I didn't even know we had to do a book review this week ;_;
ANYWAY. this is a book i got from the Onehunga library, uhm. i think last year or the year before ? it caught my eye cuz the cover's bright yellow , has a smiley face :) and has half a dust cover - but when you remove it, it turns into a sad face, like :( that. it got me really curious, so obviously i got it. aaand i realize book reviews aren't really supposed to be life stories so i'll just get to it now ...
This is a fictional book about a teenage boy named .. something. i don't think the book says his name. so here, his name's Happyface. Happyface is a comic-book loving, dorky teenage boy. an tragedy then strikes his family, and so him and his drunkard of a mother move into a new area, where Happyface will also need to make new friends and settle. then, soon after arriving at his new high school, he meets a girl - Gretchen. he starts liking her. and through her, he starts meeting other new people, and that's when he pretty much decides that he will try to hide his past, he WILL be the new cool guy, and smile through everything that comes at him.
I can't really say anything more otherwise it'll give the story away.
I reaaally enjoyed this book, cuz it was written in Happyface's point of view as a journal. and on top of that, there's a truck load of drawings in it as well, so i found that pretty interesting. it's a total page turner, as the story just makes you want to know what happens next, and after that, and after that. before you know it you've gone through the whole book in one night ~
The story was pretty good, it was too linear or complicated. i also liked the characters - Happyface himself, because i can imagine what he's feeling, having to hide his broken past like that with a smile; and the random new friends he meets. it also gets pretty sad toward the last quarter so yeah.
I would recommend this to anyone who's looking for a different read, particularly teenagers. it definitely sticks in your head after you read it, so i give it a 7.796 out of 1O.
:{D
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Ghost Girl by Tonya Hurley
Charlotte Usher is only seen as a shy girl. She is obsessed with becoming popular so she will be seen by her crush Damien. Suddenly, she chokes on a gummibear and dies, she is never the same again. Being 'dead' gives her a different perspective on things and makes this book quite interesting.
I think a lot of people will appreciate the quotes and illustrations that give this book character. With each chapter there is a life lesson of sorts and Charlotte really matures throughout the book because of this.
I give this book a 8/10. I think you would enjoy it if you like books with a dark theme but are still fairly humorous at the same time. It gets a eight because even though it is an entertaining read it isn't super amazing. It does teach us some important values and helps us see that it's not good to focus on being the most popular, the prettiest and the smartest all the time. You won't regret reading this book but you might not want to read it again.
I think a lot of people will appreciate the quotes and illustrations that give this book character. With each chapter there is a life lesson of sorts and Charlotte really matures throughout the book because of this.
I give this book a 8/10. I think you would enjoy it if you like books with a dark theme but are still fairly humorous at the same time. It gets a eight because even though it is an entertaining read it isn't super amazing. It does teach us some important values and helps us see that it's not good to focus on being the most popular, the prettiest and the smartest all the time. You won't regret reading this book but you might not want to read it again.
Vampire Academy (book #1) by Richelle Mead
NOW that I have finally finished reading the series!!
I'll review my favorite series!!
Personally? I hate twilight and cant stand the whole story/plot and had a hard time dealing with Bella. I thought she was just too...girly for someone close with vampires. I wanted someone that could stand with them in a fight and not hide from the action....*Enter Rose*.
St. Vladimir's Academy, a private high school for vampires and the half-bloods who are bound to protect them. The Moroi are vampires, and the descendants of Moroi royalty are the social popular clique of St. Vladimir's. The Moroi are at constant risk, though. The Strigoi, the fiercest vampires, are out to get them, any way they can. The Moroi are protected by Dhampirs, guardians who are daring enough to give up their lives to make sure that the Moroi bloodlines continue.
Rose is a Dhampir and Lissa is the last of the Dragomir line of Moroi royalty. Rose and Lissa share a special bond; one that nearly assures that Rose will be Lissa's guardian for life. Returning to school, is a totally different story and more difficult than either of them imagined. The social rules have changed during their eloping/ adventure and Rose and (Vasilisa) Lissa are both topic of the hottest gossip . Their sudden disappearance? *gasp* their time on the run, and their return are all being questioned. In some ways, you could say, the truth may harm them more than rumors ever could.
Rose is a Dhampir and Lissa is the last of the Dragomir line of Moroi royalty. Rose and Lissa share a special bond; one that nearly assures that Rose will be Lissa's guardian for life. Returning to school, is a totally different story and more difficult than either of them imagined. The social rules have changed during their eloping/ adventure and Rose and (Vasilisa) Lissa are both topic of the hottest gossip . Their sudden disappearance? *gasp* their time on the run, and their return are all being questioned. In some ways, you could say, the truth may harm them more than rumors ever could.
Surprisingly, I also liked every single character. It's kind of weird for me to like every character but in Vampire Academy I did. Rose is conceited, STUBBORN and arrogant at times, but I didn't mind ( I totally get her! thought of her as a twin!!) . Although she thought she was hot and boys were 'crazy' about her (not twin here) , she was very loyal, bold and FEISTY. Dimitri is (dayuumm). I love his character! Rose's crush on him grows into something much more and she knows he feels the same way, but there are many boundaries, as well as age, that keeps them apart.Lissa is innocent and sweet natured. She relies heavily on Rose too much (a bit of a drag) Lissa also has the ability to heal, and when she brought Rose back from the dead after a car accident they are bonded. This means that Rose can feel Lissa's emotions.
I will leave the rest up to you 10.3....I GUARANTEE!!! you will love it!!!! I'm NON-gallable but ate up everything this book and the other 6 had to offer!!!
its for anyone 13+ and Id rate it a 10!!! =D
The Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede
just letting everyone know I had this written at 7:30 with roughly 1500 words but the blog is stupid and didn’t save or publish so you will have to make do with the not as good and shorter substitute one that I had to do again. ):
so I was at the library while the had the teenage book club thing going on and one of the books they were reading was the thirteenth child and it looked interesting and by what they were saying it was full of magic ,love and all about finding yourself I though it sounded interesting. So I got it out :)
This story is the history of America
In Avrupan magic all the numbers and all things to do with magical sets were devised by Pythagoras. So the seventh son is very powerful and the seventh son of a seventh son is even more powerful. Papa is the seventh son and Lan is the double seven. Is a twin, he is the youngest of fourteen this means his twin is the 13th child. Eff. she is supposedly going to be a terrible child and will grow up to create havoc and someday destroy her world.
Eff grows up being hated by her relatives the only one who loves her are her parents and her twin brother Lan. Eff doesn’t really know her elder brothers and sisters as some are already married or off studying at college.
when papa gets a job as a professor of magic at the school on the frontier where the land grant college is papa decides to move the family out there. no one knows Eff is the thirteenth child.
from the time Eff is 5 till when she begins training at 9 years of age very little happens other than meeting William-her best friend, getting rheumatic fever and staying home for one year, and Lan getting his powers.
when Eff goes back to school she is now in Williams’s year as she must stay back there friend ship is stronger than ever and this really annoys her because her brother kinda mocks her about not getting her powers. she begins to loathe him because he is perfect and she knows she never will be.
when Eff begins her magic training initially she is very good but when she explodes at her sisters wedding at an uncle who has always looked down on her she begins to suppress her magic. her teacher knows she is the 13th child but she doesn’t care this women is one of the only people who believes in her. during these lessons although Eff cant do magic she is very good at theory and learns about sensing magic weaving magic feeling magic and seeing things for what they could be rather for what they are.
Eff grows up and then one spring when Eff is probably about 13 the bugs come. they have protective magical measures for this but nothing seems to work. they disappear and they think that that is the last of them until the reappear next spring and they are stronger than ever.
the courthouse knows they must do something to stop but what the bugs seem to be immune to magic. they find out that there is one settlement that hasn’t been affected by these bugs. they want to visit this settlement but there is only one problem. they do not like magicians and completely hate magic.
when all hope seems lost Eff knows the answer her sister lives in this settlement. her sister ran off five years ago to live with her husband. she doesn’t do magic anymore. papa thinks that if they take this first and for mostly as a family visit the magicians will be allowed to enter. papa, Lan and Eff go to visit Reenie and her family.
after a week of no progress a man comes for help taking papa and Lan to help at a near by settlement overwhelmed by bugs and they don’t return by mid afternoon, Eff knows something is wrong and takes William and her guide to check it out. what they find is hundreds of millions of bugs attacking the magic because you see they are attracted to magic rather than immune to it.
