I'm back!!!

Sorry that I have been able to update my blog in a while.  I recently moved and still do not have internet at my house!  But that doesn't mean I've stopped reading!  On the contrary, that is pretty much all I have done!  Soon, I'll be posting reviews of the books I've read.  I'm putting a list below so you can get super excited about what's to come!

• The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
• Gone Series (books 1-3) by Michael Grant
• The Artemis Fowl Series (1-7) by Eoin Colfer
• MockingJay by Suzanne Collins
• The Maze Runner by James Dashner
• Corbenic by Catherine Fisher
• Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Titan's Curse

In the third installment in the Percy Jackson series, we are introduced to a host of new characters!  Thalia is back after the Fleece works it's magic a little too well and restores her back to human form.  We also meet Bianca and Nico di Angelo who are brother and sister demigods.  Bianca soons joins the Hunters of Artemis, a group of girls who work close with Artemis, goddess of the hunt.  This leaves Nico feeling hurt, but she dies while in the Junkyard of the Gods for taking something when she wasn't suppose to.  Along with the Hunters we meet Zoe Nightshade who is tough and no-nonsense Lt Hunter.  We later find out that she is the daughter of the Titan Atlas.  It is up to the Hunters, Thalia and Percy to save Artemis and Annabeth who have been taken in order to replace Altas.

Once again, this is a great read!  It's full of action and comedy.  It's also full of heartbreak as two of the characters that are featured in this book die.  But we soon learn that there is another puzzle piece that has come about due to Kronos' evil plot.  The di Angelo kids turn out to have a pretty important father, which can cause some severe problems in the future.  All in all the book was great.  But Annabeth wasn't really mentioned much in the book, but still did great in the few parts that she was featured.  We also see how Percy's feelings for Annabeth unfold.  It's  great story and definitely helps to thicken the Kronos plot!! 

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Sea of Monsters

Percy Jackson finds himself back at Camp Half Blood for the Summer and this time, things are bad!  Percy comes to find that Thalia's tree (the magical force created from Zeus' daughter that keeps the entire came safe) is dying.  This time it's up to Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Tyson (Percy's cyclops brother) and their enemy Clarisse to find the Golden Fleece hidden somewhere in the Sea of Monsters to help heal the tree.  But can they face each surprise that they encounter and live?

The Sea of Monsters is the shortest book in the series but packs some of the most important information.  We learn about how Annabeth really feels about Luke, how deep Luke is in the Kronos madness, Clarisse's relationship with her dad (Ares) and how well the Fleece actually works. It's a fantastic work and full of even more Greek-Hero related stories and mythology.  We also get to see just how well Percy's abilities work in the open ocean.  We also get introduced to the Party Ponies!!!  They are most definitely some of my favorite characters!!  All in all, the story and book are excellent and well written.  It definitely belongs in the wonder that is the Percy Jackson series!

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson is not much like a typical 12 year old in many ways.  He has been kicked out of every school that he has ever attended, often finds himself in the middle of some disaster or trouble, has ADHD and dyslexia.  Oh, and he's also half-human, half-greek god.  Percy finds himself at a new school with one of his only friends, Grover and with one of his new favorite teachers, Mr. Brunner.  Little does Percy realize that everything going on around him is happening for a reason.  When Mr. Brunner and Grover begin to start acting a little strange after an incident with his math teacher Ms. Dodds (who turns into a flying monster and tries to kill him), Percy starts digging and finds out that there is a lot more about him that what seems.  He finally finds out the truth when his mother, Grover and Percy go on a little trip.  However, on the journey, they are attacked by a terribly monster and Percy kills it.  But not before it sends his mother to the underworld.  Once inside the safety of the camp, Percy learns that he is not only a half-blood, but a half-blood that is not suppose to exist.  While at the camp, Percy makes friends with Annabeth Chase (daughter of Athena) and Luke (son of Hermes) and also enemies of Clarrise (daughter of Ares).  He also learns that Zeus' prized lightning bolt is missing and that HE is the suspect thief.  Now Percy is on a journey with the help of Annabeth and Grover (who is actually a Satyre) to not only find Zeus' bolt, but to save his mother and catch a thief. 

WOW!  This book was an amazing start to the series!  At first, I simply thought it was a kiddie book and that I would find it boring and silly.  But the more I read, the more I loved it!  Every page has you wanting more of the story.  This not only speaks to the amazing storyline, but Riordan's ability to write so well and captivatingly.  I found it very hard to put down the first book until I was finished.  And just like pringles, once you start, you just can't stop!  I found myself quickly moving onto the next books.  The Lightning Thief is an amazing story, with interesting characters and some pretty amazing historical facts.  I found myself actually looking up some Greek mythology like I did when I was 9.  It's an amazing story and the way that Greek mythology is transferred over to present day is creative and well-done.  All in all, this book is amazing and the series only gets better!!  More to come about the rest of the series...

A Step from Heaven

Young Ju is an immigrant from Korea who came to America while still very young.  Even though not remembering much of her Korean life, she forced to walk a delicate balance between her new life as an American citizen and her traditional life according to her Korean parents.  Her struggle is difficult, especially when she must also deal with her alcoholic and abusive father.  Her mother works hard and long hours in a kitchen, forcing Young Ju to watch over her brother, deal with her father and also maintain good grades.  Over the years, Young Ju not only becomes a strong woman, but also one who is able to walk the fine line between freedom and tradition.    

 

A Step from Heaven gives an engaging glimpse into a world of abuse and immigration.  Very few teens have ever had to deal with this situation, so the book helps to open their eyes to the struggle of coming to a new place.  We see her grow up and have to deal with the good and bad problems of being an immigrant.  Not only that, but no matter the cultural boundary, her father is also an alcoholic and when provoked, will beat his wife and children.  Young Ju also struggles will the idea of tradition in her family.  She wants to be able to go and be like her friends, but this is not always possible, due to the fact that she is a girl and has very strict rules at times.  Even her brother at a young age has learned the role of women in their traditional society.  While she struggles with this, teens will also identify with her need to break free from her parent's standards.  While the story can be a little sad a time, Young Ju's courage and spirit help to her and the reader motivated.  Not only does the book give a wonderful insight into the life of an immigrant, but it also tells an engaging story that teens will enjoy and can also be educational as well.  Few know the struggles of coming to a new county, not knowing the language and learning new and different culture.  I think that A Step from Heaven helps others to realize what a challenge it can be for new citizens.     

The boy who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Helmuth Hubener is only 17 years old and is getting ready to face his death.  Over the course of the book, the few moments that pass while he is in prison seem to last forever, as he re-accounts for his life and the circumstances that brought him here.  He is a young boy, who even at a young age, knows that Hitler's oppression and ideals are wrong and he dares to speak out against him and the Nazi regime.  Although simple small acts, his defiance shakes the Nazi party members and leads to the cause of his death.   

The Boy Who Dared is an amazing account of the actual Helmuth Hubener.  He lived in Germany at the rise of Hilter's power and from the outside was a typical German boy.  He was a member of Hitler Youth and was a "good Nazi" to everyone else.  But he felt deep down inside that something wasn't right.  He listened to banned radio stations, made flyers, stole banned books, all in an effort to remember exactly who he wants to be and learn how to fight the Nazis.  The story is based on an actual person and most of the account is true.  However, his thoughts and feeling and the exact way that things happen were fiction, but could closely resemble fact.  It was amazing to see how control slowly slipped from the people into Hitler's hands and how people didn't really seem to mind, because they thought they were being "protected."  It was heartbreaking to see all the Helmuth endured simply in the name of truth.  He really did want what was best for Germany and he knew that didn't mean Hitler in power.  It is wonderfully written and keeps the reader intrigued on how it will all turn out.  You hope for the best, but knowing that he is in an concentration camp is not a good sign.  I like how the book comes from a perspective that is rarely seen.  We have seen the view from Americans, and Jewish Germans, but rarely from that of a German who was once a Nazi and turned against the Fatherland.  I like how the back of the book has pictures of Helmuth and facts, so that the reader knows he was a real person.  It was a heartbreaking and interesting story about Nazi Germany.  Teens will really enjoy Helmuth's character, determination and courage.  They will also relate to his struggle against his society.  It would be excellent for any sort of history project or simply to read more on the WWII era.

