"Story Time" by Edward Bloor

"All I know is this," Kate told her brusquely. "I'm not going to Lincoln with you on Monday morning, I'm going to Whittaker. And I'm not going home with my mother and fatehr tonight, I'm going home with just my mother. So I guess I don't believe in wishes coming true, either. If I really want good things to happen, and bad things to stop happening, it'll take more than wishing. I have to act. And I have to act now."

Kate and her uncle, George, are regular kids. Kate is in eighth grade, Uncle George is in sixth. Kate is ready to go to Lincoln middle school and play Peter Pan in the play, and George is ready to learn things and invent things as well.
And then Uncle George passes the entrance exam to the Whittaker Magnet School.

Before they know it, both Kate and George are absorbed into the Whittaker Magnet School district 'octopus' and are attending the school with the highest scores on standardized tests. Although George is excited to be in a place where his genius is appreciated, Kate is not too happy to be in with the 'mushroom children' and personal assistant to Heidi Whittaker, the girl who dresses like a 'Swiss Milkmaid'.
But when eerie things begin in the school, neither of them know what to expect. With the help of a woman who only speaks in nursery rhymes, Kate's mother June, the staff of the White House, and a whole cast of other characters (Whether willingly or not), the two children will uncover a mystery that stretches back to the founding of the school, and nothing will be the same again.

Kate stared at the supine figure of Walter Barnes. She felt a pang of sympathy for the old librarian. but that pang was quickly replaed by another feeling, a feeling that something big had just happened. She didn't know what it was, exactly, but she did know this: It was something that the Whittaker-Austins, with all their money and all their power, could not control. It was a first chink in their armor. Perhaps it was a door to a door to a door that would lead her out of there.

I rather enjoyed this book.
As a homeschooler, it fills me with a sort of righteousness when I read about the failings of the public school system, and this book is a criticism of said system of schools. With a school that only focuses on standardized tests (much like many schools nowadays actually do), it emphasizes the positive aspects of imagination, art, fantasy, and whimsy.
This book is also written somewhat like A Series of Unfortunate Events or Pepperment in the Parlor, so if you liked any of those books, I believe you'd like this one. Sort of in that J fiction and yet... aimed for older people type of writing. It's interesting.

I have to say, however, that I did not particularly like Kate until near the end of the book where she goes through a character change. Uncle George was cool, however, and I liked some of the other characters as well.
Also, although I think the ending was okay, it wasn't spectacular or anything to be overly impressed with. I'd recommend this book, but I'd also say not to expect anything mind blowing from it.

"The Julian Game" by Adele Griffin

"All new girl Raye Archer wants is a way into the in crowd, so when ice-queen Ella Parker picks her to get back at her ex, the gorgeous Julian Kilgarry, Raye is more than game. Even if it means creating a fake Facebook identity so she can learn enough about Julian to sabotage him. It's a fun and dangerous thrill at first, but Raye hadn't counted on falling for Julian herself-and igniting Ella's rage."-goodreads (actually this is only 1/3 of the GR description, but it's the most necessary part AND the second part is *almost* spoiler-ish!)

I have been eager to pick up another one of Adele Griffin's *many* novels since reading "Tighter" (which was pretty amazing!). I'd heard good things about this one. Again, I really loved Adele's addictive, fast-paced, keeps-you-reading writing. It was another fairly short book at 200 pages and if it weren't for the necessity to get up early the next day I would've probably stayed up reading it all the way through like I did with Tighter. While a different sort of book entirely, I had the same 'what's going to happen next!?! This could go terribly wrong!! I must find out the end!!' thoughts while reading it. Even though "The Julian Game" is contemporary I had that scary movie suspense (don't open that closet! don't answer the door! NOOO) feeling throughout as well. 

I admit, I didn't like this one as much as Tighter. I think it was a good book and an important book because it's about things that can happen to anyone that uses the internet unwisely *cough*creatingafakepersontomanipulatesomeonenamedJulian*cough* (that's what happens in the book, anyway) and also backlash via the internet. Cyber-bullying. It's a serious problem. Even if Raye didn't necessarily make a good decision when staging the act of 'Elizabeth' to fool one of her peers, the backlash was worse. Those things happen all the time, sometimes it's on the news; kids have committed suicide because of cyber-bullying and its emotional impact just as with bullying at school or anywhere else-- it's a very real thing, is all. I never actually liked any of the characters especially because of their decision which often had me frustrated, but I didn't hate any of them either-- it was more of indifference.
Overall, I didn't love "The Julian Game" as much as I'd hoped, but I did adore the writing and thought the length was perfect.

"Imaginary Enemy" by Julie Gonzalez

Dear Bubba,
Remember when I asked you to hook me up with some visibility cream? Well, forget that. I don't need it anymore. Send vanishing cream instead. I really need to disappear.
Insincerely,
Harriet Hairdresser
(Alias Gabriel)

Jane has always survived in the same way.
Being a slacker, being sarcastic, mouthing off, not doing her homework, and writing letters to Bubba.
Bubba?
Short for Beelzebub.