Eff knows she must do something but she can’t do magic. when she feels her brother Lan calling for help she takes a stand and feels the magic and reads it and weaves it to stop the bugs attacking. she does this with unbelievably strong power and is able to stop the bugs. she saves her brother, papa, friend and a whole settlement.
Eff is praised and honored by many in the settlement and in many on the way back to her home. she knows what she wants to do with her life now.
it is also hinted she and William like each other. oh la la. (:
this is an amazing book and filled with magic and love and amazingly strong courage and power. I love love love this book and it’s really heart warming. I recommend this book to anyone who loves magical stories and who think they have a bad life because the latter will see a girl who had the worst life possible, was looked down on and was always told she wasn’t good enough but she made her life what she wanted not what others thought it should be. I give this book a 10/10 because it is written very cleverly and really engages the reader.
amazing book. (: (: (:
the story of a girl who defied the odds and beat all of them.
amazing.
I can’t wait till the second book in the series comes out. across the great barrier. It comes out in august so when i've read it I will do a book review on it.
read this book it is so good and so amazing.
Jacqui<3
Girls Out Late by Jacqueline Wilson
I chose this book because I was trying to finish the series... I would say it was probably my least favourite book in the series, and would give it a 6/10.. but over all the books were quite good.
This book is about three friends who try and have a girls night out, just at a concert, but things just end up going wrong. Firstly the concert is cancelled and they are far for home, then they get picked up by some strange (dodgy) guys. Two of them don't want anything to do with the guys, but one of them strangely goes along.
What I liked was how the two girls went after their friend, not wanting to leave her alone, even though they were scared themselves. Although their decision wasn't the smartest they stuck together (which is what they do through-out the series) and in the end it all worked out....
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Escape By Kate Cann
This book is one of the most entertaining books I have read in a while. But by saying this I’m not sure if this is a good or bad thing.It follows the Summer of one girl who faces many (I'm not exactly sure how to word this correctly)unexpected situations.
This book starts off with Rowan the main character who is completely stressed because she is studying for her final exams before leaving school. To clear her mind her younger brother offers her a chance to join him on his trip to the gym. Sounds normal doesn’t it? Well this is where everything goes down the toilet, where the characters lose all their common sense and I’m left wondering what on earth is happening. So back to the story, so they’re going to the gym and then all of a sudden they pass a creek and Rowan sees this family of ducks who are stranded. They then try to rescue them, but this only ends in Rowan picking up a big log and hitting her 16 year old brother over the head with it. But somehow through this, her mind clearer's up???? And she gets through her exams with no problem and then decides she wants to become a British nanny (she’s British) and move to America.
So she does exactly that. And in a week she has moved to America and is working for the most dysfunctional family ever imagined (worst than hers). She works there for a little while but after the dad in that family tries it on with her and the mum slaps her she leaves/runs away with their pet iguana (Iggy)???? So now she’s leaving right but while waiting for a train she meets this guy named Landon Peters who is heading to work at a Lodge. So based on his so called ‘good looks’ she decides to go with him, and work there with this complete stranger!!!!! Come on now who would actually do this??? Run away with a person they have met at a bus station, who you have known for all about, two minutes???? So anyway she goes with him and gets a job as a nanny. Well soon she starts to really like him but he already has a girlfriend, so she just stays there through all this and then in the end when she finally gets together with him after a long wait she decides to leave???? Now it’s like you’ve got what you wanted so be happy with it right??? So anyway she travels down to Mexico to set her iguana free, but half way there Landon appears and declares his love for her (she’s actually trying to run away from you dude! don’t you get it??) so then somehow they get back together and that’s the end….
Well I think this book although making no sense and having no point had me strangely enough laughing at most bits (not intentionally I think). So if you people out there feel like you want to give this book a go, I’m not going to stop you. So yeah anyway I give this book a 4.5/10.
This book starts off with Rowan the main character who is completely stressed because she is studying for her final exams before leaving school. To clear her mind her younger brother offers her a chance to join him on his trip to the gym. Sounds normal doesn’t it? Well this is where everything goes down the toilet, where the characters lose all their common sense and I’m left wondering what on earth is happening. So back to the story, so they’re going to the gym and then all of a sudden they pass a creek and Rowan sees this family of ducks who are stranded. They then try to rescue them, but this only ends in Rowan picking up a big log and hitting her 16 year old brother over the head with it. But somehow through this, her mind clearer's up???? And she gets through her exams with no problem and then decides she wants to become a British nanny (she’s British) and move to America.
So she does exactly that. And in a week she has moved to America and is working for the most dysfunctional family ever imagined (worst than hers). She works there for a little while but after the dad in that family tries it on with her and the mum slaps her she leaves/runs away with their pet iguana (Iggy)???? So now she’s leaving right but while waiting for a train she meets this guy named Landon Peters who is heading to work at a Lodge. So based on his so called ‘good looks’ she decides to go with him, and work there with this complete stranger!!!!! Come on now who would actually do this??? Run away with a person they have met at a bus station, who you have known for all about, two minutes???? So anyway she goes with him and gets a job as a nanny. Well soon she starts to really like him but he already has a girlfriend, so she just stays there through all this and then in the end when she finally gets together with him after a long wait she decides to leave???? Now it’s like you’ve got what you wanted so be happy with it right??? So anyway she travels down to Mexico to set her iguana free, but half way there Landon appears and declares his love for her (she’s actually trying to run away from you dude! don’t you get it??) so then somehow they get back together and that’s the end….
Well I think this book although making no sense and having no point had me strangely enough laughing at most bits (not intentionally I think). So if you people out there feel like you want to give this book a go, I’m not going to stop you. So yeah anyway I give this book a 4.5/10.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
The Hobbit by J.R.R.Tolkien
THE HOBBIT
Well what can i say it is one amazing, extraordinary, queer, imaginative, frightening and adventurous book. I have to say i am very happy that i took the time to read such an interesting story. It is honestly really really good. I only read it cause i watched the Lord of the Rings a long time ago and really liked it and because Thomas recommended to me as well. I thought the storyline was very unique, so why not read the first book.
Well the hobbit of course is the story of Bilbo Baggins. A character who had didn't have much role in the Lord of the Rings trilogy but he lead to them. It talks about Bilbo a young hobbit, living in his house which is placed in a hill. And how he meets up with the great wizard named Gandalf and some dwarves. He is then somehow dragged into an adventure with them. Because; a long time ago in middle earth, a few dwarves ruled a mountain and a great prosperous city. Unfortunately a humongous nasty dragon comes an attacks them. In the end he destroys all the dwarves and the city but keeps the gold and treasure. But one dwarf survives who is the heir. He escapes and starts a new life else where. Now his descendants are back for revenge.
So the whole story is about how Bilbo, the thirteen dwarves and Gandalf are travelling long distances to this great mountain full of treasure (which was owned by the dwarves.) Knowing there is danger in every corner like goblins, wargs(very big nasty wolves), trolls and fierce animals and dense dangerous forest, they never give up. (very determined to say how the author portrayed them) On the way they meet an interesting character named Gollum. Who has a very big role in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I loved how the author described him and explained the way he lives, talks and all that. It was amazing!!! i really liked how the author kept introducing new characters like Beorn. (a super cool bulky guy). so we wont get bored. (i also liked the large eagles in the story they were cool) And how he didn't drag the story or else it would of been real boring.
I don't want to say anymore but i do recommend this book to anyone who loves an adventure and action. Trust me this book is really really good. I actually finished the book in a couple of days not like the Mockingjay. Trust me i thought the Lord of the Rings was weird but once you watch the movie again you understand more and reading the Hobbit will make you wait even more for the movie. This is one action pact book that will keep you at the edge of your chair. Quoting from what Thomas said who recommended the book said "you can tell the author put a lot of thought into it' and 'he has a lot of imagination'.
so plot rating 10/10
characters rating 10/10
overall 10/10
PS. this book awesome and absolutely one of the best books I've read.
really cool!!!!!!!!
Well what can i say it is one amazing, extraordinary, queer, imaginative, frightening and adventurous book. I have to say i am very happy that i took the time to read such an interesting story. It is honestly really really good. I only read it cause i watched the Lord of the Rings a long time ago and really liked it and because Thomas recommended to me as well. I thought the storyline was very unique, so why not read the first book.
