All the Bright Places

All the Bright Places

Jennifer Niven

Theodore Finch is known either as Finch or "Freak." There are rumors about him that he doesn't deny or confirm so there is a mysterious aura about him. Violet used to be popular and used to be sociable until that one night that changed everything. Finch is constantly thinking about death and which is the best way to kill himself. Violet is counting down the days to graduation so she can escape this small Indiana town and the grief of her sister's death that infamous night. When they both meet at the top of the bell tower for the same terrible reason, their lives are forever changed. Finch and (ultra)Violet have a school assignment to discover the natural wonders of their town, so to be different they take a unique approach and discover the secret treasures of the town…and themselves.

It takes a few chapters to get used to Finch. He's annoying, attention seeking and doesn't stop talking. All these characteristics become his best qualities. Violet is neither annoying nor attention seeking and she hardly talks. This book is written with a dual perspective. I appreciate and enjoy this type of narrative because you don't just get one side of the story or one gender's outlook. This teen book is beautifully written and the story is different from what's out there and has been out there for the past 5 years. There's no dystopian world, this is set in today's time with cellphones and cars. There's no love triangle, just your ordinary good old fashioned boy and girl, will they or won't they romance. There's no government trying to do something for the greater good, it's just high school. What the characters do have to deal with are mental illness'.

This is a real story with real people and swearing, sex and drugs but don't let those things put you off. The values make it appropriate for readers aged 14+. If you like John Green, this book is for you.  A gripping coming of age story that will break your heart. You will be prepared but you will be in denial. Make sure to be emotionally unavailable for a couple of days after finishing the book. It's for the best. And then there's this quote: "Gentlemen are rare. They're like virgins or leprechauns." Jennifer Niven, you're a genius. 

The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood & Co. #1)

The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood & Co. #1)

Jonathan Stroud

It's present day ghost filled London and 15 year old Lucy Carlyle has a special talent. She has the talent of hearing and empathy through touch. This special talent lands her a job with Lockwood & Co. They're one of the many Detection Agencies out there that spend nights in haunted houses to eradicate the ghosts (which there are different types) All cases have been pretty standard, a few deaths here and there but Lucy seems to be at home, even with the dry humour of George. All is well until a case goes horribly wrong and the agency's reputation is on the line. The team have to spend a night in one of the most haunted houses in England to rectify what has been done. What they find is not what they expected and definitely not what they had prepared for.

After many recommendations to read this book, I finally did recently and why I had not read it sooner I have no idea. I was not prepared for the images that I conjured up and will never get rid of. This book is not only different from most other YA novels, it's also incredibly scary. If it wasn't for the humour and charm of Lockwood or the dry sarcastic comments of the "pudgey" George, then I would definitely not have slept. The way ghosts are described are a far cry from the world of Casper and a little bit towards The Woman in Black (p.s do not watch that movie by yourself) Another great difference is that the ghosts can actually kill you if you are "ghost touched". There's the usual, find the source and get rid of the ghost but it's so casually and naturally done that you don't think it's a cliché. There are also different types of ghosts. Ranging from Type 1 to Type 4 which only one agency has ever claimed to have seen. 

The way Stroud describes Lucy is awesome. She's not a typical pretty girl but still wears a skirt and cares about her appearance while carrying her Rapier (massive cool ghost killing sword) -even though this doesn't seem obvious, it's written in the lines of when she's jealous of all the glamour girls in the magazines that Lockwood reads. This is a good point for young girl readers as it means that you don't have to wear pants (figuratively and literally) to be kick ass and ambitious. 

Highly recommend reading this with the light on...and maybe even sleep with the light on. You will start to think that the slightest breeze in your room is something out of the book and hearing old house creaks is always fun when reading about ghosts. It's classed as a 9-12 age group Intermediate Fiction book but if you are not used to reading scary stories (Goosebumps still does the job) then I would recommend for an older age group. 12+. Just whatever you do, be prepared for The Red Room. Your nights will never be the same again...

Looking for Alaska

Looking for Alaska

John Green

Pudge (Miles) has always led a non eventful life, until his last year of  high school when he chooses to go to Culver Creek Boarding School. With his obsession with famous last words and his lanky skinny body that earns him the ironic nickname Pudge, he becomes friends with his roommate The Colonel and while seeking the 'Great Perhaps' he finds it unexpectedly in the form of the beautiful Alaska Young.

Adoration for this book is an understatement. It's hard to believe this is John Green's first novel, especially if you've read some of his more recent works. This coming of age story has elements of Catcher in the Rye, but is in it's own category for the teen of today (watch out, there's swearing!). All characters have their own quirk and geekness about them. Pudge loves famous last words, The Colonel loves strategies and is a real mastermind and Alaska, well, Alaska is the very cool and unpredictable mysterious girl that captures the heart of Pudge. Oh yeah, and she loves collecting books:

"Have you really read all those books in your rooms?"

Alaska laughing -"Oh God no. I've maybe read a third of 'em. But I'm going to read them all. I call it my Life's Library. Every summer since I was little, I've gone to garage sales and bought all the books that looked interesting. So I always have something to read." -I think we can all relate to that.