Bubba is her imaginary enemy, and Jane blames him for everything in her life that goes wrong. A milk spill? It's Bubba's fault. Something stupid she says? Bubba put the words in her mouth.
Let's face it. It's just easier to blame everything on someone who doesn't exist, than it is to face up to the things that are going wrong.

And when Jane's relationships with her next door neighbors, with herself, and with her life in general start going downhill, that's exactly who she blames.
Bubba.

But what if she gets a letter back?

"You two little spies really need a new hobby,"   I said, reaching for my math book. "Have you considered stamp collecting? Quilting? Drowning each other?"

This is probably one of the more imaginative books I've read this year. (Get it? Imaginative? heh.) I usually think about imaginary friends, and how they are awesome, but I don't usually consider how the opposite would work. But this author did, and it was very interesting.

I really liked the character of Jane, but I think my absolute favorite character would have to be her half brother, Luke. Luke is a pretty cool guy. (But like I said. I like Jane as well.)

The thing I really didn't like was the main character's reaction to homeschoolers. When her next door neighbors and her brother and sister become homeschooled, she's very negative about it. I also think that the author portrayed homeschoolers in a fairly negative light, but that might just be me and my biased position.

I don't really have much else to say on this book, except that it was very well written, and very, very funny. And witty. The main character's jabs and remarks were just so creative it was hard not for my mind to be boggled.

Oh. And it's a short read. ☺

"The Fallen" (Nine Lives of Chloe King, #1) by Celia Thomson

"Chloe King was a normal sixteen-year-old girl.
She did her homework and got good grades, but she wasn't afraid to ditch class sometimes to hang out with her best friends. She slept at home, but otherwise avoided all human contact with her mom. The usual stuff.
Then she fell from San Francisco's highest tower, and her life changed. For starters, she died. And then, she woke up.
Now Chloe's life is anything but normal: Suddenly guys are prowling around her, she's growing claws, and someone's trying to kill her.
Luckily for Chloe, she still has eight lives to go."-goodreads

I picked up The Nine Lives of Chloe King series at my library because of the upcoming show on ABC family. I saw a promo for the show and thought it looked good so I figured I’d give the first book a try. I still plan on catching the premiere on a re-run and trying the show, but I don’t plan on continuing the book series. It didn’t really work for me, but I’ll say why because what didn’t work for me might not bother you. I also realize that if I pushed through the whole series I might have a better over-all view because of what I had a problem with.

The writing wasn’t bad. It wasn’t slow. I didn’t hate any of the characters. I liked Chloe although she got on my nerves once in a while… My problem was that I feel the main plot that was portrayed by the title and the summary, about Chloe being, well, part cat or however that works…. Nothing really happened with that in “The Fallen”. Chloe experiences weird things, but she doesn’t really get to the even vague root of what was actually going on until towards the end of the book. Considering how often we get to see the whole nine lives/cat thing going on and the way it’s wrapped up at the end, it almost seems like an emerging sub-plot. Maybe that was what it was supposed to be, but it’s not what I expected. The last few pages seemed more like the climax. I don’t know how the second book goes, but maybe it seemed like it shouldn’t have been split up like it was. The three books are not that long individually though, I know, so maybe I would have liked it better as one or two books? Anyway. I don’t know. A lot of it was just playing at my nerves. Seriously though, I’ll be giving the show a try because it was interesting. I also might read the next two books, just not right now. The whole book actually almost seemed like a movie in my head, so I imagine it translates really well to screen.

If a book that’s about a girl that might be part feline and is also just dealing with normal 16-year-old stuff even more so, and that doesn’t bother you at all, you might like it! 

"The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks" by E. Lockhart

"Frankie Landau-Banks at age 14:Debate Club.
Her father's "bunny rabbit."
A mildly geeky girl attending a highly competitive boarding school.
Frankie Landau-Banks at age 15:A knockout figure.
A sharp tongue.
A chip on her shoulder.
And a gorgeous new senior boyfriend: the supremely goofy, word-obsessed Matthew Livingston.
Frankie Landau-Banks. No longer the kind of girl to take "no" for an answer.
Especially when "no" means she's excluded from her boyfriend's all-male secret society.
Not when her ex-boyfriend shows up in the strangest of places.
Not when she knows she's smarter than any of them.
When she knows Matthew's lying to her.
And when there are so many, many pranks to be done.
Frankie Landau-Banks, at age 16:Possibly a criminal mastermind.
This is the story of how she got that way."-goodreads

I mean, READ THE DESCRIPTION. Read it. Doesn't that sound witty/epic/amazing? This book is just plain LEGIT. I couldn’t think of a better word for it. I loved pretty much everything about it, and wish I had read it before-- if only because by now I would’ve been on my billionth or so re-read. The characters, the story, and the voice… Just amazing!

