Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

Author:Michelle Zink

Reading level: Young Adult

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Rated 8/10

 Without the Keys, something terrible will happen.Something that cannot be undone.And with them, I might bring an end to the riddle of the Prophecy and my strange part in it. If Alice and I are on conflicting sides of the Prophecy, the Keys would be dangerous in her hands.Which means I have to find them. And I have to do it before my sister.

Sixteen year-old Lia Milthorpe has just recently lost her father, leaving her parentless. But when a strange mark appears on her wrist, she realizes she is being branded with much more than her newfound title of orphan. Lia and her twin sister Alice are part of an ancient prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other.


Lia hides this discovery from Alice and even from her beloved James, but to escape from the burden this secret bestows she must end the prophecy-before her sister. Only then will she understand the mysterious circumstances of her parents' deaths, the true meaning of the mark on her wrist, the lengths to which her sister will go to defeat her, and the impact the resolution of the prophecy could have.


With, haunting, lyrical prose, this multi-layered story of family, friendship, and romance explores the timeless question of predetermination versus free will. And it takes readers on an unforgettable coming-of-age journey where one sister's self-discovery could have an impact of Biblical proportion.

MY REVIEW
This is the first book in the Prophecy of the Sister series. I really liked this book, I don't get why I am seeing such bad reviews given to it. I think one of the reasons is it isn't too full of the romance thing most people seem to want in the books they read, it has a little touch of romance but the story isn't about that romance. It was predictable at times, I could guess well into advance what was gonna happen before it actually happened in the book but the plot and writing are both awesome. Some parts are slow but then when you get to the good parts you really don't care anymore about how slow it once was. A lot of readers want in your face  nonstop action and romance but I like it when the story is paced slowly sometimes to give me time to asorb everything and not miss a beat. This book made me definitely want to see what happens next in the story, I'm looking forward to the next book.

Goddess of the Night by Lynne Ewing

Author: Lynne Ewing

Reading level: Young Adult

Publisher: Hyperion Book CH

Rated 8/10

Vanessa, who has always had the special power to become invisible, discovers that she and her best friend Catty, a time-traveler, are goddesses of the moon who must fight together to overcome the evil Atrox.

MY REVIEW
This is the first book in the Daughters of the Moon series. I liked this book, it was a fun and faced paced read. There's even romance for the people who love that kind of stuff. Vanessa has always been different and the only person who knows it is her bestfriend Catty who is also different(Catty's mom found her and thinks she's a space alien LOL) Vanessa is afraid what will happen once people start to find out. There's a guy at school named Michael that Vanessa is head over heels about, the only problem is she can't seem to control her powers when she is kissing him. Then to make matters worse someone is following Vanessa and she doesn't know who it is. Catty goes missing and soon Vanessa learns who she really is with the help of her new friends Serena and Jimena, also about the evil Atrox who is out to destroy her and her fellow goddesses.

First Part Last by Angela Johnson

Author: Angela Johnson

Reading level: Young Adult

 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Rated 9/10

Bobby is a typical urban New York City teenager—impulsive, eager, restless. For his sixteenth birthday he cuts school with his two best buddies, grabs a couple of slices at his favorite pizza joint, catches a flick at a nearby multiplex, and gets some news from his girlfriend, Nia, that changes his life forever: He's going to be a father. Suddenly things like school and house parties and fun times with friends are replaced by visits to Nia's pediatrician and countless social workers who all say that the only way for Nia and Bobby to lead a normal life is to put their baby up for adoption. Then tragedy strikes Nia, and Bobby finds himself in the role of single, teenage father. Because his child—their child—is all that remains of his lost love.

With powerful language and keen insight, Johnson tells the story of a young man's struggle to figure out what the "right thing" is and then to do it. The result is a gripping portrayal of single teenage parenthood from the point of view of a youth on the threshold of becoming a man.

