Summary: We can save the world from the Cybermen-assimilated-Borg!
Why I Read This: Do you really have to ask?
Review: I enjoyed it. I think that I may...moreSummary: We can save the world from the Cybermen-assimilated-Borg!
Why I Read This: Do you really have to ask?
Review: I enjoyed it. I think that I may need to read more graphic novels, because the format threw me off. Most of the graphic novels that I've read are in black and white, so reading a full-color comic was odd but enjoyable.(less)
Summary: Alex and Conner lead an ordinary life -- very different twins, still mourning their father after their death. But all of that changes one day...moreSummary: Alex and Conner lead an ordinary life -- very different twins, still mourning their father after their death. But all of that changes one day when they fall into a world of fairy tales and must find their way home.
Why I Read This: I was intrigued because it was written by Chris Colfer from Glee.
Review: I was ready to hate it (as I generally dislike Colfer's singing on Glee), but I didn't. I found that I really enjoyed it. It wasn't a literary masterpiece, but it was engaging and fun -- connecting old fairy tales to new and creating memorable characters that are more than one-dimensional disney-types.(less)
Summary: Ender has never been a normal boy, but his life begins to change when he is taken to battle school to learn to fight the Buggers.
Why I Read...moreSummary: Ender has never been a normal boy, but his life begins to change when he is taken to battle school to learn to fight the Buggers.
Why I Read This: For a book club
Review: I enjoyed it. I've been hesitant to read it because it's not really my type of book, but it was good; I found myself wanting to read it. My only qualm would be the ending. You get to the climax of the book, then the quick downslope and then the book should have ended. Unfortunately, it didn't. It kept going into an odd sort of parable, which was unnecessary and distracting. Overall, though, a good read with some challenging moral questions about war.(less)
Summary: Percy Jackson is back, and no matter how much you know about his story, he doesn't know any of it. He's being chased by monsters that won't s...moreSummary: Percy Jackson is back, and no matter how much you know about his story, he doesn't know any of it. He's being chased by monsters that won't seem to die, then he has to save an old woman while he fights, until he tumbles his way into a camp for half-bloods, a camp for Roman half-bloods. With a new cast of crazy characters and the same gods with new names and personalities, the plot is beginning to thicken for Percy.
Why I read this book: I don't know. I keep reading these Percy Jackson books even though (a) they're all the same, (b) I can't remember the salient details of the previous books so I'm often confused, and (c) I don't really like them.
Review: Meh. It's like all the others. But I was so unexcited that it took me 3 months to finish it. Its a good adventure story, good for tweens. It's nothing more.(less)
Summary: Jonas is an ordinary boy in an ordinary world - a world where everything is ordinary. While there is not sickness and no pain, there is somet...moreSummary: Jonas is an ordinary boy in an ordinary world - a world where everything is ordinary. While there is not sickness and no pain, there is something else lacking as well. Never having considered it, Jonas is chosen one day to take a special role in the community where he must face what they are missing.
Why I Read This Book: This month our bookclub is reading Banned Books, and I was on the fence about which one to read. Then I asked the recommendation of another librarian and she said that it should certainly be this one.
Review: I am glad that I read this book. Having never read it as a child, I have always felt a little bit left out, but I have also never felt so compelled as to read it. Still, I found the book to be falsely appealing. Sure, the part of me that is true-blue American says that choice is good and regulations are bad, but that's only the American part of me. The rational part of me knows that "freedom from" is not true freedom. "Freedom for" is much more freedom. Lowry is not advocating for a completely free world with no rules, but the one-sided view of rules and discipline was disheartening. Just as rules can be bad, rules ordered towards the good will make humans more free, not less free.
Imagine children playing on the top of a mountain - without a fence they have to stay in the very middle of the mountain and can't play far, lest the ball fall over the edge. But, if the children have a fence around the top of the mountain, then they need not worry about losing the ball and can play more heartily. Boundaries that are ordered towards the good give them the opportunity to shine.
I found Lowry's book overly simplistic (though it is for children...), but still enjoyable and interesting.(less)
Summary: Celia and Marco have been trained to compete from their birth. Attached to a game that they did not initiate in a world that they did not cho...moreSummary: Celia and Marco have been trained to compete from their birth. Attached to a game that they did not initiate in a world that they did not choose, each is forced to one-up their rival. The venue for this competition, Le Cirque des Reves, travels the world bringing magic with it.
Why I Read This Book: This book has been getting rave reviews all over.
Summary: It was a great story, and I loved the way that she choose to structure it, but I found myself wishing that she had given the story to a better writer. With a place that had the opportunity to be full of magic and delight, the descriptions were mundane and removed you from something wonderful. So while Morgenstern gets 5 stars for the idea, she only gets 3 stars overall.(less)
Summary: Arthur thought that he was having a bad day when his house was torn down, but it wasn't until the planet was torn down that he realized thing...moreSummary: Arthur thought that he was having a bad day when his house was torn down, but it wasn't until the planet was torn down that he realized things could get a lot worse. But for Arthur, the adventure is just beginning.
Why I Read This: Our book club decided that it would be fun to read.
Review: And it was. It was fun and interesting with great one-liners. At the same time, though it was a little bit confusing and the end was abrupt. Still, it was an enjoyable and fun read.(less)
Summary: Jacob is fairly ordinary -- except his family is rich, his best friend is only mildly concerned with his welfare, and his grandfather is seni...moreSummary: Jacob is fairly ordinary -- except his family is rich, his best friend is only mildly concerned with his welfare, and his grandfather is senile. But his ordinary life takes an unusual twist when Jacob witnesses the violent death of his grandfather at the hands of wild dogs, and being left with an cryptic message. Jacob's attempts to understand that message, the monster, and his grandfather's grandious stories bring Jacob to a small British island where Jacob will learn more about himself and the world than he could have ever imagined.
