Tuesday, June 29, 2004

Princess in the Spotlight by Meg Cabot

In PRINCESS IN THE SPOTLIGHT, Mia has just been crowned Princess of Genovia. Mia is getting exasperating letters from a secret admirer, and her mother has an unexpected announcement. Mia also gets one of her teachers fired and enrages her best friend, Lilly, to become angry with her. These are only some of the things that Mia gets herself involved in. I loved the fact that Mia thought that Michael, her best friend's brother, was her secret admirer; but, in reality, it was Kenny, her Biology lab partner. I also like the humorous mood Meg Cabot puts in this book. It makes you have a good laugh. Chessa H.

Kiss Me, Creep by Marian Woodruff

Joy Wilder can't stand Richie Brennan in the book , KISS ME, CREEP. She totally dislikes him. What really sets her off is when she and Richie are voted BEST COMPANIONS ON A DESERT ISLAND. Her friends scheme up an idea of setting them up on a desert island. While abandoned, they start talking like friends. They soon find out they both have liked each other from the beginning. The part that grabbed me most was how Joy and Richie liked each other from the start and they never told one another. The mood of the book was comical, but it also had its serious points. I also enjoyed reading about the development of Richie's and Joy's relationship through their characters. Chessa H.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Ten strangers are invited to Indian Island. The ten guests think they have been invited to enjoy a wonderful vacation. To their dismay, they have all been invited to be punished for their past crimes. One by one the ten guests are killed the way the poem "The Ten Little Indians" specifies. The part that grabbed me the most was how the murderer fooled the other guests. The mood of the book was very suspenseful. The characters were fully developed. In particular, Vera Claythorne was the one character that the murderer depended upon to be developed. Chessa H.

Nothing But the Truth by Avi

Philip Malloy was kept from joining the track team by his failing grades in English class. He thought his teacher just didn't like him. He never thought it would get worse by humming the national anthem in class. And it ends up as a crisis at the center of the nation's attention. I think if you like freedom of speech you would love NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH. But even if you don't care about freedom of speech, you'd love this book. Katlinn O.

Lisa by Arlene Hale

In the book LISA, Brad and Lisa were the most popular couple in school. But Lisa soon got upsetting news that her parents are going to Paris for the summer, and that Lisa will be spending the summer with her grandparents in Reynolds, Iowa. Lisa hates Iowa and thinks she hates Charlie, "the country boy". But Lisa realizes that Charlie is caring and strong, and they soon fall in love. Lisa has to decide whether to go back to her old life or to stay in Iowa. The part that grabbed me the most was how Lisa grew to like Charlie, even though Charlie has always liked her. The mood of the book was funny at times and serious at others. Chessa H.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, written by Harper Lee, is told through the eyes of a tomboy named Scout. Scout witnesses how her community reacts to descrimination in her town and a black man accused of rape. This book is inspiring to people of all ages. The part that grabbed me the most was how Scout's father defended the black man and is also the only one who really believes he is innocent. The book's mood was serious. I also enjoyed reading about the development of Scout. In the beginning of the book, she was a young and rambunctious kid and by the end of the book she was a young, mature kid. Chessa H.

Chasing the King by Joshua Stein

Fourteen-year-old Jason "Skids" Skidder has everything going his way. He is accepted to a club soccer team, and his best friend is his teammate. Then, his parents tell him that they are moving to Brazil. Jason feels uncertain about many things, until a week before the move, when he meets Mariana. Over the next few years, he has to adjust to the Brazilian customs.

This book has to be one of the best sports books I have read. One of the strong points of CHASING THE KING is its mood, which rollercoasters from up, when he makes friends or wins in a soccer or futebol game, to down, when he struggles about his move to Brazil. I am glad I decided to read CHASING THE KING. Bruce H.

Another Kind of Monday by William Coles

When Mark discovers money and a letter stuck between two pages of the novel, Great Expectations, his life is changed forever. The writer of the letter offers Mark the opportunity to embark on a quest for even more money. Before he can realize it, Mark is launched into this conquest for riches and is led on a scavenger hunt throughout the city of Pittsburgh. He is made to perform challenges including finding a partner of the opposite sex and researching the colorful history of Pittsburgh.

ANOTHER KIND OF MONDAY by William Coles is a thrilling and enlightening adventure. It is a wonderful look into the little known history of Pittsburgh while also being entertaining to readers. Tanya J.

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wrede

Cimorene is very different. She's not your average sit-and-knit princess who learns the many ways to curtsy and accept gifts. No, Princess Cimorene likes to fence and cook and learn politics and learn magic. But, unfortunately for her, those things are just not done. To save herself from endless boring princess lessons, Cimorene decides to become a dragon's princess, and that's where the adventure begins.

DEALING WITH DRAGONS is a fun novel filled with quick wit and laughter, along with a pleasant attitude of practicality from the down-to-earth Princess Cimorene. Jennifer Wu

Knight's Wyrd by Debra Doyle and James D. MacDonald

When told by his father's wizard that his wyrd, his destiny, is to never inherit his father's barony nor any other title, Will Odosson is torn between being a coward and refusing his knighthood or being knighted and facing an almost certain death. But little does he know that bigger forces are playing upon his life.

KNIGHT'S WYRD is a thrilling adventure and fantasy novel that holds its readers on the edge of their seats.

Abhorsen by Garth Nix

The third and final book of the series including SABRIEL and LIRAEL, ABHORSEN is an awesome novel which closes the storyline of King Touchstone, the Abhorsen Sabriel, and the Abhorsen-in-waiting Lirael. Lirael must find a way to defeat Orahnis, the Destroyer, before it sends her and all that she loves into death.

Garth Nix continues his long tradition of superb writing, making ABHORSEN as detailed as it can be. The book is exciting and hard to put down. Jennifer W.

Searching for Dragons by Patricia Wrede

The sequel to DEALING WITH DRAGONS and the second book in the Enchanted Forest Quartet, SEARCHING FOR DRAGONS is an amusing, witty novel. Princess Cimorene is back with new friends on a totally exciting new adventure. The society of wizards is up to something fishy, and it is up to Amorene and Mendanbar, king of the enchanted forest, to stop them. With jokes and spells and random happenings, this novel is just too exciting to put down. Jennifer W.

Prey by Michael Crichton

A military funded project has run amok and turned deadly. A killer "cloud" of nanoparticles was unintentionally released by a sabotaged laboratory into the Nevada desert. Programmed to be a predator, the deadly cloud stalks its prey - the group of programmers who created it. Moreover, the cloud was programmed to reproduce and produce offspring, as well as include a "genetic algorithm," and hour after hour, the swarms multiply and evolve exponentially to become more intelligent.

Schemes, intrigue, and distrust hover around the programmers as they struggle to outwit the swarms and preserve their lives. In this techno-thriller, Michael Crichton weaves an absorbing story with a message that cautions people to control a disturbing new technology that may be all-too-real in the near future. Andrew C.