Lord of the Flies (book review)

Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, is the story of a group of schoolboys who are the only survivors of a plane crash. Stranded on a remote island, they decide that they must build a large fire so that they can be rescued. By day they frolic on golden beaches and swim in sparkling waters. But at night they dream of a hideous beast roaming the island. Soon, their fear brings out the worst in them and they begin to act like savage animals. More than one boy will be killed before they are rescued...

Okay, I apologize. I know this is really oversimplified, but I just didn't want to give anything away.

I really enjoyed this book. It was definitely creepy and not for the fainthearted, but it always had plenty of action and was never boring. I'd recommend it to almost anybody, but especially fans of the Island and Flight 29 Down series, because this book is reminiscent of those, but a bit more brutal.

Jane Eyre (book review)

Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, is a classic story of love and sacrifice. Jane, the main character, narrates the story. It begins when she is ten years old, living at her cruel Aunt Reed's house. Being an orphan, Jane has nowhere else to go. Two of her cousins, Eliza and Georgiana, treat her coldly, and their brother, John, is an outright bully. Jane suffers along until her aunt decides to send her to Lowood Institute, a school for orphaned children. She makes various friends and spends a total of eight years at the school--six as a student and two as a teacher. But finally Jane realizes she is not content and posts an ad in the paper looking for a job. She finds one as a governess for a little French girl at stately Thornfield Hall. However, something mysterious is going on there...could it be haunted by a ghost or something even more gruesome? The secret is finally revealed when Jane is about to be married to the master of Thornfield Hall, Mr. Rochester, and it prevents the two from getting married. Brokenhearted and wanting to avoid temptation, Jane sets off on her own, wandering for several days until she comes to a house inhabited by the Rivers family. The head of the house, St. John Rivers, offers Jane a position as schoolmistress for some poor village girls. She accepts the job, but soon after she starts she finds that she has been left with a huge inheritance by her uncle. Splitting it with the Rivers, she moves in with them again. However, something deep within her finally calls her back to Thornfield, and, telling her newfound family she is going on a short trip, she heads back, only to find that it has burned down at that Mr. Rochester, blind and crippled from the fire, has moved somewhere else. She tracks him down and finds that he still loves her like she loves him, and, freed from the obstacle that stopped them before, they marry.


I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was going to be kind of dry and hard to read, but that wasn't the case at all. I don't think there was a single boring part of this book, but the least interesting part was Jane's time at Lowood. I guess I think that because not much happened there, at least not compared to other parts of the book. The characters were dynamic and complex, and I felt like they were real people who could step off the page if they wanted to. I think fans of classics would really love this book, but even if you're not really into classics, I still think you might want to give it a try.

Thank You, Carl!

For my birthday this year, Carl sent me some wonderful gifts: a book called Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan, a beautiful blank book from Paperblanks with a copy of one of my poems in the front, and two beautiful postcards by Anne-Julie Aubry (one of my favorite artists!). Wasn't that really nice of him?!! I've started writing in the journal, but I haven't read the book yet. It sounds very good, though, and I can't wait to get to it! Thank you so much, Carl!!! I will be sending you a Thank-you card soon!

All Shook Up (book review)

All Shook Up, by Glenn Altschuler, is a nonfiction book chronicling the story of rock n roll through the lives of famous rock n rollers, critics of the music, and teenage fans. It discusses rock n roll's connections with race, sexuality, and the generation gap. This book gives an in-depth look at the people who were responsible for the rise of rock n roll, which was anything but an ordinary style of music at the time.

If you want an in-depth but easy-to-read approach to rock n roll, this is the book for you! I never tired of the topics that the author brought up, and I learned a lot about the conflicts facing America during the time of big rock n roll stars such as Elvis Presley. This was truly a fascinating book!

Warriors: Sunrise (book review)

Warriors: Sunrise, by Erin Hunter, is the final installment in Warriors: Power of Three. In this book, the three young warrior cats Hollyleaf, Jayfeather, and Lionblaze will discover a shocking secret that they were never meant to know. Their very existence goes against every rule of the warrior code, and eventually the secret about their true identity will have to come out. But when it does, another cat's life will be lost and the clans will be thrown into chaos.

