Thursday, April 26, 2012

Eighth Grade Bites (Chronicles of Vladimir Tod) By Heather Brewer

If you like vampire books and young adult fiction then read this book. It's the first in a series (goes to 12th grade) and is a great start for a YA series. I enjoyed the main character, Vlad, because he is very humorous and devoted to his friends and family. This book is about Vlad the vampire and how he lives his life among mortals. His parents are dead. He lives with his 'Aunt' who brings him blood from the hospital. His father was a vampire and his mother was human- he's the only species of his kind which makes him hunted. It's very interesting and a new take on vampires because of the way they explain the world of vampires and how it runs. Easy to read and since it's so short you won't have any trouble finishing it in a day or two.
4 out of 5 stars!

Monday, April 23, 2012

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

If you are a fan of fantasy then you will be under a spell with this book. While it took me a while to get into the groove of this book at first, once I got into the story I wanted more. A great book that will haunt you until you finish reading it. It is beautifully written and the characters pull at your heart strings. The young boy, Ethan, who is the main character is my favorite character and truly shines in his role of hero. The authors depict a story of unforbidden love and magic so well you think it could really happen in the small town you live in or live around. Give this book a chance and read it!
5 out of 5 stars!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Punkzilla by Adam Rapp

Don't let the name fool you, it's not a very good book. As someone who likes to choose books based on cover style and/or title name, this book definitely fooled me. This story is about a 14 year old boy (who is often confused as a girl) traveling to see his dying brother via bus, car or any other way he can. It is written in the voice of the main character, Punkzilla or Jamie, and is written in letter form to his brother. Every now and then other letters trickle in from his Mom, Dad, brothers, and other minor characters- that are dates a year in the past. The writing style is confusing as none of the letter Punkzilla writes has any punctuation and it jumps from one subject to another as the boy is ADD and not on meds and he did some drugs. It's a messed up story but it ignites feelings of pity and sadness from the reader. If you're looking for something to read to kill some time, read this book.
2 out 5 stars.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

If you like young adult romance and love Paris then this book is for you! It took me awhile to get into this book, a by that I mean, a little over halfway through it I finally was hooked. It starts out slow building the climax of the story but it has a lot of details that are not, to me, important to the story. It's about Anna who is shipped off to boarding school (SOAP) in Paris for her senior year. She boohoo's and whines the whole book practically about how awful her parents are and how she can't believe she was sent to Paris. Really girl? I mean, boarding school aside, she was sent to freakin PARIS! Eiffel tower, Cathedrals, French men...Come on!! Snap out of your poor pitiful me self and grow up. She does eventually snap out of it but only after being betrayed by her best friend. Love, lust, drama and a wannabe movie critic sums up this book.
3 out of 5 stars. Snooze fest.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Fat Cat by Robin Brande

If you have EVER had body issues, especially issues of eating too much, then read this book. This book is about Catherine (Cat), who is a science nerd and her science experiment that helps her lose weight and look HOT at the end of the project. It's also a story about love and hate and finding out who loves you for who you are, not what you look like. As someone who has always struggled with my weight this story really hit home and I could relate to Cat in more ways that one. It took me one day to read this because I could not put it down once I started. I was captivated with the story from the very beginning. It also got me thinking about her project and wondering if I myself could actually do what she did. She has self control like no one I've ever met. Read this book to see what her experiment is and how her life changes.
5 out of 5 stars!!! A MUST READ!

Monday, April 9, 2012

Danger in the Shadows by Dee Henderson

What a fabulous book! If you have a whole day to read a great, Christian book then sit down and read this one. The prequel to the O'Malley series by Dee Henderson this book is worth the 2 day wait period that I had to wait to get it.
Sara is a fabulous protagonist as is her brother and FBI agent brother/guard,Dave. We find out through flashbacks that Sara was once kidnapped and that her twin sister, Kimmy, was killed during the 9 days they were kidnapped, when they were 6 years old. Now 31, Sara still lives in fear and in constant danger of the man that once kidnapped her and her twin and who still hunts her today to 'finish the job'. Meeting handsome, former NFL star Adam was not what she wanted or needed but love seems to be what God had in store for her. A great Christian novel that has wonderful and heartfelt quotations from the Bible, Henderson tells a story of love, suspense and horror in this story. I can't wait to grab the first book in the O'Malley series now!
5 out of 5 stars.

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

A classic young adult novel that many teens and their parents should read. From the very beginning, the very first sentence, captured my attention. 'They murdered him'. That's all it takes to grab my attention and my attention was grabbed and never released throughout the book. The main character, Jerry, is a hero in his own right because he stands up for himself and for those weaker than him. Coming from a background of attending a Catholic school, as is the setting for this book, I understood the monumental task of always selling things for the school and feeling like a door to door salesman. A great book that makes you root for the little guy and hate some the teachers (for real, these 'teachers' are awful and should be beat). The antagonist, Archie and his group of punks The Vigils, make you wonder where the parents are and why no one has ever disbanned this group before Jerry. The ending of this book brought me to tears because of the cruelty and the horribleness of what happens. The story really teaches you about sticking to your guns and not giving into peer pressure of a higher power (which is what The Vigils are considered). A great summer read for teens, especially any who attend a private school.
4 out of 5 stars.

Monday, April 2, 2012

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer

This is the 3rd book in Apocalyptic series by Pfeffer. I didn't mean to read them out of order but it really doesn't change the story if you do. This book leaves off a year after the moon's gravitational pull has left the world in total chaos. It is written by Miranda like the first book was and told through her journal entries. We FINALLY find out what happened to her father, his new wife and their baby and if it's a boy or girl. Even though Miranda appeared to have grown up in the first book (life as we knew it) it seems she has fallen back into her whiny bratty ways again. This story tells of their survival while everyone else in the world (it seems) is dead or dying. It tells how they get supplies and food and how love is the key to their survival. Love. That's it. That and hope. While it's still a great story and you learn more about what's happened to the world, and meet new and interesting characters, it's no where as riveting as the first book.
3.5 out of 5 stars.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Inspired by his own life, Alexie's story of Junior a Spokane Indian who lives on the reservation will capture your attention from the first page on. With awesome illustrations throughout the book that make you laugh just as hard the book itself, you'll be interested to know how the story unfolds for young Junior and his friends and family.
This is the first book I've read about Native Americans and what life is like on the reservation for them. Even though it is fiction, you get a look inside the hard life that they have. This book is full of laughter, death, love and somethings that the character says make you go 'OMG! I can't believe he wrote that!" It is a great book.
Some mild language and sexual references- to me not suited for those under 14 or 15 years old.
4.5 out of 5 stars.