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Book Review, uglies

Book Review: Uglies

Kathryn Cooper

Title: Uglies
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release Date: February 2005
Pages: 425
Series: Uglies #1
5 STARS: I LOVED IT!!!

From Goodreads.com:
Everybody gets to be supermodel gorgeous. What could be wrong with that?
Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can’t wait. Not for her license — for turning pretty. In Tally’s world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there. But Tally’s new friend Shay isn’t sure she wants to be pretty. She’d rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world — and it isn’t very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.

My Thoughts:
I love this title; it caught my interest right away. Uglies is a great dystopian book. (Wikipedia.org definition of dystopia) In Tally Youngblood’s world you were an ‘ugly’ until you turned 16 and could get the operation to become ‘pretty.’ Tally is 15 and anxiously awaiting her 16th birthday so she can become a ‘pretty,’ but her friend Shay talks of escaping. Is becoming ‘pretty’ really what Tally wants or could she be happy leaving the city and living in the wild? Really exciting read!

Happy Reading!

Book Review, the dragon's eye

Book Review: The Dragon’s Eye

Kathryn Cooper

Title: The Dragon’s Eye
Author: Kaza Kingsley
Publisher:
Release Date:
Pages:
Series: Erec Rex #1

From Goodreads.com: 
Enter Alypium, a hidden world within our own where our old knowledge of magic is kept, and strange and fantastical creatures abound. It is a beautiful and mystical place, but things are caving in. the king is hypnotized and his castle turned on its side. The very Substance that holds our planet together has gone awry . . . and whispers tell of evil plans to destroy everything.
Twelve year old Erec Rex has been yanked out of the world as we know it and thrown unwillingly into danger here. As he learns how to get by in this strange place, he discovers some truths about himself . . . and must learn the power of trust and love in order to save his mother, and all of Alypium.
In this stunning tale packed with action, humor, a colorful cast of characters and a riveting plot, debut author Kaza Kingsley brings us into a land of danger and excitement. For Erec, it is a world that is eerily familiar and inevitably entwined with his future.

My Thoughts:
Erec is a 12 year old boy who finds a hidden magical world. In this new world Erec starts to understand more about his own past. Along side his friend Bethany they go on a magical adventure to save the kingdom of Alympium. I read the first 4 in the series quickly so I can’t remember what happened specifically in the first book. I don’t want to give anything away. A good clean read for young and old.

Happy Reading!

Book Review, the summer of cotton candy

Book Review: The Summer of Cotton Candy

Kathryn Cooper

Title: The Summer of Cotton Candy
Author: Debbie Viguie
Publisher: Zondervan
Release Date: July 2009
Pages: 224
Series: Sweet Seasons #1
4 STARS: I Really Liked It

From Goodreads.com:
 Most people think The Zone is an amusement park, but Candy Thompson knows it’s really a slave labor camp. What else would you call a summer job that requires a sixteen-year-old girl to set aside her whole social life for the privilege of standing out in the hot sun selling cotton candy? Still, there are perks—particularly the mysterious hunk in the Lone Ranger costume. Behind that mask are the most amazing eyes Candy has ever seen. Who is that masked man? But someone else is just as interested. And romantic competition isn’t the only problem. Besides being hard work, The Zone is eating up major time. How is Candy supposed to stay involved in church? Worse yet, will she lose her best friend, Tamara, who resents how Candy’s job limits their time together? This is NOT the summer Candy hoped for! But as she is about to discover, the summer of cotton candy will be the greatest summer of her life.

My Thoughts:
Don’t you just love this cover?! It makes me feel happy and summery. The Summer of Cotton Candy by Debbie Viguié is the perfect summer read. It’s about a 16 year old girl forced to take a summer job at The Zone, an amusement park, in order to save up some money. Candy finds herself standing in her cotton candy cart in the summer heat losing precious social time. This isn’t the summer Candy planned, but it may turn out better than expected. A really fun and light read.

Happy Reading!

Book Review, the maze of bones

Book Review: The Maze of Bones

Kathryn Cooper

Title: The Maze of Bones
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Scholastic
Release Date: September 2008
Pages: 220
Series: 39 Clues #1
3 STARS: I Liked It

From Goodreads.com:
Instead of 39 steps, billionaire Grace Cahill left her heirs 39 clues scattered around the world. At the end of this circuitous trail are the answers to a great family mystery, but Amy and Dan must decide whether any prize can be more important than the rescue of their missing parents. The beginning of an enthralling ten-book arc.

