lord of the flies

The Lord of the flies by William Golding is a book that takes you through the survival of a group of young boys who were on a plane shot down over an island in WWII. In the book, all the boys gather together and elect a leader, his name is Ralph. In the book you also follow the other leaders’ piggy and jack who are two completely different souls. As you progress, you watch the tribe they set up fall apart. Ralph is the only one keeping it afloat. After the tribe completely collapses, it splits into two parts the savages and the children. And until the children are rescued, we watch the savages hunt the children.

This book is revolutionary because it provides a look into the lives of these children while WWII wages around them. But little does anyone fighting the war know, these young men, are fighting for survival against the island, and themselves. My opinion on this book is that it is an amazing classic that I would recommend to anyone who likes horror stories. This story was a great read and very inspiring. If I could recommend any horror, it would be this. A!

Ms. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

       This really was an interesting read.
       I almost put it down a few times because I was really creeped out, but now I'm glad I didn't. It's basically about this boy named Jacob who has a really wacky grandpa. He was in World War II and is really paranoid and crazy. He likes to show Jacob all these odd pictures of floating kids, kids lifting huge boulders, even a boy covered in bees.
       Jacob's grandpa makes up stories about the kids and insists they're real, but Jacob doesn't buy it until his grandpa is murdered by strange creatures in the middle of the forest. It really messes Jacob up. He goes with his dad to an old island. His dad is there to do some bird-watching, but Jacob is looking for answers.
       He finds them. He finds Ms.Peregrine's Home for Peculiar children, a strange orphanage trapped in 1940. Every story Jacob's grandfather had ever told him was true, and now there are terrifying creatures roaming the earth, longing for the children's flesh. And it's up to Jacob to stop them.
       I thought this book was really creepy and... well... peculiar. It takes a bit to get going and there is some swearing, but once you get past that, it's actually really good. I would give it a B+ grade. 

Demon Thief by Darren Shan

Kernel Fleck isn't a normal child. He sees light patches in the air. These lights are like "puzzle pieces" that he can manipulate with his mind and hands and, if put together, make a door, which open to the Demonata, a demon world. When a demon steals his brother, Art, and takes him to the Demonata, Kernel decides to do anything to get him back.

The book starts out explaining Kernel's life. You learn that Kernel is an outcast; a loner. Nobody likes him, and people push him away. His brother, Art, is the only reason why he doesn't ALWAYS feel lonely. He loves Art, and Art loves him, but when Cadaver (a demon) steals Art and takes him to the demon world (and slaughters about 30 kids), Kernel isn't having it.

Once in the Demon world, he sees that he is not the only human. There are people called the "Disciplines". They protect the human world from the Demonata and are trying to destroy the demon world. Beranabus, the oldest, and leader of the Disciplines, shows him that Kernel is also a Discipline. So technically, he's a magician. Not only does he have to rescue Art and fight demons, but he also has to figure out his new powers.

This book is absolutely horrid. Horrid as in swearing, very gory scenes that are TOO descriptive, and overall just a very poor written book. No offense to Shan, but I felt like half the time I was reading Demon Thief, I was asking myself if it had been written by a 4 year old. The sentences are choppy and confusing, and I get that he was trying to add voice, but it didn't work.

You know, when you really think about it, you see that kids are absolutely horrible to this kid. They push him in corners and laugh at him. One thing that made me want to cry, is that he's never had a friend. Also, that people would tell him to, "Go play with the lights, freak!". Do you know how sad it would be to live in a world where no one, not even your parents, wanted you? Throughout the book I found myself pitying the poor kid. He just wants a friend.

CAUTION! DO NOT READ THIS BOOK IF YOU HAVE A QUEASY STOMACH. I'm warning you now. These scenes are absolutely disgusting for some (I actually thought it added to the story, and I have a demented mind as it is, so it didn't really bother me) with stuff like the Disciplines sliding in blood and guts and puking then sliding in that, monsters slaughtering children and giving PRISTINE description of how it happened, and even a witch exploding in front of children, which soaks them in her blood and guts. Overall though, I actually liked this book. Creepy? Yes. Adventurous? Yes. Totally wicked awesome? Yes.

