I felt like this book had nothing going for it until about 3/4s of the way through. It moved so slowly and I really didn't care for any of the characters. The ending was a bit of a deus ex machina ploy to save the day where someone acted in a way that wasn't at all foreshadowed and didn't fit his character. I did enjoy the world, what little is truly built, as well as the descriptions. Dhonielle Clayton has a nice style and I do believe the next books in this series will improve on this book's flaws. I did not enjoy the pacing (I probably wouldn't have finished if not for the audiobook) or the love interest. Camille's character is mostly forgettable, as are everyone else. The characters are all quite flat, so I'm hoping to see most of them grow into themselves over the next installment. Overall, this book wasn't terrible, and it wasn't good. I will read the next in the series simply because I'll have it in my classroom library. If not for that, I probably wouldn't bother.

This book allows students and readers two distinct looks into police brutality in an incident that could happen anywhere in America. Through Rashad we see the side of the victim of a brutal police beating when he is accused of stealing from a convenience store. We watch his painful recovery in the hospital room where he deals with broken ribs, a broken nose, and internal bleeding as well as an ex-police father who seems angry at him instead of the cop. Then we get the perspective of Quinn, a teenager from the same school who was friends with the cop who beat Rashad and the cop's brother. The scope of the story focuses on the actions and inner struggles of these two boys but also includes the actions of teachers, coaches, parents, siblings, and other community members. I read this book in less than a day because I couldn't put it down. There are no surprise plot twists, so the focus stays exactly where it needs to - on all the absent young men of color. I am so proud to have this in my classroom library. There are a few curse words here and there as well as incidents of brutal beatings, but these things are real and we cannot afford to look the other way or more boys will be "absent again today".

A must read for everyone!

This is the most important sports novel of our generation and one of the most important of any genre to come out this decade. Ibtihaj's journey and her response to anti-Muslim rhetoric are inspiring. This book was a quick and easy read and never once felt boring. It's not often that I'm able to say that about a memoir. I am proud and excited to present this book to my classroom library and hope that all students have access to this book. I look forward to seeing what Ibtihaj does in the future and am happy to see that she is still involved in fencing, activism, and fashion.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Parts of it read to me like a fifth gospel. I needed to hear that it is possible to trust in God, even when all you feel is his complete absence. I especially appreciated the metaphors of solar and lunar spirituality. It is comforting to see that such an effective priest does not have full on solar spirituality, where she feels God's presence and has a thriving faith life at all times. This gives me hope for myself, that I might still be an effective minister, perhaps even more so, to those like me who often find themselves walking in the dark.

I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't as profound as All American Boys, but it was definitely satisfying, and maybe a little poetic in its own way. Ghost is the kid who can't sort himself out. He's so full of anger, and although he knows it's because of what his Dad did to his family, he still can't really process such a traumatic emotion. He's full of rage, a bit of fear, and even love for his Dad and these emotions are difficult to reconcile. So he runs. Away.
Ghost runs away from everything and makes a few stupid decisions and wrong turns along the way. But as bad as things get, Ghost learns there are adults and peers in his life that he can turn to, even if he is a poor, black kid from the projects in dopey knock-off sneakers.

This book is such a quick read. It's short and fast paced which means it is not the least bit intimidating. My reluctant and low level readers will enjoy this book, girls and boys. I'm excited to read the rest of this series.

This book was a lovely experience. I enjoyed Sage's point of view so much. I feel like I can't say much about this one without spoiling anything good, because it was all wonderful and every bit of it will keep you on the edge of your seat.
I recommend this to anyone who likes intrigue, mysteries, medieval royalty, and sarcasm.
I picked up the next book in the series immediately after finishing this one.

For a middle book, The Runaway King really delivers. I enjoyed it all the way through. There were no slow parts an all of the new characters were fantastic. Every time it felt like things were going too well, reality would come crashing down for the young king. This book has a message of perseverance and it was a fun read.

I am torn between giving this book 4 or 5 stars. I am absolutely amazed at the character of Deitrich Bonhoeffer and have already ordered his book The Cost of Discipleship. I want to know more about his thoughts and his theological arguments. I feel like this book could have gone a bit more in depth in those areas and could have also distinguished some of the other conspirators with more details. Perhaps it was simply their German names, but I had difficulty in keeping some of the other characters straight in my mind. I did find it helpful to return to the list of those involved in the conspiracy provided at the front of the book.

For the average high school or junior high student, this book will most likely cover what they would want to know, although some might be disappointed that the promise of the title is really only discussed in the last few pages.

I finally decided on 4 stars over 5 because I believe it will leave so many people wanting just a bit more to feel they completely know the man and the story of the conspiracy.

Overall, this is an excellent introduction to Bonhoeffer and the plot to kill Hitler. It also offers a cohesive look at how events spiraled to the point where a pacifist would decide to commit murder and break the commandments he vowed to uphold. I will definitely recommend this to my classroom full of 7-12th grade readers.

I think this book was the weakest of the trilogy. The plot twists were easy to see coming from the beginning of the book. I knew immediately what was a trick by the author and what was a trick by Jaron. Still, it was an enjoyable ride, and I'm not in the target audience and more widely read than most, so what twists were obvious to me might still be surprising to young teens reading this book. By the end of book three, I've just figured out this author's style.

I thought everything ended a little too perfectly. This book is about war. The idea that everything will turn out okay if you're just clever enough is a little too childish, even for the target audience. Jaron did have to learn some lessons over the course of this book, but this idea won't leave the reader learning as much as I would have hoped.

I did like the book, and I'm glad I've finished it. I look forward to reading some historical fiction by this author.

I've probably read this book at least fifteen times in the course of my teaching career. It's infuriating and frustrating in all the ways it should be. It's perfect for teaching connotation, foreshadowing, inference making skills, and literature circle (book club) jobs.

It's a must read for everyone upper elementary/junior high and above.