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Monster

Walter Dean Myers

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 682 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

All around, good attempt 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Monster, by Walter Dean Myers, is to say the least an interesting book. The stories protagonist, Steve, is put on trial for murder because he "aided in a robbery that led to the murder". The book is written mostly in a format for a movie, for Steve writes the movie script to help him cope with the trial and the trauma that is occurring inside of him. In the end, Steve is found innocent and released, but Myers is never clear if Steve really did assist in the robbery, leaving the reader to have to choose for themselves if Steve is truly guilty or innocent.
I thought this book was overall a good read. The drama of the storyline mixed with the mystery of Steve's actions certainly kept me fascinated from cover to cover. The idea to write in a movie script was a very creative idea on Myer's part, and he should at least deserve credit for originality. My only quarrel with the book was the characters. It was not that I had any problems with the character's personalities, rather their lack of personality. As I started reading, I wanted to like Steve, or hate him, or have some definite opinion on how I should feel about him. But as the book went on, I found myself having to reach harder and harder to grasp Steve's character, until I realized that it was not me who had the problem. It was Steve, whose defining characteristics were as flat as the pages that they were written on. When the court's decision finally came, I wanted to know very badly what the verdict was, but I later found that I would not have been to upset if the verdict went either way. I did not care how the book ended, or how it affected Steve, I just wanted to know what the ending was.
If Mr. Myers reads this, I would like to tell him that he is a great writer and a very creative thinker. Just next time, remember to make the protagonist more human, so that readers will be able to "feel what he is feeling" easier. If you master that, your books will truly be great.

Editorial Review:

Read by a full cast
2 hours 34 minutes, 2 cassettes

1999 National Book Award Finalist
Parent's Guide to Children's Media Honors
Publishers Weekly Best Books of 1999
Horn Book Honor Book

A Harlem drugstore owner was shot and killed in his store, and the word is that 16-year-old Steve Harmon served as the lookout. Was he involved or was he simply in the wrong place at the wrong time? An amateur filmmaker, Steve transcribes his trial into a movie script, showing scene by scene how his life was turned around in an instant.

The Outsiders

S. E. Hinton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1535 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A great book, but a little bit of a repetitive story 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The Outsiders is a classic tale of the struggles between two gangs in Oklahoma. The gang known as the "Greasers" are characterized by their long, silky, and greasy hair. This group is the lower class, but yet much smarter than the upper class. The upper class gang is the "Socs" or Socials. This story shows the life and tensions between these two gangs. After Johnny, a member of the Greasers kills a member of the Socs even greater tensions rise. This leads Johnny and Ponyboy, whom the story revolves around, to hide out and try to stay away from the police. While in hiding something tragic happens to Johnny, leaving an unthinkable fate. As the gangs are furious with the losses, they declare a rumble. After this rumble, a miraculous thing occurs in the story. Something that is so thrilling you will have to read it to find out!
I really enjoyed this book, although it seemed to be almost an exact replica of West Side Story. That factor in a way took the fun out of reading parts of it, as you could almost guess what was going to happen next. Though for readers not familiar with West Side Story, this book is a fantastic tale of love, hate, and tension. Though I felt it was repetitive, it was very compelling and kept you turning the pages. It also left you wanting more at the end, though the ending was purely fabulous. I recommend this book to young adults and teens who enjoy enticing stories and stories with many genres. This book is a good purchase, and you will not be disappointed!

Editorial Review:

When it was first published in 1967, The Outsiders defied convention with its immediate, deeply sympathetic portrayal of Ponyboy and his struggle to find a place for himself in a difficult world. Thirty years later, it speaks to teenagers as powerfully as ever.

