The Thirteenth Tale
Diane Setterfield
*** stars
No one knows anything about her. Vida Winter, a very famous author, has a creative mind where deep secrets are hidden. For decades Vida Winter has lied about her past. Now, the dying Ms. Winter will finally tell her story; a story with scandal and mystery. The story always comes down to twins. Twins have a way of thinking different from others. Twins are so close, they can never separate.
The Thirteenth Tale is never something I would have read on my own. It is very long, and its plot is slow. I am glad I read something different. There is so much in this book, and it makes you wonder who’s who and what’s what. If you are truly into gothic mysteries I would definitely recommend The Thirteenth Tale.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Johanna Kelly's Book Review
Stuck In Neutral
By Terry Trueman
**** stars
What would you do if you couldn’t communicate in any way, if you couldn’t eat or move voluntarily? What would you do if you were thought to have the brain function of a three month old? And what would you do if all of this happened and you were a genius inside, but no one could know? Would you rather die than live a life like this?
Most people would say to “put them out of their misery.” Is it really misery, or a different way to live life? This is what happens in the case of fourteen year-old Shawn. He can remember everything, he is incredibly smart, but he supposedly has the I.Q. of a three month old. Shawn is afraid of his father killing him, to put him “out of his misery.”
What will happen to Shawn? Read Stuck In Neutral to find out!
By Terry Trueman
**** stars
What would you do if you couldn’t communicate in any way, if you couldn’t eat or move voluntarily? What would you do if you were thought to have the brain function of a three month old? And what would you do if all of this happened and you were a genius inside, but no one could know? Would you rather die than live a life like this?
Most people would say to “put them out of their misery.” Is it really misery, or a different way to live life? This is what happens in the case of fourteen year-old Shawn. He can remember everything, he is incredibly smart, but he supposedly has the I.Q. of a three month old. Shawn is afraid of his father killing him, to put him “out of his misery.”
What will happen to Shawn? Read Stuck In Neutral to find out!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Online chat about Testimony...
I know that some of you are finished with Testimony and have a lot to say.
This is a novel about choices -- good choices and bad choices -- and how those choices altered many lives.
In this unusual novel written in all three narrative styles and from many different points of view, we see how those choices played out in this particular case.
Please share your thoughts and start the discussion here.
Ms C.
This is a novel about choices -- good choices and bad choices -- and how those choices altered many lives.
In this unusual novel written in all three narrative styles and from many different points of view, we see how those choices played out in this particular case.
Please share your thoughts and start the discussion here.
Ms C.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Johanna Kelly's Book Review
Such A Pretty Girl
By Laura Weiss
****1/2 stars
She was promised safety. He was promised nine years. Meredith's father is a pedophile; he was found guilty of molesting five children--including his own daughter. Now, after being in prison for three years, Charles Shale is released due to good behavior. Meredith's mother, Sharon, just wants Meredith to forgive her father. Sharon thinks they can be one happy family again. Meredith knows her father will molest again, it might even be her.
Such A Pretty Girl is an intense novel that kept me reading until I finished it. This is a small book that is extremely fast-paced. I never got bored while reading, which is rare. I would love to discuss this book, please read it soon.
By Laura Weiss
****1/2 stars
She was promised safety. He was promised nine years. Meredith's father is a pedophile; he was found guilty of molesting five children--including his own daughter. Now, after being in prison for three years, Charles Shale is released due to good behavior. Meredith's mother, Sharon, just wants Meredith to forgive her father. Sharon thinks they can be one happy family again. Meredith knows her father will molest again, it might even be her.
Such A Pretty Girl is an intense novel that kept me reading until I finished it. This is a small book that is extremely fast-paced. I never got bored while reading, which is rare. I would love to discuss this book, please read it soon.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Time for a poll..
Share your thoughts! Please answer the poll about censorship and restriction of teen reading and post your comments here! You may choose more than one answer.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
GONE -- Review by MaKayla Quinn
Gone
by Michael Grant
The day was November 10, the time 8:10. At that exact moment, everyone age fifteen and over suddenly disappears. No warning, no sound. Just gone. Kids rule the area, violence is enforced and it's now war between the kids in Perdido Beach vs. the kids of Coates Academy, the private school for troubled kids. For all fourteen-year-olds, time is running out, because when you turn fifteen, you poof. Which side will overcome the other? Is there a way to beat the poof? And what's with these kids from Coates?
Gone is a thrilling sci-fi novel that makes one think, "What would really happen if kids ruled the world?" Michael Grant really did write a stunning book filled with twists and turns. The plot twist makes this a a definite must read (*cough* read it! *cough*). Personally, I would recommend this book to anyone who would actually read it. The plot is straightforward and you get the story from other people's view point, not just the main character.
All-in-all, I give this book a 5/5 stars for a good read.
by Michael Grant
The day was November 10, the time 8:10. At that exact moment, everyone age fifteen and over suddenly disappears. No warning, no sound. Just gone. Kids rule the area, violence is enforced and it's now war between the kids in Perdido Beach vs. the kids of Coates Academy, the private school for troubled kids. For all fourteen-year-olds, time is running out, because when you turn fifteen, you poof. Which side will overcome the other? Is there a way to beat the poof? And what's with these kids from Coates?
Gone is a thrilling sci-fi novel that makes one think, "What would really happen if kids ruled the world?" Michael Grant really did write a stunning book filled with twists and turns. The plot twist makes this a a definite must read (*cough* read it! *cough*). Personally, I would recommend this book to anyone who would actually read it. The plot is straightforward and you get the story from other people's view point, not just the main character.
All-in-all, I give this book a 5/5 stars for a good read.
