Tuesday, April 29, 2014

The Professionals

The Professionals

by Owen Laukkanen

Synopsis:

Four friends, recent college graduates, caught in a terrible job market, joke about turning to kidnapping to survive. And then, suddenly, it''s no joke. For two years, the strategy they devise-quick, efficient, low risk-works like a charm. Until they kidnap the wrong man.

Now two groups they've very much wanted to avoid are after them-the law, in the form of veteran state investigator Kirk Stevens and hotshot young FBI agent Carla Windermere, and an organized-crime outfit looking for payback. As they all crisscross the country in deadly pursuit and a series of increasingly explosive confrontations, each of them is ultimately forced to recognize the truth: The true professionals, cop or criminal, are those who are willing to sacrifice . . . everything.

A finger-burning page-turner, filled with twists, surprises, and memorably complex characters, The Professionals marks the arrival of a remarkable new writer.

My thoughts:

The Professionals was a brilliant book by Owen Laukkanen. When the initial incident hits you can't stop reading. The tension is always there; the looming threat of getting arrested or killed while the protagonists are scrambling for escape. This book kept me reading and wondering if they will ever escape. Owen Laukkanen connected you to these criminals by portraying them as victims, forced to turn to illegal methods of making money with no hope of getting a job in the recession. In this book you are rooting for the bad guys, no matter what horrible things that they all did.


My only complaint with this book is the ending.(Do not worry this is spoiler free.) I found it to be anticlimactic compared to the rest of this high tension book. I found myself to be re-reading the ending to see if there was anymore to the ending but to no avail. I do give some credit to Owen, I thought him going with it all happened so quickly feeling with the tide turning so quickly.


I found this book to be one of the best books that I ever read and I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys action and suspense. I would give this book eight stacks of cash out of ten.


reviewed by I. F., Grade 10 Scona student

Thursday, April 24, 2014

In Darkness

In Darkness

by Nick Lake

Synopsis:

In the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake, fifteen-year-old Shorty, a poor gang member from the slums of Site Soleil, is trapped in the rubble of a ruined hospital, and as he grows weaker he has visions and memories of his life of violence, his lost twin sister, and of Toussaint L'Ouverture, who liberated Haiti from French rule in the 1804.

My thoughts:

I found this book really interesting as I got deeper into the novel, The way the flashbacks and the memories flowed from chapter to chapter really kept me wanting more. This book brings in actual events that were happening in Haiti at the time and refers to American Rn'B artist Wyclef Jean as a connection to Haiti as he was from there too. Out of a 10 I would rate this book and 8, It was a great book and even though there was some chapters that I got lost on I would always catch up somehow when reading on. This is a book that really would catch the attention of people that are interested into the world events.


reviewed by A.B., Grade 10 Scona student

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

BZRK

BZRK

by Michael Grant

Synopsis:

Set in the near future, BZRK is the story of a war for control of the human mind.  Charles and Benjamin Armstrong, conjoined twins and owners of the Armstrong Fancy Gifts Corporation, have a goal:  to turn the world into their vision of utopia.  No wars, no conflict, no hunger.  And no free will.  Opposing them is a guerrilla group of teens, code name BZRK, who are fighting to protect the right to be messed up, to be human.  This is no ordinary war, though.  Weapons are deployed on the nano-level. The battleground is the human brain.  And there are no stalemates here:  It's victory . . . or madness.
 BZRK unfolds with hurricane force around core themes of conspiracy and mystery, insanity and changing realities, engagement and empowerment, and the larger impact of personal choice. Which side would you choose?  How far would you go to win?

My thoughts:

This novel is an exciting and an enjoyably written adventure story. Michael Grant has done an excellent job in making a winning Sci-fi novel. It has superb characters who are partly scientific, partly romantic, and
sometimes violent. Some gore and violence made the book even more interesting to read. Occasionally the author made moments confusing for me, but they were still engaging and encouraging. Actual details of the
nano world made me itch sometimes.

It was a great experience reading this novel because lots of science and “know-how” was involved. This is the first of three novels about the BZRK. If the sequels are as excellently written as the BZRK I will definitely continue reading these awesome novels. Overall, this was a fantastic novel, very interesting and addictive to read. I would really encourage you to read this novel.

reviewed by O.T., Grade 10 Scona student

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Perks of Being a Wallflower

Perks of being a Wallflower

by Stephen Chbosky

Synopsis:

Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective…but there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

Since its publication, Stephen Chbosky's haunting debut novel has received critical acclaim, provoked discussion and debate, grown into a cult phenomenon with over three million copies in print, spent over one year at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and inspired a major motion picture starring Logan Lerman and Emma Watson.


The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a story about what it's like to travel that strange course through the uncharted territory of high school. The world of first dates, family dramas, and new friends. Of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Of those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.


