The Karma Club by Jessica Brody

From Barnes and Noble:

School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up—Madison Kasparkova's world is destroyed when her seemingly perfect boyfriend cheats on her. After her mom takes her on a New Age retreat that gets the teen thinking about karma, she decides not to wait for the universe to set things right and enlists her friends' help in seeking revenge on those who've ever hurt them. They create a Karma Club and go about evening the score with their enemies, such as replacing a mean girl's acne medication with a Crisco mixture. Through their club, the girls learn how small choices can have dire or delightful consequences—for them as well as for others. Brody explores the lengths teenage girls will go to in order to restore balance in their chaos-filled lives. This fun, fast-paced read will bring a smile to the face of anyone who has dealt with high school's ups and downs, and will make them think before they meddle with fortune.—Katie Hageman, Gar-Field High School, Woodbridge, VA

Review: The Karma club was reviewed as a very good and suspenseful book. But personally, I think it was very predictiable. The blurb already tells you that her boyfriend is going to cheat on her at a really important party, and the whole plot just seemed a little annoying. Brody tried to make all of the Karma missions have suspense and thrill, but they all happened really fast and by the time they were done they would wait until the next day for results, which of course would be good.

Like most of Young Adult books for girls there is always romance, in this book it isn't really surprising who Madison falls for. Of course Spencer who she and her friends judge as this mean, spoiled and popular brat turns out to be someone else. OF COURSE! he turns out to be this sweet guy who is actually not into the whole popular scene and falls in love with Madison his French tutor.

The book wasn't all bad, it had some good parts, because like all books it had it's turning point. When all the bad Karma they were sending out to other people started turning back on them (The Butterfly effect.) And when the Karma book gets stolen and ends up in the wrong hands. The results of all of the Bad Karma they started sending out to people were all really funny. I think all of the Missions were really creative on Brody's part, but i do think that she shouldn't have been so predictable.

Overall this book gets

2 1/2 stars

This book was

Not Worth Reading

You Don't Know Me by David Klass

From Barnes and Noble:

Publishers Weekly

John, the 14-year-old narrator of Klass's (Screen Test; Danger Zone) well-conceived novel, deals with not only universal teenage problems (escaping his algebra teacher's questions, working up the nerve to ask out his dream girl, whom he calls "Glory Hallelujah," fighting with a friend), he also must deal with his mother's boyfriend, whom John calls "the man who is not my father." The tyrant verbally and physically abuses him when his mother is not around, and John experiences a "meltdown" when he learns that the man plans to marry his mother. While people do care about JohnDa rather stereotypically sensitive music teacher and a likable girl from his band class, whom John calls "Violent" Hayes "because she appears to be trying to strangle her saxophone before it kills her"Deven they cannot convince John to reveal what's happening at home. John's narrative often addresses various characters directly (his mother's boyfriend, the music teacher, etc.) with wry internal thoughts; this approach plays up the alienation John feels and also conveys the teen's sardonic humor and intelligence. A few scenes are so outrageous and comical that they clash with the book's overall tone (e.g., when Glory Hallelujah's father hunts John and the girl down in the basement of her home). But most, such as when John first asks out Glory Hallelujah via note, instructing her to check either the "yes" or "no" box, are very grounded in the high school experience. The hero's underlying sense of isolation and thread of hope will strike a chord with nearly every adolescent. Ages 12-up. (Mar.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information

You Don't Know Me is one of those books, that I won't forget. David Klass has suceeded in bringing such a dark tale into something funny and down to earth.

John (named after a toilet) has a sad life. He pretty much sums up his life through most of the pages. John claims that nobody knows him and that nobody will ever know him. His life sucks, but not for the usual reasons like "oh i got dumped" or "oh nobody likes me." Because people do like John but he claims that nobody KNOWS him.

John gets abused by "the man who is not my father." (His mother's boyfriend) This is something John cannot tell anyone because he knows that if he does that "there will be trouble." His mother who works double time at a autoparts shop in an assembly line has no clue that John is being abused. John claims she doesn't know because she doesn't know him, but it may turn out to be something else.

John goes through a wild rollercoaster in this story. His friend gets arrested for stealing an eggroll, He asks the girl of his dreams out, he gets semi-kidnapped, gets suspended, falls in love, and finally confronts the monster who thinks that he can beat him up for no reason. Many crazy things happen in this story, and in the end it seems like the only person who didn't know who John was, was John.

