character, is strong and deeply flawed.  I truly enjoyed imagining her in her world.  She is my hero.  They are making it into a movie and I am confident in the outcome there.  The book is so beloved and smart.  It won the Truman Award and Gateway Award in Missouri this year and is being added to middle school curriculum.
Seriously, get this book.  NOW. 

Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer (First Review)

So, this past year, many of my students got into the Vladimir Tod books. I had read the first one, but got busy and forgot about the rest. Several students begged me to read them (you know who you are) and so I am taking time this summer to read the series. I started by rereading the first one since it had been so long. The writing is striking me as a bit oddly descriptive, but I will read on. I hope to read the Maximum Ride series this summer, but we will see.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner (Final Review)

SPOILER ALERT - THIS IS A FINAL REVIEW OF THIS BOOK AND CONTAINS SPOILERS

I just finished this book yesterday and loved it! It's a bit bleak, but his writing is so descriptive that it pulled me in. Thomas is a likeable character, especially the way he mourned Chuck. I also love that we (as readers) still know very little about the world in which these boys live. We have gone from the horror of the Maze to some new unimaginable horror. I bought The Scorch Trials and will be starting that soon.