The Help

The Help

By: Kathryn Stockett

The genre of this book is historical fiction

The theme of this book is that all humans are made equal and that no one is should be treated differently because of their race or the color of they're skin.

This book is a mixture of stories from different African American maids in the south. This book is in the time period of the 1950's. At that time many people in the South discriminated against African Americans.

One of the main characters Ms. Skeeter is a white woman who is very kind to the "help." She wants to be a serious writer in New York, so in order to do that she needs to write something new and fresh that has never been written before. She gets the great idea to write a book with dozens of maids who tell of what it’s like to be a maid in the south to a white family. Since these maids are always with the families they work for they have A LOT of dirt on them. They know all of the families scandals and secrets. Ms. Skeeter has a wonderful idea however; in Mississippi (where the book takes place) it is against the law for African American employees to talk bad about their white employers. There for it is really difficult for her to get enough maids to talk to her about their stories. After much civil friction in the South many maids agree to help her. This is a problem however for some of the white women in the town who are very angry with Ms. Skeeter.

This is an amazing book, I loved it! It may be a very serious topic in general however; the author does a great job of balancing the seriousness with humor and wit. I believed the author did a great job at showing how it really was for maids in the South. She is very neutral in her approach. I agree with almost everything she said in the book. I think this book affects me because even though I'm not African American, I still am a minority. The civil rights moment led the way for not only African American rights but the rights for other ethnicities as well. I am very thankful that there were people with enough courage to stand up for what they thought was right.

I would encourage anyone to read this book.

The Lightning Thief

This thrilling story starts off with a boy named Percy Jackson. Percy has been kicked out of every single boarding school he has ever been to. He only sees his mom in the summer and has never met his dad since he was a baby. This year at Yancy Academy he is going to do whatever it takes to not get kicked out. When he goes on a field trip with his class to an art museum to look at Greek and Roman stuff, wierd things start happening. First, he somehow caused a wave to form out of a fountain and hit his arch enemy, Nancy, during lunch. Then, his math teacher Mrs. Dodds, turns into a monster when she and Percy are  alone and tries to kill him. Everyone acts like they never even had a teacher named Mrs. Dodds. But Percy knew that something was up.

A couple of weeks later he got out of school and could finally go see his mom again. To celebrate his return, his mom surprises him by taking him to a beach house. The weather started getting horrible there. It looked as if a hurricane was about to start when Grover, Percy's best friend from Yancy Academy, barges in and tells them that they need to leave immediately. So much for Percy's greatest surprise present ever.

The three of them hop in the Camaro and after many crazy events, such as Percy's mom DYING, Percy ends up in a summer camp. But this camp isn't just any ordinary summer camp, it is a summer camp full of half-bloods. At this camp, Percy learns that his dad is a god. He also learns how to fight off monsters. The campers are seperated into cabins according to their parent. There are twelve cabins to represent the twelve main gods. Percy doesn't know who his father is yet so he went in Herme's cabin becuase Herme's is the god of travelers.

Just like the museum, wierd things start happening at the camp too. Ares' kids were bullying him the first day and took him to the bathroom to dump his head in the toilet. When he was about to get dumped, there was a wierd tug in his stomach and water shot out of the toilet and into their faces. How did he do that?? Later, when the camp had finished their game of capture the flag, a monster came and attacked Percy. He would've died but as he was attacked, he fell into the river. Instantly, Percy felt better and wounds of his body started to heal. There was the sign of a trident above his head. Percy was the son of Poseidon.

Lately, there has been a fight in Mount Olympus becuase someone took Zues' master lightning bolt. Zues blamed Poseidon but Poseidon refused to admit it was him that took it. A war was stirring up. Zues said if the bolt wasn't returned by Summer Solstice, a very bad war would start.

Right when Percy is starting to fit in, he's called on a quest to find the master bolt before the summer solstice. It's up to him to help his dad prove it wasn't him who took it. He asks his best friend Grover and a girl named Annabeth to help him on the quest.

