Tuesday, February 22, 2011

when the black girl sings by Bil wright

Loooved this book! simply because I related to her...uuumm and read it three times!

This was a really touching book about a black girl, Lahni, who was adopted by a white couple when she was a baby. She's in the 8th grade now, and is trying to figure out who she really is while also dealing with her parents' failing marriage. She finds comfort (and passion) in singing her heart out with a gospel choir. (Which sounds UNBELIEVABLY AMAZING) If only characters could come to life.

I loved the characters and I was REALLY impressed by the author's ability to make the music come to life, through text. I felt the intensity and emotion of the music, even without having to hear it, which I think is an incredible! Her life is full of haters, being the only black girl, guys are too afraid to ask her out, because of what people will think of them, and girls to befriend for the same reason.
What Lahni does know is that she doesn't fit in, that her comfort zone involves keeping to herself, sometimes not even telling her best friend, Katie, everything, and that she has to be strong, especially for her mother, and that somewhere inside she has this amazing voice.
Her teacher knows this, too, and wants Lahni to sing in a competition. Of course, Lahni isn't so sure about this, since it is out of her comfort zone, and she just doesn't think she could do it. Then the perfect timing comes into place when she decides to sing for her church choir; what a better way to practice singing, especially in front of a live audience. She not only surprises herself with this bold move, but also her mother. It's finally a place for Lahni to improve, to fit in, to forget all of her worries that continue to trouble her. It is the perfect escape. Just as long as she knows she has her friends and the ones she loves by her side, she can accomplish anything.

I DO wish that the story had taken a SLIGHTLY different approach to the ending, though. You know... I was hoping a guy would finally ask her out and prove a point? From her description you could tell she was ah-mazingly pretty. I'm not too much of a girly girl...but cant help myself and look forward to that, you know... romantic happy ending!

"WHEN THE BLACK GIRL SINGS" is an inspirational story that could make you realise your wrongs and see life from a different point of view (thats what it did for me). The story of a girl who never fit in until she finally embraced her talent and turned it into something beautiful, shows how anyone, regardless of race, or gender, or size, can easily accomplish anything, just as long as they know they can. This is an awesome read!!! and I of all people would know so pick it up as soon as possible (if a teenager)! :D

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

The sole reason I chose this book is because I love the series. Percy Jackson & The Olympians is a pentalogy of fictional books that uses the concept of ancient Greek mythology in a modern setting. The review that I'm typing up right now is the third book, The Titan's Curse. Like all of the books in the series, it is told in a first person point of view by a 14 year old boy named Percy Jackson, a demigod who is a son of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. I give this book a whopping 10 out of 10 because it's super awesome.
 
The story starts with Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia rescuing two demigods, Bianca and Nico DiAngelo that Grover found from a place called Westover Hall. During the assignment they encountered a manticore and they were assisted by the "Huntress of Artemis". During the battle, the manticore disappears, taking Annabeth, a daughter of Athena, with him. Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, also goes missing while looking for a mysterious monster. Now they must find Annabeth and Artemis before the winter solstice meeting of the Olympian council, since the goddess's is essential  in an important vote on the war with the Titans. Percy, along with best friend Grover, Thalia, daughter of Zeus, Zoë
Nightshade, the lead huntress of Artemis and Bianca DiAngelo, who is now a Huntress of Artemis. They also are looking for a rare monster, the monster that Artemis was trying to hunt down when she went missing; a monster so powerful that it can destroy Olympus.. (To find out what happens next you have to read it yourself. :P)

Anyway...

I found the book very exciting and fun to read. I would really recommend this book to people who likes fantasy adventure books. The book also has intense action, humour, a pinch of romance, some tragic events and a few twists. I would also recommend that you read the first two books first, to understand the story since it's quite complex and could be very confusing. The Titan's Curse is a book that I really enjoyed, and I hope everyone will read and enjoy it too. :)
 


-Joseph Faundo

Thieves Like Us by Stephen Cole

I chose this book in the first place because its cover was very eye-catching and it gave me the message of the book being about adventure, and turns out I was right. This book is pretty much like the movie National Treasure but for me, I think this book is better with more high intense action.

