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

Touching Spirit Bear

Touching Spirit Bear

Ben Mikaelsen

Harper Trophy 2001

Cole is out of control. His temper rules his actions. But when he nearly beats a kid to death, it's the final straw. While the court determines whether to try him in adult court or keep him in juvenial, his probation officer suggests one final attempt to help Cole change: Circle Justice. Circle Justice is a form of justice practiced first by Native Americans and involves more than punishment, it involves change. So when Cole gets banished to an uninhabited island in Alaska for a year to help him figure his problems out, he plans to simply run away and never be heard of again. But the island, and a rare Spirit Bear, have another plan for Cole.

WARNING: Some gruesome details involving a bear attack and trying to survive as an invalid on a deserted island, i.e. eating strange and revolting things. Minimal swearing.

Personal opinion:

When I first picked up the book, I was very much not excited to read it. I really dreaded it because it wasn't my type of book. But as I started reading it, I was almost instantly drawn in. The story and the characters were completely interesting. My favorite part about the whole book was the end. One of the main things in the book was learning to manage your anger, and after I read the last sentence, I was very angry! But then I laughed because it was brilliant. Despite this book being something I never would have picked up on my own, I learned a lot about myself and really enjoyed it.

Other books by Ben Mikaelsen: Ghost of Spirit Bear, Countdown, Red Midnight, Tree Girl

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Number the Stars

Number the Stars

Lois Lowry

Yearling

Annemarie Johansen isn't a jew, but that doesn't mean she isn't affected by their "relocation" during WWII. When the Nazis begin moving Jews out of Denmark, Annemaries best friend, a Jew, comes to live with the Johansens to excape capture. Ellen, and now the Johansens, are faced with increasing danger every day. The more-than-willing Johansens struggle against the Nazi soldiers to free their friends, but their attempts seem hopeless against those spit-shined boots.

WARNING: War violence, obviously, but it's not too graphic.

Personal opinion:

This has always been a book that's been on my "to read" list, but I'd never gotten around to it until now. And that is extremely unfortunate because it is really good. It's super short and easy to read, but it's packed with meaning and emotion. It pulled me right in and made me believe that not all was lost during the extermination of the Jews. It was beautifully and historically sounds, a must read for really anyone.

Other books by Lois Lowry: The Giver, Gathering Blue, Messenger

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

The Disreputable History of Franki Landau-Banks

E. Lockhart

Hyperion 2008

Frankie is a sophmore in a prestigious boarding school where no one remembers her because she finally changed over the summer from awkward to gorgeous. But her mind has also changed. She is no longer the innocent little girl that she used to be. When her hot new boyfriend startes keeping secrets from her, her mind turns to mischief. Not accepting her lot as the innocent and compliant girlfriend, Frankie devises a plan to show the world that she has a mind as good as anyone elses and that she knows how to use it.

WARNING: Minimal swearing and talk of sex. One Halloween scene concerning the female anatomy was a little obscene (this is the scene E. Lockhart reads in the following clip).

Personal opinion:

I can't lie, I was disapointed with this book. When I read what it was supposed to be about, I was really excited for it. But it turned out not be as cool as I originally thought. It was still good, just not as good as I hoped it would be. I think that the feminist ideas in the book were forced. They didn't go along with the storyline. For example, Frankie gets offended at a seemingly sexist statement that I am still trying to figure out how is offensive. I think that Lockhart could have gotten the same point across without odd little moments like that. But it was fun and easy. I was just expecting something other then what it was.

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The Captain's Dog

The Captain's Dog

Roland Smith

Harcourt 1999

The story of Lewis and Clark is a fascinating one, but it's made even more fascinating in this book because it's told from the perspective of Captain Lewis' dog, Seaman. Seaman tells his story of the Corps of Discovery while Captain Lewis' journal is being read by firelight. The book is set up so that a journal entry is read, then Seaman tells his memory of the event. It took a while to get used to the format but once I did, I really enjoyed myself. The events that Seaman talks about, however, or short and sweet, sparing in details. But it was written that way on purpose, to get the reader to want to learn more about the Corps of Discovery. This book is a great start for anyone interested in the adventures that Lewis and Clark had.

