Heaven Looks A Lot Like The Mall

Heaven looks A Lot Like The Mall

By Wendy Mass

Summary:

One day, 16 year old Tessa suffers a terrible accident in gym class and she goes into a coma. But in her head she is in heaven, and for her, that means that she is in the mall where her parents worked and where she has, in a way, grown up. That's her heaven.

In the so-called heaven/mall, she meets a boy who has also suffered a traumatic accident. When Tessa asks him why she is in the mall, he tells her she is here to figure out who she is and to try to understand why and how she has changed over the course of her life. Just before he leaves, he gives Tessa a shopping bag and tells her that it contains the most important things that she has ever bought from the mall.

At first Tessa is confused, but soon she lets her memory take over and remembers her old life as it flashes before her eyes once again...

As Tessa remembers the good and decisions that she has made, she also remembers a very different version of herself than who she is today. She regrets choices and actions that she took and she can't help wondering if it is it too late to change?

Review:

Once again, Wendy Mass has done it! This book is brilliant! It is a page-turner that talks about a girl who goes to 'heaven' while she is in a coma. It was a unbelievably fantastic plot with lots of twists and turns.

Tessa is a realistic character who a lot of teens will be able to relate to. I think that a lot of teen girls would like to go to 'heaven' like Tessa and figure out what we did wrong in our lives and see the mistakes that we made without realizing it. Also, none of us are perfect and I think that after reading this book, I feel more comfortable in my own skin and have learnt to accept that everybody makes mistakes, and that that is just part of life and that I wouldn't learn from my mistakes if I didn't have any.  I think that I lot of girls, tween or teen, would benefit from reading about Tessa's trip to 'heaven'.

I loved that when Tessa was in 'heaven' each item that was in the shopping bag that was given to her had its own story and that after reading about every item and its story, I felt like I knew her. Wendy Mass builds the character of Tessa throughout the book.

I also found it very interesting that the entire book was written in verse.  It didn't rhyme, but it was written as if it was a poem. At first I thought that it might have just been the first page or two that was written like that but, but no, the entire book. I am surprising myself by saying this, but I absolutely loved it! It is what made the book such a page turner! In one verse was a bit of her life which suddenly stopped and I just needed to get to the next verse, and then the next, and since the verses are quick and easy to read, the story progresses quickly.

This was the best Wendy Mass that I have ever read and one of the best books ever!

Recommended for all teen girls 14+

What Katy Did

What Katy Did


By Susan Coolidge

Summary:


Katy is a lively twelve year old girl, growing up in a big house in the countryside with her six brothers and sisters. She is a very tall, carefree girl who is always untidy, with a tear in her dress and her hair forever in a tangle. She wants to be good, but she just never seems to be able to get out of her untidy ways. She has never cared about what other people think of her and wants to be 'something big' when she grows up. She is always up to some mischief or of on a so-called 'big' adventure with her best friend Cecy Hall. Katy has always been happy girl, just playing outside, inventing a story or doing something, that, in the end, will get her into trouble.

But one dramatic day, Katy has a terrible accident, one which would change her life forever...

She is forced to remember her old ways and all of her happy memories again, when she is told that she may never walk again.

Katy is completely devastated, but knows that she must find the courage to continue living a normal life and remember how happy she used to be...


Review:  


When I first picked up What Katy Did I was awaiting a story about some girl while she goes through some tough period in her life, but, What Katy Did is a feel-good book, full of tension and courage and is beautifully written.

Katy is such a wonderful character and she is very interesting to watch as she changes and adapts to her new life after her accident. At the beginning of the book, I didn't like her so much, though. I found that she was very bossy with her younger siblings and that she was not a character in a book that anybody would want to be like. But as the story progressed, I grew to like her more and more. She started to really reflect on what life was really about, and what she had been doing with her life and how selfish she had been.
I think that Susan Coolidge (author) does a wonderful job of portraying Katy as she changed, learned to accept and understand how she was going to continue living her newly changed life. Coolidge also did a superb job of weaving the lives of Katy's siblings with hers.