Messanger by Lois Lowry

Messenger takes place in a future that has apparently seen its share of troubles.  It is also a world where the unbelievable can happen.  A young boy, Matty, is getting ready to be given his true name when he discovers that he has a special gift:  the power to heal.  It is also during this time that he begins to notice changes in the people of Village.  Once a welcoming and loving place it has since become hostile and the people changing from their pleasant demeanors to more brash and hateful ones.  There is soon a decision to close Village to outsiders.  When Matty must travel to spread the word and also to find Seer's daughter in the next village over, he finds that forest, the place he once loved has now, like the people grown hostile.  On his journey, Matty discovers that his healing ability not only applies to small things, but one of the biggest things of all: the world.

Messenger actually turned out better than I thought.  I was not completely happy with the ending, but it was a satisfying one.  I thought it was very interesting how in the story Forest actually reflected on the emotional state of the people.  When the people became cruel and hostile, so did Forest, attacking all those who entered.  It was also extremely sad to see how people would trade characteristics of value for "things."  Such as trading your own children's health for a Gaming Machine or your compassion and kindness so that you'll look better.  It was the fact that people would give anything for stuff.  The end of the book while very sad, but is a fairly good ending.  Matty's healing ability takes a lot out of him.  After going through Forest and being completely beaten, he takes all the energy left in him to heal the world around him.  People revert back to their old selves, sick are healed and Forest once again becomes a tranquil place.  But all of this comes at the cost of Matty's life.  He gave up his life in order to bring peace and order back to Forest and Village.  So while things went back to the way they were suppose to be, Matty had died in the process.  The message behind the book, which is giving up who you are for material things is not worth it in the end, can be applicable to anyone.  This is the third installment in the Giver trilogy.  And in actuality, the books link together in some way or form, but they do not tell the same story.  The characters maybe mentioned in another story, but they are not the focus until their own story is told. 

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Arnold Spirit, Junior is not your typical reservation Indian boy.  He was born with excessive spinal fluid in his brain which has lead to several different physical problems that leave him the target of jokes and taunts on his reservation.  However, he is extremely smart and encouraged to go outside of the reservation for his education at Reardan.  Although this task is difficult at first, Junior now must deal with his two different lives and the struggles of life along the way.  He has to deal with loss of several people in his live, his growing feelings for a girl of a different race and the problems he faces from his teachers as well as his own friends.  

The story begins with the details about Junior and his life on the "rez" as everyone calls.  He has struggled with several different physical problems and deformities.  Not only that, but with his parents being "poor Indians" like everyone else, it makes getting the medical care he needs a bit difficult.  Several different themes that teens can relate to run rampt in the book:  fitting in, growing up, being an outcast, love, death and friendship.  I don't want to give away too much of the plot because this is so much going on and I think that it really needs to be read in order to have the full effect.  Junior seems to live two different lives after he transfers schools.  He is the Junior that is the smart, quiet basketball player Reardan that doesn't discuss his home life, and then he is the Junior that everyone knows about back on the rez.  This is particular tricky once he develops a crush on a white girl.  While feeling he is less that his classmates because he is poor and an Indian, he still develops a great friendship with her.  But just as he is dealing with his two different lives, three tragedies in a row knock Junior down.  He must deal with the deaths of his grandmother, Eugene (who is his father's best friend, but gave him rides to school) and finally his sister.  Arnold goes through a terribly rough time, but he has the support of both his friends at school and his family and friends on the rez.  The book is really about overcoming the different obstancles and downturns in your life, in order to make it better.  Some teens, especially those from different ethnic groups may relate complete to feeling like an outsider like Junior or those with disabilities will understand his struggles.  The audio version of the book is read by the author who seems to have based the story on his own experiences.  He has a very "story-telling" quality about his narration.  He manages to bring out emotion and a sense of comedy in his reading.  No matter what teen reads the book, they will get a great understanding of hardships and how to overcome from the story.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Bella is an average girl who has an extraordinary encounter with a vampire.  But this not the vampire she has heard about in myths and legends.  He is as beautiful as an angel, strong, fast, sparkles in the sun and only drinks animal blood.  When the two fall in love, Bella is swept into a world beyond belief.  And one of danger, when she discovers that she is not only the object of Edward's eye, but also something a little more dangerous. 

Twilight has a great deal of talk and popularity surrounding it.  Although I had not previous taken part in the "Twilight-mania," I was excited to read the book.  The first few pages in where okay and I continued to read thinking it would get to be more interesting.  However, around page 180, I discovered that the book continued to be more painful as I continued.  I found that often times throughout the book the story would become very dull, there were continuity errors, detailed descriptions of people and places were limited and had a very "serial killer" feel to it.  I found several things out of key with the plot.  Such as asking Bella to shop "tonight" but not really going until the next day.  Or the fact that James was an excellent tracker, but didn't smell Bella until the wind blew her hair, but Alice could smell her across the field.  Or is it logical to send Jasper, someone who struggles with not eating humans, to a school full of them when he could have easily been kept at home.  Or have him not attack Bella when she was bleeding in the dance hall?  I also struggled with the lack of details about how people looked.  Very few people had enough details to visualize the character.  But other descriptions sounded vague, such as they were beautiful, but nothing more.  I also am aware of the fact that it is meant to be a love story to entice teens.  However, I felt as though Edward was a serial killer at times, talk about wanting to kill her one minute and then telling her he loved her the next.  And they talk about being love after only really speaking a few times.  The book really seems promotes stalking and obsession.  Edward often follows her and often watches her.  Bella states that can't live without Edward and would do anything to be with him.  In all honesty, the depiction is more of an unhealthy fixation rather than love.  Yet, teens desire that kind of passion and love which is why so many enjoy the book.  I will say that I did happen to enjoy the movie more so than the book.  Had the story not contained it's "obsessive" component, I think that it would have actually been a good story.  I also think that the protagonist, James was introduced a little late in the game. 

Impossible by Nancy Werlin

Impossible is a fantasy story about a young girl named Lucy Scarborough.  But she is not just an ordinary girl.  She is now carrying her family curse that has been passed down through the generations.  In order for her to break the curse and free her mother and daughter from it, she must complete three impossible tasks and become free from the Elfin Knight. 
Lucy Scarborough has had a difficult life.  Her mother soon abandoned her after her birth, leaving her with her adoptive parents who love her more than anything.  After a terrible incident at prom, Lucy ends up pregnant. With the help with her friend who is love with her, Zach, she discovers that there is a curse placed upon all the women of her family.  If she doesn't complete three impossible task, then she'll suffer from a terrible fate.  The tasks come from a song, Scarborough Fair. In the song Lucy must learn to "make a magical shirt, without any seems or needlework; find an acre of land, between the salt water and the sea strand; plow it with just a goat's horn, and sew it all over with a single grain of corn."  These tasks must be completed in order for the Elfin Knight, a mythical person who placed the curse on the first Scarborough girl centuries ago, to leave Lucy, Zach and their unborn daughter along forever.

Impossible is full of intrigue, love, fantasy and adventure.  It's a great read for both teens and adults.  Lucy is a likable and easy to relate to character.  Although she struggles with different aspects of her life, one would never know from her normal appearance on the outside.  The story revolves around Lucy's pregnancy and what it may bring for her and her daughter.  While she must deal first and foremost with the curse upon her family, the underlying issue of her being a teen parent and what that means for her future is also mentioned.  She has to try and finish school and think about college, which is something that teen mom's have to deal with regularly.  She has the pressures of schools and having a baby.  On top of all that, she has to try and solve the three different impossible tasks.  The inventiveness of their solutions are actually kind of amazing to think about, and I think it'll allow teens to think outside of the box when it comes to problem solving.  All in all, the book was amazing and teen girls will particular enjoy the love story between Lucy and Zach.  I personally loved the story and thought that it was an amazing concept and had a great history behind it.  