WARNING: There is one disturbing scene with the starving Shoshone indians who are so hungry that they eat the raw guts from a deer. Naturally, there are some hardhips described, like sicknesses and physical ailments, even some killing, that aren't super pleasant, but really aren't that bad.

Personal opinionLike I said, it took a while to get used to the format of the book, but once I did, I liked it. It was like reading a compilation of a bunch of short stories so it was really easy to pick up, read a few stories, then put it down again. The stories are kind of like teasers that make you want to go research to Corps of Discovery and find out more. It's a great book to get young readers involved in their country's history.

War Is...

War Is...

Marc Aronson and Patty Campbell

Candlewick Press 2008

This non-fiction collection of war stories and experiences is a must read for anyone considering the military. Stuffed with stories from different wars, including the war in Iraq, this is so sugar-coated piece of candy. It's serious and it has a purpose. It exposes war, and all it's aspects, for what it really is. Though the authors clearly have their opinions about war, I would venture to say that the actual book is neutral, just presenting the facts.

WARNING: Lots and lots of violence and swearing. Not for the faint of heart. There was one story in there that i felt was completely unnecesary called "Tough." I would not recommend reading that particular story. Also, if you have a particular problem with the f-word, "Letter to a Young Enlistee" would not be a very good one to one, although I felt that one at least a a good point.

Personal opinion:

I thought that was almost the most informative book I've ever read. But it scared me. Do people really know what their getting into? There was one absolutely beautiful entry from a miliblog about supporting the troups that absolutely EVERYONE needs to read, rather they are supporters of war or not. It's really great. But if you have ever wondered what really goes on, this is the book to read.

Elephant Run

Elephant Run
Roland Smith
Hyperion Books for Children

Nick Freestone has lived all over the world: Burma (present day Myanmar), United States, and England. When the bombing starts in London during WWII, Nick's mother is forced to send him to live with his father back in Burma, thinking it will be safer. She is sorely mistaken, however, when a few days after Nick arrives the Japanese take over his father's teak plantation and turn it into a Japanese headquarters. Nick's father gets sent to a labor camp while Nick is forced to stay and work on the colonel's garden. The situation soon becomes life-threatening and Nick has to leave Burma, with his father, to survive. The decision wasn't a hard one to make, but getting to India is a whole other story.

WARNING: There are a few swear words and minimal descriptions of war crimes and hostile conditions in the labor camps.

Personal opinion:
After I read Peak, I really wanted to read another Roland Smith book so I chose this one and loved it. I liked it even more than Peak. The inner conflicts that Nick has seem so realistic and the way his story is told is really great. Smith is a great story teller. His books seem to be extremely accessible, but not lacking in meaning or moral. Definitely one of my new favorites.

Other books by Roland Smith: Sasquatch, I.Q., Zach's Lie, Jack's Run

Peak

Peak

Roland Smith

Harcourt, Inc.

Peak, a fourteen-year-old boy, has been raised mostly in New York City by his mother and stepfather with his twin half sisters worshipping the ground he walks on. Peak is a climber. His parent's are climbers, too, and that's why he hasn't seen his biological father in years; he's too busy making a name for himself climbing prestigious mountain ranges. Obviously, prestigious mountain ranges are scarce in the middle of New York so Peak resorts to climbing skyscrapers instead. But then he gets caught and the concequences could mean jail until he turns 18. Instead, his dad swoops in and offers to take Peak out of the country until then and the judge agrees. What no one else knows, however, is that Peak's father plans to put Peak on the summit of Mount Everest during that time. Although the surface story line is about the struggles of climbing the tallest mountain in the world, Peak finds himself facing a whole lot of other life changing challenges.

WARNING: One or two swear words and mild descriptions of ailments involving severe mountain climbing, involving seeing corpses along the way.

Personal opinion:

Um, this was a REALLY great book. It didn't have some mind-boggling hidden meaning or anything like that, but the story line and the morals were absolutely amazing. Smith puts Peak in situations that are so frustrating but by the end of the book, you are in complete awe at the way Peak chooses to handle them. I'm still in awe at how simple and yet profound the last few chapters were. Once again, you don't have to go digging to find what Smith was trying to say, it's a surface read, but amazing nonetheless. Great book for readers who are reluctant or just don't enjoy it too much, or really for anyone else. It was easy and catchy and I loved it.

