The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner
by James Dashner
Pages: 400
Publisher: Delacorte Press, 2010
Genre: Sci-Fi
Rating: A
Recommended to: Ages 11-15




The Maze Runner, by James Dashner, starts with a creepy scene in where Thomas wakes up in a old elevator with no memory of anything but his first name. There, a group of teenage boys greet him, and welcome him to the Glade. The Glade is a small community inhabited only by teenage boys. Outside the big, heavy doors that shut menacingly each night is a maze filled with dangerous things. None of the other Gladers know any more that Thomas, only that the stone walls open every morning, close every night, and every 30 days, a new boy comes to join them. But the day after Thomas arrives, the elevator rises again, this time bringing the unexpected; a girl with a ominous message and a curious connection with Thomas.
      I absolutely loved The Maze Runner. It was recommended to me by a friend, and once I got my hands on a copy, I couldn't put it down. The suspense was incredible, and the fact that you knew only the same information as Thomas (that is to say nothing) added to the mystery. Mr. Dashner's writing style added to the vibe of the book, and the ending left me hanging - and wanting more. I can't wait to read the sequel, The Scorch Trials. 

Forest Born: Lost Chapter

Forest Born: Lost Chapter
by Shannon Hale

I was looking around on Shannon Hale's official site and stumbled upon a chapter to Forest Born, the last of the Books of Bayern. This chapter is one the Ms. Hale had to cut from her novel, and although some things changed in the book after writing this chapter, resulting in some confusing bits (you'll still understand it), it is a fun treat. Forest Born is my favorite of all four books.

Find the lost chapter here:  http://www.squeetus.com/stage/forest_lostchapter.html
Spoiler alert!!!! Don't read if you haven't read Forest Born yet.

Enna Burning

Enna Burning
By: Shannon Hale
Pages: 317
Publisher: Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books, 2004
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: A
Recommended to: Girls 10-15



Enna Burning, sequel to The Goose Girl, had high expectations. In my opinion, this book fulfilled them. Enna, Isi's friend in Bayern, was born and raised in the forest. Shortly after the end of the first novel, Enna moves back to her childhood home after her mother falls ill and dies. One day, after borrowing embers from her neighbor to start the fire in the hearth, Enna returns home to find the fire already blazing, and her older brother Leifer (who was out hunting) sitting in front of it, holding a strange vellum. He won't tell her about it, but she soon finds out that this has given him the power to make fire, burn things, and control fire. He's a fire-speaker. Enna soon realizes that, although Leifer has the power of fire, it's consuming him, and travels to the city of Bayern, searching for Isi's help with Leifer. Once there, Enna knows that Isi won't be of any help, because she is dealing with her wind-speaking taking over her. On top of all this, the neighboring country of Tira invades Bayern. Enna finds the vellum and learns the secrets of fire herself, looking to help win the war. Will the power of fire speaking be too much for her to handle?

Recent Reads

Recent Reads

The Aristobrats by Jennifer Solow

   Parker and her three best friends are so excited for eighth 

grade. They are finally the most popular and fashionable girls 

in school - but will that all change when they are assigned to 

do the school's super boring webcast?

Rating: B- Recommended to: Girls 11-14

   I felt that this book lacked a lot of the heart and feeling of 

other friendship novels. The characters were well developed 

but not easy to relate to, and the book seemed very shallow. An 

okay read.

The Selection by Kiera Cass

America doesn't want to be part of the Selection, an event

where 35 girls are picked from the kingdom of Illea to try to

 win the heart of Prince Maxon, and be the next queen. The 

odds are with her, but somehow she still gets chosen. Will this 

change everything?

Rating: A Recommended to: Girls 12+

This book is a great read. The writing style, characters, and plot

 are all amazing and it should definitley be read by everyone who enjoys

dresses, romance, and royalty.

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

   Princess Rose loved to dance. But now, after years of being 

forced to dance for the evil King Under Stone after a bargain 

made by their mother, Rose and her 11 younger sisters hate dancing. 

Will humble Galen be able to figure out the tie that keeps the sisters 

dancing, or will he be discouraged and sent away like the gallant princes 

who tried before him? 

Rating: A  Recommended to: Girls 10-14

   I loved this book. The sisters are so different and fun to read about, Galen

is everything a noble peasant should be, and the evil King is wonderfully

described. This book is truly exceptional.

 Gone With The Wind By Margaret Mitchell

Scarlett O'Hara is quite the Southern Belle. When

a burst of jealousy implants the idea to marry Charles

Hamilton, Scarlett doesn't think; she just acts. This

attitude carries her through the rest of her life, effecting

in many mistakes, through many twists and turns.

