The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Cat!

This book follows the story of Arthur Dent, a rather boring Englishman, who finds out his best friend is an alien and that the earth is about to be destroyed all in the same day. The friend is named Ford Prefect, and is a researcher for the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, an encyclopedia, of sorts. The guide instructs hitchhikers about the best ways to travel the galaxy, using firsthand knowledge and a very British sense of humor.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is one of my personal favorites. Sometimes are so ridiculous, all you can do is laugh.

--Cat

P.S. If you like this, don't miss the sequels!

Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Life, the Universe, and Everything
So Long and Thanks For All the Fish
Mostly Harmless
Salmon of Doubt

And Eoin Colfer, the author of the Artemis Fowl books, has added a sixth book to the series.

And Another Thing

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Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman? by Eleanor Updale

Montmorency is the story of a thief who falls through a glass roof and hovers on the brink of death. A brilliant young doctor convinces the prison warden in charge to let him saves the thief’s life. The doctor takes the thief to lectures to display the miraculous recovery of Prisoner 493. After completing his term in prison, and with an exclusive knowledge of Victorian London’s new sewer system gained by listening to the various lectures he attended with the doctor, 493 becomes the most successful and elusive thief in London—a man he calls Scarper. In order to keep his identity a secret, he has also become a man named Montmorency, who is a respectable, wealthy gentleman. By maintaining the dual identities, he has a successful career as a thief, but Montmorency starts to prefer the honest life. And one tiny mistake could betray his whole existence! Will he decide to quit being Scarper the thief, or will he continue to live as two different people? And can he keep it a secret?

Don’t miss the exciting sequels:
Montmorency on the Rocks
Montmorency and the Assassins
Montmorency’s Revenge

***

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkin

A guest review by Teen Room Staff Jeremy!

The Hobbit takes place in Middle Earth, a realm full of humans and elves, dwarves and orcs. The prelude to Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series centers on Bilbo Baggins, the uncle of Frodo Baggins. In this novel the great Gandalf the Grey, a famous and incredible wizard, sends a group of dwarves to Bilbo’s house, telling them that Bilbo would make a great thief. Once the dwarves are settled in Gandalf arrives and explains as little as possible, a trait he shows many times throughout the series. Bilbo and the dwarves eventually figure out that they’re going to try to steal from a great dragon. Little do they know that during their journey many incredible wheels of fate will be set into motion, with Bilbo finding a certain ring, and the dragon leaving its cave, the book remains full of action and suspense throughout.

While I normally say I’d recommend this book to anyone, in this case I won’t. It does have some graphic scenes, and it gets a bit wordy, so I would recommend it to more advanced readers.

--Jeremy

P.S. Check out the graphic novel version too!

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An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Cat!

Colin Singleton is a child prodigy, and he only dates Katherines. He always ends up getting dumped by Katherines, too. After Katherine number nineteen, he and his Judge Judy loving friend, Hassan, take a road trip. This lands them in Gutshot, Tennessee, the location of the grave of Archduke Ferdinand. There Colin works on his Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability.

An Abundance of Katherines is one of my favorite books. The characters are rich and hilarious. Colin and Hassan’s use of foreign languages add to the characters. Colin’s attempt to solve the problem of his relationships using math is a fascinating concept, which interested me a lot. This is another great book from John Green.

--Cat

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Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle

Does the holiday season have you thinking about curling up with a good book? Try Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle! Three of the best teen authors around join forces to produce three interconnected holiday stories that include a teacup pig, fourteen cheerleaders, and a man who dresses in tinfoil!

Jubilee Express by Maureen Johnson follows Jubilee through what has the potential to be the worst day of her life. Her parents get arrested and she gets shipped via train to her grandparents’ house in Florida. To make matters worse, her boyfriend doesn’t seem to care! When the train gets stuck in the snow outside of a small southern town, Jubilee has had enough—she escapes to the shelter of a Waffle House, and that’s when the adventures really begin!

John Green’s Cheertastic Christmas Miracle combines fourteen cheerleaders and cheesy waffles—what more could a guy want? Tobin discovers that what he really wants was under his nose all along.

Finally, in the Patron Saint of Pigs, Lauren Myracle ties it all together. Addie is heartbroken over her recent break-up, and can’t seem to focus on anyone except herself. When one of her friends, her boss, and the guy who has hated her since the 7th grade all tell her that she’s self-absorbed, she begins to realize that they’re right. A little interference by a “Christmas Angel” forces Addie to work hard for someone else. Will her friends appreciate the effort? Will Tobin take a chance? And will Jubilee’s holiday improve?

I loved this book. The parrot in Maureen Johnson’s story makes this book worth reading, and it only appears on one page!

***

The Boyfriend List: (15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and me, Ruby Oliver) by E. Lockhart

Ruby Oliver (Roo) suffers from panic attacks, so at 15-years-old, she is sent to a shrink (Psychoanalist) to help her cope. As part of her therapy, Dr. Z suggests that she make a “Boyfriend List.” Too bad for Roo that the list got loose at school! Her life is turned upside down in ten short days: her former best friend and her boyfriend are together, and Roo has become a social outcast! And worst of all, now she has to relive it, moment by awful moment with Dr. Z! Check out what happens to Roo in The Boyfriend List!

E. Lockhart continues Roo’s story in a series that will soon have four books:


#2 The Boy Book: A Study of Habits and Behaviors, Plus Techniques for Taming Them

#3 The Treasure Map of Boys (Noel, Jackson, Finn, Hutch, Gideon—and me, Ruby Oliver





And coming next year:

#4 Real Live Boyfriends

P.S. I know you're not supposed to judge a book by the cover, but aren't these just the coolest covers?

***

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

If you can get your hands Graceling, do it! It's so good!

Graceling takes place in a fantasy world where there are normal people, and there are people who are "graced" with special abilities. These Graced people are marked by eyes that are different colors. The special skills of the Graced are varied and include swimming, fighting, and more. The main character is a woman named Katsa who is Graced with the ability to kill. Katsa lives in her uncle's kingdom and serves as his personal army, carrying out his personal vendettas, even if she doesn’t agree with him. She has secretly formed the Council, which acts to provide justice and fairness for those who have been accused and abused.

