Alex Rider Skeleton Key

Alex is being tested by his fake parents so that he could know all of the fake information that he needs to know for his undercover mission. Troy, his fake mother is skeptical of Alex joining this operation. She believes that he is only a child and that he shouldn't be out here in this danger doing these things and that he is just too young. Alex finds himself at some points of this very bothered by this. Carver, Alex's fake dad is going in on an undercover bust to take out a drug dealer who is believed to be linked to the business going on in Cuba (the are in Miami now). While on the ship something goes wrong and Alex goes in to rescue his "dad" and knocks out the dealer. He also is responsible for, possibly, blowing up the ship and rescuing carver. This impresses him but not his fake mother who believes he should not be doing these dangerous things.

Ruined, By: Paula Morris

             In my pervious summarys I said that Rebecca had to stay in New Orleans because her father had to work in China for six months. She feels like a complete outsider and wanted to follow the popular kids at her school into the cemetery. At the cemetery she saw a ghost and they became friends. Only certain people can see this ghost and the ghost knows somethings about this town that now one else knows. The ghosts name is Lisette.
           One day after school Rebecca was going on a date with the man who works at the cemetery. On her way to the date she decided to look in the cemetery and see if she could find Lisette. Right before she was about to leave Rebecca found her behind a tall tombstone. Rebecca wanted to know about ghosts. What did ghosts do? Why are they ghosts? Lisette said that a ghost is a ghost because it was not there time to die yet in the world. Ghosts stay a ghost untill the curse is broken. Rebecca wanted to figure out what the curse is but Lisette just disappeared.
         What is the curse? Where did Lisette go? I would recomend this book to young adults who likes mysterys. I would rate this book an 8/10.

Unfinished: Saturday Night Dirt

So far in Saturday Night Dirt, everybody that races their cars in the local races is on their way to, or is already at the race track. "Hot laps" (warm-ups) hasn't yet started an people are getting angry. The weather is holding up for the time being, but that may  change later in the book. I'm wondering what is going to happen with the weather and if there may be an accident that night. Will it storm? Will there be a "good" race?

Dancergirl by Carol M. Tanzman (finished)

          I have recently finished the novel Dancergirl by Carol M. Tanzman. In my last post, I mentioned that Alicia's best friend of many years, Jacy has been diagnosed with a rare disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa. This disease causes Jacy to loose his peripheral and night vision. Jacy cannot be the one to be filming or "stalking" Alicia. It would be impossible. Plus in my opinion, why would Alicia's best friend want to embarrass her? It all doesn't add up.
         Alicia has been coming up with more and more possible suspects who are trying to ruin her Dancergirl reputation. But in the end, she is completely wrong. And just when you think you know who is responsible, you find out that you are wrong as well. Also, I feel like Alicia should confide in her mother throughout all of this, but of course she doesn't. She wants to solve this mystery on her own.
      Overall, I really enjoyed this suspenseful mystery! The last few chapters definitely kept me reading. I could not put this book down! To find out who is the unknown person that is secretly filming Alicia, read Dancergirl!
                                                          I rate this novel an 8/10.

Looking For Alaska BY: John Green(week 2)

     I am only about 70 pages into Looking For Alaska and it is really good so far! The characters in this book really relate to the life we, as teenagers, are living in today.
     The main characters, Alaska, The Colonel, and Pudge, are all into smoking cigarettes. They are also only in high school. This is a lot like our lives today because many young teenagers are getting into smoking and drinking too.
     The Weekday Warriors are the "popular, mean, stuck up kids." In all of our lives we know those people that we think of that way too. No matter where we are there will always be those "Weekday Warriors."
     One thing that I really like about this book is that it is easy to relate too. Another thing I enjoy about this book is Each of the chapters are titled with a number of days before. For example, "89 days before." This is interesting because it makes the whole book suspenseful knowing that there is going to be something huge happening in the book.

I rate this book a 10/10 

Alex rider skeleton key

Alex has learned that there is a group that is coming after him because he spoiled there plot of ruining Wimbledon. This group is very large and powerful so as precaution, M16 sends him to Cuba as an undercover agent in the CIA. There mission is to discover what this old Russian general is doing there. Alex meets his fake parents and is being prepared to be sent into action. The CIA says that his only job in there is to get his "parents" into Cuba so that they could deal with the problem. You see there is very tight security because the general is also meeting the Russian president. Alex however doesn't believe that they are only sending him In to get the CIA agents in he believes that they will use him in an operation and that he will in fact get caught up in all of the action. Is this true? Is Alex going to be safe? Can he just enjoy himself in Cuba? I don't think so but we will see.

Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous By: Kathyrn Williams

   Sophie Nicoladies is the main character in my book, Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous. Sophie's mother died when she was very young, so she has little memory of her. But, She knows that her mother used to love to cook. Sophie loves to be in the kitchen ,and uses her mothers recipes as a guide. Her family also owns a restaurant called Taverna Ristorante in Washington D.C.
   Sophie  loves to cook just like her mother did. She works in the restaurant and loves working there. Which is a little strange for a teenager because she has to work every weekend. Which means she has basically no time for friends. Except, her best friend since the third grade, Alex. He comes to visit her at work all of the time and he is kind of like family to her.
   One day, Alex brought Sophie a flyer for this reality show called, Teen Test Kitchen. On this show, teens from all over are fighting to win this cooking competition. If they win, they receive a full scholarship to the National Culinary Academy and a coveted apprenticeship with top chef, Tommy Chang. But, Sophie is a little apprehensive about this whole situation. She doesn't think that she has the skills to make it. But, besides the fact,Alex convinces her to go to the tryouts for the show.
                                                                           Will she have the skills to make it on the show? I will have to continue to read to find out.

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

          The book I am reading is The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. It is a really good book.
          Noah is a little lost at this point in the book. It has been about ten years since his summer with Allie. Allie left after the summer and he had no one really in his life except his dad. He dated a few woman but no one made his as happy as Allie did. They reminded him of her though. Will he ever see her again?
          Allie was devastated when she left him. It took her a long time to try to get over him. She met someone else but she's not fully over him. His name is Lon and they met when he was injured in the war. She volunteered at the hospital and he wouldn't take no for an answer. They are engaged now and Noah doesn't know. Will she tell him?
          Allie need to tell Noah so she told Lon that she needed to get away to get her mind off something. She left and went to New Bern, North Carolina to find Noah. She went to the house Noah said he was going to fix up. She was surprised how nice it was. He was sitting on the porch when she pulled into the driveway. The look on his face was astonishing.......

I rate this book a 10/10.

When Darkness Falls; The Obsidian Trilogy Book 3

When I left off a few weeks ago, Cilarnen had just found a source of power for his spells. He tapped into the energy of the ancient Elven land-wards, so he would have the required spell power to be able to help the army with more powerful spells. Since then, the story has mostly followed Kellen as he led a portion of the army to check on the other Elven cities that they haven't heard from. As Kellen journeys, he discovers that many of the previously wonderful Elven cities and towns have been destroyed or evacuated. Plague has been spreading and is one of the biggest problems in settlements; Kellen has found empty settlements that were destroyed by plague. There are also more free-roaming monsters than ever, which are causing additional problems.

The biggest twist in this section was the discovery of the reason why the King, Andoreniel, has not been sending commands to the army: he has been stricken with sickness and is unable to lead. And there is confusion as to who will command the army now; the Queen, Ashaniel, is pregnant and under protection, and the Prince, Sandalon, is only about five years old and also under protection. The only other idea of a leader would be the King's Council, but they always take a very long time to make decisions, which cannot be afforded at the moment.

Who will command the army now? I predict that Kellen, being the Knight-Mage, will be given even more responsibility then before, and have to not only lead, but make decisions for a larger part of the army. But I will find out in the reading to come.

I rate this book 8.5/10 so far.

Truancy by Isamu Fukui

                   In this installment of Truancy by Isamu Fukui, the Truancy is causing trouble for the City and the Mayor again. I recently found out that on the Truancy's last mission, a truant was taken hostage and killed. This truant was Ken. Ken was one of the leaders in the Truancy. Now, Zyid, the Truancy's strategic genius, must take his place. I like how the author sets up this situation. Zyid's first action as a leader is planning an attack on the City Hall. The City Hall is basically the Mayor's headquarters. This is where the Mayor has all of his conferences with the Enforcers, the Mayor's military and police force, and the Educators, the people who run the schools and direct the teachers. Ironically, the City Hall is not heavily guarded. I thought that this detail was very funny. Why would the Mayor's center of operations not be protected? Now, for the big question. Will Zyid's first mission as leader of the Truancy be successful or will the Mayor catch on to his plan and capture him? Read the book to find out.
                 Zyid changes a lot throughout this pat of the book. He goes from being a loyal soldier to a strong leader. Not only does Zyid have a lot of experience with the Truancy, but he has also worked side by side with the Truancy's last leader, Ken. I think that Zyid seems like he has great potential to be an outstanding leader, but one thing worries me. It seems that Zyid has became a little more reckless since he has became the leader of the Truancy. Hopefully, this new trait will not lead to his and the Truancy's defeat.
                 This book is becoming hard to put down. I love how the author includes so much action packed details when he gives us the point of view of the Truancy. These events make the book worth reading. For example, the author includes explosions and gunshots in Zyid's mission. This excellent use of imagery makes me feel like I am almost in the scene. Overall, I would give this book at least four stars so far. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes action and adventure.

