Delirium by Lauren Oliver

(warning! Possible spoilers!)

    This book is told from the point of view of Lena Haloway, a seventeen year old girl living in the town of Portland, Maine in the future United States. In the future, love is seen as a disease. They have named this disease "Amor Deliria Nervosa", but many people just call it the deliria. Lena is afraid of the disease, mainly because her mother committed suicide do to the affects of it. However, she is counting the days until she receives her cure, a surgery which can make you immune to the deliria, when she turns eighteen years old. Then, in a strange turn of events, Lena meets a boy by the name of Alex Sheathes, who is cured, while she and her friend Hana Tate are on a run. They have met once before, when Lena received her evaluation, which was disastrous. Lena then begins to fall in love with Alex, but she is blind to it because of her knowledge Alex is cured. But when Alex reveals to Lena he in fact not cured, and was born in The Wilds (where those who resist the cure live), she is terrified for her life. 

   Delirium is a wonderful book. I absolutely adored the idea and also the well development of characters in it as well. It is well written, adventurous, and romantic all in one. There is a lot of swearing in the book, including the mother of all curse words twice. There is also one love scene where it gets a little steamy, but nothing much really happens. Overall, Delirium was fabulous, but it did have a little short of an ending and some inappropriate scenes. In the end, I give this book and A-.

The Kill Order by James Dashner

This month, I read The Kill Order by James Dashner.  This is a fictional book and is the prequel to the Maze Runner series.  This book talks mostly about the Flare, the disease used at first as a means of population control.  It talks about the mutation of the disease, and how it eventually began to bring mankind to its knees.

As this book takes place before Thomas's time, it follows two new characters named Mark and Trina.  It begins by telling us a little background about them.  One year prior to when the story takes place, sun flares struck the earth, bringing unbearable heat, dangerous radiation, and rising sea levels.  Against all odds, Mark and Trina were able to escape the disaster and flee New York.  Now, thanks to the help of a retired military worker named Alec and his friend Lana, Mark and Trina are living in a settlement in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina.

To Mark and Trina, life finally seems to be settling down.  Things seem to be as normal as they'll ever be.  But one day, that all changes.  Upon hearing the roar of engines, everyone in the settlement runs outside to see a Berg, a giant flying machine, hovering above them.  Before anyone can think, men dressed in funny suits step out of the Berg and start shooting people with darts.  The town erupts into chaos.  In an attempt to find out what's going on, Mark and Alec take down the men on the Berg and board it themselves.  Before long, Mark finds a box with a warning label on it, saying it contains a highly contagious disease, or virus.

Suddenly, Mark and Alec are hit with realization.  They realize that the darts the people were shot with were filled with the virus, but they can't understand why they would be.  They decide to undertake a dangerous mission.  They decide to go to the place the Berg came from and learn more about the disease.  But there's one thing they are going to have to be careful about.  The disease is still on the loose, and for all they know, they may already have it.

To start, I've heard very mixed reviews on this book.  Most of them were negative.  However, I thought this book was fantastic.  At first, I thought the three books in the Maze Runner series would be better than this, but now I think that this book is just as good as the others.  I loved how the book gave insight into the Flare and how it all started.  I was interested to see that at first, the virus was used to control the population, but as it mutated, the government sort of ran away from it, and the world collapsed into downright chaos.  In the book, Mark has strong feelings about this.  He is angry with the government, and he is mad that they released this virus without thinking over all the possibilities of what could've happened.  I too believe the government should've taken more careful action and maybe even done something different about the whole issue.  Clearly, this is a very interesting issue.  I also enjoyed in the book how Mark had occasional dreams about his past and about how he escaped the sun flares.   This gave wonderful insight into the sun flares and the kind of person Mark is.  Simply put, this book was just amazing.

In conclusion, this book was one of the best, most interesting books I've read in a while.  I would highly recommend it to anyone.  A+

Fablehaven Rise of the Evening Star By Brandon Mull

     This book is the second book in the Fablehaven series it is a great book and is a great sequel to the first book. I enjoyed this book almost as much as the first I do have to say I did have a hard time finishing it cause it’s a little slower moving.

       The story starts towards the summer again. Things the summer before had been a great excitement for Seth and Kendra but now things were just as normal in a normal teenager’s life. Or so Kendra thought. Then things started getting weird a new student arrived at the school and all the girls were just swooning over him but Kendra could not see what they all were all seeing because what she saw was a Fablehaven creature. Things were about to take a turn for the worse. Then the next day after school Kendra was confronted by a man named Errol Fisk. Little did Kendra know talking to this man would turn everything upside down and put her and Seth right back where they had been the previous summer at Fablehaven. This is where they would be fighting a bigger and greater enemy than the year before.

