Review 19: A Crack in the Line

Title: A Crack in the Line
Author: Michael Lawrence
Publisher:HarperTeen
Rating: 9.6/10
The Lowdown:
After finding out that there is an alternate universe with a girl that has the same exact life as him except for a major fact- Alaic Underwood's mother is still alive.
The Good:
A. Really interesting narrative.
B. Snappy
C. Great plotline.
D. I loved the cover.
E. I liked all the characters in general.
F. Great intro. sentence: really hooks the reader in.
The Bad:
A. Gets a little too redundant; could have been shortened.
B. I really don't see how the story is going to progress in the second and third book, but I guess I will have to wait and find out.
The Consensus:
Great story, great characters. Pick it up if you like a lil intrigue! :)

Twilight Trailer

OMG! OMG!!!! I am hyperventilating right now........

Interview 1: Leonardo Shadow's Christopher Grey

I e-mailed Mr. Grey about setting an interview up, and ka-boom! Here we are. Now we offer some very interesting details about Mr. Grey and his future:

A. What influenced you to write a novel about Leonardo da Vinci?

Some years ago I visited Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Last Supper at the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan; this was before the recent restoration, and you could only see half the wall, but nonetheless it had a profound effect on me. I went away thinking and hoping that I could write something about it and Leonardo. But I couldn’t get started. Well, that’s not true: actually I started hundreds of times. And stopped the same amount. The whole subject just seemed too big for me to grasp. Then a friend gave me an old copy of Leonardo’s Notebooks; inside were fragments of the great man’s thoughts, hopes, and fears. Suddenly he seemed human—a real human being who was not so different from the rest of us, except that he was a genius. And then he began to talk to me. I just wrote down what he said.

B. Do you see yourself in Giacomo? Why?

Giacomo, at his most basic, is me, aged about fifteen. I wasn’t quite as witty at that age, I’ll grant you, and I also wasn’t as courageous or determined. I did however have his lesser qualities (OK, faults): impatience, obstinacy, pride, and cockiness. And, like my hero, I was desperate for a mentor. I never found one, but Giacomo was more fortunate, thank goodness. He is everything I was, was not, and might have been.

C. Why did you portray Leonardo as a bad guy in the beginning, who is cold and hard and doesn't want anyone to get close to him?

I don’t see Leonardo as a bad guy at all, just someone who is proud, insecure, and vulnerable, in spite of his brilliance (a lot of brilliant people are like this, actually). If he is “cold and hard,” it is because he has set himself incredibly high goals in life, and is always dissatisfied with his progress towards attaining them (again, similar to many brilliant people). I do agree with you that Leonardo “doesn’t want anyone to get close to him,” and that is because of his past—his relationship with his dismissive father, and the unhappy ending to the first important friendship in his life. Based on his own experiences, he fears that all relationships are doomed to failure, perhaps; and people who have suffered in the past tend to be more cautious in the future, don’t you find?

D. Is there a sequel? (This is what most blog readers like to know.)

I hope so. I can see it in my head. Unfortunately, the sales for Leonardo’s Shadow have been very disappointing to my publisher, and I fear that no one will be very interested in another book about Giacomo and Leonardo. A pity.

E. Are you going to write any other children's books about other historical figures (e.g. Einstein?)

At the moment I am in the middle of another book set in the Renaissance, something a little different in style from Leonardo’s Shadow; the hero is a gravedigger with special talents. I hope it will appeal to adults and young people. We’ll see how it comes out (if it comes out at all). I have fifty different ideas for books; the problem is, as always, how to turn an idea into a story. That’s the hard part. A book about Einstein is a great idea, but I am hopeless with mathematics, so he is one genius I would avoid at all costs!

Review 18: Shadowland by Meg Cabot

Title: Shadowland
Author: Meg Cabot
Publisher: Avon Books
Rating: 8.5/10
"I am a pretty normal, everyday, American teenager girl. Except, of course, for the fact that I can talk to the dead."
The Lowdown:
Suze is a mediator- a person who helps ghosts resolve their business and go to heaven/hell/wherever they go. After moving from NYC to the beautiful shores of Cali., Suze joins a Catholic school and meets hot guys from all over. However, there is a ghost in the school who is extremely violent because of the tragedy that happened with her. Can Suze resolve her issues and also deal with the extremely handsome ghost occupying her bedroom AND dealing with her crazy family?
The Good:
A. I really enjoyed the speedy narration.
B. Quick read.
C. The idea was good, but it gets boring sometimes. If you read Meg like I do, her style can get boring at times, she usually has a "set pattern" that you can deduce from her books.
D. I really liked all the characters, especially the nicknames she gave for the characters.
The Bad:
A. Switching back and forth between the nickname and the actual name made it kind of confusing... for me at least.
B. Part of the book is unnecessary, and unrequired.
The Consensus:
-Chick lit, check.
-Fantastical element, check.
- Fun and interesting, check.
- Quick and breezy read, check.
If you value the qualities above, then grab this book RIGHT NOW!!! :)

Review 17: 68 Knots by Michael Evans

Title: 68 Knots
Author: Michael Evans
Publisher: Tanglewood Press
Rating: 9.8/10
The Lowdown:
After the counselors leave and the cranky/bi-polar/depressed captain commits suicide, eight teenagers decide to lead a ship, fulfilling their dreams of a summer filled with adventures, fun, and romance.
The Good:
A. All the characters were awesome.
B. The ending.
C. Ishmael, the kitten. And when he passes away during a really bad storm, how Jesse looks like. I mean, a big dude taking care of a small and delicate thing... it's very ironic. Heck, it reeks of irony.
D. I love the whole book, the plot, and the adventure.
E. How Arthur grows emotionally and matures as he learns that parents can sometimes be the bad people.
The Bad:
A. At certain points of the book, it got kind of boring. So yeah, the length could have been shortened.
The Consensus:
I really enjoyed this read. If you want some YA lit. with class, then pick this book up NOW!