Well the hobbit of course is the story of Bilbo Baggins. A character who had didn't have much role in the Lord of the Rings trilogy but he lead to them. It talks about Bilbo a young hobbit, living in his house which is placed in a hill. And how he meets up with the great wizard named Gandalf and some dwarves. He is then somehow dragged into an adventure with them. Because; a long time ago in middle earth, a few dwarves ruled a mountain and a great prosperous city. Unfortunately a humongous nasty dragon comes an attacks them. In the end he destroys all the dwarves and the city but keeps the gold and treasure. But one dwarf survives who is the heir. He escapes and starts a new life else where. Now his descendants are back for revenge.
So the whole story is about how Bilbo, the thirteen dwarves and Gandalf are travelling long distances to this great mountain full of treasure (which was owned by the dwarves.) Knowing there is danger in every corner like goblins, wargs(very big nasty wolves), trolls and fierce animals and dense dangerous forest, they never give up. (very determined to say how the author portrayed them) On the way they meet an interesting character named Gollum. Who has a very big role in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I loved how the author described him and explained the way he lives, talks and all that. It was amazing!!! i really liked how the author kept introducing new characters like Beorn. (a super cool bulky guy). so we wont get bored. (i also liked the large eagles in the story they were cool) And how he didn't drag the story or else it would of been real boring.
I don't want to say anymore but i do recommend this book to anyone who loves an adventure and action. Trust me this book is really really good. I actually finished the book in a couple of days not like the Mockingjay. Trust me i thought the Lord of the Rings was weird but once you watch the movie again you understand more and reading the Hobbit will make you wait even more for the movie. This is one action pact book that will keep you at the edge of your chair. Quoting from what Thomas said who recommended the book said "you can tell the author put a lot of thought into it' and 'he has a lot of imagination'.
so plot rating 10/10
characters rating 10/10
overall 10/10
PS. this book awesome and absolutely one of the best books I've read.
really cool!!!!!!!!
SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT : The Faceless Ones by Derek Lany
Valkyrie Cain and Skulduggery are still fighting crime together in the magical world hidden from 'normal people'. More characters are introduced in this book.
Skulduggery Pleasant : Book 3
So ... Valkyrie's skills have definitely improved. Moving the air under her feet and summoning flames from her fingertips, come to her naturally.
Still hiding her secrets from her parents, Valkyrie relies on her reflection to take her place at school and at home whenever shes not around.
Skulduggery is still his same old funny, non-living self.
Like always, someone is trying to destroy or rule the world. In this case, someone wants to open a gateway to let in the Faceless Ones back into this world. Valkyrie and Skulduggery can not figure out who or what is behind this. A man named 'Batu' is said to be behind this, but Batu is a legend, no one has ever seen him.
To open this 'portal/gateway thingy' they need something from the 'other' world, which in this case is the torso of the 'Grotesquery' (from the second book) and a teleporter. There are many teleporters but for some reason, they are being killed. One last teleporter lives, and he happens to be an untrained, European teenage boy named "Fletcher". The good guys get a hold of him, and the fun begins (well not really, the fun begins on the first page ;p ).
The third book in the Skulduggery series is as action packed as the first and second one. With Valkyrie and Skulduggery meeting more new friends, enemies and of course Skulduggery's jokes, the third book is as enjoyable as the first two. Would recommend this book to those who like a laugh and enjoy more of an action packed and crime solving kinda book.
Skulduggery Pleasant : Book 3
So ... Valkyrie's skills have definitely improved. Moving the air under her feet and summoning flames from her fingertips, come to her naturally.
Still hiding her secrets from her parents, Valkyrie relies on her reflection to take her place at school and at home whenever shes not around.
Skulduggery is still his same old funny, non-living self.
Like always, someone is trying to destroy or rule the world. In this case, someone wants to open a gateway to let in the Faceless Ones back into this world. Valkyrie and Skulduggery can not figure out who or what is behind this. A man named 'Batu' is said to be behind this, but Batu is a legend, no one has ever seen him.
To open this 'portal/gateway thingy' they need something from the 'other' world, which in this case is the torso of the 'Grotesquery' (from the second book) and a teleporter. There are many teleporters but for some reason, they are being killed. One last teleporter lives, and he happens to be an untrained, European teenage boy named "Fletcher". The good guys get a hold of him, and the fun begins (well not really, the fun begins on the first page ;p ).
The third book in the Skulduggery series is as action packed as the first and second one. With Valkyrie and Skulduggery meeting more new friends, enemies and of course Skulduggery's jokes, the third book is as enjoyable as the first two. Would recommend this book to those who like a laugh and enjoy more of an action packed and crime solving kinda book.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Book review: Angels and Demons
By Dan Brown
When a scientist is brutally murdered and is branded with the ambigram mark of the Illuminati.
Religious Symbologist Robert Langdon is called immediately and soon finds himself in the middle of an ancient war hundreds of years old.
The book begins at a slow pace but quickly builds momentum as you are hurled through Vatican city on a quest to find the path of illumination before innocent people are killed as a spectacle by the illuminati.
Robert’s journey forces him to test his wits and knowledge against one of the most twisted killers imaginable.
This story is a nonstop page turner because as secrets are revealed and clues are unraveled you will find yourself struggling to slow down till you reach the conclusion.
Twists and turns in the plot will keep you hooked and the story itself whilst fiction is inspired heavily by history and factual location.
I recommend this book to advanced readers who enjoy conspiracy fiction and like long books.
By T.louden
Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
This book follows the story of Charles "Charlie/Chuck" Bucktin and Jasper Jones (obviously. LOL). This book is set in a town called Corrigan in Australia at around 1965. Charlie, one of the main characters is portrayed as a smart, innocent boy who loves listening to cricket on the radio but pathetic at playing it. Jasper Jones on the other hand is not so innocent. In fact, he is known as the most notorious criminal in all of Corrigan despite his young age. He is also homeless and he eats whatever he steals or finds and lives on whatever he can make.
The plot of this book revolves around the death of a young girl named Laura Wishart who gets killed and hanged right where Jasper Jones is "living". So obviously, that makes Jasper the primary suspect. This is how Charlie is dragged into the story when Jasper enlists his help to try and find out who really killed Laura Wishart. (lets just say that Jasper isn't the brightest kid in the bunch) He never went to school as a young boy and grew up on cigarettes and alcohol for snacks instead of fish and chips with a family who wasn't really stable. Unlike Charlie, who is raised in a middle class family getting the needs of an average teenager.
This might seem a little weird in that two kids from totally different worlds meet and form an unlikely friendship over the death of a girl. I thought this was a really nice touch by the author in a way how he made the two main characters meet in the story. So their friendship bonds as they try to uncover the murderer and Charlie himself who wasn't even interested in the beginning of the book, his behaviour towards this incident and towards his family has changed. Especially his behaviour towards his mother when he starts swearing at her and talking back everytime he gets told off. This is because of the intense burden and pressure Charlie has inside him and he is forced to keep it between Jasper and himself only. Jasper is very concerened because not only is he the primary suspect but he and laura really liked each other and Laura was the closest thing Jasper got to a real friend (besides Charlie when he meets him ., LOL)
Of course, Charlie is forced to keep the secret until they find out who really killed Laura but he is tested by his obnoxious best friend, Jeffrey Lu, a Korean boy around Charlie's age who loves playing cricket and listening to it on the radio. He tries to let Charlie spill the secret which pressures Charlie even more and builds the guilt inside him. The story gets complicated as they meet new people who could potentially be suspects for the death of Laura Wishart and things get more complicated when Charlie madly falls inlove with Laura's sister, Eliza Wishart. He starts to from a very unique relationship with her and at one point in the story, he nearly tries to "interrogate" Eliza about her sister's death which I found very weird. hahaha , xD
I thought this book was realy good in terms of the suspense and how the author builds tension throughout the book because when I was reading this, I actually wanted to keep on reading itbecause I was really hooked in by the author and his use of vocabulary and how he made me feel as if I was really Charlie, telling the story from his point of view. I can relate to Charlie because I have been in his situation where I was entrusted with a secret by a friend and forced to keep it between the two of us despite all the temptations I was tested with. The touch of romance in this book was the cherry on top in terms of crafting this book to make it a masterpiece. I strongly reccomend this book to anyone who can read and give this book a 9.5/10 . :D
P.S: there is swearing in the book so don't be surprised guys ! hahaha ., xDD
Please comment ! Vince Exconde :D
The plot of this book revolves around the death of a young girl named Laura Wishart who gets killed and hanged right where Jasper Jones is "living". So obviously, that makes Jasper the primary suspect. This is how Charlie is dragged into the story when Jasper enlists his help to try and find out who really killed Laura Wishart. (lets just say that Jasper isn't the brightest kid in the bunch) He never went to school as a young boy and grew up on cigarettes and alcohol for snacks instead of fish and chips with a family who wasn't really stable. Unlike Charlie, who is raised in a middle class family getting the needs of an average teenager.
