The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean

Imagine going on the dream vacation of a lifetime, to a place you’d dreamed of and studied for years.  You would probably believe just about anything in order to achieve your dream.  But what if that dream vacation became your worst nightmare?  For Sym, Antarctica is the place she’s always wanted to go.  She’s read and researched and knows everything there is to know about the first expeditions to “The Ice.”  When Uncle Victor decides to take a holiday to Paris, she’s excited to see the Eiffel Tower.  And when he makes “arrangements” to extend their trip to the bottom of the Earth, Sym believes her 14 years worth of dreams are coming true.  But the expedition to Antarctica is not all it’s cracked up to be. Uncle Victor has a hidden agenda and before she knows it, Sym is fighting for her life in The White Darkness that is Antarctica. 

Why I picked up the book: It won the Printz. Also used it for high school book club. Chose it a second time because graduating members recommended it.

Why I finished it: Even though I read it four years ago, I can still "picture" being stuck in the middle of the nowhere in a white-out. It terrifies me.

I'd give it to: people who read "Revolver" by Marcus Sedgwick. Readers who like psychological thrillers.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars 

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Drama by Raina Telgemeier

Callie is a self-proclaimed theater geek but while she loves theater, she knows her place is creating the stage not performing on it. If she isn't working after school as part of the stage crew, you can find her at the bookstore visiting her favorite book of Broadway stage photographs; visiting because she can't afford to bring it home. This year the drama department's production is "Moon Over Mississippi". Callie knows the songs by heart and is determined to create a Broadway worthy set, despite the fact that they are on a middle school budget. Meanwhile Callie finds herself in the middle of her own middle school boy drama. Why are the guys you like are always taken, gay, acting strange, or just plain not interested?

The book is set up in "Acts", which adds to the theater effect.

Why I picked up the book: I really liked the author's first graphic novel "Smile". Since I don't read a lot of graphic novels, I wanted to branch out and try her new one.

Why I finished it: It was a fast, fun, easy read with strong characters.

I'd give it to: fans of Telgemeier's other books; fans of theater and/or Glee. Girls looking for books that have a strong female who isn't lost because she doesn't get the boy.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Kaitlin Conley
Hope Solo: My Story
By: Hope Solo
In the young reader's addition of her autobiography, the famous U.S. Women's National Team Goal Keeper tells about her road to success.  Through all the heartbreak and drama, she found her way to her true calling, soccer. She says soccer used to be a way to escape her eventful home life, but now she discribes it as a full time job. Read about her will power, strength and determination in her autobiography. I picked up this book because Hope Solo is a huge role model for me and I finished it because she is very inspiring. I would give this book to anyone looking for some motivation and inspiration.  I would give this book five stars *****!

Coraline (the graphic novel adaptation) adapted and illustrated by P. Craig Russell

Adapted from the book of the same name, Coraline is the story of a girl who discovers a whole new world behind the doorway in the family room. Coraline must decide whether she is willing to leave her “real” family for this other world, a world in which her other parents lavish her with love and attention. A world where cats speak, rats sing, and her other mother’s long spindly fingers with blood red nails aren’t nearly as creepy as her shiny black button eyes. Will Coraline choose to stay “for ever and always”?

Why I picked it up: I'm a fan of the novel so I wanted to see how this illustrator would interpret the story. (Sept 2012-We paired the book & graphic novel together for our middle school book club so we could compare them).

Why I finished it: I love the story... even if the graphic novel doesn't quite get the creepiness of the other mother's hand.

I'd give it to: fans of the book. Graphic novel readers who like horror/creepy but won't necessarily read the book.


My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Let me introduce myself. I am Coraline and I’d like to tell you a story but first we have to get something straight. This is not a fairy tale or a ghost story. It all started when we (Mom, Dad, and myself) moved into a new apartment building. My parents work from home and are always busy so I get bored a lot. I had taken to exploring the neighborhood and hanging out with my neighbors, who wouldn’t normally have been my first choice of companions. The old guy upstairs says he is training a mouse circus and the mice have a message for me, “Don’t go through the door”. The two old ladies next door used to be actresses and they want to read my tea leaves, which say I’m in danger. Well, I’m not too inclined to believe anything from these three elderly residents who can’t even get my name right (it’s CORALINE not Caroline!).

