Hold Still

Hold Still

by Camila Gomez

          “Finally, she said, I’ll go wherever you go.” What if you and your best friend planned your futures, and by daybreak the next day, hers was gone? In this novel, Caitlin, the protagonist, is lost and confused in a world where the person who knew her best, no longer exists. Ingrid was Caitlin’s best friend; a person she could talk to, and just hang out with. Caitlin, though, never knew about Ingrid’s depression and suicidal thoughts. When Ingrid takes her own life, she leaves Caitlin behind, confused, angry, and miserable, with nowhere to go and no one who understands her. Now Caitlin must face the most daunting task she has ever met; learning to live without the beauty, laughter, art, and happiness she and Ingrid shared.

          When fall rolls around again, Caitlin is terrified to go back to school. She receives little sympathy, and is mostly avoided, leaving her with no choice but to roam the halls alone. Making new friends seems like an impossible feat for Caitlin, though she desperately needs new friendships to help her get through this difficult time. When a new friend, Dylan, a new girl at school, comes into her life, the friendship seems promising, but can she handle the responsibilities of maintaining a friendship when she can barely control her grief?

          Things take a crazy turn when Caitlin discovers Ingrid’s private journal under her bed. The journal Ingrid took with her everywhere; the journal that contained all the secrets Ingrid could never tell anyone. Not even Caitlin. In these entries she learns about another side of the friend she thought she knew everything about. With the insight of these entries, Caitlin finds a way to laugh, smile and hope again.

Books for young adults that have on-the-edge topics like suicide are hard to find. Nina LaCour showed no fear while writing this hard-hitting novel about grief after suicide and delivered a delicate, yet impacting book. I recommend this book for mostly teenage girls, but I think it can be equally enjoyable for boys too. This book, will take your breath away as Caitlin find the path to a life without Ingrid

Shattering Glass

Reviewed by Miguel R.

Gail Giles’s Shattering Glass is a suspenseful and all around captivating realistic fiction novel that is told from the point of view of Young Steward – a member of a family of doctors, which causes his father to obligate him to take science courses over the much preferred writing ones.
This book is about a group of friends one of them being Rob – the most popular kid in the entire High School. He controls the school as he pleases, if he wants someone to do something for him, he will get them to do it. As he cruises around the school, he notices a kid – Simon Glass, the biggest nerd in the school – and decides to make him popular. This affects Young though, as he sometimes doesn’t agree with Rob, and sometimes he is asked to give up something very valuable to him.
Shattering Glass is a very entertaining novel that will keep you intrigued about what is going to happen. But although the novel does a great job at portraying equality, how High Schools are divided into hierarchies, I didn’t clarify a profound lesson or message. The characters where relatable and realistic; however, some of their actions where out of character.
This is a medium sized book (215 pages) but it is all filled with action and entertaining reads. It has none of those “boring parts,” but it doesn’t take a lot of effort to understand what is going on in the story; therefore, this is a great choice for those who look for a fun, easy-to-understand novel; it takes away all the boring parts out of the book and only consists of the action and excitement. On the other hand, I wouldn’t recommend it for readers looking for a deep message and complex puzzle for one to figure out.

Tyrell

Reviewed by Eduardo


Coe booth has a really intense story with Tyrell, the story of a teenager’s rough life. His dad, a former dj who has been arrested for illegal narcotics and his mom a jobless crack addict who broke down after her husband’s arrest. This story is about how Tyrell has to take care of his mother and his little brother. They have to move from shelter to shelter because the state took their house away and all their possessions. Tyrell drops out of school because of his hard conditions and his negative thinking. His mother won’t take care of his little brother because she is only concerned about herself. His little brother troy, (who is only seven) attends to special classes at school. The shelters that they are put in are not in good conditions and there are roaches everywhere.

Tyrell has a girlfriend Novisha, she attends to school and is a great student. Novishas father left her and her mom about 2 years ago. Her mother still loves him and she thinks that she can’t progress without her husband (like Tyrell’s mother). Novishas father visits them more often now and Tyrell is happy for this in a way. In a other way he doesn’t like it because he left them and now he wants to come back just because they will take care of him. Novishas family understands Tyrell’s situation so when he fights with his mom he spends the night over there. Tyrell sometimes gets into stuff with the wrong people.

His dads friends still contact Tyrell’s mother but not to help. Tyrell knows why and he isn’t happy with it. They give her money and buy troy new shoes and coats etc. he knows that the money is not legal or earned so he doesn’t like it. In Tyrell’s shelter he meets a girl called jasmine. Her father died when she was young and her sister has to take care of her. Tyrell becomes really close friends with Jasmine and they spend a lot of time together. She is helping Tyrell plan the huge party they are going to have. This party is to collect money for Tyrell’s family because his mom doesn’t work or even care about them.

