|
|
Post by Benosborn on Jun 20, 2013 17:28:32 GMT -5
For my book review, I am choosing to do The Fear by Charlie Higson. This book is about a group of children living in London who are trying to survive a zombie apocalypse. The basis is that everyone 16 or older either died or became a zombie, hungry for some children. This book is similar to Lord of the Flies in a way because it deals with how children would act if there were no adults. This book follows a bunch or different children, including Shadowman, DogNut, Courtney, Brooke, David, and Paul. It tells us of DogNut's journey across London to find his friend Brooke, who he has a MAJOR crush on. He runs into many children, and has many battles with "grow ups". At the end, him and Courtney are killed in an ambush. This story has TONS of characters so its kind of hard to follow at times, but is very exciting and action-filled. I chose this book because I have been reading the series and really enjoyed them. This is the third book. Personally I LOVE this book. It never has a dull moment and has many different aspects that intrigue you such as love, loss, and unity. I think people would like this book who enjoy apocalyptic novels or enjoy action, because it has plenty if both. I would recommend it to you guys to read because its really good
|
|
|
|
Post by mikaela on Jun 20, 2013 21:59:42 GMT -5
My first book that I read was Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher. This book has two narratives, one from Hannah Baker and the other from Clay Jensen. Hannah Baker has left seven cassette tapes to the thirteen people who have supposedly played a part in her suicide. Throughout this book, she explains what each of these people did to her and the affect it had on her life. Clay Jensen was one of those people on her list. He cannot figure out what he did to her to make her take her own life. As the story progresses, he discovers secrets about his classmates and the reason why he is on these tapes.
After I had recommended my book, I was looking over the other recommendations and I found Th1rteen R3asons Why. I read over the summary and quickly was interested in this book. By the time I read the first sentence to the last I was mesmerized. I could not put down this book and I read it in a matter of two days! The author said just the right words in describing what the character of Hannah Baker went through. This was a well written book. I think teens should consider reading this book because this is written in a teen perspective, but even adults could read this compelling novel.
|
|
|
|
Post by Erin Yen on Jun 21, 2013 17:46:30 GMT -5
The book I read is called My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult. Earlier this summer, I was bored; so I was going through lists of books on my Kindle, and this one caught my attention. I'm not entirely sure why, because it is not the type of book I usually read. However, for some reason, I decided to try it; and honestly, it didn't help with boredom for long, because I couldn't put it down - I finished it in one day.
This story is narrated by several people in one family, as well as two outside people; Kate, whom all the events in the story revolve around; Anna, Kate's younger sister and probably the most important character; Jesse, Kate and Anna's older brother who deals with his problems all the wrong ways; Sara, the children's dedicated mother who is sort of the antagonist, yet isn't; and Brian, the children's father who simply tries to keep his family in one piece; Campbell Alexander, a lawyer who takes a pro-bono case for a child, for more reasons than he lets on; and, finally, Julia Romano, Anna's ad litem, who has a romantic history with Campbell.
The problem begins when Kate is diagnosed with terminal cancer when she is two years old. She needs transplants to live even for a little while longer, and no one is a match. Sara and Brian are devastated, and on the suggestion of Dr. Chance, they decide to have a genetically designed child, who will be the perfect match for Kate in every way. Thus, Anna is born, and throughout her life undergoes several painful surgeries, to donate blood, and marrow to her sister. Finally, when she is thirteen years old and Kate's kidneys fail, she decides enough is enough (or so it seems), and finds Campbell Alexander, a highly successful lawyer, who agrees to represent her in her case; Anna wants to sue her parents for medical emancipation - in other words, she would not have to undergo any more surgeries, no matter what her parents say or do, unless she gave her consent. She faces her mother, a former lawyer, in court. Her mother's argument - Kate will die if she does not get this kidney. Anna's argument - she has undergone so many painful surgeries for her sister in the last few years, she has barely had time to be a normal girl. If she gives this kidney, she will be further hindered (i.e. she will not be able to participate in any athletic activity). Furthermore, she is important too, and she doesn't want to just be a harvesting ground for anything Kate needs. They go through several days of trial, with family live strained in between as people take sides, and as Jesse deals with the stress by delving further in to arson, alcohol abuse, and drug use. Tensions between Campbell and Julia, Anna's ad litem (a person assigned to Anne to objectively take care of her best interests), resulting from an old romance grow and eventually result in the truth of why Campbell left her so many years ago coming out. Towards the end of the book, the real reason for Anna's lawsuit is revealed (I won't spoil it for you) - and the verdict is made. However, that isn't the very end.
