The Bully

The Bully is written by Paul Langan. This book is a coming of age story and overcoming your fears as you read through the story you will follow the main character Darrell as his life changes in very big ways.

The story is about a boy from Philadelphia, named Darrell Mercer, that makes a huge move across the US to California starting at a new school with a new bully that Darrell has to face without having anybody that he had back in Philadelphia. 

The stories overcoming narrative is very compelling one huge quote that stood out to me while I was reading was “A man’s gotta stand up when someone else is in trouble, even if it means he might get himself into trouble.” that line really stood out to me because as much as it related to the character and what he was going through I know I’ve been in situations where that has happened and it is really awesome that I can really relate to the story in a different way. 

I believe that a lot of people can relate to the character if not maybe even learn from that character to overcome your fears and to not allow people to walk all over you. If you're looking for an underdog story that relates to a lot in the world and something you can learn from I’d recommend The Bully for you.

Book Review by Adrian S.

Schooled

The book that I'm reading about is called schooled by an author named paul langan. Paul langan is 47 years old he wrote more than 20 books, and over 10 of the book was in the bluford high books such as the gun, the bully, survivor, and fallen in most of the bluford books the characters are connected in some way.   

Lionel is a freshman in highschool he was 15 years old he loves to play basketball he hopes to play in the nba one day.  but there is a big problem he doesn't like school and he doesn't  know how to read he plays for his highschool “he’s very good but the teachers are trying to hold him back because of his bad grades”  his dad tells him it’s not worth his time and wants him to only finish school. His friends want him to stay with him and drop out of school.

I like the book because it's similar to a lot of teens, including me, we all have  a dream that seems good but we would need to go to school to do are dream jobs a lot of us think about dropping but won’t because we want to make are family happy and work are dream jobs. I think it's about teen because that's the things that go through are minds. More people should read this book because it tells you what to prepare for when you drop out it's not a good life on anybody.

Book Review by Ke'Shawn W.

Shattered

Shattered,Paul langan

This book is a sequel of summer of secrets this story is the start of everything that's about to unfold in Shattered. Shattered is  an urban fiction the theme of this book is pain from the past 

Shattered is about the challenges,secrets and,life lessons of a  teenage girl name Darcy who just finished her sophomore year at bluford high with her two best friends Cooper,and Tarah  but,now that they're about to start their junior years Darcy must tell her best friends what happen over the summer. She’s terrified of what the outcome might be and this secret is driving her crazy despite all that's going on with Darcy there's a even bigger secret that's tearing her family apart now Darcy has to make some very important decision in order to keep her friendships. Will Darcy crack under pressure or will she keep getting lost in her thought?.

I like this book because it teaches you about friendships and life lessons on how to be a good friend and also how to deal with family issues as a teenager growing up in the united states you're going to face challenges and I personally feel like this book guides you through them. I feel like this book is written for teenages and alot of teenager likes  it. If you're a teenager,and you struggle with friendship and,life is driving you crazy take your time and read this amazing book that would have you on the edge of your seat  and have your mind going WoW. This is the book you'll want to spend time reading trust me you wont  regret it.

Book Review by Becky B.

Brothers in Arms

The book I read is called Brother in Arms. The author’s that wrote the book, their names are Paul Langan and Ben Alirez. Some of the books they’ve written are called Breaking Point, Blood is thicker, and a bunch more books. All the books they have written is a series. The series title is Bluford High. It’s similar to their other books. The books are based on stuff that happens in real life. Family problems, drama, etc. The genre of this book is Fiction. The book is mainly about this guy named Martin Luna, who is still dealing with his brother’s death.

Martin hasn’t been the same since his brother died. He started heading in the wrong direction. And him and his mother moved. Martin doesn’t like his new school. That made it worse. But eventually things change. “It was like I was dead inside, like my heart had turned gray and rotten once Huero paased away.”

I loved the book because It was filled with drama. It was really interesting. I feel like the book was made for teens that like books filled with drama. I think Brothers in Arms is a really good book. Really interesting and lots of drama. Something is always happening in the book. You’ll stay interested.

Book Review by Quinlee G.

A Matter of Trust

The book I am reading is called A Matter Of Trust by Anne Schraff. I also read her book called Pretty Ugly. These two books are pretty similar it's like A Matter Of Trust finishes Pretty ugly. The book A Matter Of Trust is about how the people you walk into highschool with may not be the people you're walking out with by the end of the year. Also that boys come in between girls friendships when both of the girls like that one boy and they start arguing more.

