Friday, March 15, 2013

Ender's Game

  Ender's Game
by: Orson Scott Card

Ender Wiggin is the only one brilliant enough to save mankind.  He is smart, he is a ruthless tactician, and he is only six years old.

In this science fiction novel,  alien "Buggers" are at war with Earth. Military officials see only one way to come out of this conflict victorious, which is to use Ender Wiggin to command an offensive army against the Buggers.  It is a desperate gamble, but for Earth, these are desperate times.  Ender will be enlisted into battle school, and his commanding officers have high hopes for him.  But will Ender be willing to play their game?

“I don't care if I pass your test, I don't care if I follow your rules. If you can cheat, so can I. I won't let you beat me unfairly - I'll beat you unfairly first."
 -Ender Wiggin
This is one of my favorite lines said by Ender in this book.  It shows how beaten down and broken he has been after his long journey to become what the world wants him to be.  I think it applies to all of us in that the world's image and expectations of us can be very cruel, and that scrambling to live up to that standard can be destructive to our character. The theme of this novel is loss of innocence.  Ender and his friends are put up to some frightening tests.  Their trials rob them of their childhood, yet they allow these children to reach their full potential.

I quite liked this book, and I would recommend it to everyone who enjoys great science fictional literature. I would suggest this book to only those who are twelve years old and older because of some of the more adult ideas.  You definitely need to read this novel!


Thursday, March 14, 2013

Seconds Away 



Seconds Away by Harlan Coben

 Mickey and his loyal new friends, Ema and the Spoon find themselves at the center of a terrifying mystery involving the shooting of their classmate Rachel. Now, not only does Mickey need to keep himself and his friends safe from the Butcher of Lodz, but he needs to figure out who shot Rachel no matter what.
Mickey Bolitar is very smart just like his uncle Myron, in this book, it is going to take all of his determination and help from his friends to protect the people he loves, even if he does not know who or what he is protecting them from. In this book Mickey has to overcome a house that caught on fire, the police and even having a gun pointed right at his head.

"We opened the bag in it was wads of bills and under neath them was bags filled with white powder. We turned around and there was the man with the scar holding a gun right at spoon's chest."

Mickey is smart, quick-witted, great problem solver and clever. He is a junior in high school. He is great at basketball and is 16 years old. I like Mickey because he is great at solving mysteries.

I would recommend this book to everyone it is thrilling and exiting.


To Kill A Mockingbird

                                                                      By: Harper Lee
 To Kill A Mockingbird is a very inspiring book. It follows a young girl named Jean Louise Finch, mostly called Scout, and her brother Jeremy Finch, Jem, through their lives in the 1960's in Maycomb County, Alabama. One summer when a boy named Dill comes to stay with his aunt, he gives Jem and Scout the idea to bring a hermit named Boo Radley, who is believed to be a vicious monster, to come out of his home. Scout's father Atticus finch is not fond of this plan and when he finds out his children are trying to figure out a way to get this man to come out of his home, he is not very pleased and forbids them to go near the Radley home, but do they listen? Of course not. In the dark of the summer's last night, Dill, Scout and Jem go to the Radley home and wiggle under the fence to get a good look at Boo. When they hear gun shots they run as fast as they can to get away from the house. Hurrying as fast as they can under the fence Jem loses and tears pants, just in time to get away from Boo's father Nathan Radley.
 When Jem, Scout and Atticus are all in bed, Jem gets up to go get his pants from the Radley yard to find that they have been sloppily stitched up. Jem's imagination goes straight to Boo Radley. . . who else could have done it?
 Years later Atticus is put on a case as a lawyer for Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a young woman. Most of the white folks are against him, and what are the chances of winning if you are a black man against a whole lot of white people in the 1960's? Atticus tries to convict the young woman's father Bob Ewell of doing the crime, but instead, Tom Robinson loses the case. Bob Ewell threatens Atticus Finch that he is going to kill him, and you will have to read it to find out if he does follow through and if Boo Radley comes back into the story.
 The quote I chose for this book is "You never really understand a person until you consider things from  his point of view. Until you climb inside of his skin, and walk around in it," Atticus Finch said this to Scout when she was getting angry at a boy in her grade for saying mean things about her father. I think this quote is a good one everybody can live by and learn from.
 The characters in this book are all very good, interesting characters, but my very favorite was Atticus. He knows what is right and always follows through with that. He is a very smart person that knows to always do what is in your heart and that you feel is the right way to go even if you are going to get judged by neighbors, friends, and even your own family. He gives all he can to protect Tom Robinson from jail because he believes it is the right thing to do.
 I think everyone should read this book because it is such a sweet story about compassion, love, and standing up for what you believe in. It is a great read, I did not want this great book to be over.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

