Nicola and the Viscount

Nicola and the Viscount

by: Meg Cabot

published by: HarperCollins

Summary: Nicola is an orphan and has just been asked to live with the Bartholomews, a rich family with the most handsome son, who Nicola has nicknamed "the God." Before she knows it Nicola finds herself engaged to this handsome man, but it's not until then that she starts noticing that she hardly knows him. Maybe he is nothing like her after all, and what are his real intentions of marrying her? Does he really love her, or is there something bigger going on under the surface? Nicola was about to find out, if she had to do it herself!

Personal Summary: It was SO cheesy, especially at the beginning. But the plot wasn't too unbearable. By the end I was satisfied with how it turned out but also glad to be done with the cheese :) All in all, I'd have to say I liked it.

Cautionary Notes: CHEESY :)

We Just Want to Live Here

We Just Want to Live Here

by: Amal Rifa'i and Odelia Ainbinder with Sylke Tempel

published by: St. Martin's Griffin

Summary: We Just Want to Live Here is a true story of Amal--a palestinian teenager and Odelia--an Israeli teenager--both are living in the same country. The girls are trying to get along while their leaders and fighting to kill one another. Throughout the book the girls discuss topics that are very dear to them and that are also very controversial. Things like government and religion and the different beliefs or customs they each have. They often disagree and they tell each other so, but they are never attacking each other. There is a politeness and respect that threads their conversations. They don't know if they can remain friends forever because of their situation, but they know that the friendship they did share was real and would never be forgotten.

Personal Review: I enjoyed this book immensely. I learned about so much I didn't really know, and saw how two people can successfully disagree and remain friends. I think that is the mark of true friendship and deep respect for one another. I loved hearing about their different customs and different ways of viewing the world.

Cautionary Notes: sensetive subjects touched upon

Chains

Chains

by: Laurie Halse Anderson

published by: Puffin Books

Summary: Isabel was supposed to be freed, from her late owner, a kind old woman who treated her slaves with respect. But the will where her and her sister's freedom is declared is nowhere to be found, and nobody really cares. Instead both Isabel and her sister, Ruth, are hastily sold to a pair of loyalists who work her to the ground and eventually find out that Ruth has epilepsy which results in her selling. Isabel is furious; she shouts at her owner and runs away. This causes a severe punishment of branding and after that, a little part of her dies. She no longer cares about sides; loyalists or rebels, they are both her enemies. She no longer cares about anything, her sister is sold and her friend Curzon's rebel ways have only gotten her into trouble. Can something help her to come alive again? To cherish life again? Or is all hope lost?

Personal Review: I loved the fresh point of view you get when reading this story. Often when we read about the American Revolution we get the story from the American's point of view or sometimes even from the British point of view. But here is a thrid party who is in the midst of all that is happening and looks upon both Americans and British as her enemies. It allows us to step outside our own shoes for a second and see ourselves as the enemy for a brief period. Chains is a book with beautiful language packed with love and the will to survive. I loved every page.

Cautionary Notes: violence against children, scenes of starvation at the Rebel prison,

The Hunter's Moon

The Chronicles of Faerie: The Hunter's Moon

by: O.R. Melling

published by: Amulet Books

Summary: Gwen and Findabhair are cousins, but they are also best friends. Gwen is coming from America to visit Fin in Ireland and while they are together they are going to hunt for the magic and secrets of Ireland. They spend the first night of their adventure in a fairy mound and when Gwen wakes up, she finds that Findabhair has vanished. Suddenly things have gone too far for Gwen, she's no brave adventurist! She doesn't know where to begin without her cousin by her side. But she knows she must attempt, so with a little help from the faries she finds her cousin, but not as a damsel in distress. Instead Findabhair seems to be enjoying herself and Gwen is angry that she's gone through so much to rescue her cousin who doesn't want rescuing. Together they face disputes and life changing adventures.

Personal Review: It was hard for me to get into at the beginning, but I really liked it by the end. Ireland seems like a magical, beautiful country and this story really showed that. I loved Gwen's and Findabhair's relationship, they seemed to be the best of friends despite their disagreements and different decisions.

Touching Spirit Bear

Touching Spirit Bear

by: Ben Mikaelsen
published by: HarperCollins

Summary: Cole Matthews is angry at the world and not to be defied. Little Peter finds this out the hard way. After beating Peter up and smashing his head on the sidewalk, Cole is arrested. Before his trial he is given the choice to go to prison or to join something called the Circle of Justice, which would decide on a suitable punishment for him that will cause him to grow an change. Only if he is willing to. Cole isn't--but that doesn't stop him from pretending. He does everything he can to get into the circle of Justice and stay far away from prison. That's how he finds himself stranded on an Alaskan island mauled by a gigantic white bear, in the clutches of death. Now he wonders if prison would have been easier.

Personal Review: I loved seeing this character evolve; slowly though it was. I like how the author didn't suddenly change him all at once, it made him much more realistic. I had to have patience with Cole and it helped me realize that I need to have more patience with real people I know in my life. It is a beautiful and touching story, I would definitely recommend this book to a teenage boy.

Cautionary notes: violence when cole beats up Peter, and when Cole throws any kind of fit, and violence when the bear attacks Cole.

Godless

Godless

by: Pete Hautman

published by: Simon and Schuster

Summary: Jason Bock and Shin are collecting gastropods under the water tower when Henry shows up to cause trouble as usual. As Jason lies on the ground after being punched down by Henry, the idea comes to him. The water tower is like God. It provides the town with water; water is life. He declares his new religion to his friends and soon other peers from the town begin joining up. While Jacob sees his religion of worshiping "the ten legged one" as a joke, will others begin to take things too far?

Personal Review: I read this book in a flash, I couldn't put it down! The creepy, yet creative ideas in this book are intriguing. It's very insightful into human nature concerning religion. Like how everybody had different reasons for joining the Chutengodonians. Shin's character intrigued me the most though because of his intense passion for things. It was more fun reading about his brush with insanity than another character's distant apathy.

Cautionary notes: radical ideas of worshiping idols,

Speak

Speak

by: Laurie Halse Anderson
published by: Puffin Books

Summary: Melinda is only a freshman in high school. And already she has a black secret lying on her shoulders. She is already unpopular for calling the cops at a party over the summer. But she didn't mean to call the cops on the party, she called them for another reason, a personal reason. A reason that was bubbling up and growing inside of her like a sticky poison blackening her insides. She had to talk, but she wouldn't.

Personal review: I was touched by this book; it was a pretty intense read! It was very realistic but drove home the feelings I think the author intended. It was a very beautiful book and I would recommend it to a teenage girl.

Cautionary notes: scenes of rape and violence

Stuck in Neutral

Stuck in Neutral

by: Terry Trueman

published by: Harper Collins

Summary: Shawn McDaniel is the dumbest kid in his class. In his entire school! He has cerebral palsey and lacks the ability to respond to anything, including people talking to him or getting right up in his face. There's a secret though and only Shawn knows it. He's a secret genius; he can remember anything he sees, he can read, he knows exactly what's going on around him. He just has no way to communicate it to the world. To them he is a vegetable, but he is only trapped inside a vegetable body. How can he make them see that there is someone in there? Especially after he starts getting eerie feelings that his father wants to kill him.

Personal review: I loved this book! It was completely frustrating though because you knew something the characters in the book didn't. That Shawn is coherent, but we too are trapped from telling them. Although frustrating, it was a fascinating point of view to have and makes you think about situations that could be similar in your life of the life of people you know.

Cautionary notes: