Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

Writers like Laurie Halse Anderson take on issues most of us are scared to. We need more people like her.

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Anderson likes to tackle the tough topics and Twisted is no different. The main character in this story, a male, high school senior, is trying to cope with life in high school and life at home. It hasn't been easy for him for years, but after being accused of a crime he didn't commit, everything is suddenly awful. He even contemplates suicide rather graphically.

I like this book. Anderson took very heavy issues and presented them in a fun way with lots of comic relief. Teens need to know they are not alone. However, she used some very graphic scenes related to suicide that might not be good for someone who is already on the fence. I also like the male POV, but it is obvious the book was written by a female when she begins to have him talk about girls.

This would be a good story to read with your teen. Thank goodness for writers like Anderson who are not afraid to tackle the tough issues.

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Wringer by Jerry Spinelli

Jerry Spinelli is a wonderful writer. I love most of his books. This wasn't my favorite, but it is still an excellent story with awards.


Wringer by Jerry Spinelli


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Spinelli is always wonderful with creating preteen boy characters. Palmer is no different. Spinelli catches the reader from the first page and pulls him/her into Palmer's life.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book. The second half was not as fulfilling, and I didn't like the ending very much. I suppose you can't always have a true happy ending, but I couldn't understand why Palmer had to give up all of his friends. The very ending was too coincidental. I just couldn't quite believe it.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to 8-12 year old boys.

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Pants on Fire by Meg Cabot

Pants on Fire by Meg Cabot


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Meg Cabot has done it again. Katie Ellison and her cast or friends and boyfriends are real, not just characters on a page. From the first page, the reader falls for Katie watching her wait tables at the Gull n’ Gulp. She is a very likable character, as are her host of boyfriends, friends, and family. This story is full of characters, but easy for the reader to follow. Everything about Katie from her fear of germs and love of photography, to her inability to find a balance with the guys in her life endear her to the reader and remind us of what high school was like. I absolutely loved this story. It is amazing how some books can help us understand life better. This is one of those books.

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Buried in Beads

It is one o'clock in the morning and what am I doing? I am sitting here trying to put a website up and make it so people will actually be able to find it. As a matter of fact, that is all I have been doing for days and days and days and days. The kids are sleeping and the house is actually quiet for once. I should be in bed, but no. Here I sit covered in beads. I have gemstone jewelry coming out of my ears. I shake my head and amethyst falls on the floor. There are beads in the drawers and on the floor and on my desk. Possibly the most amusing part of this whole endeavor has been writing the page descriptions. In order to get the search engines to actually find your site, you have to use the words over and over and over. Then when someone searches the word, they will find you. But the repetition does make for amusing text. I hope to be writing something other than jewelry descriptions by the end of the week. But, if you have time, go check out my newest wild scheme: www.jewelryjungle.com.

Book Adventure

For parents who home school or just parents who want to encourage their children to read more, we are using the most amazing site and you should check it out. www.bookadventure.org is incredible. Many classrooms use the accelerated reader program where students can read books, take a quiz on them, and collect points to win prizes. I love this program and it seems to work wonders in the schools, but most individuals can’t afford the test for their home use. Book Adventure is very similar to the accelerated reader program, but it is online and free. You can search the “book finder” for books to read (there are thousands) by title, author, subject, or even reading level. Then, you can take a quiz on the book to see if you remember what happened. I love using this as a test for reading comprehension. If the child gets all of the questions right, they get points for the book. The site also has a “prize-o-matic” where companies have donated prizes for the kids or parents can list prizes just for their child. When the student has accumulated enough points for a prize, they can request the prize, but the parent has complete control and has to approve the prize for the child to receive it. There are even parent controls on what reading level your child can quiz on. This is a truly wonderful site. Best of all, it is FREE. You will not need a credit card or a social security number to sign up. All they require is an email address to set up your account. This is a site all parents should take advantage of.

Do you know any great sites everyone should visit?

"The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wow, nothing but wow. This story takes place in a dark future where the United States no longer exist. Many people are starving, and each year the "districts" must send two "tributes" (one girl and one boy, between the age of 12 and 18) to the capital to fight to the death. 24 children enter the arena, only one can come out.


I tend to shy away from the killing everyone, violent, depressing stories. However, this book spent a lot of time on the best seller list and, as a writer, I felt the need to see what the fuss was all about. It didn't take but a few pages to find out. Collins creates a main character the reader can't help liking and pulling for surrounded by other characters that feel real.


From the prospective of a writer, the story is amazing. Collins chose first person, present tense for this story. It is very difficult for me to write anything in present tense, but the story grabs you from the very beginning. After you love Katniss, the author throws her in to fight for her life.


I loved watching the love story develop and wonder where it will go in book two. The fighting wasn't my favorite, but the children truly have no choice other than to die. The reader feels the wrongness in the way the districts are treated by the capital and hopes Katniss can somehow right the wrong. Yet, we have to realize not all wrongs can be righted by one person. Due to the strict government, in this story there doesn't appear to be much hope of the district ever gaining freedom. But there are two more books.


Another aspect of writing Collins demonstrates beautifully is not giving the reader too much information. Although the story takes place in a fictional setting, the reader gains information through what is happening instead of having a block of information dumped.


This book was wonderful. While I am not ready for my son to read it yet, I would recommend it to older children and adults. But give yourself some time, it is nearly impossible to put down.


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Catching Up

I have gotten behind and not been able to catch for weeks. I can finally see the light and the storm clouds. The house is about clean, I've read all of the books by my bed, my son is busy with his school work, and I am trying to start a new writing project.

For any parents interested, I found the coolest website last week. Sea World has teachers guides online. There are some awesome lessons. http://www.seaworld.org/just-for-teachers/guides/index.htm

These are the books I read last week:

The Wish by Gail Carson Levine

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
Levine always adds a little magic to her books and that is part of what makes them fun. I liked this book. The characters were real and likeable. The hardest part of middle school is fitting in. The only issue I had with the story is the ending not being very satisfying. I felt as thought the main character didn't really learn much from her experience. She still wanted to use magic to change her life instead of dealing with her problems herself. Of course, she is young. This is a book I would recommend to a friend, but probably not read over and over.


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Coraline by Neil Gaiman

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
I liked "The Graveyard Book" better than this one. However, that is just my opinion. The book is well written with great characters and an interesting plot. It was too scary for me. I love the idea of a little girl wanting an adventure. Kids get bored. But that other mother made me uncomfortable. The button eyes and whatnot were a little too much for me. I wouldn't want my child to read this yet.


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Jinx by Meg Cabot

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I loved this book. The main character is lovable and in a mess. She takes responsibility for her actions and learns from her mistakes. I would enjoy a sequel. The minor characters are interesting too. I liked the treatment of magic and the rivalry between the cousins. As always, I am a sucker for a love story. I'd read this book again and recommend it to my friends.


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What have you been reading? Any great websites or articles?