Red Riding Hood

Title: Red Riding Hood
Author: Sarah Blakley-Cartwright
Publisher: New York : Poppy (2011)
ISBN: 0316176044 9780316176040 9780316190855 0316190853
Pages: 329
Characters: Valerie, Peter, Henry, Lucie
Bookmarks: 3 1/2

Daggerhorn is a village cursed with a werewolf. Villagers give the wolf monthly animal offerings at the full moon in return for their safety from the animal. One day, a villager Lucie, is found dead in a wheat field, apparently attacked by a wolf. When more villagers are attacked, a professional werewolf hunter is called in. When the professional arrives, the villagers discover that the werewolf is one of them. While being courted by both Henry and Peter, Valerie, discovers that she can hear the wolf speak but does not recognize the voice. Will she and the villagers be able to figure out who the wolf is before the village is wiped out? And if the do find out, will they be able to kill one of their own?

This was actually a really interesting book. It was hard at first to accept the idea of the Big Bad Wolf of my childhood as a werewolf, but it actually makes a lot of sense once you get further into the book. The only real complaint I have about this book is that it was written really simply. There were times that I got bored with the author's writing style. The story however was interesting enough that it kept me reading until the end.

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation

Title: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation
Author: M. T. Anderson
Publisher: Cambridge, Mass. : Candlewick Press, (2006)
ISBN: 0763624020 9780763624026
Pages: 351
Characters: 03-01, Octavian, Casseopeia,
Bookmarks: 4

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing tells the story of Octavian, a slave boy, as he grows up in the years leading up to and during the American Revolution. Unlike most slaves, he is treated incredibly well as he is serving as a science experiment. After his mother, also a slave, has a failed affair with a wealthy investor for the Lucidity Society Octavian's owner 03-01 works for, his life is irrevocably changed. No longer is he treated well, instead, he lives his life as a house slave. One day, he escapes only to be captured and brought back. With the help of one of the Society's scientists, Octavian escapes. Will the two make it back to freedom or be caught?

Up until about page 200, I was really into this book. I loved when Octavian was narrating and it abruptly and unexpectedly switched to a different narrator who was not as interesting. This was really disappointing, going from a very insightful narrator to one that was very limited. I really liked that Anderson used language, spelling, and grammar that was authentic to the Revolutionary War period. While not Anderson's best work, it is definitely a good but difficult read.

The Mysterious Benedict Society

Title: Mysterious Benedict Society
Author: Trenton Lee Stewart
Publisher: New York : Little, Brown (2007)
ISBN: 9780316057776 0316057770 9781439512050 1439512051
Pages: 485
Characters: Reynie Muldoon, Sticky Washington, Kate Wetherall, Constance Contraire, Mr. Benedict
Bookmarks: 3

Through a series of test, 4 unlikely children are united by the mysterious Mr. Benedict. The 4 children- Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance enroll at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened. There, they work to try to solve the myster that Mr. Benedict has presented them with. If they do not solve it in time, the fate of the world may be at stake.

Onced again, I had heard great reviews about this book and was disappointed. Maybe I should stop listening to the reviews. While the storyline was good, I felt that hte book dragged on a lot. It would have been better if it has been shorter by 50 or 60 pages at least. These pages could have come from early on in the book because it was slow to start. Once the kids got to the Institute, the book picked up pace fairly quickly. As an adult reader, I thought the ending a bit contrived and predictable, but younger readers may find it enjoyabl.e

Born to Run

Title: Born to Run
Author: Christopher McDougall
Publisher: New York : Alfred A. Knopf (2009)
ISBN: 9780307266309 0307266303
Pages: 287
Characters: Christopher, Caballo Blanco, Taramahura
Bookmarks: 3 1/2

Christopher McDougall is a runner who has hurt his foot. He has heard about the Taramahura, a group of Mexican runners who are among the most elite, an (up until now) least known in the world. Through the book, McDougall relates how he has learned about the Taramahura and the world of ultra-running in his quest to discover why his foot hurts and how to fix it.

I really did not enjoy this book very much until about the halfway point. In fact, the first hundred or so pages had a tendency to put me to sleep. The second half of the book is a lot better. While the chapters tend to skip around, focusing on different characters and different times, I feel that it actually adds to the story by giving background information. If the book had started out better, it would be enjoyable, but it takes a bit too much time to build up interest.

I am Number 4 - book versus movie

I find that I generally do no like movies that are based on books for the simple fact that the movie typically differs significantly from the book. I am Number 4 follows that rule, but the movie is still enjoyable. It is really hard for me to say which I liked better overall because each had certain parts that were better. If forced, I would have to say that I liked the book only slightly better, because the story line was a bit more engaging and realistic (yes, I am saying a fantasy book can be realistic).

