A Wrinkle in Time

A Wrinkle in Time

by: Madeleine L'Engle

The journey of reading this miraculous book began in 5th grade when it was introduced to my class by a parent. We only read a few pages when we were unfortunately interrupted. When I saw this book on the booklist I knew this was the one I wanted to read. This book begins with children in a house at somewhere around midnight, most are asleep except for the eternal goofball named Meg. This family is the Murry family consisting of a Meg, her very smart brother Charles the twins named Denny and Sandy and their parents. The plot of the book centers around a journey where Meg, Calvin, and Charles are attempting to find Mr. Murry who has disappeared when he was on a trip to study the fifth dimension of time travel.

The quote I think explains the conflict in A Wrinkle In Time is in the part when IT, a brain is controlling all off Camazotz and sadly Charles Wallace has been caught in IT's mind too. Meg is trying to figure out what she has that IT does not have. IT has everything Meg thinks, IT has a huge brain, a town and everything else you could ever want. She just stands there thinking deeply until she finally gets an idea, IT does not have love, he does not have love. This reverberates through her head until she has an idea, if she puts as much as she can into her love it might destroy IT and save Charles Wallace. So with tears dripping out of her eyes she yells "I love you Charles! I love you! I love you! I love you!" (A Wrinkle In Time, pg. 208)

A Wrinkle In Time centers around a timeless battle. The battle between good and evil. This book will fill your soul and let your mind run free. You will want to set your mind free again to hear the miraculous story of A Wind In The Door. You'll be wondering can Meg defeat the forces of evil that is yet to come. We'll find out in the sequel A Wind In The Door. A Wrinkle In Time would be recommended to anyone from the ages of 11 to adult that love adventures ,high suspense and survival encounters. I think everyone that reads this book will cherish it for the rest of their lives! At least I know I will.

Max

Ms. Bennet

Period 1

Absolutely Normal Chaos

Absolutely Normal Link #1

Absolutely Normal Chaos Link #2

Absolutely Normal Chaos Link #3

Absolutely Normal Chaos Link #4

Absolutely Normal Chaos Link #5

I chose "Absolutely Normal Chaos because it is teen drama. It is mostly about a 13 year old girl who is growing up and realizing the changes in her life. Such as starting to like boys and friends and drama becoming very important in her life. In Middle School is when mostly your life changes and feels different . So i wanted to just learn about how it felt and if the changes will affect you. So, that is why i chose this book.

"Alex pressed his hand against mine, i like you you" he said. The conflict between Mary Lou and Alex is that he likes her and he just told her. Mary Lou hasn't been in a relationship before better yet talked to a boy! She just sat there not knowing what to say. At the end they just walk home together, not knowing if they are a couple. If you want to know what she says you will have to read the book.

I have to say i didn't really like this book. The reason is it didn't get to a very exciting point. It just went on and on telling every little detail of what is going on. i would recommend this book to a person who likes romantic teen drama. Lastly, i want to say i do really appreciate the author of this book, Sharon Creech!

Bailey King

Mrs. Bennett

Period 3

A Great and Terrible Beauty-Andrea Mackey

Mackey, Andrea

English Per. 6

November 19, 2008

A Great and Terrible Beauty-Andrea Mackey

Ever wanted to read a book with adventure, suspense, and a bit of magic with the turn of every page? Well, if you have, the book by Libba Bray called A Great and Terrible Beauty is the novel to go to. Friends have recommended it to friends, and that's how I was able to hear about it. After reading the reviews about it, I had to stop by the library and check this book out.

It's 1895, and sixteen year old Gemma Doyle is living out her young life in India. She yearns to go to England where all the balls and dances, and she gets her wish when her mother kills herself. There, she is sent to Spence Academy, where she is supposed to learn about grace, charm, and beauty, but she ends up learning a bit about herself that no one could ever dream about. She has the supernatural ability to see visions of the dead and can go into the world of it, called the realms. She doesn't like and neither does her mystifying follower who tells her to close her visions. At first, she is marked an outcast in the groups at Spence having her poor roommate, Ann Bradshaw, for an acquaintance. Yet through a secret, she becomes friends with a strong-headed Felicity Worthington and the beautiful Pippa Cross. Together they read the chilling diary of Mary Dowd, a deceased girl, writing about her experience to see visions of the dead and the world of it with her best friend Sarah Rees-Tomes. They call themselves the Order, after the group of sorceresses spoken of, inside the journal. One night, when they come together, Gemma opens the door to the realms and they all go inside. Gemma and the girls have fun playing in the beautifully colored garden, and to make things even better, Gemma discovers her late mother. She learns about herself and realizes that there are dark forces out to get her and everyone else. That they will stop at no cost. That they are willing to kill.

"What if I told you the Order was real? That the realms are real? And that I know how to get there?" This quote seemed very important to me. It is when Gemma is finally reveals to her friends the secret that has been bottled up. I felt it was when the story really began, when the magic really took off. This quote made the whole story come to me with open arms, it just made everything fall into place.

I rated the book with a five out of five, because it was such a great book. I used crescent moons because the crescent moon with the all seeing eye is a symbol of great significance. It was the symbol of the Order, the group of sorceresses who could go into the realms. It was also on the necklace that Gemma wears, which links back to the Order. This book deserves five crescent moons given to it.

I definitely recommend A Great and Terrible Beauty. The story kept me going, holding on to my attention with every word. Libba Bray did a nice job writing the story, filling it with the main components that most readers would enjoy. I personally liked how she used the Victorian age as the time setting, it made things seem more supernatural, and someone else might think so too. I recommend this to female teenagers about the ages of 11 to 15 years old for semi-high level vocabulary. Warning, this book contains mild violence, and alcohol. This book was sensational, in its own way, making you feel and believe in the magic of Gemma Doyle.