This is an awesome book. Rick Riordan creates very likable characters. He gives great detail of each character's personality and physical description. There are many funny jokes throughout the book. You can skip over lots of these jokes if you don't have enough background knowledge on Greek Mythology. So, it really helps to know a little about greek mythology before reading it.  Knowing more on the subject would help understanding some of the jokes as I said before, and, even more important, what they are even talking about. Even if you know nothing at all about greek mythology, I would still read this book if I were you. You would really like the suspense and adventure of the book. However, if you like funny books, you should get some knowledge. Rick Riordan explains what is going on very well. I didn't know too much about greek mythology, but after I read this book, I felt I knew a lot more than what I started with. Throughout the book, you learn many interesting facts about Greek Mythology. It never is boring and can keep you up all night. I can tell this series is going to be a good one! I would recommend this book to anyone!!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

First of all, this historical fiction book is really slow. At least at the beginning. It isn't neccessarily a hard book to read it is just slow. Anyway, Leisel Meminger is a nine year old girl who has been through a LOT in her life. Just so you know this takes place during World War II in Germany 1939. Anyway, Her real mom got sent to a concentration camp so she had to send Liesel and her brother she has to send them to Hans and Rosa Hubermann. On the way her brother dies. It didn't really say how he died because "Death" was the narrator in that part. I will explain that later. So before they actually get there they have to obviously go bury him and as the two people are digging a book falls out of one of their pockets. She picks up The Grave Diggers Handbook and takes it... BUT she doesn't exactly know how to read and she is still scarred because her brother died right in front of her eyes. I couldn't imagine what that would be like. So she goes to the Hubermanns and every night she has a nightmare about her brother and every night Hans goes into her room and comforts her. Later Hans discovers the book and decides to teach her how to read. Then she starts to steal more books out of curiosity. Also Hitler is obviously their leader and so later on in the book they let a Jew stay in their basement... That was not a smart thing to do at that time if you know what I mean. It is pretty much just about this girls life during World War II...

I don't know about you but I LOVE learning about World War II and how it was like to live there. Surprisingly I learned some new stuff while reading this book. It was so weird how the could change people view of things that were bad so easily. I also think it was different than any other book I have read because "Death" was the narrator. It was a very interesting way to write a book.

In the back of the book somebody wrote to Mark Zusak and the person asked "How did you decide to make Death the narrator of the book?" and Mark Zusak replied, "With great difficulty! I thought, "Here's a book set during war. Everyone says war and death are best friends." Death is ever-present during war, so here was the perfect choice to narrate The Book Thief. At first, though, Death was too mean. He was supercilious, and enjoying his work too much. He'd say extremely creepy things and delight in all the souls he was picking up... and the book wasn't working. So I went to a first-person narration , a simple third-person narration... and six months later I came back to Death-- but this time , Death was to be exhausted from his eternal existence and his job. He was to be afraid of humans-- because, after all, he was there to see the obliteration we've perpetrated on each other throughout the ages--and he would now be telling this story to prove to himself that humans are actually worth it." I just thought that was a really cool idea.

Just so you know it is slow at the beggining but it does get a LOT better as the book goes on. If you don't like a sad ending this isn't really the book for you. I'm sorry but I didn't write the book I wish that he wouldn't have made the ending so sad. It is just almost unfair. Overall, it is a pretty good read. B+