Review 16: Miracle Wimp by Erik P Craft

Title: Miracle Wimp
Author: Erik P. Craft
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
Rating: 5/10
The Lowdown:
The illustrated story of Tom Mayo dealing with a nutty wood shop teacher, first girlfriend, and surviving high school.
The Good:
A. Honestly, I can think of nothing, but I guess the pictures were pretty.
B. The cover is kind of tricked out.
The Bad:
A. Oh God, where do I began? How about the fact that this book has no PLOT? No direction?
B. All the characters are FLAT. Nothing ROUND about them.
C. The pictures, now that I think about it, are kind of stupid.
D. Heck, the main character is an idiot!
The Consensus:
As you can tell by the Lowdown, I am not excited about this book. This book bored me to death, and had no plot, no direction. *Yawn* Is this in in YA books today?

Fowl Friday 1

I promised this, but due to Hurricane Ike, I couldn't post info. about Arty... I apologize to all my blog readers out there in the world. By the way, give a shoutout about who you are and why you read my blog, if you can. I love getting to know my readers.
So, anyway... here is Fowl Friday number 1. This piece of news shocked me a bit, so lemme know whether it did to you too. During the next Fowl Friday, we will discuss whether or not there is going to be a AF 7.

Bestselling Author of Artemis Fowl Series, Eoin Colfer, Tapped To Write The Sixth Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Last update: 1:30 p.m. EDT Sept. 17, 2008

NEW YORK, Sept 17, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Ellen Archer, President and Publisher, announces today that Hyperion will publish the next book in the beloved and world-famous Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. Eoin Colfer, author of the bestselling Artemis Fowl children series, will continue the legacy of Hitchhiker's, originally created and written by Douglas Adams, who passed away in 2001. The new book is titled And Another Thing . . . will be published in October 2009.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy originated as a radio series and was later adapted as a television series, comics, a play, a movie, a computer game, and five books. It was during the writing of the sixth book in the series that Douglas Adams suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 49. In an interview with Matt Newsome in The Salmon of Doubt, the late Douglas Adams said, "I would love to finish Hitchhiker on a slightly more upbeat note, so five seems to be a wrong kind of number, six is a better kind of number." Upon discovering and falling in love with Artemis Fowl, Adams's teenage daughter and his widow, Jane Belson, realized that Eoin Colfer was an equally amazing fantasy writer and one who could write that sixth book, opening up the series to a new generation of readers. "I am delighted that Eoin Colfer has agreed to continue the Hitchhiker series," says Belson. "I love Colfer's books and could not think of a better person to transport Arthur, Zaphod and Marvin to pastures new. This project has my full support."

Says Colfer, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was like nothing I had read before, or since for that matter. It is a slice of satirical genius. A marvel of quantum tomfoolery. A dissection of the absurdities of our human condition. A space odyssey that forces us to face ourselves and collapse in hysterics . . . My first reaction was semi-outrage that anyone should be allowed to tamper with this incredible series. But on reflection, I realized that this is a wonderful opportunity to work with characters I have loved since childhood and give them something of my own voice while holding on to the spirit of Douglas Adams. I am bloody determined that this will be the best thing I have ever written."

Of the deal, Archer says, "Working with the vast network of people and resources of The Walt Disney Company, Hyperion will reach out to and bridge two massive audiences that transcend generations of readers: the millions of loyal and enthusiastic fans who have made Eoin Colfer and the Artemis Fowl series so successful, and the passionate and devoted following of Douglas Adams's beloved and bestselling Hitchhikers series. We believe this will be the international publishing event of Fall 2009."

Archer negotiated the deal with Sophie Hicks and Ed Victor of Ed Victor Ltd, agents for both Colfer and the Douglas Adams Estate. Hyperion retains publication rights to the United States, audio, eBook, and first serial.

Hyperion, which was founded in 1991, publishes general-interest fiction and non-fiction hardcover, trade, and mass-market paperback books for adults and includes the VOICE, Miramax, ESPN Books, ABC Daytime Press, Hyperion East, and Hyperion AudioBooks imprints. Hyperion is the adult trade book publishing unit of the ABC-TV Group, The Walt Disney Company.