If you want to know more about this story you will have to read it. In conclusion I really liked this story. It explains the life of this teenager who has a rough life and has to carry his family on his shoulders. The author describes everything very well and explains the situations clearly. When you get deep into it you feel like if you were in the story.

The Old man and the Sea

Reviewed by: Juan Diego


Ernest Hemingway’s wonderfully written novel is about an old Cuban man, the protagonist, who goes by the name of Santiago. He has lost the days where he would do arm wrestling competitions, play a lot of sports, but he never lost his freedom. Now he dedicates the rest of his life on fishing, since he is an old man. He is a poor man and because of this he feels despondent and lonely. But really he doesn't show it. Like if he had nothing left to do. He has no family left but there is this boy he taught how to fish. They both depend on each other and have created a very friendly relationship. They even buy drinks for each other and he’s the only person Santiago has left. (52) “But you haven’t got the boy, you have only yourself and you had better work back to the last line now.” So once Santiago went fishing for weeks without catching a fish and that shows he is a very patient man. But when he went fishing with the boy they caught a lot of fish. Then he went fishing for 84 days and hadn’t caught a single fish and he was alone. This shows that the boy gives luck to fishermen. But he still wouldn’t give up.

His inspiration was the great DiMaggio, which was a famous baseball player in the New York Yankees. Until one day his patience and the good service to God paid off. He finds a gigantic Marlin who seemingly has no chance against the bait Santiago put in his hook. The Marlin was a tremendous catch for Santiago and there for turned into the antagonist. His confidence is so high he decides to go deeper out into the sea. He already had enough fish but then the problems started to occur. When he feels he has another fish in his hook he suddenly gets a cramp on his hand and then he starts feelings weak. He’s weak, tired, dizzy, and dehydrated and he barely hangs on but he just never gives up. And the rest, go find by yourself what happens at the end.

When I picked up this book I had a feeling I would like it because I have had experience with fishing and its fun so that’s why I chose this book. In my opinion at first I didn’t like the book because no drama or action was going on but at the end is where it gets very interesting. I like the way the author clearly describes the feelings of the main character throughout the story.

Santiago used to be an athletic kid whose father was a tough man who taught him how to fish and other things as well. He doesn’t like to give up and he always likes to keep pushing forward. He’s a very religious person besides that he prays before catching a fish. He thinks he talks to God so there’s other resemblance. He has learned to love his enemies as much as his friends. And he never gives up. But even though he is old and weak he is very happy and lives with what he has.

Honestly I look forward to reading books by this author. I ended up liking it and like they say don’t judge a book by its cover.

The Boy Who Saved Baseball

 Reviewed by Danny

The Boy Who Saved Baseball by John.H Ritter was written for fans of baseball, and to people who hate it, like me. When I had to choose a book, I was trying to find the easiest and the shortest book I could find, and The Boy Who Saved Baseball caught my eye. After I signed out the book, I realized that it was only about baseball. At first I thought the story would be boring, tiring, and that I wouldn’t understand anything about the book. When I started to read, the book wasn’t only about baseball after all. It had lots of action and mystery about what’s going to happen next after each paragraph. The main idea of the story is that the whole towns fate is rested in the hands of a small baseball team called the Wildcats.
The plot of the story is really easy to follow. The story is about Tom Gallagher (the protagonist of the story) and how it’s up to him, and his small team of baseball players. They have to spend several days training with one of the most famous baseball hitter, to hopefully win the small league baseball game and save his town from being torn down by the developers, and also find a mysterious boy along the book. The protagonist of the story, Tom Gallagher is the captain of the Wildcat’s team and the nicest of them all, but he is also the shyest and he doesn’t speak much throughout the story.
The protagonist mostly spends his time writing in his journal, and thinking about the mountains, the people, and how good life is instead of speaking to everyone. The narrator expresses the characters feelings towards what Tom thinks or what Tom writes and sketches, not by expressing him by his verbal tone, as shown in the following example. “You sure are quiet.” Tom nodded. “That’s what everybody says.” “What are you thinking?” “I don’t know.” Tom was the happiest when he could sit silent, be the observer, the notice of small details, the sketcher. (61). in only 3 sentences, the Narrator could describe us perfectly of how the character feels in his daily life. Another important character in the book is Cruz De La Cruz (the mysterious boy I was talking about earlier.) Cruz came horse riding from a far off town until he came to Dilltown to play in the legendary Lucky Strike Field, in where many famous players came to play ball. Cruz’s relationship in the book was to teach the players to believe in themselves. Before Cruz came, they thought they were dead, but then he thought them valuable lessons that can be used in their lives to help them win the game.
The message that the author is trying to give throughout the book is to never give up. He doesn’t really show it in the context, but you can realize it while you’re reading it. For example. Tom starts out all depressed and thinks his team will lose and everyone would blame him for it, but then he starts to realize how much effort his team is putting in their training, and how the players starts to hit the balls more harder and faster, this sight made Tom start to believe that there is a possibility of winning. He says how kids our age should start working hard to get to new heights.
In my opinion I would give this book a seven out of ten, because in some parts of the story the author should give you suspense and make you want to turn the page around and see what’s happens next, but sometimes you would already suspect that would happen, and it would be kind of boring to read. But despite those minimal problems, the book is written with great detail and it’s a book in which everyone can enjoy.

