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

Catching Fire--Guest Review!

Catching Fire

By Suzanne Collins

Merry Christmas Bookworms!!! It's Gia here and I am extremely pleased to present to you the long-awaited guest review by The Anonymous Pug on Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins! The Anonymous Pug suggested the Hunger Games series to me, and after I had finished reading the first book of the series, I asked her to review the next one for me. All of the credit goes to The Anonymous Pug. Merry Christmas Bookworms,

-Gia

Summary:

Katniss Everdeen, the girl who was on fire, has, against all odds, managed to win the Hunger Games, along with her fellow tribute, Peeta Mellark, who has loved her since childhood, as the star-crossed lovers from district 12. He was rather angry with her when she told him that she was half-pretending to return his romantic feelings. Katniss has been living in a fancy new house with her family for almost half a year, dreading the upcoming victory tour, which happens 6 months after the Games, where the victor (or in this case, victors) goes around to each of the districts giving speeches and meeting the families who's children they killed. Before she leaves, she is cornered by President Snow, for she has caused him an inconvenience.

At the end of the last Hunger Games, when she and Peeta were the last two in the arena, they refused to kill each other, and they put in their mouths some deadly nightlock berries, so that the Capitol would be forced to let them bot win, then spat them out and were crowned victors. This act, which at first seemed to be out of love and loyalty, has caused plots of uprisings in the districts, as people view this as an act of rebellion, because they did their best not to be a piece in the Capitol's games, and because certain people think that Katniss didn't really love Peeta back, that the "star-crossed lovers bit" was all an act, a strategy to get sponsors.

Snow fearing an uprising, threatens to kill Prim, Katniss's mother, Gale, and his family if Katniss can't convince the citizens of Panem that she is deeply in love with Peeta. Another thing worrying Katniss is the upcoming Hunger Games, where she and Peeta will be mentoring two tributes. Even worse, this year will be the third Quarter Quell, so there will be a change in the rules. The fist one, the people of each district had to hand pick the tributes. The second Quell, twice the number of tributes were sent into the arena. Everyone is wondering anxiously what will happen this time...

But the biggest problem is that Katniss Everdeen, the girl who was on fire, has created the spark that will ignite the flame of the rebellion, a fire raging out of her control...

Review:

First of all, HUGE thank you to Gia for letting me do this. It's a really cool opportunity.

This is a truly amazing book, more specifically an amazing sequel, because some of the best books ever had the cruddiest sequels on the planet, then the author's reputation gets ruined,and the books can even go out of print, which is always a shame.

Anyway, the plot gets extremely addictive after a while. The only problem with it was that I couldn't put it down. It is in this book that the war really starts, and people who aren't tributes start dying, which didn't really happen in book 1. Huge character development regarding President Snow, who was only barely introduced in the last book. He now gets the opportunity to show of his cold and cruel husk of a heart.
A lot of new characters appear, many of which will be crucial to book 3. There really isn't much action in part 1, but once the Quell starts, it's FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT.

An amazing sequel to "The Hunger Games", and a incredible book overall.

480 pages

A Brief History of Montmary

A Brief History of Montmary

By Michelle Cooper

Summary:

It is 1936 and Princess Sophie FitzOsborne of Montmaray is living in Montmaray, an island in the middle of the Bay of Biscay, between France and Spain. She lives a crumbling castle with her sister Princess Henry (Henrietta) who insists she is a boy, with her cousin Princess Veronica and Veronica's mad father, King John the Seventh of Montmaray. Sophie isn't exactly the kind of princess that you might imagine her to be. She washes all of the dishes, mends all of the clothes, visits her subjects and helps them live (e.g, make a meal, wash the bed sheets). Although the FitzOsbornes are a royal family, they no longer have any servants, maids or cooks. They survive on their own. Veronica manages their finances along with her Aunt Charlotte (a rich aunt who lives in England). Sophie manages the household, Henry and her dog Carlos go fishing and watch for boats passing by with hope of sending a letter to her brother (and Sophie's) Toby, who is studying in England with Aunt Char'. They just manage to make it in life and Sophie, who has a crush on Simon, one of Toby's friends, is more than happy to be at Montamaray with her beloved cousin and best friend, Veronica.

This sharing of tasks seems alright -- until Germans invade the island. Sophie and Veronica are both extremely worried. They have no defense, or power. Aunt Char' soon invites the girls, along with Henry, to come and stay with her in England so that they can meet ‘suitable men.’ Sophie quickly agrees, wanting to escape from German-controlled Montmaray, but Veronica insists on staying, refusing to leave her beloved Montmaray.

Yet when bombs drop, Veronica is attacked by a German solider with an ax, King John has a stroke, someone is murdered, German spies rip up everything in Veronica's beloved library, Toby comes back and is almost killed. Everything and everyone that Sophie knows is about to change.

Little does Sophie know, there are even worse things on the horizon, waiting for her.

Montmaray and everything that Sophie loves, including Veronica's friendship towards her might be gone forever...

Review:

A Brief History of Montmaray is now officially my favorite book!

