Michael Vey: Rise of the Elgen

    This amazing sequel Michael Vey: Rise of the Elgen is definitely another great example of the wonderful writing talents of the up-and-coming author Richard Paul Evans. Evans didn't disappoint me at all with the extension of this fiction novel. It is a great read for young adults, and it's great theme of the power of friendship will appease everyone who reads it. This is a sequel so this will be confusing to those who haven't read the first book in this series. Also be warned that this might give things away for people who want to start the series.
    The book starts you off with the Electroclan (Michael Vey's group of friends and allies) running away from the evil Elgen force. Michael's mom was taken away  by the Elgen and Michael is trying desperately to find her. Things turn around very fast when Michael receives a phone call from a mysterious voice who gives him directions to a safe house where he can get information on where his mom is being kept prisoner.
   On the other side of things Dr. Hatch (Elgen leader) has discovered many other ways to deal with electricity, and also how to electrify other animals. Hatch has created an entire program called the starxource plants where electricity is generated solely on the power of electrified rats. Dr. Hatch has come up with a master plan to get starxource plants all over the world, and eventually take over. The Electroclan have no intention of stopping the Elgen from taking over the world in fact, they didn't even know that the Elgen wanted to conquer the world. Dr. Hatch hates Michael and the Electroclan, and things get pretty messy when they eventually run into each other.
    I loved the suspenseful  and action-packed scenes that were found quite frequently throughout this book. I didn't ever find myself longing for some action or being bored in this book. Evans does a great job of keeping things entertaining and fun throughout the entire book. There are multiple very memorable and fun scenes that I thought added a great deal to the overall book. One thing I found a little annoying in this book is that it dragged the ending out a little too long, and it had a few things that weren't necessary to the plot. Besides that little negative I felt the book was overall very impressive.
    This book is definitely one of the best ones I've read for awhile and I definitely look forward to reading this series as it grows. This book dragged on a little bit towards the end, but it still was quite entertaining even through the more dull parts. I loved the overall feel of the book and I'm very impressed with Evan's ability to make you feel different and very strong emotions when the character feels them. This is a great read for anyone looking for something to read.

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You (By: Ally Carter)

I’d Tell You I Love You,
But Then I’d Have To Kill You

By: Ally Carter

“I’d Tell You I Love You, but Then I’d have To Kill You”, is an adventurous, fictional young adult book about how a less than ordinary teenage girl found impossible love, and the sacrifices she would have to make in the future.

To the average person The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Woman is a high class, rich kid school. To the outside world this all girl school has a high performance average, and is just a school for geniuses. Though what the average person doesn’t know is that it’s really a school for spies in training. They teach high end Martial Arts in GYM class., and give out extra credit for cracking special CIA database codes. So truly they’re not your usual school.

Cammie Morgan is one of the exceptional girls that go to The Gallagher Academy. She is just starting her sophomore year and is ready to go. Cammie and her two friends, Liz and Bex are ready to start their spy training. This will be the year where they start Cove Ops (covert operations) and they will see how true of a spy they really are. This is where their spy training really kicks in the they gain true field experience.

Cammie is a natural when it comes to hacking international databases, hand to hand martial arts, or even killing someone with a dry piece of spaghetti. But when it comes to love, nothing in all her years of training could have prepared her for this unexpected adventure.

As Cammie and her friends embark on this challenging adventure, she goes undercover for a special assignment where they are tested to their limits. They soon realize what dangers and responsibilities follow with being a field agent; not only to them, but to everyone around.

This book is really great, and fun. It’s so entertaining the way Ally Carter incorporated the thoughts of a teenage girl and a highly trained spy into the same person. Throughout the book you are always on edge and you never loose interest. This book is really a Romeo and Juliet tale, with forbidden love, and all the trouble it brings. Also it shows how worked up teenagers get over “love” and how much it changes them.

I think it would be intriguing to be a spy and know 14 languages when you’re only in 10th grade. I also wonder if Alley Carter's portrayal of a spy’s life is genuine, and if they really have to give up love for the job. 

Overall this book was just so great and fun. It was enjoyable to read a book that wasn’t predictable. The best part was that it is really hard to put down and it’s always amusing. I think a lot of people would enjoy it.

The Underneath (aka, the most amazing book ever!)

First of all, I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE WHO IS READING THIS REVIEW! IT'S SO FLIPPING AMAZING I CAN'T EVEN DESCRIBE!

Okay, well if you read reviews on Amazon or whatever for this book then lots of people hate it, but last of people love it too.

So, let's begin with the plot. For this story there are many plots going on at once.

First there is the one of a pregnant calico cat who was loved, then abandoned on the side of the road. The nameless cat hears the baying of a hound, "Won't somebody throw this old dog a bone?" and understands that the dog is looking for a friend. She finds him underneath an old beaten house. There she has  two kittens, Puck and Sabine, and the four become as close as family. Ranger's owner whom the animals call Gar Face because of his resemblance to the hideous gar fishes, has abused and neglected Ranger tied to a chain. The kittens must not be seen by Gar Face, so they have to "stay in the underneath." Kittens are curious by nature and  Pick finds the opportunity to explore the sunny world. Of course, disobeying the rule comes with awful consequences. Puck and his mother are taken to the river and Gar Face tries to drown them. The calico cat makes Puck promise that he has to go back to Sabine and Ranger, and break Ranger's chain.

Here's a gar fish. Ugly little thing, isn't he?

There's another animal in the bayou. Her story takes place 1,000 years before the other's. Grandmother Moccasin is a giant snake, and a shape shifter. She was once a human, in love with a man who abandoned her. She turned back into a snake, and once a creature comes back to their original form, the change is permanent. Grandmother's daughter meets another shape shifter, Hawk Man, and she leaves Grandmother as a human to run of with Hawk Man, and they fall in love and have a daughter. Grandmother is angry and after a few years she convinces Night Song, her daughter, to turn back into a snake and be with her. Night Song doesn't know that it will be permanent, and she slips into her scaly skin.

