The Lost Boy
By David Pelzer

Can you imagine a life where isolation and fear were the only things you knew? In this true story, David Pelzer paints a picture for us to see what it is like to be a foster child that came from a place where he was abused by his alcoholic mother and a father who wouldn't help the situation. After being rescued from the death grips of his mother, David went to trial to escape that life. After winning, he was put in and out of five different foster homes. Even though he was saved from the abuse, the real pain was only the beginning. Desperate to fit in, he got himself into trouble stealing and doing bad things to try to make friends. He has come so far but he has so far left to go. Will he ever win over the love of a family, or will this lost boy have to keep searching?

I would definitely recommend this book. This story won over my heart and it has won over the hearts of millions of other people. People who work with children or have dealt with abusive situations should read this book. The Lost Boy was a sequel to the Child Called It. I would also recommend that book to get a better understanding of what all happened to David Pelzer. I loved this book and I think anyone that reads it will love it too.

The Host

Summary:

The novel begins with Melanie, one of the only surviving humans, trying to escape the capture of a new species; they call themselves souls. After being captured, Melanie’s body is used as a ‘host’, a place for a soul to reside, for an exceptionally intelligent and experienced soul, Wanderer. Melanie’s mind remained extremely strong and she has the power to influence Wanderer. Melanie finally breaks through all of Wanderer’s judgment and leads her on a search for her still human family through the dessert. The humans, that managed to escape the souls, show a very passionate hatred towards the invasive species. Will Melanie’s family accept her? Or will they hate her because of Wanderers presence?

Review:

The Host is, without a doubt, science fiction. Stephanie Meyer directs the book towards a teenage audience. Her novel is filled with intricate details, suspense, and both heartwarming and devastating scenes. Wanderer struggles with finding a place where she fits in. Melanie shows tremendous strength as she tries to save her family. The combination of two individuals sharing one body and mind is explosive. It is a tale of a hopeless romance, a deadly adventure, and self-defining experiences. This book really pulls you in because it makes you think, could something like this really happen?

Marley and Me By: John Grogan

Summary
“Marley and Me” takes place in Palm Beach, Florida; Boca Raton, Florida; and Allentown, Pennsylvania from 1991 until 2004. When they lived in Palm Beach and Boca Raton, they were living in the city, but in Allentown, they lived a country life. Marley is the main character and was a very rambunctious dog. He was scared to death of thunderstorms and became destructive during them. He was the definition of a loyal dog. Even though he cost the Grogan’s a lot of money in repairs, he was a part of the family and they loved him. John Grogan is just a guy who was trying to get his wife a dog so that she wouldn’t hang on the subject of having a baby. He had a perfect dog as a kid and didn’t understand that dogs can misbehave. His wife, Jenny Grogan, was like any other wife. She loved her husband and wasn’t sure when she wanted kids. She loved Marley a lot even though she got really mad at him sometimes. Marley was willing to fight for his family’s safety and was extremely loyal. He taught the other characters to live with unbridled exuberance and joy, also to seize the moment and following your heart. He also taught selflessness, love, and, above all, loyalty.

Review
I could really relate to this book because I have owned a few dogs and understand that they can be a pain but at the same time give you unconditional love. A dog is a man’s best friend, quite literally. The author wrote the book very well. He recounted this true story with good details and personification. One of the revealing scenes include when John first brings Marley home and he sleeps with Marley by his side. Another of the most revealing is when Marley gets in trouble and is sent to the hospital. This story is very credible and extremely realistic because it did actually happen. The characters developed and grew a lot in the story. They learned love, loyalty, and how to let loose and have fun. This novel was accomplishing a memory of a well loved dog. The story is a reminder of Marley’s life. Marley is this troublemaking, hyper dog and he grows up and lives life with a typical American family. Find out what happens after John and Jenny have kids and move to Pennsylvania by picking this great book up.

13 Reasons Why

Summary

In 13 Reasons Why there is a boy named Clay who is anaverage teenager trying to manage high school. Lately he has been having a rough time because his friend Hannah Baker had recently commited suicide. After school one day he comes home to find a package at his doorstep. he brings it in, opens it up, and inside are seven audiotapes numbered on each side one to thirteen. He puts in the first tape, side 1, and presses play. To his surprise it's Hannah's voice on the tapes. But Hannah was dead, how could she be on these tapes? In the tapes, Hannah explains that each of these tapes explains why she decided to kill herself. There are 13 people who caused her death and Clay is one of them. All through the night Clay listens to each tape to try and understand how he could've caused her death. As he listens to the tapes and travels through his little town he discovers some deep, dark secrets that people have kept hidden.