I should probably mention that the entire book is written as a journal. But what surprised me most about A Brief History of Montmaray, is that the journal was written SO well, as if it was just the narrator telling us the story. It is unbelievable how well written and described all of the events are. I have read some other journals (that, of course have been made into books) and they now seem very dull compared to this journal. Sophie tells us how everyone looked and seemed at a specific event, and she gives us the answers that we want at the right time in the story. It makes the reader feel more involved with the story.

I love the characters in the story. Henry makes me laugh on end as she is always making unnecessary remarks and observations! Veronica is obsessed with historical facts and she is always spitting them out. I love history and historical books, so Veronica amazes me whenever she talks. King John is someone who makes you think, because he has lost his wife, feels lost in the world and is still in shock from the Great War in which he fought. He makes you think, and reminds you that you are different from other people. And finally, Princess Sophie, our heroine, is the most wonderful character that you could ever read about. She is so full of life, happiness and is brave. Whenever I read about her, I am inspired to become a strong, brave and very intellectual person.

One other bit about the story that made it so interesting is the fact that Montmaray is a made up place. I like that it is made up because we (the readers) don’t already know anything about this place so we can’t judge it based on what we already know about it. We get to read about a new place.  

I especially like the way that the book is written. The author, Michelle Cooper, has a very nice and smooth, that is to say, an easy-to-follow style of writing. It is very enjoyable to read a book that is written as well as this one. 

I look forward to reading more of Cooper's books and hopefully the second Montmaray book (it has just been published)! I hope that it is underneath the Christmas tree, wink, wink!

Recommended to any tween 12-13+

294 pages

P.S.#1 Thanks to Sarah at KidsBooks in Vancouver for recommending this book to me. It was an absolute pleasure to read! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

P.S.#2 Please note that we will be having a guest blogger next week for this year's Tween Bookworm Christmas Surprise! 

The Other Side Of Truth

The Other Side Of Truth

By Beverly Naidoo

Summary:

Sade (Pronounced Sha-day) Solaja and her younger brother Femi live in Lagos, Nigeria with their mama and papa who is an outspoken journalist for the Speak newspaper in Lagos. The Solaja family have a carefree life until the day that mama is shot directly in the heart, right in front of Sade and papa. Papa and his brother Tunde soon know that people are out to kill the Solaja family and that Sade and Femi need to go into hiding, quickly.

Before they know it, Sade and Femi are smuggled under fake identities to England to find their Uncle Dele. But when they arrive in the foreign country, they learn that Uncle Dele has already left the country without giving anyone any notice... Sade and Femi must find their way through the back streets of London, penniless, to safety. They need help, but they must stick with their fake identities, because being discovered as refugees is the last thing that need...

Review:

The Other Side Of Truth is honestly one of the best books of all time. It is a page-turner and a tear-jerker. The story is such a sad one but once you reach the end of the book you realize that it is a very inspiring story. It is a tear-jerker because whenever you feel the tension that Sade does in a difficult situation you start to want to help her, and you start crying because you feel helpless. I love the sense of connection to Sade that this gives me.  Sade is one of the best-described characters that I have ever read about, and I think that she was the perfect character to put into a story like The Other Side of Truth. There are many good moments and many bad moments in this book, and Sade is the perfect, patient, smart, adventurous character for the story.

It is a very emotional book which is good from my point of view, because when you have an emotional story it makes people feel more attached to the book. It makes the reader think that they are in the story and that the feel connection with the emotional bits of the story.

In The Other Side of Truth Sade and Femi's actions are very, very well portrayed. But, I will say that at one particular bit in the book Femi becomes very stubborn and I think that it slows the story down a lot and you sometimes want to put the book down because Femi does such outrageous things! You will get used to it though and just ignore it in the end.

The author, Beverly Naidoo, manages to combine their actions into a bit of their past. For example, if the author says that Sade sounded extremely excited, she would add on a sentence or two of a flashback of Sade's past. The sentence would then become something like: Sade sounded extremely excited, her face was almost as happy as it was when she was given her first doll. It is an interesting way to tell us what the character is doing right now, but also tell us a little bit about an event that occurred in the character's past life.

Another fact that I liked about The Other Side Of Truth is that at the beginning of the book when the story is set in Lagos, the writer, Beverly Naidoo, gives us a good description of all of the places that Sade and Femi go. I don't know much about Nigeria but when Naidoo gave us a look at Lagos it made me feel like I was going on an adventure somewhere, exploring a new city as I walked through it. It was a great idea to blend that into the story.

There are many, many good thing to say about The Other Side Of Truth but I don't want to give away any of the events!

Breathtaking book. Definitely deserves the medal (Carnegie Medal, 2000) that it has won.

Recommended for any tween 12+

224 pages

Holes

Holes

By Louis Sachar

Summary:

Stanley Yelnats IV (the fourth) is from a family of back luck. He is always in the wrong place, at the wrong time. When anything goes wrong, Stanley always blames his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather, the first Stanley Yelnats. He believes that he put a curse of bad luck on his family.