In the Night Kitchen (Caldecott Collection)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 102 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

My feelings have changed about this book over time 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

As a mother and a teacher, I am always looking for quality books to read to my fourth graders as well as my 3 year old daughter. Although I would never be able to read In the Night Kitchen to my class (parent complaints and such), it didn't take long for my little girl to fall in love with this book.
Sadly, many children today are lacking a tremendous amount of imagination, getting caught up in video games and the newest electronics. This is the primary reason why I knew I would expose her to Maurice Sendak. She's loved Where the Wild Things Are since she was a baby. I just checked out this book in the public library last week.
In my Children's Lit class in college many years ago, our teacher lectured us about the Freudian undertones of this children's book. Being young and impressionable, I vowed to myself to NEVER expose my future child to a book like this. Well, what can I say? I've learned quite a bit since then.
I'm a firm believer that nothing is a big deal unless you MAKE it a big deal. Sure, the book is certainly different from any other children's book you normally see. However, Sendak wrote this in 1970 and wanted it to be a nostalgic piece and he brought it into his illustrations. He was brought up reading comics of the 1940s, which is clearly seen in the story.
It's a whimsical, mystical story showing a journey through the imagination of a little boy. My daughter adores it and I often hear her quoting, "Quiet Down There!" and "Good bless me." I'm sure I will have a difficult time bringing this one back to the library, so I plan on purchasing it for her very soon. Thank goodness she has the Scholastic Video Collection that includes "Where the Wild Things Are" as well as "In the Night Kitchen."

Editorial Review:

1971 Caldecott Honor Book
Notable Children's Books of 1940--1970 (ALA)
Best Books of 1970 (SLJ)
Outstanding Children's Books of 1970 (NYT)
Best Illustrated Children's Books of 1970 (NYT)
Children's Books of 1970 (Library of Congress)

Carey-Thomas Award 1971--Honor Citation
Brooklyn Art Books for Children 1973, 1975

Masterpiece

Elise Broach

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Marvin lives with his family under the kitchen sink in the Pompadays’ apartment. He is very much a beetle. James Pompaday lives with his family in New York City. He is very much an eleven-year-old boy.After James gets a pen-and-ink set for his birthday, Marvin surprises him by creating an elaborate miniature drawing. James gets all the credit for the picture and before these unlikely friends know it they are caught up in a staged art heist at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that could help recover a famous drawing by Albrecht Dürer. But James can’t go through with the plan without Marvin’s help. And that’s where things get really complicated (and interesting!). This fast-paced mystery will have young readers on the edge of their seats as they root for boy and beetle.  In Shakespeare’s Secret Elise Broach showed her keen ability to weave storytelling with history and suspense, and Masterpiece is yet another example of her talent. This time around it’s an irresistible miniature world, fascinating art history, all wrapped up in a special friendship— something for everyone to enjoy.

The Potty Book - For Boys

Alyssa Satin Capucilli

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 57 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Cute 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a cute book, but not helping my son to poop in the potty. I just want him to see that it's ok to do so, but he won't have it. Doesn't matter if everyone in the world poops in the potty, he just doesn't want to. It's got cute illustrations though. A nice before bed book.

Editorial Review:

A toddler's graduation from diapers to the potty is always a very important moment--and one to make parents and toddlers proud! In this book, Henry needs to have his diaper changed so he can go out and play. Then Mom and Dad bring a big box home, and Henry is anxious to open it up and see what's inside. Is it a rocking chair? A bed for Teddy? No, it's a potty--which means it's time for Henry to graduate from diapers. This gentle and humorous little story is charmingly illustrated and told in verse. Little boys will enjoy looking at the pictures and having the story read to them. Meanwhile, they'll start getting the idea that it's time for them to grow up, exactly like Henry. So that at last, they'll be able to say: "I'm off to the potty, No more diapers for me! And I feel great, I am proud of ... ME! Here's a pleasant and effective new way to begin a child's toilet training. Barron's also publishes a potty book for a little girl, starring Hannah. (Ages 1-4)

Abundance of Katherines, An

John Green

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 37 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

An Abundance of Fun 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Picking up a book by John Green is a guaranteed treat; you know you are going to become friends with a host of teens who will make you laugh, make you think, and make you recognize yourself in them. An Abundance of Katherines is no exception, and it's a fun ride from the first pages.