My book Department 19 is about a secret facility that takes care of paranormal monsters as a boy that is the age of 16 named Jamie Carpenter prepares with his friends for the biggest war since a century ago. The king of the dead Dracula was been brought  to live by one  of his minions, and seeks revenge on who that has put him to rest. Department 19 has 91 days to prepare for the biggest battle yet before Dracula is at full power and is ready to strike.
"I liked this book because it has great action and a great story"

The connection that i had with this book was the action i am i big fan of action books and this book has the kind of action i like.

I think the type of person that would like this book should be a great reader,loves action,and a person that can picture what is going on in the book.

""When i dare to be powerful-to use my strength in the service of my vision,then it becomes less and less important whether i am afraid"

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

The Throne of Fire


The Throne of Fire

By: Rick Riordan


     The book I chose is called The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan. Is is the second book in the Kane Chronicles series. The first book is called The Red Pyramid. The Throne of Fire is about two kids named Carter and Sadie. They are both Egyptian magicians, and this book is all about their adventures fighting monsters and the Egyptian gods. The book is written so every chapter is from a different point of view, switching from Carter to Sadie and back to Carter again. This book is all about Carter and Sadie trying to wake Ra the sun god to try and stop Apophis the god of chaos from destroying the world.

    This book can be really funny. There are many funny quotes in this book but I think my favorite one is when Carter is talking. He says, "So when she told us the dwarf king was driving us to Russia, I was like, 'Whatever.' And got into the car." When he says "she" he means Sadie. I thought that was really funny when I first read it. That shows a little bit of Carter's personality. He is very smart and level-headed. He also knows how to stay calm in scary situations. Sadie on the other hand is nothing like that. Sadie is very stubborn and doesn't like to be told what to do. She has a little bit of a temper and is almost the opposite of Carter. But she too is very smart... Just not as smart. 

     The Throne of Fire is a very good book. It is funny and exciting and great. If you like this kind of Egyptian mythology stuff then you will love this book. I almost didn't even know what mythology was and I found this book. It is amazing and I think you all should give it a try.

      

    



   





Friday, March 1, 2013

Emeralds and Espionage
By: Lynn Gardner
 
 
              Romance. A pretty boring story if that is all it is about, but when you put it with mystery it has a whole new meaning.
 
              Ever since Allison Alexander was little she went with her mother to their vacation home in California, since her father had died.  Well everyone thought he was dead but Allison knew better. Once in a while she could feel her father's presence in the vacation home.  Allison had always felt safe in the vacation home and could always slightly feel what her father was thinking.  This time things were different.  When she got to the house it was late but she noticed something different. There was a boat on their dock.  There had never been a boat on the dock.  Her mother was traveling for work and wouldn't be there until later that week.  When she hears gun shots she knows she is in for a long week.  She soon realizes that all the people she loves is involved: her father, her mother and Bart, a man that she has loved and played with since she was three years old.  Bart had left her and never came back for five years, and now shows up where she never thought she would find him.  To save her life, Allison's father had set up a plan years ago that will make her go back in time, when she had loved Bart.  Will she be able to go through with the plan?  Will she be able to forgive Bart for those things he had done so many years ago?  In this book there is always another secret Allison has to find out.  You won't want to put the book down.
  
              I loved this book!  It was amazing.  I guarantee that you won't be able to put the book down.  It is very addicting and I am pretty sure you will keep going back to read this book again. The setting in this book is explained very well. You almost feel as if you are there, walking around the house or on the beach. If you like either romantic or mystery kind of books, this is the book for you. I would highly recommend this book to anyone. It was really good and I hope you will think so too.