When you read the title of the book of this review, the first thing you notice is that it is long, and strange. What could it possibly be about? I think Mark Haddon named this book perfectly. It grabs your attention. Not to mention the upside-down poodle on the front of the cover. It makes you notice it. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time certainly is a great read.

           

        Sometimes you pick up a book, and the plot sounds great, but then you realize that it is incredibly long. Since you don’t want to spend a year reading it, you move on to the next book. The good thing about this book is that it is not unreasonably long, but not too short. It is perfect. You get a grabbing story packed into an average sized book. Since the story is also very interesting, it also becomes a nice, and quick light-hearted read, yet the plot is deep. It is a mixed book. It is fabulous.

           

        The story starts out with a strange boy talking about a strange event he has come across. He has found his neighbor’s dog dead on her front lawn. He is investigating it. After a little bit through the story, you learn that the boy’s name is John Francis Boone, he is 15, and that he is autistic. He lives in Swindon, Wiltshire with his dad; his mom left them. He explains things in depth in the story. He is also very bright, and knows a lot of things the average person would not know. For example, he knows “all the countries in the world and their capital cities and every prime number up to 7,057.” (Haddon 2) He wants to know who has killed this dog, and he will stop at nothing. His investigation gets him deeper and deeper into a big secret his dad has been hiding from him. You won’t want to stop reading once you’ve started.

           

        Haddon makes the book interesting by writing the book in the first person. This is especially interesting in this case since the main character who is telling the story is an autistic kid. He explains everything in great detail, and is different. He can get off topic sometimes, but it definitely doesn’t take away from the book. Haddon writes it as an investigation at parts, bringing similarities to the Sherlock Holmes stories. It is very different from how most stories are written. It is a nice difference in reading this book; it is very interesting.

             

        There are many themes to this story, and everyone could find a different one, and interpret each one differently. One theme is the family issues and relationships. It shows how different and hard some families can be, and how complicated it can be. Also, a huge theme is trust. It shows how John has to learn to trust people and change with the way things are going. I know, for me, sometimes it can be hard to trust people, but if you really try hard, and believe, you can have trust in the people you know won’t harm you. Once you start reading the book, you will find another theme is acceptance. The plot shows how hard it is to accept things in life, especially in the case for John. Everyone, at some point in their life, comes to a point when you have to accept something, but it is so hard to believe that you have a hard time accepting it. There are so many themes to this story, but these are some of the most important ones.

           

        Overall, this is a great read. Although, the style of the book takes a little getting used to, it is hard to put down. Out of five stars, I would give it a four. I think it is very hard for a book to get a five, so this is a very good rating. The story can seem a little slow at parts, for instance, when he is explaining something that doesn’t necessarily have to do with the plot, but keep with it, and you will love it like I did. This book is a more mature read. All adults and young adults will love it. I would recommend a more mature reader, though, as this book contains strong language, and adult content. If you are looking for a good read, that isn’t too long, this book is definitely the one for you!

 

- George Heffernan, May 2008 – Grade 8  

 

 

 Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

By Douglas Adams

Fiction

ISBN 0-330-25864-8

$14.95

           “How can we eat? Why do we eat? Where shall we have lunch?” Have you wondered these questions yourself? I know, I haven’t. On a related note, somewhere in Britain a man named Arthur Dent is about to get the shock of his life. He finds out that an alien race called the Vogons have come to make an interstellar highway, by demolishing Earth. How does he know this? His long time friend Ford Prefect is of a nearly extinct alien race. He also a researcher for The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Ford came to Earth for a nice little research trip,and ended up being trapped on the boring planet for many years.

             The second before the final explosion, Ford and Arthur hitchhike onto the Vogon craft. Ford explains several things to Arthur about the       universe aboard the craft; also giving Arthur the babel fish, a creature when inserted in one’s ear allows them to understand any known language in the universe. The Vogons though, don’t approve of their presence and threw the two out of the airlock. Improbably though, a stolen ship captained by the Galaxy’s president Zaphod Beeblebrox, picks the duo up from certain death. Aboard they meet Marvin, a clinically depressed robot, Trillian, the president’s assistance, and Zaphod Beeblebrox. Together the 5 go one a zany adventure to do who knows what!

