Quad by: C.G. Watson

Quad by: C.G. Watson

Published: May 10, 2007 by Razorbill

Summary:

Everything led up to this moment—the point when the teasing, the cruelty, the pressure all became too much. And someone finally snapped.

Now six students, from six different cliques, are trapped in the student store while a shooter terrorizes their school. The shooter's identity is teased out through the students' flashbacks until the reader breathlessly reaches the final page. It's only there that he discovers the shocking answer to the question: Who is shooting out in the quad?

This gripping thriller by educator C. G. Watson is inspired by observations made in her own high school. Quad examines in heartrending detail how even the most casual cruelties can tear people apart.

Review: Quad was a very surprising read that was filled with such anger, that by the end I wanted to punch a couple of characters in the face.

Forced to seek shelter after shots are fired at their high school, Ranger, Ken, Maggie, Sage, Calvert, and Christopher are forced to take shelter in the school store. All six kids are from six different cliques. They know that it has to be one of their friends. Could it be Stone on a steroid rage? Or Perry the choirboy with a vengeance? Or Rufus, the freak with a score to settle?

I didn't expect much from this with Quad since I didn't hear much about it,but it really blew me away. I would find myself scrambling through pages to find out what would happen next. With this book, you are brought back and forth from the past and the present. I really loved this because it gave you more insight on what happened to the character before and what was happening in the quad. I could really see this becoming a movie.

There were a ton of POVs for this, but I felt that most of the characters were highly developed. My favorite would probably be Ranger, I found him to be funny and the kind of person I would hang out with. I also liked Paisley, Sage, Hayley, Ken and Theo. These people were all normal, nice people and when I needed to, I sympathized them. I hated Maggie the most I think. She was a loser who thought she was different but was just like the mean guys. Speaking of the mean kids, boy oh boy, what I would give to slap Brittany and Nicole! Gosh, these girls took mean to a whole new level! And Stone...let's just say by the end I wanted to kick him where the sun don't shine.

The only problem I had with this was the ending. Yes, I never saw it coming, but it left me with so many questions. I felt that there should have been an epilogue or at least one more chapter.

Overall: 4.5 stars

You can find out more about the author and book here.

Paul is Undead by: Alan Goldsher

Paul is Undead by: Alan Goldsher
Published: June 22,2010 by Pocket

Other books by this author: Hollywood Monster: A Walk Down Elm Street with the Man of Your Dreams, Modest Mouse: A Pretty Good Read, In a Single Bound: Losing my Leg,Finding Myself,and Training for Life,Hard Bop Academy,Dancing to Music in my Head: A Memoir of the People's Idol, Jam, and The Record Haus

Summary: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IT'S TIME TO REALLY MEET THE BEATLES.

For John Lennon, a young, idealistic zombie guitarist with dreams of global domination, Liverpool seems the ideal place to form a band that could take over the world. In an inspired act, Lennon kills and reanimates local rocker Paul McCartney, kicking off an unstoppable partnership. With the addition of newly zombified guitarist George Harrison and drummer/Seventh Level Ninja Lord Ringo Starr, the Beatles soon cut a swath of bloody good music and bloody violent mayhem across Europe, America, and the entire planet.

In this searing oral history, discover how the Fab Four climbed to the Toppermost of the Poppermost while stealing the hearts, ears, and brains of smitten teenage girls. Learn the tale behind a spiritual journey that resulted in the dismemberment of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Marvel at the seemingly indestructible quartet’s survival of a fierce attack by Eighth Level Ninja Lord Yoko Ono. And find out how the boys escaped eternal death at the hands of England’s greatest zombie hunter, Mick Jagger.

Through all this, one mystery remains: Can the Beatles sublimate their hunger for gray matter, remain on top of the charts, and stay together for all eternity? After all, three of the Fab Four are zombies, and zombies live forever. . . .

Review: And you thought you knew The Beatles. Alan Goldscher takes through the Beatles amazing career in the sixties in a new take.
If you really thought John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison were human then you were wrong! They are actually brain-eating zombies and on top of that Ringo is a ninja! Mr. Goldscher takes you on a wild ride through the sixties that include battles with Mick Jagger and Yoko Ono, wild concerts and of course, eating brains.

I have to give it to Alan. He was very creative with this book. I mean who would have ever thought of zombies and ninjas being classified with the Beatles! I loved this idea. Any scene with Mick Jagger who in this book was a rabid zombie hunter who would stop at nothing to make John, George, and Paul human then kill them. I also really liked the interview layout of the book. I like it when books shy away from the usual book layout and I really thought it made the book more interesting. The writing was also very well done. I wasn't really expecting to be that addicted to this since I know they break up in the end but I was literally prowling through the book until the end. Speaking of the end, I thought it was brilliant. I never saw it coming.