Other book by Roland Smith: Jack's Run, Cryptid Hunters, Zach's Lie, The Last Lobo, Thunder Cave.

There's a Girl in My Hammerlock

There's a Girl in My Hammerlock

Jerry Spinelli

Aladdin Paperbacks

Maisie Potter is definitely the athletic type, but definitely not the girly type. So why is she so surprised that she doesn't make the cheerleading squad? Of course, the only reason she really wanted to be a cheerleader was so she could impress Eric Delong. So when the winter sports come along, instead of her usual basketball stardum, Maisie goes out for the wrestling team. For something that started as just a way to get closer to a guy, being the first girl ever on their school's wrestling team turns into a whole lot more then that. Maisie finds herself the brunt of many jokes and even causes a few parents to pull their kids off the wrestling team. Maisie soon realizes that she has dished herself a lot more then she cares to have.

WARNING: There are a few swear words and one scene where the coach is teaching a move called the crotch ride and makes the team repeat the word over and over and over until they are no longer afraid to perform the move on Maisie.

Personal opinion:

I thought this was a great book for showing the importance of self-image and sticking to your guns. I liked the book all the way up until the ending. I didn't think the ending was sincere enough to really make the story resolved. It was an easy read and really made me want to go against what society thinks is right, as long as I think it's right.

Other books by Jerry Spinelli: Stargirl; Love, Stargirl; Milkweed; Maniac Magee; The Wringer.

All-American Girl

All-American Girl

Meg Cabot

HarperTeen

Samantha Madison is a not-so-typical teenager for a lot of reasons. She wear's only black because she's mourning her generation. She's the artistic outcast at school. Oh, and she saved the President of the United States. Sam's life seems to be normal enough for her, trying to pass German but failing instead, secretly in love with her sister's boyfriend, stuff like that. But when she suddenly finds herself as the top teenager in the United States, she doesn't quite know what to do. As her social status gets sky-rocketed over night, she realizes what, and who, is really important to her.

WARNING: There are a few swear words.

Personal opinion:

I could not put this book down. It was just one of those books. It was pretty funny and totally making fun of the teenage girl, but it was written like a fifteen-year-old was telling the story. Obviously that's how it was supposed to be written, but after a while I got tired of the "she was all like..." sort of stuff. I did like it, though, and was never bored. It's a good, light read and pretty mood lifting if you're in a bad one.

Other books by Meg Cabot: The Princess Diaries Series, Nicola and the Viscount, The Mediator Series

La Línea

La Línea

Ann Jaramillo

Square Fish

Miguel is 15 years old and parentless in Mexico. His parents have fled to the United States for a better life with the plan of sending for Miguel and his younger sister Elena. More times passes then expected when Miguel finally recieves word to start his journey to America and finally cross la línea. On his way, however, he runs into trouble after trouble, the first being that Elena has followed him. Now he has to get both of them across the border but it will be hard, almost impossible.

WARNING: Not applicable for this book.

Personal opinion:

I didn't love this book and I didn't hate it either. I'm pretty neutral. There were parts that seemed realistic and parts that didn't. Overall, it was a good story, though. I read afterwards that Jaramillo wrote it for her immigrants in her middle school classes so that they could have something to identify with. It definitely is informative about some of the dangers that people have to face in making the dangerous journey. Jaramillo used Spanish words a lot. You can always tell what's going on without them, but I think that if I didn't have a background in some Spanish that I would be annoyed. But that's just me.

Shabanu

Shabanu

Suzanne Fisher Staples

Dell Laurel-Leaf

Shabanu is a young girl living in the desert of eastern Pakistan, near Bahawalpur on the border of India. Her family raises camels for a living and practice strict cultural traditions. Her older sister, Phulan, is about to be married and her whole family is engulfed in the preparations for her marriage. The book goes through Shabanu's struggles with traditions and the proper way of doing things while tragedy strikes a few days before Phulan's wedding.

WARNING: It talks about the natural things that happen when a girl becomes a woman, such as physical changes and menstrual bleeding, but not in an inappropriate way at all.

