connect2reading

Hero or Villian?

2011-06-29T12:44:00.010-05:00

Hate List by: Jennifer Brown

Review written by: Besiana

Hero or Villain? That question endlessly haunts Valerie, the shooters girlfriend. She is the one who stopped the shootings, but she is also the one who created the List. The infamous Hate List is the list of people and things Valerie and the shooter (Nick) hate. This was the list where Nick chose his victims.

Jennifer Brown beautifully constructed this heart-wrenching story about a girl struggling to understand why. Why do people change? This book made me laugh and cry; I would give it a five out of five stars.

Lights, Camera, Action!

2011-06-29T12:18:00.008-05:00

Inception - Review written by: Besiana

Dom Cobb travels in the world of dreams stealing people’s ideas. He is the best there is at extraction, the art of stealing an idea from a dream. This talent has cost him dearly, forcing him to lose everything he loves. Now in effort to redeem himself and fix his mistakes he attempts the impossible, planting an idea into someone’s mind. This mind-twisting movie is great for people who like to ponder about a movie after it’s over. I really enjoyed this movie, and I would give it a four point five stars out of five stars.

A wonderful historic novel

2011-06-10T21:55:00.018-05:00

Revolution by: Jennifer Donnellly

Review written by: Besiana

Within seconds of reading this book I was completely rapt. Beneath its thick covers lies a girl struggling to keep living. Pressured by the weight of her younger brother’s death, Andi’s life went deep into chaos. Rage and grief threaten to destroy her, threatening her to make the final step that would end her and her pain. Her family is so deep in separation it is as if they don’t exist. Her mother is too lost in her own pain to even look at Andi, and for Andi to see her father is practically unheard of. After her brother’s death Andi’s father cut himself off from their family and remarried; until one fateful day when he barges back into her life uninvited, unwanted. His appearance changes everything; he puts Andi’s mom in psych ward and forces Andi to come to Paris with him. Armed with only her music and her brother’s key she goes with her father. There she meets Alexandrine (Alex) a girl who lived more than two centuries ago. Alex’s past soon becomes Andi’s present as she fights the revolution inside herself, and finishes Alex’s quest.

Jennifer Donnelly beautifully constructs a world that ties the horrors of the French Revolution with our present time. She vividly depicts the endless struggle of our hearts; the revolution we fight inside ourselves.

I adored this book, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good historical fiction novel. If you enjoyed The Red Necklace you will most definitely love this book. I would rate this book a five out of five stars.

Jacob's Rescue- Malka Drucker and Michael Halperin

2010-07-07T20:34:00.002-05:00

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."- Edmund Burke
This was a quote that was used to describe World War II. The book, Jacob's Rescue by Malka Drucker and Michael Halperin, is about one of the men and his wife that did do something. Alex and Mela Roslan hid three Jewish boys in their home for four years. During the war, the punishment for hiding Jews was death, but these two courageous people risked their lives to save others. I would recomend this book because it teaches courage. I would also give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

The Truth About Forever - Sarah Dessen

2010-07-02T14:00:00.001-05:00

This book is about a girl whose father has died and her mother no longer pays attention to her. Her mother wants her to be perfect, just like her boyfriend. But when he goes away to camp for the summer, she starts to change the way she things and the way she acts. This book was amazing just like all Sarah Dessen books.

Fablehaven-Brandon Mull

2010-06-29T18:13:00.004-05:00

Fairies, demons, giant cows! Oh my! These are just a few of the things you will find in Fablehaven by Brandon Mull. This is a wonderful fantasy book about Kendra and Seth Sorenson, and their adventure to Fablehaven, a magical preserve. To find out all of the adventures they have as they try save Fablehaven, after they break the rules and release evil, you have to read this fascinating book. I definitely give this book five out of five stars, and you'll know why when you read it.

