How to Be a Pirate (How to Train Your Dragon #2) by Cressida Cowell 4/5 stars

Hey, guys! Ever since I read the first book in this series, How to Train Your Dragon, I have had a copy of How To Be a Pirate in my room waiting to be read. That was two or three years ago. Last night, I finally decided to get it out of my to-read pile, and it was pretty good, for a book marketed to elementary school kids.

The Covers:

 

The Covers:
They shows the process of the viking tribe of Berk trying to learn how to be pirates in order to find a great lost treasure. B covers.

Official Description:
Follows the further adventures and misadventures of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III as his Viking training continues and his father leads a stranger and the Hairy Hooligans to the Isle of Skullions in search of a pirate's treasure.

My Review:
How to Be a Pirate way a fun, quick read. It continues the story of How to Train Your Dragon, but could be read as a standalone.
There are some exciting action scenes, lots of humor that would appeal to younger audiences, and likeable characters.
I didn't like it quite as much as I enjoyed the first book, as the plot was less defined. That being said, I'd definitely recommend it for lower school aged kids. It will keep you entertained, for sure!

Phrase:
Left-handed!

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100 Sideways Miles by Andrew Smith 4.5/5 stars

Hey, guys! Ever since reading Winger (and its sequel Stand Off) I've been wanting to read more from Andrew Smith. While I didn't finish 100 Sideways Miles thinking that it had become my favorite book, like with Winger, I still was blown away.

The Cover:

The Cover:
It shows a dead horse falling "100 sideways miles" to land on Finn and his mom, leaving him epileptic and with a scar on his back and his mother dead. It's an important part of the book and also gives off the general weirdness that is central to this book. It fits really well. A+ cover

Official Description:
Finn Easton sees the world through miles instead of minutes. It’s how he makes sense of the world, and how he tries to convince himself that he’s a real boy and not just a character in his father’s bestselling cult-classic book. Finn has two things going for him: his best friend, the possibly-insane-but-definitely-excellent Cade Hernandez, and Julia Bishop, the first girl he’s ever loved.

Then Julia moves away, and Finn is heartbroken. Feeling restless and trapped in the book, Finn embarks on a road trip with Cade to visit their college of choice in Oklahoma. When an unexpected accident happens and the boys become unlikely heroes, they take an eye-opening detour away from everything they thought they had planned—and learn how to write their own destiny.

My Review:
100 Sideways Miles was a fresh book. It was witty and creative. I know that I knew have, nor ever will read another book quite like 100 Sideways Miles. It had a different and interesting way of looking at things. Finn's way of understanding the world was new and offered a cool alternate perspective of life.

The characters felt real. From the situations they found themselves in to the typical teenage banter, they were accurate. Andrew Smith definitely understands teenagers, and you can tell through his characters.

The only drawback of 100 Sideways Miles was its plot. It was set up as an introspective book, but there wasn't quite enough of a plot line to support it. There was only two major events in the whole book. I thought it caused the story to go by a bit slow.

That being said, I still found myself hooked to the book and excitedly turning pages. It was good, mostly through characters and writing style, so the thinly spread plot wasn't a huge drawback.

I'd recommend reading 100 Sideways Miles if you want to read something different and character driven. It's a weird book, but in a good way.

Phrase:
  :|:

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
Winger / Stand Off

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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz 5/5 stars

Hey, guys! One of my friends mentioned this book in passing to me and I am so glad I picked it up! It was a beautiful book, just really good.

The Cover:

The Cover:
I love this cover! It shows Ari's pickup truck parked, looking up at the stars.  The title is decorated with things that make up the book, as well as stereotypically Mexican things.  It gives off the same feeling that this book gives off.  A+ cover.

Official Description:

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

Point of View:

First person from Ari(Aristotle)'s point of view.

My Review:
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe was amazing.  It focused on Ari who was angry and a little sad and confused.  He meets Dante in the boredom of summer.  They become friends but that doesn't stop the world from throwing hurdles in their way.

The book itself flowed kind of like a mind does, moving from point to point in a way that flowed and were related to each other, but the plot wasn't nearly as important in this book than Ari's thoughts.

Even with a very loose plot, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe kept me on the edge of my seat. I was unable to put it down, finishing it in less than a day.

The characters were beautiful. They were complex and think in a way that really nailed the teenager thought process. There was nothing that made the characters incredibly unique; they were just normal kids dealing with their internal problems, which was refreshing. It was also a very diverse cast of characters, especially focusing on Mexican heritage.

The writing itself was wonderful. I painted beautiful images and was just artfully created to give a complete picture of the scenes in the book, while inspiring strong emotion.  A very well written story.  Benjamin Alire Saenz can write!