This might seem a little weird in that two kids from totally different worlds meet and form an unlikely friendship over the death of a girl. I thought this was a really nice touch by the author in a way how he made the two main characters meet in the story. So their friendship bonds as they try to uncover the murderer and Charlie himself who wasn't even interested in the beginning of the book, his behaviour towards this incident and towards his family has changed. Especially his behaviour towards his mother when he starts swearing at her and talking back everytime he gets told off. This is because of the intense burden and pressure Charlie has inside him and he is forced to keep it between Jasper and himself only. Jasper is very concerened because not only is he the primary suspect but he and laura really liked each other and Laura was the closest thing Jasper got to a real friend (besides Charlie when he meets him ., LOL)
Of course, Charlie is forced to keep the secret until they find out who really killed Laura but he is tested by his obnoxious best friend, Jeffrey Lu, a Korean boy around Charlie's age who loves playing cricket and listening to it on the radio. He tries to let Charlie spill the secret which pressures Charlie even more and builds the guilt inside him. The story gets complicated as they meet new people who could potentially be suspects for the death of Laura Wishart and things get more complicated when Charlie madly falls inlove with Laura's sister, Eliza Wishart. He starts to from a very unique relationship with her and at one point in the story, he nearly tries to "interrogate" Eliza about her sister's death which I found very weird. hahaha , xD
I thought this book was realy good in terms of the suspense and how the author builds tension throughout the book because when I was reading this, I actually wanted to keep on reading itbecause I was really hooked in by the author and his use of vocabulary and how he made me feel as if I was really Charlie, telling the story from his point of view. I can relate to Charlie because I have been in his situation where I was entrusted with a secret by a friend and forced to keep it between the two of us despite all the temptations I was tested with. The touch of romance in this book was the cherry on top in terms of crafting this book to make it a masterpiece. I strongly reccomend this book to anyone who can read and give this book a 9.5/10 . :D
P.S: there is swearing in the book so don't be surprised guys ! hahaha ., xDD
Please comment ! Vince Exconde :D
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Girls In Love by Jacqueline Wilson
This book is another book in the series by Jacqueline Wilson... I'm not sure what number it is. Anyway I liked this book and would give it a 8/10.
This book is about a girl who always feels she is the 'socially awkward' one in her group of friends. After the school break she comes back and feels even more left out as her friends have the most exciting things to share. So she 'exaggerates' about the 'not-so-handsome' Dan she meet in the holidays, and turns him into the ultimate dream guy (who she is supposedly dating).
Eventually her friends find out, but they don't really get mad or anything.
I liked the fact that this book showed how the girls were really good friends and were able to look past the little problems, and just be there for each other, like real friends should...
Black and White by PAUL VOLPONI
This book was completely different from any other book i have EVER read. i saw a guy reading it in the library and thought 'if a guy is reading a BOOK, it must be worth reading' (no offence)........and i was definitely right!!!!
Marcus is black. Eddie is white. They are the star duo Black and White. The main characters are best friends. They are high school basketball stars and have a lot going for them. Unfortunately they commit a crime together, but go through the justice system in different ways. Racism is a major theme. It was amazing. There was a lot of tension and it kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't put the book down.
Eddie and Marcus had a gun. Just for show and nothing else just so Marcus could get enough money for his senoir dues. Then one day Eddie shot somebody and the person he shot blamed Marcus instead of Eddie and then black and white split apart. Then Marcus couldn't play for the rest of his teams season and they lost in the playoffs. But not once did Marcus sell out his best friend Eddie. I hated Eddie for not coming forth with the truth. what kind of friend was he? I was so proud of marcus for doing the right thing and realising that he made a mistake and has to resolve it somehow, doing the time.
(advice)
- Eddie, you and Marcus were both there at the attempted robbery/shooting. Actually, it was your grandfather's gun? Could you live with yourself if you let Marcus take responsibility for this?
- Eddie, man, that bus driver did not see your face! And that woman is so not sure that you were the dude who robbed her! Why should two of you lose two years of your life in jail over this? Man, Marcus would walk if the shoe was on the other foot!
-Eddie, if St. John's University founds out down that road about your involvement in this, you could lose it all - scholarship, basketball, and enrollment. Honesty can be the best policy and being up-front, humble and remorseful would show alot of character.
-Eddie, really! Who's she kidding? You 'fess up and they just snag everything they've offered to you right now. You would be better off just riding along on them never finding out.
-Eddie, you really must think of your parents, especially your mother. Yes, they would be devastated knowing that you were involved in this crime. But a crime couple with a lie worse. Above all, parents do not want to be lied to!
- Eddie, man, that bus driver did not see your face! And that woman is so not sure that you were the dude who robbed her! Why should two of you lose two years of your life in jail over this? Man, Marcus would walk if the shoe was on the other foot!
-Eddie, if St. John's University founds out down that road about your involvement in this, you could lose it all - scholarship, basketball, and enrollment. Honesty can be the best policy and being up-front, humble and remorseful would show alot of character.
-Eddie, really! Who's she kidding? You 'fess up and they just snag everything they've offered to you right now. You would be better off just riding along on them never finding out.
-Eddie, you really must think of your parents, especially your mother. Yes, they would be devastated knowing that you were involved in this crime. But a crime couple with a lie worse. Above all, parents do not want to be lied to!
I learned that friendship is put to the test, money must be earned on your own and never do something that you are going to regret. Eddie and Marcus learn that life is full of choices that you must choose the right path in life to live a good one. How their wrong doing affected their families and people around them. But at the end of the book Eddie and Marcus both realize that life hits you back that you do something wrong and get away with it, later on you will get your punishment. To be honest I thought this book was rascist to both races. I love the book but hated the ending because it doesn't show us what happens after, and would rate it a nine, ( BTW this book review was rushed). =D
Twisted By Laurie Halse Anderson
Well I got this book out of the Onehunga library sometime last year. It was a strange book to read so I thought I'd write a review about it, so yeah. This book is pretty interesting and I would recommend this book to anyone as many different people can either relate to it in some way or another. I would give this book a 7.5 out of 10.
This book /story is about Tyler Miller a guy around the age of 17 (I think) who wants to stand out; be noticed for once in his life. So because of a dare he vandalizes school property and, to pay for his crime, takes a summer job doing landscaping. And by all the hard work through the long hot Summer gets a new body and a nice tan as well. So with his new looks he gets everything he always wanted; everyone knows his name, he popular and has the attention of everyone around him. He gets him self into all sorts of trouble through no fault of his own and not even his parents are on his side. But with his fame and popularity, he realises the grass isn't always greener on the other side.
The ending for this book like the title states gets really TWISTED, so i won't try to explain it, if you want to know what happens in the end, you should read the book
This book /story is about Tyler Miller a guy around the age of 17 (I think) who wants to stand out; be noticed for once in his life. So because of a dare he vandalizes school property and, to pay for his crime, takes a summer job doing landscaping. And by all the hard work through the long hot Summer gets a new body and a nice tan as well. So with his new looks he gets everything he always wanted; everyone knows his name, he popular and has the attention of everyone around him. He gets him self into all sorts of trouble through no fault of his own and not even his parents are on his side. But with his fame and popularity, he realises the grass isn't always greener on the other side.
The ending for this book like the title states gets really TWISTED, so i won't try to explain it, if you want to know what happens in the end, you should read the book
Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman
so i was in the library needing something to read and i mean i really needed something because i hadnt read a new book in over a week i was kinda just a little stressed and books kinda like destress me. and anyway the librarian was all like this is a really good book, so many recomedations and blah blah blah saying how good it was. personally i dont see why.
the book is written from two points of view callum and sephy. the world is ruled by the crosses-blacks and the underclass is white-noughts.
Sephy
real name: Persephone
age: 14
class: Cross
sephy is the daughter of a famous, most powerful man in the country. her parents are on the edge of divorce, her mum taken to the bottle and her sister never wanting to talk to her.
