At LitPick, we review books from a variety of genres, as well as enjoy promoting reading and writing worldwide among adults and students. We also like connecting authors and publishers with readers.
Friday, November 23, 2007
The Mysterious Adventures of Pauline Bovary by Edeet Ravel
I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. It did not have a very filling story line and felt like just a chapter in a bigger novel. I was pleased to see that her problems greatly resembled the problems of the pre-teens and teens of today. It was an interesting book, but it was written as a first-time novelist might write, with many notations such as, "Zane Burbank's book said to keep chapters short, so I will talk about Mom in the next chapter." Rather than a novel, it was written more in Diary format, with chapter headings instead of dates. I wouldn't recommend this as a first-choice book, maybe a second or third choice. I would possibly be willing to read more books by this author.
Content: This book has a few references to adult content. Her mother searches for men on the internet, and Pauline overhears her mother talking about adult content to her mother's best friend. There are several scenes where Pauline is cheating on her boyfriend and ksiing another boy. She is also asked to go further with the same boy she was kissing.
Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Boothwyn, Pennsylvania United States
Final Sins by Michael Prescott
This book was very interesting. At some points I found that I could not put it down. It was fast paced and had many twists and turns. The book also changes perspective between characters (mostly Abby, Tess, and Faust). I found this to be an excellent way of keeping the reader's interest since all the character had different ways of seeing the problems. While I will admit that it lagged at some points, what this book lacked it made up for in the end. I would recommend this book to fans of adventure and mystery novels.
Content: This book contain sexual content not approporate for children.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, PA Franklin
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Or Not by Brian Mandabach
I enjoyed Or Not because Brian Mandabach understands what happens in middle school and how it feels to be the target of everyones hate, and he puts it in his writing.He makes it easy to relate to the characters, so the book runs along smoothly.Though at some points in the story it is hard to understand what is going on, it all is explained in the end. But Mandabach understands what goes on in middle school so well, I can match up characters from the book to people I go to school with. And it takes a skilled author to be able to do that.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Casa Grande, Arizona Unites States of America
Speechless by Valerie Sherrard
Speechless is a very interesting and gripping book. It is definitely a page turner that grips the reader's attention until the very end. The book was also very touching, the plight of the young children fighting in wars made me want to do something for the children as well. But the book was not completely realistic, I know that it's a work of fiction and it's not something that actually happened but at times everything seemed strange and hard to believe. Overall, the book was fantastic and though it's not my favorite I would definitely recommend it to others.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Champaign, IL USA
The Demonata Blood Beast by Darren Shan
Although I haven't read any of the first four books in the Demonata series, I caught on quickly. The author does a very good job explaining past events in a short period of time. This book was a very good read. It was nonstop action, with Grubbs fighting his internal battle against the werewolf while simultaneously fighting battles, both emotional and physical, outside. All of the characters are unique, with interesting personalities. Although I even had trouble reading it at night with some of the more frightening parts, this was a great book. The Demonata Blood Beast gets a nine out of ten from me.
Some of the thoughts and nightmares of the character are quite frightening. Not a good idea for young readers.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, PA USA
Cirque Du Freak:Lord of the Shadows by Darren Shan
I thought that this was an absolutely amazing addition to the Cirque Du Freak series! After reading the other books in the series I knew that this one had just as much of a creative plot as the rest. It is the eleventh book in the series and keeps the suspense and action at a high just like the rest. I loved that an old friend of Darren's came into play again and was so significant but not overpowering. The vocabulary for Lord of the Shadows is amazing as well. The author, Darren Shan, once again left you hanging at the end which makes me want, or rather NEED, to read the twelfth and final book in the series. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes vampires or fantasy.
Content There is a lot of violence.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10
Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Carlisle, Pennsylvania United States of America
Saturday, November 17, 2007
A Deadly Distance by Heather Down
I did not really like the book because of its ending. When I started it, I thought that this would be another Pocahontas story and everyone would live happily-ever-after. So when I got to the ending, it upset me. But apart from the ending, I thought it was a very well-written, organized, thoughtout story. Heather Down creates a story that takes you back in time. A time of war between the Indians and the English settlers.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Casa Grande, Arizona Unites States of America
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Story of A Girl by Sara Zarr
Story of a Girl was a brilliant story. It was very well-written with enough vocabulary that you weren't bored but not so much as to force you to read by a dictionary. The plot was very intriguing because of the different characters involvement in each conflict. I could really relate to Deanna because some problems she had were similar to mine, such as her jealousy. One of my favorite things about this book was that the emotion was always strong. Near the end I even cried so much I couldn't read. For me this book was definitely a page-turner. I look forward to reading more books by Sara Zarr and I encourage others to read this book if they like books on teenage struggles.