This book follows the adventures of a 17 year old prisoner who abandoned his parents and expert cypher named Jonah and his way into a new, high risk life. The story begins with Jonah being broken out of jail by a team of four teenagers. He was very amazed and shocked at the same time as he did not know what was going on. As the book progresses, Jonah soon learns that these four teenagers also share the same story with him, all of them have either been abandoned by parents or have had a very rough childhood. The teenagers also have a special "talent" that makes them part of this so called "team". Con, a European girl and an expert in manipulation, both by mesmerism therapy and by using her charms. Patch, a fun loving boy and sometimes maybe too fun but a specialist in lockpicking the toughest doors known to man. Motti, he is often judged as the unusual member of the team, mainly because of his dull personality and his sense of style but very good at security, both in setting it up and breaking into the toughest of the tough. And finally, Tye, Haitian native who grew up as a child pirate, martial arts expert and provides transport for the team. With her pirate childhood, she knows all the tricks that humans can be possibly do such as sensing body language and predicting what someone is trying to do. No one can get a trick past Tye, literally.

Jonah finds out for himself all of the "qualities" these teens have through the mischief and chaos they go through. However, no matter how much their skills and attributes differ, they would always have something in common, they all work as expert thieves stealing priceless artifacts to sell and they all work for the same man. A man that goes by the name of Coldhardt. He is an interesting character in the book as he can be viewed in a good or a bad way. A man in his 50s, he is very smart and wise and acts as the team leader recruiting kids like Jonah who's life is almost down the drain and trains them to be expert thieves using their so called "talents" and give them a second chance in life. But for a price, big risks equals big rewards. In the story, Coldhardt leads his team into the most dangerous mission yet and co-incidentally, Jonah is to play a major part in this mission.

I really reccomend this book to people who like reading about adventure with a twist of mystery and filled with fast paced action. I really enoyed this book as it made me feel what the characters were feeling. I give this book a 9/10, and believe me guys if I love a book, it means its really good. Because let's just say that I'm not that person who likes to read much. LoL. I really reccomend this book and I hope you enjoy reading it ! :D

P.S: hope my review's good . Please comment . :D

Vince Exconde

The Red Tree By Shaun Tan

Even though this might just be the shortest book that I have ever read, it has picture as well!! I looked further into the book and read over it many times and i have found that when you are feeling out of it and like no one knows who you are or, no one wants you around, there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel and your true friends will help you get to that light. when you get there, all of the other stuff is just a distant memory and you can look back on it. i think that the girl that is in the story helps to convey the stories message and the mostly blank expression on her face helps, because at the end of the story, she has a smile coming across her face, which shows that she has found her light at the end of her personal tunnel.

read this book, awesome message, helps in tough times :D

i blogged about this book because i didnt finish my other book in time.....
Sorry miss.....





Teehee

Cut by Patricia McCormick

Callie seems like an average teenager. She has a normal family consisting of her parents and younger brother Sam, goes to high school and runs track. Although her younger brother is often sick, Callie's life seems normal. But Callie's life is not normal. Callie has a dangerous secret:she cuts herself.

One day, a school nurse sees the scars on Callie's arms, and it is decided that Callie needs help. She is sent to a residential treatment facility called Sea Pines. The residents of the facility have nicknamed the place "Sick Minds". Some of the girls Callie meets there are like herself. Others are anorexic, and some even have drug problems.

At first, Callie is totally silent, not opening up to anyone, including her therapist. But soon, with the help of her doctor, the mystery behind Callie's dangerous actions are unravelled. She starts talking and makes new friends. Callie learns that if she is going to get help, she has to want help. Her doctor helps her to confront her family problems and her internal problems.

Chronicle of Stone : Scorched Bone by Vincent Ford

I chose this book because a friend of mine told me it was really good. To be honest I found the first few chapters boring but as the story went on, it got quite interesting. I would give it a 7 out of 10.

The story is about the North American Indian tribe who suffered drought that killed the food resources around them causing deaths among the tribe. Trei, the main character in the story, failed to do the task of hunting so he could be one of the 'men' in the tribe. Trei was ashamed but gradually, he gained determination and set goals. This book follows Trei, her twin sister Souk, and his best friend Crien into their journey to find the person who can throw a spear like a lightning bolt. Meeting new people and learning their methods to catch food helped them to survive in the unknown world ahead.

I found this book quite interesting and the characters are likeable. The only thing that i didn't like was the slow build up of the story. This book had 22 chapters but half the time, the main character was just in his hut. Personally I like action, and the only action I enjoyed was when the book was concluding and left me on edge. I recommend this book for those who enjoy reading books about the history of the American Indians.