Stanley's family is poor and he is bullied everyday at school. He didn't like his life, but he just went with it.  But one day, when Stanley was walking home from school, a pair of red gym shoes hit him on the head, as if they had fallen from the sky. He was just underneath a bridge so somebody could have dropped them, but that seems unlikely to Stanley. Not knowing what to do Stanley took the shoes home, but before he knows it he is arrested for stealing the shoes. It turns out that they belonged to a famous athlete...

In court Stanley is given the choice of 18 months of jail, or 18 months at Camp Green Lake. Stanley had never been to camp before, so he chose Camp Green Lake.

But when the camp turns out to be a desert with no lake Stanley is confused, and when is new 'friends' names are X-Ray, Armpit, Zigzag, Magnet and Zero he is certain that Camp Green Lake is not a fun summer camp. Everyday Stanley and his new friends have to dig a hole 5 feet deep and 5 feet wide.

Nobody knows what they are looking for, but hole after hole Stanley starts to uncover a mystery that has been lying underneath Camp Green Lake for the past hundred years. It might even, just have something to do with the Yelnats' past as well...

Review:

I would like to start off my review of Holes by saying that I read it in Grade 3 and have already watched the movie many times (movie comparison and the end of the review). We were given Holes to read in English class this semester so I was really excited to reread it. I read it SUPER quickly this time though!

I think that Holes is a really good book that has many sides to it. It has a friendship side between Stanley and Zero (they become best friends) and we see how their friendship develops. Stanley has never had to dig holes before and his finds it really hard so, we get to read about what techniques he tries and how he finds it impossible to dig through the tough dirt. That shows a challenge side of the book. There is also the mystery side to the book...

I love all of the characters in the books, especially Stanley's friends at Camp Green Lake. They all have funny nicknames like Armpit and Magnet. It is also interesting to read about why all of the boys  at Camp Green Lake are there and what they did before they came to the camp. The boys make the book so much more fun to read because they are the strangest and weirdest characters in the book. They are always fooling around.

Like I mentioned at the beginning of the review it have watched the movie and wanted to do a short movie-book comparison. Here it is:

The movie is really well done and I think that is corresponds almost perfectly to the book, but there are moments in the movie when I think that maybe they could have made the scene a little longer or they could have added a couple of extra lines to make the view understand a little bit better.

Otherwise, everything is very well done: the clothes we worn exactly as they were mentioned in the book, and all of Stanley's friends looked exactly like the descriptions in the book. 

When you have a really good story, it's easy to make a really good movie. That is my conclusion.

P.S. I'm so sorry that I haven't gotten many reviews out this month. I had a very, very busy start to the school year, but now I'm back on track and you can expect a couple reviews next month!

Very, very, very strongly recommended to boys and girls ages 10-11+

It is a story that you will never forget...

233 pages

Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover

Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover

By Ally Carter

Summary:

This summer, Cammie is ready for a break from the Gallagher Academy and is dying to see her friend Macey who is in Boston with her parents. Her dad is there to accept the vice presidential nominee. In the middle of the summer, Cammie receives an invitation to spend the rest of her vacation with Macey and her parents in Boston! Cammie accepts right away and is excited to meet the man who may be the next vice president of America and of course to see Macey. Cammie will have  a chance to observe the President's security men and learn how they act and use their secret code names (like they do at the Gallagher Academy). There will be so much to do and maybe, if she is lucky, very lucky, she and Macey will have a mystery to solve. Or an adventure to go on. Anything.

This time, however, Cammie might have wished for too much, because, when she and Macey are kidnapped, she knows that the adventure has only just begun...

Review:

This is the third Gallagher Girl book and out of all of the Gallagher Girls books this one is by far my favorite. It had the best mystery hidden inside it. The other books were about her life at the Academy and mysteries at the Academy. This book is about her life outside of her school and about a mystery in a busy city. The fact that it is in a big city with many things going on makes the mystery more complex, and at the same time, more interesting.

A lot of Cammie's other mysteries were done with her best friend Bex (Rebecca) but this one was with Macey who has a very different personality compared to Bex so it changes the way the mystery progresses.

I liked how the book was set in the summer so that Cammie wasn't at school so we could see what she was like when she wasn't under all the stress of school.

Another thing that made me fall in love with the book is that this time it is just Cammie and Macey who solve the mystery and experience the adventure. In the book the author talks about how the relationship of the two friends is developing, and it makes me want to have a best friend to experience everything that life brings with it: to have someone else helping you and always being there for you.
It is a great story mixed with friendship and mystery with a twist of adventure.

Ally Carter has done it again; she has created another Gallagher Girl book to remember. A lot of tweens will enjoy this quick-to-read, well-written book. And, if you're a Gallagher Girl fan you'll find that the Gallagher Girls are full of surprises!

This is the last book review of summer 2011. I chose this book to review because, it was after I had finished reading this book that I fell in love with reading: I started reading tons of different variety books and became addicted to reading.

I hope that you all enjoyed the summer reviews and had a wonderful summer in 2011. (Don't worry, the weekly reviews will still becoming out!)