I'm not a very big fan of sex in books. I kinda saw it coming that there would be sex in this book but there was a lot more than I expected. Sometimes they would go like five pages just about zombie sex and it kinda just got awkward and annoying. Another thing I didn't really like was I thought there would be a lot more illustrations. I think some parts of the book could have been illustrated brilliantly but he never illustrated it but instead with other scenes that didn't really need one.

Overall: A great read for Beatles fans!

4.5 stars

Carlos Is Gonna Get It by: Kevin Emerson

Carlos Is Gonna Get It by: Kevin Emerson
Published: October 1,2008 by Arthur A. Levine Books

Summary: How strange is Carlos? REALLY strange. He scratches himself all the time, and he talks about aliens in this weird shaky voice, and he breaks up the class and gets everyone else in trouble when it's *his* fault he's such a freak.

So Trina, Donte, Thea, Sara, and Frankie decide to use the upcoming 7th-grade class trip to "get" Carlos and scare him into acting normal. But when Trina has to work with Carlos on a class project, she discovers both his sweetness and the full extent of his troubles. Will she pull out of the plan or go through with it? And what will happen if--when--Carlos gets it?

Review: Carlos Is Gonna Get It is a very addicting read. It tells about Trina and her friends Thea,Donte,Frankie,and Sara. Each one of them have different personalities and it's fun to see how they all react together.

This story was overall very addicting,but it did have it's flaws. The main characters sometimes really annoyed me. Trina was very bitchy toward Carlos when it's pretty clear that there's something wrong with him. There was one part in the book where Trina just couldn't decide to do the trick or not. If your heart tells you not to do it then don't! Also,Trina tried to act tough but really, the only person she was mean too was Carlos. I felt that Thea was too well played and a traitor and Donte was just a big jerk.

In the beginning, Sara was the quiet girl who liked to read and was very smart. Then in the middle,something happens to Sara. She becomes depressed and bitchy. I kinda liked this because it was kinda nice to see her come out of her shell.

Even through this difficulties,the story was very addicting. I would recommend it to middle school kids.

Grade: 4.5 stars

Beautiful by: Amy Reed

Beautiful by: Amy Reed

Published:October 6,2009 by Simon Pulse

Summary: When thirteen-year-old Cassie moves to a suburb of Seattle,she is determined to leave her boring,good-girl existence behind. She chooses some dangerous new friends and is quickly caught up in the fast-paced world of drugs,sex,secrets,and cruelty.

Cassie's new existence both thrills and terrifies her. She embraces the numbness she feels from the drugs,sleeping with an older boy,and gets pulled into a twisted friendship triangle that is tinged with violence and abuse. Cassie is trapped in a swift downward spiral,and there's no turning back.

Review: Beautiful was a great novel that reminded me of Go Ask Alice.

The book starts off with seventh grader Cassie moving to a new town and meeting an older girl,Alex. Alex does drugs and soon drags Cassie into her world. Soon Cassie finds herself addicted to prescription drugs and an older boyfriend. But as much as she wants to,she cant escape.

Beautiful was great. The characters felt very real and the book itself felt very real. The author went into great details on her drug addiction and her other problems. I liked the ending too. I never saw it coming and I also liked how it ended on a happy note.

What I didn't like about Beautiful was that Cassie,the main character,was such a pushover. Alex,her "best friend", was a mean,drug addicted whore. End of story. She would treat Cassie like crap and Cassie would just take it. I was waiting for her to stick up for herself! I also didn't like how old Cassie was. I thought 7th grade was too young,maybe if she was in 9th I would have liked it more.

Overall: A near perfect novel

4.5 stars

Freak the Mighty

Freak the Mighty by: Rodman Philbrick

Released: June 1,2001

Publisher: Scholastic

Summary: A stunning young adult novel by Rodman Philbrick that tells the heartwarming story of two special ed boys who pair up to form a unique and empowering friendship. Two boys a slow learner stuck in the body of a teenage giant and a tiny Einstein in leg braces forge a unique friendship when they pair up to create one formidable human force. Made into the movie,The Mighty.

Review: Freak the mighty is a heartfelt story about two boys' mighty friendship.

The book starts off with Max. Max is a slow learning boy who is "trapped" in the body of a giant. Max always thought he had no brain. But then Kevin came along. Kevin is Max's mother friend's son who is a genius "trapped" in a small body due to his Mosquio Syndrome. Together Max and Kevin form Freak the Mighty. Together they will form the greatest team ever.

This Book was very unique,I never read a book like this. Max and Kevin both have very dark pasts,which keeps you wondering about it throughout the book. The part when Max and Kevin go to find "buried treasure" made me laugh so hard! I loved all the characters they were great and well developed.

What I didn't like about the book was how Max (the narrator) was always using sentences like:

And then she was like "whoa!"

It got very annoying at times. I also hated how the ending was so predictable. I knew it from the start.