Cirque Du Freak: Trials of Death - Kimberly Morales

                                                                                                Morales, Kimberly                     

                                                                                                English Per. 6

                                                                                                November 20, 2008

 

                       Book Review Blog: Cirque Du Freak Trials Of Death

                       

Cirque Du Freak: Trials of Death by Darren Shan is my favorite book of the Cirque Du Freak series . I started to read this series in the sixth grade. I picked the first book up in my sixth grade Homeroom Class. When we read the first few pages as a class I got so interested in the book. It sounded so mysterious. Since then I have continued reading the books I am now on the fifth book. There is now a movie coming out for the first three books. I am sure I will want to watch that movie .

Trials of Death is based on a boy named Darren Shan. While still being a person he visited a freak show that changed his life. He was a normal boy. He had a mother, a father, and a little sister named Annie. When a spider bit his best friend, Steve Leonard, he sacrificed his life for his friend. Since then he has been a half vampire traveling with Mr. Crepsley a full vampire. Mr. Crepsley works sometimes in the freak show with his spider, Madame Octa. It has been a long journey for him. He has had to defeat vampaneze, get almost killed by a wild bear that drank the blood of a vampaneze, and now present himself to the Council. He is now in Vampire Mountain and isn't really approved by the Vampire Princes. To prove himself he has to go through The Trials of Initiation. He has to pass five tests in ordered to be accepted as a vampire or fail and die. The five tests consisted of The Aquatic Maze, The Path of Needles, The Hall of Flames and The Blooded Boars. As the trials were going on the vampaneze were approaching, with the help of someone unexpected. He passed the first three tests with difficulty. But did not succeed on the fourth one. Put did he really die? Or did he continue and risk his life.

"When I was making up my mind to accept the challenge, they told me that if I passed, I'd be accepted into the vampire ranks. What they neglected to tell me until afterward (when it was too late to back out) was that if I failed – I'd be killed." This quote is very significant in this book. It is mostly what it is about. Trials of Death is based on this one quote. During the whole book Darren is trying to pass all the trials to be accepted in the vampire rank. At the same time he knows that if he fails he dies. I choose this quote so you all have an idea of what is going on in Darren's head during the trials.

This book in my opinion deserves five mountains. This means that I really enjoyed it. You can also rate it. You can rate from five mountains to 1 mountain. Five mountains mean you would read it and continue reading the other books. One mountain means you wouldn't bother to even pick the book up. The reason I chose mountains as my icon is because in vampire mountain is were the trials are taking place.

This book is really enticing. I love it. This book is one that you should pick up because you can't put it down. It really hooks the reader. The author is descriptive and you can imagine Darren's trials. It fills you with mystery of what is going on around during the trials. If you enjoy mysterious but exciting adventures you should read it. BUT PLEASE START FROM BOOK ONE.  If you get disgusted easily I think you probably shouldn't read it because there are some gory parts. But other than that you should pick it up sometime.   

Brisingr- Dean Watson

Brisingr

Dean Watson
English, Period 4
November 19, 2008

Christopher Paolini has really outdone himself in his new book, Brisingr. All 748 pages are filled with suspense and action, making the third book the best of the Inheritance Cycle. I chose Brisingr because it was a new release in the series. I have enjoyed the previous books and couldn't wait to read the next one. At the time, I didn't know that I had to write a report, but since I was reading it anyway, I decided to go ahead and use Brisingr. I had been thinking of using a different book, but Brisingr was fresh in my mind.

Brisingr is a continuation of the struggle of a boy named Eragon and his fight against the tyrant Galbatorix. If you have followed along in Eragon and Eldest, Christopher Paolini's previous books, you would know about how Eragon found an egg in the Spine Mountains that hatched into a dragon, which he named Saphira. After being joined with Saphira and becoming a Dragon Rider, he was opened to a world of war, resistance, and adventure. He soon learned of Galbatorix, the king of the Empire and slayer of the Dragon Riders. Once noble protectors of Alagaesia, the Dragon Riders served the people and made peace between the Elves, Humans, Urgals, and Dwarves. Galbatorix used to be part of them, but when his dragon was killed and he was denied another, he went insane and destroyed the race of Dragons and obliterated the Riders. In the end, only three eggs were left. For years his power continued to grow, the source yet to be found. In his adventures, Eragon met Murtagh, whose history is shadowed and relationships continue to unfold. Together, they rescued the elf Arya, who fights by Eragon's side. Later on, Murtagh was captured by the empire and forced to obey Galbatorix with the dragon Thorn that is given to him. Eragon then joins a rebel group called the Varden led by Lady Nasuada against the Empire. He then goes to the elven city of Ellesmera to train under the last Dragon and Rider. Finally, in Brisingr the advance on the empire has begun. The dwarves need a new leader that may either fight with the Varden or destroy them. Most of all, Eragon needs a Rider's Sword. Normal swords continue to fail him in battle, and if he can't get his hands on one, the Varden will fail. Throughout the story, new questions arise and old ones are finally answered.