263 pages

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

By Wendy Mass

Summary:

One month before Jeremy Fink's 13th birthday a mysterious box shows up at his house. The words The Meaning Of Life : For Jeremy Fink To Open On is 13th Birthday are engraved on it. The box was from Jeremy's dad. He had made it for Jeremy before he died, 5 years ago. Jeremy and his best friend Lizzy Muldon are shocked to find the box. Lizzy begs Jeremy to open the box and Jeremy agrees because he realizes this may be all that he has left of his beloved father.  The two best friends are eager to open it right away but when they realize that the box has four keyholes they don't know what to do. They know that they have to find the keys, but how? Where?
Manhattan is a big city and they can't just walk up to every antique store in the city and try all of the keys in the store in every keyhole. They have to do something different, they have to have a plan, a good one, and they will need to be prepared to do anything in takes.
Before they know it, the two best friends are racing across Manhattan trying to find the keys of the box.  Jeremy and Lizzy don't know it yet, but the adventure of lives is lying in front of them...

Review:

I loved Jeremy Fink because the story was very enjoyable to read. The book was about a mystery but at the same time about a boy's life without his dad around. Also, the mystery is about finding the missing keys for a box, and that is not a very common topic for a mystery. Usually a mystery is about finding a murdered, or a robber and other things of that kind. So, after having said that, I think that Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life is almost like a one-of-a-kind mystery.

Lizzy, who is Jeremy's best friend, is a very fun character to read about. She is always inventing plans that are destined for failure and is always stating the obvious. She makes me laugh on every page and she makes the story seem more 'alive'. She bring life to the story, but at the same time she brings life to Jeremy and I think that that is important since Jeremy's dad has died and he is always sad. She is always excited and ready for adventure and she injects the same energy into her best friend.
This is the first book that I have ever read by Wendy Mass and I must say that I really like her writing style. She has a way of making you really want to find out the answer to the mystery from the end of the first chapter. She doesn't want you to stop reading, and I really appreciate authors who try to do that.

This review is short because this book is absolutely indescribable, and I just can't tell you how wonderful this book is. Wendy Mass has written a story that many, many, many tweens will ADORE. It has a very interesting plot and is an adventure with two unforgettable best friends. Go and buy Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life right away because this is a book which should not miss the opportunity to pass through your hands.

I also wanted to mention that I am so sorry for the delay in the posting of the review. It should have been posted last weekend. On the bright side, the next review will be posted even sooner!

289 pages

At the House of the Magician

At the House of the Magician 

By Mary Hooper


Summary:

Lucy is a young women living in the Elizabethan era with her mother and father. She and her mother sell gloves and lavender wands for a living and Lucy's father gambles and drinks. Lucy dreams of leaving her father and of becoming a lady-in-waiting for her Majesty. 

One evening, after Lucy's father gambles all of the family's money and furniture away,  Lucy knows that she cannot stay with her father any more. She and her mother agree that she must leave at once but promise to come back and rescue her mother when she has enough money to take her away from her husband and live safely.

The next morning Lucy leaves her mother and decides to walk along the Thames all the way to London. On her way there she meets some children playing outside a almost-abandoned castle and finds out that their parents are looking for maids and will start them working as soon as possible. Lucy is eager to start working and agrees to be a maid for the family. But when Lucy finds out who her master is she is shocked to find out that he is Dr. Dee, her Majesty's magician...

At first Lucy is shocked but then she is excited after she learns that her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth often visits the Dee Castle and Lucy will do anything to see her Majesty.

But one day while Lucy is serving Dr. Dee and one of his assistants she listens a little bit too carefully to their conversation and soon finds out about a secret which she must tell to Her Majesty before it is too late!

Review:

I absolutely adore Mary Hooper books because she describes historical events as if she actually witnessed them. As if she was actually there and as if she was the main character and just wrote the book along her adventure. It is books like that that really make you appreciate reading.

I think that this was Mary Hooper's best book yet. She really came up with a new sort of character, one that was young and felt lost in her life. Lucy, also, has never lived on her own before and she does not really know how to provide for herself.  In At the Sign of the Sugared Plum and Petals in the Ashes (two other books written by Mary Hooper) the main character Hannah (who is in both books) is young, but she knows what will happen in her life and she knows how to provide for herself and live on her own. Since Lucy has never never lived on her own she begins to learn how to ... and we learn with her. We learn along the way. We discover the new things at the same time as Lucy does. We know everything from how Lucy puts on her different aprons to how she gets dust out of carpets (by shaking them or by hanging them on posts, then hitting them).  It is a fun side of the book.  I think that a lot of tweens would like it.  I think that they might find it interesting how young maids used to live about four hundred years ago.

I don't really like Queen Elizabeth the first, but since I read At the House of the Magician I have started liking her. Lucy shows such an admiration for Her Majesty and it is kind of addictive! Lucy is always comparing Queen Elizabeth (the first) to other queens of England and in the end Queen Elizabeth seems so much more interesting than them. But Queen Victoria is still my all time favorite queen. She is the longest reigning monarch of England (for the moment).

Mary Hooper has written her best book yet.  A million tweens would love this book and read it over and over again. It is an amazing burst of history on pages, with a memorable main character. Brilliant.

Recommended for tweens 10+.

217 pages

Don't miss the post about my second visit to Kids Books coming out next week!

The Magic Half

The Magic Half

By Annie Barrows

Summary:

Miri Gill is eleven years old and is the only child in her family who does not have a twin. Her older brothers Robbie and Ray are twins and her younger sisters Nell and Nora are also twins. When people look at the Gill family they look from Nell and Nora to Robbie and Ray leaving Miri in the middle with no attention. The Gill family has just moved to the countryside from the city and Miri feels even lonelier without the liveliness and excitement of the city.

One afternoon when an old man, Mr. Guest, tells Robbie and Ray that there are stolen items on the Gill family property, the boys start looking immediately, with dreams of enough reward money to buy an iPod. Miri's brothers refuse her help so she returns to her bedroom where, to her surprise she finds a piece of glass (from an eyeglass) taped to her bedroom wall. Miri looks too far into the glass and finds herself in 1935! Miri can time-travel! Miri finds herself in the same house, the same room, and in the middle of the Great Depression!

Soon after Miri arrives, she realizes that she is not alone.  There are four people living in the house: Flo; Sissy; Horst and an eleven year old girl, Molly. Sissy and Horst are Flo's teenage children and Molly's parents have abandoned her, so she was left to be cared for by her Aunt Flo. Molly works as a maid for her cousins and aunt. She is the only one who meets Miri, and they become best friends. 

Miri wants to go home, and she wants to bring Molly home with her and let her forget her past as a maid. Molly agrees. Everything is set, there is only one problem ... they don't know how to get back to Miri's home in the future...

Review:

I really liked The Magic Half  because of the time traveling side of the story, and because of the twins. I have never read a book with a character who time travels, and I don't know any twins so this was unique and interesting for me. Even if time travel is not true, it is an interesting idea for a story, and I enjoyed reading about the relationship between the twins.  I wonder what a twin would think about this book?

I think that Miri is an unusual character but she is a character that a lot of tweens would find fun. She is a tomboy and plays adventurous games with her brothers, but also plays nicely with her sisters. I love how the author made Miri's siblings two sets of twins, instead of four brothers and sisters. The twins makes the story a bit more engaging.  They are always fighting and doing things together in their own little worlds, and Miri just watches it all go by.  It shows the reader how lonely Miri really is and also makes the reader empathize with her and be pulled into the story.

The Magic Half is an interesting and unusual book which many tweens might enjoy as an easy and relaxing read.

211 pages

The Daring Game

The Daring Game

By Kit Pearson

Summary:


Eleven year old Eliza is going to boarding school in Vancouver for the first time ever. She is very excited but shares her parents' worries and believes that she will soon become homesick. Eliza has read many stories of girls who attend English boarding schools, but she knows that her life at Ashdown Academy will not be the same as in her books. At the same time Eliza is more afraid than ever that her new dorm-mates won't like her...

When she arrives at Ashdown Academy she instantly becomes best friends with one of her dorm-mates, Carrie, who is an American border at the school. Pam, Jean and Helen are Eliza's (and Carrie's) other dorm-mates. Pam is the Yellow Dorm head and has a bossy personality. Jean is a shy little girl from Scotland and Helen is mischievous, unpredictable and daring. While Eliza gets to know her dorm-mates, she still can't figure out whether to be friends with Helen. She is always getting into trouble, never doing her school work and she steals.

After Helen complains that nothing exciting is happening at the Academy she decides to start a game: a daring game. Every month a name will be picked and there will be a dare. To succeed a player must break the school rules during every dare and not get caught.  Eliza has never broken a school rule and she has promised her parents that she will be good and not get into trouble while she is at Ashdown. Eliza suddenly gets pulled into Helen's game as do her other dorm-mates. She is not sure that she wants to play.

A moths fly by the dares get harder and Eliza's name is still not picked. As she see her friends tackle the dares she is worried about when her name will be picked and what her dare will be...


Review:

I will start off by saying that I have read this book numerous times when I was about nine years old. I was looking for a fun book to read about two weeks ago and I came across The Daring Game. I looked at it's paperback cover and it was very worn! I thought that since I hadn't read read it in a while and it looked loved, that I would read it one last time. I think that now that I am twelve I am not as interested in the story as I was a couple years ago. I think that the age range that corresponds to The Daring Game is 8-11 years old. After age eleven I think that this book would not be as fun and exiting as it appears at first. 

The Daring Game is an interesting and different book because there is not just one dare for all the four girls but each girl has their own dare. Each girl has their own adventure and their own experience of punishment but at the same time of self-accomplishment.

The Daring Game is not like some other stories about a girls boarding school. First of all, because the story takes place in the city not in the countryside and because it is in 'modern' day. We don't know the exact year that the story takes place in but with some hints in the book we can tell its contemporary.

I really think that The Daring Game is a book that a lot of girls would like because of the 'modern' side of the story and also because the story focuses on more than one person. It is a kind of advantage because you can get four sides of a story but at the same time you get to see four different lifestyles that the girls live at Ashdown Academy.

