The Wikkeling Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy The Wikkeling? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Wikkeling. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Wikkeling ReviewThe Wikkeling announces to the world that it is a unique read even before you open the cover. It's size, cover art, texture and fonts all mark this one as different and hopefully help it stand out. This is above all else a good story. It's hard to say that about a lot of children's books these days, as author's strive to capture the attention of a young audience that often times seems too busy to remember to read, or too dazzled by modern technology to remember the joy to be had in reading a good book. Interestingly enough, this is an issue addressed in this folk tale that seems to be laid over a science fiction story. It's a dystopian tale that includes it's own boogey man of legend, all set to scare the kiddos.
This story works on many levels and achieves that magical goal of being a book that both children and adults can enjoy. The author sets up his society by turning a critical eye on our current education system, our reliance on technology, and our scorn for all things old. Adults will appreciate his portrait of endless traffic jams,constant cell phone communication, and parents who have gone so overboard in protecting their children, they are no longer allowed to imagine and explore. Kids will appreciate our intrepid trio of misfits that find the courage to confront their fears and discover how capable and smart they really are.
I love the art in this book, done entirely in black shadows. It adds to the old fashioned feel of the story, however I'm not sure if it adds to this books "curb appeal". I plan on recommending it to any library patron who is a fan of fantasy and adventure stories. It is unique, incredibly well told, and will be a quick read for anyone grades five and up. Libraries, books and how we value them play an important role, so that marks it as a winner right there. Great characters, important lessons to be learned, original world building, and creepy adventure. Give this one a try. You won't regret it.The Wikkeling Overview

Want to learn more information about The Wikkeling?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Wolf Mark Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Wolf Mark? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Wolf Mark. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Wolf Mark ReviewLuke, the main character, will draw the reader into this novel. His life has been secretive up to this point, he has to deal with the knowledge that his father is a black ops infiltrator and that he has a strange wolf mark on his wrist. He has always tried to blend in, but his attempts are not always successful-especially when his father mysteriously disappears, leaving Luke a target. The action really takes off here as Luke decides that the Russian crowd should be viewed in shades of grey, rather than black or white, and how he should approach the subject of his wolf mark and his fathers disappearance. Luke is a great main character. He has plenty of knowledge about black ops, as does his father, that really adds to the book. He is a bit of an enigma in the beginning, forcing the reader to look deeper. At times, he can be impulsive, though he appears cautious by nature. The reader will enjoy following his thoughts and actions through the book. The secondary characters are just as intriguing, the reader will get to meet quite a few "characters."The events are fast-paced, some high-energy. The plot was intriguing, could have been developed a little further. The story itself was good enough to hold this readers attention. This book is good for young readers through teens.
Wolf Mark Overview

Want to learn more information about Wolf Mark?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

A Plague Year Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy A Plague Year? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on A Plague Year. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

A Plague Year ReviewIt is late summer of 2001 when Tom starts to hear about this new drug called crystal meth. He lives in a small mining town in Pennsylvania, where meth and mining are the main things to do. When September 11 hits, people in town have a hard time coping with the state of the world, and more and more turn to drugs as a way to cope. The town becomes frightening as meth zombies are sighted more and more often, and crime reaches a new high. What happens over this course of this year will change Tom's life forever.
I was so incredibly moved by this book. First of all, it was written in a way that is real, and honest, and young readers will easily relate. When meth gained popularity in the late 90's and early into the 2000's, these are the exact kinds of places that were hit, so I think the book is brilliantly set. These are the stories that rarely get told, and I am happy this one was. I am especially happy it is told from a young adult's frame of reference.
I thought that Tom's character was well developed, as well as most of the supporting characters. However, I did have an issue with the development and realism of the drug counseling group Tom attends. First off, the leader of the group is a Master's level therapist, yet she has never heard of pica, and then just levels a guess at what type of disorder it may be. This would NEVER happen; any Masters program has an abnormal psych class, and every abnormal psych class covers this disorder. And no therapist worth their merit would simply level a guess about a disorder they knew nothing about. But I digress. Some of the minor supporting characters seemed a little flat, but in some ways, that served a purpose. We were never supposed to get close to them, since this was Tom's story.
All in all, I think this was a good young adult book, appropriate for high school readers. It serves as a cautionary tale of how drugs can affect and entire town, and sadly is based in too much reality.
A Plague Year Overview

