Be More Chill, a review by Nico

Title: Be More Chill
Author: Ned Vizzini
Format: Paperback
Price: $7.99

The book follows the life a high school student named Jeremy.  Jeremy is, well, kind of a loser.  He has what he calls humiliation sheets, so when anyone makes fun of him, he marks it down.  Jeremy hears of a pill that makes you smart and cool.  The pill is called a "squip," and so Jeremy goes to buy it.  He swallows the pill, and it changes his life, but is it for the better, or worse?

Jeremy is the main character in Be More Chill.  He is not popular at all until he takes the squip.  His motivation to do what he does is that he wants to be cool.  Michael, Jeremy's best friend, is another character.  He has a big Afro.

I think the theme of this book is to be careful what you wish for.  Jeremy wishes to be more cool and popular, and when he finds out about the squip, he thinks he's found the perfect thing.  The squip makes some large life changes for Jeremy, and it turns out to be not exactly what he had hoped for.

I really don't think there were any weaknesses of the book, but it was very strong.  The moral of the book was very strong, and it had a strong entertainment value.

I don't think the ending was that great because of the problems that the squip causes and then how Jeremy fixes it.

Appropriateness: sexual content, mature themes, and language

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.

Guest Post on Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini

Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini

Jeremy Heere is your average high school dork. Day after day he stares at beautiful Christine, the girl he can never have, and dryly notes the small humiliations that come his way -- until the day he is told about the "squip." A pill-sized supercomputer that you swallow, the squip is guaranteed to bring you whatever you most desire in life. By instructing him on everything from what to wear to how to talk and walk, the squip transforms Jeremy from a supergeek to one of the most popular guys in class. Soon he has made friends and has the attention of the hottest girls in school. But his real dream, Christine, remains out of his reach. Jeremy eventually finds out that there is also a dark side to having a computer inside your brain -- and it can lead to disastrous consequences. (Summary from Amazon.com

Jeremy is the main character. At first he is not cool, and the girl that he likes doesn't like him...

Then someone tells him about a squip, a computer chip that they put in your brain that tells you what to do to be cool. He has to steal beanie animals from his aunt's collection so that he can buy it. Then, with the leftover money he earned, Jeremy gets an Eminem T-shirt and sweatshirt. Then the squip makes him cool. (No spoilers!)

I think that Be More Chill was a very good book, but it cuts out some of the end where I think we should know what happens. At some points it gave a little more detail than I think was needed. And at the end it felt like it was skipping things that should have been there. Like the part from a week before the play to all the way to the play.

I liked how at one point Jeremy wasn't even cool, even with the squip. My favorite part was when Jeremy got high and then had to run from a football player who got mad at him for kissing his girlfriend.

I rate this book 4 out of 5 chocolate bars!

Spikez