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Friday, December 30, 2011

The Dead Face Girl (part 5)



This is a continuation of an original fiction piece by flickagirl. The first part is found here! You can find all installments by clicking on the tag "dead face girl."



Mother







As I walked home from school that day, I considered stopping by Missus’s house to tell her about Ben, but I decided not to. I was just too tired and confused by the day’s events to do anything else than crash on my bed and listen to my iPod at an absurd volume. Unfortunately, my mother had other plans.




Our house is way out in the middle of nowhere. It’s about fifteen minutes away anything other than trees. My foster mother says that it lets her experience nature at its height, but I know it’s because, since the plows often don’t make it out this far, my mother has an excuse for when she walks into work late. She likes to sleep in.




Anyway, it’s a beautiful walk. And I have to say, it’s a beautiful house, too. It’s painted brown, and has huge windows that look out on the yard. It’s got two stories. The lower level is the basement, but also the main living space. It has windows that are exactly at ground level, so you can see the leaves in the fall and the snow in the winter in incredible detail. It’s very peaceful. On the outside.




On the inside, everything’s perfect. Depending on your definition of perfect. There are pictures on the mantle and little glass thing hung in the windows, but there’s that feeling that you get in a museum, where if you touch anything, you’ll get arrested. And I’m not entirely sure you won’t. My foster mother (her name is Julie) keeps everything exactly in its place. She never moves anything. Ever.

Once, when I had just moved to her house (I was only six), my foster mother had gone to get groceries. I was throwing the only thing I got to keep from my previous life, a little red ball, up in the air and caching it. At one point, the ball hit Julie’s tiny glass jars that were on the mantle. Fortunately, the floor was carpeted, so none of them broke as they fell. I gently picked them up and placed them back on the mantle, hoping that they were in the same place as I had left them. But when Julie came home an hour later, she noticed right away. She dragged me out of my room and started shaking me, demanding I tell her why I had touched her things. Almost at the point of tears I told her. She let me go and went back into my room. After a few minutes, she came out with my little red ball. She told me that she was going to keep it until she was sure I had learned to keep my grubby little fingers off her things.




A week later, when I asked for my ball back, she told me that she had thrown it down the garbage disposal. After that, I locked myself in my bedroom and cried for about three hours. That ball was my whole life at the time. From then on, I hated Julie. I hated her to death. But I never showed it. I never showed anything ever again.







As I stepped into the house, I noticed that something was different. It smelled different. But it was a good different. It smelled like fresh backed chocolate chip cookies.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

The dead face girl (part 4)

This is a continuation of an original fiction piece by flickagirl. The first part is found here!  You can find all installments by clicking the tag "dead face girl."
Ben

Chapter 3 (part 2)
 

The rest of the day was pretty normal, until recess. I was sitting on the swing, just, well, swinging. I wasn’t swinging very high, because I was writing in my journal. Yes, I keep a journal. No, I have not let anyone read it. (And for those of you who have too much time on your hands and are reading this book over, DON’T GIVE IT AWAY!)

Anyway, I was just swinging, then, surprise, surprise! Ben walked up, staring intently at the ground and wringing his hands. “Heeellllloooooo,” He said slowly, as if worried that I couldn’t speak English, “Myyyy naaame iiiiiisssss Beeeen.”

I waited a few seconds before answering, just to make sure that he was done. “I’m in your math class.” I informed him.

He breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness,” he said, “You can talk.”

I snorted. This boy wasn’t going to make my day any better. I tried to decide what to do. Should I give this kid another ugly stare? No, I wanted to see what he wanted. I settled on a sarcastic, “Really? I hadn’t noticed!”

He stared at me for a couple seconds, trying to decide whether I was serious.

“It was a joke.” I said exasperated. At that he smiled. Again. “You know what?” I thought, “Changing my mind about the smile.” I shook my head.

“So, what do you want?” I asked, suddenly in a hurry to get this over with.

“I, um…” he stammered, “I want to… well… beyourfriened.” He spluttered out the last words in a hurry, like he thought that if he said it fast enough, it would make the reaction less scary. Wrong. Although it might have been slightly delayed, as I tried to figure out what he had said. But I got it eventually.

“You what?”

“I want to be your friend?” he said uncertainly.

I was about to give him the death stare, but I realized that this might be fun. This had happened to me several times before. Someone had asked to be my friend, and I had accepted, expecting every time that it would work. Of course, I now had enough experience to know that it never does. Ever. But it might be fun to see how long this boy would last. “Alright,” I said, “you can try to be my friend. But be warned, this has never worked out for anyone.”

“I know,” he said matter-of-factly, “I can tell from the rumors being spread about you.”

“Rumors?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “What rumors?”

I acted like I had no clue, although I knew every single rumor there ever was about me. I had even started some of them.

“Oh, ya!” he said eagerly. “One of them was that you couldn’t talk, another was that you didn’t have a name,” I stiffened at that, but Ben didn’t notice. “And others say that you’re actually dead, and are a zombie!”

I snorted. “I like that one.” I told him.

He laughed. It was a nice sound, his laugh. It was like his smile. It made me want to laugh. I tried to smile. I managed it, sort of. I got my weighty lips to turn up at the corners, but I could tell from Ben’s face that I wasn’t actually showing any emotion, so I gave up. “What?” I asked, when I noticed that he was still staring at me.

“You’re funny.” He replied, searching my face for any sign of anything. Of course, he didn’t find whatever he was looking for. “Anyway, he continued when he realized that I still wasn’t showing any emotion, “to really be someone’s friend, you have to know their name. You already know mine, Ben. It’s only fare if you tell me yours.”

Crap. I was afraid of this. What should I say? I couldn’t have him call me Honey, because that would be weird, and I wouldn’t let him call me Abigail. I hate that name. But before I could decide what to do, the obviously bored playground monitor said, “Time to go inside.”

“Gotta go!” I said, as I jumped off of the swing and bolted toward the door.

Monday, December 26, 2011

The Dead Face Girl (part 3)

This is a continuation of an original fiction piece by flickagirl. The first part is found here!  You can follow the tag dead face girl for all installments.

Ben

Chapter 3

By the way, this chapter is important. It’s arguably more important than the chapter in which you met Missus. Arguably. So pay attention.

It wasn’t that long since I met Missus, when there was a new kid in school. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, his name was Ben. The first class I was in with him was math. Our math teacher, Mr. Schwartz, made him stand up in front of the class and talk about his personal life. We found out where he lived before he moved to Duluth, Minnesota, and what he thought about living here. He hesitated a few minutes, and then said, “It’s a little colder than California.”