Christmas Jars by Jason F. Wright is a phenomenal book. Although I have never heard of this author before, I would definitely read any of his other books. Jason does an amazing job in his writing. He makes it interesting and adds lots of little details. Christmas Jars was certainly no exception. Christmas Jars takes place in a modern day world. However, it does not just take place during the Christmas season as the title may suggest. This book is not a story about Three Wise Men, nor it is about Sugar Plums dancing in your head. This "Christmas" book gives insight on what it means to truly give and the self-satisfaction you receive when you do.
Single woman, Louise Jensen was not expecting much more out of her New Years Eve dinner than some yummy food to fill her up. However, she got much more then she bargained for. Louise found a baby that night, it was lying in the booth next to her and had a note attached explaining that the mother of the baby didn't want the child to get hit by her husband like she did. Because of this, she chose to give the baby up and in turn give her baby some hope. Louise takes the child and raises her as her own. Because of the "gift" her birth-mother gave her, Louise names the child Hope.
Hope grows up into a beautiful young-lady with a witty personality and one heck of a brain. From the age of six she knows that she wants to be a writer when she grows up and create interesting stories for newspapers. Everything seems to be going perfect for her in her teenage years. She gets an intern job at the local newspaper and eventually is offered a paying job. But then her whole world falls apart. Her mother, Louise, is diagnosed with cancer and dies within three months of her diagnoses. This crushes Hope. On top of it all, Hope's apartment gets ransacked exactly one year from her mother's death. Hope feels lost, all her savings and everything that she had of any value was stolen. She is left with no money and does not know how to continue. That's when the miracle happens. A jar shows up on her doorstep full of money. Hope realizes that this money not only gives her strength, but also gives her motivation to keep going.
This "Christmas Jar" sparks Hope's curiosity. She decides to track down who started this Christmas tradition and make a newspaper story out if it. While Hope figures out this mystery, she makes new friends and learns what giving and receiving is really all about. As it turns out, Hope is linked closer to the start of the "Christmas Jar" then she ever thought possible.
As this book clearly states, "It's the thought that counts." Many people are struggling in their lives. However, often all they need is a little pick-me-up to know that someone cares and that they do need to keep going. This book teaches the best lesson. Service has a "snow-ball" effect. If you do service to a family in need, the family in need will feel blessed and want to pass along the service. This will just keep going. Both families feel blessed. Often all that it takes to change the world is a little kindness.
This book was amazing, it was a good, well-written story. It also follows the Hero's Journey quite closely. But, my favorite part of this book was all of the motivation it gives you. You can change the world by just one simple act of kindness. Whether Christmas or not, I would highly suggest reading this book.

Ranger’s Apprentice-The Kings of Clonmel

The Ranger’s Apprentice-The Kings of Clonmel is written by John Flanagan.This book has many action parts and intense moments. The genre of this book is action. The most important theme of the book is don’t believe everything someone tells you. The Kings of Clonmel is the 8th book in the Ranger’s Apprentice series. This book is about Will, Halt, and Horace. Will and Halt are Rangers, they are great at camouflage and deadly with a bow and arrow. Horace is a great young knight who is always underestimated.

Halt, Will, and Horace are off on another adventure. A dangerous cult has risen in Clonmel, a country near Araluen. Bandits have attacked many villages. The cult and bandits are both run by an evil man named Tennyson, an evil “priest” who claims that he is the only one who can stop the bandits. When he prays to his fake god Alseiass the bandits just stagger away and pretend that they are being attacked from an invisible force. Halt, Will, and Horace have to stop Tennyson before he cheats the people of Clonmel out of their money. You will also learn a surprising twist about Halt’s life during this book.

One of the major issues in the book Kings of Clonmel is that the villagers trust Tennyson without really knowing who he is and what he really wants. The villagers see Tennyson magically ward off the bandits, little do they know he is really in charge of the men. Tennyson says that his power comes from the god Alseiass. He says that all the villagers have to do is give some of their gold to make a golden alter. The next day Tennyson and his preists are gone with the gold. This also happens in modern day people get conned out of their money by con men all the time. This shows that you really have to know people's true character before you trust them, or you could get tricked out of your money and belongings.

This book contained everything I want from a book. It contained a lot of action and it made you think quite a bit. It also shows you need to be careful who you trust. I learned some words while reading it such as cult and laissez-passer. I would rate this book an A, it was a great and memorable book.

Specials By: Scott Westerfeild

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!

Specials is the third of the four books in the Uglies series.Overall I did enjoy this book. It did keep me very interested. There were many twists and turns that I was not expecting. Also it was a good way to end this part of the series.

The only thing that I didn't enjoy about this book is that it restated the entire two books that were previous to it. Its was kind of an overkill. It made me feel as though the author thought I did not have the slightest hint of a memory. Also when he would try to recap the previous books it was so obvious it was almost painful to read.

The story still takes place in the future in a society that is very much a dystopia. While you look from the outside every one is the same, a drop dead gorgeous person that lives in a perfect world. When you take a closer look the entire world/ the city you follow, is falling apart.

You definitely need to read the other two books before you read this one. If you have read the other two books this one starts the same way. You start kind of in the middle of the story, and have to fill in the blanks as you go along.

