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.