Masquerade - Melissa De La Cruz APRIL

Significance- This book is another one of my vampire books. It's the sequel to Blue Bloods, a book I did a different book review on. So in this book there is a girl named Schuyler Van Alen. She is a Blue Blood vampire, and in this book she is trying to stop the thing that is killing all of the Blue Bloods, the Silver Bloods. They are evil creatures, trying to drain the Blue Bloods of their whole life, and all their memories. She finds he grandfather, Lawrence Van Alen in Venice, for before passing away last year, she told her to find her grandfather, to learn about Silver Bloods and how to defeat them. She is in love with another Blue Blood, Jack force, who is the brother of popular Mimi Force. they have been blood bound since they were created, and meant for each other, but Jack is finding a certain interest in Schuyler. Mimi tries to set the Silver Blood on Schulyer, and it put in jail for it. The only way to be saved is if Schuyler looks at Mimi's blood memory and finds out if she's guilty or not.

Perspective- This book is from the perspective of a third person, looking out on Schulyer. I wish it was from first person though, because it makes the emotions more powerful, since you can feel them like it's yourself it's happening to yourself. This book does do a great job though, relating the feelings of the characters without being in first person and describing every little change of heart. Sometimes it looks on some of the other main characters, so you can see what they're dealing with through the changing of becoming a Blue Blood and what's happening in their lives.

Evidence- I think one of the main things in this story is that Schulyer and Jack Force are in love with each other. I know this is true because Schulyer is always thinking about him. I think it would be very hard for her though, since him and his sister are supposed to be together, and have to be together for things to be ok in their family. A first I didn't really think that Jack was in love with Schulyer. I thought he was kind of into her, but more devoted for Mimi. But then there is one part where he sends her a bouquet of 200 white flowers, for it means love. He also thinks on one part that he wishes is was he that she went to for comfort, not her human friend Oliver. By then there was no doubt n my mind that they were in love with each other. This should make a rather interesting sequel...                   

Connection- I can connect this book to my life a lot. First of all I can relate to it because I have been through an experience where  feel like I'm changing a lot, but no one else around me is, and I have to deal with being very different from my peers. I feel like a lot lately that I've been maturing more quickly than all my friends, and sometimes it's hard because I'm too serious for them, or not as much fun. It really hurts, and you can loose some friends that way. Schulyer feels that way a lot, since she is different from her best friend, since she is a vampire, and he is just a human. She almost looses him, because he gets mad that she's going to the Committee meetings and he wasn't invited. It turns out the meets were for Blue Bloods, and he already knew, but that didn't stop his sadness, or how he felt different from some of the people around him.

Supposition- What would happen if Oliver was a blue blood too? A lot of things would be different. For instance Schulyer wouldn't have had a human familiar, and probably fallen into a coma like her mother. Since Oliver was her familiar, it wouldn't have worked if he was a Blue Blood, since they aren't allowed to suck on another Blue Blood's blood. Oliver also wouldn't have gotten mad at her for joining the Committee, since he would have been invited too. They would probably be best friends for a very long time, since vampires live forever. It would be a nice story, but too sweet and perfect I think.

The Prophet of Yonwood- Jeanne DuPrau- MARCH

Significance- This book is the prequel to the fantastic series, The City of Ember, and then the second one in the series, The People of Sparks. This book takes place in maybe about 50 years in the future, while the other books take place much later in the future, more like 350-400 years. So in this book, the main character Nickie decides she wants to move and live in the house her grandfather lived in. She finds many mysteries in the house, including the girl who took care of her grandfather before he died, and a cute dog named Otis that she learns to love. She makes a few friends, but she really wants to do something for the world. She tries to help out by  following the instructions a lady named Althea Tower told them from her vision from the future. She is the Prophet. She is always trying to solve all the mysteries, and becomes a very successful young woman.

Perspective- This book is from a third person perspective. Nickie is not the one talking, which would be first person, and no one is saying you, which would be second person, they are talking as though they're following Nickie's life. I think it would have been a stronger story if it were written in first person, because then you would be able to relate better to the things she's doing. 

Evidence- I think a claim I can make from this book is that Nickie is a very outgoing person. I know this because she is always involved in things, and talks to a lot of people. It's a good thing in this story, because if she were a shy girl who didn't really do anything, nothing would happen. Another thing I can say, is that Nickie is very stubborn. I know this because she doesn't want her Aunt Crystal to sell the house, she is so stubborn that she tries to have her aunt not sell it, and have her live in it. The whole time she is very stubborn.

Connection- I can connect with Nickie because I have felt a lot of times that I want to do something that will help the world. I think she is a very inspiring character, because she has some really great qualities that a lot of people would want for themselves. She is outgoing, personable, and an overall nice person. I think I can connect with her because I am a lot like her, and I have sort of the same thoughts and ideas as her. I think that's what makes a story strong, when the readers fell like they can connect with either one of the characters,  or just the book itself.

Supposition- This book would have been very different if it wasn't in the future, and it was in our time period instead. They wouldn't have had all of their gadgets that they have then, such as DATT (Do a Thousand Things) and they wouldn't be having the crisis and a lot of things like that. I think  that that's what makes this story so thrilling though, is that it's so far in the future that we don't have to worry about things like the crisis happening for a while now.Overall, I think this book is great the way it is.