Review 15: Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You

Title: Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You
Author: Peter Cameron
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Rating: 6.5/10
"How do I know what I will want in my life? How do I know what things I will need?"
The Lowdown:
James Sveck, an intelligent 18-year-old, has no clue what the heck to do with his life. All he knows is that he wants to buy a house in the midwest, which no one understands, including his sister and his mother. How could they? His sister, at Barnard U, is dating a married professor who eventually dumps her. His mother, who is on her third failed marriage, after her third husband steals her credit cards to gamble away in Sin City. After getting the good news that he got into Brown U, James doesn't even know if he wants to attend college... after all, hanging out with people his age is ABSOLUTELY mortifying! What will James do?
The Good:
A. I guess I have to praise Cameron's efforts to create a new Holden... a smarter, gay, and more confused one, I guess.
B. The synopsis was written in an interesting way.
C. The sub-plots were more interesting than the main plot.
The Bad:
A. The book is nothing like it promises. Funny??! Please. Sure, sometimes there are moments of "witty" sarcasm, but I understood nothing, and hey, I read Catcher in the Rye and totally enjoyed it.
B. Let's think for a second. How similar is this book with J.D. Salinger's masterpiece? Slim books, confused narrators, confused about sexual orientation, scared of adults, and absolutely no plot. Is this a total rip-off of Catcher in the Rye?
C. The title of this book also comes from a poem thingy, just like J.D. Salinger's title! Another pathetically strange similarity.
D. The plot. There was no point in it. I was waiting for it, waiting for it. No climax, no denouement. No thrills or chills.
The Consensus:
If you are a lit. prof., then maybe you'll enjoy it. That's like a longshot. This book is, in my opinion, a pathetic attempt to re-create a great masterpiece. I don't know what people see in this book that makes them ooh and aah, but I really hated this book.

Review 14: Zipped by Laura and Tom McNeal

Title: Zipped

Author: Laura and Tom McNeal

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Rating: 9.5/10

The Lowdown:

When 15-year-old Mick Nochols opens a wrong mail at a wrong time, he realizes that his step mother is having an affair. He is completely engrossed with the affair, and is also distracted by other things, namely, the college-student infamous Myra, who is paying more attention to him, and is also harboring her own little dirty secret. Also, the copper-haired Lisa Doyle, who he likes so much that he feels like he is going to explode... how is he going to manage all?

The Good:

A. I loved the narration. Always love the narration!

B. I loved the plot.

C. I also liked the character, and the ending was extremely AWESOME.

The Bad:

A. I didn't really like the way Mick dealt with the cheater person.

The Consensus:

An excellent mysterious book. I really enjoyed it and I would have NEVER guessed who his step-mother cheated with. It was quite sad, actually.

Review 13: Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee

Title: Millicent Min, Girl Genius

Author: Lisa Yee

Publisher: Scholastic Publishers

Rating: 9/10

The Lowdown:

Milli is a genius who has always been friendless. She has been hated for setting the curve by skipping five grades. She is always below-challenged. She is always made fun of because she is a senior at 11. But all that changes, when she meets Emily. Emily doesn't know and doesn't care about Millicent's IQ. Can Millicent ward Emily off of her IQ and just become friends for once?
The Good:

A. I love the narrative. It actually sounded like a 11-year-old genius was talking to me.

B. It was an excellent idea.

C. I love the little volleyball at the beginning of every page.

D. The book was a quick read, and it didn't drag ON and ON.

E. Fresh voice in Asian-American Lit.

The Bad:

A. I didn't really understand why Stanford was a big part of the story.

B. That was just mean how that college girl took advantage of Millie's brain.

C. Steoreotypical of Asian-American lit.

The Consensus:

A quick, cool read. I really enjoyed Millicent Min, not only due to the fresh voice, but also because of the ending. It really is a cute book.

Review 12: Nothing but the Truth (and a Few White Lies)

Title: Nothing but the Truth (and a Few White Lies)

Author: Justina Headlley

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Rating: 9.5/10

"The Patty Ho Happy Camper Theorem

Given: Math camp is a done deal

Prove: It is the open door I'm supposed to run through this summer."

The Lowdown:

Patty Ho is half-Asian and half-American. She is quiet and tries to be the model daughter her controlling Tiawnese mother wants her to be. After a fortune teller tells her that a white dude is going to "involved" with her, her mother freaks out and ships her out to Stanford Math Camp. She thinks that things are at worst, but then the probabilities are WAY too good than she could've ever imagined.

The Good:

A. I really liked the narration, but I am not a fan of the main character.

B. Fresh voice in Asian-American books.

C. I loved the ending. If more people are proud of their heritage, then we are seriously moving forward as a race!

The Bad:

A. The main character. She has flaws, and the writing sometimes gets confusing.

The Consensus:

I really enjoyed this "side read." It was quick, sweet, and to the point. Pick it up today!

Review 11: Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson

Title: Suite Scarlett

Author: Maureen Johnson

Publishers: Point Publishers

Rating: 9/10

"It was 8:03 in the morning. And it was Scarlett's birthday."

The Lowdown:

Scarlett lives in a hotel in NYC. Sounds awesome, right? Except for the fact that her sister is dating a millionaire, her cancer-survivor sister is mad at her for something she doesn't understand, and her brother is getting nowhere. Oh, and the fact that they're almost broke.

How is Scarlett going to deal with this and the fact that she is crushing on her brother's new partner, as well as an eccentric new guest? Only God knows.

The Good:

A. The cover (I'm always praising covers, aren't I?)

B. The plot (predictable at first, then non-predictable, and then predictable.)

C. The characters- especially Mrs. Amberson.

D. The length

The Bad:

A. I didn't really like the ending all that much.

B. The Acts in the beginning were kind of useless. All this time I was thinking that there would be some point for all of this, but not really.

The Consensus:

This book was awesome. Read it; Maureen Johnson brings another devilishly awesome novel (there is a joke in there.)

Review 10: Jinx by Meg Cabot

Title: Jinx

Author: Meg Cabot

Publisher: HarperTeen Publishers

Rating: 7/10

"The thing is, my luck has always been rotten. Just look at my name: Jean... "

The Lowdown:

Jean Honeybunch hates her name. Why couldn't she be named Janette? Or Jennifer? Or something other than plain old.... Jean.