Review

I really enjoyed reading 13 Reasons Why. It was interesting and suspensful, it kept me on my toes the whole time. I believe that what the author was trying to acomplish was to try and understand how a teenager feels. High school can be a scary place and it can make a person feel out of place and alone. 13 Reasons Why talks about a girl who had just moved to a new high school and was trying to fit in, but everything that was said about her ended up being bad becasue she was the new girl. Its hard enough when your the new kid, but its even harder when you don't have any friends to help you through it. Another thing I really liked about 13 Reasons Why was the style the author, Jay Asher, used in the book. Writing as a teenager can be an extremely hard task, but Asher did a very nice job. I felt like I could really relate to both Clay and Hannah throughout the whole book. 13 Reasons Why was a very good book; it was intriguing, suspensful, and eye opening and I would recommend it to any teenager looking for a good book.

Tupac Shakur
Summary:
As a young child Tupac lived with his mom and sister, were his dad left him and didn’t have him in his life. He lived in Baltimore were his mom worked hard and became a member of a Black panther. Growing up Tupac was enrolled in a lot of art and theater classes when he went to a high school in Baltimore, there Tupac learned how to make his music and be the man he was. When Tupac’s mom got addicted to crack cocaine, Shakur decided to move out west, California, were he became a rapper legend. After making his first big album, 2 Pacalypse he was an overnight superstar, but not all good things came. Tupac got involved in gangs were he would become one of the biggest thugs in the west side. Many people thought Tupac was a thug and should be put to jail but in truth, he was raping the sad truth that was happening in the ghetto areas of California. Eventually Tupcas rough life of being a thug made him 6 feet under.

Review:
If you enjoy music and the history of it, Michael V. Uschan did a great job showing the life, work, and history of Tupac. He showed all the lows he went through to becoming the best rapper ever. You really cannot compare yourself to Tupac because he’s lived such a rough life, but you can compare yourself to him by overcoming the problems in your life just how Tupac did. Overall this is a very great biography of Tupac Shakur, my grade that I would give this book is an A-. Anyone who enjoys music should read this great biography of Tupac Shakur.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist

The Alchemist is about a boy named Santiago who dreams of treasure. One night, Santiago, who is a shepherd, stays in an abandoned church in the plains of southern Spain for the night. He dreams of treasure at the Egyptian pyramids. He decides to go off in search of this treasure, given guidance and reassurance by an old king who tells him of Personal Legends. But Santiago’s journey is perilous, even as he learns to read omens and listen to his heart. He is robbed and left with nothing. In spite of this, or because of it, he meets a variety of characters who he will never forget, including a crystal merchant, an Englishman studying alchemy, a beautiful young woman named Fatima, and, of course, the alchemist. As Santiago’s journey comes to an end, he is robbed a final time, and then beaten nearly to death. The robbers realize he has nothing and leave him. Santiago realizes he is lucky, and as the book draws to a close, realizes that his treasure was not material at all.
I liked this book because it is so different from anything I have ever read before. It isn’t a book about vampires or the undead or some kind of diary-type thing. The Alchemist is a book that makes you think. Coelho doesn’t hit the reader over the head with the theme. He lets them figure it out for themselves. The message of Personal Legends can apply to anyone’s life. And if the reader thinks about it, they realize that they, too, have a Personal Legend. That is a very real aspect in this story. The other lesson to learn is to truly know what one’s treasure is, and where the heart truly lies. Once you have read The Alchemist, you will find it hard to forget.

--Amelia Wiersum

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Book: Twilight

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Summary

Twilight is a story about a girl named Bella Swan and her time in the new yet familiar town of Forks, Washington. She lived with her mother for almost her whole life, but when her morther got remarried she decided to stay with her father, Charlie Swan. Forks is a small town where everyone in the town has been there since birth and everyone knows everyone; therefore, it is really scary for Bella to start her first day. Little did she know, everyone in the school already knows who she is and welcomes her, except for the Cullens. The Cullens are a family that keeps to themselves. They are all very thin, beautiful, and pale. Bella suspects that there is something different about them and tries to figure it out. Edward is the most curious of the Cullens according to Bella on the count of having class with him. He had to sit next to her and everytime she got close he flinched. The major conflict of the story is who is Edward, who are the Cullens, and what is it that makes them so different.