Tall Cool One

 
 Reviewed by Alinka


Tall Cool One by Zoey Dean is part of the captivating A-List Novels that are all written by this author. The story is written in the different perspectives of Anna Percy and her friends. These girls live Beverly-Hills a very superficial environment. These girls are rich and very popular so they are used to be around a lot of people and grown accustomed to living life like a party.

Even though she lives like this, Anna Percy is not a self-centered, spoiled, rich girl. She might have everything she wants but there is more to her character and she actually cares for things that are important to her and she is a very responsible girl. Anna is a very profound character, through out the book you will find her wondering if love really does exists and if she will someday find the one. She was really affected when her relationship with a guy (Ben) that she really liked was over, but that left her wondering if it was really love what she felt or just lust. She believes that love is for everyone and that maybe she will find the one that will sweep her off her feet; this is why she isn’t into hookups like everyone else. The book starts with her and ends with her even though it has chapters in the perspectives of her friends; but I think that the book is mainly about her because she is the one that carries most of the story and the friends come in now and then.

This book has many surprises inside other than what you can expect, Anna’s and her friends lives take unexpected turns in this book. The girl, who didn’t believe in love, finds a guy she will fall head over heals with. The one who thought she was never liked for who she really was finds the support of a friend and a guy who loves her for everything that she is. The troubled family still has problems but Anna learns how much she loves the ones that have cared for her. Everyone seems to be getting involved in relationships that will last for a long time except for Anna wonder that if what she had for Ben was real and she doubts that letting him go was the right decision after all; even though she has strong feelings for him long after he is gone. This will haunt her for a long time to come. Some dangerous stunts are performed by these girls at a place where everything is at the palm of their manicured hands.

Friendships are put to test, parents are going to prove that they are worth it and they would do anything for the safety of their daughters, even if it means risking their reputation with the media. Some people will be taken down memory lane and healed wounds will open suddenly. Relationships are made stronger while other start to fade away but in the end what matters the most is the ones that stayed with you the whole time. Readers will be eager to learn what will happen, page after page and will never put the book down.

The City of Bones

            

Reviewed by Saad

  The City of Bones by Cassandra Clare is an amazing story full of adventure, mysteries, humor, and is backed up by a suspenseful plot. It follows the protagonist, a girl named Clary and her adventures when she learns that what she believed for so long isn’t what it seems. Clary is a hot-tempered redhead girl who is 15, after a watching a murder in a all ages club which no one but her sees, she begins to question what she knows. The book is filled with magic seeing you can tell by the title of the story; its plot gets more intense and seemingly more brutal as it goes on. In the story, you will find warlocks, demons, fairies, unicorns, and other magical and mythical creatures not known by man. Humans are called mundanes by everything else for being “normal” and are thought to be very weak.

            The main characters in the book are separated into two groups, humans and Shadowhunters. Shadowhunters are warriors which protect humans from creatures such as demons, warlocks, etc. They use weapons which contain powers in them to slay the monsters. The main Shadowhunters are Jace, Alec, and Isabella. They live with another Shadowhunter named Hodge. The main humans are Clary and her friend Simon, Simon is described as being a sarcastic to the point of even being scolded for it. Isabella and Alec are siblings with Alec being the oldest and Jace is an only child with a mysterious past.

            The book relies on many scenes and is the first in a series. It’s a pretty big book since it reaches up to 512 pages, but the plot and action makes you want to continue reading the story again and again to get that suspenseful, scary feeling back in your chest. The author throws in a few twists in the story to make you want to read the other books in the series. There are several problems in the story that interfere with the plot and cause it to feel more realistic, those being Clary’s relationships with her friends and the Shadowhunters. The Shadowhunters make her feel less normal then what she thinks now and she is having problems dealing with boys. Her maturity in the story plays well with the plot since it seems to add on to it.

