By Kaitlyn Hilario
There are just certain feelings of content and excitement I experienced as a kiddo reading fantasy and adventure novels. I could never put down these books. Thinking back, my all-time favorite book that holds a special place in my heart is Eragon, written by Christopher Paolini.

The novel is about how the main protagonist, Eragon, a poor farm boy, was one day hunting along the mountainside and discovers a mysterious stone. Later on, that same exact stone ends up hatching into a dragon, a rare species that humankind had frowned upon. Eragon’s life is drastically changed.

The evil king Galbatorix finds out about the newly discovered dragon and sends out his servants to capture it. Eragon flees the town with his dragon, Saphira, and the town’s old wise man, Brom. The plot goes on and on, from being a simple farm boy to a dragon rider; the character development is amazing once the story gets going.

As a reader, the worst yet best part of reading these types of books is the attachment we may find within these characters. Eragon is by far my favorite character out of all the books that I’ve read. There’s just something about this book.

By Julian Contreras
My favorite book of all time is 11/22/63 written by Stephen King. 11/22/63 is a dramatic novel about an English high school teacher named Jake Epping who is assigned to prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy. This book stuck with me because it explains how time travel causes a massive butterfly effect that could change with the slightest error. According to the novel, the slightest error could change humanity as we know it. I first read this book December of last year.

Epping is a struggling, recently divorced high school teacher who eventually agrees to attempt to prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy by long-time acquaintance Al Templeton, who has mastered the art of time travel. Jake soon discovers the dangers of time travel and the butterfly effect when he unintentionally changes the course of present time.

King’s style of writing adds awe to the novel. King has won over 80 awards for his unique style of literary work. The novel was adapted to a television series on Hulu which premiered on Feb. 16.

By Karla Salcedo
It was a difficult decision having to choose a favorite book because I have many to choose from. But my all-time favorite book would have to be A Child Called ‘It’. I was first introduced to this book when I was in sixth grade by a classmate who had recommended it to me. This book is an autobiography written by David Pelzer in which he talks about his dark past.

As a child during the mid-1960s and ’70s in California, he was brutally beaten by his alcoholic mother. He was treated like a slave of the family, not allowed to do anything but to do chores and attend school in this old torn clothes. His mother, Catherin Pelzer, would not feed him, leaving him to starve for as long as three days. He was so desperate for food that at school he would steal kids’ lunches.

Dave’s bed was in the basement in an old army cot. He was completely isolated from his family; and he was also not allowed to look at his mother in the eyes. Dave’s father was his only hope, but he slowly stared fading away and he was left all alone. Dave’s only dream was to feel loved and comforted by his own mother.

Reading this incredibly sad story made me appreciate my amazing family that I was blessed with. I learned that not everybody is lucky to have a complete family that you can go home to every day.

By Stefanie Naranjo
My favorite book is the New York Times bestseller The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. The plot is about a teenage girl (Hazel Grace) who is suffering from lung cancer. She meets Augustus Waters at a cancer support group, and they begin to get very close and extremely fond of each other. Eventually, Augustus’ cancer comes back and it does not end well.

Hazel Grace is an introverted teen who does not have many friends, but lets  Augustus get close to her. She has a huge heart and is immensely close to her family. Augustus is pretentious but sweet. He is also close to his family and cares about Hazel Grace immensely.

The themes in the book center on family, isolation, religion, and courage. When I first read it, I felt many emotions. I was sad, shocked, and in disbelief. I was mostly sad. The book has a way of affecting you, even if you are not an emotional person. This book stuck with me because of the emotions it evoked.

By Ulises Equihua
When I was about 2 years old, my brother and sister went to the movies to go see “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” They came back amazed. Of course, I don’t remember that day, but since then my brother became a huge Potterhead. After this, he showed me the movie, which we owned on VHS. The first time I saw it, I remember that I loved it. My brother had turned me into a Potterhead.

Around 3rd grade, I read the first book. I started going deeper and deeper into the Harry Potter world. I never really read the books after that, but rather saw the movies. When the final movie came out, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” I cried, realizing that that was it and the series was over. Then, I remembered that I hadn’t finished reading the books. Freshman year I reread the first one and began reading the rest.

Now, I am a junior and just barely finished reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth book. I expect to be finished with the series by the end of my senior year. J.K Rowling has not given me one favorite book but seven. Harry Potter has become a major part of my life, as cheesy as that sounds.