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Queen of Babble in the Big City - Meg Cabot
by leeanne160480
I got this book at Asda for the bargain price of £2, and instead of just getting 1 book for that price, I got 2! There was Queen of Babble, and this 1 Queen of babble in the big city. This one is the 2nd in the series, but I forgot I had Queen of babble, read this one first, and am now reading the first one.
The book is about ... a girl called Lizzie Nichols and the big city she is in is NewYork. She used to stay in a sleepy suburb called Anne Arbour and worked in a clothes shop. Not just a normal clothes shop, as Lizzie loves old clothes, and customising them. She is looking for the same type of job in Manhatten, but the City is rough and tough, and not too much call for a girl called Lizzie in that type of business.
She is staying in a gorgeous apartment with her boyfriend Luke. They've only been going out for 6 months and have decided to live together. the apartment is Luke's mum's but it is more a holiday home for when she is shopping in the City, so she doesn't mind Luke and Lizzie living there.
Originally Lizze was meant to rent an apartment with her best friend Shari, but since she is head over heels in love with Luke, when he asks her to live with him, she jumps at the chance. Anyway Shari's boyfriend Chaz has his own apartment in New York, so why wouldn't they want to live together?Surely Lizzie is doing them a favour? Perhaps not!
Lizzie finds a job in a Wedding Dress alteration and restoration shop - only 1 problem though - she's not getting paid for working there. The owners - The Henri's cannot afford any labour in their family run store, and before Lizzie known it she has offered to work for nothing! How does that feed and clothe her? Lukily Chaz knows of where a receptionist job is going, which is at his father's law firm, so Lizzie goes off to her paid job in the mornings and the shop in the afternoon.
The book is just following Lizzie's life with all the aforementioned people. It was an alright read, but nothing really spectacular or that much of a page turner.There is a situation with her best friend, and I could spot what was happening a mile off, so not that many twists and turns in here.
So will Lizzie get the recognition in the restoration game? Will Lizzie and Luke stay together? What about Chaz and Shari? You'll have to read and find out. A simple book that is interesting enough the first time around, but I don't think I would go out my way to read this again!
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The Nightmare Room Thrillogy #1: Fear Games - R. L. Stine
by TerryfaeScotland
INTRODUCTION
"Fear Games" is the first book in a special 3 part "Thrillogy" by R.L. Stine. It's split into three parts. Parts one and three are about a girl called April Powers who is invited to a uninhabited carribean island along with eleven other talented children for two weeks to compete in "Life ... Games". What they don't know is that they will really be competing for their lives...
Part two is about a young girl named Deborah Andersen and is set in Ravenswoode, a small English village, in the year 1680. Deborah is accused of witchcraft by her neighbours and is sentaced to live the rest of her life on a uninhabited island in the "New World".
MAIN CHARACTERS
*THE PRESENT*
April Powers
The main character in the story. She is invited to an uninhabited island in the carribean to compete with eleven other children for a prize of $100,000. They are split up into three teams of four.
Marlin Davis
The leader of April's team. He's an African american and is really smart. He stops a few quarrels between April and Anthony (another person in the team).
Anthony Thomas
Anthony is a real pain in the backside. He is contantly critiscising April and teasing her. He is my least favourite character... in this book, anyway.
Kristen Wood
On the journey to the island, April and Kristen had become instant friends. All the way through the story, Kristen is really nice and friendly. She's my favourite character in this book.
Donald Marks
The person in charge of the whole event. He's the "Big Cheese" and, in my opinion, isn't very nice because at one point Marlin disappeared and April wanted to go and find him but Donald told her not to... April did anyway which led to her team winning part of the competition.
*THE PAST - 1680*
Deborah Anderson
Deborah is a poor little girl who is accused of witchcraft by her whole village.She has a blue cresent-shaped birthmark on her forehead which convinces the villagers she is a witch... and lots of terrible things happen to the village which doesn't help her much!
Kathrine Anderson
Deborah's mother. She seems very nice but she has a terrible secret...