MY REVIEW
I really liked this book, I can relate to Bobby in the sense of being a young single teenage parent and doing it all on your own, I was 18 when I had my daughter. This book shows the love a of a real father for his baby and what it takes to be a teenage parent. It's shows the love and happiness most parents feel towards their child. Even though everything in this story isn't happy or a fairytale it still gives you a good feeling at the end. It's a fast paced and easy read that I'm sure most will enjoy.
Bobby is still a teenager in high school when he finds out his girlfriend Nia is going to have a baby. The book shows us then and now, when Nia was pregnant with Feather and when Bobby is taking care of Feather by himself. Bobby is excited and scared at the same time while Nia is pregnant and soon Nia and him come to an agreement that adoption would be the best thing, but when it comes time Bobby can't do it. After Feather's birth Bobby has to deal with school and staying up all night with Feather hardly getting any sleep or free time. Bobby learn what being a parent is all about and doing the right thing for his daughter.

Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen

Author:Susanna Kaysen

Reading level: Adult

Publisher: Vintage

Rated 6/10

In 1967, after a session with a psychiatrist she'd never seen before, eighteen-year-old Susanna Kaysen was put in a taxi and sent to McLean Hospital. She spent most of the next two years on the ward for teenage girls in a psychiatric hospital as renowned for its famous clientele--Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, James Taylor, and Ray Charles--as for its progressive methods of treating those who could afford its sanctuary.

Kaysen's memoir encompasses horror and razor-edged perception while providing vivid portraits of her fellow patients and their keepers. It is a brilliant evocation of a "parallel universe" set within the kaleidoscopically shifting landscape of the late sixties. Girl, Interrupted is a clear-sighted, unflinching documnet that gives lasting and specific dimension to our definitions of sane and insane, mental illness and recovery.

MY REVIEW
I didn't realize when I first started reading this that it was non fiction and her true life story. After two chapters I went to look at something on the web and found out it was. That being said it wasn't that bad, I didn't like it as much as I do other books, it was just OK for me. I found most of the stuff quite sad actually. I was raised by my schizophrenic mother so I know not all people with mental problems are like the people she described in this book. It was a fast and easy read for people that like those kind of books.

Extras by Scott Westerfeld

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Reading level: Young Adult

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Rated 10/10

Fame

It's a few years after rebel Tally Youngblood took down the uglies/pretties/specials regime. Without those strict roles and rules, the world is in a complete cultural renaissance. "Tech-heads" flaunt their latest gadgets, "kickers" spread gossip and trends, and "surge monkeys" are hooked on extreme plastic surgery. And it's all monitored on a bazillion different cameras. The world is like a gigantic game of American Idol. Whoever is getting the most buzz gets the most votes. Popularity rules.

As if being fifteen doesn't suck enough, Aya Fuse's rank of 451,369 is so low, she's a total nobody. An extra. But Aya doesn't care; she just wants to lie low with her drone, Moggle. And maybe kick a good story for herself.

Then Aya meets a clique of girls who pull crazy tricks, yet are deeply secretive of it. Aya wants desperately to kick their story, to show everyone how intensely cool the Sly Girls are. But doing so would propel her out of extra-land and into the world of fame, celebrity...and extreme danger. A world she's not prepared for.

MY REVIEW
This is the 4th book and compainion novel to the Uglies series. I really liked this book, I actually like it better then the first three books in the series. The first three books are good but this book is really good. For those that love Tally, she's in this book, just not as the main character, so don't worry. Aya Fuse is a 15 year old girl living after the the world was freed of mind control by Tally Youngblood. She's obsessed with finding and kicking the right story so she can become famous and have a higher face rank. She gets a break when she runs into the Sly Girls, a secret clique, and joins them. While train surfing the Sly Girls and Aya learn about a secret hollowed out place in the mountain storing metal and cylinders that shoot up in the sky. Aya soon kicks the sotry of the Sly girls and what she thinks are weapons that could destroy whole cities. And as she becomes more famous she has to run in order to keep from being caught by the freaky looking people who stored those metal cylinders in the mountain. With the help of Tally, the Cutters, and Aya's brother and friends she learns the truth and learns not to truth slant(lie) because it could mean everything when trying to get a story out there.

