Empty-- Reviewed by Alexandra Lopez

Empty

By Suzanne Weyn

Reviewed by Alexandra Lopez

In the distant furture the fossil fuels are running out. No gas. No oil. Which means no driving. No heat. Supermarkets are empty. Malls have shut down. Life has just become more local than we ever knew it could be.

Nobody expected the end to come this fast. And in the small town of Spring Valley, decisions that once seemed easy are quickly becoming matters of life and death. Three young teens Tom, Nicki, and Leila are three young teens whose lives are very different from each others and their view points different. Will the they survive this madness? Will the world survive? Or will we resort to war, to take what little oil is left?

Empty is basically the world running out of oil. And it shows exactly how we are depend at of oil. For electricity, generators that require oil to run, which effect a lot house hold appliances. Then because oil is limited, the government raised the prices. In the story just the description of other teens, kids and even adults, t has taken a toll on them. They seem dirtier, angrier, and even more worried. Things I also enjoyed is that the world around them affected them. The country was on the verge with Venezuela, new treaty's with country that had valuable resources, oil being cut off from us and many other things that took a toll on everybody.

However even if oil was gone, life didn't end, yes it would be difficult, most of them had luxuries that would be missed, but the world wasn't dead. There is hope, life will go on. Overall this was a really good book and a big reminder that the oil will not be there forever, and we should look for alternatives before things get any worse.

Kiss Me Kill Me -- Reviewed by Stephanie Best

Kiss Me Kill  Me by Lauren Henderson
Reviewed by Stephanie Best     
       
     All teenager Scarlet wanted was two things: breasts and a kiss from her crush Dan McAndrew. She got what she wished for, but at a price. One day while waiting for a ride home after gymnastics practice with her two best friends Luce and Alison, Scarlet was signaled over to the popular group by Nadia, inviting Scarlet to her party that weekend. Betraying her friends, Scarlet agreed. Unknowingly, the action would come back to bite her in the back. At the party, she is falling head over heels with the popular Dan McAndrew, and it seems that he is falling for her as well. They quickly hit it off, and before she knows it, he is kissing her. Lost in the moment, she didn’t realize that he starts chocking. Minutes later, he was dead, and everyone thinks she did it. Now she at a new school, where she hopes she can finally forget what happened only a few months ago. But will her past come back to haunt her? And how did Dan McAndrew really die?    
       
     Kiss Me Kill Me was a pretty good book. I felt like I could relate to her to some extent. She reminded me a lot of myself in middle school, trying desperately to fit in with the popular crowd, resulting in abandoning friends for a period of time. I found her personality to be much like mine. I thought the story was well written and I enjoyed the plot. If other readers have liked Rosebush by Michele Jaffe, then I recommend this book.

Three Black Swans -- Stephanie Best

Three Black Swans by Caroline B. Cooney
Reviewed by Stephanie Best

On one ordinary day in Connecticut, sophomore Missy is out doing chores for her mother. Yet while she was at the dry cleaners, she hears the most extraordinary thing. She hears about how identical twins might not look identical for many years because one twin may take up more room in the womb and receive more nutrition. This gives Missy an idea. She convinces her cousin Claire to act as if the two are long lost twin sisters that were separate at birth and appear on Missy’s school’s morning newscast. Missy hopes to create a hoax and fool everyone and explain at the end of the day what had happened. However, things quickly spiral out of control. With a few hours, the sixty seconds of video is uploaded to YouTube, and quickly becomes popular. The two girls begin to doubt that their resemblances are merely family resemblances. Yet, without knowing so, the two girls could perhaps be more than twins; they could possibly be triplets. In New York, Genevieve finds the video and is shocked to see two girls who look exactly like her. Whose parents are the real parents? Are any of the girl’s parents their biological parents? Will they ever find out the truth?

                I thought Three Black Swans was a very good book. I thought the story line was very unique and interesting. I was confused with what was going on at parts towards the beginning but it ultimately made sense. I found the scientific aspect to be quite interesting as well. I have not personally read other books like Three Black Swans, but I highly recommend this book.