Thursday, July 07, 2005

Haunted by Desire by Cameron Dokey

1958. A Halloween party on October 31st. Private University campus. Screams. Blood. Murder. Three young friends murdered, or are they?

Present day. Pheobe Halliwell is working on an extra credit project. The project is Halloween night of 1958 on the same campus.

While Phoebe is working on her project, her sisters are working on getting a guy. They are being unusually mean to each other as they compete for the same guy, almost as if they are under a spell.

HAUNTED BY DESIRE shows you how sisters will always come through for each other. It taught me how lucky I am to have my sister. -Chelsey C.

Girls in Love by Jacqueline WIlson

Jacqueline Wilson brings you a novel full of love surprises, with twists on every page you turn. Three best friends, keeping each other safe from love disasters.

GIRLS IN LOVE taught me about love. It helped me realize how far friends - true blue friends - are willing to go to make sure one another are safe. Plus how pressured young girls are to have boyfriends or sex. And how about the parents? What are you going to do with them? Ellie decides to handle them by being mostly honest with them, making friends with them, and having only a few fights. -Chelsey C.

Just as Long as We're Together by Judy Blume

Two best friends joined by a third. Competition. Lying. Fighting. These all arise between the three friends. With all of this two against one, how will they reunite?

JUST AS LONG AS WE'RE TOGETHER, a novel by Judy Blume, teaches you an important lesson about truth, compassion, and friendship. These characters all mesh together to make very wonderful friendships. Judy Blume shows you how.

I would also recommend Here's To You, Rachel Robinson. It teaches you more about these important lessons and continues the story of these three girls. - Chelsey C.

Girls Under Pressure by Jacqueline Wilson

Anorexic? Bulimic? A few words used to describe the character of a few girls in this novel, Girls Under Pressure.

This novel by Jacqueline Wilson taught me a very important lesson. I could relate to Ellie, mostly on the weight level. This novel taught me how unimportant it is how tall you are or how much you weigh. You can lose a few pounds, but don't go crazy. All that matters is your friends and who you are. - Chelsey C.

My Mother was Never a Kid by Francine Pascal

Francine Pascal's MY MOTHER WAS NEVER A KID takes place in the seventies. When traveling on a train, Victoria goes back to 1944, where she meets her mother. Victoria, while trying to make sure her mom stays out of trouble, hangs out with her.

As I am close to the age of the main characters, I was able to compare my life to theirs. They are very different. Their lives included smoking pot and cigarettes on a daily basis. It is illegal for kids, this time and age, at that age to smoke cigarettes, let alone pot. This book should be for older kids because while the writing style is enjoyable, drugs are mentioned more than twice and for the cuss words so often displayed. -Chelsey C.

My First Love and Other Disasters by Francine Pascal

As Victoria Martin plans to impress the guy of her dreams, many things go wrong. She gets caught sneaking into the summerhouse (after curfew) that she is living in for the summer as a mother's helper. She also puts the kids she is watching in danger, but then miracle of miracles she saves tham. Most importantly is how her dream guy turns out.

MY FIRST LOVE AND OTHER DISASTERS is a funny tale filled with surprises in every corner you turn. Francine Pascal shows you what it's like to be a teenage girl. - Chelsey C.

Love and Betrayal and Hold the Mayo by Francine Pascal

As Victoria Martin continues her story during her 16th summer in camp as a waitress, she gets into many a trouble. She and two friends play a harmless, or so they thought, part in the most important event of all of the summer. Then she and her best friend's boyfriend fall in love. Will she betray her best friend for the guy she loves, or will she choose friendship over a relationship?

In LOVE AND BETRAYAL AND HOLD THE MAYO, Francine Pascal brings alive challenges that most teens face. The unique writing style lets you know, really know, what is going on inside Victoria's head. - Chelsey C.

Princess Diaries Volume III: Princess in Love by Meg Cabot

Meg Cabot does it again in this fascinating volume of the Princess Diaries: PRINCESS IN LOVE. Princess Mia has to deal with the pressures of the holidays and exams. Plus how will Mia break the news to her boyfriend, who loves her, that she does not return his adoration? How can she win over the guy that she has loved forever but has been too afraid to tell? This book entices you with the writing style of a diary entry that makes you feel as if you are Princess Mia. You experience with her the changes that has made this Genovian/American Princess a braver, more independent person. Princess in Love tells and does it all. -Chelsey C.

Princess Diaries Volume II: Princess in the Spotlight by Meg Cabot

Meg Cabot continues Princess Mia's life as she is in training to become Princess of Gergovia in PRINCESS IN THE SPOTLIGHT. Mia has to deal with her mother's pregnancy and disaster wedding that Grandmere is planning - to her Algebra teacher. Also, Princess Mia needs to determine the identity of her Secret Admirer, Jo-C-rox. You will not want to put down this hilarious book. I cannot wait to read the next volume and can't help but wonder what will happen next. -Chelsey C.