BS

Faking 19 - Alyson Noel

2010-06-17T22:07:00.009-05:00

The title of the book I read was Faking 19 and was written by Alyson Noel. I recommend this book because it is very funny and also explains what someone from the real world would do. The teenager was put in some situations that I could be in and solved them in ways that I would normally do. BB

The Red Pyramid- Rick Riordan

2010-06-15T15:08:00.005-05:00

Anybody out there like Egyptian mythology? If so, then The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan is the perfect book for you. This is the first book in The Kane Chronicles. Personally, I don't know a whole lot about Egyptian mythology, so I was a little lost while reading this book. But I liked how The Red Pyramid was jam-packed with adventure and action. In this book, Carter and Sadie Kane go on a typical trip with their father to the British Museum. Everything was completely normal until their father blew up the Rosetta Stone and released five of the most powerful Egyptian gods. Everything went downhill from there. I'd give this book four out of five stars.

BB

Queen of Babble - Meg Cabot

2010-06-09T10:19:00.002-05:00

Meg Cabot's books are always great, and this one was no exception. Lizzie Nichols can't keep her mouth shut and when she flies to England to stay with the love of her life (which she has only met a few times), things get complicated. Because she can not keep her mouth shut, she winds up in many bad situations, but a few good ones too. I would give this book five stars .

Just Take My Heart- Mary Higgins Clark

2010-06-04T20:06:00.002-05:00

This book is classic Mary Higgins Clark: adventure, mystery, and suspense... but I was disappointed in the book. It had such a long build up and then seemed to end very quickly. Emily is an assistant district attorney who is hired to put Gregg Aldrich in jail for killing his successful actress wife. The only proof they have is from a career criminal though. Emiliy doesn't believe that he did it but must prove that he did. I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Spin Control - Niki Burnham

2009-07-26T21:49:00.005-05:00

Valerie moves to England with her dad when her mom and dad get divorced because her mom is seeing someone else. Well she meets Prince Georg and starts to date him. But when she goes back home to Virginia for winter break she starts dating the boy of her dreams, David, whom she has dreamed about dating since Kindergarten. But when she starts dating David she feels like she is cheating on Georg. So when her mom tells her she has the choice of staying in Virginia or going back to England she really starts to realize what true love is all about. I liked this book because it was different.

Dairy Queen - Catherine Murdock Gilbert

2009-07-26T21:29:00.004-05:00

D.J. is flunking English in school because she has to take care of her family's farm. Her dad broke his hip so D.J. has to take over plus she finds out that a family friend is sending over a boy, named Brian, to help over the summer. Well Brian doesn't have the best attitude about working on a farm. D.J. doesn't enjoy it at first either but she soon comes to realize that maybe working with Brian isn't that bad after awhile. But then she realizes that she is falling in love with him and that changes a lot of things. D.J. decides to start playing football and soon realizes that she will be playing against Brian's team. I definitely liked this book and would recommend it to others.

Shift - Jennifer Bradbury

2009-07-21T17:39:00.004-05:00

This book is about two high school friends, Win and Chris, who decide after their senoir year to take a bike trip across America. Their starting point is in West Virginia. Their halfway point is Seattle and their ending point is back home. When Chris returns without Win, the trouble starts and the FBI gets involved. I liked this book because there was a lot of suspense.

Far North - Will Hobbs

2009-07-21T17:34:00.004-05:00

In this book Gabe Rogers goes to visit his dad in Canada. He ends up taking a scenery tour on an airplane while he is up in Canada. During the ride the plane has a malfunction and goes down in the middle of nowhere. This book tells about what they do to survive and get back home. I liked this book because there was never a boring part in it. There was plenty of action and adventure the whole time.

George's Marvelous Medicine - Roald Dahl

2009-07-20T17:25:00.006-05:00

Dahl has done it again! The Chocolate Factory author has made a book about a boy, his wicked grandmother and 1 potion. His granny treats him bad and George decides to edit her "medicine."
I recommend it to magic lovers and fantasy fanatics!!!

Prizes

2009-07-17T13:28:00.003-05:00

The last day to post or submit book reviews that will qualify for Summer Reading prizes is fast approaching: Saturday, July 25. Finish your books and reviews to collect your Read3 and Read5 prizes, and to enter the Grand Prize Raffle. Good luck!

