Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah

So I was going to Christchurch one year ago and my flight was delayed. Jetstar. Gosh. Anyway so I bought a book at whitcoulls in the airport. I had been recommended it by many friends and so I deemed it suitable to get. I read for roughly 2 hours waiting for my flight. I was in love with Chinese Cinderella.

This is a real story about a real girl how was oppressed because she survived but not her mother.

Yen Jun-ling lived her whole life being told she was bad luck and feeling unwanted only because her mother died when giving birth to Jun-ling. She was one when her father remarried to a young European, Niang. Her name was then changed to Adeline.

Aunt Baba looked after Adeline for as long as she could protect her from the loneliness and from feeling unwanted. Adeline always knew it was her fault mama was dead but being in constant reminder that she was gone by Lydia (her elder sister) and her brothers made life hard. She was used like a servant being given nothing in comparison to her siblings and especially her half brother and sister. Niang's children.

So pretty much the story goes like this: Adeline was in primary at St. Josephs and she was very good. She never told anyone about what her life was like at home. She was told to keep up the façade of the perfect family. One day her friend invites her to a birthday party and everything is broken. She is disgraced in front of her friends and her parents don’t care they well endorse this type of injustice. They move away and life gets harder. Outsiders see what they want to see and even though they know they sit with it. It’s sick. Adeline stood up for her half sister and was punished no one ever stood her. One day a friend brings ducklings and all the children get one. Adeline’s is called precious little thing. Plt for short. She loves her duckling and it’s her only friend. One day her father says their dog is doing well in obedience classes and they should test it out with a duckling. Her older brother chooses Plt because he knows if anything happens to Plt it will not be at fault. Plt was attacked and soon died.

There was some sort of war going on. I’m not really sure but Adeline was left in a convent school all alone, forgotten in the heart of it. Luckily her aunt remembered and she was taken back to her family. Even though this sounds like a happy ending it wasn’t. Adeline was still shunned and was treated like an outcast.

This is a heart touching story and for anyone who reads it will feel the pain that Adeline felt. I give this book a 10/10 because it was so amazing, the pain comes alive and you feel like you are with her being treated unjustly. At this time many children were also left in convents because they were simply worth nothing to their parents.   Amazing absolutely amazing just the horrific unjustness people gave because of superstition and belief that wasn’t even justified.

OVER A THOUSAND HILLS I WALK WITH YOU by Hanna Jansen

Hutus killing Tutsis in Rwanda. The Rwandan genocide. Two different tribes, both from Rwanda, turn against each other.
When Belgians went over to Rwanda they chose those with better features and named them the Tutsis (12%) who were 'upper class' with the Hutus(82%) being 'lower class'. Hutus were looked down on and they (not all) wanted to wipe out the Tutsis.


.. This book is about an 8 year old girl named Jeanne, who survives the Rwandan genocide and is the only one in her family that survived..

Jeanne 'aka' Dede, and her family - Florence (mother), Ananie (father), older brother Jando (11) and younger sister Teya (6) - are Tutsis.
Like many Tutsis, they are wealthy and live a good life.
After news breaks out that the president of Rwandas plane was shot down by Tutsi rebels on the journey to sign a peace treaty with them, hell slowly breaks loose.
Hutus then start hunting down Tutsis. They are on the run along with many other Tutsis, and start seeking safety.
Not knowing exactly what was happening, Dede grabs everything she can and leaves with her family.

There isn't a destination in mind but anywhere away from the war is where they are heading, and that happens to be the community center where other Tutsis are staying. Soldiers attack the center and Dede looses every member of her family, one by one. Firstly is her mother, who is taken away by soldiers. Second is her father who she doesn't see after he locks the children into a room and leaves to look for help. Little Teya gets trapped in a building that gets blown up and Dede watches Jando get beaten to death.
She watches people die in front of her, running in every direction. She hears people yelling, crying, calling for loved ones, explosions and guns being fired, but mourning for her loss is the last thing on her mind, all she wants to do is escape.

During this slow and painful journey Dede has to adapt to a new way of living. Coming by food or anything edible was a blessing, having a shower with a cloth and bucket was how you were cleaned (if you got lucky) and realising that every man was for himself.