Score: B+ (For stupid writing)
Rating: There is not a rating that goes high enough. :)

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

What is the thing that many authors like to write about these days? Vampires, writing about vampires is very common. The bad thing about this is that most of the vampire books are all alike. It really begins to irritate me. I'm sure others feel the same way. So, when I picked up Peeps I figured it would be just like all of the other vampire books. However, I was wrong. Peeps was very different then any other vampire book I've ever read.

Peeps is a story following a character named Cal. Cal happens to be an unlucky carrier of a disease. However, this disease is not like any other disease in the universe. This disease happens when a parasite gets into your body. This parasite causes you to act like a vampire. You start eating people, hiding from light, and hating everything you used to love. People who know about this disease call people who have it peeps, not vampires. Oddly, like I mentioned before Cal is only a carrier. Meaning he can give others the disease, but he doesn't have the symptoms. Well, he does have some symptoms. Like, he has the ability to see, and hear far greater then any regular human. He also has super strength. So, as you can tell this disease can be a problem.

Cal does have an interesting job though. He works for a secret program that try to control the disease. Cal gets the pleasure of going after all of his past girlfriends who caught the disease from him. And I'm pretty sure going after your vampire ex girlfriends is no fun. But it's his job to go after them so they stop going around eating everyone. He has caught every past infected girlfriend. So, now his job is to catch the person who gave him the disease. Morgan, but it's almost as if she has fallen of of the face of the planet. So, basically it follows him trying to catch a vampire killer. Along the way, he falls in love with a human named Lace. But nothing is what Cal thinks it is. The disease is spreading everywhere. And it's up to him to save the world.

This book is really awesome! I enjoyed it a lot. It was nearly impossible for me to put it down. I would suggest anyone read it! Well, most people. There was a lot of inappropriate stuff in it. Mostly language, but also other stuff that others would feel very offended reading. So, I advise you to read with caution. I didn't really like some of the stuff in it. But, I was able to overlook it and enjoy it anyway. There is one thing that really bugged me about the book though. It ended right at a climax. And when I picked up the sequel, there was totally different characters. So that kind of ticked me off. Other than that, I adored it!

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

The Woman in Black is a spine-chilling horror/thriller story about the experience of a man named Arthur Kipps. Arthur starts out telling a story to his second wife's kids. He didn't want to, but they wanted him to, so he did. His story isn't a nice one. It's a story that Arthur has tried very hard to forget.

Arthur has to do the dead Mrs. Drablow's paperwork, and he has to go to the Eel Marsh House to do it. There are many rumors about that house. People keep telling Arthur that he shouldn't go in the house because it's haunted, but he's a man. Why should he believe in silly stories like that? Before Arthur can go to the house, he must attend Mrs. Drablow's funeral. At the funeral, Arthur sees someone who looks wasted with sickness. She's dressed all in black. She doesn't give Arthur a happy feeling. Arthur tries to ask people who she is, but when people hear of her, they become too afraid to speak.

Arthur goes to the Eel Marsh House and starts on Mrs. Drablow's paperwork. He finds useless things. He also finds a locked door. This door eventually comes unlocked and he finds the Woman in Black. He later finds out that she is looking for her child, who was taken from her. When the Woman is seen, a child mysteriously dies. Soon, Arthur can't take anymore of her. He returns to London where his home is, marries a woman named Stella, and has a child. A year after the child is born, Arthur has almost forgotten about the Woman. He had forgotten about her, until he saw her again. Then, there's an accident and the child dies, and Stella dies ten months later. That is Arthur Kipps' terrifying story.

As many of you know, there is a movie. You can watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBHeFA_LoGc&feature=share . The movie is good, but the book is better. I give The Woman in Black an A+. It was very suspenseful, and it was a book that made me think. However, this book probably shouldn't be read by those of you who are scared easily, because it might give you nightmares. But for those of you who enjoy books like this, I recommend it! The book is a little difficult to understand because it is older, but you do get used to it. This book never bored me! The book didn't really have a theme, but the plot was excellent. I reccomend reading the book before seeing the movie, if it's not too late.

"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.

Supernatural: Night Terror, John Passarella

This book... I love this book! I swear it was like a freaking drug to me. I love it!!! One of the reasons may be that it is based off of my absolute favorite TV show ever, Supernatural!!! It is violent, action packed, and a horror story and does the series justice.