Stray - Stacey Goldblatt

2009-07-08T09:46:00.008-05:00

Natalie is horrified when Carver, the boy who gave her precious dog chocolate, is going to stay with them for the summer to help with her mom's vet clinic. She thinks he's going to be just a bigger version of what he was when they were nine so she ignores him. But he is kinda cute. She goes on ignoring him whenever she can, that is until the snobby girl, Laney, takes an interest in Carver. Laney tells Natalie that she likes him which causes Natalie to be mad. But why?
She realizes her true feelings about him and her mother finds out. Natalie is already on a short leash, and her mom makes it shorter. Natalie is ditching summer school, and finding ways to see Carver without her mom knowing. Will they be together or will her mom win the battle?

I'd Tell You I love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You - Ally Carter

2009-07-06T18:09:00.007-05:00

This book is about a girl named, Cammie, who is a Gallapher Girl. Everyone thinks Gallapher girls are rich and snooty but really they're not, they're spies. So when Cammie is on a mission she meets Josh and she falls for him. So she starts to see him but there are many problems with that and he doesn't know the truth about Cammie. I'd recommend this book to girls who like adventure and a little bit of love stories!!

The Sixth Sense: a novelization - Peter Lerangis

2009-07-04T12:07:00.006-05:00

In this book Philadelphia's best child psychologist, Malcolm Crowe, is haunted by how he failed a boy named Vincent Gray. Now many years later he finally has a chance to find out what he did wrong. Enter Cole Sear. Cole is hauted by a terrible secret- he sees dead people. Cole has all but given up on psychotherapists, until Malcolm. They both need each other to heal the problems. A very good book.

She's So Money - Cherry Cheva

2009-07-04T11:45:00.004-05:00

This book was about a girl named Maya who is a smarty-pants Thai girl. She works at her parents' restaurant all the time, she takes a ton of AP classes, and helps tutor kids after school. But when her parents leave her in charge of the restaurant for the weekend while they go to a wedding, she messes up. She needs to pay the Health Department $10,000 in a month. This book goes through the challenges and difficulties that she has to go through to make the money in order to pay back the Health Department as well as the relationships between the people she cares most about in her life, and those that she never even talked to....

Miracle on 49th Street - Mike Lupica

2009-07-02T10:22:00.005-05:00

Seventh grader Molly Parker isn't buying the whole your dad died in a war. There has to be more. Before her mom dies from cancer she writes Molly a letter saying that Josh Cameron is her father. She is a little more than shocked. Josh is only the country's most eligible basketball player.When she meets Josh, the one the camera doesn't see, she doesn't think she likes it.I would recommend this book for people who like realistic fiction or somebody who wants to find out they have a famous dad. 246 pages

Straydog - Kathe Koja

2009-07-02T10:21:00.006-05:00

Rachel is closing herself off from the world. The only time when she is really happy is when she is at the local animal shelter. She sees this beautiful collie-mix, and this one's different from the others, feels different. Her heart tugs whenever she sees her and can't have her. The collie, now named Grrl, is wild. She can't stay in a cage much longer, and Rachel knows that. So when a new kid comes into her English class and reads her essay about Grrl, he is hooked too. They devise a plan to bring Grrl home, so she's not in a cage anymore.I recommend this for dog lovers; your heart will tug for Grrl. 106 pages

Quaking - Kathryn Erskine

2009-07-02T10:19:00.003-05:00

Being passed around from relative to relative isn't fun; Matt would know. (Her name is Matt NOT Matilda.) She gets put with a Quaker family. She doesn't like her school, especially with a teacher and a bully on her back at all times. She has to watch her back, and she doesn't have any friends to do it. She decides to go to a Quaker meeting with Sam her caretaker. She thinks it's okay since nobody talks and it's a way to spend her lonely evenings. But when things are happening to the town's peace houses Matt doesn't know what to do. And when the Quaker meeting house gets attacked...I would recommend this book for people who aren't fitting in too well. 236 pages

