Fabulous Finds: The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner by James Dashner is a different kind of dystopian novel. When I read it, I had just finished Matched, and Reached. I was in this "futuristic love story" mindset. The Maze Runner is nothing like that.

This is the book description for The Maze Runner given by Amazon.com:

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

This is my personal review of The Maze Runner:

Thomas is confused and upset. He wakes up in a metal box and can't remember anything. A group of boys find him and let him know that he has arrived at the Glade. The Glade is a type of society confined to an area surrounded by giant walls with a large gate in all 4 directions leading to a maze.

Every morning, the gates open to the maze and the Maze Runners (boys assigned to finding a path to escape) leave on a mission. They must return to the Glade before sundown when the gates close because if they don't, they are subjected to being hunted by unfamiliar, hideous creatures.

The day after Thomas arrives, a girl arrives in the box. The Gladers are suspicious and nervous about this because a girl has never arrived to the Glade before.

Thomas feels the need to join the Maze Runners and unlock the secret to the maze, the Glade, and his memories.

This book is amazing. It's fast-paced and entertaining. I haven't been able to read the sequels but you can believe they are on my wish list!!! This book would be appropriate for secondary grades.

Happy Reading!!
-CM (currently reading through "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" by K. DiCamillo)

Fabulous Finds: Mockingbird

Do you ever come across a book that affects you more than you had anticipated? The book Mockingbird by Kathryn Erkine did that to me. I decided to read it because (1) it was on the list of books to possibly review and (2) it was given decent reviews by a few of my classmates. I did not realize how fabulous it would be.

 

This is the book description given to Mockingbird from Amazon.com:

 

Caitlin has Asperger's. The world according to her is black and white; anything in between is confusing. Before, when things got confusing, Caitlin went to her older brother, Devon, for help. But Devon has died, and Caitlin's dad is so distraught that he is just not helpful. Caitlin wants everything to go back to the way things were, but she doesn't know how to do that. Then she comes across the word closure- and she realizes this is what she needs. And in her search for it, Caitlin discovers that the world may not be black and white after all.

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Below is my personal book review of Mockingbird:

This book introduces a fifth grader named Caitlin, who has Asperger's Syndrome. After a devastating and tragic occurrence, Caitlin is forced to continue their lives without her older brother Devon. Devon used to help her through social situations but now he is dead and she is left to figure it out by herself. With the help of her school counselor and her new friend, first grader Michael, Caitlin is slowly learning how to understand other people's feelings and develop relationships.

My younger brother has Asperger's and after reading this book, I understand what my brother has been going through all of his life. This book also delves deeply into the uncomfortable topic of school violence. It was heartbreaking to read certain parts but I am very grateful to have been introduced to such a wonderful book. This book would open up a multitude of topics for classroom discussions and debates. I loved the book very much.

Happy Reading!
-CM (reading The Maze Runner by J. Dashner)

Fabulous Finds: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

This Fabulous Find was on the list of books given to me by my professor in my YA Literature class. I have to be honest that I didn't even read the title when I saw the list. This particular title didn't scream "I'M AWESOME! READ ME!!!"  After reading a review on this book on a classmate's blog, I was intrigued and decided that I needed it on my Kindle at once.

 

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

 

 

Book Description of The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by Amazon.com:

 

Frankie Landau-Banks at age 14:Debate Club.
Her father's "bunny rabbit."
A mildly geeky girl attending a highly competitive boarding school.

Frankie Landau-Banks at age 15:A knockout figure.
A sharp tongue.
A chip on her shoulder.
And a gorgeous new senior boyfriend:  the supremely goofy, word-obsessed Matthew Livingston.

Frankie Landau-Banks. No longer the kind of girl to take "no" for an answer.
Especially when "no" means she's excluded from her boyfriend's all-male secret society.
Not when her ex-boyfriend shows up in the strangest of places.
Not when she knows she's smarter than any of them.
When she knows Matthew's lying to her.
And when there are so many, many pranks to be done.

Frankie Landau-Banks, at age 16:Possibly a criminal mastermind.

This is the story of how she got that way. 

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This is my book review for The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks:

 

Frankie is not your average teenage girl. She belongs to a good family and attends a prestigious boarding school. Somehow between the end of her freshman year and the start of her sophomore year, she blossomed into a real beauty with brains. The result of this is a senior classman being surprisingly interested in Frankie. She wins him over along with his buddies but is frequently irritated when he dismisses her as being adorable and not admiring her intellect. Frankie quickly discovers that her boyfriend and his friends are a part of a secret society equal to the likes of the mysterious brotherhoods of Harvard and Yale. (Of course they are.) She is vehemently upset that her boyfriend doesn't want to share any of that part of his life with her, and decides to go behind his back to integrate herself into his secret society.

 

That is the basic review. Now here is my opinions, when I read the synopsis I was eager to dive into this book. I was just as desperate to know what was going on with this secret society as Frankie was. (Just so you know, nothing much is going on.) However, I decided early on that Frankie is a bit more than I can handle. She's smart and apparently a knock-out overnight. She uses words that are bizarre and even other characters are asking her what she is talking about. She's dating Matthew for about a minute when she decides she doesn't like him having a life separate from her and decides she needs to be deeply involved in his secret society. Not to mention that every high school student at the boarding school has got to have super grades in vocabulary. Who talks like that with their friends, seriously? I don't care if you do belong to this awesomely expensive school. Teenagers don't typically use that type of vocabulary in the cafeteria.

 

I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone under the 7th grade. I don't really even have any books to compare it to at this point. I did find the book fabulous because it's an original idea and I like the storyline. I just wish I fell in love with it.

 

Until next time....Happy Reading!!

-CM (reading "The Maze Runner" by J. Dashner...again)