The Case of the Fabulous Fake

Author: Erle Stanley Gardner

My Description: It's Perry Mason! I love Perry Mason! (there's a black-and-white TV show starring him on weekdays at noon, Fox. It's a great show. Wonderful mysteries) Perry Mason is an lawyer, who not only proves his client innocent, but finds the actual Murderer in the process. This case was wonderfully written, highly suspenseful, and kept me guessing 'til the very last line.

I love Perry Mason.

Back-Of-The-Book Description: Perry Mason's beautiful new client isn't giving anything away, not even her name, and he suspects that what she does choose to reveal is mostly lies. Certainly the bag full of cash she carries isn't shopping money. All the mystery woman asks is that Mason make himself available for a few days in case she needs him--for what purpose, she remains silent as the grave.In fact, his headstrong client, who identifies herself only as "36-24-36," is headed for disaster--not only into a blackmailer's clutches but into a lethal trap from which not even Perry Mason's brilliant courtroom sorcery may be able to extricate her. Alive, anyway . . .

Starting Date: April 19th

Ending Date: April 21st

Reading Time: Three days

Pages: 180

Recommendations: To anyone who likes mysteries.

Writing Rating: 7 1/2

Story Rating: 7 1/2

Overall Rating: 7 1/2

Book #24 of '08

The Lightning Thief

Author: Rick Riordan

My Description: I love ancient Greek mythology. I love, love, LOVE ancient Greek mythology. So I love, love, love, LOVED the Lightning thief, a story about a young boy name Perseus--a.k.a. Percy--who tries to save his mother from death, man kind from World War III and his father's--Poseidon, god of the sea--reputation on a journey with some very interesting characters.

I highly recommend this book... I'll definetaly be looking for the second!

Back-Of-The-Book Description: Perseus, aka Percy Jackson, thinks he has big problems. His father left before he was born, he's been kicked out of six schools in six years, he's dyslexic, and he has ADHD. What a surprise when he finds out that that's only the tip of the iceberg: he vaporizes his pre-algebra teacher, learns his best friend is a satyr, and is almost killed by a minotaur before his mother manages to get him to the safety of Camp Half-Blood--where he discovers that Poseidon is his father. But that's a problem, too. Poseidon has been accused of stealing Zeus' lightning bolt, and unless Percy can return the bolt, humankind is doomed.

Starting Date: April 16th

Ending Date: April 19th

Reading Time: Four days

Pages: 375

Recommendations: To anyone who likes/loves greek mythology and to kids 9-14 who like fantasies.

Writing Rating: 7 1/2

Story Rating: 8

Overall Rating: 8

Book 23 of '08

Shakespear's Secret

(no picture available--sorry!)

Author: Elise Broach
My Description: It's a very enjoyable mystery about a girl named Hero and her search for the rumored 'Murphy Diamond' that is said to be within her newly bought house.
Shakespeare's Secret had a lot to do with history and--shocker--Shakespeare, I had a lot of fun reading it... and though there are a few things that Hero and some of the other main characters do that I don't quite understand, I definitely would recommend this book.
Back-Of-The-Book Description: Hero has always hated her Shakespearean-based name, for, as her new sixth-grade classmates are quick to tell her, it's better suited to a dog than to a girl. Resigned to their constant teasing, she concentrates instead on her new found friendship with her kindly, if somewhat eccentric, elderly next-door neighbor. Mrs. Roth tells Hero about the missing "Murphy Diamond," a precious jewel that supposedly disappeared from the house where Hero now lives. Mrs. Roth has the necklace that once held the diamond, an heirloom that possibly once belonged to Anne Boleyn, and she is convinced that it is still hidden in the vicinity. She and Hero set out to find what the police could not, and, with help from Danny, a popular yet self-assured eighth grader who befriends them both, they succeed. Only then do the real connections among the three of them come to the surface and change their lives forever.
Starting Date: April 13th
Ending Date: April 15th
Reading Time: Three days
Pages: 272
Writing Rating: 6 1/2
Story Rating: 6 3/4
Overall Rating: 6 3/4