^.^

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K Rowling

I choose this book because Jessica kept telling me to read it. This story is the final book in the series. I would give it a 8 and a half out of 10.

The book is about Harry, Hermione and Ron finding the horcruxii (5 of 7 as they have already found 2) so that Harry can destroy Voldermort. This book follows the trio as they find the horcruxii and destroy them. They build friendships and break them they fall in love and watch people die. They descover that Dumbldore had many secrets and has left many clues for them. This book follows the journey that the trio take in a hope to save mankind-wizards and muggles from Voldermort.
The book concludes the war between Harry and Voldermort. Harry learns alot about himself and finds that he is prepared to die to save the ones he loves. Through this he is able to conquer death and realises that the things he thought he needed to live are different and by this he can live a better life.

I thought this book was a really good ending to the series. I really liked the epilouge as it showed many things of the future. I really enjoyed it and would recommed it to many. Some things i didn't understand but when reading through you pick up little pieces and it fits together as a puzzle. The book is quite serious but there are intimate parts where we see the characters that  began their journey at Hogworts 8 years ago.

A good book for people who like wizardry and wars and a tinsy bit of romance.

by Jacqui
(spend longer than 2 days reading this book its hard to cram 600 pages in to them)

I am the messenger by Markus Zusak

This book was HILARIOUS!! literally had me falling off my chair(couch) laughing. though I tried,I couldn't predict anything at all, the dude(guy) is a genius! trust me...you will never be surprised every-time you turn the page with any book as much as this one.
Besides that...Meet Ed Kennedy—underage cabdriver, pathetic cardplayer, and useless at romance. He lives in a shack with his coffee-addicted dog, the Doorman, and he’s hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey. His life is one of peaceful routine and totally unproductive until he stops a bank robbery. That’s when the first Ace arrives. That’s when Ed becomes the messenger. . . .As Ed puts himself into these strangers' lives he learns to care for them personally and insightfully discovers a message for them that will change their lives. Sometimes the messages are easy to deliver, other times they need all he can give. But always he finds the courage to follow through.

*Beware of spoilers*

Diamonds*
The Edgar Street family: was… scary, I have to admit.
though I hate to admit it, I was just crying the whole time when I read about this! it was just so sad, I'm glad ed ended up doing the right thing.
Milla:made me love old people even more than I already do. (Seriously, I do. I’m not making a joke.) Milla was a sweet old lady
Sophie: part in Ed Kennedy’s journey through self discovery- Oh, sorry. I was watching Phineas and Ferb today. XD) was just a sweet filler address, I guess you could say. The friendship between Sophie and Ed is really what I loved most, and it was cute.

Clubs*
The pastor: Ed expanded a wonderful church, brought two brothers together, and made me smile.
Angie : heart-warmingly sweet, a small treat makes a big difference.
The Rose boys: these boys were the stupidest boys Ive ever read about, I mean... they could have killed each other!! but ed took a hard beating to remind them that they are from the same womb.

Spades*
Ed’s mom:I cannot believe that she was cheating on Ed’s dad. She was one heck of a mother!! Im not used to it simply because my mum would never act like that! this part just added to the drama, made me love it more.
Tatupu Family: made me… happy. When a family is really that poor and kinda broken, the least you can do is make them happy with… NEW CHRISTMAS LIGHTS!
*cough* pathetic..but anyways.
Theater guy: was… amazing.

Hearts*
Richie: eehh, didnt really get it?
Marv: *tear* :,(. story was… amazing. umm didnt exactly like the sexual content( tooo much info) awww...
I thought he was just uptight! but wow did he amaze me, sooo sweet how he was reunited with his ahem daughter and girlfriend(ex). this was personally my favourite part!
Audrey: sheesh fi-na-lly, it took them so long to realise they shouldve been together from the beginning, but how cuuute!
puh-leese, thats not the end, then came the joker, ahhh *sigh of relief* when... I'm proud to say..ed woke up and realised how pathetic his life is!!


Great message in this book: "Maybe everyone can live beyond what they're capable of. "
I recommend it to everyone over age of thirteen!
PICK IT UP. You’ll probably love it. Your life will not be wasted on reading this book. :D


Monday, February 21, 2011

Malcolm and Juliet by Bernard Beckett

I came across this book by chance, so i had no idea what it was going to be like. To be honest i wasn't riveted by the story, but i wasn't bored to death by it. I'd give it a 6-7 out of 10, 10 being super awesome.