All-American Girl by Meg Cabot

ALL-AMERICAN GIRL is a far-fetched and entertainingly fun tale about Samantha Madison. She lives in Washingtom D.C. where skipping your art class can change your life. As Meg Cabot introduces to you what would/could be the life of a sophomore in high school that saves the life of the leader of the free world, you will not want to put this book down. Also, Samantha develops a crush on the first son, as does he. Experience changes Samantha Madison as she goes from "wearing all black because she is mourning her generation's superficiality" to the girl who saved the President of the United States, is dating th first son, and is the Ambassador representing the United States in the teen's UN. - Chelsey C.

Charmed: Mirror Image by Jeff Mariotte

MIRROR IMAGE has affected me by its family tone, while keeping up with the drama and fast-paced excitement of the unreal world of magic.

Paige Matthews meets a mysterious young man, claiming to be a good witch. Will Paige trust him over her Charmed gut feeling?

Will Pheobe Halliwell be persuaded by an old letter left to the Charmed Ones from a great-great-great Aunt Agnes, telling her to distrust Paige?

Will Piper Halliwell and her two sisters make up before something goes terribly wrong?

All the while the Charmed Ones lives are in disarray, bones of fifty plus people of 100 years ago are found. That's when the present day killings start. Could this be a supernatural coincidence? -Chelsey C.

The Lady Grace Mysteries: Conspiracy by Patricia Finney

Lady Grace must do her job of protecting the Queen Elizabeth in this realistic, far-fetched tale entitled Conspiracy. How will she ever solve this mind-boggling case and save Her Majesty from awful traitiors?

Grace develops by becoming more of a girl when she has a crush on one of the workers, except she doesn't seem to know it. I felt particularly fond of the way Grace developed. She became a girl in love, yet stuck to her values and what she knew was right. She valued honesty and struck out to make sure everything was set right with the innocent victims involved. -Chelsey C.

I will Survive by Kristen Kemp

I WILL SURVIVE by Kristen Kemp brings you into the reality of high school. Ellen has to endure her junior year filled with disasters. Her world is turned upside down when she learns her best friend and boyfriend are cheating on her. Her younger sister gets into big trouble with her parents. Her best guy friend dumps her and dates her sister. When Ellen thinks all is lost, she learns shocking news about her mother. How will Ellen exact revenge on everyone who betrayed her? Read I Will Survive to find out. My personal mood was filled with excitement, unhappiness, and embarassment. These feelings mainly came from what she included in her revenge. While my mood contained the emotions throughout the beginning and middle it was uplifted witha happy non-fairy tale ending. -Chelsey C.

All-American Girl by Meg Cabot

ALL-AMERICAN GIRL is a story about a girl, Sam, who saves the President. She also thinks that she is in love with her older sister's boyfriend, Jack. When she saves the President's life, she is invited to dinner. At dinner, she meets the President's son, David. She slowly realizes that she doesn't like Jack like she thought, but she likes David.

I really enjoyed this book. I felt that it was well-written and was a quick read. I also like the way Sam matured over the course of the book. Her feelings about people really changed. In the beginning, she thought that all people did not understand about art or anything, but later, she learned that everyone's good in their own way. -Cassie P.

The Hounds of the Morrigan by Pat O'Shea

THE HOUNDS OF THE MORRIGAN is about two children, Pidge and Brigit, who are sent to save the world by the Dagda, a powerful force for good. They have to defeat the Morrigan and stop her from consuming Olc-Glas, a demon who would increase her strength and enable her to take over the world. In the end, Pidge and Brigit prevail.

This was easily the best book I've read in a while. I could not get enough, and it kept me hooked. There was never a dull moment the whole time. This is a good book, especially if you're into Irish myths and fantasy stories. - Cassie P.

Rakkety Tam by Brian Jacques

RAKKETY TAM is the seventeenth book in the Redwall series. In it, Gulo the Savage, tracking his brother who stole from him the Walking Stone, lands on the shores of Mossflower country. He eventually comes to Redwall Abbey and thinks his brother is there. Meanwhile, Rakkety Tam MacBurl comes to know and befriend the Redwallers. When Gulo attacks, he's the one to save them all.

This book was another great Redwall tale. Jacques' ability to capture readers' imaginations again shines through. I immensely enjoyed this book. Rakkety Tam was extremely well-written and is a must-read for fans of Redwall. - Cassie P.

Sweet-blood by Pete Hautman

Lucy, known as Sweet-blood to the members of her favorite chat room, considers herself to be a modern-day teenage vampire. Once she was a relatively normal girl, but her struggles with self-identity led her down a much darker path. The allure and mystery of vampiric subculture quickly led her life into a downward spiral as her grades dropped and she grew less careful about controlling her diabetes. Reckless and uncaring, her new lifestyle threatens her very life. Can she recover from this destructive path or will her dangerous behavior lead her to tragedy? -Tanya J.