There is swearing and talk of sexual content.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Carlisle, Pennsylvania United States of America
Big Fat Manifesto by Susan Vaught
I thoroughly enjoyed Big Fat Manifesto. It is very interesting, because the book was from an overweight girl's point of view, which doesn't happen often in literature. You get to learn a lot about what it is like to be overweight and see the world through Jamie's eyes. The book talks a lot about issues young people are dealing with today: school, friends, love, your self-image. It makes this book easy to relate to and a satisfying read.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Aston, Pennsylvania United States
Style A to Zoe by Rachel Zoe with Rose Apodaca
I thought Style A To Zoe was a well-organized book. It had a lot of detail and information about great ways to become fashionable. Style A To Zoe has many strengths, but the one that is most recognizable is the word choice. The words are not random, and unorganized that are there because they're big or easy to write. Instead of using words such as great, nice, or okay. A word that's in this book replaced for those is marvelously. She uses well-thoughtout word in their replacement. For the weaknesses in this book the only thing I could think of was that the book was not a page turner. I found myself daydreaming and wondering if the next page would be more exciting. Otherwise I thought it was a great book, but it was dull and the only things I found interesting were the pictures and some of the tips. If I where the author I would try to have the celebrities talk more and just try to make it more interesting. Overall, it was a descent book, but I would only recommend it to someone that loves fashion.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Sandy, Oregon United States
Slam by Nick Hornby
Overall Slam is an extremely successful book, it creates a setting that is very easy for many teenagers to relate to. The characters are very strong and you feel as if you personally know them. For the most part it is very realistic, however, there are some fantastical situations which create interesting twists that aren't found in other books. Slam has a great message, and Nick Hornby did a great job of making his point clear and strong. Though it is a fairly simple book and not much of challenge, I would definitely recommend this books to others, and especially to all teenagers.
Content:3
there is talk of sex
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Marblehead , MA USA
Vendetta by Chris Humphreys
Having read Humphrey’s first “Runestone” book, The Fetch, I had a very good understanding of the characters and the plot development. With that said, I was impressed with the author’s advancement of the plot while still accounting for the many angles he approached. The author has an immense knowledge of history regarding Runestones and the legend of the Mazzeri. When Humphreys incorporated the two historical contexts, it created a very interesting plot. I am looking forward to his next book in order to see what he will add to the historical aspect. Humphrey’s tone fit well with the mood of the book. Light hearted in some areas, and intellectually intense in others. Humphreys provided lots of action and an insight into the thoughts of the protagonist. These created a suspense that kept me fascinated with the story. The end of the book created new questions and wrinkles to the storyline, and this provided me a yearning to read more. I recommend Vendetta and The Runestone Saga to readers with a historical curiosity, and an appetite for action.
Content: Some graphic violence
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Eden Prairie , Minnesota United States
The Confessional by J.L. Powers
The Confessional is a very interesing book about racism and how it can divide people. The novel makes a point of proving that "Everybody's guilty of something." This book challenged me to think about what I would do if I was in the same situation as any of these boys. It was a very powerful read. The ending is something no one would ecpect and I would definetely recommend this book to mature readers.
Content: The Confessional has a content rating of 3 because it contains violence, drugs, and sexual content.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: East Islip, New York United States
Breathe My Name by R.A. Nelson
Breathe My Name was a captivating book, starting in the middle of a young adult's biggest problem: her birth mother. How R. A. Nelson got into the mind of Francine was wonderful, the author truly captured what the protagonist was thinking and her reasoning. The chapter in which it exposes R. C. Carruthers pushes the book into a deep genre of suspense and mystery, showing his thinking and at the same time Francine's. Nix, Francine's boyfriend, helps her the whole journey, supporting her and introducing her to new smells, sights, and thoughts. Breathe My Name had me hooked from the beginning.
Language and sexual content (Francine and her boyfriend).
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Eagle Creek, OR USA
A Gathering of Gargoyles by Meredith Ann Pierce
This novel was an interesting and exciting read. The characters and setting are very unusual and interesting, though the plot feels rushed at points and some of the characters either do not make sense or leave the story too quickly. A lot of the novel deals with Aerial's love for Irrylath, so the book has a lot of romance and sorrow. This adds to the story by giving it internal conflicts, but it is not too centered around love. It retains adventure. However, the book is the second in a trilogy. I read the previous book first and recommend doing so, though it is not necessary. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, but I did wish that it was longer. I will definitely read the third book.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Royersford, PA United states
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Calligraphy of the Witch
When she leaves the convent where she is indentured for a
better opportunity, a slave ship headed to Salem,
Massachusetts, captures Concepion and her friend.
