The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in our Stars by John Green
Published by Dutton Juvenile
pages- 336
Release Date- Jan. 10, 2012
Genre- Realistic Fiction
(shelfari) (amazon) (goodreads)
rating- 4

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now. 

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault. 

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.


John Green's a long time favorite of mine, and i was super psyched when he announced on his YouTube channel vlogbrothers that he was going to come out with another one, this time from a girls perspective, and even cooler... He was signing every single pre-order.That's 150,000 books! (if your interested in this click here***)


The Fault in Our Stars was very different from John Greens other novels, the most apparent change being that the main protagonist is a female, and that when the book starts out, she is already recovering from the climax of her life: that startling night years ago when she lied on a hospital bed, with her parents hovering over her, chocking out their last goodbyes. Hazel survives, although at this time its not much of a life.  She sleepwalks through the motions, School work, sleep, ANTM marathons, support group, and of course, reading her favorite novel An Imperial Affliction (or AIA)

Finally one night, things the future starts to look up when a friend from her group introduces her to Augustus who has taken the place as my favorite John Green character.  He was funny and a beautiful match for haven. I liked their relationship, their witty  dialog and all the deep conversation kept me enthralled through out the entire novel. Especially the parts where Issac was present, I'm not really sure what it was about Issac, but every scene he was in quickly became my favorites.


The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the amount of time Hazel spends obsessing over Anna the main character in her favorite book, An Imperial Affliction. what happened after the last page? what happened to Anna's mom? yes, I am aware that Anna in AIA and Hazel in TFIOS are basically the same person, just with different endings, and that you cannot confuse fiction with real life, you cant expect the characters to keep living past the last page. That a story really is just that. However, It's not really what I'm used to. That doesn't mean that i didn't like the book, just that it wasn't my favorite...


However, The Fault in Our Stars made me laugh and cry and think about how some infinities are larger then other infinities. It was a wonderful story that I would recommend to anyone.


Have a wonderful weekend,
Dana

Sign Language By Amy Ackley

Sign Language by Amy Ackley

published by Viking Juvenile
pages- 336
release date- August 18, 2011
Genre- Realistic Fiction
(shelfari) (amazon) (goodreads)
rating 5

from goodreads-
Twelve-year-old Abby North's first hint that something is really wrong with her dad is how long it's taking him to recover from what she thought was routine surgery. Soon, the thing she calls "It" has a real name: cancer. Before, her biggest concerns were her annoying brother, the crush unaware of her existence, and her changing feelings for her best friend, Spence, the boy across the street. Now, her mother cries in the shower, her father is exhausted, and nothing is normal anymore.

I wasn't sure what to expect going into Sign Language, I'm not really one for those gritty "real world" novels, but sign language was definitely not what I expected it to be. Grief is a hard subject to talk about and it certainly must be a tough one to write about. Everyone grieves in a different way, and it amazes me that something that almost all people have in common*, can be so vastly different between all people. In Sign Language we got Abby's unique view in the years before and after her fathers death.

I liked the time span that the book took place in (about 4 years), life is not something that you can rush through. Ackley did an amazing job of changing Abby as she grew up, but still keeping her true to her character. Its an amazing realistic fiction story, and stayed 'realistic' the entire time, without anything to rushed or emphasized. It was beautifully written, and the characters were some of the most identifiable I've read. After a long span of adventure and paranormals, sign language was a breath of fresh air.

I also liked how there were other things going on, not just the whole cancer thing, it was enough to keep the book not completely depressing, and again true to life.

I absolutely completely whole heartedly adored Spencer. His wonderful positive personality, despite the hardships and loneliness that he had growing up. He was the perfect friend to Abby, and I wish I had someone like that in my life.

I think that Sign Language is a book that everyone will identify with, nomatter there personal experiences, and it was -just in general- a great read. Praise to Amy Ackley for her magnificant debut and I look forward to her books of the future!

keep calm and carry on,

Dana

*once, as a poll in my sophomore year health class, my teacher had asked everyone in the class to raise their hand if they had lost someone that they loved dearly, not necessarily a family member, and not a family member that you had no attachments to, but someone you loved. about 60% of the people I'm my class raised their hands.

Hanging on to max by margaret Bechard

Hanging on to Max by Margaret Bechard
published by Simon Pulse
204 pages
Genre- Realistic Fiction
(amazon) (goodreads) (shelfari)
Rating- 4

Sam has always had everything figured out. He had a solid plan, a go to college become an engineer, get married... but all of his plans come to a standstill when his girlfriend Brittney tells him shes pregnant. Now over a year later Sam is left alone, attending an alternative high school with his 11 month old son Max. (Brittney left soon after Max was born, wanting nothing to do with him) Sam's Determined to make it work though, he cant leave max alone, an if that means giving up his plan, so be it. He will be a good dad!... he has to be.


Hanging on to max was definetly realistic, and I liked how it was from the dads point of view. It was intresting how everyone favored the mothers, or at least symphisided with them, yet when Sam came alone everyone assumed that he was doing everything wrong. I do think that its a good example of what teenage parenthood is, extreamly difficult, yet not unmanageable. Sam was Lovable, as was max. (:D) The story was great and the ending was oh so sad, yet agin realistic. The read was super fast. I read it in like 2 hours, and i would recomend Hanging on to Max to anyone and everyone. :)

see yall
Dana

The Anti-Social network, by Sadie hayes

The Anti-Social Network by Sadie Hayes

published by backlit fiction

78 pages

genre- realistic fiction

(amazon) (goodreads) (shelfari)

rating- 4

as the start up of Adam and Amelia's company progresses, things are getting even more exciting (and dangerous). An old enemy of the Dorii starts to blackmail them, and a powerful and grudge holding investor has it out for Amelia, wanting nothing more then to destroy her company and crush her hopes. Through out all this Amelia gets a crush on a sexy co-worker, and Adam cannot figure out why his gorgeous girl friend Lisa, insists they keep their relationship on the DL. get ready for a crazy ride....