One day Kasta decides that she doesn't want to hurt the person he asks her to hurt. Because she disobeys him, she's forced to flee his kingdom. Although she is strong and independent, Katsa doesn’t travel alone. She has the help of Prince Po, who is also Graced as a fighter. Together, they travel to rescue Po's niece, Bitterblue, and save the kingdom from a corrupt king. While rescuing Bitterblue, Katsa must push her Grace to the limit, surviving a dangerous trek over impassible mountains and a perilous sea voyage all while keeping Bitterblue’s identity a secret. Can Katsa and Po get Bitterblue to safety, or will they be captured?

Kristin Cashore has written a marvelous masterpiece of strong characters, high adventure, mystery, and just a tiny hint of romance.

The companion book, Fire, is available now—and I must say it was AMAZING! I can’t wait to read her next book, which will be called Bitterblue!

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Psyche in a Dress by Francesca Lia Block

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Cat!

Psyche in a Dress is a very modern retelling of the Roman (or Greek) myth of Psyche and Eros. Very Modern, and is written in verse. Francesca Lia Block is very modern and unorthodox, and it shows in this book.

Psyche is a film maker’s daughter. Her mother left when she was little. She starts being visited every night by Eros, or Love. He has only one rule, she must never see him in the light. For a while all is well. Then Psyche heeds the advice of her sisters and looks at Eros. She sees he is beautiful, but he wakes up and finds her breaking his one rule so he flies out the window. Psyche is heartbroken. She travels around looking for Eros and trying to earn his love back.

I liked this book. It was unlike many books I had read. There is a deep mythological undertone, and Block seems to fit most of the gods, and some of the myths in the book without trouble. The poetry can make it difficult to follow. Some things didn’t click until later in the book, and I had to reread some passages to really understand what happened. I wished Block had spent more time on the Eros and Psyche part. It seemed to be over within a few pages.

I don’t think you need to be familiar with the myth to read this book. It will help though, since the author tends to leave out details about the myth itself. This is definitely a very mature book. I would not recommend this to a young audience, but to anyone else it is definitely worth a look, and it is a very quick read.

--Cat

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Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Jeremy!

In Funke's first installment of her Inkheart series we meet Mortimer and Meggie, a father and daughter duo with a very unique talent. The two of them have the ability to read characters and objects out of any book they read, so long as they read it out loud. That is how Mortimer released Capricorn and Dustfinger, two of the most important characters in the book. Capricorn is the antagonist who is bent on finding Mo to read out one of his most evil and cruel pets. Dustfinger was unwillingly torn out of the book, and as a result pursues Mo relentlessly to try to make him read Dustfinger back into the book.

Full of drama and some humor, I'd definitely recommend this book to just about anyone. This is an incredible lead in to the rest of the series.

--Jeremy

***

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Luke is the third son in his family. Unfortunately, the Population Police and the government only allow families to have two children, so he must stay hidden at all times. For most of his life he has enjoyed the protection of living on the family’s farm surrounded by woods. Now the government has built a new housing development right where the woods that once hid him existed, and Luke must stay confined to the attic, and isn’t even allowed to peek out of the windows. Desperate for some sunlight, Luke discovers that he can look out of the attic vents, which are angled so no one can see him inside. By peering out of the vents, Luke gets to know the habits of the new families living nearby, and knows each family member by sight. Then one day, he spots a face in a window of a house that he doesn’t recognize, and he realizes that it can only be another illegal child living there. Luke soon becomes obsessed with the idea of meeting this person, and when he does, she reveals a big secret. They aren’t the only shadow children out there. Just how many shadow children exists? And will they ever get to live free?

Don’t miss the other books in this exciting series!
Book 1 Among the Hidden
Book 2 Among the Impostors
Book 3 Among the Betrayed
Book 4 Among the Barons
Book 5 Among the Brave
Book 6 Among the Enemy
Book 7 Among the Free

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The Mailbox by Audry Shafer

Gable Pace was in the foster system since his mother died, but two and half years ago, he found himself living with his mother’s half-brother, Vernon Culligan. Uncle Vernon is a war veteran from Vietnam, where he lost the lower half of his left leg.

One day after school, Gabe comes home to find that Uncle Vernon has died. Shocked and frightened, Gabe doesn’t tell anyone. He realizes that if he tells anyone, he'll have to return to the foster system. The next day, he finds a mysterious note in the mailbox that reads “I have a secret. Do not be afraid.” He then discovers that Uncle Vernon’s body has disappeared!

Gabe begins a correspondence with the note writer, and doesn’t feel so alone. The note writer even gives Gabe a dog to keep him company. But he and the note writer are not prepared for what happens when the authorities find out about Uncle Vernon. Who will be his guardian now, or will he have to return to the foster system? Who is the mysterious note writer?

***

The Hound of Rowan: The Tapestry Book One by Henry H. Neff

On a trip to the art museum with his dad, Max McDaniels discovers a magical Celtic tapestry showing the mythic Cattle Raid of Cooley, in a secret room at the museum. His discovery doesn’t go unnoticed, as he is soon after contacted by the Rowan Academy, a secret school for Potentials. A Potential is a student who displays special aptitude or skills in aspects of magic. After being invited to attend Rowan and surviving the perilous journey there, Max discovers that there’s more to being a Potential than just learning some fancy tricks. He soon learns that Rowan Academy trains the Potentials to become Agents who work against the Enemy. Finding himself firmly embroiled in a centuries old battle between good and evil, Max must learn to use his skills much sooner than a Potential normally would. His life depends on it.

I felt this book was a combination of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, and the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. There’s Celtic mythology, a boy with special magical powers, only one parent is present, there are magical creatures, and a magical school building. The disappointing factor is that the writing didn’t measure up to the quality of Rowling or Riordan. Max is a fantastic character, well developed and complex, but the supporting cast wasn’t given compelling histories of their own. They seem to purely exist to move the story along. In many ways they are interchangeable. I wonder if this is fixed in the second book of the series, The Second Siege. And maybe it is unfair to make the comparisons between Riordan, Rowling, and Neff, but with so many similarities, it’s hard not to do so.

