Book Reviews by Palisades Young Adults
Below are book reviews submitted by Palisades Branch members of 2007's Teen Summer Reading Program:
posted by Henry at 12:04 PM
About Me
- Name: Henry
- Location: Pacific Palisades, California, United States
The Los Angeles Public Library provides free and easy access to information, ideas, books and technology that enrich, educate and empower every individual in our city's diverse communities.
14 Comments:
Sabrina Giglio
Pali High/ 9th Grade
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Gothgirl
by Barry Lyga
Set in a modern day suburb, The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Gothgirl is a novel that questions our stereotypes and the perceptions we have of others. The fifteen year old comic book geek nicknamed “Fanboy” is having a rough time in a town where jocks “rule”, and knowledge doesn’t get you anywhere. After a particularly rough day in gym, Fanboy gets a IM from an unknown screen name stating “Why do you let them hit you?” The IM is from Kyra, a girl who is everything Fanboy’s crush Dina Jurgens isn’t. Kyra wears all black, chain-smokes, and does things that Fanboy only dreams of doing. Together they work towards Fanboy’s goal of a published comic book. For once, the sun is shining in Fanboy’s world. But when Fanboy realizes how wrong he is about Kyra, its only a matter of time before things begin unraveling.
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Gothgirl was an enjoyable read. While the novel wasn’t difficult to understand, it really made me think about how wrong I probably am about certain people. When you say mean things to people, you have no idea about their life at home and what they are going through. The novel explored that concept thoroughly. However, I didn’t like the extensive details about Fanboy’s comic book. They seemed to wind on and on. Overall, I would give The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Gothgirl four stars out of five.
hi sabrina!
Aurelia F.
Paul Revere Middle School
8th Grade
How I Change My Life
By: Todd Strasser
How I Changed My Life is a compelling story about two high school students trying to find out who they are in life. This book takes place at Time Zone High, during their senior year. Kyle Winthrop, a once great quarterback, endured a terrrible injury which ended his high school fame and any chance of his sports scholarship. His frustration and anger created problems in his life. Bolita Vine is an invisible outsider and the stage manager for the theatre group, Suddenly, Bolita changes her whole path. She loses a little weight changes her hair and puts on some make-up. She is now even befriending Kyle Winthrop. Is it friendship or a real realtionship she has in mind? Is she just dreaming this whole thing or is she just deperate? I would recommend this book because it inspires you to try to find yourself and to always stip to traveling on you road.
Aurelia Friedman
Paul Revere Middle School
8th Grade
Girls in Pants:The Third Summer of the Sisterhood
By Ann Brashares
The Pants return for their third summer in a row and they have three times as much magic in them. The Sisterhood has just graduated high school in Bethesda, Maryland and they are getting ready to start their own grown-up lives. The bad thing is that all four of them are going to different colleges: Tibby is going to New york University to make movies, Carmen is going to Williams, Lena is going to Rhode Island School of Design and Bridget is going to Brown university. All seems down, but the good thing is that it is summer and for this foursome that means that it is time for magic. Tibby is staying home,but now she has to deal with Katherine's injury and Brian liking her more than as a friend. Carmen is taking care of Valia, pretending to be someone she is not for someone who she might actually like and to top that all off, her mom is pregnant! Lena is trying to go to art school, even though her family does not even support her. Bridget reunites with Eric Richman and secretly hopes she can be with him. This is an action packed summer full of suprises and fun! Even thoughthe title includes pants (which isn't the most popular topic), this is not a boring book!
Louie Friedman
Paul Revere Middle School
6th Grade
Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy
By Jenny Nimmo
Charlie Bone is not your ordinary kid. Charlie has the power to hear the voices in photographs and paintings. Just like us, Charlie goes to school, but this semester there are going to be a few changes. There is a new art teacher, Mr. Boldova and a new student Belle. She lives with Charlie and the Yewbeam aunts and seems to have some mystical power over them.
Charlie finds out that Mr. Boldova is the older brother to Ollie Sparks. Ollie was always butting his nose in where it did not belong. So a kid named Ezekiel Bloor turned Ollie invisible. Charlie and Mr. Boldova find Ollie in the attic hungry and alone. Will they be able to turn Ollie back into a normal boy.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries because it was interesting the way they tried to find a way to make Ollie normal again.
Aurelia Friedman
Paul Revere Middle School
8th grade
What Kind of Love? The Diary of a Pregnant Teenager
By Shelia Cole
In a second your life can be turned around so drastically, that everything you held dear falls apart. Valerie Larch believes Peter Winder loves her and she wants to spend the rest of her life with him. When they thought they were just fooling around, they created a problem. Peter really wants nothing to do with it so now it becomes Valerie's mess, but the thing is she wants to overlook this too. The unjust thing is that she lands up answering the unimaginable questions. This book persuades teens not to make stupid mistakes. It was an easy read at 166 pages. It got to the point and I would rate it 7 out of 10.
Aurelia Friedman
Paul Revere Middle School
8th Grade
Perk! The Story of a Teeenager with Bulimia
By Liza F. Hall
Perk Sinclair just had bronchtitis and just lost a lot of weight. Everyone pressures her to be skinny, especially her family. So in her strange obsession to stay thin, she makes herself throw up. But when an afternoon of babysitting goes awry she must face the truths about bulimia and her parents' reactions. This story takes place in Phoenicia. I would rate this book 6 out of 10, even though it is an easy read at 124 pages. I did not like the fact that the whole book was dragged out.
