BookLook Review "H.I.V.E."

“H.I.V.E.”
Kids accuse parents and teachers of using them as slaves. They complain we make them do our work for us – like take out the garbage, do the dishes and write our column. It’s true. Mr. Fluckiger’s fifth grade was conscripted this week to do my work for me. Thanks guys!
Most of the class really liked Mark Walden’s young adult book. Trysta submitted the most enthusiastic review I’ve ever read when she wrote, “HIVE are you kidding me, everyone that I know who’s read it loves it!” Her punctuation even gets me excited to read it. “It is a book that if you read it you’d be surprised that not all your predictions are right. Most of the time you will be wrong,” she continued.
H.I.V.E. stands for The Higher Institute of Villainous Education or as Kristina put it, “I’m not going to tell you because it is too long and it is a very different name. If you don’t like villain books you won’t like this book. But if you want a good book read this one.” I’m glad she reminded me what the title letters stood for, and I do like books with villains so there can also be heroes.
The story involves young characters who have been kidnapped and brought to a special school to learn how to become villains. Their peculiar talents and felonious activities have brought them to the attention of the sinister headmaster who plans on shaping them into the super crooks of the future. Kaden’s plot summary included, “Auto is stuck in HIVE and is hatching a plan to get out. How can he get out? The teachers are evil.” Evil teachers - must be our age difference perspective coming through or is Mr. Fluckiger not as beloved as I thought?
Kali summed up a couple of the characters. “Auto Malpence (main character) has been in an orphanage until one day he got tasered by a worker at HIVE. Shelby was a 13 year old girl, who was a professional jewel thief and she was like a ghost when she went to take the jewels” They do listen! I explained that the word wraith meant a ghostly apparition! I have made a difference in the world! That’s stretching it a bit, but still nice to know they have another vocabulary word to use.
Not everyone in the class loved the book. “If you wish to read an adventure book read HIVE. It’s not my type of book. I really am not a fan of realistic fiction. It is a weird and kinda creepy book. It’s just not my favorite thing,” wrote Erin. First of all, Erin I’m glad you can feel free to disagree. I often swim against the current and don’t like popular books either. But just to clarify this is not realistic fiction, I think it’s fantasy you don’t like.
“If you are tired of reading the same old book try 3 things in one book, fantasy, mystery and adventure,” writes Becky. If you think this sounds like an infomercial how about this sell-it sentence from Serina? “Wow, what a great book full of my favorite things! Action, adventure and humor. It’s awesome! It’s a unique adventure! The fiction will help you blast through all the pages of the book!” I couldn’t have written a better conclusion myself – having the fifth graders do my job for me turned out really well!