Phrases:
Legs
A real Mexican

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda
Perks of Being a Wallflower
Winger
The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley

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United as One (Lorien Legacies #7) by Pittacus Lore 4.5/5 stars

Hey, guys!  I finally finished the Lorien Legacies series.  I've been reading this for probably five years at this point and enjoyed its conclusion.

The Cover:

The Cover:
It fits with the rest of the series design wise.  It has the symbol for unity.  It's a fairly simple cover, nothing impressive.  A- cover

Official Description:
The Mogadorians have invaded Earth. Their warships loom over our most populated cities, and no country will risk taking them head on. The Garde are all that stand in the way, but they’ll need an army of their own to win this fight.
They’ve teamed up with the US military, but it might not be enough. The Garde need reinforcements, and they’ve found them in the most unexpected place. Teenagers from across the globe, like John Smith’s best friend, Sam, have developed abilities. So John and the others must get to them before the Mogs, because if they don’t their enemies will use these gifted teens for their own sinister plan.
But after all the Mogadorians have taken from John—his home, his family, his friends, and the person he loves most—he might not want to put any more lives in danger. He’s got nothing left to lose, and he’s just discovered he has been given an incredible new Legacy. Now he can turn himself into the ultimate weapon. So will he risk his life to save the world, or will he realize that power in numbers will save us all?


Review:
United As One was a great conclusion to the Lorien Legacies series.  It was mostly full of fight scenes with the occasional emotional scene between characters we've known for seven books, or even those we've only known from one.  

It starts directly after Fate of Ten.  If you are not familiar with the ending of the last book, I recommend rereading the last few pages before you start United As One.

This book kept me interested, had fun characters, but started getting a bit silly.  It required a bit more of a stretch of the imagination than the previous books required.

If you've read the previous books, I'd definitely recommend continuing and finishing the series.  I'd also recommend the entire series if you have not read it.

Phrase:
Hello, Pittacus

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
Fate of Ten (Lorien Legacies #6)
Human.4
Ender's Game

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Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli 5/5 stars

Hey, guys!  I've been seeing a lot about Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda so I thought I'd give it a shot.  I don't even think I read the description first, the first sentence ("It's a weirdly subtle conversation.  I almost don't notice I'm being blackmailed.") got me hooked, and I loved it.

The Cover:

The Cover:
The title is simple, Simon's invisible body with a speech bubble.  I like it.  The title itself is a play on "the homosexual agenda" which ends up being pretty clever and relevant to the book.  A+ cover.

Official Description:
Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.
With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

My Review:
This is one of my favorite teen romance novels.  It's cute and actually funny with all of the action-packed drama that you can possibly hope for.

The characters are fantastic.  They are multidimentional and the relationships between the characters are super realistic and complex.  However, there were not a lot of characters, so the mystery of how Blue really was seemed a bit predictable to me (though I was thrown off by the end!).

Even though it was a romance book, the plot was fast-paced and kept me on the edge of my seat.  I read the whole book in a day (and wished I still had more to go).

I'd definitely recommend Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda for anyone in the mood for drama, romance, or humor.

Phrase:
The Tumblr

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
Anna and the French Kiss
Every Day
Winger
The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley

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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie 4.5/5 stars

Hey, guys!  I just kept hearing about The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian on both bestselling lists and banned books lists, so I decided to give it a shot.

The Cover:

The Cover:
It is a simple cover with action figures of stereotypical Indians.  It works for this cover, I think.  A+ cover.

Official Description:
Bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.
Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by Ellen Forney that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he was destined to live.

My Review:
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian was very well-written.  With a heavy dose of dark humor, the incredibly dark events of this book did not feel as heavy and depressing as they could be.  In a way, that made them more impactful.

It was a short book, only 250 pages and it is a fast read.  I ended up reading it in only one day.

The writing was just good.  It was engaging and makes you really care for Junior, a really complex character.  All of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian's characters were easy to connect to, especially through Junior's eyes.

One of the main goals of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian was to talk about the modern Indian, the good and the bad.  It speaks about how close the community is, while mentioning how completely hopeless they are.  From alcohol issues, to poverty, to discrimination.  It will open eyes to the plight of the people on the reservation, but at points, it got a little bit too preachy.  Like it was trying to shove a lesson at me.

Throughout the book, small comics were inserted.  They were often funny/ quirky little thoughts.  I don't think they were necessary, but it helped to maintain the light mood.

I think The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is mostly aimed at middle schoolers.  However, there are moments that a bit mature (probably why it was banned from some libraries).  It is definitely fine for older audiences as well.

Overall, I enjoyed The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.  It was well-written with memorable characters and a good narrative voice, if a bit heavy-handed on the message.  I'd recommend it if you like dark humor.