Want to learn more information about A Plague Year?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Wherever You Go Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Wherever You Go? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Wherever You Go. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Wherever You Go ReviewIt's hard to describe how much I loved this book. It's a little fantastical, a little paranormal, a lot emotional, and ridiculously wonderful.
This is the story of a girl whose head is just barely above water. Holly's boyfriend died last fall in a horrific car crash. Her mother is always working. Her sister is in need of constant supervision. Her grandfather joins their family when his Alzheimer's gets so bad that he can't be left alone. She has one friend at school and it seems like everyone else hates her. She has feelings for her dead boyfriend's best friend. It just can't get worse.
Her family is charming and wonderful, even when you want to scream at them in frustration. Her mother is just trying to keep her family afloat, even if it means working several jobs and spending little to no time at home. Her little sister has a good heart and is very lucky to have Holly there for a great role model. Her grandfather sinks farther and farther into the disease, descending where no one - except the ghost of Holly's boyfriend, Rob - can communicate with him. They're well-written and very realistic.
The teenagers in this book are also well done. You hate some of them, you can't help but love some of them, especially Jason, who can only be described as head-over-heels in love with Holly. He's so sweet, and despite the huge difference in their lifestyles, you definitely have to root for Holly and Jason to get together.
The ghost element was interesting. I admit that I was a little worried about this part, but Heather definitely pulled it off. It was subtle enough that you didn't feel like it was an overwhelmingly paranormal novel. In fact, Rob's parts were some of the most emotional in the book. To be a ghost, looking from the outside into the life that you used to live - it would be a truly terrible, painful thing.
And speaking of emotions: do not read this book unless you intend on being put through the emotional ringer. I cried buckets at several different times - and I am definitely not usually a crier. It takes a lot for me to tear up, but this book definitely got to me. Maybe it was the Holly's feeling of despair and utter hopelessness, Jason's sheer frustration that things couldn't go the way they should, Aldo's descent into a place where communication was no longer an option, or Rob's anger at being stuck in a place where no one but Aldo can see him - but he can see everything, including the things he doesn't want to see. It was very reminiscent of Sarah Dessen or Deb Caletti.
I was very impressed with the writing style. When I realized that three characters narrated - in three different types of speech - I worried. Holly's passages are written in first person past, Jason's in third person past, and Rob's in second person present. This is truly unique, but adds a unique and wonderful element to the story. Surprisingly enough, they flow from one to the next without disturbing the story whatsoever.
This was my first novel by Heather Davis and I'm thrilled. It was wonderful and I look forward to many more. I was definitely encouraged to seek out her previous novels.Wherever You Go Overview

Want to learn more information about Wherever You Go?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Stick Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Stick? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Stick. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Stick ReviewA while ago, I received an email, asking to be apart of the cover reveal for STICK. And now, the book is here and published and in stores and being read. Time flies.
About a year ago, I got my first taste of Andrew Smith. His novel THE MARBURY LENS was sorta crazy--I think in my review I said something along the lines of, "Andrew Smith writes about rape and dismemberment, and he doesn't make you feel awkward AT ALL." I was totally being honest. I was talking about Andrew's level of awesome with one of my friends, and he said something like, "He stands out among cookie cutter writers." And that's true, too. Andrew Smith's books are all these different things, and I absolutely love them.
In STICK, Stark McClellan is missing some things. He does not have a girlfriend, he does not have a loving family, and he does not have a left ear (or was it right?). What he does have is a gay brother, Bosten, and a gut feeling that he needs to escape from the tight clutches of his abusive father before he finds out.
Bosten leaves, and rightly so, but he left Stark ("Stick") behind. STICK is about a boy who wants something so bad, more than anything in the universe.
So, this book? Was written in this cool little way. Because Stick is missing one ear, he hears things different. Words travel slower. And Andrew Smith shows the reader this on the page, through funky formatting. I wouldn't call it verse or prose, it's just... different. Much like the story itself.
Second to the writing, the characters and their relationships with each other are probably the best thing about STICK. Andrew Smith can write about brotherhood dynamics better than anyone I know, and I got so immersed in the story I felt like they were my brothers and I was on this epic journey with them.
STICK really just blew my mind.
It's different. It's unlike anything you've ever read before. It's Andrew Smith.Stick Overview

Want to learn more information about Stick?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