            The main antagonist of the story from the beginning is more of a group then a person or thing, the main antagonist of the story up till around end are downworlders, such as werewolves, vampires, etc. Near the end, a new, more powerful antagonist named Valentine shows up and reveals a deep secret to Clary which changes her and makes her rougher.

            Personally on a scale of 1-10, I would give this story a 10 being because it has been a long time since I read a book this good; the plot, the sequences, the drama, it all works together to form an excellent book and a great story to start a series of with. As stated before, the book makes the reader want to read the other books in the series so they can solve the problems left from the previous one. The book is great for anyone looking for a great time and a wonderful book they will never forget. 

There is never a time in the story in which you would feel bored or just want to close the book and forget it. It makes the readers connect to their younger selves when they believed in dragons, fairies, ghosts, and other things we believe is false now. It defies science and goes with more of a religious like structure as it goes through a catastrophic event happening, a person going corrupt and defying the rules, two different groups working together to stop it, and world we would perceive as non-existing due to the otherworldly beings. So, if anyone has the time, I suggest you get a copy of this book and read it.

The Secret Life of Bees

Reviewed by Eleanor A.


Sue Monk Kidd has created a wonderful world in just one book, The Secret Life of Bees. It is the story of Lily Owens, living with her harsh father-- T.Ray--on his peach farm in South Carolina, 1964. Her life is circled around the fuzzy image of the day her mother died. Lily has a big, black kind-hearted “stand in mother” for since she can remember-Rosaleen.

When Rosaleen insults three of the most bigotry people in town they muster up the gust to escape from the police, T.Ray and his peaches, to Tiburon, South Carolina where they’re introduced to a trio of black sisters—Agust, June and May—make Black Madonna honey for a living. They happily take them both in for a while, with a condition—Lily has to help make the honey and Rosaleen has to help with the house work. I think Lily is a lovely girl that decided on her own that she wanted to know as much as she could about the traces and memories of her mother.

This book is a great Realistic fiction novel; it is a New York Times Bestseller. I enjoyed The Secret Life of Bees because it is written so sweetly. I think that this book will touch your heart with various emotions, as it did mine. A great book to read, The Secret Life of Bees.

Band of Brothers

Reviewed by Santiago M.

Stephen E. Ambrose wrote an amazing, exciting, unforgettable story about World War 2 called Band Of Brothers. It is based on the men of Easy Company and their experience since the invasion in Normandy (France) to Hitler’s Eagles Nest in Berlin. This story is based on true events and true lives. The marine paratroopers jump off the airplanes during D-Day, some ready for combat, and some not ready. Either way they fought for days without sleep, the marines managed to take France. Already the marines had lost about 4000 men in the invasion and 2000 taking France. Capt. Winters, one of the leaders of Easy Company was called a “Quaker”, because he didn’t drink or smoke, Capt. Winters was a great soldier, he was always calm and quite but when he had to fight and take action he was another person a meaner, a more active person he was always the one that lead the way. So he faces problems along the way trying to find his company after landing in the wrong combat zone.  He encounters many Germans along the way, alone without a weapon, because it had fallen out of his bag while jumping out the plane, he sneaks passed them without them knowing. He had finally reunited with his men and his best friend Richard Nixon in a German outpost the Americans had taken. Many things went wrong in D-Day but they had won the fight, it had been successful. Easy Company had started to go inside Holland ready for another war.

Band Of Brothers, one of many books of World War 2 that show affection and emotion in the characters because they all are caring for one another. Stephen E. Ambrose has made many books about World War 2. Like one called D-Day which it about every detail of D-Day and not just the point of view of the paratroopers, also what happened in the days of training camp. Stephen E. Ambrose passed away in October 2002, but left many books that people still read and enjoy now days to realize what happened in 1944 to 1945.

Pretty Little Liars

Reviewed by Maria Fernanda Cuellar

Pretty Little Liars written by Sara Shepard is a realistic fiction book. This book is about a group of four girls that during their seventh grade vacation, their friend, Allison, the girl who united them disappeared.

Three years had passed and still no answer about Allison.

Aria, Spencer, Emily and Hanna that were best friends with Allison had separated.

“Spencer Covets her sisters boyfriend, Emily crushes on the new girl at school, Aria fantasizes about her English teacher, and Hanna uses some ugly tricks to stay beautiful.”

During the seventh grade vacations all the girls went to sleep to Spencer’s barn, which was right in front of her house. Allison thought that by telling each other secrets it would never break them apart, so all of the girls thought she was right. So they would tell every single thing to Allison, although Ally didn’t tell much about her life… during there sleepover, Spencer and Ally got mad at each other and Spencer told ally it was time to leave, and she left.