This book was obviously Ah-may-zing! (spelt incorrectly on purpose.)
Rating: 5 stars
THIS BOOK IS WORTH READING!

I have EXCITING NEWSSS!!!

Tomorrow I am going to meet with the famous author James Patterson!

I have seen his books before but have never really read them so the library gave me

Witch and Wizard!

so I'm almost half way through and I will ask him questions about his writing tomorrow!! This is the 1st author I am interviewing!!!

Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott

from Amazon

Grade 10 Up—Danielle, 18, has been a thief all her life. Moving from town to town, she and her mom stay around only long enough to canvas the rich and steal their silver. When she was 15, they moved on at Danielle's request, after she had sex for "the first and only time" with her mother's 20-year-old boyfriend. It's a lifestyle the teen is used to, but she's beginning to long for something more. She wants roots, friends, and a place to call home. When they hit the small resort town of Heaven, Danielle knows the routine. Her mom will chat up the men for information and she, now using the name Sydney, is supposed to do the same with her peers. Only something goes wrong, and "Sydney" begins to make friends with the mark, flirt with a local cop, and generally do everything her mom's always told her to avoid. And when it's time for the heist, Danielle is no longer sure she can follow her mom's demands. This story is deceptively touching. Danielle and her mother are both fully developed, as are the secondary characters of Allison (the friend) and Greg (the young cop). The overriding theme of living up to a parent's expectations instead of following your own path is universal, but the twist of a family of thieves gives the story originality.

this book was actually really interesting. I would ignore the grade 10 and up because I'm in 8th grade and I read this book with no problems. I mean nothing bad really happened. Danielle did have sex with her mom's 20 year old boyfriend but it was barely mentioned.

This book was amazing. Danielle's life was... well i don't know, it was sad her mother seemed kind of crazy with the obsession of stealing. Claiming that Danielle didn't need to go to school because she claimed that she could teach Danielle everything that she needed to learn in life. When they move to Heaven, Danielle knows what she has to do, steal from the mansion that belongs to the Donaldsons. When Danielle sneaks into the private beach looking for some information on the Donaldsons, she meets Allison a girl who will change her life, acting like her first real friend.

Then Danielle meets Greg, the guy who won't leave her alone, the guy who she actually starts to have feelings for. Greg is a funny looking guy who has hair with the combination of red, dark blonde and brown, Greg meets Danielle at the super market one day and wouldn't leave her alone since. Danielle who has a wall built up so high that it's hard to really get to know her, rejects him countless times. But as the author reveals, Danielle actually likes Greg, gets a funny feeling when he talks to her, but then she finds out he's a cop! This should stop any further feelings she has for Greg. Shouldn't it?

Danielle has more problems coming towards her, she keeps the secret of Greg the cop, and hides the fact that Allison is actually a Donaldson, how can Danielle steal from the only friend she has ever had, who doesn't care where she lives or that she's a maid and actually shows her off to the rich snobs who have "sticks up their asses." But who will Danielle choose? The life she has always known (the one where she has either waited for her mother, while she would steal countless items from the people they have met the night before) or the one where she can finally be normal (where she can have a friend and a boyfriend who is a cop, the one where she can own something of her own and keep it forever.)

Overall this book

was AMAZING!

4 stars!

Sorry

I'm sorry I haven't kept up with my blog, I've been super busy!

So here are the posts I've probably missed.

Wishlist Wednesday (1)

From Barnes and Noble:

April 29, 2010: "This polished prequel to Sex and the City reveals the ample drama that filled Carrie Bradshaw's life before her move to Manhattan. With wit and insight, Carrie chronicles her emotionally charged senior year at a small Connecticut high school." -Book Summary online barnesandnobles.com.