In this book Tally Youngblood (the main character) has joined special circumstances as a Special ( her enemies, the people she has been fighting in book one and two). But not of her own choice, but because of the Lady who has been leading her city has made her a special. Also once she has been made into a Special, the surgery that they did change her mind. They literally went in and changed her brain to think differently. This lady who runs the city is named Dr. Cable. Dr. Cable has sent Tally to go Capture people who have been running away from the city.

As Tally follows a group of run aways to their secret hide out in the wild, she rediscovers herself and changes who she is on the inside. She "rewires'' her brain. Tally saves many people as she rediscovers who she really is.

There are two main themes that I got from this book. The First one being that not to be fooled by a dystopia in real life. And the second one being that no matter what you can make yourself into who ever you want to be. No matter what other people do to you, you can still let your inner person shine through.

In conclusion I really enjoyed this book. It kept me in suspense. if you have not read the Uglies series yet, for sure go and read it. And if you have read the other two books and not this one, read this one!

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead.

  

   Vampire Academy is the first book in the amazing series by Richelle Mead.  It is a fictional book that also deals with real-life situations.  Friendship is one of those real-life situations that Rose and Lissa have to deal with.  A Moroi is a mortal-vampire that have "special" powers and feed on blood.  Strigoi are undead vampires.  They can either be humans turned against their will, or Moroi brought back from the dead.  Dhampirs are the children of a Moroi and a human.  They don't drink blood and they don't have powers.  They are, though, faster and stronger than anything.  (Dhampirs protect Moroi from Strigoi.)  


   Rose Hathaway and Lissa Dragomir both attend St. Vladimir's Academy, a boarding school for Moroi royalty and their future guardians.  Lissa is a Moroi Princess and Rose, a Dhampir, is her life long best friend and self-appointed guardian.  The story starts with Rose and Lissa living in hiding.  They had run away from St. Vladimir's two years earlier.  They are caught and forced to return to St. Vladimir's Academy.  There, Rose returns to her guardian training and Lissa goes back to learning more about the vampire powers she is supposed to have but doesn't.  Lissa seems to be the only one without any powers.  Rose's new private teacher is a very attractive Russian Dhampir named Dimitri.  Rose is getting very distracted by him and might not have the chance to graduate.  She must graduate if she wants to be Lissa's official guardian after graduation.  


   The author incorporates several real life situations in this book such as love, friendship and death. However, I think the main theme in this book is loyalty.  Rose and Lissa remain loyal to each other through out whole book.  Lissa is always there to help get Rose get out of trouble and vice versa.  Even when things might look better somewhere else, they ultimately stand together.  It gives a good example to the reader how friends should always stay loyal to each other. 


   This book is filled with a lot love, relationships, and friendship.  My favorite part of the book was Rose.  Her character is smart, tough and very well rounded, just like me.  She isn't afraid to express herself and can handle any situation that she needs to deal with.  This book is mostly for girls, but I know a few guys that liked it too.  Vampire Academy is a great book that keeps you in suspense and on the edge of your seat.   I give this book an A+.  

The Zombie Survival Guide

My book review is on The Zombie Survival Guide, written by the creative genius Max Brooks. This book is most certainly fantasy, adult, seeing as it's a guide to survive a zombie apocalypse, and Humor, because of the stunning creativity and the fact that the author created it to be humors.

As for the summary, it explains ten basic lessons for surviving a Zombie attack: Organize before they rise! They feel no fear, why should you? Use your head: cut off theirs. Blades don’t need reloading. Ideal protection = tight clothes, short hair. Get up the staircase, and then destroy it. Get out of the car, get onto the bike. Keep moving, keep low, keep quiet, and keep alert! No place is safe, only safer. The zombie may be gone, but the threat lives on.  It is also divided into seven sections: The Undead: Myths and realities, Weapons and combat techniques, on the defense, on the run, on the attack, Living in an undead world, and Recorded attacks.

 

This book is absolutely memorable. To be completely honest, I still have most of the book memorized after reading it once! And what really blew me away was that it seems like every zombie movie or video game follows the guide lines set by this book. Meaning this book completely altered the stereo-type zombie, which I find to be pretty amazing.