Overall: An almost Perfect book. A Great Read!

4.5 stars

Paranormal Activity

Trailer Here.

Paranormal Activity (2007)

Summary: When couple Micah (played by Micah Sloat) and Katie (played by Katie Featherson) move into a new house and experience noises during the night,they investigate using a Micah`s camera. What they thought was peeping toms turned out to be much more worse.

Review: This movie scared the living crap out of me. Right off the bat they tell you that there is some strange stuff going on. This movie made me not want to stay home by myself.

For Katie,the ghosts are usual,everyday life for her and they never really did anything to harm her. Then Micah comes in and they really start hurting her. Like really HURTING her. If I was Micah I would`ve left her. There is no way I`m sleeping in a haunted house. Not even if Taylor Lautner is in there. (OK. If he is on there I would!)

I LOVED this movie! It really scared me,but there were two things I didn`t like. Like Micah and Katie got very annoying after a while. There were basically the only 2 people in the movie. Then,there was some needless dialogue in there too. Like,there is a pool scene and there is NOTHING going on. I hate when movies do that. The scene was like only a few minutes long but still.

Overall: A VERY good scary movie but sometimes the most ANNOYING characters! Just don`t see it alone.

Life as We Knew It by:Susan Beth Pfeffer

Life as We Knew It by: Susan Beth Pfeffer

Released: May 1,2008

Publisher: Harcourt Paperbacks

4.5 stars

Summary:It's almost the end of Miranda's sophomore year in high school, and her journal reflects the busy life of a typical teenager: conversations with friends, fights with mom, and fervent hopes for a driver's license. When Miranda first begins hearing the reports of a meteor on a collision course with the moon, it hardly seems worth a mention in her diary. But after the meteor hits, pushing the moon off its axis and causing worldwide earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes, all the things Miranda used to take for granted begin to disappear. Food and gas shortages, along with extreme weather changes, come to her small Pennsylvania town; and Miranda's voice is by turns petulant, angry, and finally resigned, as her family is forced to make tough choices while they consider their increasingly limited options. Yet even as suspicious neighbors stockpile food in anticipation of a looming winter without heat or electricity, Miranda knows that that her future is still hers to decide even if life as she knew it is over.



Review: This book was so realistic it scared me. It has a lot of detail and the characters are so realistic. Miranda was my favorite character along with Mrs. Nesbitt.

I like Miranda`s voice when she wrote in her diary. I could relate to her and got a better look on how the world would end. It made me more thankful for my life. (corny. I know.)

I had 2 problems with the book is What happened to her dad,Sammi,and Dan and What happened to Becki. I mean I already knew but I want more details.

Overall: Needed to be a little bit more longer but other than that was really good.

Inner Circle by:Kate Brian

Inner Circle by:Kate Brian

Released: August 28,2007

Publisher: Simon Pulse

4.5 stars

Summary:Last year was just the beginning. Welcome to the inner circle.

Reed Brennan arrived at Easton Academy expecting to find an idyllic private school experience-challenging classes,adorably preppy boys,and a chance to create a new life for herself. Instead,she discovered lies,deception,blackmail,and...murder. But,thankfully,the killers were caught and the nightmare is finally over.

The Billings Girls are gone.

Now with a new school year ahead of her,Reed steps back on Easton`s ivy-colored campus ready to start over. So when the headmaster announces that Billings is forbidden from holding their traditional,secretive initiation,Reed is relived. She champions the new rules and the six new girls the administration has picked to live in Billings Hall: Constance,Missy,Lorna,Kiki,Astrid,and newcomer Sabine.

But Reed`s fellow Billings resident and new nemesis,Cheyenne Martin,believes the changes are a mockery of Billings history. Despite the new rules,Cheyenne vows to keep the old ways alive,no matter what-or who-stands in her way..

Summary: Wow. I literally just finished this book literally 10 minutes ago and I`m still speechless about it. The book doesn't take place right after the last one but in the new school year. Reed actually finally becomes like able. I always hated her after Private. But,in this book something about Reed changed.

I loved the idea of the plot. I would have probably read this in day or two but I was so busy! I had 4 tests today and 2 pop quizzes the day before that! The book was great my only complaints were the ending left me confused and I wished we got to know Sabrine,the new girl more. If you read the book why would Cheyenne do THAT? I mean,seriously and tell Reed that`s it`s all her fault? That's messed up. Other than that it was great.

Confessions by: Kate Brian

Confessions by: Kate Brian
Released: April 24th 2007
Published: Simon Pulse

4.5 stars

Summary: Sometimes the truth hurts...

Reed Brennan came to super posh Easton Academy to make a brand new life for herself. At first it seems as though her dream had come true-she was living in the ultra exclusive Billings Hall, hanging out with the all-powerful Billings Girls,and dating the very hot Thomas Pearson. But Thomas turned out to be different from what she thought...and then he turned up dead. And if that wasen`t twisted enough,Reed`s new boyfriend,Josh Hollis,was arrested for Thomas`s murder.

