Student Saturdays – The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Here we go again.  This is the first student review of the school year.  Please respond, but also remember these are written by sixth graders.

Student Reviewer: Yazmin A.

Genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

Do you know what it’s like to love a book so much you cry when you’ve finished with it? Do you know what it’s like when a book is so good you finish it in a week? That is how it was and how I felt when I read The Fault in Our Stars. It’s beyond spectacular. Mrs. Stiles, I remembered one time you said you were interviewing a girl and she abandoned a book, and you asked her why. She said because it was boring. You asked her how far she had read and she said the first page. A girl said The Fault in Our Stars was boring. But, really if you dig down deep you’ll find the gold. In the book there is this girl named Hazel, she has cancer and she goes to this support group called the Literal Heart or Jesus. Anyway, she meets this guy and ends up spending a lot of time with him. I don’t want to tell you what happens, a lot though. Let’s see, she has this book she loves called the Imperial Affliction by Peter Van Huten. She feels as if the book was written about her. Well, if I tell you anymore I’ll spoil the story. I love this book and if it were not the library’s book I would keep it. This book makes me appreciate life. It touched my heart and put me to tears. I would recommend this book to anyone, except younger children, because the book cusses a lot. Also, if you haven’t already seen the movie, the book is better. The movie leaves out a lot of key information. If I could rate The Fault in Our Stars I would give it five stars.

Guest Post: The Infinity Program by Richard H. Hardy

Topic Suggestion:
Would you consider the Jon-Lettie-Harry dynamic a love triangle? Why or why not?

Yes, I think of the Jon-Lettie-Harry dynamic as a love triangle.  But I don’t think it’s a classic love triangle since Harry is not really capable of a serious relationship at all.  He is a damaged man, deeply hurt by his father’s early death and his mother’s alcoholism.  While Lettie sincerely wants a deep and meaningful relationship, she is reluctant to enter into such a relationship. She is afraid of being hurt.  Jon is different from both of them.  He knows without question that he loves Lettie, almost from the beginning, but his cautiousness gets in the way of showing her how he really feels.

A love triangle can have many dynamics.  Two men can compete with each other for the same woman or two women can compete for the same man.  It can also have the dynamic I use in The Infinity Program.  Lettie is so involved with Harry that she is unaware that Jon really cares about her.  Their mutual concern about Harry’s problems draws them together.  Their budding relationship, with all its ups and downs, is an important subplot in The Infinity Program.

The Infinity Program Summary

Jon Graeme and Harry Sale are unlikely friends. Harry is a world-class programmer, but his abrasive personality alienates co-workers. In contrast, Jon is a handsome and easy-going technical writer, the low man on the IT totem pole.

Sharing a love of nature, the men set out together, planning to go their separate ways--Jon on a hike and Harry, fly fishing. Three days later, Jon arrives at the rendezvous point, but his friend is nowhere in sight. When Jon finds Harry unconscious on the floor of a cave, Harry claims to have been lying there the entire time. But he is neither cold nor hungry. What Jon doesn't know is that Harry fell into an underground cavern, where he came into contact with an alien quantum computer.

Back at work, Harry jettisons his regular tasks and concentrates exclusively on inventing new operating language to access the alien system. In the process he crashes his office's Super Computer and is fired. Jon convinces the company to give Harry a second chance, arguing that the system he has invented will make them millions.

Jon has no idea what havoc Harry is about to unleash.

Richard H. Hardy's Bio:

Richard H. Hardy was born in Glasgow, Scotland, during a week of relentless bombing raids just before the close of World War II. The day he was born an incendiary bomb fell on the church across the street from where he lived, so he is fond of saying that he entered the world with a big adrenaline rush.

His family later moved to England and then on to America.

After college Richard bounced through a series of temporary jobs as he traveled around the country, wanting nothing more than to write fiction. A job driving a library van allowed him free time to write several short stories and work on a novel.

He and his wife moved to New Hampshire, where he took an entry level job at a software company. He was soon promoted to the technical writing department and ended up producing over 500,000 words of online documentation. After a few years he was promoted to the programming department and ended up as the Senior EDI Programmer, creating EDI maps and writing UNIX scripts and troubleshooting on AIX systems throughout the U.S. and Canada.
After he retired, he started writing fiction again. The Infinity Program is his first published novel.

Tour site       Goodreads    Author Website    Author   Facebook     Twitter

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Stillwell by Michael Phillip Cash

Genre: Adult , Paranormal, Mystery, Suspense, Ghost Story

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

From Goodreads:

Paul Russo’s wife just died. While trying to get his family’s life back in order, Paul is being tormented by a demon who is holding his wife's spirit hostage on the other side. His fate is intertwined with an old haunted mansion on the north shore of Long Island called Stillwell Manor. Paul must find clues dating back hundreds of years to set his wife's soul free.