 

            The theme in this book is really just spontaneous-ness. It shows how everything is right one day, and all hell breaks loose another. Douglas Adams himself had a lot of time exploring the world so it shows his ideas came from different cultures. I think he wants you to think about the strangest thing that’s happened to you, and then compare it to this book to see how normal that really was. Even throughout the writing, there is random ‘facts’ and reflections on what other are like in the universe. This odd theme keeps the story entertaining to the last page.

            

           The entire feel of the book is like nothing I’ve ever read before. It’s very much like a Star Wars gone crazy vibe. At every page turn, a new surprise and joke awaits you as Arthur Dent explores unwillingly throughout the universe. It is very much a genre of its own, in the way it asks questions and explores for answers in a way that isn’t very conventional. I can’t really compare this to any book, but it is one crazy read.

 

          This book made me ask myself, “Hey, are you bored with this life? Is this story too crazy for you?” I have been bored with the way things run in my life, I know that much. But the way that these character are living, it is a bit over the edge. I understand the questions the characters ask, but the answers they crave are sort of stupid.

 

         This book brought me great joy, and I will love reading the sequels to this. I give this 9 stars and stripes out of 10. The only lacking quality was a storyline that someone couldn’t somewhere get lost in. Some people also may criticize the randomness of the story. I recommend this to anyone who wants to read a good book. The only people I don’t recommend it to is people who don’t like fantasy books. I guarantee you one way or another; you will unconditionally love this book.

 

Ethan Johnson   May, 2008

Grade 8

 

 

 

Small Steps

By Louis Sachar

Realistic Fiction

 

ISBN: 0385733143

$16.95

     For people that get themselves into trouble with the law, it is often hard to break free from the habit. Is it possible to kick? Armpit, in Small Steps by Louis Sachar, is trying to do the unthinkable. Also known as Theodore Johnson, he has gotten out of a juvenile correction facility for teenagers called Camp Green Lake and is back to his home in Texas. He is trying to get his life back in order by setting goals for himself. Theo tries to stay focused and always tells himself to take small steps to get to where he wants to be. Armpit seems to be getting back on track with a good summer job and catching up on his schoolwork, but then an old buddy from Camp Green Lake gets him to join a get-rich-quick scheme. This friend, X-ray, gives someone a fake concert ticket during his big plan. The cops begin sniffing around for this ticket scalper. Armpit gives involved with the investigation when he is interrogated and gives a false description of the culprit to prevent his friend from going to prison. If the true story breaks out then Theo could be looking at some jail time too. This would ruin the gradual progress he’s been making, showing that this step he took was too big.

           

     Small Steps being the sequel to Holes, Newberry Medal winner, caused it to have a huge reputation to live up to and for the most part it did. Louis Sachar used some great writing techniques to draw in the reader’s attention. A writer always wants to keep people wanting to find out more in the story. Sachar created cliff hangers at the end of each chapter to make it almost impossible to put the book down. Foreshadowing was abundantly seen throughout the plot forcing readers to think, wonder, and make predictions about what was to come. The accomplished author also did well describing Armpit and his thoughts. This mad it possible to connect with the main character and really know how he felt during different points of the story.

           

      Another part of this masterpiece worth commending was how well the theme was integrated into the story. The theme portrayed consistently during the novel was overcoming the difficulties of diversity. Armpit faces this problem often with people judging him on his big, black, and scary appearance. When he walks down the street often times people switch sidewalks to avoid him. He was even accused of drugging a little girl because she was having a seizure. Theo also has trouble with his criminal record and works very hard to leave that history behind him. One of Armpit’s friends faces diversity in the story too. Ginny, a young girl with Cerebral Palsy, tries to cope with her illness and the constant struggles she has. Her disease causes her to stutter, have seizures, and sometimes unwillingly move limbs. Ginny’s dad left her and she occasionally feels like if she were born normal then he wouldn’t have. Along with Ginny and Armpit facing diversity, Kaira Deleon, joins their struggle later in the book. This famous singer was assaulted badly enough to the point where she almost died and her ex-manager stole lots of money out of her trust fund. Going through recovery and getting back into the music industry making hit songs is hard thing to do for singer as well. This is why together they are taking small steps in life to improve themselves and their lives.