Katy's Cousin Helen, a character who appears at the end of the book, and who has a big impact on Katy's life was very, very well, (maybe even better than the other characters) described and I think that she was the character who I could picture the most, because she seemed very real and life like and she seemed to bring the book alive somehow. Her presence in the book made the story feel very alive and true, and I thank Coolidge for putter Helen in the book as she changed it so much!

I think that this is a book that could make teens all around the world laugh, cry and help them to accept who they are and why the are here, in the world.
What a wonderful read written by one of the only authors who can really make a character leap off of the page and any moment in the story....

An absolute must read!

Recommended for ages 14+

Someone Like You

Someone Like You

By Sarah Dessen

Summary:



Halley and Scarlett have been best friends forever. Scarlett is the popular one, who is outspoken and outgoing and Halley is the shy sidekick who is always known as 'Scarlett's best friend Halley'. The two girls balance each other perfectly though and have an unbreakable friendship.

Now it's summer and it's the day after Scarlett's only true love, Michael died in a motorcycle accident, and now Scarlett finds out that she is pregnant with his child. For once it's Scarlett who needs Halley's support.
Scarlett is heartbroken about Michael's death, but is uncertain about what to do about her baby, keeping in mind that she is only sixteen and that her future lies in front of her.

Scarlett's mother is forcing her into abortion, but Halley is telling her to do what she feel's is right. Realizing that her baby is the only bit of Michael left in her world, Scarlett decides to keep her baby and go on an incredible adventure with her best friend, Halley, for the next nine months of her life.

When the two best friends go back to school, Scarlett introduces Halley to Michael's best friend Macon Faulkner. Halley and Macon soon develop a good relationship, which leads them to start dating. But before Scarlett and Halley know it, Scarlett is five months into her pregnancy and Halley is sneaking out to see Macon. Everything seems to be going perfectly, but when Macon asks Halley to take their relationship to the next level, Halley is unsure about developing her relationship even more with Macon if their is a chance that she might end up like Scarlett...

Scarlett and Halley soon get into a fight that might ruin their so-called-unbreakable-relationship and for once both girls need each other more than ever...

Along the way of nine months Scarlett and Halley realize that life is the worst place not to have a best friend.

Can they make it through together without ruining their one of a kind relationship?

Review:


Someone Like You. Wow. I am speechless. Once again Sarah Dessen had written a masterpiece. Absolutely incredible. Someone Like You is the ultimate coming of age book that all teens must read. I read this book in about four days and it was extremely thought provoking.
In this book, Dessen, forces us to reflect and to think about our future life as teenagers. Dessen also write about all of the mistakes that the teenagers at Scarlett and Halley's school make and the mistakes the two best friends themselves make. I think that the book prepares us in some ways, for the next step in our life.

The plot of the story was a good one which combined all of the elements of a teenager's life; heartbreak, worry, friendship problems, insecurities and growing up. I think that all tweens want to be prepared for their teenage years and want to know what silly things not to do and what to do when you have a friendship problem, or any kind of problem and I find that Dessen has done a very good job of explaining many things.

I also find that Halley is a very believable character and I think that any tween of teen would be able to feel as if she was Halley in the book, just the way that I felt while reading the Someone Like You. Halley is real and alive and the description of her actions is well done that makes us, the readers, feel as though she is coming off of the page and telling us all about her life as a teenager with so many worries and uncertainties in her life.

I do think though, that I might have been a little too young to read Someone Like You and I think that teens should read it when they are about 13 or 14 years old, because of Halley and Macon's relationship. But having said that, I am extremely happy that I read this book because I was waiting for a book like this to come along on my list!

What a magnificent and thought-provoking book, one of Dessen's best!

Recommended for all teens age 14+

Mockingjay

Mockingjay

By Suzanne Collins

Happy St. Patrick's Day Bookworms!!! In honor of St. Patrick's Day, we have a guest blogger! The Anonymous Pug! Happy St. Patrick's Day, and a special shout out to all of my Irish bookworms! -Gia

Summary:

Katniss Everdeen, aged 17, has managed to make it through two Hunger Games, the second of which being the third Quarter Quell, where the tributes were picked from a pool of surviving victors, meaning that Katniss and Peeta were sent back into the arena. Near the end, she sent an arrow into the 'chink in the armor' of the force field, effectively destroying the entire arena. She, Beetee and Finnick were successfully rescued by the rebels; however, Peeta, Johanna and Enobaria were taken captive by the Capitol.

