Book Reveiws

Book Reviews

The Death Cure (Maze Runner Book 3): James Dashner

*****

SO GOOD!!!!!! It did the rest of the series justice. In a couple moments in the book it talked about how only about a month had gone by. It’s amazing the substance these books have. i love how in each book there was new scenery. You have the green of the maze, the dust of the scorch, and the snow of Denver. it was beautifully thought out and AMAZING!

I almost had my heart stop when certain things concerning lives occurred. Let’s just say I could not have handled it if Minho died to. i would have probably cried. I love these characters and for some reason I thought about what Thomas's abs would look like after all that. Those would be some in shape teenagers. I also thought about how i would love to be fighting along with them. I think i would be good at kicking some but. GREAT SERIES, CANT WAIT UNTIL I READ THE KILL ORDER!

The Maze Runner: James Dashner

****

This book In particular is sort of stressful and leaves so many questions unanswered. So you think. The book allows a reader to be completely immersed into the situation along with the main character Thomas. It is the most believable unbelievable book ever written. Fast pace page turner with dynamic characters you don’t need to talk to for long to really know. You are finding things out as Thomas is which makes you feel like your in the loop but also as though you don’t know what the heck is going on just as much as he does in the weird parts. This is definitely a book that will impress.

The Scorch Trials (Maze Runner Book 2): James Dashner

****

Well, this book was a little slower than the first in the middle. I felt like Thomas and the new character he meets were lagging in the middle, but then stuff happened and it was awesome. All the scenes described in the book were amazing. The detail and the ability of Dashner to not over describe everything lends toward a great book. I couldn’t wait until I read The Death Cure(Maze Runner Book 3).

Great cliff hanger, but not so severe it irks your patience.

The Giving Tree- Shel Silverstien

*****

Well I am almost certain that my parents and my kindergarten teacher set me up to be a hippie. This was my first favorite book. I didn’t know at the time that I loved this book so much but I truly did. It reminds me of my favorite poems by Harry Behn…….

So all in all it is the best book ever written for children in my opinion.  I reject books that try to be to inspirational for children because they tend to overdo it. They tell every kid that they can be the same level of awesome that the other kids can, it takes to special out of any story. You don’t feel connected. With The Giving Tree Mr. Shell doesn’t tell you what to think of the book, he allows you as a child to form your own opinion about it. This helps a lot in the development of a child. It allows you to grow like a giving tree. (pun intended). If you are a child, read this book. If you are an adult, read this book or give it to your kids. If you are dying put this on your list of last things to read.                                     

Trees

by Harry Behn

Trees are the kindest things I know,

They do no harm, they simply grow

And spread a shade for sleepy cows,

And gather birds among their bows.

They give us fruit in leaves above,

And wood to make our houses of,

And leaves to burn on Halloween

And in the Spring new buds of green.

They are first when day's begun

To tough the beams of morning sun,

They are the last to hold the light

When evening changes into night.

And when a moon floats on the sky

They hum a drowsy lullaby

Of sleepy children long ago...

Trees are the kindest things I know.

Gathering Blue (The Giver Book 2): Lois Lowery

***

What is amazing about this book is that it is a perfect companion to The Giver. However you don’t know how until you read the last  book of the series. Thy are not connected but they are in subtle ways. I think that this is brilliant and I am a little disappointed that it was not more ‘out there’ about these companion books. I was a fan for years and didn’t know that these two were with The Giver until about 2 years ago. And others as well, I have had to tell them on goodreads.com. I truly love this book because Lois Lowery once again is able to create this whole new world while keeping with the aroma that it is only a section of the world that’s in that one dystopian jig.  Though of course, the series wouldn’t make any sense without this, wink. She gives each of her book an aroma that you can feel. I love that about Lowery.

A Bad Case of Stripes: David Shannon
*****

I love this book because of its originality. Really this isn’t a ‘true’ review, but rather a cheer for the book instead. Love it! Thoughlima beans at all. You know it’s a great book whenever in 12 years you look at the book cover and you haven’t read it in 12 years but you can tell the story to your sister without the book as an aid. And impact is what children’s books should give. This one has. Also, as an artist i admire the illisrations in this book. the textures are amazing in there subtlty.

The Pigman-Paul Zindel    
***     

This book is the second to ever make me cry at the end. I truly loved the Pigman character and I think that this book is one with a slight boredom at some parts and yet you enjoy the book as a whole. The ending is worth the read. If you like fast paced books this is not for you.

Code Orange- Caroline B. Cooney
***

Well, this book was good however it lacked the believability. I suppose that the outcome of the ending was so severe so serious that it collided with the language of the writing and the main character. I enjoyed this book and have read it several times. Not to say it is not a good read, I did enjoy the main character a lot. He had a lot of substance for a character so lax and chill. I did enjoy the parts when he snapped into seriousness. I guess the severity was unbelievable of the situation happening.

All in all it was an ok book. I like to look at rating the substance and interesting features of a book on this one question. Would I write this plot and still be excited about writing it at the end, or would I get bored and move on(which is my custom)? With this book I would  be bored from the toenails growing on my feet to the few split ends on my hair(I  have great hair so don’t go visualizing a lady with ugly hair now  that I said that.hehe). I wouldn’t read this book as on your top list.  However, you should read it sometime within your existence. But not final hours, it will just depress you.

