Literature Young Adult Fiction » Humorous http://www.literatureyoungadultfiction.com YA Readers Reviewing Books. Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:18:25 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Review: The Bad Beginning (Book 1) by Lemony Snicket http://www.literatureyoungadultfiction.com/review-the-bad-beginning-book-1-by-lemony-snicket/ http://www.literatureyoungadultfiction.com/review-the-bad-beginning-book-1-by-lemony-snicket/#comments Thu, 06 May 2010 21:43:00 +0000 cookcutlery http://www.literatureyoungadultfiction.com/?p=520

by Cook Cutlery, guest reviewer

Title: The Bad Beginning (Book 1) Series of Unfortunate Events
Author: Lemony Snicket
Illustrator: Brett Helquist
Format: Hardback
Page Count: 162
Grade Reading Level: Ages 10+

Summary: Violet, Kluas and Sunny Bauldilair were at the beach when Mr. Poe comes and tell them that their parents had died in a fire. At their house all they find are ashes. Arrangements are made so that the kids live with Mr. Poe at his house while he tries to find them a relative to live with on a permanent basis. Mr. Poe finds them a place to live with Count Olaf. At Count Olaf's many bad things happen to them... in a series of unfortunate events!

Like:

  • I love Violet. She is always trying to invent something. For instance, later in the story Violet invents a grappling hook out of old clothes and old wire. How does she think of things like that so quickly? I would be hard pressed that is for sure.
  • Justice Starauss is very kind to the kids. He lets them use the library and helps them buy food so they can cook for Count Olaf and the troupe of people living with him.
  • Klaus and Violet are always taking care of Sunny and making sure she doesn’t get into trouble. I have a hard time with one sister that's closer to my age! So while it might not be very accurate in normal circumstances, the Bauldilair kids are a whole other ball of wax.

Dislike:

  • Mr. Poe doesn’t believe them when they are trying to tell him that Count Olaf is a terrible man and gives them way too many chores to do. Mr. Poe should know what sort of kids they are from when they lived with him and it's really important for adults to take kids seriously when it comes to stuff like that.
  • When Count Olaf puts on a play that is called the Marvelous Marriage. In actuality it is not a play but a real marriage ceremony. He wants to get the Bauldilair fortune that they were left with and does it through trickery. Plus, can you imagine being married to the guy? Gross!

Buy: The Bad Beginning (Hardback), The Complete Wreck (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Books 1-13), The Trouble Begins: Books 1-3, The Situation Worsens: Books 4-6, The Dilemma Deepens: Books 7-9 , The Gloom Looms: Books 10-12

Rating: I give this book 3 out of 5 treasure chests.

Originally posted 2010-01-05 03:55:33.

Online Stores ]]> http://www.literatureyoungadultfiction.com/review-the-bad-beginning-book-1-by-lemony-snicket/feed/ 0 Review: Aries Rising by Bonnie Hearn Hill http://www.literatureyoungadultfiction.com/review-aries-rising-by-bonnie-hearn-hill/ http://www.literatureyoungadultfiction.com/review-aries-rising-by-bonnie-hearn-hill/#comments Sat, 24 Apr 2010 09:40:57 +0000 First Mate Keira http://www.literatureyoungadultfiction.com/?p=876

by First Mate Keira

Title: Star Crossed: Aries Rising
Author: Bonnie Hearn Hill
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 278
Grade Reading Level: Grades 7-9

Summary: Logan McRae just wants two things out of life. First, she wants Mr. Franklin to get her into the summer writing camp. Then she wants a date with Nathan. When she finds a book called Fearless Astrology, Logan’s life begins to change. Just when things are going good the Gears ruin everything. The Gears is a gang of kids causing trouble and vandalizing the school and surrounding community.

Why I started reading this book:

I got this book from participating in Bonnie Hearn Hill’s book blog tour for book one of the new Star Crossed series: Aries Rising.

Likes:

  • I personally don’t believe in astrology so I appreciated the reminders that the sun sign is not the sum of a person. I think that’s important to know and to not get too wrapped up in the superstition.
  • I liked Mr. Franklin’s nickname Frankenstein. Haha. :)
  • I liked that Fearless Astrology boosted Logan’s confidence and got her to experiment and try things. Getting out of her shell lead to all the good in her life – but relying solely on the book to make the calls got her into some hot water.