Haters by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez

Author: Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez

Reading level: Young Adult

Publisher: Poppy

Rated 6/10

From the fist day at her new Southern California high school, Pasquala Rumalda Quintana de Archuleta ("Paski") learns that the popular students may be diverse in ethnicity but are alike in their cruelty. While Paski tries to concentrate on mountain biking and not thinking too much about ultra-hot Chris Cabrera, she is troubled by the beautiful and wicked Jessica Nguyen. Her at Aliso Niguel High, money is everything and the Haters rule.

MY REVIEW
I honestly can't say I like this book all the way. Don't get me wrong the story is sweet and funny and some of the characters like Paski's dad grows on you. What made me not love this book is the fact the author tries to add politics to the mix, which have nothing to do with the story whatsoever. I will give you some examples that kind of got on my nerves. On page 210, "-because I love you, and I want you to be informed and protected out there. It's what any good liberal parent would do.-" Why she had to add liberal parent I do not know. She should have just wrote that's what any good parent would do. Is she trying to tell us if you're not a liberal then you are not a good parent, or that if you're not a libreal you wouldn't want to teach your child how to protect themselves during sex? On page 255 "Not that I have anything against your other friends," says Haley's mom. "Well, it's just that sometimes we get a little tired of the whole young-Republicans-convention vibe at your school baby doll," says her dad. Is she trying to tell us all Republicans are like the kids who drink, do drugs, and slip date rape drugs into drinks? Is she trying to tell us Republicans are evil like Jessica and stupid like Brianna? That's sure what it sounds like to me. Then there are also a couple instances where she makes fun of fat people in this book, doesn't she realize there are gonna be overweight girls that read this and be offended and feel already worse about themselves then they already do? People when writing books for young adults should think about things like that. Also I didn't really like how the book ended, it was too unbelievable and cliche.

Paski lives with her single dad who has gotten a job in California and is moving her away from the home in New Mexico, friends,and family she's known her whole life. Paski soon learns what her new school is all about and how mean popular people can truly be, she also finds love and acceptance with different kinds of people. Paski  realizes she should use her gift to help people instead of just trying to ignore it, because if she doesn't bad things can happen to many different people.

Identical by Ellen Hopkins

Author: Ellen Hopkins

Reading level: Young Adult

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Rated 9/10

"Perfect on the outside, but behind the Normal Rockwell facades, each holds its secrets. Dark, untellable. Practically unbelievable." — IDENTICAL

Kaeleigh and Raeanne are 16-year-old identical twins, the daughters of a district court judge father and politician mother running for US Congress. Everything on the surface seems fine, but underneath run very deep and damaging secrets. What really happened when the girls were 7 years old in that car accident that Daddy caused? And why is Mom never home, always running far away to pursue some new dream? Raeanne goes after painkillers, drugs, alcohol, and sex to dull her pain and anger. Kaeleigh always tries so hard to be the good girl — her father's perfect little flower. But when the girls were 9, Daddy started to turn to his beloved Kaeleigh in ways a father never should and has been sexually abusing her for years. For Raeanne, she needs to numb the pain of not being Daddy's favorite; for Kaeleigh, she wants to do everything she can to feel something normal, even if it means cutting herself and vomiting after every binge.

How Kaeleigh and Raeanne figure out just what it means to be whole again when their entire world has been torn to shreads is the guts and heart of this powerful, disturbing, and utterly remarkable book.