Katniss and the other two were taken to district 13, which was destroyed by the Capitol at the end of the dark days, 75 years ago, for rebelling. They rebuilt their society underground, doing everything in and orderly (and rather boring) fashion. On the way, Katniss learns from Gale that district 13 has been bombed, that 90% of it's people are dead, and that he organized the escape of the 900 or so who survived. 13 have been planning to take over each of the district one by one, ending with the Capitol. Panem is in a state of open warfare, and the rebels are desperately trying to get the rest of the country to side with them. Meanwhile, Katniss is being forced to accept the truth. Katniss Everdeen, the girl who was on fire, has become the face of the rebellion, the rallying point for all rebels. She has become the Mockingjay.

Review:

Once again, big thanks to Gia. This is probably my favorite book in the trilogy, primarily because now Katniss really started to take action against the Capitol. The are some EXTREMELY intense battle scenes, and readers must be prepared to lose many of their favorite characters.

As Katniss and Finnick say themselves, it feels, towards the end, like they really are back in the Hunger Games, the Capitol watching their every move. The rebels are deadly and unforgiving, determined to make the Capitol suffer as they have suffered. The battle is very frighting, as it seems so incredibly real.

This book has an undeniably sombre air to it. They are constantly watching people die, and many of them their close friends. The final battle everyone has been dreading has arrived. Some of the deaths are rather gruesome, which is saying something, given the amount of gore in the earlier books.

A truly incredible book, and the last of the Hunger Games trilogy.

445 pages

The Beacon Street Girls: Book 1: Worst Enemies / Best Friends

The Beacon Street Girls: Book 1: Worst Enemies / Best Friends

By Annie Bryant

Summary:

Charlotte Ramsey and her dad have been moving around the world over the past couple of years, but this time they are settling down for the long haul. They are moving back to Brookline, Charlotte's birth place, and her mother's burial place.

When Charlotte and her dad arrive in their new home -- a huge, old, bright yellow mansion --  Charlotte is fascinated by it and wants to know more about it.  But her landlady, Ruby, told Charlotte not to go poking her head around every corner of the house...

Having just come from Paris in France, Charlotte doesn't have a clue about fitting in on her first day of school. Before she knows it, she's zipping the cafeteria tablecloth into her jeans, and is embarrassing herself in front of every student at the school, including the food-spattered girls who soon become her new worst enemies: Avery, Katani and Maeve.

To fix her relationship with Avery, Katani and Maeve, Charlotte invites them all over for a sleepover and they all, strangely, accept Charlotte's invitation. When the three girls arrive, they too are fascinated by the house. When the girls find a trap door in the house they want to know even more about the house and its history.  The only way to do that is by going on an adventure together...

This is the story of four girls brought together by a house, a landlady, a dog and an adventure...

Review:

I started to read the Beacon Street Girls series when I was about nine years old and finished the series around my tenth birthday, but I think the great plots mean the series can be enjoyed by any tween up to the age of about thirteen. The author, Annie Bryant, creates great stories with a mix of friendship and mystery. I loved how in Worst Enemies / Best Friends Maeve, Katani, Avery and Charlotte try to solve the mystery of the trap door and the old house individually, but they are eventually forced to work together to solve the mystery. Being forced to work together creates tension between all of the girls and it adds elements of betrayal and fighting to the story. These tensions make the story a lot more interesting to read and make the book become a page turner.

I can definitely related to Charlotte as a character. We have both lived in and explored Paris, and we both know what it feels like to be the new girl and to do a big move. I think that having a character in a book who you can relate to is comforting for the reader, because they know that there are other people like them in the world. Every tween can find a girl in the book that they can relate to. There is Avery, the smart and sporty animal lover; Katani, the creative fashionista and inspiring model; Maeve, the bubbly, dyslexic redhead and inspiring actress; and finally, Charlotte, the traveler, klutz and writer.