I don't really know what else to say about The Daring Game except that I loved it, but I think that that was my last time reading it! Wonderful job Kit Pearson (author)! Many tweens will enjoy this book. I would recommend this book to any tween under the age of 12.

221 pages

Be sure to watch for the new 'Top 10 Books' page where you can find my list of top 10 books and extra comments (not in the reviews) on the books coming out on the 25th of June! Don't miss it!

Trash

Trash 

By Andy Mulligan

Summary:

On the Behala dump site, 14 year old Raphael Fernández is living with his aunt and cousins in a little torn-apart garage. Since the day that Raphael could walk he was forced to work all day picking up trash. Everyone in Behala works from the break of dawn until sunset. At the end of the day, if you find something valuable like a tire or a scrap of plastic, you hand it in to the head of the dump site and you get a few pesos (money) in return. If you don't find anything valuable then you walk back to your 'house' empty-handed. Raphael finds the rare bits and pieces of plastic and has enough money to survive, although he needs more. He wants to leave the dump site with his best friends Gardo and Rat and live in a rich neighborhood, but for him, that is still just a dream.

One day when Raphael and Gardo are out in the middle of the dump site, they find a leather bag. The boys know how many pesos they can get for the bag alone and are proud of themselves but they don't know what the bag contains.

When Raphael is alone he opens the bag and inside he finds a wallet containing 1100 pesos, an ID, some photos, some newspaper clippings and a key. He thinks that maybe with everything that the bag contains he could live in a rich neighborhood with all of the money that he has found. He can't wait to leave the Behala dump site with Gardo and Rat. They could start living a new life as rich people!

Raphael is very happy that he and Gardo found the bag ... until the next day police show up offering 1100 pesos for the lost bag and wallet if it is found. What will Raphael do?
 

Review: 
I was surprised when my mum came home from WHSmith Paris and handed me Trash. I was surprised because my mom knows the type of books that I like to read and Trash (judging from the summary) is not historical or romantic. It is a book about adventure and survival. I like reading books about adventures but I have never read a book with an adventure like Trash.  Also I have never read a book with a boy as a main character and have never had a boy's view on a story.  But in the end I got attached to reading about a boy. It was a change from my normal, romantic, 'girl adventure' books. I would definitly read another book with another central male character because it was interesting to see how boys' views are sometimes different and they choose different ways to solve problems.

Trash was an interesting book to read because Raphael's story is not like any other story I have read. In a lot of books the main character has a sufficient amount of money to live a nice life. But Raphael is poor and we learn about how he survives and gets enough to eat. At the same time there is an adventure and mystery going on in Raphael's life as well. It is very common to find only adventure and mystery in books but I really enjoyed the survival side of Raphael's story. I think that a lot of people who have read Trash might really think about how lucky some people (even they) are.

In the book, we don't know where the story takes place but we do know that the money used by Raphael and his friends is pesos. At first I thought that the story took place in Mexico because of the currency (pesos) but then my dad reminded me that pesos are used in a lot of countries. I think that it is good that the author (Andy Mulligan) does not tell us where the story takes place, because it makes us realize that that there are a lot of people in the world who come from the same background as Raphael. Also it shows us that the story could take place any where in the world.

I did not think that I would enjoy Trash but in the end I did. My thanks go out to the author, Andy Mulligan for writing the an amazing story and for blending an education in it.

I would recommend this book to any tween.

211 pages

The Pimpernelles, Book 1: The Pale Assassin

The Pimpernelles Book 1: The Pale Assassin

By Patricia Elliott

Summary:

The Pale Assassin tells the story of Eugénie de Boncoeur, a young aristocrat living in Paris in 1789 as the French Revolution begins.  Her mother and father are dead, and she and her brother are under the care their guardian.  With the help of Hortense, her governess, Eugenie lives the life of an aristocrat.

As the French revolution takes hold, aristocrats are being put the guillotine, and many are leaving the city.  When Eugénie's family home in Chauvais is destroyed and her guardian flees Paris, she is forced to leave her governess and live in a convent. Eugénie is safe there, or so she thinks. But she is being watched by the Pale Assassin, nicknamed Le Fantôme, meaning 'the ghost.'

Le Fantôme is a sinister, but very rich man who is involved in the revolution.  He has a team of people helping him keep the revolution going and also killing all of his enemies, one of his biggest enemies being the De Boncoeur family, because of their riches and his desire for revenge. He has no particular reason for revenge but he disliked Eugénie's father very much.  Unknown to Eugénie, her guardian betrothed her to Le Fantôme and she must marry him when she turns 16.

In the story, Eugénie tries to survive in an increasingly hostile city but also protect her brother Armand who is a aristocratic royalist. Armand is planning to help the Queen, King, Dauphin and Dauphine escape the Guillotine. Eugénie is urged by her brother to leave Paris and to go and stay with one of their English relatives in the English countryside. Eugénie will not go without her brother but Armand refuses to leave his beloved country.

Can Eugénie escape to England? Can she escape from Le Fantôme and his group of murderers?  Most importantly, can she survive?

