Sister Gee

Sister Gee,

The latest books are all under the July tab....

Thanks,

Hannah

Sins of the Fathers

Sins of the Fathers

By: Chris Lynch

Pages: 240

ISBN: 006074037X

Genre: Fiction

Setting: Suburbs of Boston Massachusetts

In this book we have three teens, Drew, the narrator and his best friends, Skitz, who fits his name, and Hector, that has a bit of an anger management problem. All three boys attend a Catholic school. Drew seems to be the middle man when everything happens. Skitz is the kid that doesn’t necessarily get things started but he helps make matters worse almost always. And Hector who is the teddy bear of the group has a hard time holding back a punch when something he doesn’t agree with is said. This book is really just a bunch of stories of their adventures with the Fathers at their school.

I was actually surprised how much I liked this book. When I put it down to work on something else I was left thinking about Drew and his buddies and what might happen next. I think it would be the perfect book to recommend to some boys that aren't the first to pick up a book, because they'd rather be out causing trouble like Drew and his pals.

A Dangerous Secret

A Dangerous Secret

By Ian Bone

Pages: 192

ISBN: 0385732104

Genre: Sci-Fi

Setting: This takes place in two worlds, New York City at a special high school made for future film people, Capra Video High School. It also takes place in the world of the Vidz.

Hamish is a typical high school freshman that just so happens to be going to the school of his dreams, Capra Video High. There is only one problem, he is the new guy. He doesn’t have many friends and like most new kids has something everyone can make fun of him for. Hamish has written a paper in which he says, “watching a good film is his favorite thing t do, because sometimes living in the film would be better than living the life he has.” Those words is what ends him up in Vidz. Hamish is elected to become first director. In this film he is the director, actor, and producer. Once he pushes play he enters an alternate universe that parallels real life. Now Hamish has the tasks of beating the bad guy and finding the three other directors. I liked this book because it had an equal balance between Sci-Fi and reality. I would recommend it to a struggling reader because it was an interesting read that wasn’t too hard to understand. And it is the first in the series so hopefully the student would like to keep going.

The Willoughbys

The Willoughbys

By Lois Lowery

Pages: 176

ISBN: 0618979743

Genre: Fiction

Setting: There wasn’t really a time frame set. It was in a home and eventually a mansion.

This book wasn’t about one person. It was about four children; Tim, the oldest and I am guessing he’s about 13 never really says his age, the twins Barnaby A and Barnaby B and with them I guess about 11, and the youngest Jane, I would put her at about 8. They are in a unique situation. Their parents hate them and they hate their parents. So they try to get rid of each other. The parents hire a nanny, she goes by Nanny throughout the book, and up and leave. The children work together and end up having a loving relationship with Nanny. If I say too much I give away the ending, so I’ll just say this, in the beginning of the book they find a baby on their doorstep. I enjoyed this book. I would recommend it for a road trip for a family that has children about the ages of the kids in the novel. It was a fun read.

The Wednesday Wars

The Wednesday Wars

By: Gary D. Schmidt

Pages: 272

ISBN: 054723760X

Genre: Humor

Setting: Suburban New York

Holling Hoodhood who is the only Presbyterian in his 7^th grade class, causing him to spend extra time with his teacher Mrs. Baker. He is convinced that she hates him. He has theories that make you laugh, and you can kind of see his logic. That is until Holling’s favorite person is Mrs. Baker. It is Mrs. Baker that get’s him on the Yankee field with the players. It is Mrs. Baker that helps him win over his girlfriend. It is Mrs. Baker that helps him fall in love with Shakespeare. Holling figures out who he is in this novel. He discovers his love for his family and for the value of life. I will definitely be reading this one again. I will be recommending to others too. It goes to show that all it takes is one person taking a special interest in someone and theirs and yours can change forever.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

By: E. Lockhart

Pages: 352

ISBN: 0786838183

Genre: Mystery Fiction

Setting: Alabaster Preparatory Academy

Frankie is attending high school at a prep school. It is kind of like a school for the elite. She is a sophomore that is in to a senior who is good looking and adores her just the same. Matt invites her to a golf course party sparking her interesting in the basset hounds. It is a secret club that her dad was in and is still around. Soon Frankie is figuring things out behind Matt’s back, he won’t tell her anything so she sneaks around it. Before we know it Frankie is pulling the pranks and not taking the credit. Now I am being pretty vague because the details, in my opinion, make the book extra interesting. In the end Frankie fesses up in order to keep the Alpha from getting expelled but in the end it didn’t matter because his mom moved him away. The Alpha, who put Frankie through a few frustrating moments, writes Frankie an email, which ties the beginning of the book with the end.