Twilight By: Stephenie Meyer

I am still reading the book Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.  So far I am really enjoying this book.  It has everything I could ask for in a book-action, drama, romance, and intensity.  The novel really peaks my interest. Each page is filled with action and excitement which makes the  book impossible to put down.  I would definitely give Twilight a high rating.
My favorite character in the novel would most likely  be Edward Cullen.  Edward has a mysterious appearance to him and I always find myself excited to read more about him.  Bella describes Edward in such a way where it seems impossible to stay away from him.  There is something about Edward that draws Bella toward him and it comes to a point where all Bella wants is to be with Edward.  However, this isn't a problem for Edward.  He has a protective side to him and all he wants to do is keep Bella safe. It soon becomes all Edward thinks about.  Bella invades every second of his thoughts.  Bella and Edward need each other in their lives.  They need one another to protect and be there for each other.  However, Edward has seconds thoughts.  He worries that he is to dangerous for Bella to be around.  The last thing he wants to do is hurt her.  He doesn't want anything to happen to her so he wonders if the best option is for them to not be friends and stay away from each other.  He knows this will be incredibly hard but will do anything to keep Bella protected.
Will Edward be able to stay away from Bella? Will Bella find out what Edward's secret?  You'll have to read Twilight to find out!

Scorpia- By Anthony Horowitz

          I am reading Scorpia, the thrilling sequel to Eagle Strike in the Alex Rider series. In my 40 pages of reading, I was somewhat disappointed. The reputation that Alex Rider books have set for itself is fast-paced and action-packed. This week it felt like a sluggishly developing plot. Alex and his best friend snuck by some security guards to get into a fancy masked ball and that was about it. Once in the building, the book just takes you through Alex’s thoughts of other party guests (how elegant they are, what they look like, what they’re wearing, etc.). Alex had come to the party to look for a criminal organization but it doesn’t look like any crime could possibly happen in such an elegant building. However, one thing Alex did find was Julia Rothman, a wealthy woman who Alex suspects to be a part of Scorpia.
          Through all of the boredom I did find one thing very interesting. There was a conversation between Julia Rothman and a man who the author describes as fifty years old, in a long, fur-lined cloak and a peaked hat. His name is Dr. Liebermann. While they were talking, apparently, Mrs. Rothman is asking the man do something and in return Dr. Liebermann is receiving 5 million dollars. He said something like, “We have received the release certificated and the batch will be on their way the day after tomorrow.”(52) And then he said, “You do promise me, Mrs. Rothman, nobody is going to get hurt.”(53) In response Mrs. Rothman said, “Does it really matter?”(54) It sounds to me that Dr. Liebermann is sending come kind of deadly shipment to Mrs. Rothman and in return he is receiving a small fortune. I actually think that this scenario is similar to the world in which we live in. It shows how easily human beings can be manipulated if there is money involved. Money is the world’s greed. Dr. Liebermann doesn’t come off as a terrible person because he’s worried in the safety of others. However, because of the 5 million involved, his conscience is half-asleep, half-awake. Very interesting what some people will do for some money. 

Joker One (Review)

            The book I choose to read for the past couple of weeks is Joker One. It is a book written by Donovan Campbell, he is also the leader of the book. The book is about a U.S. Marine platoon in Iraq. Throughout the book Donovan encounters firefights, IED's, and other dangers without a single death from the platoon. I really enjoyed this book, Donovan tells thoroughly of his service in Iraq and what his team mates do while with him. Donovan told the reader what its like to lead a platoon and the hardships they, and other branches of the military, faced. I think the book will appeal to those who are looking to be an officer or if they are interested in the military. I give this book a perfect 10/10

Girl V. Boy (setting)

          I just started this book Girl V. Boy by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout so far it's about these three girls Luisa, Izzy, and Rachel and there summer vacation just ended and now they begin the year as sophomores. 

          This book takes place at Colonel Dunfield High School in Chicago other wise known as DumpField High School.  No one cares enough to clean up their school. This book is set in the modern 21st century present time it is just like every other high school there is drama, boys, and popular girls that try to make your high school life awful. 

          The setting is very important for this book. "This school year is going to be the start of everything." (page 23)  A lot is going on at the school, so if the setting changes it would not really fit the book. Luisa gets offered  her  first assignment witch covers her high school's latest fund-raiser, which puts the girls against the boys. Luisa will cover the events from the female point of view, while another anonymous writer provides the male point of view. It's the battle of the sexes and Luisa is determined to win.

        There are other settings in the novel. Luisa has to take care of her family at home. She lives with her mom who is never home. Luisa's mom works double shifts so she can feed Luisa and her sister Grace and get them clothes to wear. Her sister Grace dropped out of school and  now has a kid. On top of caring for her family Luisa works year round at Dan's Diner to support her family. I think the most important setting in this book other then the school is at home because that's where she is doing the most work all by her self, and she really learns how to become an adult this way.

        In my last post I wrote about the book If I Could Fly and how Doris is trying to make her parents fall back in love with each other. My prediction for the end of the novel was wrong her parents did not end up back together. Her dad and mom both met someone new, and lived a happy life without one another. Doris had to face the facts and move on with her own life and her friends and leave the past in past.