Phrase:
Rules of Fistfights

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
Darkly Dreaming Dexter
Reality Boy
Thirteen Reasons Why
Perks of Being a Wallflower

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Speaker for the Dead (Ender #2 or 3) by Orson Scott Card 3.5/5 stars

Hey, guys!  About two years ago, I read Ender's Game (great sci-fi book by the way) and was afraid to read the sequel, thinking it would ruin it.  Speaker for the Dead was very different from Ender's Game but still good.

Speaker for the Dead was the second book written in the Ender universe and is the intended sequel. Another book, Ender in Exile was added between Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead about twenty years later.  I decided to read it in publication order. So this book is the 2nd or 3rd depending on your viewpoint.  Either way, Speaker for the Dead is mostly a standalone, with Ender's Game providing context.

The Cover:

The Cover:
It shows some spaceships.  Nothing really to do with the story and it doesn't catch my attention.  C- cover

Official Description:
In the aftermath of his terrible war, Ender Wiggin disappeared, and a powerful voice arose: the Speaker for the Dead, who told of the true story of the Bugger War.
Now long years later, a second alien race has been discovered, but again the aliens’ ways are strange and frightening…again, humans die. And it is only the Speaker for the Dead, who is also Ender Wiggin the Xenocide, who has the courage to confront the mystery…and the truth.

My Review:
Speaker for the Dead had a very different style to Ender's Game.  The writing itself seemed more mature.

The characters were fun, if not extraordinary.  You could tell them apart, and the relationships developed in interesting ways as the story continued.

The plot was fast-moving with plenty of unexpected developments.  Ender and the other characters try to understand the piggies (the aliens).  How does their society work and what causes them to kill humans so brutally? As the mysteries of the piggies are revealed, the character's secrets are revealed too.

Large portions of the book spend time talking about religion and ethics.  It was interesting but droned on a bit too long.

Overall, I liked Speaker for the Dead.  It was a fast read without any real problems, but it wasn't memorable.  It was a fine sequel, but pales compared to Ender's Game.

Phrase:
Father trees

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
Ender's Game
Dotwav
Human.4
The Dark Side of Nowhere
Speeding Bullet

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The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness (5/5 stars)

Hey, guys! Continuing my tour of Patrick Ness's books, I decided to read The Rest of Us Just Live Here.  It was really good, but not as advertised.

Other Books by Patrick Ness:

Chaos Walking series 

More Than This

Monsters of Men

The Cover:

The Cover:

Official Description:

What if you aren’t the Chosen One?
The one who’s supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death?
What if you’re like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again.
Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week’s end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life.
Even if your best friend is worshipped by mountain lions.
Award-winning writer Patrick Ness’s bold and irreverent novel powerfully reminds us that there are many different types of remarkable.

My Review:

When I started The Rest of Us Just Live Here, I expected it to be about a normal kid who everyone around them were Chosen Ones and was left on his own.  That wasn't really what it was about.  Really, very little about Chosen Ones were mentioned.  It all went on in the background.  The majority of the book centered on the very real world struggles of Mikey as he starts to transition from high school to college, moving on from his small town world.  It was much better than I expected.
Also, The Rest of Us Just Live Here is aimed at an older age group than I first expected.  It's definitely a more sophisticated book than it seems, probably aimed more at the high school age group, though there's nothing inappropriate for younger ages.

The characters were all very easy to like.  Mikey, the main character, was a very interesting character.  Misguided but I cared more about him than I have for any character for a long time.  The supporting  characters were not entirely developed, purposely.  In fact, as the book developed, the characters grew more complex as Mikey starts to understand them.

One of the main plot points was the mental illnesses of Mikey and Mel.  It was a perspective that you do not often see in books and is incredibly impactful.  (A style kind of similar to Challenger Deep.)

The plot was a small part of the book, yet it was still intense.  While not the focus, the plot was interesting and kept me completely engaged.

One thing you should know before reading The Rest of Us Just Live Here is its formatting.  At the beginning of each chapter, there is a paragraph or so about what is going on with the Chosen Ones in the meantime.  Be aware that these paragraphs are background to the story, not the story itself.

Overall, I would recommend The Rest of Us Just Live Here for people who have liked Patrick Ness's other books or books that make you think.  It's not the book you should read if you want a book about magical powers, etc.  Not what I expected, but I liked it more than expected too.

Phrase:
Deer

Other Books By Patrick Ness:
The Knife of Never Letting Go/ The Ask & the Answer / Monsters of Men

More Than This

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:

Challenger Deep

If you're looking for a good book, check out my Suggestions Page!

Happy Reading!