        This is an okay book and if you liked the first you will most likely like this book. It does start slow but it is pretty enjoyable through the middle section. It’s a fun fantasy to read. But if you didn’t like the 1^st book or don’t enjoy fantasy I would suggest not reading this book. B-

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+

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-.

enders game

Enders Game
By: Orson Scott Card

   The book enders game is a science fiction book that happens in the future. The book is about a young boy named ender Wiggin who grows up on earth but is chosen to go to battle school. In this book before The story takes place there was a war with the humans and an alien race we humans call "buggers". There is some footage of the war but it seems that some parts where taken out. The school is a training place to teach students how to battle by playing some games on these laptop like things called "desks". but that isnt the only thing they train with...
     In this school they play a game in suits that have laser tag like guns to shoot each other with, where ever you are shot your suit will restrict movement there. along with that, there is a trick to the game... the battle room has zero gravity. For me, I though that one of the most interesting things in this book is how  the students act with each other in the battle room. I agree with the teachers of the school that this will help the kids because they need to be prepared for zero gravity combat. I thought that how the author put these children together was brilliant because it shows the children what the military is like. This book changed my thoughts of deception and how the teachers lack of effort affects the students because to me it feels like the students run the school by themselves.
   All together, I thought this was an amazing book because of the feeling it gives you while reading. Sometimes i felt the emotions and pain that was brought to the characters. This book is one of my favorites because of how real the feelings in it are. I highly suggest reading it. Enders game the movie comes out this November. Over all, it is a great read. A+

This book is full of Uglies.

     This book is called Uglies by Scott Westerfield. This book is Fiction and is really good. The main themes are that what is on the inside is what counts, and that your perspective on beauty can change.

     A girl named Tally lives in a society where once you turn 16, you become beautiful. Nice, full lips. Large, vulnerable eyes. This creates a false sense of beauty. Tally's Best Friend has already become pretty and she longs to be with him. He lives over in New Pretty town, a town only for pretties, completely separated from the small town for the Uglies. Pretties are allowed to do anything, but becoming pretty comes with a price. Small lesions are inserted into your brain that make you easier to control and make you into a bubblehead. While Tally is waiting to turn 16 and be with her best friend, she meets a new friend, Shay. Shay is outrageous and much a rebel. Shay understands how her society has messed with their perspective of beauty and longs to escape the operation that turns her pretty. She had an opportunity to escape the city before but she was too scared to leave. This time, she is sure she wants to leave. She leaves the day before she turns 16 and runs away. Tally still yearns to become pretty and her day for the operation comes. She is whisked to the hospital and waits in the waiting room for an hour. Her operation never happens. She is then taken to a building on the outskirts of town. The Special Circumstances building. Special Circumstances is a cruel kind of pretty with razor sharp fingernails and teeth, bones made of airplane material and light as a feather, and reflexes like none other. As the name applies, Special Circumstances deal with Special Circumstances. They want information from Tally as to the whereabouts of Shay or she won't be turned Pretty. Lucky for her, Shay left Cryptic directions to the Smoke, a city for run aways escaping the operation. She gives the directions to Special Circumstances but they don't want directions. They want her to travel to the Smoke with a necklace that will send a signal once activated so that Special Circumstances (SC) can take over and destroy the smoke. Tally is unsure what to do. To find out what she does, read the book.
 
  This book was really interesting and memorable. Interesting because it has many twists and turns and gives you a good sense of how the government can be cruel sometimes. Scott Westerfield's opinion, as you can tell from the book, is that a society can mess with your minds and give you different opinions on subject than opinions of people in our society. For one thing, Tally believes she is totally ugly when she is probably beautiful in out society. There is only one kind of beauty in Tally's world. I agree with Scott Westerfield. Even in our society, the definition of beauty has changed. At first, long ago, being larger was beauty because it was said you had  more money. Now, being skinny as a pole and having big butts is the new beauty and lots of people are struggling. Also, this book relates to larger issues our society has. For one thing, the whole point of the operation is to make the city easier to control. Instead of one million opinions to consider, pretties will go along with anything so only one opinion is followed. If our society was like that, our lives would be better. I agree it is still wrong, but the city still had the right idea. In addition, beauty comes wth a price in their society as well as in ours. Although ours is as not great a price, beauty in our society comes with stress, hunger, and a need to always look perfect. No body is perfect, so why try? 

