Rookie Magazine

a.k.a. my new favorite thing.

I first learned about Rookie Magazine from Stephanie Kuehnert's blog. And I try every weekday to log on and read the selections. There are three selections posted each day, at roughly 3, 7, and 11.

*picture from Rookie Mag welcome letter*

Rookie Magazine, while targeted at teen girls, is fun for any age. I'm 28, and it looks like a lot of the contributors are close to my age. So when they talk about their high school years, it's about the same time I was in high school.

There's fiction, real stories, pictures and photos, playlists, and fantastic art. Definitely check it out and look out for your opportunity to get involved with this online magazine!

Read More

Book Review: Shade

Love ties them together. Death can't tear them apart.

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift.

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready sat on my shelf - signed - for over a year. I had met Jeri a few times, and as another signing came up, I decided I had to read something of hers before then. So... I finally picked up Shade.

I realized as I started it, I hadn't even read the synopsis. I knew it was about ghosts and teens who can see them. But the bit about our main character losing her boyfriend, Logan, surprised me. Yeah, clearly I hadn't read the synopsis. But one thing that shows me is how much I value the opinions of my friends that read and book bloggers. I had picked it up, solely based on hearing others say how good it was.

And I have to agree. It was good. Well... amazing probably fits better. I loved it. I didn't want to put it down. The world Jeri's created, a world where the "shift" has made it so that everyone born after it can see ghosts is complex and interesting. Aura was the first born post-shift, so she can ghosts. In the dark, they shine violet. In the sun, their glow hides them. This is the first time I've ever read a book in which ghosts had rules.

I'm very excited to read book two in the series, Shift. But I'm going to wait a bit closer to the release of book three, Shine, so there is less wait. In the meantime, I'll be checking out Jeri Smith-Ready's other series.

Read More

MY ROYAL STORY: ELIZABETH

MY ROYAL STORY: ELIZABETH
By Kathryn Lasky.
240 pages. Scholastic. £6.99. (Ages 8 and up).

ISBN
9781407116211

Rating: 4 Stars


This is one of my favourite books.

It is about a Tudor princess named Elizabeth who is the daughter of Henry VIII, a king of England who had six wives. Elizabeth hates Mary Ward and does not want Prince Edward to die because when Henry VIII dies Edward would become king, and when Edward dies Mary Ward becomes queen and she does not want that to happen. She does many things in her busy years during which her favorite day is May Day. Sadly, Prince Edward once misses it but is cheered up when Elizabeth brings him back a kitten. Another time she has to watch the doctors ooze liquid out of her father's leg and later they end up bleeding her own foot and she thinks if she can watch them do that then she won't be afraid of anything. She also loves banquets but what she likes best is a wink or a pinch on the cheek from her father.

Elizabeth lived in England a very long time ago. The part of her life that takes place in this story when she is a teenager happened in the 1540's. Compare to most teenager's nowadays Elizabeth is quite unusual for she lives in many palaces for a month or two at a time. Elizabeth is a princess so she is also royalty.

My favorite character is Elizabeth.
My favorite part is when Elizabeth disguises herself as a normal girl because it is a bit funny. I definitely give this book four out of five stars. I think ages eight and up should read this book.

Read More

THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES

THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES
Directed by Mark Waters.
96 minutes. Paramount Pictures. (PG)

See at IMDB

Rating: 5 Stars

This is my favourite movie. It is about a boy called Jared, his sister Mallory and his twin brother Simon. When they move into a big old house they find Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide. After that they are whirled into a magical adventure fighting invisible goblins, flying a griffin, nearly being killed by monsters and making a brownie friend. What happens when they are ransacked by goblins and Morgerath?

My favourite character is Jared's older sister Mallory because she is skilled at fencing. My favourite part is when they fight the goblins. Infact this my favourite movie because it surprises you in a scary way like when the goblins suddenly grab out at Jared's twin brother Simon.

I highly recommend this movie because it's suspenseful, because it has mystery, because children are the main characters and because of the adventure. I think this movie deserves five out of five. I think everyone over four should watch this movie. If you don't watch this movie then you are missing out on a lot of fun.

Read More

SPELLHORN

SPELLHORN
By Berlie Doherty
208 pages. Collins. £5.99. (Ages 9 and up).

ISBN
9780007331994

Rating: 5 Stars

I really like this book it's actually one of my favourites.
It's about a young blind girl named laura who when she climbs on to the unicorns back is hurled into a magicle world.
From the moment the moonbats to the unicorn hunters from the sea of snakes to bellyfill. But theres one person she can't trust flight.

My favourite part is when they go through the sea of snakes. I think ages 8, 9, 10 and 11 should read this book because I Just feel like those ages should. I really think this book deserves 5 out of 5.

Read More

THE PRIME MINISTERS BRAIN

THE PRIME MINISTERS BRAIN
By Gillian Cross.
160 pages. Puffin Books. £6.99. (Ages 9 and up).