Personal opinion:

I loved this book. It wasn't very deep writing but it was full of cultural information and it was a great story. It wasn't written badly by any means, but Staples is no Robert Cormier. Anyways, I really enjoyed the story line and getting to know the customs of Pakistan people and the Islam religion. I am really itching to read the sequel, and it didn't even leave me hanging, that's how good it is.

Cherry Ames, Dude Ranch Nurse

Cherry Ames, Dude Ranch Nurse
Julie Tatham

Grosset & Dunlap, Inc.

Written in 1953, this cheesy young adult novel tells the story of RN Cherry Ames who's latest adventure involves vacationing asthmatics, rowdy teenagers, and a mysterious enemy who's certain to make Cherry look incompetent. The book goes through Cherry's experiences in Tuscan, Arizona, as a nurse on a vacation dude ranch. Cherry makes friends and enemies as she gains experience from the vacationers.

WARNING: Not applicable for this book.

Personal opinion:

This is definitely an older book and it's very apparent as you're reading it. The characters are somewhat dull and predictable, as is the story. But it was most definitely different. It was was kind of nice to get away from modern young adult literature and take a look at what teens were reading fifty years ago.

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins

Scholastic Inc.

Katniss is a sixteen year old girl growing up in a poor city in the far future Appalachians. The powerful Capitol controls every one's lives, and to make sure that everyone remembers that, they hold the Hunger Games once a year. Two teenagers from each "district"or city in the futuristic country are thrown into a huge wilderness game board where they must fight to the death; the last person alive wins the game along with extreme wealth and prestige. Katniss soon finds herself slammed in the middle of this whole power trip and is forced to fight for her life and for all she believes in, even some things she doesn't.

WARNING: There are some blood-and-guts scenes but none of them are overly graphic.

Personal opinion:

I risk extreme persecution by saying this but I really didn't love this book. I didn't like Collins' writing style and the story line lacked a "wow factor," it just seemed too much like any other sci-fi book and was pretty predictable, for the most part at least. But at the same time, these are just finicky personal things and I really would recommend this book to someone who hasn't read a whole lot of sci-fi. There was more going on in the book besides just the Hunger Games so I liked that. All in all, I'd just have to say I'm neutral on this book.

Milkweed

Milkweed
Jerry Spinelli
KNOPF, BORZOI BOOKS

Misha is a runaway Gypsy/Jew in Warsaw, Poland, who finds himself right in the middle of WWII and the extermination of the Jews. Misha gets taken in by a Jew, who has uncharacteristically red hair, named Uri. Uri protects Misha as best he can, until Misha gets taken to the Warsaw ghetto where the Jews in the city were forced to live until their deportation to internment camps. The innocence and curiosity of the little boy become more defined as he strives to keep himself, and his new found friends, alive.

WARNING: As any book about the Holocaust, it is not for the faint of heart.

Personal opinion:

Despite the sadness and desperation of this story in the history of the extermination of the Jews, I really liked this book. I thought Spinelli did an amazing job of portraying what would really be going through a young person's mind during all the chaos at the time. He also throws in main characters that are hard to like, but so realistic that you understand and like them anyway. The story was told from a perspective that I have never read before and showed me that people who weren't necessarily tortured or forced to live in internment camps still came out of the experience changed and broken.

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy

Gary D. Schimdt

Clarion Books

In the early 1900s on Malaga Island, off the coast of a small town in Maine, Lizzie Bright Griffin and her community of unwanted Negroes have built a life for themselves. Turner Buckminster, recently moved to Phippsburg and being the new Reverand's son, finds himself to be watched and judged like a hawk by the locals. He soon finds a friend in Lizzie but much to the dismay of the townspeople. It is high on their political agenda to drive the people from Malaga Island to allow for tourism to become the next business venture. Turner suddenly finds himself thrown in the midst of a political battle where he is forced to choose what he believes to be right and must stand for it; however, the cost may be higher then he is willing to pay.

WARNING: Not applicable for this book.

Personal Opinion:

I think this is a great book for telling it how it really is. The story of Malaga Island and the people of Phippsburg driving the inhabitants away is true. However, like most stories involving personal gain at the cost of others, the book is sad. But it says it how it is. I have mixed feelings about it. I liked that it wasn't fluff, but I just can't say that I absolutely loved it because I just don't absolutely love books that are pretty sad. It was written well and if you aren't bothered by unfortunate and unfair circumstances, I would recommend this book.

