Friday, April 24, 2015

How To Rock Braces and Glasses Book Review

How to Rock Braces and Glasses by Meg Haston

Kacey Simon is the popular girl of Marquette Middle School. All’s going well for her until her three best friends turn on her after she gets braces and glasses, forcing her to team up with an old accomplice and a new student to win them back. While the story flows fairly well, the structure is solid, and the wording of the book is easy to understand, the cons of this book definitely outweigh the pros. The characters are unrealistic and pretentious, the story, though it moves at a good pace throughout the novel, is flat and predictable, and the first person point of view really makes you start to severely dislike the protagonist, Kacey, as the way she thinks and acts are many times irritating and impractical.


Overall, this book has little to no appeal, and though there are interesting parts included in the novel, in the long run it is not worth reading and falls flat in many areas. Lauren B. Teen Reviewer

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

The Book Thief Book Review

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief is about a little girl named Liesel. She is transferred into a new home with foster parents, Rosa and Hans Hubberman. The story is told by Death, whose character you come to respect and even start to feel sorry for. The Book Thief takes place in Nazi Germany, at the beginning of World War Two. On the train to her new home, Liesel’s brother dies. At the burial of her brother, which was next to the train, the gravediggers apprentice dropped a book called “The Gravediggers Handbook”.  That book became the start of The Book Thief’s book stealing carrier. Liesel’s foster mother, Rosa, did the laundry for the rich in town including the mayors and his wife. The mayor’s wife has a huge library. Liesel starts to sneak into the library through the window to steal the books. Liesel has the help of her next door neighbor, Rudy Stiener. Rudy always helps her steal everything from apples to books. Before Liesel stole books, she never knew how to read or write. Hans started to do a “midnight class”. “Midnight Class” is where Hans teaches Liesel to read and write. While all of this is happening, Liesel forms a bond with Max. Max is a Jewish man who the Hubbermans are hiding in their basement.


The authors writing style is a little wordy but it gives the full effect of the situation. The only thing I would tell other teens about before reading the book is to not give up on the book but to keep reading!! :)  Other teens should also to read the book before watching the movie. I would recommend this book to any teens that have an interest in the holocaust.  Amanda P., Teen Book Reviewer

The Giver Book Review

The Giver by Lois Lowry

This book is about a boy named Jonas who lives in a different community that does things differently. The people in the community do not have birthdays. The whole community (except the adults) celebrates their “birthday” in December. The newborns are considered a year old at the next December after they were born (even if they were born in November or January). When the newborns reach the age of 8 they can start their volunteer hours. Now that they can go during their free time and volunteer at jobs that suit their interests. The committee of elders, the government that makes all of the decisions, watches closely and pays attention to where they spend their hours. They use this information to pick a job for you when you are twelve. When you turn twelve ages no longer matters and you become an adult. You receive your job and you will train for years before you start working. Each December brings new changes. For example, when you turn 9 you get your bicycle. Some kids are almost certain what the assignment (job) will be but some have no idea. Jonas is one of those people that have no clue because he spent all of his volunteer hours in many different places. Jonas’s father on the other hand was almost certain of what his assignment would be because he spent almost all of his hours in the nurturing center. Jonas was given the job of highest honor. Jonas was given the assignment of receiver of memory.


                The author wrote this book in a very easy to read fashion. It is a small book, a quick read and you should try to read the book in one sitting to really understand the book as a whole. I would recommend this book to 11 to 12 year old boys and girls because Jonas, the main character, is 11 and turning 12 so they might understand it better. Joshua P; Teen Reviewer.