Author: Sharon M. Draper Title: Panic Publication: March 12, 2013 Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers Genre: Contemporary Pages: 272 pp. Source: AroundtheworldArcTours Synopsis Diamond knows not to get into a car with a stranger. But what if the stranger is well-dressed and handsome? On his way to meet his wife and daughter? And casting a movie that very night—a movie in need of a star dancer? What then? Then Diamond might make the wrong decision. It’s a nightmare come true: Diamond Landers has been kidnapped. She was at the mall with a friend, alone for only a few brief minutes—and now she’s being held captive, forced to endure horrors beyond what she ever could have dreamed, while her family and friends experience their own torments and wait desperately for any bit of news.
Thoughts: Diamond just made the worst decision of her life but she doesn't realize it at first until she wakes up in a dark room with her arms restrained. Disoriented, confused and scared, her attempts to call for help go unanswered. She discovers that no one knows where she is and the man that promised to make her a star has sinister plans and dirty deeds that no fifteen year old girl should ever experience. Will she make it home with her spirit intact or will her world be forever shattered by the horrors inflicted upon her.
Draper handles a serious situation with delicacy. As a reader, I was able to visualize the horrors that Diamond experiences without the author going into much detail about the events that transpire. The story is about Diamond but she only has a few chapters in the book, yet we see into the lives of the other dancers and the strain her absence places upon them. Layla's story is also important because she finds herself in a relationship with someone she thinks loves her but his love hurts and suffocates her. However, she doesn't know her worth, she does not see beauty as she looks into her own eyes. I think the story seems realistic and sadly young women find themselves in unhealthy relationships with boys that don't know or care to treat them with respect. Diamond makes me wonder, what in the world was she thinking. I found it hard to believe that she would be so trusting and that no red flags were popping up in her head. Needless to say, what happens to her in this book upset me...mostly because things like this occur so much in real life. Can you imagine someone taking your little girl, niece or sister? Just truly disturbing. Overall, the writing flows well and the characters are realistic. A good read about the nightmare of child abduction.
Author: Gene Showalter Title: Alice in Zombieland Series: White Rabbit Chronicles #1 Publication: September 25, 2012 Publisher: HarlequinTeen Genre: Paranormal Pages: 416 pp Rating: 4 out of 5 Source: Publisher
Synopsis She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever. Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone. Her father was right. The monsters are real…. To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies.
Thoughts: Alice is so sick of being confined to the house, so much that she promises her sister, Emma, that she will convince their parents to let her see Emma dance as her birthday present. Though, reluctant to go out at night, her parents agree to go but things take a turn for the worse. Alice finds herself alone in the hospital and that she can see them, the monsters that her father was afraid of. She feels guilty that she survives and that she's to blame for the accident that killed her family. Now, living with her grandparents and trying to adjust to her new life, she can't shake the feeling that something lurks in the shadows, just waiting for her to make a mistake. I like Alice, she an intriguing character that just so happens to kick butt. The chemistry between her and Cole oozes with electricity and magnetic charm. He comes off as the bad boy that all the students at the school are terrified of but really he has a different emotional level that seems endearing. I like the idea of the two of them possibly being a pair. I'm curious as to why, when they gaze daze one another they have visions and what is it about Alice that attracts the monsters to her. The characters are well developed and I like the dynamics between them. The fact that they aren't one dimensional makes this more interesting to read and leaves room for them to surprise the reader. The writing moves along beautifully, I didn't feel like the pace was too slow or too fast. Overall, I am fascinated by the twist the author has placed on the zombies and look forward to see how this will pane out in the rest of the series.
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick Narrated by: Caitlin Greer Title: Silence Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio Format:Unabridged Audio CD Length: 9 hrs: 39 mins Publication: 2011 Source: Library Rating: 4 out 5 Synopsis The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past...bridged two irreconcilable worlds...faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust...and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for—and their love—forever.
Thoughts:Nora has lost about 3 months of her life. She awakes in a cemetery to find that she doesn't know where she was or who is responsible for disappearance but is determined to remember no matter what. Her mother have been frantic and lost without her daughter has begun dating, Hank Miller, the father of her nemesis. Confused and furious, she tries her best to be the good daughter but no way is Hank going to hurt her mother, she knows something is right with him and she wants answers. Just where will she start to get them? So good. At first, I felt bogged down by Nora's amnesia because she had to be re-enlightened of the Angel and Nephilim world all over again. Nora tries to fight the fog in her mind but ole Hank will not let her be. Completely shocking ending, wow! This book translates well to audio and I think it is an appropriate format for this work. The narrator does a great job of voicing the characters by alternating her tone and inflection to show the difference between male and female characters. The sound quality is clean and crisp; I could clearly hear and understand everything that was being said by the narrator without the distraction of background noise. Overall, great production and I look forward to listening to the grand Finale!
