Morrison High in Spokane, Washington has no place for anyone but the sports teams. Ian McDermott is a punk skater. His little brother Sammy is a fourth grader who is slow in school and doesn't do well. Ian has to keep up in school and care for Sammy everyday. When Ian was four years old, his father left his home. Then, Sammy was still developing in his mother, and she was starting to smoke crack. They struggle to simply eat because their mother leaves no money for them, even on the rare days she is home. Finally, when Ian punches his gym teacher for being a jerk, they run away. They try to run away to see their father in Walla Walla, Washington. When they meet him he sets things straight for both Sammy and Ian. However there are many challenges in between.
I absolutely loved this book. Michael Harmon started his first book off extremely well. The characters show so much feeling, thought, and emotion. Skate was a very easy read and a page turner. This book reminded me of Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt. They both had kids that were running away due to their mothers and encountered many struggles along the way. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read about odd kids fitting in with others or adventures.
This book mentions drugs, violence, and has some swearing in it.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Carlisle, Pennsylvania United States of America
Friday, May 25, 2007
Thursday, May 24, 2007
The Choice by Gloria Skurzynski
Ever since Corgan escaped his mortal enemy, Brigand, by fleeing the Florida domed city, he's felt haunted. He's haunted by the fact that Brigand is still in power in Florida, torturing innocent citizens (including Corgan's friend Thebos), but above all by the bitter memory that he ran away from Brigand rather than staying to fight. Corgan believes he mad the right choice at the time, but now he wants to face Brigand in one final battle. His passengers in the stolen zero-gravity spaceship- Sharla, Ananda, and Cyborg- have different ideas. Tired of arguing, Corgan chooses to land the ship in the only place he has ever been happy. But even there disaster follows him, until Sharla reveals a secret that gives him hope-hope that he can once again become the hero he was meant to be. This time, Corgan intends to stand up to Brigand, win or lose, in a fight to the death. This Thrilling sequel and conclusion to the Virtual War Chronologs has been eagerly awaited by Gloria Skurzynski's many fans.
The Choice by Gloria Skurzynski follows the story of Corgan and his companions on their quest to defeat his best friend's evil twin brother. All the the loose ends are neatly severed and most questions are left answered in a nice finale way. This book is pretty interesting and nice for a final book. My only complaint is that this book is basically a 200 page filler. A large portion of the book the main characters spend on a deserted island trying to resolve a minor minor minor problem that has no consequences whatsoever to the final outcome of the book. Another large portion of the book is reserved for the petty talk the main characters have after they save the world, which is really really tempting to skip. Another part of the book the characters spend time recalling all the events that took place in the previous book which, if you are reading this book, you apparently have some prior knowledge of the other books in the series. Wait, I almost forgot similar to how the author almost forgot to add the one page final action scene in where Corgan defeats his greatest adversary.
Overall this book could have been squeezed into the third book and nothing would have been lost. For those who have read the other books in the Virtual War series I would recommend this book to you. For those who have not read the previous book in the series I would not recommend this series book to you, but in all fairness you cannot rate a whole series based on only one book. In my opinion the Virtual War Chronologs in a whole is very much worth reading.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 5
Reviewer Age: 17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Starkville, Mississippi United States of America
The Choice by Gloria Skurzynski follows the story of Corgan and his companions on their quest to defeat his best friend's evil twin brother. All the the loose ends are neatly severed and most questions are left answered in a nice finale way. This book is pretty interesting and nice for a final book. My only complaint is that this book is basically a 200 page filler. A large portion of the book the main characters spend on a deserted island trying to resolve a minor minor minor problem that has no consequences whatsoever to the final outcome of the book. Another large portion of the book is reserved for the petty talk the main characters have after they save the world, which is really really tempting to skip. Another part of the book the characters spend time recalling all the events that took place in the previous book which, if you are reading this book, you apparently have some prior knowledge of the other books in the series. Wait, I almost forgot similar to how the author almost forgot to add the one page final action scene in where Corgan defeats his greatest adversary.
