When the Wind Blows by James Patterson

This book, although intended for adult audiences with adult themes, was added to the young adult collection due to the popularity of the Maximum Ride series. The main character in the series, Maximum, was first introduced in this novel and it's sequel, The Lake House. However, the character in When the Wind Blows and it's sequel are slightly different than the Max in the Maximum Ride series and supporting characters are changed, but it is still interesting to see where the idea of the character originated.

In the novel, FBI agent Kit Harrison is investigating a series of murders of prominent doctors who seem to be hiding something. One murdered doctor was the husband of Frannie O'Neill, a local veterinarian who suddenly stumbles upon a strange sight in the woods - a young girl with wings. This girl, named Max, escaped from a place called "The School" where she and her brother had been raised as lab rats and recently escaped. The people who ran The School don't want any witnesses to the experimentations that they've done and are now out to destroy the problems that have arisen with Max's escape. With the help of Kit and Frannie, though, Max tries to free her friends from The School and expose the secrets of some sick scientists trying to play God.

I find this book fascinating because of the idea of what science might become. Although this book is 12 years old, the ideas are still mind-blowing. It is an intricately woven plot and with intriguing characters that draw you in from the beginning. Each character has his/her own back story and you want the good guys to succeed and the bad guys to fail. The book has amazing twists and keeps you gripped from page one. It is, however, definitely intended for adult audiences. Some of the science is very complicated and heavy to sort through. There are also adult themes (violent/graphic deaths and just a little bit of sex - not that teens aren't already exposed to these themes). A lot of the novel focuses more on the adults and their investigation of The School and the associated murders. Even when Max comes front and center, it's about exposing The School and it's evils.

I haven't read the Maximum Ride series so I don't know how much actual appeal this novel will have for those fans since the only similarities I know between the books are a girl with wings who can fly named Max and the fact that she was created at a place called "The School." It is, though, a really good book, especially for teens who are looking for a fast paced, thrilling book that will challenge their reading.
MMK

Wildthorn by Jane Eagland

Before woman's lib, it was believed that a fulfilled woman was a married woman, mother, and socially involved or involved with church causes. There was no place for single women, especially not those who wanted to be doctors or other professionals. Such a woman might be sent to do service with a family, sent to a convent or even sent to an asylum for the mentally ill as happened to Louisa if they in some way became inconvenient to the family.
Louisa always preferred studying science, riding horses and hanging with her father to "appropriate" womanly pursuits. With her father's support she had been studying for the entrance exams for the newly opened women's college. But her father died. Her beloved cousin for whom she had surprised feelings beyond that which was customary was marrying as a good girl should. Suddenly Louisa was in the way. She is told she is going to a family to be a governess but winds up in Wildthorn. Its an asylum of the worst kind with abusive attendants, bad food, nothing to occupy a person's mind, and no escape unless the person's who wanted Louisa out of the way decided to sign her release papers. Louisa's struggles at the asylum, how she escapes, how she learns about the conspiracy that put her there and her blossoming romance with one kind attendant makes for a fast riveting read. Its part historical fiction, part homosexual romance and part women's lib. This story will make all of us females glad to be living in the twentieth century. jdw 12/13/10

The Designated Ugly Fat Friend By: Kody Keplingler

This novel got great reviews, and I could hardly put it down.

One of the main personalities is seventeen-year-old Bianca. She thinks of herself as not pretty , but is very smart. Bianca is way to smart to get involved with the opposite sex. In fact Bianca pours coke in the face of Wesley Rush at the school cafeteria.
Later in the novel, things change for Bianca and Wesley. They become good friends, and in fact start dating. Bianca relies on Wesley when her parents get a nasty divorce. Bianca has a father, who is a secret alcoholic , who got over the problem . When her father received the divorce papers, he goes on a binge, and gets violent. Bianca lives with her Dad. Her Dad started to go to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, which helped him a lot.
Now Bianca spends a lot of time with Wesley alone without supervision Bianca does not want to go home to see her Dad drinking to much, and making a mess out of himself. The divorce has caused him shock, and he cannot believe it. In fact, the Dad had no clue as to what the wife was going to do. The novel is really a good message for all of us.
Do not presume you know all this material. Things like this happen all the time. Whether, or not you expect it. I liked this novel very much.