So anyway there is one other apartment in the complex and it is empty. Strangely enough there is a door in our dining room that appears to have once led to that apartment. Now it opens only to a brick wall but we still keep it locked. Well, I guess I should say that it usually opens to a brick wall. Once I opened it and it led to a dark hallway. Being bored and inquisitive, I walked down the hallway and emerged into my own apartment. At least it looked like my apartment complete with my mother and father. Except they weren’t really my mother and father. My other mother had paper white skin, long fingers with even longer blood red fingernails and flowing black hair. The most striking difference of all was their eyes, because in place of eyes they had big, black, shiny buttons. My other parents were very nice, feeding me a wonderful dinner and paying extra special attention to me. And they even invited me to stay forever, with one condition. Just one little thing and they promised it wouldn’t hurt a bit. And that’s when I caught a glimpse of the black cotton spool of thread, long silver needle, and two large black buttons my other mother was holding.

Why I picked up the book: Re-reading it for my middle school book club.

Why I finished it: I love it and never bore of reading it again. The other mother's hand is best described in the words and seen in your mind than in the graphic novel or movie. Plus who wouldn't love a talking cat.

I'd give it to: readers looking for a little creepy without too much gore.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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A Bride's Story

Name: Serina

Grade: 12+

Title: A Bride's Story

Author/illustrator: Kaoru Mori

On the nineteenth century Silk Road, twenty year old Amir Halgal has just been married to a boy eight years younger than her. Amir is from a Nomadic tribe, and finds the village life to be quite different than from what she grew up with, but she has an unwavering spirit that shines through no matter what misunderstandings she has with her new family, which includes new grandparents, new parents, and new siblings, as well as an Englishman who is staying with them to learn about their culture. It isn't long before Amir develops strong feelings for her young husband and becomes attached to all the kindly people in his family. However, Amir's tribe decides that sending her away to be married to the boy was a mistake, and they want her back to give her to a new man, one from a violent tribe, so that they can be in it's good graces. Amir is shocked by this turn of events, and is horrified to learn that two girls who had been sent previously to this clan to be married were killed. Amir doesn't want to leave her current husband or family, but her tribe is willing to do anything to get her back, even if it means slaughter.

A Bride's Story is a historical manga about life on the Silk Road during the nineteenth century, filled with gorgeous imagery, scenery, and characters. It is an exotic tale to say the least, but that doesn't mean the reader can't understand or even recognize the strong emotions within.

I picked this book up because the art was beautiful.

I finished this book because it was so engrossing and different that other manga.

I'd give this book to any fan of learning about other cultures or history.

Rating: ***** It was amazing!

The Lovely Bones

Name: Serina

Grade: 12+

Title: The Lovely Bones

Author: Alice Sebold

Susie Salmon is dead. She was murdered when she was fourteen years old, on December 6, 1973. Now, from a place that is not quite the heaven she expected, she watches her family struggle to accept their loss, and her killer try to cover up the evidence. Her thirteen year old sister hardly speaks, and when she does, it is always to say something cruel. Her mother is depressed and doesn't know what to live for. Her younger brother doesn't understand what has happened. And her father is desperate to find the man that killed his daughter. He has a suspicion that it is one of their neighbors, Mr. Harvey, a quiet man with little social life. However, everyone says he couldn't possibly be the killer, he's too timid and kind, and there is no evidence to be found. The only thing recovered of Susie's body was her elbow. Susie's father's instinct is all too correct; Mr. Harvey did murder her, along with many other girls, and he has kept it hidden for years. Now he is covering up his tracks again, getting further out of reach. Susie watches all of this unfold, wishing she could somehow interact, but the dead can't communicate with the living. Can they?