"Galbatorix isn't invulnerable. He has a weakness, and we can use that against him... we can do this.
-we can and we must-
-for the sake of our friends and family-
-and for the rest of Alagaesia-
-we must do this-"
He smiled, eager for the battles yet to come, so that he and Saphira might finally confront Galbatorix and kill the dark king. pg. 748

Although this quote is on the last page, it holds the main focus of the whole book and the books before it. Throughout the story, Eragon and Saphira have to train hard and fight their way into the gates of the Empire. They have no hope of killing the king if they don't find a weakness, and Eragon is always striving to find it. He needs to discover his source of power to find a chink in his armor, and weather they do or don't will decide the outcome. The quote also expresses his desire to go back home to the farming town of Carvahall and live out of danger with his friends and family. Only when Galbatorix is dead will they be able to go home.


I give this book the top rating of five blue flames. Whenever I thought that the book was getting slow, something unexpected happened to pull me back in. The author always brings in a new challenge such as soldiers that feel no pain, into the story that turns the tables once they are in Eragon's favor. His vast imagination would always keep me hooked. There were times when I couldn't put the book down. My rating system uses blue flames for a few reasons. Brisingr, in the Ancient Language (a language used to cast spells among other things) as you find out quickly in the book, is the word for flame. The true importance of the word, however, only becomes clear near the end of the book.

I would recommend this book to people who enjoy fictional adventures. If you liked the Lord of the Rings, you will love Brisingr. There are many chapters devoted to politics, and scheming, so if you want to read a book that makes you use your brain, this is the book for you. You may not want to read this book if you:

1. are of a younger audience.
2. have a weak stomach.
3. can not handle vivid descriptions of gore.
4. are sensitive to tragedies.
5. are opposed to graphic violence

I highly suggest that you read the first two books, Eragon and Eldest, if you haven't already. You will be completely lost if you haven't.

Peeps - Monica Paraz

Paraz, Monica

English Period 5

11 / 20 / 08

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

The book I choose to review was Peeps by Scott Westerfeld. At first, I wasn't too keen on reading Peeps. After scanning the back of the book, the only thing that grabbed my attention was the mention of parasites. Biological thrillers have always caught my attention, even at young age. The thought of something that is all too real, something that can happen to just about anyone without any hope of stopping it, because it's just that small, is enough to make my heart jump out of my chest and enough for me to want to read and never ever stop. Plus, the author, Scott Westerfeld, is one of my all time favorites, right up there with J.K. Rowling, Stephenie Meyer, and Lemony Snicket. He is also the author of another series favorite of mine, the Uglies and its sequels. The only thing that really held me back from diving straight into the book after I picked it up off the shelf was one and one word only that I saw when reading the back: vampires. Now, don't get me wrong, I, like many of the population of teenagers in America, have been bitten by the Twilight saga bug. It's just that, after a while, the whole vampire vibe has started to worn off on me, you know? After some deliberation, Peeps has found its way into my list of books read, and not a moment too soon. I decided that Peeps was the book to read for this book review because Peeps has not only taught me a whole lot of things about I can't see but should still know exist, it will teach everyone a lot as well. I choose this book because everyone needs a good jolt of fear and adrenaline when they read a story. Everyone needs a story that will make them jump and squirm and bite their lips out of fear, and both fear for yourself and fear for the main character. Peeps, I'm very sure, is that book.

First and foremost, you must, must, must know that Peeps is set up differently from most books. You see, every even chapter is a chapter about all about an all too real parasite. Each and every one of these parasites described in the book is real. One hundred percent, non fiction and no matter how mind-blowing, no matter how unreal, no matter how just plain crazy they seem, they're out there and they're waiting. These parasites are waiting for you. Anyways, Cal Thompson is the main character of the book. He's just your average everyday, 19 year old guy who's just been introduced to the big bad world. The world Cal lives in is controlled by us. Sure, we humans technically rule the world, but in this case, the world fights back. The world fights back in the form of a parasite. This parasite is something that turns once normal people into monsters. It doesn't turn them into just any monster no; it turns them into what we know as vampires. These vampires are no ordinary vampires, and no, they aren't really bloodsucking monsters that turn into bats or anything like that. Truth be told, no one really calls them vampires, instead, they stick with the name parasite positives, or peeps, for short. After meeting a strange woman one dark night, Cal has become one of them, one of the peeps. Only, he has none of the symptoms, so he doesn't turn into the monsters, because instead, he's a carrier. Unknowingly, he's infected all of his former girlfriends with the disease and lo and behold- they've turned into the monsters. It's now Cal's job to track them down and cure them, or at least return some of their sanity before more of their kind comes forth. Peeps has a great balance between fear, action, and the thrill and mystery of this dreaded disease.

The quote I choose sums up the whole book in a couple of sentences.

"The main thing to remember is that there's no magic involved. No flying. No transforming into bats or rats either. We're talking about a disease. "

- both on the back of the book and page 19

This quote tells you the whole theme as well as the story and what the books about in a mere twenty five words. The world of Peeps revolves around this disease and many others that work like it, eating at its host's minds and bodies from the inside out before moving to the next. It also follows the idea that everything that seems too out there to be true just might be real. This quote implies and reiterates one fact that people always want to dismiss, this one fact that people just don't want to admit is real. It's the fact that the misconceptions of human nomenclature can be broken all too easily with just a drop of truth and that with that drop, waves of chaos and enlightenment can come forth.

I give Peeps five out of five pocky boxes with five being the most absolutely mind blowing book I've ever read and one being not even worth a scan of the summary at the back of the book. Pocky is a sweet treat that is one of my favorites. It's a cream covered biscuit stick that comes in many flavors. The reason I chose pocky boxes as a rating system is because if I was infected with the parasite and if I was a peep, pocky would be one of my strongest anathemas. An anathema is something that someone once loved so very much before they contracted the disease and turned into a peep. This anathema is something that you utterly despise once you've been infected. The parasite works up into your brain and flips some switches in your brain that change and open and break chemical pathways. When those switches are flipped, you hate everything that you once held close to you and everything and everyone that you cherished. Those things and people are the anathemas. Peeps has been such an inspiration and has taught me so much about the things that we should look out for. It's been a great learning medium and is unarguably one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a long, long time.

