This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Title: This World We Live In





Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer





Published: Harcourt Children's Books, 2010





Pages: 239





Series: Book 3, Last Survivors





Snippet: "If only we could eat books."





Summary: It's been over a month since Miranda Evans has written in her diary, a month of relative calm for her and her family. It's springtime, and with warmer weather comes rain, and the melting of the winter's snow. The shad are running in a nearby river, and Miranda's brothers Matt and Jon leave home for a few days to see if they can catch some to supplement their food supply. It's been over a month since Miranda Evans has written in her diary, a month of relative calm for her and her family. It's springtime, and with warmer weather comes rain, and the melting of the winter's snow. The shad are running in a nearby river, and Miranda's brothers Matt and Jon leave home for a few days to see if they can catch some to supplement their food supply. (Taken from Goodreads)





Review: If there was one word to sum up This World We Live In I would say it would be depressing.  The whole mood of the book is sad, and it's quite a hard book to read if you don't like sad books.  I did enjoy reading This World We Live In but I did feel myself tearing up a couple of times.





I think that This World We Live In would be my favourite of all three books in the series.  There was more to it  and it was really well written.  Sometimes I thought a lot of the parts were very convenient so to speak but it still made a good story.





One thing I didn't think was so great about this book was the characters.  There were some new characters and well lets just say that Syl in particular was one character I did not like at all.  I also didn't really like how any of the characters had developed.





However, This World We Live In is a pretty good book.  It makes you think about the things you have and makes you think about how much they mean to you.  It's definitely worth a read, the whole series is if you're a dystopia fan.





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What About Me? by William G. Bentrim

Title: What About Me?





Author: William G. Bentrim





Published: Bearly Tolerable Publications, 2010





Pages: 25





Snippet: "He felt like he had a dark cloud over his head all the time."





Summary: A sick or injured child can disrupt the best of families. Parents are frequently so focused on the sick child that well siblings may feel abandoned. In spite of the love they feel for their sibling, a well child may be annoyed with all the attention their sick sibling receives. The well child may feel guilty about their anger or annoyance. Conflicting emotions can overwhelm the healthiest child. This book hopes to demonstrate to the healthy child that their feelings are normal, acceptable and guilt is not necessary. The book also hopes to alleviate any of the well child's feelings of alienation and loneliness by reassuring them of their parents love.





Review: I have read all of William G. Bentrim's books to date and they have never been a disappointment because they truly are great.  I can say that What About Me? is really good. It teaches children that their parents do care for them even if sometimes their attention is drawn away to a sick child in the family.





Once again, the illustrations are really neat, I definitely think they're eye catching and young children will definitely like them.





William G. Bentrim has once again created a great story that young children will enjoy and it teaches them a lesson at the same time.





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The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Title: The Dead and the Gone





Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer





Published: Harcourt Children's Books, 2008





Pages: 321





Series: Book 2, Moon





Snippet: "As long as lists were being made, there was order in the world."





Summary: When Alex's parents disappear in the aftermath of tidal waves, he must care for his two younger sisters, even as Manhattan becomes a deadly wasteland, and food and aid dwindle.

Review: I really liked Life As We Knew It so I picked up The Dead and the Gone.  To be honest I didn't find it as good as Life As We Knew It but it was still interesting enough.  I guess I just thought that Alex and his family weren't as bad off as Miranda's family in Life As We Knew It.  However, I'm not here to compare the two.

The characters in The Dead and The Gone were quite interesting.  I didn't really like Julie much but you can't like everyone.  I think my favourite character would have to be Briana.

I'm not really sure about this but when it ended I kind of felt like there was something missing in the story, like there was something the author didn't quite touch on.  I'm not really sure what though.

I think I've been on a bit of a dystopian kick at the moment and I really am loving it.  The Dead and the Gone was a pretty good follow-up to Life As We Knew It, introducing us to another  area and a different set of characters.  It wasn't too bad, I only wish Alex knew more about what was going on around New York so that me as a reader could know what was happening there.

