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.

Sister Gee

Sister Gee,

The ones from June are the newest books I've read. You may have to hit the older to see rest of the book reviews.

Thanks,

Hannah

Anne of Avonlea

Anne of Avonlea

By: Lucy Maud Montgomery

Pages: 206

ISBN: 1604598581

Genre: Historical Fiction

Setting: Avonlea, Canada

Anne of Green Gables returns. Anne has decided to stay in Avonlea and teach after her dear Matthew has passed away. Gilbert Blythe gave up the school in Avonlea so that Anne could stay and teach. Marilla couldn’t take care of Green Gables by herself so Anne gives up her scholarship and moves back home. The new school year begins and Anne is faced with new challenges of teaching new kids. She is faced with the challenge of the Pye family and many more students. Anne and her dear friends have started an Improvement Society, to help improve Avonlea as a whole. Anne has grown up a lot since first coming to Green Gables but she is still very much Anne. As always I love the book, I love the interest it sparks within me. I can’t wait to get to the next in the series. I look forward to the break between semesters I think I’ll find myself reading.

The Journal of Patrick Seamus Flaherty

My Name is America: The Journal of Patrick Seamus Flaherty; United States Marine Corp

By: Ellen Emerson White

Pages: 177

Genre: Historical Fiction; Vietnam War

Setting: The Vietnam War Hill 881N

The story of Patrick Seamus Flaherty, was a perfect follow up to War Is… Mighty Mouse as he fellow marines called him entered the Marines to follow in the footsteps of his father and his father’s father and so on. He also did it so that he could get college paid for. As we watch the transformation happen we see a child turn into a man. You see a child that is actually wishing for a fight begin to beg for the fight to end. You watch as the friendship grows between him and Bebop his bunkmate. He learns that there is more to life than football and cute girls.

I grew up reading the Dear America series, I love it. I still do. I love feeling like I am a part of the journey that each of the character takes. I felt the same sadness the they felt as they lost someone close or the fear when they were is situations that pulled them further and further from their dreams.