The author Hanna Jansen took Dede in after the Rwandan genocide. Dede helped Hanna write the book which to me, makes it more real. In the beginning of every chapter Hanna includes a few paragraphs about Dede after the war.. eg ..
'For days you've been wandering sleepless all night, you say. Because of horrible pictures from your memory that assault you in your dreams.
You don't want them. You resist. You weep. You sink ever deeper while you try to survive the night. The next day. While you try to act as if nothing were wrong.
Today, finally, you called me.
You should call me. Always, whenever things get to this point again'

Before I read this book I had no information on the Rwandan genocide. Now I feel like I know to much. I was taken on a journey with Dede and it was like an inside view of the genocide. Not only was Dede effected by this event, but many more were and weren't as lucky to be able to get back on their feet.

Would recommend this book to those who are interested in the Rwandan genocide or those who want to learn more. Would give this book an 8/10 :)

Out of Bounds by Beverley Naidoo

This book doesn't contain one, but seven short stories of people living during and after the apartheid. The seven stories are in chronological order from 1948-2000, one story in each decade. They are seperate stories from one another but each are told in a young persons point of view on a traumatising moment in ther life during or after the apartheid. The main social justice issue in all of the stories is the racism and segregation towards the black people in Africa, for example how the boy's family in the second story 'The Noose' were forced to move far away from Johanesburg to Coronationville because the Boers wanted the city to be 'all whites'. The issues oppressed the black people to live seperate lives from the whites and the coloureds just because of skin colour and race. There was a timeline at the back of the book which summarises the apartheid and which I enjoyed very much because I don't really know much about the apartheid. The stories made me feel quite sad but the characters made me feel more determined to seek social justice and peace. The authors purpose in writing the stories is to inform young readers about the lives of people in Africa and what they suffered. I enjoyed this book very much because I learned a lot about the apartheid, South Africa and because it made me think about young people who are less fortunate than me. I would give this book an eight out of ten and would recommend it to an age level but especially teenagers.

Krystyna's Story By Halina Ogonowska-Coates

'As a child I loved my mother but she seemed different from other mothers. She didn't know how old she was. She couldn't remember where she was born. I wondered what had happened to her that she could have forgotten such important things. It had something to do with the Second World War...'


Krystyna is one of 732 Polish children who survived forced deportation to the Soviet Union. Her story begins in a peaceful Polish village and follows her family's journey to a labour camp in Siberia, one by one, Krystyna saw her family die around her (excluding her father who had already been set off to fight in the war).

This book took me into the reality of warfare. There were so many brutal events that took place , that it has made me realise how cruel some people can be, and how lucky we are to have the things we take for granted. Also i felt really sorry for Krystyna and how she had to face things alone. I don't think I could have survived what she went through. I got the impression her mother was going crazy, and she kind of abandoned her daughter. It was really heartbreaking to read how all she wanted was for her mother to hold her and tell her it would be okay, she always tried to please her and help her, but was always kept at a distance and shown no love.

I give this book a 7.5/10, i think it was a really well written book, but do not recommend it to anyone who does not like a sad book or something that might make them tear up.

Ties the Bind, Ties that Break by Lensey Namioka

This book was pretty good. At first I thought I wouldn't like it, because it wasn't about romance. And to be honest, I had no other better choices of books that had to do with social justice. I would give this a 7/10 because it was pretty good and kind of inspirational.

It is basically about a girl named Ailin who is in an upper-class Chinese family. The book starts when Ailin is around 5 years old and she still hasn't gotten her feet bound. At first I didn't get what it meant by 'bound feet' and I always had to refer back to the start to see if I forgot anything that made the story not make sense. Well anyway, 'bound feet' is like having white cloth bound around your feet(tightly) so it won't grow way to big. 'Bound feet' is what only GIRLS get because they are thought to be the ones to stay home, cook , clean and look after children. So Ailin rebels against it at age 5. Which only leads to bad consequences. Her marriage proposal to Hanwei is broken off by his family because of her 'unbound feet' but Hanwei actually likes Ailin which I find sad because the children have no say in anything. Ailin's only support is her Father ; who allows her to have 'unbound feet' and also lets her goes to a public school with the "Big Noses" (The foreign people) . But after her Father dies, her uncle is now the head of the family and he is the more strict one. He stops Ailin from going to the public school, which makes her sad. 'Big Uncle' annouces that his intentions are to give her to another family as the second son's concubine(his two wives have not given birth to a son). Ailin rejects this future and goes to work as a nanny for American missionaries. At the age of 16, she takes the missionarie's offer to take her to America with them to look after their children. On the way to America she meets a Chinese-American man who greatly admires her courage and independence. She marries him shortly after her arrival and they open a restaurant in Chinatown (A restaurant that succeeds partly due to the hard work she does while standing on her "two big feet"

