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Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

Once upon a time there was a little girl who had a perfect life, with two parents who would never dream of hurting her. That little girl didn’t know how lucky she was. During a field trip to an aquarium she met a man who would change her life, her name, her soul forever. She would become a hollow shell of a person, a Living Dead Girl. Once upon a time that little girl’s name wasn’t Alice and she wasn’t Ray’s little girl. Once upon a time that little girl’s life ended and her worst nightmare began.

Why I picked up the book: The original hardback cover-with the white dress laying on dried leaves and jean leg.

Why I finished it: It is probably one of the only books I've read in one sitting (twice). The writing style intrigued me and I couldn't get Alice out of my head. I couldn't leave her alone without knowing what ultimately happened to her and if she was ever able to escape.

I'd give it to: anyone (teens, parents, teachers) who has a tough stomach. By no means is this an easy book to read but the content is timely. Within the past five years, several kidnapping victims have been found and many people, including the media, have speculated on why they never tried to escape.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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The Scarlet Letter

Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is the tale of Hester Prynne. She is a woman who is convicted of adultery when she mysteriously has a baby, but no husband has been seen in over two years. This book is read all over the United States because it shows the cruelty of when people judge one another. Hester's punishment for committing adultery is to wear a scarlet letter A on her chest until the day she dies. All in all it is a very nice book with very creative characters. However it has a very long story that, though interesting, becomes very droll fast. I give it a solid 8 out of 10. If you're a person who loves the old style of writing and a great mysterious story plot then this is for you.

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union...."

By now, we all recognize these words from the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. What do they mean to you and other Americans? Did they always seek to guarantee the rights and freedoms of everyone living on American soil? Did those who fought for our freedom from the British not see the irony of the slavery occurring on their own soil?

Isabel is a teenage slave girl living in the New York in 1776, at the brink of the Revolutionary War. For her, freedom is an unobtainable dream, stolen away by those with money, power, and a lighter color of skin. But the chains that bind Isabel to servitude cannot restrain her dreams and her iron will. She soon comes to realize that "If an entire nation could seek its freedom, why not a girl?"

Why I picked up this book: The book is part of the "We the People" bookshelf grant ("A More Perfect Union") that our library received and we are using it for our middle school book club. I enjoy the author's work, both historical fiction & realistic, so I would have eventually made my way to reading Chains.

Why I finished the book: I wanted to know if Isabel would ever break free from the Locktons and the chains of slavery. Would she get caught on her secret spy missions and what would Madam do to harm her? I was secretly plotting what Isabel could do to retaliate against Madam.

I'd give it to: readers young & old looking for quality historical fiction. Readers who aren't afraid to confront tough topics and look critically at American history, because it isn't always pretty. Sarah, who loved Fever 1793.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Chains: The Music Video (Fooyboys/YouTube)

Red Riding Hood

Name: Krystiana Graham

Grade: 12th

Title: Red Riding Hood

Author: Sarah Blakley-Cartwright (Introduction by Catherine Hardwicke)

Review: Who doesn't like a good book with mystery, werewolves, girls in red cloaks... Oh wait... You're thinking of that fairy tale? Little Red Riding Hood... Oh no, puppets. This is the real deal. This is the story they don't want you to know about. Valerie is the girl behind that red cloak though, a teenager living in a city plagued by a werewolf simply called The Wolf. Sacrifices happen monthly, in an effort to keep the Wolf from them. But... this month is different. This story is set during the Blood Moon. And during this moon, no one is safe from the Wolf. Blakley-Cartwright shows a unique twist to the old fable of little red riding hood, introducing new, never see characters. A blacksmith, A sister, the towns folks. Best friends. Yet, it continues to show where threads of the fable mix with this book, giving it the generic plot line of the werewolf and girl. The woodcutter (or a version of him anyways) the grandmother....

The story begins with a festival of sorts that goes astray when Valerie's perfect sister dies, leaving Valerie lost in her own world. Her best friends attempt to keep her company. Her fiance tries to cheer her up. But nothing works, not really, until Valerie has a run in with an old friend, Peter. Do to the death of Valerie's sister, the men soon get together, from this tiny village, in an attempt to hunt down the wolf who has caused them ill for so long. But, Valerie, who had seen the wolf once before, has an odd connection with the wolf. A connection that makes her realize that the dead wolf the men bring back isn't the wolf they should be after. When a foreign priest comes to the village, however, he soon shows them the wrong of their ways, when during the celebration party for the wolf's death, the real Wolf strikes back.

It is during this party that Valerie comes to realize how deep this connection of hers is with the wolf, and just why the wolf is coming out during the blood moon. The story is set around Valerie, explaining the tale as she sees it. Illustrating forbidden romances, deaths of loved ones, and near death herself. It shows what one may give up for true happiness, and shows the ultimate sacrifice, and how that can move the people originally fighting against you. But, if you want to know the secrets behind what exactly happens towards the end of this book. You must pick it up yourself. Unless you're a cheater, then you can just go see it in theaters. For, like many other books of late, Red Riding Hood is going to be in a theater near you soon.

Why I picked this book up: Like most of my books, this is actually a book my mom picked out. And, when I saw it I had a heart attack. I love the faerie tale remakes, reading other people's versions of the fables I grew up with. And this one definitely didn't disappoint.

Why I finished it: I have always loved Little Red Riding Hood, granted not as much as Beauty and the Beast, but it has always been a favorite, so I had to read it. But I finished it because it was absolutely amazing... and I have to read a book before I go see the movie. I like knowing what they don't show.