One of the characters name is Darcy and her friend Brisana. They were really good friends throughout middle school but when they hit high school things started to change. One conflict of the story was a boy that Darcy has liked for a while had a stuttering problem and a lot of kids make fun of him so Darcy was helping him by sticking up for him and he got mad at her because he didn't want it to seem like he had a girl sticking up for him. The boys name is Hakeem and this is what he said to Darcy after class.   “I know you want to help but don't stick up for me in class, okay ? It makes me look like an even more fool than what I'm already am” .

I enjoyed reading a book about role models for me because I am growing up and girls go through a lot during high school like with boys, friendships, grades etc… The audience of this book would be anybody interested in relationships with girls you had since childhood and hitting high school with them and not walking out close as you guys were freshman year. I would recommend you to read this book to get more ideas on friendships and school and other things like that.

Book Review by Lachantice B.

Secrets in the Shadows

In the book “Secrets In The Shadows”  written by “Anne E. Schraffer” who has written about +50 books about many genres but this book falls with certain series the “Bluford Series” which is set in a urban setting with high school students normally. To make a good and detailed overview of the book i would i start by saying in the story consisted of about three main characters, a young man , young women and old man. The story took place in urban setting but some of the important points of the book are where in the beginning as that's when it introduces what the story is going to be about or consist of as a beautiful young lady comes to the school of the young boy and falls in love with her the young boy becomes fooled under her looks and is also fooled to buy a very expensive necklace but while doing it,it took a very dramatic climax. to add to this the theme i would say find better solutions to your problems instead of being rushed or pressured into things                                                                                                                            

To summarize the book best as possible without giving the major key points away i would say that in a high school where a girl moves to and finds a boy where she’s only interested for the wrong reasons.The is pressured into doing something that isn’t a very good idea, now he will suffer the consequences deep inside or will he?…So to better help understand and develop the story,the story main characters are Roylin a young man of with the story revolves around him, Korie a young woman who hastily started the conflict in the book and Mr.Miller a close and dear friend to the main character. Now to give a good basic understanding of the conflict here's what it mainly is about, as the major conflict of the young boy Roylin develops as he “borrows” money from his best friend and father figure Mr.Miller he then discovers that he has been blamed of the supposal killing of his dear friend Mr.Miller after being pressured into buying something he can’t afford

I personally didn’t like it to much  it seemed to too slow paced it took long to get to the good part in the book (problem/solution) and once I got there it wasn't that interesting.From my point of view i believe the target audience would be some sort of urban person in high school that likes a book mixture of drama and mysterious type, but i wouldn’t say all readers would enjoy the book. I would say you pass on this book because there's more books with a better plot that can give you a more suspense,drama etc feeling. 

Book Review by Felipe A.P.

Schooled

The book I read was schooled by Paul langan.This is the first book I read  by the author I’m not certain if he have another books.This journal is about Lionel and his english teacher at bluford high school. Lionel,can you read the poem to us?’’lionel shephard cringed.It was the third time Mrs.Henley, his english teacher called him today.First she ask him to define what the American dream was.Lionel joked that it was what happen when everybody in the country was sleeping. His classmate and friends laughed out loud ‘’you tripping,Mrs Henley smiled and move on.

Lionel wanted to ask her why she always picking   on him.Lionel often thought of  dropping out of school but he knew his dad would  not allow it.Tanner Street Titans for the first time in three years has won the basketball tournament. officer Hodden, his coach was so happy that he lifted Lionel up in the middle of the court.’’you are a smart player, it was one of the few times   lionel could remember anyone calling him smart.

 I suggest this book to everyone who love reading a nonfiction book or story. If you love reading fiction I will advice you  not to to read this book because it will be boring.

Book Review by Dodah T.

The Bully

I read The Bully, by Paul Langan . Paul Langan has also written Someone To Love Me , Valleys of Death, and Schooled .The basic plot of the book is that a young boy, Darrell, is bullied at high school. Its major theme is how bullying is very harmful to children.

In this book, Darrell  mercer faces when he and his mother move from Philadelphia to California . He got bullied by his uncle and cousins , tyray and his friends The important characters are  Darrell , mom  and tyray . The important conflicts are when Darrell move from Philadelphia to California. One significant external conflict is that he gets bullied by his own family and Tyray and his friends . One major internal conflict is that he was scared of Tyray and his friends.  The central idea of the book is that he wants to be taller and stronger .

I highly recommend this book you read this book as possible because is a really good book is so interesting . You should also read is now because it shows how people get bullied and it's sad how this happens so we really have to stop the bullying this is a book but it really happens to a lot of people.   