The voice. This has to be my favorite thing about the book. It was different than anything else I’ve ever read, so extremely unique. Words! There were word-plays, grammar geeking out, a copy-editor boyfriend, and even out of the story, just the narration, WORDS were used. When I say words I mean peculiar words that you don’t use often, advanced words, whatever you like but the way they were used was awesome. The book was just plain intelligent, without being overly so like it was unrealistic or you have to look up words or something.

The characters. Frankie is awesome. She’s probably my new favorite female protagonist in YA, as well as one I could really identify it. She was sarcastic, intelligent, and ambitious. There are lots of sarcastic/smart/whatever characters in the world but Frankie’s character development was pretty much flawless and I think it was also very realistic. She was very smart but she also seemed like a normal teenager. The other characters were fabulous too, Trisha, Frankie’s roommate was likeable and had a personality although we didn’t see that much of her. When she was around in the story she was really epic because her mom was a psychologist, so whenever she was giving Frankie advice and such she always did everything with psychological stuff and it was fascinating. The boys, the bassets, the dogs, whatever you’d like to call them were great too, all in their own ways.

The story of the bassets and the secret societies and the story of the school was great as well. The school being designed the way it was with its traditions and suitably its secrets or ‘secret organizations’ were good too. All very interesting.

Anyway. Sorry for the huge review but I just didn’t know how else to do this book justice. It was so legitimate. Intelligent, humorous, fascinating, very quirky, just all around a great book!

"Hex Hall" by Rachel Hawkins

"On her 12th birthday, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. Three bumpy years later, after a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, she's exiled to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.
By the end of her first day, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire on campus. Then when a mysterious predator begins attacking students, and Sophie's only friend is the number-one suspect, a horrifying plot begins to surface. Soon, Sophie is preparing for the biggest threat of all: an ancient society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her."-goodreads

Hex Hall was a funny, cute book that was a relatively quick read. I enjoyed it, and I liked Sophie, who was a pretty good narrator. I thought it was interesting, with Sophie not really knowing what was going on with her being a witch or anything about her dad. The whole concept of Hecate Hall, where all the misbehaving creatures went was great.


I liked this book, but I admittedly had a problem with some character flaws. Sophie falls for Archer, the gorgeous warlock, which is fine and everything, predictable, but cute. The problem I had is that Archer was pretty mean to her, and regardless of how that suddenly changes, I don't really like it when books go all, girl likes boy, boy is mean, girl still likes boy, and acts like he has no flaws. Also, Sophie swore a lot, which is perfectly fine, I don't care, it was just that she seemed pretty logical and intelligent and everything and then she seemed to say things that didn't go along with that at all. So, those two things got on my nerves, although they didn't ruin the book for me or anything, I still enjoyed it.


My favorite elements of the book were probably the way the story ended up; who the 'ghost' was, how Sophie didn't know about what she was or what her family was, and the whole thing didn't end up the way I thought it would. I thought it was interesting how the school had all these creatures, the fairies, vampires, witches, warlocks, werewolves, and all of them were there because they'd done something or other they shouldn't have.


Anyway, if you're looking for a cute read, or if you need something light to get you out of a reading rut, this would probably be good. As well as if you want a written version of something kind of reminiscent of the Halloweentown movies for older audiences. I'll definitely be reading Demonglass soon. Also, I like the cover, even more so after reading the book-- but I do think it's a bit preppy/young girly looking for the book.

