Word of the Day!!!!

The man down the street updated his sign again. This time the word is:

TOPLOFTY

meaning: haughty or pretentious

Yours,

Aceba



Book Review: MATCHED

Author: Ally Condie
Number of Pages: 384
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Release Date: November 30, 2010

Seventeen year old Cassia lives in the future, where the Society controls everyone and everything- even who you marry. Around your seventeenth birthday you are Matched with your perfect other half- someone you most likely have never even heard of before. When Cassia is Matched, she sees her best childhood friend on the screen, Xander Carrow- that is, after the screen goes black and Ky Markham's face appears. The Officials tell her that it is just a malfunction- Xander is her true Match. But love knows no rules, and she finds herself falling deeply in love with mysterious Ky. Will she follow the laws of the Society and choose perfect Xander, or will she follow her heart and pick Ky????

This book was AWESOME!!!!! It's sort of reminded me of The Hunger Games because it has the whole futuristic-romance thing going on. I've always been strangely fascinated by the prospect of being forced to marry someone- What would it feel like? What if you hated the person?- not that I would want to be forced to marry someone. This book got me thinking about the future, and how Ally Condie's whole idea of the Society isn't that unlikely. Anything could happen.

Anyways, this was a great book. I can't wait to read the sequel!!!!!!!!

Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys

Would I recommend it to a friend???: Definitely.

Quote of the Week #12

Here is this week's quote:

"It's been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will."
                                                                                     ~ L.M. Montgomery

Hope you like it!

Yours,
Aceba

Book Review: PEELED

Author: Joan Bauer
Number of Pages: 256
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Release Date: May 1, 2008

Hildy Biddle's life goal is to become a well-known journalist just like her deceased father. So when a house in her small hometown is claimed to be haunted, she knows that this is the story that could make it or break it for her. When the safety of the town is threatened by this mysterious "ghost", Hildy and the other teenagers working on the high school paper leap into action. All they want it for people to know that truth- how hard can that be? Well, throughout the course of this book, they learn that although getting the truth out can be incredibly hard, it is absolutely worth fighting for.

I really liked this book. It kept my attention for the most part, although there were spots that seemed to drag on a little. There was a perfect balance of mystery, romance, humor, and suspense that made me want to read it all the way through without stopping (which I practically did). It was a little short, but that's okay. Overall, this was an awesome book!
Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Absolutely!

Hugs,
Aceba

Book Review: ALICE, I THINK

Author: Susan Juby
Number of Pages: 320
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: May1, 2004

15 year old Alice has been homeschooled ever since first grade- until now. To please her new counselor Bob, Alice agrees to actually go to school for high school. This novel is written from Alice's point of view as her diary, and in it she writes about all her wacky adventures with her unusual friends and family.

When I first started reading this book I thought that I would like it a lot, but as I read further on I actually began to like it less and less. This book is extremely random, and although it was sometimes very funny, it didn't keep my attention at all. I found myself wanting to just read it all at once to get it over with. To me Alice's personality was totally random, and I really couldn't relate to any of the characters at all. As you can probably tell, I really didn't care for this book at all.

Rating: :0) :0) 2 out of 5 smileys

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Probably not.

Hugs,
Aceba

Book Review: JUST LISTEN

Author: Sarah Dessen
Number of Pages: 384
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Release Date: April 6, 2006

From the outside, Annabel seems like she has everything she could ever want- a perfect family, a perfect body for modelling, a perfect life. On the inside, however, she is slowly falling apart. The ugly truth she's been holding back about the night she and Sophie became enemies is eating her from the inside out. She's all alone- or is she? Annabel gets to know Owen, a guy with a reputation for being angry and physical, and she realizes that you can't judge a book by its cover. Can Owen help Annabel come to terms with the truth, or will she end up being swallowed whole by reality?

Sarah Dessen is an amazing writer. She turns average girly romances into novels that I actually want to read. Each character is unique, and problems that the main character faces are ones that girls everywhere are dealing with as we speak. There were some slow parts, but nothing that made me want to fall asleep. Some parts were light and funny, while others were more serious and made me want to cry. Overall, this was a fantastic book. This is the third Sarah Dessen novel I have read, and I will absolutely be reading more of them in the future!!!!
Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Yes!

Hugs,
Aceba

Book Review: THE JULIET CLUB

Author: Suzanne Harper
Number of Pages: 402
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: June 1, 2008

Kate Sanderson has had only one boyfriend, and she is determined never to have another one. In her opinion, love is silly and you will always end up with a broken heart, so why bother? So when she wins an essay contest and is given the chance to go to Verona, Italy for the summer to take part in a Shakespeare seminar, her friends are extremely excited- perhaps she will finally fall in love! Kate, however, is doubtful.Will Kate find love in Italy, or will she return to America unchanged?

The Juliet Club was very enjoyable to read. It had me laughing and hoping desperately that Kate would just relax and let herself be happy. After I finished reading this book I just couldn't stop thinking about it. The author did an excellent job of describing Verona, Italy- it felt like I was actually there watching this story unfold. I loved the clever twist at the end. Overall, this was an awesome read.

Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) 4 out of 5 smileys

Would I recommend it to a friend?: If they like romance novels, than yes. Otherwise, they probably wouldn't like this book.

Yours,
Aceba

Quote of the Week #11

Hey! Here is this week's quote:

"I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book."
                                                                  ~ Groucho Marx

Hope you like it!

Hugs,
Aceba

Book Review: CLOAKED

Author: Alex Flinn
Number of Pages: 341
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: February 8, 2011

Johnny works in the shop his family has own for generations as a shoe-repairer. He has to work double shifts every day to keep most of the bills sort of payed. His life is at a standstill, and all he wants is some adventure. So when a Princess stays at the hotel where his shop is and asks him to complete a mission to save her brother- who has been turned into a frog by an evil witch- he jumps on the opportunity for a change in scenery. In this mash up of many fairy tales, Johnny embarks on an unusual quest that will keep readers on their toes.

I have seen many of Flinn's books- Cloaked, Beastly, and A Kiss in Time just to name a few- and I loved the idea of twisting classic fairy tales with the modern world as we know it today. When I checked out this book at my town library I originally thought that it was about Red Riding Hood, because she wears a cloak. However, the fairy tales that this novel references to aren't that common (at least, not for where I live), so I was confused quite a lot. There is an explanation in the back of the book that describes all of the fairy tales mentioned, but of course I didn't read this until after because it was in the very back.

As for the story itself, I thought it was lacking something. It seemed somewhat unorganized, though the twist at the end was very clever. It was an okay story, and I'll probably read another of Flinn's novels, but this won't be on my list of best-books-ever. Overall it was an okay read.

Rating: :0) :0) :0) 3 out of 5 smileys.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Only if they enjoy reading fantasy. If they didn't, they probably wouldn't like this book very much.

Later,
Aceba

Book Review: WILD ROSES

Author: Deb Caletti
Number of Pages: 304
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Release Date: August 30, 2005

Cassie Morgan was just a normal seventeen year old girl- until her parents got divorced and her mother married the famous violinist and composer, Dino Cavalli. Fans of Dino believe that he is an innocent genius, but Cassie knows better; she has to live with him. At home Dino is a whirlwind of emotions- one second he's fine, the next he's fuming with rage. As his condition continues to get worse, Cassie has a hard time trying to keep herself together.

To make things even more complicated, Cassie has fallen in love with Dino's only student, Ian. Ian's a sweet, funny, responsible guy- but even he has his secrets. Will Cassie survive Dino? Will Cassie's relationship survive Dino?

I loved this book. It was simple, funny, and adorably adorable. I play the violin myself, so I understood a lot of the musical aspects of this novel. The relationship between Cassie and Ian was just perfect. I found myself hating Dino more and more as the book went on, and then suddenly I understood why he was the way he was (you'll get what I'm talking about after you read the book). Part of me still doesn't forgive him, though.

Anyways, this was only my second book by Deb Caletti (my first being The Fortunes of Indigo Skye) and I have to say that I L-O-V-E her writing style. The story seems to life-like when written by Deb. I know this sounds really corny, but I had a very hard times putting this book down. I would stop to go do some geometry (yes, I still have homework in the summer) but within half a minute I would be back reading again. I just couldn't get this book out of my head. This is a definite must-read!!!!

Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Of course.

Yours,
Aceba

So sad.

The other day I went to the movie theater with my friends to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 in IMAX 3D. Let me tell you, that movie is AMAZING!!!!!!! They did change a few  details from the books, but it worked to the movie's advantage, so it's all good. I was laughing and crying and feeling happy and sad all at once while watching it. To me, this is by far the best movie in the series!

Despite the pure awesomeness of the movie, I am very sad. After all these years of reading Harry Potter and watching the movies and waiting expectantly for the ending, it feels like the ending has come too soon. I started reading the series when I was in second grade, and it's been a huge part of my life ever since. To see this fantastic series of books and movies finally come to an end.... well, it sort of feels like losing a close friend. *tears* But I know that as fans of Harry Potter, we will continue to keep these characters alive in our own lives.

I encourage you to go out and see the movie- you won't regret it! And if you haven't read the series yet- WELL, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???? Your public library most likely has all of them (really, what's a library without the Harry Potter series) so go there right now and check out as many of them as your library allows!!!!!!!!

Hugs,
Aceba

Book Review: HOW TO BUILD A HOUSE

Author: Dana Reinhardt
Number of Pages: 240
Release Date: May 27, 2008

Harper's home life is falling apart. Her mother died when Harper was only two years old. Her dad and step-mom are getting divorced. Tess, Harper's step-sister and best friend, no longer wishes to talk to her. So when Harper hears about a summer program for teens in which they build houses, she thinks it is the perfect opportunity to get away from her crazy life at home. She travels to Tennessee to with a bunch of other teenagers from all over the country to build a house for a family who's previous home was destroyed by a tornado. While working alongside Teddy, the son of the family the new house is for, she realizes that maybe love can exist.

