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Book Reviews:
Natural
Born Charmer
By:
Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Recommended by: Deanna R.
Plot: Dean and Blue, two characters with totally opposite personalities, meet in a unique situation on the side of a highway. From that moment on, they experience many hilarious moments as they travel across the county to Tennessee.
Why read? This novel takes you by surprise as you find yourself experiencing all of the complications and joys of Dean and Blue. This book teaches us how to leave behind our old lives and start over when needed. Submit a review
The
Memory Keeper’s Daughter
By: Kim Edwards
Recommended by: Stephanie H.
Plot: This novel depicts the journey of a man and his daughter in two different parts of the world, living two different lives. Dr. Henry is forced to deliver his own twins during a snow storm. They first, a boy, is perfectly normal while the second child, a girl, has Downs syndrome. Dr. Henry makes the most difficult decision in his life when he tells the nurse to bring his daughter to a mental hospital and tells his wife that their baby daughter died during birth. The book then travels along the two lives of the doctor and his daughter.
Why read? The books keeps the reader interested throughout the entire storyline. The book lets you take sides and agree with who you think is right in terms of decision-making. The book takes place over many years, so you can visualize everyone growing up and living their lives. Submit a review
Prep
By: Curtis
Sittenfeld
Recommended by: Lynell J.
Plot: This book is about the experiences of a girl who goes to private school for the first time. She leaves her family behind in Indiana and to attend this school on a scholarship. Over the years her experiences at the school, her relationships with teachers, and her friendships with other girls and boyfriends become increasingly complicated.
Why read? This is a funny, yet candid depiction of what high school is like. Everything you want to read about is in the this book. True friendship, problems with classmates, parent-child relationships, class division all in the voice and through the observation of a fourteen year old girl. read more reviews | Submit a review
The Lovely Bones
By: Alice Sebold
Recommended by: Dana L.
Plot: The book starts out as we meet the main character, Susie Salmon, a 14 year old girl from Pennsylvania. The first line of the book says the date on which she was murdered. The story is told by Susie and concerns how her family and friends deal with her death. Some characters go crazy, some move away, and relationships are never the same. It’s very interesting and you do not know what is going to happen next.
Why read? The book starts out in such a way that the reader wants to know more: why was she murdered, who murdered her, and how he did it. Although it is an easy read, the plot is very interesting and keeps you wanting more. There is teenage love, mystery, loss, and everything you could ever want all in one book. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a fun and easy read. read more reviews | Submit a review | read more by Alice Sebold
Tuesdays
with Morrie
By:
Mitch Albom
Recommended by:
Kirsten G.
Plot:
This story is about the acceptance
of death. It is told through the eyes of a man whose old college professor
is dying.
Why read?
This book allows you to begin to
think more about death and possibly begin to accept the fact that everyone
dies. However, it is a sad story that can be viewed in a happy way. Submit a
review
The
Five People You Meet In Heaven
By: Mitch
Albom
Recommended by: Ashley R.
Plot: An elderly amusement park worker, Eddie, is killed, and meets five people before he goes to Heaven. Each of these people has at one point effected Eddie’s life in some way. Before he can continue, Eddie must encounter all five people.
Why Read? Eddie’s experience look at what happens after death from a creative perspective. The people he meets are all meaningful and interesting in different ways. read more reviews | Submit a review
The Kite
Runner
By: Khaled Hosseini
Recommender: Matthew M.
Plot: The story takes place in the Afghan providence during the 1970’s before the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan--a time of no medical attention and cruel intentions. The novel describes a young boy named Amir whose mother died and who lives with his rich and prominent father in Afghanistan.
Why read? This novel is very descriptive and shows the true cruelty of life, while also showing true love and care. This book is very easy to relate to and it shows how things can easily change throughout a short time period. Submit a review
The
Time Traveler’s Wife
By: Audrey Niffenegger
Recommended by: Maria G.
Plot:
A man named Henry DeTamble has the ability to travel through time and
experience his fondest memories, which include a woman named Clare Abshire.
Henry follows Clare throughout her life and their love continues to grow
throughout the book as Clare and Henry grow older.
Why read?
This book is for a girl searching for a little
romance in her life, or a guy who wants to add some romance to his. This
book makes you want to keep reading; it is for the person who enjoys an
interesting and thought provoking book, but also enjoys the romance from a
romance novel. The Time Traveler’s Wife is a love story that proves
that love can survive the test of time. Submit a
review
My Sister’s
Keeper
Reviewed by: Mrs. Moran
Plot: Thirteen year old Anna is not sick, but she has undergone countless surgeries and hospital procedures. Why? To save her sister Kate. Kate has suffered from leukemia since childhood and Anna was deliberately conceived to be a bone marrow donor for Kate. As a teenager, Anna is starting to question her true existence what her purpose is on earth other than being a donor for her sister. Anna will make a decision that could tear her family apart forever. My Sister’s Keeper examines what a good parent is, what a good sister is and what a good person is. Is it morally right to do whatever it takes to save a child’s life when that means infringing upon the rights of another?