Why I Read This Book: It's about a home for orphans. In my mind, that is practically an asylum. So I read it
Review: I really enjoyed it. It moved a little bit slowly at the end, but up until that point I was in love. First of all it is "totally creepers", which is my technical term for skin-crawlingly weird yet wonderful at the same time. In addition, as much as it is Jacob's story, it is the story the "peculiar children" and Jacob's grandfather as well. It has monsters, powers, time travel, and countless other aspects that make me love it. (less)
**spoiler alert** Summary: Anya falls down a well one day. While in the well she meets the ghost of Emily. Anya is rescued from the well and accidenta...more**spoiler alert** Summary: Anya falls down a well one day. While in the well she meets the ghost of Emily. Anya is rescued from the well and accidentally takes a piece of Emily with her, giving Emily the opportunity to be free of the well. When Anya returns to the world, will Emily help her improve her social standing and grades? Or will Emily be a burden to Anya?
Why I Read This Book: It had a quote from Neil Gaiman on the cover - "A Masterpiece". And I do love Neil Gaiman.
Review: It was a fine book. I liked the artistry, and the cover is awesome. The story was a little bit mundane, but perfect for pre-teen set, as long as that pre-teen *spoiler* doesn't mind serial killers and arsonists *spoiler*. It has a great message about self-respect, family, and standing up for yourself.(less)
Summary: Briony is a witch. She ruined her sister's life. She killed her stepmother. She is a wicked, wicked witch. But when her sister is dying of th...moreSummary: Briony is a witch. She ruined her sister's life. She killed her stepmother. She is a wicked, wicked witch. But when her sister is dying of the swamp cough, she'll use her ability to communicate with the Old Ones to find a cure, risking her own life to the noose.
Why I Read This Book: "Chime" was recommended to me by a friend. She thought that I'd like the writing style.
Review: I really didn't. I found the writing incredibly awkward, like the writer wanted to write well, in an interesting way, but didn't really know how. So she just wrote awkwardly. The only portion of the book that had any ring of truth or flow to it is when the main character gets drunk with her crush. The story was a good story. I could see how a lot of Young Adults would like it. But, the writing was so awkward that it distracted from the book itself.(less)
Summary: Immortal, innocent, and lonely. This describes the life of the last unicorn on earth. After overhearing two hunters discussing the disappeara...moreSummary: Immortal, innocent, and lonely. This describes the life of the last unicorn on earth. After overhearing two hunters discussing the disappearance of all the unicorns, our heroine endeavors upon a quest to find and save her brethren.
Review: I first learned of this book at a Patrick Rothfuss signing about a year ago. Peter S. Beagle's tale is a apparently a classic one, but I, as a less avid reader of fantasy and science fiction, seem to have missed the memo. So I started this book with no knowledge of the original story from which it was adapted. I must say that the artwork was spectacular. I found myself entranced almost as much by the backgrounds as I was by the characters themselves. Renae De Liz has a knack for evoking the emotion of a scene in her interpretation of the backgrounds, which I appreciate in contrast to other graphic novels who evoke emotion through storyline and maintain almost static backgrounds. Truthfully, I had a hard time following certain parts of the story because I was distracted by the artwork and missed the storyline, but I think that for people who already know the story, this adaptation will bring an added element of fantasy to the classic tale.(less)
Summary: Sadie and Carter go on another Egyptian adventure to save the world!
Review: I don't know why I keep reading these books, but I do. They're al...moreSummary: Sadie and Carter go on another Egyptian adventure to save the world!
Review: I don't know why I keep reading these books, but I do. They're all exactly the same, but I still read them. It's disgraceful. Still, I love them; I have that in common with small children.(less)
Summary: Dorothy lands in the land of Oz and must help the tin man, the scarecrow, the lion, and the people of Oz before she can go home.
Review: The a...moreSummary: Dorothy lands in the land of Oz and must help the tin man, the scarecrow, the lion, and the people of Oz before she can go home.
Review: The artwork was certainly different from what I would have expected, but delightful. I also enjoyed the story being told, I presume, from the writings of Baum, though I have never read his books. Perhaps I will now.(less)
Summary: In a world where choice is eliminated, Cassia is happy to get her match. So, what happens when she finds out that her match might be someone...moreSummary: In a world where choice is eliminated, Cassia is happy to get her match. So, what happens when she finds out that her match might be someone else?
Review: The Hunger Games' lesser cousin. Same plot, not as exciting.(less)
Summary: Santa - he's mysterious, endowed by aliens, and coming to your house via wormhole!
Review: It was interesting for the first 50 or so pages. Th...moreSummary: Santa - he's mysterious, endowed by aliens, and coming to your house via wormhole!
Review: It was interesting for the first 50 or so pages. Then I forced myself through the next 50 or so pages. Then I just skimmed the last 50. Seriously, enough, sir.(less)
Summary: Esk is a girl, but a special girl. She was given the staff of Drum Bullet, a powerful wizard, at her birth. Drum Billet mistakenly believes t...moreSummary: Esk is a girl, but a special girl. She was given the staff of Drum Bullet, a powerful wizard, at her birth. Drum Billet mistakenly believes that she was the eighth son of an eighth son -- surprise! The first daughter of an eight son. Hilarity ensues.
Review: Terry Pratchett has a way with words, you must admit. Even though I felt throughout the book that he was writing a social commentary about priests (with which I highly disagree with him), I still loved it because he is just such an endearing writing. I love you Terry Pratchett. (less)
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