Book #22 of '08

The Riddles of Epsilon

Author: Christine Morten-Shaw
My Description: I really loved the way this book was written! It was a girl's (Jess's) Diary most of the time, and every once in a while it was the print-outs of her in a chat-room on the computer talking with either Epsilon or with her friend Avril(who I personaly don't like... she's a bad girl).
The Riddles of Epsilon has awesome riddles, a highly interesting plot, and bunches of cool twists and turns. I really liked it!
Back-Of-The-Book-Description: Jess has moved to a remote island called Lume off the coast of England. Her parents are restoring an old house, and Jess discovers an abandoned cottage on their property Inside the cottage Jess encounters an eerie presence--something like a ghost but suffused with a comforting energy. She also finds three locked boxes. Inside each she finds antique papers that send her mind spinning.
As Jess unravels the mysteries of Lume, she finds the writings of Sebastian, a boy who lived one hundred years ago and whose life contains unsettling reflections of her own. To her horror, the dangers he unearthed in 1894 now begin to threaten Jess and her family. Something dark has awoken, and Jess doesn't have much time to do something about it.
Jess has a talent for solving puzzles, riddles, and codes. She is confronted with a series of riddles that she must unlock in order to save her mother from a dark and ancient threat. Jess is guided by the creepy presence in the cottage. The mysterious guide is called Epsilon, but is he a guide from the bright side, or the dark?
Starting Date: April 9th
Ending Date: April 12th
Reading Time: Four days
Pages: 375
Recommendations: To late pre-teens and teens. It's a little spooky, and there is one swear word, but it still is a great book!
Writing Rating: 8 1/2
Story Rating: 8 1/2
Overall Rating: 8 1/2


Book #21 of '08

The Xanadu Adventure

Author: (the amazing, the fabulous, the really really awesome writer) Lloyd Alexander

My Description: It's another of those Vesper Holly books! I really loved all of them, but they did get a little repetitious... I was very disappointed when they never introduced a new villain, (of course different accomplices, but the same main villain) and I got a little bored. Not only that, but I had a picture of this one character--'The Weed' as Vesper nick-named him--and as it turned out, I was way off and some of the things that happened I was completely unprepared for because of that different picture I had of him... anyway, besides all that, Vesper Holly is as cool and Indiana Jones-ee as ever, Brinnie is still her Dear Old Tiger, and all in all it's a very good book.

Back-of -the-Book Description: Vesper Holly loves archaeology and adventure. So when she is told that archaeologist Herr Schliemann has found the ruins of ancient Troy, she's determined to go investigate further. So she and her friends Brinnie, his wife Mary, and the knowledgeable oddball The Weed (not his real name) set out to Hissarlik. But things rapidly go awry. A sinister boat captain dumps them off in the wrong place, and a sputtering archaeologist -- who claims he, not Schliemann, has found Troy -- turns out to be working for the malevolent Dr. Helviticus. And this time, the doctor has far-reaching plans not only to take control of the world's oil, but to rule the world itself from his own luxurious Xanadu...

Starting Date: April 4th

Ending Date: April 6th

Reading Time: Three days

Pages: 145

Recommendations: To all who loved the other Vesper Holly books, and to those who like Indiana Jones.

Writing Rating: 8

Story Rating: 8

Overall Rating: 8

Book #20 of '08

The Best Written Award Nominee(#1)

It's time to award the book that I just keep thinking about. A book that I couldn't get out of my head. A book that was really good. A book that I enjoyed, though the end depressed me.

I will award...

Sirena

(by Donna Jo Napoli)

Sirena is a beautifully written book. Even now I just keep thinking about it. It had a large impact on me... The story is so sweet, so sad, so... I just loved it. It's one of those books that you can't tell what you think of it until it's over. Then you hate it. But as time passes you know you love it. I do.


Honorable Mentions:

Waiting For Odysseus
Holes

That's all, Folks!


Galaxy

Unclaimed Treasures

Author: Patricia MacLachlan
My Description: I didn't like it much. It's about a girl named Willa mostly, though it does include her twin brother Nicholas and their friend Horace.
The story was confusing, and it was hard to get what was going on. It took me a while to actually start liking Willa a little bit, and since I like liking the main character right away because their such a wonderful person, the story didn't quite take me in... and of course, it didn't help that it was so confusing. I really didn't like it that much, but maybe it would appeal to someone. I don't know.
Back-Of-The-Book Description: Oh, to do something special, something extraordinary! That, and to find a true love...
Willa was always watching for her true love, in every line outside the movie theater, or ice rink or at the bank. He would, she knew, be tall and solemn.
Willa does fall in love, but it isn't at all the way she dreamed it would be. And just what is extraordinary? Willa, her twin brother Nicholas, and their new friend Horace Morris all wonder about that. Willa's mother will have a new baby soon. That seems ordinary to Willa. Horace's mother has left to "seek her fortune." That, Willa thinks, is extraordinary. There are other new friends: Old Pepper, ancient and wrinkled; Horace's maiden aunts, the Unclaimed Treasures who play Beethoven by the garden; and Horace's father, tall and solemn.
What is ordinary, what is not? Old Pepper knows. And by the end of the long summer of laughter and talk under the old apple tree, Willa and Nicholas know too. And each does something quite extraordinary.
Starting Date: March 16th
Ending Date: March 19th
Reading Time: Four days
Pages: 118
Recommendations: Too... young girls... I don't know. You'll have to decide yourself. I didn't really like it.
Writing Rating: 4
Story Rating: 3
Overall Rating: 4