Overall this book could have been squeezed into the third book and nothing would have been lost. For those who have read the other books in the Virtual War series I would recommend this book to you. For those who have not read the previous book in the series I would not recommend this series book to you, but in all fairness you cannot rate a whole series based on only one book. In my opinion the Virtual War Chronologs in a whole is very much worth reading.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 5
Reviewer Age: 17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Starkville, Mississippi United States of America
Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel
Matt Cruse, now a part of the Airship Academy, is sent on a week-long voyage with the Flotsam, a dirty ship with a sullen crew and a mentally-unstable captain. The captain orders the ship into a raging storm, and as they plow through, they get a glimpse of the famous Hyperion, a ship known to have untold wealth aboard. Matt plots the coordinates and when he returns home, he sets off with Kate de Vries and a mysterious gypsy girl to recover the ship. In the air they meet deadly pirates searching for the Hyperion as well, and dangerous air beasts. With only his friends and his wits to help him, Matt must beat the pirates, survive the beasts of the sky, and sort out his confused feelings for the girls.
This story handles characters very well. Each of the characters seem real and relatable, even if the particular character was a villain. The conflicts they encounter are plausible, even though the setting itself is not real, and the descriptions are well-crafted. The story moves along at a fast pace, keeping your eyes glued to the pages long after midnight. If you read Airborn, this story enriches the characters and completes the previous tale, but Skybreaker stands well alone, each reference to Airborn sufficiently explained. The romance is not overly dramatic or cliche, and Oppel keeps the reader aware that Matt is just a boy; he has no superpowers and the things he does are plausible because of it. Matt is a character that everyone admires, because he struggles with life but never backs down. This story is a great read, and something everyone should have on their shelves.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Overland Park, Kansas United States
This story handles characters very well. Each of the characters seem real and relatable, even if the particular character was a villain. The conflicts they encounter are plausible, even though the setting itself is not real, and the descriptions are well-crafted. The story moves along at a fast pace, keeping your eyes glued to the pages long after midnight. If you read Airborn, this story enriches the characters and completes the previous tale, but Skybreaker stands well alone, each reference to Airborn sufficiently explained. The romance is not overly dramatic or cliche, and Oppel keeps the reader aware that Matt is just a boy; he has no superpowers and the things he does are plausible because of it. Matt is a character that everyone admires, because he struggles with life but never backs down. This story is a great read, and something everyone should have on their shelves.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Overland Park, Kansas United States
The Red Shoes by Ursula Dubosarsky
Matilda, a young girl of age six, and her sisters Elizabeth and Frances are the stars of The Red Shoe, a novel written by Ursula Dubosarsky. At the beginning of the story, Frances reads Matilda a fairytale about a young girl who was not allowed to wear a pair of beautiful red shoes. Throughout the novel that absence of freedom is portrayed as the young girls describe their mother , father, and uncle. Their mother is a pretty woman lonely in the absence of their father--and their uncle always seems to be around for her. Their father, distraught by events he witnessed during World War II is always away at sea or changed and different. As the story of the three sisters unravels the effects of the greater events occuring around the world appear to have a strong influence on the life of one small family.
I disliked this book. The characters were simple and enjoyable, however I found the story very confusing. There were newspaper articles at the beginning of each chapter that didn't appear to really contribute to the story much. Overall, although a fine written book, I came away with a confused idea of the plot and storyline. I may have missed the point but the story was not clear-cut enough for me to have understood it. I recommend that you give it a try and see for yourself.
There is mention of suicide in this story.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 5
Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Concord, Massachusetts United States
I disliked this book. The characters were simple and enjoyable, however I found the story very confusing. There were newspaper articles at the beginning of each chapter that didn't appear to really contribute to the story much. Overall, although a fine written book, I came away with a confused idea of the plot and storyline. I may have missed the point but the story was not clear-cut enough for me to have understood it. I recommend that you give it a try and see for yourself.
There is mention of suicide in this story.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 5
Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Concord, Massachusetts United States
The Unrivalled Spangles by Karen Wallace
The two Spangles sisters, Ellen and Lucy (known by their stage names of Serephina Scarletta and Sapphire Scarletta) are both completely different from each other. They're both circus riders, but Lucy longs for attention and the crowd's adoration, whereas Ellen would prefer life as a governess and gets no pleasure out of circus life. When two young men walk into the sisters' lives, everything will change, and soon Ellen is burdened by more secrets and lies than she can handle.