At that I snorted. It was only fall. Wait till he felt winter. Instead of listening to the rest of Mr. Schwartz’s interrogation, I studied this Ben character. He was short for boys his age, barely 5’ 1’’, and that wasn’t the only way he was small. He was terribly scrawny, with brown hair that was slightly mussed. He had extremely prominent cheek bones, and impossibly pale skin. But he stood in a welcoming position, and had a warm smile, so, under normal conditions, I probably would have liked him. But unfortunately for him, I was in a bad mood today.

Mr. Schwartz finished his dumb questions, and Ben sat down. As Mr. Schwartz started the lesson, Ben took a quick glance around. The first person that caught his eye was me. He gave me a little smile. Like I said I was in a bad mood, so I decided to be a little evil. Well… a lot evil. I pulled down my hood, flipped back my hair, and starred right into his eyes. He made a sound like a puppy makes when its tail gets stepped on.

“Ha!” I thought, “That kid won’t be bothering me again anytime soon.”

How wrong I was.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Book Review: Inheritance, by Christopher Paolini

Book Title:  Inheritance series
Format: Hardback
Price: $27.99
Length: 880 pages

A thrilling series with excitement and suspense is now reaching a breathtaking finale with a book called Inheritance. The series starts with a boy named Eragon who finds a blue dragon egg. Without knowing it Eragon changes his life and fate by taking the egg home and names the dragon in the egg Saphira. After three novels filled with all of Eragon’s adventures, the final battle that fate has brought Eragon to is now here. Now Eragon and Saphira have to face Galbatorix and the fate of all of Alagasia rests on there shoulders. But with the help of Glaedr and others that you will hear about in Inheritance maybe Galbatoix will be defeated and a new ruler will rule Alagasia again.
           
To me the book Inheritance was a great finale with an ending that wasn’t as romantic or sad as it could have been. But the way it was written, the end was fabulous. One of my favorite parts is when Saphira, Glaedr, and Eragon find hidden treasure on Vroengard and discover that not all is lost. Another one of my favorite parts is when Roran conquers Aroughs. There are other parts I really loved but I won’t go into the details. If you are interested in reading you must read the other books. Sometimes they can be slow with lots of details but there are certain parts that are so good the slower parts don’t even matter anymore.
           
The ending of Inheritance was a good ending but it was sad because Eragon never got the one he loved and neither did Murtagh or Saphira. I think the author did that so the book wouldn’t get lovey dovey. But the way Eragon and Saphira left was I think great way to finish the book and the series.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Book Review of The Arkadians, by Lloyd Alexander

Book Title:  The Arkadians
Format: Hardback
Price: $15.99
Length:  272 pages

Lucian worked in the palace and found that the soothsayers are cheating the king. Then, he was chased out of the palace after meeting Fronto, a poet-turned-donkey. He attempts running away, but runs into Joy-in-the-Dance, “a girl of marvels and mysteries.” She helps Lucian get Fronto back after he was stolen. Afterwards, Lucian runs with some (friendly) wolves and finds Ops in a tree. Ops was a village leader, until the king ordered everyone working with the Lady of the Wild Things, and then he was made the village scapegoat (he took all the blame for everything that was wrong in the village). After getting Ops down, they run into the Goat Folk. Catch-a-Tick (member of the Goat Folk) hits Lucian in the head. Buckthorn is the leader of the Goat Folk and leads the group through a mountain pass to the valley of the Horse Clan. Joy-in-the-Dance is the daughter of the leader of the Horse Clan and the Lady of the wild Things. See-Far-Ahead (leader of the Horse Clan) leads them through another mountain pass to the palace of the Lady of the Wild Things. When they get to the palace, Ops finds someone to be his true love, and the Lady of the Wild Things sends Lucian and Fronto to find the shipmaster that is loyal to her and will do any of her favors. Ops and Joy-in-the-Dance have to stay behind. Joy-in-the-Dance and Ops sneak on board, and then the boat crashes on an island. There, they have to fight (and ultimately kill) a bull. Joy-in-the-Dance ends up calming the bull down long enough for the others to escape, and runs after them. They get back to Arkadia, and they immediately find the old king in ruins. They bring the king along with them, and go to the shipmasters old tavern. There, he finds his fiancĂ©, who kicked him out (but didn’t really want him to go) and who helps them. The guards catch the king (who ran away to save his life, and didn’t want his newfound friends to get in trouble) who goes with them to allow Lucian and the others a new chance at life. Lucian and the others promptly go to the palace, and try to stop the sacrifice. Lucian ends up hitting the king in the head and knocks him out. One of the banisters catches fire and lights the whole palace on fire. The whole town is in flames soon. And you’ll have to read the book to find out what happens next. The end is all good, but I’m not telling.

I think this book is really weird, but it's a really good book.   This is the fourth or fifth time I've read it, so clearly I like it.  It's really random, and I'm kind of random, too.  I think that the author described stuff really well, in my opinion, and he knew a lot about medieval castles, the way they were run.  I didn't enjoy the language, and I would have substituted one word with "donkey" because he says it a lot.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 chocolate bars
Appropriateness:  Some inappropriate language
Cover Thoughts:  I like both covers.  The hardback cover shows the setting, and the paperback cover shows the main characters really well.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

jblover6's Review of Superfudge

 

Book Title: Superfudge
Author: Judy Blume
Format: Paperback
Price: $5.99

Short Summary:  This book is about when Fudge eats his big brother’s turtle (his mom got him a dog
to make it up to Peter since he loved his turtle) and his mom is having a baby. His little brother ran away and his mother freaked out. Peter is having a bunch of trouble going on in his life. Peter plans on running away from his home because he already has an annoying brother who follows him everywhere he goes.

Strengths/Weaknesses/Favorite Parts: I like it when he want to run away because he doesn’t want to have another baby but he found out that he likes the baby way better than Fudge, and I did not have a
part that I didn’t like. It was awesome.

Rating:4.5 out of 5 chocolate bars
Appropriateness: 5 out of 5 it is not appropriate but it is still funny.
Cover Thoughts: I like the title because it shows how like Fudge owns his life and that he an do anything that does not have to do with Fudge.


Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon



:) Little Angel's review of Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon

Title: Silver Phoenix
Author: Cindy Pon
Format: Hardback
Price: I got this book from my teacher.

In this book, Ai Ling (a girl born in a land similar to ancient China) discovers the power to jump from soul to soul. At first it’s just reading minds, but it slowly grows, and it’s starting to scare her. But when her dad is gone longer than normal and other things push her away from home, she leaves to go find her father. She meets her travel partners and is getting closer and
closer. But what will happen when she discovers the origins of her powers?

Silver Phoenix, I felt, was a very well-written book. I felt excited at every moment and was never bored with the book. I really liked all the mythology for it; I have never come across any Chinese mythology before. I liked how well the characters were developed and all the emotion Pon described. I felt as if I was jumping from person to person right along with Ai Ling. I just got right into it, it was just so suspenseful, and I never wanted to put it down.