My Thoughts:

There are many types of ghost stories. Not all of them have to be horrifying.  This is probably my favorite type. I love a story that is wrapped around a romance.  In this case we have Paul, who is dealing with the recent death of his wife from brain cancer.  He is trying hard to get his life back together for the sake of his children; twins Jesse and Veronica and the youngest, Stella Luna.  Paul, who has always made a living selling houses, has been asked by friends of his to sell their place, Stillwell Manor.  Paul has all the confidence in the world he can sell this place, even though it is known to be haunted.  Paul finds himself seeing things, including his wife.  Is it his imagination or is there something, or someone that needs his help?  Things are tied up neatly as Paul learns more of the history of the house and finds connections.  The question is, will he make those connections before it is too late for him and his children?  I love it. I especially love Hannah’s story.  I think this historical aspect made the difference for me.  This is definitely one of my favorites among the books I have read by this author.  I look forward to reading more by him.

The Battle For Darracia Series by Michael Phillip Cash

Genre: Adult,  Science Fiction

Source: I purchased the first book and was sent the second and third in the series for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Schism

From Goodreads:

On the planet Darracia, an ever-widening social gap between its inhabitants is causing turmoil that is fracturing a once peaceful world. Struggling with his identity, nineteen year old Prince V'sair must harness the power of the elusive Fireblade, the secret to a warrior's heart, in order to overcome his uncle Staf Nuen's lust for supremacy. Will the energy of the Elements guide the young prince to his true destiny or will Staf Nuen conquer Darracia? After the success of his first three books (Brood X, Stillwell, and The Hanging Tree) Michael is fulfilling a dream and creating his own epic fantasy world. Schism: The Battle for Darracia is the first book in a planned series.

My Thoughts:

I loved the idea of this world that faces the same problems we face when it comes to placing people into classes.  We know that not everyone feels this way, but it does still happen.  When the King of Darracia marries a woman of another race a split occurs. His own brother leads it.  With Prince V’sair having traits from both sides he is not seen as the warrior he wants to be, but is looked down on.  He wants to find the fireblade that can only be used by someone with a true warrior’s heart. He knows he can’t just leave the kingdom to do this. Yet, when his uncle tries to overthrow the throne, this may be the only thing that will keep his kingdom together.  I have to say that I purchased the first book, as I was gifted copies of the next two in the series.  The thing that makes this author’s books different for me is that as science fiction goes, they were not too long. I love long books. For me I was able to get into this world quickly and progress through the book at a pace that made it possible for me to finish it to start the next.

Collision

From Goodreads:

The Darracia saga continues with all the key players spread out and searching for answers throughout the solar system. Prince V'sair struggles to hold his fractured kingdom together without help from his family. His stepbrother Zayden is on a vengeful hunt for his evil uncle Staf Nuen. Tulani navigates her two worlds trying to bring them together. Staf Nuen, the orchestrator of the original coup, is making unholy alliances with nefarious new allies. Like the comet zipping across the horizon, all the different factions are heading for a collision course that will test both their faith and power.

My Thoughts:

This one was full of emotions.  For me, any book that can bring out the emotions in me is excellent.  I really wanted to hate Staf Nuen for what he had put Prince V’sair through as well as Zayden.  I felt the anger and hatred Zayden felt. He and Prince V’sair carried the same emotions, but handled them differently.  I felt  sorry for V’sair as he was stuck, unable to do the things he really wanted due to his position.  Tulani is facing some of the same things Prince V’sair faces.  She is not Darracian, yet she has lived there and is now trying to learn all about her own culture.  Some of the people do not want to trust her.  The author has done an excellent job of taking the suspense and questions we have and bringing it up a notch.  Just when you think you know what is going to happen the author throws in a twist that brings hope. The tension is left taught enough that you can’t wait for the next book, which I didn’t.  I read them all back to back.

Risen

From Goodreads:

Imprisoned on the dead moon of Bina, trapped at the bottom of the cold Hixom Sea, locked in a cell in the flooded Desa and blinded & defeated in the Eastern Provinces, the ruling class of Darracia is defeated without hope.

In the stunning conclusion of the Darracia saga, V’sair, Tulani, Zayden and Reminda must dig deep and find both strength and faith to rise from the depths of the impossible and restore order to their home planet from Lothen, Staf Nuen and the evil armies of Geva.