Planet Hulk by Greg Pak

Hulk now finds himself on an alien planet in exile from his only home.  Now, he must become the hero he never intended and the leader that he never wanted to be.  With a ragtag group of aliens behind him, Hulk attempts to overthrow a terrible dictator and learn life on a new planet. 

The artwork is amazing in the graphic novel.  There is so much detail that in actuality, many of the teens could probably gather the plot of the story simply from the artwork.  But the plot actually dealt with a larger issue, which is finding a place to belong, even if that means needing to leave your home and make a new one.  There were times in the story, when the writing would be a little slow or hard to read.  Many of the different alien names were very difficult to pronounce.  Reading the book leading up to that one was also very important in order to get the back story of why the Hulk was in exile.  The story leaves the reader, with the Hulk attempting to return to Earth with his new alien friends.  I think that not only does it have a good message, but it also is very entertaining and well drawn.

Fire by Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson

Fire consists of five different stories, set across the different ages and places that have one common theme:  fire.  They all deal with mythical creatures including a phoenix, hellhound and dragon.  The five different tales all attempt to keep the reader entertained all the while, incorporating the theme of fire. 

The book seemed to really lag a lot from my perspective.  I was actually very disappointed with Robin McKinley's two stories, especially since I had enjoyed her previous work.  Her first one, Hellhound, while not a bad tale, did not even have the element of fire.  It simply had a dog named Flame.  Her second story, First Flight is the longest in the book and starts off much like her other writings.  However, towards the middle, the story begins to get filled with complicated details and lags; making reader simply just try to finish it.  Dickinson's stories were not bad and did all have the element of fire.  His first one, Phoenix, is great and gives high hopes for the book.  The other stories, Fire Worm and Salamander Man, are simply okay and serve their entertaining purposes.  Over all, unless teens simply find the need for a lack of details in some stories and too much detail in others, they may not find it entertaining.  Creating short stories to contain within one book, gives the challenge of creating good characters and plots early within the stories.  Yet, perhaps if some of the unneeded details were left out of First Flight, then it would have been a great story and more details added to others could have also improved them.

Nation by Terry Pratchett

Nation takes place in an alternative universe that is very similar to our own.  It details the events that occur in a small island chain after a large wave destroys everything, leaving only a young man who doesn't have a soul, a British girl traveling and a few others who managed to survive.  They must learn how to now survive and rebuild their nation and all it stood for.

While the reader may think that Nation takes place as an historical fiction novel, subtleties, let the reader know that it may look like the same universe, but it is far different.  In this world, there are tree climbing octopi, a flu that wiped out most of the British royalty and islands that do not actually exist.  Mau is a young man who seems completely lost after the wave.  Not only did he lose his entire Nation, but also he never really became a man.  He questions the gods and why they would allow this to happen, as well as everything else.  Many teens can relate to this need and longing to understand why.  Daphne is a young girl who longs to learn and be different from the requirements of society.  While on the island, she is able to fully come to an understanding of herself and what she is capable of when she is forced to act.  The main characters of the book are merely teens, but they manage to lead several others who come to the island and form a community.  Teens will particularly like the struggle that Mau faces when trying to lead his new group of people and how Daphne also must find out who she really is.  While the most of the book will keep the reader hooked on what will happen next, there is often moments of deep understanding and messages of peace, especially when the two worlds break communication barriers and realize that they are exactly the same.  It is truly an enjoyable and interesting book.

Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman

Vidya is a young teen girl living with her family in India at the beginning of World War II.  After her father is severly injured, she is forced with her family to move in with her father's family.  She faces struggles at every turn from her living situation, school, her desire to go to college and the overall caste system of India.  Her only solace comes from her grandfather's library, at the top of the stairs.  While the world is waging war outside, Vidya escapes into a world of learning and understanding that only comes from the library.  She at first thinks that the war is beyond her world, but she soon learns that both WWII and even greater war within the Indian people are right on her doorstep.

Climbing the Stairs is a great story about a young girl who struggles against the constrains of her society.  She wants to be more than just a married housewife, which is the expectation of women at that time and from her caste.  She wants to go to college and eventually become a doctor like her father, the one who has inspired her.  But her father's traditional family make that task a difficult one.  For teens, they will relate to Vidya's struggle to find herself among the ideas of what others think as well as adjusting to a whole new life.  She is at a new school with no friends, she is looked down upon by her extended family and is now unsure of herself when faced with a potential boyfriend.  In the beginning the story lags a little, slowing the pace of the book.  However, after the incident with her father, things begin to happen very quickly and pull the reader into her world.  Because Vidya is so open and expressive in the book, it is easy to empathize with her and know where she is coming from and what she is thinking.  I think that teens will not only appreciate her honesty but also her courage in all the trials that she faces.  The book is wonderfully written and an interesting perspective of World War II.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games take place in a future where the continent of North America has been replaced by a much smaller continent named Panam.  It is ruled by the Capitol and divided up into 12 different districts.  This keeps the people from leaving as well as gives the Capitol control over everyone.  There once were 13 districts, but when district 13 lead an uprising, the Capital quashed it and destroyed the whole city.  Katniss Everdeen is a 16 year old girl in the impoverished District 12 who lives in the Seam.  After the death of her father, it was up to Katniss to provide for her family, which consist of her, her mother and her sister Prim, who is the only person that Katniss actually loves.  With the help of her friend Gale, she hunts in the woods that is beyond the limits of the fence in order to hunt food and to sell it in the black market.  This allows her to know practically everyone in town.  The story begins on the day of the Reeping, a day in which every boy and girl between the age of 12 -18 has their name placed in a big bowl and pulled out, in order to compete in the hunger games where they will be a tribute.  The hunger games occur in order to remind the people of the beating that district 13 took and who is actually in control.  It is mandatory that people compete and everyone else watch.  During the Reeping, Prim's name is called.  Katniss steps up to volunteer to take her sister's place.  The boy tribute is Peeta Mellark, the baker's son, who one time gave bread to Katniss when her family was starving.  Soon after the Reeping, Katniss and Peeta are taken away, where they are given moments to say good-bye to family and friends.  She gives specific instructions to her family on what do if something were to happen to her.  She is also given a promise by the baker that he'll make sure that Prim is fed.  She is also visited by her best friend Gale who is jerked away before he can tell her something.
On the train they meet with their mentor, a former winner of the Hunger Games from district 12, Haymitch.  There have been very few winners from district 12, meaning that most winners come from the wealthier districts.  Haymitch, upon his win is given a great amount of wealth and spends most of his days drunk.  He manages to sober up enough to actually give advice and help Katniss and Peeta in order to stay alive.  Once they arrive, they begin to train and are also introduced.  The Games are also an extreme form of entertainment and serve as like a red carpet to an awards show, having an almost fashion show at the beginning.  Katniss and Peeta emerge, thanks to their stylist Cinna and Porsha, almost engulfed in synthetic fire.  They are an immediate hit with the crowd.  Over the course of the next couple of days, they train and learn new skills, as well as conduct interviews with the public.  In the last interview, Peeta reveals his true feelings for Katniss on live television, professing his crush and love for her.  She is shocked, but now realizes that she may have an new angle to play in the Games, that of star-crossed lovers.  This could help her gain sponsors, people who will buy gifts and send into the games whenever they are in need.  Each tribute is also given a score to determine their chance of survival in the Games.  Most Careers (those from wealthy districts who make a living out of competing in the Game) get the highest scores, 10s.  Most are lucky to get past a 7.  Peeta scores an 8 and Katniss an 11, which the highest score that anyone has ever received.
Finally the day arrives, when they are thrust into the games.  Haymitch's only advice is to run and find water.  Don't dare go into the Cornucopia, a large area full of supplies they will need in order to survive.  Katniss semi-ignores that command and grabs the two closest things to her, a sheet of plastic and an orange backpack.  It is in these first moments, that causes the greatest blood bath of the Games.  Katniss runs and doesn't stop until it's night.  At the end of each night, the Capitol anthem plays and also shows a list of who has died that day.  Each death is marked by a cannon shot.  That first day has 11 dead.  Katniss unloads her pack and finds a few supplies:  a water bottle, some small amounts of food, night vision glasses, a knife and a sleeping bag. She climbs high in a tree and tries to sleep.  However, she soon hears the Careers coming her way...and Peeta is with them.  The next few days she heads in the opposite direction, catching food and trying to find water.  She is near death when she stumbles upon a pond.  There she rests for a day, but it doesn't last too long.  The Game Makers (officials who keep the Games interesting), set the entire area on fire.  In her escape, Katniss is badly injured.  She is then found by the Careers and Peeta.  In an attempt to take them out, Katniss drops a trackerjacker nest on the whole group.  Trackerjackers are vicious Muttations that were created by the Capitol.  These insert a poison that can be deadly.  That kills two of them, but still leaves more.  Katniss is also stung, but manages to take the bow and arrows and is soon helped by a small girl from District 11.  She is only 12, but looks about 10.  Her name is Rue.  Katniss and Rue form a friendship and alliance to help each other.  They plan on blowing up all of the Careers supplies.  They manage to this, even though Katniss is injured and left deaf in her left ear.  When trying to meet up with Rue later, she finds Rue captured and is then speared by the boy from District 1, who Katniss then kills.  Katniss stays with Rue, holding her and then singing to her as she dies.  She covers Rue's body with flowers in an effort to show respect to Rue and anger the Capitol.  A couple of days later, it is announced that a new rule will allow members from the same district team up and win.  Katniss sets out to find Peeta, who has been injured and left for dead by the Careers.  Once she finds him, Peeta is near death.  Katniss does what she can to help and nurses him back to health with the help of home remedies and some medicine, she got at the feast.  During that time, she begins to develop a close relationship with Peeta and starts to confuse acting and reality.  Once they are finally better, they venture out for food and find out that there are three left, them and Kale, a Career from District 2.  They decide to have a final showdown.  But the Game Makers have switched things up again.  Not only did they release Muttations of wolves with past competitors, but also changed the rules again so that only one may win.  When they both decide to commit suicide over killing each other, they are both declared winners.  Peeta is taken for treatment and his wounds are healed, along with Katniss's.  Finally they are allowed to see each other, but not before Haymitch gives some important information to Katniss:  The Capitol is furious with her.  She managed to change the rules and show up the Capitol.  Now, to keep her and her family safe, she must play the part of a girl desperately in love.  As she heads home, she feels confused about the person she has become, the situation with the Capitol and her feelings that leave her torn between Peeta and Gale.