Why Read? My Sister’s Keeper is a thrilling novel that you won't be able to put down. Each chapter is written from a different character's perspective, making the book intriguing and addictive. My Sister’s Keeper is also Winner of the Margaret Alexander Edwards Award (the Alex Award) given by the American Library Association, the Best Book of the Year (Bookbrowse.com), Nominated for an IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, and nominated for a British Book Award, 2005. read more reviews | Submit a review
The Tenth Circle
By: Jodi Picoult
Plot:The
novel mainly takes place in a suburban town, but doesn’t mention exactly the
location. The characters are viewed in school and at home.
Why read? The Tenth Circle is worth reading because the main story line is
interesting for young teenagers. Its a story that mainly involves a young
girl, named Trixie, that deals with issues with her boyfriend. Another main
character is Trixie’s dad, Daniel, who is a comic book writer. He makes the
novel fun including pictures of his work and tells
the readers a lot about his stories that he works on. Submit a
review
The Pact
By:
Jodi Picoult
Recommended by: Jen M.
Plot: Chris Harte is seventeen and is accused of killing his life long girlfriend Emily Gold. This accusation leads the closest family friends to despise each other. The story unravels memories and flashbacks as Chris sits in jail awaiting his trial.
Why read? It keeps you guessing. As you read it you see both the perspective of Chris and Emily and it keeps you wondering about what really happened. It's the type of book you don't want to put down Submit a review
Life of Pi
By: Yann
Martel
Reviewed by: Mr. Sislian
Plot: Broken into three parts, Life of Pi tells the story of a boy name Piscine, Pi for short, who helps his parents run a small zoo in India. Pi's parents eventually plan to move the animals to a newer zoo in Canada and while crossing the ocean, the boat is caught in a storm and sinks. Pi is able to survive, but soon learns that he is sharing a life raft with an orangutan, a wounded zebra, a hyena, and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Throughout Pi’s ordeal, he learns much about himself and humanity in general. Throughout the book Pi questions his ability to survive as well as his belief in spirituality and God.
Why read? Life of Pi deals primarily with issues of spirituality and religion in a changing world. In his search for answers, Pi practices multiple religions to find answers that are burning inside of him. The book ends philosophically, because you are unsure if the story Pi tells is actually true or made up. He does get stranded in a life boat, but at the end it is unclear if the animals were actually people or representative of the various world religions. A great book to get you thinking about how to view the world. read more reviews | e-mail your review
Best Friends
By: Martha Moody
Recommended by: Arli T.
Plot: In this novel you learn about a young girl and her life at college. You find out about some of her friends and other college students. She is a bright but rebellious girl, who is still a child and you learn about how she and her friends change because of college life.
Why read? This novel is not the catchiest novel. It is hard to start and keep reading. It took me a while to understand and enjoy it, but once I did, I really liked it. It is a good novel to read if you enjoy novels about things that could really happen to you in your life. I think that girls would love it once they got started. Submit a review
White Oleander
By: Janet
Fitch
Recommended by: Katie L.
Plot: The story is about a young girl who lives her life being carried on the wind, so to speak. After she is forced to leave her mom and home, she learns a lot of things about life and the world through all the various trials and hardships life throws at her.
Why read? If you have seen the movie, you know that it is a great story. It’s not a typical “challenge and victory” story that you always read. The girl in the book, who is less conventional than characters in many books, is what makes it most interesting. Submit a review
The Echo Maker
By Richard Powers
Recommended by: Mr. Brady
Plot: A young man flips his truck on a lonely Nebraska road and nearly loses his life. As he recovers, the damage to his brain doesn’t allow him to recognize certain people—he feels his sister (who nurses him back to health) is really an imposter—and that his accident is part of some grand cover-up. The story follows Mark’s journey to solve the mystery of his accident (he awakes with a note from his “guardian angel” who may have saved his life on the night of the accident), traces the neurological study of how the brain works, and explores the effects of humans on the migratory cranes that have visited the Platte River in Nebraska for (perhaps) millions of years.
Why read? This story brings together elements of mystery, brain science and environmentalism in an incredible novel. A finalist for the National Book Award, this is a challenging novel, but one strong readers will appreciate experiencing. It is both philosophical and gripping, and makes one consider the source of human identity.
read more reviews | Submit a review
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Recommended by: Ms. Weiss
Plot: Set in a fictional South American country, Bel Canto opens at the vice president’s mansion where a lavish party is taking place, thrown by the government in an attempt to woo investments from a wealthy Japanese business man, Mr. Hosokawa. The government’s ace in the hole is a performance by Roxane Coss, a world renown opera singer whose voice is the object of Mr. Hosokawa's respectful affection. The action of the novel begins immediately when the party is suddenly interrupted by an invasion of guerrilla terrorists who break in through the mansion's air conditioning vents and proceed to hold the guests captive for weeks... which turn into months. However, what begins as a terrifying ordeal evolves and morphs into something quite different as the plot and the action give way to the beauty and complexities of human interactions. Bel Canto is loosely based on the December 17, 1996 Japanese embassy hostage crisis that took place in Lima, Peru.