     Altogether, the book was wonderful. There was many details, great pacing, and tons of foreshadowing. I would give this book a definite A. The issues brought up in the book were great points and gave lots of insight in the problems of our society today as well. There are 4 books in the series and all are great, They're called Uglies, Pretties, Specials, and Extras.  If you want to read the series, I advise strongly. All are great and Scott Westerfield is a terrific author,

Candle Wax

In a world where four kingdoms occupy the mysterious land of Lackanay, and a great evil waits for the right moment to emerge again, there must be corruption. C. Bailey Sims delivers this world of supernatural magic in this book shown to the left. The story starts with a sixteen year old girl named Catherine leaving her room and walking down a dark corridor in the middle of the night. She gets outside through a secret passageway in the kitchen. After that she heads to the vault, she gets the guards to open it and grabs some money and the Ancient Onyxes given to her by her grandmother. She leaves the vault, dresses as a boy to be able to leave her kingdom unnoticed, and rides a horse towards the bay of Portsland, where she will take a ship away from the mainland to start a new life. Along the way she is attacked by a 732 year old Farrier cat, a living legend. He eats her horse and she must go on a journey to help this Farrier cat, named Spelopokos, or Pokos. This is all because of the Onyxes. In the ancient land of Devona, a great evil awaits to awaken that can only be stopped by Farrier cats. Without a mate Pokos will die, and leave this great evil to take over all four kingdoms of Lackanay. They travel to a town to get Catherine new supplies where she is befriended by a kind lady who takes her in. Eventually, Catherine's father tries to locate her. She runs away from the village with the daughter of the kind woman who gave Catherine assistance, but they are then captured by the men of a power-loving ruler of one of the four kingdoms. With the help of Pokos they escape and are found by the king of Candle wax. The reason she ran away from home, she was to marry him. They group together and travel to Candle wax. Pokos and Catherine plan to run away to the land outside of Lackanay, called Cinna to find another Farrier cat as he is the only one left in Lackanay.
         They are stopped by the king of Candle wax named Cyril. Cyril and his advisor join them in their quest to find another Farrier cat. While in Cinna, they kill four Farrier cats in self-defense, encounter Cinnans and travel to their mountain fortress, join in a competition to earn their freedom, and chase after the corrupt rulers of Cinna. Pokos is shot by an arrow in the neck and almost dies. With the help of survivors of a shipwreck, they must take Pokos to his brthplace to heal, and Catherine must take the Farrier cats found in Cinna to Lackanay. When Pokos left Lackanay, the great evil awoke and started to march across the land. The other kingdoms soon start to hold back. Eventually Catherine makes it back to Lackanay, and they meet the traitor... The rest you will just have to read, because the rest of the story is too complicated and long to explain in this review. This book was really good and I recommend it to all who enjoy fantasy and made-up creatures. It was an excellent page turner. A+

FYI: If you were wondering, there will be a sequel.

The Scorch Trials By James Dashner

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner is the sequel to The Maze Runner.  It is a fiction book, and like The Maze Runner, is similar to The Hunger Games.  In this book, the Gladers have escaped the Maze, and have been taken away to "safety" by people who claim to have rescued them.  The Gladers think they are safe, but in reality, they're not.  This book is about their continuing struggles.

Since escaping the Maze, the Gladers have learned many things.  First, they've learned they are under the control of a group called WICKED.  Although the Gladers viewed the Maze as an unspeakable horror, WICKED claims that all the challenges they face the Gladers with have a purpose.  Also, after escaping the Maze, the Gladers are exposed to the real world, which isn't looking too great.  The climate has become brutally hot, and with the climate has come a new disease known as the Flare.  People infected with the disease have gone completely insane, and the world looks like it is about to fall apart.

After being "rescued", the Gladers relax, thinking their troubles are over.  The next day however, things begin to go terribly wrong.  At first, they wake up to see the dead bodies of their "rescuers" hanging from the ceiling.  What's more, Teresa, the girl from the Maze, is missing.  Instead, they find a boy in her room.  The boy's name is Aris, and he explains to the Gladers that he was also from the Maze.  But his Maze had all girls and only one boy, the complete opposite of the Gladers' Maze.  Thomas and the other Gladers begin to realize that things are going to get very interesting.

A few days later, a man comes, bearing news for the Gladers.  He explains that he is from WICKED.  After reassuring them that WICKED is "good", he tells them about their next task.  They are told they must cross the Scorch, the most burned and dried-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven within two weeks.  The next day, the Gladers begin their journey.  And, right from the very beginning, Thomas knows that whatever WICKED has planned this time, it's not going to be easy.