ILLUSTRATIONS
There aren't any illustrations in this book, which I think is a real shame as it would help make the book scarier if there was pictures of what was happening. There is a really good picture on the front coven (by Richard Newton) which is excellently drawn and looks almost real. The picture above shows the front cover.
ABOUT RL STINE
RL STINE is a very talented writer he has writtenover 200 books, many of which for children. He is the authour of the very popular "Goosebumps" series which has sold millions of copies! He is an excellent writer and I really enjoy reading all of his books.
MY OPINION
I loved this book. I thought the characters were excelent, the choice of setting was great and the fact that it was sent in both the past and the present was just brilliant! I can't wait to finish reading all three books to see how it ends!
CONCLUSION
Fear Games is an excellent book by an excellent authour. I recommend it to teenagers who like horror books and I give it 10/10!
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Almost Lost: the True Story of an Anonymous Teenager's Life - Beatrice Sparks
by Trevor15
"I don't want to feel anything, taste anything. . .or anything. I just want to. . .pull the plug. . .do the deed. . .get it over with. It's my candle. I should be able to blow it out if I want to." This is how 15 year old Sammy's feelings about himself and his life were recorded when he entered Dr B's ... office.
'Almost Lost' recounts the therapy sessions between Sammy, his family and counsellor, therapy sessions that were divisive in bringing the teenager back from gangland warfare, drugs, theft and self-destruction.
As the sleeve of the book advises, Sammy eventually became the happy American teenager that he once was , but not without a very long battle and not without facing the buried demons which thrived on his misery, self-loathing, darkness and contempt. Over the months, Sammy and both his loving parents needed to face things that perhaps they would prefer to let rest: His father's acknowledgement that he had left the family because they weren't "good enough", his own subsequent descent into drugs and hedonism. . .His mother's belief that she had something to do with Sammy's desolation: maybe she "worked too hard, left him alone too long"; and Sammy's own guilt. But over the proceeding months both Sammy and his family faced themselves and each other. There is pain and tears and a lot of denial, a fair amount of blame and conter-attacking, but eventually the roots of the family's desolate free-fall are identified and the possibility of healing begins. . .
As the book is taken from the 'sessions' the writing can be a little heavy to get through. But we must remember that this is real pain and anguish, easy to forget when turning the pages and sipping our coffee. Sammy was at the end of the line - as far as he was concerned - and he wanted to jump off; the contents reflect this and are a little disconcerting. But being safe in the knowle
dge (via the front cover) that Sammy does indeed get through, then this is a book available to even the most hearts-and-flowers of readers. Anyone professionally or otherwise interested in how a teenager can wantonly turn away from light and eagerly embrace cloying blackness will find 'Almost Lost' a paradoxically inspiring read.
The writing does get a little bogged-down in 'Love Thyself' 'wispiness' and if I'm honest a little monotonous and - at the risk of enraging the wrath of all - a little boring. I know that Sammy's situation should not be validated through a rating of entertainment, but anyone not interested in the psychological maelstrom of a young adult's thought processes may find the book a little too abstract. The Counsellor does not provide interpretations or in-depth assessments, simply the sessions are recounted verbatim and left for the reader to pore over.
But what the book does provide or at least facilitate is a glimpse of how perception can sometimes be as powerful, if not more so, than reality. The roots of Sammy's descent into drugs and destruction are eventually found to be embedded in just a few incidents. These events may well have been the trigger but it is how Sammy introspected and internalised them. For example, he treated witness of his father's drug taking as being a reflection that he was no longer loved. It is this interpretation and selective perception that was found to be the conduit of Sammy's demise. In this vein, the book is highly educational and informing.
'Almost Lost' is exhilaratingly inspirational as such that a young man took the help that was offered him and chose to live rather than the alternative. Even though this is the case some potential readers may find the initial chapters of the book a little too gloomy for their taste. But for those that choose to go on and learn more, it's fascinating, dichotomous and enlighteni
ng. Sammy had a very long and arduous route to navigate, many monsters to face but with the help of his loving family, he got there. Therefore this is a book to be celebrated as is the young man who so very bravely lived to tell his tale.
Almost Lost - £3.50 (Amazon P/B)
ISBN 0 380 78341 X
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