Review: The Cardturner by Louis Sachar

Synopsis from jacket:

The summer after junior year of high school looks bleak for Alton Richards. His girlfriend has dumped him to hook up with his best friend. He has no money and no job. His parents insist that he drive his great-uncle Lester to his bridge club four times a week and be his cardturner—whatever that means. Alton’s uncle is old, blind, very sick, and very rich.



But Alton’s parents aren’t the only ones trying to worm their way into Lester Trapp’s good graces. They’re in competition with his longtime housekeeper, his alluring young nurse, and the crazy Castaneda family, who seem to have a mysterious influence over him.


Alton soon finds himself intrigued by his uncle, by the game of bridge, and especially by the pretty and shy Toni Castaneda. As the summer goes on, he struggles to figure out what it all means, and ultimately to figure out the meaning of his own life.


Through Alton’s wry observations, Louis Sachar explores the disparity between what you know and what you think you know. With his incomparable flair and inventiveness, he examines the elusive differences between perception and reality—and inspires readers to think and think again.





Was this book worth my time?
Sure. 

I loved the way this book was written as if Alton was just telling his story.  It was full of humor and sarcasm.  I also liked the way it ended with the awful, immature parents getting what they deserve (or even a little better than they deserve).  I fell in love with Trapp and was continually reminded of both of my grandfathers.

What bothered me about the book?
 I spent most of the book skipping over the parts where Alton, Trapp, and Toni playing bridge or talked about bridge.  I think if I had given the rules and description a better read I might not have been confused and bored by the game. I wonder if some of my students would "hang on" through those parts or just put it down and choose another books. 

I also found the book to be predicable.

Review: I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

Synopsis from book jacket:
Nine aliens and their guardians are hiding on Earth … protected by a charm that means they can only be killed in numeric order, three are already dead. John Smith is Number Four.



John has to keep moving: he’s got to outrun his past; escape his mortal enemies the Mogadorians;and blend into normal student life. But above all he must pray his newly found powers – alien legacies from home Planet Lorien – don’t give him away before he can complete his destiny, unlock his powers and protect his future.


In the beginning we were nine.


We left when we were very young, almost too young to remember. Almost. And now …


Three are gone.


We are here to keep our race alive, which was almost entirely obliterated. We’re just trying to survive.


Six are left.


But we are hunted, and the hunters won’t stop until they’ve killed us all.


They caught Number One in Malaysia.


Number Two in England.


And Number Three in Kenya.


I am Number Four.






I know that I am next.





Was This Book Worthy My Time?
Interestingly enough, I first heard of this book on my Facebook page. I logged on the week before Mockingjay was released, and I saw an ad in the corner of my screen that read something like, "Need something to tide you over until Mockinjay comes to bookshelves? Read I Am Number Four." I immediately put my name on the waiting list at the library and waited patiently for it to come to me.






I was apprehensive about the ideas of aliens as I am not usually a science fiction lover. After beginning this book, though, I quickly realized that this book wasn't anything like the stereotypical alien story. It opened my eyes to a world I didn't think I would be interested in. I think the fast-paced storyline and the little bit of teenage drama makes for an excellent combination.



John, the protagonist, is a typical teenage except for the fact that he is really an alien. I loved that the authors didn't spend much time talking about the fact that he was an alien, but I wonder how the fans of real science fiction would feel about it.



I also loved the idea of "Pittacus Lore" being the leader of Lorien and also the author of the book. It gives the book a little mystery. All in all, this book is something fresh and new in that it doesn't have to do with vampires. I am thankful to these authors for giving the YA world another great book for boys Let's face it, there aren't many.



I think that this book will take off over the course of the next year especially with the movie due out in February.





What Bothered Me About This Book?

If the authors do intend on making this a six book series, it doesn't seem like they give enough of a back-story to give the series a takeoff that will be needed to make the series successful. I would've liked to have learned a little bit more about Lorien and John's life before earth. I do think that the idea of giving John's history through his dreams is a good one, but I think these authors will have to take it up a notch if they want the books to get the same fan-base as Harry Potter.



Sidenote: The authors James Frey and Jobie Hughes wrote this book under the collective alias "Pittacus Lore".

Review: Epitaph Road by David Patneaude

Synopsis from book jacket:
2097 is a transformed world. Thirty years earlier, a mysterious plague wiped out 97 percent of the male population, devastating every world system from governments to sports teams, and causing both universal and unimaginable grief. In the face of such massive despair, women were forced to take over control of the planet--and in doing so they eliminated all of Earth's most pressing issues. Poverty, crime, warfare, hunger . . . all gone.
But there's a price to pay for this new "utopia," which fourteen-year-old Kellen is all too familiar with. Every day, he deals with life as part of a tiny minority that is purposefully kept subservient and small in numbers. His career choices and relationship options are severely limited and controlled. He also lives under the threat of scattered recurrences of the plague, which seem to pop up wherever small pockets of men begin to regroup and grow in numbers.


And then one day, his mother's boss, an iconic political figure, shows up at his home. Kellen overhears something he shouldn't--another outbreak seems to be headed for Afterlight, the rural community where his father and a small group of men live separately from the female-dominated society. Along with a few other suspicious events, like the mysterious disappearances of Kellen's progressive teacher and his Aunt Paige, Kellen is starting to wonder whether the plague recurrences are even accidental. No matter what the truth is, Kellen cares only about one thing--he has to save his father.


Was This Book Worth My Time?
Sure.

