Nomadic Parents
By: Clayton Grisius You fight to remain conscious as your stepfather repeatedly hits you, your mother holding you down. The last thing you remember before you blackout is you mother’s screams. Carley gets put in a foster home where she finds that families stick together, and learns about family love. This is the realistic fiction novel One for the Murphy’s, by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. This book is about Carley’s journey through foster parents, and her emotional struggle. This is one of those books that I will remember forever. This book was touching and had a lasting impression on me. I liked how the book was really realistic, which made the book more likeable. The realistic aspect of the book added with the astonishing detail definitely painted a picture of the book in my head. When Carley had flashbacks, I could see the room around me. The book makes you feel sympathetic for those whose parents abuse them, and are in foster care. Their journey is hard, and people need to be aware of their situation. I started seeing this at the very beginning, and realized this at the end when Carley finally cried. Part of what made this book so good were the characters. The author has the characters down to a science, kinda like a psychiatrist would view this book. You don’t even have to think about the book very deeply to see them grow and develop, no deep meditation to find the theme. You almost read the characters’ mind. If you made a venn-diagram or chart of each of the characters’ development (I don’t know why you would), you would see a significant difference. A really good example of this is Carley’s thoughts of a family, and how she handled her emotions throughout the book. You can see how her thoughts on these issues change throughout the book, and why experiencing a normal family is good for her mental health. The structure of the book was astonishing. The part of the structure that stood out the most, was the flashbacks. I know it sounds really weird, but it helped me realize what happened, and what was in her mind. If you tried, you could practically read the mind of every character better than those creepy people with their snow globes do. This book was amazing, definitely 5/5 stars. I’m not a dramatic reader (or person), however; at the end of this book I felt like crying. Although it might seem like a cliche type book, trust me, it’s much more than that. I believe any type of reader would like this book, but if you were adopted, experienced child abuse, or were in foster care, this book is almost exactly about you. This was definitely one of my favorite books, and I strongly suggest you read it. This book will definitely grab your attention, and you’ll want to keep reading. This book is one of my favorite books, and I think it can be one of yours as well. Picture Source: “‘One for the Murphy's’ by Lynda Mullaly Hunt.” Amazon, www.amazon.com/One-Murphys- Lynda-Mullaly-Hunt/dp/0142426520.
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Is Everything Really Everything?
Kaycee Stapleton Have you ever had one of those day where you just wanted to say at home and do practically nothing? Madeline Whittier did just that. Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon, stars Madeline Whittier, a 16 year old girl. She is no ordinary girl. Madeline lives with an illness that prevents her from interacting with anything or anyone who isn’t her mom or her caretaker, but she figures out that just because she struggles with SCID it doesn’t mean she can’t live a normal teenage life. I believe it had to be one of the greatest book I’ve read so far. The author depicted the characters with great detail; you could practically picture them in your mind. I could feel each emotion Madeline was feeling. When she was mad at her mom, I was mad at my mom...I mean her mom. The author captivated me with how Madeline changed. She went from staying in the house all day, thinking that she could never leave, to not caring about what her mom says and leaves the house because she wanted an adventure with a boy. Madeline has SCID, a disease which means she is practically allergic to everything, and she has stayed in her house since around six years old. Someone new moves into the house next to her house. She soon finds out that there is a boy named Oliver, but his family called him Ollie. They would talk by writing on the window. I could picture every movement Madeline made. That’s how good the author used figurative language. Her metaphors, similes, and hyperboles drowned each and every page. I could tell that as soon as Madeline saw him, she was in love with Ollie. This book was a very good romantic story. Picture Source: “‘Everything, Everything’ by Nicola Yoon.” WHSmith Books, www.whsmith.co.uk/products/everything-everything/9780552574235. Violet Diamond’s Spinning World