Dislikes (Contain Spoilers):

  • The student in love with a teacher theme.
  • Nathan getting back together with his ex at the end. Way to make his good deeds go out the window. You’d think he’d know better.

Last Minute Thoughts: The cover of this book is gorgeous and the book itself comes with temporary tattoos and a small section on astrology signs. Very cool!

Buy: Aries Rising (Star Crossed Book 1)

Rating: 3.5 Treasure Chests

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by Second Mate Embry, guest reviewer

Title: The Kid Who Ran for President
Author: Dan Gutman
Format: Paperback
# of pages: 155
Grade Reading Level: 5.4, 6-8 grade

Summary: Judson Moon and Lane Brainard decided that they've had enough of adult decisions. They believe that a kid should have a shot at being the president of the United States. They get their campaign rolling and soon Judson Moon is on the ballot for being the next president of the United States. Will he become president? Or will he fail?

Why I Started the Book:

I remembered a few years ago my teacher assigned this book for me to read and that I enjoyed it a lot. So when I came across it again I thought I would reread it.

Likes:

  • I love the concept of a kid running for president! I wish that kids had the right to vote and run for president. Go kids!
  • Eventually Judson gets sick of running for president and during a national debate between the runners he comes up with juvenile answers such as – Q: “How do you feel about school prayer?” A: “Every morning I pray school will be closed.” and Q: “Which president do you admire most and why?” A: "Grover Cleveland because, he became president despite the fact he was named after a character from sesame street.” It was very funny!

Dislike:

  • Throughout the book I thought that Judson should have listened to Lane more than he did. It would have been wiser.

Buy: The Kid Who Ran For President (Paperback)

Book Rating: I give this book 4.5 treasure chests!
tc45

Originally posted 2009-11-24 03:49:08.

Online Stores ]]> http://www.literatureyoungadultfiction.com/review-the-kid-who-ran-for-president-by-dan-gutman/feed/ 0 Review: Diary of a Wimpy Kid Dog Days by Jeff Kinney http://www.literatureyoungadultfiction.com/review-diary-of-a-wimpy-kid-dog-days-by-jeff-kinney/ http://www.literatureyoungadultfiction.com/review-diary-of-a-wimpy-kid-dog-days-by-jeff-kinney/#comments Sat, 13 Mar 2010 01:55:23 +0000 CaptainYarr http://www.literatureyoungadultfiction.com/?p=326 bookreview

by Captain Yarr

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid Dog Days
Author: Jeff Kinney
Page Count: 214
Format: Hardcover
Grade Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Summary: No matter what Greg does he can never enjoy his summer. Even if he is liking his summer, it won’t last long and/or will probably turn out badly. This summer he’s juggling between his family, friends, and his love life. Will he loose his best friend? Will he get Heather Hills to fall in love with him? As things are Greg isn’t sure which is worst: his summer or going back to school.

Why I Started the Book:

I liked all the previous books and put this title on hold at the library. My place on the hold list was fairly low and I got the book in time to devour it over the weekend.

Likes:

  • I like the chapter (or day) that Greg used his Ladybug (his cell phone that only calls 911 or his house) for the first time and almost gets his day arrested. It was funny!
  • I enjoyed Manny in this book because he never cared about what was going on; he just wants to have a good time.
  • The humor is as good as the rest of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. You will definitely chuckle to yourself as you read.

Dislikes:

  • I never found out how Greg and Rowley paid back Mr. Jefferson back for ordering all the fruit smoothies at the clubhouse. Even though it wasn’t as important as some other problems, I really wanted to know.
  • If I were to choose a title for this book, I wouldn’t name it Dog Days. There are only some parts in the story that involve a dog, and he’s not even the main problem in the story!

Last minute thoughts: I hope Jeff Kinney will add another book to the series because I enjoy reading them and don’t want to see the end of the books.

Buy: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (Hardcover)

Book Rating: I give this book 3.5 treasure chests!
tc35

Originally posted 2009-11-11 03:13:50.