This story strikes me as sexism. Mainly because females are the ones that have the most rules to follow, while the males just go to school, get a good job and get married. In my opinion I don't like how girls have to get their feet bound just because they're the ones that 'stay home'. Ailin is an inspirational character because she rebels against something she actually doesn't want to do and at such a young age which makes it even better and makes me feel like she's a strong minded girl. Ailin makes me think that I can go for what I believe in, even though I'm hated for it because one day I might be as strong as Ailin. I also don't like how the children's choice is totally neglected just because the girl's feet aren't 'bound' . I understand how it is culture and everything, but sometimes, culture can be very harsh and there will obviously be people that want to stand up for their rights; which is what Ailin did. I mean, what's wrong with having 'big feet'? . Many people have big feet, but they are great people today and I don't see what the big fuss is about. Please don't get me wrong. I respect what they have to say, but this is just my opinion. So NO HATE .

Yeah, I'd recommend this book to any around the ages 12-15 . Not a very big book, would probably be read in a few hours.

The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

This book is not one that I would normally read or even like for that matter, but after receiving it from a friend I couldn't put it down. And when I found out that we would have to review a book dealing with social justice I immediately thought of this book, as I was in the middle of it.
Well this book is about 13 year old Kyra Leigh Carlson, who is told she is to marry her 60 year old uncle, (who already has six wives) because God has said so. She lives with her Father, her three Mothers and 20 siblings (with 2 more on the way) in a small compound, with the Chosen ones, a polygamous group, 50 miles from the nearest town. Their lives are controlled by the prophet and his “visions” from God. In the past they all could visit the town as much as they liked, but since the new prophet came into power, everything has changed and they have become more and more secluded from the rest of the world; from Satan. They have not only been banned from the outside world other than essential needs but they have also been banned from reading about it. Yeah, that’s right; books there have been banned and burned in a fire called the cleansing. They can’t read anything but the Bible. And they have been getting deeper and deeper in a twisted religion with violence taking center stage. Where to get to heaven men had to marry and have a minimum of three wives and women have no rights, other than to marry the men chosen for them and bear children.
But Kyra has been sneaking out at night and meeting Joshua, the boy she has fallen in love with and then there’s also her weekly visits to the local bookmobile. Through these visits she starts to see the world outside her own and wonders how the whole world could be wrong, and just the 100 or so people inside her world be right. Slowly she starts to realize that things in their little compound is changing and not for the better. And any of the young adults who stand up and do anything about it are punished (beat up, sent away or killed) and set as examples to others who think of doing the same.
With her life and the ones she loves at risk, what should she do? Marry her uncle or escape her destiny? But how can she hurt the ones she loves? She has to make a choice and follow through as there are no second chances and the repercussions are deadly.
The whole time while reading this book I couldn't put it down. But at the same time I want to throw this book across the room and just scream at the characters (the prophet mostly). This book is amazing, powerfully chilling, and like I said earlier; hard to put down. I’m sure it will stay with me throughout my life, as the story weather true or not showed me a whole new side of things. Because at the end of the day there are small groups like this all around the world, and there are hundreds of girls who have been through the the same thing and many more who are dealing with things like this today. I would recommend this book to anyone and I give this book a 10/10. This book is definitely one of my favorites.

the braided path: the weavers of saramyr by chris wooding

in this story society is ruled by a blood emperor or empress who is elected by all other noble families to rule saramyr. the nobles all communicate and command with the use of the weavers strange masked beings that have the power to manipulate the fabric of reality.

the weavers declare that the growing blight upon the land is a threat and any child who is born twisted or develops magical abilities is an aberration and must die.

