Rash By: Pete Hartman

This is a novel considered to be a comical mystery / adventure. The book has a way of building suspense, and great characterizations.

The character Bo Marsten is blamed for a rash that affects the whole student body at his high school. Then we see Bo sentenced to work at hard labor in the tundra of Canada at a pizza factory that's surrounded by hungry polar beans. Bo finds prison life to be boring, and dangerous. Bo is athletic so he plans on being a player on the factory's highly illegal football team.

Next, we see Bork, who is artificially created by Bo in a Science project. Bork tracks down Bo in prison. Bork offers to have Bo's sentence shortened.

Bo is hesitant to return to his old regular life, and somewhat intimidated. The book jumps from one event to another, but keep's the reader's interest intact.
LRD 7/31/06

Broken China By: Lori Aurelia Williams

This is an amazing story tha could happen to any young female teen. This story takes the reader to a realistic world of a teen Mother, who is confronted with choices in her life.

China Cup Cameron, must quit school, and work full time to support her two year old daughter Amina. The only place in town that will hire a minor , and school dropout is "Obsiedian Queens" a strip club. To find out more about China Cameron's decision about her employment, and life in general, this book is exciting , and on the other hand very touching.

China Cameron cannot bear to attend her own daughter's funeral, or even visit the gravesite where she is buried. The whole episode of her daughter is topsy turfy. China Cameron visits the grave with trepadation, and gets very emotional about the event.

China Cameron has a close friend, and Father of her daughter. He advises Cameron on many issues.

Just read the book, and see more events that can happen in your lifes.

LRD 6/31/06

On the Head of a Pin - Mary Beth Miller

Helen, Michael, Joshua, Andy, and Victor along with a lot of other people are all at Andy's house celebrating Halloween. Everyone is pretty drunk and Andy pulls out his fathers gun and shows it off to Josh and Victor. Andy believes that it is not loaded, but it is and it accidently goes off and the bullet kills Helen. Andy and Victor want to hide the body and convince Josh to help them against his better judgement. They bury the body in a shallow grave. The next morning Michael wakes up and can't find Helen. So he assumes that she left to go back home. When he gets home he finds that his father kicked him out and he goes to find his friend Moshie, a former court judge. Michael goes to Pittsburg and news of Helen's murder reaches him there, and he hires a lawyer named Mr. Lockwood to prove that he had nothing to do with her murder. Michael goes back home and hides so no one knows he is back, but he encounters Andy, Josh and Victor are fighting about Helen's murder. Michael finds out the truth and Andy is sent to jail for Helen's murder.

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle By: Avi

This is a book, and story that took place in the 1830's . The main character, female, Charlotte Doyle thirteen years old is from a well to do family from Providence, Rhode Island. Charlotte attended Barrington School for Better Girls in England . Charlotte's Father wanted his daughter to finish the school term rather than yank her out to the United States to attend school. The only problem Charlotte encounters after school in England is finished, is to get home to Rhode Island she must cross the Atlantic Ocean by ship. She Charlotte, discovers she has no family on board the ship, and she is alone without relatives. The trip normally takes one to two months during the summer. Charlotte's Father insists she keep a daily journal. Keeping the journal keeps the fateful voyage in 1832 detailed.

The name of the ship Charlotte boarded was "Seahawk" it was a brig with two masted ship that was 107 feet long. Charlotte had her private cabin, and at the beginning of the voyage treated like a Princess. Remember her Father was a merchant, and owned this ship. Charlotte had many things to learn on board the ship. For example, a knife was called a dirk , a small daggerlike blade six inches in length. Charlotte was given a dirk for protection.

The story goes on, and Charlotte becomes instead of a prim, and proper lady, and becomes like a sailor in ways of living, and in behavior. Read this book, and you will be intrigued of Charlotte's doings. This book is fascinating, and full of exciting events.

LRD 7/5/06

Pirates by Celia Rees

This story is based on true events. Nancy grew up on the warves among the sailing ships with servants' children and children of poverty. Her mother died shortly after her birth. Her father and brothers were merchant seamen and slavers. When her father dies, her life suddenly dramatically changes. Her brothers ship her off to a plantation in Jamaica where servants Minerva and Phyllis care for her. She discovers that a marriage has been arranged for her with a Dark, Controlling, Violent Brazillian much older than she.
He will receive rights to the plantation which she inherited. This her brothers didn't bother telling her. The arrangement would save the brothers' shipping business. Rather than marry this horrid man, Nancy, Phyllis and Minerva run away. They make their way to a secret village deep in the jungle. It is know by a few pirates and traders as well as former slaves. From here the girls Minerva and Nancy join a pirate ship as male crew members. The Brazilian is always chasing after Nancy as she and Minerva go about their adventures as pirates...until the fatal final meeting.
Slow reading. Most of the first half of the book is used to set up the rest of the story.
jdw 7/5/06

Deep By: Susanna Vance

This is an action packed story that will put readers into the magical, and real events are happening. The two main characters are Birdie Sidwell, and Morgan Bera, who are females. Both were kidnapped by Nicholas, a fake Australian who was a ruthless sailor.

Little did Nicholas know that Birdie had asthma, and without her inhaler that had medicine she could stop breathing. Morgan was very good looking Norweigian that had a lot of strength.

This book is full of events that most people would not be able to endure. Together, these two girls become friends and when they are placed in a small wooden crate to try to survive with minimal food, and water. They also have a way to go to the bathroom. Their next experience, is when crazy Nicholas places the crate down an old well. This book is full of happenings , in fact in some places in the book it becomes a bit scarry for Birdie . One has to remember it is a make believe story, so we must go on living.

This book is real exciting to read, and I recommend the book very much.

7/3/06 LRD