This book was a very disappointing read. I was excited to start reading this book because I thought it was going to be based on the character from the HBO hit TV show, Sex and the City. The Carrie Bradshaw in this book and the Carrie Bradshaw in the television series are not the same Carrie. I actually had to stop reading this book a few chapters in because I began to get confused. I knew the Carrie from the television series quite well and the fact that in this book her father is present in her life was not making sense. Finally after reading other reviews, it cleared everything up for me. Candace Bushnell wrote Carrie as she saw her and wanted her to be, not bothering to take into account that her beloved Carrie had already evolved quite differently. I think this book would have been much better if the actual story lines were in sync. It is a good book and story. I found the Carrie Bradshaw in the book to be quite mature mentally beyond her years. If you're looking to read a book based on your favorite character from the hit HBO series, Sex and the City, I must warn you- you're going to be very disappointed. This books main character should have had a different name or Candace Bushnell should have watched her own show and done her research. Overall, it appears Candace Bushnell used the name Carrie Bradshaw to sell another book.

"Hello, David. My name is Rose. It’s a pleasure to meet you. We are now entering minute two of our friendship. According to my Intimacy Clock, a handshake is now appropriate…"

David and Charlie are opposites. David has a million friends, online and off. Charlie is a soulful outsider, off the grid completely. But neither feels close to anybody. When David’s parents present him with a hot Companion bot to encourage healthy bonds and treat "dissociative disorder," he can’t get enough of luscious red-headed Rose — and he can’t get it soon. Companions come with strict intimacy protocols, and whenever he tries anything, David gets an electric shock. Severed from the boy she was built to love, Rose turns to Charlie, who finds he can open up, knowing Rose isn’t real. With Charlie’s help, the ideal "companion" is about to become her own best friend.
In a stunning and hilarious debut, John Cusick takes rollicking aim at internet culture and our craving for meaningful connection in an uber-connected world.

I'm worried about the cover, Not that I care there are a lot of worser covers in YA, but I don't know, my parents aren't really understanding in something like a girl coming from a box, like it's not THAT big of a deal but my mom will probably ask "What kind of book is THAT?" then I'll try to explain and then in her French accent she'll say "I still don't understand!" then my dad will ask and it goes on and on... Until my mom will read it herself! Whatever I'm going to read it anyway!

What are you reading Mondays? (2)

On Monday, I was reading

1. The Hunger games by Suzanne Collins, I was on page 148 and the book was intense and really good.

2. I went to the library to pick out a free- reading book and I got... Little Black Lies by Tish Cohen! I was on pg 48 before going to bed.

The Hunger games: I love the hunger games, it had a really slow start, but it started getting a little more dramatic as soon as Prim's name gets picked out of the raffle! I questioned if I would do the same thing for my sister, and when I brought up the situation, we both said that we'd have to be put into that situation to decide... Don't take me WRONG but I would definately dodge a bullet for any of my siblings, but if i would participate in that sort of game, I don't know, I probably would, anyway the whole ceremony was sad. The book is great so far!

Little Black Lies- I thought this book was going to be something like Gossip Girl, Boy was I wrong! Sara is really shy and kind of a follower! That really pisses me off. She has No moral standards when it somes to impressing Carling, even ditching her best friend! But one thing that she does that I have to say I totally understand is, lie about her father's job, I mean come on, he's an OCD janitor, and I would be extremely embarrassed myself! Not only because the disorder but because he's a janitor!! I feel bad about her mom leaving her, and the constant flashbacks that she keeps getting about her mother makes it ovious that she is the villian in the story, and it makes it clear what she was doing to the family. How couldn't Sara have noticed I mean it was so clear! The mother situation is making me pity Sara! The book is getting better and I find it actually interesting definately a good read!

What's In my Mailbox #2

A freak-out over a snapshot lands fifteen-year-old Sarah Greene on an island in the St. Lawrence River with several other juvenile offenders. There, she is to complete 400 hours of community service at a summer camp for dogs. The confinement leaves her with no way to complete the desperate mission she was on when she stole and subsequently crashed her mother's boyfriend's car—until the camp counselor's son, a boy she's been in school with since first grade, offers to take her across the river into Ottawa for a concert if she'll help him finish a project for his stepfather, the veterinarian who runs the camp. Sarah jumps at the chance, but plans to dump the boy at the concert. There, she will make her own way into the city, to the locked-up restaurant owned by her recently deceased father where she believes she will find the shameful evidence of the sexual abuse he inflicted on her from the earliest days of her memory. Sarah thinks that if she destroys the photographs and keep anyone else from finding out about the abuse, she can move on with her life. But Sarah is not the only one on the island trying to adjust to life-changing circumstances. A network of supporting characters adds interest, depth and complexity to the story. They help Sarah break out of her self-imposed isolation. With their support—and the completion of her mission, although not quite the way she'd planned—Sarah begins to anticipate a future of positive possibilities. Waldorf develops the plot skillfully and gently, allowing the reader to figure out early on what Sarah is hiding. It is disturbing, however, that she found it necessary to demonize two fathers in this very small population as sexuallyabusive of their daughters; with the exception of the reform camp counselors, all of the juveniles' parents are portrayed as abusive or negligent. Reviewer: Heather N. Kolich

Wow, this book sounds really sad, I hope it's not depressing!