All in all, this book is likely my favorite book that I've read, if not for the solid fact that Max Brooks not only created the stereo-typical zombie, he created the guidelines for just about every hero in a zombie apocalypse to follow, and he made a memorable book all at once! A+

The Scortch Trials

The thrilling book, The Scorch Trials, by James Dashner was one of those books you just can't put down. Every single chapter ended on a cliff-hanger, making it nearly impossible to stop reading. There were countless twists and turns that were constantly changing my point of view. Just as I thought I understood what was going on, something would happen that would totally confuse me. But I loved it! The book was exciting, aggravating and heartbreaking... all in one. The Scorch Trials was the second in the series, The Maze Runner. Scorch Trials has been my favorite so far, even though I loved Maze Runner, too. If you haven't read the Maze Runner, I suggest you visit http://www.examiner.com/young-adult-literature-in-baltimore/the-maze-runner-book-review-review so you have a little background before reading my review!

The maze is over; Thomas and the other gladers are done. No more madness, no more running. They're finished... or so they think. With fresh clothes, hot showers, and a full tummies, nothing could get better. But of course, WICKED has other things in mind. This time instead of trying to make their way through an enclosed maze full of concrete walls and crazy creatures, they are forced to journey through a scorch waistland of pretty much nothing... nothing besides a city filled with crazy "cranks" infected with the mysterious Flare disease. This disease turns normal citizens into man-eating, zombie-like insane people. They can still think somewhat clear, but are extremely violent and have super-human strength. They are definitely not people I would want to hang out with.

Thomas and the others discover that they have to face, yet another, challenge. They have to make it through the scorch to a so-called "safe haven" where they will be safe, once and for all. But then again, do the games ever really end? Thomas has pretty much given up all hope of ever going back to normal life... not that he remembers what normal is. And on top of it all, I forgot to mention that they were happily informed they were also infected with the Flare. Making it to the safe haven was their only hope of getting a cure and being saved from this awful disease.

Adding to his distress, Thomas has no idea where Theresa, his best friend and love has been taken to. He is so worried about her and constantly thinks about what might have happened to her. When he does finally reunite with Theresa, she stabs him in the back... literally. When this happened, I felt like Theresa had hurt me--like I was the character in the book getting betrayed and deceived! The author does such a good job connecting you with the characters that whatever they are feeling you are feeling, too.

In the end, they reach their "safe haven" in the nick of time. Once again they are clothed, cleaned, and fed. This time the people say they have nothing to worry about. But, of course Thomas doesn't buy it. Are they truly safe, or is it just another set-up for yet another set of ridiculous lies and trials?

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone wanting a good action book. There is a theme of friendship. What is a true friend? This book really made me think about this question. I think the author is trying to say that sometimes we don't quite know someone, even if we are close to them. I think he is also showing us through Thomas' actions to never give up. There are many more deeper meanings to be discovered when reading this book! Once again, The Scorch Trials was a fantastic book I would highly recommend. I can't wait to read The Death Cure (the last book in the series) to find out what happens next!

Rangers Apprentice and The Icebound Land

Some six months previous, the, 'Young Ranger Will,' as he was known among the people of Redmont Fief, had been captured by Skandian Raiders during the battle with Morgarath and his Wargals. After that, he was towed to Skandia and assigned to life as a yard slave. Even the toughest of warriors rarely survive. So, right now, things don't look to good for Will.

In the meantime, back at Castle Araluen is Halt, who is a mentor to Will. He is determined to rescue Will, no matter what. When he asks King Duncan to let him go, the king refuses and says he needs Halt for other tasks. Disappointed and somewhat angry, Halt storms off to a local tavern and intentionally gets caught talking treason. Then, with a great amount of sadness, King Duncan banishes one of his most beloved friends and trusted advisers from The Kingdom of Araluen.

Halt begins his journey north, to the frozen lands of Skandia. He is met by the warrior apprentice Horace who goes with Halt to help rescue Will. When they finally reach Skandia, they have a serious problem. The Temujai, who are raiders from the south, have decided to attack the Skandians. The two rangers and the warrior are trapped. They assemble a group of archers from the skandian slaves and drive away the Temujai.