MY REVIEW
It's a good book but it's also a little disturbing. I had to force myself to read some parts, and it's not because it was bad or boring, it was because some parts were too hard to read for me. There are some really hard things to read in this book, a lot of mature subject matter. There's a twist most will not expect at the end and will be suprised when reading it. Kaeleigh and Raeanne are identical twins. Kaeleigh has been sexually abused by her father since she was a child and finds it hard to say no to anything. The only good things she has going for her life is Ian. Raeanne always has to be high, and loves to be used on her own terms. She loves having sex with many different guys and finds herself attracted to one of her teachers. I'm not gonna get too much into the plot because if I do I can easily give it away. So if you don't mind the sensitve subject matter of drugs, sex, and sexual abuse then I say read this book. It will be one of those books you will think about long after.

Specials by Scott Westerfeld

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Reading level: Young Adult

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Rated 9/10

"Special Circumstances":

The words have sent chills down Tally's spine since her days as a repellent, rebellious ugly. Back then Specials were a sinister rumor — frighteningly beautiful, dangerously strong, breathtakingly fast. Ordinary pretties might live their whole lives without meeting a Special. But Tally's never been ordinary.

And now she's been turned into one of them: a superamped fighting machine, engineered to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid.

The strength, the speed, and the clarity and focus of her thinking feel better than anything Tally can remember. Most of the time. One tiny corner of her heart still remembers something more.

Still, it's easy to tune that out — until Tally's offered a chance to stamp out the rebels of the New Smoke permanently. It all comes down to one last choice: listen to that tiny, faint heartbeat, or carry out the mission she's programmed to complete. Either way, Tally's world will never be the same.

MY REVIEW
This is the third book in the Uglies series and I like it a lot.It's not my favorite book in the series but it still was a good read. I was sad reading the ending and what Tally had to go through but I guess I shouldn't always expect Disney endings. If you like the first two books then you will definitely like this one, it was full of the action we have all come to expect from Mr. Westerfeld here. I have read some reviews where people were not happy with the ending and I must disagree with them, I'm very satisfied with how it ended. Tally is now part of Special Circumstances along with Shay and the other Cutters. The New Smoke is on the rise and Tally and Shay figure out a way to capture David and get to the New Smoke, but first they must help Zane escape so he will be seen as bubbly and become a Special just like Tally wants. They plan to follow Zane and the other Crims to The New Smoke without them knowing. But when Tally actually reaches what is now called the New Smoke she is suprised and amazed with what she sees.She has a choice to do what is right or to do what she is made to do when she became a Special. Tally must also deal with war and the loss of someone she really cares about at the end.

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

Author: Sarah Dessen

Reading level: Young Adult

Publisher: Puffin Books

Rated 9/10

Raised by a mother who's had five husbands, eighteen-year-old Remy believes in short-term, no-commitment relationships until she meets Dexter, a rock band musician.

MY REVIEW
This is a good book, this is the 5th book I have read by Sarah Dessen and she amazes me with every book. Her books are filled with love, heartbreak, and realness that most other books never seem to possess. I'm not gonna lie Remy got on my nerves a lot with how she treated people but Dexter made the book what it was for me and worth reading. I'm sure most of us dream of a guy like Dexter :). Remy has just graduated from high school and plans to get as far away from her present life as possible. All Remy's life she has never seen true love, her mother marries someone and divorces not too long after, and has started on her fifth marriage to Don. It doesn't help that all she has left of her own father is the song he wrote for her that says he let her down. Remy goes through guys quickly and calls them her seasonal boyfriends, she even has a routine on how to dump them.Then one day she meets Dexter and he pursues her with a passion. When she finally gives in she sees that he's different than any other guy she has ever dated, and she don't know quite how to handle it.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Author: Sherman Alexie

Reading level: Young Adult

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Rated 10/10

The book that launched Sherman Alexie onto the YA market is now available in a deluxe collector's edition! Beautifully designed with a gifty new look that includes a foil-stamped, die-cut slipcase and 4-color interior art, this edition is perfect for fans and collectors alike.

In his nationally acclaimed, semi-autobiographical YA debut, author Sherman Alexie tells the heartbreaking, hilarious, and beautifully written story of a young Native American teen as he attempts to break free from the life he was destined to live.