My Thoughts:
This is a great book for young readers. I enjoyed it too of course! This is Book 1 of The 39 Clues series. Each book is written by a different young adult author which made some of the 10 books in the series more to my liking than others. The Billionaire Grace Cahill passes away and leaves her heirs 39 clues scattered around the world. Those at the funeral and reading of her will have a choice to take $1 million or the first clue which starts them on the hunt for the 39 clues. It is said that whoever discovers the 39 clues will be the most powerful and influential force in the world. Grace’s grandkids Dan and Amy start on their adventure to find out family secrets and more about their parents’ mysterious deaths.

Happy Reading!

Book Review, the outlaws of sherwood

Book Review: The Outlaws of Sherwood

Kathryn Cooper

Title: The Outlaws of Sherwood
Author: Robin McKinley
Publisher: Ace Trade
Release Date: October 2005
Pages: 368
Series: none
4 STARS: I Really Liked It

From Goodreads.com:
New York Times bestselling author Robin McKinley’s vivid retelling of the classic story of Robin Hood breathes contemporary life into these beloved adventures, with Marian taking a pivotal role as one of Robin’s best archers.

My Thoughts:
The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley is a retelling of Robin Hood. I had a hard time getting into the first part of the book because the language and story is hard to follow when I’m constantly interrupted by one of my 3 young kids. Once I got into it there was no going back. I really enjoyed Robin and Marian. In this story it’s not Robin but Marian who’s the great archer. A fun twist! I don’t think a 10 year old would be interested in the book mostly because the characters are 19 or older, and it has some violence.

Happy Reading!

Book Review, princess of glass, princess of the midnight ball

Book Reviews: Princess books

Kathryn Cooper
Title: Princess of the Midnight Ball
Author: Jessica Day George
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: January 2008
Pages: 288
Series: Princess #1
5 STARS: I LOVED IT!!!

From Goodreads.com:
A tale of twelve princesses doomed to dance until dawn… Galen is a young soldier returning from war; Rose is one of twelve princesses condemned to dance each night for the King Under Stone. Together Galen and Rose will search for a way to break the curse that forces the princesses to dance at the midnight balls. All they need is one invisibility cloak, a black wool chain knit with enchanted silver needles, and that most critical ingredient of all—true love—to conquer their foes in the dark halls below. But malevolent forces are working against them above ground as well, and as cruel as the King Under Stone has seemed, his wrath is mere irritation compared to the evil that awaits Galen and Rose in the brighter world above. Captivating from start to finish, Jessica Day George’s take on the Grimms’ tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses demonstrates yet again her mastery at spinning something entirely fresh out of a story you thought you knew.

 
My Thoughts:
I LOVE a good Princess story. Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George did not disappoint. I loved it! I seriously just enjoyed staying up late engrossed in this world of princes and princesses. This is a story of 12 princess sisters forced to dance every night from midnight to dawn. The story mostly follows the oldest sister Rose and a soldier turned royal gardener named Galen. The book is full of heartache, exhaustion, sisterly love, adventure, and romance of course!

Title: Princess of Glass
Author: Jessica Day George
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: May 2010
Pages: 257
Series: Princess #2
5 STARS: I LOVED IT!!!

From Goodreads.com:
Hoping to escape the troubles in her kingdom, Princess Poppy reluctantly agrees to take part in a royal exchange program, whereby young princes and princesses travel to each other’s countries in the name of better political alliances–and potential marriages. It’s got the makings of a fairy tale–until a hapless servant named Eleanor is tricked by a vengeful fairy godmother into competing with Poppy for the eligible prince. Ballgowns, cinders, and enchanted glass slippers fly in this romantic and action-packed happily-ever-after quest from an author with a flair for embroidering tales in her own delightful way.

My Thoughts:
One of the middle sisters from Princess of the Midnight Ball, Poppy, is the main character of Princess of Glass. Princess Poppy is sent to a neighboring country to help better alliances. She meets another Prince visiting as well. There is another girl involved who happens to be a maid often covered in cinders. It’s a fun twist on the tale of Cinderella. I loved it!

Happy Reading!

