When Lightning Strikes by Meg Cabot

Cabot, Meg (2010). When Lightning Strikes. New York: Simon Pulse.

Jess is a normal teenage girl, that is until she is hit by lightning. Follow her adventures as she discovers she has a sense about where missing children are located.

When Lightning Strikes, something strange always seems to happen. This time it happened to me. Before that thunderstorm, I was just a normal girl (apart from always getting detention for hitting the football stars). I thought my “problem” was Ruth’s fault, but can I really blame her for everything that has happened to me since that day at the bleachers? Now I have to deal with putting my family and new friends in danger because of what that lightning did to me. How was I to know how much my life was going to change When Lightning Strikes?

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than what I thought it would be. Although it is a Chick Lit book, it did have a little bit of everything. It is part of a 5 book series that revolves around Jess and her new special power.

Rooftop by Paul Volponi

Volponi, Paul (2006). Rooftop. New York: Speak (Penguin Group).

Clay is a teenage boy trying to work through his problems with drugs. Just when he is coming along, his world is turned upside down on a Rooftop.

ALA Best Book Young Adult

ALA Quick Pick

New York City Library Book for the Teen Age

Tayshas List (Texas Library Association)

“I looked out the window in my room, thinking that rooftop would be dark. But there must have been a hundred candles burning. And that roof looked like it was on fire” (Volponi, pg. 96).

What would it take to stop using drugs? What would it take to convince your cousin not to be a dealer? What would it take to cope with the death of a loved one? What would it take to make you change? Clay finds out what it would take on a Rooftop.

This book is different than anything I would pick up to read on my home, but it really hit home with how easy it can be for some people to fall into the trap of drugs. Clay's cousin thought he would have a better life by dealing drugs, but he did not see what happened to his brother because of drugs. Reading what Clay went through and how his life changed throughout the book was inspiring. Drugs are a difficult thing to overcome, but always remember that you have family and friends who are willing to help you and want what is best for you. I am grateful that I did not have to grow up in a community overrun with drugs, but would encourage those who are surrounded by that environment to do everything you can to stay away from that life-destroying environment!

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Paolini, Christopher (2002). Eragon. New York: Laurel-Leaf (Random House Inc.)

Eragon's life is turned upside down when he finds a mysterious stone in the Spine. Now he is on a journey to save his family and protect his new friend Saphira.

Third Best-Selling Hardback Book of 2003

Second Best-Selling Paperback of 2005

New York Times Children's Books Best Seller List

Nene Award (2006)

Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award

Young Reader's Choice Award

“Their connection grew stronger until there was no distinction between their identities. They clasped their wings together and dived straight down, like a spear thrown from on high. No terror of falling touched Eragon, engulfed as he was in Saphira’s exhilaration. The air rushed past their face. Their tail whipped in the air, and their joined minds reveled in the experience” (Paolini, pg. 237).

Join Eragon on the first of his many adventures with his new friend Saphira... the dragon!

I really liked this book. It has been recommended to me for years, but I never took the time to read it, and I am glad I have now! It does look a little daunting (it is a rather large book...) but it is a quick and interesting read. It is the first book in a series that currently has four books published (the fourth just recently being published). It has also been made into a movie. The reviews I have heard about the movie were that it was AWFUL! But, I always want to form my own opinion, so I watched the movie. I liked it! I understand why faithful readers did not like it, because it is pretty different from the book (which is why I always like the book better) because the movie would have been 10 hours long if they tried to fit in everything that the book describes. I really liked this book and would recommend it to people of all ages!

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

Armstrong, Kelley (2008). The Summoning. New York: HarperCollinsPublishers.

Lyle House. The House for Crazy Kids. But I'm not crazy... am I?

“Am I crazy?” Chloe asks herself after waking up from her nightmare. She just keeps reminding her that there is no such thing as ghosts. It was just a dream, well, a nightmare! School that day just doesn’t feel right, so Chloe ducks into the restroom to dye her hair. She hears mysterious noises and then is followed by a janitor with a deformed face who will not stop asking her questions. When some teachers track her down, she tries to fight them off to get away form the janitor, but no one else seems to be able to see the janitor with the melted face. She is hauled out of school on a stretcher and eventually taken to Lyle House, which she finds out is a place for “crazy” kids. Now she is starting to really wonder: “Am I crazy?”

I really liked this book. It was different from what I expected. When I think of Horror, I think of something that is devilish and creepy (which I'm not a fan of...), but this was a horror that I really liked! It is the first book of a trilogy, and I am already ready to finish the trilogy! I want to find out what happens to Chloe and the other friends she met at Lyle House.

Stormbreak by Anthony Horowitz

Anthony Horowitz (2000). Stormbreaker. New York: Penguin Group Inc, “speak”

Alex Rider’s life is thrown after his uncle Ian Rider dies in a mysterious “car accident.” When Alex goes to investigate, his life is changed forever.

New York Times #100 Children’s Bestseller

California Young Reader Medal, 2005

Alex Rider is a normal 14-year-old boy living in London with his uncle Ian Rider until his uncle dies in a “car accident” while not wearing his seatbelt. Alex Rider knows his uncle would never travel anywhere without his seatbelt, so he goes to find his uncle’s car to investigate, and gets drawn into working with MI6 on the case that killed his uncle.

This is the first book in a long series about Alex Rider and his adventures with MI6. I am excited to read the rest of this series, as it was well written and engaging. My brothers have long been fans of this series, and we recently found out the first book was made into a movie, so I decided to read it before we watched the movie together, and was happy with the book. It is an easy read, but is a nice entertaining break from school work!

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

Cormier, Robert (1974). The Chocolate War. New York: Random House, Inc.

Jerry Renault faces the decision of going along with his “assignment” or defying The Vigils. He asks himself the question posted in his locker: “Do I dare disturb the universe?”

“Do I dare disturb the universe?

Yes, I do, I do. I think.

Jerry suddenly understood the poster-the solitary man on the beach standing upright and alone and unafraid, poised at the moment of making himself heard and known in the world, the universe” (pg. 196).

Jerry Renault is a freshman who just wants to fit in and make the freshman football team. This all changes when he is chosen by The Vigils for an “assignment.” At first he is reluctant and embarrassed by his assignment, then the line from the poster in his locker won’t leave his mind and he wonders what he should do. “Do I dare disturb the universe?”

This was an interesting book about a bunch of young boys who are just trying to fit in at their school, but one boy, Jerry Renault, takes things a bit farther when he defies the boys who “run” the school. It was really interesting to see how far Jerry would go to defy The Vigils. It was a realistic fiction book and it is sad to think that there are some kids who have to endure that ‘torture’ at the hands of their peers. Archie was particularly interesting, because he was the ‘leader’ and almost fell from power but worked his way back on top, and it was kind of shocking what he does and does not learn from his experiences.

Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden

Garden, Nancy (1982). Annie on My Mind. United States: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Liza and Annie have just met, yet they know there is already something special about their relationship.

ALA “Best of the Best Books for Young Adults”

School Library Journal - 100 most influential books of the 20th century

1982 Booklist Reviewer’s Choice

1982 ALA Best Books

Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement

Annie on My Mind. That is what Liza thinks of during her trustees’ hearing, but she is still confused by what she feels. Liza is a normal 17 year old girl living in Brooklyn Heights going to Foster Academy. She is Student Council president and excels in school, always receiving high marks. However, during her Senior year, things start to go downhill. First with a rule violation, then the problem (as seen by Mrs. Poindexter, headmistress) that she has “Annie on My Mind.”