Waiting on Wednesday (13)

The Education of Bet by: Lauren Boratz-Longsted

Coming out: July 12,2010

Summary:Bet is sixteen, very intelligent, but only knows as much as her limited education will allow. In Victorian England, girls aren't allowed to go to school. Will is also 16, and though not related by blood, he and Bet act like brother and sister. In fact, they even look like brother and sister. And though they're both raised under the same roof, by the same kind uncle, Will has one big advantage over Bet: He's a boy, and being a boy means he isn't stuck in the grand house they call home. He gets to go out into the world--to school. But that's not what Will wishes. He wants to join the military and learn about real life, not what's written in books. So one night, Bet comes up with a plan. She'll go to school as Will. Will can join the military. And though it seems impossible, they actually manage to pull it off. But once Bet gets to the school, she begins to realize the education she's going to get isn't exactly the one she was expecting.

Reaction: Wow this looks so good! Kinda reminds me of She's The Man with Amanda Bynes but just with a different plot and a completely different time period.

Audrey,Wait! by: Robin Benway

Audrey,Wait! by: Robin Benway

Released: April 10,2008 by RazorBill

Summary: While trying to score a date with her cute co-worker at the Scooper Dooper, sixteen-year-old Audrey gains unwanted fame and celebrity status when her ex-boyfriend, a rock musician, records a breakup song about her that soars to the top of the Billboard charts.

Review:
Audrey Cuttler's life is changed when her ex boyfriend,Evan,lead singer of his not widely known band,The Do-Gooders,writes a hit song about her and their breakup. Now the song is going up the charts and Audrey is trying to dodge paparazzi and crazy fans.

I was so excited to get this. I've been waiting to read it and I heard so much great reviews about it. Audrey,Wait! was a great debut from Robin Benway. It went past my expectations.

I loved all the characters. Audrey was really easy to relate to and Victoria was really funny. Jonah made me laugh out loud and James was great,too.

I really liked the ending to the book. It seemed very realistic. Audrey's and James's relationship was really sweet and moved slowly. My only complaint was the cursing. There was at least one on every page and it sometimes got annoying.But,other than that it was perfect.

5 stars

Waiting on Wednesday (12)

A Blue So Dark by: Holly Schindler

Coming out: May 1,2010 by Flux

Summary: Terrified that her mother, a schizophrenic and an artist, is a mirror that reflects her own future, sixteen-year-old Aura struggles with her overwhelming desires to both chase artistic pursuits and keep madness at bay.

As her mother sinks deeper into the darkness of mental illness, the hunger for a creative outlet keeps drawing Aura toward the depths of her own imagination—the shadows of make-believe that she finds frighteningly similar to her mother’s hallucinations.

Convinced that creative equals crazy, Aura shuns her art, and her life unravels in the process.

This looks great. I can't wait to read it!

Top 8 by: Katie Finn

Top 8 by: Katie Finn

Published: October 1,2008 by: Point

Summary: Madison MacDonald is seriously freaking out
Madison MacDonald
16
Putnam, CT
Status: Single?
About Me:
Everything in my life was working out. I had my three best friends, a brand-new boyfriend, and the lead in the school play. Aside from that history paper I hadn't started, things felt perfect.
Then I returned from spring break to find my Friendverse profile hacked. Someone clearly out to ruin me had spilled the most damaging secrets - AND posted the worst photos of me ever taken - online.
Now my boyfriend and I are broken up, half the school hates me, and I'm in deep trouble.
Goals:
Get my boyfriend back, figure out who could have done this, and clear my name!
Also, pass history.

Review: Madison Macdonald's life is turned upside down when her Friendverse is hacked,exposing bad pictures,secrets,and breaking her up with her boyfriend. As Madison takes you on a laugh out loud adventure,trying to find out who the hacker is,you will be on the edge of your seat trying to figure out who it is.
Top 8 is a novel that keeps you guessing. Everytime I thought I knew who was the hacker,I was made wrong. Madison was a funny character,but sometimes she could really annoy me. The other characters were really fun too. Kittson made me laugh out loud. The only thing that I didn't like was how many characters there were. It got very confusing sometimes.
But, however I did like how the novel revolved around the Internet. It felt very modern and it reminded me of The Internet Girl series by: Lauren Myracle and The Goldengirl series by: Micol Ostow.
The sequel What's Your Status? comes out July 1,2010.

3.5 stars

Taking a Vacation!

I just wanted to let you guys that Im taking a break from blogging from January 17-27 for midterms. I'll be back soon with new reviews!

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

Fever 1793

Fever 1793 by: Laurie Halse Anderson

Released: March 1,2002 by:Aladdin

Summary: During the summer of 1793,Mattie Cook lives above the family coffee shop with her widowed mother and father. Mattie spends her days avoiding chores and making plans to make the family business into the finest Philadelphia has ever seen. But then the fever breaks out.

Disease sweeps the streets,destroying everything in its path,and turning Mattie's world upside down. At her feverish mother's insistence,Mattie flees the city with her grandfather. But she soon discovers that the sickness is everywhere,and Mattie must learn quickly how to survive in a city turned frantic with disease.

Review: Fever 1793 was my first book by Laurie Halse Anderson and now I know that it certainly isn't my last.

Fever 1793 tells the story about Matilda "Mattie" Cook living in Philadelphia in 1793. Now if you know anything about history,you would know that Yellow Fever swept through Philly in 1793 killing tenth of its population. The books starts with Mattie's servant,Polly,dieing mysteriously. Soon rumors spread of a fever near where Polly lives,and soon Mattie's mother gets it. Her mother wants her out of the house so she wont catch it. So Mattie's other servant,Eliza,has Mattie and her grandfather in a wagon to Ludington.But they get kicked out when the people in the wagon think grandfather has the Fever. Stranded in the middle of nowhere Maddie must provide for both her and her Grandfather.

I'm not that big of a fan of historical fiction so I was a little hesitant to read this. But it turned out to be great! Mattie was a great character. She was easily likable and was a bit of a tomboy.

My only problem with this book was toward the middle it got slow. It was like OK, I know this is happening,can we PLEASE move along? But,the rest of the book was great.

Overall: Loved it. Can't wait to read Laurie's other books.

4 stars