Book #19 of '08

A Ring of Endless Light

Author: Madeline L'Engel

My Description: It was a good book. I really enjoyed it... It was very... deep. One thing I will say is that this book is about life and death... consiquently, this book is full of life and death...

Also, the book didn't end, it just stopped. I didn't understand what was going to happen to the characters, or how it was all going to work out. I enjoyed this book, but it definetly is for older readers.

I can't say anything more.

Back-Of-The-Book Description: Vicky Austin is filled with strong feelings as she stands near Commander Rodney's grave while her grandfather, who himself is dying of cancer, recites the funeral service. Watching his condition deteriorate as the summer passes on beautiful Seven Bay Island is almost more than Vicky can bear. To complicate things, she finds herself the center of attention for three very different boys: Leo is an old friend wanting comfort and longing for romance; Zachary, whose attempted suicide inadvertently caused the Commander's death, is attractive and sophisticated but desperately troubled; and Adam, her older brother's friend, offers her a wonderful chance to assist in his experiments with dophins but treats her as a young girl just when she's ready to feel most grown-up.

Starting Date: March 12th
Ending Date: March 15th

Reading Time: Four days

Pages: 336

Recommendations: Mostly for girls 13 and up

Writing Rating: 8

Story Rating: 7

Overall Rating: 8

Book #17 of '08

The Lost Queen

Author: Frewin Jones

My Description: It's a really good book. I highly enjoyed it. The Lost Queen is sequel to The Faerie Path, and though I didn't think this book was better than the last, I do believe that this was just as good, and that's saying something considering how good the first was!

I won't say mauch about this book--so I won't give it away--but I will say that I really loved it and highly recommend reading it--after you've read the first that is--oh, and it's a cliff-hanger, so be warned.

Back-Of-The-Book Description: Once upon a time, Tania was an ordinary girl. But then she was swept into another world, where she was the long-lost princess of the elegant and magical court of Faerie, and only she could save the court from great peril.

Now Tania--and her true love, Edric--will go back to the Mortal Realm to seek Queen Titania, lost hundreds of years ago while searching for Tania.

Their return leads to struggles with Tania's much-loved mortal parents and friends as she and Edric try to conceal their secret. But much more serious dangers lurk: The sinister Lord Gabriel Drake is not yet defeated, they are pursued by dark supernatural forces, and Tania's two worlds are about to collide in amazing and frightening ways she never could have anticipated.

Starting Date: May 13th

Ending Date: May 14th

Reading Time: Two days

Pages: 331

Recommendations: To anyone who liked the first one.

Writing Rating: 7

Story Rating: 8

Overall Rating: 8

Book #16 of '08

(Okay, I know I didn't put this up on the 'what I'm reading' thing, but I started this after I started the other book and didn't have chance to put this up. Sorry. I'll finish "A Ring Of Endless Light" soon)

The Young Unicorns

Author: Madeline L'Engle

My Description: Another great book by Miss L'Engle. The Young Unicorns is the continuation of The Moon By Night, and The Moon By Night is the continuation to The Arm of the Starfish. I really liked The Young Unicorns. It was very interesting. It had mystery, suspense, adventure, plot twists, the one thing I would change is I would have had it a little more centured on Vicky, and not so evenly dispursed. I like Vicky.

Anyway, I can't say what happened without giving away awesome secrets, but I will say, though the begining was a little confusing and it took a bit to figure out what was going on, I LOVED IT! (oh, and it has NOTHING to do with unicorns, don't ask me why it's called that)

Back-Of-The-Book Description: "You called me?"

When Suzy and Rob Austin and their friend Emily Gregory find an old lamp, rub it, and appear to conjure up a tall, powerful figure in long, smoky green robes and pale blue turban who says he is "the genie Hythloday, the servant of the lamp," they are completely unaware that a bizarre and terrifying plot to rule New York City is under way. It means extreme danger for the Austin family and their friends, all of whom are targets for the corruption--or destruction. But luckily their "genie" is on their side.