Gar Face discovers a giant alligator, over 100 feet long, and he wants to skin it so he can brag to the guys at the bar. Poor old Ranger is used as alligator bait. Grandmother Moccasin is also hungry, and she sees some little kittens to eat. She is jealous of their intense love for their family, as everyone she's loved has only caused her pain. But these animals love is so strong and beautiful. Grandmother can't decide what to do!

Bear with me as I try to put my feelings into words.

The whole book is written so beautifully it literally took my breath away. LITERALLY! I started the book, got 10 chapters in, and started again because it's just beautiful! I had to read it slowly and savor every sentence. No book has ever done that to me. EVER! The writing is so deliciously descriptive, and also poetic in a way. The writing is what made this book. If the plot doesn't sound interesting, the writing is just fun/crazy/amazing to read.Besides, I can't describe everything in the way the author did. Simply. Breathtaking. How does an author create this stuff?

The plot is fascinating! Everything feels so real, even Grandmother's magic seemed like it was possible. Each one of the character's is so well developed. Grandmother Moccasin's story was one that intrigued me, but the one that I found most interesting was Gar Face. Some chapters described his childhood and I seriously felt sick, yet...amazed.

I'm guessing it's obvious that I loved this book. I have my favorite books, but I don't even know how to classify this, you know? It's one of the most amazing things I've ever read. The kind of thing where you put it down and just... Cry. Animal books will do that to me. I'm a softy for those. If you like books like Shiloh, or one of my favorites, Because of Win-Dixie, or any book like that, I highly suggest that. If you don't like those books, I suggest it also, because it is like nothing you will ever read. A+

 Insurgent by: Veronica Roth

     Insurgent picks up right where the first book, Divergent, left off: the Abnegation compound has been taken over by the Dauntless soldiers under the attack simulation, leaving behind a broken city.  After Tris and Tobias have managed to turn off the simulation forcing people to wake up and see the blood they now have on their hands.  Some choose to join the cause they we're just fighting for and others choose to fight it.  The one's who try to fight against it must now flee to the other compounds to protect themselves, but this is officially war and no one can just say neutral.

     Veronica Roth did a great job writing this book.  The first book to the series was beautifully written and doesn't disappoint her readers with it's sequel.  Were there times when I thought the pacing was a little off and wanted the story to move a little faster, yes, but that is to be expected.  What I love about this book is the way Veronica Roth manages to develop every character in the series no matter how small they may be.  You are introduced to each character in the first book but you get to see how far they have come and who they now are.  Another thing I really like about the book is the way that after Tris and Tobias begin their relationship they don't fall into the cliche of living happily ever after.  They have problems and it is clearly shown and I love that.

     After reading this book it really makes you look at the world in a new light.  Everyone can't just fit into one category like they are trying to do in this society.  One person is not just smart, or just fearless.  We each have a little bit of everything in us.  Everyone in their own way is smart, brave, selfless, kind, and honest.  You can't just take a human being and put them in a box of what they are and what they're not.  That just limits the person, and they can't show who they really are.  If we do that what kind of person does that make us?

    Overall this book was absolutely fantastic.  Though be forewarned there are some heated kissing scenes, but it really just adds to the story.  I would recommend this series to anyone but start with the first book (the review can be found here). I give this book two thumbs up and an A+.

Ruins by Orson Scott Card is the second book in the Pathfinder series. In this book Rigg, a 15 year old boy that can see paths and go into the past, and his friends live on a planet called Garden. On Garden there are 19 colonies and each has an invisible wall that is impossible to pass. By going into the past, Rigg and his friends find a way to pass through the wall.
  
On the other side they find out that the people in this colony have found out that the world is going to be blown up by the people from Earth in three years. Rigg and his friends then decide that they should try to stop the people from blowing up their planet. The rest of the book is about the group trying to save their world. 

One big problem I had with this book was how confusing some scenes were. In the book they talk a lot about time travel and it doesn't make any sense. Here's an example, "During the microseconds when the ship's nineteen computers were separately calculating and activating the jump." There are whole pages where they talk about stuff like this.     

I thought that this book was o.k. Most of the book didn't have a lot of action and was kind of boring. I feel like the author went way too slow and this book could have been a lot better if it was faster paced. However, the last 100 pages were fast paced and action packed. Also there were tons of mini cliffhangers that kept the book interesting. So for these reasons I'm giving it a B minus.

        


 

Divergent: Veronica Roth

             Divergent, by Veronica Roth is a Dystopian book, set in the future in what is now Chicago, where the world is divided into 5 different groups, or factions as they are called in the book. The five different factions in the book are, Abnegation, Amity, Dauntless, Erudite, and Candor. Abnegation, is a faction that is completely selfless, and sometimes overly too selfless, and some of their rules on what you can and cannot do, are pretty crazy. The Political leaders that rule the government are all Abnegation. Amity is a faction where life is peaceful and they farm, and they try to find as much happiness as they can. Dauntless are brave and have a lot of courage, and are also very strong. They are the ones that run the military and army. Erudite value knowledge above all other things, they are very smart and intelligent. All the teachers at the schools are Erudite. Candor is a faction that is completely honest, and all they are is honest and they never tell a lie. So, there is some background knowledge on the different factions.

             

           Beatrice (later called Tris) is a 16 year old girl who lives in the Abnegation faction and is approaching the point where she will have to choose which faction she will live and work. But before she does this she goes through a series of tests. These tests are suppose to help to decide which faction you should choose. But when she goes through these tests the results she gets back aren't great. Beatrice found out that she is divergent, meaning that she doesn't fit into anyone faction, and being divergent, might get you killed. So, which faction will she choose? Will she leave her family or stay will them? Remember Faction is before blood. So, to find out what happens, just read the book.