Someone Named Eva -Joan M. Wolf

2009-07-02T09:59:00.009-05:00

"Never forget who you are, Milada," Babichka said to Milada as she gave her a pin, her special pin. Milada was hauled away onto a bus with only one other girl, Ruzha, the mean girl from school. They were taken to a center and told their parents died in an air raid and the were going to turn them into German girls. Milada, now named Eva, stayed here for 2 years receiving schooling. One day they were shuffled into a church and told they were going to get adopted to a new family. Milada went home with the Werners, they had a daughter (Elsbeth) and a son (Peter). They all lived together and one day the allies were looking for high Nazis, and Mr. Werner was one. He and Peter left, so the girls moved to the bomb shelter, while the war was going on outside. A little while after that the Russians came looking for Mr.Werner; he wasn't there so they took all the important papers from his office. Before he came back, two people came to the door looking for a Milada. She said her name was Milada, they took her to her mother in Prague.
I would recommend this book for people who like adventures or historical fiction.

Being Nikki - Meg Cabot

2009-06-30T15:53:00.004-05:00

This book is a sequel from Starstruck. In the first book, superstar Nikki Howard, the face of megastore Stark, is pronounced brain-dead, but at the same time Emerson Watts' body is too destroyed from a falling tv to recover. The company Nikki represents, Stark, takes Emerson's brain and transplants it into Nikki's body. This book is the second and talks about how she reacts and feels about living the life of someone who is so completely different from her. Most of Nikki's friends think that she just has amnesia, but Emerson's real family and Nikiki's roommate and best friend LuLu also know the truth. But Emerson still has feelings for her old friend Christopher, but she can't tell him that. So Em in Nikki's body has to pretend that Em doesn't exist anymore and try to live the life of superstar Nikki Howard.

Would You - Marthe Jocelyn

2009-06-30T15:49:00.004-05:00

This book is about a girl named Natalie, who likes to hang out with her friends and go pool hopping. Natalie is very close to her sister Claire who decides to tag along one time and she has a lot of fun. Claire is going to college in the fall and wants to spend as much time with Natalie as possible. Claire decides that before college, she wants a fresh start at relationships and decides that she wants to break up with her boyfriend Joe-boy. While she is there, she has an accident. The book talks about the family connections and what should happen to Claire...

Death By Denim- Linda Gerber

2009-06-30T15:40:00.004-05:00

This book is a continuation of the Death By... Series. This book was about Aphra Connolly who has been a target by some dangerous people for her whole life. But in this book, she comes face to face with the person behind all of it. She is finally reunited with her "boyfriend" after both of them had been in hiding and had no contact for a while, and she winds up in a situation where she has to confront The Mole.

The Ersatz Elevator - Limony Snicket

2009-06-27T13:15:00.007-05:00

This book is about the Baudelaires who get sent off to a new family. They end up getting sent off to these two rich people who live in the penthouse. As the book goes on, an auctioneer starts talking to the Baudelaires new foster mom. They immediately think its Count Olaf and they're right. They try to figure out his plan and realize that Count Olaf is going to take away the Quagmire triplets in one of the auction items. They try to stop the plan, but Count Olaf ends up winning. I would recommend this book to people who like adventures.

The Sweet, Terrible, Glorious Year I Truly, Completely Lost It - Lisa Shanahan

2009-06-26T13:33:00.006-05:00

This book is about a girl named Gemma, who for the first time in her life throws a "birkett". Then she tries out for the school play, usually when she speaks in front of a lot of people she vomits, but she tries to conquer this fear by trying out with a boy named Nick, the love of her life. But then Raven starts to like her and in drama class she ends up being paired with him. Together they practice for the play and they experience some crazy things. This book is awesome!! I would definitely recommend this book to girls who like suspense and romance.

Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree - Lauren Tarshis

2009-06-22T09:04:00.005-05:00

This book is about a girl named Emma-Jean who leads a very organized quiet life. She doesn't really have any friends because instead of of having friends she would rather observe them. Well Emma-Jean thinks that everything is perfectly fine until she starts to help a girl named Colleen. This gets her into a lot of trouble. She experiences what it's like to help and interact with people her own age. I would definitely recommend this book because it teaches you a good lesson and it's a short read.