This book was incredible.  James Dashner really knows how to make a book grab your attention from the very start and keep you on edge until the end.  There is still one more book in this series, and then a couple of prequels.  By the end of the series, I believe the question I'll be asking myself is whether or not the ends justified the means.  WICKED claims that all the challenges they inflict upon the Gladers have a purpose.  In fact, they believe they might even save the world by doing what they are.  I have no doubt that they will accomplish the ultimate goal they have set in mind.  However, by doing these things, they are putting these young boys through a lot.  They have exposed them to unthinkable horrors and have drained them both physically and mentally.  These boys will never be able to forget or fully recover from the things they have experienced.  So, by the end of the book, I'll have to determine whether or not the ends justified the means.  I'll have to decide whether or not putting these boys through all these things was really worth it in the long run.  This book has made me really excited to read the next ones and find out what happens.

In short, this book was amazing.  I encourage everyone to read it!  A

The Lost Hero by: Rick Riordan review: by Andrew Williams

Jason woke up on a bus holding hands with a girl named Piper, and talking to a boy named Leo. Apparently Piper was his girlfriend, and Leo was his best friend. Everyone else on the bus seemed to know him too, but Jason didn't know who these people were, he didn't even remember his past life. The only person who knew Jason didn't belong here was Coach Hedge, who later they find out he's a satyr. When they get off the bus, Annabeth and Butch (son of Iris) come in a flying chariots, Hera gave her a dream that she'd find her answer to where Percy Jackson was here, but she only found Jason, Piper, and Leo. She knew they were Half-Bloods and brought them to Camp Half-Blood. Right when they arrived, Leo got claimed by Hephaestus, god of blacksmiths and fire. While Annabeth was giving Piper a tour around camp, Chiron was having a chat with Jason and found out Jason was Roman. Later at dinner, Jason finds out his dad is Zeus, or as Romans say it, Jupiter. Piper got claimed by Aphrodite, which she did not like at all. Piper has been getting weird dreams that her dad has been captured by a giant at Mount Diablo, but she didn't mention it. They find out that Hera has been captured and locked up, and Jason, Piper, and Leo were assigned to go on the quest. 

Spoiler Alert!    They freed Hera and Piper's dad. Piper has the ability to charmspeak, and Leo has the ability to create fire, and he's immune to it. When they come back to camp, they find out Percy's at the Roman camp, and he doesn't remember who he is.

I give this book an A, the first is a little slow but once it gets into the quest it is one of the best books. 

Rick Riordan also wrote the Percy Jackson and the Olympians and this is a little similar but I feel had a little more action and suspense, many times I was forced to put it down ,but I just couldn't. 

This is a wonderful book that I suggest everyone read! 

The Maze Runner By James Dashner

     

      The Maze Runner is the very first book in a series of three. This book has a very strong resemblance to the Hunger Games. It's about a very large group of boys have been encased for the last two years between four high walls of stone and beyond the walls a maze. Unsolved and from what they know it is not solvable and there is no way out. This book is about how the boys struggle to solve the maze and their final escape.
      It all starts in the dark of the box, which is how they new boys, are delivered to the glade with a boy named Thomas inside. The glade is what the boys (known as gladers) call the place they have been sent to. With no recollection of their former life other than their first names they have set out and created their own community. Where they are staying alive while trying to find a way out of their confinement. Thomas arrives just as the new gladers normally do they get there and a bunch of boys faces are what they see. Thomas is greeted and comes to find out that he isn't the only one who has no recollection of his life before and that he is now living in an encased piece of a maze. That just happens to be guarded by awful creatures known as Grievers that can't be beat...or so they think.
      After two years the gladers know when things happen and they know new gladers always come on the same day of the month at the same time...until today. It's been one day since Thomas arrived and there are never two new Gladers in a month until now. The gladers are all startled with the sound of an alarm going off letting them know that the box is coming up with a new Glader on board. So the gladers then make their way to the box to see what is going on. To much of their surprise there is a new Glader in the box but this time it's...a girl. There has never been a girl in the glade! And this is not just a girl but a girl that seems to be dead. They pull her up out of the box and she then comes to long enough to tell the Gladers that, "everything is going to change." This was no lie everything was going to change...
      This book is an amazing book. I am not really a reader but once I started reading this book I could not get myself to put it down! With every page turn there was more suspense you never know what is going to happen. From the strange happenings in the Glade to the escape of the thought to be an unsolvable maze they keep the suspense running high. And with its extreme resemblance to The Hunger Games with the way they are put into an "arena" of sorts because they live in a very askew society and it is practically a death sentence to sorts. With many obstacles they must pass to get out of the maze. This book is one you will pick up and not put down till you have finished it!

