A Different Day, A Different Destiny (book review)

A Different Day, A Different Destiny, by Annette Laing, is the second installment in the story of three children and a time-traveling professor. Nothing has ever been the same for Alex and Hannah Dias, or their friend Brandon, since they moved to the small town of Snipesville, Georgia. At first glance Snipesville is an ordinary place, but ever since their chance encounter with Kate Harrower, professor of history at Snipesville Colledge, the kids' lives have been anything but ordinary. Kate Harrower, or the Professor, has conquered the ability of time-travel, and she's dragged them along with her! They thought World War II England was difficult enough, but this time they've been dropped off in three different locations in 1851--a Southern cotton field, an English coal mine, and a Scottish factory. And they'll have to use everything they've got if they ever want to see their families again.

This was a very good book; I enjoyed it even better than the first. It was very informative while also fun and exciting to read, and I can't wait for the next in the series. However, I would recommend reading the first book, Don't Know Where, Don't Know When, before this one, as it bases heavily on the first volume.

Affluenza (book review)

Affluenza, by John De Graff, David Wann, and Thomas H. Naylor, is the story of Americans nationwide, who are suffering from a wide variety of "conditions" such as credit card debt, stress, and obsession with shopping. The authors of this book have compiled all of these and much more into a single "disease" called affluenza. Affluenza is, essentially, the craving for more material possessions. The authors of this book show that when given a choice, America chose money over time--higher wages over a shorter workweek, and how that has turned into a giant tangle of greed, materialism, and consumerism. Affluenza is affecting nearly all aspects of life, disrupting communities, alienating family members, and turning citizens, even neighbors, against one another.

This was a great book that can really open your eyes to the truth--that people spend MUCH more time spending money than they do socializing with other people, their friends and family. It is a very moving and convincing book, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in this subject.

Child of the Wolves (book review)

Child of the Wolves, by Elizabeth Hall, tells the story of the young husky pup, Granite. Rebellious from the start, Granite flees his home after a mysterious man attempts to "kidnap" him (he is in fact being sold to a dog-sledder, but he doesn't know this). Lost and alone in the forest, Granite nearly starves to death until he wanders into the territory of a wolf pack. The pack welcomes him, to some degree, but Granite can tell that if not for the female leader's kindness for him, they would shun him. He struggles to please the pack, but despite his eagerness to learn the ways of the wolf, the other wolves either bully or ignore him. It will take a disaster and the near-death of all the wolves for them to realize exactly how valuable Granite is to their pack.

This book was okay. The end was heartwarming, and overall the story was cute, but the plot was a little simplistic. It seemed that whenever Granite got into a bit of trouble, something magically occurred to get him out of it. For example, in one instance, an angry grizzly bear mother was about to maul him, when she suddenly veered off to chase something else. There is no explanation of this. Sure, it's a children's book, but it's marketed to older children, ages 10 and up. Surely they can handle a bit of suspense! I would, overall, recommend this for young animal lovers ages 7-10. I think they would really enjoy it. And I did like the fact that it was very scientifically accurate, providing young readers with information on the feeding habits, behavior, and lifestyle of wolves.

This book is for the What's in a Name Two Challenge.

The Great Gatsby (book review)

The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a defining piece of literature for the Roaring '20's. Set near New York City, it tells the story of a young bond broker named Nick Caraway, who lives next to an enormous mansion owned by the mysterious and elusive Jay Gatsby. At a party one night, Nick has the opportunity to meet Gatsby, and they strike up a strange, curious friendship. Matters are complicated when Gatsby rediscovers his old lost lover, beautiful Daisy Buchanan, and they begin to fall back in love. But Daisy's husband is a jealous man, who will do anything to keep her to himself. And when a horrible tragedy occurs, it opens the perfect opportunity for Tom to get his revenge...

I thought this was a very good book. The characters themselves, as well as the interactions between them, were complex and many-sided. The plot was light and cheerful at points, but it had a distinctly dark undertone, adding to the suspense of the book. The ending was definitely a shock. The only problem I had with this book was that occasionally I found it confusing and hard to follow. But these moments were rare, and overall I greatly enjoyed it.

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl (book review)

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, by Barry Lyga, is the story of two teenage outcasts. Fanboy, thin, studious, and a comic book geek, doesn't have it so good. He's bullied at school, has only one friend (a friend who would choose his jock buddies over Fanboy), and his mother and "the step-fascist", as Fanboy calls his stepfather, are eagerly awaiting a new baby who will become Fanboy's little sibling. But Fanboy does have one thing going for him: the graphic novel he's writing. He knows it will be his ticket out of this town, and into a good college.