I picked this book up because I always wanted to read it.

I finished this book because I had to know how it ended.

I'd give this book to just about anyone.

Rating: ***** It was amazing!

Leslee

11^th Grade

Title:  My Sister’s Keeper

Author:  Jodi Picoult

 

This is a powerful story about the struggles of a family and the bond between two sisters.  Kate, the oldest, has been fighting leukemia since she was a child.  In an effort to prolong Kate’s life as much as possible, their parents conceived their second child through a genetic pre-implantation in order to ensure a bone marrow match.  Having undergone many transplants, operations, and hospitals for her sister, Anna is now thirteen and old enough to start fighting for herself and questioning everything.  She makes an incredible decision that has the power to tear her family apart, but we find that there may be more to this decision than we originally thought.  Full of ethical issues, love, and two sisters that would do anything for each other, this is an extremely powerful story and a real tear jerker. 

 

I picked this book up because I really like Jodi Picoult and wanted to read it before seeing the movie.

 

I finished this book because I found it impossible to put it down.  I had to know what happened regardless of how many tears it provoked.

 

I’d recommend this book to anyone who wants to know just how strong of emotions books and stories can make people feel.  This is an especially great book for anyone who has a sister, but be prepared to cry.

 

I would give this book a ***** (It was amazing!)

A is for Alibi

Name: Michelle Sherwin
Grade: 12+
Title: A is for Alibi
Author: Sue Grafton


This book begins with the detective Kinsey Millhone being hired by the wife of a person who was found dead by cause of poisoning. After being in prison for several years for this murder Nikki Fife is free and she is out to find out who did it, but she is going to need Kinsey's help to find out who did it and get revenge for the years that she spent in prison on their behalf. This seems like a pretty tough feat for Kinsley as this case has been sealed and the first time around all the evidence did seem to point straight to Nikki. From the means of having the poison easily accessible to her and the keys to the house available as well to the motive of her having a journal of the times her husband cheated on her and with who. She seemed like the jealous wife who had everything pointing to her and the jury had no problem condemning her. Kinsley is convinced that she should at least give Nikki a chance and look into the case. During this she falls for a charming and dashing man who just so happens to be one of her suspects for the murder. She seem to find that even though one of her rules is not to get involved with the people she is investigating she can not resist this man. The investigation and the romance both grow and both seem to be going well for Kinsey.  Although  the case started out cold it begins to heat up, but once she opens the files to the case again she finds out that there is someone who doesn't want her finding out just what really did happen to Laurence Fife and his last lover Libby Glass. Poisoning may have been the initial method this killer used, but now it is obvious that they will do anything to keep all fingers pointing to Nikki and away from them.  Will Kinsey be able to dodge all the bullets (literally) and find out just who did kill Laurence and Libby or will Kinsey become one of the victims of  the investigation as well? Find out in A is for Alibi!

I liked the story line behind this book. The way that the author was always giving something new for the reader to ponder was very interesting. It was also very interesting to see the pieces as they were falling together. They always seemed to be pointing one way and then they would take a sudden turn and would turn out to be some thing completely different. It was interesting like wise to find out how important little pieces that were over looked in the first investigation came to be in the second investigation. Even things that didn't seem relevant to Kinsey were in the end very important.

The book did get a bit sappy with personal details at times. It seemed like there were a lot of details about Kinsley that were not important to the story that were  a big part of the story. I found that a good majority of these details really did not add anything to the story and kind of detracted from the overall story. 

I picked this book up mainly because it looked interesting and I wanted a good mystery. This seemed to fit the bill.
I finished this book because it was interesting and there were some very interesting plot twists. Just when I was about to condemn one person to having done it there was always another clue that lead up to a different conclusion.

I'd give this book to anyone who enjoyed mystery books and could enjoy the art of solving a good old fassioned who done it. I would particularly give it to someone who enjoyed Janet Evanovich.

I'd rate this book a ***