This was a very well written book, in my opinion. It was extremely emotional (I cried a couple times), and dealt with many problems, that though expressed in the extreme in this book, are very common to many people. There were a few points in the book, where several controversial issues were discussed, briefly or somewhat more in depth, that did not always align exactly with my views; however, overall, I felt that Jodi Picoult wrote a beautiful story, designed to keep pulling you in, deeper and deeper, until the very last page of the story. I can assure anyone that this book is anything but predictable; I think that almost everyone will be surprised at some point in, especially at the end of, this book; however, I would only really recommend it to girls, because most boys would not be as drawn to the book as girls would be - It's very emotional and feminine.
|
|
|
|
Post by Hayden Doyle on Jun 21, 2013 19:29:51 GMT -5
The Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding. I chose this book simply because its a famous book and I thought surely it must be good if so many people love it. Right? Well, we will get to that. So basically The Lord of the Flies is about a plane full of school boys who crash on an island and are now stranded there with no adults. It wasn't the first book to go for the stranded on an island story, and it definitely wasn't the last. Now the book mainly follows one "fair-haired" boy named Ralph. He's older than most of the boys there and has a bit of authority over them.
Now the book started off pretty slow, and for me it never really picked up until the last 60 pages. The rest of the book is just the boys surviving on this island, doing kid stuff that to older people is, well, kid stuff. It is just kind of...boring. Slowly, the kids start to go a little nuts, as would anybody trapped on an island for a long time. That's where the book picks up. It is written very well and it is extremely interesting from that point on.
Something that is a little annoying is the fact that it was written by a British man in the 1940's. There are several words that non-Englishmen might not understand. It is a crazy world with words that make no sense across the pond.
If there is one thing that could have made the book better it is the dialogue. The dialogue is very poorly written, to the point that you cannot tell who is talking who. It also made it harder to get to know the other characters. You really only know the personalities of about 4 people. By the end of the book when a character was mentioned I found myself asking "who was that again?"
Usually if I don't like something about a book, it is the fact that it is too long, but this book was too short. It would of been cool to see the kids on the plane before it crashes, but I can get passed that. What I didn't like was how it just ended. You're left without a sense of closure. You want to see what happens to the characters.
I would love to rate this book on the final 60 pages, because they were great! The book really took off from there. Unfortunately, I can't. I have to rate it on the whole book; therefore, I am going to give this book a 2/5. I wanted to like it a lot, but there were just so many things that annoyed me that I just couldn't give it a higher rating. I know other people have a different opinion, but that's mine. I would definitely say you should read it, because you could have a different opinion too. I just didn't gel with this book.
|
|
|
|
Post by Angel Martinez on Jun 21, 2013 22:42:48 GMT -5
The book, The Mentor is a great and inspiring story its about an ordinary kid named Tony he was always getting in trouble but until one day he meets a guy named Malcolm. Malcolm offered to Mentor him, Malcolm changed Tony's life by showing him how to become a great man they had a great adventure together and now Malcolm helped Tony own his own business. Tony is now a multi-millionaire and has a successful job and a great family.
The reason I chose this book was because it shows how if you put hard work into something it can change your life completely and in Tony's life he was a guy that was always getting in trouble and he turned his whole life around and now he has a successful business
and it shows me that if I put hard work in something I can do it.
I did enjoy this book because it was a very interesting journey and it showed me I can do anything in life.
I would recommend this book to an entrepreneur because it will show them how far they can go.
|
|
|
|
Post by juliadciocca on Jun 22, 2013 11:55:52 GMT -5
I chose to read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Narrated by Death, the story takes place in Nazi Germany and is about a young girl named Liesel Meminger. At the beginning of the book, Liesel is being taken by her mother to an adoptive family. On the way there, her brother, who is also supposed to be raised by the Hubermanns, dies. Death comes to collect his soul, and this is the first time that Death encounters Liesel. When he first sees her he becomes intrigued despite his attempts at ignoring the humans that surround him. This interest in the life of Liesel Meminger causes him to collect her story, which she has written out. The book is Death's re-telling of the story.
Starting at the age of eight, Liesel steals her first book at her brother's funeral. It is entitled The Grave Digger's Handbook. After the funeral, her mother leaves her at the Hubermanns', where she is enrolled in school. Despite her age, they quickly discover that she can neither read nor write, and she is sent to kindergarten. After a series of bed-wetting, her adoptive father, Hans Hubermann, discovers The Grave Digger's Handbook hidden under her mattress. He begins to teach her how to read and write using the book. Liesel advances in school and meets her best friend, Rudy Steiner.