Necessary Parties by Barbara Dana

My parents never used to be concerned about other people's opinions. I personally think it's a poor idea to do something, or not do something, because of what someone else will think. No matter what you do there's always going to be somebody, somewhere, thinking you're weird. It's a price you pay for living.
Christopher Mills, aged 15, used to have the perfect family life. He and his sister got along amazingly well, their parents cared about them... And most importantly, their parents cared about each other.
Now, however, that's changing. Over dinner, Chris and Jenny (his sister)'s parents tell them they're getting a divorce. Chris thinks he should have seen it... After all, the fighting has been going on for a long time. But that doesn't mean he's happy about it. He's seen the affect of divorces... His best friend Haverman's parents have each been divorced four times. That's a total of 7 divorces. Each time, Haverman's life seems ruined.
Chris isn't going to let that happen to his family.
The thing is, his parents still love each other. Deep, deep, DEEEEEEEP down, they love each other. And Chris knows that as soon as they get divorced, they'll realize it and it'll be too late. What if they're married to other people? But what does a 15 year old boy do? It's his parent's life, right?
Or so he thinks, before the fateful Social Studies class. He realizes for the first time the importance of rights, and the pursuit of happiness.
Suddenly, his mind is made up.
He's going to sue his parents.
"But old and nes together make a group," continued Mr. Dunfee. "I think you'll find that just by sharing some of your thoughts here, a lot can get accomplished. I think we tend to think sometimes when we get in shaky situations..."
"You're a shaky situation," muttered Haverman.
I really liked this book. When I got it from the free library book sale (or, basically, a ton of withdrawn library books in a parking garage for free), I was basically throwing whatever books into my bag, and just hoping they would be good.
I didn't actually get around to even opening this book until about a week ago, when I was really bored and looking for something to read. I picked up the book, decided, "heck, yeah it's a really fat book.. whatever" and started reading it.
This was also quite a deceptive book.
First of all, my copy is quite thick. probably about an inch and a half, maybe two inches fat. Thick book. I was expecting that it would take a long while to read. Nope! I got about halfway through in about a day. Also, I was thoroughly expecting there to be a party during part of the book.
uh.. no.
I was also expecting the characters to act differently. For example.. Chris was a LOT less... mature... reasonable than I thought he would be. In that way, he was also far more believable. All in all, this was a good book (funny, too.. Haverman rocks!!!) and I'd give it five stars. :)
"It's driving me crazy," said Haverman. "It's on the tip of my mind."
"What peaches?" said Amy.
"The ones without any hair."
"Nectarines."
"Nectarines! Jesus, that's it! I couldn't think of what the hell they were called. You how that can drive you crazy?"
"You drive me crazy!" I said. "My parents are getting a divorce and all you can think of is nectarines? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"It's a Mall World After All" by Janette Rallison

Chapter two of my dissertation: "You Can Meet All Sorts of Interesting People at the Mall." Don't talk to them though, as this just encourages them to talk back to you. Talking leads to trouble. Most wars, divorces, and political elections happen after a lot of talking. When at the mall, it's best to pretend you're mute. Or from another country. A country of mutes, for example.
Charlotte has learned a lot from working at the mall. From her position as the "perfume-lady"... the person who spritzes pointless perfume on people... she can see half way across the entire mall. She's learned that "Relationships with guys are a lot like shopping." She's learned to tell who is depressed and who's planning to win the lottery to get by in life... just by what they buy at the mall.
She's also learned that her best friend Brianna's boyfriend is cheating on her.
Charlotte goes and tells her friend, and at first it looks like it'll all end out well enough. Brianna will dump the jerk, and Charlotte with be hailed as a hero.
Uh... until Bryant (the cheating boyfriend) somehow convinces Brianna that it was all just a big misunderstanding.
Suddenly, Charlotte's the enemy, but she's not about to just sit there and let Bryant get away with it. Why would she? She knows the truth. She's going to get the moral high ground... no matter what.
The problem is, everyone seems to be against her. Evidence keeps piling up in both her favor, and Bryants, and with Bryant's best friend, Colton, aiming to keep Charlotte from finding out the truth, the job's harder than she thought.
Luckily, Charlotte's prepared.
Colton leaned toward me across the table. "Yes, we know what service projects are," he said, "because you keep making us do them. This year alone we've bought books for the library, done a canned food drive, and volunteered at a soup kitchen, where-I might add- some homeless women tried to hit on me."
"She was a harmless old lady," I said.
"She told me I was the reincarnation of her dead husband, kept calling me Phil, and tried to follow me home."
This book had the most stupid premise ever. I picked it up at the library and went, "wow. That sounds stupid." But I had read My Fair Godmother, by Janette Rallison, and even though it was going against my better book judgment, I brought it home.
And wow, I'm glad I did.
This book, although it didn't have the most promising premise, was funny, witty, and interesting. (As my mom would say, "Good writing makes up for a bad premise.") I would give this book five stars, and definitely recommend it to a girl who needs a laugh. :)

Interview: Emily Howse, Author of "Zitface"

Hello Everyone! I'm back with the latest (and probably last for a while) interruption in the normal routine of book reviews! A few days ago author of "Zitface" (which I just reviewed here) contacted me, and offered to do an interview with me for the blog. Thank you so much to Mrs. Emily Howse!
Here's the interview: (Bold Italics are Questions, plain text is her answers).

What inspired you to write Zitface? Did you have a problem with acne growing up that made you want to write Zitface to help tweens and teens deal with it?

I was inspired to write ZITFACE, based on my personal experience. I didn’t have acne when I was a teenager—but I broke out big-time after college. I had ‘adult acne’ off-and-on throughout my twenties…and I STILL get occasional zits (and use Proactiv). I saw various dermatologists, and used just about every antibiotic (including Accutane). When I had a breakout, I felt self-conscious going on dates and being around people. It’s hard to be confident when you feel ugly. That’s why I’m sympathetic toward teens who suffer from acne—they have to face people at school every day.  

Who was your favorite character to write about- or just your favorite character in general- from Zitface?

