This Is Where It Ends-- Reviewed by Sarah Roberts

“I didn't need to die for him to kill me.”

School shootings. They are terrible and scary, but they also affect the people inside the school building and people outside the school building. We see this through out this book This Is Where It Ends.

What started out as a normal day for the students and teachers of Opportunity High School, ends in chaos. The principal calls all students and teachers to the gym for the predictable beginning of the year assembly.

Everything is normal at 10:00am when the principal brings her big speech on how students need to excel and achieve their goals this year.

At 10:02, the students get up to leave the gym and resume their daily classes.

At 10:03, the students and teachers find themselves locked inside the gym.

At 10:05, somebody starts shooting.

Follow the point of views of four students who are not only inside the gym, but outside as well.

I thought this book was absolutely amazing! The suspense and storyline were just captivating. I really enjoyed how the story switched between points of views so that we got an inside look and an outside look at the situation going on through out the story. I also really liked how this story covered a topic that most author are  scared to write about. This book also really made me think about how actions of others could truly drive someone to the point of no return. I would definitely recommend this book to all my friends and family because this is an experience you don't want to miss out on.

Bad Girls Don't Die - Reviewed by Maggie Devero

Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender

Reviewed by Maggie Devero

It's understandable to think that you're the normal dysfunctional teenager; a sophomore in high school, one that's antisocial, a troublemaker, and pink hair to boot. But when you're sister starts acting strangely, and your mortal enemy (a cheerleader, god forbid) warns you she thinks it's possession...that's when you can safely assume you're a little more than dysfunctional. Alexis Warren lives in a very old, very large house with a family who is always too busy to bother staying close to one another. Except for her little sister Kasey, she has no other friends, and now Kasey has begun acting strange. She no longer seems to be talking to her doll collection, but something that's not there, she has acquired weird strength she didn't have before, and occasionally her eyes turn from blue to bright green. Alexis isn't sure it's quite her sister anymore, and she doesn't know who to turn to. Surprisingly though, cute blonde prep boy Carter Blume has started giving her a lot of attention so she can pour out her emotion in him. But the most unexpected is when Megan Wiley, top varsity cheerleader comes to her and tells her that she thinks her sister is possessed. Will Alexis be able to join with someone that she's spent her entire high school life trying to ruin? Will the two be able to help Kasey, and keep her from these evil forces working inside her? Read the book to find out!

So I gave this book two stars for multiple reasons. I was going to give it three, just to be nice but I just hit a certain point where I was like "no."  The plot was just so completely predictable and it just worked out so well. Oh, she's sad and lonely - magically a cute boy appears and wants to shower her with attention and comfort. Oh, her sister is acting abnormally - Ms. Perfect Cheerleader shows up, befriends her, and tells her she can help her possessed sister. It just all worked out too well, and was thrown together with no buildup. Also the dialogue was really weird at some points. It was read from her point of view, so her thoughts were often showed in the writing...and even though they were trying to capture the immature thoughts of a teenage girl, it was just so awkward and random! The storyline had a lot of potential, especially because I love scary stuff, but portrayed the way it was in this book, it just didn't hit it right for me. It might fit some others taste, so read it yourself to find out! Also if you're looking for books similar to it, come check out our halloween setup in the library, with all sorts of spooky holiday themed books!

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.

Paper Towns--Alexandra Lopez

Author: John Green
Reveiwed by: Alexandra Lopez 

Quentin Jacobsen, most of the book referred to as Q, believes everybody gets one miracle. His just happens to be living next door to the girl of his dreams, Margo Roth Spiegelman. Margo and Quentin go way back. Even when they were nine years old, Q thought she was the most perfect female on the face of the planet, and they played together.  After they found a dead man in the park, Margo appeared outside his window at night to tell him she investigated the dead man. However time goes on, they are older, in high school. They both have gone their separate ways, until one day, miss popular, Margo shows up in Q’s room asking for help. Will Q help Margo with her insane plane to get revenge on her ex?  Will Q be able to tell Margo how he truly feels?

The book was something else. It starts right off with our main character Q to encounter a dead body. This will latter affect his relationship with Margo. I enjoyed that later on they separated, went their separate ways. Whether it has to do with the dead body they found as a child or not. However I think that was probably be of the few realistic parts.  Everyone grows older, and high school you meet new people.  I also wish Q would have just told Margo straight off the bat, he loved her. Maybe Margo wouldn't felt the need for revenge.

Hate List - a review by George Morejon

Hate List
by Jennifer Brown
**** stars

What would you feel like if your school was shot up by another student? Now what if that other student was the person you were going out with? And what if you were accused of helping them? This is what happen with Valerie, the young girl in Hate List whose boyfriend, Nick, one day in may decided to put 'their' plan into action. After struggling to get over the tramatic experience, she got shot in the leg, not to mention was a prime suspect for making the 'hit list', she has to go back to the same school for her last year. What will people think of her?

They'll hate her, that's what. The unity presented in the newspapers isn't real she sees, with all the normal fighting and argueing still happening. But she makes a friend in an unlikely person, one of her worst tormenters from the year before, and takes on a project to honour their classmates.