I only have a few things to say about the book:
1) It's FREAKING AMAZING!!!!!!!
2) Listen to the audio book of the story..it really captures you.
3) You simply cannot leave the story alone!  You have to keep going to find out what will happen next.
4) Katniss is an amazing and honest character that you like instantly.
5) It is very thought provoking concept about control, power and poverty.
6) It's a future concept that is rarely seen, often we see the degredation of society due to all the technological advances.  Rarely do we see a society set very far into the future that is more like our present.  Only not under an authoritarian government. 
7) The story leaves you simply on a cliff hanger so now I HAVE to read the second book and I am very excited for the third one to come out.
8) The details and writing are wonderful, vivid and very explanatory.
9) Go read it!  Right now!         

Tricks by Ellen Hopkins

Tricks begins with 5 different teens from all walks of life from all over the United States.  Each of them lead nearly completely normal lives, until one day something happens.  Eden is your typical 16 year old girl whose father is a Pentacostal preacher.  She is brought up in a deeply religious home and ends up falling in love with boy who questions his belief in God.  As her story unfolds, she ends up falling in love and having sex with Andrew.  Her parents think that she is possessed and send her to a camp for troubled teens that will get the demon out of her.  There she becomes the sexual object of one of the guards.  In order to gain bits of freedom she performs several sexual favors and eventually gets away from the camp and her abuser.  She makes her way to Las Vegas where she is in a shelter and will get help for what she has experienced.  She gets in contact with Andrew who has been on a desperate hunt for her.  Her story ends with a hope for the future with Andrew.

Seth is a young man from a rural area who has discovered he was gay.  He was also dealing with the death of his mother from cancer.  As a release and way of experimenting, he meets a guy from Louisville and they soon develop a secret relationship.  When his boyfriend has to leave for school, Seth is heartbroken and then finds himself in the arms of an older man.  When his father discovers that he is gay, he is forced to leave home and then lives with a much older man.  He apparently takes up a "sugar daddy" who he trades living arrangements for housework and sexual favors. After his first sugar daddy becomes too controlling and eventually finds a way to get out by working for an escort service on the side.  He then gets kicked out and finally lives with another man at the end.  He re-connects with his first boyfriend through Facebook.

Whitney is a young girl from an average family.  Yet, she finds herself completely ignored by everyone in her family and giving away her virginity to a boy who later rejects her.  She meets an older guy by the name of Bryn.  He sweeps her off her feet and eventually in the world of drug abuse.  He prostitutes her out and in return she is given drugs.  She eventually finds that she cannot function without the drugs and soon becomes a full blown drug addict.  After an overdose and beating, she ends up in the hospital with her family by her side. She knows that she has a long road ahead of her and she still wonders if dying would be easier.

Ginger is a young woman who is practically in charge of her family of 5 younger siblings.  Her mother is a prostitute who jumps from one guy to another.  They are currently living with her grandmother who is doing their best to take care of them.  But when Ginger realizes that her mother has been secretly selling her to men for money over the years and then when her younger brother gets seriously injured, Ginger decides to run away with her friend to Las Vegas where they strip for money.  But soon, that is not enough and it requires them actually becoming prostitutes.  In the end, they are caught by an undercover cop and Ginger is sent back home to her Grandmother who tells her that her mom has HIV.

Cody is a young man who seems to be able to stay out of trouble.  He drinks, gambles and is promiscuous.  When his step-father dies, he gambles greatly in an attempt to pay for the bills and eventually turns to prostitution as a way of making money.  He soon begins to see himself as merely an object for anyone to use and is not sure about his sexual orientation.  While out on a "job" he is beaten up pretty badly and his story ends with him barely hanging onto life and in a coma.  

Overall, the book had a very depressing tone about it.  It would seem as though no one really managed to get out of the hole that is prostitution.  And even if they did, they still had to deal with the emotional scars that were left behind.  While the verse format kept the book moving, the stories seemed to only get worse as they went on and then did not really have any solid conclusions at the end.  Some of them were still struggling with prostitution or the effects that it had caused.  While the characters were all different, from different backgrounds and they all managed to get to the same place.  We are aware that in real life, happy ending are rare, there were absolutely none to be had in this book.

SIDE NOTE:  My deepest apologies to Ellen Wittlinger.  This was not her work and it was a mistake on my part.  I simply got the name of the two authors confused.  I am so sorry!

Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers

Richard Perry is a young man, only 17, who has joined the army at the start of the Vietnam War.  While on his first tour of duty, he meets some of the guys in his squad.  PeeWee is a quick witted, loyal, smart aleck from Chicago; Lobel a young Jewish man who is infatuated with movies and is thought to be gay; Johnson a large black man from Georgia and kind of an unsung leader; Monaco, an Italian kid from New Jersey who is loyal to his friends; Brewster (Brew) is a religious man who wants to join the ministry after his service and often provides comfort for the guys; Walowick, a soldier is who slightly racists to Perry and the others.  There are also several other characters in the book of higher ranking who make an impact on Perry's view point.  Yet, Lt Carroll who was the leader of Perry's squad and also got to really know the guys and treat them as equals had the most impact, particularly after his death.  At the start of the war, things were going well.  They were eating good food, doing as little as possible and there was even talk of them going home soon.  But things started to change.  Patrols started going out more and more and soon, their own men were starting to get killed.  It wasn't until he was in an actual "firefight" (gun fire attack) that Perry starts to really look at why he came to the army and why he wants to go back.  He wanted to make a better life for himself and his family.  He couldn't afford to go to college and he couldn't live there in Harlem anymore.  He wanted better for himself and his little brother Kenny.  While in combat, he chronically thinks about dying there and how it would effect everyone.  While in combat, Perry is injured.  Afraid that it's his knee messing up again, he was actually shot at had shrapnal go through his wrist and side.  He is saved by PeeWee and take to the hospital where they are also transporting Brewster.  However, Brewter doesn't make it.  At the hospital, Perry tries to recouperate and think about everything going on.  What will he do when he gets back to the "world?"  How far will Captain Stewart go in order to get promoted?  Does Gearheart have any idea how to lead his squad?  Are any of the other guys hurt?  When Perry is finally released, he gets a purple heart for his injuries and sent back to his squad.  There he sees exactly how the squad is coping.  And it's not that great.  No one want to talk about what happen, but rather go on doing what they do.  Dongan is now the leader of the squad since Simpson left.  Dongan is a racists and doesn't particular care who knows it.  After a terrible mission, Dongan and several other soldiers from other units are killed.  In the next mission, they are surrounded by several of the enemy and then trapped.  PeeWee and Perry are injured.  PeeWee injuries are serious enough for him to go home, but he tries to play them off.  Perry gets shot in the leg and since this is his second injury, he gets to go home as well.  PeeWee and Perry leave on the same plane and look at all the new cadets as they arrive, knowing what is in store for them.