If you're someone looking for a different take on vampires, this is the book for you. I recommend this book to anyone looking for chills to run down their spine and anyone looking for an overall great and unique book. This book will teach you a lot, and its lessons and the opinions you can pick up are truly enlightening. Also, you will be able to read on a new and certainly different outlook on how vampires might have come to be. Any and all vampire lover is sure to adore this book, and even those whom are into the bloodsucker scene are sure to get some thrills and chills form this biological fiction novel. Peeps is directed mostly to kids in the age range of twelve and higher. The scientific content might be a little too advanced for anyone under that age. WARNING: this novel contains hints at sexual activity, mild cursing, and things that make your skin crawl at the mere thought of their existence.

Beloved-Kirston Gordon

Kirston Gordon
Period 2
Mrs.Huff
November 19, 2008





Beloved


I have just finished reading an exciting and utterly scary book named Beloved. The author of this book is Toni Morrison. I never read a book like this and I never thought that I would be this intrigued by a book. I found out about this book from a friend that seen the movie. I didn’t want her to tell me about the movie until I read the book so I guess that is what made me approach it. Just by reading the first paragraph of this book makes you want to read more and more.

This book is about a ghost spirit that has possessed a slave house in the 1860’s. This book is gory and mysterious and it keeps you on your heels each time you pick it up. The main character went through lots of pain in her life as a now free slave and after killing her two year old daughter sixteen years ago, her past came to haunt her. Her youngest daughter who survived now has to live with the ghost of her big sister and it somewhat turns her insane.

“No ghost is gonna keep me out of my house, no way, no how!” is one of my favorite quotes out of the book because in the moment of the book she said it with so much power and emotion. You never think that someone would stay in a haunted house but this character just wouldn’t budge when someone tried to get in between her and her home.

I believe this book is worth 10 out of 10 stars because I think the author just really used a wise mind and great imagination to write this book. It pulls you in and keeps you guessing. I think many people, especially of the African-American culture, will enjoy this book.

I recommend this book to people ages 13 - adult because it contains very adult content of sex, language and scenes. You have to be a pretty wise fellow to read this book and understand a lot of the hidden messages in this story. It even took my dad awhile to understand what it meant at times. Beloved is a book I would not recommend to any who doesn’t regularly read graphic books such as this one. This is an amazing book and I hope you get to read it some time.

Night-Tony Flores

Flores, Tony
Period 6 English
November 20,2008

Night by Elie Wiesel

The book I decided to read in the past days was Night by Elie Wiesel. I chose this book because it was really interesting and fascinating. I picked this book out randomly. I started to read the book and it caught my attention. Then, I decided to do a little research on the author, Elie Wiesel. I understood the book better after reading the author's biography. The book Night was based on Elie Wiesel's life. The book kept getting more interesting as I kept reading further and further. This book builds up suspense and keeps you waiting until the next thing happens. This book was so great that I am going to begin to read the other great books he made. I will soon start to read The Forgotten by Elie Wiesel.

The book is mainly about a boy and his father's story as they go threw humiliation, torture, and a concentration camp. The main character is the boy, Eliezer. The boy is Jewish and his father, which his name is not mentioned in the book, is a Jewish leader. It doesn't say he is a rabbi ,though. The boy was around during the Holocaust. The German officials capture all the jews in the small town of Transylvania. Then, they seperate the useless and burn them. The rest of them go to concentration camp in Buchenwald. Eliezer doesn't suffer as much as the father, but Eliezer still suffers with the pain of his father in his heart. Eliezers father soon becomes weak and sick. Eliezer feels his pain, but he can't do anything about it. All he can do is look-out for himself and live through all the pain and torture of the Germans.

"Eliezer...Eliezer..tell them not to hit me...I haven't done anything...Why do they keep hitting me?" This is the quote I used. It was said by Eliezer's father. Eliezer's father was very sick at the time and most of the people who were at the camp took advantage of him. They beat him with what ever they had at hand. They even stole the little food they gave him. Eliezer wanted to do something, but couldn't. His father was being abused in front of Eliezer's face, and Eliezer could only watch in horror. Eliezer was dissapointed of himself. He wished he could do something. This was the most tragic event in Eliezer's life.

I made a rating system for this book. I used moons as my rating sytem because of the title of the book, Night. I thought of two other rating systems, but they weren't good. I would rate my book 4 out of 5. This book had an amazing, real, and thorough story. It was a great story, but it lacked some enthusiasm. I believe it was because of the type of story. It still made a great must read book. It is a great novel.

I recommend this book to people from their teens to the senior age. This is a great book to catch up on some history. You learn a lot on how to survive in times of crisis. This book also inspires you in many ways, to keep heading to your goal even though you have to pass through obstacles. Another thing is, always be patient something good may come out. This book would be perfect for seniors who lived around that time and for others who would like to learn some History trivia.
Warnings: Violence, Warcraft

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld- Tali Moore

Moore, Tali

November 20, 2008

P.6, Mrs. Huff

What if being Ugly isn't so bad?

