City of Bones

The City of Bones is a book from one of my favorite series of all time, second only to Harry Potter. This is the first book (of six) in The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. This book is about a girl named Clary Fray, everything about her life is normal. All she wants is to hang out with her best friend Simon Lewis, and her mother whom she is very close to. Clary dreams of maybe even getting into art school. Then, she starts uncontrollably drawing strange symbols, her mother is kidnapped, and she is thrust into a mysterious world with Shadowhunters, Demons, Vampires, Werewolves, Faries, and even Warlocks. She drags Simon along for a wild wide, with twists around every corner. On Clary's journey to save her mother, she might meet lifelong friends, and discover things about herself that she never knew before.

FYI for interested readers - A adaption of this book just came out on ABC family, it's called Shadowhunters and it is amazing!!

Other important characters:

• Magnus Bane - A strange, cat-eyed, glittery warlock that might have all the answers Clary is searching for.
• Alec Lightwood - A  Shadowhunter who is best friends with Jace and who seems to hate Clary from first sight.
• Isabelle (Izzy) Lightwood - An extremely pretty Shadowhunter who is the younger sister of Alec.
• Jace Wayland - A blond Shadowhunter that thinks Clary is cute.  

I would give this series 5 chickens, but this book only four chickens. The series starts getting really good around the third book, City of Glass, but you have to read the first two to understand the story line. This series has amazing characters that you can connect to, and they keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time.

Some themes readers should know about are: Violence, Romance, and Language.

This book is for ages 12+

The Rest of Us Just Live Here

The Rest of Us Just Live Here is a book by Patrick Ness about a group of friends. They live in a magical world. Unfortunately, they are not the people who get to saving of the world, they just get to, well, be there. They spend most of their time trying to get through High School. They are pretty normal even if one of them is a 1/4 god.

Mickey is just a regular guy who's sister almost killed herself and he had serious OCD. All he wants is to graduate and maybe get up enough courage to ask out his not so secret crush, Henna. Who happens to be his sisters' best friend. Maybe there are worse things than not being the hero and not always fearing for your life.

Other important characters:

Jared: Mickey's gentle giant best friend who is part god.
Nathan: A boy who Henna thinks is cute and Mickey hates.
Mel: Mickey's sister with anorexia.

I would give this book 3 chickens. I think it had good plot and characters, but the characters were under developed and the book lacked the rich detail I wanted.

Important themes readers should know about are: violence and romance.

If you want a different book like this to read you should consider Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews or The Kane Chronicles series by Rick Riordan.

Between the Lines

Between the Lines is a novel by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer. Its a book about a girl named Delilah who is already a social outcast, who can't stop reading this one fairy tale she stole from the library over and over again. She loved the way Oliver (the main character) knows what it feels like to grow up without a dad. She also has a big crush on him. One day when she reads the book it changes and suddenly she finds herself talking to Oliver. Oliver has never liked his story. He has always wanted more than being stuck in a book. Putting on the same show every day isn't doing it for him anymore and he doesn't really like the princess he is supposed to fall in love with. He has tried talking to the readers of the story but they never seem to hear him - until one day, a beautiful reader does. This is a classic fairy tale intertwined with a modern day perspective.

Other important characters:

• Jessamyn Jacobs - the author of the book Delilah loves
• Delilah's mother
• Seraphima - the girl Oliver is supposed to love

I would give this book 3 chickens.  I thought the plot and characters were okay but it didn't have a lot of detail or feeling. This book is good for ages 11+. The only theme readers should be aware of is a minimal amount of violence.

One interesting note about this book that makes it more unusual is that the author (Jodi) wrote it with her daughter (Samantha) who was only 14 when they began writing it together.

If you want a modern day fairy tale you should consider reading Gilded by Christina Farley instead.

I'll Give You the Sun

"We are all heading for each other on a collision course, no matter what. Maybe some people are just meant to be in the same story." I'll Give You the Sun is a beautifully written novel by Jandy Nelson. This is my favorite stand alone book of all time. It's about twins Noah and Jude who are inseparable and each is everything the other isn't. Jude is a powerful, beautiful girl who stands up to the bullies that torture her brother. Noah is a quiet boy who has always had the gift of art and paints on paper as well as in his mind. Noah is better at art than he is at interactions with people. They help each other through everything and are the best of friends, but as they grow older they grow apart and when tragedy strikes they realize the thing they need most is each other. This is a phenomenal coming of age story filled with art that will sweep you into a world of friendship and fierce love.

Other important characters:

• Parents of Noah and Jude.
• Brian - a crush of Noah's who loves space.
• Guillermo - a old sculptor who may have all the answers to Jude's pleas.
• Oscar - a broken boy who is a friend of Guillermo's who becomes close with Jude. 

I would give this book five chickens. This book would be good for ages 12+. Themes readers should know about are: romance, sexual violence and emotional heartache.

If you like The Misfits series by James Howe you will like this book.

If you enjoy I'll Give You the Sun you should try The Sky Is Everywhere also by Jandy Nelson.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - with guest writers Olivia and Claire

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a deep and thoughtful novel authored by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. It starts out with Aristotle (also known as Ari), a boy trying to find himself. Through a boy named Dante Quintana he may be able to. Dante is a boy with an open perspective on the world. He teaches Ari to swim at a public pool and gives him poetry books to read. Dante is everything that Ari isn't. He's not afraid to be himself and his parents love him openly unlike Ari's parents, who are quiet and are so caught up by grief about Ari's older jailed brother that they convince themselves that he is dead. Aristotle and Dante find the summer they have been hoping for in each other and become great friends.