          Some of the issues the book brings up is facing your fears. Many times in the book Tris goes through tests in which she has to face her fears. In the tests that she goes though, she cannot continue on until she has faced that fear. Somethings that I would have liked better is that I think that there should have been a bigger conflict. Really, the big conflict doesn't really start till the end of the book, and I won't tell you what that is. Pretty much during the whole book it is just Beatrice going through initiation.(read the book to find out what that is)

         Overall I like the book, and I would recommend anybody reading it, even though it may take a long time to get to the big conflict, the book still kept me up at night and still is a well written book, and I would give it a grade of an A. 

The Complete Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde

You should be able to tell what The Complete Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde is about from the title: a collection of all the fairy tales that Wilde wrote, which includes two books, The Happy Prince and Other Tales and A House of Pomegranates. The stories are around ten pages each, and all have interesting and meaningful morals. I am going to write about  one short story in particular, and then on Wilde's writing.

My favorite story from the whole of the book was "The Nightingale and the Rose," a heartbreaking tale of death and lost love. Actually, love was crushed by a wagon wheel in the icky gutter in this story. It opens with a lovesick student's cries of despair: the professor's daughter will only dance with him if he brings her a red rose, but there is no such flower to be found in the student's garden. A nightingale pities the student in his distress, and decides she must find him a red rose to take to the professor's daughter. Unfortunately, the only way to get a red rose is for the bird to press her heart against a thorn of the dead red rose bush and sing all night, which would cost the nightingale her life, but she does it anyway, for the sake of love. In the morning, the bird is dead, but the student takes the rose to the girl. Here's the horrible part: the girl says, when presented with the most beautiful rose ever to grow on this earth, "I'm afraid it will not go with my dress," and throws the flower in the gutter, so the student gives up on love and goes back to philosophy. The theme here is... love is stupid? Love only leads to death and philosophy is better? I don't know, to be honest. I think that love is beautiful and necessary to true happiness in this life, and many of Wilde's other stories in the book come to that conclusion, but this one does not. Perhaps "The Nightingale and the Rose" is something of a retelling of one of Wilde's personal experiences with love... (This is the part where you stop reading and comment, because I could actually use some insight here. Anyone?) Anyway, whether with or without a moral, the story was lovely to read, as well as all the others. Which brings me to the next topic...

I found all of Wilde's stories to be beautifully written, and thoroughly enjoyed most of them, whether sad or amusing. The problem I had while reading this book was that the language was a little difficult, and though it wasn't hard enough that I couldn't understand the stories or appreciate them, the fact that I occasionally had to look up words or infer their meaning sometimes took away from the stories in and of themselves. However, this may not be an issue for some, and may deter others from giving Wilde's work a chance. Also, I found that there wasn't as much room for characterization in the short stories as there is in a novel, so I missed the connection between myself and the characters which I so love in books usually. All in all, though, I really enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to anyone who is okay with a measure of sadness and is up for the slightly challenging language. A-

The Anti-prom

The Anti-prom by Abby Mcdonald, is a young adult novel about rebellion, romance, and revenge. It focuses in on three unlikely friends who all seek one thing. Revenge. Revenge is the main theme of this book along with romance.
Bliss Merino is one of the most popular girls in school. She has the perfect boyfriend, perfect friends, and a perfect life, so she expects her prom to be, well...perfect! She IS having a perfect prom, that is until she finds her boyfriend making out with her best friend in the back of their limo. She then meets up with Jolene in order to find a perfect way to destroy them. Jolene is the baddest girl in school. You cannot say no to her. No one expects to see her at prom, yet here she is! The scarriest girl in school is standing here in a pink ruffle dress and high heels. Jolene's date fails to show up and she agrees to help Bliss with her destructive plans. As they are running away from an alarm that they set off, they run into Meg Zuckerman. Meg is the ultimate wallflower. She literally has zero friends and her prom date, who was set up by her parents, stood her up. She is determined to end her life as a wallflower and go experience new things. She, Jolene, and Bliss then go on many adventures in seek of new relationships and revenge.
I am going to be straight forward with you. I hated this book. I thought it was terrible. I had 5 main issues with the book. 1: I felt like the entire book was just about a couple of stuck up brats who never stopped complaining. The story takes place in high school, which i know is full of drama, but this book made it out to be like if you aren't popular, then you aren't happy. 2: I had a couple moral issues with the book. Every single page had a swear word. I'm almost positive that I did not go through one page without seeing at least one swear word, and I had issues with that because I don't necessarily mind if one swears, but it does bother me when people swear over and over again. This did more than bother me, it drove me crazy! Also, there were a couple sexual scenes and underage smoking and drinking. 3: There were a couple main events in the story, but after a couple, they really could've ended the story. But no! It dragged on and on. It felt like a never ending story. 4: Like in the book Flipped, this story is told in the point of view of multiple first person. The story switches off between Bliss, Jolene, and Meg's point of view. It was very hard to keep track of who was speaking and it was very confusing. Lastly, 5: The characters drove me nuts. Bliss was a brat, Jolene was a jerk, and Meg let people walk all over her. I did not like any of them at all. Also, there were so many characters. Too many. They introduced more than 20 different character throughout the book. That is WAY too many! The only thing in this book that I liked was the way how Meg grew as a character. She started as a shy wallflower and grew to be more outgoing and fun.
All in all, I would give this book a generous F. It was really that horrible. There were so many issues with it. I know what you're thinking, "Why in the world would she continue to read this if it was so bad?" There is only one reason why I didn't choose a new book for my report... I didn't have time to go find a new one! Believe me, I wish I didn't read it and have chosen a diferent book. So, unless you like reading long books that are all about brats and jerks, DO NOT read this book.