For my book review blog, I pondered and finally came up with a mystery novel I enjoyed reading in my 7th grade year, Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. After scanning my bookshelf at home a little I ran across this book and thought it was a perfect choice for my blog. The novel tells the story of another world of perfection that leads to corruption. It teaches a moral many do not process in life, that perfection is not what makes a world perfect or a person satisfied, it is the effort and the journey that creates an experience. Mystery novels are what keep me reading on. They create a setting of suspense, which ends up putting me on the edge of my seat with interest.

The Uglies is a suspenseful, dramatic, romantic, and brain-boggling novel by Scott Westerfeld. It tells an intricate story of a 15-year-old girl named Tally Youngblood, who is on the verge of her 16th birthday. Now, in her world of Uglyville, when they turn 16 they transform from casual, "ugly", basic human beings into intriguing, beautiful, goddess-like figures. When Tally's best friend Shay discovers a different path she would like to take, Tally is left with options from the investigators after her escape. She will either turn her best friend in, or risk a thrilling life of fun and stability. When Tally chooses her path she discovers something so hidden yet so obvious. Love & Trust. Running away to the Wild Smoke makes her realize things she has never even glanced at like happiness without beauty or knowledge without surgery. What will she do next?

The last statement in the thrilling novel, I believed was the most significant due to the fact that it basically summed up the book in one phrase that made sense of it all, "I'm Tally Youngblood, Make me pretty." This briefly showed how the future was set for all their citizens. The concept of being pretty was driving everyone to the last levels of insane. The "peer" or may I say government pressure, was slowly forcing everyone into their black hole of power. They believed that if jealousy was controlled by them, they would have no hassles but they didn't understand that problems, mistakes, misunderstandings are all what make up the overseeing concept of LIFE.

For my rating system I decided to use the tree that represents overall nature. The setting in this novel is mostly in the wild, known as the Smoke. Tally gradually realizes that happiness can be found everywhere, including the "jungle of cavemen". I decided to give this 5 out of 5 trees, due to the fact it was an ingenious way to start out such a unique trilogy of our days.

Uglies, Pretties, Specials, Extras! Though the rest of the trilogy was unlike the brilliance in the first, I still was entertained. Like they say there is nothing like the original. This novel aims to any audience from 4th or 5th grade and above, due to some of the vocabulary, but don't let age stop you! Read! So, let me give three straight out reasons you should sit your butt down and drown in this book's suspense. First of all, everyone enjoys a nice mystery novel to cuddle in bed with and fall asleep with. Second, this is an out of the ordinary book that really gets you thinking what our near future will bring us. Lastly, if I can write this much about one novel that shows that there is lot to learn, realize, and fascinate about.

I am sending you a warning in advance saying that once you pick up this book you end up reading the rest! Beware of the Uglies!!

The Lightning Thief-Ryan Cohen

Ryan Cohen
English Period 6
November 20, 2008

The Lightning Thief, written by Rick Riordan, is one of my all-time favorite novels. This book is the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.. I discovered this great novel when I was at the library looking for a great book to read. I was looking for an exciting adventure book which was trilling yet also had a sense of humor. I couldn't find anything I was interested in! So I was about to leave the library depressed, but suddenly I tripped and fell on something. I got back up to see what it was and it was a book on the floor. I picked it up and it was a book called The Lightning Thief. I opened it up to the first page, started reading, and it sucked me so fast I couldn't stop myself from reading! This book has everything in it; adventure, humor, fantasy, drama, mystery, peril, and some romance! There are 5 books in this series and I am already almost done reading the fourth! I can't wait for the concluding book, the 5th book, to come out in stores on May 5, 2009! This book is so great; a movie based on it will be released July 2, 2010!

Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of Yancy academy . . . again. No matter how hard he tries, he can't seem to stay out of trouble. But can he really be expected to stand by and watch while a bully picks on his scrawny best friend Grover Underwood? Or not defend himself against his pre-algebra teacher when she turns into a monster and tries to kill him? Of course, no one believes Percy about the monster incident; he's not even sure he believes himself. Suddenly, mythical creatures seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook! He and his mother take a trip to the beach, away from his terrible stepfather when Grover reveals who he is and Percy finds out he is not in the world he thinks he's in. He finds out that he himself is son of a very powerful god. The gods of Mount Olympus, he's coming to realize, are very much alive. And the bad thing is; he's angered a few of them. Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. On his way to Camp Half-blood, he has an encounter with a Minotaur. His mother, when seized around the neck by the Minotaur, dissolves into gold mist. When he gets to camp his activities director sends him on a quest. His quest is to find and return Zeus's stolen master bolt (which he thinks was stolen by Hades) in ten days-before summer solstice to prevent a war between the gods. His companions are Grover, the satyr, and Annabeth, a daughter of Athena, will have to go to the Underworld (in L.A., where else?) and face a vast amount of enemies determined to stop them. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than just catch a thief: he must come face-to-face with his father, who abandoned him; solve the riddle or the Oracle (which warns him of betrayal by a friend); and unravel a treachery more powerful than gods themselves.

Page 146-
"So let me get this straight," I said. "I'm supposed to go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead."
"Check," Chiron said.
"Find the most powerful weapon in the universe."
"Check."
"And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days."
"That's about right."
I looked at Grover, who gulped down the ace of hearts.
Did I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?" he asked weakly.

I chose these quotes from the novel because to me, it is like a checkpoint in the middle of the book. They are also great quotes because they use an easy way to get across a point, and they even have some humor! These quotes are important in the story. They basically summarize the first half of the novel and tell you everything you need to know to understand the second half of the novel. They make you wonder how Percy is going to do all of these things in ten days and draws you into reading the second half of the book.