The only problem I had with this book was the ending, it was just so unpleasing. It wasn’t so bad that I wanted to chuck the book across the room.  I just think it was unpleasing. BUT there is a sequel so I am quite pleased, and as I am typing this I have the book right next to me just calling for me to
pick it up and read it. All I can say that is it is also very well-written so far.

You may not find the book with this cover because they changed it. The say it was because there is a Chinese girl on the front, and that might deplete the interest in the book. I don't think this at all! I love the original cover; it's colorful, bright, and it's just so much better than the new cover.

5 out of 5 chocolate bars
Appropriateness: I have to say it’s a young adult borderline teenager. :)

Monday, December 5, 2011

Book Review: Paint the Wind, by Pam Munoz Ryan


screen name: -Aligator-
Grade: 6
Book Title: Paint The Wind
Format: Paperback
number of pages: 316
Price: $6.99
Short Summary: Maya lives with her grandmother, who is all about discipline. Maya can`t wear jeans, t-shirts, or anything fun. She doesn`t have any friends, pobably because of how she dresses. And her parents? They died. Both. All she has left of them is a box full of toy horses, which her grandmother would MURDER HER if she found out about them.

Maya`s grandmother hates Maya`s mom, a lot. She cuts out her face out of photos, or puts up photos without her mom. When Maya`s grandma has a heart attack, Maya comes to live with her strange relatives on her mom`s side, which turn out to be her new family. She also meets Payton, her cousin, and her mom`s old horse, Artemisia. I don`t want to give too much away, so I can`t explain anymore. The book is beautifully written, just to point it out! I really enjoyed reading the fantastic story of a girl who realizes she can be anything she wants.
Rating: 5 Chocolate bars!
Appropriateness: Fairy Princess
Cover Thoughts: I LOVE the cover. It`s mysterious and dramatic, It`s exiting yet somehow calm. It shows an amazing looking horse, running in the wind.

Friday, December 2, 2011

Reasons to be Happy Reviewed by: Cece07


Title: Reasons to be Happy
Author:  Katrina Kittle
Format:  Paperback


Reasons to be Happy is about an 8th grade girl named Hannah who thinks she is a downer, fat, and stupid. She thinks she is the big fat tree standing in the way of her parents' spotlight. Her parents are Hollywood movie stars, and she's not. What Hannah finds out is revolting, sad, heartbreaking, and depressing. Part of the reason is her mom is diagnosed with cancer. She doesn't know what to do. It's like the world is frozen and she is all alone.Her dad is not helping by becoming an alcoholic. She asks herself...." is this really happening?" Yes. It is really happening. She tries to find a way to stop her madness--first it was an S.R. (secret remedy);  now, it is the monkey clinging to her back. Her life is falling apart. Her aunt Izzy is the closest friend she has, when something devastating happens. No one in this book is as brave and liberal as Hannah.(Well, maybe her aunt Izzy.) Katrina Kittle has woven sorrow and magic into these pages. Read this page turning tale that is sure to have you hooked.

Rating: 5 out of 5 chocolate bars
Appropriateness:  Vampire rating for some swearing and mature topics
Cover Thoughts:  I think it's a good cover.  It kind of matches the book in that it has a hidden side.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

The Dark Years, Segment 2

This is the continuation of an original fiction piece by baloonacy, formerly known as crazienis.  The first part is here.

The Dark Years, Segment 2


After sitting in the tree for 10 cold, damp, miserable minutes, Tom showed up. All the cold seemed to melt away when I saw him. He looked slightly put off, but when he saw me his face lit up. He jogged the rest of the way to the tree and gave me a hand down. We squished across my lawn for the final time, though I wasn’t sad to see it go. It had been the site of many childhood injuries, though they had been my fault because I had had no one else there to blame or even talk to. As I fastened my seatbelt in Tom's truck, his face fell.

"Tommy, what's the matter?" I asked, confused.

"Braden's up to his old tricks again, and this time, he's dead serious. So just be careful, and don't tell him that I'm going to be the one to finish the rite for you, because if he knows, he'll jump the gun and possibly kill you."

Monday, November 28, 2011

My favorite books By cece07


Hey guys!! I am not doing a "book" post I am doing a "me" post. It is about the types of books I like to read, and I also want to hear about the types of books you guys like to read. I'm serious--please tell me about the kind of books you like to read and the types of books you want me to read and review.

My favorite series so far is The Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, and my favorite book alone is probably......
Reasons to Be Happy by Katrina Kittle. I love reading, so if you really want me to read a book and do a post on it (maybe), you should just go to the bottom of the home page and click on the white box and enter a comment. You can say send it to Cece07 and I'd be so HAPPY!!!!! Well, thanks for hearing or reading me ramble on why you should shoot me a comment or send me a book suggestion, but seriously make the world a better place.... READ!!! Thanks!!! - Cece07

Friday, November 25, 2011

The Dollhouse, original fiction by cutiegreek333

7 YEARS AGO


"Mommy! Look! A dolly house!  Can I have it? It is so pretty!" little Claira asked her mother at Shopko on her seventh birthday.

Mrs. Hope examined the price tag.  "Of course, dear! Think of it as a birthday present from your father," Mrs. Hope said. The mention of the late Mr. Hope made Claira look at her feet, but Claira remembered what he always told her when she was near tears: "Brighten up because only you can put yourself down."

Claira decided that, even though she didn't know what it meant, she would brighten up. Giving her mother a huge smile, she gingerly picked up the box and placed it in the cart. Claira, forgetting her mother's
comment, about her father, shuffled next to her mother, proud of her new blue and pink doll house.

As soon as Mrs. Hope and Claira were home, Claira opened her doll house. Inside was huge, even though the outside was small. It had a whole bunch of rooms, a bathroom, three bedrooms, a bunch of walk-in closets, a kitchen, a dining room, a parlor, a front hallway, a pool that attached to the back side of the house, and a huge living room!

Claira had just found the Barbie doll that came with the house when someone slammed the front door. Claira's older sister walked through the hallway, looking about to either throw someone against a wall or cry her eyes out. When her sister got upstairs, Mrs. Hope started talking to Claira's older sister. Then Claira heard shouts and then a door slam for the second time that day, and probably not the last.

Claira wished she could stay seven forever. As she started to put her doll house together, she silently wished to herself, "I wish I don't have to live here when I'm fourteen. I never want to have to deal with yelling or slamming doors.  I wish I could live here with you, Barbie."