Next day Allison’s mother, Mrs. DiLaurentis calls Spencer to ask if her daughter was still there. No. She was not there.

That is when Allison disappeared.

During the three years, of them being apart, Aria moved to Iceland, then she came back, had a crush on this guy she met at the bar which resulted to be her new school English teacher.

Emily, the perfect daughter, student, person, has the perfect boyfriend, friends, military dad, and a “wonderful” mother.

Hanna used to be fat and wanted to loose weight so that the boy she liked, Sean, would ask her out. Also for her benefits to be beautiful. She had bulimia. She also started to hangout with Mona, the girl who used to be a loser

Spencer’s sister, Melissa, was getting married. When Spencer met her sister’s fiancé she thought he was a really nice guy and started digging him. He kind of like her also (still being Melissa’s fiancé) so he… kissed Spencer. Melissa saw him do it and well, bye-bye…

The girls have been receiving anonymous texts to their cell phones from “A” talking about the secrets only Allison knew about. And threatening them with it. So they want to find out who is “A” and what happened to Allison.

To find out about everything, you must read the next books form the series.

I believe that all the girls in the world that like, mystery, drama, and suspense should read this book, it was WONDERFUL! I loved it, one of the best books I have ever read.

Before I Fall

Reviewed by Mari

In Before I Fall, Lauren Oliver creates a story about romance, friends and the thought that you can’t always turn back the clock and re-do things. It is a story about a girl called Samantha (also known as Sam) who dies in a car accident on her way to a party with her friends. She gets a second chance after she dies, seven chances to be exact, she relives her last day again and again and discovers the true value in life and the mystery that surrounds her death and finds out that there is more to life than having the best choice in everything to the cafeteria table, to best parking spots, she has her friends and a perfect boyfriend, but there is more than that to her life.

While the day is re-winding itself again and again she discovers a new crush that she never notices before, Kent. She tries to save a girl, Juliet Sykes, a girl who has trouble fitting in. As the day repeats, Sam tries over and over to protect Juliet from her unnecessary fate. Sam realizes that she is living a perfect life and but has a strained relationship with her family. She decides to spend more time with her family with the realization that any day can be her last.

She struggles with her boyfriend, being consider the popular girl, and staying friends with the popular clique—Lindsay, Ally, and Elody on top of having to help a friend from a serious situation. This story has a sense of seriousness, romance, humor, and suspense. It is a mix of everything I’ve read and keeps me reading and try find out what’s going to happen and something that’ll keep you up all night trying to finish.

Remember Me

Reviewed by Stephanie Huie

Sophie Kinsella overflows emotion in Remember Me? This is the story of a young woman who has had the worst day of her life. She’s outside of a bar, her boyfriend stood her up while she’s waiting for her ride, and everyone has gotten a bonus at work. (To show the financial year was better than expected.) However she didn’t get the bonus due to lack of qualification…missing one week of work. Everything has gone downhill until it gets even worse. As she hails a taxi and tries to get its attention from other customers; she slips on her cheap boots down stairs. The next thing she knows she’s in a hospital bed…three years into the future! From the old crappy life to the glamorous life of being skinny, rich, and having a wonderful husband…but is it really the dream life?

Remember Me? is a story with drama and comedy that will get you hooked in. Alexis (Lexi, the protagonist) has a bumpy life ahead of her after skipping three years of her 20’s (no one wants to miss those years) and can’t remember a thing in between. She’s now skinny, rich, with a great husband…and a secret affair? Last thing she remembers was being called “Snaggle-Tooth” and having the worst job in history. But when she wakes up, not only is she stuck with the life “Lexi” created, she’s nicknamed “The Cobra” for being snappy and a “bitch-boss-from-hell” from her friends…or should I say old friends. In three short years, her life has completely changed, she owns a gorgeous car, she lives in a huge house and it should be a perfect life. Her husband is perfect but doesn’t consider her feelings; on the other hand Jon (she was having an affair with) cares for her, but refuses to continue until they have something to link them together…a memory. This book is something you will NOT want to put down until you’ve finished, I’m not saying its short (389 pages) but it’s packed with juicy conflicts and emotional scenes that’ll kick the night raw.

The Diary Of Anne Frank

Paola Rivera

          Anne Frank was a young Jewish girl living during the time of war, prejudice, genocide, and fear. During World War II, millions of Jews were killed and thousands hid behind the shadows of hatred. Anne and her family were forced into hiding with four other people, including The Van Daan’s family and Mr. Dussel, while the Nazis attacked their home country. While the world was changing around Anne in those depressing, long two years that they were in hiding, Anne writes in her diary that she received for her birthday. Little did Anne and her family know that almost 70 years after the diary was first given to Anne, their story would still be read all over the world.  

