6 teenagers, all students at MapleThorpe Academy, all with a vested interest in keeping their ratings up. In this alternate society your ratings are everything - they can impact your scholarships, you job, the hospital you are allowed to go to, where you shop. It is in your best interest to keep your rating as high as possible but slip ups can cause you to lose points.
On the first day of a new school year vandalism rocks the Academy - "the ratings are not real". What does that mean and why is everyone so quick to hush up what happened. To top it off what is the meaning of the weird message that 6 of them get with the same jester sticker that covered all the security cameras.
Slowly 6 teenagers start making connections and unravel the mystery behind the message.
This was an interesting read. At one point - with the mysterious message and jester image I thought it would delve into something more creepy (it did not). I was then pretty sure it wasn't going to end satisfactorily - and while it is clearly the first in a series there was decent closure.
I have really read way more than 2 books in July. It hasn't been my best month due to traveling to NY and then to Guatemala, but I have read books - just not blogged about them.
Cora's life revolves around garbage. Her mother and father - recently separated - are both scientists who deal with garbage, recycling, sustainability. So, of course, Cora and her twin brother are involved with the family passion. Her friendship with her brother Kyle and Sybella is not garbage - they have been inseparable and even have an imaginary kingdom. But when a meddlesome girl takes advantage of a misunderstanding Cora and Sybella's friendship is in jeopardy. Can they figure out a way to fix it?
This story is told through multiple viewpoints and jumps around chronologically. There is also a mysterious diary of another girl with friendship issues. It all comes together at the end but I am not sure how effective the style was or if it will cause issues with middle grade readers.
Quentin is the newest part of the family in Mrs. K's home, Vic, Nevaeh, and Mara have been there for awhile. Nevaeh does most of the care actually - Mrs. K is an older lady who is still grieving her husband and works a lot. Nevaeh dreams of getting out and eventually becoming a doctor. Vic imagines that he is a spy who will eventually go to El Salvador to rescue his father. In reality his father has been deported. Mara barely speaks and when she does it's in Spanish. When Quentin arrives with Asperger's Vic sets out to help him reunite with his mom. But their quest soon involves all of the children and they learn that sometimes family is what you make of it.
Really well done and heartwarming.
Life is perfect in Alorria. Guardians and their dragons control the weather - lightning, storms, wind, sunshine. Now Mina and her new dragon Pixit will join the ranks. But, Mina's dragon is a lightning dragon and quiet Mina isn't sure she has what it takes to be a lightning guardian.
As training commences Mina's fears are confirmed as she struggles to produce sparks and even falls and crashes on the wrong side of the mountain. But that accident leads Mina to learn of the consequences of the Alorrians' actions to the people on the other side. Can Mina and her friends raise awareness and cause change before it's too late?
This took a bit to really get going but once it did I really enjoyed it. Having a quieter heroine was really nice and it was a good example of activism in action.
I wasn't really sure I was going to like this when I started - honestly, a humanlike roach?? But as the story unfolded I grew to love Max and his innocence and desire to please and the author did a great job of weaving and revealing the storyline. I was very pleasantly surprised.
My daughter is a history buff and quite intrigued with the Romanovs - Anastasia in particular so I approached this book with caution. Funny that the author even mentions the movie in the back - so inaccurate. I was very pleasantly surprised - yes there are historical liberties, a dose of mysticism, and a kinder ending than reality...
The book starts with the Romanovs already in exile and the first 2/3rds of the book follow historically pretty well with the addition of spell makers like Rasputin and the addition of Dochkin the fictionalized creator of matryoshka dolls and in this story a powerful spell master.
Things take a turn after the execution of the Romanov family when Anastasia is able to unlock a spell and save herself and Alexei. With the help of a soldier turned friend Anastasia and Alexei are able to thwart the efforts of the pursuing soldier intent on not only finishing them off but destroying the spell makers as well.
There was a lot of action, bit of romance, and decent history. Hopefully those who read it would be interested in finding out more.
This poetic narrative was based on the lives of some Vietnamese Boat people and their experiences on the boats and in refugee camps. I appreciate the fact that more of these stories are being told.
I don't know if it's a reflection of my reading pace or state of mind but I got confused several times and lost a character completely. I have no idea what happened to one of the twins in the story - again might be totally me...