this book makes use of many brilliant ideas that tell us what politics of the past must have been like because even though it is a fiction story behind every lie is a grain of truth and this book shows how ruthless people become when they are afraid of an on coming threat.

through the eyes of kaiku the main character who is an aberrant we see just how far people in charge can go when the pressure is on as she evades imperial guards, scared peasants and even monstrous demons sent by the weavers to exterminate her as she uncovers there secrets one by one.

this book had many twists and turns as the viewpoint quickly changes from kaiku to the nobles and from rebels to the weavers. the descriptive sentencing and explanation of the world around them is what sold this book to me. i recommend it from the library if you are looking for a challenge as all three books are there as one but be warned that it is an adult fiction book and less experienced readers may be overwhelmed.

Prisoners in the Palace by Michaela MacColl

People SPEAK of love at first sight but don't necessarily know what it is unless they have felt it.......well I know the feeling. I was totally drawn to this book at first sight, the cover was just..well...shiny? It was an ugly cover in my opinion but i guess you could say a unique look and no doubt was the content.

I've always loved English accents! and admit to imitating/ mimicking them when I'm really bored or just for fun...pretty awesome that the dialogue is written in the accent. So anyway this tale is based in 1838 London and is a historical, half fiction and non-fiction story. I find it incredibly amazing how I loved this story although I don't quite fancy HISTORY-even the word sounds boring -.-

I’ve never really read anything about Queen Victoria and I really don’t know much about her, so I was intrigued with the story. After the book I did a little research on Queen Vicky :) and felt pretty cool in a nerdy way of-course.

Anyway... Liza, a 16 year old girl whose parents die in a crushing accident and don't leave her any inheritance, is in a rough Europe where girls like her only have one way to go. Even though she is classed a lady, to pay off her debts she takes the position at Kensington Palace as Victoria’s personal maid. Or rather, she is the Nancy Drew spy on the Duchess (her idiot mother) and the evil sir John. Liza is thrown from the life of high society she is used to, to the world unnoticed/ghetto world of the servants. Learning to keep ahead of her employers and determine her own fate. She acts the part and does what she is told, but she is really....actually looking out for herself and Victoria.

I thought Liza’s character was AwEsOmE. In the beginning she's a complete big headed SNOB!!!, you can’t really blame her... some might say?? she was used to being a lady not a maid. The girl grows up and figures out that life doesn't always go your way...ya know?? so wake up and smell the....well not so much roses. She secretly hopes to earn Victoria’s favor so that one day Victoria might renew her to being a proper lady. She’s clever and headstrong and has a clear head on her shoulders or neck?. Though some of her actions were undeniably selfish , it only errrm mystified her more. She did regret stuff and it just made her more human. She genuinely cared for people and tried her best to do right by them. To help ensure information for Victoria (I swear she’s like a quadruple spy) she enlists the help of Inside Boy and a young newspaper printer Will. If I’m not wrong I believe that Inside Boy is actually based on an actual person, and I found his character very WACKY and funny.

And Will......ahhhh Will. I just loooove the name Will. Probably one of my all time favorite guy names (unless of course you like Will Smith…a little too old though) He’s a working guy/man or whatever making a living with what he loves, complete with inky fingers, messy blonde hair and a rough on the edges and easy going personality. Typical case of OPPOSITES ATTRACT . they are very different from each other, but find they both share the same values and really connect. Plus there is the fact that there was almost a whole year between their first meeting and when their romance actually blossomed. For once a REAL believable time line for two people falling in love! HURRAY!!! They met, they got to know each other, they sorted out their true feelings, didn't rush into anything, and when it was clear they both felt the same for each other then it all came nicely together. Just PERFECT! Made me so happy but jealous!

How about DEARY Vicky??? I thought she was sooo gall-able and um hello? stupid?? A spoilt princess is more fitting now isn't it?? and pretty ideal too. I just did not under stand how someone could be that demanding and just NOT CARE! well I couldn't stand her at first but realised it was the influence of her greedy mother instead who just wanted her money and to please the evil man she was...I think the word was smitten with? Victoria did mature in the end and smartened up with the help of Liza. Her feisty Baroness ( more mother like nanny) always looked out for her and that truth hit Victoria later on in the story.