Meanwhile, Lionblaze and Hollyleaf must embark on a dangerous journey to find the strange loner Sol. Can he offer them advice in this time of darkness? But Sol has wicked plans in his mind, and he is willing to manipulate Thunderclan in order to carry them out.


I really enjoyed this book! I thought it was the best in the series, and it definitely had a shocking ending that I never would have expected. All fans of the Warriors series should read this book!

I am using this book for the Once Upon A Time Challenge III.

Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague (book review)

Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague, the third installment in the renowned Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull, is a fantasy story filled with danger, excitement, and adventure. Fablehaven is one of five magical preserves, the last places on Earth where magical creatures can gather in safety. Fourteen-year-old Kendra and twelve-year-old Seth are staying with their grandparents, the caretakers, for the summer. For a while it seems that all is well, until Seth discovers a magical plague that turns good creatures into creatures of darkness. The plague is spreading faster than anyone can imagine, and it is doubtful that the plague can be stopped. Will Fablehaven have to be abandoned for good?

Meanwhile, Kendra and her friends are journeying deep into the heart of another magical preserve located in Arizona in order to recover a mystical artifact. It is a dangerous place, filled with dragons, zombies, and ancient Native American spirits, and not everyone will make it out alive...


I loved this book! I thought it was by far the best in the series. They just keep getting better! There was a wide and varied cast of characters and the plot was full of twists and turns. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone out there looking for a unique twist on fantasy.

I am using this book for the Once Upon A Time Challenge III.

3 New Book Reviews

#1: The Ruby Key, by Holly Lisle, is the story of young villagers Genna and Dan, who must bargain with the frightening lord of the nightlings (like fairies) in order to save their people from the corrupt village chieftain. Soon, Genna and Dan find themselves, along with a nightling slave and a talking cat, on a dangerous quest to find the long-lost nightling prince and overthrow both the village leader and the nightling lord.

I loved this book! It was a totally unique new take on fantasy, and I never got tired of reading it. The characters were complex and interesting, and the societies of the villagers and the nightlings were fascinating. I'd recommend this to any fantasy fan!

This book was for the Once Upon A Time Challenge.

#2: Skim, by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki, is the story of a sixteen-year-old girl who is forced to deal with complicated and confusing issues like suicide and depression, as well as friendship problems and betrayal. It was very interesting to watch Skim's life evolve throughout the course of the book, and I never wanted to put it down! I'd recommend this to any graphic novel fan!

#3: Rainy, by Sis Deans, is about a ten-year-old girl learning to live with ADHD. Rainy is sad when her parents send her to summer camp. She won't see her parents, her sister, or her beloved dog Max for a whole month! But soon she makes friends who will tolerate her extreme energy, and decides that maybe camp is not so bad. But when tragedy strikes her family and Rainy can no longer control the thoughts bouncing around in her head, she undertakes a dangerous journey, one that may change her life forever.

I loved this book. It was engaging, interesting, and very emotional. It was funny at times and sad at others. I enjoyed it to the very end.

Read-a-thon post 10

Pages read: 49

Total pages read: 716

Time: 40 min.

Currently Reading: Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague by Brandon Mull

Books Finished: The Ruby Key, Skim, Rainy

Read-a-thon Post 9

Pages read: 103

Total pages read: 667

Time: 1 hr. 20 min.

Currently reading: Rainy

Books Finished: The Ruby Key, Skim

Read-a-thon Post 8

Pages read: 142

Total pages read: 564

Time: 50 min.

Currently Reading: Rainy by Sis Deans

Books Finished: The Ruby Key, Skim

Read-a-thon post 7

Pages read: 159

Total pages read: 422

Time: 2 hours

Currently Reading: Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

Books Finished: The Ruby Key

Read-a-thon post 6

Pages read: 38

Total Pages Read: 263

Time: 1 hr. 30 min.

Currently Reading: The Ruby Key

Books Finished: none

Read-a-thon post 5

Pages read: 30

Total pages read: 225

Time: 1 hr. 5 min.

Currently reading: The Ruby Key

Books finished: none

Read-a-thon post 4

Pages read: 60

Total pages read: 197

Time: 1 hr. 30 min.