           

      If this novel were to be compared to another book I would use The Seven Daughters and Seven Sons. In it a girl named Buran starts with very little and goes on a journey to become a great trading merchant. She is a lot like Armpit in the sense that they face diversity and they have a long struggle to get to where they want to be. Buran being a woman faces issues that only men leave their homes to work. With these problems she faces she has to pretend to be a man. In the beginning of her trip she is very weak, but becomes very strong by the time she reaches a city to set up shop. She also does not know a whole lot about this business and she trains under a man she meets. Armpit has this same type of journey ahead of him and he is working extremely hard to be successful like Buran was. He is studying in school and saving up money with his landscaping job, so that he can go to college. It is a gradual process, but is made happen by a dream and determination.

         

        In the book, Armpit is stuck in a sticky situation where he has obligations to be at certain places, but he has been offered a trip to San Francisco by a famous singer. I connected greatly during this part of the story because it often happens to me. I have an event going on at the same time as another. It has been happening a lot lately because I am on a baseball team and a soccer team. Each week I have three practices combined and there are always two that conflict with each other. This upcoming weekend I have a three game soccer tournament and two baseball games. On Sunday, in both sports, are the most important games. Just like Armpit, I do not want to disappoint anyone. When I finally make a decision on which game to go to I feel guilty and like I am letting my coach and team down. Theo has the same conscience when he makes his decision to let down his boss and not show up for work. In the end, for both me and Armpit, it all comes down to what is most important to us.

         

        Small Steps is great book to pick up and entertain a reader for hours. I believe many types of people would enjoy its clever plot, but with the main character being a seventeen year old I would recommend this book mostly for teenagers. Both boys and girls would take interest in it for the intense moments dealing with police and shady law breaking, while there is a little side love story between Kaira and Theo. This book also has some severe violence that is most likely too much to handle for younger children. I would not recommend to anyone that is ten or younger. As an average teenager I enjoyed the book and would give it a rating of four out of five stars. Small Steps by Louis Sachar deserved this score because it intrigued me throughout the whole story with the building suspense of Armpit’s outcome with the investigation. The book lacks one star because Armpit and Kaira do not end up together and I’m a sucker for a happy ending.

 

Ian Pimental May 2008

Grade 8

 

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

By Douglas Adams

Science Fiction

ISBN-10: 0-345-39180-2

$7.99

             Arthur Dent is an average Earthling whose life in the West Country is as boring as can be, but one morning, Arthur finds out that his friend, Ford Prefect, is actually an alien from the planet Betelgeuse. That same morning, Arthur discovers that his house is to be demolished to make way for a new hyperspace bypass. However, his house is not the only thing to be destroyed in order for the bypass to be built. Ford Prefect informs Arthur as he tries to usher him off of the planet Earth, that the Earth itself will be demolished as well. The idea for the bypass was brought about by an alien race of bureaucrats called Vogons.

            After narrowly escaping onto one of the Vogons’ ships by means of hitchhiking, and being forced to read Vogon poetry as a form of torture, the two are thrown into open space. Luckily, Arthur and Ford are picked up a mere second before asphyxiation by a ship titled the Heart of gold, which had just been stolen by the President of the Galaxy, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the semi-cousin of Ford Prefect. The Heart of Gold was piloted by Zaphod and his girlfriend, Trillian, who Arthur had previously met at a party, and were served by a “paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot,” named Marvin.

            Arthur and Ford soon learn the reason for stealing the ship, to discover the lost planet of Magrathea. When they all arrive at Magrathea, they meet an old resident of the planet named Slartibartfast. Slartibartfast tells them that a group of rich clients reawakened the Magratheans from cryosis for one more job. The Magratheans are to build Earth Mark II to replace the now destroyed Earth Mark I. The Earth Mark I was actually an organic supercomputer that the Magratheans used to calculate the “Question to Life, the Universe, and Everything.” However, the Magratheans already know the Answer to the Question. As told by Deep Thought, the Answer is 42, but this will only make sense if the Question is known, and with only five minutes remaining until Earth was to be able to calculate the question, it was demolished to make way for the new hyperspace bypass. How can the Magratheans wait another ten million years to find the Question to Life, the Universe, and Everything?