This Lullaby - Sarah Dessen

2009-06-17T19:27:00.008-05:00

The book is called This Lullaby because Remy's father, a musician who left when she was a baby so she never had even met him, wrote this for her and every time this song is sung it strikes a nerve for Remy. It's about a girl named Remy who rushes through her relationships. Remy lives with her mother and brother and her current step father. Remy helps her mother with just about everything, from being her relationship consultant to her wedding planner. Remy is an uptight girl with a standard boyfriend time limit and she doesn't believe in love until she meets Dexter, a musician in band called Truth Squad, whom she just can't figure out. It's a book that has romance and comedy and is just a wonderful book in my opinion.

The 39 Clues: The Sword Thief - Peter Lerangis

2009-06-16T16:25:00.006-05:00

This book is about Amy and Dan, who go on a quest for the 39 clues. But they are competeing against their family members who are really strange. I like these books because they are mysterious and leave you hanging. I would suggest these books to people who like mysteries.

Spanking Shakespeare - Jake Wizner

2009-06-16T12:15:00.004-05:00

I really liked this book, it was about a boy whose parents named him Shakespeare. Shakespeare hates his name and really wants to get rid of it. Along the way, Shakespeare starts to like this girl but soon falls for another girl with not a very good past. This book is about how he lives through all of the drama and how he deals with all of this. I would reccomend this to anyone who likes romance and a good twist in plots.

Red Kayak- Priscilla Cummings

2009-06-13T17:51:00.005-05:00

Red Kayak is about 3 friends: TJ, Brady, and Digger. When a boy dies at sea in an accident, a separation results between Brady and his friends. Soon Brady finds it may not have been an accident. This book is full of suspense and a great read. If you like suspense and fiction read on, dude!!!!

The Maze - Will Hobbs

2009-06-11T16:10:00.005-05:00

This book is about a 16 year old boy, named Rick, who got sentenced to a 6-month term at a detention center. He ends up escaping and meets an old man in the middle of all the red rock canyons. This guy sets up camp here to observe the condors, since they are becoming extinct. Over time, these two become better friends. Two old guys show up to try to shut down this camp. Rick and Lon, his friend, work together to fight these old guys off. I would recommend this to people who like adventure books.

Monster - Walter Dean Myers

2009-06-11T15:59:00.007-05:00

This book was a great book. It was based on a true story and I like that you could connect to it. It was about a teenage boy who allegedly helped rob a store and killed the store owner. It talks about his experiences in jail before the trial, it talks about the trial, and it talks about the final verdict of the jury. He ends up being not guilty thanks to his lawyer. I would recommend this to anyone.

Dear Dumb Diary, Never Underestimate Your Dumbness By: Jim Benton

2009-06-10T16:06:00.005-05:00

This book is about a girl who faces many challenges and has to get over them while dealing with her enemy and her crazy best friend. In this book Jamie's aunt is getting married to her school's Assistant Vice Principal. But he turns out to be her enemy's uncle. What will she do? This is a very good book. It is also a part of a series.

Torn to Pieces - Margot McDonnell

2009-06-09T12:05:00.005-05:00

I really liked this book, and could not put it down. It was about this girl Anne, whose mother is always traveling and writing biographies about different types of people. While her mom is constantly out of town, she stays with her grandparents who live down the street. Then, she starts to meet new people at her school, and hang out and trust them more. Eventually her mom goes missing, and she starts to uncover a lot of things that happened in her and her mother's past, and along with all of the information comes a lot of danger too.

Lock and Key- Sarah Dessen

2009-06-05T09:43:00.004-05:00

I really liked this book. It was about a girl, Ruby, whose mom abandons her, and then child services comes and finds out that she has been living alone, so they take her out of that house. She ends up going to live with her sister, Cora, who she hasn't seen in like ten years, and her husband, as well as all the adventures and things she goes through.

Twilight- Stephenie Meyer

2009-06-03T17:06:00.008-05:00

This book is about a girl named Bella who falls in love with a vampire.I would definetly recommend this book because the author doesn't leave any details out. It's a REALLY good book everyone should read it. It is also very exciting. This is an excellent book!!