Callum
age: 16
class: nought
callum is the youngest son of a L. M. soilder, a rebel against the cross government. his sister disturbed from an event in her past, his brother joining the L.M and his mumslowly losing everything she has.
sephy is in love with callum but she knows it will never work. theyve been best friends forever and because of theyre classes they can never be together. callum has been accepted to go to sephys cross school but is soon kicked out because of what he does when he has actually done nothing. callums dad sets a bomb in the mall and when he finds out he runs to save sephy. because cullums dad is part of L.M he is tried and found guilty and then hung. jude joins the L.M and so does callum because he thinks sephy doesnt love him anymore. sephy goes away to this boarding school which sounds very boring. callums cell is ordered to kidnap sephy and then that happens and callum gets caught and hung and sephy finds out that she is pregnant with callums child.
i dont really like this book because well i just dont find it interesting and its too unreal and yeh. im not racist or anything but its doesnt work with black ruling white. i think the story line is a bit out there and all. i would give this book a 4/10 because it is written well but i just do not like it.
warning book contains racist and sexual themes
jacqui <3
the book is written from two points of view callum and sephy. the world is ruled by the crosses-blacks and the underclass is white-noughts.
Sephy
real name: Persephone
age: 14
class: Cross
sephy is the daughter of a famous, most powerful man in the country. her parents are on the edge of divorce, her mum taken to the bottle and her sister never wanting to talk to her.
Callum
age: 16
class: nought
callum is the youngest son of a L. M. soilder, a rebel against the cross government. his sister disturbed from an event in her past, his brother joining the L.M and his mumslowly losing everything she has.
sephy is in love with callum but she knows it will never work. theyve been best friends forever and because of theyre classes they can never be together. callum has been accepted to go to sephys cross school but is soon kicked out because of what he does when he has actually done nothing. callums dad sets a bomb in the mall and when he finds out he runs to save sephy. because cullums dad is part of L.M he is tried and found guilty and then hung. jude joins the L.M and so does callum because he thinks sephy doesnt love him anymore. sephy goes away to this boarding school which sounds very boring. callums cell is ordered to kidnap sephy and then that happens and callum gets caught and hung and sephy finds out that she is pregnant with callums child.
i dont really like this book because well i just dont find it interesting and its too unreal and yeh. im not racist or anything but its doesnt work with black ruling white. i think the story line is a bit out there and all. i would give this book a 4/10 because it is written well but i just do not like it.
warning book contains racist and sexual themes
jacqui <3
The Last Shot by Allan Baillie
Ok umm I wasn't sure if the review was due today or not because not much people has posted, no-one has reminded me and Ms Comer can't log on, but anyways just to be sure....
I chose this book beacause the cover was a guy with a basketball and the story was about basketball, my favourite sport. It was about a teenage boy named Steve who moved to a new school and he is very talented at basketball. The whole story was set in just one game which was his first basketball game in his new school. The main structure of each chapter was 4-7 paragraphs with the paragraphs alternating between the game that was going on and his secret past and the reason why they moved. Each chapter revealed his past bit by bit which was a good way to keep the reader wanting to read more. Steve's father had a dangerous job and was caught up in the problems which was why they had to move to the extent of changing their names. At first the story was quite confusing but as you read on more things gets revealed and the story gets much clearer. The story was very interesting and I would still recommend it to those who don't know much about basketball because it didn't really focus on basketball but the past of Steves family. I would give this book a 7/10 because it was interesting but I didn't really enjoy it.
I chose this book beacause the cover was a guy with a basketball and the story was about basketball, my favourite sport. It was about a teenage boy named Steve who moved to a new school and he is very talented at basketball. The whole story was set in just one game which was his first basketball game in his new school. The main structure of each chapter was 4-7 paragraphs with the paragraphs alternating between the game that was going on and his secret past and the reason why they moved. Each chapter revealed his past bit by bit which was a good way to keep the reader wanting to read more. Steve's father had a dangerous job and was caught up in the problems which was why they had to move to the extent of changing their names. At first the story was quite confusing but as you read on more things gets revealed and the story gets much clearer. The story was very interesting and I would still recommend it to those who don't know much about basketball because it didn't really focus on basketball but the past of Steves family. I would give this book a 7/10 because it was interesting but I didn't really enjoy it.
Point Blanc by Anhony Horowitz
This book is the second book in the 'Alex Rider' series. It is about Alex Rider, a boy who is being recruited for the MI6. They have recruited Alex to go undercover and investigate the sudden deaths of billionaires. Each one of these billionaires had a son attending 'Point Blanc', a school in the French Alps. Alex goes undercover as Alex Friend, the son of Sir David Friend who is the boss of a supermarket. He is sent to Point Blanc to see if Dr Hugo Grief, a scientist who is at Point Blanc, is behind these deaths. There is a lot of action parts and Alex a some pretty cool spy gadgets he has to use to uncover the true secret about Dr Grief and his associate Mrs. Stellenbosch. During the book there will be a part about Alex discovering that Dr Grief has been cloning the students to become no longer rebellious and very obedient.
If you haven't read he first book 'Stormbreaker' don't start this one until you have read Stormbreaker. This is a great book to read if you are into adventure or spy books.
If you haven't read he first book 'Stormbreaker' don't start this one until you have read Stormbreaker. This is a great book to read if you are into adventure or spy books.
A Crack in the Line by Michael Lawrence
Alaric is a 16-year-old boy living a miserable life. 2 years ago, his mother died in a horrific train crash and he still hasn't gotten over the loss and has been living a lonely life ever since. One day, while looking through through his dreary, unkempt mansion known as the Withern Rise, he finds his mother's folly, a miniature model of their house which she made before her untimely death. When he touches it, however, he is transported to an alternate version of his reality. There he meets Naia, a girl who seems to have taken his place in this parallel world. They were as alike as any two people of the opposite sex can be. They also live the same life, with one major difference: Naia's mother survived the accident. The two then work together to solve the mysteries of the events occuring, travelling to each other's world through the folly.
The book is the first book of the Aldous Lexicon trilogy. I found it to be quite exciting, but very confusing at times. It was very interesting and I liked the story. It left the story with a cliffhanger and I got really curious on what will happen next. The author shows us how things are under different circumstances and describes how choices and actions can change our lives forever.
I'll give it an 8.75/10. I liked the book. 'nuff said.
-jØseph
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Pretty Things by Sara Manning..
I first chose to look at this book because I like pretty things and the title was glittery and the cover had a some daisies on it. Don't get me wrong though, I think this could still be a good read for boys. It is very much a love story but it is unlike any I've ever read before.This story is told through the point of view of four different people. It can be slightly confusing at times but at least they all meet up a lot so it's not like there's four different stories.
It is necessary to introduce you to those characters. The people are:
Brie - She is a bit like a Barbie doll. She wears tons of make up, tight jeans and high heels and isn't the smartest but she is a really sweet girl. She feels she can hardly eat anything because if she does her mum tells her she is a pig and no one will ever love her. She is in love with Charlie.
Charlie - Charlie dresses like an indie/emo hybrid. He is smart, into theater and extremely gay. He is so lovely and he and Brie have been friends since forever. He knows Brie is in love with him but he cannot return those feelings for her. He is in love with Walker.
Walker - He is a player, he wasn't very respectful to the girls he dated in the past. He is in love with Daisy who is a tomboy and isn't anything like the girls he usually dates.
Daisy - She has a girlfriend, she is not a main character. She acts very tough but she has a crush on walker at the same time.
It's basically all about their relationships and their very different lives.It's well written and at the start of each chapter there is a quote from a song, I enjoyed looking some of them up.This book is special because you can kind of see how everyone has a different life and how relationships do actually shape us. They affect the way we see the world and how we see ourselves.
*Warning: If you are not comfortable reading about sexuality and some sexual references this book is not for you.
9.5/10
It is necessary to introduce you to those characters. The people are:
Brie - She is a bit like a Barbie doll. She wears tons of make up, tight jeans and high heels and isn't the smartest but she is a really sweet girl. She feels she can hardly eat anything because if she does her mum tells her she is a pig and no one will ever love her. She is in love with Charlie.
Charlie - Charlie dresses like an indie/emo hybrid. He is smart, into theater and extremely gay. He is so lovely and he and Brie have been friends since forever. He knows Brie is in love with him but he cannot return those feelings for her. He is in love with Walker.
Walker - He is a player, he wasn't very respectful to the girls he dated in the past. He is in love with Daisy who is a tomboy and isn't anything like the girls he usually dates.