Other characters:

• Sam Quintana- Dante's father, who kisses Dante on the cheek every time they see each other. 
• Ileana- The girl who Ari wants to kiss.

We would give this book 5 chickens. It is an insightful novel about the world, and about being yourself. We'd say this book is for 13+. Themes young readers should know about include romance and sexuality. 

If you liked this book, you should read Fans of the Impossible Life, by Kate Scelsa, or The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.

Thanks to my friends for guest blogging!

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender is a book by Leslye Walton. Its about the Rowe family and how they seem to have cursed love. Whenever they fall in love, something unexpected and terrible happens that leaves the relationship and the person in ruins. The newest addition to this family are twins Ava and Henry Lavender.  Henry is mute for much of his life and Ava was born with the wings of a bird. They can't fall in disastrous love if they are forced by their mother to stay in the confines of their house and the hill it sits on, can they? Or so she thought...


I did not like this book. It was very disturbing and confusing. I could not make sense of the plot or the characters and the whole book was just sad. This book reminded me of the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson which I also did not enjoy. If you like a confusing book that you can not quite wrap your head around then you will enjoy this book.


I would give this book 2 chickens. This book is for ages 12+.


If you like books about family curses or genetic mutations, I'd suggest The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare, or The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld.


Have a book you want reviewed? Comment below!


Thanks!

A Little Something Different

A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall, is told through fourteen different perspectives about the love story of Gabe and Lea. Everyone one around them seems to know they are perfect for each other, except for them. The only problem is that Gabe is painfully shy and Lea is a little bit closed minded. This often make them have opposite opinions and conflicting ideas. This is a story about the ins and outs of young love and how sometimes you just need a little nudge from a friend to come together.

Other important characters:

• Danny - Lea's all time best friend.
• Squirrel - A squirrel who they both feed on the school grounds.
• Sam - Gabe's brother.
• Bench - A lonely bench that brings Gabe and Lea together.
• Inga - Their creative writing teacher who makes separate lesson plans to force them to work together.

I would give this book 3 chickens because it had an interesting plot and characters, but the setting was undeveloped and there was not enough detail for me. This book is good for ages 11+

If you liked Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, If I Stay by Gayle Forman or All the Answers by Kate Messner, then this book is for you.

If you like A Little Something Different, try Every Last Word by Tamara Stone or Love Like Crazy my Megan Squires (note these two are closer to 12 or 13+ for romance).

Paper Hearts

"Surviving was the best revenge." Paper Hearts, by Meg Wiviott is a Holocaust story told from the perspective of two young girls through a series of poems. Each chapter is a new poem and each in only one voice. One girl named Zlatka, had her village turned into a ghetto. When she is transported to Auschwitz she is separated from the older and younger members of her family and is left to take care of her younger sister. She loves to draw and just wishes for it all to end so she can be alone with her pencils and paper. The other girl, Fania, also loses has her family when she goes to Auschwitz. When the two girl's stories collide, they soon find out the only way to live through the horrors, is to find fierce friendship that gives them something to fight for. Though I won't give away the meaning of the title, this book is based on true events and the paper heart currently lives in the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre.

Themes in this book people should know about are: horrific deaths, serious violence and emotional heartache.

 I would give this book 4.5 chickens. This book is good for ages 12+

Other important characters:

• Friends the girls meet in the ghetto
• Family members of the two girls

If you liked The Book Thief by Markus Zusak or Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, then this book is for you.

If you read and enjoy Paper Hearts you might want to consider The Diary of Anne Frank and The Boy In The Striped Pajamas.

Carry On

"Simon Snow was the worst chosen who's ever been chosen." Rainbow Rowell says on the inside cover of her novel Carry On. Carry On is the story of a teenage magician named Simon Snow and his adventures in his crazy magical world. He, his best friend Penelope (a ridiculously smart and brave girl) and his worst enemy, roommate (and possible vampire) Baz, go on a wild adventure. Along the way the find love and discover their true friendships.

Other characters:  

• Agatha - Simon's girlfriend who might or might not have a crush on his enemy.
• The Mage - The only father like figure Simon has ever had and leader of their magic school - Watford.
• The Humdrum - The "thing" that has been hunting down Simon since his first year at Watford.

All readers will enjoy this book. Some of the themes readers should know about are: detailed kissing, bad language, and violence.

The age of readers I think should read this book are 13+. I would give this book 4 chickens.

If you liked dystopian fiction like Harry Potter by J.K Rowling, A Wrinkle In Time by Madeline L'Engle or Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare.

If you read and enjoy Carry On, you should consider reading Eleanor and Park or Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. 

The Bane Chronicles

This is a great book about the life of Magnus Bane, a character from the well-known series The Mortal Instruments. Magnus is a super sassy, immortal warlock who is extremely self-confident. The Bane Cornicles by Cassandra Clare is a book told through many short stories about the ups and downs of this crazy warlock's personal and professional life through history and how he finds love in tragedy.

A few of the other characters in this book are

• Alec Lightwood - A dark haired, shadow hunter who intrigues Magnus will his shyness, devotion to his friends and putting others in the spotlight.
• Camille Belcourt - A seductive vampire who pulls Magnus into her tornado of people.
• Tessa Gray - A fellow warlock and friend of Magnus' who understands the struggle of being immortal.

I think this book would be equally liked by all readers but does include detailed kissing, killing, and emotional heartache.

I'd think it would be okay for ages 12+.

I give this book 4.5 chickens. 

If you liked the The Mortal Instruments or any other books by Cassandra Clare you will like this book. If you enjoyed the The Bane Cornices, you might also enjoy the Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan or Divergent by Veronica Roth.