Book Review #5

Fablehaven (2006)

Brandon Mull

Fantasy

In this adventure, two kids named Kendra and Seth go to their grandparents house while there parents are out of town.  The two siblings are not very excited to go because they think that their grandparents are boring and they have a lot of strict rules.  What they don't know is that their grandparents home is a reserve for mythical creatures, some dangerous some not, that rome free on there grandparents property.  Kendra is the good kid of the family and she goes and follows all the rules that their grandparents give them.  Seth on the other hand is a rule breaker and he is always looking for adventure.  Not everyone can see the mythical creatures on the reserve unless you do certain things.  The kids end up finding out about the creatures and they love it.  Then Seth gets into some trouble with the creatures and could cause the whole reserve to go down in flames.

A major theme in this book would be if you break rules there are major consequences for what you do.  In this book Seth is always breaking the rules and he is grounded and gets in trouble a lot.  He even almost gets the reserve destroyed.  He learns from his lessons though as the book goes on and he realizes that if he breaks rules there will be consequences he doesn't like.

The style of this book is funny and enchanting.  Every page you read makes you want to be on the reserve with mythical creatures.  You want to be able to see what the creatures really look like and Brandon Mull does a very good job of putting that picture in your head.  The book is written in third person so you know what everyone is thinking.

This book could address both boys and girls because there is a boy character and a girls character.  The age group for this book would probably be seventh grade and up because it is a pretty easy book to read but it is a good book.  It has some scary parts but they wouldn't be scary to anyone over seventh grade.

I would recommend this book if you are into fantasy because this book is all about strange creatures and that kind of stuff.  I read this book because it was the cool book to read a while ago and I just decided I would read it again.  Obert Skye said "It's a lucky book that can hold this kind of story."  Orson Scott Card said "Liker Harry Potter, Fablehaven looks like a book for kids, but, like Harry Potter, Fablehaven can be read aloud in a family with as much pleasure for grown ups as for children. Do yourself a favor, and don't miss the first novel by a writer who is clearly going to be a major figure in popular fantasy."

Book Review #4

Peak (2007)

Smith, Roland

Sports Fiction

Rating: 9/10
Warnings: It describes frozen dead body's

Peak, the son of two climbers gets into some trouble climbing buildings and tagging them with his trademark blue mountain.  He gets sent to china with his father who is a very famous climber where he attempts to be the youngest person to ever climb Mt. Everest.  He goes through a lot of trials along the way and has to be in top physical shape to even attempt the climb, and not only that they need the resources such as oxygen, Sherpas, and many other things vital to there survival.  Will Peak make it to the top?  Will he even survive?  If you read this book you will find out.

There are a lot of themes in this book but a major one is not giving up.  Although Peak has some serious trials he keeps working ahead and trying to reach the top.  Also survival is another theme just because they have to be smart with their health if they want to live and survive on the mountain.

In this book it is first person and you are seeing the adventure through the eyes of peak, a young fourteen year old boy.  You see the trials he goes through and what he thinks of things and how he handles certain situations.  Peak is an inspiring book and makes you want to go do something incredible.

The intended audience is probably teenage boys because it is all about climbing and working hard to get what you have always dreamed of.  Girls would like this book also if they are in to outdoors and stuff like that.  Even adults would like this book because it makes you think that it is a true story which in reality it isn't.

I read peak a while ago because everyone was reading it and they said it was good so I decided to read it.  I really liked the book so I read it again for this project.  The first part is kind of slow when he is traveling to China and stuff but it gets better and you dont' want to put it down because you want to see if he will live to see the top.   "Roland Smith has created an action-packed adventure about friendship, sacrifice, family, and the drive to take on Everest, despite the incredible risk. Peak is a novel readers won't be able to put down." says http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/721003.Peak.  "This is a thrilling, multifaceted adventure story. Smith includes plenty of mountaineering facts told in vivid detail (particularly creepy is his description of the frozen corpses that litter the mountain). But he also explores other issues, such as the selfishness that nearly always accompanies the intensely single-minded. A winner at every level." says http://www.amazon.com/Peak-Roland-Smith/dp/B001P3OMWI.  I would recommend this book because it is very cool and a fun book to read. 

Book review #3

Mockingjay (2010)

Collins, Suzanne

Science Fiction

Rating: 8/10

Warnings: Violence

Katniss is back again in another thrilling adventure.  In this book Katniss is now living in the hidden district thirteen.  She is basically mentally ill and has constant nightmares of the past two hunger games she has been in.  There is a full on rebellion against the capitol and Katniss has to choose whether or not she wants to be the Mockingjay which would mean she was the rebel leader and she doesn't really want to.  The capitol has captured Peeta and torture him a lot and Katniss worries about him all the time

Katniss has to travel into the capitol and help fight the battles with her friend Gale and many other of her friends.  Will she ever get Peeta back?  Will she ever be mentally stable?  Will the Capitol ever fall?  All these questions are answered in Mockingjay.

