The Library

I read a lot of books and reviews of each one will be posted on this page along with a rating of one to five stars, five being the best book ever and one being the worst.

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TRICKS by ELLEN HOPKINS ***

Background: Back in September, my English teacher assigned us a reading project. The job was to pick a book, read it, draw a title page, and write six reflective pages. (I ended up getting a 100% on the paper.) My favorite author is Ellen Hopkins so I chose her most recent novel, Tricks, for my paper. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Plot: Five teenagers from different parts of the country. Three girls. Two guys. Four straight. One gay. Some rich. Some poor. Some from great families. Some with no one at all. All living their lives as best they can, but all searching…for freedom, safety, community, family, love. What they don’t expect, though, is all that can happen when those powerful little words “I love you” are said for all the wrong reasons. Five moving stories remain separate at first, then interweave to tell a larger, powerful story—a story about making choices, taking leaps of faith, falling down, and growing up. A story about kids figuring out what sex and love are all about, at all costs, while asking themselves, “Can I ever feel okay about myself?”

Rating: This book was simply lukewarm. It wasn’t boring, but it wasn’t nearly as engaging as Ellen Hopkins’s other novels-in-verse. It just took me a while to get into the book. I can’t say why, I just didn’t have any motivation whatsoever to sit down and read it. Of course, once I had only a week left on the assignment, I read through it quite quickly indeed. I did, however, like that even though the book was about teen prostitution, it wasn’t filled with sex. Not even close. While there was sex, it was more about what made five separate teenagers decide to start turning tricks. Because of the long, dull exposition, this book gets three stars from me.

ANTHEM by AYN RAND ****

Background: I read Anthem by Ayn Rand in about a week, for my English I Honors class. When I was handed my copy of the novel, I was skeptical. It looked interesting, but how could I be sure? I read the back flap and was surprised at myself: I thought a “school book” sounded… good. I was excited to read it. Then I read it. I was amazed.

Plot: He lived in the dark ages of the future. In a loveless world he dared to love the woman of his choice. In an age that had lost all trace of science and civilization he had the courage to seek and find knowledge. But these were not the crimes for which he would be hunted. He was marked for death because he had committed the unpardonable sin: he had stood forth from the mindless human herd. He was a man alone. Ayn Rand’s classic tale of a future dark age of the great “We”—a world that deprives individuals of name, independence, and values. –Back of the paperback edition

Rating: I loved loved loved this book. It may sound like the book The Giver, but in reality, it was much different. Anthem was much heavier and darker. Every page I read gave me prickles on my neck and back. It was that good. The ending was extraordinary as well. Extremely unpredictable and very revealing. Anthem only gets 4/5 stars because 100 pages wasn’t enough. I wanted more. Read this book!

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IMPULSE by ELLEN HOPKINS *****

Background: I was looking around Borders in my local mall when I saw this bright red cover pop out in the YA (young adult) section. I quickly picked the book up and red the back. I was mesmerized by what I read. I’d read a few tragedy books before, but definitely nothing like Impulse. It was so much heavier and way more sad. I sat on the floor and red seventy pages before pulling the ten bucks out of my wallet to buy it.

Plot: Act on your impulse, swallow the bottle, cut a little deeper, put the gun to your chest. Tony’s painful childhood memories can be quelled only through pills. Vanessa has a secret that keeps her coming back to the blade. And Connor seems to have the perfect life on the outside, but his inward battle with his parents, his peers, and himself give him one last choice—to pull the trigger. These are three lives that would have been cut short if not for the hasty intervention by loved ones. Or fate. Now they are given a second chance at a better life—but only if they help one another, and if they find the strength to let go of their inner demons. For good. –Back of paperback edition

Rating: 666 pages. Read in two days. Written in verse. That sums up Impulse. The book was simply fantastic. It had so many meaningful themes. I loved how the book dealt with suicide, as I love those heavy topics. I also liked how the author made Vanessa be fought over by two boys: one gay, the other one that flirted with his counselor. I remember finishing the book in my English class last year, and being like, “Wow. I think I have to read that ending again.” So I read the last chapter again. Two of the three suicide attempters came out of the book alive. One wasn’t so lucky. Five stars, because the book was almost too good for words. I cared for the characters and I wondered of the events even after the last page. This book is not for the weak of heart. It’s for the people who love to read about tragedy.

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LOOKING FOR ALASKA by JOHN GREEN *****

Background: I went to the public library with my mom one night while I was in seventh grade. I saw a book with a candle on the spine, and I thought, “Hmm. This may be worth checking out.” I pulled it out and stared at the cover for a while, thinking what it might be about. I read the praises on the back, then moved in on the inner flap. This book was a keeper, I knew for sure.

Plot: Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words—and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet François Rabelais called the “Great Perhaps.” Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young. Clever, funny, screwed-up, and dead sexy, Alaska will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps. Looking For Alaska brilliantly chronicles the indelible impact one life can have on another. –Inside flap of the hardback edition

Rating: Oh, God, where to start, where to start? Well, I’ve read this book twice and working on a third time. The first time I read it, I thought it was a great book, but I didn’t understand everything, not fully. So in eighth grade, I re-read it. That time, my eyes were really opened. It was such a beautiful book. The first half, Miles was living the life. He was having a great time and everything was going well. I could relate to him, and then misfortune struck him at the heart of his world. It ended up being such a sad book, but one that I was glad I read. Included was just about any human emotion one can think up. The resolution was so insightful, and after reading through the entire second half with so many strings left untied, everything was finally tied up in about the last five pages or so. I also enjoyed the heaps of symbolism in the book. I would recommend this book to anyone with an open mind for tragedy, love, or religious connections.