If you're a fan of dystopian novels then The Dead and the Gone is definitely worth checking out.





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Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Title: Life As We Knew It





Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer





Published: Orlando : Harcourt, c2006





Pages: 337





Series: Book 1, Moon





Snippet: "I guess I always felt even if the world came to an end, McDonald's would still be open." 





Summary: Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family's struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.





Review: Every now and again I'll read a dystopian novel and I do enjoy them. My favourite would be 1984 by George Orwell, but I'm not here to talk about 1984. I'm here to talk about Life As We Knew It because Life As We Knew It is such a great book and from the first chapter I was hooked.

While the novel was largely focused on the characters I found them to be quite plain and I didn't really think about them.  I think there were only a couple of characters that stuck in my mind these being Sam and Miranda's dad. I also liked Mrs Nesbitt she seemed like such a nice lady.

Susan Beth Pfeffer has written a fantastic "what if" tale.  I felt that it was a really well-written and great portrayal of what could happen if the moon got closer to the Earth.

I know there is a companion novel and a sequel to Life As We Knew It.  I'll be really excited to read both.

Overall, Life As We Knew It is quite a sad book but also full of hope.  If you're a fan of dystopian fiction then you may just enjoy Life As We Knew It.





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Witch by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie

Title: Witch






Authors: Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie




Published: Simon Pulse, 2008




Pages: 368




Series: Book 1, Wicked




Summary: Holly Cathers's world shatters when her parents are killed in a rafting accident. She is wrenched from her home in San Francisco and sent to Seattle to live with her aunt, Marie-Claire, and her twin cousins, Amanda and Nicole.





But sorrow and grief soon give way to bewildered fascination as one by one, strange incidents begin to occur. Such as the fact that any desire Holly whispers to her cat seems to come true. Or the fact that a beloved friend is injured after a freak attack from a vicious falcon. Or the fact of an undeniably magnetic and familiar attraction to a boy Holly barely knows.




Review: Witch was an interesting book. I found it to be a little confusing at first but then I got into what was going on and it wasn't so confusing. To be honest it actually took quite a while to get the hang of what was going on.
I think that Witch is alright but it isn't a book I overly loved, nor hated.  Some of the characters annoyed me a little and I wasn't overly fond of the content of a lot of the book.
The story line was quite cool. I think it was a good opening for a series and I'll definitely read the rest of the series at some point.
One thing that annoyed me quite a lot was the amount of tragedy in the book. There was just so much I didn't think it was all necessary.
Overall, if you're into books about witches then I think you'll like Witch.




Source: Library
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All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab

Title: All Unquiet Things





Author: Anna Jarzab





Published: New York : Delacorte Press, 2010





Pages: 339





Snippet: "I put my hand to my head, suddenly dizzy."





Summary: After the death of his ex-girlfriend Carly, northern California high school student Neily joins forces with Carly's cousin Audrey to try to solve her murder.





Review: I am a huge fan of mystery stories and when I read that All Unquiet Things was a mystery story with no supernatural or paranormal elements I thought I'd give it a go.

I have mixed feelings about All Unquiet Things. The first part is kind of slow and the character's weren't that interesting in the first part either.

Luckily however, things started to get a lot more interesting and I found myself sucked into the mystery of the story.

Towards the end I was pretty sure I knew who the murderer was and I was proud to find out that I was right.

At the very end there was one part that I was hoping would happen didn't but you can't have everything.

Overall, All Unquiet Things isn't a bad read. If you find it hard to get into at first give it a chance because it gets better in the end.





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Beast by Ally Kennen

Title: Beast





Author: Ally Kennen





Published: Marion Lloyd Books, 2006





Pages: 247





Snippet: "I don't want to be here stuck between my gross old dad and a killer reptile."