The town celebrated the Furher's birthday with a book burning, where Liesel learns that the Nazis are also against communists. It is at this point that Liesel realizes that the Nazis are responsible for the disappearance of her communist parents and her brother's death. Liesel becomes the sworn enemy of Hitler, and in her anger steals another book, which features a Jew as the protagonist. In the midst of her realizations, Hans Hubermann says that they will be a hiding a young Jewish man named Max Vanderburg, who is the son of Hans's deceased friend from World War I and gives Liesel her title, The Book Thief.
After Max is forced to leave, Liesel finds comfort in her basement, where Max lived. While in the basement, an air raid occurred. Due to the suddenness, no warning signal was sent out, and Himmel Street, where Liesel lived, was destroyed. Liesel, is pulled from the remains, and leaves the book, with her story, in the debris before being taken to a new family. It is here that death finds the story Liesel has written as he collects the souls of the dead.
My English teacher told me about the book towards the end of my Freshman year and lent me a copy. While it is a wonderful book by itself, I think I was particularly attracted to it because of the setting. Before moving to Rhode Island this year, I had spent the past three years in Germany, so I believed reading about a place where I had lived, would be and interesting experience for me.
The Book Thief is a wonderful book. It balances the seriousness of the Holocaust with the enjoyment of childhood in a masterful way. I also think that it allows people to see the other side of the Holocaust. There are some people who believe that all Germans who were not Jewish believed in everything Hitler said and did. The fact that Zusak wrote about a girl in Germany, who's family disliked Hitler and was compassionate to the Jewish people, was very inspiring because I think that it allows the other side of the Holocaust to be seen and understood in a way that is not usually discussed. Zusak also used very descriptive language in his writing that captured the beauty of the country and the horrors of war. It made it more relatable for someone who has never been in a war or to Germany. Although the majority of the book was a very good read, there was one thing that Zusak did that I disliked.
Zusak would have Death tell you what was going to happen long before it happened. While it did not destroy the book, I do feel as if it took away some of the suspense that was originally available. Scenes that would have been very intense lost some of their luster because I already knew what was going to happen because Death had told me. However, the book was still a wonderful read, and I had trouble focusing on anything else until I had finished.
While I really did enjoy the book, I would recommend it only for older readers. Despite Liesel being so young, the book does describe a lot of fatalities and the characters curse often. I also feel that the book tackles such a complex topic, that it cannot be fully appreciated until the reader has a better understanding of what actually happened during the Holocaust. I do, however, feel that it is a great read for anyone in high school as it offers a better understanding of people and shows that stereotypes are not always true. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak was a great book that I could see myself re-reading in the future.
|
|
|
|
Post by Abby Cerano on Jun 22, 2013 23:27:26 GMT -5
I chose to read a book called "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin. This honestly is one of the best books I've read. Though it is somewhat complicated to explain.
This book is about a girl named Nicole Castro. She has everything you could ever want. She comes from a wealthy family, has the looks, has the perfect body, has popularity, perfect boyfriend and has the brains as well. Everything was going perfect for Nicole, until one day at school. Someone sprayed half her face with acid. It all happened so fast. It only took seconds to destroy her perfect face. Her world quickly turns upside down. She is pulled from school and it isn't possible to recover the face she once had. While all of this chaos is happening she becomes friends with an unlikely person. She becomes friends with Jay Nazzaro, who also attends the same school. They both had never met until after Nicole's harrowing incident. Jay is the sort of quiet, loner type, who is a great computer hacker. Together as the story unwinds they both realize they aren't so different. With the help of Jay, Nicole will discover who her attacker is.
This book was just great! There were many twists in this book that i was not expecting. It has some romance in it, and also has suspension. I really enjoyed reading this book, I could not put it down! Every time I thought I knew who the attacker was another twist came in to play. This is a book anyone would enjoy reading! It is not a typical book! It keeps you on your feet and has a great ending! And you will be very surprised to find out who the attacker was.
|
|
|
|
Post by John Geffre on Jun 23, 2013 15:47:42 GMT -5
For my first book this summer I chose to read “The Lost Hero” by Rick Riordan. I chose this book because recently before I read the Percy Jackson series and loved them, and I also love mythology, so I thought this would be a good book.
