King of the Screwups by KL Going

Teens will like this YA novel about a boy who just can't seem to do anything right, even when he's deliberately trying to do things wrong! Liam is cursed with good looks and a great fashion sense. No matter what he does, he is still Mr. Popularity. In disgrace after his father catches him in flagrante delicto in his office, Liam finds himself kicked out of the house and sent to live at the trailer home of his gay 'Aunt Pete.'

Once there, Liam decides that he will remake himself and finally gain the respect and love of his father -- a demanding perfectionist who controls his son and wife with a very firm hand and who has specific ideas of what each should and should not be or do.

In the process of trying to become something he's not, Liam discovers himself. Along with some memorable characters, the friends of his rocker DJ uncle, and the girl next door, Liam finally realizes that he has to learn to respect who he really is.

Readers will enjoy the fashion references and the humor in this abosorbing and touching book about one high school boy's search for the truth about himself and his family.

Recommend.

Ms C.

Chance Norton's Book Review

Old School

By Tobias Wolff

4 of 5 Stars

This is a very different book than I am used to reading in that everything that happens could very well happen at any school. It could happen at O’Hara if the students applied themselves. But at the same time some moments were unbelievable when the author talks of the students behavior and attitude toward books and their authors. That comment will make much more sense if you read the book.

First of all this book is about a boy in a boarding school in New York who doesn’t come from the background that everyone else around him does and this colors everything he does at the school. What doesn’t change about him is his love of literature. From beginning to end he loves books and tries his best to emulate authors and in the process learns a lot about how to live his life and a lot more about human characteristics. This book also has a crazy plot change that no one I know who read it expected it to do. Nice change.

Overall it’s a good book but one I would expect to read for a school assignment, not nessessarily for pleasure.

Meaghan Kimbrell's Book Review

My Sister’s Keeper

By Jodi Picoult

**** Stars

I loved this novel. It is now one of my favorite books that I have read. The author wrote this novel very well it kept the reader, me, interested the entire time. I would have finished this book in one night if I hadn’t been distracted by other people and other school work.

In this novel the Fitzgerald family has three children two that came naturally then a third, Anna, which was specifically made to be an exact donor match for her older sister, Kate, who was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia at the age of three. Mr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald ‘created’ Anna at first thinking that they were only going to use something that Anna would need or miss right after giving birth to her. But thirteen years later and after numerous operations Anna hires an attorney so that she can become medically emancipated from her parents so that she can make her own health decisions. Sara, the mother, is an attorney and she decides to represent herself in the case While all this is going on the oldest child, Jesse, who has been neglected since Kate was diagnosed, is out setting fires to run down old buildings just to get some attention and his father, Brian, has to put them out since he is the captain at a fire house.

The novel's ending has a surprising twist that I was not expecting but I still really liked the novel.

Johanna Kelly's Book Review

Deadline

By Chris Crutcher

*****stars

What would you do if you had only one more year to live? In Deadline, Ben Wolf finds out he has less than a year to live due to a rare blood disease; if he undergoes treatment, he most likely wouldn’t live too much longer, and treatment would make him tired and weak. So Ben decides to make his last year, his senior year in high school, his best. In this process, he finds a deeper meaning to life, and a deeper meaning to what secrets can reveal.

Deadline is in my opinion, the perfect book. In 316 pages, we see love, hate, abuse, mental illness, and so much more. Deadline will comfort you, make you laugh and cry, and make you see the world from a different perspective.

Everyone should read Deadline.

Chance Norton's Book Review

The Silmarillion

By J.R.R. Tolkien

**** stars

This is a book which was purposefully written as a “myth” type of story, everything in it reads just like the bible or stories of Norse or Egyptian Gods. So yes, it is sort of slow at points and it does get tedious even for Tolkien’s work, and for anyone who has ever read The Hobbit or the Lord of the Rings, he does get wordy every now and then. But for all that slowness and similar writing style to the Bible, it is a very interesting and thought provoking book.

Well, four books actually. The title Silmarillion comes from the main book in this collection of books, the others are Ainulindale (the creation story, much like Genesis in the Bible), Valaquenta (a full accounting of all major Gods and their underlings, similar to the angels), and finally the entire story of the Rings of Power and the Third Age. The first part, the creation story is probably the most difficult part in the novel to read because it is very abstract and hard to follow unless you are locked away in your room with no distractions. Ainulindale tells the tale of the Valar, which are the Gods of Middle Earth, and how they came into being by the one True God, Iluvatar. Like I said earlier it is very abstract and Bible like. Hard to read but still interesting if you are into the whole Lord of the Rings world.

The next part Valaquenta reminded me of if you picked up a book of Norse myths and read stories about the top fifteen most powerful figures in it. It tells of the Valar’s characteristics and the First War and sundering of the earth because of Melkor’s treachery (a member of the Valar gone bad, similar to Lucifer).