Review:

I almost didn't write this review because I almost couldn't get through this book. I started it twice but the second time I got through the entire book. It was hard to read for 2 reasons:

#1 I didn't find the story very interesting and there were no cliff hangers.
#2 I found that there were a lot of typos.

This book was a hard book to read, but I thought that it was important for me to write a review for it. Here goes:

I have to admit that The Pale Assassin is not the best book I have ever read. As I said as above I didn't find the story very interesting or engaging.  Also Eugénie, I think, is not a character that you would want for a role model.  She always gets into trouble (that's normal for a teenager) but the worst thing is that she never gets herself out of trouble, it's always somebody else. So it is as if she doesn't try to help herself and sometimes doesn't think. She is a character who is smart but does not use her intelligence  at the right times. She doesn't pay attention to the important things in life,  just fashion and parties.

Also I found that the story starts fast but bit by bit it starts to slow down. Those are my only complaints.

On the positive side, I found the timeline (historical) really interesting, because I like reading about the French revolution. It is an interesting revolution because the people are fighting against the Royalists and that is not a common type of revolution.  The book had all the right historical facts and the dates in the right order.

Perhaps the author's other books are better and I hope to read another some day so that I can give them an other try . (In fact this is the first of three books in the Pimpernelles series).  I think that my choice fell on the wrong book this time.

Please note that this book is recommended for ages 12 and up.

424 pages

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy 

By Ally Carter

Summary:

Cammie Morgan is back at the Gallagher Academy, ready for a peaceful semester. Cammie can't wait to settle into her dormitory in the left wing of the school, but that is no longer a possibility.  Apparently the left wing is being 'renovated'.  When Cammie is in her mum's office (her mom is the school's head mistress) and sees a file labeled 'Blackthorne,' Cammie is very suspicious.  She and her friends are usually the girls in the school who know all the secrets and fresh news. She wonders why she doesn't know what 'Blackthorne' is.

Cammie tries to focus on her studies but she is distracted by the image of the 'Blackthorne' file in her mom's office which is stuck in her head. She thinks that it might have something to do with the 'renovating' in the left wing because she saw a 'TBI' sign on the door to the left wing dormitories. Cammie thinks that she has figured out the 'TBI' sign. She thinks that she has decoded the first two letters: The Blackthorne ...

While Cammie and her friends do all the research on the mysterious  'Blackthorne' something is going on the left wing, and it is not being 'renovated'.  

Review:

Cross my heart... is the second book in the Gallagher Girls series.  While the first book was an  introduction to the series, the second book is where all the adventures really begin.  Cammie is prepared for an adventure but at the same time she isn't ready for what's coming. The Gallagher Girls series is my all-time favorite, the first book was good but the second is even better.

I love Cammie, she is a character that all tween girls would love because she is an amazing heroine and a really cool character.  She has all theses cool, new spy gadgets. I find that her feelings are very well described, you can tell when she is about to solve something or when she is scared. Her friends (who are also sidekicks) make the story even more enjoyable because they bring in funny jokes into the mysteries and also make you feel like they are your very own, new friends.  

The Gallagher Girls books are not the longest books in the world, nor are they the shortest, but they are fast, funny and mysterious reads, but most importantly, they are enjoyable books to read. Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy is Ally Carter's (the author) best book yet (out of the ones that I have read)!

This book is recommended to any tween. The 5th best book that I have read!

236 pages

Sovay

Sovay

By Celia Rees

Summary

Sovay Middelton is a young girl living in England in 1794.  She is living all by herself in a large house in the English countryside while her brother, Hugh, is away studying and her father is mysteriously lost. She amuses herself by disguising herself as a highwayman (someone who robs people on the highways). Everyday she goes and waits at a highway for a carriage to pass by, then she starts her acting. One day Sovay steels a wallet, she does not realize how important it is. She had just stolen the wallet of one of the most important but also dangerous people in England.

Sovay continues using her pass-time as a highwayman not thinking about taxes, rent or expenses. But one day when Sovay returns from the stables she finds that a "trusted" friend, Sir Royston, had come on a government mission to arrest her and destroy her house. Sovay wouldn't let it happen because Sir Royston had no papers to approve the arrest--she had stolen them just hours before!

Sovay is worried and wants to do what is best for herself and her family so, she sets off to her family home in London. She saddles up her horse and sets off as fast as possible. On the way she meets a handsom young man, Captain Jack, who is also a highwayman heading to London. The two of them ride together all the way to London, where Sovay goes to her house and to her surprise, finds one of her old friends, Gabriel Stanhope the son of the Middelton's stewart.

Sovay and Gabriel work together to figure out the mystery of Sovay's lost father their friendship becomes even more important and Sovay finds herself in love.

All this time, they are being watched...by one of the best spy masters ever known. His name being Sir Dysart. He is determined to get rid of the Middeltons. He had received news that the youngest Middelton, Sovay, had escaped from her French home and was now in London, where he was. This was his perfect opportunity. Sir Dysart has plans to always have Sovay near him, but also near his new purchase, a guillotine, from France.

Can Sovay escape Sir Dysart's presence and his guillotine but also find her father?