So much in this story is AWE-SPIRING (by the way...for those who don't know Awesome and Inspiring) The thing this book does that I love is, that it has made me want to learn more about Queen Victoria. I think that is a sign of a successful book because its rare for me to WANT to do that. LOVE, hate, LIKE, dislike: reading or history, whether you cant or don't read please give this book a shot!! so much more hidden in the story so READ it!! I rate this book a 9.9 and anyone can read it. =D

Stanley Yelnats Survival Guide to Camp Green Lake by Louis Sachar

Great and unique book! But before I carry on on how awesome this book is can someone please tell me why some peoples post on this blog doesn't show anything?O.O? Thanks.

Ok so as the title says, this book is a survival guide on how to survive in Camp Green Lake, it doesn't have one basic story that it focuses on, it's about Camp Green Lake in general and many different things and topics in Camp green Lake and how to survive in it. This book is very closely related to the book 'Holes' which many of my friends and teacher praises and talks about frequently and tells me to read it. I really should have read Holes before this book because it would give me background and information on what Camp Green Lake really is and the story behind the character that wrote the survival guide, Stanley Yelnats. I highly recommend reading Holes first before this book but if you are like me who is stubborn, you would still understand the setting of the camp and woudn't get confused. So Stanley (as Jan and Dj have told me), is a teenager who was in Camp Green Lake, which is a concentration camp in Texas where young boys would have to dig holes daily for some reason, the first thing that Stanley told me is to not to ask too many questions(so I guess I have to read Holes to find out why they have to dig these holes). This book is set out like a real survival guide and talks about different people and their personalities, rattlesnakes, tarantulas, lizards and many other things you need to know to survive through Stanleys eyes. But it is still set out in chapeters. It has a slight humour, which I enjoy very much and has questions once in a while which tests you about everyday things that happen in Camp Green Lake such as what to do if you see a tarantula or what are you supposed to do if your water bottle gets punctured. This is a very fun way to entertain readers.

This book was very interesting and different to most books. As I said, you would still understand the book even if you havn't read Holes because the author did a very good job in not getting you confused but at the same time not telling you too much so that you would crave to read holes. The survival guide was made by Stanley after the happenings in Holes so it would probably be better off to read Holes first. I would rate this book a 9 out of 10 and would reccomend it to almost every age level (8 and up) and would highly recommend it to those who have read Holes.

Villain.net- Counsel Of Evil By Andy Briggs

Now this is a four book series, and this is book number one. But there is another series that is sort of like he enemy to this series called 'Hero.com' and is also a four book series.
Okay this book is basically about a bully, Jake Hunter, who no one want to get on his way except for Pete from 'Hero.com'. He gets asked if he wants to conquer the world through an email. It invites him to join Villain.net, he accepts and a whole new world opens up to him, a world full of villains that is. He is then meets a fiend Basilisk, who with Tempest (a friend from Hero.com) wants to bring down 'The Counsel Of Evil' who is behind the notorious Villain.net.
So I have to tell you to read this book (and the rest of the series of course =p) (and Hero.com as well) and I think if you enjoyed this little summary thing, then the real thing will definitely be absolutely much better. ENJOY!

Clarity by Kim Harrington

CLARITY by Kim Harrington

Horrendo's Curse by Anna Fienberg

Soo i've had this book since i was in year 5, after getting an award. hehe. at first i thought i'd hate it, but it's such an entertaining read. i've read it about 3 or 4 times now.

Mmkay so the story's about Horrendo - a boy who is cursed at birth, only being able to say kind words to other people. the thing is, he is raised up in a seaside town where people manners were completely horrendous, no one bothered to say "please" or "thank you", and kids at school were taught curses and oar throwing. reason being ? every autumn, a ship full of horrible, thieving pirates would invade the town to loot whatever they could, and took twelve year old boys with them to do their dirty shipwork for them.

So whenever a boy would turn twelve, it was pretty much a funeral for them, and the boys would have almost no hope. all but one - Horrendo. being such a nice boy who had never thrown an insult at anyone, he was optimistic and thought of a way to escape his fate. (hahaha Escape the Fate ...) he made his very first friend when he announced his plan, but when the pirates came and his plan was just about to work for him, his friend gets captured and he has no choice but to get to the ship and try to save him. obviously that doesn't work, so he ends up being taken away by the pirates, along with the other twelve year old boys.