As Claira left to eat dinner the doll house winked - as all magical doll houses should.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Book Review: The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld


A book review by GIRlover230

The name of the book I read is: Uglies
The format is: paperback
The author is: Scott Westerfeld
The number of pages: 425
The price I got it at was: $8.99

The book is about a town in a time where anyone who is normal is ugly. Luckily, when you’re sixteen, you undergo a surgery that makes you pretty (in their terms). Tally, the main character, can’t wait to get her surgery done. Her best friend Paris has already gotten his surgery done and was already in New Pretty Town (that’s the town you go to when you’re pretty). Tally is three months younger than Paris so she is alone for three months until she turns pretty. So one day she decides to go visit Paris in New Pretty Town, but the thing is, Uglies are not allowed in New Pretty Town, so she sneaks in. I won’t go into details, but when she leaves she finds another Ugly named Shay. During the three months until they get their surgeries done, Shay and Tally become good friends the week before there surgeries Shay tells Tally a big secret, then gives her a map in code to tell where she’s going. She tried to talk Tally into going, but it didn’t work. I’m not going to tell any more spoilers, but they go on a big adventure.

I thought this book was good, and it has a really surprising ending.  I also liked the author's description of the characters, how detailed he was on describing things.  My favorite part was the turning point, and the big decision Tallie made in the New Smoke.  You'll find out about the New Smoke when you read the book. 

This is the first of three books. The names are Uglies, Pretties, and Specials. I liked it enough to read the rest of the series, and I'm now on the third book.  This is probably one of the first science-fiction books I've read and liked.


Rating: 5 out of 5 chocolate bars
Appropriateness: fairy princess
Where I got it: we owned it but you could get it at a book store or library.
Cover thoughts: I like it.  It fits my idea of Tallie because I imagined her with reddish-brown hair like that.  I think it's eye-catching because if it were on a shelf, I'd probably see it and go grab it.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Justin Beiber:Biography


A book review by pinkmuffinkitty


Title: Justin Bieber: First Step 2 Forever
Format: paperback or can be bought in hardcover
Author: Justin Bieber himself
Length: 240 pages.
Price: $8.99


I like this book because it tells all about Justin Beiber and what he likes to do and what his favorite foods are. The part that I didn't like as much is when he told about when his relatives died and what and when his pets died. And because this book is for little kids not just for bigger kids, the little kids who like Justin Bieber will have a great time with this Justin Bieber book.:)


My favorite part of the book is probably when he showed pictures of him using his skateboard and his bike, and when he told about how old he was when he first got a skateboard.  I like to skateboard, so that was fun to read about.  One thing I learned about him that I didn't know before is that his favorite color is purple.  I liked all the pictures.


Rating: 5 out of 5 chocolate bars
Appropriateness:  Fairy Princess because he doesn't say anything bad; he just tells his favorite clothes and foods and stuff.
Cover Thoughts:  I like his cover because he's smiling.

Friday, November 18, 2011

My Life and Robots

Original Fiction by Goatboy

CHAPTER 1

I was nine when the robots took over. People said it was fake. People always said the world would end. If it wasn't lightning and tsunamis, it was zombies. It all started when scientists discovered how to cross bioligical and technological robotics. It was declared the feat of the century. The robots could understand tasks on their own without being programmed for them.

Then the robots thought, these old guys in labcoats are annoying, I'll blow them up. The scientists said it would happen; the government didn't believe them. The robots took over, and you would say eh it's fake and then oh,an evil robot! You just know that some old science guy is in the background saying I told you.

All that was left were small groups of people after a long period of war, gathered in America. Some elite groups of the army gathered in other places. I held a group of soldiers, three other teenagers, on Bleaker Street, New York.  They were: Mike, our tech wiz; Blade, our rock solid muscle; Sabrina, my athletic girlfriend; and me--Tony.  We took the back ways to the commander's base. The main streets were controlled by robots.

There are three kinds of robots: the 28-x's, stupid muscle; O'Reilys, arial bots; and the B.O.S.S's., Battle Operated Strike Systems. I hope we don't run into any of those on our way.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

book review The accidental hero


A book review BY DIMESIONGIRL12
BOOK TITLE The accidental hero.
FORMAT: I read it in paperback.
AUTHOR: Matt Myklucsh
LENGTH: It has 470 pages
PRICE: It’s $5.99 at Walmart, but it's $7.99 elsewhere.

I love this book because it shows an alternative reality and how it would happen if we opened up our minds to the impossible.  I wish it were real. I liked how everyone was very unique, and I can get what Jack feels because I, too, have experienced what it's  like to be unique.  The one weakness is it was boring at parts because it follows a pretty basic plot of the hero finding out who he is, training, and beating the bad guys.  I wish it would have been mixed up a little with maybe some more conflict like Revile could have captured him or something.

For 12 years Jack lived at St. Barneby’s Home for the Hopeless, Abandoned, Forgotten and Lost.  Now he lives in the world of Imagine Nation. Jack has been infected with a virus that usually turns the host into a robo-zombie.  But will the robo-zombies get Jack?  Will he beat the virus ??

RATING: I think it rates 5 chocolate bars.
APPROPRIATENESS:  I think it’s sort of a vampire book but not quite because it has some violence, but only a little, like a punch in the face.  No language or sexual content.

COVER THOUGHTS:  I think the cover should be more eye-popping like it showing Jack and his friends and them standing on Revile.

I know right now you think I'm crazy, but read the book and you'll thank me.




Monday, November 14, 2011

Two Book Reviews by pink muffin kitty






Book reviews by:pink muffin kitty
title: A Child Called It
format:paperback
author: Dave Pelzer


 I like the book  A Child Called It because it has some mean/very sad parts in it that almost made me cry. And because it has some good parts. My favorite part is when at the end the mom is nice to him.  My unfavorite part is when the mom calles him it and she said that it is his name.  And his mom also starved him almost to death. :(


rating:three chocolate bars
appropriatness: I think that it is a vampire for 6th grade and up because it is an really sad book.


Title: Junie b.Jones: Boss of the Lunchroom
Format: paperbackor hardcover
Author: Barbara Parks


I'm doing my second book review on the book Junie B. Jones:Boss of the Lunchroom. I like this book because it has good parts and it has like one bad part in it. The worst part is that Junie B. got in trouble because she was blurting in class. The best part is that in the end Junie B. got out of trouble and she got to be the teacher for the day and she was very happy. I like this book because it is for all ages and a lot of people read these kinds of books, so that's why I did the book review on Junie B. Jones.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

You can tell that the In the Middle (of a Good Book) staff has a lot of tastes in common, because we've had a Hiaasen theme, and now we're in a Riordan streak!  Everyone's been crazy to read the book Son of Neptune, so this is our second review of it by thierryhenry14!