Uglies

Uglies

Scott Westerfeld

SIMON PULSE

In Tally's world, turning sixteen means turning pretty and Tally can't wait. All of her friends have already turned pretty and she is left in Uglyville all by herself for a few more months. Then she meets Shay and her world begins to change. Shay makes Tally question rather or not she really wants to become a pretty, or if maybe it's better to stay ugly your whole life. After some manipulation and a few too many promises, Tally is forced to go on an adventure that will totally change her outlook on being ugly.

WARNING: Not applicable for this book.

Personal opinion:

I really liked this book. There were some spots were the story was a little slow, but for the most part, I couldn't put it down. It's captivating and really makes you think about your own life and self-image. The only thing wrong with this book is that it leaves you hanging at the end. It's the kind of book where you have to read the whole series to be completely satisfied. But it would be worth your time.

After The First Death

After The First Death

Robert Cormier
Dell Laurel-Leaf, a branch of Random House

In an attempt to end a war in their homeland, four terrorists devise a plot to expose a secret US agency. Stuck in the midst of this plan is a school bus full of young children on their way to summer camp, a fill-in teenage bus driver, and the son of a general who gets more then he bargained for. Most of the story takes place on the hijacked school bus on an old railroad bridge with little snippets into the life of the general's son after his experience on the bridge. Compelling up until the last pages, it's hard to put the book down.

WARNING: There is a lot of killing that, to me, seemed really harsh. A few swear words were also thrown in.

Personal opinion:

I have mixed feelings about this book. It was absolutely superbly written, and a further study brought a lot of enlightenment, but there was so much killing that really seemed pointless to me. I had a hard time justifying how many people died. I suppose I can say that I loved the writing style, but I didn't like the story line.

The First Part Last

The First Part Last
Angela Johnson
SIMON PULSE

Bobby is a typical sixteen year old, minus the fact that he's a father. He still wants to do all the things a sixteen year old does. But just because he is a father, doesn't mean he knows how to be one. The First Part Last goes through Bobby's struggles with his newborn daughter, Feather, and with everything that comes with being a new teenage father. Written beautifully and realistically, this book gives amazing insight into what it must be like to struggle through teen parenthood.

WARNING: There are a few swear words, the f-word once, but it wasn't mindless swearing. It served a purpose in a way. There is also a scene with a girl's shirt off but it isn't very detailed and is very brief.

Personal opinion:

I loved this book. It was so beautifully written and not sugar-coated at all. The struggles Bobby had were so realistic I could see anyone having them. I'm obviously not a parent, but I could feel that strong, indescribable love for a child that all parents profess to have. Absolutely amazing book.

Split Image

Split Image

Mel Glenn

HarperCollins

Laura Li is a new student, recently moved from China. Her mother is controlling, her father is always traveling, and her older brother depends on her to take care of him. At school she is popular, beautiful, and envied. But she lives two different lives. Told completely in poems, this book tells the story of a girl struggling to find a place for herself to be an individual in a very crowded world.

WARNING: There are a few swear words and inuendos.

Personal opinion:

I really liked the fact that the book was told in poems, it really added a lot I thought. The story was written brilliantly and really took into account the emotions of the main characters. It dealt really well with the issues of identity and acceptance. I loved the writing, but didn't love the story so much.

Bound

Bound

Donna Jo Napoli

Simon & Schuster Inc.

Set during Ming China, Bound is a sort of Cinderella story. Young Xing Xing is left to her unloving stepmother and half sister after her father dies. She is forced to be a servant girl in the house, but does all that she is told and more. She is an obedient girl for most of the book. Fillinf the story with many Chinese traditions makes this retelling of the Cinderelly story a whole new story in itself.

WARNING: Mostly there are just gruesome Chinese traditions and beliefs that aren't for the faint of heart.

Personal opinion:

I really enjoyed this different view of a classic story. There were are lot of Chinese traditions told that made it really interesting to me and introduced me alot into the older culture of the Chinese. Xing Xing is such an established character by the end of the book. It was so rewarding to watch her grow into the woman she deserved to be.

