Teen Reviews - Summer, 2009

Article Index
Teen Reviews - Summer, 2009
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Page 5 of 7

Kerner, Charlotte. Blueprint. 2000. (YA Science Fiction Kerne.C) Cover Art

Did you ever wonder what it would be like to be a clone? Look the same as someone else, talk the same, think in the same way, laugh the same, even move the same? Now picture that person not just as your twin, but your mother too. This is what life was like for Siri Sellin. She was faced with a big problem. That problem was that she couldn't say I. She was a copy, a clone, a blueprint of her twin/mother. She was exactly the same as Iris. She didn't have her own identity. She was just Iris Sellin, but a generation younger. Iris made Siri's life as close to possible as hers. I think this book is very good and i would recommend it to anyone who likes sci-fi and books without a lot of dialogue. (Alison S.)

Dekker, Ted. Black. 2004. (Fiction Dekke.T) Cover Art

Black is the first book in Ted Dekker's amazing trilogy. It is about a young man of about 20 years old named Thomas Hunter. One day when he falls asleep he ends up in another world that is supposedly many years in to the future of ours. He is told he is in the time when the world is about to end and takes responsibility to save it. He finds out that both worlds are connected and that he can influence certain people by influencing them in the world of his dreams. In both worlds he is fighting to defeat an evil being who has the idea of world domination through evil ways. Read this book to find out how his journey begins and how his life is changed. (Nikko Q.)

Dekker, Ted. Red: The Heroic Rescue. 2004. (Fiction Dekke.T) Cover Art

Red is the second book in Ted Dekker's exciting and addicting trilogy. Thomas Hunter continues his adventure between our world and another that he enters through his dreams and is supposedly many years into the future. He has grown stronger and more mature in the world of his dreams after the long time he has spent there. He has not been back to the world of the present for a very long time. He has now become a very important person in the future world, is now called Thomas of Hunter, and has to lead his people to victory over Teeleh and his followers th Horde. He also finds out that his wife is connected to someone in the present world that can help stop the virus that will soon end the world. Also, there is a man on the rise in his village named Justin. He is gathering followers and appears to be a traitor because he wants to make make peace with the Horde. Join Thomas of Hunter as he and his loved ones seek to destroy evil for good. (Nikko Q.)

Levithan, David. Boy Meets Boy. 2005. (YA Fiction Levit.D) Cover Art

"Boy Meets Boy" by David Levithan, is a great book. It is a very well-written story about a Paul, a boy who is very comfortable in his own skin and in his own community, who starts a relationship with the new boy in town, Noah. Not only does this book explore the difficulties of starting a new relationship while dealing with the difficulties of fighting with friends and fending off a suddenly overeager ex-boyfriend, but it also deals with the difficulties of fitting in and the freedom of being yourself. One of the most interesting characters in the book is Infinite Darlene, a transgendered 6′3″ homecoming queen and star quaterback. While almost everyone is accepted for who they are in this town (the town doesn’t have Boy Scouts they have Joy Scouts) they do disscuss the difficulties of fitting in in other parts of America. And Tony, one of Paul’s closest friends, has very religious parents who love him so much that they are trying to turn him straight so that his soul might be saved. This book has many layers but it also has all the ingredients of a very good summer read with comedy and romance. (Zoe E.)

Williams, Carol Lynch. The Chosen One. 2009. (YA Fiction Willi.C) Cover Art

"The Chosen One" by Carol Lynch Williams manages to be sweet, sad, and disturbing all at once. It tells the story of Kyra, a thirteen-year-old girl who lives in a compound for people who call themselves Chosen Ones, their lives dictated by Prophet Childs. Prophet Childs announces that he has had a vision showing that it is God’s will that Kyra be married to a man who already has six wives, a man who is her very strict and greedy sixty-year-old uncle. Kyra fights the desicion every step of the way and her family backs her, even if there isn’t much they can do about it. Readers will also find themselves rooting for Kyra and hoping that she won’t be stuck in what seems like a bleak future. Kyra is afraid that this is happening to her because she has sinned by meeting with Josh, the boy that she really wants to spend the rest of her life with, and by going to a bookmobile and reading forbidden books. Kyra’s strength is admirable and the topic is thought-provoking. It shows what can happen when people start to think that they are above the laws and know best, and how they can ruin others’ lives. The book is over all well written and an engaging coming of age story. It manages to show a realistic yet harsh reality and give hope. (Zoe E.)