Okay For Now

           Okay for Now, written by Gary D. Schmidt, is about a boy named Doug Swieteck who has to move to Marysville. He didn't want to move because he has to leave all of his friends and his home. As he was about to leave, one of his friends gave him a jacket that belonged to Joe Pepitone, who was a baseball player for the Yankees. Doug previously had thrown a baseball with Joe Pepitone and when they were done, Joe gave Doug one of his baseball caps. This jacket meant a lot to Doug because sadly, one of Doug's brothers took his hat and traded it with some friends and pretty soon the hat was passed around town and ended up in the gutter. When he arrived in Marysville at his new house, he called it a dump. Soon he started to get used to his new home, and began to meet new people, and  received a job to deliver food to his neighbors every Saturday. Doug also developed a talent and passion for art by going to the library to draw pictures of birds with help from Mr. Powell, his teacher. Summer came to an end and Doug had to go to school. He wasn't very excited because it's a new school and he didn't have very many friends. The beginning of the school year was rough because he had a lot of after school detentions and fights with his peers. However as the school year went on, he learned new things and started to enjoy school more. There is much more to come, read this book and find out what happened to Doug.

         In the book, Doug's brother came home from Vietnam and he was faced with a lot of challenges. After being home for awhile, he decided to go out looking for work even though he had to use a wheelchair. When he first started looking for work he was declined because he couldn't use his legs.  Lucas, Doug's brother, never gave up. He kept on going out every morning looking for work even though he was pretty sure that he was going to get declined. I thought the author explained his opinions really well through this part of the book. The author was saying to never give up; always keep trying. Additionally, there were some robberies at different parts of the book, and the police always thought that it was Doug's brother, Chris, because he was always causing trouble. Because of that, Doug's teachers and neighbors were not very nice to Doug because they thought that his brother was a thief. The author was saying not to judge others. Just because a family member might or might not have done something doesn't mean that you should not like them or treat them differently.

    The book was very entertaining because it was suspenseful and there was always something new happening. For example, when Doug was doing his deliveries, there was a woman that he had to deliver food to. Everyone said that she wasn't very nice and never let anyone in, so when Doug went to Mrs. Windermere's house it was suspenseful because the reader didn't know what she was going to do. Was she going to let him in or yell at him? Another example is the uncertainity if someone is going to find Joe Pepitone's jacket, because the reader knows how much the hat meant to Doug and they don't want him to lose another one of his prize possesions. The book was filled with many examples of suspense.

      I really enjoyed this book. Since this book was about a boy in eighth grade it was easy to relate with him. There were some slow parts at the very beginning that were hard to get into, and the chapters were long so it was hard to finish a chapter some times. But as the book went on it started to go by faster and was more entertaining to read. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that enjoys real-life fiction and a little bit of mystery. A  


 

The Power of Six

     “Never lose faith in yourself, and never lose hope; remember, even when this world throws its worst and then turns its back, there is still always hope.” In The Power of Six, by Pittacus Lore, hope is a main theme. It's not just hope, but the idea that hope always exists, and that hope can overcome anything. It might be surprising that hope is such a key element, because action adventure/science fiction novels don’t always focus on something so simple. But don’t be fooled. This book isn’t simple at all. It all started with the destruction of Lorien. 9 garde and 9 cêpan escaped- the 9 garde are being hunted by the Mogadorians and killed. The garde are the warriors, and the cêpans are their guardians and their trainers.

             One of the main characters, John Smith, is one of the garde. He is considered a felon and is trying to develop his legacies on the run. He is one of the 9 garde, and he is number 4. He has so much going on in his life, from his cêpan Henri dying, to him having mixed feelings about Sarah and Six. Sarah was John’s girlfriend, who he was forced to leave in Paradise and he can’t contact her in anyway. Then there’s Sam, John’s best friend. Another big focus in John’s life is his chests. These chests came from Lorien, and they hold the keys to keep their legacies, or their powers coming

            John and Six are on the run with Sam. They have to stay away from the Mogadorians and the police. It gets very complicated, but they still have the times to stop and train. Along the way, John and Six’s relationship begins to grow, and John begins to wonder what will happen to his relationship with Sarah. When John and Six go on a walk, it doesn’t help clear up the fog. They become very close, and they almost kiss. John is very confused, and to clear up the confusion he decides to go see Sarah. While in Paradise, the Mogadorians attack them, and everything gets complicated.

            There is also the problem of Number 7. Her name is Marina, and her problems are much different then John’s. She had been in Spain for the last 11 years, because her cêpan has become convinced that Lorien is no longer important. The garde are supposed to move around often, but Adalina, her cêpan, refuses to leave the Catholic orphanage in which they have taken refuge. Marina is forced to teach herself about her legacies, and she has to learn everything on her own.

            Truth be told, this book is slow. It seems like this book inches along, and it seems like everything is stretched out much too long. The Power of Six is not the best book, and it doesn’t have many surprises. The entire book seemed like it was laid out at the beginning. It doesn’t go in the direction it should. This book has the potential to be a very good story, and it has very good points. The author just didn’t tie them together in the way they should be tied together. This book definitely isn’t as good or as suspenseful as I am Number Four. The first book in this series seemed much more interesting and it kept my attention for much longer. The Power of Six dragged on and didn’t move well. If they had to be compared, I am Number Four is definitely the better book.

            This is not the greatest book. It isn’t the worst, because it has good ideas, but it seemed that the author didn’t know what to do with the ideas. It is very slow paced and Pittacus Lore can and should do better. All in all, The Power of Six is a boring book that didn’t hold my attention well.

B.

The Hunger Games

     The Hunger Games is written by Suzanne Collins. The Hunger Games follows a 16 year old girl named Katniss. She lives in a nation called Panema. In Panema there are 12 districts. Each year the have the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is where a boy and a girl from each district gather in an arena and fight to the death. To choose the boy and girl they have a reaping. Ones name can be placed in it multiple times. This is where the story begins!

     Katniss lives with her mother and her sister, Prim. Katniss starts off the day of the reaping with her best friend Gale. They always go hunting in the woods together because Katniss loves using her bow and arrow. After hunting she goes home and heads to the reaping with Prim, her 12 year old sister(the youngest age for the reaping) and Prim is terrified of being called. However, Prim is chosen for the girls and Katniss volunteers to take her place! The boy chosen is Peeta and Katniss has a small connection with this boy. As a couple they draw attention to themselves in many ways. As the go in the arena to fight to the death who will survive?