Good question. I relate most to Olivia (I had a talent agent and went on auditions when I was 13, too) and I think she’s very likeable, but I probably had the most fun writing about Wendy. She can be self-absorbed and annoying, yet interesting…maybe even misunderstood. Wendy’s overly honest in some ways, yet tries to hide her deeper, insecure feelings. I wanted to explore this, so I’m writing a sequel now with Wendy as the main character.   

Zitface is your debut novel. Are you very excited for it to come out in April?

It’s been a long coming…so yes! Writing a book is all about delayed gratification. I wrote the first draft several years ago, and it took much time to rework the story, find a literary agent, and sell the manuscript (in 2009). Then I had to rewrite parts of the story again! But I enjoyed the editing process, and received excellent guidance from Robin, my editor at Marshall Cavendish. I had no idea how many steps were involved in completing and publishing a book…but I’d do it all (and certainly hope to) again.

Speaking of Zitface being your debut novel, what made you want to write a book for young people? Have you always wanted to publish a book?

Ever since reading Judy Blume books as a kid, I wanted to be a writer. When I was ten, I cranked out short stories on my blue typewriter (okay, now I sound really old) for my friends. During my twenties, I had several fiction stories featured in (the now-defunct) ’TEEN magazine. Along the way, I became interested in working with teens, so I went to grad school and then worked as a school counselor. Writing was on the backburner for many years. It took me a long time to focus on writing a book, but I’ve had much fun along the way.

Do you have any advice for young authors who dream to eventually want to get their works published?

Mainly, to write regularly. Sounds simple, but it’s true. Life gets busy and it’s easy to procrastinate and do a million things besides write (I should know). Carve out daily quiet writing time, even if it’s just 30 minutes. Consider it a gift to yourself. Maintain your writing habit, and you’ll have something to show for it. If writing a book sounds daunting, try penning a poem, article, or short story—then research publications to submit them to. Seeing my stories in ’TEEN gave me needed confidence to write a book. Know that it’ll take a long time, and that’s okay. Just get started!

Look for Zitface in April! 

"Gossip From the Girls Room" by Rose Cooper

"Gossip from the Girls’ Room fills readers in on all there is to learn about middle school life at Middlebrooke, where Sofia has her very own blog and discusses all the juicy gossip that comes out of the Girls’ room; read along to find out just what happens when class is not in session.
 In Sofia's words . . .
Mia St. Claire is only the most popular girl in all of Middlebrooke Middle School. For three very obvious reasons:
1. She's very rich.
2. She has tons of money.
3. She can buy anything and everything she wants. And she does.
I'm sure people like her for other reasons too, but none of those reasons are obvious enough for me to really know. Or care about, for that matter." -from Goodreads

"Gossip from the Girls Room" is a cute little book. It's the notebook of Sofia Becker, who has a unique voice, and a good way to convey here feelings and opinions- as well as all the gossip at school, in the notebook. It's filled with amusing doodles which really just emphasize the funny bits of the book. The doodles are also cute in that they are unique, with kind of a school girl doodle style with a touch of japanese manga type of flair (ex.. the big eyes in her drawings of people). This book has a nice story where Sofia learns some important lessons about gossip- including the fact that she can hurt people, it's not always true, things aren't always what they seem to be (and neither are people) and she also naturally and importantly learned how it felt to be the talk of the halls, whether because of her mom teaching, or because she was actually the daughter of the mom everyone was talking about because of well something. I don't want to spoil everything. I also liked how author Rose Cooper managed to really inhibit the 5th or 6th graders mind (in my opinion) with Sofia.This book was a bit young for me, but that's a personal thing- and it was a nice book-. I also liked that it reminded me of when I was younger and used to read those American Girl "Amelia's Notebook" books. 4 stars for something I think 10,11,12 year olds will really enjoy.

If you would like to learn more about "Gossip From the Girls Room" go to author Rose Cooper's blog: here.
Thank you Random House for sending me this book to review.
Reader's note: THIS REVIEW IS BIASED IN NO WAY by being sent a review copy. Real Opinions=ForTheWin.

"Cirque Du Freak: A Living Nightmare" (The Saga of Darren Shan, bk 1) by Darren Shan

Darren Shan is your average boy (I imagine around 11 or 12, it never says) who likes being with his friends, playing soccer, and messing with creepy animals like big furry spiders. His life is a relatively normal one until one of his friends steals a flier from his older brother for "Cirque Du Freak" (Circus of Freaks), an (in-secret) traveling freak show. The boys are fascinated, and Darren and his best friend Steve end up going to the freak show. They find it intriguing, there's a bearded lady, a snake boy, the world's fattest man, many more, and most intriguingly for Darren, a man and his giant spider. He controls the spider with his thoughts and flute, and Darren loves spiders, so he loves this act. His friend figures something out about the man who controls the spider, and Darren continues to be infatuated with the spider- and his life changes forever.