Concepion's friend dies during the journey to Salem, the
captain of the ship sexually abuses her, and she is almost
starved to death. Needless to say, when Concepion arrives
at Salem, she is a very different person than she was.
Concepion's name is changed to Thankful Seagraves, and sold
to Nathaniel Greenwood, who has her take care of his
father-in-law. All through these terrifying experiences,
Thankful is pregnant. After she gives birth, Thankful and
her daughter try to get used to the colonial American ways
of life, but have a hard time. Thankful finds solace in
talking to Tituba, who is from Barbados and also is an
outsider. Then, the Salem Witch Trials arise, and things
take a turn for the worse when Hanna names her own mother a
witch.
This book was a unique, one of a kind read. I have read
many things about the Salem Witch Trials, but never anything
like this. The point-of-view was very eye opening, and made
me experience this particular time period freshly. Alicia
Gaspar de Alba wrote very descriptively, and vividly. I
never once questioned the way something looked, or smelled,
or felt. The historical research put into this story was
immense, and I felt that the author put it into context well.
I probably would not recommend this book to anyone
younger then fourteen, though, because of confusing plot
twists, and adult themes.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country:
Boothwyn, PA United States
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Queen Geeks In Love
I really liked the book Geeks In Love.It was a real page turner. Shelby is a funny person that you just want to scream out, "Don't do that!" while you are reading. The plot was excellent. How can you pull together Geek Fest, comic-con, and Shelby's Halloween party all at the same time? To me, this book pretty much compares to some of the other books I've read, but it was still good in it's own way.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
They do swear in this book and some relational scenes and content.
Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Minooka, IL United States
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
The Herion Diaries
life filled with drugs, alcohol, sex, and money. This sounds
like a cool way to live life. What happens when Nikki wants
to escape this life,but is surrounded by it and can't get
out? And then the band goes on tour. Everything starts off
good, but when Nikki falls back into bad habits he crashes
to an all time low. Will Nikki be able to fight and win this
battle with drugs, or will he be pulled down to it's darkest
depths and never be able to resurface?
I was kind of shocked by how deep Nikki was into drugs.
As I turned page after page I kept asking myself, why is
this dude still alive????? I did enjoy reading this book,
because it explained the pressure of how hard it is to be a
rock and roll star. And it also put into perspective how
hard it is to be around people who do drugs. This book is
one I will think about for a long time. If I ever consider
doing drugs in the future, all I have to do is look at the
cover of this book.I will remember that drugs are something
I do not wanna mess with because the drugs always win.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Sex, drugs, alcohol
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Casa Grande, Arizona
Unites States of America
Girls That Growl
big loss there) and cheerleaders are starting to...growl(and
I thought all they were supposed to do is hook up with
football players). And, of course it's all up to me, Rayne
McDonald to figure out what's going on behind closed doors
with those cheerleaders. It's all up to me to find the
jocks, and get the cheerleaders back to normal. And then,
with an impromptu visit to Europe, my hottie vampire is
starting to doubt our loving relationship.(And we are blood
mates. It's not as if we can just break up. We are stuck
with each other for life!!!). Will I be able to survive this
semester? Come on people!! I am a vampire after all...
A refreshing new vampire story, Girls that Growl is
different from all of those other vampire stories about
bloodsucking vampires coming to get you (I'm thinking Dracula
here). It has a very original plot, and I am surprised
Paramount hasn't made it to a movie yet. Girls That Growl is
an enjoyable high school story, one that will appeal to
almost everyone. Its got love, its got drama, its got parent
problems. In fact, the only thing this doesn't have
is...well I don't know what it doesn't have but there must
be something!!
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10
sexual content and mild language
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Casa
Grande, Arizona Unites States of America
Monday, October 29, 2007
King of the Lost and Found
King of the Lost and Found was a very funny and insightful book. Every chapter held a new and unexpected surprise. At first, I wasn't really drawn into it, but after a few chapters I was hooked. King of the Lost and Found had such unique characters and an interesting plot. The characters were very realistic and humorous to read about, especially Raymond. Reading this book gave me a sense of hope that even if I'm not necessarily the most popular, I can still come out on top by being myself, being loyal, and just being a friend. I think everyone should read this book.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Leopold, MO 63760