Amity Middle School Orange Book Blog

Read reviews by an avid young adult book enthusiast.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Blood Red Road

Moira Young's first novel entitled Blood Red Road is a stark novel. Set in the distant future, lawlessness rules the land.

Saba and her twin brother Lugh were born 18 years ago on the longest day of the year--midsummer. When four men wearing long black cloaks appear in SilverLake where she and Lugh, their Pa, and their much younger sister Emmi live, the men on horseback bring a cloud of thick red dust with them. When they leave, Pa is dead, the neighbor Proctor John is killed and Lugh has been kidnapped by the men.

Saba vows to find Lugh and save him. Because they have only lived with their Pa and their Ma until she died giving birth to Emmi, Saba is uneducated and very socially unaware. In order to find Lugh, Saba must learn to trust others. With her very smart pet crow Nero as a guide, she and Emmi set out on the adventure of their lives.

Filled with action and great characters, this title is sure to thrill fans of The Hunger Games.

IraqiGirl

IraqiGirl is the blog created by a fifteen-year-old girl living in the town of Mosul in Iraqi. Because it is a blog, there are postings by others who respond to her blog throughout the book.

Her blog begins in 2004 and continues through 2009. In her early entries, she vehemently denouces the involvement of the United States in her country. After several people respond to her rants against the US, she decides instead to shift her focus to the effect of the war on her personal and school life.

Her life is drastically affected by the war. She worrries constantly about the bombings. When any family member is late arriving from work or school, her thoughts are always praying that no one has been killed. She has recurrent nightmares. Her exams and school life are put on hold after the school building is destroyed.

If you want to read about life in a country at war and what it means to be a teenager under those conditions, this is the book for you!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

The Power of Six

The Power of Six is the third book in the Lorien Legacies series written by the pen name Pittacus Lore. The series begins with the ever popular title I Am Number Four.The Power of Six follows John Smith's abupt departure from Paradise, Ohio with his best friend Sam.The second book I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: Six's Legacy is the second book in the series.

John Smith, number four of the aliens from the planet Lorien, has lost his protector and teacher Henri. John has also left his first and only love interest Sarah in Paradise, Ohio. John and Bernie Kosar must heal from their severe wounds before they can proceed to find the others. It is up to John, his best friend Sam and the beautiful and fiercely talented Number Six to find the other remaining aliens.

The Mogadorians are obviously much better organized than Henri and John realized. It is now up to the remaining aliens to come into their legacies and defeat the Mogadorians so that they can reclaim their home planet Lorien.

Number Seven is in Spain in a convent with her Cepan, Adeline. In the eleven years that they have sought refuge in the convent, Adeline has become devoutly religious neglecting to instruct Marina (Number Seven) in her powers. She has also hidden the chest which contains Marina's legacies from her. Marina has tried in vain to find where John Smith has gone since the explosion and deaths in Paradise, Ohio. She searches the Internet in hopes of finding a clue as to where she should meet up with the other remaining numbers.

Will John and Sam and Number 6 be able to find Number Seven? Will John understand all the things in his chest of legacies without the help of Henri? How will they find the others?

This title is filled with action! The characters display all kinds of special powers. Bernie Koshar displays incredible forms! Fans of I Am Number Four, will love this title!

Monday, October 3, 2011

Rival

Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer is suited to girls much more than guys. The story revolves around two very talented singers—Brooke and Kathryn.  Kathryn meets Brooke in their freshman year of high school when they both make Honors Choir. Brooke is well established as one of the most popular girls in the school. Her older twin brothers Bill and Brice have carved out an easy path for Brooke to follow.

When Kathryn is invited to a slumber party by Brooke, she can’t believe she could be accepted into the A-list clique of the school. Everything seems fine. Brooke and Kathryn become best friends. Then an incident happens which unravels their newly formed friendship. Brooke unleashes her other friends to shun Kathryn. Their treatment is brutal.
Both girls are striving to win The Blackmore Award which comes with hefty prize money which could be used for college. Only one can win. With over eighty other contestants trying out, perhaps neither will win the coveted prize.
Chapters alternate between Brooke and Kathryn telling their story. Flashbacks to previous events are another way in which the story is told.

If you enjoy teen girls and their troubles and squabbles, you will definitely enjoy reading Rival.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Divergent

Fans of dystopian fiction will certainly want to read this title by Veronica Roth! In this futuristic society when Beatrice turns sixteen, she has to undergo an evaluation which will determine which faction of society she is best suited to become a part of. Being raised in Abnegation (selfless) faction has been the only life she has ever known.
When her results are not conclusive, she is told to never reveal them to anyone. The word divergent is used to describe what Beatrice is. Not understanding what this means and the severe danger she would be in if she were to reveal her true appraisal, Beatrice keeps the information even from her beloved parents.
Dauntless (the brave) faction is what Beatrice chooses. Her initiation into Dauntless is grueling—filled with life threatening experiences. Did she make the right choice by leaving Abnegation? Did her brother Caleb choose well in his choice of Erudite (the intelligent) faction? Can either Beatrice or Caleb trust the changes that they are being forced to endure?
Read this thrilling, yet chilling novel to find out!