Jean Honeybunch also is nicknamed Jinx, because when she was born, a huge supercell went throughout the country. After that, she has brought bad luck on her family ever since. After moving from the country to the bog, bad mean city, she learns about her past and her special, ahem, powers.

The Good:

A. The length. It was exactly the same size.

B. I loved the narration.

C. I also loved all the characters in the book, especially Jean's friends.

D. I loved the ending!

The Bad:

A. I didn't really like the plot all that much. I mean, it was so predictable and kind of stupid.

B. Meg's stories are getting old. There are only a few variables that you can have in every story.

C. Witches. SERIOUSLY!? What is this, Harry Potter?

The Consensus:

The book could have been better, but wasn't that bad. A predictable story, and I'm tired of Meg C. being "sidetracked" by other stories. Like seriously Meg, get a series and STICK WITH IT!!! :)

Twilight Tuesday: More on Peter Fanicelli, AKA Carlisle Cullen

MTV: First off, give us your take on Carlisle.
Peter Facinelli: Carlisle Cullen is about 348 years old, but he doesn't look a day over 200. He's the father of the Cullen family, which is a small little vampire family in this town of Forks, Washington. He's started this little coven and tries to fit in with the humans instead of living the natural vampire world of feeding on humans. He's a vegetarian with his family, and they feed on animals.

MTV: And he's very philanthropic for a vampire. He's turned a lot of people over the years, but for good reasons.
Facinelli: Yeah, all the people he's ever turned into vampires have been either sick or dying, so I thought I was doing them a favor by giving them the gift of immortality. It's not like he's a bad guy at all.

MTV: Had you read the books before you got the gig?
Facinelli: I read ["Twilight"] right before I met with Catherine Hardwicke. I read the book in one day; I couldn't put it down. It was fantastic.

MTV: You had your own little cram session?
Facinelli: Yeah, they didn't have the script available; they just had some audition pages, and I was like, "I don't know what this is about." So I read the book, and I really enjoyed it.

MTV: Were you into vampires anyway?
Facinelli: Well, here's an interesting story: About four weeks before the audition process, I was reading a book about vampires in Hollywood through all the ages. Like 50 years of vampires! It was in an office. I was flipping through it, and I thought, "Wow!" I was never a big fan of vampire movies, until I flipped through that book and saw how beautiful they were and the mystery of it all. It's turned into a lot of gore and guts nowadays in a lot of vampire movies, [but] when I read "Twilight," it reminded me of the old movies when vampires were mysterious and had sexual undertones, and it was more of a beautiful vampire tale instead of the horror genre, which I liked.

MTV: What's it like playing father to people who are only a few years younger than you?
Facinelli: Oh, you're too kind. I've actually got about a decade on all these kids. And I have kids myself, so it's not hard paying the father role. We've all bonded, and they all call me Dad.

MTV: Have you tried to go off the script a bit and sneak in references to Carlisle's 350-year-long history? Maybe tell a story about the time you were hanging out with Abe Lincoln?
Facinelli: Well, I don't know if it will make it in the movie, but I made reference to a time when I met Babe Ruth during the baseball scene.

MTV: A lot of the actors had to undergo some intense stunt training. Did you?
Facinelli: You know, I didn't have that much wirework. But I had doctor training! I can do operations now. So if you ever need anything ... like a spleen checked or your liver removed, I'm here.

MTV: That will come in handy if my appendicitis acts up! So if the "Twilight" sequels get made, what's the one scene from the other books that you can't wait to shoot?
Facinelli: I would say I'm looking forward to the scene where the werewolves and the vampires team up to fight some bad vampires. That would be a fun sequence to shoot.

MTV: Are you Team Edward, Team Jacob or Team Switzerland?
Facinelli: [Laughs.] Well, I'd have to go Team Edward. But [my character is] so biased. I mean, as a fan of the book, I'm Team Switzerland. But sitting here playing Dr. Carlisle? I have to go Team Edward.

MTV: If there were such a thing as vampires, would you want to be changed?
Facinelli: Wow. I like the idea of immortality, but that is a tough question. Someone asked me what age I'd like to be changed at, and that is a tough one. I kept changing my answer: "18. No, 23. No, 26. No, 30. Ahh." It was like, "Anywhere between 18 and 40, I think." I like the idea of immortality, but I don't like the idea of drinking other people's blood or living off of animal's blood. That's kind of nasty.

MTV: If you were a vampire, would you want to go vegetarian, or would you go old-school?
Facinelli: Again, you're catching me on a day when I'm all in-character, so I have to say vegetarian. The thought of eating someone else's blood is gross to me. But animal blood? Warm animal blood? That's not so great either. I guess I'd have to go with the animal blood.

MTV: Who is the biggest prankster among the "Twilight" stars?
Facinelli: Edi Gathegi [who plays Laurent] was the big jokester. ... He does all these voices, so he would call me [on the phone] and pretend like he was different people. Like, he called my room and said he was some girl named Suzie, and I was like, "Who is this?" This is a funny story: One day I told him to call Jackson Rathbone and do Suzie for him and say he was Suzie from the production office. So he called and said, "Hey, this is Suzie from the production office. We just want to tell you that we're dying your hair back to brown, because we don't like the blond hair."

