The Lightning Thief

The Lightning Thief
Rick Riordan
Hyperion

Perseus Jackson is more related to his namesake then he ever thought possible. While on a field trip to a museum of ancient Greek mythology strange things start to happen. Percy's algebra teacher turns monstrous and Percy has to fight for his life. But that's just the beginning. A vacation with his mom to the coast turns deadly and Percy is forced to go to a summer camp like none he'd ever even heard of. He trains with swords and Greek armor and consults mummies for prophecies. Soon, however, Percy discover's his origin and the adventure of his lifetime ensues.

WARNING: Killing and violence with monsters (who aren't really alive in the first place and can't really die).

Personal opinion:
I loved this book! I couldn't put it down. It's such a fun, great story. The mood is light and engaging and the writing is exciting and easy to follow. It really is just a fun book. Rick Riordan is a great story teller. I would recommend this book to absolutely everyone.

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Inexcusable

Inexcusable

Chris Lynch

Simon Pulse

Kier is the average high school kid. He wants the same things everyone else does. Then he cripples an opponent on the football field and suddenly becomes famous, or rather infamous. Everything is turning out right for him. He has friends, a great family, and he's really close to getting the girl of his dreams. Then things get a little skewed. When his two sisters can't come to his graduation, he seeks the help of his dream girl. Everything turns sour overnight and Kier is forced to face the consequences of his actions, no matter how horrible they might be.

WARNING: Swearing, rape, drinking.

Personal opinion:

I thought the story line was absolutely brilliant and I think this is a perfect book to teach the concept of a unreliable narrator. But I really didn't like the writing. I was bored with a lot of it. Maybe it was just the mood I was in and the fact that it's the end of the semester and my brain is tired, but it took me a really long time to get through just because I didn't like the writing. Maybe I'll have to read it again when my brain is fresh.

Other books by Chris Lynch: Freewill, The Big Game of Everything, Sins of the Fathers, The Gravedigger's Cottage

Godless

Godless

Pete Hautman

Simon & Schuster

After growing up in a home with a devout Catholic father, Jason Bock decides he wants a different god. But his god is a little unusual. Jason gets his best friend as well as three other schoolmates to join his church of the Ten-Legged One, or water tower. They make their own commandments and their own scripture. But there can be dissenters even in the smallest religious sect. Jason finds himself battling his parents, the community, and his best friend over a belief that he's not even sure he takes serious. What starts out as an innocent summer adventure turns into something that will change Jason's life forever.

WARNING: A few swear words and, obviously, questioning the power and existence of God.

Personal opinion:
When I first started reading, my thoughts ran along the line of "wow this is kinda sacrilege" but after awhile I realized that it really isn't. It was actually interesting to delve into the mind of someone who really questions a religion he's grown up with. Sure, Jason worships a water tower and that is a little weird, but it goes a lot deeper then that. I don't think that Jason was worshipping a water tower, he just didn't want to worship the god that everyone else was. It was interesting and, after mulling it around in my brain for awhile, I actually liked it.

Other books by Pete Hautman: Doppelganger, Drawing Dead, Hole in the Sky, Invisible

Stardust

Stardust

Neil Gaiman

HarperTeen

Tristran Thorn lives on the border of a magical world. While attempting to woo the girl of his dreams a star falls from the sky. Willing to do anything, Tristran promises to bring her the fallen star in exchange for whatever he desires. She agrees and Tristran sets off for an adventure full of mystical creatures, competitions for crowns, and evil witches with selfish desires. When the time comes for Tristran to get whatever he desires, he realizes that what he desired in the beginning is entirely different from he desires now.

WARNING: Swearing and grotesque descriptions of death to people and creatures. One intimate scene.

Personal opinion:

I'm having a hard time forming an opinion about this book without bringing the movie into the picture. I saw the movie first so I was constantly comparing the two. They were very different, but both were good. The book was a lot more violent then I expected but the plot was interesting and captivating. The narration and writing were different then anything I'd read before; they were kind of mysterious. The whole tone brings you into the land of "faerie" and makes everything seem pretty real. The writing was great, the story line was good, but I didn't fall instantly in love with it because the ending seemed rushed and felt incomplete.

Other books by Neil Gaiman: Coraline, American Gods, Neverwhere, The Graveyard Book

Wintergirls

Wintergirls

Laurie Halse Anderson

Viking 2009

Lia is anorexic. She's been treated for it already, but when he best friend dies from her own eating disorder, Lia turns back to her old ways. Her heart surgeon mother never has time to really listen to her, and her dad pretends like nothing's wrong. Lia finds a friend in her younger stepsister, but it's not enough to make her leave her disorder behind. When Lia begins to be haunted by her dead friend, she goes too far. If Lia doesn't get away from her obsession, she may find herself not worrying about every having to eat, or breath, again.

WARNING: Swearing, dramatic self-esteem issues, self cutting. Extremely depressing.

Personal opinion:

I absolutely hated reading this book. It was so depressing and made me sick inside. But it's shockingly realistic. I would recommend this book to any teenage girl because it throws eating disorders right in your face and you are forced to deal with it. Like I said, it was super depressing, sad, and not a "feel good" book, but I would venture to say that it's necessary for any teenage girl to read.

Other books by Laurie Halse Anderson: Speak, Catalyst, Prom, Twisted

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The Endless Steppe

The Endless Steppe
Esther Hautzig

HarperCollins 1968

Esther and her family are Polish Jewish people, caught in the middle of the German/Russian invasion of Poland in the beginning of WWII. The Russians capture the Rudomins (Esther's family), not for being Jews but for being capitalists. The Rudomins find themselves cramped into a cattle car on a train for two months only to arrive at a gypsum mine in Siberia. Not long after being there, however, the German's invade Russia and Russia is forced to ally with Britain and therefore Poland. So the Polish deportees are granted amnesty. A true autobiography, Esther tells the story of her family after the hardships of confinement and slavery are over and their struggle for survival in the middle of nowhere.

WARNING: Death and famine from war.

Personal opinion:

I really liked this book. I've read a lot of war books about people and their trials during their confinement, but not after. It made me realize that people had it just as bad and were just as prone to die "free" after their release. It's extremely realistic, obviously, with very unfortunate occurances, but it's a beautiful story and it's written like Esther Hautzig was sitting right in front of you telling her story to your face. It also adds another aspect to WWII that isn't heard about much, at least for me.

The New Policeman

The New Policeman

Kate Thompson

Harper Teen

After discovering the truth to a mis-told piece of family history, J.J. Liddy grows even closer to his mother and her ancestry. Now he's determined to get her what she asked for her birthday: more time. After letting a family friend in on the secret, J.J. discovers himself suddenly thrust into a world that only existed in traditional Irish folktales, not in real life. Although he's looking for more time in Tir Na nOg, J.J. discovers a lot of things about himself in the search.

WARNING: Throughout the book there is a fatally injured dog, the injury somewhat graphically explained, that cannot die because time does not exist in its world. For dog lovers like me, it's sad but manageable. One or two swear words.

Personal opinion:

I really enjoyed this book, all except for the whole injured dog thing. It was a mystery and had a ton of musical undertones that completely fascinated me. It was a really quick read and was hard to put down. It's got good morals and is a great story, you can't go wrong.

Other books by Kate Thompson: The Last of the High Kings, The White Horse Trick, The Alchemist's Apprentice