Starting Date: March 3rd
Ending Date: March 11th

Reading Time: Nine days

Pages: 285

Recommendations: To people who like suspenses and mysteries. I would say this book is good for ten and up, (or a family reading together) because it would be to hard for younger children to understand some of the scientific content. Though the previous book in this series had some facts in it that I wouldn't recommend to younger children, this one is fine--as long as you have someone who can understand science!

Writing Rating: 7

Story Rating: 8 1/2

Overall Rating: 8 1/2

Book #15 of '08

The Name Of This Book Is Secret

Author: Pseudonymous Bosch

My Description: It had a wonderful beginning. It made me laugh. It made me smile. It was--I tell you--a wonderful beginning. I loved it.

Then the book continued. It was suspenseful. It millions of questions, it was gripping. I was scared. It was great.

Then it ended, and I tell you, it put me in a bad mood. Not only no one believe them, but they got blamed for all the bad things that happened! Also, some people who turned out to bad were people I really didn't want to be, though I guess I suspected it... The book just had an awful ending. Do yourself a favor, and skip chapter 32. Go strait to chapter 32. (really, that wasn't a typo, the have two chapter 32s. One you can write yourself) Then end the book before you get put in a foul mood... But I guess the worst part was, I NEVER LEARNED THE SECRET!

Back-Of-The-Book-Description: If this were a normal cover for a normal book, I would tell you that this book is fantastic! Gripping! (according to their covers, all books are fantastic and gripping) You'd meet the brave young heroes, Cass and Max-Ernest*. And you'd hear about how a mysterious box of vials, the Symphony of Smells, sends them on the trail of a magician who has vanished under strange (and stinky) circumstances. If this were a normal book, I would brag about the hair-raising adventures that follow--about the brain twisting riddles Cass and Max-Ernest* solve and the nefarious villains they fave. But, sadly, I can't tell you about any of those things: they might make you want to read the book.

You see, not only is the name of this book secret, the story is too. For it concerns a secret--a big secret--that has tormenting people like you for over... OH NO! Did I just mention the Secret? Then it's too late.

I'm afraid nothing will stop you now. Open the book if you must, but please, tell no one.

With apologies, Pseud. Bosch

*not their real names.

Starting Date: February 29th

Ending Date: March 1st

Reading Time: Two days

Pages: 360

Recommendations: To people who are at least 10 or a family reading together. I guess some people may not mind the ending, but I do, and I wouldn't like you to feel as I do, so I would recommend to play it safe and follow advice I gave earlier.

Writing Rating: 9

Story Rating: 8

Overall Rating: 8 (you know, had it not been for the ending, it would have been one of my favorite books... *sigh, sigh sigh*)

Book #14 of '08

Stardust

Author: Neil Gaiman

My description: I didn't like it. It was kind of growse, very gorry(sp?), written in such a way I didn't figure out what the heck was going on until over halfway through the book, and it had a sad ending!

Some things in the book made more sense than the movie, like it was much longer than a week before Tristran (the main character) got back to Wall(Tristran's home town), thus giving him and Yvaine (the fallen star) more time to fall in love, but most of the story was not as good as the movie for me personally. Maybe the book would apeal to an older audience, as it is apparent that that is what this book was intended for. If you plan to read the book, read the book first. Then the happy ending from the movie will stick in your head (hopefully). And if you're planning on reading the book and you've already watched the movie, wait until you are older.

Back-Of-The-Book Description: In the sleepy English couintryside, at the dawn of the Victorian Era, life comes at a leisurely pace in the tiny town of Wall, so named for an imposing stone barrier that divides the village from an adjacent meadow. Armed sentires guard the sole gap in this wall, in order to keep the curious from wandering through. Only once every nine years do they relax their vigil, when a market fair unlike any other comes to the meadow.

Here in Wall, young Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the beautiful Victoria Forester. But Victoria is cold and distant--as distant, in fact, as the star she and Tristran see fall from the sky on a crisp October evening. For the coveted prize of Victoria's hand, Tristran vows to retrieve the fallen star and deliver it to his beloved. It is an oath that sends the lovelorn swain over the ancient wall, and propels him into a world that is strand beyond imagining.