MTV: That's hilarious, because Jackson was already going through hell trying to find the right hairdo.
Facinelli: Yeah, and this was early in the production. [Jackson] was like, "Oh, OK." And he was actually on the phone with his manager, so he clicked over and was like, "Oh, yeah, they just called me. They're dying my hair back." And his manager goes, "Oh, thank God. I hated you with blond hair!" And then [Edi] called them back and was like, "It's just me." And [Jackson] had to call his manager back to say it's not real. And the manager was totally backpedaling! Jackson said it was funny.

Review 9: Artemis Fowl: the Time Paradox

Title: Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox
Author: Eoin Colfer
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Rating: 8.5/10
The Lowdown:
We left Artemis finding out that *gasp* he is going to be a lil brother! YAY! After Artemis's mama gets sick with some disease after giving birth (three years after giving birth), Artemis must go back in time to find the cure. He will have to defeat his deadliest enemey yet: Artemis Fowl, age 10.
The Good:
A. I loved how Holly and Arty share a kiss!
B. Opal Koboi. Her freakiness makes moi happy :)
C. JayJay. He is beyond cute.
D. Mulch is back!!!!
E. The. Cover. Is. AWESOME. You have to touch it to believe it.
The Bad:
A. The ending. Seriously?
B. The Extinctionist Society. Anything dealing with animal cruelty is on my bad list. I hope organizations like these don't exist in our society.
The Consensus:
I fell in love with Lil Arty at a very young age. He became the only thing I cared about, the only thing I thought about (yes, I was a nerd.) But, this book was awesome until the end when Colfer reveals the ending. The ending sucked. So, SPOILER ALERT.
I can't believe that Colfer could do this to the fans! Let Opal escape! At least let her get captured for once, peeps! Perhaps Opal went back in time somehow.... but I am seriously annoyed that Colfer could do that to us fans.
Anyways, ending aside, the book was a complete 10/10 out of my book... bye bye lil Arty. I shall miss you dearly. :(
*Since there is an Artemis Fowl movie coming out... so, I will start a new section of the blog called Fowl Friday. Ingenious, isn't it? :)*

Twilight News

My twilight buddies have informed me that someone breached Stephenie's trust and leaked a draft of her half-finished novel on the internet.
Seriously people, could you get more annoying?
Ever since Breaking Dawn came out, the Twilight world has gotten more divided than ever. At first, I would totally understand, but now, people are just making me mad. I mean, there is a reason that an author needs to have privacy. Did you just hack into her computer so that you could make fun of her writing skills? Gee people, stop being so harsh. I am so disappointed with ALL of ya'll.
Here is the link for the draft SO FAR: http://stepheniemeyer.com/pdf/midnightsun_partialdraft2.pdf
Have fun with it! And if you are the hacker, then shame on you. :(

Review 8: Girls on Film by Zoey Dean

Title: Girls on Film (A-List)
Author: Zoey Dean
Publisher: Poppy Publishers
Rating: 5/10
"Anna had come to Los Angeles in the hopes of reinventing herself, and Ben had seemed the perfect boy with whom to debut the new and daring her. But now, when she considered everything that had happened with Ben between the heavenly plane flight and the hellish conclusion, Anna was convinced, more than ever, that her usually impeccable taste did not extend to guys."
The Lowdown:
Anna Percy is not your typical Beverly Hills teenager. In fact, she is quite a different one. Born and raised in the good old NYC Upper East side, she is used to private school Blaire's and shopping at Barney's. But what she is not used to is the California attitude of girls like Cammie, Dee, and Sam.
After an incident involving a guy she just met on the plane, Anna falls in love, but abandons the guy when he abandoned her without an explanation. The story picks up from there, and Anna trying to forget what happened in the past.
The Good:
A. Sam and Anna being friends.
B. Anna's sister.
C. The ending.
The Bad:
A. Is it just me, or does it sound so 90210?
B. The whole novel was so boring. The first novel was so awesome and FUN. This novel was anything but.
C. Dee's pregnancy thing. That was totally stupid.
D. How the good always overcomes the bad. Is that how our world really runs?
E. The title so does not make sense. Girls on Film? Was there a movie involved by chance, and if so, did it have anything to do with the real plot.
F. Does school mean nothing to Zoey Dean? Don't high schoolers get a ton of HW?
The Consensus:
I really liked the first A-list novel. The second one just dragged on and on and bored me half to death. I seriously hope that the next novel is better than this crap.

Review 7: Tempted by Cecily von Ziegesar

Title: Tempted (It Girl)
Author: Cecily von Ziegesar
Publisher: Poppy
Rating: 6.5/10
"It was really hard to believe that almost exactly two weeks ago, she had been trudging down this very same path, duffel bag stuffed haphazardly with whatever contents of her dorm room hadn't fit into the boxes ready to be shipped back to her apartment in NY. Now, everything was different-epitomized by the fact that Celina Colista wanted Jenny to come running with her. "
The Lowdown:
After mysteriously being saved after Jenny H. took the bullet (even though she didn't do it) for a disastarous fire, she wants to find out her secret admirer. Tinsley realizes she is a mean girl (well, duh) and Callie + Easy sort out their problems. Meanwhile, Brett and Kara's past comes to haunt them back.
The Good:
A. The cover
B. OwlNet
C. Jenny's sudden popularity.
The Bad:
A. Tinsley and Jenny. WHAT THE HELL???
B. Jeremiah and Brett hooking up despite the fact that the rumours were proven true.
C. Kara and Brett being uncomfortable with each other.
D. Less OwlNet conversations.
D. Jenny's secret admirer. That just is so messed up.
E. Callie going to REHAB???
The Consensus:
At first, the It Girl seemed like a good read. Now, it's just boring. Get a move on Cecily! We need more twists and turns for your books to be more fun!!!