Then he meets Kyra, aka Goth Girl. She's sarcastic, witty, and intelligent, shares his love of comics and his hatred of the popular kids, and seems to take an interest in him. Soon they have a strong, if bumpy, friendship, and Fanboy feels as if perhaps his life is finally beginning to look up. But he doesn't know that Kyra has secrets of her own, secrets that could put her life...and perhaps even his...in great danger.

I truly loved this book. The plot was full of twists, the main characters clever and witty. Often I found it hard to put this book down; I just wanted to keep reading! Comic fans will enjoy the various references made to comic book artists in the book, and others will love the curious and sarcastic relationship between Fanboy and Kyra. I absolutely can't wait to read the sequel!

Cry Bloody Murder (book review)

Cry Bloody Murder, by Elaine DePrince, is a true story about love, loss, and the effect AIDS can have on a community. Elaine DePrince, her husband, and her five sons (two biological, three adopted) are a family of hemophiliacs. Their three adopted sons, Cubby, Mike, and Teddy, had hemophilia A. DePrince and her biological sons, Adam and Erik, have a less well-known, yet similar, condition known as von Willebrand's disease. Hemophilia and von Willebrand's disease are conditions in which one's blood cannot clot. In order to prevent them from bleeding to death, DePrince needed to give her sons clotting factor, which would help their blood to clot when they experienced bleeding. However, DePrince was unaware that the clotting factor she gave her children contained the virus HIV--she only found this out after Cubby, Mike, and Teddy had all been affected. The clotting factor, and other blood products--could have been virally inactivated, killing HIV and other viruses in them--but the multi-million dollar corporations making the blood products didn't bother to do this. And as a result, thousands of hemophiliacs and others died, including Cubby and Mike. Cubby was only eleven. Mike was only fifteen. And what makes Elaine DePrince angriest is that their deaths could have easily been prevented, if only an industry cared more about the lives of its consumers than about its profits.
Teddy is still living, thanks to the new drugs available, but DePrince knows that, if not for the drugs, he could have died as well.

Thousands of hemophiliacs have suffered in this way, thousands have lost loved ones. But they cannot get compensation. In many states, so-called "blood-shield laws" have been passed, protecting the product responsible for all these deaths from strict product liability, a legal term allowing a consumer injured by a product to file suit against the manufacturer or seller of the product. As a result, the corporations and the blood banks don't have to pay for what they have done, and the hemophiliacs must suffer on with the ghosts of their siblings, parents, friends, spouses, and children.

This was a wonderful book, but it was also very sad. I would recommend it to anyone interested in AIDS or in hemophilia. The stories pictured in this book, Cubby's and Mike's, as well as those of others with the virus, will inspire you and at the same time, fill you with sorrow, that such wonderful lives had to be lost.

Where the Wild Things Were (book review)

Where the Wild Things Were, by  William Stolzenberg, is a moving account of how species are coping in a world of vanishing top predators. Stolzenberg takes us deep into the Venezuelan rainforest, to the rivers of Yellowstone, and almost everywhere in between. He's trying to say that evidence of disappearing predators is everywhere--most often caused by humans. Where cougars, grizzlies, and wolves once roamed now only coyotes and house-cats hunt. But why does this matter? This is the question Stolzenberg is trying to address. And we will see it in a variety of ways and places, from overpopulation of herbivores to extinctions of whole ecosystems.

This was a great book. It wasn't hard to read at all, and it was very interesting. Stolzenberg had a nice, easy style that grabbed you in at the same time. If you're interested in conservation biology, ecology, or even just in animals, I would recommend this book to you as a great addition to your collection.

All Quiet on the Western Front (book review)

All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque, is the moving story of Paul Baumer, a fictional German soldier who enlists in World War I. Young, only twenty years old, already his life is filled with death. He must face it everyday, and somehow manages to elude it even while his comrades and friends fall around him. The book relates various escapades, travels, as well as horrors that this young man and his friends face during their years on the front. As the years go by, Paul realizes that the only difference between him and his enemies, the ones he kills every day, is their uniform, and he decides to do everything he can to help the world avoid future wars--if only he can make it out of this one.