Nation-Terry Pratchett

2009-06-01T09:50:00.002-05:00

After a tsunami, teen Mau is the only survivor of his island nation, having been isolated for a coming of age ritual. Noble Ermintrude is shipwrecked on the island, and other tsunami survivors eventually find them, raising questions of what is "civilization". Dark, funny, exciting, this story really stays with you.

Graceling-Kristin Cashore

2009-05-20T18:05:00.002-05:00

Gracelings, recognized by different colored eyes, have special abilities. Katsa's grace,which her king has employed, is the ability to kill. Could the silver and gold-eyed prince with a mysterious grace tame Katsa?
Kirkus Reviews summed it up this way: "In a tale filled with graphic violence and subtle heartbreak, gentle passion and savage kindness, matter-of-fact heroics and bleak beauty, no defeat is ever total and no triumph comes without cost."

Recommended to animal lovers

2009-05-15T12:13:00.002-05:00

Alex and me: how a scientist and a parrot discovered a hidden world of animal intelligence
- Irene Pepperberg
Blood red horse (fiction) -K. M. Grant
Call of the wild (fiction, dog) - Jack London
Cruelest miles: the heroic story of dogs and men in a race against an epidemic -Gay Salisbury
The grandest of lives (whales) - Douglas H. Chadwick
Merle's door (dog) -Ted Kerasote
Watership down (fiction, rabbits and so much more) -Richard Adams
Wesley the Owl: the remarkable love story of an owl and his girl-Stacey O'Brien
Winterdance (dogs)-Gary Paulsen

How to post a review

2009-05-15T09:42:00.003-05:00

Welcome! We look forward to sharing good reads.

To post to this blog please send an email request to askus@woodridgelibrary.org or to bvanopdorp@woodridgelibrary.org. Provide the screen name you will be using - we will want to contact you if you win. When you receive your email invitation, you will be prompted to set-up a google account. Once you sign-in, click on "New Post" to write a review. The review must contain the title, author, reasons to recommend the book (or not) and genre/type labels.

Our goal is to have a resource teens can use to find the GOOD STUFF throughout the year.

Ms. Beth recommends

2009-05-13T15:07:00.001-05:00

I had to include Merle's Door bc I love Merle. The Whale book is fascinating too. Maybe read these when u r a bit older.

Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block

2009-05-12T11:58:00.001-05:00

Take a trip to Shangri-LA with Weetzie Bat and her best friend Dirk and explore an L.A. like you've never seen. Weetzie is an eternal optimist who wishes to find her Secret Agent Lover Man and a Duck for Dirk as well as a happy home for all of them. She gets what she wished for but they find that a happy ending is something that's made, not granted.

This is the first book in the Weetzie Bat/Dangerous Angels series. The characters continue their search for love, identity, and family in Witch Baby, Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys, Missing Angel Juan, and Baby Be-Bop.

The Raging Quiet by Sherryl Jordan

2009-05-09T10:49:00.001-05:00

This absorbing story takes place in an ancient time. Marnie, age 16, has been married off to an undesirable man twice her age to settle a family debt and relocated to an isolated cottage. She befriends the village madman rousing the suspicions of the villagers. Marnie makes a remarkable discovery about this "madman" and their relationship grows. The villagers, however, suspect her of murder and witchcraft. Can Marnie survive?
An ALA Best Books for Young Adults with awards.

Blood Red Horse by K.M. Grant

2009-05-09T10:34:00.002-05:00

This fast paced historical novel has it all: adventure, romance, love, loss and an amazing stallion.
The story continues in Green Jasper and Blaze of Silver.

The Interns: Fashionistas

2009-04-27T19:29:00.002-05:00

I thought that this book was very good. It was about four interns at a high-end fashion magazine and the adventures they must go through in order to keep their internships and make a name for themselves.

Thinking about summer

2009-04-20T10:24:00.000-05:00

Snow showers may be threatening today but summer will come. And that means lots of time to read. Your Library will be hosting the summer reading program. Make your lists. Place reserves. Post your favorites.