Rage: A Love Story

Written by Julies Anne Peters
Reviewed by Diana V. H., BCCHS student

**This book is coming to the BCCHS Library on January 11, 2011.

Rage is a story about a young lesbian, Johanna Finch, who is very attracted to a girl named Reeve Hartt. Reeve Hartt is a mysterious girl, and that’s one of the things that drives Johanna crazy. Eventually the two become a couple and Johanna is head over heels in love with Reeve. Reeve does not understand why Johanna loves her so much; she has never understood love because her past has been full of child abuse. Throughout the story, Reeve physically abuses Johanna. These two characters undergo many problems, but somehow they make it work.

I loved this book because the connection between the two characters was so strong, and it made the story seem as if everything was going to be okay, but then there would be a change in events. It always had something that made me want to keep reading. The book was like an adventure of a girl who is blinded by love and is willing to travel any distance to stay with her love.

This book is suitable for a teenage audience. It’s also great for anyone looking for a great love story to read. I would give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars because I don’t like love stories, and this book had me glued to its pages. Rage was recommended to me by a friend, and now I recommend it to everyone who wants to be entertained.

Changes (Dresden Files, Book 12)

Written by Jim Butcher
Reviewed by Eric M., BCCHS student

*** This book is available at your local public library or bookstore.

Changes is the 12th novel in the Dresden Files Universe, and it’s the exactly what the title states, changes. Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only practicing professional Wizard. He’s been in more “end of the world” scrapes and adventures than he has fingers, has 10 times more enemies than friends, owns a spiritual entity that lives in a skull called Bob, consults for the Chicago Police Department on supernatural cases, is a Warden of the White Council and a teacher to his apprentice, Molly.


For the last 11 books or so, Harry has primarily been hired/bullied/tricked into taking cases/assignments that have led him to having to either:

     A. Save lives (sometimes his own)

     B. Save Chicago.

     Or C. Save the World.

Whether its squaring off against killer F.B.I. werewolves, starting wars between courts singlehandedly, going toe-to-toe with sex-driven Vampires, or having to go up against a couple of heavyweight divine-gods—twice—you name it, Harry has done it all. Harry has been fighting for his life, his city, and his world for years.

But just when his previous engagement had left him asking what the world would ask of him next, his ex-girlfriend (who was turned into a half-vampire after an enemy of Harry’s kidnapped her and gave her a new taste for blood) called him up and opened with a casual, “They’ve taken our daughter.” Talk about a wake-up call.

Harry now faces a daunting task: not only does he have to go up against an entire vampire race (which he’s been at war with for half a decade), but Harry’s conscience will be tested more than ever. In the past, Harry has been offered immense power from evil yet powerful individuals. And even though he always seemed to be staring death in the face, he always declined. But now, Harry isn’t the one in danger, and he will have to decide just how long he can walk the straight and narrow before his little girl runs out of time.

Thank You Library Workers!!!!

 

The Adoration of Jenna Fox

Written by Mary E. Pearson

Reviewed by Toktam Etlaet, BCCHS student

Jenna Fox has just woken up after a yearlong coma to a home she doesn’t know and parents she doesn’t remember. As she struggles to figure out who she is, Jenna discovers a horrible secret that could change her forever. The Adoration of Jenna Fox is a thrilling book about a young girl’s journey of self-discovery as she struggles against her own morals and beliefs. Sprinkled with a fun mix of science fiction, The Adoration of Jenna Fox explores the very nature of humanity and what it really means to have a soul.

A great book that makes the reader think about the very nature of humanity.

Accomplice

Written by Eireann Corrigan

Reviewed by Ms. Freeman, BCCHS Teacher Librarian

Have you ever secretly fantasized about doing something really awful and manipulative in order to get what you want?  Like devising a elaborate plan to steal your best friend’s boyfriend or cheat on the SAT?  You’d probably (hopefully!) never go through with such a wicked scheme…but this book is about two friends who took that secret fantasy and acted on it.

Chloe and Finn were terribly stressed out about getting into a top college and felt they needed an extra something to make them stand out on their applications. The friends started joking about how much attention kidnapped girls receive, and then their jokes turned into a twisted plan: They decided to fake Chloe’s kidnapping and have Finn miraculously find/save her. What a college essay that story would make!

It was supposed to be a “victimless crime,” but the pain they inflict on their families and on the prime suspect turn their cute plan into a nightmare. They never meant to hurt anyone, but can they back out of their plan before they ruin their own lives and the lives of those around them?

I liked this book because it was surprisingly realistic for such a far-fetched plot. It seemed to show what would really happen if you tried to fake your best friend’s kidnapping! However, I had hoped it would be a really tense, suspenseful book, and instead I found it more interesting than suspenseful. (The end was suspenseful, though!)

I’m very curious to know if BCCHS students will like it…Please let me know what you think!

(Note: I know that my use of the word “hopefully” above is grammatically incorrect. Please forgive me, English teachers.)

