The Alchemist

Reviewed by: Henry, Age 13

A wonderful book with great life lessons.

Genre: Allegory

Setting: Asia (mostly)

Introduction:

A young shepherd is having the same dream about the pyramids and treasure over and over. While in a town, he meets a strange man who claims he is a king. He inspires the boy to follow his dream and find his treasure. Along the way he learns great lessons.

Themes: Personal goals, greatness, happiness, learning, destiny, wisdom, and other things.

Recommended Age: 11 and up.

Full Disclosure: nothing

Rating: 5 stars

Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls

Reviewed by: Henry, age 13

A preposterous storyline with a touching moral. This book is good if you like perfectly good plans which are thwarted  in silly ways, action, ponies, Where the Red Fern Grows, or monkeys.

Genre: Fiction

Setting: Modern Era, Cherokee country.

Introduction:

A young farm boy on Cherokee land is playing in the wooded ravine by his house when he sees something strange. A monkey! It yells at him and he gets out of there fast. When he talks to his grandpa, he learns that there is a reward for returning them to the circus they escaped from. And it will be enough buy a pony, which he has dreamed of riding for quite a while. But catching a monkey turns out to be harder than he thought...

Themes: Determination, Family love, Cleverness, Caring for less fortunate

Recommended Age: 10 and up, younger if read aloud

Full Disclosure: The monkeys get him drunk at one point, but he feels terrible afterward

Rating: 5 stars

Other Books:  I don't think this is a series, but it is written by the same author as Where the Red Fern Grows.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey

Reviewed by: Kimball, age 15

Genre: Self-Help

Time Period: Present

Introduction:

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens is a guide to life geared towards teenagers, specifically of high school age, detailing seven practices and ideals one should adopt to become successful later in life as an adult. The seven habits are:

1. Be proactive-- you do not control circumstance, so don't let it control you
2. Begin with the end in mind-- plan out your life and decisions
3. Put first things first-- prioritize and don't procrastinate
4. Think win-win-- it's not a competition, nobody's better than everyone else
5. Seek first to understand, then be understood-- keep counsel with others, don't just give advice
6. Synergize-- use teamwork and play your strengths
7. Sharpen the saw-- practice your talents and take a break once in a while

Themes: goal setting, interpersonal relationships, 

Recommended Age: 14 and up

Full Disclosure:

This book is for teens, but aimed at high-school age teens rather than 13 year-olds. However, while they might not get as much out of it, these are life skills and they will benefit from reading this book. Book also mentions sex.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Other Books: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)