I think that this book was the perfect balance between mysteries and love to keep me interested. I loved how it was girl that was coming up without awesome pranks to play. I think the best part is that she hid herself till the very end and did the right thing but fussing up to the whole thing.

First Part Last

First Part Last

By: Angela Johnson

Pages: 144

ISBN:1442403438

Genre: Fiction

Setting: New York

This is was an awesome story. The story of the man that should be a boy. He is a man because he is a father to a small little girl name Feather. He tells about his daughter’s mother and her role in the story. We don’t find out till the end why she isn’t taking care of Feather by himself. His parents are divorced and play a very different roles in helping him with Feather, his mother let him know he was a father and it was his job not hers to care for his daughter. His dad was a little more nurturing and willing to help with Feather. We learn about his best friends and how things were and how things are. Read it, it so worth your time. I am hoping to read the others this summer.

The Book Thief

The Book Thief

By: Markus Zusak

Pages:552

ISBN: 9780375842207

Genre: Historical Fiction

Setting: Germany during WWII

In this story we met death, first hand. He is our narrator. He tells us the story of how he met The Book Thief so many different times. Liesel Meminger has had an unfortunate being to her life. She is on her way to be dropped off to her foster parents’ house by her mother, when her little brother dies. Her first time meeting death and her first time stealing a book. Here is where the book thief is born. Liesel moves in with her foster parents who she eventually begins calling Mama and Papa. The war continues to get worse and Max moves into the basement. He moves into the basement because he is a Jew. Liesel and Max have a special relationship. It isn’t brother/sister or love it is a whole different state of understanding. He writes her two books. And they are added to her collection. Rudy, Liesel’s best friend is another driving force in her thievery. It comes something of a hobby for them, but it was really stealing to survive than anything at all. In the end the war is the main setting. I want to leave this one without details because this book takes a great effort to read because the reader has to think. So read it if you want to know if Liesel gets to meet death face to face; what happens to the family that hides a Jew; if Rudy and Liesel ever fall in love; and if you want to know about the interesting relationship between Max and Liesel.

I like this book. I felt at certain points it was a little drawn out. But I never really knew what was going to happen next. I was left guessing. I was always interested in Rudy, maybe because that is my grandpa’s name and I never met him. He was an immigrant from Denmark that had lived in Germany for a few years with my grandma. I felt connected to the book in a small way. I think in the far distance I may read it again when I have a few days to spare.

The Thief

The Thief

By: Megan Turner

Pages: 304

ISBN: 0060824972

Genre: Fantasy

Setting: A whole new place

This is story is about Gen and his adventure by force. He is recruited to find Hamiathes’s Gift. Gen is a Thief. It is his profession, it is his specialty, and this specialty is what gets him thrown in jail originally. Gen has bragged about being able to steal the King’s Seal and then being able to show it the next day in the same wine shop. Well he is caught after stealing the King’s Seal and he is thrown in prison. While in prison he is literally kept under lock and key. He is shackled at the hands and feet along with the waist.

Gen becomes accustomed to being in prison; he ate what little food he was given. His eyes adjusted to being in the dark at a constant state. One night Gen is taken out of the prison and is taken to the King’s magus. Here he is almost interviewed. He is evaluated and in the end given an offer. An offer he couldn’t refuse. He was offered a way out. If Gen helped the magus steal something, at this point he doesn’t know what he is stealing, he’ll be let free. So Gen, who can steal anything, goes for it.

Soon Gen was on his way out of the prison and he was blinded by the light of the sun. He is put on a horse which he isn’t very excited about and heads out of the kingdom. He, the magus and his helpers, Pol, Sophos, and Ambiades, go town by town toward their destination. Along the way we get a greater understanding for Gen’s history and for his love of food. It makes sense that all he wants is food and rest because of the lack of it from being in prison. Soon from hearing the stories it is revealed where they are headed. To retrieve Hamiathes’s Gift. So that Sonius and Attolia would combine kingdoms and become a much stronger kingdom.