Reveiw

The reason I thought about reading Twilight was because of all the stuff i was hearing about it from friends. I wanted to know what all the buzz was about. There was all this talk and uproar and it seemed very interesting. I think that the book was alright, but it wasn't what I thought it was going to be like. Since I have heard all about it prior to reading the book, it was kind of spoiled of the whole reading experience with all the suspense. It was all to predictable. But I do think that this book was pretty good. I recommend this book for teenagers who are into suspense, romance, and fiction. This book is pretty well rounded and could have a pretty broad audience. Overall it was pretty good.

Of Mice and Men

Summary:

Of Mice and Men is a classic that dates back to the 1930's. This book is about two friends, George and Lennie, who go from farm to farm in search of new work. George is the brain of the two and he is small of stature and is very kind to most other people. Lennie is the polar opposite of George. He is tremendous in size and very strong. But Lennie’s mind is like that of a young child. This is what is always getting them in trouble and is why they have to keep going from farm to farm in search of work. Although George could make a lot more money on his own, he feels obligated to stay with Lennie and watch over him. After Lennie gets both of them in trouble, they go to a farm near Soledad where they hope to get enough income to buy their own house where they can live off of the land and Lennie can tend the rabbits. At the farm they meet some nice people and they also meet some people like Curly. He is the boss’s son and walks around like he owns everybody. He was a boxer who now hates bigger people because he wishes that he had not been so small. At the end, George gives Lennie the ultimate gift and does something that only a true friend could do.


Review:

This is a classic novel that has been around for many years. The main theme in the book was that of friendship. It showed that even though somebody could be better off by themselves, they decided to stay with a friend not only for their company, but for the good of their friend. This is a very good book and everyone should read it. I would recommend it to anybody that is looking for a novel that is a classic.

New Moon By Stephenie Meyers

New Moon
By: Stephenie Meyers

Summary: New Moon, the sequel to Twilight, written by Stephenie Meyers, pulls readers into the mystical, fairy-tale life of Isabel Swan. Bella, as the book refers to her, last left off in her perfect relationship with Edward Cullen. She has discovered Edwards secret and is still completely in love with him. While Bella becomes closer to Edward, she becomes more distant from her friends and leaves them behind. Little to her knowledge, she will soon be the one left behind. Unexpectedly, her prince abandons her, despite his promise to never leave. He has dropped her cold, without the slightest hint something is wrong. Bella then secludes herself from the rest of the world. She tries to forget, but can't seem to escape her memories of him. When her best friend, Jacob Black, tries to remove her pain, she is only reminded of Edward, his voice, his face, everything about him. Their relationship seems to be fading, but she has not found Jacob's secret quite yet. Upon her discovery, she reunites with an old friend, but who? Will she forget all about Edward or will he keep his promise to her?

Review: The main themes running throughout the book were love, trust, and hope. Bella relates to the typical American teenager. Relationships develop throughout high school, and sometimes they don't quite work out, but the couple seems inseperable. It takes hope and trust to give a broken relationship a second try. This story is credible to an extent. It takes the reader to a perfect relationship, which is ended, leaving Bella crushed. The only uncredible feature is Edward's secret, he is a vampire. I loved how the author wrote the book. She leaves you suspended, wondering what will happen next. It is a complete pager-turner, you will not be able to put it down. After reading the second book, I was anxious to start the third right away. I would give this book a 10 out of 10. This book takes you to the life of an American teenage girl, with a slight twist of course!

Shopaholic

Summary

In the novel Shopaholic, Rebecca Bloomwood is stuck in the midst of a frightening financial crisis. Rebecca is young, living in an upscale appartment with her rich roommate who feeds Becky's frivolous weakness: shopping. Over the span of a year, Becky reaches the point of immense and seemingly irreversible debt. She is panicked, yet cannot ask for help due to the fact that she is a financial advisor for one of the top finance magazines in London. Fortunately, after many unsuccesfull attempts to be debt free, including attempting to win the lottery and "cutting back" Becky finds herself advising neighbors in a personal finance matter that truely matters to her. Suddenly, Rebecca Bloomwood is a completely new person...or so she thinks.