Summary: Stephen hasn't had it easy. He's now in foster care because his mom is crazy and his dad is an ex-con vagabond. He's always in trouble or on his way to trouble. But none of these problems compare to the problem of The Beast -- a fierce crocodile that Stephen's been taking care of for years. The Beast is Stephen's biggest secret -- and also his biggest challenge. And that's when it's in a cage. When the Beast escapes, the stakes get even higher.





Review: Beast was quite an interesting book.  It wasn't really what I expected.  I kind of thought the beast was going to be metaphorical or something by the way one of the descriptions I read put it.  But it wasn't and it made the story a bit more interesting.





I think I either missed something or it left that part hanging open but there was a huge gap of a missing explanation for me.  Maybe it was speculative.





I felt sorry for Stephen, it was sad to see him get blamed for absolutely everything. It was always good to see when people found out the truth too.





I think the ending was quite good.  There were some openings and some closure.





I don't really have much to say about Beast.  It was quite interesting and entertaining.  I also look forward to reading more books by Ally Kennen.





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When you reach me by Rebecca Stead

Title: When You Reach Me
Author: Rebecca Stead
Published: New York : Wendy Lamb Books, c2009
Pages: 199
Snippet: "'Do you even want to be friend's at all ?' I asked him."
Summary: As her mother prepares to be a contestant on the 1970s television game show, "The $20,000 Pyramid," a twelve-year-old New York City girl tries to make sense of a series of mysterious notes received from an anonymous source that seems to defy the laws of time and space.
Review: When you Reach Me was quite different to how I thought it would be but I really really liked it.
For starters there was the kind of twist ending that I really like and there were so many little bits and pieces that clicked together that made it so much more enjoyable.
There was a sad part, it wasn't too sad but I thought it was sad enough. But overall, the mood of the book was happy. It was very good.
The characters were all really interesting and some of the things I thought would happen didn't, in other words When You Reach Me was really unpredictable and so many unexpected things happened.
When You Reach Me is really good and if you get the chance to you should definitely check it out because it's very good.
Source: Library
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Hate List by Jennifer Brown

Title: Hate List
Author: Jennifer Brown
Published: New York : Little, Brown and Co., 2009
Pages: 405
Snippet: 'Just like there's always time for pain, there's always time for healing.'
Summary: Sixteen-year-old Valerie, whose boyfriend Nick committed a school shooting at the end of their junior year, struggles to cope with integrating herself back into high school life, unsure herself whether she was a hero or a villain.
Review: Hate List is one of those rare finds that leaves you completely stunned and quite literally sends your emotions running around in circles.
As I was reading Hate List I found myself on the edge of my seat wanting to know more about everything in the book. I really loved Valerie as a character, I found myself feeling so bad for her. I hated the way that almost everyone treated her. I think that in a way I found Valerie to be so relatable was because she had flaws and she wasn't perfect, she was a typical girl.
I loved how Jennifer Brown put together the novel with the main story but also some newspaper articles about the incident. It all tied nicely together and created one very good book.
The ending was incredibly emotional and I felt tears prickling in my eyes as I was reading it.
Hate List brings up some very interesting issues and I found it amazing to read how sometimes the smallest little things can escalate into something that becomes out of control. I was also surprised about how sometimes people say things without thinking and then later these little things can become huge.
I feel like I could go on forever about how much I loved Hate List. But I think if I did that there would be no point in anyone who reads this to read the book. So I will stop here and say that if you have not read Hate List then you definitely need to. It is a must-read!
Source: Library
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Blue Moon by Alyson Noël