Anne’s new life in Laguna Beach feels more like a death sentence than a vacation. The local high school is the exact opposite of her former Connecticut prep school, and the social scene is all about hanging out at the beach and surfing. When Anne finally makes friends, however, she decides to give California a chance.

And then there's Ellie: beautiful, competitive queen of the social scene who takes an instant disliking to Anne. When Chris—one of Ellie's oldest friends and the most sought after guy in school—reaches out to Anne and offers to teach her how to surf, tensions rise, especially since Anne has decided to enter the annual surf competition against Ellie.

This sounds good... So it's definately going on my list!! :D

Micah Wilkins, the provocative narrator of Justine Larbalestier's fifth young adult novel, is a dedicated fabulist, "a third generation liar." On the first day of high school, she pretends to be a boy; when she's outed by her girlish laugh, she claims she's a hermaphrodite. Four years later, Micah still lies -- out of habit but also out of self-defense, because, like many a YA heroine, she doesn't quite fit in with her peers. She's "half black, half white; half girl, half boy; coasting by on half a scholarship." She's not actually half girl and half boy, but she is, as she eventually admits, half wolf. Though this revelation comes more than halfway through the book, most readers will have already guessed Micah's secret, thanks to Larbalestier's gently escalating hints; if they are anything like this particular reader, they will feel very pleased with themselves for having done so. But Micah's werewolf-ism isn't her primary problem: the real source of her trouble is the mysterious Central Park death of her secret boyfriend, Zach Rubin. Publicly, Zach dated a popular girl named Sarah; privately, he chose Micah. "I could hear his [heart] beating when I slept, taste his breath," Micah thinks. "It was as if he'd crawled under my skin. Under it, always there. Even after he died." Her grief is quickly complicated by a desire for vengeance: when the police announce that dogs killed Zach, Micah realizes the culprit is another heretofore unknown Manhattan werewolf. Larbalestier lets Micah's story unfold in episodic and sometimes contradictory chapters (after all, when a congenital liar vows to "tell you my story and...tell it straight," only the gullible will believe her). Despite her fibs and omissions, Micah is a sympathetic narrator, and her story -- an unconventional blend of adolescent coming-of-age and psychological thriller -- is hard to stop reading. --Emily Chenoweth

I read another book by this author... umm... I think it was How to Ditch your Fairy! Great book! At the end of the book there was a preview of Liar and it was good so far.

When Tessa's best friend Noelle disappears right before the start of eighth grade, Tessa's life changes completely--she shies away from her other friends and stops eating in the cafeteria. Now, two years later, Noelle has escaped her captivity and is coming home, in one piece but not exactly intact, and definitely different. Tessa's life is about to change again as she tries to revive the best-friendship the two girls had shared before Noelle--now Elle--was kidnapped; puts up a futile resistance to the charming new guy at school; pursues her passion for photography while trying to build the bravado to show her photos to the public; and tries to balance her desire to protect and shelter Elle with the necessity to live her own life and put herself first.

Ooooooooo I love scary stories, Although I'm not sure this is going to be scary... It might be sad, but the plot sounds scary.

Daiyu was adopted as a baby from China by an American couple, and now as a teenager in St. Louis, a strangely attractive gem sends her into an alternate world where North America was colonized by Chinese settlers rather than Europeans. Daiyu is recruited by Ombri and Aurora, two “servants of the gods” who are also able to move between worlds, to help stop Chenglei, a dangerous traveler who has been elected prime minister of Shenglang (the alternate version of St. Louis and “arguably the most important city on the world called Jia”). But even as Daiyu becomes increasingly fascinated by Shenglang and attracted to Kalen, who assists Ombri and Aurora, she begins questioning everything: is the charming Chenglei truly evil? (“Were Aurora and Ombri simply interdimensional bounty hunters who had their own agenda?” she wonders. “How could she possibly know?”). Shinn's (General Winston's Daughter) fantasy finds the right balance between adventure and romance, while illuminating how seductive evil can be and that sometimes the best weapon one can possess is a skeptical mind. Ages 12–up. (Oct.)\

I really want to read this book!!!!! It sounds really interesting.

