I discovered this book a few months ago while volunteering at the library. Seeing as how I was grounded from reading at the time, I added it to my summer reading list, and just recently got around to checking it out. Kelsey is a regular high-school graduate, looking for a summer job. She manages to find one at a traveling circus, selling tickets and looking after some of the animals, including a white tiger. As the days go by, she starts to feel an odd connection to the tiger, so when the tiger is sold and the buyer asks her to accompany the tiger to India, she willingly accepts. If you like a) tigers, b) ancient curses, c) really cute guys, or d) all of the above, you will most definitely enjoy this book. Because there is some kissing in this book, I recommend this series for ages 12 and up. Author: Colleen Houck. Release date: 2011 On a scale of 1 being not so good, and 10 being the very best book I've ever read, I rate this book a 7. Check out the website at http://www.tigerscursebook.com/
Leo goes to an ordinary school in an ordinary town. Everyone goes about their own business without standing out. Then enters Stargirl, the strangest, most awe-inspiring (and not always in a good way), and original girl anyone has ever seen. But who is she? Who is this girl who wears long-skirts and has a pet rat, who bring a ukulele to school and sings happy birthday to people in the lunch room, and who seems to live in her own world where everybody deserves to be cheered for? And why, of all the people in the school, does Leo seem to be the one she likes? I first read this book three or four years ago, and it has stuck with me since. It is amazing. That's all I can say. I can't promise that you will love it, some people might just find it weird. I recommend this book for ages 10 and up. Author: Jerry Spinelli. Release date: 2000 On a scale of 1 being not so good, and 10 being the very best book I've ever read, I rate this book an 6 1/2. Check out the website at www.randomhouse.com/teens/stargirl/home.html Oh, and sorry for the lousy cover picture. It was the best I could find.
A few weeks ago I was volunteering at the library, helping to label new books when I came across one that looked interesting. I vaguely remembered reading about it as a side note on dystopian fiction in U.S.A. Today when they did an article on Mockingjay, so I thought I'd check it out. One word. Addictive. I could barely put it down when I was reading it. Cassia has never questioned the Society's way of doing things. After all, everything is designed to be as near to perfection as possible. So when she finds out that her Match (the person who she will marry) is her best friend Xander, she doesn't even think of questioning the pairing. But when the face that shows up on the screen isn't Xander's, but another boy that she knows instead, she begins to realize that maybe the Society isn't always right. Because this is dystopian fiction, I recommend this series for ages 12 and up. Author: Ally Condie. Release date: 2010 On a scale of 1 being not so good, and 10 being the very best book I've ever read, I rate this book an 8. Oh, and check out Ally's website at http://www.allysoncondie.com/. Keep a hold of your artifacts!
I was out of things to read over spring break, so I thought I'd try this series. I had read another series by the same author/illustrator team, the Far-Flung Adventures, which I had loved, so I thought I would see if this one was just as good. It was better. The story is set in a world called the Edge, where many different creatures and beings dwell along-side each other, though not always peacefully. There are ten books in this series, but they are not in chronological order. To get the most out of the series, I recommend you read them in this order: 4, 8, 9, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10. The reason for this is that the books cover different time frames, focusing on different people. Installments 4, 8, and 9 are about Quint, son of a sky-pirate. Books 1, 2, and 3 tell the tale of Twig, an orphaned boy who was brought up by wood trolls. Rook is a brave librarian knight whose adventures are recorded in books 5, 6, and 7. Book 10 stands by itself, set years into the future. This series was wonderful, and I particularly enjoyed the rich vocabulary and the amazing illustrations. This is a series well worth your time. I recommend this series for ages 10 and up. Author: Paul Stewart. Illustrator: Chris Riddell. Release date: 1998 On a scale of 1 being not so good, and 10 being the very best series I've ever read, I rate this series a 6. Check out the website at: www.randomhouse.com/kids/edgechronicles/ Don't stray from the path!
Okay, so I had known about this series for awhile, but hadn't really been interested. Maybe because of all the weird title spellings. But last week I was out of things to read, so I figured I would try it out. IT WAS AWESOME!!! The first book in the series is called Magyk. It starts out with the murders of a Queen and the ExtraOrdinary wizard, the mysterious death of the Heap family's new baby (who happened to be a seventh son of a seventh son), and the finding of a baby girl in the woods. And all on the same night too. That's about all I can say without giving too much away. So instead, I will tell you if you will like this book or not. If you like magic, wizards, witches, mysteries, swamps, dragons, boats, dragon boats, or anything else along those lines, you will most definitely like this book. If you don't find those things interesting, read it anyway. You will soon change your mind. There are currently five books in the series (Magyk, Flyte, Physik, Queste, and Syren), along with a companion book (The Magykal Papers). The sixth book is called Darke, and is coming out in June 2011. (U.S.) This series is a bit predictable, but is an enjoyable read. I recommend this series for kids ages ten and up. Author: Angie Sage. Release date: 2005 On a scale of 1 being not so good, and 10 being the very best series I've ever read, I rate this series a 7 1/2.