Daisy - She has a girlfriend, she is not a main character. She acts very tough but she has a crush on walker at the same time.
It's basically all about their relationships and their very different lives.It's well written and at the start of each chapter there is a quote from a song, I enjoyed looking some of them up.This book is special because you can kind of see how everyone has a different life and how relationships do actually shape us. They affect the way we see the world and how we see ourselves.
*Warning: If you are not comfortable reading about sexuality and some sexual references this book is not for you.
9.5/10
Sunday, June 5, 2011
The Tomorrow Code by Brian Falkner
Hi miss comer :)
sorry i just put the review up now , i only finished the book last night. Sorry .
Anyways, this book is a sci-fi/action/adventure/mystery book which kinda confused me at the start but i eventually found it easy to read. This book follows the adventures of best friends Rebecca Richards,Tane Wiliams and Tane's older brother Harley "Fatboy" Williams. For me, i didn't really like this book coz it was a sci-fi one which is the one that i dislike coz its not very realistic for me. soryy guyss ., lol :P
Anyway, this book wasn't all bad, its actually kinda good in terms of plot and plot structure, it starts with Tane and Rebecca finding secret messages in what is called "Swift" data (which really confused me) and they soon discover that they are messages from the future and the people that sent them were themselves!! i thought this was a really nice move by the author to get the story up and going with some mystery and suspense. by the way , the book is divided into two parts THE CHIMERA PROJECT and THE LONG WHITE CLOUD which both link together (theyre not separate books) haha. So, moving on, the best friends study more about the Swift data and begin to decipher the messages and they find out that the messages tell them something and they are all things that will happen to them. So i thought if that was the end of the story coz i already know whats gonna happen but no. Tane and Rebecca find that the messages are actually true when they win lotto and used the money to buy a submarine which is what the future Tane and Rebecca told them to. Fatboy (Tane's brother), is dragged into this plan and eventually plays a major part leading into the climax of the play. So the three of them get into an alliance with the NZ special forces when the world starts to be attacked by a misty and foggy like substance which is why i really disliked this book coz its not a tiny bit realistic in terms of the world ending by an attack of fog. i thought that, WHY WOULD THE WORLD END BY BEING ATTACKED BY FOG????? this is what really put me off coz everything in the story was realistic except for the fog part. i dont mean to give this book a bad name but its just not my cup of tea. its actually a good structred book i just didnt like the plot coz im not into science books. by structure, i like how the author linked the parts of the book together and introducing new characters each time and how each character is mentioned throughout the book like how Rebecca's mum is mentioned and her mum is linked at the end of the story where she gets worried about Rebecca. I found this book confusing at times coz of the scientific terms, but i think a science loving person would really enjoy this book coz it talks quite a bit about science and stuff so yeah. But anyways, the friends end up trying to save the world by being attacked by what is called the MIST along with the NZ special forces and the story ends with the populaton of humans in Auckland being halved and Fatboy ends up dying for his brother which i though was really brave for him considering the fact that they always argue (like most brothers) lol . and as for Tane and Rebecca, they survive in their little yellow submarine that they bought form thei lotto winnings and they discoer again that they can change their future by re-writing the messages that they sent themselves and correct what they did wrong and they realize that they can just keep doing that again and again. i really found this confusing and like i said before, im not really into books like these so yeah . but overall, i give it a 7/10 i strongly reccomend this book if ur into science :] please comment :]
Vince Exconde
sorry i just put the review up now , i only finished the book last night. Sorry .
Anyways, this book is a sci-fi/action/adventure/mystery book which kinda confused me at the start but i eventually found it easy to read. This book follows the adventures of best friends Rebecca Richards,Tane Wiliams and Tane's older brother Harley "Fatboy" Williams. For me, i didn't really like this book coz it was a sci-fi one which is the one that i dislike coz its not very realistic for me. soryy guyss ., lol :P
Anyway, this book wasn't all bad, its actually kinda good in terms of plot and plot structure, it starts with Tane and Rebecca finding secret messages in what is called "Swift" data (which really confused me) and they soon discover that they are messages from the future and the people that sent them were themselves!! i thought this was a really nice move by the author to get the story up and going with some mystery and suspense. by the way , the book is divided into two parts THE CHIMERA PROJECT and THE LONG WHITE CLOUD which both link together (theyre not separate books) haha. So, moving on, the best friends study more about the Swift data and begin to decipher the messages and they find out that the messages tell them something and they are all things that will happen to them. So i thought if that was the end of the story coz i already know whats gonna happen but no. Tane and Rebecca find that the messages are actually true when they win lotto and used the money to buy a submarine which is what the future Tane and Rebecca told them to. Fatboy (Tane's brother), is dragged into this plan and eventually plays a major part leading into the climax of the play. So the three of them get into an alliance with the NZ special forces when the world starts to be attacked by a misty and foggy like substance which is why i really disliked this book coz its not a tiny bit realistic in terms of the world ending by an attack of fog. i thought that, WHY WOULD THE WORLD END BY BEING ATTACKED BY FOG????? this is what really put me off coz everything in the story was realistic except for the fog part. i dont mean to give this book a bad name but its just not my cup of tea. its actually a good structred book i just didnt like the plot coz im not into science books. by structure, i like how the author linked the parts of the book together and introducing new characters each time and how each character is mentioned throughout the book like how Rebecca's mum is mentioned and her mum is linked at the end of the story where she gets worried about Rebecca. I found this book confusing at times coz of the scientific terms, but i think a science loving person would really enjoy this book coz it talks quite a bit about science and stuff so yeah. But anyways, the friends end up trying to save the world by being attacked by what is called the MIST along with the NZ special forces and the story ends with the populaton of humans in Auckland being halved and Fatboy ends up dying for his brother which i though was really brave for him considering the fact that they always argue (like most brothers) lol . and as for Tane and Rebecca, they survive in their little yellow submarine that they bought form thei lotto winnings and they discoer again that they can change their future by re-writing the messages that they sent themselves and correct what they did wrong and they realize that they can just keep doing that again and again. i really found this confusing and like i said before, im not really into books like these so yeah . but overall, i give it a 7/10 i strongly reccomend this book if ur into science :] please comment :]
Vince Exconde
A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
A Walk to Remember is a story about love, life and hope. A reminder to all of us that miracle can actually happen. This is a great novel and if you’re the sentimental type, you’d probably cry at certain parts in the book.
Set in Beaufort, North Carolina, in the 1950s, A Walk to Remember tells the story of 17-year-old Landon Carter, who learns to live life differently after meeting Jamie Sullivan. Initially, Landon is the kind of guy who cares too much about what people think of him. But when Jamie comes into the picture, he only cares about being with her. Things are looking up for Landon, until Jamie drops a bomb that changes their lives forever.
This book has taught me a lesson that with love and support you can go through anything. I will give this story a 9/10 and recommend that everyone should read this book and trust me you won’t regret it.
“Love is like the wind. You can't see it but you can feel it.”
Friday, June 3, 2011
Alfie The Werewolf: Full Moon by Paul Van Loon
I enjoyed reading this book! The plot was simple yet entertaining. This book is actually part two of the Alfie The werewolf series but I didn't even notice that it was until halfway into the book because the author did a very good job with not confusing those who haven't read the first book.
The story was about a young boy Alfie who turns into a werewolf everytime it is a full moon. Yea, yea i know you might think that these kinds of stories are so repetitive and predictable but just keep on reading and its actually quite fun too read. Alfie goes to a school trip without his friend Tim (whose family adopted Alfie) beacause Tim was ill. A problem with the calendar causes Alfie to not realise that he was going to turn to turn into a werewolf during the trip, which is the main dilema in the story. Paul Van Loon does a good job with leaving cliff hangers at the end of each chapters wich makes you want to keep reading. The only problem was that the titles of the chapters on the top of the page kind of gave away what was going to happen. Just when you think all of Alfies secrets were going to be revealed to his whole class, the author makes a very believable and convincing save. I wanted to point this out because in many books and movies I watch, when it is up to the part of the climax and there is a big problem then suddenly it gets solved in an unconvincing and crazy way and you think to yourself 'Wow that is so dry! how is that even possible!' and the whole story just gets ruined (I know you might hav no idea what I am on about but it is hard to explain).