TITLE: Son of Neptune

AUTHOR: Rick Riordan

FORMAT: ebook

PRICE: Discounted to $9.99


Son of Neptune is...aaaammmmmmmmaaaaaazzzzzzzzzzzzzziiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




This second book of Heroes of Olympus series is a perfect sequel to the first book The Lost Hero. The second book is from a Greek demigod's (Percy Jackson) point of view, whereas in the first book it was from Jason's (a Roman demigod) point of view. Percy's memory was stolen by Juno (Hera), so Percy has to find the Roman demigods' camp, Camp Jupiter, without his memory. At camp, Percy meets Hazel and Frank (who both have a curse set on them). They help him along the way on his quest to Alaska, also known as the land beyond the gods, to release Pluto's (Hades) lieutenant Thanatos from his captive, the giant Alcyoneus (who is unbeatable in the place he was born, a.k.a. Alaska), son of the earth goddess Gaea.

Son of Neptune is totally the action-packed, exciting, suspenseful book I was looking forward to when I bought it. The book goes above and beyond expectations -- I mean this book is seriously amazing. I have read the Percy Jackson and the Last Olympians series, and the gods in those books are in their Greek form, so personally I liked seeing the change in the gods' characters and personalities, and of course I enjoyed reading the new characters.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed any of the Percy Jackson books by Rick Riordan. It's seriously good.

I give this book 4 1/2 chocolate bars because it is really good. I am being more serious than I ever have in my entire life; I do not joke about chocolate.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

YOU by Charles Benoit


Title: YOU
Author: Charles Benoit
Format: Hardcover
Length: 240 pages
Price:  $16.99


You read book called YOU by Charles Benoit. It was written in 2nd person, which is the reason for writing this post in 2nd person. This book is about you, Kyle Chase, a 15-year-old sophomore. You hang with the Hoodies -- the couple of friends you have made since you've been going to school here because you know you'd never be a jock or a brain. You wish your parents would quit hassling you about getting a job, or inviting your friends over. When you do hang out with your friends, it is normally the dead of night and involves beer and smoking. But your whole world changes when the new kid, Zach, becomes an acquaintance. Suddenly everything turns upside down because of a stupid jock and a screwed up Hello Kitty card. You're not sure about anything anymore. Is Zach your friend? Is Ashley more than a friend?


The book had a lot of strenghs and weaknesses. Some of the strenghs were that the book accurately describes the horrors of  high school, the bullying, the drugs/alcohol, and the popularity ranking. Plus it was very well written. Some weaknesses were that the relationship with Ashley was too...I don't know how to put this other than fake--not all of it, but the part where she admits her feelings was. My favorite part was when "You" had some significant character development......... I'm not saying any more!!!!!!! I won"t spoil!!!!!!

Rating: 4 out of 5 chocolate bars
Appropriateness: the Death rating....No, I take that back.... the homicide rating!!! Sexual content, language, and alcohol.
Cover Comments: The cover accurately describes the book.























Monday, November 7, 2011

My Life in Pink and Green By: Cece07

A book review by Cece07
Title:  My Life in Pink and Green
Author:  Lisa Greenwald
Format: Paperback
Length: 272 pages
Price:  $6.95




This book, called My Life in Pink and Green, is by Lisa Greenwald. It is about a girl named Lucy Desberg who works at a family-owned pharmacy with her mother and grandmother. Their family-owned pharmacy is going through tough times, also known as bankruptcy. Lucy is brainstorming ideas how to help the pharmacy, when it just so happens that the prom queen has a hair crisis, and Lucy is asked for advice.

Lucy has worked at this pharmacy ever since she can remember, so she knows where everything is, and of course where everything is supposed to be. So she helps the prom queen, and the word spreads quickly. Lucy's really getting the hang of this--she's getting to do make-up for dances, birthdays, parades, and even Bat Mitzvahs. Meanwhile, she has developed a big crush that popped up out of nowhere.

One day she's surfing the web and comes across this Eco-grant that the mayor has posted. She thinks that they should try to open an Eco-spa to help save the pharmacy.The mayor said whichever person has the best reason to help the earth and make a living off of it will win and get the money to do their idea. Mom's all for it, but Grandma is the opposite. Take a guess or just read this novel and see for yourself if Lucy saves the pharmacy and see if her crush likes her back.




Rating:4 out of 5 chocolate bars
Appropriateness: fairy princess: it's pretty good, nothing too bad
Cover Thoughts: It's a totally cool cover! It fits the book perfectly!

Friday, November 4, 2011

The Dead Face Girl


This is a continuation of an original fiction piece by flickagirl. The first part is found here! :)

Chapter 2

Missus

I was walking home. Exciting, huh? I bet you thought I was going something less ordinary, like heading to a secret underground government base so they can do tests on me or something. Well, it’s not. I was just walking home one fall afternoon, and if that’s not exciting enough for you, then go read a sci-fi book.

Anyway, I was walking down the road, admiring the amazing fall colors. And everything else about fall, really. Fall and winter are my favorite seasons because during the summer and spring, everyone’s outside. If I go out, the fun somehow stops. Either that or little boys start chasing me around yelling, “Whoever slays the ogre gets half of my PokĂ©mon cards!”

Basically, not fun. But during the fall and winter, everyone’s inside sipping hot chocolate and watching reruns of their favorite reality TV show. (At least that’s what my foster mother does.)

So during fall and winter, everything outside is mine. But the fall is my all-time favorite, because it’s warm, but not so hot that you want to fall asleep (which happens to me during the summer), and it smells. During the fall, it smells like fall. Like calmness. Like life. But a life where having an ugly face doesn’t matter.

So during the fall, I have a habit of accidentally-on-purpose missing the bus and walking home. Just to absorb the sights, smells, and, above all, the feeling of complete serenity. But not today. Today was the day I met her, the first person to actually love me, to actually care.

It was just a usual day walking home, but the sound of my feet on the gravel road wasn’t right. It was too loud. I looked down and just watched my black All-stars move down the road. Right, left, right, left. Then I knew. I forgot to take my shoes off. I reached down and started untying the laces.

Just then, I heard the sound of a car, and quickly moved to the side of the road. That’s funny, I thought. Cars don’t usually come around here. But it was definitely a car. I could tell by the sound of its engine. As I turned the corner, I saw a bright purple Prius speeding away, leaving behind a trail of dust and muffled squeals to hurry up.

Immediately I knew that something was up. Bright purple cars filled with giggling teenaged girls just don’t drive around on dirt roads without a reason. And then I saw it. I had walked down this road a million times and never noticed it. It was a house. The house was tiny and was painted a dull yellow color. It was worn, but not in bad shape. There weren’t any holes that I could see, and no broken windows. Except for one…

I rushed inside and looked around. There were basically two rooms that I could see. I was standing in one of them. Below my bare feet there was a tan mat that looked like it was hand woven. The room was your basic four wall room, and each wall was painted a warm brown color. On every wall there was a picture of a beautiful young woman doing various different things. In one she was walking down the aisle, in another she was in a park throwing a Frisbee to a young man, in another holding two infants, and in the last, which was right behind me, running down a beach with her hair blowing in her face. She was beautiful, with dark hair and dark eyes.