         Anne Frank, the author and the protagonist of Anne Frank: Diary of A Young Girl starts to write her story on June 14, 1942, two days after her birthday. She confides in her diary and it is her best friend throughout those two years. Every thought, feeling, shiver, and tear that any of the seven people hiding with Anne has ever went through, was written in Anne’s diary.

         Anne is an amazing writer, her story moves you, she shows lots of imagery, which makes you feel like it’s 1942 and you are right next to Anne hiding. Anne is a well-educated, caring, kind, and sassy young girl. And while she writes in her diary, you can tell how much she’s growing up. She goes from being a careless thirteen year-old girl, to a caring more knowledgeable-about-the-world 15 year old young women.

          Even after her diary entries have stopped, her story stays in your mind. It’s a lingering, well-written, exciting, epistolary novel and great for young adolescents, because you will always be wondering what mysteries await you on the next page. Anne writes with passion, she never writes just to write, she writes because she loves it and that’s what makes it an excellent reading selection.

 

Prom

Book Review by: Ana Carolina Olarte


Most teenage girls care a lot about the prom. It is like their dreaming night. They spend months or years thinking about their dress, their date, their magical night, but Ashley Hannigan, the protagonist of the story, is a teenager that doesn't care about the prom at all.


Ashley, instead of caring about the prom, she cares about getting through her senior year at Caceras High School, her boyfriend TJ (who always appears when ever he wants to), her family of three younger brothers and her mom that is always pregnant, working, and her interminable detentions. Ashley decribes herself as a "normal kid", as the one that will never get to college because of her bad behavior.


Even though Ashley, may sound like a careless person, she cares a lot about her friends who are kind of the opposite of her.
 All of Ashley's friends are obsessed about the prom, but her best friend Natalie, is the most obsessed girl in all Caceras High School. Nat, the president of the prom committee, got shocked when she heard the big news that was that someone had stolen the prom's money. That means that prom had to be canceled.


Super anti-prom Ashley, came to the rescue by saving the prom in only 11 days. She sold all the tickets necessary to collected all the money she needed to have all the things Nat had planed to have. By being a good friend and helping Nat have her dreamed night, she found out a lot of thing about herself that she never expected.


Lauren made a very good job by writing this INCREDIBLE kind of coming-of-age story. I recommend this book for teenage girls ONLY because you can really connect to this story.  From a rate of 1-10, I will give this book a 10 because you will be so interested and in the book, that you will never want to stop reading it.

Ranger’s Apprentice 2: The Burning Bridge

Reviewed by Prashy

     Ranger’s Apprentice 2: The Burning Bridge, by John Flanagan, is currently one of the most interesting books I’ve read so far. So the author, John Flanagan, was born in Sydney, Australia (May 22, 1944). His written 9 other books and they are all a sequel to Ranger’s Apprentice. These books are the only thing that made him famous; and they are already making a movie based on the first book: Ranger’s Apprentice 1 Ruins of Gorlan.

     The main character of the story are: Will, Horace, Gilan, Halt, Evelyn, Erak, Morgarath, and Alyss; but the main protagonist is Will. Will might still be learning how to be a Ranger, but he still does a great job at doing it. His likes to help, and when his friends are in trouble, he’ll do anything to rescue them. So you can also say that Will is very honest, almost never lies about anything. The same goes for Halt, who is a grim and cruel mentor to Will; but during the book, you find out that his actually a nice person in the inside. Gilan used to be Halt’s student. But, Rangers only use bow and arrows, and a small dagger in case the enemy came close; Gilan, on the other hand, was trained onto using a sword. So you could say that Gilan is the only Ranger that wields a sword. He is very nice and nothing like Halt.

     Evelyn is a mistress, who assumed her maids identity because she’s the daughter of the king. She is very friendly and for some reason she felt comfortable around Rangers. Erak is a Skandian, a separate tribe that is introduced in this book. He most of the time is very mean and cruel, but when he captured Will and Evelyn, he showed sympathy and mercy. He and his army saved them from Morgarath (and coincidentally, they worked with Morgarath to invade Araluen and conquer it). Speaking of Morgarath, he is the villain of the book. He desperately wants to conquer Araluen (the kingdom where Will and his friends are from) and he bargained with Skandians help him with his second attempt. Horace is one of Will’s best friends. He very trustworthy and always curios…. Alyss is a very polite mannered person. I found her quite annoying because she was always correcting your grammar… like your mom/dad does.

