Book Review: PLEASE DON'T BE TRUE

Author: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Number of Pages:768
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Release Date: March 8, 2011

In Please Don't Be True, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor continues her account of the life of Alice. Alice is your average girl going through high school. In this novel, the reader will read about Alice hanging out with her friends Liz, Pamela, and Gwen. Hardships will have an impact on everyone, but happy events will bring joy as well. Alice is a junior in high school in this novel.

After reading I Like Him, He Likes Her and It's Not Like I Planned It This Way, I had mixed expectations for this book. The first two were good, but there were a lot of things that annoyed me. I figured that this would be the make it or break it book. The things that irritated me could start to go away in this novel, or they could exponentially increase. Well, guess what? They increased.

I was disappointed with this novel. Alice and her friends grew more boy-crazy than ever, and Alice seems to have no common sense. For example, she doesn't see that the senior who asks her to the school dance is a creeper and just wants to use her. No, she thinks he's a great guy. WHY???? Because she's blind and oblivious to all bad guys.

Next, Alice is whiny and complains constantly about not understanding anything. And by anything, I mean that she mostly understand herself. I think that feeling is common among teenagers- I for one, certainly feel that way from time to time- but she talks about it as though she is the only one in the world going through it. She's like: OH MY GOSH I DON'T KNOW WHO I AM ANYMORE! I THOUGH I DID BUT NOW I DON'T AND MY BOYFRIEND WON'T EMAIL ME AND NO ONE IS CALLING ME AND BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!!!! Seriously.

Normally, I love long books. But I have learned through this experience that long books are only good if the story inside of them is good. Otherwise, they are pure torture.

Maybe you might find this book enjoyable. Maybe you might even love it. I'm just saying that for me, it wasn't my favorite book. But then again, I have read books that are a lot worse than this was, so at least that's something positive to say.

My Rating: :0) :0) :0) 3 out of 5 smileys. Not the worst book I've ever read, but still not good.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Ummmm.... probably not.

Yours,
NutFreeNerd

Book Review: A SWIFTLY TILTING PLANET

Author: Madeleine L'Engle
Number of Pages: 304
Publisher: Square Fish
Release Date: January 1, 1978

When the President of the United States calls Mr. Murry on Thanksgiving night telling him that a nuclear war may begin in a matter of days, or even hours, the Murry household is filled with a sense of dread. Suddenly Mrs. O'Keefe starts saying an old rune, and tells Charles Wallace that he alone has the power to stop this entire war. Will the help of a unicorn and Mrs. O'Keefe's memories of the past be enough to save the country? And will they be able to achieve this in a single night?
This book was very different from the other books in this series (A Wrinkle in Time and A Wind in the Door). It was very historical, dealing with different societies and cultures in the past. It still had that element of science fiction (Charles Wallace was traveling back in time, after all) but it was different from the first two books.

However, it proved to be very interesting. It was very neat to see how all of the descendants of Mrs. O'Keefe connected through time. There were a lot of little details threaded through this novel that really made it an enjoyable book. The reader gets to experience different time periods, many new characters, and a Charles Wallace that is a bit older and a lot wiser. Although some parts of this book were slow and dragged on, it was still a very good read. It feels as though as the series progresses the novels grow less and less childish, which isn't a bad thing for a YA reader.
My Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) 4 out of 5 smileys.
Would I recommend it to a friend?: Yes.

Always,
NutFreeNerd

Book Review: A WIND IN THE DOOR

Author: Madeleine L'Engle
Number of Pages: 240
Publisher: Square Fish
Release Date: 1973

"It is November. When Meg comes home from school, Charles Wallace tells her he saw dragons in the twin’s vegetable garden. That night Meg, Calvin and C.W. go to the vegetable garden to meet the Teacher (Blajeny) who explains that what they are seeing isn’t a dragon at all, but a cherubim named Proginoskes. It turns out that C.W. is ill and that Blajeny and Proginoskes are there to make him well – by making him well, they will keep the balance of the universe in check and save it from the evil Echthros. 
Meg, Calvin and Mr. Jenkins (grade school principal) must travel inside C.W. to have this battle and save Charles’ life as well as the balance of the universe."
                                                        - Goodreads.com

Even though this is a sequel to A Wrinkle In Time, I was surprised at how little it actually connected with that book. Besides the characters, nothing of utmost importance is brought from the first book to the second, so you could definitely read this one without reading the one before it. That is why instead of doing on big post containing the entire series as a whole, I am going to do individual posts, because the books themselves are very independent of each other.

This book starts to get a bit more confusing then A Wrinkle In Time. They do include time travel, but a lot of it is focused on mitochondria and how they work, so it's good to know a little background on that sort of stuff. I already knew about them, so it was weird reading Madeleine L'Engle's description of them- it reminds you that this is not science, it is science fiction. I think that this book is definitely more "out there" than the first one, but it was still enjoyable.

I found Proginoskes to be a very likable character, as well as Blajeny. One again, Meg annoyed me A LOT. It seems that her ability to irritate me is directly proportional to her age. (The older she gets, the more she annoys me.) She is just so WHINY and dependent on others! And she WON'T STOP ASKING STUPID QUESTIONS!!!!! I like Charles Wallace much better, because he is much more mature than his older sister.

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

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Yes.