I thought that the book was amazing.  It was a gripping way to tell about the beginnings of the Vietnam war.  I really liked how Perry didn't feel as though he should have been in the army, but unfortunately, felt as though that was his only option.  He struggled with his decision to leave his mom and his little brother, but he knew he wouldn't last long if he stayed there.  Throughout the story you can see how the media and military officals would play up how the US was winning and how the war would be over soon.  Perry also had to struggle with the fact that he had killed someone.  He had taken their life.  It was a hard reality to face and even then it can be difficult to get past.  All in all, I thought that the book was well written and told from a  perspective that is rarely seen.  Perry wasn't the hero or the bravest or the smartest soldier.  He was just an average soldier that it told of the war through his experiences.

Sandpiper by Ellen Wittlinger

Sandpiper tells the story of a young girl barely 16 by the name of Sandpiper Hallow Ragsdale.  She was named by her parents after the place they first met.  Sandpiper (who chooses to be called Piper) is a troubled young girl who seeks the attention of boys by performing oral sex with them.  She began in 8th grade at the coercion of her friends.  Once then entered high school, her friends stopped, but Piper continued.  She didn't know exactly how many times, she had done this guys, but they never lasted more than a few days to a couple of weeks in her world.  One day, after ending it with another guy, Piper meets the Walker.  He is a young man about 18 who spends all day, just walking.  Piper is intrigued by him and the fact that he doesn't ask her too many questions.  However, soon after they meet, Piper encounters an "ex-boyfriend" who is doing all he can to try and scare her. In the rest of her personal life, Piper's mother is getting married to a great guy.  Her little sister Daisy is super excited and they will be meeting their new step-sister Rachel for the first time.  While Rachel is 18, she seems to get along well with 13 year old Daisy.  Piper is of coursed left out.  She feels this way often.  She really has no friends (with the exception of the Walker), she goes from guy to guy and her once close relationship with her father is now strained due to the fact that she has become "developed."  When things in Piper's life begin to unravel, she turns to poetry as her way of escaping.  During the wedding chaos, Piper is now being threatened by her ex Derek.  He has threatened her sister (even intentionally cutting her legs) and also harmed her cat.  All the while, the mystery surrounding the Walker continues.  While he is happy to give advice, he does not open up about anything personal and can become defensive on the topic.  After a quick encounter with her father, Piper learns more about the Walker.  His name is Aiden and year or so ago, he accidently ran over and killed his nephew.  After being shunned by his family, he moves and begins his life of seclusion.  After the wedding and after the newlyweds have left, Piper is awoken by a large crash a broken window.  It's another threat from Derek.  Piper catches Aiden as he is leaving town to ask for help.  While they are walking, Derek soon finds them and attacks them both.  He nearly rapes Piper but Aiden hits him in the head.  Back at home, Piper has been beaten pretty badly along with Aiden.  Charges are pressed by Derek for assault and he also makes up a story about what happens.  But together with Piper and her extended family, they agree to help her and Aiden get through all their tragedies.

While Sandpiper wasn't a bad book to read, it seemed as though it lagged in certain parts.  Although the author tried to show how Derek's anger had escalated, it would seem as though he went from breaking a window, to nearly killing her.  While he had threaten throughout the book, it seemed as though the last attack was the first one that he actually took out on Piper.  I also feel "iffy" about the fact that the book did not have a clear ending.  We do not know if justice was served to the appropriate parties or not.  We do not know how Piper is dealing with this incident over the course of the school year and the town's reaction.  This where a second book would be good, just to simply answer some questions.  I did like how it portrays the realism in the scenario.  Many maybe in shock by Piper's young age, but the fact is, that studies and polls have determined it to be true.  Also the backlash that Piper faces from the town is also realistic of small American towns.  Piper, was actually a very likable character who was real and honest.  Her poetry reflected her thoughts and allowed the reader to see exactly how she felt.  All in all the book isn't bad.  I just wish it had a second book to follow it.

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Jellicoe Road is actually two stories that are intertwined into one.  The story begins with Taylor Markham.  She is a young spirited 17 year old girl who lives at the Academy on Jellicoe Road in Australia, who would rather be by herself than with her own house, but her best friend Raffela refuses to allow that.  She was abandoned by her mother at the age of 11 and soon picked up by a woman named Hannah who takes her to the school.  She is now the head of her house and also becomes the Head the school in the territory wars between the campus students, cadets (who come to the school for a few months out of the year for education purposes) and the townies (students who live off campus).  At times the War can get pretty hostile.  It doesn't help matters that the leader of the cadets has a history with Taylor.  At the age of 14, Taylor ran away from school in search of her mother.  At the train station, she runs into Jonah Griggs, and together they run away.  But before they get to Sydney, Griggs calls his school and they are soon picked up by the Brigadier, the overseer of the Cadets.  This year, the townies are lead by Chaz Santangelo, who seems to have a history with Raffela.  Although at first, all anyone can think about is the War, the leaders soon develop a friendship (although at times rocky) with each other.  They soon begin to unravel the mysterious disappearance of Hannah and Taylor's past.  The students, particular a smaller girl named Jessa, is obsessed with a serial killer who has been in the area for the past 11 years.  Not only does Taylor have to deal with a troubled past (her mother left and the local hermit, killed himself right in front of her), but she now also has to contend with her growing feelings for Jonah Griggs.  Throughout the story, we get glimpses of five friends who previously lived on the campus at Jellicoe Road and their significance in Taylor's life.  Soon we begin to see all the pieces come together and see how everything becomes connected.