Molly Moon, Micky Minus, and the Mind Machine- Georgia Byng FEBRUARY

Significance- I think this book is a great book because it really shows how a normal girl can be unique and beautiful even when she's not very important. This is a story of a normal girl living at an orphanage, who then finds out she has very strong hypnotizing powers.  It's a wonderful story, which involves real life scenarios and also some fantasy. I think a lot of people can relate to that, because in reality, most people are very normal, who want to be special, and have super powers and things like that. I think that's why this book is so powerful. In the fourth book of the thrilling series, Molly Moon finds herself in yet another exciting adventure, finding herself at death's fingertips once again.

Perspective- This book is written from the narrator's perspective. I think it would be different if it was from Molly's perspective because then it would show more about her feelings, instead of what's going on in the story. I think that was really well done, because it's a kind of confusing plot, and if it was from her perspective I bet a lot of people wouldn't understand it as much.

Evidence- In the beginning of this story, Micky (her twin who was stolen from her time and brought to the future) hates her. I know this because he is really mean to Molly and when Molly reads his mind, he's thinking about terrible things happening to her. He hates her because he doesn't believe they're twins, and he wishes she would just leave him alone to go back to his old life where he hypnotized people for the queen. If it was from Micky's perspective, many things wouldn't have happened, since Micky doesn't remember Molly at all. I think it's the best in the perspective of the narrator, because then you find out the whole story.

Connection- I think a lot of people can connect to this book. I know I can, because I have definitely felt like just a normal, ugly girl before, who's life is going nowhere, and yet one day, something changes and your suddenly special. I know everyone wishes paranormal things could happen to them, like magic, hypnotism, etc. I know a lot of people can connect with this, and it also connects to a lot of other supernatural books like Blue Bloods. Blue Bloods is a story of a girl who's completely normal, and has a pretty normal life, but then finds out she's a vampire. They're all very related.

Supposition- This series of books would be very different if Molly never had a twin, because then she wouldn't have to travel to the future and find him, and then nothing would have happened in this book. I think also in the previous book it would have been different, because then Lucy (Molly's mom) wouldn't have been so depressed because she lost her son. Then it wouldn't have caused Molly to have found out about time traveling, and that whole book would have never happened.

The Joy Luck Club- Amy Tan

Rules of the Game:

Significance- This chapter is about a girl named Waverly Jong. She lives in Chinatown, San Francisco with her parents and brothers. She is a very happy girl, and she is not poor. Then one day her brother brings home a chess set from a party. She enjoys playing chess, and becomes very good at it. She learns many rules from playing against many people, and becomes a national winner. Her mom keeps bragging about her, and before she knows it she is using all the rules of the game in her own life, to have her mom not brag about her anymore. She has to take one step at a time, and plan her moves before it happens, just like chess.

Perspective- This book was written by Amy Tan, but not in her perspective. This book is a collection of vignettes written in 4 different women's perspectives, and it would be very different if it was written in Amy Tan's perspective. However, she is a very good author, and I don't really think many other writers would have been able to pull of writing about these kinds of tragedies these women went through. She writes in such metaphors that sometimes it's hard to follow, and I really don't think any other author would be able to pull those kind of metaphors off.

Evidence- I can definitely say that Waverly is talented at chess. I can say this because she learned how to play chess very quickly and she is really good at it. She also picks up the rules very quickly, and accepts them into her own life. She is also very smart, and brave, so that helps her talents. I know that she is smart because she learns the rules very quickly and uses a lot of logic in playing chess. She always knows what she's going to do next in life, and in the game, and she is just very smart. She is brave because she can talk back to her mother, and since she is smart, you know it can't be her not being smart. She can also go to lots of competitions and not be scared of being there, and playing against a lot of different people she's never met before.

Connection- In this book Waverly's mom embarrasses her because she so proud of her and is bragging to people about how amazing her daughter is. I've definitely had my family members embarrass me, and my grandmother can never stop bragging about me. Although I don't feel embarrassed, it's kind of awkward, and I just have to realize that I'm one of the best things in her life, like Waverly's mom's life. In Waverly's scenario she couldn't talk to her mom about it, and I'm not really sure I'd ever talk to my grandmother about it, but in both scenarios it's a family member that's very proud of their family.

Supposition- In this book, I think everything would be very different if Waverly had never gotten the chess board. I don't think she would have learned the same life lessons, because the chess board taught her so many things about life. She also wouldn't be as bold, and as brave, because she learned all of those things from the game. She learned how to talk to people, meet new people, approach new people. It's amazing how much you can learn from on little chess board.