Now everyone is back to worrying about the regular stuff.like how to sneak into the boy`s dorms at night,whether two-ply cashmere is warm enough for fall,and whether to fly to London or Barcelona for Thanksgiving break.

Everyone except for Reed.

Reed is convinced that Josh is innocent,which means the killer is still out there. Now it`s up to Reed to uncover the truth. But the deeper she digs,the more secrets she unearths and the closer she gets to the confession that will change everything...if she`s alive to hear it.

Review: This book was awesome. Reed as usual was a bitch but by the middle of the book I liked her more. But I still don't like her. =)

Cheyenne really comes out in this book. In the first book all you know is that she is Reed`s sweet roommate. But in this book she REALLY comes out. I love Cheyenne. She has to be the nicest character in the series...until now. In this book,you are always guessing what she might do next.

Noelle I LOVE too. She is my favorite character. She is like your protective, nice older sister and also a bitch at the same time. I think they should make a series about HER. Man,why am I cursing so much?

The ending of this book was AMAZING. I just could not put it down. It was great. I cant wait to read the next one. Just make sure you read the books ahead of this first or else you will be VERY confused.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by: Gabrielle Zevin

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by: Gabrielle Zevin
Released: August 27th 2009
Publisher: Farrar,Strous,and Giroux


4.5 stars


Summary: If Naomi had picked tails,she would have won the coin toss.

She wouldn`t have had to go back for the yearbook camera,and she wouldn`t have hit her head on the steps.

She wouldn`t have woken up in an ambulance with amnesia.

She certainly would have remembered her boyfriend,Ace. She might even have remembered why she fell in love with him in the first place.

She would understand why her best friend,Will,keeps calling her "Chief." She`d get all his inside jokes,and maybe he wouldn`t be so frustrated with her for forgetting things she can`t remember she can`t possibly remember.

She`d know about her mom`s new family.

She`d know about her dad`s fiancee.

She wouldn`t have to spend her junior year relearning the French she supposedly knew already.

She never would have met James,the boy with the with the questionable past and the even fuzzier future,who tells her he once wanted to kiss her.

She wouldn`t have wanted to kiss him back.

But she picked heads.



Review:This book was great. The characters were so relatible. Naomi was a great character that I could relate to. I also really loved Will. He and Naomi have to be my favorite characters of the book. James was your average messed up bad boy which you have to feel bad for. I liked James but he definitely wasn`t one of my favorites in the book.
In the beginning of the book I HATED Ace,but by the end of the book I liked him more. I also wished I could get to see more of Alice and Yvette,who I found funny at times. Another character I find funny was Chloe (Naomi`s step-sister) who made me laugh out loud.
This book was great but the ending left me questioning. It was open-ended basically and I wanted more. But overall,it was really good.

Invitation Only by Kate Brian

Invitation Only by:Kate Brian

Released:November 7,2006

Publisher:Simon Pulse

4.5 stars

Reed Brennan`s future is looking as bright as the two-karat diamonds in her new housemates` ears. being accepted to the most prestigious private boarding school in the country wasn`t enough for Reed. She had to break every rule to do it,but she has accomplished the impossible:

Reed is a Billings Girl now.

And with her new status comes respect,envy,and most important,opportunity. Not to mention the parties. Unfortunately,at the next illicit party in the Easton campus woods,her roommate snaps of Reed in more than one compromising position. She uses the photos to blackmail Reed:Dig up dirt on the most powerful and popular Billings Girl or she will have Reed expelled.

And speaking of parties,the Legacy is coming up. It`s the invitation-only Halloween Party in NYC and it`s rumored that Thomas--Reed`s MIA boyfriend--will be making an appearance there. Too bad Reed isn`t even close to invited.

Life as a Billings Girl is every bit as glamorous as Reed imagined. What she didn`t bargain for is the tangled web of private lies these girls weave. (summary from Amazon)

Review: Wow! This book was great. It keeps you occupied and always wondering. It also had a very good ending that made you have to get the next book,Untouchable,right away.

Pretty Little Liars #3 Perfect

Perfect by: Sara Shepard
Released:September 7,2007

Publisher: Harper Collins

4.5stars

Aria can`t resist resist her forbidden ex. Hanna is on the verge of losing her BFF. Emily is freaking out over a simple kiss. And Spencer can`t keep her hands off anything that belongs to her sister.
Lucky me. I know the Pretty Little Liars better than they know themselves. But it`s hard keeping all their secrets to myself. They better do as I say...or else!
-A

Review: This had to be the best book out of the three! A is back and better than ever! I read this in about 2 days and it was great! I couldn`t stop reading. Like A said Hanna,Emily,Aria,and Spencer better do as they say. Or else!