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by Captain Lyaf Yarr

Title: Bunnicula
Authors: Deborah Howe, James Howe
Format: Paperback
Pages: 128
Grade Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Summary: Chester the cat and Harold the dog are curious about the new family pet. The Monroes found the bunny at a Dracula movie in a box of dirt. Chester tries to get rid of the bunny, now named Bunnicula by the Monroes, because he’s convinced the bunny is a vampire. He comes to this conclusion based on a book called The Mark of a Vampire. Bunnicula has all the signs – the black and white coloring, the pointy fangs, the ability to turn vegetables white and to escape his cage through miraculous means. It’s a matter of family safety! The bunny has to go!

Why I Started the Book:

Bunnicula was a class assignment in the month of October for a Halloween read. The book was broken into sections. We started by reading one chapter a week and then our teacher read aloud to finish the novel.

Likes:

  • The pictures in the book were cool. I wish there were more of them because the illustrator did a phenomenal job. The bunny is so cute!
  • It’s a very humorous story. There are a lot of laughs from silly to clever shenanigans. (e.g. Chester mixes up “stake” and “steak” and attempts to pummel Bunnicula with a steak.)

Dislikes:

  • (This is not a book dislike.) Don’t watch the twenty minute movie companion to this story! It’s soooo bad! It’s really just awful and the book is so much better!

Last Minute Thoughts: I enjoyed this book a lot and plan to read the sequel, Bunnicula Strikes Again! I think other classes and kids would enjoy this seasonal book a lot!

Buy: Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery (Paperback)

Book Rating: I give this book 4.5 treasure chests!
tc45

Originally posted 2009-11-09 03:50:01.

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by Captain Lyaf Yarr

Title: The Chocolate Touch
Author: Patrick Skene Catling
Format: Paperback
# of pages: 96
Grade Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Summary: John Midas is addicted to chocolate. He refuses to eat anything else. In addition he is a very selfish boy. One day when he finds a coin with his initials on it, he takes it to a candy store, and he buys a box of chocolate. The next day he discovers that everything he touches with his teeth turns into chocolate. At first John is deliriously happy but could this chocolate touch go too far? Is there such a thing as too much chocolate?

Why I Started the Book:

I started this book because it was an in class assignment.

Likes:

  • I like how this book is all about chocolate. I love chocolate!
  • I like how it's also based off of the Greek myth about Midas' Golden touch. Explains the main character's name, doesn't it? :)
  • I like how this book is written (and wish it was longer).
  • I like the moral of the story: selfishness is not a good thing and to be thankful for what you have. I think that it's very important to know that.

Dislikes:

  • I didn't like reading this book at school because I couldn't grab a chocolate to munch on with John at the same time. I found myself drooling after every chapter.

Buy: The Chocolate Touch

Book Rating: I give this book 3.5 Treasure Chests.

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by Captain Lyaf Yarr

Title: Ready or Not
Author: Meg Cabot
Format: Audio Book
Narrator: Ariadne Meyers
# CDs + Minutes: 6 CDs (6 hours and 27 minutes)
Grade Reading Level: Ages 12 to 17

Summary: Samantha Madison is overwhelmed with problems. It's hard for her to juggle between her boyfriend who is also the president's son, her life drawing art classes, her job, and her sister who is also having boyfriend problems. Will she and her boyfriend break up? Will she have to quit art classes? Will she get fired? And what will happen between Lucy and Jack?

Why I Started the Book:

I started this book because, as I was reading the back and looking at the cover I noticed that it was a sequel of All American Girl. So, I decided to read it, but it wasn't as great as I thought it would be.

Why I Quit this book:

I didn't finish this book because, most of this book is about sex. I (being only 11) have no interest what so ever in this topic. Kissing is good, the rest is not. That made most of this book kinda awkward. Some of the ideas mentioned were just gross, and I did not want to hear about them.

As I mentioned in the All American Girl review, the words "I mean" are used a lot. For instance (and this particular example is not in the book): "I love my new shows, I mean, just because they're from Payless doesn't mean they aren't quality shoes. Know what I mean?" It was annoying and ridiculous. I understand it's a play on stereotypical teenage talk but it was too much.

I thought that as I listened to more of the book it would get better, but instead it got worse. Eventually I just had to stop.

Buy: Ready or Not: (Audio Book), Ready or Not (Paperback)

Book Rating: DNF (Did Not Finish)

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