Rating: A  Recommended to: Ages 12+

Gone With the Wind is an amazing tale. Filled with

crude manipulative decisions, heartbreaking romance, and 

terrible tragedy, it is a must-read for everyone.

 

There's No Place Like Home By Jen Calonita

   Kaitlin Burke returns to LA to star in the hit show Small Fries

with Sky. She doesn't like being constantly followed by paparazzi,

and just wants a normal life. After a bad car crash, things are about

to go really weird. Maybe Kaitlin actually does like her crazy life?

Rating: C  Recommended to: Girls 11-13 

   The finale to Secrets of My Hollywood Life was much

less than expected. I felt that the series had been going downhill since

Paparazzi Princess, and this confirmed it. There was no character development besides Kaitlin's, the middle 200 pages were so boring, and it just dragged on and on. I wouldn't recommend this book.

Starters by Lissa Price

Callie doesn't want anything to do with the body bank, a creepy place 

where you can rent out your young body to 100-200 year old Enders, so 

they can be young again. The only thing that keeps her there is her 
younger brother, Ty. Ever since the spores wiped out every human 
between the ages of 20 and 60, she is all he has left. But when being 
rented, an odd event occurs, and Callie must survive countless events
 thrown at her.

Rating: A  Recommended to: Ages 11+

This book is a terrific novel full of suspence, creepy ideas, and 
futuristic things. Callie is a total kickbutt, spunky, character, and will 
stop at nothing to put to an end what she believes is wrong. A must-read.

The Goose Girl

The Goose Girl
By: Shannon Hale
Pages: 383
Publisher: Bloomsbury U.S.A Children's Books, 2003
Genre: Fantasy
Recommended to: Girls 10-15

       The Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale, is an amazing fantasy tale of the Crown Princess of Kildenree, Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee. From a small girl she had been taught by her aunt tales of a time when all creatures could communicate with each other. She learns the language of swans, and sees a colt being born with his name on his tongue; Falada. This starts their ability to speak to each other. Her mother mistrusts Ani's magic, and she sends her away to wed the prince of Bayern, but on Ani's travels through the forest, her lady-in-waiting, Selia, and the majority of her guard turned against her. Will Ani be able to stop them? Or will the poor princess be lost in the forest alone?

      This masterpiece, Shannon Hale's retelling of the German folklore, is just about perfect. Ani is a sweet, spunky princess, who loves her horse and the swans she speaks with more then almost anything else. Selia is just what a villain should be; deceptive, manipulative, and powerful. All the characters are very well developed, especially all of Ani's new friends in Bayern. I loved this book, and the rest of the Books of Bayern series.

New Feature!

      Hey everyone! I have been reading many books, and haven't had time to review them all. That's why I'm adding this new way you can learn my thoughts about great books, and recommendations of books to read. I am hoping to have a list up of all the books I've recently read but have not had time to review, along with a short one-sentence summary, a rating, and my quick thoughts about pros and cons of the novel. Hope you enjoy it!!!
      ~ Butterfly

The Sweetest Spell

The Sweetest Spell
By: Suzanne Selfors
Pages: 290
Publisher: Walker Publishing Company, Inc., 2012
Genre: Fantasy
Recommended to: Girls 11-14





     The Sweetest Spell, by Suzanne Selfors, is set in an ancient kingdom where Emmeline lives in the Flatlands, and is shunned because of her curled foot. Born this way, she was cast out to the woods with other unwanted newborns. Like magic, the milkman's cows protected her through the night, and after being found in the morning by the milkman, was forever discarded by the citizens, wary of her "black magic." Then one day, during the annual husband market, royal soldiers show up to ship off all unmarried man, claiming to need men for the war in the mineral fields. Only a day later, it starts to rain. And rain. And rain some more, for seven straight days. The Flatlands are flooding! Families evacuate their small village, and Emmeline is washed down river to Wander, where a kind, good-looking boy finds her and helps her, Owen. This starts her incredible journey of churning cream into chocolate, the unknown sweet, and what this talent brings her.
      I loved The Sweetest Spell, from start to finish. Emmeline was sweet, good, spunky, and a perfect heroine. Owen seemed like the perfect guy, and was so cute when he would stop at nothing to get Emmeline back, although he thought he didn't have a chance. The fantasy was a little predictable, poor girl discovers magic, is then loved by all, etc., and the ending was a bit too quick and neat, but I still enjoyed it and the subplot involving the Kells and their rights was fantastic. I loved the writing style Suzanne Selfors used. Overall, The Sweetest Spell was just that; a sweet, lovely fairy tale/fantasy.