The Clique

                                                                                                          Stephanie

                                                                                                          English, Per 6

                                                                                                          September 16, 2009

 

The Clique

 

 I read the book The Clique by Lisi Harrison. I chose this book when someone I knew recommended the book. They told a short story about the book and thought it sounded interesting. I went ahead in reading the book.

 

This book is about a 12- year old girl named Claire Lyons. Her father's friend, William Block, is very rich and lives in a mansion in Westchester, New York with his wife and daughter. They let Claire and her family live in their guesthouse until they bye a house. The daughter of Mr. Block, Massie Block, is the most popular girl in OCD, the all girls' school she attends. She has a popular, alpha clique of 3 other girls: Alicia Rivera, Dylan Marvel, and Kristen Gregory. She is the best and exclusive to the people she hangs out with but is forced to hang out with Claire, a simply nobody with no friends. Claire just wants to fit in but thinks Massie is just being mean so she tries to give Massie a taste of her own medicine.

 

There is a quote in this book that is important to the theme that I would like to share. "Claire noticed the girls in the pictures… 'I can't wait to meet everybody.' (Claire). Massie lifted her eyes like if she was peeking over a pair of sunglasses. 'Our friends and I have our own thing going and you'll probably feel weird if you try and join in.' (Massie)" I chose this quote because this quote shows that Massie would not accept Claire. These words are the words that show when Massie started being mean and ignoring Claire.

 

The rating system in this book will be shown with 5 rings:JJJJJ. J= boring, JJ= somewhat interesting, JJJ= interesting, JJJJ= take it some places with me, and JJJJJ= lost in the book. I give the book 5 rings. I chose rings because the girls in The Clique are very fashionable and wear a lot of jewelry.

 

The Clique is a very interesting book to read. It is really interesting because it gives you a look into the lives of 5 interesting girls. This book shows you not only the perspective one girl, but also the perspective of all of the girls. It explains every detail of the story, from their thoughts to the clothes they wear. I recommend this book to girls of 11 years and older. There might be some speech that you might find rude in this book.

Sleep-away Girls

Maxine

Period 2 English

9/15/09

Sleep-away Girls 

 

           Over the summer I went to the book store and noticed an eye catching book cover.  The book was called Sleep-away Girls and was written by Jen Calonita.  The title was both appropriate and intriguing.  So, I decided to purchase the book after reading the back cover.  I am very glad that I bought this book. 

 

          This book follows the story of Sam Montgomery and what happens when she goes to Whispering Pines sleep-away camp.  Sam decided to go to Pines because her best friend got her first boyfriend and they became inseparable.    Poor Sam makes her first enemy within the first 30 minutes of arriving at camp.

What is even worse is that her enemy is the Queen of Pines and the camp director's daughter, Ashley.  Not to mention, Sam is crushing on flirtatious Hunter which just might ruin her summer, if Ashley doesn't first.

 

         "What's up with you guys this summer?  Ever since she got here you've been acting weird and annoying."   ~Ashley.   I thought that this quote summarized the whole war between Sam and Ashley. 

I thought this because you can tell that Ashley is insecure because Sam became very popular fast.  You can also tell that Sam never meant to make Ashley feel insecure.  If Ashley knew that Sam wasn't trying to make her feel bad I think they could have been nicer to each other. 

 

         If I had to rate this book on a scale from 1-10, I would give it a 9 .    I gave it this score because at times it was a bit predictable, but in a good way.  Even though it was predictable in a good way, some readers may not like knowing what is coming up.  Other than that, any girl between the ages 10-17 will fall in love with this book.   It is a must-read!

 

         If you enjoyed reading this review, you will enjoy reading the actual book ten times more.  It has a hilarious comedy side, a sweet romantic side and an innocent naive side.  Plus it is current and has a lot of mischief.  This book has everything a female teenager or pre-teen would want in a book.   Enjoy reading!!!