Review

I thought the novel Shopaholic was extremely well written and intriguing. While at first the thought of reading about a personal finance advisor sounded boring, the author, Sophie Kinsella, did an excellent job of creating a loveable and relatable character with real life flaws and abilities. Rebecca's voice is clear throughout the entire novel and her struggle to be cool and fit in, no matter the cost, is relatable to many teens. Although Becky is in her early 20's, she is still quite immature and naive about things such as finance and home care. These small flaws cause the reader to sympathize with her emotions. All in all, I found Sophie Kinsella's novel Shopaholic to be extremely well done and would reccomend this book to anyone looking for a fun novel full of gossip and shopping.

All American Girl By:Meg Cabot

SUMMARY
All American Girl takes place in Washington D.C. in 2003. The protagonist is Samantha Madison, she is just a regular girl from D.C. She lives with her mom, dad, older sister,Lucy, and her younger sister, Rebecca. She is a sophomore at Adams Prep High School. She also absolutely loves drawing and art. Also, she is in love with her sister Lucy's boyfriend, Jack. the antagonist is Kris Parks. She is a girl who used to be Sam's best friend but now is her worst enemy. She is one of the most popular girls at school and treats Sam badly. But half way through the book she begins to think that she is Sam's best friend. Sam is more of a rebel in her family. She dyed all her clothes black. She also wants to just be able to draw all the time and not go to school. She disagrees with her parents on the decisions they make for her. The conflict in the book is that Sam is this regular teenage girl, except for one thing, she saved the President of the United States life. She stopped a man who was trying to assassinate him. She then later is appointed teen ambassador of the UN, and discovers that the President's son might be in love with her.
REVIEW
Some of the themes of this book is, love and bravery. Love for all the love Sam has for Jack. Also the love she has for art. While bravery is that everyone believes that she is so brave for saving the president's life, but she doesn't view it as brave, she just thought that it was the right thing to do. It really like the author's style, she really knows what teenage girl want to read and what type of books they like. The story was definitely credible. There is many high school girls also like Sam and it could be possible that a regular girl from Washington D.C. could save the president's life. Also, all of the characters were very realistic. I think that the author was just trying to create a great, fun, and easygoing book, in the novel, and she definitely accomplished that. I would recommend this book for any girl 13 and up. Also I would recommend this book to any girl who likes the Princess Diaries series.

"If I Die in a Combat Zone"

Summary


One thing I thought of while I was reading "If I die in a Combat Zone" was how even though you dislike something while you're doing it you may find you actually miss it after you finish. The main example of this in the book is the author's changing opinion about the Vietnam War from the beginning to the end. When he is drafted he spends a long time deciding whether or not he should desert his position or stay with the army, at one point even getting on a bus to the airport. However he decides to stay, even though he disagrees with the war, because he didn't want to bring shame to his family. While fighting, he bares his soul in an examination of courage, justice, and the brutal behavior of infantrymen in the Vietnam War. But, every once and awhile there is a remark on a page about him not wanting to be there and how much he would rather be at home or anywhere else, just not in the war. After all of his daydreaming about getting out of the war and going home, he is finally on the flight to Minnesota, where he is from, and he feels saddened that he is leaving. This example shows how the author, even though he disliked the war and much of the time he spent fighting in it, he missed it when he left.



Review


"If I Die in a combat Zone" is a thrilling book about a footsoldier's daily life in the Vietnam War. Tim O'Brein describes what it was like to be drafted, go through basic and advanced military training, spend time with other soldiers and most of all what it was like to fight and kill other human beings. I liked this book because O'Brien does a great job at describing and unfolding the daily life for an American soldier on the frontline. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes War or Action novels because it has a lot of both.

Confessions of a Video Vixen

Confessions of a Video Vixen takes place mainly in Los Angeles along with a couple different cities in the U.S. Karrine Steffans, both the author and then narrator, is a woman who has been fighting for her life since childhood and turns to sex and drugs for survival. Karrine believes that being in music videos, movies, and partying with the rich and famous will be glamorous and perfect. She later realizes that she was wrong when she turns her beliefs to God. Karrine is fighting for her son's and her own life. She is trying to survive, be loved, and keep her son healthy. The conflict started as a kid when her mother abused her, her dad walked out, and she was raped. These all added up to make her want a perfect life like the stars on TV. Unfortunately, when she does get the fame and fortune, she realized there's more, worse things, that come along with it hand-in-hand.