      


      

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

The Maze Runner by James Dashner is a work of fiction comparable to The Hunger Games.  This book is about a group of boys stuck in a large expanse surrounded by immense walls.  Behind those walls is a vast maze.  This book is about their struggle to solve the maze and escape.


The book begins with a boy who is moving upward in what he classifies as a sort of elevator.  Much to the boy's bewilderment, the only thing he can remember about his life is his name, Thomas.  When the "elevator" reaches its endpoint, it opens up, and Thomas is introduced to a large group of boys who call themselves the Gladers.  Much like Thomas, the Gladers don't know where they are or how they got there, and the only thing they can remember about themselves are their first names.

Through the next little while, Thomas is introduced to his new home, a place the Gladers call the Glade.  He learns that they are surrounded by a huge maze.  The Gladers seem sure that if they escape the maze, they will be able to go home, wherever that is.  However, the maze is looking more like it is impossible to solve each day.  Thomas also learns that each month, a new boy is sent up.  No girls have ever come.

The next day, however, the Gladers here an alarm going off.  This is the signal that a new person is coming up.  Stunned, the Gladers rush over to the elevator.  A few minutes later, it opens up and the Gladers look down to see a girl.  Not only this, she looks to be dead.  The Gladers hoist her out and lay her on the ground.  Suddenly, the girl's eyes open and she says, "Everything is going to change."  And I can tell you firsthand that everything did change.

This book was amazing.  Once I started reading, I couldn't stop.  It has so many twists and turns in it that it's nearly impossible not to feel constant suspense.  I compare this book to The Hunger Games for a couple of reasons.  The first reason is that both books have an "arena."  We all know what that is in The Hunger Games, and in this book, it's the Glade.  Also, later in this book, you will realize that these boys were sent to the Glade because of their society, just like how in The Hunger Games the society is responsible for the games.  By the end of the book, it is quite clear to see that it is only the first in a series.  There are still a ton of unanswered questions that make me want to read all of the other books.

In conclusion, this book was incredible.  Just a fair warning, though, it did freak me out a little bit.  I hope everyone will read this awesome book!  A
  

The Sea of Monsters by: Rick Riordan

This wonderful fiction book is about a kid whose name is Percy Jackson. Percy, after completing the task of finding the stolen Lightning Bolt, is now faced with a new problem. Camp Half-Blood (a camp for sons and daughters of a mortal and a god) is not safe anymore. Zeus' daughter Thalia is a tree that protects the camp and now has been poisened so the borders are not protected anymore. The only cure is to retrieve the magic Golden Fleece. Percy with the help of his friend Annabeth and his step brother Tyson had to find the magic Golden Fleece before it was to late. Thalia would die and the camp would be in great danger. Also Percy's best friend is in trouble. He has been taken by a cyclops and Percy needs to save him. He keeps having dreams of Grover being held captive because Grover is sending them to him so he can also be found. In one of the dreams Grover tells Percy that he thinks that he might of found the Golden Fleece.

They travel to where he thinks Grover is and on the way their they have a lot of challenges. Right off the bat they get captured by one of their former camp-mates Luke (Luke was good and then he turned evil and wants the Titans to rule again). They managed to sneak away on a life boat one night and proceded to go on with their hard task. Bad thing after bad thing just kept happening. Next they met up with Clarisse (daughter of Ares and is a camp mate of thiers) and she had an ironclad from the Civil War. They were traveling in the right direction when they got attacked by Scylla (a sea monster that had 6 heads and always attacked sailors and boats). The crew ends up scattered except for Percy and Annabeth. They assume Tyson is dead because they thing he blew up with the boat. They don't know if the nearby islands are even safe so they can swim to them. They need to find Tyson and Grover. Hope is almost lost they need the Fleece to save Camp-Half Blood. They are running out of time and are in a time of desperate need. What will they do?