     The theme of the book was to always rely on your friends when you desperately need help. The moral value of the story was to never abandon a friend in need, especially if that friend saved your life more than 3 times. The other value that the book showed was to never feel guilty if something happened to his friend; if you do, it could lead you into some serious problems.

     I think the plot was handled very well; there were only some unnecessary descriptions in the book. Apart from the cliffhanger that author left (which has tempted me to read the third book), the conflict of the book was when Will discovered Morgarath’s battle plans, but suddenly found out that they were phony (when he was with Horace and Evelyn) and had to somehow alert the castle of this discovery.

     Will and his mentor, Halt, are in the field riding back to their home (Araluen). They encountered 3 Wargals (Morgarath’s army) along the way and killed them. But while Will endeavored to kill the last Wargal, he panicked and was almost hit by the Wargal if it wasn’t for Tug (Will’s Horse) who blocked the hit. When the whole mess was over, they acquired Morgarath’s battle plans. Seeing how Will never acted like that, Halt decided to send him with Gilan and Horace to Celtica and warn them about the war that was going to take place in 2 weeks; according to Morgarath’s battle plans.

     While Will, Horace, and Gilan went to Celtica, it was completely deserted. Gilan knew that Celtica wouldn’t do this unless they were attacked because, if Celtics moved, they wouldn’t have left their valuables; but on the other hand, there wasn’t any sign of a fight. She claimed to be the maid of her mistress. Her name was Evelyn. She confirmed Gilan’s prediction and told them where the Celts were; but most likely captured by now. Gilan Decided to investigate this more so he went deeper into Celtica, while Will and Horace took Evelyn back to Araluen. Along the way, they encountered more Wargals and followed them to a cave and a bridge that the Celts were constructing (by force).

     Will went into the cave and discovered that Skandians had been working with Morgarath. As he returned back to Evelyn and Horace, he encountered a dyeing Celtic. He questioned him about the bridge and he finds out that the bridge was used for crossing the Three Step Pass (a passage that takes you to Araluen, but couldn’t be crossed). He also finds out that the battle plans that he and Halt were phony and Morgarath was going to attack from the front with Wargals, and from the back with Skandians. While he told this discovery to Horace and Evelyn, Evelyn suggests that they should burn down the bridge. So as they did that, Horace went back to Araluen to warn them.

     While Will and Evelyn tried to burn down the bridge (and succeeded), they were captured by Skandians and were enslaved by them. Horace got to Araluen in time to warn everybody about the new attack. While he was there, he met Gilan who too, returned. Then Gilan told the king about Evelyn, who actually turned out to be the king’s daughter assuming her maid’s identity, Cassandra. So as the king still had hope for his daughter, he sent some of his men to kill the Skandians and to kill Morgarath; who has no clue that the king discovered his diabolical plan. So when the fight was over, Morgarath surrendered and challenged Halt to a 1 hand combat. Morgarath has some hatred towards Halt because Halt sabotaged Morgarath’s last attempt to take over Araluen. As much as Halt wanted to accept, the king kept on telling him not to. In the end, Horace challenged him by mistake.

     Somehow, Horace defeated him with luck, but was still injured in the fight. After the fight was over, Halt races across the fields for Will, which was being taken with Evelyn to the Skandian ships. The ships will take them to their territory, which is known to us as Antarctica.

     So this all that I’m going to tell you about the book because I don’t want to ruin the ending for you. Even though this book (262 pages) was short and easy, it included a lot of action, drama, mystery, and a very interesting ending. I recommend it to anyone who loves to read books that pertain to those qualities and love to read fantasy  novels.

Among the Hidden

Reviewed By Pablo C.

Margaret Peterson Haddix has started an intriguing sequence of books called the Shadow Children. The first book, Among the Hidden, is about a young boy named Luke Garner who is forced to live as a recluse because he is a third child. The thing about being a third child is that they are illegal in this dystopian society created by Margaret Haddix. This law is enforced by the population police, and it’s penalty, is death.

Luke, although completely terrified of the population police, has a thirst for adventure. He wants to go out and explore the world like the people in the books he read (the books that keep him entertained while locked up in the attic. His curiosity towards the outside world leads to him looking out of a small vent that he has in his room with a view of his whole neighborhood, where he analyzes all of his neighbors. Studying their homes and lifestyles, even though he doesn’t know their names. He fills this lack of information by calling the families by the attributes they consist of. A family that does sports everyday is the Sports Family, a family with a lot of birds is the Birdbrain Family, a family with all blond hair is the Gold Family, and so on. So after weeks of familiarizing himself with his neighbors, he sees something very odd in the Sports Family’s house. A child, in a house where two others, already live…

This is a start to a great series of books. If you’re looking to be entertained for a long time, I suggest you start with Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix.