THE UNRIVALLED SPANGLES had an intriguing premise, but sadly it failed to deliver. Very disappointing. I had next to no sympathy with the main character, Ellen, and I was constantly thinking that the story would've been much more interesting if told from the view point of Lucy, instead. The writing wasn't particularly good (another disappointment, after reading the well-crafted book WENDY by the same author). Perhaps I would pick up another book by the author sometime, but this one held no magic for me.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 2
Reviewer Age: 16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Moscow, ID USA
THE UNRIVALLED SPANGLES had an intriguing premise, but sadly it failed to deliver. Very disappointing. I had next to no sympathy with the main character, Ellen, and I was constantly thinking that the story would've been much more interesting if told from the view point of Lucy, instead. The writing wasn't particularly good (another disappointment, after reading the well-crafted book WENDY by the same author). Perhaps I would pick up another book by the author sometime, but this one held no magic for me.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 2
Reviewer Age: 16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Moscow, ID USA
The Band: Trading Guys by Debra Garfinkle
Tracie- She has the most perfect life. A fantastic boyfriend, acceptance to Yale, and a totally awesome band. Everything changes once the new guy comes and blows her away. Mark-Things are going great for him. His girlfriend Sienna is in the band with him and the band is finally going somewhere. But when Lily, the exotic new lead singer catches his attention, he may find himself doing something different Sienna-Her and her boyfriend have done everything for the band. They write songs, book gigs, and still find time to make out. But she finds that she is becoming more and more hateful towards Lily. The band is about to make it big. Everything is going great with everyone, until one night at the beach, when one question changes everything. “Just for fun, why don’t we trade boyfriends and girlfriends?”
The Band Trading Guys, for me was a fun read. It was similar to a soap opera. When everything is going fine, just one question changes everything. When I first started reading, I had a lot of ideas of what was going to happen and who with. But when I finished I found that none of my ideas matched up to the plot. I would defiantly recommend this book for anyone looking for a little drama.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Minooka, Illinois
The Band Trading Guys, for me was a fun read. It was similar to a soap opera. When everything is going fine, just one question changes everything. When I first started reading, I had a lot of ideas of what was going to happen and who with. But when I finished I found that none of my ideas matched up to the plot. I would defiantly recommend this book for anyone looking for a little drama.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Minooka, Illinois
A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd
When 15-year-old Shell’s mam died, her family was messed up. Her father started to drink whiskey every night, her little siblings are not acting well, and Shell is in on a bad group at school. Then, Father Rose, the new priest, comes and her whole world changes. She can feel her mother’s spirit again and truly believes in God! Later, the most horrible thing happens, Shell gets pregnant and the babies father mysteriously went away to America, leaving Ireland and Shell completely behind. Shell births her baby, and then gets caught up in the biggest murder mystery her little own has ever seen!
This was an awesome and touching book from start to finish! I absolutely loved it! The way that Dowd portrayed the characters and made them seem so real was just amazing! This is also a sad story so if you want sad, this is the right book for you! Some of the dialect was confusing but it was astounding. Thumbs up to Siobhan Dowd!
Content: There was a lot of talk about sex and had a woman having birth to a child. it was faithbased also!
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensbug, USA
This was an awesome and touching book from start to finish! I absolutely loved it! The way that Dowd portrayed the characters and made them seem so real was just amazing! This is also a sad story so if you want sad, this is the right book for you! Some of the dialect was confusing but it was astounding. Thumbs up to Siobhan Dowd!
Content: There was a lot of talk about sex and had a woman having birth to a child. it was faithbased also!
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensbug, USA
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Lurulu by Jack Vance
Lurulu is an account of the adventures of the Glicca, a space freighter, and its unforgettable crew. In each of the eccentric vignettes, the crew encounters fascinating natives and their strange cultures. Captain Malfoor tracks down Loy Tremaine on the beautiful planet Fluter. Tremaine has killed Malfoor's father and kidnapped his mother, in addition to upsetting the puritanical Flauts, the inhabitants of Fluter. After successfully apprehending the culprit, Malfoor and his crew head off to various other ports, meeting ferocious acrobats on Blenkinsop, reclaiming stolen cargo on Star Home, and enduring other such adventures as they ship cargo across space. As they travel, the crew discusses 'lurulu,' a term that takes on a slightly different meaning for each character, and for the reader as well. In the spirit of Gulliver's Travels, this story is a critique on society, while being coy in narration and sharp in dialogue.