I'd give this book too: Anyone who loves faerie tales, fables, werewolves, fantasy romance, and anyone who wants a good book. This book expertly crosses over so many lines of interest that anyone can pick up this book and fall in love with it.

Rating: *****/5 It was to good to be anything less.

Slice of Cherry

Name: Serina

Grade: 12+

Title: Slice of Cherry

Author: Dia Reeves

Murder is in sisters Kit and Fancy's blood. Their father, who had acquired the nickname the 'bonesaw' killer from sawing his victims into multiple pieces in the privacy of his basement, was convicted as a serial killer after police found forensic evidence. Kit and Fancy are determined not to follow in his path- as in they will make sure not to get caught... But wild spirited Kit, the older of the two girls, may have a hunger for cutting people up that may eventually get herself and Fancy in trouble. Fancy wants a way to kill without being conspicuous, and she thinks she may have found it when her great ancestor Cherry comes to her in a vision and tells her she can use a key to go to a place where Fancy and Kit can carry out their messy habits with no watching eyes. It seems only natural, because Fancy has a gift, the ability to see other worlds in random objects, like the old kinetoscope in their father's basement. But while the sisters enjoy getting blood on their hands, their closeness is slowly falling apart because of Kit's boy obsession and wish for true love. Fancy worries that Kit will disappear from her forever if she does not do something soon. So she entices Kit with the prospect that they can 'take out the trash' of their city Portero by stashing the criminals' bodies in the dream world Fancy sees in the kinetoscope, thanks to Cherry's advice. But will it be enough for the sisters to keep their bond shared in blood?

I picked this book up because it had teacups spilling blood on the cover.

I finished this book because it was too bizarre and enticing not to.

I'd give this book to any fan of morbid scenes or possibly people who like the TV series "Dexter."

Rating: **** Really liked it

Trickster's Choice

Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce
Briana: 12th grade
Aly, daughter of Tortall's famous Lioness warrior and untraceable spy and thief, is of fabled lineage, but is forced to disquise herself when she is captured by merchanaries. Aly is visited during her enslavement by none other than the trickster god, who gives her the task of guiding two young women- one of whom is foretold to bring an end to the cruel dynasty in which they live. Sarai is passionate and charming, a teenage noblewoman who is more concerned in what she wears and who she sees than believing in the prophecy set before her, where as her younger sister, Dove, has a calculating mind and hidden depths that Aly fears, knows that she is ment for something better than being her sister's "right hand man". While in enslavement, Aly is forced to teach these girls, prepare them for the world and the burden they share, but is unable to do it herself. Nawat, a crow turned human, but not quite a man- loves Aly and knows she is fearful, and he does whatever in his power he can to ease her burden. Throughout the story, Aly is visited by the trickster god and is constantly reminded of her task, and the awful horrors that will ensure should she not finish her goal.

Aly is a strong character that the reader loves right from the beginning, and while reading, you can feel her frustration and her pain, her joy and her love. I enjoyed this novel because it is very well written and is extremely entertaining. I like the espionage and trickery, but also have a soft spot for the romance in the story. I picked up this book to read for fun, and became enthralled with the story and with Tamora Pierce's style of writing.

I finished the book, and was ready for the next one, which was also very good.

I would give this novel to anyone who is in need of a fun book to read. It is a great "time-killer" book and it is very easy to get lost in the pages. No matter what style of books you like, or your age, or your background, I would suggest this book- or at least one of Tamora Pierce's other novels.

***** This was an EXCELLENT novel!

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Name: Caitlin

Grade: 12

Book: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

An internship at a high-profile magazine is a stressful job- stressful and completely boring; at least that's Esther Greenwood's o[pinion of it. Esther Greenwood is an average person living in the 1960s, spending her time working, studying, going to school, and trying to find a nice boy to marry. Going through all of these norms, however, don't affect Esther the way they would affect most. The Bell Jar is about Esther's descent into madness and her eventual recovery from it. This books is considered an essential book to read and I would have to agree.
The book is written beautifully and starkly from Esther's point of view. Plath does not try to hide anything or give the reader any niceties about any situation. At one point in the book, Esther and many of the other character receive food poisoning that results in a vomiting sickness. After reading it, I was left with absolutely no appetite. Plath does a wonderful job of making Esther's opinions and thoughts tangible, as if the reader themselves is feeling and thinking them. It fascinating because Esther's madness is both obvious and undetectable at the same time; Esther doesn't think much anything of her morbid thoughts or peculiar behaviors, but to the reader it's blatant that Esther is not in any way alright.

I loved this book. I didn't realize how difficult it would be to put into words how much I enjoyed it because it was so excellently written. Plath really does a spectacular job of dragging the reader along without the reader noticing. The passages were, not unexpectedly, gorgeously written. Esther's madness is so tangible that it's almost as if it wasn't her under the bell jar, but you. The Bell Jar has definitely become one of my favorite books and I plan on reading it again, probably several times.

Why I picked up the book: I bought it on a whim at a used book store and one day decided to read it.

Why I finished it: It was so, so, so difficult for me to put it down. How could I not?

I'd give this book to: A very limited group of people. The book is very disturbing and very real. This books would be particularly good for people struggling with depression of their own or for people who love reading about morbid subjects.

I wouldn't give this book to: Anyone looking for a bright, happy book. This is really not it.


My Rating for this book: *****