Colin Singleton is a child prodigy who wants to make his mark in the world and prove that he really is the genius everyone's expected him to be. To that end, he's working on a Theorem that will predict how relationships will go, and he has the experience to draw from: Colin has dated 19 girls, all of them have dumped him, and all of them have been named Katherine. So when Katherine #19 dumps him, Colin's best friend Hassan talks him into a road trip designed to clear Colin's head so he can focus. What they actually find, however, is Gutstop, Tennessee, and a girl named Lindsey who is perfectly happy to remain there for the rest of her life. After striking up a friendship with Lindsey, her mother invites the boys to stay in Gutshot and work for her for the summer. What follows is a series of interviews, hornets, new girlfriends, a fight, and a secret hiding place as the boys learn more about themselves than they'd figured they ever would.

Green is a terrific author who knows just how to enliven a story with humor and then bring it back to the original concept subtly. I loved that Green didn't make all the Tennesseans seem like simple-minded hicks (being from Tennessee, this is a particular irritation of mine). Green is obviously a very smart man, and I loved the footnotes that explained the languages used and gave fascinating details about the conversations. My ability to imagine one boy falling for nineteen Katherines was sorely stretched, though; it was the one point of the book that kept sticking me and pulling me out of the story. But other than that, I laughed and enjoyed this book tremendously, and I would give it a solid 4.5 stars. Recommended for readers of all ages who love a good road trip tale.

Editorial Review:

When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact.

On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun – but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl.

Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself by Printz medalist John Green, acclaimed author of Looking for Alaska.

Skeleton Key (Alex Rider)

Anthony Horowitz

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 98 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Alex Rider Skeleton Key 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is one of the best Alex Rider books. Its fast, fun and should be made into a film. Anthony Horowitz seems to be able to pull the reader into the story.
I am hooked on the whole Alex Rider, Young James Bond and Jason Steed books. Good clean fun with good guys and bad guys.

Alex Rider 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Eagle Strike is the fourth book in the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz. Alex is a truly wonderful creation. He is the person every schoolboy in the world wants to be. Each of Horowitz's books is twice as good as the last. Horowitz has excelled himself yet again with another fantastic book.
In " Eagle Strike" Alex is still only fifteen but has already had three life changing adventures that involved poison gas, clones and ultimate world domination. This time Alex Rider is on the track of multi-millionaire Damian Cray. When he sees contract killer Yassen Gregorovich visit Cray he suspects the worse. When MI6 refuse to look into it, Alex decides to investigate, with or without their help.
Fate also leads Alex to his destiny. But does he like what he finds?
Tension, atmosphere and suspense unite in the adventure of a lifetime. Enter Alex's world of spies, gadgets and murder in this superb book. It will take your breath away.

Editorial Review:

Working as a secret agent for Britain’s most exclusive agency, Alex Rider has seen it all. He’s been shot at by international terrorists, stood face-to-face with pure evil, and saved the world—twice. But fifteen-year-old Alex is about to face something more dangerous than he can imagine: A man who’s lost everything he cared for—his country, his son—a man who has a nuclear weapon, and will stop at nothing to get his world back. Unless Alex can stop him first...

The Chocolate War (Readers Circle)

Robert Cormier

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 377 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

principle before action 2 out of 5 stars.
2 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Supposedly, this is a young adult classic, but honestly, I'm not sure why. It's just not very good. Sure, it's controversial (the characters swear and think about masturbation a lot), but that's not a good enough reason for it to keep being assigned in schools.

Also, I think the thing that should make the book controversial is its portrayal of gross cruelty by students and certain teachers. Not that I'm worried that kids will suddenly become cruel just by reading this book (those who are going to be cruel tend to come by it naturally, after all), but if we're worried about exposing children to unsavory things, it ought to cruelty for it's own sake.

But what I really didn't like about this book was that although we're told there's a principle behind the actions of Jerry, who refuses to sell the chocolates, we're never told what the principle is. There's some suggestion that Jerry himself isn't really sure what his principle is, but in the context of the book, that's just not good enough.

It all started when Jerry is "assigned" by the Vigils (the school's student secret society, which doesn't actually seem to be much of a secret to anyone) to refuse to sell the chocolates for 10 days. He does (there's no suggestion that he even thinks about refusing the "assignment") but then continues to refuse to sell the chocolates after the 10 days are up, even after he gets another "assignment" that he start selling the chocolates. But why does he continue to refuse? Is it something about the chocolate sale itself, or is it about defying the Vigils? We don't know. The action of defiance seems to be more important than the principle behind it. I think Cormier got it backward.