If I were to rate this novel from 1 thunderbolt through 5 thunderbolts, I would defiantly give The Lightning Thief 5 thunderbolts. I chose thunderbolts because that is what the whole book is about. Someone stole Zeus's master bolt, the most powerful weapon in the universe and thinks the main character Percy Jackson is the culprit. Percy has ten days to find and return the master bolt to Zeus or war against Poseidon will begin. To summarize the war, imagine the world in chaos; nature at war with itself. Olympians forced to choose sides between Zeus and Poseidon. Destruction. Carnage. Millions dead. Western civilization turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight.

Here are three reasons why you should read this trilling novel:

1. If you like adventure and mystery books, this book is perfect for you. It keeps you attached to it the whole time. Even though this book is 375 pages, it seems like 20 pages. If you are a slow reader, when you read this book you will be amazed how fast you read it.

2. If you are interested in Greek mythology, this book is perfect for you. It has all sorts of Greek gods and creatures that will keep you interested throughout the whole entire book!

3. If you hate or hated your pre-algebra teacher, this book is perfect for you. This book has the main character, Percy Jackson; accidentally vaporize his pre-algebra teacher who turned out to be one of Hade's evil minions (just like all of pre-algebra teachers). In fact, the very first chapter of this novel is called I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-algebra Teacher!

There are no warnings you need to know about if you are just a normal kid wanting to read, or actually reading this book because it's fiction and exciting. But.... if you are a half-blood or think you might be a half-blood, that's a different story. If you are in that situation, then DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. But if it's too late and you already opened the book, my advice to you is: close this book right now. Believe whatever lie or fib your mom and dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life. You don't want what happened to Percy Jackson to happen to you.

Overall, I really liked this novel and I encourage you to read it and even the whole series!!!

Stormbreaker - Dante Brljevic

Brljevic, Dante

Period 6 English

Nov 20, 2008

I read the book Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz. I think they also made a movie about it.

I chose this book because it was recommended to me by a friend , and he let me borrow it to read it. It was

a good book, and I finished it fairly fast since I went to Palm Springs and all I had to do was read the book. I was actually already done with the book when I found out about this assignment, so it was obvious to me that I would pick this book.

Basically, Alex Rider, a 14 year old boy who lives in England, was living with his uncle all his life when suddenly his uncle was in a car accident and died. Alex, being the adventurous boy he was, went and found his uncle's car at the junkyard and, as he thought, his uncle wasn't in a simple car crash. Soon after he finds out that his uncle was a spy, and that he was shot on his way back from his last mission.

The spy company, M16, even wanted Alex to go undercover and finish the mission for his uncle. The problem was with a rich man named Herod Sayle who was going to give a special type of advanced computer to every school in England. M16 thought this was somewhat "fishy", so they sent Alex's uncle to investigate.

Now, it was up to Alex to finish his uncle's last mission.

One amazing quote from Stormbreaker is:

"From the moment I arrived at the school, I was mocked and bullied. Because of my size. Because of my dark skin. Because I couldn't speak English well. Because I wasn't one of them. They made names for me. Herod Smell. Goat Boy. The dwarf. They played tricks on me. Pins on

the chair. Books stolen and defaced. My trouser ripped off me and hung on the flagpole underneath the Union Jack...."

"I loved that flag when I first came here," he said. "But in only weeks I came to hate it."

-Herod Sayle-

I think the quote shows much about Herod Sayle. He was obviously bullied. He was bullied so much that he came to hate the country that saved is life. It was this hateful thought in Herod's mind that caused all the chaos in the book. If it weren't for this evil memory of Herod Sayle, the book would have a completely different storyline.

I give the book four computers out of five. It was a good book, but not really the best I've every seen. Still it is definitely worth reading, as it brings lots of new thoughts and concepts into reading, and combines action and mystery.

I need to make sure you know that there is some mild violence in the book. Well, actually it is pretty violent, but it is mostly descriptive action. Not to much blood or anything like that. I recommend this book to anyone who likes Action or Mystery. It's easy to find , and was a great book, the kind where you can't always control when you stop reading.

UGLIES Emelie Oiknine

Emelie Oiknine

English Period 6

November 20, 2008

The author of Uglies is Scott Westerfeld. I got introduced to the book from both my friend and my sister. They were both reading it at the same time and one time when my friend came over they started talking about it. Once I heard things about it I really wanted to read it. In my opinion Uglies was the best book in its trilogy. Once I got started with these books I just could not put them down! They were lots of fun to read, the books really intrigued you, and I'm so glad that they introduced me to it.

Uglies is mainly about the future where it is MANDITORY for everybody to get a cosmetic surgery when they reach the age of 16. Obviously, there are the few people that do want to keep their faces. That's where the characters come in. First there is Tally. She is the main character. Then there is her best friend Shay. All of their friends already turned 16 so they're already pretty, or not. The few uglies that do want to keep their faces have to do something they are not allowed to do in order to keep them from getting the cosmetic surgery. They run away to a place called the Smoke. Shay was supposed to run away with her friends but she chickened out. A few weeks before her 16^th birthday she decided she didn't do the right thing and ran away from Uglyville, into the Smoke. Tally wasn't too fond of the idea but Shay really wanted her to come with. Shay left a set of directions that only she could understand to lead her to the Smoke. But as I said before, she didn't want to go. On Tally's 16^th birthday she was taken to get the cosmetic surgery, but she ended up somewhere else, the office of Special Circumstances. They have been looking for the Smoke for the longest time. At this point they knew that Tally was their chance to finally find it. They made it very clear that she could not turn pretty until she led them to the Smoke. Tally was sent as a spy. Whether she betrayed the Smokies or not, will change her life forever.