Defining Dulcie

Defining Dulcie

Paul Acampora

The Penguin Group

After Dulcie's dad dies in an unfortunate accident, her mother decides to whisk them away from Connecticut to California in a hope to start a new life. Before even settling in, Dulcie decides to steal her father's old Chevy pick-up truck and drive all the way back to her home town in Connecticut with her loving grandpa. Dulcie spends the summer in Connecticut filling out her punishment as a janitor at the high school. Memories from her road trip back home mingled with new found friendships and other's hardships, Dulcie begins redefining herself in a much-needed healing process.

WARNING: There are a few swear words and some scenes with domestic violence, but mostly it's pretty decent.

Personal opinion:

I really enjoyed Defining Dulcie. I thought this book was really well written and addressed the issue of death without all the common doom and gloom usually associated with such a topic. The book makes it alright to move on with your life when such an unfortunate occurrence happens and I really liked that. At the same time, I thought that Acampora did a good job of showing the grief that the family went through after losing a father and a husband, it was very realistic. You wouldn't expect it to be, but it was also humorous at times.

The Green Glass Sea

The Green Glass Sea

Ellen Klages

Scholastic Inc.

Set during World War II and "the Manhattan Project," The Green Glass Sea is about two young girls, very different in personality but very similar in circumstance. Dewey is a young girl with only a father as family who has been so busy with building the nuclear bomb that she hasn't lived with him for the past 3 or 4 years. They're finally able to live together on the military base in New Mexico when Dewey begins to get used to life there. Unfortunately, her father gets called to Washington and she is forced to live with another military family with a selfish, bossy daughter named Suze. The book tells the story of life on that military base, with all the secrets, as well as the life and relationship between different but smart Dewey and bossy, people-pleaser Suze.

WARNING: Contains 3 or 4 swear words. It was a little too sad for me; it didn't resolve itself enough in my opinion.

Personal opinion:

I really liked this book. It was super informative about family life during WWII. I didn't think there was enough emotion at the right parts, however. When I finished the book, I felt like I missed something. A big issue hadn't quite been resolved enough for my liking so I was a little depressed. Also, I thought it was unnecessarily sad, mostly because I felt like the saddest part didn't contribute much to the overall meaning of the story.

An Abundance of Katherines

An Abundance of Katherines

John Green

Penguin Group

Recently graduated smart kid Colin Singleton has a little bit of a problem. He was just dumped by his 19th Katherine in a row, leaving him completely heart broken. When Colin was a child, he had potential to be a child prodigy, and was excited to be such. However, as he grew older, the chances of him becoming this grew pretty slim. At the time of his graduation, he is depressed because Katherine XIX has just dumped him, and he has no major accomplishments to date. His good, and only, friend Hassan convinces Colin to take a road trip with him in order to forget his problems and get over Katherine XIX. Their planned road trip stops short in a little town in Tennessee where Colin begins his Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability in an attempt to make something big of himself. His experiences in Gutshot, Tennessee prove to be both new and life-changing.

WARNING: Swearing abounds in this book. There's also a little scene in a graveyard involving two unclothed members of the opposite sex.

Personal opinion:

Honestly, I didn't love this book. I liked it, but didn't love it. The swearing was pretty distracting. Also, the occurrences seemed too fantastic for a real life, recently graduated student to experience. Not everyone is a boy genius, so it's hard to relate that way as well. It was funny, however, and had good points about maturing and growing into your own person instead of what you're "supposed" to be.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Jeff Kinney

Amulet Books

This is a graphic (picture) book about a boy, Greg Heffley, facing the challenges of middle school. It hilariously goes through the challenges of a middle school boy: namely girls and social status. As his year goes on, Greg is faced with challenge after challenge that test his morals and show his faults, which he is usually unaware of or unable to admit. Kinney does a great job using middle school boy dialect and attitudes, making the reader feel like they are in the mind of Greg Heffley, a middle school boy.

WARNING: Not applicable for this book.

Personal opinion:

This was a really fun, easy read. I thought the dialogue was nailed precisely and sounded just like a middle school boy. I also really enjoyed the truthfulness of the challenges Greg had. He wasn't concerned about anyone but himself: classic middle school boy, at least in my experience. Great book for anyone, especially junior high students.