The story was captivating, but some of the dialogue seemed staged. Despite that, I enjoyed the story and thought that the tongue-in-cheek moments and the politically-incorrect statements added a certain charm to the otherwise simple narrative. The main characters were interesting, though the similarities between names made it hard to follow occasionally. Because Lurulu is a sequel, it felt a little distant from the reader, because the character interactions were taken for granted, but with an subtle reference to previous journeys I was not privy too. This made reading it a little frustrating, and perhaps made the characters seem flat and one-dimensional. At times, the story would lapse from light-hearted gallantry to solemn, metaphysical conversation, and this made the characters more realistic than if the story had remained on the superficial level. Jack Vance did a good job of creating realistic settings, though the situations were ridiculous (although sometimes that seemed to be his intention). Overall, this story was intriguing and a good book to reread.
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Overland Park, Kansas United States
The story was captivating, but some of the dialogue seemed staged. Despite that, I enjoyed the story and thought that the tongue-in-cheek moments and the politically-incorrect statements added a certain charm to the otherwise simple narrative. The main characters were interesting, though the similarities between names made it hard to follow occasionally. Because Lurulu is a sequel, it felt a little distant from the reader, because the character interactions were taken for granted, but with an subtle reference to previous journeys I was not privy too. This made reading it a little frustrating, and perhaps made the characters seem flat and one-dimensional. At times, the story would lapse from light-hearted gallantry to solemn, metaphysical conversation, and this made the characters more realistic than if the story had remained on the superficial level. Jack Vance did a good job of creating realistic settings, though the situations were ridiculous (although sometimes that seemed to be his intention). Overall, this story was intriguing and a good book to reread.
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Overland Park, Kansas United States
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Louisianna's Song by Kerry Madden
Livy Two and her family are back with even more excitement and drama. She has had to grow up fast! With her dad still recovering from his traumatic car accident, Emmett working in Ghost Town in the Sky, and money getting tighter and tighter, she really has no choice. Things will get better, they have to... Louisiana (Louise) is a big part of this story, too. In the last year, she has sprouted and now is the focal point of horrible mockery and teasing from children at school. Fortunately, Louise can go to her artistry for comfort and reassurance. As their family works hard to keep everything and everyone alive, a queen is crowned, fairy huts are made, trips are taken and the whole Weems family works intensely to get money in the “Everything Box".
Livy Two continues to follow her dream of song writing and through out the book makes-up absolutely beautiful songs! I enjoyed imagining what they “really” sounded like in my head. I liked the feel of the story and like I said in my review for Gentle’s Holler (Kerry’s first book), I really want to visit some of these places!!! Kerry Madden does it again by writing another “heartwarming” book. Stay tuned for the third installment of the Maggie Valley trilogy….
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer State and Country: ID, USA
Livy Two continues to follow her dream of song writing and through out the book makes-up absolutely beautiful songs! I enjoyed imagining what they “really” sounded like in my head. I liked the feel of the story and like I said in my review for Gentle’s Holler (Kerry’s first book), I really want to visit some of these places!!! Kerry Madden does it again by writing another “heartwarming” book. Stay tuned for the third installment of the Maggie Valley trilogy….
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer State and Country: ID, USA
Marked by PC Cast and Kristin Cast
Zoey Redbird is an absolutely normal girl with a best friend and an almost-boyfriend, until she gets marked. One day, the tracker comes for her and marks her sending her to the House of Night, the vampyre school. She gets scared and runs home only to find that her parents are in a fright and then she runs to her Grandma Redbird’s. She ends up falling unconscious and goes to see the goddess, Nyx, who puts a special mark on Zoey. When Zoey finally makes it to the House of Night, she is a complete outsider because of the strange mark, that is until the whole school gets overturned and Zoey has to help save it.
This is truly one of the best books I have ever read. I couldn’t even put it down to go to sleep! I loved how Cast actually made it sound like a teenager, not an older person trying to sound like a teenager. This book shows the ancient struggle between good and evil, in a way that we can all understand. Cast made an amazing bunch of characters; from Damien the gay guy, to Erik the sweet hottie! I loved this book and everything in it! I can’t wait for the next!
There is some talk of sex and mentions about a girl giving a guy a blow job.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, USA
This is truly one of the best books I have ever read. I couldn’t even put it down to go to sleep! I loved how Cast actually made it sound like a teenager, not an older person trying to sound like a teenager. This book shows the ancient struggle between good and evil, in a way that we can all understand. Cast made an amazing bunch of characters; from Damien the gay guy, to Erik the sweet hottie! I loved this book and everything in it! I can’t wait for the next!
There is some talk of sex and mentions about a girl giving a guy a blow job.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, USA
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)