Author: Donna Cooner Title: Skinny Publication: October 1, 2012 Publisher: Putnam Rating: 4 out 5 Source: Publisher via Netgalley Synopsis Find your voice. Hopeless. Freak. Elephant. Pitiful. These are the words of Skinny, the vicious voice that lives inside fifteen-year-old Ever Davies’s head. Skinny tells Ever all the dark thoughts her classmates have about her. Ever knows she weighs over three hundred pounds, knows she’ll probably never be loved, and Skinny makes sure she never forgets it. But there is another voice: Ever’s singing voice, which is beautiful but has been silenced by Skinny. Partly in the hopes of trying out for the school musical—and partly to try and save her own life—Ever decides to undergo a risky surgery that may help her lose weight and start over. With the support of her best friend, Ever begins the uphill battle toward change. But demons, she finds, are not so easy to shake, not even as she sheds pounds. Because Skinny is still around. And Ever will have to confront that voice before she can truly find her own.
Thoughts: Ever lost her mother about five years ago and turned to food for comfort. As time passed she lost control and her weight began to rise Skinny tells Ever that she will never be accepted and will always be fat and ugly. Skinny has convinced her that everyone thinks bad things about her, so much so that she becomes isolated from the world. Ever is consumed by these thoughts to the point that her reality of her world is distorted by her battle with how she feels about herself. Ever has tried every diet imaginable and after a conversation with her step-sister Brielle, she truly begins to consider having the gastric bypass surgery. Her best friend, Rat, motivates her throughout this new journey but Ever has to come to terms with the real problem, how she feels about herself. Ever's character touched me in a personal way. I've been down that road with being teased and picked on. I could connect to her emotionally and understand where she is coming from, now would I have gotten surgery at that age...most likely not but that's what she felt she needed to do to feel better about herself. Mostly, Ever just made me sad as she withdrew into herself but as she grew throughout the story, I felt her joy. Ever must learn that people can surprise you and in a good way. She must come to understand who skinny really is and not let her weight dictate who she can become. It did make me think of Wintergirls by Laurie H. Anderson in how the girls see themselves. My favorite character: Rat, he embodies the ideal heartthrob for me. He is kind, smart, and loyal. Rat sticks by Ever through everything from the loss of her mother to the aftermath of the surgery. He is an absolute true friend. What I got from this story is this: Don't let the outside dwindle the beauty on the inside. Overall, this is a good read about self-worth, friendship and family and I would recommend it to teens 15 and up.
Author: Lauren Oliver Title: The Spindlers Publication: October 2, 2012 Publisher: HarperCollins Rating: 4 out 5 Source: Publisher via Edelweiss Synopsis One night when Liza went to bed, Patrick was her chubby, stubby, candy-grubbing and pancake-loving younger brother, who irritated and amused her both, and the next morning, when she woke up, he was not. In fact, he was quite, quite different. When Liza’s brother, Patrick, changes overnight, Liza knows exactly what has happened: The spindlers have gotten to him and stolen his soul. She knows, too, that she is the only one who can save him. To rescue Patrick, Liza must go Below, armed with little more than her wits and a broom. There, she uncovers a vast world populated with talking rats, music-loving moles, greedy troglods, and overexcitable nids . . . as well as terrible dangers. But she will face her greatest challenge at the spindlers’ nests, where she encounters the evil queen and must pass a series of deadly tests—or else her soul, too, will remain Below forever.
Heartwarming and magical story about sibling love. Some little girls would love the opportunity to get rid of little pesky brothers that drive them insane but not Liza, she loves her brother Patrick. Sitting across from her with the words, I HATE YOU! floating in his bowl scares her and she senses something is not right. This thing is not her wild, crazy and fun-loving sibling but an empty cavern occupied by none other than tiny spindler eggs waiting to hatch inside poor Patrick's body. Liza, knowing exactly what she must to do, goes into the basement, broom in hand and finds herself Below. A place where missing things are prizes traded for random goods and colors are quire popular. She partners with an unexpected guide, a rat named Mirabella, who promises to show her the way to the nest of the spindlers. Liza discovers that nothing worthwhile comes easy nor is life fair but she finds the strength she has within and hope in the smallest of places. I found myself thinking about the movie the Labyrinth as I was reading this. Liza is adorable and I liked her tenacity to succeed in her quest to recover her brother's soul, no matter what happens. I loved how the story taught lessons but not in an overly obvious way(well to a child, maybe). The writing translates seamlessly from the page, which makes it easy to visualize the world that the author has created. My favorite part in the book would have to be the verbal banter between Mirabella and Liza throughout their journey in the Below world. Overall, cute read that shows how great it is seeing the world through the eyes of a child. Oliver has created a vividly colorful world with entertaining characters that I think children will love.
My name is Latoya, I am a Librarian and photographer(though I haven't done much of this lately, I'm a litte rusty). So, feel free to chat with me, I don't bite..I promise!