            The major theme found within Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is that anything can happen at any time. As the book unfolds, more plot twists are brought about by means of crazy events. The major example of this theme is when the Earth is destroyed only five minutes before the Question to Life, the Universe, and Everything is to be calculated. This inconvenience for the Magratheans could force them to wait another ten million years before the Question is to be calculated again. This theme is a perfect reason why everyone should be prepared for anything at any time.

            After reading hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the theme reminded me of an extraordinary event occurring in 2006. That year, I attended my first ever national quarter-midget racing event called the Eastern Grands. To my surprise, after all one-hundred or so cars went out to qualify, I was left with the second fastest time. After forty laps, some bent parts, and a whole lot of determination, I fought my way back up from the back of the pack to come within one foot of winning at the finish line. After all the hard work, I prevailed with an astonishing second place finish. The theme of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy reminded me of this event because I was the most unlikely candidate to win the national title from other racers’ view points as well as mine, yet I was able to come so close. This is a perfect example of how anything can happen at any time.

            Douglas Adams writes with such drama. In Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams expands each moment in order for the audience, or the readers, to be able to grasp the wild events and sudden twists that occur in this famous book. For example, when Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect aboard the Heart of Gold with Zaphod Beeblebrox, Trillian, and Marvin, the moment is extended by describing each person’s actions and thoughts through their dialogue.

            In addition, Douglas Adams’ writing does not simply tell what is going on, he shows it. This is a very important writing style for an author to have in order to keep the reader interested. For example, when Arthur Dent awakens and notices the contractors outside his house, Douglas Adams describes every moment from the time Arthur stubs his big toe to the time when he lies in front of the bulldozer. By doing this, the reader is able to create an imaginary picture of what is happening in his or her mind.

            Additionally, Douglas Adams writes with such a comic twist. He starts off Arthur Dent living an indescribably boring life who happens to meet an alien and set off on an adventure that most people would never believe. This comic element in Douglas Adams’s writing keeps the reader engrossed in the book as well as gives the reader a little laugh.

            Douglas Adams is very similar to Herbert George Wells. For example, both Adams and Wells adopted one of their major books from a radio broadcast. For H.G. Wells, he wrote War of the Worlds while Douglas Adams wrote Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Moreover, the two authors are passionate about writing science fiction novels. Herbert George Wells wrote War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, The Invisible Man, The First Men in the Moon, and The Island of Dr. Moreau. Both Adams and Wells have a vast variety of books that are quality literature for anyone of any age.

            Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is also similar to War of the Worlds besides the fact that they were adopted from the radio. Both books are classic reads for all ages, whether it be a skilled reader looking for an enjoyable “holiday” book or a child looking for an exciting, adventurous book for school reading. Also, these two books are filled with action and are those never-want-to-put-down-just-keep-reading books that everyone knows and loves.

            I would give Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy a dazzling five out of five stars. This rating is backed by the magnificent recognition not only given to the book, but the author. The recognition given to Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy are the number one on the Sunday Times best seller list (1979), “Golden Pan,” an award given by the publishers on account of the 1,000,000^th book sold (1984), Waterstone's Books/Channel Four’s list of the “One Hundred Greatest Books of the Century”, at number 24. (1996), and BBC’s “Big Read,” an attempt to find the “Nation’s Best-loved book”, it ranked in at number four. (2003). Douglas Adams’ writing earned him the title of a New York Times bestselling author.

            I would recommend this book to anyone who loves science fiction and a god laugh. Despite the comic and plot-twisting events, this book is not only a teen read, but a fantastic book to reread as one gets older. The enjoyment brought to the reader with this book is priceless.