So anyway I enjoyed this book very much and I probably would have enjoyed the plot more when I was younger but then i also probably wouldn't have been able to realise the good things the author did if I am younger. I would give this book a 8.75 out of 10 and would recommend this book to 12 year olds.
ps. Im sorry for being a day late:)
The story was about a young boy Alfie who turns into a werewolf everytime it is a full moon. Yea, yea i know you might think that these kinds of stories are so repetitive and predictable but just keep on reading and its actually quite fun too read. Alfie goes to a school trip without his friend Tim (whose family adopted Alfie) beacause Tim was ill. A problem with the calendar causes Alfie to not realise that he was going to turn to turn into a werewolf during the trip, which is the main dilema in the story. Paul Van Loon does a good job with leaving cliff hangers at the end of each chapters wich makes you want to keep reading. The only problem was that the titles of the chapters on the top of the page kind of gave away what was going to happen. Just when you think all of Alfies secrets were going to be revealed to his whole class, the author makes a very believable and convincing save. I wanted to point this out because in many books and movies I watch, when it is up to the part of the climax and there is a big problem then suddenly it gets solved in an unconvincing and crazy way and you think to yourself 'Wow that is so dry! how is that even possible!' and the whole story just gets ruined (I know you might hav no idea what I am on about but it is hard to explain).
So anyway I enjoyed this book very much and I probably would have enjoyed the plot more when I was younger but then i also probably wouldn't have been able to realise the good things the author did if I am younger. I would give this book a 8.75 out of 10 and would recommend this book to 12 year olds.
ps. Im sorry for being a day late:)
Thursday, June 2, 2011
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
The Lightning Thief is the first book of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians pentalogy written by Rick Riordan. I read this book a long time ago and decided to write a review about it after reading the graphic novel, which wasn't as wonderful as the novel since it had a 'darker' and more serious feel to it. I also forgot borrowing a book last week, soo, sorry miss. Anyway, this book is one of my favorite books because of the awesome link to ancient Greek mythology, the really cool story and, as I mentioned on a previous post, the 'fantasy in modern time' type of book.
The story is all about a 12-year-old boy named Perseus Jackson who is diagnosed with Dyslexia and ADHD. After discovering that he is a demigod (half-man, half-god), he is sent to a camp where all demigods, or half-bloods, are trained. During a game of capture the flag, he was revealed to be the son Poseidon, The Lord of The Seas, which was a big deal because he was a son of The Big Three (which are Zeus, Poseidon and Hades) which made him more powerful than most half-bloods, but there was a possibility that he would be 'The Chosen One', a prophecized child of the Big Three who is said to have the power to manipulate the destiny of Olympus on his/hers16th birthday. Percy was then sent to a quest to redeem himself after being accused of stealing Zeus' Master Bolt. Together with his best friend, Grover the satyr (half man, half goat) and Annabeth, a daughter of Athena, The godess of wisdom, they go on a journey to find The Master Bolt and also search for Percy's 'missing' mother.
The story was very well written in a fast-paced manner. It was very humorous and I thought that it was educational as well, teaching readers all about Greek mythology. The book was very fun to read, especially with all the monsters, gods and other mythological stuff. I give it a 9/10 because I really liked the story and I thought it was very entertaining.
Postscript: I found the novel waay better than the movie or the graphic novel because the adaptations are just, well, disappointing to be honest. There were major changes and it just didn't feel as good as the original, but they weren't bad. I would also suggest the whole Percy Jackson series to anyone who likes fantasy or adventure.
peace out!
-jØseph
SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT : Playing with Fire by Derek Landy
awkay yes, this is a second review, but I wanted to write a book review on this book and I realised that there wasn't a review for the first book, so I thought, what the hey, I've read the first book, might as well write a review for it :)
This book is filled with just as much action as the first book. Now there are a lot of characters so I'm going to cut it down.
Skulduggery Pleasant : Book 2
A year later Stephanie Edgley, now known as Valkerie Cain, has learnt to control fire and air. She isn't the best at it but she has a few tricks up her sleeve. She is still working with the skeleton detective, Skulduggery Pleasant.
So this bad guy named Baron Vengeous escapes from prison and is determined to bring back "The Faceless Ones" (Evil gods). Vengeous has this thing called the Grotesquery, which is a creature. This creature has parts of other creatures eg hell hounds .. but it also has parts of a Faceless One. Vengeous believes the Grotesquery will open up the gate to bring back the Faceless Ones. Of course the Grotesquery isn't alive .. yet. To bring it back to life, Vengeous needs two things. One being the armour of this guy named Lord Vile, which they have to find, and the other ingredient is unknown to them.
So while Valkerie and Pleasant try to stop Vengeous. They get themselves into a lot of fights, of course Vengeous hires people to stop them.
The second ingredient happens to be the blood of Valkerie (she's descended from the "Ancients" - enemies of the Faceless Ones .. kinda like the Good gods). She is caught and the Grotesquery is brought back to life ...
Valkerie Cain and Skulduggery Pleasant have a lot to deal with. In this book there are many fights and a lot more going on that I haven't mentioned (I cut a lot out).
eg While Valkerie Cain is out with Skulduggery all day every day, you would think she missed school BUT her reflection is taken out of the mirror and replaces her in real life while she is out fighting crime. Cool huh, and when she comes back home the reflection goes back into the mirror. She touches the mirror and all the things that her reflection experienced in that day will be put into Valkeries head, like she experienced it herself.
Anyway the book doesn't end there of course.
I really, really, really enjoyed this book. The characters are still the same, and there are more characters who have awesome powers of there own, more fighting and yes, more jokes. Again this book, like the first, is fast paced, kept me reading and laughing. Would give this book a 8.9/10 :p .. for those who like books that are filled with action, cool magic tricks and funny jokes.
aww and I'm half way through the third book . YAY ME !
This book is filled with just as much action as the first book. Now there are a lot of characters so I'm going to cut it down.
Skulduggery Pleasant : Book 2
A year later Stephanie Edgley, now known as Valkerie Cain, has learnt to control fire and air. She isn't the best at it but she has a few tricks up her sleeve. She is still working with the skeleton detective, Skulduggery Pleasant.
So this bad guy named Baron Vengeous escapes from prison and is determined to bring back "The Faceless Ones" (Evil gods). Vengeous has this thing called the Grotesquery, which is a creature. This creature has parts of other creatures eg hell hounds .. but it also has parts of a Faceless One. Vengeous believes the Grotesquery will open up the gate to bring back the Faceless Ones. Of course the Grotesquery isn't alive .. yet. To bring it back to life, Vengeous needs two things. One being the armour of this guy named Lord Vile, which they have to find, and the other ingredient is unknown to them.
So while Valkerie and Pleasant try to stop Vengeous. They get themselves into a lot of fights, of course Vengeous hires people to stop them.
The second ingredient happens to be the blood of Valkerie (she's descended from the "Ancients" - enemies of the Faceless Ones .. kinda like the Good gods). She is caught and the Grotesquery is brought back to life ...
Valkerie Cain and Skulduggery Pleasant have a lot to deal with. In this book there are many fights and a lot more going on that I haven't mentioned (I cut a lot out).
eg While Valkerie Cain is out with Skulduggery all day every day, you would think she missed school BUT her reflection is taken out of the mirror and replaces her in real life while she is out fighting crime. Cool huh, and when she comes back home the reflection goes back into the mirror. She touches the mirror and all the things that her reflection experienced in that day will be put into Valkeries head, like she experienced it herself.
Anyway the book doesn't end there of course.
I really, really, really enjoyed this book. The characters are still the same, and there are more characters who have awesome powers of there own, more fighting and yes, more jokes. Again this book, like the first, is fast paced, kept me reading and laughing. Would give this book a 8.9/10 :p .. for those who like books that are filled with action, cool magic tricks and funny jokes.
aww and I'm half way through the third book . YAY ME !
Girls Under Pressure by Jaqueline Wilson
I came across this book the last time we were in the library and decided to read it because it seemed interesting. I would give this book a 7/10 and recommend it to anyone who likes a series of short stories. (This is the second in the series by the way..)
The book is mainly about a girl called Ellie and her two best friends Magda and Nadine. They've been friends for a while, but as Ellie is growing up she starts to notice herself more, and she doesn't like what she sees.
"Glamorous blond Magda has got a thousand cute boys buzzing around her, and Goth girl Nadine has just been asked to take part in a national teen modeling contest."
