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.