Book Review by Diana V.

The Bully

I read the book The Bully by Paul Langan from the Bluford high series it is about a teenage boy named Darrell Mercer.He recently just moved in California.He and his mom had to move there because she had a job there.They also moved in with his uncle and his two kids.Darrell didn't want to move to California because he wouldn't be able to see his friends again.Darrell always wanted to be big and buff but he is small and thin.

It was Darrell’s first day at Bluford High School his mom told him to be nice and polite to everyone he sees.While walking to his new High School he sees two other kid that were taller Than named Tyray and Rodeney outside of a store.Tyray threatened Darrell for looking at him.Darrell walked away from them.One day Darrell was walking in a ally because it was a shorter way to get to school.There was two guys there it was Tyray and Rodeney.Tyray wanted Darrell’s money so he threatened to kill Darrell if he didn't give him money.Darrell was forced to give Tyray money everyday or else him would beat him.Darrell ran out of money so he had to steal from his mom.Darrell wanted to be tougher and stronger so he signed up for wrestling.

Slowly he was becoming stronger.One day Tyray saw Darrell walking and asked him for money in the cafeteria.Darrell refused and Tyray was mad and started a fight with Darrell but a teacher saw them arguing.Darrell said he was sick of being bullied.Tyray was embarrassed he had to hit.Did the teacher stop it in time?Did Tyray hit Darrell?

I recommend this book because it gets you hooked on and you wanna know what's gonna happen next.I read this book in 8th grade but I read it again in 9th.it is a really good book and has a lot of characters.I read this book because It kinda relates in my self Darrell is a freshmen and I am also a freshmen.If I had to rate this book 1 to 10 it would be 10 because it really gets you hooked on to the story 

Book Review by Kevin X.

The Fallen

Introduction: I read the fallen, by Paul  Langan. Paul Langan has also written payback, bully, and schooled. They all are Bluford series and all of them is about children struggling in school and begin bully by their color or where they come from. Payback is about a girl named tyray Hobbs, a high school student who struggle to regain the respect he’s has lost, while in bully, barrel faces a hard time moving to a new school. The basic plot of the book is Martin got himself into a fight at school and is about to be suspended. It's major theme is bullying experiences.

Summary: in my own words I think the story is about Martin struggles to rebuild his life after the death of his little brother. The important characters in this story are Martin, Frankie. And vicky. The important conflicts are Martin Luna struggles to stay on task. The significant conflicts is Frankie is trying to take down Martin and make his high school year at Buford high difficult for him. One internal conflicts is Martin is having trouble controlling his temper. The central ideas or theme of the book is Martin and Frankie theme love… For example Martin still want to hangout with Frankie even though he is trying to Kill him.

Analysis/reviews: I highly recommend you read this book as soon as possible because, want  I read it I couldn't stop and I know that want  you read it too you will never get tired of reading it. I think all readers that read this book will like it.

Book Review by Stephanie K.

The Bully

I read The bully, by Paul Langan. Paul Langan has also written The Gun. I cannot compare them because I have not read The Gun. In The Bully, the protagonist Darrell moving to California from Philadelphia leaves his best friend from since first grade, Malik.  

The main characters in this are Darrell, Malik, Darrell mom and Tyray.In this book Darrell is moving to California, and he's leaving his best friend Malik. Darrell is going to a new school, a new life, a encounter new bully. Darrell is bullied by tray because he's smarter than his classmates. That's what Darrell Mercer when he and his mother move from Philadelphia to California.  After spending months living in fear, Darrell is faced with a big decision. He can either keep on running from this bully or find some way to fight back.

I highly recommend you read this book as soon as possible because it interesting. You should also read it now because really great book and you can learn from it,like can be stain up to bullies, like Darrell did.    

Book Review by Diggs B.

The Gun

The Gun by Paul Langan

I think give this book a grade A, i give it an A because it makes you wait a long time for the climax in the story. I also think teenagers that are juniors and seniors would enjoy the book the most because when the Tyray thinks he's close in getting what he wants another bump comes in the road.

In this story the main character is a boy named Tyray and he's a Freshman at Bluford high school and everyone is scared of Tyray, but this dude name Darrell Mercer that just came to Bluford and changed all of that for Tyray. And now Tyray is being bullied and his rep has been destroyed. So Tyray thinks the only way he can get his rep back is by getting a gun and every time he's  close into getting it something comes up.

A character I like in the story is Tyray, i like him because of his attitude and toughness. He was smart and he told some good lies to that girl that liked him in the story, but Tyray needs to learn how to control his anger and stuff. I'm also glad he changed his ways. A character I dislike is his father, he always has a bad nasty attitude and he needs to learn to keep his hands to himself.