Someone coughed. I tore my eyes away from the beautiful woman in the picture and squinted into the shadows of the back of the room. There was the strangest sight I had ever seen. An elderly lady, maybe in her sixties, sitting in a rocking chair knitting, with about a billion different cats.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Son of Neptune By: Rick Riordan

A book review by cutiegreek333

Book Title:  Son of Neptune
Author:  Rick Riordan
Format:  Hardback
Length:  544 pages
Price:  List price $19.99, but I got for forty percent off and on sale!

OMG!!!! You haven't lived until you've read this book!!!!!!!!! It is a perfect blend between the original Percy Jackson books and the new Heroes of Olympus series. This book is about Percy Jackson being sent to Camp Jupiter by Lupa the Wolf without retaining any of his memories...... except a little bit of Annabeth of course ;)........Camp Jupiter is the Roman demigod camp. At Camp Jupiter, Percy meets Hazel and Frank who both bear curses. Hazel's curse is due to the fact that she is the daughter of Pluto/Hades....I won't tell you what it is, though. Frank's curse is more like a death sentence ... his life depends on a half-burned piece of wood. This story is about their adventure to unleash Death A.K.A Thantoes from his prison which is gaurded by Gaea's eldest son, a giant, Alcyoneus......... in Alaska, which is out of the gods' sphere of power. So during their quest they have no chance of godly help, they are on their own.
I recommend this book to anyone who loved the first PJ series, who love Greek/Roman mythology, and Rick Riordan books!!!

I rate this book 4 1/2 chocolate bars
Appropriateness:  Vampire, for mild violence
Cover Thoughts:  It seems really dramatic, but yet it represents the book well even though it's not a scene in the book.
BTW!!!!!!!!!! Keep an eye out for the next Heroes of Olympus book Mark of Athena!!
C ya!
--Cutiegreek333

Monday, October 31, 2011

Hoot, by Carl Hiaasen


Here at In the Middle (of a Good Book), we've been on a Hiaasen reading spree, so here's our third review of one of his books!
Name: -Aligator-
Grade: 6
Book Title; Hoot
Format: Paperback
Author: Carl Hiaasen
Number of pages: 304
Price: Library copy. Maybe around 10-20 dollars.

Short Summary:
Hey everyone! At the blog, we have a Carl Hiaasen Theme. So, I`m doing, Hoot. First off, Hoot is an amazing book. The main character, Roy, is used to being the new kid, and guess what? He gets to be it, again. Dana is the Trace Middle School bully. And when Roy is sitting by himself on the bus, Dana can`t wait to smash the new kid's face into the window. But Roy sees more than the foggy glass window. He sees a barefoot boy, not much younger than Roy himself. And when Roy decides to follow the boy, he gets into trouble, and into the best owl-saving plan ever...

My favorite part of the book is when everybody gathers with picket signs to protest against the new restaurant. It`s a total "good-guys always win!" moment. One of the book's weaknesses was it was all kinda set up, so to speak. Everything was a little too perfect.... I think that if you were to put in some scenes where they almost get caught, it would make the book just a little bit better, because Hoot is a perfect book altogether. Anyone will fall in love with this great book. Another book on my Christmas list. Really, if you haven`t read Hoot, you were either lost for the past while, or your friends just forgot to tell you....

Rating: 5/5 chocolate bars
Appropriateness: Fairy princess
Cover Thoughts: The cover is amazing. Not so detailed and eye popping, but think, most of the books out there are just that. Eye popping and detailed. It`s nice to see a simple book cover for a change. Personally, I think it`s a great cover!

Friday, October 28, 2011

The Dead Face Girl



Original Fiction by flickagirl

Chapter 1


Me


This first chapter will not be like most first chapters. Usually, in the first chapter of a book, you learn the main character's name. But I don't have one. Not a real one, anyway. My foster mother calls me Abigail, but that sounds too sharp, not like me at all. The one person who loves me calls me Honey, but most people just call me the dead face girl.

Now I should probably tell you what I look like, to deserve such an awful title. I have long black hair that almost always drapes over my face. I'm short for my age, only four foot eleven, and I always wear dark clothes (mostly because the sight of me in bright colors would make everyone drop dead, literally). Even though these are the things that you notice about me right away, if you're lucky, none of them is the thing that really gets people, the thing that earned me my name, no. That prize belongs to the thing lurking behind the curtain of black hair. Yep, you guessed it. My face.

People who are brave enough to talk to me tell me that I look like a zombie, a freak of nature. I know from the few times I've looked in the mirror that those people are right. My face has no expression what-so-ever. It's true, I look dead. No matter how hard I try to smile, no matter how much makeup my foster mother smears on me, I still look that way. And I always will.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Scat, by Carl Hiaasen

A book review by dirigibleplum7

Title: Scat
Author: Carl Hiaasen
Format:  Hardback
Length: 384 pages
Price:  Got it from library, but it costs $16.99

Hello peoples! I just read SCAT by Carl Hiaasen for my first quarter book report, and it was wonderful! And let me just say, Hiaasen has wowed us again

Anyways, Scat has just the right amount of all the different qualities of a terrific read. It's full of mystery,suspense, and a titch of romance (but nothing too mushy, trust me guys, you'll like it too!) 
It all starts when the most feared teacher in school, Mrs.Starch, disappears on a field trip to the black vine swamp.  Nick and his crush, Marta, team up to crack the case. 

"Coincidentally,"  Mrs.Starch's arch-enemy student, Dwayne (who is also the school bully), doesn't show up the day of the field trip. The principal even takes a trip to Dwayne's house to see why he was absent. Dwayne's father claims that Dwayne told him he was going camping, and he hasn't seen him since. After a week of no Mrs. Starch, the police are called in to investigate, and they end up interviewing the teachers and students about the disappearance of Mrs. Starch and Dwayne (aka-'Smoke', as the other students call him). When an officer interviews the principal, he is told that this isn't the first time Dwayne has been reported. And that he is secretly a pyro. 

Does Dwayne's disappearance have something to do with Mrs.Starch going missing? Find out in this heart-pounding Hiaassen novel! - dirigibleplum7

Rating: 5 out of 5 chocolate bars
Appropriateness: FAIRY PRINCESS
Where I got it: at the library, (but i would imagine it to be at local book stores too)
Cover Thoughts:  It's okay--it's bright.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Flush, by Carl Hiassen



A book review by CeCe07

Title: Flush
Author: Carl Hiaasen
Format: hard cover
Length: 272 pages
Price: unknown-library book

This is a book called Flush, by Carl Hiaasen. I read it over the summer, and I could not keep my eyes off of it! It is about this boy named Noah, whose parents are divorced. He also has a little sister named Abbey who is caught in the middle of all this. His mom is a stay-at-home mom, and his dad used to be a charter boat fisherman. They live in a small town in Florida near Miami.