Alright down to business. You need some background info! This book takes place amidst the chaos of season 6 right in between the episodes "Frontierland" and "Mommy Dearest." Sam and Dean Winchester are hunters, but not the kind of hunters you're thinking of. The hunt things we only dream about in our worst nightmares. They lost their mother to a demon when they were young and their father had them on the road ever since, training them to fight the evil supernatural beings in the world. With the help of dear friend Bobby Singer they have taken down hundreds of monsters.

Considering this is supposed to follow the plot of season 6 the author often makes references to previous happenings early in the season. Season 6: Sam went to Hell and came back, but he returned without a soul. So with the help of their friend and angel Castiel they got Death to return it to him. Sam's soul was tortured by Lucifer while it was in the pit. Death put a wall up in Sam's head so he wouldn't remember Hell. Now that Sam is back in more or less one piece they are hunting the Mother of All. She's a freaky monster that can create more freaky monsters. Bobby learned that ash from a pheonix can harm her and that's what they got in the episode "Frontierland." So that's season 6 in a nut shell but I do encourage you to watch it. That aside let's get to book.

We jump in with Sam and Dean on their way to Clayton Falls, Colorado. Bobby sent them there because of strange reports of giant Gila and a headless horseman being seen. Posing as FBI agents Sam and Dean dive into the mystery unfolding before them. The more they look into the situation the less sense it seems to make. Whatever the creature is it gains power and starts dropping bodies.

This book will have you on the edge of your seat dying to know what lie beyond the next page but too afraid to turn it. As I mentioned before it's... Well it's a little violent. Yeah, okay who am I kidding? It is mega violent and graphic not only with blood but with the language the Winchesters use. So you have been warned.

It portrays the TV series quite well and John Passarella has a gift with words. If you have seen any part of show you know what witty humor to expect from the duo that are the Winchesters. It's so much more than amazing, it's spectaculacular! (That's for my die hard Supernatural fans.) I rate this book A+! So what on earth are you waiting for pick it up and read it!!!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

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

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

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

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

Unwind By Neal Shusterman

Unwind is one of the most creepiest books I've ever read. I'm not sure how many of you out there are thriller/ horror fans, but I am definitely one! So, I really enjoyed this book. The author also used a very unique technique. He bounced around to different characters in different chapters. This book is truly one of the best books I've ever read.

It's going to be a little hard to tell the story from one point of view, so I'll give a quick summary of the whole book. SPOILER ALERT!!!!!! It starts out introducing the reader to future America, where parents can have their kid unwound if they are misbehaving. What happens with unwinding is top secret, except for the fact their body is taken apart to donate parts to others who need them. We meet a few unwinds and follow their stories throughout the book. Their names are Connor, Risa, and Lev. Connor is a troubled kid who always gets in fights. Risa is an unwanted orphan. Lev is a tithe, and thinks God wants him to be unwound. I didn't really like the whole idea of involving a bunch of religions in the book, but I guess it's necessary. So these three kids end up meeting each other by a huge coincidence and start a long, creepy journey. I won't go into further detail than that which has been said.

My overall opinion of the book was an 'A'. Most of it was suspenseful and awesome. I didn't like the whole religion thing with the tithes though. I also didn't like the romance between some of the characters. It was kind of gross. Another thing that I thought was weird was the whole teenage pregnancy thing. That's downright disgusting. Swearing was mild, but wasn't really necessary.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes creepy, suspenseful movies, stories, or books. It's not another average Goosebumps book. It's creepy, a little wrong, and very descriptive. It is not for jumpy or squeamish people. Trust me on this though; if you do read this book you're in for a major creep out.

Project 17- Laurie Faria Stolarz

    Danvers State Hospital stands alone on Hathorne hill. An abandoned mental institution due for demolition. A place rumored to be the birthplace of the labotomy. A place where patients were treated like dirt, crammed into small prisonlike rooms and given medication that increased insanity. A place that all the locals believe to be haunted.

     Six points of view are told in this story. Each person that tells the story goes into the abandoned institution for their own reasons. For Derick it's his only chance to get away from working in his parents bum diner for the rest of his life. For Mimi it's a chance to find out about her grandmother. A woman institutionalized for being an alcoholic, who never saw the light of day afterwards. All Tony wants to do is take control of Dericks production. Greta, Ashley, wants a chance to make it onto a real tv show and hit it big. Liza needs some extracurricular activities in order to get into Harvard. Chet only wants to get away from his alcoholic father for a night. All of them go for different reasons but they all end up being a part of Derricks film.