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Beautiful Disaster

Emily

English, Period 2

September 12, 2009

Beautiful disaster

Over the summer, I read a book called Beautiful Disaster by Kate Brian. I chose this book because it's the sequel to a book called Privileged by the same author. I also read her entire series called Private, so it wasn't very hard to chose this book since I've been reading her books for almost two years now. I didn't really like the first book in the spinoff series, so I wasn't sure if I would like this one. I decided to pick it up and read the back, and it seemed so interesting! I also wanted to find out some things that were left up in the air in the first book.

Beautiful Disaster  is about a girl named Ariana who has gone through a lot just to get into and ivy leagued school, including sneaking out of a mental facility, and befriending a high society girl just to kill her and take over her life. Ariana  takes over a new identity as Briana Leigh, a very high society girl with a very wealthy grandmother. She steps into the halls of Atherton Pryce boarding school as Briana Leigh Covinngton, not Ariana. She makes friends with the most popular girls in school, just like her life before she murdered her boyfriend and was then sent to a mental facility. As if it wasn't hard enough keeping her real identity a secret, speaking with a southern accent, and acting like she remembers people she doesn't know, more trouble enters her life. Her old room mate from Brenda T. Correction Facility named Kaitlyn escaped from the correction facility  as well,and  follows her asking her for a very large sum of money. Ariana had 4 days to get the money and give it to Kaitlyn before Kaitlyn threatened to tell the world that Ariana killed Briana Leigh and took over her identity. The stakes are very high, and Ariana also has to deal with more troubles along the way, and the book ends with a very unexpected twist!

"Why had she trusted Kaitlyn?Why had she let her out of prison?Why couldn't she have just seen the girl she really was- a lying, manipulative, murderous psychopath?" This quote appears right in the middle of the book, in the midst of Ariana's troubles. This quote is also so important to the story because it's when Ariana starts realizing that she can't always get her way, unlike she has her whole life. It's definitely a turning point in the book because her whole outlook changes and so does the plot of the story. There's a huge change and Ariana takes action by trying to get rid of Kaitlyn once and for all. 

My rating system for this book is shown by a school crest. I chose the crest because the main setting of the book is the Atherton Pryce boarding school, and in the very beginning of the book, Ariana steps on the floor crest, which is rumored to be bad luck if you step on it. The myth was, in my opinion, very true because throughout the entire story, Ariana faces lots of bad luck. I would definitely rate this book twenty crests (stars) because it was real page turner at some points in the story, but some of it was a little boring, and confusing. Overall though, it was an amazing book!( Each crest is worth five stars).

I would recommend Beautiful Disaster to anyone who likes the Private series by Kate Brian. This is the sequel book in the spinoff series, so any fans of the first series would easily love this book. I think the target audience of this book is girls ages 13 to 16. It's just a little inappropriate because it has to do with murder, and some of the chapters are a little too detailed for younger readers. I don't really recommend this book to boys, because there aren't a lot of male characters. Adults wouldn't enjoy this book because it's based around teenagers, and it involves so much gossip. Girls 13 to 16 would like it because of the scandal, the gossip, and all of the normal teenage drama times ten! Readers of the first book or series would love it because the first book leaves everything hanging! A girl 13 to 16 would also like this book because the characters are so complex yet enjoyable, and by the end of the book, it's almost like you're friends with them! The very last reason the target audience would love reading this book is because it answers so many questions from both of the series, but things are still left up in the air! I loved reading this book!

P.S. Longer Letter Later

I read the book P.S Longer Letter Later. The authors are Paula Danziger and Ann M. Martin I chose this book because I read the back of the book and it got me interested on reading it. It is about these two girls , Tara * Starr and Elizabeth who are best friends . Then Tara* Starr moves away to Florida and the two girls want to continue their friendship , so they start writing letters to each other. "P.S. Longer Letter Later ." ( P.S. Longer Letter Later pg.72) This quote was sent to Elizabeth from Tara*Starr . This quote means that they will keep on writing long letters later. after that quote was written, the letters did get longer. they both asked questions to each other on their letters and then they would answer back.
I loved the book. It is my new favorite book. I got attached to it. Once i started reading, there was no going back. I liked how they talked to each other. If Elizabeth's parents had a financial problem, Tara * Starr was there to support her. I would recommend it to anyone that likes to read teen drama.