There's soo much more that happens in the story but i don't wanna ruin anything. that was basically just the start of it so yeaah.

I loved this book, the plot got intense and funny and heartbreaking at so many parts. it's just such an entertaining read, reason being why i've re-read it quite a few times.
The characters are pretty awesome too. Horrendo's got such a loveable personality, the boys he was captured with were quite funny, as were the pirates on board. except the captain. he was just ew.

So yeah i'd give this an 8 and a half out of 1O, and i'd recommend it to just about anyone looking for a good read and an awesome storyline.


Churr :3

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

I really enjoyed reading this book as it gave me a whole new perspective on life itself. I learnt many things through the amazing characters in this book, who I grew to love and even seemed to miss after reading the book. I give this book a 9/10 and would recommend it to anyone our age.
This book is about the story of a girl named Terra Rose Cooper, who has the most amazing body anyone, can imagine, but that's not why people always give her a second look. She has a port wine stain that takes up the whole left side of her face (that’s basically a large birth mark on her face). She has had her life completely mapped out from a young age. She's going to finish high school go to a far away college and then get a job as far as possible from home, away from her family and where no one knows her story. That's until she meets Jacob (and his adoptive family) through him she finds her voice, she finds herself, she finds the meaning of true beauty, and in the end she finds love...

Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse

Hi guys ., :D
So this is the third book in the Percy Jackson series and as I have said before, its an awesome series and this book emphasizes it more!

So the book still follows Percy Jackson (son of Poseidon), Annabeth Chase (daughter of Athena), Grover Underwood (satyr) and Percy's cousin Thalia (daughter of Zeus) whom the gang met at the last page of Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters. But this time., a new twist is added, Percy makes 4 new friends. Nico and Bianca di Angelo(siblings), I'd watch out for Nico if i were you., he's tricky., loLzz ., Zoe Nightshade(lieutenant to Artemis), and of course, Artemis herself(goddess of the Hunt). So i thought this was a good start since they all met in one chapter but i also found this kinda borign coz well, mainly, they've already met! so i thought the book was over but noooo. The author introduces the biggest twist so far. Annabeth gets KIDNAPPED and Artemis gets loast.

I was so shocked at this point coz a heroine and a goddess getting kidnapped? wow! but it just gave the reader something to look forward to and this marks the beginning of Percy's adventure. So the everyone back in Cmap Half-Blood go haywire and decide that the heroes go on a quest but unfortunately, Percy does not originally get picked for the quest while Grover, Thalia, Zoe, Bianca and Phoebe(Hunter). However, something "happened" to Phoebe therefore Percy goes by default. xD
I won't tell anymore of the plot coz its gonna ruin it but thats where their adventure starts and let me tell you., theres MORE twists and turns as you read on. :D

So this book, i really liked coz of many reasons:
First- how the author ends off each chapter. Its so cool and how it always leaves the reader shocked or leaves them thinking which makes me read on. hehehe. its a very unique feature in all the books so far even the fourth one(which im one)., xD

Second- its like Harry Potter(but i like Percy Jackson waaayyy betteerrr though) in a way that the adventures flow together. What i mean by this is unlike the Alex Rider series, he goes on a new adventure each time and sometimes it doesnt link back to the other book which is kinda gay because its good in a sequel to refresh the reader of what happened in the last book and this series does exactly just that. Especially in this book coz theres heaps of stuff thats happened in the past two books so it would be pretty hard to summarise the first two but somehow, this book actually refreshed me of what happened in the first two which in my opinion i found a very good feature because it helps the book flow from one adventure to the next. I also liked how the author summarised the book through a few chapters and not just crammed it into one. Coz i imagine its going to be really confusing when youre reading about the first two books in the third one so yeahhh.

In terms of plot, its really exciting coz Percy's former friend Luke, is growing stronger and building a huge evil army of demons and monsters which gives Percy 3 adventures in one book. He has to save Annabeth, Artemis AND defeat Luke !! awesome right ?!!?!?! trust me guys ., this series is AWESOME !!! read them in order though ., otherwise you wont get it., hehehehe.,

Please comment :D
Vince Exconde

The Hardy boys 'Dead on target' by Franklin.W.Dixon

this is one action thriller packed book!!!

it is awesome azzzz!! yes i know the hardy boys a classic old book but you have to give credit to the author for a super cool book.

