Although I don't read much fiction, what I do read is mostly YA. I love Dystopian fiction as the idea of survival interests me (although I have no intAlthough I don't read much fiction, what I do read is mostly YA. I love Dystopian fiction as the idea of survival interests me (although I have no interest in actually trying it.)
I enjoyed Ashes, Ashes and may I just say, I LOVE the cover of the book. That cover would make anyone pick up the book.
My favourite character was Lucy because she is able to take care of herself but also cares for others and understands she can't always be alone. She is what I would hope I'd be like if I were in her shoes. There are many characters that we don't know anything about so I could see a prequel come in to play if this book is as popular as I think it will be. It would be nice to know the back story of some of the characters.
My least favourite character was Grammalie Rose. I'm not sure why but I guess I didn't feel she was grandmotherly enough although obviously with the circumstances, she had more important things to do than sit with the kids or bake cookies. I just mean she didn't seem to be very understanding of Lucy.
This the first YA novel by the bestselling authors of The Nanny Diaries. I've been focusing on nonfiction so much lately I haven't read much YA but I'This the first YA novel by the bestselling authors of The Nanny Diaries. I've been focusing on nonfiction so much lately I haven't read much YA but I'm glad I did. Although this book is for 14 and up, I think any young adult (up to 26 maybe) would enjoy it too. The characters live in The Hamptons of New York so their families either work near the rich and famous or work for the rich and famous (like cleaning their houses.) As the only "celebrity" I've ever met is Robert Munsch*, I can't relate personally to this lifestyle. However the characters of Jesse and Drew, except for seeing celebrities around town, are a bit more like me.
The summary seemed interesting, especially since I watch reality TV. I know it's not all real as they do makeup and wardrobe and change things to make sure people want to watch the show (like showing certain parts and not others etc..) but if reality TV is really like this book, I don't ever want to watch another reality show again. I wasn't in tears at the end but I had a terrible look on my face that would tell anyone seeing the face that I was horrified. I would never spoil an ending but I must say that this wasn't a "oh that's so horrible thank goodness it's a book" look but a "oh that's so horrible, this is happening to me, I'm the main character.. oh wait, no I'm not, it's just a book" look. In case anyone can't understand that, what I mean is, the book was so good, especially near the end, that I felt I was in it. This, to me, is what makes a fiction book a 5 star book. When I have to remind myself that it's just a book, it's a good book.
Something else that makes the book unique, is that instead of Chapter 1 or Chapter 4 it's Reel 1 and Reel 4 and then later it changes and the last chapter heading changes again. They all make sense with the storyline.
I thought the characters were well thought out. I learned a lot about each one and we are shown things later on that we wondered about at the beginning. We see them at their best and their worst and everywhere in between. It is because of this that one character that I didn't like in the beginning, I ended up liking (and I think you will too.)...more
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book other than there would be whales in it. The summary above comes from the back of the book and doesn't say I wasn't sure what to expect from this book other than there would be whales in it. The summary above comes from the back of the book and doesn't say much. I'll tell you a little more about the book so you can properly decide if it's your kind of book but don't worry, I'd never reveal too much or spoil and ending.
The main character is an 11 year old girl whose family moves to a small town where most of the inhabitants are Native Canadians. The book is Children's Fiction but for older children, say 12 and up. A large portion of the book has stories, myths and history of Native Canadians, specifically Huuayaht. I found this very interesting.
Also, since the summary says a tragedy will happen but doesn't specify anything, you don't know where or when it will happen. I don't know if it was on purpose or not but quite a few times the words made me think the tragedy would happen next and I was wrong. As an adult, later on in the book I figured out what the tragedy would be although I wasn't sure who did it. I had an idea and it did turn out to be right but I could just have easily been wrong. I don't think a child reader would be guess what the tragedy would be.
Another common occurrence in this book is bullying and the book teaches good lessons about it. It may be a good book to give to a child who is being bullied just as a fun read but with underlying lessons.
Overall I enjoyed the book although I did find my mind wandering a bit. The writing style didn't pull me into it's hold until the second half of the book. ...more
I read this book at about 4am during the Read-a-Thon and let me tell you, I was scared. I couldn't even look at the cover. It freaks me out whenever II read this book at about 4am during the Read-a-Thon and let me tell you, I was scared. I couldn't even look at the cover. It freaks me out whenever I look at it. Reading this book during broad daylight probably wouldn't have had the same effect on me but at 4am when I was alone in the dark livingroom, it had me looking around. This is a very well-written book.
"This could be the Go Ask Alice of the millennium...." - School Library Journal
I think I might just agree with that. Although it's been many years sin"This could be the Go Ask Alice of the millennium...." - School Library Journal
I think I might just agree with that. Although it's been many years since I read Go Ask Alice, I do remember the gist of it and how gripping and upsetting it was. Leslie's Journal is very similar. I believe it's just a work of fiction but it certainly sounds like it could have been a real girl's journal. Reading it brought back memories of cliques and teasing from my high school years.
Swimming in the Monsoon Sea is a coming of age novel. However unlike most coming of age novels I’ve read, this one isn’t set in America and it focusesSwimming in the Monsoon Sea is a coming of age novel. However unlike most coming of age novels I’ve read, this one isn’t set in America and it focuses on the changes a boy goes through rather than a girl. Since I’m used to reading about female changes, it surprised me to read about parts of the male anatomy, including how they look and what they sometimes do on their own. A large portion of the story is about love, “all kinds” of love.
I enjoyed reading about life in Sri Lanka and how it differs from life in Canada and America. You can tell the author is writing about a place he has lived (in this case, where he spent his childhood) because the descriptions of places and architecture are so detailed and descriptive. While there are many things about Canadian Life I would never want to give up, there are some parts of Sri Lankan life I wouldn’t mind living with.
Since this book takes place in a foreign country, the names of people can sometimes be hard to pronounce, for example: Mrs. Wanigasekera and Mrs. Jayalukshmi Coomaraswamy. This only poses a problem if you try to read the book aloud of course. Singhalese (Language of Sri Lanka) words are scattered throughout the book, which I enjoyed. I like learning words in other languages.
The book is marketed for ages 13+. I’d say 16+ or 14+ if your child were very mature. While the book would be ideal for a boy, a girl would enjoy the book too. Even the parts about male changes would be interesting as all girls want to know what boys are going through too....more