Review 6: Kitty Kitty by Michele Jaffe

Title: Kitty Kitty
Author: Michele Jaffe
Publisher: Harper Teen
Rating: 7.5/10
"My best friend, Polly, thinks that people should come with warning labels, like mattresses. If they did, mine would be CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS."
The Lowdown:
Jasmine C is a pretty normal 17-year-old teenager. She likes to divide her time solving crimes, learning Italian, hating her dad, solving crimes, and talking with her friends/obsessing over boyfriend. Did I mention solving crimes?
After her dad moves her family almost halfway across the world to Venice, she is catapulted inside a world of international mystique and intrigue when one of her friends gets murdered. Will she solve the crime and stop the growing obsession of her boyfriend?
The Good:
A. Much more fast paced than Bad Kitty.
B. Less "footnotes" to distract the reader (although much longer.)
C. Hilarious.
D. More development of Jasmine's character
E. More secrets about the mysterious J.R.
The Bad:
A. Less involvements of cats
B. Kind of predictable.
C. Cheesy
D. She is kind of a Nancy Drew, which at times can get annoying.
E. Can be kind of confusing.
F. J.R. (kind of copied from Burn Notice.)
The Consensus:
I definitely liked Kitty Kitty over Bad Kitty. The plot was better, the mystery was cooler, and the characters were more hilarious, although at often times not really believable. For example, where was Jasmine going to school? How can you just walk out of a classroom without a call home? So yeah, some facts were incorrect. But if you're looking for something to just pass the time and sort of mellow down, then Kitty Kitty is your kind of read.

Review 5: Leonardo's Shadow

Title: Leonardo's Shadow, or My Astonishing Life asLeonardo da Vinci's servant
Author: Christopher Grey
Publisher: Anthemum Books
Rating: 10/10
Quote:
"I was running right and left, wildly and without thought, threading my way through the stalls of the market in the main square."
The Lowdown:
Giacomo is a lonely Italian boy roaming the streets of Milan. He is an orphan, living the life of a thief, until he falls down one day down a building and wakes up to find he is taken in by Leonardo da Vinci (Let's just call him LV) Basically, he has to convince his master to finish the Last Supper so they can pay their debts, discover why he was carrying a medallion, cross, and the ring, and who are his parents exactly? And why did Leonardo take him in, and why won't he teach him how to paint????
The Good:
A. Excellent idea.
B. I haven't read such refreshing historical fiction in a LONG time.
C. Narration, syntax, and style.
D. The font (OK. There is nothing to love about a font. But seriously.)
E. Book design.
F. The smell of the book (OK, now I am just talking crazy.)
The Bad:
A. No sequel.
The Consensus:
No sequel? That was the worst part about this book??? Yeah folks, it was that good.
Folks, this book has gotten excellent reviews and graced the lists of many affluent lists. You have to read this book to fully appreciate da Vinci. Sort of like a kiddy companion to The da Vinci Code.
But the best part about this book is that anyone can read it and enjoy. So bravo, Christopher Grey. Bravissimo!

Review 4: Violet on the Runway

Title: Violet on the Runway
Author: Melissa Walker
Publisher: Berkley Jam
Rating: 9.6/10
The Lowdown:
Violet is an ordinary girl who works at a movie theater, goes to school, and worries about college. She had self-confidence issues, which is due to her very large height and skinny figure. One day, she gets picked up by a modeling agent and is whisked into the high fashion world in NYC. After doing the fashion-gig for a while and dealing with bulimia, drugs, unfaithful guys, and conflicts between friends, she decides to come back home.
The Good:
A. I really enjoyed the narration.
B. The book had a sort of upbeat, modern beat to it. I like that.
C. The portrayal of modeling in this book was shocking, but true. I also like that (I like a lot of things in books, you see.)
D. The cover and the title is just so awesome and totally fitting!
E. It was wrapped up pretty good.
F. The character of Angela.
G. So many words for the letter V (Sorry, I just love the letter V.)
The Bad:
A. The friendship between Violet and Veronica. I have to admit, it sounds way too cliched.
B. Violet's character. OK, so that's not really the author's fault. But I seriously think that this girl has some issues to deal with, like poor self-esteem and falling for jerks.
The Consensus:
Wow. I've never read such a refreshing novel about models! (Maybe I did in Just Listen by Sarah Dessen, which by the way, is an awesome read.) But I really enjoyed reading this book, and Melissa Walker's novels are targeted more to a more 15+ teen audience. All I can say is, think twice before you go on a trip to NYC with a lady staring at you through Chanel glasses.

