Project 17

Project 17
by Laurie Faria Stolarz

5/5

Derik needs a way to get out of flipping burgers at his family's diner. He finds a film making contest for a reality channel, and decides to go for it. It is the eve of Danver State's demolition, a supposedly haunted mental institution.

Derik and five of his peers break into the asylum, so Derik can film his documentary. All seems well at first, but then the place starts messing with them. As the teens explore the asylum, they find things, and unravel mysteries of the patients that once lived there. And perhaps some of them are still there somehow.

Wow. I saw a review for this book and I just HAD to get it. And I was not disappointed. It helps that the paranormal fascinates me as well. I just love hauntings, and abandoned insane asylums are creepy cool. Love it. :) But, really. This book was great. It was hard to put down, and it wasn't the longest book either. If you're interested in that kind of thing, like me, I suggest this book for you. You'll for sure enjoy it!

*Also reviewed for teensreadtoo.com

(My new signature :] )

The Summoning

The Summoning

by Kelley Armstrong

5/5

It's just a normal day for Chloe Saunders at A. R. Gurney High, her art school. When she picks up her things that fell on the floor after someone bumped into her, she suddenly got her period. Finally! She goes to the bathroom. When she leaves, she sees a janitor down the hallway. He yells at her to come over to him, but she runs the other way. But he appears. And it looks as if his face was melted. She heads to an empty classroom, but the principal and a teacher follow, and she is taken out of school on a stretcher.

Chloe has to go to Lyle House, with other teens that have problems similar to her own. She arrives, and meets the group: Liz, Rae, Tori, Simon, and Derek. The doctors try to convince Chloe that she has schizophrenia. But really, she knows that is not it. She sees ghosts. Derek knows what she is: a necromancer. One who speaks to the dead. Will she and her friends ever get out? And if they do, what will happen to them?

Um, WOW. This book was so totally amazing! I would've read it so much faster if I didn't have schoolwork to do. It was so surprising, and I didn't expect the other teens to be what they are. There isn't really anything else to say about this book. It was just totally amazing. I cannot wait until the second book in the Darkest Powers series comes out. Go read this book if you haven't already. You won't be disappointed! :)

Saving Zoë

Saving Zoë
by Alyson Noël

4.5/5

Zoë was murdered just one year ago. Echo, her 15 year-old sister, is still dealing with it. Her freshman year is just starting and she is feeling awkward. One day, Zoë's "ex" boyfriend, Marc, calls her, and says he has a birthday present for her. She meets him at the lake, a place where he and Zoë went all the time. He gave her Zoë's diary.

When she first gets the diary, she doesn't want to read it. She thinks that she knows all about her, and she won't learn anything from the diary. But she gets curious, and starts reading. And once she starts, she can't stop. Zoë had her own secret world.

She wants to be like her sister, leave her boring life behind. She hangs out with Teresa, a girl who is on the bad side. Marc is around more, and Echo thinks she can only trust him with this. He read the diary too. He knows what she's going through. He knows all about Zoë as well. So, when Echo and Teresa hang out with Jason, Marc is not happy.

As Echo gets to know her sister through her diary, she learns what she has to do to move on herself.

This book was really good. It was a quick read, and really emotional. It was very intriguing too. I couldn't stop reading it. I didn't expect a lot of it either, so it kept me surprised. I love how Alyson writes; this is the second novel I've read of her's. I recommend this book and Art Geeks and Prom Queens, which I read a long time before I started this blog. You won't be disappointed with this book. I promise. :)

When It Happens

When It Happens
by Susane Colasanti

5/5

Sara and Tobey are finally seniors in high school. She is a brain, he is a musician. He's wanted her for a long time. And now he finally going to do something about it. Until Dave, the popular guy, asks her out. But this doesn't stop Tobey from trying to get the girl of his dreams.

Tobey and his best friend Mike try to come up with plans for him to get Sara to notice him. Tobey comes up with an excellent idea, and talks to Laila, Sara's best friend. He gets her to trade partners in Music Theory so he can be with Sara. Laila of course tells Sara this. After hearing that Tobey likes her, Sara can't keep her eyes off of Tobey.

Sara dates Dave for a few weeks, trying to get into it. He's basically begging her to have sex with him. He's not who Sara thought he was. Sure, he's gorgeous, but there is no connection. No connection is like the one she and Tobey share. She gets butterflies, she loves the way he looks at her with his bright blue eyes.

Tobey is trying to win Battle of the Bands, but it totally blows. Sara is nervous for her possible acceptance to NYU. Tobey changes himself for Sara too. Instead of pulling his normal C average, he uses him smarts, and pulls an A average so he can get into a music school. He never wanted to go to college, but he knew that Sara wanted him to go, so he never told her that he didn't want to go.

Sara and Tobey have the connection everyone is looking for. From the moment they knock heads in the cafeteria, you will be rooting for their relationship to blossom.

This book was AMAZING. I read it in just a few days; it was hard to put down, even when I was exhausted and wanted to go to sleep at one in the morning! I fell in love with the idea of Sara and Tobey right when they bumped heads in the lunch line. They were just so perfect, even if Sara didn't know it yet. I recommend this book to anyone. It was so good. Go read it! You won't be disappointed! And Susane's writing is so great. It is totally "real". It is how my friends and I talk, and how so many other people talk and get along. It's great. Read it!

Lucky and Tempted: An It Girl Novel

Spoilers, if you haven’t read the series.