This is the perfect book for tweens who are trying to learn how to be a good friend and are preparing to become teenagers.

Recommended for any tween age 11+ 

240 pages

P.S. Happy Leap Day to all of my Bookworms and their families! I hope that you are enjoying this extra day in the year!

-Gia

The Cardturner

The Cardturner 

By Louis Sachar

Summary:

Alton Richards's summer is looking pretty bad. His now ex-girlfriend, Katie, just dumped him for his best friend, Cliff. He has no money. His dad lost his job. His parents need money to finish installing their new pool. And to make things worse Alton is forced to drive his extremely wealthy Uncle Lester to Lester's bridge tournaments four days a week.

Alton wants absolutely nothing to do with his Uncle Lester, especially because Alton knows that his mother is making Alton drive Lester to bridge tournaments just so that it will look like Alton cares about his 'dear Uncle Lester' and will make Lester want to give his money to Alton's family.

Unknown to Alton and his family, there is another family, the Castanedas, also fighting for Uncle Lester's inheritance...

Before he knows it, Alton is discovering family secrets of betrayal and backstabbing between the Castanedas and the Richards, Alton is playing bridge with Toni Castanedas, Alton is fighting for his Uncle's inheritance, and he is being taught that life is just like a game of bridge...

Welcome to a world of discovery, betrayal, confusion and romance...

Review:


The Cardturner is the third book that I have read by Louis Sachar and it is probably the most difficult, but at the same time most interesting book that I have read by this author.

It was difficult to read because, in the middle of every chapter Alton stopped the story and explained to the reader what he learned that day during his game of bridge. The author clearly wanted to make us read a great book, and at the same time learn how to play bridge.  I found the plot so confusing that it was hard to do both. The plot was confusing, but addictive, because it was such a good puzzle.   It was very hard to concentrate on both, so in the end, I just put my mind to the plot, and that was the right thing to do...

The book has a great plot and timeline. I liked how Sachar (author) took us to the past so we could see what happened between the Castanedas and the Richards. It gave us a break from Alton playing bridge, and him explaining to us what he had learned.

The Cardturner isn't a page turner, but it is a book that, forces the reader, after every chapter, to take thirty seconds to think about the chapter.  I think it is good to read books like that every once in a while, because we all need to read something that will make us think and try to understand what is going on in a book or in life.

The last thing that I want to say about The Cardturner is that whenever Toni and Alton are together, they bring a very comedic side to the story. There was always something or someone to laugh at when they were together. I think the story's humour made the story very enjoyable to read, because it made the story seem less bridge-serious!

The Cardturner was a fun and interesting book to read, which I recommend to girls in their late tweens and early teens.

336 pages

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

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 Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

By Suzanne Collins

Summary:
The story takes place in the country of Panem, which is what is left of North America in the future after natural disasters, flooding, and wars. Katniss Everdeen (age 16) is a girl who lives in District 12, (one of 12 plus 'the Capitol') in Panem. Her father is dead and she hunts everyday with her friend Gale for food to keep herself, her mother and younger sister Prim alive.

In Panem, every year a game called The Hunger Games is held for the country to watch. The leaders in the Capitol have held The Games every year since the uprising of Panem to show how powerful they are. The names of one girl and one boy are picked out of a box in each of the districts. In The Games, all of the contestants are put into the arena, whose landscape changes every year, to fight for their lives. Every single moment of The Games is televised and there is only one rule: KILL OR BE KILLED. The last person standing is the winner and is given a life of luxury. But for those watching The Games it is a terrible reminder of the power of the Capitol, and how powerless those watching really are.

When Prim's name is pulled out of the box, Katniss immediately volunteers to take her young sister's place in The Games. Soon Katniss finds herself along with Peeta (the boy chosen from District 12) and all of the other contestants stepping into the worst adventure of their lives.

On the night before The Games Peeta confesses his love for Katniss, is it real, or is it a trap? It quickly becomes clear that The Hunger Games are not the only games taking place inside the arena and that surviving might not be the only goal, but their can only be one person left standing...