Review 3: Airhead by Meg Cabot

Title: Airhead
Author: Meg Cabot
Publisher: Point Publishers
Rating: 9/10
The Lowdown:
Em Watts is not herself. Literally.
After a heinous accident involving a plasma screen falling down on her and a teen supermodel getting an aneurysm and being brain dead, Em Watt's brain is transferred into the supermodel's (Niki Howard) body. Personally, at first, I was extremely confused about what the hell the novel was supposed to be about. But after a little reading (and a ton of patience) I awakened to the plot of the novel: a little predictable, a little fantastical, and totally awesome.
The Good:
A. Cabot's plot and idea
B. Cabot's narration style.
C. The complications and the drama.
D. I seriously love Niki's BFF and Gabriel Luna, the singer who goes ga ga for Niki. They're, like, just so funny.
E. Awesome cover.
The Bad:
A. Really off realistic-wise.
B. Uh, is this supposed to be science fiction?
C. Tied up WAY too early. Hello, can you add a little more? We pay money for these books.
D. The ending was retarded.
E. Nothing about the company as Meg portrays it makes sense. Maybe we have to wait for Being Nikki (sequel) to figure out this whole entire drama.
The Consensus:
Overall, I guess I do go ga ga for Meg Cabot's new franchise. But seriously, doesn't that woman have enough writing projects on her hands to last her a lifetime. Maybe she just likes to write. But anyways, this idea was somewhat awesome, somwhat lame, somewhat *yawn* exciting in a non-exciting way. But my main complaint is that it was tied way too early. But if you just need a book to sort of pass the time, this would be my pick for you.

Twlight Tuesday...

Dear Bookielicious readers,
I know you guys are just going to jump with joy when you guys find out that Twilight has been moved from December to November 21st after Harry Potter dropped down. I can't wait to see the movie, so I'm, like, hyperventilating right now!!! OMG! OMG! OMG! But, anyways, I must say, in keeping up with the Twilight Tuesday tradition, every Tuesday I post some more movie news, vids, etc. Here's a brand new edition of VH1'S Twilight Tuesday: Interview with Jackson Rathbone, the dude who plays Jasper Cullen.
MTV: Tell us about your character.
Jackson Rathbone: Well, I play Jasper Hale, also called Jasper Whitlock, or Jasper Cullen; I've got a lot of names. [Laughs.] Jasper's from the Civil War [era], and that's when he became a vampire. Since then, he's been sort of wandering around; he's got a great back story, but that takes place in the later books. In this movie, Jasper is very angry, and still very reticent about his lifestyle of not eating humans.

MTV: Every year, it seems, Hollywood gives us a ton of vampire movies. What's going to make the "Twilight" movie different?
Rathbone: Well, most vampire movies are all about the gore and the action and the violence. This movie's about the heart. It's about what moves us as humans, and what is so moving to us that it is even encompassed beyond humanity. These are creatures — they're not people, they're not humans, they're kind of the decrepit side of everything. They're dead; there's no oxygen. They can't feel cold, they can't feel anything, but they can feel emotions and what those emotions lead us to do. You can choose morality, or you can choose the life that nature has provided for you, which is death. It's kind of a life-versus-death-story, but not so much in the realm of "you're going to get killed or get to do some killing," but whether you're going to choose to love life and choose love.

MTV: Why, after all these decades of storytelling, do we still care about vampires?
Rathbone: Well, I think everybody wants to be a vampire. I used to want to be a vampire [when I was young]. It'd be great, you know? Run around at night, never die, kill people. It sounds like a great life!

MTV: Yeah, but is there more to it than just being able to live in a horror movie?
Rathbone: I think the appeal is the mysticism of it all. We're searching for something beyond ourselves, and we find it in a lot of folklore, and a lot of these old stories that get tossed around about living forever and always being beautiful and young. That's the allure of the vampire: You don't age, you don't have to worry about getting old, or never accomplishing something. Time is not a factor, and I think that most people, especially these days, are caught up in time.

MTV: And then, at the center of "Twilight," is this great "Romeo and Juliet"-caliber love story. What can we expect to see from the work that Robert and Kristen have been doing?
Rathbone: Edward and Bella have the greatest sadistic, masochistic relationship there probably is, because Edward is putting himself through hell by being around her; all he wants to do is eat her. But he can't, because of his morality. ... Bella knows what she's getting into, and Edward knows what he's putting her through. So, you get these great characters who are so concerned about each other that they're not concerned about themselves.

MTV: What is it, exactly, that makes them so enamored with each other?
Rathbone: It's a love that is bred out of interest, almost. I mean, he can't read her thoughts, which is something so beyond him and so beyond anything he's come across in his life, so he's intrigued. He's so attracted to her. And she's attracted to him and his ability to coast through everything and be so respected and admired. It's like he doesn't even try. ... What Rob and Kristen have brought to these parts is this amazing lifelike [quality]; it's never fake. It's never put on. There's this weight behind them, and you can see it the moment they call action.

MTV: Your character was a Confederate soldier back in the day. Have you done research into the period?
Rathbone: Yeah, I did a bit of research about the Civil War. I was always interested in it, and I did spend a bit of time [living] in Texas, so whenever I took Texas history, I learned a lot about the Civil War. I was lucky enough to have that background around me already. What I've focused on was the stoicism. ... I never really grew up in the South, I grew up all over, but for my family values and all the Southern values: You don't speak unless you're spoken to; you keep a very calm demeanor; you try to keep everything as light as possible, but if things get heavy, it's not like you're not going to step up. But it's weird to talk about the actual character elements of (Jasper), because it's all so intertwined with the story of the third book, which is where Jasper begins to expand on his heritage and how he was turned and how he lived.

MTV: So, are you planting little seeds in "Twilight" that will pay off in the sequels?
Rathbone: Yeah, I'm putting it in, here and there. It's nice. I can't do too much with Jasper's power. Jasper has the power to manipulate emotions. There's a danger in that. There's a danger in having that ability, because if you're constantly manipulating emotions around you, there's no reality around you. And because Jasper is able to distort reality, I wanted to steer away from that. I wanted everything to be as real as possible. So I've tried to make the choice for him not to use the power [for now], to be as stoic as possible, be as still and just concentrate on keeping himself at bay, especially in terms of the hunger.