By: Charlotte Dattilo I see her standing there with her long dark dreadlocks and her African garb on. She is beautiful. I run up to the crowd around her, all the people taller than me are not letting me to her; I feel like I am being swallowed. Then I push through all the people, and she looks at me smiling, until her face drops. Will she say anything? In The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond by Brenda Woods, Violet Diamond has no clue about her dad’s side of the family, but she will not be giving up on trying to find the family that she has been dying to meet for all these years. Woods’ intentions were to show how Violet got to know, love, and help her grandmother in any way possible. I love how she really describes the relationship ups and downs with Violet’s grandmother. It also shows her meeting other family, and some of them are annoying and hard to deal with when so many things are changing very fast. It really shows how much you can start to love someone and hate someone in such little time. The parts when Violet and her grandmother cry together and grieve together really show how they are alike, and they can share their emotions with each other without being judged by one another. Also, the parts where you see the annoyed side of her show how much you can despise someone in less than a day. Overall I love this book and I think that if you want a story about exciting new adventures and heart wrenching pasts, then The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond is the book for you. Picture Source: “‘The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond’ by Brenda Woods.” Goodreads, www.goodreads.com/book/show/18079754-the-blossoming-universe-of-violet-diamond. The Competition of a Lifetime
By: Wren Griner Think in about five years or so, when you would have to leave your true love for some stupid competition you don't even want to go to. For however long the stupid prince would make the stupid competition go on for, you would have to fake that you were so excited that you were chosen to come and pray every night to get sent home the next day. That’s kind of what it was like reading The Selection, by Kiera Cass. The science fiction debut novel features America, a seventeen-year-old girl who gets forced to sign up for this huge competition to be the princess of Illea and wife of Prince Maxon, even though she has already found her true love. Sounds annoying, right? Well surprisingly, I actually loved the book. I liked the plot featuring America’s biggest decision of her life. The main character was quirky and not like every single other girl out there, and I really liked that when the prince went in to kiss her, she didn’t just let it happen, she pushed away from him and said she barely knew him. I also appreciated some of the author's choices, like to end most chapters when something huge just happened and to kind of just leave you on a cliffhanger. This structure worked for me because it kept making me want to read the next chapter so I could finally find out if America would ever fall for Maxon and how far she would get in the competition. The surprise did not disappoint! What did let me down was every other girl in the competition. All the girls, other than America, were the same; delicate, sweet and quiet damsels in distress. Not every girl acts like that. Also, at one point, America finds out that her true love started working at the palace as a solder. Come on! You have to be a little realistic. But let’s face it, The Selection will leave you competing for the next one. Photo Source: “‘The Selection’ by Kiera Cass.” Amazon, www.amazon.com/Selection-Kiera- Cass/dp/0062059947. Fire Blazing Snow
By: Zoe Donmoyer Walking in deep snow in circles not knowing where to go. White all around when you suddenly see the red blazing in the school with fire as hot as the sun. Imagine that could’ve been you. Maybe it was. Find out in the book NEED by Joelle Charbonneau. Kaylee, who is an outcast at school, finds a website that tears people apart ands ends up having to trust her peers to help save her friends, and through this becomes less shy and mean to people. Kaylee really finds herself in this book as a person, because she used to be so hostile to people, and she learns that being angry and upset all the time is a bad way to spend life. This book made me feel happy at times, but also made me feel like screaming at others. WHY? It was a whirlwind of emotions throughout the whole book, and was interesting every second. The book was great because it showed the struggle of everyone in different situations, and to never judge a book by its cover. It shows people who are rich in a terrible situation, and others that are poor find themselves in the same situation. Trying to save lives. The book cover was very interesting because it made you visualize what Kaylee looks like, and makes you want to see more of her story. It shows half of her face looking shaken up and I wanted to know what made her so scared.I rate this book 9/10 because it left me begging for more. Every second I had a different feeling, excited but scared for what might happen next. I think that young people who like mysterious and semi scary books would like this because it leaves you holding your breath the whole time. If you start to read this book you will NEED to read more. Picture Source: “‘Need’ by Joelle Chabonneau.” Amazon, www.amazon.com/NEED-Joelle- Charbonneau/dp/0544938836. Bound by Blood: A Book Review of Crimson Bound