I think the ending of the story was good, but i think i would change it that his brother gets to come home and spend time with Tyray. If the book was to have a sequel i think his brother would come home, and help him out on whatever problems he's having at school and his dad would be kinder to Tyray. 

Book Review by Hollin H.

Shattered

Shattered by Paul Langan

These book series are pretty good , I can read them nonstop because I love the drama . The story is basically about Darcy being in love with Hakeem but Hakeem was forced to move far away because of family issues . Darcy thought her and Hakeem were never gonna see each other again so she started messing with these jerk . Darcy happened to be alone one day with the jerk and something happened ! But wait for the twist of the story , Hakeem comes back and now how can Darcy tell Hakeem what happened that night ? I Like the book shattered because it's interesting and it also has a lot of drama scenes in there . This book is also meant for teens .

By Quiana J.

Shattered

I read the book Shattered by Paul Langan. Two more books he has written are A Matter of Trust and Blood is Thicker, these few books are part of the series he has written. This book and series is about young teenage kids who have family problems and either are in a gang or have troubles living life and go through many tough times in school and at home. As you go through this book you will see that being a teenage kid is difficult and you may not see it but the people you go to school with may have family problems and pretend like everything is fine.

               

In Shattered, a young girl named Darcy is having family problems at home and her ex-boyfriend Hakeem lives in a different state and she misses him a lot. Darcy is trying to stop her family from fighting every day and just become a happy family again like when her and her sister were young girls and would be happy all the time. Darcy is trying to keep her little sister away from all the fast boys and away from trouble and especially away from the streets. When Darcy finds out Hakeem is coming back in town she is happy and so is Hakeem. Darcy decides if she should tell Hakeem about her hanging out with another guy or if she shouldn’t tell him. How would Hakeem react if she tells him will he hate me forever or not care at all? Is Hakeem even excited to see me again?

               

I think this book was amazing and I loved it! There were a lot of hard obstacles that Darcy had to face and had a lot of trouble keeping her family together and dealing with Hakeem coming back to town. I think people should read this book because it grabs your attention really quick and it’s very interesting. If you love books that have drama scenes in it or romantic scenes in it then I suggest you to read this book along with the other Bluford High books but make sure you read the books in order so it makes sense. The book also makes you question yourself what will happen next and read the other books of this series. This book also tells you what goes on in the lives of these teenagers and what all happens and why they struggle so much in life. Paul Langan is a wonderful writer and I would be excited to read another one of his books. 

Book Review by Kalessa T.

Shattered

The title of the book I read is Shattered. The author of my book is Paul Langan; this is one of many books that he’s written from the Bluford series books. This book compares to other books he wrote because the main characters are always a teen or teenagers that are facing problems in high school. In this story a teenage girl named Darcy is facing problems in her life, things such as friends, family, school etc.

Darcy Wills is a teenage girl who is on summer break but school is just days away. Her boyfriend Hakeem is finally back in town.  When they’re around each other they both act awkwardly, they’re both hiding something. Darcy is also facing problems at home; her family’s relationship is rapidly going downhill and she doesn’t know what to do. Even her best friend is keeping secrets away from her. She is trying hard to keep her family together but as soon as she fixes a problem another on is created.

I would recommend other to read this book because the Bluford series books are good books to read. They include suspense, humor, and they also entertain you. These books are also short so that you won’t get bored or tired of reading it. There is many other Bluford book that you can continue on from if you’re interested in the first book you read.

Book Review by Trentae F.

Until We Meet Again

I am reading a book called “Until We Meet Again” by Anne Schraff. She has written other books as well such as the previous ones:  Lost and Found, A Matter of Trust, Somebody to Love as well as many more. This book compared to others is like a series you have to read them in order in order to understand what is happening. Most of them are based on a single person. Her books are part of the Bluford Series. There are other authors in there but she is one of the many ones.

               

In this story a young girl named Darcy is having trouble facing the fact that Hakeem (her boyfriend) might end up having to moving to Detroit. He has a chance he might not move but those chances are big. They have to move so his dad can get better. With Darcy’s grandmother being sick she is lost and confused her boyfriend will not return her call. Darcy gets a job as a babysitter to keep her mind off of what is happening in her own world. She turns to a guy she just met for comfort. She later realizes that she might have feelings for the guy named Brian. Until things start taking a turn for the worst. What will Darcy do next? Will she make the right choice?