This was a 5 hour book that had an interesting concept that i hadn't put together before, a list of people a person hates whichh leads to a school shooting. It plays out where you can see Valerie as either a cause of the problem or the victim, and i saw her as a victim. The mother was too overprotective, always worrying about protecting the world from her daughter after the event. I agreed with Valerie's unlikely friend when she said "It's not your fault. After all, you didn't shoot anyone."

Spanking Shakespeare -- A review by Hope Austin

Spanking Shakespeare
by Jake Wizner
***stars

Shakespeare Sharpio has what he believes is the most embarrassing first name ever (it's not just him; his brother's name is Gandhi). Not only that, he has the most embarrassing parents ever. His mother is extremely neurotic and his father is an alcoholic. While Shakespeare hangs out in the background with his friend Neil (who's obsessed with his bowel movements) and Katie (who loves to swear, but not as much as she loves getting drunk), his younger brother is living the life Shakespeare's always dreamed of. Gandhi is popular, has a girlfriend and does things with her that Shakespeare only fantasized about. Meanwhile, Shakespeare focuses on his Creative Writing class and dreaming of the girl he can't get. The reader follows Shakespeare through his senior year as he recounts his messed up childhood, gains a little perspective, and tries to lose his virginity.

I admit, when I picked this book up, I was a little iffy. The book sounded both promising and juvenile at the same time. I thought it was just going to be a series of quirks without the substance. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. There's way more going on with these characters than Shakespeare will ever let on. Other characters have to point it out to him. The story's humorous tone serves as a sort of defense mechanism; a darker tone could easily have put this book in the agnsty, dramatic genre. The book's message is loud and clear: no matter how bad you think your life is, it could always be worse.

Also, as of this writing, the book is not in the school library (I bought it at the book fair). If you want to read, go to your local library or bookstore. Better yet, persuade Mrs. Crawford to get O'hara a copy!

ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley

Campy and fun, September 11, 2010

Warning -- this is not a serious, depressing book about death or the afterlife -- it's a fun, campy romp about a girl who dies (by choking to death on a gummy bear in an empty classroom)and whose passing is barely noticed because she was such a nonentity at her high school.

Charlotte spent the entire summer before senior year making herself over with the sole intent of gaining the attention of one of the most popular boys at school, Damen Dylan. Her "Popular Plan" included changing the way she looked and acted to become not only noticed, but envied, and thus part of the "in" crowd at Hawthorne High. Part of her goal included being asked to the Fall Ball and receiving the legendary Midnight Kiss from that boy of her dreams. Unfortunately, everything goes awry on the first day of school and Charlotte finds herself in Dead Ed trying to figure out how she's going to get her true love from beyond the grave. She decides to possess a living girl, Scarlet - a goth teen who is the complete opposite of the cheerleader crowd and the younger sister of Petula, one of the most envied in the school -- and Petula is the girl who just happens to have the boyfriend that Charlotte craves. Havoc and confusion ensue as Charlotte and Scarlet both fall head over heels for Damen (sensitive, dumb jock?) and both arrive at a realization about themselves that neither anticipates.

Parts of the book are laugh out loud funny as the satirical and pop references combine to create the puns that drive the story. Colorful "dead" characters (nicknamed for the method or cause of death) and stereotypical live high school kids mix it up in some amusing ways, but after all the effort at being clever, sometimes the joke falls flat and it all gets a little tedious at the end.

This story wraps up nicely -- but there's a hint that the saga will continue and it does in ghostgirl: Homecoming and a third book just released, ghostgirl: Lovesick. I might skim those two to see what happens in the further adventures of the dead Charlotte Usher.

The cutout black, pink and silver cover is enticing and unusual making this one book that teens will pick up and check out! Enjoy a few laughs.

Ms C.

Deadline by Chris Crutcher

Fall in love with Ben...his last year, January 16, 2010

I think young adults and teens will enjoy this book about 18-year-old Ben's last year. During a routine sports physical, Ben finds out that he has a terminal illness and that, with or without aggressive medical intervention, he has about a year left to live. It's his senior year in high school and he decides not to tell anyone about the diagnosis and to forgo treatment. He has a few goals in mind, primarily to play football with his beloved brother and to get a date with his crush, the gorgeous volleyball player Dallas Suzuki.

Things don't go quite as he planned, but he does manage to cram a lot of life into the few months he has. The main part of the book centers on his interactions with his family, Dallas Suzuki, his friends, team members and other residents of the small town where he lives. Definitely the author crams a lot of discussion worthy themes into this novel including such topics as sexual molestation, abuse, racism, mental illness, and teen pregnancy. Ben's actual disease is never really identified nor is it the central subject of the book. The main premise of the book seems to be about relationships and not keeping secrets. There's a lot of semi-religious overtone, and at times, the discussion about Malcolm X seems to go on for far too long as do the descriptions of the football games and the American History classes.

All in all, a very enjoyable read. Recommend.