     The hunger games is a very intense, action, adventure, romance book. The book hooks teenagers easily because it is a little bit of everything. I think Suzanne Collins wrote this book extremely well for the components she pit into it. It is fast paced and exciting! This book can be violent, so if you don't like violence or kids trying to kill other kids, I suggest not reading this book. On the other hand if you don't mind a little, go ahead and read this book! I give this book an A+. Here is a link to the movie trailer that is out already. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FovFG3N_RSU (this has two trailer in one video)

Michael Vey: Prisoner of Cell 25

      Michael Vey is about a boy named Michael who has a very special power where he can shock people. It's a little like a static shock, but much more powerful. Michael met a girl a girl at school named Taylor who has similar powers, except she can reboot peoples minds. Michael's powers are wanted by a man named Hatch but Michael is too powerful for Hatch to capture him, so Hatch takes Michael's mother as bait. Michael and Taylor find the place where they believe that Hatch is holding Michael's mother but once they arrive at the academy, they get ambushed. Hatch tricked Michael and Taylor. Michael's mother is really held in an academy on the other side of the world.

      Michael and Taylor are both captured and put in to two different cells. Michael is put in a cell where he is tortured by kids who also have electric powers. Taylor is put into a cell with a couple other electric children who hate Hatch, and want to escape. Michael escapes his cell and brakes into Taylors cell, taking all those electric children with him, and an electric child who used to be on Hatch's side. Together all those electric children work together, and escape the building alive.

      Michael Vey is a very good book with a ton of action and adventure. This book has very clean language, and won't make one feel very uncomfortable. Like in most books these days, there are some deaths in this book, but the author doesn't go into unnecessary detail. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants humor and suspense.

      I give this book an A because it doesn't get boring, it is very appropriate for all ages, and because it was a very interesting book. I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading the sequel. As much as I loved this book, I don't think that it is quite as good as Harry Potter.



   

Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde

     Heir Apparent is easily one of the funniest books I've read. Enough said.
     Giannine Bellisario wants to be a normal 14 year old like everyone else, but it's hard when your parents are divorced and you live with your grandmother because your father is working all day. Consequently, Giannine doesn't know her father very well, but still gets gifts from him. It's Giannine's birthday, and her father has sent her a $50 certificate to Rasmussem Enterprises, a popular gaming center.
     Rasmussem Enterprises is popular partially due to their total immersion virtual reality games. Giannine uses her certificate to play one virtual reality game called Heir Apparent. Unfortunately, the CPOC, or Citizens to Protect Our Children, were waiting outside Rasmussem in a riot against the gaming center stating that the video games were satanic. What's more, they raided Rasmussem and attacked the equipment - while Giannine was hooked up. Now Giannine only has so many tries until she's dead - both in the game and real life. Will she make it to the end of the game or die first?
     As I said before, this is one of the funniest books I have read, which largely improved my rating for the book. Giannine was very sarcastic at times and an overall likeable character - despite the occasional swearing. She interacted with the other characters well, and seeing as the game story made her a king, she kind of had to. Her choices added to the story, and to the theme, which I interpreted as mostly to make good choices; they can affect you in the long run.
     As for the grade I'd give the book, it would probably be an A easily. I mentioned more benefits than downgrades to the book, which should show that the benefit far outweighs the downgrades. I hope everyone gets the chance to read this book - it is seriously awesome.

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment

     Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment is a really good book by James Patterson. It is the first book in the Maximum Ride series. It is a science fiction, young adult, and fantasy book. It was very creative and I enjoyed reading it.
    The book starts with 14 year old Maximum Ride and her group of friends who are the closest thing she has to a family. They have escaped from a facility known as the School, where they were raised. While at the School, mad scientists grafted bird DNA into them, giving them wings and strange powers. They think they have safely escaped the School, but they have been found. Erasers, which were also created at the School and are part wolf have found Max and her family. They kidnap the youngest child with wings, Angel.
     This book is about the rescue mission to save Angel and to figure out the family's past and parents. Things are going smoothly when all of the sudden Max gets terrible headaches and a strange voice inside her head. While trying to sort things out, she runs into an old friend named Jeb, who helped them escape the School, but is now sided with the School. Meanwhile, the voice in her head is guiding her and agrees with Jeb. She doesn't know what to do, or why Erasers are hunting her down, but tries to help her friends in anyway she can.
     One of the big themes in the book was that the line between good and bad can be blurred. Because the main characters have no money or caregivers, the author talks through Max about when stealing is okay and when it is unacceptable. Also, the School says that they are the "good guys" because they created the bird-kids to fight crime. I agreed with most of the authors views, but I was unsure of others.
     I liked reading Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment and I look forward to reading the rest of the series. A.
                                   
      

The Fellowship of the Ring

      The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien is probably the best fiction book I have ever read. It has multiple themes, but one main theme is that even people who seem insignificant have a lot of potential, and there are many characters in the book that this applies to. The Fellowship of the Ring is the first book in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and it starts Frodo's dangerous adventure to the evil land of Mordor. This book contains many different mythical races, including short creatures with big, hairy feet that want nothing to do with adventure, called hobbits.

    Frodo Baggins, a peaceful hobbit, is given a magical ring from his uncle, Bilbo Baggins. A wizard named Gandalf the Grey warns him about it, so Frodo, Samwise Gamgee, Peregrin (Pippin) Took, and Merry Brandybuck rush to Rivendell, a city where elves live. On the way, they encounter evil Black Riders, some helpful allies, and a mysterious man named Strider. In Rivendell, a council is held, and people from many different races attend. At the council, they must decide what to do with the magical ring. There, they form 'The Fellowship of the Ring.' A company that is made up of four hobbits, Frodo, Sam, Pippin, and Merry; Gandalf the Grey; an elf named Legolas; Gimli the Dwarf; Aragorn the Ranger; and a mortal man named Boromir.

