Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Procrastinating...

Hey everyone, sorry for the long wait. Life has been crazy with all of the homework I've been getting, 90% of it for AP History = (
Right now I'm actually supposed to be working on my English research paper, which I'm doing on gay rights. It's really easy though, and I'm already on page 5 and I only need 6-8 (if I can keep it that brief!) so I think I can take a break. Besides, I have 11 books that I need to review. I'm not going to do all of them now but I think I can get through at least 3, although I'm going to try and keep them brief.

So, first up!

Boot Camp by Todd Strasser

I read this book a few months ago because I thought it looked like a fairly interesting read. The book is a fiction one that tells the story of a teenage boy sent to a boot camp/reform school and the awful conditions he faces there that basically border on being torture. As the book progresses, the boy and a couple of others concoct a plan to escape from the boot camp.
The book was a fast read, I think I finished it in a little over an hour or an hour and a half, and it wasn't anything special. The only really interesting thing about it in my opinion was how it shows what boot camps can be like and how once you are in one, no one really knows what is happening to you.

I'd give this book a 5/10. Enjoyable read, but nothing special, by a long shot.

The second and third books are the first two in a trilogy by Lisa McMann. The first is entitled Wake and the second one is Fade. The third book actually just came out but I haven't had a chance to read it yet.

Basically the books are about a girl (whose name I cannot recall now) who has the ability to visit other people's dreams. In fact, its less of an ability and more of a curse, as she often gets sucked into people's dreams at very inopportune and sometimes dangerous moments. In the first book the girl befriends the mysterious/someone dangerous seeming boy Caleb, who seems to have a secret.

These books were also really quick reads, and both were very enjoyable. Considering what the story is about, I expected it to be more fantasy/science fiction but it was more of a realistic read that just happens to be about a girl with unrealistic powers.

I'd give these books a 7.25/10

Okay, well that's all I have time for right now. Hopefully sometime soon I can get a few more done. Thanks for reading!