I loved this book! I'm already reading the second book. I found it very fast-paced and exciting. The ending was pretty surprising... and I thought it was written so that it felt very real, and if vampires and all that existed it feels like that could definitely happen. I just really liked it, the only thing I think I could possibly complain about is it seemed like there was just a lot of punctuation; rather short sentences. Part of this contributed to it being a quick read but it also seemed a little weird at times like in the more serious of moments. Anyway though, excellent, five stars!!!! *****

Gentlemen by Michael Northrop

It was the way it moved under the blankets, the way it shifted around. It seemed to have, I don't know, joints or something. I mean, furniture can have joints, like a lawn chair or whatever, but that was no frickin' lawn chair."
Mixer, Tommy, Bones, and Micheal (yes, it's spelled incorrectly. Blame his parents) are close friends. They're also not the type of people you mess with. Bones has been held back a year, and routinely beats up people for no apparent reason. Micheal's dad permanently damaged his, Micheal,'s face. Mixer gets in trouble for talking back to teachers. Tommy is... well, Tommy's nicer than the others, but still tough. Tommy, Mixer, and Micheal all have to go to another year of school. That's how they know Bones.
Everyone's scared of them.
Except for their English teacher. Their very weird English teacher. Who calls people like them "gentlemen" or the girls "ladies"?
And when Tommy mysteriously disappears one day after making trouble in math class (Darn that lisp of his), it looks suspiciously to Micheal, Bones, and Mixer, that their teacher knocked him off.
After all, what else could be in the bag?
As he goes along, Micheal learns what makes a friend, and what tears friends apart. He learns secrets about things he used to take for granted. He learns things aren't always as they seem.
First of all, was there a sale on commas? Second, that's a long way to go to say that the dude was broke and decided to duck his landlady. After an hour of that I needed a break and maybe an aspirin.
I got this book because, well, it has an interesting premise. An English teacher knocking off a student? A thing about friends? Mysterious circumstances? AWESOME! So I read it. And it was pretty good. Um... the ending is bizarre though. Just warning you. And there's swearing, violence, drinking, and smoking. So it's not the best role model book, either. But besides that, I really liked it. I'd give it about... three and a half stars.

The Secret Language of Girls by Frances O'Roark Dowell

Kate sat down on the top of the steps and began drinking her milk shake. Her next-door neighbor Courtney was standing in her front yard. Courtney was six, and she thought everything Kate did was terrific. Kate could dump a bucket of mud over her head and run in circles around her yard, and Courtney would say, I want to do that! Show me how to do that!
Kate and Marylin are best friends. They have lived on the same street for their entire lives. They compromise. They agree on who's good to kiss, and who isn't. They agree about things like who is stuck up and who isn't. And then a new girl moves in, and trouble starts. Or maybe it started long before. Who knows. But soon Marylin and Kate are experiencing drifting... Marylin is "growing up" and Kate still hates romance. They want to get their "language" back- the way they can understand each other with no words. But sometimes that's hard. And sometimes, sometimes change is a good thing. Both girls gain new friends, new interests, new outlooks, and learn to be individual.
Kate was amazed that little kids never seemed to care about what they wore. Once she had seen Courtney walk down the hall at school dressed in ballet slippers, overalls, and a sweater wrapped around her head like a turban. Courtney appeared to have no idea that at that moment she looked like the weirdest person in the world.
I had some issues with this book.
First, while overall, I think it has good messages, it was filled with the popularity stuff that I try to avoid. you know, the "he's a geek so you should hate him" and "She's a cheerleader so she's going to be amazing." I hate that stuff. I think this book was very contrary, because it was pointing at the messages "you should look beyond outward appearances," and yet it was actually shoving the "appearances are everything" at you. I did not like that. Second, I think the book gave a very unfair view of cheerleaders. They are not all uppity snobs. I know some cheerleaders- they're my friends. First, cheerleaders DO get along with geeks/nerds. Second, cheerleaders are NOT always smiling. Third, just because someone's a cheerleader doesn't mean they can't play basketball!!! golly.
So, overall, it wasn't a terrible book, but I didn't really like it. I'd give it about two stars. The two redeeming people in it were Paisley, Kate's new friend, and Petey, Marylin's brother. I liked Petey and Paisley a lot. :D