But Tristran is not the only one seeking the heavenly jewel. There are those for whom it promises youth and beauty, the key to a kingdom, and the rejuvenation of dark, dormant magics. And a lad compelled by love will have to keep his wits about him to succeed and survive in the secret place where fallen stars come in many guises--and where quests have a way of branching off in unexpected directions, even turing back upon themselves in space and in time.

Starting Date: 26th
Ending Date: 29th

Reading Time: Four days

Pages: 235

Recomendations: To adults and late-teenagers who don't mind witches and gore.B

Book Or Movie?: The movie without a doubt.

Writing Rating: 4 (because it was so confusing)

Story Rating: 9 (I loved the basic story idea, it was really cute: Guy goes to find a fallen star for a girl he likes, star is a woman, he and the star go on journeys, guy and star fall in love. But I didn't like the way it was intorduced)

Overall Rating: 4

Book #13 of '08

Septimus Heap: Physik

Author: Angie Sage
My Description: This is the third book of the Septimus Heap series, (including Magyk and Flyte) and it's lived up to the title. Another fabulous, interesting, suspenceful, and slightly humorous fantasy by Angie Sage. Wonderful. All I can say is I can't wait for the fourth!
Back-Of-The-Book Description: When Silas Heap unSeals a forgotten room in the Palace, he releases the ghost of a Queen who lived five hundred years earlier. Queen Etheldredda is as awful in death as she was in life, and she's still up to no good. Her diabolical plan to give herself everlasting life requires Jenna's compliance, Septimus's disappearance, and the talents of her son, Marcellus Pye, a famous Alchemist and Physician. And if Queen Etheldredda's plot involves Jenna and Septimus, then it will surely involve Nicko, Alther Mella, Marcia Overstrand, Beetle, Stanley, Sarah, Silas, Spit Fyre, Aunt Zelda, and all the other wacky, wonderful characters that make Magyk and Flyte so memorable.
With heart-stopping action and a dash of humor, Angie Sage continues the fantastical journey of Septimus Heap.
Starting Date: February 23rd
Ending Date: February 25th
Reading Time: 2 days
Pages: 544
Recomendations: To anyone from 12-12,000 who enjoys funny fantasies and has read the first and second book.
Writing Rating: 8
Story Rating: 8
Overall Rating: 8


Book #12 of '08

He's The One

Author: Nina Alexander

My Description: This is one about a girl who likes to date bunches of guys at the same time, and when it get's serious, she likes to break up. The thing is, she meets a guy named Craig who she wouldn't mind getting serious with. I enjoyed this book. I won't say it was wonderful or anything, but it was pleasant to read. Though it was filled with all those moments where one of them thinks the other is doing something wrong, and the other think the one of them is doing something wrong, and one tries to make it right but the other won't because they think the other is doing something else... Though infact, Jill (the main girl) is doing something wrong, but she straitens out in the end because she loves Craig.

Back-Of-The-Book Description: Jill Gersten has never been a one-guy type of girl--after all, variety's the spice of life. So Jill's become a master at juggling dates. As long as she can get away with it, she has no need to commit to just one person. And with the tourists flooding her town on the Delaware shore in the coming weeks, Jill's sure to have a guy crazy summer!

Then Jill meets Craig Miller. With his deep green eyes and intense personality, he's, well... different. When Jill's friends tease that she's finally fallen for someone, Jill protests. She's still not interested in settling down--no matter how cute Craig is . But when Jill spots Craig kissing another girl, she's sick with jealousy... Now she wants Craig all to herself... but can she give up her playgirl ways?

Starting Date: February 23rd

Ending Date: February 23th

Reading Time: 1 day

Pages: 176

Recomendations: To girls in their early to late teens who like Romance books.

Writing Rating: 6

Story Rating: 6

Overall Rating: 6

Book #11 of '08

Hercules: The Man, the Myth, the Hero

(this is a little book, so my review will be different than usual)

Autor: Kathryn Lasky

Illustrator: Mark Hess

My Description: It's an awful story. I rented it because of my love of Greek Mythology. I did NOT like it. Oh my gosh... Poor, poor, poor, short tempered Hercules! The illustrations were beautiful--they really POPPED--but they weren't of things I actually wanted to see... And like I said, the story was just AWFUL. So many horrible things... Please, don't let me begin to THINK about them. I want to write a sequel where Hercules goes to the realm of Hates (the Land of the Dead) and get's his family back, then goes to get revenge on that nasty vengeful Hera! It's not Hercules' falt that his father is god who won't stay true to his wife (Hera) and has countless children (in this case Hercules) with mortal women.

