The Contender
by Robert Lipsyte
This book is about a boy, named Alfred Brooks ,who dropped out of school and has a job at
a grocery store. He was going for a walk one night and he saw some old rickety,
raggedy stairways. These stairways lead up to Alfred’s Future (or was
it?). I highly recommend this book because it has some mysteries and confrontations.
Reviewed by Amber, Grade 7 12/20/04
Shattered Mirror
by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Shattered Mirror by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes is an extremely suspenseful book.This
book deals with the theme of finding true love, despite unimaginable consequences.To add
to the books appeal, the two main characters exhibit paranormal powers.Sarah Vida is a
witch who has disguised herself as a normal high-school student.She is an heir to one of
the most powerful vampire dynasties in the history of all man-kind. The other main
character, Christopher Ravena, is a vampire with a dark and mysterious past. Despite
overwhelming odds, these two distinctly different individuals manage to fall in love.The
plot of the story becomes more interesting when Nikolas, a dark shadow from both
Christopher and Sarah's past, tries to keep the two lovers apart.This book is filled with
great action scenes, which keeps the reader interested. I highly recommend this book to
anyone.
Reviewed by Kristin, Grade 12, 2004
Go
Ask Alice by Anonymous
Go Ask Alice is a real diary kept by a fifteen-year-old drug user. She remains
anonymous throughout the novel but goes by the name “Alice.” She is an unhappy
girl; unhappy with her weight, her popularity status, and her grades in school. When her
father is offered a higher paying job at an out of state university, she is forced to
move. Although she will still have the support of her brother, sister, and parents, she
already misses her grandparents who have always lived only a few streets away from her. At
first, the move is rough on Alice. She doesn’t really miss her old life, but she
doesn’t like her new one much either. She has a hard time adjusting to her new school
and classmates. When school lets out for the summer, “Alice’s” grandparents
invite her to stay with them for a couple of weeks. She is thrilled and immediately
accepts the invitation.
While at the store one day running an
errand for her grandparents, “Alice” runs into an acquaintance from her old
school. The girl was always popular and well liked. The girl invites "Alice” to
a party she is throwing that night. Filled with sheer joy, “Alice” gladly
accepts. However, at the party, “Alice” is thrown into a situation she has never
dealt with before. She is offered Speed and takes it. She immediately becomes addicted to
the drug. She takes it again and again. When it is time for her to return home, she vows
to leave it all behind and to just cherish her experiences. However, she cannot stay
clean. She starts experimenting with more drugs like marijuana and ecstasy. She gets mixed
up with the wrong crowd of people and begins to center her life on drugs. They have
completely consumed her. She starts skipping school, running away from home, and trying
more and more drugs. Her family sends her to rehab but nothing seems to work for her
because she is not willing to give up drugs. Her diary focuses upon all of her experiences
as a junkie and how drugs ruined her life.
You may be saying to yourself, “Why
would I choose such a depressing book like this to read?” I asked myself the same
question, but I decided to give the book a chance. Once I began reading, I became glued. I
felt like I knew “Alice.” I kept reading so that I could keep rooting for her. Go
Ask Alice is a powerful novel that all teenagers should read. Everyone is put in
situations like "Alice’s”. This novel shows the effects of the wrong
decisions and the wrong path in life to take. Go Ask Alice shows how drugs can
destroy a person’s life and how hard it is to quit once you’ve started. I
strongly recommend Go Ask Alice to all teenagers who have been or will some day be
put into a situation involving drugs because “Alice’s” story has a very
powerful lesson to be learned!
Reviewed by D.V., Grade 10, 2004
The
Boy Next Door by Meggin Cabot
The Boy Next Door by Meggin Cabot is a light, easy read about the hectic love life
of a New York journalist named Mel Fuller. After a mysterious crime is committed
against Mel’s neighbor, a man named Max Friedlander moves in to take care of the
neighbor’s dogs while she is in a coma at the hospital. Mel falls for Max
quickly, but what she doesn’t know is that “Max” is actually John Trent, a
journalist for a rival paper in New York as well. John owed the real Max
Friedlander, a famous photographer, a favor and must take care of Max’s great
aunt’s dogs, who happens to live in the apartment next door to Mel. Through a
series of e-mails, The Boy Next Door documents the ups and downs of Mel’s
relationship with John, whom she really thinks is Max, the stresses of her job at the New
York Journal, and her friends constantly making her business their own. On top
of everything, Mel makes it her responsibility to find whoever harmed her neighbor and
bring them to justice.
Meggin Cabot does an excellent job of
portraying the characters emotions and actions through this novel. It is light,
humorous, and suspenseful all at the same time. Since the book was written as a
series of e-mails, it was unlike any type of book I had ever read before, and I found it
to be very intriguing. At times I could not put the book down, as I was just waiting
to see what kind of situation Mel would find herself in next.
I would recommend this book to teenagers
and young adults looking for a fun, enjoyable, and easy read. You will enjoy Mel and
her friends’ spunky personalities, witty comments, and blatant honesty.
Following the suspense of waiting for John to reveal his true identity to Mel will make
this book truly hard to put down. The Boy Next Door by Meggin Cabot is a
novel that many can relate to and that most will enjoy.
Reviewed by Meghan, Grade 11, 2004
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