As a thank you gift, Erak, the leader of the Skandians, signs a treaty with Araluen and gives the Araluens a ride back home on his boat, Wolfwind. Then, to top it all off, he asks that Halt be pardoned. The King agrees and Halt is no longer banished. The Skandians and Araluens have a big party to celebrate. Halt is reinstated to the Ranger Corps, Horace becomes a full knight and an Ensign in the Royal Guard, and Will is offered a place in the royal scouts. Surprisingly, Will declines and decides to continue his training as a Ranger.

Many people were surprised at this turn of events but all they could say was, "He's a Ranger. And people like us can never understand Rangers. There's always a part of them they keep to themselves."


However, this book does have a few redeeming qualities. It teaches how strong the bond can be between a mentor/teacher and a student. Mr. Flanagan talks also about devotion and courage. In addition to that (I'm NOT being preachy) he is saying to stand up for what is right, even if it is difficult. An example of this is when Will protected Cassandra from the Skandians.

I absolutely HATED this book. It was WAY WAY WAY to predictable. You knew what was going to happen a chapter before it did. The only reason that I would recommend this to someone is because the series is good and in order to understand it you (unfortunately) have to read this one too. I would give this book a C or a C-.

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

Do you ever wish that you could escape from your life? Escape into a whole other world? Well, this book has a whole other world alright. This book is a total adventure book. It shows how going into a new world might be like. Adventures are all around us. However, this adventure is unique in so many ways. But what if you were in a whole new world, and you couldn't escape?

Gregor is a typical eleven-year-old. Except for the fact that his dad disappeared when he was young. Most of the people around said that he must have ran away with some woman. Gregor and his mom have both sworn that his father wouldn't have done that to them. Since his dad left, Gregor has had to babysit his little sister Boots quite often. He didn't really mind until he learned that he couldn't go to summer camp. His mom really wanted him to be able to go. But she had to work a lot since his dad left. So here he was babysitting his little sister and crazy grandmother. Don't get upset though, his life is about to change!

While he was doing laundry, Gregor's two-year-old sister Boots disappeared! He heard his sister's giggle from behind a open vent behind the washer. He crawled through the vent only to start falling down a dark tunnel. Boots was not far below him. It seemed as if he and his sister had been falling for hours. It seemed as if this tunnel never stopped! But sooner or later you have to run into something, right?

Finally, they hit the ground. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt at all! They began looking around the tunnel, but the only thing there was them, and a group of gigantic cockroaches. I know what you might be thinking, gigantic cockroaches? But, it's true. I told you this book was unique. Anyways, the cockroaches turn out to be nice. They lead them to a stadium. In that stadium, the bleachers are filled with what look like humans. Except they have incredibly pale skin, and silver hair. They meet an ignorant queen named Luxa, and a nice old man named Vikus.

This place kind of seems like a dream come true. But, it's not Gregor soon learns that he can't go. Also, he learns that there have been other regular humans just like them. However, they have all died. Vikus tells them that their world is a very dangerous place for overlanders. Overlander is what the odd humans call normal humans. Why is the new world so dangerous? What happened to his father? Did his father come here?

This book, like I said is very adventurous. For the most part, it keeps me hooked the entire time. There were moments where I thought it could be more interesting. Overall, I really liked it. It is by the same author as the Hunger Games. So, you know it is worth reading. I would defiantly suggest this book to anyone. No matter who you are, you will love it. Even though there are parts that could be more interesting, it doesn't mean that this book isn't wonderful. I really enjoyed reading it. At first, I was a little skeptical if I would like it or not. But this book surprised me on how much I ended up liking it.

Everlost

Are you ever about to say something, but you forget what you are about to say? That's probably just because a skinjacker from an alternate universe was possessing you. You don't know what I am talking about? Well then, young locust, let me tell you.
Everlost- The world where people are half living, like ghosts
Afterlight- One of the ghosts
Skinjacker- Somebody who can posses the living
Vapor... Oh, this will take to long to tell you! Just google it!
In this story, Allie and Nick get in a car crash. They then get to Everlost. Once in Everlost, they find Mary Hightower. From her, they learn about Everlost. They leave after a while, and find a monster get captured, so on, so on.
I really liked this book. It was probably my favorite book by Neal Shusterman. It talked about many, many, things. In the book, they have to adapt to the situation. They also have to make friends of enemies. You need to learn to not judge a book by its cover, or else it might hang you upside down for 100 years! This book is very confusing at first, but you catch on quickly. Also, there is a bit of romance. I would recomend it to just about anybody. A

Pendragon: The soldiers of Halla by D.J. MacHale

Well, If you've made it this far into the series, congrats. If you just so happened to see this review and take the time to look at it, thank you, but before continuing, pick up a copy of the first book, The Merchant of Death, read your way to the tenth book, and then read this review. Don't worry, we'll wait.

