During World War 2, June 9, 1942, a Jewish family, the Franks, went into hiding to escape the anti-Jewish laws, harsh treatment, and discrimination of the Jews. Their youngest daughter, Anne, talks about true things in her diary of their life before and after Hitler became dictator. She shares her thoughts on the horrible thrill it was to be hiding in a small space, not being able to even go outside. Her true story had so much in it, suspense on rather they'll live, historical because of the world war 2 setting, and a small romance. Everything told through the mind of a thirteen year old girl.
This book really gave me a better understanding on just how bad world war two was. This isn't the book; it's more of a companion to go with the diary. It had a lot of quotes from the Anne frank diary so you understand what was happening, and each page had pictures of the family, and their hiding place showing you what each thing or person looked like. Even after Anne had stopped writing in her diary, it told you everything that happened to them afterwards, including how they died. It was really educational, but in a fun and creative way, and was really easy to get captivated by. It was easy to get into If you got this book, I would recommend getting the diary to, and vise versa. It doesn't matter if you've read the diary or not, it was put together in a way that's easy to understand, and I would definitely recommend this book.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Springtown, Texas United States
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Walk Back by Peter Cosentino
A lot has changed in the year 2005705. This is the time that Peter Cosentino's sci-fi fantasy novel Walk Back, is for the majority, set. Idris, Tedrin, and Lorcan three older teenagers from this time are beginning a perilous journey, in which they are thrown out of their gated city and must make the dangerous hike back on foot. This tradition gains the survivors initiation into adulthood and is known as the walk back . But it is far from easy, sand storms and volcanoes are nothing to worry about when compared with unruly beasts attacking from all sides. Fierce life-size mosquitoes creatures, giant rat nest and vicious reptiles are just some of the creatures the trio must combat to collect what they need and arrive back home safely. In the present time, 2008, scientists Rupert, Stella and Leonard fall upon a scientific breakthrough that allows them to transport into the future. The ill-usage of this treasure lands the scientist into Idris, Tedrin, and Lorcan's time and the walk back zone. Both groups' adventures and abilities become entwined.
Walk Back was a fast paced and interesting read that twisted and turned until the very end. Lots of information about the plot and heavy description is given throughout the book which I found was both a highlight and a hindrance. The author found a good balance between the adventure of the walk back and the sci-fi of the time travel which kept the story exciting and new. Personally, I feel that most of the fighting and depiction of fictional creatures was wasted on me as this is not my preferred genre and I can become lost in lengthy portrayals of either. For those who enjoy science fiction and adventure novels Walk Back by Peter Cosentino would be an encapsulating read and a twist on the stereotype of each genre. Walk Back would be suited to ages from 13 years.
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Melbourne , Victoria Australia
Walk Back was a fast paced and interesting read that twisted and turned until the very end. Lots of information about the plot and heavy description is given throughout the book which I found was both a highlight and a hindrance. The author found a good balance between the adventure of the walk back and the sci-fi of the time travel which kept the story exciting and new. Personally, I feel that most of the fighting and depiction of fictional creatures was wasted on me as this is not my preferred genre and I can become lost in lengthy portrayals of either. For those who enjoy science fiction and adventure novels Walk Back by Peter Cosentino would be an encapsulating read and a twist on the stereotype of each genre. Walk Back would be suited to ages from 13 years.
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Melbourne , Victoria Australia
Mia the Magnificent by Eileen Boggess
"Mia the Magnificent" by Eileen Boggess is a girly story about a wallflower that finds her inner confidence. Friends with the director of student plays, Mia has a spot in the upcoming musical. However, she wants to earn her place and tries out in front of others, truly earning a lead role. Along the way, Mia meets another boy in the musical who is looked down on for participating in a "feminine" extracurricular. Sparks fly and Mia learns about her first crush.
This book is set in a school and its plot events are ordinary from a teenager's perspective. Much focuses on boys, driving, girl talk, and such. However, there is no explicit scene when it comes to boys, and Mia even decides towards the end that her school and sports are fun and that a boyfriend can wait. There is a belly button piercing mentioned in the book, but that's about as risque as the book gets. Overall, young girls will find this book entertaining and relatable.
Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Staten Island, NY USA
This book is set in a school and its plot events are ordinary from a teenager's perspective. Much focuses on boys, driving, girl talk, and such. However, there is no explicit scene when it comes to boys, and Mia even decides towards the end that her school and sports are fun and that a boyfriend can wait. There is a belly button piercing mentioned in the book, but that's about as risque as the book gets. Overall, young girls will find this book entertaining and relatable.
Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Staten Island, NY USA
Thursday, January 21, 2010
War in the Middle East by Wilborn Hampton
Hampton started in 1970, dedicating his entire career to be a journalist, reporting the sad history in the Middle East. He wrote this nonfiction book entirely on facts that he experienced himself. He was there during two wars, including Black September, to write about the shooting, killing, bombing, peace treaties, and diplomatic maneuvering from a neutral stance. Hampton put himself in danger every day in order to report many events such as the hijackings of P.E.L.P., the hostages of the guerrillas, the peace talks between King Hussein, Arafat, and other Arab leaders and Yom Kippur during the civil war.
"The entire neighborhood became a battlefield, with the hotel in the crossfire& I lay on the bar mattress in the hotel hallway, I wonder how many people might be lying dead or wounded out there. Either of us had been killed. My thirtieth birthday was coming up in a few days, and I said a little prayer that I might live to see it." -Hampton
Wilborn Hampton is a talented reporter who put himself in the midst of the conflicts in the Middle East to capture and document the shocking events of the civil war known as Black September. He wrote about his own observations. When I read this book I felt like I was standing in the sand at Jerusalem. There are also many great photographs of important events such as the election of Palestinian leaders, the protection wall at the West bank, refugee camps, Israelis and Egyptian commanders signing peace treaties, and the holy city of Jerusalem where the Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock are located. Before I started reading this book I had little knowledge about the war in the Middle East. Luckily, there is a great prologue of religious background about the Jews and Palestinians. I enjoyed reading the book from the eyes of Wilborn Hampton, a true American citizen, (rather than hearing about the war from our textbooks or the news reporters.) This is an incredible book of primary sources that all students, as well as adults, should study.
"Any understanding of the Middle East must begin with the premise that no one side is right or wrong. There is no black or white, only a thousand shades of gray." -Hampton.
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Renton, WA USA
"The entire neighborhood became a battlefield, with the hotel in the crossfire& I lay on the bar mattress in the hotel hallway, I wonder how many people might be lying dead or wounded out there. Either of us had been killed. My thirtieth birthday was coming up in a few days, and I said a little prayer that I might live to see it." -Hampton
Wilborn Hampton is a talented reporter who put himself in the midst of the conflicts in the Middle East to capture and document the shocking events of the civil war known as Black September. He wrote about his own observations. When I read this book I felt like I was standing in the sand at Jerusalem. There are also many great photographs of important events such as the election of Palestinian leaders, the protection wall at the West bank, refugee camps, Israelis and Egyptian commanders signing peace treaties, and the holy city of Jerusalem where the Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock are located. Before I started reading this book I had little knowledge about the war in the Middle East. Luckily, there is a great prologue of religious background about the Jews and Palestinians. I enjoyed reading the book from the eyes of Wilborn Hampton, a true American citizen, (rather than hearing about the war from our textbooks or the news reporters.) This is an incredible book of primary sources that all students, as well as adults, should study.
"Any understanding of the Middle East must begin with the premise that no one side is right or wrong. There is no black or white, only a thousand shades of gray." -Hampton.
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Renton, WA USA
Captivate by Carrie Jones
Captivate, by Carrie Jones, is the second book in a series that follows Zara and her friends as they fight the nasty pixies. It turns out Zara is half pixie and she turns blue when she's around other pixies for too long. In addition, Zara is a pixie princess, the object of much interest from potential pixie kings, those who would wish complete control of the pixies. Of course, Zara must save the day and stop the pixies from wreaking havoc in the human world. It gets a little complicated when Zara's boyfriend mauls Astley, a potential king, in the woods. He's one of the more decent pixies.
Captivate was a very interesting book. For one thing, it had pixies, not vampires, which are a little overdone. It was well written and the characters were intriguing and seemed real. For instance, I thought it was pretty funny when Zara turned blue. I would definitely recommend Captivate to those interested in young adult fantasies that aren't about vampires. It would be advisable to read the first book in the series, Need, in order to have a better idea as to what exactly is going on.
Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Charleston, SC USA
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Sphinx's Princess by Esther Friesner
In this book the reader experiences the childhood of the beautiful Nefertiti. As she grows up in ancient Egypt, when the pharaohs once ruled, she discovers many skills she has been given. Nefertiti discovers what family is and what dangers my come of power in the ancient time. With many obstacles to face in her childhood, Nefertiti grows up in ways she never thought she would.
I think this book is a good read. The author describes the world around the character with so much detail. I can feel the heat of the sun, when I imagine the setting. I feel what Nefertiti feels with so much power to the words that I feel I am right there with her or even her. When describing the beliefs of Ancient Egypt, she is either done research or she just describes their religion like she has witnessed the ceremonies and prayers. I would recommend this to other readers. This book is a very good story about strength and finding courage to stand up for yourself. It is a very good book, although I do not see it getting high up on the book list. But don't let that lead you away cause if you like historical fiction books, you should try it.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Lake Bluff, Illinois United States of America
I think this book is a good read. The author describes the world around the character with so much detail. I can feel the heat of the sun, when I imagine the setting. I feel what Nefertiti feels with so much power to the words that I feel I am right there with her or even her. When describing the beliefs of Ancient Egypt, she is either done research or she just describes their religion like she has witnessed the ceremonies and prayers. I would recommend this to other readers. This book is a very good story about strength and finding courage to stand up for yourself. It is a very good book, although I do not see it getting high up on the book list. But don't let that lead you away cause if you like historical fiction books, you should try it.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Lake Bluff, Illinois United States of America
Center Field by Robert Lipsyte
This book is a mystery, a romance, and an adventure all in one. I really like this book because of the way the author told the story. I recommend this to mature teens into sports.
This book is called Center Field by Robert Lipsyte. I think the author did achieve his purpose, which was to tell the reader a little more about baseball. The plot of the story caught my attention very well. Actually, I am into sports and I always wanted to try out baseball. And as soon as I read this book, I fell in love with it. This book to me was very moving, because Robert Lipsyte wasn't afraid to make the book his own and create a teen story. And I also felt moved that I'm not the only one who feels that way about sports, and how Mike was relating to kids at his school. This book is about Mike Semak, a regular guy in high school, who is living the dream being on a baseball field like he is on the top of the world. I really liked the ending of the story because, Mike gets the girl he was dreaming to have. Though his friends tease him for it,he thinks, maybe it doesn't matter what they say. Mike sticks up for himself, and shows everyone who is boss. I actually loved every part of this book.It had me ripping through the pages to see what Mike was going to do next. I think anyone who reads this will love it, but I know young sports fantics will die to read it.
Reviewer Age:13Reviewer City, State and Country: Mineola, Texas USA
This book is called Center Field by Robert Lipsyte. I think the author did achieve his purpose, which was to tell the reader a little more about baseball. The plot of the story caught my attention very well. Actually, I am into sports and I always wanted to try out baseball. And as soon as I read this book, I fell in love with it. This book to me was very moving, because Robert Lipsyte wasn't afraid to make the book his own and create a teen story. And I also felt moved that I'm not the only one who feels that way about sports, and how Mike was relating to kids at his school. This book is about Mike Semak, a regular guy in high school, who is living the dream being on a baseball field like he is on the top of the world. I really liked the ending of the story because, Mike gets the girl he was dreaming to have. Though his friends tease him for it,he thinks, maybe it doesn't matter what they say. Mike sticks up for himself, and shows everyone who is boss. I actually loved every part of this book.It had me ripping through the pages to see what Mike was going to do next. I think anyone who reads this will love it, but I know young sports fantics will die to read it.
Reviewer Age:13Reviewer City, State and Country: Mineola, Texas USA
Monday, January 18, 2010
Defining Twilight by Brian Leaf
The key to unlocking the SAT lies in one book that has taken the world by storm; Twilight. Using words found in the actual book, Brian Leaf compiles more than three hundred vocabulary words that are SAT, ACT, GED, and SSAT eligible. Defining Twilight teaches advanced words and test-taking approaches while reading the book that has become so popular around the world.