The School for Dangerous Girls by Eliot Schrefer

I pulled my crumpled schedule out of a pocket and thrust it at her. A little forcefully, probably. I didn't like being mistrusted.
She scrutinized it with a sort of suspicious admiration, like a well-executed forgery. "I'm going to have to talk to Dr. Spicer," she said. "You're not supposed to be here. I don't want the other girls tainted."
"Excuse me?"
Angela Cardenas is a "dangerous girl". So she's sent to Hidden Oak School for Girls. Aka, the school for girls like her. Dangerous ones. Ones who haven't responded to any other therapy, and need somewhere to go.
For most of them, it's Hidden Oak, or jail.
But Angela soon discovers that there's more to be concerned about then the reasons she's there. More goes on behind the walls of the school then she would have thought. Gold threads and purple threads. The good girls, and the nonredeemable girls. The privileged girls who get a good education and are actually helped, and the "evil" ones, who are kept goodness knows where. Out of sight, out of mind.
Except for Angela.
"I understand," my mother said. "And so does Angela. Don't you?"
I stared through the window at the smoldering dormitory, realizing all over again that I had always been entirely alone.
First, let me explain why I picked this book up. First, the title. 'The school'. Not well known fact about me: I love boarding school books, particularly when it has a mystery/spies in it. So that caught my attention. 'Dangerous girls'. What makes them dangerous? Are they training? What? That also caught my eye. So, all in all, catchy title. Then the cover. It's like all the other ones- only blurry. Bleh, not especially eye catching. But the synopsis in the cover. hang on.. here it is. "Step 1. Cause trouble. step two get caught. step three get sent to the school for dangerous girls. Who knows what goes on behind the doors of The School for Dangerous Girls? The school's mission is clear: to take girls who've caused trouble and reform them into model citizens. It's methods? No freedom. No medication. No leniency. No escape. Some girls are meant to get better. And, as Angela is about to learn, some girls are meant to stay forever." It just caught my attention. :D Besides- THE MAIN CHARACTER HAS THE SAME NAME AS ME!!! That was, after all, the winning reason. :) But names aside, it was a good book. I loved Angela, and I loved Riley too (my fave. characters). I loved the plot (though it was bizarre), and it was very well written.
Did I mention that I liked the characters?
Well, I do. Very much. They were all brilliantly written- they seemed like real people. The different diverse personalities, everything. I'd have to give this book... four stars.
It's really rare that you can actually feel your life turning, that all the minuscule gear changes you've made in the last few years finally result in a turn of the big massive cog that's your existence as a whole. But something changed. I'd gone from a girl sobbing in a Texas parking lot about a guy who'd never been worth it to a girl skiing through a blizzard, her survival at stake, the destiny of an entire institution in the possession of the guy confidently arrowing through the snowdrifts in front of her. I'd been called dangerous before, and I'd never really believed it.

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather Brewer

Hey, Remember how I reviewed that awesome vampiric book a while ago that was for the second book in the series because of... well, reasons (go there to see), I finally read the first one and I am back with the review.

4 stars! It's a good series. Although, actually, maybe the second one was a bit better (you know it's good, when the sequels improve instead of getting worse.)
Vladimir Tod is a teenage vampire, who has to hide it from the public (obviously), so that he isn't killed or something. He doesn't know of there are any like him left, or if there ever was. His parents died in a mysterious fire just a few years before. Now, witness the (expected) and not adventures of this high school vampire's life.

I like this series. It is well written, and the characters are cool, and well developed. There are lots of surprises, one of those books where you definitely expect things, and then it's totally wrong. I think anyone can like it really. I recommend it for those who are interested in vampires, or twilight (although I think this is better), or maybe just good books in general!

Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie Tolan

Surviving the Applewhites is a book about a juvenile delinquint who has been kicked out of every school in North Carolina, including one that was supposed to be IMPOSSIBLE to be expelled from. So he has been transfered to a certain 'Wit's End, Creative Academy', and as fancy and private-schoolish that might sound, what Wits End really is, is the Applewhite Family Homeschool. The Applewhite family is a creative family that has it's hold on many arts, except for (if you want to be technical) ED who is more organized and specific then the others. Will Jake Semple turn out to be just like the other Applewhites and pick up his own special artistic talent? I cannot answer that question, you will have to read the book. :)

Ok, so I have very mixed opinions about this book alltogether. I like the subject matter and the positive view on homeschooling, as well as the character development; specifically on Jake's part. I give this book... 3 stars. I think that might be the lowest I've ever given a book since I've started reviewing books here, but I could be wrong. You see, as much as I like the story, I would never probably read it over again, and the problems lie here; I will describe them. The book is absolutely chaotic. For me it was hard to realize which character was who, what relation. I didn't know Archie was older and was Lucille's husband until almost the end of the book. I thought Randolph was a child and Hal was the husband. I was kinda unsure as to who Sybil Jameson/Debbie Applewhite was at first.... It's just, everything is really not organized in my opinion, and I just couldn't keep track of what was going on.. to my surprise. The ending; well... It was sort of like... There was no ending? I mean Jake made his decision, but it didn't just even near end there you know... He can't just become part of the family or anything like that, but it was wrecklessly left there. But that is just my personal opinion, and heck, I could've been imagining it... But it just wasn't really my type of book. Anyway, still pretty good though :)

So anyway, keep reading Bookworms. :P -Cat!