LRD/12/10/10

Pay Back Time By: Carl Deuker

This is a novel for teen males, but I find by reading, the novel it is good for teen females as well. It has a lot of action , and intrigue, and it is interesting to both males, and females.

We get to know Kimi, the school reporter, who takes photo's for the school newspaper. Mitch True works on the School newspaper with Kimi, and they are good friends.

Mitch, and Kimi are working on the missing links of Angel Marichal , who is the corner-back on the High School football team. He is a fantastic player . Angel is a 6 ft. 3 inches teen, and weighs 230 pounds, and is able to score points for Lincoln High School. Why does not the School Coach McNulty use Angel's great abilities, or talent to have Lincoln High School win against other football teams ?
Kimi, and Mitch True investigate Angel's background, and find his file in the School Office is blank, and only has the Coach of the High School's signature McNulty. It seems like a cover-up
of some kind. Angel Marichal's family it seems are illegal in the United States. Therefore, Angel was brought to the town where Lincoln High School is located to hide from the Immigration agents. He was also an important witness to a murder in his home town in California.

Read the novel to find out more details, and what really happens in this novel. I liked the novel.

LRD/12/11/10

Sugar & Spice By: Lauren Conrad

This novel is a good read for any teen girl, who loves watching reality television . This shows how actresses cannot confide in anyone in Hollywood , even close friends, because they are out to get the role you wanted without thinking twice. Jane is one of the personalities who just wants to control her life. Jane swears off men, and all the problems that come with them. We then are introduced to Scarlett, who has one boyfriend called Liam. The problem with Scarlett, is she is friendly with the cameramen, and men working off stage. Liam does not like to be the second fiddle to Scarlett.
The author towards the end of the novel, reveals that the real drama is usually behind the scenes.
I liked the novel very much.

LRD/12/11/10

Behemoth - Scott Westerfeld

The war between the Clankers and Darwinists continues in Behemoth, the second in Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan trilogy. After escaping the mountain with Prince Alek, Count Volger, and Master Klopp the Leviathan heads toward Constantinople. They are attacked as soon as they reach the city by a Tesla cannon, which uses lightning for its blast. The Leviathan avoids destruction, and at the same time Alek and Klopp make their escape into Constantinople. While there they befriend an American news reporter, who eventually figures out who Alek really is. Back on the Leviathan the captain reveals to Deryn the true reason they are in Constantinople. He wants Deryn to take a group of three men and place vitriolic barnacles at the bottom of kraken nets to disolve them, which will take about one month. This will allow the Behemoth to come through, and turn the war in favor of the Darwinists. Deryn succeeds in her mission, but looses her men and becomes stranded in Constantinople. Can Deryn find Alek, who is also in the city, and also get back to the Leviathan?

Behemoth was just as good and fast paced as Leviathan. It continued the story nicely, and left you with ideas where the story might go in the third book. The third book in the Leviathan trilogy called Goliath, will be coming out in October of 2011.

T.B. 12/3/10

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

One thing I hate is being misled. I dislike picking up a book that promises to be thrilling and suspenseful and finding it to be dull without a single moment of suspense. I felt misled with this book since the back cover (at least on the edition I read) made it sound like the novel focused on the mystery behind a drowned body. However, barely even a third of the book focused on that part of the story and the rest was somewhat boring in my eyes.

