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Saturday Breakfast (Book) Club/YA Style on Friday
May 29, 2009
Because this is a travel day for me, and I'll be reporting from the BEA (BookExpo America) for the next couple of days, I wanted to be sure to get in the YA blurbs for this week since the kids have been reading like crazy to give you all ideas on what's available out there.
The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin
Read by Rachel, 11
Matt Walsh and his two younger sisters don’t live a particular normal life. Their mother mistreats them, and living with her is like living with a jungle cat, never knowing when it will strike. Matt knows they have to get away, but how? Then Matt sees Murdoch in a drugstore and everything about life the way he knows it changes. Murdoch starts dating their mother, and suddenly she’s almost nice. But then Murdoch breaks up with Nikki, their mother. Can Matt and his siblings save themselves from their mother’s wrath?
This book was a total suspense thriller, and it had me on my toes and biting my nails, worrying about what would happen next to Matt, Callie and Emmy. Their mother is, as Matt puts it, evil, and she does some disturbing things, so I would recommend this book to kids in middle or high school.
Ghost Huntress: The Guidance By Marley Gibson
Read By Bekah, 17
Kendall is exactly like every other teenage girl at her school. Except for that while most girls are preoccupied with their social life and puberty, Kendall is experiencing her psychic awakening. Unlike all her friends, Kendall is beginning to develop her psychic abilities. With the help and support of her ghost hunting team she guides spirits to the afterlife, making Kendall the most popular girl in town. Not everyone is excited about her new found success, though. Courtney, the head cheerleader and Kendall’s boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend, goes to great lengths to make Kendall’s life a living hell. When Courtney begins to be drawn in to the dark side against her will there is only one person who she can turn to for help. It’s only a matter of time before Kendall must decide to either let her enemy fall or be the bigger person and save the girl. Decisions…Decisions…
This was thrilling read. I loved the morbid humor present throughout the entire story and I could really relate to Kendall. She has to make hard choices like any teenage girl, but she does it with a finesse that’s hard to achieve. I wish I had her witty attitude.
The Twilight Zone Graphic Novels by Rod Serling
Read by Nathaniel, 20
Walking Distance was a terrific read. Martin Slone is stressed out from
work and is looking to get away. He goes to his hometown where he grew
up, and remembers the good old day. But there is a twist. This is in
fact The Twilight Zone. I remember being stressed from almost everything
(job,programming,chores) from time to time. I hardly have no time to get
away. Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and tell my self to enjoy
being a kid.
The Odyssey of Flight 33 was thought provoking. Flight 33 departing from
London has some trouble in flight to New York. Their accelerating in
speed and seem to be stuck. Never been on a plane not to worried
either .If something went bad I’d trust in the crew to fix it. I don't
want them telling us what’s wrong that would just create panic. I would
enjoy the window seat in this situation.
The After Hours was enlightening. Everyone one every once in a while
forgets something about themselves like Marsha did. Marsha White goes to
the store to buy a gold thimble for her mother. She is surprised and
confused by the customer service. Through her adventure Marsha, finds out
more about herself then she bargained for.
The graphic novel series so far is a great adaptation of Rod Serling's work. The
well drawn frames take you deeper into the all ready suspenseful story
lines. As a fan of the Twilight Zone I enjoy that the books include
production notes and a little history about episode they were adapted
from.
Reading these books brings back memories of watching the show as a kid.
I remember reading the scripts in Middle School English ..... I wish we
had these books instead.
The Anne-Mae Mysteries - The Golden Treasure by L.S. Cauldwell
Read by Kaitlyn, 13
A young girl, Anne-Mae is getting haunted by a dismembered hand with a wedding band ont it. The floating hand drops two pieces of paper and they are the first clue to Jefferson Davis's gold. At the beginning of the Civil War, Davis, President of the Confederate States, took out a loan from a French banking House Of Emile Erlanger for $15 million dollars, but then something terrible happened. The gold was lost and the Yankees were the reason that it was lost. So young Anne-Mae, her brother, Malcolm, and her friend, Raul, are meant to find them. But what is her Grandmother hiding from her? Why is she the one that the ghost is contacting? And most of all, can she do it?
This book was not exactly something I would normally read. It was a little hard to get into and the characters speak in a southern accent, so it was a little difficult to read, though, not impossible. I would recommend this book to sixth graders. It has a very good story line and is nicely written. The book looks like it belongs in the childrens section because of the animation. Never the less I did like it.
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Read by Rebeka, 15
After a beautiful, strange girl moves into Ethan Wate’s small, middle-of-nowhere southern town, nothing is ever the same again. Lena is the girl from Ethan’s dark and very real dreams. She is also a girl with a very dark secret. One that will change Ethan’s life forever.
I found this to be a truly beautiful book, filled with great twists, a love story, and magic. The story is unique, one I'd not seen before that left in me in awe. Any reader interested in an amazing modern fantasy should give Beautiful Creatures a chance.
Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell
Read by Scarlette, 16
What do you do in Ondine, Louisiana during the summer? Hot and boring, and always predictable Iris plays make believe with her friend Collette. Well this summer Iris is fourteen and for once she doesn't have to pretend. While messing around in the graveyard with Collette and summoning ghosts Elijah answers. Elijah disappeared almost 20 years ago. Why does he contact Iris and what happened to him?
This book takes few pages to get used to the southern tone, which adds to the book, and thenI just couldn't get the book out of my head. What I really liked was how the ghost actually effected her life. It seemed more real like this could actually happen. The way the characters interacted and the love interest part was done in a way that I actually enjoyed reading it. This book combined fantasy and realism into a great read.
Another job well done by our YA Readers. Still need more books to offer them, so please email if you would like your book considered. barbaravey@gmail.com
Now it's still Your Turn Friday, so please comment on the book you've been reading lately. (And it doesn't have to be a YA book!)
Bottom Line: My goal this trip is to finally see a Broadway play (and Stephen Colbert, of course).
Posted by Barbara Vey on May 29, 2009 | Comments (5)
