Peak by Roland Smith

**** out of ****

        PEAK, by Roland Smith, is one of my personal favorites. It's not particularly famous and almost virtually unheard of, but that one of the reasons I like it. It's not overdone to death, there aren't fan girls screaming over the movie, and it's realistic (In other words, it's not like Twilight) PEAK is unique. 

       The title is appropriately named after the main character, 14 year old Peak Marcello. Peak, like his name suggests, is an avid climber. Bored with microscopic rock climbing walls in New York City, he pushes the boundaries and illegally scales a few skyscrapers, resulting in legal troubles when he is caught. However, his famous climbing father, who had disappeared from Peak's life to pursue climbing further, steps in and offers to whisk him away to every climber's paradise: Mount Everest. And to top it all off (haha, top, get it? Please laugh.), Peak will become the youngest person ever to summit Everest. Unsurprisingly, he accepts, and from there, the wonderful telling of his journey to the top of the world begins. 

       Honestly. I couldn't find anything I didn't like about this novel. It seized me and pulled me in. And I'm still in there. The novel is told from Peak's point of view, which not only paints the reader a picture of the setting, but puts the reader in the protagonist's shoes. Roland Smith is able to use the first person effectively, really placing the reader in Peak's shoes. (Or should I say boots with crampons?) Another reason I like it is because IT IS REALISTIC in terms of the characters! (Not that I don't like the occasional mystical creature every now and then) They aren't perfect, which allows the reader to connect to the book even more. The plot is well thought out with the occasional bumps of suspense. Do I recommend PEAK? DUH! 

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

*** and a 1/2 out of ****

        Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine, proudly displays a Newbery Honor medal on the cover. The book has been pretty successful, considering there's a movie based on it starring Anne Hathaway! (Who doesn't love Anne Hathaway?) Ella Enchanted takes place in the typical Medieval setting, with kingdoms and princes and princesses. But like most of Gail Carson Levine's books, there's magic involved, so your typical ogres, fairies, giants, and so on. 


        The plot centres around Ella, a girl who had been cursed with a fairy's gift of obedience. The curse forces her to obey every command given to her. No one but her mother and her fairy godmother/cook Mandy knows of the curse. When she is almost 15, her mother dies, and Ella is left heartbroken.  To pay for his mounting debts, her father marries a rich dame. She and her two nasty daughters, jealous of the special friendship she shares with Prince Charmont, move in with Ella and her father. Ella's curse is soon discovered by her step mother and step sisters and used against her. Ella is determined to break the curse, and goes through twists and turns to get to the fairy who put the curse on her.


        The unique and intricately weaved plot earned Ella Enchanted its well deserved *** and a 1/2. The reason it lost is 1/2* was because of the predictability. It's pretty obvious that Ella Enchanted was based on Cinderella. Maybe not for some people, but I think for a majority of us, we know what happens in Cinderella. So there wasn't as much suspense as I had hoped for, but recommended nonetheless because of the additional details and the intricate writing style of Gail Carson Levine. 

11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass

*** out of ****

        11 Birthdays is a cute book by Wendy Mass. The protagonist of the book (for those of you who haven't had eighth grade English yet, a protagonist is the main character) experiences something that many people have experienced before: She's trapped in the same day over and over again. However, this book has some twists (the icing) and details (the sprinkles) that adds to the common plot (the cake). 


      Amanda is your typical 11 year old living in the small town of Willow Falls. She goes to school, has best friends, all the typical stuff you'd expect from the average 11 year old girl. Her birthday is coming up, which she shares with her ex-best friend, Leo. Amanda and Leo had been best friends since they were born (literally, their moms met when they just got out of the hospital). Until their tenth birthday, when Leo had said something unforgivable that Amanda wasn't supposed to hear. Now, on their 11th birthday, Leo is holding the birthday bash that everyone wants to attend, while Amanda is stuck with a few friends at her lame party. She can't wait until her birthday is over, but hmm, fate's not always nice, is it? Amanda relives her torturous birthday over and over again, and she might be stuck being 11 forever...


    I'd rate 11 Birthdays *** out of ****, because it was a cute book, but it wasn't satisfying enough. It would be great for younger preteens, like, oh, I don't know, 11 year olds or 12 year olds. But, dear readers, this is a blog for teenagers, not for preteens. So if I was to use the metaphor of the cake again with this book, 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass would be a delicious, and well baked cake. But a small one, that just isn't satisfying enough. 

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

***1/2 out of ****

       Princess Academy by Shannon Hale is a New York Times Bestseller and a winner of the Newbery Honor. Sounds princess-y, right? The typical fairy tale with princesses, princes, dragons and castles. NOT! Princess Academy is much more raw, much more direct, but still beautiful in writing. (This ain't your kiddish fairy tale book!)

       The book takes place in the time of royalty and kingdoms, the usual setting for fairy tales. But Princess Academy doesn't take place in a pretty and polished palace, but instead rocky and rugged Mount Eskel, a mere territory of the great Danland. The story focuses around 14 year old Miri, a girl from Mount Eskel. When priests from the capital of Danland foresee that the prince of Danland's bride is in Mount Eskel, a makeshift princess academy is built there, where young girls from Mount Eskel are trained to be proper princesses. When Miri attends, she become torn in becoming a princess, and the mountain that runs through her veins.  