Currently Reading: The Ruby Key

Books Finished: none

Read-a-thon post 3

pages read: 42

total pages read: 137

time: 1 hr. 30 min.

now reading: The Ruby Key

books finished: none

Read-a-thon post 2

pages read: 33

total pages read: 95

now reading: The Ruby Key by Holly Lisle

time: 1 hr. 40 min.

books finished: none :)

Read-a-thon post 1

Pages read: 62

Total pages read: 62

Time: 110 min.

Currently reading: The Ruby Key by Holly Lisle

Books finished: None

I started by reading Marked, but I didn't really enjoy it so I switched to this book!

Wrap-up to Read-a-thon list

Hi everybody! I'm now going to announce my final read-a-thon list. The numbers in bold will be the ones that you've chosen.

1. Wolf-Speaker by Tamora Pierce.

2. Wolf Trails by Nik Sawe.

3. The Captain's Dog: My Journey with the Lewis and Clark Tribe by Roland Smith.

4. Monkey Town: The Summer of the Scopes Trial by Ronald Kidd.

5. Faeries' Landing Volume 1 by You Hyun

6. Freaky Green Eyes by Joyce Carol Oates.

7. Zodiac P.I. Volume 2 by Natsumi Ando

8. The Mystery of the Biltmore House by Carole Marsh

9. Sea Princess Azuri Volume 1 by Erica Reiss

10. The Ruby Key by Holly Lisle

11. Moonlight by Rachel Hawthorne

12. Marked by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

13. Tokyo Mew Mew A La Mode Volume 1 by Mia Ikumi

14. The Pack by Tom Pow

15. Rainy by Sis Deans

16. The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

17. Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague by Brandon Mull

18. Pendragon: The Quillan Games by D.J. MacHale

19. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

20. Little (Grrl) Lost by Charles De Lint

Read-a-thon list

Hi everyone! As you probably know, it's only a week until the next read-a-thon. I'm going to do what I did last year to help me weed the list down. I'll post the first sentence from each book (and if it's a graphic novel, the first sentence on the back cover), and you choose the ones that you think sound most interesting. Even if you know what book the sentence comes from, judge only from the sentence!!! Ready?

1. The wolves of the Long Lake Pack, gorged on a careless mountain sheep, slept as they digested their meal.

2. The sunlight, for a brief moment, seemed to flare upon the meadow, casting an orange glow about the pale brown grasses.

3. John Colter gallops into camp, jumps off his horse, and shouts, "Seaman? Good Lord! Is that really you? We thought you were dead!"

4. In my house the early bird didn't get the worm.

5. Welcome to Faeries' Landing, a place where the real world and the Faerie realm collide.

6. Later, I would think of it as crossing over.

7. What's your sign?

8. Stacy Brown dealt the cards into the sloppy stacks in the back seat of the red station wagon.

9. Azuri is the mermaid princess and the only royal heir of the Orcans, a race of whale-mer-people that lives in a magical environment deep within the ocean.

10. The sun slid down towards the tops of the trees.

11. Moonlight washed over us, washed over Lucas and me.

12. Just when I thought my day couldn't get any worse I saw the dead guy standing next to my locker.

13. The cats are back, and a new Mew is about to emerge!

14. The engine screamed as the driver, both hands round the gear stick, forced the transport truck up into third.

15. The main building at Camp Megunticook was called Penobscot Lodge.

16. "I'm tired of remembering," Hannah said to her mother as she climbed into the car.

17. On a muggy August day, Seth hurried along a faint path, eyes scanning the lush foliage to his left.

18. I like to play games.

19. There was once a kindly old wizard who used his magic generously and wisely for the benefit of his neighbors.

20. SCRITCH, SCRITCH, SCRITCH.

That's all! Have fun choosing!

Zodiac P.I. Book #1 (book review)

Zodiac P.I. Book #1, by Natsumi Ando, is the story of thirteen-year-old Lili Hoshizawa, who's not just any other girl. She's a talented astrologer who uses her knowledge of the stars to solve crimes as the mysterious Spica P.I. When a fellow classmate is murdered, Lili suspects one of her own teachers is the culprit. Can she solve this challenging case or will she become the next victim? Then, Lili must go undercover as a piano student in order to investigate a haunted music school.

This was a great book! It was quick and engaging, and I never wanted to put it down! Lili was a complex and interesting character. I'd recommend this book to anybody who enjoys reading manga or detective stories.

This book was for the Graphic Novel Challenge '09.