MY REVIEW
Awesome book, it's one of the funniest and saddest books I have ever read. This book made me want to cry and laugh at the same time. I can't relate to Junior in the Native American sense breaking free from the rez, but I can relate to him in the sense of breaking free from the group and what is expected of you. This book is totally different than the books I usually read but I am glad I'm starting to break out of my bubble. It  has some really funny little drawings that helps make the story feel more complete too. Junior is a 14 year old Native American boy who lives on the Spokane Reservation. He's best friends with Rowdy, the toughest kid on the rez. But on the first day of his freshman year at school he realizes that he wants more than what the school on the rez can ever give him. So Junior decides that he could get a better education if he goes to the white school in the next town over, 22 miles away, at Reardan. It's a town full of white people and most are racist. All the natives on the rez look at Junior as a traitor and mock and shun him, including Rowdy. In this book Junior finds acceptance and realizes his dreams, even though his life will never be like the kids at Readan he doesn't care. He finds happiness even though the people he loves and cares for are dying and realizes he just wants to live life outside the rez even though he loves his tribe a lot. It's a story of breaking free and becoming an individual and living life your own way, not what's expected of you.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Author:Jay Asher

Reading level: Young Adult

Publisher: Razorbill

Rated 9/10

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker–his classmate and crush–who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.

 
MY REVIEW
This book was like one huge emotional rollar coaster for me. It's one of those books that will stay with you long after reading it and will make you think how your actions affect the people all around you, even if you don't know them on a personal level. It's one of those books you can't put down and you have to know what happens next. It's sad and doesn't have a very happy ending, and that's what makes it more real.Clay Jensen comes home one day to find a box on his porch full of cassette tapes. He soon finds out they were made by Hannah Baker, a girl from his school who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Soon he has a night he will never forget, he learns about all the reasons and people who made Hannah decide it would be easier just to end her life, he learns about all the feelings she had going through her mind. And that there are signs to look for with people when they feel the way Hannah did.

Take Me There by Susane Colasanti

Author: Susane Colasanti

Reading level: Young Adult

Publisher: Viking Juvenile

Rated 8/10

Rhiannon is devastated after the breakup with her boyfriend and wants him back. Nicole's ex is still pining for her, but she can't help having a new crush. And then there is James, hopelessly in love with Rhiannon, who can't see that their friendship can be so much more. Just when things couldn't get more complicated, the school's resident mean girl decides she is intent on ruining everyone's life. James, Nicole, and Rhiannon are not going to let this slide, but will their desire to take down the mean girl bring these three friends exactly what they want?

MY REVIEW
I really liked this book, it was a fast read for me, I read it in less then a day. I love how you get the whole story from three different points of view, and without each view from all three characters then the story would be incomplete. The story is told through the eyes through Rhiannin, James, and Nicole, all are best friends living in New York attending the same high school. The story takes place in only one week. Rhiannin and her boyfriend Steve just broke and up Steve gave her no reason why. Rhiannin thought things were going great and that they were in love and is devestated. She does everything she can think of to get him back. Come to find out though he's dating her enemy Gloria, a really beautiful mean girl. Then there's James, Rhinannin is his best friend and he can't stand the way Steve just up and dumped her. He tries to convince her he's no good and to move on. James is really protective of Rhinannin when it comes to guys he thinks are not good enough for her. He gets really angry though when he buys her a guft and she doesn't even realize it's from him, he gets tired of chasing after her and figures it's time for her to come to him. James wishes for the day when he has a lot of money so he can have a huge place, he's sick and tired of the small apartment he shares with his family because he nevers has a mintue to himself there.Nicole has just dumped Danny, her first real boyfriend for reasons she doesn't even know herself. Even though they stay friends she finds it hard. She develops a crush on her math teacher Mr. Farrel and thinks he feels the same way towards her. Nicole keeps having memories of her past, which her friends don't know about and a past she would rather foget. This a great book about love and friendship and I really enjoyed it, I would suggest it to anyone looking for a good book.