MTV: I can't help but notice that you've naturally got a Southern twang in your voice. Are you keeping that for the character, to show his roots?
Rathbone: I try to keep it as light as possible, because he's been around for 200 years. He hasn't been in Texas that entire time. ... With Jasper, it would be too much to have that accent, especially when you're pretending to be a normal kid. If he had a Texas accent in Washington, in Forks, I think people would tend to notice him a little bit more.

MTV: Are you signed on for the next two sequels?
Rathbone: Yes, I'm signed up to do all three. So, hopefully, all the fans like me in this one.

MTV: What's the coolest thing about being a vampire?
Rathbone: The singular coolest thing, to me, would have to be the ability to just stay out of the sun. I'm not really a sun person; I'm not a beach bunny. I'm more of an indoor-sports kind of guy. You know, just sitting at home with a guitar, very simple. I'm all about nightlife. I live during the night, so that would have to be the coolest aspect for me.

Review 2: Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

Title: Lock and Key
Author: Sarah Dessen
Publisher: Viking Juvenile Fiction
Rating: 9.5/10
The Lowdown:
Ruby is a young and troubled girl.. Yeah, we've heard a lot of those before. But she seriously has a messed up mommy. So when her mom abandons her, she decides to live alone until she turns 18. But lo and behold, she's caught before that can happen and is thrust into high class society when she is sent to live with her sister (incognito in Ruby's life for more than 10 years) and her nice and entrepreneur (rich) husband, Jaimie. Sort of like a Great Expectations, but a more teenage and modern twist to it.
The Good:
A. Excellent narration by Sarah Dessen.
B. Excellent plot.
C. Obviously has a romantic element to it, for which I go gaga for.
D. Good character development.
The Bad:
A. Ends too soon :(
B. A little slow-paced.
C. Ruby's private school universe is extremely strange. By strange I mean there are no evil girls. And in every school there are evil school girls, trust me.
The Consensus:
Overall, I seriously loved this book. It had to be one of Sarah Dessen's best creations. What I feel about Sarah's novels are that she is one of those authors that sort of get better and better with every book he/she writes. When I first picked this book up, I was like, Gee, I didn't know Sarah would stoop to such a low level that she had to cheat off of Dickens! (Not that Dickens isn't awesome.) But seriously. I was seriously pissed off. But after reading this book, I seriously know what the phrase "Don't judge a book by it's cover" means. This book is one of my favorite, but Sarah's Just Listen, still is better than this one, because of the ending and the emotional tirade of it. But that's just my opinion.

Review 1: Breaking Dawn

Title: Breaking Dawn
Author: Stephanie Meyer
Publisher: Little Brown and Co.
Rating: 8.5/10
The Lowdown:
Caution: reviews contains spoilers
We left Bella and Edward engaged at the end of Eclipse. And now, after almost one year, we meet them again in Breaking Dawn (shortened to just BD in this review.) A lot of people were pissed off by Meyer's new book, because of the ridiculously happy ending and the stupid message that it portrayed.
Before buying my copy of the book from Kroger's, the reviews had made me a tad bit skeptical. But anyways, I spent 14 bucks on this book and after almost one day of reading it (the book goes by fast) I am extremely satisfied by the ending. Call me a softie at the heart, but to all the BD haters, I got one message for you: Buzz. Off.
Yes, there is a lot more, uh, physical intimacy in this book than all the other books combined. But it's after marriage, of course, since Meyer is a Mormon. There's also a baby involved (half-vampire, half-human), Bella becomes a vampire with total self-control, her baby is a genius, and the baby causes them to mess with the Volturi.
How. Awesome.
The Good:
A. The writing was clear, but the length of the book was way too long, and it was sort of like Harry Potter 5: unnecessarily lengthy.
B. The narration of Jacob. Totally kewl and unexpected.
C. I'm on Team Edward, so obviously this book is my fav.
D. Less of Bella roaming around and moping (totally annoying.)
E. The Volturi are back!
F. The vampire appendix.
The Bad:
A. The unnecessary length.
B. The weirdness of Bella suddenly wanting to be a mother. I agree that was freaky weird.
C. The plot is excellent at beginning, horrible at the middle, and OK at the end.
D. Jacob imprinting on Bella's daughter. WTH??? (But it does make sense.)
E. Meyer publishing a official guide and movie guide. Does she just wants more money from the franchise now that it's over, or is Midnight Sun abandoned so soon?
The Consensus:
Some people are extremely concerned about the message that this book delivers. Heck, someone hacked into Twilight Lexicon to protest the ending! And Stephenie, poor Steph, lashed back at the readers. Seriously, though, the hacking thing is not cool. But anyways, the book can be interpreted as if to say that marriage is the ultimate goal in a girl's life, because Bella does not get an education. However, this was Bella's choice, and Edward wanted her to go to college so bad, he probably hacked into Dartmouth and got her in. So, ultimately, it was Bella's choice, and it's not Steph that is trying to deliver this subliminal message. She's staying totally in character, and you know what, people. Sometimes, girls can get everything they want. So if Bella's life is perfect, I totally agree with it. It could have been better, but it was OK.
I wonder why no one lashed out against Harry Potter 7. I mean, it was a pretty happy ending, after all.