Let me start off by saying all of the things that I liked about this novel. First, the general idea of the story was unique and one that I hadn't read about before. Next, I thought that the Harper-Teddy relationship was really cute. Also, it was cool how the author went back and forth between Harper's past and the present.

Now for the stuff that I didn't like about this book. To start, it was really short. I think that an increase in the length would really benefit the story. And there really wasn't a whole lot of detail about the building of the house itself; it was really more about the relationships that grew between all of the teenagers. Another thing: no matter what bad things the teenagers did while in this program (sneaking in a midnight swim, girls bunking in guys' room and vice versa, going out to a pub in the middle of the night when they were supposed to be sleeping) they never got in trouble. Now, I'm not saying that I wanted them to get in trouble, it just doesn't seem very realistic to me.

Overall, I was kind of disappointed with this book. I was really excited to read it, but it just didn't Wow! me.

Rating: :0) :0) :0) 3 out of 5 smileys.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Probably. I mean, it wasn't a horrible book, just not one of my favorites.

Peace,
Aceba

Book Review: WHAT HAPPENED TO GOODBYE

Author: Sarah Dessen
Number of Pages: 402
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Release Date: May 10, 2011

Mclean doesn't know who she is. She's remade herself so many times that the real Mclean is almost nonexistent. She's lived with her father ever since her mom ran off and married the new coach of her dad's favorite basketball team, splitting their family apart and leaving Mclean somewhere in the middle. So when Mclean and her dad move to Lakeview, Mclean tries to put on a new personality. However, Mclean finds herself being just that- herself. With the help of Dave, the genius, dorky, cute guy next door, Mclean learns to just be herself, and that a house does not make a home- love does.

Maybe it's because I'm a teenage girl or maybe it's because I can't resist an adorable, down-to-earth love story, or maybe it's a little bit of both, but I absolutely loved this book! This is the second novel by Sarah Dessen that I have read, and I will definitely be reading another one soon!!! I found myself really relating to Mclean. If my parents' marriage suddenly collapsed, I think that I would react in a similar way to Mclean. My favorite character in this book was not Mclean, however, but Dave. He's smart, he's funny, he's dorky, he's cute, and most of all he's always there for his friends. If more people were like Dave, I think the world would be a better place.

This book is a definite must-read!

Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Absolutely!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hugs,
Aceba





Book Review: REVOLUTION

Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Number of Pages: 472
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Release Date: October 12, 2010

Andi Alpers is a senior at the most prestigious high school in Brooklyn. She's depressed and has a broken heart do to the fact that her younger brother, Truman, died not that long ago. She's taking medicine to help her deal with her sadness, but most of the time it isn't enough. These days, music is one of the only things that gets her through life.

When the headmistress at Andi's school threatens to expel her, Andi's father (who is a famous scientist and who is also divorced from her mother) intervenes. Andi is sent to Paris during winter break to get away from home for a little while and to hopefully change her attitude.

When Andi finds an old diary from the French Revolution in an even older guitar case, things turn from bad to worse. As she reads Andi is thrust into a dark story of starvation, poverty, cruelty, and death. Will Andi's depression get worse, or will she be able to make her own revolution?

I really liked this book. I loved the way Donnelly described Andi's need for music in her life. The author weaved music and history almost seamlessly throughout the story. This story had everything- emotion, action, suspense, romance. The only thing I didn't care for was the fact that Andi was almost always negative, and after a while it gets sort of irritating. Other than that, this was a fantastic read!

Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) 4 out of 5 smileys.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Absolutely!!!! Especially one who either plays an instrument or who just loves music.

Hugs,
Aceba

Book Review: GOING BOVINE

Author: Libba Bray
Number of Pages: 480
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Release Date: September 22, 2009

Cameron is a sixteen year old guy who could really care less about life. All he wants is to survive high school without having to put too much effort in. His easy-going attitude changes, however, when his is diagnosed with the incurable Mad Cow Disease. It's only when he is told that he is going to die that he realizes something: he really wants to live.

One day in the hospital Cam is visited by Dulcie, a punk angel who tells him that has been chosen to go on a mission that will save the world. But here's the catch: if the mission is completed in the two weeks available, Cam will survive his illness. So, with hope in his heart and his newest friend Gonzo in tow, Cam embarks on a road trip that will- hopefully- save the world.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. On the positive side, it was very funny, the characters were interesting and unique, and there were life lessons weaved in throughout the book. On the negative side, the plot seemed totally random and spontaneous, it seemed very slow and boring in many parts, and the ending was totally confusing- I'm still trying to figure out what exactly happened during the last fifty pages or so. Overall, it was an okay read.

Rating: :0) :0) :0) 3 out of 5 smileys. I was really looking forward to reading this book because it was written by Libba Bray, but once I finished I was sort of disappointed.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: That depends. Personally, I would not recommend it to any of my friends, knowing the sort of books that they like to read. But just because I didn't like this book doesn't mean that you won't! If the description I wrote interests you, don't be afraid to pick this book up and give it a try.

Yours,
Aceba