      This book was very epic and well-thought through. J.R.R. Tolkien created a whole world called Middle-Earth! You can feel the structure of the plot, the characters, and the settings as you read the book. Also, the author brings up many issues like racism, because of the different races. For example, the elves and the dwarves do not get along well, and they don't treat each other very well. The Fellowship of the Ring affected me, because it taught me that even if someone seems insignificant, or that they aren't good enough for something, they can make a huge difference in the world. We shouldn't judge people that are different than us.

      I absolutely loved this book. I have always loved the Lord of the Rings movies, and I finally decided to read the book. It was very well-written, and I was surprised at how many similarities there were. However, the beginning of the book is VERY SLOW. If you are a reader that gets extremely bored with slow books, than I would recommend not reading this book. J. R. R. Tolkien is a brilliant writer, and his books will continue to be read for many years.

The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye is told by, and is about, a teenager in his junior year of high school at Pencey Prep. Throughout the story he is just telling you of his adventures around New York City. Now, one might begin to ponder at the fact that he is a junior in high school, and is wondering around New York City. Well, it is because although the main character, Holden Caulfield, is in a family of intellectual thinkers (his brother is a writer who lives in Hollywood), Holden is a rather lazy scholar, resulting in the fact that he was expelled. Holden does not want his parents to find out that he was expelled, so he waits until the Christmas break on the Wednesday of the next week to go home and visit family. At that time, when he arrived home he planned to either inform his parents of the tragic news, or run away and work somewhere else, visiting when able. He has a few days to spend in New York before Christmas break and he tells us of his crazy adventures, including the fun places he goes and the interesting people he meets and talks to.

This book perfectly outlines the basic thoughts and actions that the average teenager feels and experiences when alone, or when the chance comes up to make a decision. The writing is in a style that a teenager would most likely be speaking in, as a young adult in the 50’s- including using the same phrases over and over again, using slang and swearing to get his point across no matter what the case is and no matter who he is talking to. On multiple occasions, to get his point across, Holden mentions the fact that he is stupid. However, I do not think he is dumb. It is just that he does not care. Other than the fact that he doesn’t care, He seems to be quite smart and caring. For instance, he has this daydream of a bunch of children playing in a rye field, and it happens to be on the edge of a cliff, and he is to be the sole guardian of the children if they fall of the cliff, to catch them if they fall. To be the “Catcher in the Rye.” He thinks himself to be the sole protector of children, or to protect their innocence. When in an elementary school visiting, he sees graffiti which reads “f*** you”, and he is infuriated with it, wiping it off with his sleeve, knowing that if a child saw it they would be uncomfortable. He appreciates when a child like his sister, who is expected to be at a lower level of language, understands what he is saying. Throughout the book, Holden mentions how many people he thinks are good for nothing d*** phonies. This might be a result of the fact that very smart people constantly surround him, and his own brother is a genius writer in Hollywood. Being used to being around these kind of people, he seems to build up a high expectation about the entire society, looking down on them unless they are as good as his smart friends, or his smart brother. Leading him to opinions that are quite dreary and dull, showing that he is sort of a depressed person. In fact, when he gets home, he has a mental break down and gets sick, resulting in a stay in a mental help hospital to regain his well-being.

I give it an A! This book is a quite interesting read to say the least. If you get past the constant use of the same phrases, and constant swearing, it is a read that you wont forget. It has many things that really put your teenage thoughts into consideration. It also shows what a life for your first time without parents in a social environment can be very different indeed. I highly encourage someone to read this; it is an experience that will leave you pondering life for days. If you leave this suggestion behind you, and decide not to take the short time to read this book and gain new knowledge, then Holden Caulfield thinks that you are a big phony.

Fablehaven By Brandon Mull

      This book is a fantasy book and is very entertaining for all ages of kids. It is the first book in the series and a great start to a great series. This is a book about two kids Kendra and Seth and their adventures at their grandparent’s home during a summer that they stay there.
      The book starts in the car with Kendra and Seth and their parents. They are on their way to their grandparent’s house. This is where they will be staying while their parents are on a cruise. They arrive at the house with full intentions of spending the next 17 days in full boredom. Although they go in thinking this they come to realize that their summer is going to be a mess of fun and adventure for these two kids. After a couple days of just sitting around waiting for the days to pass Seth figures out that their grandparents home is a sanctuary for magical creatures. As you follow Seth and Kendra through their adventure the suspense is held high as you wonder what will come of this magical preserve when things start to get messy. From the back yard to the depths of Fablehaven you will be frozen in your chair just wondering how Seth and Kendra two teenage kids will save this preserve from what would be a perilous down fall.
      This is a great book and I recommend reading it. It does have kind of a slow start but once you get into it you will really enjoy it!!! A+

The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx

Though this book is only about 40 pages long, I found it to be as difficult to read as it is historically significant. (So please don't dock me for its length!) The book its self was written by Karl Marx mainly, but was co-written by Fredrick Engels. Throughout the book, Marx describes his thought of what would be a near-perfect government, or lack thereof. He talks about past and current forms of governments, and how they've failed or triumphed, but usually how they've failed. He writes a lot about the  bourgeoisie, which is a big, complicated word used to describe the upper-class of a capitalist society, and how communism would create an almost perfect world - where everyone is equal and there are no higher powers. As I read the book, I couldn't help but feel like his ideas of a perfect world were impossible, because in order for there to be true communism, there would have to be no physical disabilities amongst people, no crime, no social classes, and no racism, unfortunately, all these things will almost always exist in our society; so the idea of communism is really just a dream. Though I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone under the age of 18, (because it's really boring and uses words that I had to Google a lot) I think that this is a pretty important book to read, because the more people read it, the more likely our society will eventually become communist, which would actually be a great thing, because as Marx describes in this book, communism would benefit everyone by making everyone equal, and therefore would be no wars, no homeless people, and overall no problems. I personally thought the book was awesome, it taught me a lot about communism, and after reading it, I understood the book Animal Farm a lot more, and it has given me some serious advantages when I get in arguments about whether or not communism is a good thing. So, before you blame everything on communism like a lot of Americans would, read this book to give yourself a decent education of what communism originated from.