Some themes throughout Confessions of a Video Vixen are loss of identity, hopelessness, sex, drugs, and dependence. These themes affect the narrator's life tremendously and cause her to make bad decisions, however, they make her stronger in the end. Karrine's writing style is honest and accepting when she tells her unbelievable stories of the horrible things she has gone through. Every scene is very revealing about Karrine's life. She even goes in depth about her mother, when she was raped, abuse, and stories of nights she had with specific famous men who she actually names. This whole novel is about how she grew up, learned from her mistakes, and matured. The character development is much stronger and more important than the plot. By writing this, Karrine is a trying to show other girls her mistakes so they do not go through the same things, and show that the life off cameras isn't as glamorous and perfect than when on air.
I highly recommend this book for mature teen girls to adults. It has opened my eyes to a lot of different life styles and lessons and I think it could do the same for you!

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

Book- Pretty Little Liars

By- Sara Shepard

Summary

In Rosewood, PA, a rich suburb outside of Philadelphia, everything seems better. The water tasted better, in the summer Rosewood smelled like lilacs and mown grass, and the clean snow and wood stoves in the winter. It was the summer of going into 8th grade at Rosewood Day School. Five best friends Ali, Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hannah were having a sleepover the night that turned their world upside down. Ali was the leader of the group, she was pretty, popular, and everyone wanted to be her. Spencer was athletic and very into field hockey and was on the JV team at school. Emily was also athletic since she had been swimming for practically her whole life. Aria was the ballerina of the group, very graceful and elegant. Hannah was the odd one out. The girls rarely fought with eachother but that night it all changed. Spencer and Ali got into a fight which forced Ali to leave, and never come back. She was gone for good, and so were the secrets they intrusted in her, atleast for four years. The four friends drifted apart after Ali disappeared. Four years later when everything seems to be going great, but a new character comes into play, "A". No one knows who this person is or what it plans on doing. But one day Emily recieves a note from "A" and the messages claim that they will spread all of their dirty little secrets to everyone. Later on they all start recieving messages from this A person. They all start to think that A is Ali, but they were wrong. Emily's friend Maya moved into Ali's old house, they started to dig for a new pool, where they find Ali's body.

Review

In this book the author Sara Shepard creates many moods and styles of writing. She includes suspense, humor, and seriousness into her plot. This book could happen to anyone in real life, but it is not likely to happen to anyone in the near future. The characters though are very real and life like. They could pass as any normal teenage girl would. In this book there are many turning points, that you do not expect to happen. Like when they find Ali's dead body and when Emily receives the very first note from A. In Pretty Little Liars the plot is the stronger point in the story. Without the plot the characters could not grow and develop like they have. For this book the author was trying to create a book that would hook the reader in automatically with the dialouge and characters. Sara Shepard was trying to accomplish a book that any girl would like to read, and could possibly relate to. I definately recommend this book to high school girls, but if you are a guy, I guess you could read this book too.

Stephenie Meyer's The Host

SUMMARY:

The popular author of the Twilight series, Stephenie Meyer, has produced yet another gem. The Host is an enjoyable book about a Soul named Wanderer (wanda for short) who is implanted in the brain of her human host, Melanie Stryder. Melanie fought long and hard for four years to avoid the implantation before being caught trying to find her cousin Sharon in Chicago, Illinois.

After Wanda discovers Melanie has not faded from her mind like the human should, she gets scared. Mel throws all sorts of confusing dreams and memories at Wanda. Due to arogue memory (and a very annoying seeker) Wanda leaves San Diego, California. Mel helps guide Wanda to a place where humans still thrived to find her family outside of Tuscon, Arizonia. There she meets Jeb, the curious leader of the Caves, Jamie, Mel's still human little brother, Jared, Mel's true love who doesn't accept Wanda at first, Ian, who likes Wanda the soul for who she is, Kyle, who's out to kill Wanda, and a whole cast of the 39 characters who live in the caves.

In the caves, Wanda is forced to face unacceptance, mortality, curiosity, and a different kind of hope. Not to mention the annoying seeker comes back to find her. She must also learn to know love and determination while having someone sit behind her own thoughts. Mel also learns to accept Wanda. But what will happen when Mel and Wanda start to conflict again? What will become of the humans? How will Wanda react when she finds out the humans' secret? Find out by reading The Host by Stephenie Meyer.

