TITLE: AMONG THE HIDDEN (SHADOW CHILDREN #1)
AUTHOR: MARGARET PETERSON HADDIX
GENRE: YOUNG ADULT FICTION
RATING: 4 STARS
This is a book about a young boy, Luke, who is a 3rd child. What that means is that he is his parents 3rd kid, in a world where 3rd children are not allowed. He has lived in hiding for his entire life. No one outside of his immediate family even knows that he exists. He's never met any other children besides his 2 older brothers, never been to school, never gone to a store. He's never even watched tv or used a computer, because the government has claimed that they can discover and track 3rd children through phones, tv and computers. Then one day, amazingly enough, Luke meets another 3rd child, and his entire world begins to change.
This is a series that was written for younger readers, but I enjoyed it thoroughly! Luke and his life just seemed to grab my attention, and I just wanted to find out what would happen. They are really quick reads for an adult, but well worth it.
Showing posts with label Young Adult Fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Young Adult Fiction. Show all posts
1/14/10
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
TITLE: UGLIES
AUTHOR: SCOTT WESTERFELD
GENRE: YOUNG ADULT FICTION
RATING: 4 STARS
This is one of those books that I have kept putting off reading, and now that I've read it, I have no idea why it took me so long! The one good thing about putting it off is that the series has all been released already. I don't have to wait for the next one!
They are YA Science Fiction and I swear that I think every teenager should be required to read these books! They are set in our world, but about 300 years in the future. The characters live in a society where you are either an ugly or a pretty. Uglies are normal people, mostly kids, and when you turn 16 you get MAJOR reconstructive surgery to be the ideal pretty. The main character, Tally, meets a girl named Shay. They are just about 3 months from their 16 birthdays and Tally is just counting down the days until she can become pretty. But Shay has a different perspective on things. She likes the way that she looks right now. Why does she have to have surgery to become pretty?
This series really delves into issues that face all of us every day. It did take a little bit for me to get into this book, and that's the only reason that I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. But once I did it just grabs you and holds on until the last page. Then once you've read that last page you have to race out and get the next one!
As a side note, for those of you who enjoy audiobooks, this was a great one. Some of the voices that the reader used for some characters took me a bit to get used to, but it was overall a great audio book series!
AUTHOR: SCOTT WESTERFELD
GENRE: YOUNG ADULT FICTION
RATING: 4 STARS
This is one of those books that I have kept putting off reading, and now that I've read it, I have no idea why it took me so long! The one good thing about putting it off is that the series has all been released already. I don't have to wait for the next one!
They are YA Science Fiction and I swear that I think every teenager should be required to read these books! They are set in our world, but about 300 years in the future. The characters live in a society where you are either an ugly or a pretty. Uglies are normal people, mostly kids, and when you turn 16 you get MAJOR reconstructive surgery to be the ideal pretty. The main character, Tally, meets a girl named Shay. They are just about 3 months from their 16 birthdays and Tally is just counting down the days until she can become pretty. But Shay has a different perspective on things. She likes the way that she looks right now. Why does she have to have surgery to become pretty?
This series really delves into issues that face all of us every day. It did take a little bit for me to get into this book, and that's the only reason that I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. But once I did it just grabs you and holds on until the last page. Then once you've read that last page you have to race out and get the next one!
As a side note, for those of you who enjoy audiobooks, this was a great one. Some of the voices that the reader used for some characters took me a bit to get used to, but it was overall a great audio book series!
1/9/10
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
TITLE: CATCHING FIRE (HUNGER GAMES #2)
AUTHOR: SUZANNE COLLINS
GENRE: YOUNG ADULT FICTION
RATING: 5 STARS
"Catching Fire" is the second book in the Hunger Games Series. If you haven't read the first book yet, check out my review of it: The Hunger Games Review. I don't know what it is about this series, but I seem to always have a hard time really saying what I think about it! Let me try to talk about this book, but I'm really not sure if I can put my thoughts into words, so I'm sure this review will be lacking! Also, fyi, I don't like to give spoilers, so this'll be vague!