The story of Jellicoe Road is a rather complicated and complex one.  I wish I could have been able to go through all the details possible, but the shear enormity of the book did not permit me to do so.  I'm not going to lie, the first 200 hundred pages of the book can be extremely confusing.  I would have to re-read certain sections in order to try and understand what was going on.  I wish that the story had given a little bit of background to the school and the territory wars in the beginning.  Maybe then it wouldn't have been so confusing.  However, once the pieces start to come together, the book is actually very good.  Knowing the story now, makes it much easier to read again and fully appreciate everything.  The small twists and turns make the book intriguing and keep the reader interested.  It was particularly nice to see a main character that had a lot of problems, but rather than hide or become completely messed up from them, dealt with them appropriately.  She was not at all perfect (like secluding herself and being mean at times), but she did eventually realize that the people around her were life family and that she needed them as much as they needed her.  It was extremely wonderful to see how she and Jonah played off each other.  Through out the whole book, you simply want them to start dating, but it's their little fights and random understanding of each other that make them special and different.  The book really focuses on the internal struggle of an abandoned child and how they try to find their place in the world or at least somewhere to belong.  While a majority of the book is meant to be serious, it is also interlaced with comedy.  The random quips from a teen perspective as well as the dry sarcastic remarks, help to lighten the book and keep the reader going.  All in all, the book was great.  Getting through the first time can be tough, but once read again, it becomes a fantastic favorite.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Looking for Alaska begins with the main character Miles "Pudge" Halter.  He is leaving home in order to go find the Great Perhaps of his life.  He leaves a school of no friends, to Culver Creek, a private school in Birmingham.  A private school that has a top notice education, where his father attended as well as pulled off some pretty good pranks.  His roommate, Chip "the Colonel" Martin quickly becomes one of his best friends.  Through him he is introduced to Alaska.  She acts as though she is a force of nature.  She and Chip were poor students who are extremely smart and there on scholarship.  They have a feud going with the Weekday Warriers, students who live in the Birmingham area and go home on weekends.  A great rivalry of pranks ensues.  However, one goes a bit too far.  On Pudge's first night there, he learns that two students were expelled because someone ratted them out.  It was an unspoken rule that you didn't rat on anyone, no matter what.  The Weekend Warriors suspect it was the Colonel and take revenge on him and Pudge, but peeing in the Colonel's shoes and throwing Pudge in the lake, tied up.  During the school year, Pudge develops a large crush on Alaska, who has a boyfriend.  He also seems to like Lara, a quiet Romanian girl.  They go through a great deal of pranks over the course of the semester and Pudge seems to be adapting well to his classes.  He also gets his first taste of smoking and drinking alcohol, thanks to Alaska and the Colonel.  They also begin to learn more and more about each other, including Alaska's difficult past in which she witnessed her mother die and did not call 911.  However, one night right after finals and after pulling off a huge prank, a drunk Alaska kisses Pudge.  Yet, after a phone call, she comes back running back in hysterical.  The next morning, it is revealed that Alaska was killed in a car crash.  The Colonel and Pudge set out to find out what happened that night, if it was simply an accident or if she intended to kill herself.  They don't know why she left or what exactly happened.  It can causes problems between the two friends, but in the end, they rally together and come to terms with her death.  It was revealed that the night she died was the anniversary of  her mothers death and she forgot.  She was really drunk and she could have thought that she could make it or just wished to die.  They come to the realization that Alaska was extremely messed up and had a lot of psychological problems and guilt over her mother.  They also pull off an amazing prank in honor of Alaska, who would have loved it.

The book is extremely moving.  Each chapter counts down the days before the accident and the days after.  However, the chapters simply say "ninety-eight days before" rather than detail what is it counting down to or from.  I also thought it was interesting to see the mourning perspective of teen who was in love.  He seemed to grieve as though he was simply going through the motions.  But one of the most touching aspects of the book occurred when Pudge and the Colonel simply hugged each other.  It was like the hurt could easily be felt.  The character of Alaska was a complex character.  Not only did she have moments of great genius, but also moments in which she could be rather annoying.  But nonetheless her death in the book was extremely tragic and left a large impact on those around her.  It was interesting to see how Pudge transitioned from a person with no friends, to someone who found himself as part of a small group of people.  In the end, it was nice to see how they didn't have to have Alaska's death completely figured out.  They just needed to be reminded of her life.  

StarGirl by Jerry Spinelli

Leo Borlock is your everyday average high schooler.  He goes to his bland school that has no school spirit and simply takes part in the mundane occurances of teenage life.  His only source of fun comes from a high school TV show produced and created by himself and his friend Kevin called the Hot Seat where a panel asks everyday students questions.  Leo is orginial from Pennsylvania but moved to Arizona where he started a collection of porcupine neck ties.  However, he only had one in his collection.  Yet, on his birthday, he received another.  One day a mysterious girl shows up to school.  Her name is StarGirl, or at least that what she calls herself.  She dresses oddly, strums a ukulele while singing happy birthday to everyday and carries around her pet rat, Cinnamon.  She is a non-conformist in every way.  She cheers for opposing teams, dances in the rain, and does her best to be nice and kind to everyone.  She is a wonder (and odd) and Leo is falling in love with her.  The school also notices Stargirl's enthusasium and asks her to join the cheerleading squad.  At first it is great.  However, when she helps an opposing team member when he becomes injuried, she becomes the enemy of the school.  At first StarGirl and Leo don't notice.  But they soon see that they are being ignored and StarGirl decides to change her odd ways for Leo.  She attempts to fit in everyway possible.  She even wins a state speaking competition, however, to no avail because the school treats her the same way.  She and Leo dissolve their relationship.  At the end, StarGirl goes to prom alone and is confronted by the school's "popular" girl.  But when StarGirl does not retailate, the school is in shock.  She leaves and that is the last they hear from her.  Leo reaccounts his life since then (a total of 15 years).  And one day on his birthday, he received a porupine tie and knew that StarGirl was never really out of his life. 

This book is an amazing and well written book!  The story can at first start off dull but soon develops into a story to see what StarGirl will do next, what will happen next with her and Leo and ultimately life after StarGirl.  What was so shocking about the book was the fact that she was so nice and sweet and truly cared about everyone, yet people resented her for it.  She took the time to put people ahead of herself, yet was critized for it in the end, which seems horrible but unfortunately, a true statement of how real life actually goes.  It was also interesting to see how much Leo wanted to be apart of the group, yet did not want to give up StarGirl.  This was a great conflict, but at times the reader may want to simply yell at him to "OPEN YOUR EYES!  SHE'S WAY BETTER THAN THEM!"  Yet, with teenagers, all they really want or need is to be accepted.  This is what made her so unique.  She didn't care about what others thought as long as she made one person feel better.  It was also interesting to see Leo as an adult reflect on what happened.  He knew that he made a mistake by letting her go, but he also knew that he would always love her.  This book is truly inspiring to help people realize that they need to get beyond themselves in order to be there for others.

Book a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

The book tells the story of Dashti, a simple mucker girl who has found herself in a completely different situation than when she first started.  She left her small home and went to the city singing healing songs in order to live, where she was trained to be a servant or maid in the place.  In order to do this, particularly if you were the Princess Saren's maid because she refused to read or write.  So Dashti learns these skills and then go to the palace.  There, everything happens quickly.  She meets a somber Lady Saren and witnesses the rage of the king on his daughter.  They are then taken a tower where they will spend the next seven years until Lady Saren changes her mind about marrying Lord Khasar, a terribly mean man from the next kingdom over.  However, she has also betrothed herself to Khan Tegus on the other side of her kingdom.  At first Dashti tries to make the best of the situation.  She writes in the journal, chronically the days as they go by all the while, Lady Saren remains quiet and to herself.  They have plenty of food and a place to sleep, but soon this gets old.  She gets visits from Khan Tegus.  Lady Saren orders Dashti to pretend to be her.  Dashti does and continues to fall in love with him, especially after giving her a cat.  After he leaves, the girls get another visit from the terrible Lord Khasar who tries to torture them out of the tower.  Soon all of the guards who were guarding the tower were attacked by dogs and no one else came for them.  The days drag on and the food supply gets low as the rats increase.  Finally one day, Dashti realizes that if the rats could get in, then there had to be a way for them to get out.  She searches and finds it.  She finally breaks the wall down, but Lady Saren has been so secluded that she is terrified of going out in the day.  When they do finally leave, they have been in the tower almost 1000 days.  They travel back to her father's city to find that it has been destroyed by Khasar.  So they travel to Khan Tegus's city and find work in the palace as pot scrubbers.  It's hard work and Saren (who only wants to be known as Sar) is slow.  She has opened up about what happened a little to Dashti.  She meet Lord Khasar years ago and saw him for what he really was.  Khan Tegus finds out that a mucker who knows healing songs now works in his house and calls on Dashti to help him with an old injury in his leg.  He also discovers that she can read and write and soon becomes a scribe in the house.  While he out to war, Dashti learns that he has betrothed himself to another in order to protect his kingdom and that Sar actually can do pretty good work.  Tegus is wounded terribly in battle and Dashti does what she can to help.  Once he is healed, she finds that Khasar is surrounding the city and wants Saren.  Dashti steps up and claims to be Saren and tries to stop the war from happening.  She sneaks into Khasar's camp and sings the wolf song.  Khasar transforms into a wolf and attacks his men.  They shoot him until he dies.  It's revealed that Khasar sold his soul so that he may transform into a wolf.  Saren saw this several years ago and was terrified of him.  Tegus arrives and calls off his wedding in order to marry Dashti, who he still believes is Saren.  Dashti leaves the city and is caught by Tegus former fiancee.  She wants to kill Dashti or cut off her feet.  Tegus arrives and stops and Dashti is put in prison until her judgement.  At the trial the next day, Saren stands up for Dashti.  It is decided that she will go free and Saren will marry Tegus.  She says that she will give him to her sister, Dashti to marry instead.  They do and seem to live happily ever after.

