Divergent

Hola. Divergent is by Veronica Roth. Five "factions" divide the world of Beatrice Prior: Amity, Candor, Dauntless, Erudite, and Abnegation. Each represents a way of life that, when one turns sixteen, one chooses their lifestyle. Amity stands for peace, Candor for honesty, Dauntless are the brave, while Erudite strives for knowledge and Abnegation are selfless. Beatrice has to make the almost impossible decision—stay with her family or follow her heart. What follows is a time of grueling struggle for the newly named Tris as she tries to fit in with her new life. Even more hardship comes, while trying to deal with a mysterious boy and possibly murderous friends. And Tris has a secret, which it just might be the end of her. I actually really liked this book. The characters were good, very mysterious and hard to anticipate, and the premise was awesome as well. This book is what The Hunger Games should have been. But the ending was horrific. I felt like I had lost a few chapters somewhere. I now know that it is going to be a trilogy—but that ending was the biggest cliffhanger in the world! I am torn between three and a half and four stars (Maybe even four and a half if I am feeling generous).

Theodosia and the Last Pharaoh

Hola, school is about to start! As always, Theodosia and the Last Pharaoh is by R. L. LaFevers. Continuing her adventures with Egyptian magic, Theodosia actually goes to Egypt to return some ancient artifacts to their original owners. But with the murderous Serpents of Chaos on her trail and some other mysterious characters determined to hinder her mission, Theo has her work cut out for her. I know this is a vague summary but this is a complicated book and it is more fun if you don't know what's coming. I really enjoyed this entire series. (This is probably the last book, by the way...) Theodosia is a prim and proper English girl who always gets into just enough trouble to make it exciting, but still manages to pull a spectacular spell out of her small hat. Really very entertaining reads, three and a half stars. (See a review for the first book under Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos.)

The Book Thief

Hola... Markus Zusak is the author of The Book Thief. Liesel Meminger is the book thief, and her story begins when she picks up her first book, next to her brother's grave, in Nazi Germany. Aided by her foster parents, Liesel learns to read. But it is more complicated than that, with the Nazis on the loose and parents that are not exactly 'in the party' Liesel and her best friend Rudy need to stay out of trouble. With "Jesse Owens" (Read the book!) life can never be boring. Punctuated by a stolen book here and there, Liesel and her family try to survive the horrible conditions and crimes surrounding them. By the way, it is written from the point of view of Death—I like him, he has a sense of humor. This was an interesting book. I actually liked it, but it took me forever to read. It is so dense! Rudy is lovable and Rosa and Hans add some comfort to this dismal story. And Max was brilliant. Good characters, thick book, two and a half stars.

The Help

Hola, The Help is by Kathryn Stockett. Aibileen Clark is a life-long, "colored" maid in Jackson Mississippi whose specialty is raising her white employers' children. From their numerous employments Aibileen and her friends have many stories to tell about their situations, but they can never tell them. But then again, what if they could? When Skeeter Phelan, a white friend of Aibileen's employer, approaches Aibileen about writing a book from the point of view of "the help", it seems much too dangerous an opportunity to take. However, with racial tensions stirring in Jackson, what is a little more stirring going to do? With a myriad of subplots, The Help follows Aibileen and Skeeter's journey as change-makers in their community. I thought this was a really good read. I will say that the ending was disappointing but the story was solid. The characters were refreshingly human and it was a really easy book to power through. On a side note I thought the movie was good and cried throughout. I would recommend this book, three and a half stars.

Starfleet Academy, The Edge

Hola! Starfleet Academy, The Edge. (I know, I am such a nerd.) Jim Kirk, Nyota Uhura, and Monica Lynne are all first year Starfleet Cadets, along with many other applicants. School seems to be going well—they are all struggling to keep up with the work but that is only to be expected. But when some serious medical anomalies arise concerning other students, Cadet Kirk's best friend, Cadet McCoy, could take the blame. It's up to Kirk to uncover the lengths people will go to succeed. I know this book sounds like a cheesy-little-kid-movie book but it was pretty intense. Some parts were kinda creepy. The story made sense and included many characters that aren't in the movie, which I thought was cool. It was a solid book, three stars.

Larklight

Hola, Larklight by Philip Reeve. Art and Myrtle Mumby live in Larklight, an ancient house that orbits around the moon. They live a rather dull life there, accompanied by their scatter-brained father. However, one morning, word of a guest arrives and throws their lives into chaos. The guest is only the beginning of a terrifying adventure. Aided by cutthroat space pirates they travel to places they never dreamed of going to save themselves and the universe. I liked Larklight. It was one of those kind of silly space books where kids save the day, but it was entertaining. I like Art and Ssillissa, they are both very unique characters. Overall good, but a light read, two and a half stars.

Around the World in 100 Days

Hola! Around the World in 100 Days is by Gary Blackwood. Harry Fogg, the son of the famous Phileas Fogg, built a motorcar, the Flash. Harry believes that motorcars are going to be the new way of transportation, and his conviction is so great that he gambles an awful lot of money, and and his future on the fact that he can drive it around the world in 100 days. On his journey, Harry and his friend Johnny encounter danger, adventure, and many different people. I really enjoyed this book. It was just the right length and had lots of action and suspense. I also thought that it was a very nice follow-up to Phileas's story, (Yes, I have read Around the world in 80 Days, thank you very much!). A good, exciting read, three and a half stars.