By: Emma Fry “Do you trust me?” he asks. You nod and take off the coat protecting you from the dark forest that surrounds your town. It was a mistake. Suddenly you’re being attacked and marked by the mysterious forestborn. You should have listened to the warnings… What will happen to you now?! The thrilling and heart wrenching novel Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge, was a magical and winding fantasy story. Rachelle has been marked by a forestborn, the creatures of the great forest, and become a bloodbound, the stage between human and forestborn. Rachelle needs to find the sword that can defeat the Devourer who wants to swallow the sun and moon from the sky and rein in eternal darkness. After a whirlwind of events, Rachelle becomes much stronger mentally and comes to terms with herself and her flaws. The theme of this book is selfworth because Rachelle feels she isn't worth anything since she will eventually become a forestborn, This book made me the happiest I have been since, well, the last book I read. This book was way beyond “good.” It was amazing! They packed so much plot and feeling into one book. I loved the endless twists and turns the plot took, as if winding through the Great Forest itself. Rachelle changes so much throughout the book; at the beginning she just threw herself into danger, her job was to kill rogue forest creatures that roamed the narrow streets, preying on anyone foolish enough to leave their homes because she didn’t care if she lived or died, as long as she got to fight her forestborn as revenge before she became one herself. By the spectacular end to the book, she desperately wanted to save herself and the entire world from The Devourer and meet her destiny. Yet Rachelle still felt shock, remorse, and love and so many other feels, all while trying to fight her forestborn nature. The book cover posed significant symbolism to the story. On the cover, Rachelle is wearing her red coat, which protects her from the forest, and running down a flight of seemingly endless steps to the bottom, on which grows a magnificent tree, its roots stretching out across the marble floor, cracking the walls. Rachelle running down the steps towards the tree is her constantly getting closer to becoming a forestborn, and the tree at the bottom symbolizes the great forest, and the endless stairs are how she's struggling and doesn't seem to know when the journey will end. I also think that the book title, Crimson Bound, contains as much symbolism as the cover. The words crimson bound refers to the crimson thread that her forestborn tied around her finger, no one else can see it but her. But the title also refers to Rachelle’s inevitable future as a foresbound. The color crimson is the color of blood, she is crimson bound, bound by blood to her fate. My overall rating on the book is 4.9 out of 5 stars because is was so very good, but yet I wish she hadn't solved the problem so quickly. Maybe there can be a second book with Rachelle in it? We never really got to see what happened with Rachelle and Armund, the illegitimate heir to the throne whom Rachelle has been stationed to guard. He is also her love interest. Nevertheless, it is one of my favorite books to date. If you love fantasy, romance, dark magic, and just a good book in general, then you should read Crimson Bound which might just tie a crimson thread around your mind after you read this fabulously well written book. Picture Source: “‘Crimson Bound’ by Rosamund Hodge.” Goodreads, www.goodreads.com/book/show/21570318-crimson-bound. Not Being Able of Letting Go
By: Elaina Dongieux Imagine you had a little brother who died, but came alive again… In the The Summer of Letting Go by Gae Polisner, Francesca's little brother, Simon, has drowned at the beach by a huge wave. As Francesca begins to cope with the death of her little brother, she starts babysitting for a little boy named Frankie Sky. She thinks that he is her little brother reincarnated, and I think that Frankie Sky helped Francesca with her feelings about Simon’s death by reminding her of Simon, which helps her get over her struggles in life. This is a realistic fiction book that is different in its own way... I felt like the book was good, but it had some negative aspects like how her mom was always at work and how her dad showed some indication about him cheating on Francesca’s mom in some of the chapters, which I disliked. I enjoyed how the book had some interesting twists in the plot. The author had some parts that got my attention, for example, the grueling story of how Simon died and how the author told it from Francesca’s perspective. I also enjoyed how Francesca's mom works at the Drowning Foundation for Simon. That brought me to believe that her mom still cares about Simon and will do things for Simon, but then she doesn’t pay much attention to Francesca until Francesca tells her mom how she feels about her not giving as much attention. I sense that her mom should pay equal attention to Francesca so she can give Francesca support just like she would with Simon. Francesca changes in the end by kissing her best friend's boyfriend because she was talking about how she liked him but said it was unlikely that she would ever be able to be with him. I felt that the characters were very believable because people would act how they would at in real life. I feel that this book gets a 8.5 because it was good, but I didn’t like the ending. People who would enjoy this book would be people that like drama and just a hint of romance and mystery; then you might not be able to let go of The Summer of Letting Go. Picture Source: “‘The Summer of Letting Go’ by Gae Polisner.” Goodreads,www.goodreads.com/book/show/18267071-the-summer-of-letting-go. Book Review