Buttered Side Down- Edna Ferber

****

Edna Ferber proves to be an entertainer of the modern world with her classic tales of slight woe. She lived within the period she was writing about and therefore was able to fool her readers into completely believing they are truly in that time. In some books I have read they have found their own way of not pressing the setting forcefully enough. You begin to translate the situations into what they would look like in modern day and that is only because the author gives you room to do so. They either don’t write it as fact or  they fail to describe with the full will it needs.

This book is a culmination of brilliant and simple. Her writing style is one you have to get use to. I could not be more happy I snagged this collection of short stories at the local libraries book sale. It was cheap and the title caught my attention. The last story in the book is my favorite. If you were wondering, then you will be satisfied I answered the question. And if not, then I suppose your wondering what that story is now. Read it if you’re women and if you’re a guy, go for it and impress the ladies with your new found knowledge. 

Ship Breaker- Paolo Bacigalupi

***

This book was ripe for a younger crowd. I suppose because the age of the characters that were the main were so young I was able to connect completely however it was a good story I recommend to a younger crowd. Its action packed and gives a real view of the setting the writer chose. His environment was clear and the details were apparent. Not the most memorable book so far as characters though I will remember the setting for a long time to come. His writing was not exceptional however the characters were ripe with truth.

Messenger (The Giver Book 3): Lois Lowery

**

Wow, well if you didn’t catch where Jonas and everyone else froGathering Blue and The Giverended up, than either you weren’t paying attention or you were reading while really sleepy (which I do most times anyway, but I still remember everything and pay great attention. Toot toot) so basically, I am very  happy how this series ended. The Giver is one of those books that need to be alone and won’t do good with a ‘book 2’, yet the reader needs to know that the characters were ok in the end. This is the same with Gathering Blue. I felt that Lowery found a perfect way to do this.  What an incredible writer plot plotter and inventor of characters. However, aside from all tepostive and the closue this book provides it is not as strong and the  first two books.

The Giver: Lois Lowery
*****

I am not the sort of person who decides to read a book because others are reading them or because it was the class assignment. When I was in middle school I was assigned to read The Giver. I didn’t. I bailed on a great book but didn’t know it. Then, in 8^th grade I decided to barrow a copy and read it because I wanted to. It became my favorite book for a long time. It still remains as one of the best I have read.

The characters the environments you can smell taste and see. This book is visually amazing and conceptually fantastic. Jonas is a close second in my favorite main characters of all time. A must read for kids and adult alike. It is for all ages. It’s an easy read and yet compelling. Speaks as to why we try our best to be so unique from any other person. Sometimes try harder than we need to. “Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.” ― C.S. Lewis

The Raven master’s Secret- Elvira Woodruff

****

I just so happen to have a special fondness for old England. This book is a time machine for all ages. Although you can no doubt tell that the book was written for a 9-14 demographic, I found this book interesting and informative. A true adventure among a life in a cage. Most certainly, suspenseful and visually captivating. The characters are most certainly defined. You feel what is as stake whenever you’re reading this book. And the ending will have you holding your chest and in love with the main character. Do put this on your to read list. You will have a new found love for the history of the Tower of London.

The Crucible- Arthur Miller

**

This kind of book is one where you don’t understand anything until you get the background history   on it.  I personally get annoyed by books that require you to do your history homework first. However, for some reason this book had a good interpretation that allowed you to feel transported to the place in time.   It also helps that whenever we were reading the book in class with my small group we did our best English accents possible. Also a few accents that don’t have names, just to keep our brains awake.

All in all it was an ok book. I like to look at rating the substance and interesting features of a book on this one question. Would I write this plot and still be excited about writing it at the end, or would I get bored and move on(which is my custom)? With this book I would  be bored from the toenails growing on my feet to the few split ends on my hair(I  have great hair so don’t go visualizing a lady with ugly hair now  that I said that.hehe). I wouldn’t read this book as on your top list.  However, you should read it sometime within your existence. But not final hours, it will just depress you.

Night- Elise Wiesel

****

For me personally I do not enjoy biographies too an extreme. However, whenever my 10^th grade English teacher put this on the list of things to read during the year I could not object after she read the first chapter a loud. A wonderfully suspenseful book with true feeling throughout the whole of it. An emotional ride of woe and trial to make you confused as to how to feel. Remorse and gratitude for those who can tell a story of such woe in history with an incredible amount of poetry and clear visual feelings towards what occurred. The whole story is not filled with his personal vendetta against his oppressors. He is the narrator first and a character second.  That is the power of this book.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn-Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

***

A read of excellent voice. Never has there existed an author with the ability to power a novel soul on banter and situational humor along with extremely dense characters. The voice of any person in there means of expression about who they are and where they came from. Never has there been such fluent spelling of an accent than Twains writing in this book. Many times an author writes it as an accent more so than a way of spelling. Twain developed his own consistent vocabulary all throughout this novel. You laugh every couple pages and it does take a witty disposition to understand the situational humor throughout this novel. A work of truth. Not ever will there be a writer who can focus on what is and entertain our minds without dragons or vampires or knights. Just a boy, a raft and a couple friends is all that is required for a deep story that can still breathe life into the public. Refreshing.