This book more than lived up to my expectations! I had read a number of other people's reviews and some felt like the first 173 pages dragged on. I didn't feel that way at all! No, there wasn't a ton of action at the start, but there was a great psychological side to it.
Then came page 173. I stared at that page, rereading the same sentence probably 50 times, because it couldn't really say what I thought it said! From that point on, no distractions were allowed! I had to just keep reading. Then came the ending. And I knew without a doubt ahead of time that I was going to hate the end, because it meant that I have to wait an entire year to find out what will happen next. And I was right! In fact, it was worse than I though it'd be. I had been anxious for 6 months for this book to be released. I thought that wait was unbearable. This one will be worse!
I am a major reader, and I have a ton of favorite books, series, and authors. But there is just something about this series that pulls me in unlike any other. I don't know if it's the characters or what. But these 2 books are pretty much at the top of my all time favorites.
AUTHOR: SUZANNE COLLINS
GENRE: YOUNG ADULT FICTION
RATING: 5 STARS
"Catching Fire" is the second book in the Hunger Games Series. If you haven't read the first book yet, check out my review of it: The Hunger Games Review. I don't know what it is about this series, but I seem to always have a hard time really saying what I think about it! Let me try to talk about this book, but I'm really not sure if I can put my thoughts into words, so I'm sure this review will be lacking! Also, fyi, I don't like to give spoilers, so this'll be vague!
This book more than lived up to my expectations! I had read a number of other people's reviews and some felt like the first 173 pages dragged on. I didn't feel that way at all! No, there wasn't a ton of action at the start, but there was a great psychological side to it.
Then came page 173. I stared at that page, rereading the same sentence probably 50 times, because it couldn't really say what I thought it said! From that point on, no distractions were allowed! I had to just keep reading. Then came the ending. And I knew without a doubt ahead of time that I was going to hate the end, because it meant that I have to wait an entire year to find out what will happen next. And I was right! In fact, it was worse than I though it'd be. I had been anxious for 6 months for this book to be released. I thought that wait was unbearable. This one will be worse!
I am a major reader, and I have a ton of favorite books, series, and authors. But there is just something about this series that pulls me in unlike any other. I don't know if it's the characters or what. But these 2 books are pretty much at the top of my all time favorites.
1/2/10
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
AUTHOR: MARKUS ZUSAK
GENRE: YOUNG ADULT FICTION
RATING: 5 STARS
I just finished rereading The Book Thief and I don't know if I have the words to describe how this book has touched me! On a scale from 1 to 5, I would give it a 10. I will admit that several times during the first few chapters, I almost put it down and started reading something else. I am EXTREMLY happy that I didn't. This is a book that is well worth the read! The basic description of this book is that it's about a young girl named Liesel Meminger as she grows up in Nazi Germany. One of the descriptions that I read of it says, it's a "coming of age story about faith, love, hope amidst tragedy." I think that if I was to try giving a more in-depth description of what the book was about, I'd end up writing several pages and not do the story justice. I'll just include a quote from the book itself, describing what the story is all about:
"It's a small story really, about, among other things:
* A girl
* Some words
* An accordionist
* Some fanatical Germans
* A Jewish fist fighter
* And quite a lot of thievery"
Markus Zusak is an incredible writer. The descriptions of things and events would just leave me gaping! He has a way of painting a picture that just brings everything to life. His narrative/story telling style was very distinctive and intriguing. The narrator of the story had such a unique viewpoint on the events, plus he would give you these glimpses of what was going to happen much later in the story. It was completely different from what I am used to, but I loved it. But saying all of that, I have to admit to something. All of those things that I just mentioned, I was really only able to recognize, appreciate, and enjoy them with a very small portion of my mind. The rest was so wrapped up in the story itself, that I had a hard time pulling myself away from it long enough to appreciate how the story was being told. This was such a powerful and yet heartbreaking story. If you only like books that are lighthearted, happy, and have a happily ever after, you will hate this book. If you can stand for your heart to be broken (and not just once) then this book is well worth the time to read it!
I will definitely be reading it again!