This story follows 4 teenagers - Juliet, Charlotte, Kevin, Brian and, more importantly, sixteen year old boy named Malcolm, who sets out to work on a project for the upcoming science fair. The topic for his project is, strangely, sex. He interviews Charlotte and his best friend Juliet, and eventually meets up with Kevin at an attempt to further his project. He finds out about Juliet's first "experience" and one of Charlotte's intimate fantasies, and even tries to experience it himself with Juliet. However, the school principal is against Malcolm's topic for the science fair. So how will Malcolm get his way and get his project submitted ?

I didn't get into the story so much, so I didn't enjoy the book as much as i could have.  The characters are likeable and have different personalities and stories, which makes the main plot more interesting as it's told from different perspectives. There are also a few "sweet spots" in the story which really grabbed my attention. I would've liked the ending to have more of a twist, though, as it was pretty bland and linear. I liked the way that the author made the book slightly rude but funny, which gave it an interesting appeal. I'd recommend this book to someone who's interested in what goes on in a teenager's mind when it comes to sex and love.

The book contains some sexual themes, but isn't explicit, So it's perfectly fine to (almost) comfortably read ^^





BOOM.

Before I Die by Jenny Downham

I basically just chose this book because the cover and title caught my eye. I give this book a 9/10 because it is explores a world with emotions and a world that is realistic. 'Before I Die' will leave you with tears in your eyes towards the end of the story.

Tessa (the main character of the story) a 16 year old girl that has leukemia. With just months to live she creates a list of things that she would want to do before her time runs out. You would think that her list would be filled with things such as, 'driving, travelling and meeting a celebrity' instead she wants to accomplish things from 'losing her virginity', trying drugs, falling in love and getting her parents back together. With the help of her friend, Zoey, Tessa will use her time to check off her 'Before I Die' list . When she realizes that months start becoming weeks, she starts seeing the world differently and the things she thought was least important will become the most important thing to her. She makes a new friend, Adam which she falls in love with and she never thought that saying goodbye would be the hardest thing to do in her life. The love Adam and Tessa have for each other is amazing, because he knows she is going to die but he still loves her so much.

This book is an inspirational story that will have you wanting more even towards the end. It shows us that we take things for granted most of the time, its a wake up call to those that don't appreciate the life that they are living right now.

I would recommend this story to people who enjoy a bit of romance and basically to those that don't mind crying for 20 minutes .

A Perfect Ten by Chris Higgins

I choose this book because, well even though you're not supposed to 'judge a book by its cover' I did and it seemed interesting.
The story is about a girl 'Eva' who works hard to be the girl all the other girls wish they could be: pretty, popular, smart and the queen of her gymnastics clique, the 'Jimmies'. Perfection. That's the key aim in Eva's life and she'll settle for nothing less. However that arrival of a new girl threatens her 'perfect' life and things start to unravel. She seemed to have it all, but as you read on you find out her life isn't so perfect. Her mother goes to rehab, her father is hardly around, her best friend is more interested in her brother and Eva has to fend for herself.
The book was really interesting and had a really unexpected twist at the end. I would rate this book about 8/10 and recommend it to any teen (not just a girl) who likes stories with shocking twists you don't see coming.

The Other Facts of Life by Morris Gleitzman

I chose this book mostly because i enjoyed the previous books I have read from Morris Gleitzman, the cover and title grabbed my attention and i only had 3 minutes to choose a book, i wanted to read another book but I'm happy that i did choose this book.
The story was set in a rich suburb in Australia around 2000's.The beginning of the book grabbed my attention as there was a hilarious misunderstanding between a curious 12 year old boy named Ben and his parents. Bens parents Ron and Di thought it was Ben was at the age that he needed to know about the 'flowers and the bees' but Ben was interested in a whole different matter. They were a wealthy family who had the 'easy' life but Ben was puzzled on how they could be so rich while other people around the world are starving and malnourished. Desperate to get his parents attention to help, Ben tries various ways to get his parents attention to help people from the third world country. His stunts though get him and his parents in a lot of trouble. His tricks took up most of the body of the book which was quite repetitive but was interesting enough to keep me entertained. The ending turned out with Ben caring less about the worlds problems and more about his family after he gave his father a heart attack. I think that the ending could have gotten much better and creative though.
I recommend this book for teens who is looking for a laugh and a crazy main character. The characters were likable and it was easy to see through both Ben's and the parents point of view. In my opinion i would give this book a 7/10 it was easy to get the plot and i enjoy reading books that had a bit of humour in it but i think that there could have been a better ending and the story was quite predictable.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

LIAR by Justine Larbalestier

I came by this book by chance. This book was very interesting and different compared to the way other books are written (this is what kept me reading). This book did have parts where I was eager to know what happens next but not as much as I hoped. Out of 10 I would rate this book a 7/10.