The Purple Emperor by Herbie Brennan

Just when all seemed well in the Kingdom of Faerie, an evil plot is uncovered that throws the royal household into chaos. The Purple Emperor has been resurrected and is now being controlled by the dark Lord Hairstreak. Pyrgus Malvae, the Emperor Elect, has been forced into exile along with his sister, Her Serene Highness, Holly Blue. They are faced with the challenge of recovering their kingdom before Lord Hairstreak destroys everything and everyone they hold dear. Full of twists and turns, this epic adventure leaves the reader breathless and hungry for more. - Tanya J.

Sorcery and Cecelia or the Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer

To cousins Kate and Cecy, the impending Season was going to be a very exciting time, but they had no idea just how dangerous it was to be. At first, everything is fine for the two, with Kate going to elegant balls in London and Cecy receiving gallant callers at home, but it all takes a tragic turn. At a party, Kate accidently stumbles into a trap set for someone else, the Mysterious Marquis, and is very nearly poisoned. Meanwhile, back in Essex, Cecy is horribly frightened to discover that her brother is missing. This is only the beginning for the two cousins who soon find themselves in the gaze of two very powerful enemies.

This book is truly an amazing piece of work. For the authors, it began as a game, writing letters to each other as characters, but it quickly developed into a truly remarkable novel. I recommend this book to any lover of fantasy, excitement, and romance. - Tanya J.

The Baby-Sitter by R.L. Stine

Jenny Jeffers has just taken a baby-sitting job at the residence of the Hagens. The Hagens are a compassionate family. Mr. Hagens is a bit strange because he is paranoid over his son, Donny, but he is nice... for the most part. The house the Hagens live in looks like a first-class haunted house, and Jenny does not like it one bit. The things she dislikes the most are the bizarre phone calls from an anonymous man and the "surprise" visits from Mr. Willers, their neighbor.

One day, when Jenny went for the first time to get her jacket from the closet in the master bedroom, she saw clippings of newspapers belonging to Mr. Hagens. The headlines were all about murders of baby-sitters. Before she could run away from there, Mr. Hagens grabbed her and forced her into the car. They drove about forty miles out of town to an abandoned quarry. There was a pit there, which was about a hundred feet deep with sharp rocks at the bottom. Mr. Hagens pushed Jenny as hard as he could into the pit. Read the book to become aware of what happens.

My comments on this book are that it was full of suspense and excitement. It was a pleasure reading this book and very helpful grammatically to me. I enjoyed the book very much and would with no hesitation recommend this book to anyone. I selected this book because it looked like it was the type that had a turn of events. - Abhinav K.

This Side of Paradise by Steven L. Layne

When Jack Barret's father starts working for the Eden Corporation, he forces his family to move to the village of Paradise. In this town, Jack uncovers a plan that could destroy his family, and he discovers that some people will go to any length to achieve perfection.

The theme of this story is that there's a bad side to perfection. Although perfection would eliminate poverty, crime, death, and illness, there wouldn't be any fun and no one would be truly happy. One person or group would rule everything, and no one else would have a say in the matter. This story makes you realize that there's a price for perfection, and it's not all that it seems. -Natalie M.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

This fun, fictional book is about four girls reaching sixteen and parting for the first time this summer. Lena, the beauty, and her sister are on their way to Greece to stay with her grandparents. Bridget, the athlete, is on her way to soccer camp in L.A. Carmen, the brains, is off to South Carolina to visit her dad. Then Tibby, the rebel, is getting her first job at their home in Washington D.C. The only thing keeping them together are these pair of pants that magically fits all of them.

This book is about how these pants help these girls get through all of their problems. Lena will face problems with a boy who likes her. Bridget will fall for a coach who can't love her. Carmen will find out about her father's new family and marriage. Tibby will face the summer by working and making a curious young friend named Bailey. The part that really grabbed me was title. It sounded so comforting and together. This book is a great girl book for those of drama, laughter, and fun times with friends. -Brittany T.

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

All-American Girl by Meg Cabot

ALL-AMERICAN GIRL is a story about a girl, Sam, who saves the president. She also thinks she is in love with her older sister's boyfriend, Jack. When she saves the president's life, she is invited to dinner. At dinner, she meets the president's son, David. She slowly realizes that she doesn't like Jack like she thought, but she likes David.

I really enjoyed this book. I felt that it was well-written and was a quick read. I also liked the way Sam matured over the course of the book. Her feelings about people really changed. In the beginning, she thought that all people did not understand about art or anything, but later she learned that everyone's good in their own way. -Cassie P.