Overall it was a good book to read, and I liked it a lot. I would recommend it.

***

Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Catherine Gilbert Murdock will be visiting Waupaca on Monday, September 28, 2009. She will be visiting the High School and the Middle School!

Sixteen-year-old DJ Schwenk spends her summer vacation taking care of her family’s dairy farm. DJ is responsible for the farm because there’s no one else to do it. Her two older brothers had a fight with her father and won’t communicate with the family. Her younger brother is in the middle of his little league season. Brian Nelson, the quarterback of her high school’s rival football team is forced by his coach be help out at the farm, and worse yet, he’s supposed to have DJ train him for the upcoming season. Although they can’t stand each other at the beginning of the summer, DJ and Brian become friends. During the training, DJ decides that she will try out for her high school’s football team, but she also decides not to tell Brian. DJ realizes that not only does she love football, but she might also love Brian. She becomes torn between the two, until realizing that she must choose one. Which will she choose? Can she and Brian be friends, rivals, and possibly somethimg more--all at the same time?




Check out what happens next for DJ in The Off Season, and the stunning conclusion to her story in Front and Center--which will be published in October 2009!!!!

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New Percy Jackson Trailer!

A new trailer for the Lightning Thief Movie coming in 2010!!

The Abs Diet: The Six Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life by David Zinczenko

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Brandon!

The Abs Diet is a diet which is highly popularized by Mens’ Health magazine, a magazine with a target age group ranging from older teens to old men. I, being a member of that target group as well as a reader, have certainly heard of the Abs Diet.

The Abs Diet is merely mentioned in Mens’ Health magazine, but brought to the spotlight in Zinczenko’s book. The founder, and success story himself, Zinczenko helps to reiterate the points of the diet. Of course, the main reason many men go on diets is to lose weight, but the Abs Diet has several other added benefits. In addition to losing weight, the Abs Diet can help you gain muscle, eliminate back pain and injuries, as well as gain a longer life.

The main way that the Abs Diet differs from every other weight loss plans is that it doesn’t require you to count carbs, calories, fat grams or points; in fact, it encourages you to eat more, in the form of six healthy meals and snacks spaced evenly throughout the day and centered around twelve main power foods. It also encourages a workout plan involving lifting weights and cardiovascular activity.

I found the book to be very extensive and, although not a very weighty tome, completely thorough. Zinczenko includes many examples of success stories as well as delicious recipes incorporating the power foods, and a well balanced training program for just about everyone. I find the book to be a helpful and enjoyable aid on my way to a leaner, fitter me.

--Brandon

***

The First Part Last by Angela Johnson

Before the birth of his daughter, sixteen-year-old Bobby enjoyed getting into a little trouble, loved his girlfriend, and had parents who took care of him. After Feather is born, Bobby must become the parent and take care of her by himself. He struggles with his new role, tries to maintain his friendships from before his daughter’s birth, and can’t understand why his mom is being so tough on him. He decides to rebel one day, and gets caught. He realizes that his actions and the consequences no longer affect just him.

The topic of teenage parenthood can be controversial and it is excellently handled in this book. It’s not an easy topic or plot, and Johnson makes no excuses for not being easy. As a reader, you just have to accept that Bobby's life is harder for him now that he is a parent. I think the strongest element of the book is the internal monologue from Bobby. He is so brutally honest with the reader and himself and I was able to believe Bobby; that’s what makes this book special. The dialogue between Bobby and his friends feels forced and fake in comparison.

I really enjoyed this book a lot, with the exception of the dialogue. I would recommend this book in a heartbeat.

Hacking Harvard by Robin Wasserman

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Brandon!

The prize: $25,000. The hack: Take one “deadbeat” senior and turn him into Harvard-acceptable material. This is the bet that Eric, Max, and Schwarz have taken with the notorious hackers, the Bongo Bums. Max, the risk-taker of the group, immediately agrees without the consent of his group-mates, and the bet is on. Eric, the voice of reason, immediately reprimands Max for his foolishness, but eventually decides he is in for the “hack.” Schwarz, a 16 year-old genius and freshman at Harvard, is easily persuaded, and goes along with both of them. The term “hack” takes on a different meaning in this book, one more akin to prank, but much more sophisticated.

The Bongo Bums choose, Clay Porter, school terror, as their candidate for Harvard. Max approaches him and offers a cut of the prize money if they pull the hack off. He agrees, and the hacking begins. The book follows the standard application process timeline of Harvard, from the application to the interview, to finally, acceptance. The story digresses nicely with several different storylines for each character, which of course are woven into one book.

The book is told from a third person point of view for the first portion, but then switches to first person when the crew meets Alexandra Talese, also a Harvard hopeful, who unfortunately happens to be working for the Bums, in exchange for them hacking the Harvard network and guaranteeing her acceptance. Several people who have read the book have found this to be confusing, but it wasn’t a problem for me at all. I believe Hacking Harvard was a very good novel that displays the corrupt system known as college admissions. But it is purely fiction, and must be taken with a very large grain of salt.

--Brandon

P.S. Do not attempt any of the hacking described in this book. You will probably end up in jail.

***

Naruto Vol. 1 by Masashi Kishimoto

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Brandon!

Lots of kids are shunned by their classmates, but how many can say they are shunned by the entire town? Naruto, a young upstart ninja from the Konohagakure village, the village hidden in the leaves, is determined to succeed, despite his dark past, one which he didn’t choose. As an infant, Naruto was chosen as the host for the nine-tailed fox demon that was ravaging the village, but was defeated by the first hokage. Naruto has bigger plans than just acceptance from the village. He is determined to become the hokage, the greatest ninja his entire village. The book opens to show how Naruto is shunned by the village, except for a few people. He learns of one of those people very quickly, his teacher, Iruka, when Iruka protects him from the evil Mizuchi. Iruka is injured protecting Naruto, so the tables turn and Naruto has to protect Iruka. After Naruto defeats Mizuchi, Iruka gives Naruto a leaf-village headband, and recognizes him as a full-fledged ninja. After becoming a ninja, Naruto is put into a team with Sasuke and Sakura, fellow ninja. Sasuke is set on revenge for the murder of his clan, and Sakura is more concerned with love than ninjutsu. Team chemistry is not very high, and thus at first the team does not perform well; especially with the difficult Master Kakashi as their sensei. The book ends with a test given by Master Kakashi to determine whether or not the team is ready for missions; and he determined…they fail…

What will volume 2 have in store? Is this the end for the three ninja? Simply put….no. Kishimoto weaves an intricate tale with his first volume, which transcends beautifully into a complete series of over 40 volumes. Naruto is a very intriguing tale of Naruto’s journey to become hokage, Sasuke’s quest for vengeance, and Sakura’s ongoing search for a path in life.