Back-Of-The-Book Description: Listen to my tale, one of cunning and glory. A story of a monster and a man, a hero and a man. But all with one name: Hercules...

So begins the monumental saga of one of the most fascinating Greek hheroes, Hercules. The son of Zeus and a mortal woman, he is the most hated enemy of Zeus's jealous wife, Hera. Only the unique gift of godlike strength that Hercules posesses will serve as his salvation from Hera's treachery. But it will also become a frightening and monstrous force that Hercules will have to learn to control in order to find the peace that he seeks.

Staring Date: February 23rd

Ending Date: February 23rd

Reading Time: 1 day

Pages: 30

Writing Rating: 4

Story Rating: 3

Illustration Rating: 8

Overal Rating: 4

Book #10 of '08

Hard To Resist

Author: Wendy Loggin

My Description: Hard To Resist is not a bad book, and not an exceptionally good book either. It isn't quite right, in the sense that the love story in this book is about a girl who falls in love with her best friends boyfriend. Yeah. Not quite right. But other than that I enjoyed reading the book, because it's not just about romantic love, but about friendship, and it kinda goes over the ups and downs of that kind of love, so I think that this one is better than the other Love Story books I've read.

Back-Of-The-Book Description: Leigh Feralano's move to Buffalo has been a blast, thanks to her fun-loving new friend Kerry Cole. Now Leigh's psyched to begin her junior year, and curious to meet Kerry's boyfriend, Christian Archer, who's been studying in England for the past year. Leigh can't believe Christian could possibly be as cute and charming as Kerry claims.

The second Leigh meets Christian, she discovers he's all that... and more. As much as she wants to, Leigh can't deny that she's beginning to develop serious feelings for him. And the more she sees Christian, the more she suspects her's into her too. Still, there's no way anything can happen between her and her bestfriends boyfriend... is there?

Starting Date: February 20th

Ending Date: February 22nd

Reading Time: 2 days

Pages: 192

Recomendations: To girls in their early to late teens who enjoy romances.

Writing Rating: 6

Story Rating: 6

Overal Rating: 6 1/2

Book #9 of '08

The Egyptian Cinderella

(this is a little book, so there will be some differences in this review)


Author: Shirley Climo
Illustrator: Ruth Heller
My Description: It's about a girl named Rhodopis who was born in Greece and captured and taken to Egypt and sold as a slave. It's basically 'Cinderella' from there, and it is based on a true story. It didn't really impress me, but the story wasn't written badly and I enjoyed reading it.
Back-Of-The-Book Description: In the land of Egypt, where the green Nile River widens to meet the blue sea, lives a maiden called Rhodopis. Because she is Greek, and a slave, Rhodopis is scorned by the Egyptian girls. She had only her rose-red gold slippers, which flash like fireflies as she dances. When a falcon swoops down and snatches a slipper away, Rhodopis is heartbroken. How is Rhodopis to know that the falcon has delivered her slipper to the great Pharaoh himself? She cannot guess that the Pharaoh will search all Egypt to find the owner of the tiny shoe and make her his queen.
Starting Date: February 20th
Ending Date: Feburary 20th
Reading Time: 1 day
Pages: 28
Writing Rating: 7
Story Rating: 6
Illustration Rating: 7
Overal Rating: 6 1/2

Book #7 of '08

My Favorite Book Of The Year So Far Award (#1)

I've decided to every once in a while give an award for the book I liked best of the of 2008 so far. I didn't need to think twice about what book I was going to award first. The book I am to award REALLY stood out, and is one of the most amazing books I've ever read... and the award goes to...

Holes

By Louis Sachar

I don't think I could award any other book I've read this year besides this one. Wow. Whenever I think of it, I think, 'Wow, that was an AWESOME book!'. Holes is without doubt one of the best books I've ever read, and my current favorite out of all the books I've ever read in my entire life. The only word that can describe Holes is 'wow'.

Honorable Mentions:

Waiting For Odysseus (a close second)

The Faerie Path

The Moon By Night

Well, that's really all I have to say!

