I'd say that this book is an odd one by Sara Shepard. It is the type of book for girls who love a mystery, and at the same time, it is a slightly inappropriate book.
The story is about four girls who are really close-knit. What they share now is a mystery in their past:
One night, during the summer before eighth grade, their leader,
Allison, disappeared without a trace. They've drifted apart but come
back together when they start receiving strange messages from someone
named "A" who seems to know all their secrets, past and present.They get a little creeped out, but hang on. Later, the police uncover Alison's body found under a concrete slab. The entire series drags out until they find out who "A" is and put a stop to these horrid messages. This book has plenty of mature content, but there is a strong message to those who read it. Bottom line is, it would most probably be suitable for children above 13!
Maybe you like books which are creepy, but cool at the same time? Well, here's one for you: Wake. I first read about it in the newspaper, when my mom and I were browsing for books. It's storyline struck me as innovative and new, so I took the first chance to download it on my Kindle. I'll make sure to you that I didn't regret it!
This story, which is written by Amanda Hocking, is mainly about a teenage girl, Gemma, who loves to experience late night swims in a secluded bay. She goes on swimming every night, until her swims are disrupted by the arrival of three fearless and drop-dead gorgeous girls. There is something sinister about them, and Gemma knows it. For some reason, they hook onto her and one day, Gemma finds herself partying with them in a cave located in the ocean. They give her some drink, and with a mysterious persuasion, they lure her into drinking it. After, she finds herself having awkward habits. The chlorinated swimming pool she loved to swim in, suddenly makes her itch and irritates her skin. The three girls whom she was repulsed by, suddenly draws her towards them. She knows that she has a secret, but what it is is the question. After a serious confrontation, the secret is out, and the battle for regaining her true self is on. Read this book, and I promise that it will have you hanging onto every word!
If you were alive 40 years ago, then maybe you've heard of P.G. Wodehouse. He's written a huge number of short and funny novels exceeding your usual expectations. When my father told me about him and his collection of books, I was uncertain, because he was an "old" writer. But I decided to get that book (it came as a HUGE collection), and tried out the first one (The Clicking of Cuthbert). Heck, I was crying from laughter by the time I finished! It is a novel that contains ten stories about golf actually. Being a person who doesn't know anything about golf, I was still able to understand. It mainly circles around a man who seems to be quite old. He is referred to as 'The Oldest Member' or 'The Sage'. Whenever a dejected golf player wants to give up golf for his own reasons, The Oldest Member narrates a story about a person or persons who had gone through their own problem which is similar to the dejected player's. He tells how they solved their problems and persuades the player in such a way that he will never even think about giving up golf again. Of all the stories, I truly liked the first one best, as it was the funniest (according to me, of course). Even though Wodehouse's books may be considered ancient (he wrote this in 1922), he has put all his words in simple English, so people of all ages can read his books with ease. Most of his stories end with a weird (in a good way) twist... something like O. Henry. In summary, I liked this book because of the creative way the author depicts the story. I hate to take anymore of your precious time, so go find that book!
Bud, Not Buddy is a wonderful short novel written by Christopher Paul Curtis. I recently read it when I was just browsing through some classics. It is a sweet story about an orphan named Buddy who runs away from his current foster home that houses a mother who only took him in 'cause she was being paid for it. When her son stuffs a Ticonderoga (western brand) pencil up his nose, he decides that it is the last straw. He starts going north, towards the city where his father supposedly still lives. He flicks through so many adventures and surprises while drawing a smile from your face. It's a wonderful novel, but only is you understand the South-Western accent! Set during the Great Depression, Buddy struggles through the tension and persecution of others because he is a Negro. Curtis delineates the story in such simple, but descriptive words. No wonder it earned a Newbery medal!
Have
you ever imagined what the world would be like if all the adults
suddenly disappeared off the face of the Earth? If that were the case,
then the only inhabitants would be children, teens and elders. This is
the image which Lissa Price has so vividly portrayed in her recent
best-seller, Starters.
Callie
Woodland, who is just the average teenager, lost her parents during the
spore-war, which killed off all the parents and adults. Ever since,
Callie has been struggling to support herself and her severely asthmatic
brother. Callie endures all the hassle getting a single meal with only
one thought in her mind: her brother, when an amazing opportunity
presents itself to her. She learns that she can switch her brains with
an elder so that the elder gets to be a teen for a month, while she can
peacefully sleep until the month is over. Plus, she will get paid an
unbelievable amount. Callie accepts the invite after a little hesitation. But things go wrong almost immediately. The transition malfunctions, and Callie soon figures out that at times, she can regain control of her body. And when she does, she is shocked by what she sees, because her renter is planning to do way more than just party, maybe even attempt a murder. Callie realizes fast that she is going to have to make the best of the moments in which she has control. In this fight between the young and the old, Lissa Price makes her first debut, proving her worth.
This book has wonderful harmony between the characters, and engulfs you into its captivating story. As the Los Angeles Times said: "The only thing better that a terrific concept is one as well executed as Starters. Readers who have been waiting for a worthy successor to Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games will find it here. Dystopian sci-fi at its best, Starters is a terrific kickoff with a didn't-see-that-coming conclusion that will leave readers at the edge of their seats!"
Let me get one thing straight. This is not your average short stories book. These are hilarious short stories with absolutely no point.That's why, I think, its popular (as a classic).