Now that we have a couple more fans of good ol' MacHale's books, I believe that we can jump right into the final book of Pendragon, called The Soldiers of Halla. This fiction-based book hits the ground running. As soon as you turn the first page, the story continues right where the other book left off. We find ourselves following Bobby Pendragon, the story's antagonist, who is desperately trying to find a way to stop the bad guy, Saint Dane. Why stop Saint Dane? Because he wants to become the supreme overlord of the universe, and, well, he's the bad guy. Anyways, Bobby has just met up with his friends, and learned some VERY important information about the Travelers (the people destined to fight Saint Dane). Unfortunately, if I told you these details, there would be some major spoilers for people currently reading the series. Instead, I'll graze right over the small stuff and tell you the only thing that really matters. Simply put, Bobby finally learns how Saint Dane has the powers he does, and how to stop him. Woah.

With that matter of business taken care of, Bobby and his friends have to figure out what planet they're on. Shokingly, the desolate wasteland that they see before them is none other than the once-thriving planet ______! (Wouldn't want to give anything away now, would we?) After this disturbing fact is established, the Travelers realize that only Saint Dane could have caused this much chaos, which means that they're on the right planet. Once they find him, they learn that his plan is already in full motion. Can Bobby and the Travelers find the strength to save a dying universe? Or are they already too late?

Theatrics aside, this book is phenomenal. From the fast-paced beginning to the unconventional end, this book ties up every last detail and leads you through countless heart-pounding fights and truth-revealing moments, all the while using every single resource it has available to throw you off your mental balance. One moment, Bobby is sneaking through Saint Dane's castle, and the next thing you know, he finds one of his friends, but they're older than Bobby! This is just one of the many "Whaaa?" moments you find when reading this novel.

MacHale puts some pretty powerful ideas out there in this finale. His most notable is that people have the right to choose their own destiny. This has been at the center of Bobby and Saint Dane's conflict from the beginning. Bobby believes that mankind needs to be left alone so that it can become whatever it wants to be. Saint Dane, on the other hand, is sure that mankind will become extinct if left to its own devices. He wants to intervene, and tell people what to do instead of giving them a choice. I agree completely with Bobby's philosophy. Very many countries fight their leaders in a struggle for freedom, or a way to choose their own course in life. Freedom is one of the biggest things that people want in life. Take that away, and people are as good as slaves.

Another example of people's will for freedom is America. Take one look at America's history, and you can see just how strongly people lust for the ability to make their own choices. Countless people left their home country, Britain, in search of a place to live in peace and freedom. Once they found it, they started a new country. Unfortunately, Britain still had its iron grip on the people of America. The Americans wanted independence so badly, however, that they waged war against the best military army known, and won. This is very similar to Bobby's story. An evil ruler rises to take control of everything, but is thwarted by the very people who he tried to govern.

Overall, this book is a recipe for awesome. Start with a base of nine other great books plus a deep storyline. Add 500 pages of action, sorrow, and hope, then stir. sprinkle some beautiful word choice into the mixture and bake at 300 degrees for 1 week. Line with a clever and mysterious ending and serve. This all-you-can-eat-buffet of a book will have you pondering its meaning for days! Do you really need to ask me what I give this book? A+ all the way, man.

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

The book The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is about four kids that have to move in with a professor because of the war going on where they live. The house is a big interesting house that they want to explore. As they search the rooms the find one room with just a wardrobe Susan, Peter, and Edmund find it dull and move on to the next room but, Lucy finds it fascinating. She likes wardrobes and goes to see all the coats. As she keeps going farther back in the wardrobe she soon finds herself in the woods of a different world. She meets a faun named Mr. Tumnus, and he tells her it's Narnia. He tells her things about Narnia. Lucy returns and tells her siblings about her adventure but when they go to the wardrobe and go to the back they find that there is no way into another world.