By Bianca Baron August, a kid who’s never been to public school, and was born with a defect is able to face middle school. Will he make new friends and fit in? Will he survive the dread of a public middle school? Are you wondering if he will survive? Read the book Wonder to satisfy your questions. Wonder a fantasy by: R.J Palacio, features August, who is worried he won’t fit in with the kids at school, but through friendships he makes at school realizes his acceptance and that beauty is on the inside not the out. I really appreciated all the details given in this story. I think this book was magnificent. It teaches everyone that your appearance doesn’t matter, like when August had to get hearing aids and he was so self conscious about them, but everyone was cool. I also like how the author doesn’t describe what Augie looks like, almost like he wants us to focus on the actions more than the appearance. In the title Wonder I think the author intended you to wonder about how August felt all the time. If he had butterflies in his stomach or wanted to keep his tears from spilling. I also think he intended to leave you wondering about what he looks like too. R.J Palacio accomplished this by leaving you to think deeply about how you would feel if you were Augie. Would you want to cry, yell, or disappear? He accomplished the fact of not telling us his appearances to focus more on the book’s meaning. In my opinion, he accomplished these very well. I focused more on the book and stopped to think about what August would feel. I give this book a 7/10. A lot of the time I didn’t understand what was happening and got lost. A meaningful reader would like this book; they would stop and take time to paint the pictures in the book. Picture Source: “‘Wonder’ by R.J. Palacio.” Amazon, www.amazon.com/Wonder-R-J-Palacio/dp/0375869026. Egyptian Gods and Strangers
By: Afia Paracha Sadie and Carter Kane lived completly different lives. Though they are siblings, they haven't lived together since their mother's death. Sadie has been living with their grandparents in England. She grew up an English schoolgirl. Carter, on the other hand, has spent his entire life traveling. He's lived with his dad, though not in one place for very long. Their father's job as a researcher keeps him moving around, visiting museums and giving lectures all around the world. All three of them are only together twice a year. On one visit, on Christmas Eve, Carter and his father are visiting Sadie in England. When they arrive to pick Sadie up, their father meets someone who seems familiar, yet strange. Afterwards, they travel to the museum to see the Rosetta Stone. Sadie is annoyed at first, that on their one day together, their father decides to visit a museum. But little does she know that her father isn't just visiting for information. Soon, their father is missing and the police is interrogating Sadie and Carter about the destruction of the Rosetta Stone. They're both being deported to the United States, and nothing is what it seems. They're being followed by strangers, and are learning more about their father's true work by the second. Read "The Red Pyramid" by Rick Riordan to learn more. Picture Source: “‘The Red Pyramid’ by Rick Riordan.” Amazon, www.amazon.com/Red-Pyramid-Kane- Chronicles-Book/dp/1423113454. Dragon Eggs and Monsters By: Afia Paracha What would you do if you found a special rock? Would you keep it, or just leave it in the wild where you found it? Eragon is a boy living with his uncle in Carvahall, a small town on the continent of Algaesia. His mother passed away when he was born, and he's lived with his uncle ever since. Carvahall is bordered by the Spine, a place thought to be cursed after Galbatorix, the king, was said to have lost almost half his army there. Algaesia is a land of magic, where dwarves and elves are said to live, and dragons once roamed. But now just one dragon, and dragon rider, is left. Galbatorix is the king, and has ruled most of Algaesia with an iron fist. While hunting within the spine, Eragon finds a shining blue rock. He takes it back with him, and attempts to sell it to the butcher in exchange for meat. He refuses, claiming that the rock is cursed. Eragon decides to keep the rock until the traders arrive, planning to sell it then. But when the traders do arrive, he's told that the rock is hollow, which is uncommon. Once again, he keeps the rock, not sure what to do now. But soon, the rock begins to hatch. Not a rock, but an egg. And not just any egg, but a dragon egg. When the riders fell, few knew that there were still three eggs that hadn't hatched for anyone. The dragons withing hadn't found a proper rider, until Eragon found one. He decides to keep the dragon, naming it Saphira after a slain dragon of the past. He finds advice from the stories that Brom, the town storyteller shares with the citizens. But little does he know that he's not the only one interested in the dragon. The Razac, monster like creatures, are searching for the egg. They don't know that it's hatched, believing that someone in the town is hiding it. Eragon escapes with Saphira, fleeing with Brom the storyteller, who knows much more than he lets on. Read "Eragon" by Christopher Paolini to find out what happens next. Picture Source: “‘Eragon’ by Christopher Paolini.” Amazon UK, www.amazon.co.uk/Eragon-Book-One- Inheritance-Cycle/dp/0552552097. |
AuthorThe book reviews are written by many different readers. To contact Afia Paracha, the creator of this website, email "[email protected]". ArchivesCategories
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