--Brandon

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The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Jeremy!

In this short but very powerful novel Randy Pausch discusses the time leading up to and during his final lecture at Carnegie Mellon. He talks about the hardships he has overcome, such as finding out he had ten tumors in his liver, and the ways he overcame them, through writing this lecture, for example. His incredibly upbeat and positive attitude goes against all preconceived ideas of how terminal cancer patients act.

I would recommend this book to anyone, and I mean ANYONE. The sheer optimism of Randy up to his final days is nearly overwhelming. It's too bad he's not with us anymore, but wherever he is I'm sure he's having fun.

--Jeremy

P.S. This is a summer reading book for Seniors at Waupaca High School!

***

Castration Celebration by Jake Wizner

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Brandon!

For Max, summer arts camp at Yale University is another opportunity to hone his acting skills, both on the stage and with the ladies. For Olivia, it is an opportunity to escape her home life and write her musical, based on her current hatred of men, thanks to her father, who she walked in on while he was fooling around with one of his students. A true ladies man with a plan of conquest for summer camp, and a young woman who has sworn off men for the summer? These two have to run into each other; and they do, quite literally. Max and Olivia meet on the train to summer camp, when Max accidentally runs into Olivia. He falls in love, and she figures she’ll never see him again.

Once they arrive at camp, they meet their roommates, for Max, the eccentric guitar-playing Zeke; and for Olivia, (who is staying in a suite) Mimi, Callie, and Trish. As it turns out, Zeke and Trish are from the same town, so the guys end up spending quite a bit of time with the girls, and Max uses it to try to get to know Olivia better.

As the story progresses, so does Olivia’s musical. Her musical, Castration Celebration, is strikingly similar to the events of real life, and no one but her knows until she asks Zeke to write the music for it. While Zeke has Olivia’s manuscript, Max reads it and realizes that Olivia has feelings for him. As the summer ends, Olivia accepts her feelings for Max and they get together. They continue a short correspondence via email, but that’s were book leaves the story, and their relationship, up in the air.

Castration Celebration was a hysterical novel. It employed two separate stories, the novel, and the musical being written by Olivia (which was distinguished by a different font), and wove them together nicely. I thoroughly enjoyed C.C., but I do believe it is a title geared towards older teens; with many sexual innuendos and jokes more appropriate for older ages.

--Brandon

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A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb

Helen is a ghost who has haunted for many lifetimes. She has attached herself to several different hosts over the years, and can’t figure out what is holding her to Earth while her hosts have all moved on when they passed away. Her current host is an English teacher named Mr. Brown. She discovers that for the first time in her entire time as a ghost, there is someone who can see her. Helen soon realizes that Billy, Mr. Brown’s student, is not the one who can see her, but it is James, another ghost who has taken over Billy’s body.

James and Helen are drawn together, and decide to find a body for Helen to possess too. They find a girl who goes to the same school, and Helen is able to inhabit her vacated body. Complications arise as James and Helen realize that they cannot simply begin their life together, but have to continue to pretend to be Billy and Jenny. That also means that they need to deal with the issues that caused Billy and Jenny to vacate their lives. As James begins to help Billy overcome his problems with drugs, an abusive father, and a strained relationship with his brother, Helen sees that he has started to deal with the issue that hasn’t allowed him to move on. Following James’ example, Helen helps Jenny solve her issues, and she begins to realize why she can’t move on.

Overall, I felt that the writing was fairly average. The unique plot is the piece that kept this book from being ordinary. Perhaps because I listened to the audio version, I was much more aware of phrases that were overused, for example, the narrator continually said “I was shocked.” I also felt that the narrator, Helen, did not have views towards relationships and intimacy that were consistent to the time period in which she died. I felt that the author didn’t stay true to the idea of history that she had been trying to infuse into the character.

Not my favorite book, but a very interesting concept--give it a try!

***

Battle Angel Alita by Yukiro Kishiro

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Brandon!

In a futuristic society, humans, androids, and cyborgs have learned how to coexist, Daisuke Ido is a mechanic just trying to scratch out a living while pursuing his hobby of finding scraps in the junkyard to invent new things. While out scavenging, Ido stumbles upon the destroyed body of a female cyborg, with the brain still intact, in a state of hibernation. He brings the head back to his shop, and fixes the girl up. He re-awakens her brain, but cannot recover her lost memory, and takes her under his wing as a daughter; his first act as her “father” is to name her Alita.

Daisuke creates a new body for Alita, and soon she is following in his footsteps. Soon she finds out that Daisuke has a night job as well as his mechanic profession; he is a hunter-warrior, a futuristic bounty hunter. As soon as Alita discovers his true profession, she decides she wants to be a hunter- warrior as well. She goes against Daisuke’s wishes and registers to become a hunter herself. In her first bounty hunt, with Daisuke watching, she discovers she knows the Panzer Kunst, a fighting technique developed for cyborgs centuries ago.

After Alita loses a battle against Makaku, the biggest bounty around, Daisuke outfits her with a berserker body, a cyborg body used in the wars many years ago. With it she gains great power, and chooses to go after Makaku again. Using her new body, she is able to use the Panzer Kunst to defeat Makaku.

I enjoyed Battle Angel Alita, with its snappy art style and witty dialogue, along with some great action-fight scenes. It is a manga, but follows the American layout of left to right reading.

--Brandon

***

Beast by Donna Jo Napoli

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Lydia!