               

I truly loved the book it has an amazing twist in the end. This book and the series are relatable to me. I first fell in love with this when a friend recommended me reading these books. At first I wasn’t into reading, unless they are the Bluford Series. They have different kinds of them. It has twists and turns you would not imagine. It is addicting. I recommend you read these books. 

Book Review by Linda V.

Until We Meet Again

Introduction: Until We Meet Again by: Anne Schraff. She has written other Bluford series called Lost and Found, and Someone to Love Me. Until We Meet Again compares to the other books that she has wrote is a love story and tells about Darcy’s love live and also her life back home. The overview of this story is that in high school people look at you from the outside as either she is poor or he has a nice life and doesn’t care about anybody else. But nobody really knows what happens when that person goes home and has to take care of their siblings or they are poor and have no food and have to wait till tomorrow to eat again. The author is trying to tell everybody to not judge people by how they look on the outside but get a chance to know them first and realize what goes on in the everyday lives outside of school.

Summary:  Darcy has a boyfriend at school that she loves so much but then one day her boyfriend has to move to a different state and Darcy is very sad because she can no longer see him again. Back home her mom and dad fight all the time and struggle to keep all the house payments up. One morning when they all wake up the bank takes their house away from them without any hesitation. Will her parents split up? Where will Darcy and her family live now? Will Darcy see her boyfriend again? Darcy’s boyfriend calls her on the phone while it is dinner time. Darcy picks up the phone and says “hello” her boyfriend reply’s “hi Darcy this is very important can I talk to you for a quick minute?” they end up taking and all of  sudden Darcy hangs up the phone and starts to cry and then runs to her room. Her mom came in and asked what was wrong and Darcy said “My boyfriend broke up with me”.

Analysis/Review: I recommend you to read this book if you love relationship type of books! I promise you that you will never get bored with this book it will be hard to put it down. When I took it home with me to read it I fell asleep just reading it. I rate this book five starts! If you don’t read this book you are missing out on one of the greatest Bluford series yet! Read it now and once you finish the book you will want to read it all over again.

Book Review by Kalessa T.

Secrets in the Shadows

The novel Secrets in the Shadows by Anne Schraff is a realistic fiction book about a boy named Roylin Bailey. Anne Schraff is the author of all the novels in Bluford series. Schraff novels compare to each other because there all about different students who attendant Bluford High School. The theme of this novel is about a boy who doesn’t have the easiest life and has tragic event happen in his life.

This novel is all about a student at Bluford High School named Roylin Bailey. Roylin hates his life and just wants to leave. This all changes when he met a girl named Korie, who he is crazy about. He likes her so much that he does something he can’t take back and regrets it. The result of this event may change his life forever.

I think you should read this book because it has a good theme and is over all a great book. This novel is a dramatic book and will keep you guessing all throughout the book.

Book Review by Selena S.

Someone to Love Me

It’s hard to believe Someone to Love Me is by Anne Schraff. It’s more of an outside, in the real world book, than the characters being indoors at school at the time.

After the first bruise, only one person noticed it. But as the beating continued, the bruises got bigger and that’s when questions began to get asked. Cindy Gibson loves him but little did she know she hugged the arms of danger.

Cindy Gibson, in love with Bobby Wallace, she has yet to find out about his drug addiction. Bobby was sweet, mature, friendly, and handsome; he was all she hoped for. Bruises showed up, and people began to ask. Cindy, covering everything that Bobby did to her, the brutal beating continued. Meanwhile, getting beat by her boyfriend, Cindy also faces troubles at home with her mother.

Despite the things that happened to Cindy throughout the book, I recommend it to anyone who loves real life books and reality. The book is interesting and is an eye catcher. I was interested in the book because it really helped me to understand that no matter what people go through behind closed doors, they can really get through all problems and situations.

Book Review by Tyciera W.

Someone to Love Me

Someone to Love Me by Anne Schraff

Cindy is your average teenage girl, on the outside, but behind closed doors she’s struggling with her mother’s boyfriend Raffie. Raffie acts like he is a business man in front of Cindy’s mother but he antagonizes Cindy & on the other hand he’s a drug dealer. Cindy is longing for attention from her mother or anyone, and she finds it in Bobby Wallace. Bobby is very popular and everyone likes being around him, expect Jamie. You see Bobby use to abuse drugs, and use to hit Jamie when he was intoxicated.

The day that Cindy finally decides to go back to Bluford High Bobby Wallace approach’s her. She begins to think he’s changed, but is she just blinded by the attention? While things are unfolding with Raffie Cindy becomes to be distant with her friends. 

Book Review by Omunique G.