Editorial Review:

IN 1974, AFTER SUFFERING rejections from seven major publishers, The Chocolate War made its debut. An uncompromising portrait of conformity and corruption, it quickly became a bestselling—and provocative—classic for young adults.

“Masterfully structured and rich in theme; the action is well crafted, well timed, suspenseful.”—The New York Times Book Review

“The characterizations of all the boys are superb.”—School Library Journal, Starred

“Compellingly immediate. . . . Readers will respect the uncompromising ending.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred

An ALA Best Books for Young Adults

A School Library Journal Best Books of the Year

A Kirkus Reviews Choice

A New York Times Outstanding Books of the Year

Point Blank (Alex Rider Adventures)

Anthony Horowitz

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 130 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Wow, can a 14-year-old really do these things? 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Take an oddly structured mansion. Add a crazed genius. Add a freakish, muscle-enhanced woman. Put in some juvenile deliquents. Wait, make them the sons of very wealthy men. What do they have in common? Why, Alex Rider, of course, of England's M16 spy agency.

A 14-year-old spy? Yes, that would be Alex. Did he ask to be a spy? No, he did not, but he rose to the occasion when it was demanded of him. The remarkable aspect of "Point Blank" and "Stormbreaker" before it is that writer Anthony Horowitz makes the whole thing so believable. When Alex does the most extraordinary things, I found myself thinking, Not beyond the realm of possible (in other words--doable).

How does Alex find himself in the dilemma of juvie thrust into a highly disciplined all-boys school? His outrageous behavior, of course. What he tries to do with a houseboat is possibly not beyond possible and he is put into jail, later rescued by M16 and pretty much forced into involuntary service once again. This time his job is to learn what is going on in this special school for unmanageable boys of rich men. Two of their fathers were killed in "accidents" in a fairly short period.

What Alex learns becomes more and more bizarre (but believable). The ultimate occurs, however, when his true identity is learned. The reader can trust that wherever Alex Rider is will be mayhem and maybe a murder or two. "Point Blank" is no exception.

Book 3 in the series is Skeleton Key (Alex Rider). I am waiting for it to come in. If you are interested in a graphic novel in this series, try Point Blank: The Graphic Novel (Alex Rider (Graphic Novels)). But do start with the first book in the series, Alex Rider: Stormbreaker tie-in novel (Alex Rider Movie) or Stormbreaker: The Graphic Novel (Alex Rider (Graphic Novels)). A definitely exciting young adult series!

Editorial Review:

When an investigation into a series of mysterious deaths leads agents to an elite prep school for rebellious kids, MI6 assigns Alex Rider to the case. Before he knows it, Alex is hanging out with the sons of the rich and powerful, and something feels wrong. These former juvenile delinquents have turned well-behaved, studious—and identical—overnight. It’s up to Alex to find out who is masterminding this nefarious plot, before they find him.

Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday

Judith Viorst

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Kind of out of date. 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book needs to be updated! It is a good book and good idea, but it needs references to things that kids of today can understand.

wonderful read aloud book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I love this book for the point it makes and the simple yet funny way it does so. My only wish is that it could be reissued with an update as many of the cultural references are outdated and have to be explained before children can understand the meaning or humor. It is a sweet classic though.

Editorial Review:

Anthony has two dollars and three quarters and one dime and seven nickels and eighteen pennies. Nicholas has one dollar and two quarters and five dimes and five nickels and thirteen pennies.

Alexander has...bus tokens.

And even when he's rich, pretty soon all he has is bus tokens.

He was rich. Last Sunday.

Grandma Betty and Grandpa Louie came and gave Anthony and Nicholas and Alexander each a dollar. Alexander was saving his. Maybe for a walkie-talkie.

And then there was bubble gum, some bets with Anthony and Nicholas (that Alexander lost), a snake rental, a garage sale, and all kinds of other things to spend money on.

And now all he has is bus tokens. When he used to be rich last Sunday.