1/1/10
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
TITLE: THE HUNGER GAMES
AUTHOR: SUZANNE COLLINS
GENRE: YOUNG ADULT FICTION
RATING: 5 STARS
I just finished re-reading one of the best books that I've read all year. It easily makes the top 5, possibly even the top spot. The book is called "The Hunger Games", and it's by Suzanne Collins. This is the first book of a Young Adult dystopia trilogy, but really it's a book that will appeal to readers of any age.
The book takes place in an alternate reality. Imagine our country in the future. There have been wars, famine, natural disasters, and a complete and total breakdown of our government and country. What is left is a country called Panem, which consists of the Capital and 12 districts throughout the nation. While the Capital is very wealthy, the districts are very pour. There's no welfare system. You are completely on your own. And the laws are brutal. If you break them, you'll either be subjected to a whipping or more likely be killed. This is not a fun country to grow up in. The main character is a 16-year old girl named Katniss. She is quite the survivor. At the age of 11, her father is killed in a mine explosion and she becomes the soul provider for her mother and little sister Prim. Every day, Katniss and her best friend Gale risk their lives by breaking the law, sneaking under the fence that surrounds their district and going into the woods to hunt, fish, and gather plants and berries. Anything that their family doesn't need for food gets traded on the black market for essentials. Although life is far from pleasant, Katniss and her family are surviving well enough.
But then comes Reaping Day when everything changes. Once a year, the Capital holds The Hunger Games. It's basically their way of showing the districts who is in charge, and who has all the control. 1 boy and 1 girl (called Tributes) from each of the districts has to compete in the ultimate game of survivor. Only one of the 24 will leave the arena alive. Katniss becomes one of the tributes and now she is literally in the fight of her life. She just has to hope that her brains, and nerve, and talent will be enough to keep her alive. She also has to decided who she can trust, or if she can trust anyone. What are people's ulterior motives for what they say and do?
This book has everything! Action, suspense, mystery, friendship, romance, humor in the most unlikely places, and a great psychological element! Once you start reading, you wont want to put the book down!
AUTHOR: SUZANNE COLLINS
GENRE: YOUNG ADULT FICTION
RATING: 5 STARS
I just finished re-reading one of the best books that I've read all year. It easily makes the top 5, possibly even the top spot. The book is called "The Hunger Games", and it's by Suzanne Collins. This is the first book of a Young Adult dystopia trilogy, but really it's a book that will appeal to readers of any age.
The book takes place in an alternate reality. Imagine our country in the future. There have been wars, famine, natural disasters, and a complete and total breakdown of our government and country. What is left is a country called Panem, which consists of the Capital and 12 districts throughout the nation. While the Capital is very wealthy, the districts are very pour. There's no welfare system. You are completely on your own. And the laws are brutal. If you break them, you'll either be subjected to a whipping or more likely be killed. This is not a fun country to grow up in. The main character is a 16-year old girl named Katniss. She is quite the survivor. At the age of 11, her father is killed in a mine explosion and she becomes the soul provider for her mother and little sister Prim. Every day, Katniss and her best friend Gale risk their lives by breaking the law, sneaking under the fence that surrounds their district and going into the woods to hunt, fish, and gather plants and berries. Anything that their family doesn't need for food gets traded on the black market for essentials. Although life is far from pleasant, Katniss and her family are surviving well enough.
But then comes Reaping Day when everything changes. Once a year, the Capital holds The Hunger Games. It's basically their way of showing the districts who is in charge, and who has all the control. 1 boy and 1 girl (called Tributes) from each of the districts has to compete in the ultimate game of survivor. Only one of the 24 will leave the arena alive. Katniss becomes one of the tributes and now she is literally in the fight of her life. She just has to hope that her brains, and nerve, and talent will be enough to keep her alive. She also has to decided who she can trust, or if she can trust anyone. What are people's ulterior motives for what they say and do?
This book has everything! Action, suspense, mystery, friendship, romance, humor in the most unlikely places, and a great psychological element! Once you start reading, you wont want to put the book down!
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