The book, while the concept is great, I felt as though it was lagging a little.  There were days and days where absolutely nothing happened at all.  Those writings were not necessarily bad, but at times, it seemed extremely repetitive.  I know that it also occurred over the course of several years, but it seemed as though the story really dragged on, particularly after the main characters were employed at Tegus' palace.  While the story does have a great touch of fantasy, the reader must be willing to sit through a rather long account.  I like the twist on the older fairy tales, but it seemed to lack something.  I'm not for sure if it's the emotion that is not conveyed in the writing or the story itself.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

Jenna Fox, 17, one day wakes up and does not remember anything about her life.  She doesn't remember how to speak, how to walk or even her name.  She is told by her mother that she was in an accident and that she was in a coma for over a year.  Her grandmother Lily, a former doctor, also acts very strangely around her.Slowly but surely, bits of information begin to come back day by day.  It is mostly how to do the basic things, but nothing from her previous life she can remember.  She watches home-movies, but nothing of it seems like her or reminds her of anything.  She says that it doesn't feel real.  Finally one day, something clicks, she begins to remember that she likes hot chocolate.  She runs downstairs in an effort to make some, forgetting that she is on a special diet and can only have liquid nutrients.  After that, she begins to notice strange things.  When she is told to go to her room, she goes, even if she may not want to, she is kept indoors and does not attend school, and her mother panics over a small scrape on her knee.  She meets her "curious" neighbor Mr. Bender who alludes to the fact that there maybe more to Jenna Fox that what she even knows.  The house that they recently moved into is remodeled but still really contains nothing that can help her remember who she is.  She finds a locked room and knows instinctively where the key is hidden.  Her father works in her hometown of Boston and does not get to come out and visit much.  He is the head of a corporation that created Bio Gel, which helps people who have lost body parts or need ones by using the gel to create news and replace them.  Jenna decides she wants to go to school and meet people and have friends.  Rather than send her to public academy, they send her to a private learning center for special kids.  Other than herself, there are only 4 other students.  One of them is a shy quiet kid named Gabriel.  Allys, the only other girl, has all of her limbs replaced by prosetic ones.  Dane is a troubled young kid, who seems to be empty and "soul-less" according to Jenna.  Lastly there is Ethan.  He is a quiet young man who volunteers at the local church and has a secret of his own.  Nearly everyone who goes to the school is an outcast in one way or another, which is why Jenna feels almost like it's home there.  While in school she quickly learns that she seems to know everything about history and Walden.  But that's not the only thing she discovers.  Her memories are returning, not just ones from when she was a child, but also when she was a baby.  She remembers that she had friends, Kara and Locke.  But it doesn't stop there and she tells know one of this.  While volunteering she also finds out that she doesn't tire or feel the effects of hardwork as much as Ethan does.  When finally exploring the secret locked room, she finds three boxes.  One with her name and two others with the names of her friends, Kara and Locke.  When trying to remove the boxes, she cuts her hand open and makes a startling discovry.  She finds that below the skin and a small layer of muscles there is blue gel and synthetic bones.  After questioning her parents about this, they begin to slowly reveal the story of what happened.  Her accident left her horribly burned and near death.  They were able to recover small skin cells and scans of her brians.  Soon after they uploaded her brain into a computer.  It was only 10%.  That was all that was left of Jenna Fox.  There are laws in place so that a person can only have so much of the their body replaced with the Bio Gel.  She knows this because Allys works with the organization to help prevent the overuse of the Bio Gel.  It is extremely illegal to go over the limit.  And Jenna realizes that her being in existence is simply illegal and could cause a lot of problems for several people.  So for over a year, they rebuilt her, by using the gel to replace most of her organs, creating a primative gastrointestinal system, using her own skin samples to grow a whole skin, as well as what was left of her brain.  They imput her old memories and functions into what was left of her old mind (often the section called the Butterfly of the brain) and the new Bio Gel.  She also finds that implanted certain commands in order to keep her safe, such as Go To Your Room and then entire 10-12 grade curiculums.  Yet, she has learned to fight those commands.  Because most of her is made of the Bio Gel they do not know how long it will last.  It could be up to 2 year or 200.  They moved to a warmer climate because it helps to preserve it longer.  She also learns that in the other boxes are the uploads from Kara and Locke's minds as well as her back up.  In acts of rebellion she destroyes the back ups.  She also remembers that it was not her that caused the accident and killed her friends, but Kara.  Although she and her Grandmother have been at odds, they seem to bond over the fact that Jenna is different in many ways, but still the same in others.  This new revelation takes a toll on her friendships at school.  She tries to distance herself from Ethan, but he refuses and she tells him.  Allys figures out about Jenna and becomes extremely angry.  She doesn't come to school for several days and when Jenna visits, she finds that Allys is having system failure and dying, but not before she told her parents about Jenna.  That night, while her father is in town, they recieve a visit from Allys' parents.  They are extremely upset.  Later we see that Jenna and Ethan are still working at the church and Jenna's grandmother comes in and helps to make her feel human once again.  The book jumps forward 260 years and we see Jenna is still alive and well and in the body of a 17 year old.  She now lives with Allys, who is only 22% of herself.  She states that after they came out, people were more accepting of them.  Jenna herself became a standard by only needing 10% of the function brain to be rebuilt.  She tells that she married Ethan and they had 70 great years together.  We now find out that she has had a child with Ethan's DNA and her saved ovary.  But she knows that she could probably stay like this for a while longer, but one day will travel to Boston in the winter and finally succumb to the inevitable.

I absolutely loved the story.  You can see the internal struggle that Jenna faces everyday.  Because everything is new to her, she doesn't remember boundaries or how to sugarcoat anything.  It's also great to see her progression from a young girl who is trying to learn things about herself, to an angry teen who is utterly confused to finally accepting who she is and realizing that what is inside does not necessary make you human.  It's also an extremely thought provoking look at how far is too far with technical and medical advances.  It makes one question how far would someone go to keep another near?  Or is it even ethically right to do someone?  Jenna had no choice in the matter and couldn't express her point in the hospital.  She also questions the fact that they may have rebuilt her body, but what about her soul, her emotional state and her quirks?  Where all of those implanted too?  Over time you can see how she is able to adjust and cope with her new look on life.  While she lashes out against her parents for doing this to her and covering it up, in a way, it is simply the new Jenna coming to understand how much her parents love her and a new chance for her.  While she begins to exhibit some of the same personality traits as the old Jenna, according to her grandmother, it is hard to see how she deals with emotions and new concepts, as though she has to learn them all over again.  The struggle with her grandmother is also hard.  At first, she wants nothing to do with her, but in the end, is willing to help her when she startes to become a new Jenna.  It's a struggle with her and how to handle the balance of her new life and her old.  But she does know that no matter what, it is not what is inside of you that makes you a human.  You can have lungs and a heart, but if you don't have compassion or feel any emotions, then that doesn't make you anymore human than a bird.  She may not have all the internal structures, but she does realize that in the end, you are whoever you choose to be.         