REVIEW:

I believe The Host is a great sci-fi read. It also brings to light an ignorance for accepting who people are. Also, it explains how intervention is not always a positive situation. The Souls taking over is a symbol of how the human race is taking the wrong path. They come to integrate peace, but take the humans minds from them and only the strong will survive (Darwinism?).
Stephenie Meyer, the author of the Twilight Series, is a great writer. I have to say, though, I enjoyed The Host better than the Twilight Series (Don't kill me, please). The style she uses love in in this book is better than the mushy-gushy reading of Twilight. This book is more credible and also has a great plot with plenty of twists and turns. I believe Stephenie Meyer has created a better book with The Host.

Disclaimer:

I love Twilight the book and the movie and would never bash it unless I thought necessary so please do not come find me and kill me. I would appreciate it! Thank you!

Twilight by Stephanie Meyers

Summary: Bella is a normal teenage girl who just moved to Fork with her father, Charlie. She starts her new high school and everything goes as expected, untils she meets Edward. He is a dazingly, hansome 17 year old guy. But there is something strange and mysterious about him. Their relationship becomes stronger and they fall in love, and Bella learns his secret; he is part of a family of vampires. Their relationship is complicated and restraints must take place in order to keep Edward from losing control because of Bella's luring scent. The problems start when another vampire family arrive to Forks. One member, James, is lured by Bella's scent. Edward must do what it takes to save her. The chase is on.

Review: Themes in Twilight include passion and hope. Edward and Bella share a sense of hope that they will be able to make their complicated relationship work.The story is told in first person, Bella's view. We can only see her thoughts making Edward and his family seem more mysterious and enthralling. This novel has the ability to entertain any age. Even if vampires don't seem appealing, it is not like any other vampire story. The novel takes the direction of Romeo and Juliet but Twilight seems to be its own genre, unlike anything written before. This is a novel that will be hard to put down because every page is filled with suspense and romance.

Whistling in the Dark

By: Lesley Kagen

Imagine being a young girl living on the streets with only your younger sister, a murderer, and a molester. Sally O'Malley is a ten year old who faces life threatening obstacles. While her mother is ill in the hospital, her alcoholic step-father ignores the responsibility he has to take care of the girls. Sally's older sister, Nell, is too busy making out with her boyfriend to pay any attention to Sally and her little sister Troo. Sally is very imaginative and is afraid to tell the community that she knows who murdered and molested two younger girls and she also knows that she is next on the list. Nobody will believe what Sally tells her. Sally now has to fight to keep herself and Troo safe, a promised she made do her dad before he died, while also fending for herself on the streets. She has to rely on her own strength and courage if she wants to live.

The main theme in this novel is courage and the inner strength we all carry with us. As a ten year old, Sally is expected to accomplish tasks that could change how she lives for the rest of her life. This is relevant to my life because I often times have to make decisions that could potentially harm me if i make the wrong choice. This story is very credible because there are harmful people out there and numerous dysfunctional families that leave the children to grow up alone. The girls in this story are also very credible because you can relate to some of their adventures while you remember your childhood. The character development is extremely strong in this novel. Sally grows from a young child into a hero of her community. The plot is very slow moving and it doesn't get intense until the last couple chapters. It is very slow moving, but it does pick up and will keep you hooked. I could relate to the girls from my childhood and my friends. I would recommend this book to mainly girls, but anyone who wants a good read. It is compassionate and shows you what life is really like on the streets.

Size 12 Is Not Fat by Meg Cabot

Summary: Heather Wells is an ex-teen pop star. Ex being the key word. Since leaving the spotlight, she has become a size 12 and is now working as assistant director at a residence hall in a top New York City college. Heather suspects foul play after the first of two girls are found dead..cause of death: elevator surfing. Heather doesn't plan to give it up until she gets to the bottom of things. Because everyone one knows, of course, that girls do not elevator surf. Cooper Cartwright, brother of Heather's pop star ex-boyfriend, has let Heather live in his NYC brownstone located right down the street from her newly-acquired job. Cooper is employed as a private investigator, which is just what Heather needs (and secretly wants). Together, they attempt to unravel the mystery of the deaths, if there is one to be unraveled. Along the way, Heather's boss, Rachel, who is no size 12 thanks to her petty diets and extreme workouts, makes it clear that she is interested in Cooper. Although Cooper does not share this interest, Rachel learns of Heather's suspicions about the recent deaths, which had earned her a Pansy award for putting her through so much in so little time. But, no one knows, Rachel may have had a littler more to do with the so-called accidents than just packing up belongings and calling dead girls parents...only until Heather proves that big girls can do big things, that is.