Galaxy

The Moon By Night

Author: Madeline L'Engel
My Description: It's about a girl named Vicky who is growing up, and going though a lot of changes that are happening in her life. She and her family go on a camping vacation all around America and a little in Canada and in the end Vicky is a little bit wiser, and a little bit more knowing than she used to be. I really enjoyed this book, because I'm at almost the same stage of 'growing up' as Vicky, and can relate to her. I also love Madeline L'Engel books:)
Back-Of-The-Book-Description: Vicky Austin is filled with uncertainty about everything. Her parents call it Vicky's "difficult year". But fourteen-year-old Vicky is not so consumed by her problems that she can't enjoy the exciting adventures of her family's cross-country summer caming trip--and the attention of the gorgeous, black-haired Zachary Grey, who just happenes to pop up wherever the Austin family makes camp. It will certainly be an interesting vacation...
Starting Date: Not recorded... somtime in Febuary after the last book.
Ending Date: Not recorded... sometime in Febuary...
Reading Time: Three to four days
Pages: 250
Recomendations: The story brings up some facts about the Nazis that shouldn't be heard by a younger reader... I say that only people 13 (okay, I know, I'm not quite there yet, but that section was a little upsetting for me, and I would have liked to wait a bit longer to hear it, but I will be 13 soon...ish) and up should read this book for that fact, other than that I think it's a MUST for girl teenagers who are going through this ROUGH stage of life.
Writing Rating: 8
Story Rating: 8
Overall Rating: 8


Book 7 of '08

Waiting For Odysseus

Author: Clemence McLaren
My Description: Waiting For Odysseus is a retelling of The Odyssey, and I love it! True, in a couple of places the Ms. McLaren could have taken her time a little more than she did, but besides that the story was beautiful, well written, and it had a happy ending! My favorite character was Penelope.
Back-Of-The-Book Description: From the moment she first sees the cocky warrior Odysseus, Penelope knows that one day she will be his wife. What she doesn't know is that Odysseus's pride will take him away from her to fight the Trojan War. Penelope must become an expert at waiting, and it is this waiting that proves to be the ultimate test of her courage, patience--and love.
The sorceress Circe has been waiting for Odysseus to land on her island so she can seduce him with her spells, just as she has countless other men. She never expects to fall in love with him, though, or that he willl be the first man capable of resisting her charms.
Odysseus has always been the goddess Athhena's favorite mortal, for he, like she, is famous for his wiles. As Athena guides Odysseus through his many trials, she waits with compassion and love to see if he will learn to temper his desire for fame and discover the truth of his own humanity.
Finally, his Nanny, Eurycleia, has watched Odysseus grow from a mischievous child into a great hero. As she waits for her beloved master to return home, she keeps loyal watch over those he has journyed twenty years to see again.
In this innovative retelling of Homer's Odyssey, Clemence McLaren author of Inside the Walls of Troy, presents the story of Odysseus's epic journey through the hearts of four women who loved and waited form him.
Starting Date: Febuary 7th
Ending Date: Febuary 8th
Reading Time: Two days
Pages: 149
Recomendations: To girls 12 and up... it's a REALLY awesome book, and an absolute MUST!

Writing Rating: 8
Story Rating: 9
Overal Rating: 8 1/2--a.k.a. REALLY GOOD!

Book #6 of '08

The Land of Green Ginger

Author: Noel Langley

My Description: What a delightfully funny book! It's been so long since I've read a book that made me laugh! The story was really cute and it had so many funny things in it... It really is a great book and I highly recomend it!

Back-Of-The-Book Description: This beloved classic opens with Aladdin, now Emperor of China, trying to decide what to name his new son, a child who won't stop talking and is already far too articulate for his own good. The Genie of the Lamp announces that Abu Ali should be the child's name, and that his destiny is to rescure the magician who created the Land of Green Ginger (a sort of fabulous floating garden) and then turned himself into a Button-Nosed Tortoise by mistake. Abu Ali is told he is the only one who can find the peripatric island, locate the Button-Nosed Tortoise and reverse the spell. So begins a series of adventures that invoke a comemorable cast of characters, some despicalble, some feckless, and some (no surprise) beautiful and feisty.

Starting Date: Feburary 5th

Ending Date: Feburary 7th

Reading Time: Three days

Pages: 149

Recomendations: For a family reading together, and to people who are 16 or younger... it's a funny book, but a little childish, and I'm not sure if adults (or people close to adults) would like to read it.

Writing Rating: 8 (because it was sooo funny!)

Story Rating: 7

Overal Rating: 7 1/2

Book #5 of '08

Stolen Kisses

Author: Liesa Abrams

My Description: Please don't ask why this book is called Stolen Kisses. I really have no clue. It was pretty much your average teen-romance novel; Girl hates Boy, Boy likes Girl even though she has a boyfriend, Girl starts to like Boy, Boy is haunted by the memory of Girl, Girl keeps thinking about Boy, Boy gets Girl, The End! But one thing I will say for Stolen Kisses is that it made me laugh numorous times with small jokes and all things considered I did enjoy reading it.