Unlike many books turned into movies, for the whole first half of the movie, I was really excited- they were being pretty much the same. John didn't get picked on quite as much and the romantic aspect of his relationship is emphasized a bit more in the movie than the book, but otherwise pretty close. I did really like that we saw Number 6 earlier in the movie than in the book. While Sam in the movie is great, I liked how geeky he was in the book and wished that this would have been played up a little more.After about the halfway point in the movie, things started to go really off course from the movie. It bothered me that Sam didn't get his girlfriend like in the book. I also really didn't like that Sam didn't introduce John and Henri to the alien newsletter. It seemed a little more believable that geeky, space obsessed Sam would have been subscribing to it than that Henri just found it. I also didn't really like that Mark James and John didn't become friends until the end of the book. I like seeing their relationship change from that of enemies, to acquaintances, and finally to friends. It made for some very interesting scenes in the book that were left out of the movie. My biggest complain about the movie though is that the battle between the Loriens and the Mogadorians was not nearly as impressive as it could have been. Yes, it was interesting, but with some of John's legacies lacking, little involvement from Mark and Sarah, and Henri dying so early, it changed the feel of the battle. It made it seem as though it were really just the Loriens against the Mogarodians instead of the Loriens and their Earth friends against the Mogardians. While I can understand that this was done because it was a Disney movie and the kids have to do all the brave cool stuff in Disney movies, it was a let down. I also didn't like that there was not a lot of the backstory about how the Loriens wound up on Earth that was mentioned in the book. It would have made things a bit easier to understand for people who hadn't read the book. I understand why it was omitted though, because you can only cram so much into a movie and still expect people to watch the entire thing and not get bored.

There were some things that I did like better about the movie than the book though. I loved being introduced to Number 6 early on. If I hadn't already read the book, I would have really been wondering who she was. While she was cool in the book, she was absolutely bad-ass in the movie. Loved her whole attitude of can't mess with me. I also really liked how the Mogadorians looked in the movie. I'd had a lot of trouble imagining how they looked while reading the book since it never really had good descriptions. I also liked that the movie made it a little easier to figure out that John's pet dog was also the lizard that he had while he was living in the Keys. While it was a puzzle that I enjoyed figuring out while reading the book, it was neat to see the lizard change into a dog and know that it was going to play some kind of special role at some point.

The Burn Journals

Title: The Burn Journals
Author: Brent Runyon
Publisher: New York : Vintage (2004)
ISBN: 1400096421 9781400096428
Pages: 374
Characters: Brent Runyon, Mom, Dad, Craig, various doctors and nurses
Bookmarks: 5

One day after an incident at school Brent Runyon comes home and attempts to light himself on fire. He immediately regrets it and puts himself out. Brent spends the next several months in the burn unit recovering. Some parts of his recovery are pretty normal- watching TV, fantasizing about sex, talking about movies. Other parts are more harrowing- having to see psychologists, get skin grafts, physical therapy. Once out of the unit, he must adjust back to being in the real world and having his scars. He must recover both physically and emotionally. Yes, some of what Runyon does during recovery like listening to tapes, watching movies on a VCR, playing Nintendo (especially Mario Brothers) may be a bit dated to teen readers, but it doesn't take away from his story.

I had heard a lot of great review about this book and was excited to Runyon has done an amazing job. The detail and emotional involvement of the book sucked me in immediately. Runyon's descriptions of how he felt through the whole experience, physically and emotionally are incredible. The book is completely gripping. One of the few books emotionally powerful enough to make me have to put it down at times because I couldn't handle what was going on. I can't imagine putting into writing for anyone to read hardly any of the experience of my life, especially not something as traumatic and life-changing as a suicide attempt. While I would love for any teen to read this book, I am afraid that some parts of it may glamorize Runyon's experiences- getting free stuff from Magic Johnson and meeting celebrities. Overall though, it is a great book.

I.D. Stuff that Happes to Define Us

Title: I.D. Stuff that Happens to Define Us
Author: Kate Scowen and Peter Mitchell
Publisher: Toronto : Annick Press (2010)
ISBN: 9781554512249 1554512247 9781554512256 1554512255
Pages: 160
Characters: N/A
Bookmarks: 4

We all have moments in our lives that help to define us, to make us who we are. Many of these happen during adolescence. I.D. Stuff that Defines us is a compilation of 12 episodes from the lives of real teens. Each of the stories is about a defining moment in their life- getting hit by a father, getting in a street fight, pretending to be an orphan, a youth camping trip. Each story is presented along with wistful illustrations.

I loved this book. It was really interesting to read about defining moments for real people and how they coped with them. It would be an excellent book for teens to read and I can see it being especially useful for guidance to use. Teens today have to deal with a lot of tough things- this book has stories of real people living through many of the same things that teens today have to live through. It can give teens insights into how to cope themselves. I especially loved that at the end was a listing of phone numbers and website for teens to call if they need help.