Review: Meg Cabot uses unexpected plot twists and reveals nail-biting events that keep the reader wanting more throughout the whole book. Size 12 Is Not Fat tests Heather's courage and determination to uncover the truth. The beginning of the book focuses more on the theme included in the title. A size 12 is the size of the average American women. Heather displays confidence in herself and shows she's happy in her own body. This is an important quality to have, especially as a young adult in today's stick-thin, beauty-filled, and judgemental society. Teens can also relate to the busy environment of being a student, or being around students in Heather's case, and the curiousity that sends Heather snooping.

Watchmen

This story takes place between October and November of 1985 in New York City. The storyline is based off of a group of masked adventurers who have retired due to a new law which banns superheros fighting crime. As someone attempts to eliminate the ex-adventureres, Rorschach, an adventurer who dose not abide by the new law, decides to investigate. after the comedian (Edward Blake) is pushed out of his top story window, the situation got more serious.

Jon, a nuclear enhanced man, had become known as Dr. Manhatten and was the U.S.'s only defence against WWIII with Russia and Germany. Jon teleported to Mars when he was accused of killing his loved ones and came back to attempt to stop Mr. Veidt from destroying half of New York. He was not succesful but decided that he must not reveal that Veidt was behind the entire thing for the good of the world.

I greatly enjoyed reading this book. The many storylines all running through the book at the same time made it interesting. While one character was in a particular situation, another was in a completely different situation in a completely different place. One of the most exiteing climaxes was when the police catch and unmask Rorschach and send him to jail. this revealed to the other characters as well as the reader who he really was. I believe that the author created this book to make people who don't enjoy reading want to read more. That's what this book has done for me.

Volle, by Kyell Gold

Volle
By Kyell Gold

When it comes to James Bond of the fictional 17th century, you probably can't come closer to Volle of Vinton.

Summary:

Volle is a book about an anthromorphic fox from the country Tephosia sent by his king to spy on an neighboring enemy country, Divaila. During his time there, Volle lives out the usual daily life of a Lord at the palace, collecting information on a potential war from his fellow highers at the castle.

Volle is a book not dissimilar from the more popular Harry Potter series, plotwise. The story follows the protagonist and his daily life for roughly one year, before bringing up the explosive climax and settling down for the last few chapters.

Review:

Volle is a book of many subjects, and the trademarked charm of James Bond is certainly present. There are a few scenes that could have labled the book as an adult romance, but most of the more suggestive moments are assuaged by similes covering up the mood the author could have possibly intended.

But Volle is certainly not a book I would recommend to the average teenage mind. It takes place in Ye Olde Country and its progression through time is relatively slow, which doesn't make the best of the subject of the book. It was an enjoyable read, but I preferred the James Bond books over it.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Title- Speak
Author- Laurie Halse Anderson

Summary-
Imagine going into a new school, you have no clue where anything is, who any of the crazy teachers are, and the people around you and the people you do know will not talk to you. Melinda Sordino is just entering high school. She was all excited when she left grade school, but not anymore. Melinda went to a party and got it busted. She has a reason but won’t tell anyone what it is. Now everyone in high school, will not even talk to her, even the people who are supposed to be here so-called “friends” and even her so-called “best friend” refuses to even look at her, unless it involves a dirty look. Melinda feels unwanted by everyone, and when she finally gets a friend, her friend leaves her because of the certain cliques at school do not like Melinda. In what is supposed to be one of the safest places to be; at school Melinda feels as if she has to hide. Let alone dealing with all this drama Melinda has to keep her grades up. All this is depending on one secret that Melinda does not want to tell, but her life depends on it. What kind of secret could be so important? Will she finally tell someone?

Review-
I would recommend this book, especially to some in high school. This book was incredibly easy to relate to. Anderson demonstrates what it is really like to go into high school, and what really happens behind those doors. She has a style that is really easy to read, and you can see that really happening. She keeps the theme throughout that book and I think that it is courage. Melinda had a lot strength and courage for going through what she went through and it is demonstrated throughout that book. The events could happen and are real-life situations. And I don’t believe she meant to, but I believe that Anderson also helped many teenagers who have read this book. Speak is a great book and I think many people would like it. Anderson sure has a way of words.

by Sara Orzech