Frank and Joe hardy are with their girlfriends and some mates in the mall helping in a political campaign. when Joe Hardy's girlfriend goes to the car park and gets blown up, her and the car. the Hardy's start questioning. and to their help a secret agent named"the gray man" who tells them this was an attack intended for the boys to give a warning to their detective father Fenton hardy. this is the work of the 'assassins"!!! yes i know assassin creed the video game into a book. even better. the book talks about how traitors and disguised cops as assassins and going overseas and working with an organisation called the 'network' who continuously helps them by their agent "gray man". having to be involved with gangs and all that!!

this book however is alright but i recommend this to people who loves an action, thriller and obviously mystery book. and a person who is interested in assassin Creed the video game.

plot rating 10/10

character rating 8/10

overall rating 9/10

this book i have

ranked as the third best not as good as the hunger games and hobbit but this classic should fill up a mind any day!!

The Hardy boys 'Dead on target' by Franklin.W.Dixon

The Juliet Club by Suzanne Harper

I found this book in the library and was instantly carious, seeing the title and front page. So I then read the blurb and I was completely hooked.
Well this story has six main characters (the story is told through all of them), who, in turn are thrown together and are facing many different things when it comes to Love. They all have to attend a month long seminar on one of William Shakespeare’s most famous plays. Romeo and Juliet. In no other place but where the star crossed lovers supposedly met. So “In fair Verona where we lay our scene. . .” These six teens meet, three are from America, and the other three are from Italy.
(The Americans:) Kate: she is a very practical and sensible person who has recently got her heart broken and has sworn of off love forever. She comes to the seminar looking to immerse herself in studies and explore this beautiful city (she’s there with her dad who is a Shakespeare scholar and who is the enemy of the woman running the seminar).
Lucy: she is a charming, cheerful Southern girl who is completely swept away by the fact that she is in Italy!
Tom: He is not much of a scholar–his main interest is soccer. He is mostly there so that he can have a chance to play football in Italy.
(The Italians:) Giacomo: He is the handsome type all the girls fall for, but he never really cares about any of the girls. He flirts, has fun, breaks their hearts, and moves on. He is less than thrilled about having to study Shakespeare all summer, but his mother insists (his mother is the one running this seminar).
Benno: He is short, friendly, and a hard worker who always has to dash off to run an errand for whoever pays him.
Silvia: She is an intense, beautiful, and lashing out at the world for various reasons that we find out throughout the story. She is the one who starts everything off in the story, as she is just looking for trouble.
Arriving on the first day of class they expect to spend their summer studying the play, but to their surprise they are told they have each been signed up to become volunteers in the Juliet Club, a group that receives letters from people of all ages, from all over the world asking Juliet advice about LOVE.
And of course spending the summer in a city as beautiful as Verona, romances will bloom, opposites will attract and all six of them will learn that the course of true love is never one, which runs smoothly.

I think this book is a really good book but in saying that, considering the story line, could have been an amazing read if only it was described in a lot more dept. like I said at the start the story is told through all six of them and because there are so many of them it's almost like the story isn’t completely finished and the characters are real, because if it had maybe focused on one them, instead of jumping from one person to another it would have been better. But if you find the book interesting from what I have said, I would encourage you to give it a go because at the end of the day it is still a really good book to read. I would give this book a 9/10.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I just really loved reading this book.



Charlie first appears to be a quiet, strange and unpopular boy. He is left friendless as a result of his best friend committing suicide a year earlier. One day he befriends two seniors called Sam and Patrick and they, along with their friends, introduce him to a whole new life. They expose him to new music, true friendship, drugs, sex and more complicated relationships.

This story is told through a series of letters that Charlie writes to an anonymous person. This helps us really see his way of thinking. This is a coming of age story, however it is unlike any I've ever read. I believe this is because Charlie seems so real, so likable and I think he is also really sweet.

It took me less than two hours to read. Despite the fact that it was a fairly short book, I have remembered it long since the first time I read it.

10/10 - It's everything I want in a book.