Title: Blue Moon
Author: Alyson Noël
Published: New York : St. Martin's Griffin, 2009
Pages: 289
Snippet:""You left me."
Not realizing until I've said my final good-bye and closed the door behind me, that he's not referring to the past.He's prophesying our future. "
Summary: Eager to learn everything she can about her new abilities as an Immortal, Ever turns to her beloved Damen to show her the way, but just as her powers are increasing, his are in decline, and as she searches for a way to save him, she finds herself with a wrenching choice to make.
Review: I have mixed feelings about Blue Moon. I have to say I kind of got a bit annoyed with it.
The characters all seemed to have so many flaws and no good qualities what-so-ever. Damen was so horrible. Ever was too stalkerish and just plain silly. Her friends were horrible. But then there was the revelation and it didn't annoy me as much but I just didn't enjoy it that much.
Now I'm not saying that I completely hated this book and I never want to read any of the series again because there are some reasons why I may not have liked Blue Moon as much as I thought I would:
1. My sister told me everything that happened.
2. I read the majority of it in one night when I was very tired.
3. I just wasn't in the mood for reading it.
And there were actually some parts I really liked.
1. The whole psychic mind-reading thing completely fascinates me, I think it would be so cool to be able to read minds.
2. I like the storyline of Ever and being an immortal and having to learn all this new and interesting stuff.
3. I loved the Blue Moon part, like the explanation of what a blue moon was and everything, it was totally cool.
So while I didn't enjoy Blue Moon all that much I can definitely say that it is a really interesting read and it is worth a read. Just make sure nobody spoils it for you.
I will definitely read Shadowland which is the next book in the series but I will read it slowly and in my own time and hopefully I'll like it just like I did Evermore, and Blue Moon was alright. It wasn't the best but thats just my opinion.
Source: Borrowed from a friend
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Candor by Pam Bachorz

Title: Candor
Author: Pam Bachorz
Published: USA : Egmont, 2009
Pages: 256
Snippet: "Respectful space in every place."
Summary: Oscar Banks has everything under control. In a town
where his father brainwashes everyone, he's found a wayto secretly fight the subliminal Messages. He's got themall fooled: Oscar's the top student and the best-behavedteen in town. Nobody knows he's made his own Messagesto deprogram his brain. Oscar has even found a way toget rich. For a hefty price, he helps new kids escapeCandor, Florida before they're transformed intocookie-cutter teens. But then Nia Silva moves to Candor,and Oscar's carefully-controlled world crumbles.
Review: When I first got Candor I actually had no idea what it was about. From that I can say that from page one Candor is totally mind-blowing. I absolutely loved it and I think that Candor is an amazing stroke of genius. I think that Candor is a book that people should read at least once in their lives.
I thought that Oscar was a pretty cool guy but at times I thought that he was being too obvious and I was actually really surprised he hadn't been caught.
The whole idea of the messages brainwashing people was really cool. As I was listening to it in the form of an audiobook I was starting to get some of the messages stuck in my own head which kind of made the whole book seem that more realistic because the messages do stay in your head.
I did not like Sherman he was such an annoying pest. Which he was supposed to be but he was definitely annoying.
I think that Pam Bachorz wrote Candor really well. The whole story flowed and everything unravelled at the right times.
As far as endings go, I had kind of predicted what would happen in the end but it didn't really change my opinion of the book in any way because there weren't many endings for Candor. I did find some parts of it really sad, there was one line that I was like "oh no" at because it just made the whole book.
Candor is definitely a worthwhile read.
Source: Audible
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About Griffen's Heart by Tina Shaw

Title: About Griffen's Heart
Author: Tina Shaw
Published: Dunedin : Longacre Press, 2009
Pages: 166
Snippet: "The next visitor who appeared was a huge bunch of flowers."
Summary: James Griffen is sixteen, with a bad heart and on the hospital waiting list for a valve replacement. He's also considered a nerd at school. Then he falls for the hottest chick at school, Roxy, who unlike James is cool, streetwise and angry. James is loyal in his affections and in spite of the thrashing his heart gets in the pursuit, he and Roxy form an odd bond, and James is the one who hangs in there when things get nasty.
Review: I hope to read more books by New Zealand authors and I am happy to say that I can add About Griffen's Heart to the list of books I've read by New Zealand authors.
I quite liked reading About Griffen's Heart. The summary didn't explain too much which was really good because as I was reading I wasn't sure what to expect from the book and what was coming up.
One thing I really liked about this book is that it had both serious bits and some really witty bits too. I found myself laughing at various bits and pieces which was really cool.
I think that About Griffen's Heart is really good. It deals with some teen issues that are present in New Zealand society and quite possibly other countries. Then there is James and his heart defect.
The ending of About Griffen's Heart was really interesting too. It was decent and I didn't hate it at all.
About Griffen's Heart is a short book and it is definitely worth the read. If you ever see it, definitely pick it up because it's really interesting.
Source: Library
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Rampant by Diana Peterfreund