Lucky: An It Girl Novel
by Cecily Von Ziegesar

5/5

Jenny Humphrey has been to a few crazy parties at Waverly Academy in the few weeks she’s been there. But none have been as hot as the one at the Miller Farm, where the barn caught on fire. Dean Marymount announces that the arsonist behind the fire will be expelled.

Rumors are everywhere. Julian’s lighter, with his initials on it, was found on the scene. He had given this to Tinsley before…Hmmm! Callie is scared that either her or Easy will be kicked out, since they were both in the barn, smoking. It was Tinsley who came up with the idea in the first place, though. But, to save her own butt, she and Callie plan to get Jenny expelled. But, will it work?!

Of course, another fabulous book. I just can’t put these down. The ending was so good! I didn’t see it coming at all. Tinsley and Callie are so evil! I cannot stand them one bit. Annoying! But, anyways, go read this series. Seriously. :)

Tempted: An It Girl Novel

by Cecily Von Ziegesar

5/5

Jenny Humphrey confessed to the crime of burning down the Miller Farm, though she didn't do it. She thought her life at Waverly was over, until Dean Marymount told her Mrs. Miller, of the farm, told him that her cows started the fire...weirdo! Nobody knows who saved her, but they do know that someone paid off Mrs. Miller. But who could it be?! She is ready to unveil her secret admirer at the Halloween masquerade ball.

Callie and Easy broke up again, and now she is ready to win him back at the Halloween ball, wearing her Cinderella costume. But will he be there, willing to be her Prince Charming? Tinsley has been noticing her popularity is shrinking. Especially when little Jenny wins best costume at the ball, when that has ALWAYS been her. Does she try to make Jenny miserable again though? Or be nicer?

This is the most recent book in the series and it was great. The best one yet, I think. Tinsley really surprised me at the end with Jenny. It was kind of weird too. Jenny went through a lot. Another boy who was a jerk to her as well, which sucks. She'll find someone soon, I hope! :)

Unforgettable: An It Girl Novel

Some spoilers, if you haven't read the series.

Unforgettable: An It Girl Novel

by Cecily Von Ziegesar

5/5

Jenny Humphrey has been at Waverly Academy for a few weeks. She's been through a lot, from kissing boys, to parties, to stealing her roommate's boyfriend, Easy Walsh. Callie, her roomie, just goes and makes out with him in a closet behind Jenny's back. As Easy tries to decide which girl he wants, Callie and Jenny make a pact to leave Easy in the past. But, Callie goes back on that promise. What a friend. NOT!

Jenny starts to like Julian, the tall, shaggy-haired freshman who has been hanging around her dorm randomly. Little does she know, its not for her, but for the bitchy Tinsley. The girls of Dumbarton start bonding by starting WoW--Women of Waverly. Kara and Brett get a wee bit closer...Interesting.

Then there is a party at the Miller Farm. Many things happen. Everyone learns about the Kara and Brett relationship...Jenny sees Callie and Easy smoking in the barn, not fully clothed...Jenny hooks up with Julian...Tinsley gets pissed. And how does this end? The barn catches on fire.

Another great book in the series. Callie and Easy really made me mad in this one. I liked Easy, but once he hurt Jenny like that, I disliked him very much! Jerk. And Tinsley, of course, is a mega bitch! If I knew someone like this in person, I wouldn't believe it. I don't know how someone could be that mean. The whole Kara/Brett situation was weird. And interesting. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA novels. Lots of drama!

The Ghost's Child

The Ghost's Child
by Sonya Hartnett

4/5

Matilda comes home one day to find a young boy sitting on her sofa. They have tea, and she tells him about her past. At that time, she went by Maddy, and she longed for a fairy tale life.

When Maddy finished school, she came home to her family’s house by the sea. Her father asked her what she thought the most beautiful thing in the world was. She answered, “sea eagles.” Her father decided that the two of them together would travel the world in search of the world’s most beautiful thing, since he was not satisfied with her answer. After their travels, she was asked the question again. And she realized that she was the answer her father was looking for.

One day when she was back home, she went to the beach. She saw a young man and found herself walking towards him, scaring away the pelican that he was holding. She went to see him every day after that. She called him Feather. She married Feather, and they moved into a cottage in the forest.

He left one day, to be at his one place where he could be happy. Maddy could not come though, he told her. Weeks after, she wondered why he went to this one place and if he was happy. She decided that she needed to know the answer, so she had a sailboat made, and she set to sea. She saw many things, and spoke to sea life. She found Feather, and got her answer.

When she got back to her home, she left the cottage, unable to life there any longer. She decided she wanted to work in the war. She nursed hurt soldiers, and from there decided that she wanted to be a doctor. From then on she was Matilda. She helped people and then began to age. She was getting older, and lived in a house by herself. She ended her days in that house.

This was a very intriguing book. I was confused with the boy, but by the last chapter, I knew exactly who he was and why he was there. The life that Maddy lived was amazing. She went through so much, and many of those things weren’t so good, which is relatable. Her parents were odd. Her father wanted Maddy to be who she wanted to be, whereas her mother just wanted her daughter to marry a rich man and not care about being happy, which bothered me. Feather was also confusing. He appeared out of nowhere. I was happy they married, but unhappy when he left her. Overall, this was a very interesting book, and was hard to put down. I enjoyed it very much.

*Also reviewed for teensreadtoo.com
Comes out October 14, 2008