Noah's dad got arrested and is currently in jail for sinking Dusty Muleman's gambling boat named the Coral Queen. Noah's father saw Dusty dumping the waste from his ship into the water by the pier but has no physical evidence of it happening. Plus there is this washed-up piece of man named Lice Peeking who is greedy and is drunk half of the time. He tries to help Noah but ends up making things worse. Shelly is a bartender on the ship who helps Noah and Abbey but is not a big fan of Dusty; they have an odd past together. There is also a "pirate" who keeps coming in at the last second and saving Noah and Abbey. Please read this heart-pounding, mind-racing novel, and find out the magic Carl Hiaasen has written on the pages of this book.

Rating: 5 chocolate bars
Appropriateness: Mild language some fighting


Cover Thoughts: very appropriate with a hint of humor

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Kickoff Post!

Hello Blog Followers,

This year, we are welcoming in some new people, and saying goodbye to some old people. Also,   Little Angel has become Ms.Hoole’s second in command. For the kickoff post this year, we asked people their favorite quote and book. By the way, an ‘n’ by a username mean that they are new.  You can check out their bios on our Behind The Scenes page!


Here are the people and their info:
Skate4life:
Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson
“Life is a shiny distraction.”


Giraffegater(n):
The Hunger Games“Let it be”


ThierryHenry14(n):
Percy Jackson books
“Great moments are born from great opportunities.”


Goatboy:
Artemis Fowl“Read, Write, Act, or Die."


DimensionGirl12(n):
Jack Blank“We walk with faith, not with sight.”

Pinkmuffinkitty(n):
A Child Called ItNo Quote

Dirigibleplum7(n):
Harry Potter books
No Quote

GIRLover230(n):
Any book that isn’t old!
"Be happy while you're living, for you're a long time dead."

Fluzziness:
Out of My Mind“Music is what feelings sound like.”

CeCe07(n):
Book 12 in: The Series of Unfortunate Events"Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

Rabid>DustBunnies(n):
Ranger's Apprentice"Just stick your head up like someone stuck a fish under it."

And finally,
Balloonacy:
Jonathan Strange and Mr.Norrell"A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?"

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Vampire Academy, by Richelle Mead

A review by LocoCoco of the Vampire Academy Series, by Richelle Mead

Rose Hathaway is the type of girl you would see beating people up for her friends or loved ones.  Or if people just tick her off.

Rose attends a special school, St. Vladimir's Academy for Future Guardians, Dampires, and Moroi, which is a type of vampire that can control the four elements of the earth: air, water, earth, and fire.  But Lissa Dragomir, Rose's best friend, controls a rare power--spirit.

As Rose and Lissa go on with their school life, they find more and more problems and more answers.

I read almost all of the Vampire Academy books, and I've loved it every step of the way.  The plot is very absorbing and I have to read what's next.  Sure, sometimes it gets a slow start but towards the end, you can't put it down.  Trust me, I tried, and failed.  Richelle Mead does a very good job with the whole fighting, which is good because most of the book has to do with killing Strigoi.  The book also has a good, close-to-home feeling to it.  What I mean by that is that some of the vampires have lived at the school since they were young, and they feel like a family, and the school like their home.

I rate this series 5 out of 5 chocolate bars.
Rated DEATH for sexual content and harsh language.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Fan Art by Up North Girl

CLAUDIA FROM INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE BY ANNE RICE



This character is Claudia from The Vampire Chronicles. I’m actually not sure what she’s supposed to be doing in this picture… I saw that pose in a book about vampires and thought “Oooh! That reminds me of Claudia!” So I drew her. The character Claudia in the books is a female vampire who was made when she was six years old. And she is very violent.

YAMI BAKURA AND MARIK FROM YU-GI-OH! BY KAZUKI TAKAHASHI


It’s Yami Bakura! And Marik. But mostly Yami Bakura! I’m not really sure what they’re doing in this picture… According to the theories me and my friends, Kaila and Kaylin, came up with, they’re standing in the middle of the Great Depression plotting their revenge because they’re evilly depressed and angry. Oh, and Marik saw a spider on the floor. I drew them because… erm… I love Yami Bakura! And Marik is pretty cool too. Go easy on the criticism, please, this is my first attempt at drawing anime.

YAMI BAKURA FROM YU-GI-OH! BY KAZUKI TAKAHASHI





I like this one. He looks diabolical. I drew this picture because I had nothing better to do while I was waiting to be judged at regional history day. It’s not my favorite one, but, hey, it’s Bakura.

YAMI BAKURA FROM YU-GI-OH! BY KAZUKI TAKAHASHI

Another Bakura picture!!!!!! I don’t really like this one as much,but I still think it's all right. This was when he was trying to find Yugi after Yugi had been kidnapped.

YAMI BAKURA FROM YU-GI-OH! BY KAZUKI TAKAHASHI
Yeah… another one. Sorry. You could say I’m a bit obsessed. But I love this picture! I drew this at midnight, like most of my pictures…. Anyways. That’s all of mine! I hope you like my drawings!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Poetry, by YamiHeart


Hello. YamiHeart here with two poems. They don't really have anything in common, but I hope you enjoy them anyway.










Inspiration

The gears in my head have stopped turning
for I have no oil to make them go.
My train of thought should be at the depot
but it's being held up by a man with a gun.
And the mouse refuses to run on the wheel
because my fridge is all out of cheese.
But the distractions...
The distractions...
The clock ticks loudly,
The music blares,
And someone has just stolen my book.
Giggles carry across the room and my name is called so I go over to the computer to see a pointless picture that makes me laugh and-
Wait.
Laughter.
People laugh when they're happy.
And sometimes they laugh so hard they cry.
And other times people cry because they are sad.
Crying.
What causes people to cry?
Sometimes...
The gears slowly turn,
the train is approaching the station,
And the mouse has gotten his cheese.


Light and Dark

In the light I can see everything.
I can see how alone I truly am.
I can see all of the ugly people.
I can see the hate, the pain, and the death.
In the light I must share how I feel,
Even when I am not comfortable in doing so.
That is what happens in the light.

In the dark I can see nothing.
I can pretend the voices in my head are real.
I can hear how beautiful people are.
I don't have to close my eyes to the hate, the pain, and the death because I cannot see it.
In the dark I can hold all of my emotions in
And it feels so good to keep them bottled up.
That is what happens in the dark.

If the light causes me discomfort, and the dark makes me feel at home
Why go to the light at all?

