Girls Like Us

Girls like us
Gail Giles
210 pages

My Opinion:
Stars: 3.5 out of 5
1 sentence summary: Two girls with special disorders (dys) graduate high school & leave the world they knew behind and go on to enter a world of uncertainty and friendship.

Its such a cute book. Like it is stated in the book, the two main characters Biddy and Quincy balance each other out. Biddy was like a teddy bear, always ready when you needed her. Though she was "stupid" in the eyes of society, Biddy had a heart of gold and everything else that counted. Quincy was like a rose with sharp thorns. Once you get past the thorns, she is a sweet individual.  I really liked this book. It was a cute read. The ending was not a fairytale but one of realistic proportions. And there was no romance, which reinforces my belief that you dont need romance to have an awesome book The personal past histories of both characters was revealed about midway through the book. Even though portions of it were obvious, it was still interesting and important that as the reader, we learned it from the character's own voices.It was good, but aint that good. Its a reading bowl book. Also i wonder what prompted the author to write about kids with special needs. I hope she did them justice and didnt downplay or overplay any of their issues (because we are all human beings, not matter how we look or how our brain works).

A Death Struck Year

A Death Struck Year
Makiia Lucier
279 pages

Genre: Historical ficition
Stars: 4.5 ****.5
1 sentence summary: Coming-of-age story in flu-torn 1918
Recommend: Yes!

Summary:

Opinion:

I love historical fiction books so this is a treat. Tis a Helen Ruffin Reading Book. Ironically last year, there was book on the Spanish Influenza as well. The book is a fast read, i read it through the school day. It had hooked me in really bad. I couldn't seem to put it down. The whole story happens over the course of about two months, but it felt so much shorter. Though the book has a sad theme, it was really welcoming and open. Twas a welcome change to what i have been reading lately. I haven't read a good historical fiction book in a good while.

I really liked the main character Cleo and her independence.  She had a lot of guts. Though the last chapters had me seeing her Independence and confidence falter, i still loved Cleo. Those last chapters made her seem more human and realistic. If Cleo was me, i would have just stayed in my dorms. I never would thought to help out the Red Cross. In real life if a lot of people hadn't decided the risk the flu, then some of us wouldn't be here today. Heroic people are what this world needs.

I definitely recommend this book to ppl who like historical fiction books set around world war 2.

P.S. Please leave a comment below and well wishes to my Helen Ruffin Reading bowl team in the competition tomorrow.

Jackaby

Jackaby
William Ritter
299 pages
Jackaby

Summary:

“Miss Rook, I am not an occultist,” Jackaby said. “I have a gift that allows me to see truth where others see the illusion--and there are many illusions. All the world’s a stage, as they say, and I seem to have the only seat in the house with a view behind the curtain.”
A Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of 2014
Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job,Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary--including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are convinced it’s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain it’s a nonhuman creature, whose existence the police--with the exception of a handsome young detective named Charlie Cane--deny.
Doctor Who meets Sherlock in a debut novel, the first in a series, brimming with cheeky humor and a dose of the macabre.
“The rich world of this debut demands sequels.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

My Opinion:
FYI: I had been wanting to read this book for a while and have now just gotten around to reading it.

Wow. As I told people all day, this book is a mix of Sherlock Holmes and fairytales, plus a dash of Doctor Who in charisma and follow-ship of Jackaby. As a fan of all three things listed above, this was an enjoyable read for me. The time just seemed to float by. I very much didn't want to be disturbed while reading the book. Jackaby's equivalent to the Doctor's companions are his assistants. Both want to do everything for their detective or spaceman.  I love Doctor Who, so the similar eccentricity of Jacakby was really cool and interesting to read about. Abigail Rook was a great heroine.  No matter what happened, she wanted to try things her own way and experience the world. I admire that quality. Reminds me a little of Rose Tyler. Her love interest was so sweet and his big secret was an nice, pleasant twist. Chief inspector reminded me so much of the inspector from Sherlock. It was uncanny.

The surrounding mystery of the book definitely pulled me in. I had no idea who the killer was until the very end. The clues were most definitely there, but it just didn't click for me. And that is great, i don't want to be able to predict the whole plot of a book. I want to be surprised. Well if you like surprises and quirky, eccentric characters, then this is the book for you. My fellow fans of Wholock definitely should read it.

P.S. Please leave a comment below, at minimum something like this.

The Dream Thieves

The Dream Thieves
Maggie Stiefvater
439 pages
The Raven Cycle

Summary: Maggie Stiefvater's website (http://maggiestiefvater.com/the-raven-boys/the-dream-thieves/)

“No one but Ronan knew the terrors that lived in his mind.
Plagues and devils, conquerors and beasts."

The second installment in the all-new series from the masterful, #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater!
Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after…

My Opinion: 

Interestingly, this book was about the struggles of Ronan and Adam. Adam just infuriated me. He had that hero-complex that he needs to do everything for himself. And well, that never works out. Life is bearable and travel-worthy due to family and friends, or family-like friends. I'm glad Adam finally got better at the end of the book, because I was starting to worry. He was becoming super violent.  Ronan's story was heavily interesting. A dream walker/ maker. He is more than he appears to be. And his home-life was just jaw-dropping. In my opinion, Blue and Ganesy need to get their love life together.  We all know as readers that they will eventually hook up and kiss. I want it sooner than later. This book includes several moments where Blue's jealousy flare up. Also, Glendower needs to hurry up and be found. The quest is just soo drab. I'm talking about Glendwoer himself, plus their clues and Gansey's British friend consultant.  The actual actions of the characters in their quest are page-worthy.

My new favorite characters for this book are Maura, Calla, Persephone, and The Gray Man. All the adults just took on a comedic and light-heartening tone in the novel, since the main characters are so depressing. Lastly, i need more scenes with just Blue and Noah. They are like best friends and its so cute. I recommend you read this book, if you like a huge dose of magic, dead languages, and a little bit of mystery confusion.


P.S. Stiefvater has a playlist together for reading the book. And here it is:

P.S. Please leave a comment below.