Beastly

Title: Beastly
Author: Alex Flinn
Publisher: New York : HarperTeen (2007)
ISBN: 9780060874162 0060874163 9780060874179 0060874171
Pages: 304
Characters: Kyle Kingsbury/Adrian King, Linda Owens, Will, Magda, Kendra
Bookmarks: 5

Kyle is "that guy" in school- hot, popular, smart. Only he treats other people like trash. That is until the night of Spring Formal when he plays a trick on a classmate, Kendra. In return for his cruelty, she transforms him into a beast. He is given two years to break the curse by finding his true love and getting a kiss from her. Kyle believes that it is impossible. His father banishes him away from home and Kyle retreats from the world, with only his tutor Will and maid Magda for company and changes his name to Adrian. That is until his home is broken into one night and in return for his freedom the would-be thief gives Kyle/Adrian his daughter, Linda in return. Kyle/Adrian and Linda quickly adjust to being together and you can feel the chemistry between them. Despite having everything she didn't in her previous life, Linda is unhappy due to missing her father. Kyle/Adrian lets her go to him, only for Linda to run into trouble. Will Kyle/Adrian be able to rescue her? Will the curse be broken in time?

I absolutely LOVED this book!!!! Granted, it probably helps that Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite fairy tales. I loved that Flinn wove in a couple of other fairy tales (Little Mermaid, Snow White & Rose Red, Frog Prince) through a chat group that Kyle/Adrian was a part of. I also loved that Flinn not only completely fleshed out the story, but set it in the modern world, complete with cell phones and Internet. (It would be interesting to see 20 years down the road how the modern world holds up.) The characters in the story are extremely interesting and the plot moves along quickly. I actually listened to this on tape on my way to and from work and was always disappointed to arrive at my destination. More than once, I was almost late because I stayed in my car until the end of a chapter. While it is definitely more of a girl book than a boy book, I highly recommend it!

Seeing Redd

Title: Seeing Redd
Author: Frank Beddor
Publisher: New York : Dial Books (2007)
ISBN: 9780803731554 0803731558 9781428755949 1428755942
Pages: 371
Characters: Alyss Heart, Redd Heart, Hatter Madigan, Dodge Anderson, Bibwit Hare, Homburg Molly, King Arch
Bookmarks: 3 1/2

In Seeing Redd, Beddor has re-imagined Wonderland. There has been a war between Redd Heart and her niece, Alyss Heart with Alyss coming out the victor. Alyss has taken over the throne and is trying to set everything in Wonderland back to how it should be, but is finding it a difficult task. Unfortunately, her neighbor King Arch is plotting to use a secret weapon against Wonderland. To further complicate matters, Redd has returned from where she went to Earth and is trying to gain back control of the throne. Will Alyss be victorious against these two or will Wonderland once again be taken over by Black Imagination?

Once again, I was disappointed by a book that I was pretty excited about. Maybe this time, it was my own fault for starting out with the 2nd book in the series rather than the first. It bothered me that Wonderland creatures and objects (gwormy, spirit-dane, etc) that came up frequently were never really explained. Perhaps they were in the first book and I just missed out. I did like that I was able to easily identify which characters from the traditional Alice in Wonderland most of Beddors characters represented. I did miss the Dormouse though- not sure which character was supposed to represent him. It bothered me some that Beddor did not keep truer to the traditional Alice in Wonderland story, but his re-telling was imaginative and would be enjoyed by most readers who are not incredibly attached to Alice in Wonderland.

Kick

Title: Kick
Author: Walter Dean Meyers and Ross Workman
Publisher: New York : HarperTeen (2011)
ISBN: 9780062004895 0062004891 9780062004901 0062004905
Pages: 197
Characters: Kevin, Sergent Brown
Bookmarks: 2 1/2

13 year old Kevin is a soccer star who happens to have gotten into trouble with the law. Sargent Brown, who knew Kevin's father, becomes Kevin's mentor in an attempt to help him reform so that he doesn't go to jail. As Kevin and Sargent Brown become closer, Sargent Brown discovers that Kevin really is a good kid and learns the true reason for why he was driving a friend's father's car in the middle of the night. Kevin also gets a father figure in his life which he was previously lacking and Sargent Brown and his wife gain a son figure.