This was a wonderful book, but very sad. Paul, only twenty, was already much wiser about the world than much older men were. He was used to the sight of men without arms, faces, or legs. But he and his friends still found time for amusement. I thought it was very interesting to hear from his point of view, and to learn about what it felt like to actually be there.

Abstract Expressionists (book review)

Abstract Expressionists, by Rachel Barnes, is a collection of short, generally two or three-page biographies of some of the major contributors to the abstract expressionist art movement. Included in this book are men and women such as Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Helen Frankenthaler. Since it included many different artists, the book couldn't go very in-depth about any of them, but it still gave a good biography of each of them,  along with examples of their work. I would definitely recommend this to people interested in getting a general overview of the famous names we now associate with this movement. It was a quick and easy book to read, and if you sit down and read it it shouldn't take you very long, while still giving you quite a good introduction.

Read-a-thon Post 13

Time: 25 minutes
Pages: 1,123
Reading: Time of the Witches by Anna Myers
Read: Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles by Kathryn Lasky, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer, Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, The Good Dog by Avi, Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Peterson

Read-a-thon Post 12

Time: 40 minutes
Pages: 1,119
Reading: Time of the Witches by Anna Myers
Read: Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles by Kathryn Lasky, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer, Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, The Good Dog by Avi, Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Peterson

The Good Dog (book review)

The Good Dog, by Avi, is the story of a handsome malamute named McKinley. The leader of a pack of local dogs, McKinley has always taken his life for granted--protect the humans, protect the pack. Until a mysterious she-wolf named Lupin shows up, promising freedom to any dogs who wish to join her suffering wolf pack. At first, McKinley feels threatened by Lupin--who does she think she is, anyway? But eventually he realizes that the humans are even more upset by the wolf's appearance than he is. In fact, they are planning to track her down and shoot her. Soon, McKinley and his friends become caught up in a wild race to save one of the last wolves in Steamboat Springs.

This was a very good story. There was plenty of action, and it was a very quick read. It wasn't hard to understand at all. The characters, although inhuman, were easy to relate to, and one establishes a bond with them throughout the book. I would definitely recommend this to fans of the author's novels, and also to animal lovers.

Read-a-thon Post 11

Time: 43 minutes
Pages: 927
Reading: Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Peterson
Read: Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles by Kathryn Lasky, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer, Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, The Good Dog by Avi

Read-a-thon Post 10

Time: 1 hour
Pages: 830
Reading: The Good Dog by Avi
Read: Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles by Kathryn Lasky, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer, Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Read-a-thon Post 9

Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Pages: 797
Reading: The Good Dog by Avi
Read: Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles by Kathryn Lasky, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer, Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Love, Stargirl (book review)

Love, Stargirl is the sequel to Jerry Spinelli's beloved novel Stargirl. In this book, which is written from Stargirl's point of view, Stargirl has moved away from Arizona, the enchanting desert, and her ex-boyfriend Leo. Her new life, taking place in a small town in Pennsylvania, at first appears boring. But as Stargirl makes friends with her quirky neighbors and starts celebrating life itself, she discovers that one can find joy in even the smallest of things.

This was a great sequel! It was even better than the first book, in my opinion! Hearing from Stargirl's POV was very interesting, and this was an incredibly moving book. If you have not read Stargirl or its sequel, you should definitely go out and get this book!

Read-a-thon Post 8

Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Pages: 691
Reading: The Good Dog by Avi
Read: Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles by Kathryn Lasky, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer, Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Read-a-thon Post 7

Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Pages: 552
Reading: Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Read: Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles by Kathryn Lasky, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer

Read-a-thon Post 6

Time: 1 hour
Pages: 474
Reading: Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Read: Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles by Kathryn Lasky, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites (book review)

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites, by Heather Brewer, is the first book in the Vladimir Tod series. The protagonist, Vladimir Tod, is an orphaned teenage vampire. Living with his mother's old friend Nelly, a human, he is forced to hide his identity from the rest of the world, putting on dollops of sunblock before even stepping outside and disguising the blood he drinks inside of ordinary foods. Vlad's life is about as "ordinary" as a vampire's could be...until he discovers that he is being stalked by a crazy vampire who thirsts for his blood...

This was a wonderful book! It was different from many other vampire books written for teens at this time; despite a little crush Vlad has on his classmate, there is no dark romance, just plenty of action that will keep you on the edge of your seat. As soon as I finished it, I wanted to get the next one! I can't wait to read it!

This book is for the RIP IV Challenge!