The major theme in this book is fighting back and fighting for what you believe in.  This book shows how even the small people can do great things and Suzanne Collins does a great job of showing this in this novel.

This book is a very good read and with the turn of every page it gets better and better and you never want to put the book down.  The author uses first person with the view of Katniss and it shows her thoughts and feelings on the rebellion and what should be done to save humanity.

The intended audience is young adults.  Boys and girls would like this because there is violence and fighting but there is still romance and drama for the girls.  Even older adults would like this book but I would not recommend for younger kids because this is probably the most gory of the hunger games series.

I read Mockingjay so I could finish the series and find out how Katniss' life turns out.  This book starts off slow and drags in a lot of spots but overall it is a good book.  New York Times Book Review said "Collins has done that rare thing.  She has written a sequel that improves upon the first book." Time Magazine said "Whereas Katniss kills with finesse, Collins writes with raw power."  I enjoyed reading this book even though there was slow parts.  It has a dramatic ending that surprised me a lot and I would recommend this to other people.

Book review #2

Catching Fire (2009)

Collins, Suzanne

Science fiction

Rating: 9/10

Warnings: Violence

Katniss is back in another great hunger games.  In this book Katniss has just won the hunger games and she is now living in victors village and she is rich and her family is safe.  Now victors village holds three people Peeta Mellark, Haymitch, and Katniss.  Katniss is not coping well with the hunger games because of her frequent nightmares.  Also the victory tour is coming up and not to mention her relationship with peeta is a little rocky right now.

The quarter quell is coming up and it only comes every twenty five years, this means that this will be the seventy fifth hunger games and there is something special every quarter quell.  Their is rumors of uprisings and rebellion so President Snow is sure to make an example out of the next tributes.  Will Katniss have to go in again?  Will she survive?  These questions will be answered if you read this book.

The major theme in this book is fighting back for things that you believe in and also rebellion.  Also another theme in this book is the struggle for life and how easily it can be taken away.

This is another intense action novel and it gives a good perspective of what things would be like if your country was in total control of you and what it would be like if the people were finally fighting back.  This book is written in first person and give the views of Katniss and her thoughts on her trials that she is going through.

The intended audience of this novel is young adults and it is appropriate for both boys and girls.  This book is good for girls because it shows what a girls life could be like and also there is romantic scenes in it.  Boys would like this too because of the violence and intense action in this book.

I read this book because I had read the first of the series and wanted to find out what happened next.  Although this book starts off kind of slow it has a very dramatic ending and I enjoy reading it a lot.  John Green of the New York Times Book Review said "Brilliantly plotted and perfectly paced.... Engrossing." Stephen King of Entertainment Weekly said "The Hunger Games is a violent, jarring speed-rap of a novel that generates nearly constant suspense.... I couldn't stop reading."  I would recommend this book to others, it was a good book.

Book review #1

The Hunger Games (2008)
Collins, Suzanne

Science Fiction

Rating: 9/10

Warnings: This book gets very violent at some points.

The Hunger Games is a very intense and exciting book that sucks you in until you can't put it down.  This book is about a character named Katniss Everdeen.  She lives in a place called district twelve which is the lowest of the districts with her mother, little sister Prim, and her best friend Gale. They are a very poor family so Katniss and Gale sneak into the woods to hunt and Katniss is very skilled with a bow and arrow.  This is basically how they feed their family.

Every year each district draws a boy and a girl to go to a competition to the death called the hunger games.  Katniss ends up going with a boy named Peeta Mellark which will be a major character towards the end of the book.  Katniss and Peeta will have to go into the games and fight for their survival, will they survive?  Read this book to find out.

While you read this book you realize that Katniss has a lot of rebellion and fight in her.  Also this book addresses poverty and the effects it can have on a family.  Another theme in this book is fighting between others and how conflicts are solved or not solved with war.

The hunger games is kind of slow at first but towards the middle and the end it becomes full of action and is very intense.  This book gives you a look at what it might be like to be under total control of the government and want it would be like to be very poor. This book is written in first person and the narrator is Katniss Everdeen.  This makes it so you see everything from Katniss' side of the story and what she thinks of things.

The intended audience of this book is young adults both boys and girls because while it is gory and full of action it also has very romantic and loving things that girls would like also.  This book would not be for younger children just because of how much it describes the deaths of people and even the romantic scenes would not be appropriate for young children.

I read the hunger games because I heard from people that it was a good book and that I might like it.  I would recommend this book because I think it has a lot of things that people like in it and I know that the boys would like the bloody parts.
Booklist said "Populated by three dimensional characters, this is a superb tale of physical adventure, political suspense, and romance." and also USA Today said "A plot-driven blend of suspense, science fiction, and romance."  I like this book and I think that most other teens would too.