The Good and the Ghastly: A Novel Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy The Good and the Ghastly: A Novel? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Good and the Ghastly: A Novel. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Good and the Ghastly: A Novel ReviewUsually when someone contacts me via email about reading their book, they give me a description of it and I say sure, send it, or no that's not for me. And usually, if the description includes a phrase like "gangster noir epic set a thousand years into the future." I'll pass because, well, that's just not for me, in most cases. Usually, the name on the book is not James Boice. I said it once, when I reviewed NoVA, and I'll repeat it here: I don't know why this guy doesn't get more attention.
The Good and the Ghastly is as described in that email. Set in 3348, after the war and the nuclear destruction, after 1000 years of crawling back to a time that reflects our own. Bits of ancient history seep through the years - the great leaders and artists who stand tall throughout the centuries - Alexander the Great, Bob Dylan, Sarah Palin. Thank god Visa is there to hold everything together.
Junior Alvarez grows up in the fractured gangland of Visa NoVA with a God complex, a bad temper, and a will to act violently and decisively against his foes. In a massive teenage gangfight, he beats a boy to death, and the boy's mother starts a never-ending campaign against Junior - first through legal means, and the via a systematic vigilante attack on the gang system.
Junior is the real story here, though. He rises from an anger-fueled street thug, unwelcome (frustratingly so for JR) through the front door of the highest establishments, to a meticulously organized lieutenant masquerading as a community benefactor, to mob boss, sometimes through deception and sometimes through violence. It's a rise familiar to the modern reader or filmgoer - think The Departed, or Heat, or Billy Bathgate with something of a steampunk sensiblity.
Junior is a great character. He's despicable from a young age, seducing minors and busting heads. He believes he is destined for greatness and the shame he feels at his back-door status is palpable and the motivation for the swath of violence he unleashes.
Whereas NoVA was reserved and pointed, viewing suburbia from multiple angles, The Good and the Ghastly is a detached view of a killer, with all his charms and warts, building an empire and chased Javert-like by feds and vigilantes.
James Boice is as good as ever here. He doesn't let the dystopian satire get in the way of the story, relieving me of one of my personal annoyances. He's gritty and reflective, twistedly funny, and his sentences are as sharp as ever. A fearless, unrepentant book of a fearsome future - The Good and the Ghastly will be released by Scribner on 6/14/11.
more reviews at threeguysonebook.comThe Good and the Ghastly: A Novel Overview

Want to learn more information about The Good and the Ghastly: A Novel?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Girl, Stolen (Christy Ottaviano Books) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Girl, Stolen (Christy Ottaviano Books)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Girl, Stolen (Christy Ottaviano Books). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Girl, Stolen (Christy Ottaviano Books) ReviewApril Henry's YA thriller, "Girl, Stolen" has a lot going for it: a smart, resolute, challenged victim and a coterie of bad guys. Cheyenne (16) has pneumonia and is waiting for her step-mom to fill a prescription when a car jacker drives off with their Escalade, including Cheyenne in the back seat. And besides feeling awful with her illness and scared for her life, Cheyenne has something else to overcome in dealing with this conflict: she's blind.
The kidnapper would rather throw her out the car door than bring her home to what he knows is a bunch of bums, one of whom is his violent father and another is what can only be thought of as a sexual predator. But Griffin gives in to his need to score a victory with the crew he hangs with, and Cheyenne is forcibly dragged into the house of horrors.
Griffin bonds with Cheyenne. He begins to see her world in the way that she does, someone independent and yet also bound by her blindness. Can they escape together? Will he manage to protect her from all that is base is his own family?
When Cheyenne tries to take matters into her own hands, the book comes to a flashpoint conclusion.
"Girl, Stolen" is a fast and ripping read, highly recommended for reluctant teen readers. The vocabulary is not challenging, the characters are strong, and there is not an over-reliance on things techy. It's a book, no batteries required, for entertainment and a whole new world.Girl, Stolen (Christy Ottaviano Books) Overview

Want to learn more information about Girl, Stolen (Christy Ottaviano Books)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Angel Burn Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Angel Burn? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Angel Burn. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Angel Burn ReviewThis book had so much potential, it just makes me crazy.
Excellent characterization. Delightfully original plot. Tight pacing. And a fake, shallow romance that brought it all crashing down.
Willow and Alex were such facinating protagonists, but the author completely wasted her brilliant characterization work. Did Alex fall for Willow's quirky, generous, and loyal personality? Did she fall for his mature, experienced outlook on life?
No. From Square One, it was, "He's gorgeous/She's beautiful."
I really should be used to this by now, but coming from this book, it was such a letdown. Just once, couldn't we have a YA romance between normal-looking characters, a romance that blossoms slowly and naturally from their appreciation of one another's inner qualities? What would be so terrible about this?
Also, the scene in which they expressed their feelings for one another was unbearable. To watch helplessly as Mrs. Weatherly slowly and thoroughly undermined all the careful characterization she had built up... ugh. Not only was it incredibly cheesy, appearance-centered, and boring (rehashing every stage of their journey and how their feelings developed), but it just went on too long. As another author puts it, "The more the words, the less the meaning, and what does that benefit anyone?"
Overall, I wish I could rate the elements of this book seperately, but in the end I'm left with a disheartened three stars. Despite all the wonderful elements I've already mentioned, this book was painful for me to read. As an aspiring writer who struggles with characterization and with original plots, to see such a unique premise and such amazing protagonists be knocked into the mud, kicked, and spit on by such a pathetic romance was agonizing.Angel Burn Overview

Want to learn more information about Angel Burn?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...