Rootless by Chris Howard

Full Nam: Mrs. G
Title & Author: Rootless by Chris Howard
Impression: Good

Recommend: Yes
Favorite part: Great cover. Banyan was the main character, a young hero, fighting to find his father, and the last forest. Every time Banyan came upon a battle and had to fight his way out, I could hear Indiana Jones music playing in the back of my head. Chris Howard was also very kind to skype our book club and he was absolutely wonderful. Bravo Mr. Howard if you can keep teenagers reading you are on top of the trees. Looking forward to book two. Highly recommend this book. Thank you Chris
Favorite character: Banyan: The Banyan tree grows in India and Bangladesh and is held sacred in both places. The tree begins life as an epiphyte on a host tree, gathering its nourishment and water from the air. As it grows, its lateral branches send down supporting roots that become absorbing roots when they reach the ground. Eventually, the host tree is smothered as the banyan continues to send out more branches and roots. The mature Banyan's canopy may cover an area more than 1,000 feet in diameter. The stems below the canopy form a kind of columned room.
Summary: Banyan a young tree builder living in a world with no more trees and the only food source is corn begins a journey to find his father and the last forest. On his journey he meets mysterious people, who are not trustworthy, and fights pirates and locusts along his way. Running out of time, running out of space, running, running, running. Banyan makes shocking discoveries about his family, his past, and how far people will go to bring trees back.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Name: Naorin H. Grade Level: 11
Title & Author: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Impression: Good
Recommend: Yes
Favorite part: My favorite part was reading the letters from Dante because he changes so much after he goes to Chicago but he never forgets Ari.
Favorite Character:  My favorite character was Dante because he's such a lively character and he firmly supports all his beliefs and acts on them.
Summary:

Ari has always been a loner until one summer when he meets Dante. Dante teaches him how to swim and they become best friends. One day, Dante and Ari get into a car accident. Ari saves Dante's life but nearly dies himself in the process. They're bond is as close as ever and continues to strengthen with every obstacle thrown at them.

Rootless by Chris Howard

Name: Jaden A. Grade: 12
Title & Author: Rootless by Chris Howard
Impression: Excellent
Recommend: Yes

Favorite Part: The whole Book!!!!! :)

Favorite Character: I like the character Bayan in Rootless because. He is a strong and determined tree builder, who is looking for his father, in which he finds loyal friends that can help him on his adventure.

Summary: The book is about a young tree builder named Bayan who is looking for his father who was kidnapped a long time ago by Gentech agents. As Bayan is looking for his father he meets people who will help him on his mission to try and get back his father. Bayan will learn some secrets that he will never forget!!!!

Feedback: Definitely read this book!!!!!! :)

Rootless by Chris Howard

Name: Naorin H. Grade: 11
Title & Author: Rootless by Chris Howard

Impression: Good
Recommend: Yes

Favorite Part: My favorite part was when Banyan and Zee first see the bark on the Rasta's chest. This foreshadows much of the information Banyan later finds out on Promise Island. I liked this scene because the idea of wood being a part of the body is such a strange concept and difficult to grasp. I was torn between being amazed and disgusted at the thought.

Favorite Character: My favorite character was Alpha because she is such a strong character. When we first meet her, she is the enemy. However, she develops a relationship with Banyan and he can trust her even though she is a pirate. Her pirate background makes her a true leader, especially in battle.

Summary: Banyan is a nomad tree builder. He travels the nation building trees from scraps of metal for rich people who want a taste of nature in this post-apocalyptic treeless world. He encounters evidence that real trees do still exist and that his father may be found among them. Along with a few comrades, Banyan sets off to find these sacred trees. Together, the team encounters many obstacles but ultimately make it to their destination: Promise Island.

Feedback: I really enjoyed reading about the world of Rootless. It's difficult to imagine life without any trees at all and the adapting of the characters to this world was very interesting to read about.

In Darkness by Nick Lake

Name: Karishma R. Grade: 9

Title & Author: In Darkness by Nick Lake

Impression: Okay

Recommend: No

Favorite part: My favorite part was the ending where Shorty finds out that his sister was dead all the time, but his mother never told him because she wanted him to remain hopeful.

Favorite character: My favorite character was Maeguerite because she is was the one to keep everyone hopeful, during the hardest times.

Summary: The story begins with Shorty being buried under a collapsed hospital. He is visited by a spirit named Toussaint l’Ouverture that takes him to the different periods through Haiti. Throughout the story he tells you about how he got there and what he was trying to do.

In Darkness by Nick Lake

Name: Christine A. Grade: 12

Title & Author: In Darkness by Nick Lake

Recommend: No

Favorite part: I don’t have a favorite part in this book

Favorite character: I didn’t have a favorite character

Summary: Gang member, Shorty, is trapped under a pile of rubble after an earthquake strikes Haiti. We relive Haiti’s past through the view of Touissaint L’Ouverture, a revolutionary that lead a slave uprising nearly 200 years ago. This story is also read through Shorty’s point of view. Dark magic of voodoo and dreams, which is connecting Shorty and Toussaint together, presents itself as Touissaint L’Ouverture remerges into the boy’s body and comes out from the darkness.

Additional feedback: I didn’t enjoy the book as much as I thought I would. It seemed to drag on and it instantly made me fed up with the story after the first couple of chapters. Although I love history, I hate it when it hinders on and on, which is why I stopped reading the book half way. If you are truly into history and fiction, be my guest and read this book but otherwise, I wouldn’t recommend it.

In Darkness by Nick Lake

Name: Naorin H. Grade: 11
Title & Author:  In Darkness by Nick Lake
Impression? AwfulRecommend? No
Favorite part?   I had no favorite part.
Favorite character? Why?  I had no favorite character.
Small summary:  Shorty gets stuck alive under the rubble from a hospital that collapsed during the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. He tells his story of how he got to that point as he dreams of Toussaint L'Ouverture, the Haitian rebel who led the slave revolt 200 years ago.
Additional feedback: This book was so boring that I couldn't finish it, which means it must be incredibly boring because I always make an effort to finish a book no matter how much I dislike it. It was much too slow and just kept going on and on about things rather than moving forward. The Then chapters were especially boring because they were all historical and I'm not a fan of history.