Why read? What is interesting about this novel is the way Patchett uses form and function to carry the reader through the varying stages of each character’s experience, much in the same way opera music has an individual yet forwarding influence on its listener. Just as the characters never leave the compound, neither does the reader—the setting remains the same throughout the entire novel, allowing Patchett’s transcendent use of magical realism to gently expose the frailties and fortitudes of humanity within the harsh reality of an aggravated situation. Submit a review
Practical
Magic
Recommended by: Ms. Kenny-Stein
Plot: Sally and Gillian, sisters who are opposites in almost every way, have one thing in common: they are part of the Owens family, the family the town blames when anything goes wrong. Desperate to be loved and accepted, the girls make different choices to escape their pasts, but come back together when they realize they need one another. Oh, and did I mention that they’re witches?
Why Read? This novel is funny, moving, and beautifully written. It is MUCH better than the movie, but if you liked the movie, you’ll love the book. Hoffman infuses this world of magic with believable situations; at a very basic level, this novel is about understanding and accepting your own unique qualities. Submit a review
The Penelopiad
By: Margaret Atwood
Recommended by: Ms. Prevete
Plot: “Now that I’m dead I know everything.” So begins Atwood’s The Penelopiad written from the point of view of Penelope as she is reflecting on her life. Through her reflections, she answers many of our questions about herself and her thoughts and feelings while waiting for her husband, Odysseus, to return home from the Trojan War. Atwood puts a creative and comical twist on the character of Penelope and her view of her maids. Poems and comic interludes are also included between sections of Penelope’s story, written from the point of view of the maids expressing their feelings towards Odysseus.
Why read? You will fall in love with the voice of this Penelope and wish you could hang out with her! Penelope becomes a more realistic and complete person than she appears to be in The Odyssey. Prior knowledge of The Odyssey would help to identify references made, but is not necessary to enjoy the novel. The chorus of the hanged maids is hysterical and they make Penelope seem very human. Submit a review
Summer Sisters
Recommended by: Ms. Grigal
Plot: Two young teenage girls become friends over the summer while on vacation. This is a story about how their relationship develops and changes over the years.
Why read? It has humor, heartache and joy and I think many young ladies would enjoy reading this book. Submit a review
Wish You Well
Recommended by: Ms. Hamer
Plot: A young girl who survives a family altering car crash, is sent to live with her grandmother in the hills of a mining community, far removed from the city life she grew up in until the crash. With her mother in a coma, the new adventures, school, lifestyle and relationship with her grandmother and younger brother make very compelling reading.
Why read? It is a combination of To Kill A Mockingbird and Huckleberry Finn. The writing is superb, the characters stay with you for a very long time, and you just want all things to turn out well for this young girl at the center of the story. Submit a review
The Secret Life of Bees
By: Sue Monk Kidd
Recommended by:
Mrs. Forte
Plot: Great story about the things that are important in life, and how adversity can lead to strength of character.
Why read? The relationships between the characters are wonderful with strong female characters. This book has many words of wisdom that will leave a lasting impression. Submit a review
The Man
Who Ate The 747 By: Ben
Sherwood
Recommended by:
Mr. Wolk
Plot:
As the keeper of records for the legendary Book of Records, J.
J.
Smith documents noteworthy feats involving tiddlywinks, fingernails, hiccups
and cow chips. Then his orderly world is turned upside-down by a man eating
an entire Boeing 747 to prove his love to a woman. As Smith tells us, "This
is the story of the greatest love, ever."
Why read? Sherwood's modern fable expertly blends authentic world records with the abstract mysteries of love. If a man is willing to eat an entire airplane to prove his love to a woman, can she still say no? Submit a review
Pride
and Prejudice By: Jane Austen
Recommended by:
Mr. Moran
Plot:
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in
possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”
Is that so? Do people decide to find money and then love—or
vice-versa? Or neither? Austen’s novel follows the
lives of Elizabeth Bennet and her 4 sisters as they test this proposition.
Why read? Austen wrote this novel when she was only a handful of years older than you are now—believe me, she “gets it” and knows what you experience while courting in the hallways and the mall. Plus, she’s terrifically intelligent and her observations about human nature—and its flaws—are as dead-on today as they were in her own time. Parts of the book are complex—but so is life. Don’t let the complexity intimidate you. Read the Divine Jane and find out what all the fuss is about! Read more reviews | Submit a review
A
Prayer for Owen Meany By: John Irving
Recommended by:
Mr. Pellicane
Plot:
The story of a strange little boy who kills his best friend’s mom
with a baseball.
Why read? Plenty of humor and an ending that will make your hair stand on end. Read more reviews | Submit a review
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