A gripping read that captures your heart but not in the romantic sense. The idea of boarding school is always cool and rebellious but this book shows that in reality, it's quite lonely. I suggest reading this book at 16 years of age and then reading it again in your mid 20s. To truly understand a coming of age novel, you need to do exactly that: come of age. Every emotion comes to surface and you really feel for all the characters. You may think that Pudge needs to grow a pair or that The Colonel needs to take a chill pill and that Alaska seriously needs to stop pretending that everything is ok. But I guess that's just all part of Green's "Great Perhaps."

The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner

James Dashner

Thomas wakes up in complete darkness, in a box. When it opens he is "welcomed" by too many boys that he can count, varying from ages 12-17. He can't remember anything but his name. Everyone else seems to be the same. Not one of the boys knows why they are there but they carry on with daily living. Every night the giant doors close between the Maze and the Glade and every night the Runners must make it back before they close. Otherwise they spend the night in the Maze with the Grievers. And NO ONE has made it until morning. This all seems familiar to Thomas until something other than supplies turns up in the box that he arrived in. Or is it someone? 

The first line of the book wasn't even what got me hooked. It was the last line of a note that the publisher included at the beginning: "Thanks James, I didn't want to sleep for a week anyway". I didn't sleep for 3 days straight from pure fear of a Griever haunting my dreams. Every page makes you feel like you are right there next to Thomas as clueless as he is because just like the reader, the characters have no idea what's going on. Definitely not for the faint hearted and some might think of it as a boys club book but girls who like whine-less characters and fast, straight to the point action packed themes, will love it.
The amount of adrenaline that this book generates from it's action scenes is amazing and I found myself looking over the page to see what happens at the end of every chapter as I couldn't wait. I recommend NOT doing that because you'll end up not doing anything with your life until you finish the entire book. It just gets better and better the more you read and it is so well written that you will start to talk like a Glader immediately. You will laugh, you will cry, you will anticipate and you will pee your pants with both excitement and fear. But whatever you do, don't get stung by a Griever.

The Outsiders

The Outsiders

S.E. Hinton

Set in the 50s, the world is divided into two groups. Socs (Socials) and Greasers. Ponyboy is part of the Greasers gang along with his two older brothers Sodapop (the heartbreaker) and Darrel/Darry (the father figure).  His coming of age story begins when he leaves the movie theatre with Paul Newman in mind and gets jumped by a pack of Socs. The next thing Ponyboy is looking at "is Johnny's hand. He was clutching his switchblade, and it was dark to the hilt." 

Short review: I dare you to not carry all of Ponyboy's emotions. I dare you to not see where Darry is coming from and why he's such a hardass. I dare you to not fall in love with Sodapop. I dare you to try and put this book down while reading.

Substantial review: It's hard to imagine that S.E. Hinton was only 15 when she wrote The Outsiders. She writes with such vision and purpose that you feel as if you are involved in every detail of the story. The 50s gave birth to the teenage rebel and all things teen. The Outsiders is all about teenagers. Adults are only mentioned as formidable parents or teachers. Ponyboy is smart and polite but thinks that he needs to toughen up so he can be more like his older brothers and their friends. He likes to read and there are few mentions of other books in here such as Gone with the Wind. He's the one that gets mostly A's in English. This is suitable for 14+ readers boys and girls. Classics have no gender.
Hinton teaches you to think and shows you how others think. The events that take place in Ponyboy's life are not unpredictable but when you experience them through his narrative, they are explosive. Get ready for "movie star handsome good looks", "dangerous moods" and don't forget to comb your thick greasy jet black hair back. And above all else, stay golden.

A Mammoth in the Fridge

A Mammoth in the Fridge

Michaël Escoffier & Matthieu Maudet

Noah found a Mammoth in the fridge. No really, he did and it's stuck. Mum calls the fire brigade and the Mammoth runs off scared. He runs up a tree and it's up to Noah to rescue him. Mammoths like  carrots, right?

The title alone should entice everyone to read this quirky picture book. With only four colours used throughout the book, the illustrations are simple but different and compliment the overall feel of the story. Easy enough to read and is straight forward for beginners such as 3 year olds. The Mammoth and his silly nonsense is a cute bedtime story that represents the innocence of a child's imagination.  

Divergent

Divergent

Veronica Roth

Beatrice Prior has grown up in the Abnegation faction. They are selfless. The other three factions are Candor (the honest), Erudite (the intelligent) and Dauntless (the brave). On the same day every year, every sixteen year old must choose which faction they will belong to for life. Do you choose where your family are or where you belong? An aptitude test helps you decide but Beatrice's results are inconclusive. Which faction does she choose? Or does the faction choose her?

It took a little bit of the plot to get to the point but once it does, you will be hooked. It starts off as your typical Dystopian teen novel with the exception of being set in Chicago. Beatrice doesn't feel like she's selfless enough to belong to Abnegation. When she does make her choice of which faction she wants to join, it's nothing like she's ever expected. She makes friends, gets a love interest and learns about hard work and perseverance. The action and violence is constant and you will never predict who lives and who doesn't. Because of the violence I would say that this is best for 14+ readers and Roth does a super job of describing a girl's romantic feelings and what comes after. Ladies, watch out for Four. He wont help your feelings for fictional characters. Be prepared to leave reality because this book will be all you can think about. It is mainly written for girls but one thing is for certain, faction before blood.