In light of the recent musical by the Waupaca Community Theater, I decided to read a book with a “Beauty and the Beast” theme.

Orasmyn is the prince of Persia and lives in the lap of luxury until he makes one poor decision and is transformed into a lion, with his only hope of salvation the love of a woman. He travels first to India and eventually to France, where he finds an abandoned castle and cultivates a beautiful rose garden in the hopes of luring a woman to the castle and earning her love.

The first half of the book takes place in Persia and is littered with Persian and Arabic words which seem to add nothing to the story. This part of the book drags as Orasmyn is adapting to his lionine instincts and circumstances. In the much shorter second part of the book, Belle and the Beast’s romance happens much too fast for believability, especially since the Beast lacks the power of speech, and culminates in an extremely abrupt ending. The author’s note, however, is especially interesting and reveals the author’s intent to combine the many versions of “Beauty and the Beast.” The note explains the parts of the story which may seem odd to those of us who are used to the Disney version.

I give this book Three Stars!

--Lydia

***

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

17 year-old Ginny receives a packet of thirteen little blue envelopes from her favorite aunt, which are numbered. The first contains instructions to go to New York to pick up a package, get on a plane, and fly to England, where her aunt lived. Through the rules outlined in the first letter, Ginny realizes that she must follow the instructions on the first before opening any of the other envelopes. She can’t bring money, guide books, or any electronic devices including laptops, phones, or cameras. The only major problem with following this plan created by her aunt is that her aunt has been dead for three months. Aunt Peg was a wanderer and an artist, and completely unpredictable. The letters from Peg take Ginny all over Europe tracing a path that Peg once took. Ginny meets old friends, heroes, and employers of Peg’s, and does things she never thought she, Ginny, could or would do—she even asks an Italian stranger out for cake! She also becomes the patron of a one-man play performed by an English boy named Keith. In Greece, Ginny’s backpack is stolen, and she must return to London without completing the final mission. Or does she?

I enjoyed the format in the book, which consists of letters from Peg to Ginny in a handwritten font, and chapters in a different font and a standard form. Ginny is able to travel as a single, female teenager without social constraints, and the experiences she has are extraordinary and require her to develop great independence. There’s also a potential love interest. I would recommend it, especially to anyone suffering from a travel bug!

***

Punkzilla by Adam Rapp

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Brandon!

Jamie, a.k.a. “Punkzilla,” is on a mission. His mission: to visit his brother Peter before he dies of cancer in Memphis, Tennessee; not an easy trek for a fourteen-year old boy who has gone AWOL from his military boarding school. As he journeys to Tennessee, he writes his deepest thoughts in the form of letters to his friends and family: his brother, his mom, his dad, and his best friends Branson and Buck Tooth Jenny. Punkzilla chronicles important events in his life, as well as the events of the bus trip from Portland, Oregon to Memphis. He tells his brother of his times working for Fat Larkin stealing iPods and iPhones to make a quick buck. In turn, Peter tells Jamie about his cancer and how it feels to near the end. Intermingled between the main letters of Jamie and Peter are Jamie’s letters to and from his other family and friends.

Punkzilla was interesting content-wise, but the writing style really turned me off from this book, so much that I couldn’t even finish it. It is written primarily in the style that a fourteen-year old writing on a Greyhound would write. This means the book has many run-on sentences and is written more so as if it was spoken word. This makes reading the book a little bit troublesome at times.

--Brandon

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Pendragon Book Eight: The Pilgrims of Rayne by J.D. MacHale

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Jeremy!

In the eighth installment of the Pendragon series, Bobby finds himself on an island paradise territory called Ibara. He quickly finds himself arrested by the locals and accused of being an outsider, which means certain death. After convincing the ruling council of Ibara that he has amnesia, he quickly goes about trying to find the turning point of Ibara, with the unwilling help of Ibara’s new traveler, Siry. Bobby’s involvement with Siry eventually leads to him joining Siry’s gang of outlaws, the Jakills, whose main purpose is to prove the council of Ibara has been lying to the people and there are more things in the world than their little island.
While Bobby is adventuring in Ibara, Courtney, who Bobby dumped on First Earth in the previous novel, is intent on her hunt for Mark, along with her new “partner”, Dodger, who is later revealed to be Gunny’s acolyte. The unlikely duo eventually locate Mark, who, unfortunately, is already on the ship where, according to Patrick on Third Earth, he will be murdered.

In this eighth book, the fact that Bobby and Courtney share the same amount of pages throughout the book is a little confusing at first, but hardly takes away from the epic ness of this novel. The incredible imagery that is becoming very typical of D.J Machale will keep readers captivated, and the surprise ending will leave readers demanding more.

--Jeremy

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Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Brandon!

Carter is a hot-shot freshman, determined to conquer his new high school. Like many freshman, he has slight delusions of grandeur that high school is all about sex, parties, and rock and roll. Carter wants to be accepted most of all. To achieve acceptance, he joins the football team, goes to upper class parties, and just generally tries to fit in. Of course, his attention deficit disorder doesn’t help very much.

Carter is a traditional lazy freshman, so naturally he aspires to be the kicker, the laziest position on the team. Hilarity ensues on Carter’s journey to eventually become the varsity kicker. During his debut, he manages to shank his very first kick so much that the football flies into the pep band and knocks out a trombone player.

Carter is also searching for love and sex, and unfortunately for him, he’s searching for both at the same time, which is often a search which ends in disaster. His main love interest of the book is Abby, a drill teamer, (one of the girls deemed “not-good-enough” for the ever-popular dance team.) Unfortunately for Carter, he doesn’t realize that he has fallen for Abby until she has moved on from him.

Carter’s journey through freshman year is a good tale of the quest for love, acceptance, and most importantly, a sense of direction in life. Although my review may not give a very well detailed view of the book, it was an enjoyable read and one I would highly recommend.

--Brandon

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Death Note Volume 1 by Tsugumi Ōba

Death Note volume 1 is the story of a very bright Japanese student, Light, who finds the Death Note, a notebook belonging to a death god. Possessing the notebook gives Light the power to kill anyone, and he decides to use that power to rid the earth of dangerous criminals. The deaths of the criminals doesn’t go unnoticed, and Light finds himself trying to stay hidden from the government who seeks to find him.