Book Review, prom and prejudice

Book Review: Prom and Prejudice

Kathryn Cooper

Title: Prom and Prejudice
Author: Elizabeth Eulberg
Publisher: Point
Release Date: Jauary 2001
Pages: 231
Series: none
4 STARS: I Really Liked It

From Goodreads.com:After winter break, the girls at the very prestigious Longbourn Academy become obsessed with the prom. Lizzie Bennet, who attends Longbourn on a scholarship, isn’t interested in designer dresses and expensive shoes, but her best friend, Jane, might be — especially now that Charles Bingley is back from a semester in London.
Lizzie is happy about her friend’s burgeoning romance but less than impressed by Charles’s friend, Will Darcy, who’s snobby and pretentious. Darcy doesn’t seem to like Lizzie either, but she assumes it’s because her family doesn’t have money. Clearly, Will Darcy is a pompous jerk — so why does Lizzie find herself drawn to him anyway?
Will Lizzie’s pride and Will’s prejudice keep them apart? Or are they a prom couple in the making? Whatever the result, Elizabeth Eulberg, author of The Lonely Hearts Club, has concocted a very funny, completely stylish delight for any season — prom or otherwise.

My Thoughts:
This is a great high school age retelling of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I saw this reviewed on Clean Teen Books and had to read it. I love Jane Austen! Lizzie Bennet attends a prestigious all-girl boarding school. Lizzie is an amazing pianist on a scholarship; I enjoyed all the piano references since I play the piano. She’s surrounded with girls that didn’t need a scholarship to attend an expensive school and faces some bullying because of it. I enjoyed this story of pride and prejudices that have to be overcome to find love.

Happy Reading!

Book Review, gregor the overlander

Book Review: Gregor the Overlander

Kathryn Cooper

Title: Gregor the Overlander
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic
Release Date: May 2005
Pages: 311
Series: Underland Chronicles #1
5 STARS: I LOVED IT!!!

From Goodreads.com:
When eleven-year-old Gregor follows his little sister through a grate in the laundry room of their New York apartment, he hurtles into the dark Underland beneath the city. There, humans live uneasily beside giant spiders, bats, cockroaches, and rats—but the fragile peace is about to fall apart.

Gregor wants no part of a conflict between these creepy creatures. He just wants to find his way home. But when he discovers that a strange prophecy foretells a role for him in the Underland’s uncertain future, he realizes it might be the only way to solve the biggest mystery of his life. Little does he know his quest will change him and the Underland forever.

Rich in suspense and brimming with adventure, Suzanne Collin’s debut marked a thrilling new talent, and introduced a character no young reader will ever forget.

My Thoughts:
Gregor the Overlander was written by Suzanne Collins, the same author of the very popular young adult series The Hunger Games. This book was written for a younger teen audience with much less violence than The Hunger Games. Gregor is an eleven year old boy who lives in an apartment in New York City. Not to give anything away, but he stumbles into a secret portal to an underground world. As an ‘overlander’ Gregor is surprised to find giant animals living in this underworld such as spiders, cockroaches, rats, ants, bats, etc. He is relieved to find a civilization of humans who have survived and learned to thrive in this underworld. Will Gregor find a way back home, or will he stay to fulfill a prophecy of him in this underworld battle between giant creatures and humankind?

Happy Reading!

Book Review, the goose girl

Book Review: The Goose Girl

Kathryn Cooper

Title: The Goose Girl
Author: Shannon Hale
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: August 2003
Pages: 383
Series: The Books of Bayern #1
5 STARS: I LOVED IT!!!

From Goodreads.com:
Anidora-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree spent the first years of her life listening to her aunt’s incredible stories, and learning the language of the birds. Little knowing how valuable her aunt’s strange knowledge would prove to be when she grew older. From the Grimm’s fairy tale of the princess who became a goose girl before she could become a queen, Shannon Hale has woven an incredible, original and magical tale of a girl who must understand her own incredible talents before she can overcome those who wish her harm.

My Thoughts:
Ani is the princess of Kildenree sent to marry a prince from a neighboring country. Things don’t go according to plan, and she ends up in hiding as a goose girl. I love the friends she makes along the way. They are fierce friends, brave and determined . . . funny too.


The romantic scenes are just too cute. I love to go back and re-read some of my favorite parts. A great read!

Happy Reading!