Ok, I admit, I didn't really understand head or tail of the book until I got through seven or eight stories. This book doesn't really have a summary, but I can tell you about one of my favorites.
It's called Transients In Arcadia. It takes place in a hotel near Broadway in New York City. This hotel is the only one left that hasn't been ravaged by tourists. It's star visitor is one named Madame Beaumont. She stays only for a week, and meanwhile wearing the most splendid dresses during the day.
During her visit once, she meets a proper gentleman with whom she becomes good friends. Finally, on the day that she is to leave, she tells him her full story. She is actually an ordinary working girl named Mamie Siviter, but once in a year she treats herself to this hotel where she pretends to be the lady she is not. She says that she only wants a vacation for one week.
All her dresses are actually from a cheap store called O'Dowd & Levinsky. She has put up her dresses on an installment plan and she is to pay $1 a week until it is paid for. She trusts the $1 to him and is about to leave when he quickly does some writing and gives a slip of paper to her. He confesses that he has now been the collector for O'Dowd & Levinsky for three years. He, like her, just plans a vacation for a week each year. She is surprised, but goes along with it and they continue to be friends.
These short stories are only one or two pages long, and I enjoyed them to the maximum. They make you laugh and anxiously wait for the next one once you've got the hang of it. Find the nearest bookstore closest to you......Fast!!!!
Ok, lets review our options. If a bad kid dies, you would think that they have two options: above, or below. How about.... Heck? That might not even sound like a real place, but in this book, it is. Let me brief it for you: Marlo, is....well, a lot of things. She's a teenage, goth, kleptomaniac girl, who tries to get attention, mostly in the wrong ways. And sometimes, petty shoplifting can turn into full blown mayhem. I forgot, she also has a sensible, bookworm brother, called Milton, who tries to stay out of trouble. But as the younger one, guess who has to obey the orders???Written from Milton's point of view, Dale E. Basye makes you yearn for more as the siblings die in a marshmallow bear explosion. But that, is just the beginning. Once they get to the huge gates of Heck, they are met by a monster, literally. Life here is painful (yes, they can feel pain), as they try in vain to make their escapes. They encounter child-harassing bogeymen, and teachers that have students perform an autopsy on them. I liked this book because, just like The Five People You Meet in Heaven, it gave a different perspective on afterlife. I won't rob you of the ending, but I can say that it has a very interesting twist that leaves you dumbstruck. I was so shocked that I didn't even realize that the book had ended. Really! This book is perfect for children above ten maybe, because the concept might be a little difficult to grasp (the situation keeps changing). But overall, it really is a wonderful book!
How would you like to be transported into the world of kings, queens, and magical items? This book (The Magic Drum...), lets you do all that and more. Ever since she was a child, Sudha Murty loved hearing stories from around the world. Now, she has put all of her childhood favorites into this book that pulls you into the worlds of princes, paupers, and greedy kings. The Magic Drum and Other Favorite Stories is a collection of well-worded folktales. I really enjoyed her style of writing in simple but descriptive English. They (the stories) are short but really entertaining! She re-writes the tales, most of which are from Indian folklore. My favorite story was about a father who had a son that was mean and arrogant. The father's wife had died, so he remarried a kind-hearted woman who loved both the father and son dearly. Soon, the father passed, leaving a will that planned to teach the arrogant son a lesson. The will stated that the son would get all the money, plus the house, while the wife would only get a small cottage, with an outhouse. She would also be left a painting of the husband, who had told her previously to give the painting to the chief minister when the son turned 18 years old. She did so, and the minister found a letter from the husband, which was addressed to him within the painting. The letter said that ten of the bricks used to build the cottage were of pure gold. So the minister made the cruel son agree that not one part of the step-mother's property was his, and thus demolished the small cottage; emerging with ten golden bricks. He taught the son a lesson, and made the step-mother richer than the son ever was. So many stories, just like this one are found in this book. As per me, I'd say that this book is compulsory for everyone!
Alchemy is a word which makes you thinking about maybe Sir Issac Newton or maybe even Harry Potter (because of the Sorcerer's Stone). But anyways, something to do with a mad scientist trying to turn things into gold. Well, you're absolutely correct! Alchemy is exactly about those things! Ok, lets change the subject for a few seconds. In this book, a simple shepard travels around Andalusia shearing sheep and caring for his own. He meets a merchant's daughter, and instantly falls in love with her. It's been a year, and now he's getting ready to meet her and shear her father's sheep. But on his way, he meets a fortune teller, who tells him to go and find treasure in the Pyramids of Egypt. He doesn't pay any heed to her words, but when a king tells him the same, he decides that its high time to start saving. He sells his sheep and buys a fare to Africa, where he is robbed of his whole fortune. He then spends a year finding and collecting money. When he finds a caravan of camels heading to Egypt, he believes that luck is on his side. Now, coming back to alchemy. It is on this caravan ride, where he meets the Alchemist. Remember that in the beginning, I said that you were correct about what alchemy was? Well, you were, its just that there is more to it. The Alchemist teaches the boy to listen to his heart, and to nature, like the sand and the wind; even to heaven! But most importantly he learned many values though his humbleness and different hardships. Paulo Coelho has really done it this time! This book is one of the most popular international best sellers!