This is not just any adventure, but a story of a young girl, a mystery, an adventure and a romance all-in-one.

Review

I absolutely adored Sovay, I love historical books and have read a lot of them, but never, ever, have I read a historical novel as attaching, exiting and dramatic as Sovay. At the end of every chapter there is a cliff hanger. In every chapter Sovay solves a mystery, but there is always another mystery to solve. Celia Rees (author) has a very unique writing technique. That is to say that, for example, she will write a sentence with an romance side of it and a mysterious side of it. She twists different reading genres into one sentence. In this book Sovay has a mystery to solve but also an adventure (which turns into a romantic adventure) that she has to handle, that she has to go through, along the way.  I like the way that the author has added a bit of an 'introduction to English society' for Sovay. Sovay and Gabriel explore London together and I think is a very romantic thing to do. I find that the plot is bit unrealistic at some points (and it would make a great Hollywood movie!) but is still very enjoyable.  Celia Rees is an author who needs to be reconsigned for her amazing work.

I have nothing more to say than: brilliant. That is the only word that you can really describe this book as. Just brilliant.

Strongly recommended for ages 11-12 and up.

404 pages

Inkheart

Inkheart

By Cornelia Funke

Summary:

Meggie is a 12 year old girl with no mother and only her father to love and confide in. Meggie calls her father Mo, just the way her mother did. Mo knows all Meggie's secrets and Meggie knows all his secrets, at least she thinks she does. On one sunny morning some strange visitor stops by who's name is Dustfinger. When Mo tells Meggie that he and Dustfinger must leave at once she wants more than ever to go with him.

Meggie is hoping that Mo will take her and Dustfinger on an some incredible adventure, but she is disappointed when this 'adventure' turns into a trip to her aunt's house. Meggie's aunt ADORES books. She has a mansion full of them. In every single room there are books stacked to the ceiling. But when Meggie find's Mo hiding a book she is determined to figure out what the book is and why he is hiding it from her. 

On one dark night, a dozen men break into Meggie's aunt's mansion and take her father, threaten to kill him and take the hidden book. Meggie is in shock and want's to find Mo and the mysterious book.

When Meggie sets off to find Mo and to have an adventure of her own she figures out that behind that book, lies a whole other world.

Review:

Inkheart is the first book in a trilogy written by Cornelia Funke. Inkheart is a book full of magical characters. A lot of the characters are ones that will make you laugh. Note this is completely different from Harry Potter.  Cornelia Funke has an extremely view of magic from J.K. Rowling. 

Meggie is a very strong and brave character because she is very determined and she won't give up. I think that a lot of girls can relate to a character like her. Inkheart is a very different book style. There are a lot of different things going on at the same time in the book. Each person has their own personal adventure, but at the same time everyone is sharing the same adventure and mystery. In the summary I definitely could have gone on for lines and lines about the book but then there would be no more story left for you.  This book is a book with adventure and a mystery. I absolutely ADORED Inkheart, it is the best book I have read in a long time.

Spectacular, impossibly perfect read. Highly recommended.

534 pages

Girl's Best Friend, A Maggie Brooklyn Mystery

Girl's Best Friend, A Maggie Brooklyn Mystery

 By Leslie Margolis

Summary:
I chose to review this book first because it is my very favorite book and might always be! I highly recommend it for any tween girl looking for a book with friendship, mysteries and action. Definitely 5 stars!!!

In Girl's Best Friend  the heroine, Maggie Brooklyn, learns how to create a friendship, even with a dog. When Maggie was little, she wanted to start a pet store or even have a pet, but her parents wouldn't let her have a pet. Even so Maggie finds a way to be around pets. She started a dog walking business behind her parents' backs. But now she has no idea of what's coming.

Maggie is a dog walker so she knows all the local dog news. She see things other people don't see and she knows things that other people don't know.  She knows something is happening... happening very secretly. Dogs are going missing all over Brooklyn, and even the dog of Maggie's ex-best friend, Ivy,  has gone missing. Maggie may not like Ivy, but Maggie has nothing against her dog. At the same time, Maggie's crush, Milo, has been acting very weirdly around her. Maggie suspects that he may even have something to do with all the dissaperaring dogs, and she becomes more worried than ever. Can Maggie figure out why all the dogs are going missing before it's too late?

Review:
I enjoyed reading Girl's Best Friend because I really relate to Maggie. She is a very energetic, fun and mysterious person. Leslie Margolis (the author) has done an amazing job at making the story feel so real. When you read the book, you jump into a whole other world and become Maggie Brooklyn. I find Maggie so real and believable. She is a normal girl living her life,  when a dog walking business transforms her life. Her daily life is now filled with adventure, as she solves one big mystery and tons of little ones along the way.

I found this book very inspiring and very engaging. Leslie Margolis has really captured the truth of the ups and downs of real friendship. It makes you realise the value of what you have. Over all, this is a brilliant book with no faults (from my perspective). Wonderful job Margolis!

For more information please check out Maggie Brooklyn's website: maggiebrooklyn.com
The website has all sorts of games, movies, music and you can explore Maggie's neighborhood.

263 pages