I loved the idea of this book and really wanted to like it- a fan and a famous author collaborating to write a book. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. I did like that the two authors alternated chapters- Meyers writing as Sargent Brown and Workman writing as Kevin. This did give the book a bit more of an authentic feel. It was more the content of the book that bothered me- a woman is beaten by her husband for being depressed and two kids feel like they have to be the ones to take on the entire problem. I wanted to scream where are the adults in this situation!!!! The whole relationship between Sargent Brown and Kevin seemed to be really cliched, which was disappointing coming from such an accomplished author as Meyers

A Kiss In Time

Title: A Kiss in Time
Author: Alex Flinn
Publisher: New York : HarperTeen (2009)
ISBN: 9780060874193 0060874198 9780060874209 0060874201
Pages: 371
Characters: Talia, Jack, Malvolia
Bookmarks: 4

Talia is the Princess of Euphrasia, a country located near Belgium. That is until she pricks her finger on a spindle (the result of a curse) the day before her 16th birthday and falls asleep for 300 years. She is awakened when Jack kisses her after wandering away from a European tour that his parents sent him on. Jack brings Talia home to American where she learns about modern culture and eventually falls in love with Jack and he with her. Despite their love, Malvolia still intends to get revenge on Talia's father. Which will win- love or Malvolia?

Sleeping Beauty has always been one of my favorite fairy tales, so how could I pass up reading this book? I'm genuinely glad that I did. In it's traditional form, nothing is mentioned about little details like is there food left in the kingdom when the princess awakens and how do her parents react. Flinn fleshes out the story, providing the missing details. I'd never thought about the people in the kingdom not being able to fit in with the world they awaken in. I was glad that this was brought to life in the story. It made the tale almost believable.

Cloaked

Title: Cloaked
Author: Alex Flinn
Publisher: New York : HarperTeen (2011)
ISBN: 9780060874223 0060874228 9780060874230 0060874236
Pages: 341 pages
Characters: Johnny, Princess Victoriana, Meghan
Bookmarks: 3 1/2

Johnny works in the family business repairing shoes. The stall next to him is run by his best friend, Meghan. One day, Johnny is approached by the beautiful Ailoranian Princess Victorianna and sent on quest to find her brother, who has been transformed into a frog. Johnny, tired of living a life repairing shoes and wants to do something else- design shoes and escape from his life at the hotel. Johnny accepts the quest. On the way, Johnny is helped by magic and to his surprise, Meghan. Will he be able to find the frog prince and make him human again?

The premise of this book is really interesting. During our childhood, we are all introduced to fairy tales. What would it be like if these fairy tales are set in the present instead of "once upon a time"? While I liked that the book combined several lesser known tales (frog princess, elves and the shoemaker, fisherman's 3 wishes, and several others). This makes the book seem to be rather busy. It would be improved if it were limited to less fairy tales. It is still an enjoyable and quick read.

I am Number 4

Title: I am Number 4
Author: Pittacus Lore
Publisher: New York : Harper (2010)
ISBN: 9780061969553 0061969559
Pages: 440
Characters: John Smith, Henri Smith, Mogadorians, Sam Goode, Sarah Hart, Mark James, Bernie Kosar
Bookmarks: 4 1/2

The planet Lorien has been destroyed by the Mogadorians. Earth is their next target. Lorien and Earth have one hope- the 9 children and their guardians who were sent away from Lorien to try to give the planet a chance to be re-populated. John is one of those children, number 4. The Mogardians know that in order to win Earth, they will have to wipe out the children. 1, 2, and 3 are dead. They are coming after John. He has only his Legacies, Henri his guardian, and his friends to help him. Will he and his new found Earth friends be able to defeat the Mogaradorians who are out to kill him?

I loved this book! Normally, I don't go for the whole aliens among us genre. Not that I don't enjoy the idea, usually books in this genre get a little too Star Trek for me. I am Number 4 didn't. It was completely believable. Loved the fast pace and the anticipation that Lore built as John's Legacies developed. For once, I was actually surprised when reading a book with the unexpected development when the Mogadorians arrived to kill John.

The Game

Title: The Game
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Publisher: New York : Firebird (2007)
ISBN: 0142407186 9780142407189
Pages: 179
Characters: Hayley, Harmony, Troy
Bookmarks: 2

Hayley has lived with her grandparents since she was a small child. Her grandmother is very controlling while her grandfather is more lenient. After talking to two men she refers to as Flute and Fiddle, Hayley is suddenly shipped off to Ireland and thrust into a life with her many cousins. Her cousins introduce her to "the game" where they go into they mythosphere (a magical land that contains the worlds myths). When "the game" is discovered by her Uncle Jolyon, trouble ensues and Hayley learns about her past and that of her family.

I really wanted to like this book. It had a good premise- the Gods and characters from myths are alive and among us. This book was really disappointing though. The story often moved slow and it seemed as though Jones had to work to hard to include some of they mythical characters. If a reader does not have a decent knowledge of mythology, they will be a little lost with much of the story. I did however like that at the end there is an explanation of the different characters.