The tale continues...

    Mr. Darcy's Daughters by Elizabeth Aston continues the story of Pride and Prejudice. It picks up twenty years after Pride and Prejudice ends, and follows Mr. Darcy's five daughters through the thrills and heartbreaks of being "out of the schoolroom."
    Three of the girls, Letitia, the oldest, Camilla the next and the youngest, Alethea, travel to London to stay with their cousin while their parents are away. They are soon joined by the twins, Georgina and Belle, who are much like their Aunt Lydia was in Pride and Prejudice. All the girls become the talk of the city because of heart break, engagements broken, and a lost beau who was thought to be dead, now married and in London.
    I was kind of disappointed with this book, as it mirrored the plot of Pride and Prejudice closely. I also was hoping for Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth to be involved with their daughters, not just a name mentioned. I feel this book could have been a number of things, but instead it was very similar to the original story, with a few plot twists here and there. I have to say though, Elizabeth Aston did a fairly good job using the same style and voice as Jane Austen. I would give this book a B- just because it seemed a little repetitive. Also, because the main problems in this book were simply trying to get the twins to behave properly, and all the women the girls met trying to marry them off. A lot of the book is spent learning about their every day lives.

Michael Vey: Rise of the Elgen

     This book is a sequel to Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans. Michael Vey: Rise of the Elgen starts just after the previous book ends. Having escaped the Elgen Academy in Pasadena, and adding new friends and members, Michael Vey and the rest of the Electroclan are on their way back to Idaho. They succeeded in shutting down the academy, but they didn't find Michael's mother, who in fact wasn't being held at the academy. So, the Electroclan tries to find where she is being kept. Grace, one of the electric kids with the ability to download and store data like a flash drive, downloaded data from the Elgen's mainframe. The Electroclan hopes to find out where Michael's mother is, and they find out she is being kept in an Elgen facility in Peru. That's when they begin planning her rescue. Through most of this, Michael Vey and the Electroclan have been receiving help from an anonymous person calling them. The caller gives them transport to a place nearby the Elgen Starxource plant in Peru, where they execute the plan. Michael gets captured as the Electroclan escapes, but is freed when the rest of the Electroclan destroys the plant. The book ends as Michael Vey tries to find them.
     I enjoyed this book and I would give it an A-.

...Her plans to Maximize fun, avoid distaster, and (possibly) save the world!!

    BEST BOOK EVER!! This book is written by: Katherine Hannigan. She is such an awesome children's author! She is really good at bringing real life situations that seem to be overlooked, to the readers realization. This book is a fictional and a realistic one. The main purpose of this book is to have you take a step back and really come to realize that terrible things really do happen in life and it can effect you in many ways.
     Alright, lets get to the good stuff! So this book is from a 1st person point-of-view. It follows the life of a girl named Ida B Applewood who claims that "There is never enough time for fun(pg 3)." Ida would be in the fourth grade, but she is home-schooled. Ida is home-schooled because she tried going to school in kindergarten and it just wasn't working for her, so her parents decided to try home-schooling. Ida has many "friends," her backyard is an orchard and so there are many trees and a stream that goes though it. So she talks to the trees, all of them have names, the stream even has a name. Those are her friends. She claims that they talk back and that if you're quiet you can feel them speak to you. Well a turn of events is making a change of plans, Ida's mom gets cancer and Ida has to start going back to school. Ida HATES school. So she decides that she is going to have a "bad" heart and completely rebel and shove everybody out of her life. Family, "friends", and all the people that she will come into contact with at school. Her policy is no friends, classmates, parents, or teachers. The question is, will she be able to pull out of this awful trance that she has gotten herself into? Will she continue to be mean and have a sad depressing life? Well that is up to you to go pick this amazing 246 page book with 32 chapters inside and read what this 4th grade girl has to go through.
     This book was definitely one that I will never put in the attic! It really helped me to really try and look out and try to help people that look like they are having a bad day, because you never know what that person is going through and they might just need someone consistent to check on them everyday. Maybe they don't have support at home, or they just need some lifting up. This book was definitely one that was a fun read and very exciting. It was exciting and fun because of the way Ida talks and just the funny things that she says and the way she thinks. I will give this book a big fat A+!

Marked at Birth?

   Have you ever thought that a birthmark might mean something? Most seem random but, what if there were countless people with that same mark? What could these mean?
    In Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien, Gaia Stone, a sixteen year old midwife, is faced with a challenge. Her parents have been arrested and she has no clue why. All she knows is they are now inside the wall that separates their community from the city known as the Enclave. As she continues with her duties birthing babies and advancing the first three she delivers each month, she has lots of time to think. As she ponders the mystery behind her parents arrest she decides she must go where no one else has gone, inside the Enclave to rescue her parents.
    Once she is inside the city, things don't go quite as planned. As she herself get captured and must decipher a code that belonged to her mother. Trying to escape proved difficult for her, because of the scar that covered half her face. As she finds the truth behind her scar and the birthmarks she gave to each baby as it was born she will have to find herself.
    In this book one of the main issues is the government hiding all their actions. Gaia wanted to know why her parents were arrested and why the code was so important. The only response she was given simply stated, keep going and when you need to know you will. Many of the basic freedoms were taken away, because the government didn't want this society to end up like the last one, gone without a trace. But the government officials kind of forgot to mention this to the general public, so there is a lot of resistance against many laws. After I finished reading this book, I couldn't wait to read the sequel. It is very well written, with a balance of wit and suspense. This book does not have the "happy ending" instead, it sets the scene for the next book as the plot thickens and the story continues. I would give this book a solid A because, I could not put it down until I had read it cover to cover, twice.