Messenger- Lois Lowry- JANUARY

Significance- I chose this book because I really enjoyed the other two books in Lois Lowry’s series, so I thought I would like this one too. It was a truly inspiring story, with Matty’s dedication to his work, and his family. He was so committed to everything he did, and he was so intelligent, that he made me want to follow in his footsteps. In this book, the main character Matty lives in a place called Village with a man named Seer. Village has always been a place where people aren’t selfish, and kindness that always extended a helping hand to the newcomers who traveled to Village. But something terrible is happening to Village, people have given away their kindness, and have closed Village to outsiders. Now he must travel through Forest, which is planning to destroy Matty, to find Seer’s daughter Kira, so that she can join her father in Village. Secretly, Matty has a gift of healing, and in the end he heals everyone and dies, but gets rid of the selfishness. This book teaches children about sacrifices they have to make.

Perspective- This book was written in the perspective of Matty. I think if this book was written in a different person’s point of view, the story wouldn’t have been as strong. If it was in Seer’s perspective, everything would be so different, because Seer is blind. If Seer was the narrator, I’d bet most things would be about what he feels, tastes, touches, and smells, because those are the things that you notice the most, not looking around and seeing the world. I think if this book was written from Seer’s perspective, then the story would mostly be about Kira and Matty; his two children, who are the most important things in his life.

Evidence- Matty is a very unselfish person. I know this, because he sacrifices his life, just so that people will be healed. He wants everyone to be healed, and better, and live in an unselfish world. His own life doesn’t really matter to him, because he is so unselfish that he wants the world to be better. He also doesn’t want Village to close to outsiders, and only selfish people want Village to close, because they want everything for themselves. Matty wants everyone to find a good home, and so therefore, he is not selfish.

Connection- This book has many feelings that relate to my life. I know what it feels like to want everything to be ok, for everyone to stop fighting and embrace what they have. I think one of the reasons I like this book so much, is because I can relate it to my own life. This is a very realistic book, besides the parts where they have powers, and so all the emotions are the same. I have felt most of the emotions he has, like relocation. Matty had to move away, to a new place, where he didn’t feel safe in at first, but quickly adjusted, so then he liked it. It feels like me when I was going from school to school, at first I felt awkward, and then I adjusted to it, and I felt very calm.

Supposition- How would the world be different if we had Trades like in Village? I think the world would be a very cruel place of very attractive people with a lot of money. Because they would all trade away their niceness for material things that “matter” to them. If we had Trades, I don’t know what we would do. I know I would never Trade. But Trading is such a bad thing I would never do it. I think I a lot of people would do Trades, and then the world would suck. Too many selfish people.

Blue Bloods- Melissa De Cruz- DECEMBER

Significance- I chose this book because I really enjoy vampire books. Everything about vampire books reels me in. I love vampires and something about their books just really appeals to me. In this book the main character Schuyler Von Alen is a very normal girl, who lives with her grandmother in New York City. Her mom is in a coma, and her dad is dead. Her best friend Oliver (Ollie) is all she has to love her, and they've been best friends since 2nd grade. Now sophomores in the most wealthy high school in New York, Schuyler dicovers she's a descendant from a group of people who landed at Plymouth. They are called Blue Bloods, a group of vampires. Now something is out to kill the vampires, and Schuyler must find out what it is. She can't tell Oliver (even though he finds out eventually), but I'm sure that's a problem most people face: not being able to tell their best friend about something important. This book teaches everyone about how to deal with those kind of problems.

Perspective- This book was written in this time period. I think that the whole book would be so completely different if it wasn't in this time period. Lets say it was based back when Plymouth landed. They wouldn't have any of their memories yet, and, the storyline would be completely different. In Plymouth, all of the women and children had to stay on the ship all day, while the men worked outside in clean, fresh air. The story would be so different,considering they'd all be on a ship without any powers.

Evidence- Schulyer is an outcast in the world she is living in. Not many people like her, and she has few friends. I know this is true because she only is friends with two people: Dylan and Oliver. She dresses in odd clothes which most people think is stupid and think she's stuck-up. She's not, it's just that she is really shy and keeps to herself. The only reason she's friends with Oliver is because he was assigned to her. Her is her human conduit, and he watches out for her and guides her in her choices. He was born because of her, so they're destined to be friends. He tries to be her friend and she refuses, until they finally become best friends. She definitely is a social outcast, but she sucks it up and goes on with her life.

Connection- This book is basically fantasy, but there are a lot of aspects of it that are very realistic, and I can relate to most of them. I know I have felt like and outcast; like I don't belong. Schulyer has felt like that for a while, and I know there are times when I feel like I don't fit in at all, especially at gymnastics. But I deal with it exactly like her; instead of trying to make new friends, I take it and go on with life, and my friends come to me when they see that I'm someone they would want to be friends with. This book also relates to another book I've read; Twilight. They are both vampire romances, with most of the same qualities. In Blue Bloods, their bloods are blue and they don't have to hunt for their food which are mainly their only differences. The books could be sisters.

Supposition- How would the world be different if their were vampires? I think that's a question most people ask themselves when they read books like these. And in response, I say, a whole lot different. In this book I think the world would be about the same. If we were in a book like this, and we were humans, I think that someday we'd figure out the secret of vampires. Some of us would be human familiars without knowing it. The whole world would be the same except for the people that are vampires. Their lives would change dramatically and they'd probably live in fear of the Silver Bloods, the one thing that can kill Blue Bloods. I think the world would be very different if there were mystical creature like these....