A Book Review by Makayla Quinn
The Thirteenth Tale
by Diana Setterfield
When I first picked up The Thirteenth Tale, the first thing that went through my head was that I wasn't going to like it because I'm more of a mythical type reader. At first it was touch and go with the book; I would pick it up and read a few chapters then I wouldn't read for a few days, and so on. But when the first few chapters were done with, the plot settled in, and I was hooked.
Diane Setterfield really knows how to weave mystery into a simple plot. It was slow, that much is for sure, but it had just the right amount of suspense and mystery to keep me reading. One thing that really surprised me was Vida Winter and her letter. It told exactly what fiction can do when one is afraid. Another thing was Vida's past. Setterfield created a book where the story is in the story.
I give this book 4 stars out of 5. It was sluggish but it was filled with twists and turns, suspense and subplots that finish the book with a surprising ending that will leave you speechless.
by Diana Setterfield
When I first picked up The Thirteenth Tale, the first thing that went through my head was that I wasn't going to like it because I'm more of a mythical type reader. At first it was touch and go with the book; I would pick it up and read a few chapters then I wouldn't read for a few days, and so on. But when the first few chapters were done with, the plot settled in, and I was hooked.
Diane Setterfield really knows how to weave mystery into a simple plot. It was slow, that much is for sure, but it had just the right amount of suspense and mystery to keep me reading. One thing that really surprised me was Vida Winter and her letter. It told exactly what fiction can do when one is afraid. Another thing was Vida's past. Setterfield created a book where the story is in the story.
I give this book 4 stars out of 5. It was sluggish but it was filled with twists and turns, suspense and subplots that finish the book with a surprising ending that will leave you speechless.
Monday, April 6, 2009
April Book Club
We've selected Testimony by Anita Shreve for the last book club book of this school year. You'll see reviews and comments about the book from three Library Science students below -- so please read them, join the club, and meet with us to talk about one of the most interesting books we've enjoyed lately. So much to discuss in this one!
Ms Crawford
Ms Crawford
Johanna Kelly's Book Review
Testimony
Anita Shreve
**** stars
One tape…Several drinks…A few hours…Three boys’ lives forever changed. Three boys have to face the guilt and punishment of committing statutory rape. When a scandal breaks out at Avery Academy, a prestigious high school, several peoples’ lives are changed forever. Should high school seniors face criminal charges and be expelled for having sex with a fourteen year old? Is eighteen truly the age to be called an adult? There are so many moral issues packed into the novel Testimony.
At this point I’m not sure what to believe in. Before I read this novel I looked down upon those eighteen and over who have sex with those who are younger. When I think of “statutory rape” I think of cases where a sixth grade student has sex with a forty year-old teacher. I think of a fifteen year-old having a twenty five year-old boyfriend. These cases are serious and should be handled as criminal.
But what about two eighteen year-olds and a nineteen year-old with a “willing” fourteen year-old? In Vermont, the law says that these boys should be charged with sexual assault. I really don’t believe that what happened in Testimony should be classified as sexual assault.
The only way you’ll be able to know what you think is if you read Testimony. This was a great novel that was very well written. Read it today!
Anita Shreve
**** stars
One tape…Several drinks…A few hours…Three boys’ lives forever changed. Three boys have to face the guilt and punishment of committing statutory rape. When a scandal breaks out at Avery Academy, a prestigious high school, several peoples’ lives are changed forever. Should high school seniors face criminal charges and be expelled for having sex with a fourteen year old? Is eighteen truly the age to be called an adult? There are so many moral issues packed into the novel Testimony.
At this point I’m not sure what to believe in. Before I read this novel I looked down upon those eighteen and over who have sex with those who are younger. When I think of “statutory rape” I think of cases where a sixth grade student has sex with a forty year-old teacher. I think of a fifteen year-old having a twenty five year-old boyfriend. These cases are serious and should be handled as criminal.
But what about two eighteen year-olds and a nineteen year-old with a “willing” fourteen year-old? In Vermont, the law says that these boys should be charged with sexual assault. I really don’t believe that what happened in Testimony should be classified as sexual assault.
The only way you’ll be able to know what you think is if you read Testimony. This was a great novel that was very well written. Read it today!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
I couldn't put this one down...
***** stars The Chosen One
by Carol Lynch Williams
Read this book. It's suitable for high school students and would also be of interest to any adults who enjoy literature aimed at this teen fiction genre sector.
Rather than summarize the plot, I will just provide my reaction to this new YA novel by an author I've not previously read. The copy is inscribed with many accolades and I was hard pressed to think of an original adjective or two to sum up my overall impression of the book. Each time I thought I had come up with something fresh and inspired, I found the same words in other reviews within the book's advance press pages.
The book starts off slowly but rapidly builds to a heart gripping climax as Kyra chooses the path she will take in response to the notion that she, at age 13, be married to her 60 year old uncle Apostle Hyrum at the behest of The Prophet who has had a vision that she should become the 7th wife.
This novel deals with a gated polygamist sect located out in an unnamed desert. The small group has settled there and is controlled by a fundamentalist type evangelist known as The Prophet. He and his minions, including the armed God Squad, dictate the lives of the men, women and children who live within the community. The society is not allowed to read anything but the Bible (all books were burned) and the girls there are raised to be given in marriage to the old men who have established themselves as loyal subjects to The Prophet.
The events that happen to Kyra as she comes of age within the sect are vividly described and heartbreakingly rendered. It is a book that I could not put down until I had read through to the very last page -- literally started reading and continued to the end. It's a quick read and a book well worth reading. It definitely relates to circumstances that could be taken off the headlines of many newspapers with regard to cults and other religious groups that seek separation from the "real world" in the USA.
Highly recommended.
Ms Crawford
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