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Lola and the Boy Next Door (Anna and the French Kiss #2) by Stephanie Perkins 3/5 stars

Hey, guys!  After reading Anna and the French Kiss and Isla and the Happily Ever After (all of which you can read out of order), I decided to read the second and final (for me) book in this "series" of teen romance books.  I was disappointed.  It was much worse than the other two books.

The Cover:

The Cover:
It shows Lola is a fairly normal outfit and a purple wig in a neighborhood with Cricket, the main love interest.  It's boring but okay.  B- cover.

Official Description:
Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion... she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit — more sparkly, more fun, more wild — the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.
When Cricket — a gifted inventor — steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

My Review:
Honestly, just from the description, I knew I wasn't going to like Lola and the Boy Next Door nearly as much as the other books by Stephanie Perkins. It was somehow cheesier.

I hated the main character.  Lola might be one of the most unlikable protagonists that I've ever read about.  Instead of facing her problems, Lola decides to avoid them at all costs and through a variety of ways such as: playing detective, creating drama, talking to the moon, leading Cricket on, and costumes.  Lola would not wear normal clothes, instead wearing elaborate costumes and daily wigs as her everyday clothes.  Her dream is to wear a two-foot-long wig to her school's dance.  When reading Lola and the Boy Next Door, you are supposed to support Lola's fashion choices and praise her as "original" and "creative."  It wasn't.  It was weird, not just in a quirky way but in a stay-away-from-me way.  Lola also just spent the whole book acting really immature.  She didn't feel like a junior, but like a sixth grader.

Stephanie Perkins also had an agenda when writing this book.  There's no problem with agendas in general, but one of her main points is the relationship between Lola's two fathers.  She was trying to prove that two men could raise a perfectly normal child (which I don't doubt), but she failed at proving it.  Lola was anything but normal.  In fact, she might have been clinically depressed at one point.  If you can't make your agenda work, don't try to prove it! 

Most of this review is just an explanation of why I hated Lola.  The other characters were fine.  I actually really like Cricket and Calliope.  Some of the characters were fun to read about and the writing in general was engaging.

If the main character was anyone other than Lola, I would recommend this book.  It was cute and had good writing; however, Lola was so awful I couldn't do that to you.  If she doesn't sound irritating to you, feel free to read Lola and the Boy Next Door it was generally good, with the exception of the main character.

Phrase:
Tea leaves

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
Anna & the French Kiss
Eleanor & Park
Isla and the Happily Ever After
An Abundance of Katherines
This Lullaby

If you're looking for a good book, check out my Suggestions Page!

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Dexter in the Dark (Dexter #3) by Jeff Lindsay 3/5 stars

Hey, guys!  About six months ago I started reading Dexter in the Dark and put it aside for a few days (which ended up being months) and I've finally finished.  I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I enjoyed the first two books (Darkly Dreaming Dexter/ Dearly Devoted Dexter) but it was still alright, if slow. I still plan to finish the series.

The Cover:

The Cover:
It shows Dexter... in the dark.  Not much to say about this one.  It's fine but not exciting.  B- cover

Official Description:
In his work as a Miami crime scene investigator, Dexter Morgan is accustomed to seeing evil deeds. . . particularly because, on occasion, he commits them himself. But Dexter's happy existence is turned upside down when he is called to an unusually disturbing crime scene at the university campus. Dexter's Dark Passenger – mastermind of his homicidal prowess – immediately senses something chillingly recognizable and goes into hiding. Dexter is alone for the first time in his life, and he realizes he's being hunted by a truly sinister adversary. Meanwhile he's planning a wedding and trying to learn how to be a stepfather to his fiancé's two kids – who might just have dark tendencies themselves. Macabre, ironic, and wonderfully entertaining, Dexter in the Dark goes deeper into the psyche of one of the freshest protagonists in recent fiction

My Review:
In Dexter in the Dark, Jeff Lindsay starts to focus on the origin of the Dark Passenger, the thing telling Dexter that being a serial killer is a good idea.  Large portions of this book were focused on Dexter's pondering of the origin of the Dark Passenger, which seems more like an alien than anything else.  It got a bit too weird for my tastes in that regard.

The humor continues to be dark, though successfully funny.  The suspense builds nicely, and I really enjoyed the dynamic between Dexter and Rita's kids.  It was fresh and wrong in the way that the Dexter books love to be wrong.  

Overall, if you liked the first two books, this book continues the same trends and was still fun to read, if you are patient enough to get through the parts about the Dark Passenger.  In my opinion, the good and the bad about balanced each other out.  Read it if you want to, but if you stop enjoying it partway through, it doesn't get better.

Phrase:
MLK

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
Darkly Dreaming Dexter/ Dearly Devoted Dexter
The Running Man

If you're looking for a good book, check out my Suggestions Page!

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