My Sister's Keeper

Reviewed by Mehr E.

Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper is a flawless, stunning, tear jerking book about a family struggling with their daughter's leukemia, which comes in the way of everything the family is going through. Anna sues her parent's for Medical Emancipation and not having the right to choose if she want's or doesn't want to donate her organs to Kate.

Brian is never at home , because he can't handle the stress-he is always working. Sara is blinded by Kate's illness she doesn't see or do anything other than what concerns Kate, and the fight to keep her alive. Jesse is away from his family. "Can a parent love too much?Or is too much never enough?"

Family, friends, death, and the most important one is sisterhood, the root of the book. From the acknowledgments to the epilogue I couldn't put the book down. every page from the 423 builds up to tears. Picoult's book, is a beautiful heart throbbing novel which I would recommend to everyone from the ages 13 and older. It will leave readers wanting more when they are done.

Gone

Gone (Wake series) Review

Review by Nicholas Brands Smit


GONE by Lisa McMann is the last book in the trilogy of the New York Times best selling series WAKE. This book deals with very interesting concepts about dreams, how we forget what happened, and in this case, how others remember. It follows a girl who has some very, very serious choices to make. The pressure from her friends and her survival instinct are crushing each other, about to destroy her mind. She needs to get away from it all, but her alcoholic mother would not be able to handle it. She is challenged with Morton's Fork, a dilemma when you have to choices and both options suck. The dreams that she is jumping into unwillingly are leaving her weaker and weaker, then her already crappy life is turned upside down when a man who Jane considers a stranger shows up for the first time in years. Her dreams are telling her things that are private to people, and completely change her opinion on them. Lisa Mcmann focuses on her struggles as Jane deals with an boyfriend distraught with indecision, and a mystery to be solved.


The WAKE series is interesting in the way that is unique, it's ideas on dreaming portrayed through the intriguing character of Jane make it's concepts easy to understand whilst allowing the reader to understand more profoundly the meanings behind it. Jane finds out more and more about herself and what she wants to do because other people's unspoken thoughts, which come out and haunt them in their worst nightmares. Instead of just focusing on the dreaming part or Jane's stereotypical social life, Lisa Mcmann mixes the two together with a perfect balance, making young adults able to relate whilst being drawn into a supernatural tale. Jane's seeming normal issues which most people go though can be mixed in with her dreaming problems solely because of this fact.
Although the last few books relied on classroom interactions and disasters caused by the semi-comatose state she went in when she is pullled into a dream, including car accidents and stunned patients in a hospital to keep the story moving along, this one relied on her boyfriend Cabel's and her father's troubling dreams to propel the story towards it's climax.
What's down right bad about it? In the other books, there was a large group of intresting protagonists, now it seems to only focus on Jane. Despite this, I like GONE... Yet not as much as the other two WAKE books.

The Girls

Reviewed by Luciana P.

Amy Goldman Koss has another dramatic, clique, crushing, and friendship story, The Girls, about teenage protagonist: Maya, Renee, Darcy, Brianna and Candace. It’s a story about true friendship, the survival of middle school, and making wise choices.

Maya was just one of the popular girls until she was put out of her group of “friends” and Candace the antagonist, begins to separate them all. As the book is developed, each chapter is told in the point of view of one of the five girls, and shows there feeling about the protagonist exactly through their eyes.

This book appeals to those who interest in gossip, cliques, true friendship, or just simply want to read a book about middle school life from a girl's perspective.

Maya—the newest of the group—realizes that she is no longer part of that clique. She finds out that she was not invited to Darcy’s birthday party while everyone else was. Maya was confused and could not make out what she had done wrong, when actually she was just being kicked out of the group because of Candace, the leader “said so.” Renee—the next one in line to get exclude and whose parents are going through a divorce knows that leaving Maya out is bad but she fears that she will no longer be popular if she speaks her mind. Brianna—is just one of the followers of Candace—who doesn’t want to risk to get kicked out of the group either. Darcy—Candace’s “best friend”—obeys Candace as if she was her slave. The mystery is that no one in the group knows what wrong Maya had done, except Candace who decides who’s in and who’s out.

The author Amy Goldman Koss gives support to the story with coming of age issues that are common in the adolescent life. At the same time, the climax and resolution was blunt and brief. The climax as well the resolution was pointless because she went through so much trouble with the description and development of the characters but she didn’t end up with a strong and solid ending of the book.

The Girls is a short and fast read (121 pages) that displays many teen moments. It portrays a serious peer-pressure issues occurring in every school in the world. All of the characters really give the reader a perspective of their feelings and thoughts.