Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

Doctorow, Cory (2008). Little Brother. New York: A Tom Doherty Associates Book

Marcus is an expert hacker at only 17. But can all of his knowledge prevail against what he views as a corrupt government that has taken away his freedom?

New York Times Bestseller List May 2008

White Pine Award 2009

Prometheus Award 2009

John W. Campbell Memorial Award 2009

Big Brother is always watching. They even have “gait recognition” at our school. Can you believe that? Supposedly this camera can tell who is walking down the hall just by the way you walk. What they don’t know is that putting a small handful of gravel in your shoes (though slightly uncomfortable) can change your gait enough to fool the recognition software. They think they are so clever with all of this technology, but I can still get us out. We have a clue to follow for Harajuku Fun Madness, and there is no way I am missing out on getting the upper hand by sitting through study hall.

Little did I know that skipping school that day would change my life (and the world as I knew it) forever. Someone blew up the Bay Bridge and my team and I were taking in for questioning. They really thought I was a terrorist? Why would I blow up the bridge? Why won’t they let me go? It is time to fight back. It is time for Little Brother to spy on them.

This book was an intriguing look into the world of security

Below is a video of Bruce Schneier discussing Cyber War and Cyber Security, which is a critical component of Little Brother. Marcus is a cyber hacker and essentially launches a cyber attack on the DHS which has occupied San Francisco, Marcus' home town. Bruce Schneier is a security technologist and maintains a blog about technology and security which can be accessed at www.schneier.com

Taken from YouTube

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Haddon, Mark (2004). The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. New York: Vintage Contemporaries (Random House, Inc.).

Christopher is a 15-year-old who loves Sherlock Holmes and is determined to solve the murder mystery of Wellington. He is determined that his Autism will not prevent him from solving his mystery.

Whitbread Book of the Year (2003)

Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book (2004)

Joint winner of the Boeke Prize (2004)

“These are some of my Behavioral Problems

1. Not talking to people for a long time
2. Not eating or drinking anything for a long time
3. Not liking being touched
4. Screaming when I am angry or confused
5. Not liking being in really small places with other people
6. Smashing things when I am angry or confused
7. Groaning
8. Not liking yellow things or brown things and refusing to touch yellow things and brown things
9. Refusing to use my toothbrush if anyone else has touched it
10. Not eating food if different sorts of food are touching each other
11. Not noticing that people are angry with me
12. Not smiling
13. Saying things that other people think are rude
14. Doing stupid things
15. Hitting other people
16. Hating France
17. Driving Mother’s car
18. Getting cross when someone has moved the furniture” (Haddon, pg. 46-47)

But I am still determined to solve the mystery of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

This was such an interesting book. Even though it went of on tangents every once in a while, those tangents did fit in with the flow of the book. It is told from the perspective of Christopher, a 15-year old boy with high-functioning Autism. It was a neat glimpse into his life and how he deals with all of the people that surround him. It was thought provoking and revealed a lot about how an Autistic child / teenager views the world and his interactions with those who wonder why he sits in a corner with his ears covered or freaks out when someone touches him.

Rapunzel's Revenge by Dean and Shannon Hale and Nathan Hale (artist)

Hale, Shannon, Hale, Dean, and Hale, Nathan (2008). Rapunzel’s Revenge. New York: Bloomsbury.

This version of Rapunzel's story is like nothing you have ever heard before!

ALA 2009 Notable Children's Book

YALSA 2009 Great Graphic Novel for Teens

Al's Book Club for Kids selection

Eisner Award nominee

Kid's Indie Next for Fall 2008

2011 Young Readers Choice Award

Junior Library Guild Premiere Selection

Nominee for the Texas Lone Star reading list

Best Book of the year from kidsread.com and teenreads.com

Cybil Award winner

Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Master List (Vermont)

Nominated for 2010 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults

2009-2010 Maine Student Book Award Reading List

TriState YA Review Group Books of Note for 2009 (PA, DE, and NJ)

Winner of the Utah Book Award for Children's Literature

Winner of 2009 Leah Adezio Award for Best Kid-Friendly work from the Friends of Lulu

ALA 2009 Popular Paperback

Part of the 2010 ALA Amelia Bloomer Project Bibliography

Texas Maverick Graphic Novel

Oregon Battle of the Books selection

Young Hoosiers Book Award Nominee

A damsel in distress. A charming prince. A brave and courageous rescue. A happily ever after.

Those are all great, but my story is different. My name is Rapunzel. I was locked in a tree tower by a woman who I thought to be my mother. Now, I have read all of the stories about damsels in distress (I practically have the book Girls Who Get Saved and the Princes Who Save Them memorized!) Some would say that I was a damsel in distress, being trapped in my tower, that a charming prince rescued me and swept me off my feet, but my story, my real story is very, very different...

First of all, I don’t need anyone to save me. I got myself out of that tree because I wanted to save my mother. My real mother. As for my prince charming, well I got stuck with Jack. He’s not that charming, and definitely not a prince! As for bravery and courage, I think I’ve got that covered, but you can make up your own mind when you read about my adventures (with Jack tagging along) in Rapunzel’s Revenge.

I have to admit, part of the reason I chose this book is because I love the Disney movie Tangled. I thought it was going to be a classic retelling of Rapunzel's story in Graphic Novel format, but I was wrong! It had a unique twist to Rapunzel's story that was intriguing and I loved it! Being in Graphic Novel format, it was a quick read that you could breeze through, but the writing and artistry of this Graphic Novel was amazing! I think it is a good introduction into the world of Graphic Novels for those who are not familiar with Graphic Novels!

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.