My thoughts:

Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is an incredible book, filled with exciting twists and heartbreaking words. When Charlie's best and only friend kills himself, he is left alone relying on his English teacher Bill to help him through high school. It is an exhilarating read, that forced me to never put it down. Every word had a bigger meaning allowing me to feel a part of his journey through life. I read this book because an unseen amount of friends came to me speaking about how this book will change you. Once I read it, I knew all the talk was true! This isn't me being overly dramatic. I honestly believe that now, when someone comes to me with a problem, I am able to help them through it.


    To start with, almost all the characters are described in a way that makes you know exactly what they look like or how they stand. Chbosky used the right amount of description, making each one unique. Mary Elizabeth is a punk Buddhists who meditated, with half of her hair shaved, and tattoos representing nature. She allowed my imagination to put together who she was. Then there is Alice. Alice steals jeans from stores even though she is rich! I mean, not just anyone could come up with those characters. The one negative, is that it became hard to decipher who Charlie was speaking of, when it came to his family. I Guess now you need to hear about his family. Okay, his mom and dad are very kind, although his dad doesn't show it and his mom doesn't speak a lot. They are a football loving family. Charlie's brother Plays on Penn State's football team, and is very good. His sister, well she is apart of  the environmental club, dating this boy named Derrick. Derrick wears his hair in a ponytail allowing people to call him ponytail Derrick.


    Patrick and Sam are Charlies two best friends that he finds well into his first year of high school. These are the two most important people in the book other than Charlie. They are kind and caring. Welcoming Charlie into their life through actions like this.    


" I didn't mean beautiful on the outside. I meant beautiful in all the ways. So, I was giving it to Sam. Sam looked at me soft. And hugged me. And I closed my eyes because I wanted to know nothing but her arms. And she kissed me on my cheek and whispered so nobody can hear, I love you. I knew she meant it in a friend way, but I didn't care because it was the third time since my Aunt Helen died that I heard it from anyone. The other two times were from my mom." pg. 69


In my opinion this is a perfect example of how close they were.


    This book is written in a letter format, Charlie is writing to the reader. He thanks you for listening and taking the time to read his letters. We have all had that friend, who feels under the weather (depressed), this is how Charlie was. What I am saying is, all of the aspects are easy to relate to. With one theme being never give up, things will improve, this explains many of our lives. I found it interesting how the author made the base of Charlie's life simple. He did not live in an extravagant  house. With a family of four, family dinners, and movie nights, his family was standard. I conclude that this made every action Charlie did stand out that much more. Not just one event made the book but it was how they all came together. I will soon be reading it again and highly recommend it to you. The book is 213 pages so don't worry about it being too long. My one piece of advice for you is, try to keep an open mind while reading it.


    It shows you how many people actually live. Not a fake fairy tale life, this is why I give it a strong 10/10. I also recommend you go and watch the movie it is also very good, but still the book is better and will give you a different understanding of Charlie. If you are to go watch the movie please read the book first. Honestly, just please go read it!

reviewed by A.R., Grade 10 Scona student

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Somebody Up There Hates You

Somebody Up There Hates You


by Hollis Seamon

Synopsis:


Suthy has landed me here in this hospice, where we—that’s me and Sylvie—are the only people under 30 in the whole place, sweartogod. But I’m not dead yet. I still need to keep things interesting. Sylvie, too. I mean, we’re kids, hospice-hostages or not. We freak out visitors; I get my uncle to sneak me out for one insane Halloween night. Stuff like that. And Sylvie wants to make things even more interesting. That girl’s got big plans.   Only Sylvie’s father is so nuclear-blasted by what’s happened to his little girl, he glows orange, I swear. That’s one scary man, and he’s not real fond of me. So we got a major family feud going on, right here in hospice. DO NOT CROSS line running down the middle of the hall, me on one side, her on the other. It’s crazy.   In the middle of all of this, really, there’s just me and Sylvie, a guy and a girl. And we want to live, in our way, by our own rules, in whatever time we’ve got. We will pack in some living before we go, trust me.

My thoughts:


At 17 years old, Richard Casey has been through chemo, radiation, countless surgeries, and now he has been labelled terminal. SUTHY (Somebody Up There Hates You) syndrome is the only explanation that makes any sense to Richie for why he and 15 year old Sylvie have ended up in hospice for their final days. And while everyone around them are determined to keep them alive, Richie and Sylvie have definite plans about how they want to spend whatever amount of time they have left.

Some people will compare this book to John Green’s The Fault In Our Stars and yes both books are about teens with cancer but that is where the similarities end.  Somebody Up There Hates You is narrated by Richie and you would think that he would be a bit pissed off by the direction his life seems to be headed and hoping for a miracle but Richie is more a realist; yes he has cancer and yes he will more than likely die from it but he’s 17 there’s still things he wants to do and he isn’t dead yet. Even though this book is about teens with cancer it is still a book with a positive message; it’s not over till it’s over and both Richie and Sylvie (especially Sylvie) aren’t willing to call it quits just yet.