Destiny R
Mrs. Bennett
Period 1

Uglies

Uglies, by Scot Westerfeld is about a girl named Tally Youngblood and her friend Shay. They live in a society where you are ugly until you turn sixteen, when you have a major operation to turn you "Pretty." Tally faces many challenges, like when Shay runs (I mean hoverboards) away to an unknown city called The Smoke. In The Smoke you never turn pretty, which is Tallys worst nightmare. On her birthday, Tally finds out that she's not allowed to turn pretty until shay is found, so she goes to the smoke to find her. When Tally arrives at the smoke she finds out that the rusties (our generation) had a beautiful, rare, white flower, and when someone tried to clone it things went to far. the flower kept growing and killed all trees and bushes in its path. The story facinated her. Shay introduced her to a boy named David, and David introduced her to his parents. his parents were the ones who started the smoke. they were two of the docters who did the operation. Maddy(Davids mom), and Az (Davids dad) found out that the operation not only changed the way you look, it changed the way you think. Maddy and az explained to Tally about the rusties, and how they lived in a time filled with war, and hate. They taught her that the operation was done to make everyone look similar, and think the same, so no one would dissagree, or fight with someone else. Tally went to the smoke to turn them in, but now she realized how important it was, and how much it meant to her. She wore a locket around her neck, and when she got to the smoke she was supposed to open it and hold it to her eye. this would set off a trigger and a squad called special cicumstaces would be able to track her down. She threw the locket in a fire pit because she wanted to stay in the smoke, unfortunately if the locket was harmed special circumstances would come. Would the smoke be gone forever? This book is great for girls who seek adventure in their lives. If you like Uglies, you should read the next book in the series, Pretties. You should read Pretties to answer any unanswered questions, and there are a lot of unanswered questions. If you still want to read and learn more you should check out the books Specials, or Extras. Michelle K. Mrs. 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

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'll Have To Kill You- Brianna Moncada

Brianna Moncada English period 6 November 16, 2008 The book that I read for my book report was I'd tell you I love you but then I'll have To kill you by Ally Carter. I selected this book for 2 reasons. First, it's a spy book and I love to read spy book. They are always so fascinating. The second reason is the plot and everything is so exciting. From the moment I got the book I started reading it. When I finished the book I knew it was the right book to do the book report on. The book is basically about a girl named Cammie Morgan. She attends an all girl's school the Gallagher Academy for exceptional young women outside of Washington D.C. Her mom is the headmistress of the school and her dad died on a mission. There they are taught martial arts, how to break CIA or NSA codes, covert operations, and how to speak fourteen different languages fluently. What they are not taught is how to handle situations with boys. When Cammie goes on a mission she meets an ordinary boy who thinks that she a normal home schooled girl who just moved, Cammie has no idea what to say or what to do. Cammie can't tell him the truth about herself. With help from her friends she knows what to do. But will Cammie go through all the trouble just to see this guy and choose him over her friends? A favorite quote that liked in this book was from Cammie's friend Liz. "Well, I never thought you were someone who'd choose a boy over her friends!" I chose this quote because I think that is important. The important things or people in life should always come first. Cammie was spending too much time with the boy Josh that she didn't spend that much time with her friends. Cammie was addicted to Josh and was barely with her friends. She didn't want be seen with her friends because she didn't want to blow her cover. If I were her friend I would be mad because it feels like they forgot you exist. Having that feeling sucks because you feel like you're not important to them anymore. This quote is important in the book. It is true what Liz said. She was spending most of her time sneaking out to see Josh. Towards the end Cammie did start to realize what she was doing. But at the same time your friends shouldn't make you choose between a boy and them. For the rating system of this book, I chose a spy. There are many reasons why I chose a spy for my rating system. It fits the theme of the book and what the Gallagher girls really are. They are mostly all going to be future spies. The picture represents then in the future and what they will be. There were other pictures to represent the book but this one fit the most. I would recommend this book because the story is incredible, the way they describe everything, and shows how an agent in training is clueless about a simple topic- boys. I would recommend this book to mostly girls. This seems like a girl book and boys would find it boring. It tells a story of how a girl falls in love with a guy. Girls would love to read this book. Before you read this book there are some warnings. If you are not allowed to read books that involve kissing, and violence then this isn't the best book for you. That's basically what you need to worry about.