This book is a great book. I just love Rick Riordan he is such a good author and this series is great so far. I really encourage the people who read this series to study up on their Greek mythology or else you might not be able to understand it too well. I love the way how he puts Greek mythology into characters who live in modern times. He really understands how to make a good page turning book. I really liked this book and so far this series. A

Alex Rider: Eagle Strike

Alex Rider (main character) is a 14 year old boy who is, or was, an undercover spy for Britain's MI6. He has now decided that isn't so fond of them anymore after realizing he was only getting used. In the 4th installment of the Alex Rider series, Alex is on vacation with a friend in the South of France with nothing to think about but relaxation. Until, he sees the contract killer Yassen Gregorovitch standing on the pier. Yassen ends up severely injuring Alex's friend's dad in a house explosion. Alex goes to fight him but barley escapes with his life. He does find out  that pop star millionaire Damian Cray may of been involved in the planning of the explosion though. Alex goes to find out. He asks the MI6 to help, but they refuse because of how great a person Damion Cray appears to be to everyone. But Alex know that something is up, and he is going to find out what with or without the help of the MI6.

Eagle Strike may of been one of the best books I have ever read. This Sci-fi action book was written by Anthony Horowitz and is the fourth book in the Alex Rider series. I was blown away by how extremely well written this book is and how it really catches the reader's attention. The suspense is unbearable.

I thought that this book was entertaining and interesting. Mostly because of the action, but also because of how creative the author is with where the story goes. I mean, what author would decide to have some of the final suspenseful scenes of the book on Air Force One as it is taking off? Only Anthony Horowitz. The biggest reason of why it is entertaining is because of how Alex escapes from nearly certain death because of outwitting his opponents. This book will keep you up all night and will not let you down in the end like some books do.

One of the opinions that the author presents is that people aren't always as they appear to be. He does this by introducing a character like Damian Cray. On the outside he was an amazing singer who donated millions to charity. On the inside though, he has a warped sense of reality and doesn't care who he kills to get what he wants. I agree with this opinion. At my school in homeroom, we have been talking about people who are chameleons... or people who change who they are depending on who they are around. Damion Cray is exactly like this. To the public he is a very nice guy, but that is all an act. He is a serious chameleon because his true self is a bossy self obsessed guy who doesn't care about what he does to get what he wants.

Another person who wrote a book with an opinion like me and Mr. Horowitz was Wendelin Van Draanen in his book Flipped. One of the girl main characters is insanely in love with the other guy main character, but mostly because he is amazingly handsome. Throughout the this book she starts to realize that he really isn't all that nice of a person. In the same way, the guy thinks that the girl is a creep, but slowly starts to realize that she is an amazing person and soon falls in love with her just as she loses her love for him. They both judged each other wrong in the beginning before they really got to know one another. This is a lot like the Damian Cray character because if they would of saw past what they appeared to be to each other, then it may of worked out better.

"I will feel nothing; I will be dead instantly. But you will live with what you have done for the rest of your life. You will never forget it." Yassen Gregorovitch pg.43. This book was written extremely well and it easily deserves an A+. The action keeps you on the edge of your seat, but where the story heads will keep you constantly surprised and amazed because nothing is predictable.Thus it was entertaining and interesting. It even shows you to look deeper at someone before you judge them. I hope you decide to read this amazing book and series. You won't regret it if you do. A+

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Delirium by Lauren Oliver is a dystopian novel full of mystery, danger, and a lot of romance. However, the romance in this novel may not be what you had in mind. In Delirium, a new disease called amor deliria nervosa, or in other words, love has spread throughout America, and is dangerous to everyone who hasn't gotten the cure.

As soon as the age of 18, all citizens are cured of the deliria and are assigned a life to live and a partner to be with. A life without love, they say, is a life without pain. What could go wrong?

Lena Holloway is a timid, unrebelious teen living in the city of Portland. She's just like any other teenage girl, counting down the days until her procedure will cure her of the deliria running through her veins. Lena's mother had gone through the procedure 3 times, and had never been cured. Lena knew she was different, even from a young age, but it was a shock to Lena and her whole family when her mother commited suicide. Ever since, Lena has been living with her aunt and cousins and has gone by the name, Lena Tiddle. She has always been worried that her family history of amor deliria nervosa would show up in her. But with just 95 days left until her procedure, she discovers her fear may be a reality. She falls in love.

Lena becomes obsessed with a Alex, a young boy who is not only off limits, but is an invalid. An orphan, who has been living in the wilds, away from society. Lena is scared, and thrilled. She is confused. Has everything she has been told wrong? She and Alex keep their love a secret from all but Lena's best friend, Hana. They establish a secret meeting place, experience new thrills, and even visit Alex's secret home. But when they are caught together, Lena is tied to her own bed, with little hope for her future with Alex.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver is an amazing book, that raises many questions. It makes you think what a life without love might be like. Would it be worth in a catatonic like state, just to avoid the pain and heartbreak of love? Should we be scared of love, or celebrate it? Dilerium is a dramatic, romantic, and symbolic novel that won't let you down. I give it an A+, and reccomend it to everyone!

