Book Review: THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

Author: J.D. Salinger
Number of Pages: 277
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Release Date: 1951

Holden Caulfield is a sixteen year old boy who has been kicked out of several private boarding schools. This is the story of how he gets through an emotional time in his life, one that he goes through mostly alone.

I read this book with my English class last month. I have mixed feelings about this classic. Parts of this book made me want to rip my hair out, especially when all Holden did was ramble on and on about how depressed he was and how he hated watching movies and how he couldn't stand people who were 'phony' and blah blah blah.... I think you get the point. As the book went on I grew to like Holden more, though. However, I particularly liked the ending. It was actually on of the best endings to a book I've ever read. I never expected it.

My Rating: :0) :0) :0) 3 out of 5 smileys. Like I said, I have mixed feelings about this book. It was okay, but definitely not the best book I've ever read.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Yes. Even though I did not absolutely LOVE it, I would still recommend it to people. I have to say, reading it as a group in my English class did help me understand it a lot more than I would have than if I just read it on my own. So I suggest either getting some friends to read it with you, or ask your English teacher if you can read it as a class.

Hugs,
Aceba

It's Monday...

Hey! Today I have the day off from school, so I am getting caught up on all of my posting. Sorry I haven't been posting a lot lately- I've been so super busy that I'm lucky I've had time to read. I think I mentioned this before, but my science teacher insists on giving us tons of homework every week. I don't know if she thinks science is the only class we have or that we are okay with devoting our lives to her class, but either way she is WRONG. When I grow up I don't want to go into the science field, so why do I have to spend all of this time on science??? Seriously. Something is wrong with American school system.

I just finished reading Pride and Prejudice last night. Boy, that book took me a long time to read. All of the wording is complex, the vocabulary isn't what I'm used to, and they call everyone by their last name, even when there are multiple people with the last name. For example, there are five Bennet sisters, and everyone calls them all Ms. Bennet, and you don't know which one they are referring to. It's so confusing. Besides that, it was very good. I will be posting a full review shortly.

Right now I am reading The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen, because after Pride and Prejudice I definitely need a quick and easy read.

Guess what???? The Death Cure by James Dashner comes out tomorrow!!! I am sooooo excited!!! It is the last book in the amazing trilogy that contained The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials. I cannot wait to get my hands on that book!!!

By the way, how awesome does that cover look???? Pretty awesome, if you ask me!!!!

So, what have you all been reading lately??? Anything good??? Let me know if there are any books you want me to read or review.

I hope you guys are having a great start of the school year!

Yours,
Aceba

Book Review: SHE'S SO DEAD TO US

Author: Kieran Scott
Number of Pages: 288
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Release Date: May 25, 2010

Ally Ryan's dad made a big mistake years ago in Orchard Hill, causing many wealthy families to lose a lot of their money. When Ally moves back to Orchard Hill years later with her mom, nothing is the same. Everyone hates her for what her dad did- well, except for Jake, the hot guy that lives in her old house. Can Jake help Ally realize that you can still have a great life without a lot of money???

This book was very good. It switched back and forth between the perspectives of Ally and Ryan, and that brought a little more depth into the book. I liked seeing what both characters thought about the same dilemma. Also, this book was separated into months of the year, which I liked. The only complaint I have about this book is that the ending was very abrupt and seemed rushed. Nevertheless, I will definitely be reading the second book in this trilogy, He's So Not Worth It.

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

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

Later,
Aceba

Book Review: THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE

Author: Jandy Nelson
Number of Pages: 272
Publisher: Dial
Release Date: March 9, 2010

Lennie Walker is seventeen when her older sister, Bailey, dies. Bailey was everything to Lennie, so when she is suddenly no longer there, Lennie falls apart. All of a sudden there are two guys in her life- Toby, Bailey's boyfriend before she passed away, is showing an interest in her, and Joe, the new guy in her town, is a musical genius and irresistible to all females in a 20 mile radius of him. How long can Lennie keep this double guy thing going? Will she prevail, or will her life come crashing down around her, just as it did when Bailey died?

The Sky is Everywhere is SUCH a good book!!!! It's very realistic, and I can see myself making some of the decisions that Lennie makes if I was in her position. My favorite character by far is Joe. I mean, who doesn't love a romantic, musical genius of a guy??? I feel really really really really really bad for him when- well, I guess you'll find out when you read it. Because you have to read it. Seriously. This book is that good.

Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys. I have no complaints whatsoever about this novel!!!

Would I recommend it to a friend???: Of course!!!! But I don't think this would be particularly entertaining to males, so maybe I would recommend it only to girls.

Yours,
Aceba

Book Review: WELCOME TO THE ARK

Author: Stephanie S. Tolan
Number of Pages: 256
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: 1996

This book is about four very gifted kids named Miranda, Taryn, Doug and Elijah. They are all sent to a mental instituion for individual reasons- Miranda's parents think she's going crazy, Doug commited many crimes and then tried to kill himself, Elijah is found abandoned and is thought to have autism, and Taryn is said to have special powers. Two therapists at the institution select these fours individuals for a new experiment in which all six of them live in a cabin together as a 'family', separated from the outside world until they've all had a chance to heal. But shortly after this experiment begins the four kids discover that together they can do extraordinary things- they might even be able to end the world war of global violence.

Welcome to the Ark was a touching, suspenseful book. I loved how it switched points of view between the four main characters. It kept it interesting and moving forward. I also really liked how each character was so different, yet they all related to each other in some way. This book deals with many issues- discrimination, violence, mental health- and it deals with them in a very realistic way. The ending was very good- it tied everything together really well. The only thing I didn't like about it was that it was slow in some parts. Overall, it was a great book.

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

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Yes.

Hugs,
Aceba

Book Review: BEAUTY QUEENS

Author: Libba Bray
Number of Pages: 390
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: May 24, 2011


You always hear stories about planes crashing and people being stuck on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere. Well, have you ever heard of this happening to 50 beauty pageant queens? Yes, ladies and gentlemen, 50 teenage girls- one from every state in the USA- are stuck on an island by themselves, with no adults there to help them and no way to get in touch with anybody. How will they survive without food, without shelter- without makeup?!?!?! The only way to find out is to read this book!!!
As soon as I heard that Libba Bray had written this book I knew that I just had to read it. I finally checked it out of my town's public library. The plot of this book was totally original and funny. It had me laughing out loud so hard that my mom was like, "Are you ok?" Seriously. Also, even though some of the events in this book might seem random, when you finish reading it you realize that they are all connected and that it all makes sense. I had high expectations for this book, and they were pretty much met. The only thing I did not like about this book was the fact that in some parts it seemed to drag on a little bit. I think the book could have been a bit shorter- I mean, I absolutely love long books, but I don't think this one needed to be as long as it was. Overall, this was a great read.

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

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Definitely!

Hugs,
Aceba

I'm Back!!!!

Hello everybody!!!! I'm really sorry that I haven't posted in a while- I have been so busy with school work that I haven't had much time for anything lately. Why must teachers give so much homework??? Seriously. I've been spending 10 plus hours every week on science homework alone. That much science isn't healthy for anyone. :)

Anyways, I promise that I will make a bigger effort to post more often this week. I have been reading- don't you worry about that! I have plenty of books that I have to review, so you should be seeing those soon. Thanks!

Happy September!
Aceba