For the six teens the risks of sneaking into Danvers the eve of its demolition are well worth it. Due to the heightened security the teens take a backroute. They break into a wing of the asylum that is far off the path of where they want to film. Danvers State is connected by miles of tunnels. The teens head into the tunnels after hearing a banging noise. They find everything lying where it was left leaving an eerie feeling around the whole place. There are files and remnants scattered all over the place. However, the teens find more than just files inside the huanted hospital. Most of what they find revolves around a certain person, Christine Belle, and the number 17.

     Throughout the book the six teenagers find out more and more about Christine Belle. A ghost who wants her story told. While they help Christine to rest at peace they learn more and more about who they are, what they should do and what to do with themselves.

     This book touches on many different themes. One of the most reoccuring ones is finding yourself. At the begining of the book there is an overall sense of anomity and having to be who your parents want you to be. Throughout the rest of the book the feeling slowly changes to knowing who you are and distinquishing what YOU want to do and what others expect you to do. The book really shows that you dont have to be who your parents want you to be.

     The book also brings up the awful treatment of mentally unstable people. The book talks about the horror that people living in mental institutions lived. It talks about things that people are uncomfortable talking about and many know nothing about. It educates you about the horrors of being a part of a mental institution if you are willing to look for it. It talks about the nurses who didnt care, doctors who experimented on patients, solitary confinement. They would strip you down and throw you into a room. The different forms of "therapy" used on the poor people that lived there. It was like a prison for the mentally insane. The book talks about things that not everyone wants to hear, but everyone should be aware of.

     Overall I loved this book. Some warnings I have for you are swearing, ghosts, and quesy stomachs. Swearing, this book has a lot of it. If you are opposed to swearing you should not read this book. Ghosts, if they scare you a whole lot you should not read this book. It is a horror story so it was created to scare you. If you hate scary things, then this is not a good book for you. Finally, queasy stomachs. If you are easily sickened by gore, poor living conditions or abuse, dont read this book. It goes into detail about many things that may make you want to be sick.

     I love this book. It was entertaining, thrilling and suspenseful. The book was incredible. It gave me information about things I had no idea about before and also gave me a thrill I havent had in awhile. I encourage all people to read this book.

Demon Thief By Darren Shan

Demon Thief is the second book in the Demonata series. It doesn't matter because there are no returning characters. Instead we follow Kernel a boy that can see "spots". These "spots" are explained as flashing lights that only Kernel can see and because of this everyone thinks Kernel is freakin' insane. Soon in the book we learn Kernel can manipulate the "spots" into shapes. Eventually Kernel somehow makes a "window" at least that's what the voice in his head said. Did I mention he's a little insane?

So after he goes through this "window" the book cuts to him holding his brother Art in his hands while on the floor. You find out he's been missing for days and that he can't remember anything. His parents of course freak out. But this is not the first time they have had to deal with child loss as Kernel tells us about his sister who died when she was a baby. So after Kernel reappears his parents almost immediately move to a small town to get away from all the things bothering them in that house or at least that's what Kernel's dad says.

So in this small town is where the book really picks up. For awhile the town is great nothing bad really happens. But there is one thing that Kernel doesn't like about it there is a crazy old lady they say is a witch. Eventually you find out she really is a witch after she summons a demon that immediately kills her. This is where Art is captured and where Kernel begins his quest trying to save him. It's also the first time that we see what is really behind the "window" where Kernel meets the mentors in the book.

The mentors in this book are called The Disciples. The disciples are constantly changing so I can't name them all. But their main purpose is to stop demons when they enter the world of the humans. They do their best to stop people from summoning demons but aren't always successful. The technical leader of the Disciples is Beranabus. Beranabus is a very old wizard that has little empathy for the rest of humanity. All he cares about are the pieces of the Kah-gash. The Kah-gash is the ultimate weapon that could destroy the a entire universe.

If you like horror books or books that involve horrible monsters you should check out the book. I give the book an A+. It was really gruesome though so it's not for the faint of heart. Also it can get really disgusting sometimes I mean some of the details of how gross the monsters are sickened me. But overall it's just a really good book.