Friday, March 18, 2011

Readers' Favorite: Picture Books

A post by Abby

In language arts, we were doing a unit in children’s books, and sometimes all we did was read children’s books and it was really fun! But that made me think, what are the readers' favorite children’s books? I mean, almost everyone read children’s books when they were little, right? So why not find out their favorites? So I asked about everyone I knew what their favorite was, and this is what I got:

1) Green Eggs and Ham , by Dr. Seuss
2) The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle
3) Good Night Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown
4) Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak
5) The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss
6) Oh the Places You’ll Go, by Dr. Seuss
7) Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, by Judi Barrett
8) One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, by Dr. Seuss
9) Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, by Bill Martin Jr., and Archambault
10) Whinnie the Pooh, by A. A. Milne

So, that’s the top ten, but feel free to comment and tell me what your favorite is.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

The Dark Years Part 1, a Fictional Piece in Installments


Hello all,

Crazienis here. I had a spark of inspiration after being squeezed to the thickness of a pancake during elective one day. I would then continue on to be here, and write this post. I'm going to release a story in installments for ?????????? installments. Here goes!!!!

Of all the quirky things to do with my life, I decided to end the world. Not that I was at all remorseful, because mankind had destroyed all my childish innocence by eliminating my family when I was four.

It was a stormy, gloomy night as I crept out. I wished I had picked a better night to go, but Mother Nature had other ideas. I squished across my soggy front lawn and slowly crept up the tree where I would wait.

End of Part One.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Prom and Prejudice, by Elizabeth Eulberg

A review by ~twistar24~

Prom and Prejudice, by Elizabeth Eulberg, is a twist on the classic book by Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice.  But in this one Elizabeth (Lizzie) Bennet got a scholarship to this all-girls private school where there are snobby rich people.  The whole story is about them getting ready for prom.

There is also a boys' private school, where Will Darcy and Charles Bingley go to school.  There is also another person who gets in the way of Darcy and Lizzie.

I enjoyed reading this book because I like when people put twists on classic books.  It didn't take me long to read it because it was REALLY good!  I saw it on a shelf at the bookstore and decided to give it a try.

The book was funny and cracked me up sometimes.  If you like drama, romantic  kinds of books, then this one is for you.  Also, if you are a Jane Austen fan (like me!) then this might be a book to try.

I give this book 6/5 chocolate bars.
Fairy level of appropriateness--nothing inappropriate!

Friday, March 11, 2011

Death Note, by Tsumgumi Ohga


A review by Hidden Shadow
The manga I read is called Death Note, by Tsugumi Ohga. A manga is a Japanese comic that is mostly rated teen (T) or teen 16+ (T+).

The main character in the story is a seventeen-year-old named Light. He was always an A student, but he was always bored to death. That is, until Light found the Death Note. A Death Note is a note book that you can write down somebody's name and they will die. There are many ways they can die, but you need to explain how the person dies or they will die of a heart attack.

I thought that the art and the story-line was very detailed and the story never slowed down the action.

I rate this 4 out of 5 chocolate bars because of the action and the awesome art. The violence and swearing makes this rated death, or to manga T+.




Tuesday, March 8, 2011

The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini

Review by Up North Girl of The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 

First off, let me tell you that I am not one to cry in books or
movies. I’ll cry about things in real life, but not fantasy. Marley & Me didn’t even get me. But The Kite Runner? That book had me nearly sobbing at the end.

It was well-written, and Khaled Hosseini really has a knack for writing endings that are happy, but still make you cry. He did the same thing in A Thousand Splendid Suns. Both endings were not exactly happy, but hopeful. And for some reason that really got me. I loved the winding story of The Kite Runner and how he kept looping back to things at the beginning of the book; how Hassan named his son Sohrab after the hero in the stories that Amir read him, how Assef made another appearance, things like that.

I must warn, however; this book is NOT for the faint of heart. It was very violent, and at some parts, had some adult writing and scenes. Some of them left ME scarred, and let me tell you, I’ve read a lot of books. This one and Hosseini’s other book had me trembling. What makes it so powerful is that the horrible things that happen in it aren’t fantasy. It’s not a dystopian future. And it didn’t happen several hundred years in the past, either, which is what you expect when you think about brutal torture. It happened less than ten years ago, and in some parts of Afghanistan, it’s still going on. As I said, not for the weak hearted.
All in all, I think this was a wonderful book, and if you’re looking for a book that will really make you think, this might be the one for you.

4 ½ out of 5 chocolate bars.

Death rating for appropriateness.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Three Quarters Dead, by Richard Peck


Review by Crazienis

Recently, I read the book Three Quarters Dead By Richard Peck. It is about a girl, Kerry, who gets to join the populars' group. It's everything she ever dreamed of, until the night of the party... When the mean girls die in a car accident, will Kerry bring them back to life? Unfortunately, I can’t say a whole lot more than that without spoilers. I’d have to say, it’s really good, however. It has a complex plot, ghosts, and a lot more. A really strong thing about this book was the plot. It was as strong as the flavor of chocolate syrup on vanilla ice cream. The characterization was also really well done. Tanya, another character, is subtly portrayed as a snob, who doesn’t like people of a lower status than her. And this is all done through what she says and does, but even in that, it is very, very subtle.

I’d rate this 4 out of 5 chocolate bars.

Warning:
This book contains some suggestive elements and half-ghosts.

Monday, February 28, 2011

Out of My Mind, by Sharon M. Draper

A couple of weeks ago, I read the book Out of My Mind, by Sharon Draper. It's an amazing book. It's about a girl named Melody who has a mind like a computer. When someone tells her something, it's saved in her head forever. She is a genius. Except that no one knows. Because Melody can't speak. Or walk. Or move at all. And life is tough for a girl like her.

Melody is an amazing character. She's got a big heart and yearns for a good friend, and a chance. That's it. But sadly, her life reflects modern society perfectly. No one likes a disabled girl.

Rose is Melody's friend, sort of. She sits with Melody at lunch, sometimes. She is everything you could want in a friend, almost. She is nicer then other people, but the fact of the matter is, Melody isn't cool. I mean, her mom has to feed her! If Rose hangs out with her, it'll take a lot out of her social status.

Clare is Melody's personal tormenter. She hates Mel, and Mel has no clue why. Clare is at the top of the social ladder. But the only reason she's there is because she put everyone that chalanged her miserable. So much so, that some people left the school. But even with her position in the school, for some reason she still feels threatned by Melody.

This book was one of the best that I've ever read. It's extremely well written, and it's thrilling in a subtle way. One of the things that I really liked about it were the sub-plots. Whenever the main plot gets a little slow, Draper recreates the excitment by adding little twists. I can't tell you enough how I loved this book. It is the only book that has ever made me cry. I would definitely give this book 5 of 5 chocolate bars.