Title: Rampant
Author: Diana Peterfreund
Published: New York : HarperTeen, 2009
Pages: 402
Snippet: "Massive beyond all imagining - an elephant, a tank, a battering ram of tightly coiled death, the monster stood and stared at me, shifting its giant head with the graceful slowness of all great animals."
Summary: After sixteen-year-old Astrid Llewelyn survives a vicious unicorn attack, she learns that she is a descendant of the most famous unicorn hunter of all time and she must travel to Rome, Italy, to train in the ancient arts in order to carry on her family legacy and save the world from the threat posed by the reemergence of lethal unicorns.
Review: First thing I have to say about Rampant is how cool is this cover. But the cover is actually not the first thing that drew me to this book. No, it was the unicorns. It is not everyday I get to read a book about unicorns. Much less killer unicorns at that. That is why I am very happy that I managed to grab a hold on Rampant and read it to the very end.
From the first couple of pages we are instantly drawn into the action with a unicorn attack and I thought it was very cool and very exciting. From there I found Rampant to be really interesting and was a good book to get sucked into. I actually found Rampant one of those books that were hard to pick up but once I did, I couldn't put it down.
While I quite liked Astrid as a character she wasn't my favourite. I have to say my favourite was Cory and I wished I had gotten to know more about her and the other girls for that matter. I didn't really like Lilith or Phil that much. But I did have some sympathy for Phil in the end.
I have to say that there is one part of Rampant that shocked me a little and unnerved me slightly because it isn't the type of thing that I like to read about. I did carry on reading though because it was only a minor setback.
As for the unicorns, they were great. Who doesn't love a good story about unicorns? These unicorns were fantastic. My favourite type of unicorn would be the karkadann, just because they're so fierce and creepy. I thought the history of the unicorns was really fascinating too.
I quite enjoyed the ending too. There was enough there for a good tie-up but it also left a couple of questions which I'm hoping will be in the sequel which I have heard there will be.
Overall, Rampant is a really cool book and while I had not expected it to be set in modern times I found it to be really well-written and an incredible book. It is definitely a worthwhile read.
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All-American Girl by Meg Cabot

Title: All American Girl
Author: Meg Cabot
Published: New York : HarperCollins Publishers, c2002
Pages: 247
Series: All-American Girl, Book 1
Snippet: "Being brave is when you have to do something because you know it is right, but at the same time, you are afraid to do it, because it might hurt or whatever. But you do it anyway."
Summary: A sophomore girl stops a presidential assassination attempt, is appointed Teen Ambassador to the United Nations, and catches the eye of the very cute First Son.
Review: I quite enjoyed reading All-American Girl. It was a nice, light read and I found it to be a good book to read after the stress of exams. I really liked Sam but I did not like either of her sisters until near the end. Thats when I started to think that Lucy wasn't too bad. She was just a bit crazy at times.
I love how all of Meg Cabot's books are easy reads that open up insight into other worlds and situations. I found All-American Girl to be no different to any of the other books by Meg Cabot I've read.
One thing that I really liked about All-American Girl was that the whole book was based around perception and as Sam grew as a person it was really cool to see her perception change.
Overall, I think that All-American Girl is the perfect summer read for anyone wanting to spend the day relaxing and curling up with an entertaining, light and short read.
There's also a sequel which I know that I will definitely be picking it up and reading it.
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