Jennifer Government by Max Barry

This is a futuristic type novel, the people’s surnames are reflected by the company’s in which they work for. Everything has been commercialized, the schools are all run by companies such as Mattel and McDonald’s and businesses use the principal of supply and demand to drive up prices. When Nike runs a murderous operation solely to increase the profit of a pair of shoes, the government gets involved. Jennifer Government is an agent dedicated to ensuring the safety of people so she tries to track down the perpetrator responsible for the Nike killings. This book is very strange and also is very confusing to follow. It is not told through one person’s eyes but rather a slew of characters who are somehow all interconnected. I found the book to be boring and a drag to get through. I give it ½ out 5 stars.

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

This book is about a boy named Cal who has contracted a strange disease after a chance encounter with a mysterious woman. Cal is only a carrier, still sane, without the worst of the symptoms, but Cal must hunt down all his former girlfriends, who by now have been turned into peeps or vampires, to keep them from spreading the disease. Once infected, “peeps” will hate everything they once love and will be followed around by a pack of rats. I found this book to be very weird. Right in the middle of the story the author goes off on tangents about other parasites which have nothing to do with the story. There is also a strange creature living in the subway that has been awakened to spread the disease. Overall I give the book 1 out of 5 stars.

Catch by Will Leitch

Another Abe Lincoln, Catch is an easy read and very it is easy to relate to because the main character Tim lives in small town Illinois and it is his last summer before he heads off to the University of Illinois. Tim must work at the town’s bagel factory in order to make some money before he goes off to college; it is at the factory where he meets Helena, who makes Tim see the world in a whole new light. As summer draws to a close Tim must make a choice to settle for being a small town hero, or leave Matton and everything he is familiar with. The story is overall a good story, especially for boys. I give it 3.5 out 5 stars.

Mermaid Park by Beth Mayall.

Mermaid Park is one of those guilty beach reads. It is easy to follow. The story follows Amy a teenage girl who takes a summer vacation to the beach with her family. Amy is having problems with her stepdad who is constantly riding her and she feels her mother always takes his side. Amy decides that she wants to spend the summer at the motel with a family friend and get a job and make money. She finds a job at Mermaid Park first as a janitor cleaning up after shows, and then when a girl gets hurt in the tank, Amy takes over swimming and controlling the scenery. Finally Amy is given the honor of swimming as a mermaid in the final show of the summer and she unburies a long- buried family secret. Through her work she discovers she is stronger inside than she ever imagined. This book was a fast read, but there wasn’t a lot of depth to it. The story gets a little dull in the middle, but the end is very unexpected. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

This story is about a boy named Craig, who after studying intensely for a year to get into an honor school suffers a mental breakdown over the stresses of getting “mere” 93’s and languishes over the fact that his best friend is dating the girl he likes. He contemplates suicide and checks himself into the sixth north, a psychiatric facility. Overall the book is okay; while the theme is intriguing I believe it could have been better written. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

The Girls by Lori Lansens

A story of conjoined twins, Rose and Ruby who are joined at the head, Rose decides to write her autobiography and Ruby’s input is also included in the story. An excellent novel of the hardships the girls face as conjoined twins but it also tells of the triumphs they shared. It is told like a nonfiction story, although it is fiction this type of writing makes the story seem very real and believable. I enjoy the characters’ adoptive parents, Aunt Lovey and Uncle Dash because the author does a wonderful job creating their personalities and adding in all the nuances that define a person. The story becomes very compelling to read once you find out that the girls are dealing with a life-threatening disease. It becomes a race against time for the girls to share all the intimate details of their lives. The end was very well written. I give it 4.5 stars out of 5.

The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult

This novel tells the story of a girl named Trixie who is raped at a party by her boyfriend. Her father and Daniel and mother Laura are going through problems of their own and are overwhelmed when Trixie is raped. Laura, at the time of the rape, was having an affair with one of her students and Daniel is locked in the naïve belief that his daughter is still a child. As the novel progresses and more of Trixie’s dilemma is revealed you learn about how far families will go to protect each other. Overall, very interesting story, I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

A story about a high school girl who assumes the responsibilities of the family farm after her dad injures his hip. She is required to dedicate the majority of her time milking the cows and cleaning the barn. During the course of the novel, D.J. (the main character, who has grown up in a football family) trains Brian, a quarterback at a rival school. D.J. discovers a lot about herself and her family and makes a courageous decision to do something uncommon. The book is a very simple, easy to follow book, although at times it did get a little boring. I give it 3.5 stars out of 5.

The Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

The sequel to the novel Dairy Queen, it picks up right where Dairy Queen left off, D.J. playing linebacker for Red-Bend. D.J. and the rival quarterback from Hawley take their relationship to the next level and become sort of boyfriend and girlfriend. However, Brian is somewhat ashamed of D.J. not acknowledging her in public and not wanting to invite her to the movies where he knows his friends will be. D.J. at first is unaware of why he only is with her on her farm or where nobody knows him. During the novel D.J. is interviewed by People magazine because she is playing football and when the photographers come she is unaware of who they are and her and Brian are caught in some photographs that expose their relationship to the rest of the world. D.J. also goes through other struggles and injures her shoulder playing football and is forced to make a decision that will affect her teammates. D.J. also deals with her brother Win’s spine injury that was dealt to him while he was playing football. D.J. takes over her mother’s place of caring for him as her mother is unable because she herself is injured. D.J. does a wonderful job teaching her brother how to learn to love life again. A nicely written story, I give it 3.5 stars out of 5.