Schooled by Gordon Korman

Capricorn Anderson is a homeschool boy who lived on an isolated community with only his Grandmother, Rain for his whole life. His parents are dead and the rest of the people from the isolated 60's community have left a long time ago. When Rain falls out of a tree and breaks her hip and he has to spend some weeks in a regular school in the regular modern world, what will he do?

This is the kinda book that you can't really be neutral. You have to be sorta you like it, or you hate it. I would rate it 2 out of 5 stars... Everyone seems to like this book and I have to say that as much as I don't like giving bad opinions about books- this one was... Well it had it's strong points, like it was cool how you got to experience almost every person in the books point of view, and the developement of the characters was kind of fun, but other then that in my opinion it was unrealistic, kind of... I don't know. It'd be like I'm reading the book and the character says that they'll never do something and then next page they don't acknowledge it. The other thing is that peoples personalities change just like that without anything that would make it make sense. Some characters disapear for extended amounts of time and then just re-appear!

On a side note. I and the others in this blog are homeschooled. I wanted to tell you viewers incase you didn't know, I've never even heard of a homeschooler that was 'on an isolated farm' with a homeschooler that hadn't even ever tasted pizza, been to a dance, watched tv, didn't have a phone, and didn't use really any modern technology (cell phone, computer, ipod?). I'm just saying this because some people take Capricorn Anderson and some other characters as what Homeschoolers are really like. *gets off of soap box*
Anyway, Peace guys, -Cat

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Ninth Grade Slays

Hey guys, Cat here, to review a book with 'bite'. By the way- incase you are wondering why I am reviewing the second book in a series is because for book club I had to read this one, not the first- and it's not hard to jump into really- so you could read it without the first one. Although I plan on going back to read the first (i think).

Vladimir Tod is a 14 year old boy in ninth grade at his local high school. Just your average teenage boy, except for you know... Fangs and a thirst for blood. He has a hectic year ahead of him, what with fighting off an evil vampire, visiting some of the vampire colonies, dealing with Meredith (his crush), and more!

I really liked this book, and would give it... probably 4&1/2 stars! It was interesting, and the characters, and the way vampires are in this book are very unique. I mean, most vampire books don't have the lead drinking blood from a blood bank, going out in sunlight with no effects, and breathing. I would recommend this book to people that liked "Twilight" and vampire books in general. Although I would suggest mature 12 year olds and up because of some violence and emotional/scary situations that could freak some younger kids out.

Eleven by Lauren Myracle

Hey guys, it's CAT again. I hope if you're reading this you are enjoying the book blog and our reviews. Btw, -also- if you're reading this, COMMENT! I also wanted to say, WELCOME, to my friend Sara/SEP, who is going to be another awesometastic author of this blog.

But now, to the book. Here's a summary:

Winnie is an 11 (as of the beggining of the book), year old girl. She's new to the 6th grade, and many aspects of the fact of popularity, some peer pressure, junior high next year, and friends.

I have heard lots of good things about this series, (which follows with Twelve and Thirteen), but to be honest, I didn't really want to finish the book- let alone read the rest of them. I really wanted to like the book, but I give it 2/5 stars. There are several reasons I didn't like this book.

Eleven, blows everything out of proportion, and unrealisticly features some things. It shows popularity, of being on top. It shows some of the nicest girls becoming popular, and still being nice, but only to a certain extent. It showcases 11y olds acting more like teenagers, in the mentality and actions. Not in a bad way, but its just not how me or anyone at all I know were like at 11. Another thing is that even though it was a book for 11 year olds probably read primarily also by 10-13y olds. I would recommend it for 12 and up though, not 'cause of innapropriate content, but because of tramatic stuff

PEACE, CAT

Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park

Project Mulberry isn't a very long book, a very well known book, the best book ever, but! It's amazing in its' own special ways. It's a very emotional portrayal of two best friends, that embark on a project. A project that isn't liked by both parties at first. Of course, Julia (main character) thinks its WAY to Korean, which her culture she kind of rejects. She wanted an american project. Patrick (other main character) thinks it sounds great, but as you will know, he's hiding something to. They both want what they think the other one wants, since they've been friends since Julia moved from Chicago to Plainfield, IL. He's the one person that seems to REALLY appreciate her for who she is, and her thinking of her culture.

The project, is raising Silk Worms. The project goes in twisting turns, and they definately encounter the unexpected in different ways. Shocks, and surprises follow. They realise and learn things about the circle of life, I guess, things they didn't expect to learn with this simple project. They have to make hard decisions and choices, and the lead, Julia, has to go through hard transformations, regarding what she thinks about her culture, sacrifices, and friends.

I think this was a really good book, it's very emotional, and I like it because it really makes you think. It's a considerably quick read, especially if you get sucked into it out of liking it. Another unique thing is that, between chapters, it portrays the inside story, which you can skip, but I personally recommend reading through that to. It explains things, in the form of the Julia talking to the author. Anyway, I really recommend it, especially to 10-14 year olds, most likely.