At first I had trouble getting used to the manga style of reading, but the story was so intriguing that I soon got the hang of it. The graphics were done in black and white and were very detailed. I had trouble with some of the images in that they were so detailed, but printed so small that they were hard to see. I wondered if I was missing important details, or was not getting all the information I should have from the images.

I think Death Note would create a lot of discussion in an adult or teen book group about human rights and the death penalty. It is also a great mystery story--who is Light and will he be caught? And who is the mysterious "L" character? I would recommend it.

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I Luv Halloween Vol. 1 by Keith Giffen and Benjamin Roman

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Brandon!

I Luv Halloween is not a normal persons’ manga. It is read left to right in the traditional American comic style, but I must warn any potential readers, the content is quite a bit gruesome.

With that disclaimer out of the way, I have to say that I Luv Halloween was a fun book to read. It takes place in a little neighborhood where the local children are trick or treating on Halloween. The entire book takes place on the night of Halloween, but follows several different story arcs within that time period.

The main story revolves around Finch, and his group of friends, Pig Pig, Mr. Kitty, and Devil Lad. Soon after the opening, Finch loses his sister, and falls victim to the dreaded “Apple Jack Curse.” (If you receive an apple or other non-candy item at the first house, it’s bad luck for the rest of the night.)

Another story focuses on Finch’s lost sister, Moochie, who is dressed up as the tooth fairy. She traipses around town in search of molars, which she usually pulls from live people after knocking them unconscious. A local boy, Spike joins Moochie later on in the story.

Yet another story focuses on the neighborhood bullies, and their conquest of the neighborhood kids, and their candy supply. Unfortunately for them, they cross paths with Moochie, who decides she wants their molars. She proceeds to knock them out, and they swear revenge when they wake up.

The final story is very minor, but it is the saga of two local high school kids, Biff and his girlfriend. They first encounter Moochie, who steals a certain undergarment of Biff’s girlfriend to use as a slingshot while they are engaging in some promiscuous business in the bushes. Biff and his girlfriend then enlist Finch to find his sister, and retrieve the undergarment.

I Luv Halloween is a very interesting tale of an alternate version of Halloween. The kids pile up quite a body count, between their quest for candy, and Moochie’s search for molars, in some very disturbing scenes. I Luv Halloween is certainly not for the faint of heart, but if you can stomach it, provides some laughs as well.

--Brandon

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Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham

Fifteen-year-old Jane Arrowood, a talented artist, survives a shark attack, but loses her right arm. Jane struggles with the overwhelming outpouring of sympathy from friends, family, and complete strangers. She once craved attention for her art, but now scorns the extra attention. A small boy she befriends at the hospital helps her realize that losing an arm doesn’t mean that she must only define herself by the event.

The book is written in an alternative format, relying on letters, phone conversations, poems, and newspaper clippings instead of traditional prose, and I think this is what really makes the book work. The starkness of the text illustrates the fear, hopelessness, hope, and growth of the character without being overly wordy, flowery, or sentimental. I really think this book was well written.

I loved this book. I would recommend it, no question.

If you want to read a nonfiction story about a girl who survives a shark attack, check out Soul surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board by Bethany Hamilton.

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Lightning Thief Movie!

Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief is being made into a movie! Check out the website here, and look for the movie in theaters next February!!

Here's the trailer!!



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Busted: Confessions of an Accidental Player by Antony John

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Brandon!

We all know the popular kids in school. The ones with the perfect hair, ridiculously expensive cars, gorgeous boyfriends and girlfriends. Well, Kevin Mopsely is not one of those privileged few. Kevin is a flute-playing, antisocial nerd; the epitome of uncool. He has somehow made it to his senior year without attracting the attention of…well…anybody. Then the most popular kid in school, Brandon Trent appoints Kevin the keeper of the Book of Busts, a compilation of all the senior girls’ bust, waist, and hip measurements, he feels a bit overwhelmed. Kevin accepts Brandon’s challenge, though, and immediately his social status soars, much to the dismay of his old, band-geek friends.

Of course, his task would be simple, if his mom wasn’t a feminist college professor who would immediately condemn any interaction with The Book on Kevin’s part. Also, Kevin’s best friend and love interest, Abby, tells him flat out that she will basically hate him forever if he’s involved with the jocks and their ridiculous book.

How can poor Kevin keep his real friends from finding out about his project for the jocks, and at the same time, keep his jock friends from finding out about his flute-playing, love of music personality, all the while keeping the whole thing under wraps from his mom? Busted tells an interesting tale of Kevin’s journey through senior year, loving and losing Abby, getting her back, and his ongoing battle with the jocks and the biggest decision: does he want to be popular or not?

--Brandon

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Star Wars: Jedi Academy 1: Jedi Search by Kevin J. Anderson

A guest review by Teen Room Staff Jeremy!

In this first installment of Kevin J. Anderson’s Star Wars trilogy, Luke is beginning his search across the galaxy for Jedi pupils to re-create the Jedi order, Han and Chewie crash on Kessel and become slaves, and Leia gets re-united with her children, all in the first fifty pages. Luke eventually locates two students and proceeds to go with Lando to find Han and Chewie, Meanwhile, Han and Chewie escape the spice mines along with Kyp, a fellow miner, and enter the enormous cluster of black holes near Kessel with Kyp using his fledgling force abilities to guide them. . . right into a remnant fleet of star destroyers. While imprisoned, again, Han manages to convince one of the scientists in the research facility to check the true uses of the world devastators she designed. With her new knowledge in hand, she helps the three escape in her newly built Sun Crusher, which Han proceeds to use to ram through a Star Destroyer, sending it into a black hole. Eventually, Han and Luke re-unite with Han being chased by Imperials and Luke being chased by angry spice miners. The group eventually escapes back to Courescant, and to relative safety. While this whole event was taking place, Leia and Mon Mothma decided that Yavin 4, the previous Rebel base, would be the perfect location for Luke’s Jedi Temple.