I think the Epitaph Road is a book for those kids that really like dystopia or post-apocalyptic books.  It poses great questions.  What would the world be like if women were in power? Aren't women sympathetic and caring? Can there be evil lurking in those motherly personalities?

I was interested throughout the book to find out how Dr. Mack, Keelen's mom, and Aunt Paige all played a part in the way the society functions.  Patneaude does present a conflict pretty early on so that did keep me reading; however, I wouldn't say that it had me on the edge of my seat. 

It's an okay book, and I'm glad I picked it up.  Would I buy it for my classroom library? No.

What Bothered Me About the Book?
I learning quickly that mysterious post-apocalyptic novels need to be FULL of action for me, or I will become disengaged quickly.  This was the case with Epitaph Road.  I wasn't really into the book until Keelen and the girls arrived at the lab and began to unravel important information. 

I also felt the book stayed very much on the surface for most of the book, and we never really delve into why these women want to stay on top, or why Kellen's dad decides to leave his son behind.  I feel like if I had been given these sort of answers, I might have been more connected.

Review: Three Black Swans by Caroline B. Cooney

Missy and her cousin Claire are best friends who finish each other’s sentences and practically read each other’s minds. It’s an eerie connection—so eerie that Missy has questions she wants to put to her parents. But she’s afraid to ask. So when Missy hears an expert discussing newborn babies on the radio, it makes her wonder about her family.







Missy just can’t let go of those nagging questions, and decides to use a school project about scientific hoaxes to try to uncover the answers. She enlists Claire to help. As part of the project the girls perform a dramatic scene that is captured on video at school. After the video is posted on YouTube, Missy and Claire realize that they’ve opened Pandora’s box and much more than they ever imagined has come out. Not only are their identities called into question, but so is the future of everyone involved.






In this riveting, heartrending story by thriller author Caroline B. Cooney, the truth changes the lives of three families—as the bonds of blood must withstand the strains of long-hidden secrets that are at last revealed.
 
 
Was This Book Worth My Time?
Sadly, no.
 
I was anxious to get my hands on this book as Caroline B. Cooney usually has great mysterious storylines with lots of action. 
 
The premise of the book lead me to believe that this book would be no exception to her other novels.  However, after delving in I realized that, this time, that may not be the case. 
 
I liked that the book held some form of mystery in that I did keep reading to find out what exactly was the connection between the three identical girls, and there were moments when I found myself second guessing my predictions.  At one time, I believed they might have been cloned after learning a little more about the sketching Dr. Russo. 
 
 What Bothered Me About the Book?
The many different points of view all stuck in one chapter were quite confusing to me. A chapter that was supposed to be all about how Claire another had a point of view of her parents.  There wasn't really a clear transistion, and I could see how that might be something that might make readers stay away from the book. 
 
I also had a problem with ending.  Without spoiling the ending for readers, I really thought the whole "mystery" was going to be way more complex, and the end I was a little disappointed to read that it was actually not so mysterious afterall. 
 
I never really was "in the dark" as I read through the book.  There wasn't any "shocking" elements. 
 

Review: Fallen by Lauren Kate

There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.







Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.






Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.





Was This Book Worth My Time?
Not really. 

In defense of the book, the end of the book was great and full of action, danger, and one twist I didn't see coming.  I might be crazy in predicting that the next book in the series might be better as Kate does not need to spend another 200 pages setting up the story. 

What Bothered Me?
Somewhere between pages 50 and 75 I became really bored with the book.  I felt like it was taking to long to get to the real conflict.  Yeah, I knew that Luce and Daniel knew each other from another life, but I wanted to know how they met, and I also wanted to know why Daniel was avoiding her.  There wasn't must action, and absoutley no danger until the battle at the end.  Frankly, I am glad I did not spend any money on this book. 

Review: Trance by Linda Gerber

Synopsis from the book jacket:
It begins with a subtle vibration, a tingling. There is time to take only one breath.  The trance begins.  When it is through, Ashlyn is certain of two things.  Somone she knows is about to die, and .... she is powerless to stop it.

Was this book worth my time?
Yes. 

I was really worried that this book was going to be a lot like Num8ers.  However, I was pleasently surprised that this was not the case.  Although this book has some sadness, the romance between Jake and Ashlyn gives this book the uplift it needs to produce a perfect combination of light and dark. Gerber does a fantastic job of incorporating Ashlyn's trances into her everyday life.  As a reader, we realize how burdensome these trances are for her.  I also liked that Gerber had a valid reason for every single charcter she introduced to her readers.  They all held a big position in helping Ashlyn combat her trances. You will be sucked into a trance as you read this book.  It is an engrossing read.  I read this book in one sitting. 



What bothered me?
Nothing. 

Review: The Compound by S.A. Bodeen

Synopsis from the book jacket:
Eli and his family have lived in the Compound for six years.  The world they knew is gone.  Eli's father built the Compound to keep them safe.  Now, they can't get out.  He won't let them.


Was this book worth my time?
This is a fascinating book.  It is disturbingly good.  What I mean by that is the book introduces ideas that are far from ideas that would be presented in our world.  However, the point in bringing up these ideas is to pose the question, how far would we go to survive?

I liked how this novel was both full of action and mystery.  The protagonist, Eli is on a hunt for the REAL reason why they are stuck in an underground "prison." 

I think this book would be loved by those that liked the Hunger Games mainly because of the unsettling story line of both books. 

What bothered me about the book?
Honestly, I felt like there wasn't a true conflict.  Sure, they escaped from a nuclear explosion, but there anything else.  I was needing something more.  I found it about half way through the book.  After that, I was good to go. :)