"What you do, the way you think, makes you beautiful". David said this to Tally while they were at the Smoke.I believe this is the best quote in the book. It shows that you don't have to have a cosmetic surgery to be beautiful. You can do great things, and thing amazing things, and it can make you beautiful. It basically shows why people left their homes to go to the Smoke to live a normal life.

I give this book 5 out of 5 hover boards because hover boards played a big role in this movie. There was the entire scene where Tally first learned how to ride them, it got her to the Smoke, and took everybody just about everywhere that they needed to go. It was their main way of transportation.

I would recommend this book to any teenage girl older than 10 years old. A reason why somebody would want to read this book is because people need to know that beauty on the inside is just as good as and sometimes even better than beauty on the outside. Another reason would be is because it keeps you enthralled into the book because you never know what is going to happen next. It was a very unpredictable book. Everything that happened happened in surprise. One last reason I think somebody should read this book is because it shows how Tally dealt with her problems. It always took her a while to decide something and it shows that some times, you have to think about things before you do them. I have no warnings for this book except that if you are a guy, you probably won't enjoy it.

Eggs by Jerry Spinelli- Jamie Atienza

Atienza, Jamie
English, per 6

November 19, 2008

Eggs

Book Review by Jamie Atienza

Eggs is a comical, oddball, and fascinating book written by the renowned author Jerry Spinelli. Just by the title, the author's famous name, and by the mysterious cover (which is an egg carton with six brown eggs in it) it entices curious readers to find out just what kind of story this book holds. The overwhelming curiosity to crack this mystery was what caught my attention to it in the large arrangements of books at the book fair. I am a huge fan of all of Jerry Spinelli's literary works. He is just an amazing writer that engages the readers to step out of their own shoes and into the characters. Many of his books, including Eggs, have main characters that aren't popular or glamorous or any of that, but characters that are special and interesting in their own right. He writes about kids that many people,even adults, can relate to. That is another reason I chose this book because if it is written by Jerry Spinelli it's bound to be interesting. Now it is one of my favorite books written by him.

Eggs is a quirky and interesting book about a bond between two unlikely friends, a law-abiding and fragile nine year old David and a headstrong thirteen year old Primrose. They meet in a very unusual way, where David finds Primrose playing dead under a tree during an Easter Egg hunt. He later finds her once again and they form a tight but cautious bond. They both come from dysfunctional families and use each other to get those hidden and building emotions out whether by constant bickering or heart to heart conversations. David is a young boy filled with anger and anguish. He lives with his grandmother, who he tries his best to ignore, and a father who comes only on the weekends due to his job. He lost his mother in a terrible accident and he believes that the only way to bring her back is to follow every rule and law, other than the ones set by his grandmother. Primrose, on the other hand, lives in an old van that she has decorated to be her room, which is parked in the drive way of her fortune telling mother's house. Her mother is uninvolved and her father is out of the picture, and as only a thirteen year old girl can do, she always does things her own way. Together along with their good friend Refrigerator John, they go through many adventures from searching for night crawlers to their trek to see the waving man. It is a time for them to sneak away from their broken homes and their troubles. As their friendship grows, they learn more about each other and more about themselves. Both have gone through so much in their young lives from loss to isolation, but together they help build their own foundations of reliability, recovery, care, kindness, and friendship.

Page 220-

David spoke quickly."We never got to Philadelphia to ask the waving man why he waves. Are we going to?

"No need to."

"No?"

"Nope. I figured it out by my self. I know why he waves to people." ...

"Because," she grunted,"they wave back."

I felt that this quote, which was on the very last page of the book, had a lot of significance to both the novel's story and as a life lesson. Throughout the story I was wondering along with the characters of the book the reason for a man to stand at a street corner and just wave. This quote answers that question fully in what might seem as a too obvious answer, but yet it has so much depth in to it. This quote can be interpreted in many different ways and in many different perspectives. I personally view it as a lesson in life that even the tiniest of a gesture of kindness can brighten a day with just a simple wave and a smile. Many people in our time question this polite gesture or see is as odd. Like Primrose and David, many people over think the the reasons why someone might do this, does the waving man really need a reason to just wave and say hi? This curiosity drove David and Primrose to take a trip to go to Philadelphia which was a very significant part in the story. At the very end, Primrose got it and it just made a great finish to the story with a life lesson hidden between the lines.

I probably would give this book a ten out of ten eggs and two thumbs sunny side up. It was and still is one of my favorite Jerry Spinelli novels, along with Maniac Magee. It is an incredible book with the whole package from wit to tragedy to friendship. It is an incredible piece of literature and really fun to read about the adventures of David and Primrose. It won't disappoint and lives up to its interesting cover and title.

I recommend this book to any type of reader, but especially to people who have their own troubles with their families in their own homes. It shows that any wound can be healed by time and with the support of the people around you. This book is probably good for readers around the years of ten to thirteen years old, but it is a novel that both girls and boys can relate to. Tough because it is about the recovery and friendship of two young kids in a small town, their isn't that much action but, but so many life lessons and points of views in this book. There are so many different ways to interpret the various different approaches to certain situations. this is the sort of book that you get attached to the characters fairly quickly. It is definitely a book that everyone should read. It is just a brilliantly written story that anyone can relate to in their own way. The characterization in this book is fantastic and it is very easy to understand the characters, but yet gives depth to their individual emotions. In all it is just a fun book with quirky and odd characters that you can learn quite a bit about life from and how to heal sore wounds. I would heed no warnings unless you are afraid of eggs or night crawlers. Who knows? It is an incredible book that I could really recommend to anybody. I enjoyed it a lot and I hope you do to.