 Alex Curley   May 2008

Grade 8

    

Ranger’s Apprentice: The Icebound Land

By: John Flanagan

Fantasy

 

ISBN-13: 978-0-399-24456-8

$7.99

           

            Could you imagine being taken away from your master and put into slavery at a camp with no recollection of anything for the time you spend there? Well, Will lives all of this. The third book, The Icebound Land is a sequel that stems off books The Ruins of Gorlan and The Burning Bridge. Will, the ranger apprentice to Halt, has been taken away with Evalyn, a princess from The Burning Bridge to a Skandia Camp. Halt and Horace are now on a quest to find Will after Halt promised that he would not rest until he finds him. While at the camp, Will has been worked so hard that he has lost all of his memory and is basically controlled by warmweed, a weed that calms you. Evalyn on the other hand is a maid in the home of the head Skandian. Evalyn gets acquainted with one of the working Skandians and he helps her with a plan to escape with Will. While all of this is going on, Halt and Horace are also being taken captive by a man named Deparnieux of Gallica. He is keeping them until he can fight Horace in a battle. What he doesn’t know is that Halt is a ranger. He thinks he is just a man that follows Horace. Both of these captures could ruin both groups’ lives forever.

           

One theme that was in the book was that you “try until you die”. Halt, Horace, Evalyn and Will all show this throughout the book. Halt and Horace are on the quest to get Will back and they aren’t stopping until they succeed. They stayed in Deparnieux’s castle for months just waiting to be let go. They didn’t stop thinking about what they had to do for one second. They did finally defeat Deparnieux, and started the quest, one step closer. Evalyn on the other hand never stops thinking about Will and his health. She tries so hard to help him escape.

           

Another theme shown throughout the book was that good things to come take time. This entire book revolves around the search for Will and Wills memory and overall health loss. Halt and Horace spend the entire book riding on horseback through many villages and lands, while Evalyn waits desperately for Will’s health to return. By the very end of the book, Will actually gets a sense of what is going on and starts to remember what went on for the last few months. In my own words, waiting takes time, but once the waits over, it is usually worth it.

           

The Icebound Land reminds me of the book Eragon by Christopher Paolini. It is not the story itself or the way the characters are told that makes them similar, it is the way the author writes the story, the general plot of each and the genres. Both Paolini and Flanagan write in a way that makes you want to read more. They end chapters or the book with a cliffhanger of some sort that gets you striving for more. Both books are fantasy, which tells you that they will be about castles and dragons and fictional characters, which also makes them similar in a way.

           

The Icebound Land can relate to my life and probably many others. This story somewhat relates to the discussion my A5 class has had about following your personal legend. Halt has a personal legend at this point to find Will. This is his only dream at this point, and he never gives up, no matter what the circumstances are. He never lost interest in what he needs to do. In my life, my dream or personal legend is to learn to fly and become a pilot. This is what I need to do in life. Just like Halt with the quest for Will, I have a quest to learn to fly. I will never give up.

           

The entire Ranger’s Apprentice series through book four in my opinion would suit the ages between 10 and 14. Males in most cases might enjoy this book a little more than women, but I may be wrong. It is what those people think is in their best interest. I am not a kid who likes many Fantasy books or movies, but kids who do and like to play Fantasy games like World of Warcraft and Lord of The Rings would love this book!

           

John Flanagan’s writing style isn’t much different than other Fantasy writers. He does incorporate foreshadowing in the first and third books to keep you informed and just to remind you of what has been going on. Flanagan also puts his characters in different circumstances and places. To incorporate all of the characters, he writes every other chapter about a group of characters. If Will and Evalyn are at the camp in chapter one, chapter two will be about Halt and Horace in Gallica, and this basically repeats throughout the book and series.

           

I would definitely give The Icebound Land a perfect three out of three stars. This book is full of exhilaration and mystery. I almost couldn’t put this book down once I started. I loved the way the book ended with a huge cliffhanger. The main character Will was my favorite because he sort of reminds me of myself. He is outgoing and likes to have fun, but is serious at times to.  This book was probably one of my favorite books all year and I really hope there are more of these books to come. This book is a must read for anyone who loves Fantasy books!