--Jeremy

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Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Lydia!!

Junior was born with water on the brain, causing him to have a huge head, terrible eyesight (and hideous old man glasses), 10 extra teeth, a stutter and at least two seizures a week. Growing up on the Spokane Indian reservation, what Junior describes as his “epic” appearance, made him the bullies’ favorite target and left him with only one friend, Rowdy, ironically, the biggest bully of them all.

Stuck in a world of poverty and alcoholism he’s afraid he’ll never escape, Junior snaps when he opens his textbook to find his mothers name. That afternoon, the teacher he hit in the face with a book shows up at this house with a broken nose. Rather than beat or yell at Junior, however, the teacher tells him he’s forgiven and that he has to leave the reservation before he gives up like everybody else.

Thus begins Junior’s life as a part-time Indian, living on the reservation with the Indians, but going to school off the reservation with the white kids. The story follows Junior through his freshmen year of high school and all the year entails, including sports, prom and dating, but also confronts the larger issues of racism, poverty, alcoholism and loyalty. The pages are decorated with Junior’s doodles which add depth to his character and lighten the often heavy mood of the text.

Sherman Alexie created a must-read with this book, raising important issues and simultaneously leaving readers laughing out loud.

--Lydia

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Priest by Min-Woo Hyung

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Brandon!

Priest is a no-holds barred, shoot first; ask questions later kind of graphic novel. The protagonist, Ivan Isaacs, is a former priest who has sold half his soul to the devil, Belial, to attempt to save his love, Gena. Priest opens with Ivan riding on a train through the west with a criminal accompanied by four marshals (law enforcement). The criminal turns out to be the boss of the local gang, Rebel Angels. Being the boss of the local gang has its perks, and Lizzie (the boss) is the target of a rescue by her gang. The gang takes over the train, kills the crew and marshals, and robs the passengers, and loot the rest of the train; but when they attempt to rob Ivan, they find a little bit more resistance than they bargained for. While demanding that Ivan comply, the gang’s second in command, Kacho, hears his scouts scream from the rear of the train, where they have discovered a chained car, in which they assume are treasures.

Unluckily for the scouts, there is no treasure present, but a horde of undead zombies, who have been awakened by the bloodshed of the train’s inhabitants. These undead serve the fallen archangel, Temozarela, who Ivan knows as Jarbilong. He knew the contents of the final car, and prophesized the gang’s demise if they did not leave the train. Of course, they didn’t listen to him, and attempted to fight the undead horde they unleashed. Their struggle was in vain as they fought the immortal soldiers of Temozarela. Ivan finally steps in after the zombies have killed all but Lizzie, and defends her because she reminds him of Gena. Ivan takes a mortal wound while protecting Lizzie, and she realizes he is immortal. The wound triggers him to call upon his demonic power, driving him into a frenzy in which he kills all the zombies, and nearly kills Lizzie. His memories of Gena are the only thing that saves her. He tells her to flee the train because more undead soldiers are approaching, and subsequently blows it up.

Priest presents a fast paced novel with many action-packed gunfights. As I stated before, it is a graphic novel, but rather than Japanese style, it is read from left to right. I enjoyed Priest for its main storyline featuring Ivan’s quest to regain his soul and join Gena in the afterlife, but I think many people would enjoy it for its shoot-em-up nature.

--Brandon


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Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Lydia!

Growing up in modern day India, Koly is forced into an arranged marriage by her family’s poverty and her parents’ subsequent inability support her any longer. However, within weeks of the marriage, her husband dies, leaving her a widow at thirteen.

In a society where there is neither room nor status for widows, Koly finds herself in a home where she is now unwanted by her cruel mother-in-law. Circumstances worsen before Koly finally falls into the kind hands who will help her grow into an independent and industrious woman, despite the norms of society.

An interesting read which examines the Hindu culture, Homeless Bird brings forth the contradictions of an age old society mixed with the world of computers and air conditioned cars. The book has a particularly satisfactory ending and despite the depressing beginning, the opens into a happy story of inspiration and hope, and even finds room for love.

--Lydia

P.S. from Melissa--if you like Homeless Bird, you should try Keeping Corner by Kashmirea Sheth.

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Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Brandon!

Marcus Yallow is a senior at Cesar Chavez High School in the Mission district of San Francisco. The teachers may all know him as Marcus, but to his closest friends, he is known as “w1n5t0n,” (pronounced Winston, not “double-you-one-en-five-tee-zero-en.”) He uses this moniker because he is a prominent figure in the tech community. See, his school has a ridiculous security code, from the use of tracking software in the school-supplied laptops, to gait-recognizing technology to track any rogue students. Marcus, being the techie that he is fools the cameras by putting rocks in his shoes, and skips school with some of his friends to play Harajuku Fun Madness, an ARG. ARG, or alternate reality game, is where teams must find clues, decipher them, and eventually reach a final prize, resulting in a trip to Tokyo.

While on the search for the next clue, Marcus and his friends are caught up in a terrorist attack on the Golden Gate Bridge. As they attempt to go the opposite way from the mad, stampeding crowds, they are taken into custody by the Department of Homeland Security as suspects in the attack. Marcus is separated from his friends and released back home several days later, but his best friend Darryl is still missing. Marcus suspects foul play on the part of the DHS, and begins a search for his friend using his better than average technical abilities. His search only ends with the DHS telling him to stop looking and that they will be monitoring any of his online activities.

Now with every aspect of his life being monitored, Marcus sets out on a crusade to stick it to the DHS and save his best friend. He begins his quest anew and searches for Darryl. During his journey, Marcus avoids the government, hacks his Xbox to transmit a type of internet, and organizes one of the largest ARG meetings in history; all underneath the careful radar of the DHS. In the end, Marcus is able to clear his, and Darryl’s name, sort of. The government drops all charges against Darryl, and reduces Marcus’ from “electronic terrorism” and “inciting a riot” to “petty theft.” Marcus spends three months in a halfway house as a sentence, but for half the day he is allowed to go out to his “job.” He and his friends started a nonprofit organization to retain peoples’ rights and abate the government’s ridiculous amount of power.