Later the kids are playing hide-and-go-seek. Lucy goes into the wardrobe and her brother, Edmund, follows her to make fun of her "pretend world." As he goes into the wardrobe he finds himself in Narnia as well. While Edmund is in Narnia he meets the White Witch, and she makes him think that she is all good and nice even though she’s not. He then meets back up with Lucy. When Lucy and Edmund return to their world Lucy tells Susan and Peter, the older siblings, that Edmund went to Narnia too, Edmund objects. Then one day when all the kids were trying to stay out of trouble they find themselves in the wardrobe and they cross over to Narnia. They feel bad for not believing Lucy and get mad at Edmund for lying to them about not being in Narnia. So off they go to explore Narnia. Lucy goes to show them where Mr. Tumnus lives but his house is torn apart. After, Mr. Beaver, a friend of Mr. Tumnus, helps the kids arrive safely to his home. They eat and talk about Narnia, where Mr. tumnus is, the White Witch and Aslan, the King of Narnia. While the kids and Mr. and Mrs. Beaver talk Edmund sneaks out to go to the White Witch's Castle because he likes her even though she is bad. The others soon realize that Edmund is gone and probably going to betray them so they get out of there and start on their way to where they will meet Aslan.

When they meet Aslan they figure out that because they are human they are the Kings and Queens of Narnia. Soon the White Witch goes to where Aslan is and they make an agreement to give Edmund (because he is now the White Witch’s captive) back if Aslan comes to the Stone Table so she can kill Aslan. Lucy and Susan watch Aslan die and come back to life again. Aslan, Lucy, and Susan rush to get recruits from the White Witch’s castle that he held as prisoners and they rush to the war that is Aslan’s followers against the white Witch’s followers. By this time Edmund is on Aslan’s side fighting along his family members.

It is very entertaining book and C.S. Lewis writes it as if he is talking to you. C.S. Lewis. I agree with C.S. Lewis that good conquers bad, like in the book even though Aslan gets killed because he was willing to die for others he got revived from the dead and he soon conquered evil. This book helped me see that we can all make bad mistakes and we can always come back to the right side like Edmund did. I think that now I feel like even though someone might make a big mistake that I will be able to forgive them just like Edmund’s siblings did. Now I can forgive others even if it’s hard and I don’t want to it will make me happier if I do.

This book was really great and I would give it an A! The way that C.S. Lewis writes can be a little confusing at times, but I also really like how he writes. This book is just about as good as the movie. Although it’s a little different but, it’s a really great book. If you like the movie, you’ll like the book.

Divergent

Divergent by Veronica Roth takes place in a society where everyone is separated into five factions. Dauntless the brave, Amity the peaceful, Candor the truthful, Abnegation the selfless, and Erudite the intelligent. And when you turn sixteen you choose which faction you want to be in, either you stay with your family or you turn your back on them. In the book we meet Beatrice who is one of the Abnegation. When she turns sixteen she takes a test to see which faction she would fit in. Her results are inconclusive and she finds out she is Divergent which means she could belong in more than one faction. But she is told that she cannot tell anyone because if she does it might cost her life. When it comes time to choose, she joins The Dauntless and betrays her family. When she arrives at the Dauntless compound, she makes friends and enemies in Dauntless training. As she goes through training she finds that her Divergence is both an asset and a threat to her, also she has a romance with her trainer, Four. When she finishes her training, she is in a nasty surprise when the Erudite control the Dauntless and use them as an army against the Abnegation. But with the help of her friends and family she is able to stop the plot but at a terrible cost, with many dead including her friends and her parents. In the end, her, Four, and some others are alone their factions scattered and scared, not knowing what lies ahead.

I loved this book! It has good characters, tragedy, and action. It has suspenseful moments and I love the factions. But the romance between Beatrice (Tris), and Four is cheesy and annoying. This book would have done fine without it. Also when you read this book you'll hate the Erudite I guarantee it. All in all, GREAT BOOK!