This story is told by a 17year old girl named Micah. It is set in the past when apartheid did not exist but being black seemed to others that you were not as wealthy as a white person. Micah lives with her African dad and French mum in a small apartment. She is known to be a LIAR. Lying comes as easy to her as breathing. This is because when she is 10, she finds out what she really is. She learns to keep her families secret and lies to cover it up. She isn't like anyone else; she has what she calls "the family illness". Being both a liar and having this illness doesn't help Micah with her social life. She is invisible in high school and enjoys the fact that no one pays attention to her simply because she doesn't want to explain why she is so different.
When her boyfriend Zach (that no one knows about), dies under brutal circumstances the shock is enough to set her straight. She doesn't lie as much as before and intends to confess all her lies.

This book made me realise just how much people actually do lie. I would recommend this book to teenagers (there is use of foul language), who are opened minded and looking for a something new and different to read.

Dido by Adele Geras

I read the book because i couldn't find anything else ._. It was cool xD Umm. I give it a 6 out of 10 ? O_O Anyways , here's my uhhh. Bookblog :D


An emotive story of Aeneas and Queen Dido of Carthage. Aeneas left Queen Dido to fulfill his dream of finding the city " Rome ". The story is about finding love and loss. Queen Dido is filled with grief and has the intention to " destroy " everything that Aeneas owned/touched or used , because it reminds her about him. Another character is Elissa , who also loves Aeneas but Queen Dido knows nothing about this. Both their hearts are broken. The story is also about Love , Betrayal and Revenge. The gods and goddesses of Rome and Ancient Greece also play a part in the book. The book is interesting because both Queen Dido and Elissa suddenly get involved in events they couldn't control :D

Saturday, February 12, 2011

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I read this book because so many people had recommended it to me.  Was I disappointed?  Not really.  I thought it was an interesting book that easily held my attention although I probably didn't love it quite as much as some people have.  On a scale of 1-10 I would give it at least a 7. 

The story is set in a futuristic world that at first glance seems very different from the one we live in.  The heroine, Katniss Everdeen, and her family just manage to survive the hardship of life in their world, where a few people live in luxury and the rest face the threat of starvation.  The story begins on the day of the "reaping"  where the names of two teenagers from each of the 12 districts will be drawn as contestants in the "hunger games".  These young people will be thrown into an arena where they must battle each other to the death.  The games are televised and the whole world watches until one of the contestants "wins" by killing all the others.  When the name of Katniss's younger sister is drawn, she volunteers to take her place, along with the other candidate from District 12, a boy named Peeta.  The rest of the book follows their participation in the games and the relationship that develops between Katniss and Peeta as they try to survive.

I found this book interesting and disturbing at the same time.  The idea of young people brutally killing each other for the entertainment of the viewing public is horrific.  However, the "love triangle" created between Katniss and Peeta and Gale is classic romance - it reminded me of the Bella-Jake-Edward triangle in Twilight.  I personally think that The Hunger Games is a better book than Twilight for lots of reasons:  Katniss is a much stronger heroine than Bella; there is more action; the pace is faster and the The Hunger Games is clearly meant to make us think about the issues in our own world.  Unlike Twilight, I liked The Hunger Games enough to read the sequel.                       Ms. Comer

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Trash by Andy Mulligan

Trash is a novel about three young boys, Raphael, Gardo and Jun-Jun (aka Rat) who live on a garbage dump in the Philippines. They survive by digging through the rubbish each day and salvaging whatever they can.  One day, Raphael finds a mysterious and valuable object. Before they realize what is happening, the boys are on the run from the police.

I really enjoyed this book.  It grabbed my attention straight away and kept me hooked throughout the story.  I thought the setting was really interesting.  I think this is the first book I have read that is set in the Philippines.  The poverty and police corruption in this book were pretty shocking and in some ways it reminded me of the film Slumdog Millionaire (which I also love)  I also liked the fact that the story is told from several different points of view.  I highly recommend this book to people who like an exciting story, likeable characters and an unusual setting.