Only the Good Spy Young

Only the Good Spy Young

By Ally Carter

Summary:

The Circle is out to get them. The Gallahgher Girls are in danger.

The Circle is a private group of spies that are spread out around the world and they are out to kill one person... Cammie Morgan.

The Circle kidnapped Cammie and Macey.

The Circle drugged Cammie and Liz.

The Circle almost-successfully tricked Cammie and Bex into kiling each other.

The Circle shot Cammie's aunt, Abby.

The Circle killed Cammie's dad.

One of the Circle's agents is Cammie's boyfriend.

One of the Circle's agents is Cammie's most trusted allie.

The Circle wants Cammie.

Survival is more important than anything to Cammie and she dosen't know who to trust any more.

A world of mysteries, murders, lies, betrayal and romance awaits for the four Gallagher Girls.

Review:


The plot in Only the Good Spy Young was definitely more exciting that the ones in all of the other Gallagher Girls books and Ally Carter (the author) used a different place to set the plot, which was in London, and I think that it changed the story a lot. We weren't just reading about a mystery that the girls can solve (if they have the right facts) inside of the Gallagher Academy but we are actually traveling around the world in this book to find out how Cammie will survive and who her allies are. It makes the book a lot more interesting and enjoyable to read.

I also really like how this book is mostly just : Cammie against The Circle. It makes us think that this is more like a war than a little Gallagher Girl mystery! We also have fewer characters to worry about (i.e. Cammie's three best friends: Liz, Macey and Bex!) There is a lot more action in this book and it makes the story move faster, which leads us to having a really good, well written, interesting and 'fast-moving' story. It also makes the reader more attached to the book, because the story is constantly changing which makes us (the readers), wanting to keep reading even more!

[Spoiler alert!!] The last thing that made me fall in love with this book is the fact that Carter added a romance between Zach and Cammie in this book because in all of the other books, he is present, but he and Cammie are never really in love and I think that I was just waiting for them to fall in love! Their relationship is very up-and-down so it adds a very love-mystery effect to the book, which, as you probably already know, is my kind of book!

I loved Only the Good Spy Young for many, many reasons and I cannot wait for the fifth book to come out in March 2012!

This is probably the best book in the Gallagher Girls series so far. It was brilliant and I would recommend it to absolutely and tween or teen.

P.S. Before I end this review I would like to thank Ally Carter so much for all of the Gallagher Girl books that she has written because they are books that have helped me all throughout my tweens and Cammie, Liz, Bex and Macey inspire me to be a better person. Thank you!

265 pages

What Happened To Goodbye

What Happened To Goodbye

By Sarah Dessen

Summary:

After her mom's scandalous affair with another man, McLean and her dad are on their own. Every year though, they have to move town because of McLean's dad's work. Every year McLean 'reinvents' herself; new name, new personality, new clothes, new everything. But this time, McLean wants nothing more than to be herself...

When she arrives at her new school McLean finds herself already slipping into another person: Liz, smart, stylish and friendly. She decides to live with it. But when McLean meets Dave, a very cute popular boy in her class, she starts to wonder who she has really become. Dave brings out the best in Liz, but all that McLean can think about is what happened to McLean? What happened to goodbye?

As McLean tries to figure out who she really is and where and with who does she fit in, Dave is still madly in love with her... Or is he in love with Liz?

McLean only wants one thing... Reality.

Review:
What Happened to Goodbye is one of the most thought-provoking books that I have read. It makes you think about who you really are, and about what makes a person themselves. While I was reading this masterpiece, those thoughts where going through my mind and I realized that you never really think about that kind of thing. It made the plot even more addictive because you wanted to know the answer to the hundred of questions that where passing though you mind.

I think that Sarah Dessen, the author, chose a very good main character for this book. It seems like Dessen has every little thing and fact about McLean just right, and she is a very believable and realistic character. She isn't a perfect or terrible person, but a struggling person, someone with a flaw in her life. Her background and everything about her and her life is so intriguing. You just can't stop reading a book with a character like that!

The plot was absolutely incredible! Romance, friendship, adventure and discovery where all genres of the book. Sarah Dessen had everything in that book, and reading it, you learn about everything that happens in a teenage girl's life. I would definitely recommend this book for any tween who is about to be a teenager.

Before I end my review I will admit that I cried multiple times throughout the book, I unfortunately can't tell you why (for book-ruining reasons!) and there is not much more to say about this book except: GO AND READ IT! It is unbelievable!

Thank you so much Sarah Dessen for your masterpiece. I look foreword to reading some more of your books!

Recommended for any tween age 12+

402 pages

Small Steps

Small Steps


Louis Sachar


Summary:

Armpit has just been released from Camp Green Lake and is now trying to rebuild his life. It will not be easy, but be is dedicated to trying his best.

Three years after Armpit's release everything is going well but as soon as X-Ray, Armpit's friend from Camp Green Lake, is released from the camp Armpit begins to worry. X-Ray engages Armpit in everything that he does. Armpit is worried at first but then is convinced that it is fine as long as he isn't influenced in the wrong way or gets into trouble alongside his on and off friend.
But before Armpit knows it, X-Ray is pushing him to buy and resell tickets to a Kaira DeLeon concert. X-Ray claims that they will earn a lot of money and nobody will even notice. Armpit on the other hand does not feel as comfortable as X-Ray to resell the tickets.

After Armpit naively lends X-Ray seven hundred dollars to buy a bunch of tickets, he knows that he is playing with fire...

Armpit wants to believe the best in X-Ray, but when X-Ray lies to him, makes two copies of one ticket, and cannot repay Armpit the money, Armpit doesn't know if he wants to continue helping X-Ray.

Armpit needs to figure out who his is, what he is capable of doing and if he prepared to deal with the law-breaking activity if scalping tickets.

A lesson of trust, forgiveness and courage is about to be learnt...

Review:

Small Steps is the follow-up book to Holes, which was a great book, but probably not as good as Small Steps. First of all, in Small Steps there are not as many characters that we have to focus on. We just have Armpit, X-Ray and Kaira. I think that this makes the reader more focused on the actual plot and makes the story more enjoyable. This book is the most cliff-hanging book that I have ever read, it has such a great plot that it impossible to put down!

I remember that I got this book at around 4 pm in the afternoon and I finished it abut 6 hours later! I unfortunately had to take a snack break, dinner break, walk break and shower break between those six hours! The point is though, that I could NOT put the book down, after Armpit agrees to help X-Ray sell the tickets the story gets so exciting, daring and, lets just say, ADDICTIVE!

All of the characters in Small Steps are very well portrayed. I can picture all of the characters in my head and feel as if I know them personally. Kaira is a very interesting character. She seems very happy on the outside, but she is actually very different inside. I like the fact that we get to learn about both sides of her. It was interesting to see how she is behind closed doors, she was pushed around and was unaware of what was actually going on, but onstage she looks glamourous and sings and dances like she is just having fun. She is one of those characters that remind you that you, and everyone else, is very different on the outside and inside.

I think that this book would be very good for teens that are trying to figure out who they really are.

The author, Louis Sachar, does an amazing job at showing how important friendship and trust are. He also explains to the reader how racism is wrong. Armpit is colored and he is made fun of, ignored and teased in the book, but Sachar shows us through Armpit's courage that we are all equal and the same.

Recommended for any tween 13+

257 pages