Back-Of-The-Book Description: Laura has great friends, the lead in the school play, and the attention of Ted, a hot senior guy. So why does she end up kissing Mark at a party one night? Sure, Mark's hot, but he's also the most nortorious player in her school--clearly not boyfriend material. Laura knows she's got to put him out of her mind, because kissing Mark was just a dumb mistake... wasn't it?

Starting Date: Febury 4th

Ending Date: Febuary 5th

Reading Time: Two days

Pages: 175

Recomendations: Girls who would like to read a bit of Romance, and don't care if it's that cheezy.

Writing Rating: 7

Story Rating: 5

Overal Rating: 6--a.k.a. GOOD

Book #4 of '08

Sirena

Author: Donna Jo Napoli

My Description: Sirena has a very depressing beginning. Very awful. Then, it gets better. Then it's enjoyable. Then I really like it. The funny thing is that the story is written like Sirena (a mermaid) is telling it to us, yet she says it all in present tense... Like this: I shout out loud. Then it ends very sadly. It still was a good book.

Back-Of-The-Book Description: Sirena is cursed. She will not become immortal unless she is loved by a human man. The siren song she sings with her mermaid sisters makes men adore her--yet it leads them to their deaths. That is why she hides when she finds a young soldier abandoned on the isle of Lemnos. He wants to know her, though she should not let him near her, or allow him to hear her sing. But how can she fight a love she's been waiting for all her life--a love that will make her live forever.

Starting Date: Febuary 3rd

Ending Date: Febuary 4th

Reading Time: Two days

Pages: 210

Recomendations: To girls who like sad fantasy romances.

Writing Rating: 9 (because it's such a wonderfully different way of writing... all in present tense)

Story Rating: 6

Overal Rating: 7 1/2--A.K.A. PRETTY GOOD

Book #3 of '08

The Faerie Path

Author: Frewin Jones
My Description: The Faerie Path was a very enjoyable book. While I read the story, I just kept flipping pages! They passed far too fast and I really couldn't stop... It was a very wonderful story and I enjoyed reading it very much; though some aspects of it made me a little angry. Oh well... That's just how some stories are. It did have a happy ending though, I don't really like stories with unhappy endings.
Back-Of-The-Book Description: Anita was living an ordinary life... until an elegant stranger pulled her into another world. Swept away into a court of magic and beauty, she discovers she is Tania, the lost princess of Faerie: the youngest daughter of Oberon and Titania. Since Tania's mysterious disappearance on the eve of her wedding day five hundred years before, Faerie has been sunk in darkness and gloom. The courtly Lord Gabriel Drake, who Tania was once to marry, found her and brought her back. With Tania's Return, Faerie comes alive again and as a lond of winged children, glittering balls, and fantastic delights. But Tania can't forget Anita's world, or the boy she loved there. Torn between two loves and between two worlds, Tania slowly comes to discover why she disappeared so long ago. She possesses a singular magical ability and she must use it to stop a sinister plan that threatens the entire world of Faerie.
Starting Date: Febuary 2nd
Ending Date: Febuary 3rd
Reading Time: 2 days

Pages: 312

Recomendations: I would recomend this book mostly to girls in their early to late teens, especially people who like fantasy-mystery-tiny bit of romance books.
Writing Rating: 8
Story Rating: 8
Overal Rating: 8--A.K.A. REALLY GOOD!

Book #2 of '08

Holes

(this book has received the 'Best Book Of The Year So Far' award)

Author: Louis Sachar
My Description: Holes was amazing. It's one of the few books I've ever loved that isn't a fantasy. It was amazing. I'd started it a long time ago but I got side tracked and didn't finish it. When I came back to read it, I thought I'd skip the first part, because I'd already read that. I decided to just read a little of the first part. I couldn't stop. The way it was written was slightly humorous, spellbinding, enjoyable, interesting, fun... I could go on and on. I've never read a book that had fewer holes than Holes. Everything linked together. It was made up of four different stories, one of which was very sad, but really tied it all together. Each story intertwined so beautifully... I just couldn't stop reading!
Back-Of-The-Book Description: None
Starting Date: Not recorded
Ending Date: Not recorded
Reading Time: 2 days
Pages: 233

Recommendations: Anyone over 10 years old, or a family reading together
Writing Rating: 9
Story Rating: 9
Overall Rating: 9 1/2--a.k.a. AMAZING!

Book #1 of '08