Review:

Before I start my review I would like to thank the Anonymous Pug for suggesting The Hunger Games because it is now at the top of my 'Top 10 Books' list and because it is amazing! The Hunger Games is one of the best books that I have ever read and it is a real page-turner! The story is so addictive and intriguing that you can't stop reading! The book becomes addictive when Katniss and Peeta enter the arena and you want to know what they will do next and how they will survive. 

The setting of the story in a post-apocalyptic North America is very interesting and a little scary.  Suzanne Collins (author) does a great job at making it seem familiar but also foreign. It is also really interesting to read about the districts that the other Games contestants are from. Each district is known for something and it is neat to find out what they are and why that is their 'famous activity'.  It's unusual, but it's something which makes the book unique. 

Collins does a great job at showing us what's going on with Katniss and Peeta, she is always jumping back and forth between every contestant and what they are doing, and it makes the reader feel like they are sitting in front of the T.V. watching The Games.

Brilliant book! It is a must-read!

Before I end my review I would like to mention that I have bought the second and third books and that I am going to start the second one tonight. More reviews will follow!!!

Recommended for any tween age 13+

453 pages

Every Soul A Star

Every Soul A Star

By Wendy Mass

Summary:

Three people will be brought together for an eclipse: Ally, Bree and Jack. Are they friends? No.  Are they related?  No.  What do they have in common? Nothing.

Ally has lived at Moon Shadow Campground (her family's campground) all of her life, and she is interested in nothing but stars, galaxies and anything in the sky. The campground is in the middle of nowhere. It is a campground built 'under the stars' and it focuses on teaching people what is in the sky (like stars). Since Ally is in the middle of nowhere she doesn't have any friends.

Bree has spent her life training to be a model. She is the most popular girl in her class, is gorgeous and has a perfect modern life and likes to live in her own world and in her own way. She is not the best student be makes it through life easily enough. All Bree really needs is to calm down and slow down with her social life.

Jack lives with his mum and his extremely popular brother, Mike. He has lived with his dad, SD1 (Step dad number 1) SD2, SD3 and his mom is looking for SD4. He spends most of his life in his tree house reading and eating chips and drinking orange pop. He is lonely, fails all of his classes and is bored by his life and his over-popular brother. All that Jack needs is friends.

But this summer Bree and Jack end up at the Moon Shadow Campground and meet Ally. Bree wants to leave the camp because it disgusts her and Jack doesn't know or want to know anything about the stars.  

When a powerful event pulls these three teens together they realize that they could maybe help each other find their true selves. 

In the middle of one of the solar systems most incredible moments, 3 people will develop an amazing friendship and find out who they really are... Join them on their journey.

Review:

Before I start my review, I would like to thank my grandmother for sending me this book when she knew that I was in a book rut and didn't know what to read. She sent me this book by Wendy Mass, one of my favorite authors.  Every Soul a Star is probably the best book that I have read all year. The importance of friendship was shown very, very well, but this book also reminded me that a very different people could be friends, no matter what their background. 

Every Soul A Star also had an educational side to it. I learnt a LOT about galaxies. Ally is always telling us cool facts about stars and planets, so along the way of this amazing story we learn a bit of astronomy!

Another thing that I really liked about Every Soul A Star, was reading about how Bree changed so much throughout the story. She changed just by seeing a different side of the world and by making good friends. Bree started to make better choices in life and decided to lie low on always being the center of attention. It made me think a lot about the fact that there are many, many different types of people in the world and that some of them want to change, and that sharing a bit of your own knowledge can give others a different way to look at things. 

Jack has a very different life compared to Ally and Bree, because he has to go through a worried life. He doesn't have a dad anymore and he is at an age that he needs one to be around more than ever, so for me, it is neat to compare his life and his actions to ones of other boys his age. 

I think that having three extremely different characters in this book, with three very different personalities was a good idea. Mainly because, I think that three personalities plus a great story, is enough to make a great, fun to read and adventurous book. 

The two Wendy Mass books that I have read, both are books that show the importance of friendship, and they each have an adventurous twist to them. I have to say though, that Every Soul A Star was just a bit better, because there was an educational side of the story and I think that every book should teach you something. It just makes the book even better...

Recommended to any tween aged 12+

336 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