A new job, look and lover are just a wish away in this middling series starter from chick lit fantasy author Klasky (Magic and the Modern Girl). Kira Franklin is about to lose her stage manager job when she discovers a magic lamp in the prop cabinet. Statistic-spouting genie Teel shifts from dominatrix to disco man to schoolgirl while coaxing Kira to make her wishes as quickly as possible. All Kira wants is a new job, so Teel lands her a position as the stage manager for a large regional theater, where she befriends set designer John McRae and lusts after star actor Drew Myers. Klasky's fans will miss her usually engaging characters—everyone other than Kira and John is cardboard-flat—and a series linked by inconsistent, intangible Teel seems unlikely to get very far. (Oct.)

I'm not too sure about the plot, it sounds a little overplayed... But hopefully it has a juicy twist in it.

Ludelphia Bennett may be blind in one eye, but she can still put in a good stitch. Ludelphia sews all the time, especially when things go wrong.

But when Mama goes into labor early and gets deathly ill, it seems like even quilting won't help. That's when Ludelphia decides to do something drastic—leave Gee's Bend for the very first time. Mama needs medicine that can only be found miles away in Camden. But that doesn't stop Ludelphia. She just puts one foot in front of the other.

What ensues is a wonderful, riveting and sometimes dangerous adventure. Ludelphia weathers each challenge in a way that would make her mother proud, and ends up saving the day for her entire town.

I really am looking foward to reading this, I already have a massive list to get through but I will try to sqeeze this in with it!

Set in 1932 and inspired by the rich quilting history of Gee's Bend, Alabama, Leaving Gee's Bend is a delightful, satisfying story of a young girl facing a brave new world.

Fade by Lisa McMann

This intriguing, if not quite stand-alone, sequel to Wake (S & S, 2008) follows undercover investigators and high school seniors Janie Hannagan and her partner/boyfriend Cabel as they attempt to unmask and trap a sexual predator teaching at Fieldridge High. Janie is a dream catcher-she has the ability to be sucked into another person's dreams-and her job is to glean clues to the culprit's identity from her classmates and to act as bait. The latter task annoys protective Cabe, and their relationship, already strained by a scarcity of alone time and the need for secrecy (their last case might be jeopardized if they are seen together), is further stressed. Furthermore, Janie receives documents from her now-deceased dream-catcher mentor promising to detail the fate in store for her, and she's not sure she wants to know the truth. While there are few surprises in the main plot arc, the spare but effective narrative holds readers' attention, especially when Janie delves into the chilling truth of her ability. Teens who like the supernatural-tinged drama of shows like Ghost Whisperer and Medium may be tempted by this series.-Christi Esterle, Parker Library, CO

I agree with Barnes and noble that Fade was NOT a stand-alone sequel to Wake. It took off right from the ending of Wake. The plot and characters changed a lot, this book wasn't that good...

Cabel changed from being a sweetheart with a dark past to an over protective boyfriend. I HATE over-protective boys! They are so annoying! When Captain gives Janie a case where she'll serve as base to a sexual predator (teacher) Cabel is 100% against it! Janie thinks that she can handle one dangerous mission and that she deserves one because of Cabels drug case in Wake. She accuses Cabel of being the only one who gets to have fun. Janie accepts the case which disappoints Cabel.

The case wasn't good, it made me really angry, I didn't like it. I felt like she blew it!! Plus the case ruined a lot of things in the book, it changed all of the characters and the plot was weak.

Janie really discovers herself in this book which made Fade a good book, it wasn't as great as Wake but it was still good. Miss Stubin left some really important stuff for Janie that made me feel really bad for her.

In this book I actually started to hate Cabel I felt that he betrayed Janie, and that he needed to get over himself! It was ridiculous! But in the end, when he got back to the sweetheart Cabel I started to like him again.

This book is

Worth reading

3 stars