Horowitz, Anthony. Raven's Gate. 2005. (YA Fiction Horow.A) Cover Art

Raven's Gate was a very good book. The main character, Matt Freeman, is very believable and realistic. In the beginning, Matt lives with his aunt, who he hates. When he breaks into a warehouse with a friend for some quick money, disaster strikes. A security guard catches them and ends up stabbed. Matt finds himself in a foster home. From there he discovers that everyone in his new town, including his foster mom, is evil. They are trying to open a gate, called Raven's Gate, that will - to put it nicely - bring about the end of the world if it is opened. Matt tries to find help, but everyone who tries to help him ends up murdered. In the end, Matt and a journalist friend, Richard, make sure that Raven's Gate stays closed. (Sam F.)

Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. 2008. (YA Science Fiction Colli.S) Cover Art

"The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins is a fascinating and engaging read. The book follows a 16-year-old girl Katniss who is living in the 12th district of Panem, a country which has risen out of the ashes of North America. Every year they have something called The Hunger Games, where one girl and boy from each district is chosen to fight to the death on live television. The main character, Katniss’s younger sister, is chosen and Katniss volunteers to take her place. This is a riveting book, but it was disappointing that it was the start of a series. A solid ending, rather than a suspenseful one would’ve been more satisfying. There is a lot of brutal violence, but the meaningful relationships that Katniss makes, and the classy way in which the violence is shown in the book, make up for it. Although it is a coming of age story of a girl, I think that boys and girls alike would enjoy this novel. (Zoe E.)

Meyer, Stephenie. Twilight. 2005. (YA Fiction Meyer.S) Cover Art

Isabella Swan, Bella, is a seventeen-year-old girl from Phoenix, Arizona who moves to Forks, Washington after her mother remarries. Her stepfather, Phil, travels a lot so Bella moves to Forks with her dad so her mother can travel with Phil. Once Bella gets there she finds out that Forks is very small and rainy. That makes it very easy for her to spot the five strange but beautiful Cullens amongst the rest of the high-school students. Bella has one of her classes with Edward Cullen, but they get off on the wrong foot. Or so Bella thinks...Everyone agrees that there is something very odd about the Cullens, and Bella is dying to know their shocking secret. Twilight is a definite page-turner, but has a slow beginning. Don't let the slow beginning stop you, though, it does speed up. I thought that the book and the concept were very interesting and I'm excited about reading the sequel, New Moon. I hope that it is just as shocking as Twilight! (Anu R.)

Kubo, Tite. Bleach. 2004. (YA 741.5952 Kubo.T) Cover Art

Kurosaki never asked for the ability to see ghosts. But he was born with the gift. When his family was attacked by a hollow, a malevolent lost soul, Ichigo became a soul reaper. (Jamie S.)

Wilkinson, Carole. Garden Of The Purple Dragon. 2007. (J Wilki.C) Cover Art

When Ping and Kai start off in the mountains, it is Ping's chance to be a good Dragon Keeper and take care of Kai. When the emperor forgives Kai and Ping for staying in the mountains and then allows them to stay there, this should give comfort, but Ping is taking that comfort way into her head. Also she is letting Kai do whatever he wants and that I think that she is not a responsible dragon keeper. When the necromancer attacks at various times, Ping doesn't realize that she has to practice her qi so that she can defeat the necromancer. This book has a sad ending but i'm sure that when the series ends everything will be good. This is an awesome book!! (Pradeep)

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Teen Reviews - Summer, 2009