The idea behind Defining Twilight was brilliant. Teens can read their favorite book while studying for college entrance exams. The approach to this book helped me a great deal. It provided a list of words for the reader to define along with a list of the definitions and quiz on the words. After the quiz, it gave an explanation of the answers and also clues to help figure them out. It used words like "donned" and "misogynistic," however, I already knew the majority of the words from previously reading Twilight and figuring out the words then. So while it helped me with the approach to the SAT, it didn't help with the actual words. This would be a marvelous idea with other books as well, such as Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Overall, it was a great concept, but it could have been a little bit more challenging.
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, Pa USA
The idea behind Defining Twilight was brilliant. Teens can read their favorite book while studying for college entrance exams. The approach to this book helped me a great deal. It provided a list of words for the reader to define along with a list of the definitions and quiz on the words. After the quiz, it gave an explanation of the answers and also clues to help figure them out. It used words like "donned" and "misogynistic," however, I already knew the majority of the words from previously reading Twilight and figuring out the words then. So while it helped me with the approach to the SAT, it didn't help with the actual words. This would be a marvelous idea with other books as well, such as Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Overall, it was a great concept, but it could have been a little bit more challenging.
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, Pa USA
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Yokai Doctor 1 by Yuki Sato
Kotoko's grandfather was a famous exorcist of yokai, mysterious, troublemaking spirits and demons. Because of her relation to him, her school friends think she can exorcise them, too, but she can only see them. Kotoko gets in some trouble with the yokai in her area when she tries to exorcise one and is save by her weird classmate, Kuro, a yokai doctor. Kotoko is about to have her beliefs and perspectives changed.
This was one of the most original manga I have ever read because of the fact that the yokai are not portrayed as the evil point of the story. The mangaka, author, tries to show that not all things that are perceived as evil are bad. The drawings were amazingly lifelike and certainly grabbed my attention in some scenes. The action scenes really showed the movement of the characters and their expressions were easily recognisable. There was only one downfall to the entire manga; the same story was told twice in the same book. I think that the first two chapters were the original magazine release of the manga and then the mangaka followed up with a remake of those chapters for the series. Overall, a must read manga.
There are scenes that show sex related.
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, USA
This was one of the most original manga I have ever read because of the fact that the yokai are not portrayed as the evil point of the story. The mangaka, author, tries to show that not all things that are perceived as evil are bad. The drawings were amazingly lifelike and certainly grabbed my attention in some scenes. The action scenes really showed the movement of the characters and their expressions were easily recognisable. There was only one downfall to the entire manga; the same story was told twice in the same book. I think that the first two chapters were the original magazine release of the manga and then the mangaka followed up with a remake of those chapters for the series. Overall, a must read manga.
There are scenes that show sex related.
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, USA
Drawing Manga Animals by J.C. Amberlyn
Ever wondered just how the mangakas draw those cute little sidekicks, animals, and chibis? Drawing Manga Animals shows you how to create those little creatures in a step-by-step process. It tells all; everything from heads and bodies to coloring your creations in on the computer using photoshop.
I enjoyed looking through this book and seeing all the pictures. Everything was very simple and in an easy to follow format. The author used both pictures and words to describe how to draw the animals, which was beneficial for me. I'm not very good with drawing, so the fact that there were words and pictures telling me how to draw them helped a lot. I really like the assortment of lessons and animals that it gave. There were real life animals like squirrels and rabbits, but there were also mythical creatures like dragons and kitsune, fox people. Also, the instructions on how to use the computer to color in the drawings were very detailed and showed screenshots to show exactly what should be on the computer screen. I will definitely share this with my friends who love to draw!
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, USA
I enjoyed looking through this book and seeing all the pictures. Everything was very simple and in an easy to follow format. The author used both pictures and words to describe how to draw the animals, which was beneficial for me. I'm not very good with drawing, so the fact that there were words and pictures telling me how to draw them helped a lot. I really like the assortment of lessons and animals that it gave. There were real life animals like squirrels and rabbits, but there were also mythical creatures like dragons and kitsune, fox people. Also, the instructions on how to use the computer to color in the drawings were very detailed and showed screenshots to show exactly what should be on the computer screen. I will definitely share this with my friends who love to draw!
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, USA
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)