To get you hooked, The Hunger Games (reviewed below) trailor by lionsgate
Young adult book review site. Dedicated to quickly and effectively reviewing young adult books. Posts on Tuesdays
Monday, February 27, 2012
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I
originally read this book for a class I was taking. I started it ahead of time to give myself a while to finish
it. Three days later, not having
put it down at all, it was done and I was obsessed.
In
the distant future after the collapse of America, Panem springs up. The Capitol rules twelve outlying
districts and has all the power and wealth. It exerts its power every year by taking one girl and boy
from each district, known as tributes, and making them fight to the death.
This
is a phenomenal book for so many reasons. It has a story that grabs you, as
well as a lot of depth for the critical reader. The book deals with how wealth corrupts, both by the
characters of The Capitol and seeing how Katniss, the books main character,
tries to fit into their world. She
changes, almost without meaning to, to win their approval. In the Capitol,
qualities that are valued are happiness, extravagance, and privilege. The Capitol however does not value the
same things in its tributes.
Tributes are valued if they are ruthless, clever, murderous, or obedient
to the Capitol. They are treated
like savages instead of humans, further bowing to striking differences and
privilege that seems undeserved.
And
that’s just the beginning!
This
is a story of a girl who struggles physically, emotionally, and morally. It has action, romance, humor, tragedy,
murder, a love of life and more.
It was a fantastic book, and will hopefully make a great movie too.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
It's a Book-Lane Smith
Cute little story about books versus technology. By Lane Smith.
I had nothing to do with the creation of this, just sharing :)
I had nothing to do with the creation of this, just sharing :)
Looking for Alaska
I
promise that this blog won’t turn into a John Green book review blog, but I
just finished Looking for Alaska today and wanted to review it while it was
still fresh.
This
is a book about Miles “Pudge” Halter, who lives a life of social non-existence
before he goes to boarding school in Culver Creek to “seek a Great
Perhaps”. Pudge’s life gets
notably more exciting when he makes new friends Alaska, the Colonel, Takumi,
and Lara. They set out to play pranks, find love, and make their way through
high school. After “the event”,
their lives are changed dramatically.
I won’t mention what “the event” is, because it would ruin the book, and
I want you to read it.
I dealt with a similar event in
high school, as well as shortly after, and this book brought up a lot of
memories. Green has a way of
making emotions real and raw, creating very relatable characters. I felt certain issues after “the event”
we’re a bit drawn out, but when I put myself in Pudge’s place instead of being
a reader, the timing felt more appropriate.
This book does have controversial
topics, including under-age-drinking and sex. However, it is crucial to note that Green does it for a
reason. When the book comes to its
most sexually explicit scene, it is more uncomfortable and humorous than
anything. Green has it in the book
to draw contrasts to other parts in the book that are more romantic but not
sexual. There are no controversies
in this book that are there just for the sake of being controversial, and I
feel that they are no reason to avoid this book.
I liked this book a lot, as I do
most of Green’s novels. He
develops his characters well, and manages to craft a story that is eloquent,
thoughtful, and humorous in just the right amounts. I would highly recommend it.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
I found this on youtube today. Cute movie that, as a book nerd, I very much appreciated. Directed by William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg. I found it from youtube user senguntr.
P.S. I dont not own, nor did I have anything to do with, this project. Just wanted to share it with book lovers everywhere.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Brian Selznick) - Review
I
was a little intimidated when I first picked up this book. The size looked like it could rival a
Harry Potter. However, on first flipping through the book, any anxiety was
relieved. This book is a work of art, told in drawings intermingled with a few
chunks of text thrown in.
This
is the story of a young boy, Hugo, struggling to live after being orphaned. He
lives in a train station, and has to occasionally steal what he needs. He is
caught stealing toys for parts to fix his last connection to his father, and
the storeowner, Papa Georges, makes Hugo work in his shop.
This
book really made me appreciate artistic elements in books. The framing of the pictures can give
you perspective, tell you about the importance of the image, and give the image
a certain feel. The art for this
book makes all the difference.
This
book ended up being a quick read and a good story. I like how it made me think
differently. It has a similar feel to some manga, because you can take
different amounts of time on different images depending on the pace the book is
at at the time. Since it’s mostly images, the pace of the book doesn’t rely on
your reading speed. It doesn’t really fit into one genre or another, but
combines the best qualities of a novel, picture book, graphic novel, flip book, and movie all into one.
Monday, February 6, 2012
The Fault in our Stars-Review
This
book took me through more emotions then any other book I’ve read. The story is beautifully heartbreaking,
with truth, humor, irony, and so much more thrown in.
The
book tells the story of Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters, and their
battles with cancer. It is told through the voice of Hazel, and John Green does
a wonderful job of giving an honest look of a girl who is angry that cancer has
dramatically decreased her life expectancy, while still having her feel like a
real person.
John
Green takes is at his best when he so beautifully melds drama and heartbreak
with humor. The book never takes you too far in one direction. There are beautifully romantic or
tragic moments, and Green immediately follows it by making you laugh out loud. Conversely,
a light moment will end bringing you back to reality.
This
book looks in to what it means to be a family, a child, a heroine, and even what
it means to be alive. I would
recommend this book again and again to young adult and adult readers alike.
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