Twilight- Beila Castro

Beila Castro
English per 6
Nov. 20, 2008

The title of the book is Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. I selected this book because my friend Alice introduced me to it and when she told me what it was about i thought i might begin to read it to see how it was. and before I knew it, i could't put the book down and i read the whole series more than twice.

It is about a girl named Bella Swan who lives with her mother in Phoenix, Arizona and moves in with her dad, Charlie, who is alot like her, in a small town in Washington named forks. When she is settled in she begins high school where she left off and attends Forks High School. Bella hates it there, but soon meets Edward who turns her whole life around and starts to give it meaning to her. Edward has siblings who are, just like him, vampires. Their names are Alice, jasper, Rosalie, and Emmet. Alice is a small petite, pixie-like, joyful vampire girl. Jasper, Alice's partner, blond, and not very good at controlling himself when it comes to the smell of blood, because he is the most recent one in the family. Emmet, a strong, muscular, funny vampire. Rosalie, Emmet's partner, has long wavy silky blond hair, beautiful, very self-centered and an envious vampire. Then there are Edwards parents, Carlisle and esme. Carlisle, the towns doctor at the hospital,
blond,
And the longest living vampire out of the Cullen family. Esme, a loving, caring vampire, who treats all the Cullen siblings and Bella as her own children. Bella does happen to get into trouble with vampire, unfortunately. She knows their secret so she is in danger, because the volturi doesn't allow any human to know their secret, and she also has confrontations with bad vampires, who drink human blood. Bella also has problems with someone who Edward has to compete with, Jacob. Even though Jacob is younger than her, he still tries, even though Bella only likes him as a friend.

The quote from this book that i felt had the most significance was on page 274. "And so the lion fell in love with the lamb." i chose this quote because i felt like this was the quote that the whole story begins from and how their love really begins. In this quote Edward is relating to him as the lion and Bella as the lamb. Edward the vampire, predator, and Bella a human, his prey.

For the rating system i would choose hearts. From 1 being the most horrible book ever and dont even bother to pick it up, to 5 being the best book ever. I would give it 5 hearts, because i absolutley love this book and i chose the hearts because it stands for Edward and Bella's unconditional love for eachother.

3 reasons that i think why anyone would want to read this book is because it has action for boys, romance for the girls and women, and just the whole idea of vampires will interest anyone in any gender. Getting to read about how these fictional figures are so alike we humans, but have many differences that make them vampires. I think that whole idea is fascinating.

Vampire Beach: BloodLust by:Veronica Shnayder Mrs.Huff Period 6

Vampire Beach: Bloodlust by Veronica Shnayder I just read Vampire Beach: Bloodlust by Alex Duval. Obviously this book is about vampires and if you're into vampires and glamour this book is just right. So after I read the Twilight series I got really into vampires so I searched for books about our blood sucking friends and stumbled upon this great read. It's fun short and is a really thought out book. It's the first in a series of six. I read this around a year ago but just reread it last week. As soon as you pick this book up you won't be able to put it down until you finished the fourth book trust me. Jason is a Michigan born 17-year-old Senior that due to his dad finding an amazing job in Malibu has to move to the other side of the US to sunny California. Jason, unlike his sister Dani, is more then excited to start fresh and not just anywhere; but DeVere Heights, Malibu! A gated community, home to the richest and oldest families in Malibu. His first day at the new high school he meets Adam a movie making, director obsessed, son of a poor but hard working police chief (as he puts it) guy. Jason also meets the beautiful Sienna Duvereox. Beautiful and popular Sienna Duvereox. Jason soon figures out that the most well known kids at DeVere High are the kids whose families all live inside the gates but that's not the only thing they all have in common. They end up being surprisingly nice and Jason finds himself in the mix with the posh rich kids that he lives with. The second party Jason was invited too was Belle Remes Yacht party; it ended up being the most remembered party in DeVere Heights not only because of the amazing booze, beautiful people, and 2-story boat but also because of the mysterious death of Carrie Smith whose body Jason stumbles on the next morning washed up on the beach. Adam later reveals his latest movie wasn't a regular documentary; he was actually collecting evidence of the vampires living behind the gates! So now Jason has to live with the intelligence that his closest friends and the girl he loves are vampires all while trying to find the vampire that killed Carrie Smith. "I got up juiced up," Van dyke announced. "Simkins supplied the sweet, sweet Gatorade." Gatorade? Yeah right! Simkins (the swim coach came out looking completely drained and out of it. This was the first hint that there was something fishy going on with the DeVere kids. Van Dyke left the pool after he passed out swimming and went back to the locker room with the coach and Brad; he came back 2 minutes later completely glowing and wanting to jump right back in the water. It wasn't just odd it was plain creepy. I give this book 4 devil facess out of five! It's not a full five only because it didn't change my life or change my veiws in anyways. Non-the less this is a great fun read. It's goes by quick and in the end you're begging for more! Alex Duval takes a classic story about a girl and a boy and gives it a modern twist. I used devil faces because it was the closest thing to vampires I could find. Great book go read it!! "" This is a great book for anyone who likes a good modern love/mystery novel. The only content you have to watch out for is the use of drugs and alcohol in this book and some mild sexual content. Other then that it's a great book that everyone should read even if you're not into vampire a murder mysterious. I think everyone can find something they like in the book. So get your copy now!