Ellie feels left out and so unimportant, and because of one girl calling her 'fat' stars to see herself that way. She knows she's always been a little bit bigger than her friends, but it's never really bothered her before. However now that someone else has notice she gets into panic mode and tries several crash diets....
I liked the fact that in this book all three girls seemed so different and if it was real life, probably wouldn't get along, but somehow it works in this story. Through their friendship they help each other out and are there for the other two, when everything comes crashing down.... for all of them.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT by Derek Landy
awkay sooo .... this is the first book in the "Skulduggery Pleasant" series (five books in the series .. i think).
Stephanie : 12 yr old girl, living an ordinary, boring life
Skulduggery : a live skeleton detective, with a sense of humour
Skulduggery Pleasant : Book 1
This book starts off with the sudden death of Stephanie Edgley's uncle, Gordon. The book doesn't say much about Gordon. All we know is that, he was a writer who wrote about a world full of magic, filled with trolls, vampires etc. Through his books he became a very rich man. He lived in a mansion and he loved Stephanie with all his heart.
Soo .. its time to find out whats in Gordon's will. Stephanie and her parents head to the solicitor's office. Everyone is eager to find out what was left for them but they cannot start because one person is missing, mr SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT. Finally he arrives. Stephanie is left with Gordon's mansion and Pleasant is left with a little poem (which helps him later on in the book).
Stephanie heads to the mansion with mum. Mum leaves and isn't able to come back. Someone breaks into the mansion and SURPRISE, Pleasant comes to the rescue. Here, Stephanie finds out that Pleasant is a walking, talking skeleton, alive yet dead.
Pleasant explains that him and Uncle Gordon were the best of friends. She finds out about the world of magic that shes been living in all this time, and Gordon's books he wrote were based on true stories. Someone was after something that belonged to Gordon and Stephanie was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
After realising how boring her life is compared to the life where magic exists, Steph wants to join Pleasant and become his partner (you know, cause hes a detective). Pleasant cant get rid of her.
Stephanie finds out that Pleasant does 'elemental' magic. Meaning he is able to control air, water, fire and of course earth.
And the awesomeness begins ..
Sooo Stephanie and Skulduggery have to fight the bad guy, and try to save the world.
Skulduggery is a funny character, very sarcastic and loves to make jokes. Stephanie, a 12 year old girl is more mature than Pleasant. These two together can make anyone laugh. One of the many things I loved about this book. Though the beginning of the book is a bit slow it jumps straight into action, and you won't want to put the book down (I didn't). Would give this book a 8.9/10 (in my top ten fave book list). Loved this book because the characters have a mind of their own. I enjoyed the characters, story line and everything else in this book.
Would recommend this book to those who need a laugh and aren't too serious. For those 9+ (that's what it said at the back of the book :p ) .. maybe even for those smart 8 year olds out there :p
ooohhh and Steph changes her name to VALKERIE CAIN .. why? need to read the book :)
Stephanie : 12 yr old girl, living an ordinary, boring life
Skulduggery : a live skeleton detective, with a sense of humour
Skulduggery Pleasant : Book 1
This book starts off with the sudden death of Stephanie Edgley's uncle, Gordon. The book doesn't say much about Gordon. All we know is that, he was a writer who wrote about a world full of magic, filled with trolls, vampires etc. Through his books he became a very rich man. He lived in a mansion and he loved Stephanie with all his heart.
Soo .. its time to find out whats in Gordon's will. Stephanie and her parents head to the solicitor's office. Everyone is eager to find out what was left for them but they cannot start because one person is missing, mr SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT. Finally he arrives. Stephanie is left with Gordon's mansion and Pleasant is left with a little poem (which helps him later on in the book).
Stephanie heads to the mansion with mum. Mum leaves and isn't able to come back. Someone breaks into the mansion and SURPRISE, Pleasant comes to the rescue. Here, Stephanie finds out that Pleasant is a walking, talking skeleton, alive yet dead.
Pleasant explains that him and Uncle Gordon were the best of friends. She finds out about the world of magic that shes been living in all this time, and Gordon's books he wrote were based on true stories. Someone was after something that belonged to Gordon and Stephanie was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
After realising how boring her life is compared to the life where magic exists, Steph wants to join Pleasant and become his partner (you know, cause hes a detective). Pleasant cant get rid of her.
Stephanie finds out that Pleasant does 'elemental' magic. Meaning he is able to control air, water, fire and of course earth.
And the awesomeness begins ..
Sooo Stephanie and Skulduggery have to fight the bad guy, and try to save the world.
Skulduggery is a funny character, very sarcastic and loves to make jokes. Stephanie, a 12 year old girl is more mature than Pleasant. These two together can make anyone laugh. One of the many things I loved about this book. Though the beginning of the book is a bit slow it jumps straight into action, and you won't want to put the book down (I didn't). Would give this book a 8.9/10 (in my top ten fave book list). Loved this book because the characters have a mind of their own. I enjoyed the characters, story line and everything else in this book.
Would recommend this book to those who need a laugh and aren't too serious. For those 9+ (that's what it said at the back of the book :p ) .. maybe even for those smart 8 year olds out there :p
ooohhh and Steph changes her name to VALKERIE CAIN .. why? need to read the book :)
Crispin : The Cross Of Lead by AVI
Awesome book :3 i got it in 2007, and i've read it 3 times already. it's the first in the Crispin trilogy, and is a children's book. which i think is strange, because even though the words and spaces are printed pretty big, the author uses slightly sophisticated language. anyway. i'll get on to it ~
This book is set in England in 1377. It's about a peasant boy living in the small village of Stromford,whose mother had just died, and has never met his father. In a turn of unfortunate events, he is framed for stealing from the village's church and the only person he could ask for help from, was killed. He then runs away in hopes of finding a new and safe place to live. Stumbling upon an old and abandoned village, he meets an large, intimidating juggler named Bear. He was then kind of pushed into accompanying Bear, as he had given him food. Along the way the boy learns a great deal about himself and the world - who he really is, what his name is, what Bear hides from him and a lot more.
This was a really good book in my opinion, although it was kinda hard summarizing the whole story .. i'm not even sure why i read it so many times, it was just really interesting. The words used to describe the main character's thoughts and observations were very sophisticated. And i liked how the story was also based on historical facts during that point in time.
I've also read the 2nd book in the trilogy. The first is still better i think.
I'd recommend this to anyone looking for something different to read. this gets a 7 and a half out of 1O from me.
^^
This book is set in England in 1377. It's about a peasant boy living in the small village of Stromford,whose mother had just died, and has never met his father. In a turn of unfortunate events, he is framed for stealing from the village's church and the only person he could ask for help from, was killed. He then runs away in hopes of finding a new and safe place to live. Stumbling upon an old and abandoned village, he meets an large, intimidating juggler named Bear. He was then kind of pushed into accompanying Bear, as he had given him food. Along the way the boy learns a great deal about himself and the world - who he really is, what his name is, what Bear hides from him and a lot more.
This was a really good book in my opinion, although it was kinda hard summarizing the whole story .. i'm not even sure why i read it so many times, it was just really interesting. The words used to describe the main character's thoughts and observations were very sophisticated. And i liked how the story was also based on historical facts during that point in time.
I've also read the 2nd book in the trilogy. The first is still better i think.
I'd recommend this to anyone looking for something different to read. this gets a 7 and a half out of 1O from me.
^^
Why Weeps the Brogan? by Hugh Scott
I was trying to straighten out the book shelf in my favorite library and I found this lovely book. Although very small, this book was super interesting. It really kept me wanting to read it until the last page and it had a very 'familiar' feel to it. It's funny because I myself read a lot of reviews about this book after reading it myself and everyone else thought it was boring. Oh well, I loved it.
The only thing I can tell you about the plot is that the main characters in the story are Gilbert and Saxon. They are two children who are trapped in a museum infested with spiders. They have to feed a mysterious Brogan, they hate it so. They do not know anything of the world outside the museum, they are considering trying to break out.
That's all I can tell you without completely spoiling the story.
I give this book a 9/10.
It's kind of strange but I thought the characters were charming and I would read the book again in the future.
<3
The only thing I can tell you about the plot is that the main characters in the story are Gilbert and Saxon. They are two children who are trapped in a museum infested with spiders. They have to feed a mysterious Brogan, they hate it so. They do not know anything of the world outside the museum, they are considering trying to break out.
That's all I can tell you without completely spoiling the story.
I give this book a 9/10.
It's kind of strange but I thought the characters were charming and I would read the book again in the future.
<3
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