Aurelia Friedman
Paul Revere Middle School
8th Grade
l8r, g8r
By Lauren Myracle
Angela, Maddie, and Zoe aka the winsome threeesome are back for the last time in their senior year in the state of Georgia.They feel like they can take on anything.Jana otherwise known as the Evil Queen Bee has a heck of a senior planned out for them. After Zoe makes fun of jana for having a stuffed bear named Boo Boo Bear, Jana spreads a rumor that Angela flirted with Doug. Then for revenge, Maddie makes the whole school think Jana is a prostitude and the pranks sky rocket from there.Zoe won't help because she is being codependent with her boyfriend Doug. Will she finally come thrrough for her friends? I give this book 9 out of 10. This book is great!
Aurelia Friedman
Paul Revere Middle School
8th grade
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
By J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter is back for the last time, but I promise you it is not the least. After the tragic death of beloved headmaster, Albus Dumbledore by Severus Snape, Harry, Ron, and Hermonie head off to find horcruxes, which hold parts of Lord Voldemort's soul. If Harry and his friends find them all, they might be able to destroy Voledemort forever. Everyone that cares about Harry and his friends try to either help them or find out what they are up to, especially Mrs. Weasely. They all have a right to be worried for the fact that they are not going back to Hogwarts this year and they are going to encounter magic that they have never even dreamed of. In this book, there will be many suprises, deaths, and happy endings. In my opinion, this is the best of all the Harry Potter books. I give this book 10 out of 10. J.K. Rowling has officially out done herself.
Louie Friedman
Paul Revere Middle School
6th Grade
Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors
By: Jenny Nimmo
Charlie Bone is in his fourth year at Bloors Academy. There is a new character, Billy who can talk to animals. He is adopted by two mysterious and suspicious people. Billy gets locked up in the Passing House. Charlie and his friends search for Billy hoping to save him before he meets a terrible fate. Finding Billy is now easy feat because the mirrors cause them to become confused and disoriented. They are forced to get by challenges like the white horse with the flying tail that popped out at them and side tracked them on their journey to save Billy. Will they make it in time to save Billy? I recommend this book if you enjoy adventures.
Aurelia Friedman
Paul Revere Middle School
8th Grade
Sealed with a Diss
By Lisi Harrison
Massie Block is ready to assume the rightful place of ruler of the school for two reasons: she is seventh soon to be eighth grade alpha and she is about to hold the key to the most spectacular room at OCD. But Skye Hamilton would not let go of all her eighth grade resources so easily. To prove they are worthy enough for the room the Pretty Committee must find dates to Skye's "famous couples" costume party and Massie must convince her old crush Chris Abeley to be Skye's date. Without preforming these tasks the Pretty Commmittee will lose the ability to know what boys are thinking and their popularity. This book was about 248 pages long and I would give it about an 8 out of 10. It was an okay read.
Fiona Hayman
Paul Revere Middle School
7th Grade
The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer
The Sea of Trolls is an interesting and entertaining tale set in northern Europe in A.D. 793 about a boy, Jack, and his younger sister, Lucy. Jack and Lucy live on a farm in a small village with their mother, who is a wise woman with great knowledge of herbs and the abilty to calm animals, and their father, who was crippled at a young age, works as hard as he can despite his difficulty to perform basic farm chores.
Jack helps his father yet seldom receives gratitude or praise. One day he is sent to deliver food to the mysterious bard, whose magical powers are respected throughout the village. Much to Jack's surprise, the Bard asks him to become his apprentice.
Jack learns many secrets of life from the Bard and even learns some magic of his own. One day, the feared berserkers from across the sea arrive at the village and destroy everything in their path. The Bard goes mad, and Jack and Lucy are enslaved by a powerful ship captain called Olaf One-Brow. Their adventures begin there.
I would recommend this book because it is packed with action and also educated me about Norse mythology. I found it enthralling and very difficult to put down.
Fiona Hayman
Paul Revere Middle School
7th Grade
Magyk by Angie Sage
Set in a fantasy world in an unknown time, Magyk is an exciting and suspenseful novel. The middle-class Heap family lives in a dingy apartment in their world's capital city. Silas Heap, a rather untalented Ordinary Wizard, is walking home from work when he finds a baby girl bundled up in the snow. He decides to take her home.
Meanwhile, Silas's wife, Sarah, has just given birth to their seventh son, Septimus. Septimus is very important because he is the seventh son of a seventh son, giving him incredible magical ability. Suddenly, the midwife pronounces him dead and rushes off with the infant in her arms.
Who is the abandoned baby? Is Septimus really dead? To find out, you guessed it- read the book.
I would advise you to read this book. It is a wonderful and satisfying read.
Fiona Hayman
Paul Revere Middle School
7th grade
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
The delightful novel known as Wicked is set in the land of Oz, in an unknown time. In the province of Munchkinland, a minister travels away from home on business, leaving his wife Melena at his small abode. One day, a mysterious foreigner arrives at their house, seeking a place to stay. Melena’s heart goes out to him and takes in the outlander. Before long, a girl child is born and named Elphaba. Her skin is green.
Neighbors are disgusted by the green-skinned girl. She is the subject of constant negative gossip. Her mother attempts to drown her several times, but the fierce toddler survives.
Elphaba grows. When she reaches her late teenage years, she is admitted to Shiz- an all-girl college near the capital of oz, the Emerald City. At Shiz, she is swept up into social life, beginning with having Galinda, a socially prominent, glamorous, and wealthy girl, as her roommate! Read the book to learn more about Elphaba’s journey through society and her emotions.
I would highly recommend this book. It is thought-provoking and is interesting and amusing as a “back story” for the classic tale, “The Wizard of Oz”.
Post a Comment
<< Home