This book is about three hero’s Jason Grace, Piper McLean, and Leo Valdez. It starts off with the three of them on a field trip to the Grand Canyon., storm spirits attack the three while their teacher, Coach Gleeson Hedge, reveals he to be a satyr, and fights for their lives. Jason surprises himself by using a sword disguised as a coin to fight off the spirits, and Coach Hedge is captured while defending them. At the height of the battle, two pegasi land next to them carrying strangers: Annabeth and a boy with a tattoo of a rainbow named Butch, a son of Iris. Annabeth is angry because she had a vision that she would find a clue to her missing boyfriend, Percy Jackson, at the Grand Canyon. She was told to look for the "one with the missing shoe." Jason, who has lost a shoe in the battle, has no memories of his own identity, let alone Percy Jackson's whereabouts. Jason, Piper and Leo are informed that they are demigods (half god half human) and are taken back to Camp Half-Blood where they meet other demigod children like themselves. There, Leo is revealed as a son of Hephaestus, Piper as a daughter of Aphrodite, and Jason as a son of Zeus. He remembers his sister while seeing a picture of her in Cabin One. After scarcely 24 hours of learning about their previously hidden identities, the three receive an urgent quest to rescue Hera, queen of the gods, who was captured by unnamed forces.
The three friends set off on the back of a giant robotic dragon, Festus on a cross-country quest to save Hera and Piper's father from the clutches of Enceladus. Their enemies are under orders from Gaea to reawaken her and overthrow the Olympian gods by pulling up their original roots in Greece. On their way, Jason, Piper and Leo meet Boreas the North Wind a trio of cyclopes, the evil enchantress Medea, King Midas, a pack of werewolves and Lycaon and the very unhelpful Lord of the Winds, Aeolus. In the end the heroes and their friends, the Hunters of Artemis, manage to save both Piper's father and Hera, whose godly energies were being used to raise the giant Porphyrion. They temporarily stall Gaea's plans, but they will have to face the giants again. With part of his memory returned, Jason realizes that he is a hero from a Roman counterpart to Camp Half-Blood somewhere near San Francisco, and that Hera has switched him with the Greek hero Percy Jackson, who is now at the Roman camp with no memory of his life at Camp Half-Blood. Both Jason and Percy had to let the Greek and Roman camps know of each others' existence, so the Roman and Greek demigods must unite to provide the prophesied group of seven heroes who will defeat the giants along with the gods. Jason, Piper, Leo, and Annabeth have to find the Roman camp and convince them to help.
|
|
|
|
Post by Hannah Hoefer on Jun 23, 2013 15:49:10 GMT -5
I read Harper Lee's To Kill A MockingBird as my first summer reading assignment. I have heard so many people say that they love this book and I wanted to experience it for my self.
The story takes place in Maycomb, Alabama, a small southern town with a very tight knit community. Everyone knew their neighbor and their neighbor's business. Scout and Jem Finch lived with their father Atticus and their black housekeeper Calpurnia. Their mother died when Scout was two and Jem was six. Atticus Finch was an attorney and well respected by nearly everyone in the county. Many of the townspeople thought Scout and Jem had too much freedom and not enough discipline. Atticus treated them more like adults than kids. Calpurnia, who was like a member of the family, keeps a tight reign on the kids.
As the story progresses the reader experiences Jem and Scout's daily life. From their long schooldays to their always too short summers, Jem and Scout grow up and and the reader begins to understand them as individuals. During the summer Jem and Scout spend a lot of time with their new friend Dill. Dill spends every summer there with his aunt and becomes an important part of their lives. They try to make Boo Radley, a reclusive neighbor, come out of his house. He is a local legend that the kids are scared of. Boo Radley teaches Jem and Scout that not everything is as it seems and there is a right and wrong way to treat people. After hearing a lot of negative talk about their dad they ask him why people are saying bad things about him. He explains about a case that he is working on. He is defending Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell. During this time in the south, he was considered guilty just because it was a black man's word against a white man's word. After hearing the evidence, it was obvious to even Jem and Scout that Tom was innocent, but he was found guilty. This did not seem fair to the kids or other open minded people, but it was just the way it was during this time. Tom went to prison but Atticus thought they had a good chance at an appeal. Mr.Ewell, Mayella's father, threatened Atticus Finch because he defended a black man and accused Mr. Ewell and Mayella of lying. Atticus did not believe the threats. He thought Bob Ewell was just talking big to make himself look better. Things began to settle down and many thought they might win the appeal, but Tom just could not stand being locked up. One day he just lost his patience and tried to escape. He was shot dead. Everyone was shocked. They thought they had such a good chance and now it was over and an innocent man was dead. Scout and Jem, especially Jem, just could not believe that this was how life worked. It was not fair. Everyone thought it was over and went back to their normal lives. Scout even had a part in a local pageant. She played a ham, because it was a locally produced product. On the way home from the pageant someone was following Jem and Scout. They became frightened and were then attacked. Scout was still wearing her wire costume and never saw a thing, only heard her brother fighting someone and then, she was led home by a man carrying her brother. Jem had a broken arm and a concussion. Only after telling the story to the sheriff, and the sheriff finding Bob Ewell with a knife in his ribs did Scout learn who her rescuer was.