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

The first book of the Twilight series it tells the story of a girl named Bella who goes to live with her dad in Washington so that her mom can travel with her new husband who is a minor league baseball player. Bella discovers in the small town of Forks, Washington an old secret about a family of vampires; the Cullens, and over time Bella falls for Edward Cullen. Their relationship is thrown into chaos when a vampire comes to Forks and desires the scent of Bella. The Cullens must work together to protect Bella. All in all, I absolutely LOVED this book. I found it to be a surprisingly quick read considering its length and look forward to reading the rest of the series. Overall, I give the book 5 out of 5 stars.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

A classic novel, this book was actually understandable and even interesting. The story takes place in the early 1800’s and tells the story of the Bennets, family with five grown daughters that are all of eligible marriage age and how they must look for love and companionship. In the beginning of the story the visiting of a Mr. Bingley and his friends causes a stir throughout Netherfield Park. He has a ball which all of the Bennet girls attend and the eldest Jane falls in love with Mr. Bingley. Mr. Bingley’s friends act rude at the ball especially to Elizabeth Bennet. As time passes Mr. Darcy, who was initially rude to Elizabeth, decides that he loves her despite her poor status. The story gets a little complex when Mr. Collins arrives, for he is the one who will take over the Bennet’s estate. He finds Elizabeth attractive and proposes to her, but she turns him down. He then asks her friend who accepts his proposal. Meanwhile the Bennet girls are all infatuated with the militia who is stationed near them and Elizabeth meets Mr. Wickham who explains to her how Mr. Darcy cheated him out of his inheritance. Later that spring Elizabeth visits her friend Charlotte who has married Mr. Collins, Mr. Collins lives near his patron Lady Catherine de Bough who is Mr. Darcy’s aunt. Mr. Darcy shows up unexpectedly and confesses his love to Elizabeth and even proposes to her. She turns him down citing instances of his poor behavior. He later explains in a letter why he persuaded his friend not to marry Jane and told the truth about Mr. Wickham. Elizabeth changes her mind about him and after her younger sister Lydia, marries Wickham, she has the opportunity to show Darcy that. Her sister Jane finally weds Mr. Bingley and Elizabeth weds Mr. Darcy and they all live happily ever after! This is actually a good book. I give it 3.5 stars out of 5.

Borrowed Light by Anna Fienberg

This story is about a girl named Callisto who feels a deep connection with astronomy. She knows all the planets and their moons. But on Earth she is completely alone. She finds out that she is pregnant and she has nowhere to go. Her mother is too consumed by other people’s problems to care about her own family. Her father buries himself in his work and her boyfriend would rather have his own freedom than care for her. The only person who really loves her is her five year old brother. She has to decide for herself what to do about the baby and ultimately decide how she will live the rest of her life. This book while presenting an interesting concept, manages to be a little boring because it is filled with so much information about astronomy. Overall I give the book 2.5 stars out of 5.

Grief Girl by Erin Vincent

An autobiography about Erin’s struggle to come to terms after both of her parents die from a car accident. Erin blames herself for the accident because that day she had wished she could become an orphan. She also explores all the what if’s. Like what if she had called her parents, then they wouldn’t have crossed at that particular instant, or what if they hadn’t stopped at the cemetery before going to the fruit stand. Erin also has deal with her crotchety old grandparents who insist that she and her sister Tracey are incapable of raising their younger brother Trent. On top of it all their Uncle Randy who is in charge of the money refuses to give any of it to them when they ask for it. This is a good book for anyone who has suffered the loss of a loved one. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

I am the Messenger  by Markus Zusak

Another Abe Lincoln book, this tells the story of a nineteen year old cab driver whose life is completely ordinary until he helps catch an armed robber who was holding up a bank, after he does this he receives his first message on the Ace of Diamonds. The card leads him to various locations to help people who are hurting. Not all the missions are easy; some are very dangerous and require Ed to intervene in situations where people are getting abused. He manages to make it through the town helping until only one question remains? Who’s behind Ed’s missions? I loved this book. It wasn’t something I probably would have picked up because the cover looks so weird, but once I started it I couldn’t stop. It was very suspenseful and intriguing to see who and how Ed helps. I give this book 5 out 5 stars.

Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

This was another really good book. The story begins when an asteroid hits the moon pushing it closer to Earth and tilting it. Because the moon controls tides, there is severe flooding and tsunamis that wipe out all the coastal cities. But that is only the beginning, electricity fails and people all over the world begin to panic. Miranda and her family go to the grocery store and stock up on canned goods and other essentials. Gas prices skyrocket and the world is drastically changed. With no electricity and a postal service that is unreliable, no one knows what’s going on around the world. Schools close. Dormant volcanoes erupt clouding the sky with ash and covering the sun drastically reducing temperatures. For the whole world life as it once was is over. This book is fast paced and is filled with twists and turns that keep you desiring to find out what is going to happen. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.