AHHH! Not again! I've been reading so many wonderful books lately, and this one just adds to the list. I literaly read it in like 2 hours, and totally ignored my entire family for the duration. Just as good as the first, Or maybe even better, I was not disappointed. Not one bit. the plot was totally all over the place, and i was completely caught up. and the cliff hanger ending was like extreme! the only bad thing about ebooks is that you don't really know when the books ending and when I got to that last page I was like *gasp* and then I tried to flip the virtual page, and was like "Noooo!" Lolz I am biting my nails waiting for this next one to come out. thank godness I only have to wait a month. Are more people doing that these days? or is Hayes just being super cool and innovative, by not letting her audience forget everything that happened in the entire year between books. I totally approve. The novels are Hilarious, sweet, scandalous, and super awesome, I find myself smiling from ear to ear the entire time! I hope Hayes keeps up with the series, because I am not done with these characters, not anytime soon :D

Keep reading,
Dana

Review: The summer I learned to fly by Dana Reinhardt

The Summer I learned to Fly by Dana Reinhardt
Published by Wendy lamb Books
216 pages
genera- Realistic Fiction
(shelfari) (goodreads)  (amazon)
Rating- 4

It's the summer before eighth grade and Drew Robin Solo has been filling her days with work at her mothers cheese shop, playing with her pet rat, Humboldt fog, and analysing a book of lists that her father wrote before he died. Other then that, and talking to nick, the beautiful 19 year old surfer boy who works at the shop with drew, there's not much to do. That is until she meets a strange boy named Emmett Crane, one night in the ally behind the cheese shop. Hes mysterious and different and loves rats, and strangely He likes her too. It begins to be the first real friendship Drew's ever had. perfect timing too, for while Drew's life is beginning to spiral into strange and different directions, Emmet is the one person she feels comfortable with, if only he would be honest to her in return and tell her the truth about himself.

The summer I learned to fly was so sweet and innocent I fell in love with it right away! Reinhardt's voice was light and cute, but there were still the undertones of deep subjects. Humboldt fog reminded me a lot of my late rat Oliver. I thought he went perfectly with the story, of course the irony of her owning a rat and a cheese shop, but also Drew just seems like a rat person you know? lol. Emmett was awesome, I think I'll name one of my future children Emmett in honor of him. (and all the other awesome Emmett's out there!)

There were many parts where I laughed. One part where I cried. I felt incredibly happy on one page, and morose on the next. Reinhardt is superior at bringing things all over the board then having them hit their exact mark. I'm not sure how classics are made, but I would not be surprised if some day my kid has to read this for school. The summer I learned to fly seems somehow ageless, and young at the same time. It reminds me a bit of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, both personal favorites of mine, and although I usually find "coming of age" stories annoying. This is one that I would read again

Recommended?: Hell yes.

Happy day, (Enjoy your last weekend school free!)
Dana

Review: Candor by Pam Bachorz

Candor by Pam Bachorez
published by EgmontUSA
256 pages
genra- Realistic Fiction/ Science Fiction
(amazon) (goodreads) (shelfari)
Rating- 4

Oscar Banks lives in the perfect world. Everyone is nice to each other, every one goes to school on time, eats healthy, does all their home work. no one ever fights, or talks back, or stays out late. Only Oscar knows why they feel compelled to be perfect, and Oscar is the only one who is really him self. Being the bosses kid has its perks, like the fact that Oscar knows about the subliminal messages that ate transmitted to every person in the town through the towns music. Oscar fights being perfect, and when new kids come to the town, he gets them out fast before the messages ruin them. Its not until the beautiful, artistic, interesting Nia Silva comes to Candor that Oscar thinks that maybe not every one has to leave, maybe he can teach her to fight the messages and stay herself. If only he can do it without his father suspecting and sending them both to the listening room, a place where the brainwashing is turned up to the extreme, and no one comes out the same.

We'll I can tell you one thing, Candors a place I'd never want to be. Other then the fact that every one doing everything 'right' is super creepy, and I'd loose all originality, I just really wouldn't like that southern Florida heat, lol. But reading it was enough for me, Pam Bachorz did an excellent job with this "Stepford Wives" -like story. There was pain and sorrow, along with the pressure (literally!) to be perfect, and the struggle one feels to stay an individual. even though most of us (hopefully!) don't have whispers in our ears telling us what to do, Candor is more identifiable then one would think.

Possibly the biggest theme in the book was loneliness and the fact that everyone Oscars ever known has left him from his brothers death, and mother leaving, to his friends turning into polo wearing clones. It makes Oscars immediate feelings for Nia, seem less rushed, because he realises that maybe he can have one person maybe not everyone has to leave. That was the strongest aspect of the book, along with the love of course.

 It was love that drove Oscar to his decision at the end of the book. Even though I wish Candor Ended differently, It was logical and ill let it slide this time. But Bachorz better not disappoint in Drought, her newest novel. Which I picked up but haven't gotten around to it yet. worry no longer though, its on my list!

Hmmm anything else to say?... Oh I loved Mandi, Oscars ex girlfriend, even though she was possessive and mean, the constant confliction between her nature and the messages kept me majorly amused. [even though I feel sort of bad at the same time, lol] and there are no words for how I despised Sherman. 'nough said.

go read it. {I actually got my sister and my friend to start reading it, if I can convince them, I think your a good bet also ;) }

Dana