Dial L for Loser - Bianca Jamerson

Jamerson, Bianca English, Per 4 November 13, 2008 Book Review Blog The book I read was Dial L for Loser by Lisi Harrison. I selected this book because it was the next book for me to read in The Clique series. I decided that this would be a good book for me to read because I have read the first five books in The Clique series and I absolutely loved all of them so I knew this book would be great, if not better than the other ones. The process to select this book was not very hard because I knew that it would not be a lame book because Lisi Harrison is a great author. In Dial L for Loser ,a few members of the Pretty Committee, Claire, Alicia, and Massie got invited to come audition in Hollywood for a lead role in the new, soon- to- be -hit movie Dial L for Loser. The movie is with A-list celebrities Abby Boyd and teenage heartthrob Conner Foley. For the audition the girls got to come to sunny California in L.A. for their first time ever. They are all so excited because they want the starring role, but only one of them will get it. Massie and Alicia are positive that one of them is going to get the part. Massie thought she would get the part with her charm and elegance and Alicia thought she would be able to get the part with her beauty. Claire on the other hand did not expect anything at all, she was confused why she was even there. The part that they were auditioning for was the part of Molly Reynolds. Molly Reynolds' character had to make to make the girls character be a very shy girl with low confidence. When Massie and Alicia auditioned they acted overly confident like they already got the part and they were way too confident for the Molly. When Claire auditioned for the part she just acted like herself, and the director thought it was "pure genius", Claire got the part. The other girls were all furious, especially Massie. The rich and popular Massie lost to a loser like Claire, that was so hard for Massie to believe. From then on, whenever she got the chance to humiliate or do anything to make Claire mad, she did. Claire just tried to ignore everything Massie did. Claire didn't care anymore because she made new, better friends with the rest of the cast in the movie, but the friendships didn't end how exactly how Claire wanted them to. All of the friendships get tested throughout the book. Between Claire and the rest of the pretty committee, Claire and Alicia, Claire and Massie, and almost everyone else in the story. In this book I think it has a very big theme and moral of friendship and who and how important and special your real friends are. A quote that I feel has great significance was when Abby Boyd, someone that Claire became best friends with during the filming of the movie , after the movie told her that they were only best friends for the movie. "We were MBFs not RBFs, I thought you knew that." Abby said that to Claire, what it meant was that they were movie best friends, not real best friends. Abby explained to Claire that they were only friends because of it and when she does her next movie she will forget all about Claire. This quote is important because it shows the way friendships are lost in this story. It shows how Claire made a really good friend but right when the friend didn't need Claire, she ditched her. I give this book a 3 out of 5. To rate this book I used these stars because the girls were in Hollywood, the home of the stars. I give it this rating because it is a amazing book and it is extremely interesting and fun to read, but it's a little superficial . I think it is superficial because in the story it talks a lot about how the only people that are popular are rich. It also always describes the way the girls dress in head- to- toe expensive designer brand clothing that most adults don't even wear. Besides that, I think it's a great book. k k k One reason why someone would want to read this book is because most of the people reading this book are in middle school just like the girls in Dial L for Loser and it is really interesting to read about something when you might be in the same situation. Another reason why people would want to read this book is because it keeps you captivated always, its never predictable and you don't know what the girls are gonna come up with next. When you start reading, you can't put the book down. One last reason I think that someone would want to read this book is because of the drama factor, this book is very dramatic and the girls in the story a very catty, and that can be fun to read for a lot of people. I recommend this book to any teen girl between the ages of 10 - 14. I would recommend it to this age group because it has some mature content. Also, the girls in the story are in middle school and when you are 10- 13 years old you are ussually in middle school. A few warnings for this book are that it does have some mature content and it talks about girls and their boyfriends kissing. It also has occasional curse words.