 

Mitchell Roberts    May 2008

Grade 8

The Kite Runner

by Khaled Hosseini

Realistic Fiction

 

ISBN-13: 978-1-59448-000-3

$15.00

 

            “I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975. I remember the precise moment, crouching behind a crumbling mud wall, peeking into the alley near the frozen creek. That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.” (Hosseini 1)

 

Khaled Hosseini’s book, The Kite Runner, is set in Afghanistan from the end of the monarchy, San Francisco, and back to Afghanistan in the year of 2001. The main character, Amir is born into a privileged family. He lost his mother during childbirth, and lives with his father, Baba, a respectful, honorable man known throughout Kabul (their city) for his acts of kindness and good deeds. They have two Hazara servants, Ali, the father, and Hassan, the son. Amir and Hassan are very close friends, although discrimination is separating them apart. Amir and Baba are Pashtuns, while Hassan and Ali are “just” Hazaras, an ethnicity near the bottom of social class in Afghanistan. Many find it odd, maybe even disgraceful, that Amir and Hassan are together. Especially one boy, Assef, a half German-half Afghan boy who feels strongly about his hateful opinions on anything, and uses his brass knuckles to show others who oppose. Amir had always been struggling for his father’s happiness and attention, and in the winter of 1975, enters a kite-fighting contest to try to show his skills. He ends up winning, and Hassan, the best kite runner in the neighborhood, runs to retrieve the kite that Amir beat as a reward for his win. Hassan has not yet returned, and Amir is worried. He starts looking for him, and eventually ends up finding Hassan in an alley, with Assef and two of his buddies cornering him. Amir then makes a decision that will affect him for the rest of his life. (This consumes him for a long time and is the reason for the man versus himself conflict throughout the story.)

 

 Later on, Amir gets back to his house and shows the kite to Baba. Everything is happy now for Amir, although, ever since that day he found Hassan, their relationship has been strained. Amir keeps on trying to push Hassan out of his life until one day, he slips money under Hassan’s pillow when Hassan had left for the market. Ali then finds the money and thinks his son stole the money. They end up leaving, partly because of the stolen money, and partly because of how he knew what really happened. Baba is in tears and begs them to come back, but they refuse. Shortly after, the Soviets invade Afghanistan, and Amir and Baba leave for America, entrusting the house to Baba’s closest friend, Rahim Khan. San Francisco is an entirely different place for Baba and Amir, and they live a cheap apartment building, with Baba’s money as a gas station employee supporting them. While in a market, Amir meets the love of his life, Soraya. Amir has also discovered that Baba has acquired cancer, and his time is limited. When things start to go good for Amir and Soraya, Baba than goes khastegari, or asks Soraya’s father for her daughter’s hand. She accepts, and Amir and Soraya live together, taking care of Baba, until one night, he fell asleep, and never woke up. They then move into their own apartment, in a nicer part of the neighborhood, and life seems to be going pretty good, until in 2001, Amir receives a letter from Rahim Khan, who is now dying, to come back to Afghanistan. The letter also includes that it is the chance to be “good again.” His trip back there reveals a shocking lie, the reality of the Taliban-run Afghanistan, and the search of a boy names Sohrab, with the help of man named Farid.

          

         The Kite Runner is not part of a series, neither is it a prequel, or sequel. But, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, his other book, is similar to The Kite Runner in the way of their description of three decades worth of Afghanistan, which is a main part of The Kite Runner. Speaking of description, Khaled Hosseini’s description of the book is superb, to the architecture of the Shah Faisal Mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan, to the taste of Kabul’s succulent kabobs. This, I consider the best part of his writing style. I also think that his ability to use flashbacks greatly helps readers understand and enjoy the story better. For example, the flashback on the first page of the book helped me know where the book was heading. I can also relate to this book in the way the main character suffers conflict with himself. For example, being too hard on myself, regretting things of the past, and having the determination to make things right again. Most of all, though, I too have had to deal with an Assef, but was too cowardly to do anything about it, and relied on other people to stand up to him. This is sad, but it the biggest connection I have with Amir.