Yours,
NutFreeNerd

Book Review: NERDS

Author: David Anderegg
Number of Pages: 304
Publisher: Penguin Group
Release Date: 2007
What is a nerd? Are nerds and geeks the same thing, or are they different? How did the nerd and geek stereotypes come to be? Why are they most common in kids in the middle school age range? How are these stereotypes impacting what American students are choosing as their careers or professions? David Anderegg attempts to answer these important questions as well as many more in this eye-opening novel that shows just how much power a label can have.

I saw this book at my local used bookstore and inside my head I screamed, "OH MY GOSH I MUST HAVE THIS BOOK!" I am a self-proclaimed nerd, and I often get frustrated when my peers give me strange looks, saying, "Hold on- you like school?" or "You actually enjoy reading?" Yes! I want to shout at them. I am a person who cares more about novels than television, who likes to learn things and enjoys going to school (for the most part). So this book really interested me.

I was not disappointed at all. I think that David Anderegg did an excellent job at trying to explain the nerd and geek stereotypes. He uses evidence from his own studies as well as those of others. Even though I didn't completely agree with all of his ideas, it was still a great book. (For example, he said that nerds are commonly interested technology, including computers, video games, science, math, etc. But what about literature nerds? HMM????) This book also brought up some really interesting points that I had not thought of before.

Example: Let's say that in seventh grade, a boy gets picked on for being a "nerd". He is seen as an outcast because he enjoys math and science classes. Since he associates math and science with being bullied, he is more likely to stay away from those classes in high school. This means that he is also less likely to choose to go into a profession such as engineering because he doesn't have the necessary background knowledge. This chain of events is occurring all across the country and it is impacting the number of science and math degrees given out each year.

Overall, this was an excellent book.

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

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

Always,
NutFreeNerd

Book Review: A WRINKLE IN TIME

Author: Madeleine L'Engle
Number of Pages: 247
Publisher: Square Fish
Release Date: 1962

Meg Murry an average girl with an unusual brother named Charles Wallace. When Charles Wallace starts talking about three ladies who supposedly live in an old, abandoned house down the road that is said to be haunted, Meg is skeptical. The two siblings meet Calvin one day, and from there everything is turned upside down. Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs.Who, and Mrs. Which take Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin on a journey to find Mr. Murry, who stopped sending them letters a year ago when he was away doing scientific research. As they travel through both time and space in the span of a single night, one has to wonder: will they find Mr. Murry? And even more importantly: Will they make it home alive?

I remember reading this book when I was younger. I also remember being really confused while reading it. Back then I didn't really understand the science aspect of this book, so I couldn't really enjoy it much. I decided to pick it back up again and give it another shot, now that I'm many years older.

One of the things I really like about this book is that it is very unique. The Mrs. W's all have dynamic personalities, making reading about them extremely enjoyable. Charles Wallace adds some mystery to this novel, with his personality that is just quirky enough that it is difficult to predict his actions. All of the little details make this story the great novel that it is.

With all of those good things said, there are some things that I did not like about A Wrinkle in Time. First, Meg's personality really irritated me. She was SO impatient and asked questions about EVERYTHING. She always needed Calvin to make her feel safe- she wasn't very independent. And she could not focus or see the bigger picture. She was obsessed with finding her father, which is understandable given the situation, but the entire Earth is at stake at well. Could we try to be a teensy bit less selfish here?

Also, you have to keep in mind that this is a children's book. That's probably one of the reasons I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought it would. I'm used to reading YA, so this was a little strange. All in all, it was a good read.

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

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Yes, but I would be sure to tell them that it is written for children, so it will be different from what they might normally read.

Yours,
NutFreeNerd

Book Review: TREASURE ISLAND

Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
Number of Pages: 311
Publisher: Kingfisher
Release Date: 1881

"The most popular pirate story ever written in English, featuring one of literature’s most beloved “bad guys,” Treasure Island has been happily devoured by several generations of boys—and girls—and grownups. Its unforgettable characters include: young Jim Hawkins, who finds himself owner of a map to Treasure Island, where the fabled pirate booty is buried; honest Captain Smollett, heroic Dr. Livesey, and the good-hearted but obtuse Squire Trelawney, who help Jim on his quest for the treasure; the frightening Blind Pew, double-dealing Israel Hands, and seemingly mad Ben Gunn, buccaneers of varying shades of menace; and, of course, garrulous, affable, ambiguous Long John Silver, who is one moment a friendly, laughing, one-legged sea-cook . . .and the next a dangerous pirate leader!"
                                                                                                      - Goodreads.com

According to the summary from Goodreads, Treasure Island is "the most popular pirate story ever written in English." Well, guess what Goodreads? I DISAGREE. I have to say that this was probably one of the worst books I have ever read. I like pirates- don't get me wrong- and I usually enjoy reading about them. However, this book was awful! Half the things they said made no sense whatsoever, and when they did say something I could actually understand as English, it was all about rum! That's all they cared about! Well, that and the treasure. And what was Long John Silver's deal? First he was on the squire's side, then he went against them, and then he's friends with the other side again? And they WELCOMED HIM BACK AFTER HE BETRAYED THEM! Why would they do that? Honestly, it makes no sense.

Overall, I did not like this book, as you can probably tell.

My Rating: :0) 1 out of 5 smileys.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: No, I wouldn't. However, just because I didn't like this book, doesn't mean you won't. If you really want to read it, go for it.

Always,
NutFreeNerd

MEWL

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

MEWL

According to Dictionary.com, this word means "to cry, as a baby, young child, or the like; whimper."

Yours,

NutFreeNerd