ISBN
9780140323122

Rating: 5 Stars

I really like this book its actually one of my favourites.
It's about a brand new computer game octopus Dare and it all starts when Dinah beats the octopus. Then she signs up to go to the other contest and has to buy the brand new computer which cost 2000 pounds but when Dinah gets there she wants the others to come with her but finds out they can't. She goes in herself but when she get's there she finds out that the computer director is actually the Demon headmaster. Meanwhile the others are trying to get to her from the garbage bin, The rest I think you should find out yourself.
My favourite part is when they all fight back. I think ages 8, 9, 10 and 11 should read this book because I Just feel like those ages should. I really think this book deserves 5 out of 5.

Read More

INKDEATH

INKDEATH
Inkheart Trilogy 3
By Cornelia Funke.
736 pages. Chicken House. £12.99. (Ages 12 and up)

ISBN
9781905294718

Rating: 5 Stars

This is one of the most brilliant books I have ever read. With Mo being haunted, the Adderhead immortal and Dustfinger dead the story has taken an unhappy turn. Finally Orpheus tries to swap Mo for Dustfinger and ends up giving in them both but Mo makes a dangerous deal with Death that if he gives him and Dustfinger back their lives that he will write those three words Heart, Spell and Death into the White book but if he doesn't before the end of spring him, Dustfinger and Meggie shall die.
My favourite part is when Mo is in the dungeon. My favourite character is Meggie. I think ages 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 should read this book. I give this book five out of five.

Read More

THE PRINCESS AND THE GOBLIN

THE PRINCESS AND THE GOBLIN
By George MacDonald.
256 pages. Puffin Classics. £6.99. (Ages 8 and up).

ISBN
9780140367461

Rating: 5 Stars

This is one of my second favourite books.
It is about an 8 year old princess who once got lost in a hidden staircase and found her great great great great great great great great great great grandmother and found out that old people did not always have to be that ugly. Another time the goblins nearly get her and she makes friends with a miner boy called curdie. Then while curdie is spying on the goblins he gets caught and the princess with the help of her great great great great great great great great great great grandmother helps curdie escape. Lastly the princess ends up luckily escaping marrying a goblin king by being hidden by curdies mother while still sleeping before the goblins could get her.

My favourite part is when she gets lost on the staircase and finds her ten times great gradmothe I think ages 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 should read this book. I give this book 5 out of 5.

Read More

THE PRIMATE PUZZLE: A TALE OF TWO FRIENDS AND THE MISSING LONG-NOSED MONKEYS

THE PRIMATE PUZZLE: A TALE OF TWO FRIENDS AND THE MISSING LONG-NOSED MONKEYS
By Oliver Nash.
268 pages. AuthorHouse. £13.95. (Ages 8 and up).

ISBN
9781449030995

Rating: 5 Stars

This is one of my favourite books. It is about a twelve year old girl named Amy Applegate and her best friend George who go on an adventure in Malaysian Borneo. In Malaysia borneo they see cockroach filled caves, Poisonous reptiles and two male boars at war. Later on they went to stay with an Orang Ulu tribe there; they eat crickets, water bugs, grasshoppers and cockroaches, learn how to fire darts and find out how to track animals. But where are the proboscis monkeys?

My favourite part is when they go in the cockroach filled caves. I think ages 8, 9, 10, 11 and twelve should read this book. I think this book definetly deserves 5 out of 5.

Read More

Banned Books Giveaway

Every year books are challenged. Sometimes it's the same books over and over. My opinion on banning books? I think it shouldn't be allowed. If a parent doesn't want their child to read a book, then that's their business. But no one should be telling other adults or children of others that something isn't appropriate.

To be honest, I think a lot of time, these adults don't give their kids enough credit. Reading about teens drinking, partying, having sex, etc... it's not going to convince a teenager to do those things. So, in honor of banned books week, I'm giving away a wonderful book that has been challenged and banned numerous places.

To enter, you must:
1. Follow this blog.
2. Be 13 or older.
3. Have a US mailing address. (If you don't, but know someone who will send it to you, you can use that address)
4. Fill out this form.

Read More

Book Review: A Girl Named Willow Krimble

She doesn't know magic... She's not a super hero... Her power will amaze you...

So, you’ve just discovered that the person who has tormented, mocked and humiliated you for the past three years is lying in the school parking lot, bleeding internally from a hit and run accident. No one else is around and you need to get to a life-and-death family emergency of your own before it is too late. What would you do? Oh, did I mention you have the secret ability to heal others just by touching them? This is just one of the many situations 13-year-old Willow Krimble must face in this Web Novel, A Girl Named Willow Krimble.