           

        The theme in this book is redemption. After he found Hassan in that alley that cold winter day of 1975, I could tell that, although Amir gained happiness with his father, was married, and published a couple books, he never truly was at his happiest. His mental quest for redemption was intertwined in all parts of the novel, until he received the letter from Rahim Khan and his physical journey for redemption of all the regretful, horrible things he had witnessed began.

          

        In summary, The Kite Runner is a riveting tale featuring love, guilt, honor, fear, and most importantly redemption. It is a fantastic read for anyone who loves surprise twists, classic feel-good endings and the sad, nostalgic, yet intense modern day Afghanistan. I am giving this book a five out of five star rating, I could not put the book down, nothing was repeating or descriptions bland, each new page contained something worth reading. I recommend this book to a mature young adult and adult, due to some sexual references, graphic scenes and language. If you are not offended by any of these things, I strongly urge you to pick up The Kite Runner and enjoy!

 

Louie Newsom     May 2008

Grade 8        

New Moon

By Stephanie Meyer

Fiction

 

ISBN-13: 978-0-316-16019-3

$ 19.99

 

        “ Before you, Bella, my life was like a moon less night. Very dark, but there were stars- points of light and reason…And then you shot across my sky like a meteor. Suddenly everything was on fire; there was brilliancy, there was beauty. When you were gone, when the meteor had fallen over the horizon, everything went black. Nothing had changed, but my eyes were blinded by the light. I couldn’t see the stars anymore. And there was no more reason for anything.” Edward said this to Bella while describing his love to her. Edward loves Bella, but their love is very complicated because they have inhuman like obstacles keeping them apart.

 

 Bella lives with her father in Forks Washington and is eighteen years old. Edward lives with his family in Forks as well and is in the same grade as her, but is much older than her. Bella’s best friend Jacob Black lives in an Indian conservation called La Push. After something goes terribly wrong between Edward and Bella, Bella starts hanging out there a lot. She started to basically live with Jacob, Billy, Jacob’s father who is handicapped in a wheelchair, and a couple of Jacob friends who are a little inhuman like themselves. She was there all the time because when something went wrong between her and Edward there was a hole in her heart. She always felt pain and no one could fix it. She felt better when she was around Jacob like there was a small patch over the large hole. I had a huge hole in my heart too when my dad was in the hospital in the ICU in March. It was just weird not having my dad home and no matter how hard I tried no one could fix it. Of course when I was with friends the little patch would cover the hole, but it was always there. After almost two weeks my hole went away because my dad came home.

           

       Then after Bella and Jacob stopped hanging out for a couple days, Bella jumped off a cliff. Alice saw Bella jump and told Edward. Alice, Edward’s sister came and got Bella and took Bella to Italy to save Edward, he thought she died so he was doing the unthinkable, commit suicide himself. Now that may seem quite easy, but for Edward, he could not do it himself. Bella and Alice saved Edward, but getting out of Italy and back home was another story. Then the question was would Edward return back to Forks with Bella.

          

        The theme of this book is do not always jump to conclusions. Alice saw Bella jump off the cliff and told Edward. That is why Edward tried to kill himself. She did not know why Bella had jumped or even if Bella had died. It turned out that Bella was ok, so what if Bella and Alice had not been in time and Edward had already killed himself thinking he would be with Bella, but he would not be. That is why the theme of this book is do not jump to conclusions.

          

        I liked how Stephanie Meyer wrote New Moon because she used a ton of detail. Even though some of the things in this book are not true, she made them seem very believable. I love how she described the different places as well, making it easy to follow the setting. In the book, she also had hallucinations. Bella did not have flash-forwards or anything like that, she had hallucinations. I also like how Stephanie made an epilogue at the end of the book. That way you could get a little extra if you did not want to stop reading. Overall, I loved her writing styles.

           

        New Moon is the sequel to Twilight, and after New moon, is Eclipse. If you do not read them in order, it is very confusing! I would rate this book a five out of five stars because I loved it. She used the right amount of humor, adventure and everything to make this a great book. I would recommend this book for teens and adults because it can be a challenge. There are so words that are hard and it is rather long.

 

Liz Abramo May 2008

Grade 8