The quiet man that stood in the corner of Jem's room was Boo Radley. According to the sheriff, Mr. Ewell had fallen on his own knife. His threats were real, but because Boo Radley had been watching Jem and Scout for years, he heard them and came to their rescue. They never saw him again after that night, but he turned out to be one of the best friends they would ever have. Scout and Jem learned much about life from the Tom Robinson trial and Boo Radley.
I really enjoyed this book. I learned a lot about the relationships between different types of people. We should not judge people from rumors or just from the way they look. All teens and adults should read this book. It teaches a lot about how we should treat others and how we should stand up for those who cannot always stand up for themselves. It also teaches a good lesson about the way Atticus raised his kids. It might not have been what some people would think was right, but he respected his children and it worked for them as a family. Just as it is pointless to kill a mocking bird, which serves no purpose, it is pointless to accuse innocent people of something they didn't to just to serve your own purpose.
|
|
|
|
Post by John Geffre on Jun 23, 2013 15:50:02 GMT -5
I loved this book very much because of all the obstacles they have to go through. and if you like mythology you will love this book.
|
|
|
|
Post by Andy Kim on Jun 24, 2013 14:21:25 GMT -5
The book I chose is "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster. A young boy named Milo views life as dull and boring. Due to the fact the fact of his view, he encounters a tollbooth in his room. After arriving from school, he enters the booth and it transports him to a fascinating world. ( The Wizard of Oz, Narnia, etc.). He encountered a sad and depressing land called "Conclusions" and meets the inhabitants which are similar like him. Milo becomes cautious and leaves only to encounter a talking dog named Tock. Tock is a watchdog, literally. His body is a watchclock. Both go on to the land of Dictionopolis. A kingdom that thrive on words and literary terms. In Dictionopolis, he learns that words are important and many sell and trade letters as food and whatnot at the market places. Milo and Tock later meets a talking beetle, named Humbug. Milo is greeted by five guards/butlers that tend to speak redundantly. The king shows great hospitality. Milo learns that the history of Dictionopolis and its neighboring kingdom, Digitopolis, where they thrive on numbers and math instead of words and letters. He learns that there is chaos and sometimes without conscience due to the absenceof the princesses, Rhyme and Reason. Milo and his companions later embark on a journey to save them to save both Dictionopolis and Digitopolis. They encounter many obstacles, but they indeed save Rhyme and Reason. Later on, Milo is praised for his actions and received many farewells as he leaves the imaginary land to the real world which he belongs to. At the end, Milo has a change of attitude and learns that life is full of opportunities and should be lived well.
I chose this book because it seemed to be very creative and different. Another reason, which is the main reason why, is that a sophomore(junior now) recommended it as a fairly easy, but credible book. I enjoyed this book and i recommend it to others that are interested.
|
|
|
|
Post by Rachel Parizek on Jun 24, 2013 15:27:34 GMT -5
While walking through the library, looking for a book for this assignment, a book title caught my eye. Prayers for Sale, by Sandra Dallas, is the story of an 86-year-old woman named Hennie Comfort. She lives in the mining camp of Middle Swan, Colorado, and the year is 1936. Hennie is well known as a talented quilter and storyteller. Like her name, her home is one of the nicer houses in Middle Swan, and on the fence is a little sign saying, "Prayers for Sale". Hennie doesn't actually pray for money, but prays for whomever needs it. One day, a young woman shows up at Hennie's house and asks her if she would say a prayer for her baby girl. She leaves a nickel on the fence, even though Mrs. Comfort says she doesn't take money for prayers. Later on, we learn that the girl's name is Nit Spindle, who had just moved here with her new husband, and that her baby wasn't born alive. In the beginning, we don't know much about any of the characters, but as the story goes on and Hennie and Nit get to know each other, we begin to know their stories and the town of Middle Swan. At times, this book is heartbreaking, but humor is definitely present as well. We learn of the terrible things Hennie's been through, and we learn of the friendships that make it all worthwhile. The atmosphere of this story feels very comfortable (no pun intended  ), and it seems so real. There are hardships and struggles, but after a surprise twist, Hennie gets a happier ending than most people she knows.