And the reason I found this book most tedious is that it repeats itself in the introductions. Like the beginning of the next section, Silmarillion, does a quick overview of the last half of Valaquenta. Weird because it is literally on the next page of the book… But, Silmarillion does take the story much further, giving details of the specific battles, the why of how these things happened and the main part of the story which involves the title. Silmarillion comes from the Silmarils, jewels that housed the power of the Valar. These jewels were stolen by Melkor to hurt the chances of the Valar winning the war (of which the story of the Lord of the Rings is merely a continuation). Basically this act throws the Valar further out of contact with the Elves and Dwarves and eventually brings about the downfall of Numor (the greatest of the kingdoms of men, the Black Riders from the movies were Numorian Kings). It is all very interesting for the backstory of the Lord of the Rings and helps you to understand so much more than the average movie watcher or book reader would know. For instance, Sauron, the Dark Lord of the Rings who is the main villain of the books, was merely a lieutenant to the true evil, Melkor, and though he was considered almost as cruel as Melkor, Sauron was no where near as powerful as his master was.

The last story in this book was a retelling of the entire history of the Third Age (the setting of the original books) but in an impersonal way. Not really about Frodo’s path but about the overview of the story. Rather than say how Frodo feels throughout the course of events it would say that Frodo was almost catured at this point or that he captured the creature Gollum to serve as a guide on his travels.

I liked this book a lot. But then again I am really into the whole history of the books I like. The story was interesting enough to me that I could forge through the tedious or boring parts, much like the Lord of the Rings books. Sometimes they get tedious and boring but I still enjoy the plot. So my recommendation is that if you like the Lord of the Rings then check this out from the library. And be prepared to renew your time.

Johanna Kelly's Book Review

Walking On Glass

By Alma Fullerton

**** stars

Your mother tried to kill herself. Now she’s in a coma. If you had come home five minutes later it would have saved you and your father from so much heartache. Now, you need to cope with the pain and make some changes. This all happens to a teenage boy in Walking On Glass.

This is a free verse novel that is about 130 pages long; it can be read in less than an hour. This novel is stripped down to just the story—it’s not heavily detailed, but it is deep and tear-jerking. We see true love from a son to a mother, and how hard it is to cope with loss.

The Truth About Truman School by Dori Butler

**** out of 5 stars

Great treatment of cyberbullying...timely, pertinent

I'd highly recommend this book to all middle school students. Although it's written for this younger group, high school students could take a page or two from the novel as well.

The topics of cyberbullying and online harassment are very pertinent in today's world of social networking sites, instant messaging, texting and other types of internet communication that leave the messager one step removed from face to face interaction. It's much easier to say something mean or crude or inappropriate when you can conceal your identity or not have to look a person in the eye.

In this story, two middle school students start an online web site so that they can report the truth about Truman Middle School. The site is basically ignored until the two hit upon an idea -- let anyone post anything -- no moderated comments, no censoring. Almost immediately an anonymous poster starts the page that solicits cruel torment of one particular girl at the school. Lilly, one of the popular crowd girls, is devastated by the things that appear online about her -- mostly lies and petty comments that soon deteriorate into a list that is named "We Hate Lilly."

The events that transpire over the course of the web site's lifespan affect all the students in the school to some degree. How responsible are the owners of a website for what happens on their pages and links? Should they be held accountable for anything that occurs as the result of the cruel gossip posted there? Should they read and approve every comment written? All in all, a very short and important picture of what can happen when people can hide their identities and say whatever they want without interference. Bullying in schools still happens despite all the seminars and workshops that students and teachers attend to prevent it. Cyberbullying is one step removed from the play ground and the school grounds and is even easier for even the most surprising of kids to participate in. They get carried away by the anonymity of it. Although not meant to be a lecture about bullying, the book's message comes through loud and clear.

Great to read and discuss with school age kids and teens!

Ms Crawford

Meaghan Kimbrell's Book Review

Old School

By Tobias Wolff

* Star

I thought that this novel was rather boring. I did not enjoy this book and don’t suggest anyone else to read it unless they enjoy being bored by novels.

This novel is about a boy in a boarding school and how mostly all of the students compete in writing competitions to win a private audience of famous writers such as Frost and Hemingway. The writer never really connects the reader to any of the characters, he mainly just speaks of the literature and the value of it in life.

The only way I would ever get this book for myself was if someone just gave it to me for free.

Meaghan Kimbrell's Book Review

City of Glass
(Mortal Instruments #3)

By Cassandra Clare

**** Stars

This novel is an excellent ending to a great series. This novel kept me entertained from beginning to end. I was glued to the book from when I first opened it.

The way the story was written and how the plot unfolds keeps the reader guessing. Although the main character, Clary, could be rather annoying at times this did not ruin the book for me. The relationship between her and Jace was a little predictable at the end and I also figured out the ending before it happened but I still loved the book.

I would suggest this book for people to read.

Johanna Kelly's Book Review

Cruise Control

By Terry Trueman

**** stars

How would you feel if your only brother couldn’t speak to you, play basketball with you, or even show that he loves you? Paul’s brother, Shawn, is so disabled that he can’t speak or walk. Paul loves his brother, but he sometimes doesn’t know why Shawn is alive. In this companion to Stuck In Neutral, we see another point of view on the life of a severely disabled boy.

This book is bittersweet. It shows the effects of having a disabled person as a brother. It gives thought to what life is about. It shows that it is possible to love a person who can’t love you back. I definitely recommend Cruise Control but Stuck In Neutral should be read first.