Book Reviews and Ratings: 2011

Friday, July 8, 2011

James Patterson, Middle School The Worse Years of My life

I was pleasantly surprised with James Patterson's book, "Middle School, the Worse years of my life".

It is written about a young boys every day trials and events through middle school. It was wonderfully illustrated.

The book was very clean and I think any child that goes into middle school can EASILY relate to the main character in this book.

James Patterson has done a wonderful job to write in the view of a young child as he did.. it was a wonderful read.. even my son enjoyed this book.

I give this book a 5 Out 5!

I highly recommend this book for kids.

Below is the book Information:

Title:	Middle School, the Worst Years of My Life



Tags:	Adolescence, Behavior, Boys & Men, Comics & Graphic Novels, Emotional Problems, Family Problems, Fiction, General, Grief, Humorous Stories, Juvenile Fiction, Middle Schools, School & Education, Schools, Social Issues

Author Sort:	Patterson, James & Tebbetts, Chris & Park, Laura

Rafe Khatchadorian has enough problems at home without throwing his first year of middle school into the mix. Luckily, he's got an ace plan for the best year ever, if only he can pull it off: With his best friend Leonardo the Silent awarding him points, Rafe tries to break every rule in his school's oppressive Code of Conduct. Chewing gum in class-5,000 points! Running in the hallway-10,000 points! Pulling the fire alarm-50,000 points! But when Rafe's game starts to catch up with him, he'll have to decide if winning is all that matters, or if he's finally ready to face the rules, bullies, and truths he's been avoiding.Blockbuster author James Patterson delivers a genuinely hilarious-and surprisingly poignant-story of a wildly imaginative, one-of-kind kid that you won't soon forget.

Monday, June 27, 2011

I ran across this Video this Morning..MSNBC

The video covers the titles an authors of racy books that are put out for teens. Please take time to watch the video.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8962686/ns/nightly_news/t/new-trend-teen-fiction-racy-reads/

Now, if we can be honest a moment and think back to our youth, how many of us read books that the older kids were reading? We wanted to be cool, like them and also have something to say.
This has become a very serious issue with books for teens and tweens.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Miss. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children By Ransom Riggs

This story starts out with a boy and his family. His grandfather tells him stories about his youth of children that are not like any other children that anyone knows of. they have, "abilites."

One girl can fly, a boy is invisible...the list goes on.

The boy ends up not believing his grandfather as time comes goes on. One day, his grandfather is killed and tells him in his dying breath to go to the island and that he would be safe there.

This story can be gripping, and a wonderful page turner. The only thing I have bad to say about this one is the language and consumption of alcohol.

This book is for teens as well as adults. If only authors could use more creative words then profanity to portray the story, and grip the readers.

On a scale of 1-10 I give this one about a 7.

Warnings for Parents:

Alcohol use
Profanity
Mild Violence

Book Information: From Amazon.com

mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. And a strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children who once lived here--one of whom was his own grandfather--were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a desolate island for good reason. And somehow--impossible though it seems--they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens,...

Saturday, June 25, 2011

The Importance of reading what your children are reading.

With the birth of the kindle, and many other E-Reading devices, reading has finally soared to all new heights. Everyone I know always wants to see my kindle, and they also tell me about theirs. Books have become very affordable with the ability to order then digitally straight from Barnes and Noble or even Amazon. Many books are now free! With this comes many new experiences with new authors and even finally being able to affordably buy popular authors..

With this being said, Do you know what your kids are reading? Do you read through the books? Yes covers can look nice and sweet, and very misleading.

Lately as I have been reading books for kids 12 and up, I have been shocked with use of profanity, alcohol, sex, rebellion and so many issues that we as parents face each and every day.

I want to encourage adults to look carefully at each and every book your child is reading. If there is a book that you need me to read, drop me a line via the blog and I will be happy to look into that book and give a complete review on the book for you.

I know many parents are astounded, when our kids yell and curse at us..we wonder where they have picked this up if these things are not going on in our home.

This can come from many resources of entertainment, and even their friends.

It is important that once you have the information of the book to sit down with the child and explain to them "WHY" This is not a good book for them.

I look forward to blogging much more in the future. I am trying to read about a book a day..so I hope to bring more reviews soon.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

P. C. Cast "Marked" Book Review by Samantha

I just finished reading this book, and I must admit to being quite shocked.

Zoey the main person of the story, was marked to be a vampire. She goes home and needless to say her mother and stepfather totally gets so upset. Her father, as they refer to him, "A man of Faith" portrays Chrisitans to be quite stupid in the book.

She has to go to what is called "The house of the dead" To finish her transformation. As she walks down a hall, she comes upon a girl trying to pull a boy's pants down to have oral sex.