When I read the book description, I thought that it sounded like something I would be interested in. It promised a good story and a little suspense. I think the ones that would enjoy this book more are girls, because most of the developed characters are female. I really love Prayers for Sale, and I would definitely recommend it.
|
|
|
|
Post by Jourdyn Scott on Jun 24, 2013 17:03:39 GMT -5
The first book I chose to read was The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger. This book is about a young boy named Holden Caulfeild. Holden got in a lot of trouble at school, he had been expelled multiple times. In the book we join Holden on his adventure back home to face his parents yet again. Holden is always depressed or bored with life, but when he talks about his dead brother Allie, or his younger sister Pheobe, his whole attitude toward happiness changes. Holden experiences many rough patches in the few days this book covers of his life, but he always manages to make it through them. I chose to read this book because it look like it would be the most interesting book out of the AP list. I thought this book was very interesting because Holden's opinions on life and emotions changed so frequently. I would recommend this book to mature teens, due to the use of language.
|
|
|
|
Post by Jenifer Lopez on Jun 24, 2013 18:17:17 GMT -5
The first novel that I chose to read is The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. This book captures the interesting experience of being a teenager. Charlie, who is the main character, is also the narrator of the novel. The novel is made up of a series of letters that are addressed to "Dear Friend," from Charlie. We never know, or find out, who the person is that Charlie is writing to, but he tells this person very detailed descriptions of his days throughout his freshman year. Charlie tells his "Friend" about his struggle to fit in at school, his difficulty with his medical issues, the troubles with his family, and his adventures with his friends. This novel describes perfectly most situations that teenagers deal with and are going through today.
I chose to read this book because I absolutely fell in love with the movie. I figured that I ought to go ahead and read the book seeing as the books are almost always ten times better than the movies. I am extremely happy that I read this book because it was amazing. I am not a person who genuinely enjoys reading, but when I started this book, I could npt put it down. I read this book in less than a day, which is really quite an accomplishment for myself.
To say that this book is breathtaking, would be an understatement. The way that the author, Stephen Chbosky, uses imagery is amazing. The amount of detail in this book and the way that things are said is just indescribable. This book is one of the best books that I have ever read. I could probably read it a million more times. It is so inspiring and moving.
Anyone who enjoys a good love story, doesn't care shedding a few tears, likes some mystery, and isn't afraid of reality, would love this book. I would honestly recommend anyone to read this book. With the amount of different situations that go on in the novel, I feel that everyone would find something that applies to them and that could possibly even help them.
This book is truly amazing and if you have not read it, do so immediately. I PROMISE that you would not regret it.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kayla Britten on Jun 24, 2013 18:57:33 GMT -5
For my first summer reading book, I chose to read The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. It's about a 15-year-old boy named Charlie who's a little different than most kids. The novel starts with Charlie trying to cope with the suicide of his friend, Michael, by writing letters to an anonymous stranger that he overhears people talking about as being nice, but has never actually met, himself. Not only is he trying to deal with losing his friend, but he's also starting high school. On his first day, Charlie finds a friend in his English teacher, Bill, but doesn't really fit in with any of the students. One day Charlie decides to go to the Friday night football game, and there he meets Patrick and his step-sister Sam who soon become Charlie's best friends. Over the course of the novel, Charlie goes through a lot; losing friends, gaining them back, overcoming shyness, trying to get involved, falling in love, having a few mental breakdowns, but most of all, growing up. He learns that no matter what, he'll be okay, and that's what he always needed.
I chose this book because I had heard about it from some of my friends and had seen the movie, and I had actually really wanted to read it. I'm glad I did, too, because it's definitely one of my new favorite books. So much of what he goes through can apply to anyone, and that's something I always look for in books; something or someone I can connect with. I would recommend this novel to anyone and everyone - both girls and boys. It may be a little girly, but it really is a great story. There are endless quotes and phrases that really get to you and make you think, and that's a quality I think every good book needs.
|
|
), and it seems so real. There are hardships and struggles, but after a surprise twist, Hennie gets a happier ending than most people she knows.