Feed by MT Anderson

Feed follows the story of Titus.  He is your typical teenage boy with his typical teenage friends.  If you consider typical being set sometime in the far distant future where babies have the "FeedNet" implanted into their brians so that they can uplink to our version of the internet, children are created in a lab with the specific features that they requested, they can travel to other planets and moons, the idea of privacy has completely gone away, pop-up ads appear before your eyes and where the Earth is on the verge of death.  While on spring break to the moon, Titus and his friends meet a girl named Violet.  They all decide that rather than getting drunk or going into "mal" (allowing malfunctions to occur to simulate the effects of drugs), they go to a party, where a man simply touches them and they all go blank.  It shuts down their Feed temporarily.  Many of the teens cannot copy with it and find it extremely hard to live without it.  However, it is revealed that most people can even read because there is no need.  Violet is one of the rare few because her father was a professor and though that the Feed lead to the degredation of society.  While Titus and Violet date, we learn several different things.  That you can instantly chat a person or send them an e-mail no matter where you are through the Feed.  We also find out that School is now privatized and that children don't actually get any sort of education because everything to know is available through the Feed.  Air is no longer made naturally but manufactured as well as Clouds.  The water is so polluted that no one can be allowed in it anymore.  There are tons of riots and wars occuring all around the world.  Random skin leisons also appear on the humans.  The book does not detail the cause or if they can heal.  Over the course of their relationship, Violet and Titus have differing opinions on the consumerism overtaking their culture.  Titus is fine with it, while Violet is not.  But that's not the only problem, Violet's Feed is starting to malfunction.  Not just cause her not to access the Feed, but also not move certain parts of her body.  As time progresses, not only does Violet's body deteriorate, but also her relationship with Titus.  He begins to distance himself from her by deleting the memories she sent him, not responding and turning down her advances.  Violet is also struggling with her Feed repairs.  It is not cheap and unfortunately, because she is not a valued customers, the large corporations do not feel as though she is important enough to help.  Near the end of the book, we see that Violet is near death and will not survive much longer.  Along with her, the rest of the world is also going down.  People are also starting to experience limb failure, increasing lesions and more natural disasters. 

The concpet of the book is an excellent and scary thought.  Not only does it force people to think about their future consequences and how much we can use technology to hurt as well as "help" but also how far people are willing to go to be apart of the popular culture.  It's a grim look at how what we do today can really effect and change tomorrow, which makes it extremely educational in some aspects.  I do also find it extremely saddening to see how education is not considered relevent anymore.  Many of the students do not even know how to read, let alone have an original thought.  And Violet, one girl who does like to think freely rather than blend into the crowd is considered an outcast and fairly weird among her peers.  It's a sad realization to know that she is one of the few who think that corporations have too much control.  It's also a little disturbing to see how far people will go in order to fit in.  They are willing to purchase mountains and mountains of clothing that they will wear for only one week then discard them or how they will intentionally get lesions because it's considered to be "cool."  I shared the view point of Violet, that just because something is considered to be popular doesn't mean that everyone should do it, especially if they are causing harm to themselves.  I really found the concept of the book to be very though-provoking and almost in a sense forewarning.  However, there were some aspect of the book that I did not enjoy.  While the language may have been something that a typical teenage would say, their sentences were no more developed than that of an 8 year old.  Using the word "like" in every other sentence or improper grammer.  I know that the language was specifically choosen in order to demonstrate the lack of education, however, it can be tiresome to read.  Also, the main character seemed to be extremely static throughout the course of the book.  It wasn't until the very end that he showed any bit of emotion or concern.  He appeared to be very self-absorbed in what was happening in his world or only to him, not in the world around him or to others.  He is callous towards Violet even when she is the process of shutting down because she is bold enough to say exactly what she means.  Although the story was extremely intriguing and sad in many ways, I did find parts of it iritating, mostly with the mindset and development of the characters.  It's a very good book to help consider future dilemmas, however, not to ready for enjoyment.   

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher

The story begins with Eric Calhoune who is a typical teenage boy who is a little overweight.  Over the years he has lost a lot of weight, but for one whole year, he tried to hide it and stay fat.  He didn't do it for himself, but for his best friend Sarah Byrnes who was covered in horrible burn scars all over her face and hands.  They had been best friends since middle school when they realized that they were outcasts.  But currently, Sarah Byrnes is struggling.  She has gone into a catatonic state and refuses to speak by staying in the mental ward of the local hospital.  Eric visits everyday in an attempt to help her.  He becomes aggravated because no one else seems to understand and he is pestered by the local "perfect guy" named Mark Brittian.  They fight with each other verbally in their classes and against each other in the pool.  Mark in his extreme devotion to religion takes their tole on everyone he surrounds, but he has the support of the vice-principal who seems to hate Eric.  While all the typical high school drama goes on, they mystery surrounding Sarah Byrnes continues to grow.  Eric soon discovers that Sarah actually can speak but is choosing not to because her life is in danger due to her father.  Her father is the one her who burned her at the age of 3 and is starting to threaten her again. She needs to get away  but can only trust Eric.  So he and Mrs. Lemry (his swim coach), plan to help Sarah escape and find her mother who can put Mr. Byrnes away.  But Mr. Byrnes isn't giving up without a fight.  She tracks down Eric and attacks him to find out info on Sarah.  Finally, the police show up but Mr. Byrnes gets away.  He is tracked down by Eric's father figure and brought in.  In the end, Sarah is adopted by Mrs. Lemry, Mr. Byrnes goes away to prison for a long time and Eric gets a swimming scholarship.  Things end well for everyone and gives hope for the future.

While the story is good and well written, there are times in which the story begins to lag.  In the beginning, it was difficult to really get into the story because Eric (the narrator) kept jumping back and forth between past and present.  There are moments in which it would have been easier for Eric to simply tell the whole story of the past rather than skipping around telling one part here and another part here.  The story progressed very well and did manage to keep me interested.  However, there seemed to be a great many details that did not pertain to the story.  While the side story of Mark Brittian was important to the turn of other events, it would seem to try and compete with the Sarah Byrnes part of the story for attention.  However, the story was well done and does manage to keep the reader's attention for a good majority of it.

The Perks of Being a WallFlower by Stephen Chbosky

The Perks of Being a Wallflower focus on the life of Charlie and his perspective as told through personal letters written to an anonymous person.  The letters mention extremely personal details and even quoting what people say.  The story begins as he details his best friend, Michael's suicide.  He soon after begins high school and at first starts off alone, looking to his English teacher who keeps him occupied with extra reading.  But Charlie soon makes a friend named Patrick who is a senior along with his step-sister, Sam.  They are not considered popular or jocks, but they do have a close group of friends.  Charlie chronicles his first experience with drugs as well as memories from his childhood.  He had a favorite aunt who died in a car accident on his birthday which left Charlie with a great deal of guilt and emotionally unstable.  Since that time he has very sensitive feelings and can cry extremely easily.  He has his first girlfriend, which causes problems in the group dynamic.  He often mentions his dysfunctional family and how they are prone to drinking, but can also showcase their closeness as he helps his sister with a difficult time.  As time progresses and his friendships become constrained, he delves further into an abusive lifestyle by continually taking drugs, crying often and struggling with depression.  He also expriments with homosexuality in order to help his friend Patrick, deal with the hard break-up with his secret boyfriend, Brad.  Soon he accepted by his friends again and things begin to normalize.  However, upon his first sexual encounter, Charlie has a terrible realization of childhood molestation at the hands of his aunt that leads to an emotional break-down.  Finally at the end of the book, Charlie is getting ready to start his sophomore year and although his friends have all graduated, he excited to start actually trying to live his life.

The book is written from the perspective of Charlie in a series of letters.  Although he does not really know the recipient very well, he acts as though they are the closest of friends.  This only speaks to the longing for friendship that Charlie desires and pursues over the course of the book.  There are several different deep and difficult issues addressed in the book.  There is the prevent use of drugs by Charlie, almost on an addiction basis.  There are also several different instances of sex used through out the book.  Charlie has witnessed a couple of them as well as experienced them.  He also has dealt with homosexuality.  His best friend Patrick was gay, had a difficult break.  Charlie was there and helped him by going to places to meet guys as well as kiss him when he needed it.  While Charlie wasn't comfortable with it, he allowed it to happen because "it's what friends do."  Throughout the course of the book, Charlie strives to be honest as well as have friends, which from the letters, appears to be at odds.  He can at times be brutally honest and end up hurting others feelings.  Charlie deals with depression at different times over the course of the book, but can also see great moments of happiness and joy.  The book is extremely well written told from an honest and blunt perspective that doesn't sugarcoat situations.  However, Charlie who can be full of emotion at one minute then is completely devoid of it in in the next, which make it seem as though he is at odds with himself.  I think that most teens and young adults would find that the book may find the book intriguing and to an extent, honest within their own lives.