Ranger's Apprentice Ruins of Gorlan

This story starts with a 15 year old boy named Will. He lives near Redmont Castle with his four ward mates. When you turn 15 you are selected by a Craftmaster to be their apprentice. There were many subjects you could be chosen to learn. Some of them were battle school, bakery, horse riding, Diplomatic Service, scribe, and a ranger. If you weren’t chosen by a Craftmaster, you were forced to work on the farms for the rest of your life. All of the wards knew they had the potential to become one of these things one day. All except Will.

When the Choosing Day finally came around, all of the wards went to the castle to be selected by a Craftmaster to be their apprentice. The first four wards got selected by a Craftmaster. Will was the last one to go. The Baron (the king of the castle) asked Will where he wanted to go. Will replied, “Battle School, sir.” Sir Rodney, the Craftmaster of battle school, did not want Will as an apprentice because he was too small. Will’s second choice was Horseschool. He was also not wanted there either. When the Baron asked if any of the Craftmasters could use Will as an apprentice, they all shook their heads. All except the man in a dark cloak in the corner of the room. He was Halt, the Ranger of Redmont.

Will learned many things his first couple of days as a Ranger. He learned that Rangers are pretty much spies. They have to watch over Morgarath and his evil army and look out for anything suspicious. He learned about the weapons that Rangers use. He trained very hard with these weapons every day. He even got his own Ranger horse, Tug. Life as a Ranger was very different from what Will thought.

After many days of training Will and Halt go to the Ranger’s Gathering. All the Rangers from across the land come with their apprentices to show the judges that their apprentice was good enough to continue training as a Ranger. Many apprentices are cut each year because they don’t have the true skill to become a Ranger. When Will and Halt got to the Gathering however, things were different. There had been evidence that Morgarath’s army had been spotted just outside the Mountains of Night and Rain. Everyone thought that he and his army were killed many years ago in a huge war. Instead, Morgarath had come back to power.

Now it was up to young Will and the Rangers to stop Morgarath.

This is a very fast-paced, thrilling, suspenseful book that kept me reading and reading. The series has ten books and this is the first one. Since this is the first book of such a long series, it kind of sets up the whole story because there is a ton to be told. This book has many crazy events that keep you turning the pages. I would recommend this book to anyone!

Fly Trap

     Mosca Mye's adventures are full of twists and turns, battles and diplomatic fights. Action and adventure, mystery and suspense fill every nook and cranny. Truly a spectacular story, one of my favorite books by far. Seriously, it seems that you come to the end of the book, just to find that there's more to be had.
     Mosca was born with something that no one achieved easily; the ability to read. She was a quiet girl, who like to hid and listen in on people with her guardian goose Saracen. After she found and followed the sometimes-loyal companion Eponymous Clent, and burned down her uncle's mill, her life spiraled into a life of running, hiding, and the occasional rescuing of cities and people.
     This is the second book of the series, and the reason that I'm writing a review is because I read the first book so many times. The second book was released not a long time ago, but the first book was out a long time ago. Hardinge is a wonderful author, and... I just noticed that I say that lot of authors are amazing or wonderful. Well, it just so happens that they are! I'd always give this book, and the first book an A+!

Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans

This spectacular fiction book is written by Richard Paul Evans. Richard Paul Evans has written

many books that include: Miles to Go, The Road to Grace and obviously Micheal Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25. Just to let you know, this book is not yet a series as the author is still writing the next book.

This book all starts out with an average kid whose name is Micheal Vey. If you define average as a middle schooler who gets beat up a lot and has some weird "disease", then, under that definition, Micheal is an average kid. But, when you talk about all of the other characteristics that Micheal has, then Micheal isn't as normal as you would think. That weird "disease" that Micheal has is something called Tourette's syndrome. Tourette's syndrome makes you blink non-stop and produce weird gulping noises when you are anxious. Another characteristic that might alter the entire story just a little tiny bit is Micheal's super powers. No, Micheal can't fly, shoot lasers from his eyes, or see through lead. But, Micheal can do something even cooler...Micheal can shoot electricity from the tips of his fingers. Micheal thought that he was the only one of his kind until he met Taylor Ridley. Taylor Ridley, a cheerleader and one of Micheal's friends, can mess around with your brain by sending it electric signals. When Micheal, Taylor, and Ostin (Micheal's BFF who is smartical) "dig deeper" they discover that there are other kids with similar powers. When they make this great discovery, they find out that someone, or something, is hunting them down. After Micheal's mother is kidnapped, Micheal will have to rely on his wits, unique power, and friends to overcome the hunters, free his mother, and save the others.