This novel takes place in 1906 when times were tough, especially for a girl on a farm with no mother. Mattie Gokey is the oldest daughter of four and is forced to act as mother to the family, as well as son to her father who needs help on the farm. Mattie's dreams, though, lie in school and books, so being forced to work on the farm is the last thing she wants to do. She finds herself stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place when she gets into college with a full scholarship, but no way of going since her father won't fund the trip and needs her on the farm. Try as she might, she sees no way of making her dream for college come true and then a local boy (Royal) asks her to marry him and she realizes her life is destined to be on a farm. Mattie's life on the farm is the past while the drowned woman is the present and Mattie is working at a hotel when this happens (You don't find out why she's at the hotel until the last half of the book). The woman (Grace Brown) had given Mattie a set of letters to burn, but Mattie never had a chance and then the woman's dead body appeared. Curious, Mattie reads the letters and the mystery behind Grace and her companion swells.

To begin with, this book is depressing. It's probably the time period and how limiting the options were for people (not just women) and how sad it was to see people's dreams go up in smoke (not just Mattie's dreams either). But, like they say, those were the times. It wouldn't be realistic if it were rainbows and unicorns. As I read about Mattie, though, I couldn't help but be conflicted about how I felt for her. Part of me felt she was selfish to want to go to New York since her family needed her so badly but then there was the argument of why shouldn't she pursue her dreams. I honestly didn't know what stance to take on the character, especially since the former opinion fit with the times of the book while the latter opinion is much more modern. However, the book constantly focused on this struggle to make her dream come true and the repeated disappointment that it became tiresome. I honestly struggled to read the the first half of the book because it was so slow. To me the most interesting parts focused on Grace Brown's story and I think it could have been a much more captivating book if it had been about her. The author gave a note about the true story of Grace Brown which the book touches on. If she had continued the story from where Mattie left out, exploring further the letters, told Grace's story, it would have, in my eyes, been a more interesting novel, but that's not what this novel focused on and I should focus my judgment on what it was, not what it should be. To me, what it was was depressing and frustrating and sad.

Despite how the back of the book presents this novel as a murder mystery, this is really just a coming of age story for young Mattie Gokey as she faces the tug of war between her dreams and life's reality. If the novel had been presented that way I probably would have a more favorable review because I would have expected that more so than a murder mystery. When I'm misled, I have a hard time liking a book, especially when I'm already ambivalent about historical fiction and so much of this novel was about life back then. I know others who have enjoyed this novel but I'm just not one of them.
MMK

Freddie Mercury

Me encanta la musica de Queen, la banda de rock que "rockio" en la decada de los años 70 y 80 (entre otras). Y sin duda alguna me gusta la musica de Freddie Mercury, el lider de tal banda.
No hace mucho tiempo que conosi y escuche la musica de Queen. Cuando estava en mi noveno grado en la preparatoria, una compañera de clase de fotografia tenia musica de Queen en su entonces iPod shuffle primera generacion. Le pedi permiso para escucharla, la cansion que no conosia en ese entoces ahora es una de mis canciones favoritas en mi repertorio musical. La famosa cancion Bohemian Rhapsody!
Bueno en este libro escrito por el autor y amigo Peter Freestone del desaparecido Freddie Mercury, cuenta la vida sobre su amigo. Tras trabajar con Freddie por doce años.
El relata como estuvo relacionando con Freddie, como lo conosio, cuando trabajaron juntos y tal mas.
Regresando un poco mas a mi opinion de Freddie, me encanta su musica, su letra, era un fasinante entretenidor cuando se subia en los esenarios. Uno de mis shows favoritos fue en el año 85, en el evento Live Aid. Eso fue mas que un show de entretenimiento, fue algo extraordinario.
En la vida personal de Freddie Mercury no puedo commentar nada, ya que la respeto y no soy nadie para opinar. La vida personal de cada quien es, algo muy privado. Pero como lider de la banda de rock Queen, creo que ahora es una leyenda. Tenia su propia personalidad cuando cantaba.
Desafortunadamente fallecio hace ya casi dos decadas, pero aun sigue en los iPods de los que aun escuchamos su musica.
Les recomiendo este libro. Se presenta desde una perpectiva de un amigo, assistente personal, confidente etc. El autor al igual nos presenta con algunas fotos de Freddie, en sus dias ordinarios sin presentacion con la banda. Recornando a Freddie Mercury.
RPA