          I'd rate Princess Academy ***and a half out of ****, because it was something different, a new plot, and it wasn't overused. It was realistic, not wispy and nice like most plots. This one was rocky and tough, like the mountain it took place on. However, it didn't get a perfect score because although the plot was amazing, the writing didn't stand out. It didn't make the reader melt into the book, like it should have. 

A Place Called Here by Cecelia Ahern

*** out of ****

        This book was a good break of routine. Cecilia Ahern is an Irish author, and she wrote the book P.S. I Love You, which is now a film. And of course, being Ahern is an Irish author, this book took place in cozy little Dublin, Ireland. Oh, and another place, called Here.


        The story revolves around 2 main characters, Sandy Shortt, and Jack Ruttle. Sandy Shortte runs a missing persons agency, after she left the Garda. (The Garda is basically the police force of Ireland.) She has been obsessed with missing items and people ever since the girl who lived across from her in her childhood went missing. Jack Ruttle is a simple guy whose little brother, Donal, had gone missing a year ago. And he can't let that go, and is determined to find him. So their paths cross when Donal contacts Sandy to help find his brother. But things go awry as Sandy herself goes missing. (Kind of funny, the person who finds missing people goes missing) She ends up in a place called Here. It's the place where all missing people and things end up, and the people there have made it into their own little society. There, Sandy finds many of the missing people she had been looking for, and surprises everyone with a some stories from home. But it's not all happy endings there, when Sandy loses her watch, people start thinking there may be a way out of Here, and things get a little wild.


        I'd rate A Place Called Here a ***out of ****, because it was a great book, and had a beautiful writing style, but it wasn't perfect. The plot was okay, but for me, Ahern should have extended more on the place Here, because it was much more interesting, and it had a lot of room for creativity. I recommend this book for readers who need a little mystery in their reading.

The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown

***1/2 out of ****

     Yup, you probably haven't seen this cover in quite a while. For those of you who were living under a rock,  (I'm kidding) The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown is the best-selling English language novel of the 21st century,  and has been translated into over 44 languages.


        The DaVinci Code starts off with the murder of Jacques Saunière, who is the curator of the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. The book then switches to the life of Robert Langdon, who is a professor from Harvard and specializes in ancient symbology. Before Jacques Saunière was murdered, he used the blood from his bullet wound in his abdomen to draw a pentacle and spread himself on the floor to resemble DaVinci's painting, the Vitruvian Man. (The reason he did this was to send a special message, hint, hint) He also used a special marker whose ink can only be seen in black light, to write clues, including a message "Find Robert Langdon." The captain of police, Bezu Fache, believes that Langdon was responsible for the murder, thus bringing him to the murder scene having Langdon think it was to help the police force solve the mysterious message Sauniere had written on the floor. But along comes pretty Sophie Neveu, an agent from the French department of Cyrptology, and she knows what Fache is trying to do. Thus, this is the start of the adventure for Langdon and Neveu, who embark on a mission to try and figure out the truth fueling the battle between the Priory of Sion, a secret organization, and Opus Dei, a Catholic organization. And a thrilling adventure it is!


        I DEFINITELY recommend the DaVinci Code for older readers, because there is murder and gory-like parts, but that's not really the point of the story, so the book is still wonderful! I'd rate this book ***1/2 out of ****. It didn't get a perfect score not because it was poorly written, but it was because Dan Brown was aiming this book toward more of an adult audience. So as you know, this is a teen book blog, and this blog is for teens, (but adults and children are welcome as well :)). Not Dan Brown's fault, but the style of writing wasn't for teenagers, but still, an AWESOME book!

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

****out of ****

       I guess I kind of have a thing for apocalypse books. The House of the Scorpion, is amazing. And no wonder, because it has received so many awards such as the Newberry Honor award and the National Book award.

        In The House of The Scorpion, Matt is a clone of El Patrón, a powerful drug lord that rules a small strip of a country between what was the U.S. and Mexico, called Opium. He doesn't know what he is at first, and lives happily with Cecilia, his caretaker. But as soon as the family of El Patrón finds out who he really is, he is thrown into a jail, confused, hurt, and refusing to talk. Maria, the daughter of a powerful senator of the United States, which is not as rich as it used to be, coaxes him out. As soon as El Patrón finds out how badly Matt was treated, he quickly showers him with gifts, and teaches him how to rule with power and greed, making empty promises that he can help him rule Opium. Matt soon discovers that things aren't always what they seem, and finds out El Patrón was only using him. Matt is plunged through a journey of escape from Opium, with nowhere to turn to and death is always around the corner.

        So, the House of the Scorpion is the first book given a perfect rating on this blog. I definitely recommend the book, because I think the reader could learn a lesson, and it really wakes you up from the happy little world we live in, and introduces you to a scary, "real" world.