Willow lives with her mother and older brother, Wyatt; she loves hanging out with her best friend, the feisty and sarcastic Razzel Fiora, and she has a close relationship with her grandmother. Seems pretty normal, right? It might be if the two most popular girls in middle school, Shayla Stergus and Snella Burenbine, 
did not taunt and remind her, on a daily basis, 
that she was born without her left leg.

Forced to maneuver through obstacles most teenagers would not need to tackle, Willow is suddenly blessed (or cursed?) with the unusual power to heal others through touch. Ever selfless, Willow’s desire to help the injured and sick thrusts her into a world where she is given immense responsibility, putting the needs of others before her own, all the while trying to maintain her secret.

Willow’s adolescent journey takes her through an emotional cyclone where she finds joy and purpose in helping an array of patients from an old man with Alzheimer’s to a mauled animal in a pet store. But Willow soon finds out there are limitations to her ability and, no matter how hard she might try, she cannot save everyone.

Through the intermingling of joy and pain, Willow is repeatedly tested to discover just how strong she can be, how strong she has been her entire life, and how everyone possesses the ability to effect another person’s world, with or without a secret power.

I was asked to review A Girl Named Willow Krimble, by author Giuseppe Bianco, months ago. I finally picked it up, and I can't believe how much I loved it! I've not read a lot of middle grade novels. I loved Harry Potter and The Spiderwick Chronicles, but they're fantasy. There's fun and magic. But I've not enjoyed many middle grade contemporary novels. Even though there is a bit of magic in this novel, it's definitely a contemporary.

Willow is a thirteen-year-old girl who finds she has the uncanny ability to heal people. Anything from a small cut or scrape up to Alzheimer's. She has a disability, a prosthetic leg, yet she doesn't let that stop her from being an amazing girl with a lot of strength. I found, even at 28, that I related to Willow. Or, rather, the memory of my tween self related to her. While many of the events in her life are very different than mine were, the effects were very similar. I loved her relationship with Razzel. Such good friends are hard to come by.

This amazing book should be read by everyone. A Girl Named Willow Krimble was originally published for free online. You can read it here. But you really do want a copy of it. Visit this page for information on ordering a copy. And while you're on Willow's site, be sure to check out the extras. Author, Giuseppe Bianco, also illustrated this beautiful cover.

Read More

Happy Book Birthday: Dear Bully

You are not alone

Discover how Lauren Kate transformed the feeling of that one mean girl getting under her skin into her first novel, how Lauren Oliver learned to celebrate ambiguity in her classmates and in herself, and how R.L. Stine turned being the “funny guy” into the best defense against the bullies in his class.

Today’s top authors for teens come together to share their stories about bullying—as silent observers on the sidelines of high school, as victims, and as perpetrators—in a collection at turns moving and self-effacing, but always deeply personal.

Bullying is something that, as most of you probably know, starts before kindergarten and doesn’t necessarily stop. Bullies can be small children or grow adults. They can be male or female. And their reason for bullying… unfortunately, they don’t really need one. It seems to be a sport for some.

I’m overweight. I always have been. I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t trying to lose weight. I never starved myself. The fact is… I suck at dieting. I love dancing, and I used to have class every night, but it never helped me lose weight. Why am I talking about this? I was picked on and teased my entire childhood for being overweight.

There was not a day that went by that I wasn’t bullied in school. I’ve always been a bit over-sensitive… especially when it comes to my weight. I cried, and that only fueled the fire. James, Morgan, Corey, Matt… I remember their names and their faces. And even now, at age 28, tears come to my eyes when I remember how miserable my life was back then.

I’m excited to read Dear Bully. So many amazing authors participated in this anthology, including: Stephanie Kuehnert, Carrie Ryan, Lauren Oliver, Nancy Werlin, Holly Cupala, Ellen Hopkins, and Cecil Castellucci.

Be sure to check out the Dear Bully website, like the book on Facebook, and follow the Twitter feed. And more importantly... grab this book and get reading.

Read More

INKSPELL

INKSPELL
Inkheart Trilogy 2
By Cornelia Funke.
688 pages. Candlewick Press. £9.99. (Ages 12 and up)

ISBN
9781906427313

Rating: 5 Stars

This is one of the most brilliant books I have ever read. It is about a girl called Meggie, her parents Mo and Resa, Fenoglio, Farid, Dustfinger, Gwin and Aunt Elinor. Now that Resa got back Meggie wants to now all about Inkworld and finally reads herself and Farid into Inkworld without knowing how much trouble that was going to cause. From that day on things seemed wrong. Mo and Resa got read into Inkworld and Mo nearly died, Cosimo got read back to life but not really and Dustfinger gave his life away so that Farid could live.

My favourite part is Meggies first day in Inkworld. My favourite character is Meggie because she is simular to me. I think this book deserves 4.5 out of five. I think ages 8, 9, 10, 11 and twelve should read this book especially if they like reading because it is a fat book and because the main character likes reading.

Read More