Princess of the Silver Woods

    Princess of the Silver Woods. This book was a very good fantasy that proved good will defeat evil. Princess of the Silver Woods is the third book in a series, with Princess of the Midnight Ball, and Princess of Glass. So, if you're going to read this book, you should probably read the other two first. Otherwise, it might not make sense.
If you like happy princess stories, you'll love Jessica Day George's

    Princess Petunia is the youngest of 12 daughters. She has also been kidnaped... On accident. Oliver, the leader of the Wolves of the Westfalian Woods, sort of did it on accident. Now, he wants to set things right. He will lead Petunia to the grand duchess's estate and then confess to the king. Petunia isn't safe yet though. She and her 11 sisters were forced to dance every night in the Kingdom Under Stone as children. The sisters are all having dreams of the ball that seem strangely realistic. Petunia doesn't think these dreams are just nightmares. Then, she and her sisters fall into a trap that has been carefully planned. Now, Oliver and the husbands of Petunia's sisters need to use magic, brains and help from some good friends to save the sisters. If not, they will have to stay in the Kingdom Under Stone forever as brides of the half shadow daemons. 

    This book was told in a great way! It was like Flipped where it had alternating stories. Oliver would have a chapter and Petunia would have a chapter. This book was told in third person though, not first. So, it was interesting to see how the two stories were similar and different. Also, in this book it was a continuous story, not retelling the same thing from different points of view. I also liked how Jessica Day George had an unexpected love interest. Oliver is a thief. He also kidnapped Petunia. It's like in Tangled how Flynn Rider is a wanted thief. It proved that people can be good at heart but have to break the law in order to survive. I'm not saying that its okay to break the law, but the book brought up a situation where robbery seemed like the only and best way to deal with the problem. 

    Overall, I really liked this book! It might be one of my new favorites. I am a sucker for happy princess books. The book was exciting, and kept me reading. I kept thinking about what it would be like to be Oliver or as Petunia who has a completely different life style. I would recommend this book to anyone. It might be more of a girly book, but I'd still tell boys to read it! I'd give this book a well deserved A. 

After Hello

 After Hello by Lisa Mangum is a realistic-fiction novel about fate, and letting go. In the book there are two main characters, Sam and Sara who meet by chance in New York City while Sara is on a business trip with her father. Sara is an aspiring photographer and only has one day to spend in New York, but finds herself spending the day alone when her father is not able to be with her. As Sara is standing alone she takes a picture of somebody she does not know, and later ends up following him. This person is Sam. Sam is a finder, he finds what people need and trades them for something else in return. When Sam and Sara officially meet they decide to spend the day together. The two of them end up having to go on a "quest" for unique artwork to give to a celebrity who Sam's brother works for. If they do not find something wonderful for the celebrity, Sam's brother will be fired. Sam and Sara travel all around the city in the search to find a piece of art. Along the way both characters learn how to deal with their tragic pasts, and change themselves for the better.
     In After Hello the point of view the story is being told from switches between Sam and Sara each chapter, much like Flipped. However the way this book chooses to do it, is pretty confusing. When Sara is telling the story, it is told from first person. When Sam is telling the story, it is told in third person. For me, when I first read one of the chapters being told from Sam's point of view, I was so confused and had to re-read some of it to actually realize what was happening. Throughout the story it gets easier to get used to the way the book switches points of view, but in the beginning the reader might be thrown off a little bit.
     Also this book is very predictable. I could easily guess the ending of this book from the beginning of the story, and it is so obvious that I think anybody could tell you how it will end by reading just a few chapters. At some points it was frustrating because you wanted the characters to see the so obvious solution the problem, but they don't realize it till the last few chapters. There are very few exciting, unexpected moments in After Hello. The only parts in the story that were somewhat unexpected are when we learn more about Sam and Sara's past. But I think that most people could get a pretty good guess on those too. Bottom line is, this book didn't keep me hooked for the entire time.
      Overall I did actually enjoy this book. I like the concept of fate and how everything happens for a reason which this book demonstrates perfectly. Both characters in the book learn important lessons from each other that I believe everybody should learn at some point in their life. They learn how to open up about things they may otherwise keep a secret, and how to move on from their past. Sam and Sara bring out the best in each other, only if they are together for no more than one day. At the end of the book they are both changed for the better and finally learn to let go. None of this would have happened if Sara wouldn't have taken the one photograph of Sam. It just shows how everything really does happen for a reason, and I find that fascinating. I think that if everyone could learn to let go and just live in the moment, we would all have a much happier and better life.
     I ended up giving the book a B- because I think the idea for the story is really great and teaches a good lesson, but it's just plain predictable and sometimes that's not always fun to read.
   

Dreamland- Sarah Dessen

     This book 'DreamLand' is a hard book to really find a main theme behind, so if I, personally had to decided I would say its probably about family, and never giving up on trying to see them even if things tear you apart.
     This book shows you "around" through Caitlin's eyes, one of the main characters. The book starts out with Caitlin's older sister running away, and the whole family ( her mom, and dad ) go absolutely bonkers. But what her mom and dad don't realize is the day Cass left ( the older sister ) they forgot it was Caitlin's birthday. The book carries on and it turns out that Cass left a note on Caitlin's bed, which read, "Caitlin, I'll see you in Dreamland". So I don't ruin the book for you all I will tell you is that Dreamland is a place where, Cass, Caitlin, and their mom all meet up. Dreamland is a land that once you fall asleep you can be with whoever else traveled their in their sleep, but its only the people you want to see there that you see. Although you can't just plan on going to sleep and going to Dreamland, you're lucky if you can make it there, it's not technically hard you just have to really want it.
     I personally didn't enjoy this book, but that's just me. The reason why is because I feel almost as if it drags on with a little to much unimportant things throughout the book, it adds way to much detail and thoughts in my opinion.. Although I would recommend it to others. Dreamland, although does sound very interesting to me. I mean if I wanted to go to another place of my dreams, and see people I didn't get to see everyday I would absolutely try and go every single day. If there were an actual Dreamland, I would be in awe.
      I suggest that if you take a long time to get into a book that you don't read this one, it took me about to the middle of the book to really get hooked on it. But if you like stories with a lot of back story then this is the perfect book. Happy reading