This book is the only one of its kind with all of its' action, mysteriousness, and the right amount of love. In this rather awesome book the author expresses many of his opinions. One of the opinions that I agree with is that though the outside appearance might, at times, not be as pleasant, it is what is on the inside that counts. I will admit that if I were going to the same middle school as Micheal, I would totally have judged him the wrong way. I would not have known that Micheal had special powers and I would only think that he was an outsider who was beat up a lot and had some weird "disease". The author demonstrates this opinion by how Micheal met Taylor. Taylor had the same thought as I did but, Taylor did a little digging and found out that Micheal had Tourette's syndrome and that he had special powers. After reading this epic book, my opinions have changed about judging people and from now on, I will be looking for what is on the inside instead of what is on the outside.

One of the best lines from this sentence is the following:

"If you passed by me walking home from school you probably wouldn't even notice me. That's because I'm just a kid like you. I go to school like you. I get bullied like you. Unlike you, I live in Idaho. Don't ask me what state Idaho is in-news flash- Idaho is a state. The fact that most people don't know where Idaho is, is exactly why my mother and I moved here-so people wouldn't find us. But that's part of my story."

(Micheal Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25. Page 5.)

This just shows how funny this book is and proves my point pretty good.

If you are a potential reader, then you better pay attention to the really small details. These small details might seem small at first but, will grow larger and larger until you realize it and figure it out yourself. Because this book made me stay up until 3 in the morning because I was so addicted to it, I gave this book an A+.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter is having yet another horrible summer with the Dursleys. This year however he had something to look forward to. Before he goes to Hogwarts again, he gets to go with his best friend Ron to the Quidditch World Cup. Quidditch is a wizard sport and is Harry’s favorite thing to do in the world. At the World Cup, Harry had a great time but strange things started happening as well. After the game was over, Death Eaters started chaos to about one hundred thousand wizards. They were attacking the wizard’s tents and a muggle family that was in charge of the camp area. Muggles are people that don’t know anything about magic. Also, someone cast Voldemort’s Dark Mark into the air letting everyone know that he is still alive and is becoming more powerful.

Later on at Hogwarts, Dumbledore tells the school some shocking news. The Triwizard tournament would be held at Hogwarts this year. One person from the three wizard school is chosen by the Goblet of Fire to face three difficult tasks. In order for the Goblet of Fire to choose you, you must be a sixth year or older and must enter your name into the goblet. The Goble of Fire will choose the most worthy person who put their name in. Judges later on tell the winner of the entire tournament.

When the drawing came the Goblet of Fire chose Viktor Krum from Durmstrang, Fleur Delecour from Beauxbatons, and Cedric Diggory from Hogwarts. In the middle of when all the students from the three schools were cheering for their champion, something very unexpected happened, the Goblet of Fire let out another name which glowed Harry Potter.

Harry had no idea how his name was drawn. He hadn’t even entered his name into the Goblet of Fire! Nobody believed him and people were actually getting mad at him for trying to be the hero once again. Even Ron stopped talking to him. Harry and Hermione figured out that somebody must have put his name in for him so he would die during the dangerous tasks. Many champions have died in the years past. Now Harry has to face all the attention (once again) and try not to die doing the tasks.

This is probably one of the best books I’ve read so far in this series! Even though it was 734 pages, it never got boring and kept me turning page after page. Like all of the books before this one, there is a ton of suspense that keeps you nervous and alert. If you haven’t read this series yet, you are missing out on so much! I would definitely read the first few books before reading this one. I would recommend this book to anyone!

"Neither animal nor man, it was a creature the likes of which he had never before seen" (page 2)

The Crowfield Curse is an incredible story. The various twisted and turns that the plot takes do wonders for the story, taking the characters to a depth like a deep, dark well. Pat Walsh, an author that I had never heard of before, became one of my top ten favorite authors of make-believe stories. I simply love this book.
The story focuses on a single boy, William, who works as a servant for an abbey of monks. He has only one brother left after the terrible fire that consumed his family's mill. The monks treat him less than fairly, but I don't think he notices that they sort of fear him. When he finds a mysterious creature in the forest outside the abbey, his oblivious world tears apart at the seams.
This is a great read, and like I said, full of twists and turns. A few of the terms were a tiny bit difficult to understand, but otherwise very clear. Also, there is one chapter that is extremely disturbing and gory. My thanks to Pat Walsh, the author of this fantastic series of two books, I'd give it an A-. The second book is called The Crowfield Demon.