Gerald's Game

Written by Stephen King

Reviewed by Alan Nguyen, BCCHS student

A married couple, the Burlingames, go to their summer house for some quality time together, and the games they play become a living nightmare. Her husband dead, no way of reaching the keys that can free her, a stray dog that devours the corpse of her husband—This book chronicles a twisted time of her life that she will never forget.   

Suspenseful, gut-wrenching, and hypnotic. The tension in this book is unrelenting. I thought it was a well-written book, and the day I checked out the book, I could not put it down.

Tuesdays with Morrie

By Mitch Albom

Reviewed by Katerin Q., BCCHS student

Tuesdays with Morrie is an incredible book that teaches one great lessons. There is a man named Mitch that used to be a student at the college that Morrie worked at. Mitch mentions how when he was young, he believed he could do anything. He thought his life was going to turn out to be perfect and that money was not going to be his great concern. As he is now an adult, he’s realized that money has become a big part of his life. He is now a man that lives his life concerned about what he has even though it’s not what he wishes to have.

He finds his professor by watching a show on television. At first, it’s weird to him to talk to his old professor due to the fact that they lost contact after college. Mitch feels it’s his fault. Every Tuesday, Mitch visits Morrie and learns something about life. Mitch finds it really amazing how Morrie, being a man who has a deadly disease, mentions how happy he is about his life and how he always enjoys it to the fullest. Morrie is a really special being that teaches one so much. For example, how people learn to live once they accept death.

Elsewhere

Written by Gabrielle Zevin

Reviewed by Ruben V., BCCHS student

Gabriele Zevin has written a novel worth reading. The book, Elsewhere, gives a perfect descriptive view into what lies in the afterlife. The protagonist, Liz, was run over by a taxi cab, after which she is sent into this miraculous afterlife, Elsewhere. Elsewhere is so like Earth, and also completely unlike Earth. All the features of Earth are found in this place, but Elsewhere is also the home of dead people, where they age backwards instead of growing older.

This book has a peaceful quality, given the fact that it mentions a lot about death. The main characters live here with ease, a relaxing environment, with a bit of romance and fights sprinkled into the book. A must read for young adults, since many people can relate to the young girl who died, Liz. A book that has flowing text, where no dictionary is required. An excellent book, with the similarity with The Lovely Bones, where the two young girls in the stories met an unwanted fate. You could find the book here in the Birmingham Library, with plentiful copies of this wondrous book.

** Note from Ms. Freeman:  This book is also available in the BCCHS Library in Spanish.  (En Otro Lugar)

Fake ID (Hunted Series, #1)

Written by Walter Sorrells

Reviewed by Serena L.

When I first read the title, I knew this book had adventure. The main character is a young girl who goes by the name of Chastity Pureheart, for now. She got that name from a book her mom chose in a library in Alabama. Alabama was her and her mom’s new place of residency. Chass and her mom were always on the run. She never knew why, and was never allowed to ask. There were two things that Chastity didn’t know. One, her real name, and two, who her father was.

On Chastity’s sixteenth birthday, things fall apart. First, she and her mom get into an argument. Second, her mom doesn’t come back home from the time she left in her car after the fight. A day passes and her mom’s still not back. So Chass calls the police and files a missing person’s report. After that, Chass goes to stay with her best friend Ben and his family. A couple days later, Ben’s dad gets a call from the sheriff about Chass’s mom. Chastity overheard the conversation.

Chass has all these questions going through her mind like “Where’s my mom? Is she dead? Will she ever come back? Was she kidnapped? Where is she?!!!!!!!”

There is a house on a mountain-like hill. It’s a crime scene. Two stoners skip school to go smoke some crack and when they arrive to the abandoned house, they find a purse. They look inside and what they found were a bunch of I.D. cards. All different names, all the same person. Chastity’s mom.

The police and detectives get called to the house to investigate. That was when Mr. Purvis, Ben’s dad, gets the call. So Mr. Purvis drives up to the crime scene and with him are Chastity and Ben. Chass runs inside the house and bumps into a detective. He stops her and says:

“You know this doesn’t mean anything. Not yet”.

“Mom wouldn’t leave me by choice,”

“Down in the basement there was sort of… Look, your mom’s not here. Let’s not jump to conclusions alright?”

“How much blood? What’s in the basement? What happened in there?”

“You don’t want to be thinking about that.”

The sheriff took some things out of the pocket of his suit coat and set them on Chastity’s leg.

“Take a look at those” he said.

There were six separate plastic baggies with red letters on them that said EVIDENCE. Each one held a plastic I.D. card. One was an ATM card from a bank, one was an I.D. card, one was a company I.D. card, and they were all Chastity’s mom.

Right now Chass is thinking that if her mom’s dead, then Chass can take care of herself and she should just move on and just leave Alabama. Then Chass thinks of what if her mom’s not dead, what if someone was after her, caught up to them, and got her mom. Finally, Chass realizes she needs to get out of town before whoever got her mom got her too.

They were always on the run from something. Or someone. And now Chass figures out that her mom was just trying to protect both of them.

I would recommend this book to a lot of people.

This book involves a mystery and a lot of suspense. You’ll love it because many people did including me. And I am not the kind of person who likes to read. This book went by really fast and was really good.