There are very many occult refrences withen the book. Also if you look at this website, you can truly see how caught up in these stories kids and adults as well can become.

This group of books is quite the top seller. I must admit the writer can be captivating, drawing you into Zoey's world.

In conclusion:

I do not recomend this book in the least for a child of any age.

I do want to leave you, the reader with a few links

Teen Help.com Has done a wonderful article telling of how teens are choosing oral sex for safe sex, however, it is greatly increasing STD's as a result.

It is very important we talk to our kids about sex at any age. If they do not hear it from us, they will certaily hear it from their peers, and also in books such as these.

Finally,

I am gong to leave you with the book information. I hope you have found this blog helpful. I

Title:	Marked
Authors:	P. C. Cast & Kristin Cast


Tags:	Fantasy, Fantasy & Magic, Fantasy Fiction, Fiction, General, Juvenile Fiction, Occult Fiction, Occultism, Vampires, Young Adult Fiction


Author	Cast, P. C. & Cast, Kristin

The House of Night series is set in a world very much like our own, except in 16-year-old Zoey Redbird's world, vampyres have always existed. In this first book in the series, Zoey enters the House of Night, a school where, after having undergone the Change, she will train to become an adult vampire--that is, if she makes it through the Change. Not all of those who are chosen do. It's tough to begin a new life, away from her parents and friends, and on top of that, Zoey finds she is no average fledgling. She has been Marked as special by the vampyre Goddess, Nyx. But she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers. When she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school's most elite club, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny--with a little help from her new vampyre friends. P.C. Cast is an award-winning fantasy and paranormal romance author, as well as an experienced speaker and teacher. Her novels have been awarded the prestigious Prism, Daphne du Maurier, Affaire du Coeur, and other awards. She lives and teaches in Oklahoma. Kristin Cast has won awards for her poetry and journalism. She attends Northeastern State University, where she is working toward fulfilling her goal of becoming a biology teacher. The House of Night series is set in a world very much like our own, except in 16-year-old Zoey Redbird's world, vampyres have always existed. In this first book in the series, Zoey enters the House of Night, a school where, after having undergone the Change, she will train to become an adult vampire--that is, if she makes it through the Change. Not all of those who are chosen do. It's tough to begin a new life, away from her parents and friends, and on top of that, Zoey finds she is no average fledgling. She has been Marked as special by the vampyre Goddess, Nyx. But she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers. When she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school's most elite club, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny--with a little help from her new vampyre friends. ""Marked" is one of the best coming of age stories to come out of Oklahoma since S. E. Hinton's "The Outsiders." It teaches about the beauty of being a social outcast, friendship, and finding your own inner spirituality."--"The Beltane Papers ""From the moment I stuck my face in this book it hooked me! Totally awesome new take on vampires! "Marked "is hot and dark and funny. It rocks!"--Gena Showalter, author of MTV's "Oh My Goth" "Cast reeled me in from paragraph one. I snorted and giggled through the whole thing, and devoured it in one sitting."--MaryJanice Davidson, "New York"" Times" best-selling author of the "Undead" series "In 16-year-old Zoey Redbird's world, vampyres not only exist but are also tolerated by humans. Those whom the creatures 'mark' as special enter the House of Night school where they will either become vampyres themselves, or, if their body rejects the change, die. To Zoey, being marked is truly a blessing, though she's scared at first. She has never fit into the human world and has always felt she is destined for something else. Her grandmother, a descendant of the Cherokee, has always supported her emotionally, and it is she who takes the girl to her new school. But even there the teen stands apart from the others. Her mark from the Goddess Nyx is a special one, showing that her powers are very strong for one so young. At the House of Night, Zoey finds true friendship, loyalty, and romance as well as mistrust and deception. She realizes that all is not right in the vampyre world and that the problems she thought she left behind exist there as well. Readers will identify with many of the characters, especially the protagonist. The story moves quickly (a little too quickly at the end) and purposely leaves many unresolved issues. A good choice for those libraries serving fans of the occult, but be aware that the book contains some suggestive language and sex."--Donna Rosenblum, "School Library Journal"

Do you know what your kids are reading?

Normally, many parents do not read what their kids read. With the birth of E-readers, reading is finally at a all time high. Reading is very important. However, it can be very destructive if you read the wrong kind of books etc.

Many of the youth books, now contain sexual acts, such as sex and even oral sex. One would think there would be a warning on the front of the books just like music, depicting there needs to be a parental warning. Yet, there are no parental warnings.

With this blog, I hope to shed some light on many of these books. I hope to hear from you and answer questions.
Samantha June 21, 2011