Little Brother was a phenomenal book, from beginning to end. Although it is fiction, it really caused me to stop and examine my own rights. Hopefully you’ll read this book and do the same.

--Brandon

Hitler Youth by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Lydia!

“‘I begin with the young,’ said Hitler. ‘We older ones are used up…But my magnificent youngsters! Are there finer ones anywhere in the world? Look at all these men and boys! What material! With them I can make a new world.’”

In 1926 Hitler founded the “Hitler Youth,” an organization that on the surface resembled the boy scouts, but which he would later use to manipulate the youth of Germany into carrying out the terrible crimes of the Nazi party. “Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow” tells the story of not only the organization itself, but of the German children and teenagers living in Germany under the Nazi party—both those who supported their Führer and those who stood against him and suffered the consequences.

Melita Maschmann had been forbidden by her parents to join the BDM, the girl’s branch of the Hitler Youth. However, convinced that Hitler was doing great things for Germany, she snuck out to attend the weekly meetings contrary to her parents’ wishes.

Helmuth Hübener was sixteen when he began illegally listening to foreign radio stations. When he realized the lies the German people were being fed by the Nazis, he, along with two of this friends, began printing anti-Nazi leaflets and passing on the foreign news, a crime punishable by death.

Stories of the Jewish and occupied experiences under the Nazi regime fill the pages young adult literature, from “The Diary of Anne Frank” to “Number the Stars.” But what about the German experience? What were the German youth doing during the Nazi Regime, and why didn’t they try and stop it? “Hitler Youth” recalls the true stories and events surrounding the youth of Germany and the opinions they formed.

--Lydia

P.S. from Melissa. If you're looking for fiction about the same subject, try The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

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The Quillan Games by D.J MacHale

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Jeremy!

This book is non-stop action and suspense from start to finish. The seventh Pendragon book finds Bobby on Quillan, a territory addicted to games of all kinds, however each game comes with a twist. If a competitor wins they could receive things ranging from food to vehicles. But, if a competitor loses, it's very likely they'll end up working in the toxic waste infested power plants across the territory that will eventually lead to the loser's painful death. Bobby comes to this territory, as usual, chasing the elusive Saint Dane. After nearly being eaten by quig-spiders, and avoiding the robot police of Quillan, Bobby is eventually scooped up by Veego and LeBearg and forced to compete in these games. He eventually is picked up by a resistance force fighting against the territory wide company Blok. Through this book Bobby meets new friends and a whole set of new enemies.

This is easily my favorite Pendragon book to date, and I plan on reading the series to the end. I would recommend this series to anyone who is interested in fantasy and or science fiction novels.

--Jeremy

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Where North America once thrived now exists a country made up of twelve districts. Once a year, the government of this country sponsors an event called The Hunger Games. Two teens, one boy and one girl, are sent from each district to the capital city of Panem to participate. The Games pit all twenty-four teens in a battle to the death, with one survivor. The Games are broadcast on TV back to each of the districts. The winner must kill all of their opponents, even those who might be friends.

Katniss Everdeen has become the primary provider for her family since her father’s death, and has honed her skills at hunting with a bow and arrow, often outside the borders of District 12, which is one of the poorest of the districts. On the day teens are selected to participate in the Hunger Games, Katniss is shocked when her younger sister Prim’s name is drawn. Knowing that her fragile sister will never survive, Katniss volunteers to take her place in the competition. Katniss travels with Peeta, the boy selected from District 12, to the capital to prepare for the Games. Katniss and Peeta have known each other for years, but are far from friends. Each contestant is given advice on appearance, training, and manipulating not only the media surrounding the event, but the filming of the show itself. Katniss struggles with her media appearances, but trusts her own abilities to survive, at least for a while. She is shocked to find herself touted as a darling of the Games, and as a love interest for Peeta. She also finds herself at a disadvantage because she is from District 12. Some of the wealthier districts train their teens to be champions of the games, while those from poor districts must fend for themselves once their names are selected. Once the games begin, Katniss is on her own.

Suzanne Collins expertly blends a futuristic society with the primitive existence of some of the poorer districts. The influence of the government and the controllers of the Games is a strong underscore to the development of Katniss’ character.

This is quite possibly one of the best books I’ve ever read. Suzanne Collins, the author of the Gregor the Overlander Series, held me captive for hours. I simply couldn’t put this book down. The sequel, Catching Fire, will be released in September, and I can’t wait!

One Piece Vol. 1: Romance Dawn by Eiichiro Oda

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Brandon!

Can you remember a time when comic books were the coolest thing since sliced bread, to be cliché? Well, their time has come once again, but in a different form. The new craze sweeping the teen scene is manga, which is Japanese for whimsical pictures can be loosely translated to comics outside of Japan. Manga is different in its style as well as its format. Traditional books are read left to right, but manga comics are read right to left, beginning with what (in the American style) would be the back cover. If that doesn’t sound like your style, then you might just want to skip this review and move onto the next. That said, let’s move onto the book.

Romance Dawn opens the One Piece saga with a young Monkey D. Luffy, the protagonist. He is always seen trying to join his idol, Shanks’ pirate ship, but Shanks won’t let him. Thus, he hangs out with Shanks at the local tavern where he accidentally eats the Gum-Gum Fruit, which allows his body to stretch, much like a rubber band or piece of chewed gum. This presents a problem because Luffy is determined to find the One Piece, the greatest treasure in the world, and eating one of the Devil Fruits (there are many) deprives the eater of their ability to swim.

The book fast forwards to Luffy when he has grown and goes out to sea. He befriends a couple of rogue sea people, a bounty hunter turned pirate, and a thief who steals from pirates. Romance Dawn follows their adventures on the East Blue Ocean.

The first volume in the series, Romance Dawn establishes the wonderful writing and illustration style of Oda. Driving dialogue help propel and keep the reader interested in the several substories present underneath Luffy’s grand quest for the One Piece.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and all its subsequent volumes. It is well written and has appeal to many age groups, from youth to adult.


--Brandon

P.S. from Melissa--even if you don't think you'll like Manga, give one a try! You might really be surprised!