Soccerland by Beth Choat

Flora's life revolves around soccer. It's one of the only things that she enjoys doing. Not only is soccer Flora's dream but it's also her escape. It helps her forget everything stressful going on in her life such as her mother's cancer. The stress of trying to get into the Under-15 U.S.A. Girls' Soccer Team is really getting to Flora. Soon all of her time is spent practicing and practicing to hopefully get into the team. But when disaster strikes, will Flora have the strength and motivation to continue pursuing her dream?

You don't need to understand much about soccer before you read this book. The story explains any important soccer terms. That helps the reader connect to story even if they have no previous about soccer. The ending was realistic and is by far the best part of the book. It wasn't cheesy or impractical but it was honest and motivating. Although it wasn't really a happy ending, it was powerful and optimistic. The ending was also open to the reader to decide how they would like it to end. Overall, this was a very sweet story with an inspiring plot.

Flora is a modern day hero. She is very easy to connect to. Even though she is a very serious soccer player and it is a huge part of her life, her experiences make her relatable to almost anyone. She is determined and knows how to balance her time and energy. She battles stress, pressure and insecurities and overcomes them. Flora grew so much during the story and is worth paying close attention to.

DupliKate by Cherry Cheva

Kate has always been dreaming of going to Yale one day. As Kate knows, getting into Yale isn't easy. So she has been working extra hard everyday. Sometimes five times as much as the other students are but one day it'll all be worth it. But one day when Kate meets her "twin". At first she can't process the thought of how there is someone who looks exactly like her but isn't. But maybe this isn't such a bad idea. Now the real Kate Larson can do half as much work as she used to. But the computer version of Kate might cause some problems in the real Kate's life that no one could have predicted.
The overall idea of a twin version of the main character is not super original but yet it isn't overused either. I would have liked a better description of how Kate actually got a duplicate version of herself because it was a little bit confusing. The ending of the novel was perfect. It wasn't cheesy, lame or predictable. Overall, it was an average book. There were some confusing parts to the story but the other parts that were more relatable and exiting make up for it.
Kate was an above average character. She was determined, thoughtful and had an clever way of thinking. Rina, Kate's double, is kind of the opposite of Kate. She makes the story more humorous and keeps the story going on. Without her, the story wouldn't have anything interesting going on. There are other characters in the story but they aren't as essential to the story.

I've reviewed She's So Money by Cherry Cheva too so click here to see it.

The Declaration by Gemma Malley

Anna has spent her entire life trying to repay the world for her parents' sins. She never should have been born. It's all her parents' fault that she is forced to live as a Surplus. They signed the declaration and choose to live forever but then they just had to break the law and have children. Now Anna is trying to make herself useful so she can have the best life possible for someone like her but maybe the new Surplus, Peter, might change her mind about who she is and her purpose.
The plot was more original than I expected. There are many books about the concepts of immortality* but the fact that it's set in 2140, makes it more exciting and interesting. This is almost impossible to put down. Anna journey is full of surprises and suspense. The descriptions were vivid and were very important. The whole world of The Declaration almost seemed real due to the enormous amount of thought put into creating it. I absolutely loved this book!
Anna was an excellent choice for a main character because it was so easy to put yourself in her shoes. Peter is also a very likeable character mainly due to his bravery and determination. There are also many other characters who are worth noting but Anna and Peter are obvious favorites so it's hard to pay attention to the others.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Liesel Meminger has just stolen her first book. The first book out of a series of many more. Young Liesel later begins to live with her fosters parents during World War II. With the help of Hans Hubermann, Liesel's foster father, Liesel slowly learns how to read. Before she knows it, she is stealing books from wherever books can be found. But this nine-year-old girl's life isn't easy, war is a dangerous time especially if your family is hiding a Jew in their basement.
The narrator is a very interesting and unusual one and having Death tell the story was a very good choice. The little details in this book really are the reason that it is such a great book. From the odd friendship between the mayor's wife and Liesel to the snowman Liesel made with Max, the small details complete the story. Even though the very beginning of the story seemed rather slow, the powerful and unforgettable ending is the main reason why this book can easily become a favorite.
Even though she is not the obvious definition of heroic, Liesel is incredibly heroic for a nine-year-old girl. But Death was probably the most interesting character by far especially with his interesting point of view. In the beginning, I never thought that Death would have been so sympathetic but as the story went on, he started to become more and more caring toward Liesel. The secondary characters were a lot better than average especially Ruby, Max, and Rosa and Hans Hubermann.