After climbing up and down a mountain they arrive at the temple that holds Hamiathes’s Gift. Now Gen is put to the test now he has to get the Gift, which as it turns out, a whole lot harder than one would think. There had been multiple previous attempts to retrieve the Gift but all those that had tried before had died. Gen with the ultimate challenge ahead of him heads in for the first time. He gains an insight to the layout of the temple. But with no success comes out in a panic and without the Gift. The next night he goes in more prepared. This time he get’s measurements, but comes out again empty handed. The last try he goes in and will not come out empty handed and doesn’t but nearly dies in the attempt.

The next morning they head back to Eddis. This is no simple task. They run into problems on their way back. The same day they get the Gift they lose it after a brawl with the Queen of Attolia’s guardsmen. But head on their way back, the magus comes up with the plan that they will make a fake and because no one had seen it before it would be okay. So after a few days of running and stealing to eat and get horses, they come to the mountain. This is where Gen becomes fed up and parts way but first promises to slow down the guards that are following them. The rest climb the mountain and Gen stays behind. He fights and then wakes up in prison with Sophos and the magus nearby.

We find out that Ambiades was a traitor selling information and as Pol goes to push him off the mountain is pulled down with him. Gen was hurt badly in fighting off the guards. Luckily for Gen, the magus talks the Queen in keeping Gen for her own thief. So she moves him upstairs and begins to nurse him to health. Gen, however, has a better idea. After gathering the magus and Sophus, they break out of the castle. And head for Eddis. They run through the night. In the morning they’ve realized they’ve gone the wrong way.

They keep going however because it’s better than getting caught. They are being followed of course. The push through, soon they have a close encounter with the Queen’s guards again. They decide to cross the bridge that seems to appear magically. They out run the guards for a while, soon they come upon the entrance to Eddis. They walk straight into the guards arms. There is an unusual reaction. They are welcomed and not cuffed and taken away. When the Attiolian guard arrived they weren’t turned over.

Soon Gen wakes us in a bed surround by books. You hear the magus talking to a man about Gen. Gen is home. He puts himself together and goes to see his queen. He unties his hair and takes out the Gift. He gives it to her. He is the queen’s thief. Soon we find that Gen has a close relationship to the queen and this whole time he has set it up to steal the gift to give to his own queen.

American Born Chinese

American Born Chinese

By: Gene Luen Yang

Pages:240

ISBN: 1596431520

Genre: Graphic Novel, Humor

Setting: Alternate Universe

So this was first to me and a last. The story is about three different personalities. I say this cause one is a monkey king, another is a Chinese boy, and another is a white young man. This story drove me nuts. I laughed maybe twice. My boyfriend laughed a ton. Think it just wasn’t my type of humor. So to summarize the Monkey is a king of a mountain. In the first little story he tries to go to a dinner party but is turned away because he has no shoes. So he get’s shoes. The Chinese boy moves to a new town and has no friends, but in the end a Taiwanese boy moves in and has a transformer so they become friends. The white boy is new at the school and his very strange cousin comes for a visit. All three stories progress, lamely I might add; in the end the monkey is the dad of the Taiwanese boy and had sent for a test. The white boy was really the Chinese boy after he had make some deal with an old lady. But it ends happy with the Chinese boy liking being a Chinese boy. I’ll give the book this it tied up the book in the end very well.

Twlight

Twlight

By Stephanie Meyer

Pages:544

ISBN: 0316038377

Genre: Fantasy

Setting: Forks, Washington

It’s true I fell in love with the Twlight series. I’ll admit it. Here’s the thing though. I read the books before they got all popular and its integrity was ruined for life. So let’s get into the synopsis. Isabella or Bella for short has decided to move to Forks Washington were 95% of the time it is overcast and nothing like Arizona were she has been living with her mom. She moved for the sake of her mother. She figures she’s doomed either way. Bella moves in with her father and through a series of events all caused by Bella’s misfortune ends up meeting a boy, who she is strangely drawn to, Edward. I guess because I don’t want to give away to much of what really happens in the book I don’t want to say more.

I first read this book about 4 years ago and have re-read it many times since. This was the first book that I couldn’t put down. I had to keep reading it sucked me in. I wanted to know more. And in the end I wanted to fall in love with my own Edward. I do have to say some warnings. This book isn’t for a young adult that has a hard time of separately a book from reality. Some of the behavior isn’t acceptable in real life and can be skewed.