My Thoughts

The author has done an excellent job of bringing everything to fruition the way it should be. Each of the characters are forced to face themselves and the adversity they face. They must find a way to overcome that adversity if they are to save themselves, their people, and the issues they fought so hard for. We see things come full circle.  The author made sure we saw how flawed each of the characters were. This is what made them so realistic to us.  I’m not sure many of my middle school students would enjoy this series. It is maybe a little too mature for them. However, I have a friend who teaches at the high school level. I am sure she and her friends would definitely enjoy this series and so it will be sent her way. I can think of nothing better to do than to share a series when you find one you really think is top notch.  I definitely feel that way about this book.  

About the Author:

Born and raised on Long Island, Michael has always had a fascination with ghosts, horror and fantasy writing. Earning a degree in English and an MBA, he has worked various jobs before settling into being a full-time author. He currently resides on Long Island with his wife and children.

Hit by Lorie Ann Grover

Genre:  Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

Source: I received the book as part of the BlinkYA book tour.  The opinions expressed here are my own.

About the Book:

After receiving a full-ride scholarship to Mills College for Girls, it appears Sarah's future is all laid out before her … but then she walks into a poetry class led by Mr. Haddings, a student teacher from the nearby University of Washington. Suddenly, life on the UW campus seems very appealing, and Sarah finds herself using her poetry journal to subtly declare her feelings for Mr. Haddings. And she becomes convinced Mr. Haddings is flirting back. As she sets off for school in the rain, she slips a poem in her back pocket—one that will declare her feelings once and for all. Mr. Haddings has noticed Sarah's attention; the fallout from any perceived relationship with a student is too great a risk, and he has decided to end all speculation that morning. But everything changes when Mr. Haddings feels the thud on his front bumper when he glances away from the road and finds Sarah in the street with blood pooling beneath her.

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book.  I was reminded of my senior year in high school. We had a student intern come to our school.  All of the students liked him.  He crossed the line when he invited students to come to his apartment.  He was trying to be friendly and let them see what college life was like.  There was one girl who was infatuated with him the way Sarah was with Mr. Haddings. It almost cost him his internship. He was lucky. The parents had already talked to him about their daughter’s infatuation with him.  He did everything he could to avoid her and never be alone with her.  Unfortunately she showed up at his apartment with a few other students and a rumor got started.  It was completely unclear how much Haddings made clear his feelings for Sarah.  I felt from his writing he definitely liked her.  However, I am not sure if a lot of it was from guilt. Having someone injured to the point that you have to help them recover is tough.  So many friends leave because they really don’t know what to say.  I found this book to be so realistic and true to life in so many ways.  The anger felt by everyone in the family, even when they tried to deny there was anger was spot on.  I have to mention the father’s faith.  He was shocked by how angry he felt when he met Haddings.  Most people believe that having faith means you never get angry. For me seeing the father react was what really made this feel so real.  Families try to pretend things are one way and then they try to hide feelings only to lose control at some point.  There were so many ways to connect to this book.  My cousin was involved in a terrible accident, the night she got engaged. When she finally regained consciousness a few weeks later, she overheard her fiancé make a comment that he could never marry a retard or someone who looked like a monster.  Luke reminded me of him in his inability to hold his tongue.  I think that teens can definitely benefit from reading this book.  I think it would be of benefit for teachers to read this as well.

I am careful every day how I speak to my students because I never want to put myself in the position that we find so any teachers in.  This was an excellent book and one I will gladly share with my students.

About Lorie Ann Grover: 

Lorie Ann Grover is a co-founder of the influential site readergirlz, where she is a visible advocate for teen literacy and activism. In addition, she is the author of four acclaimed novels: Firstborn, Hold Me Tight, a VOYA pick; On Pointe, a Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of the Year; and Loose Threads, a Booklist Top 10 Youth First Novel and a 2003 Washington state Book Award Finalist. Lorie Ann lives in Washington State with her husband. Read more at www.lorieanngrover.com

Hunger For Atlantis by Pandora

Genre: Adult, Realistic Fiction

Source: I was gifted a copy. The opinions expressed here are my own.

From Goodreads

“Hunger For Atlantis” is simply: The Individual’s Struggle Against Authority. 

Danicka, the owner of a kindergarten, bans toys and inspires preschool children to work, but is she a dictator or a liberator? Stanzie inherits a billion-dollar empire. Armed with a ‘progressive’ education, will she save the Company from disaster, or will she pave the way with good intentions?

The younger generation is clashing against the older . . . colleges and schools are self-destructing . . . teachers and professors are fighting for survival . . . wireless electricity threatens to change the world in the new Age of Atoms . ..

My Thoughts:

I’d like to say I loved this book but I didn’t, but I also didn’t hate it.  In the beginning Stanzie came across to me as a very dumb woman who had married a man only for what he could give her financially.  When her husband dies suddenly and she is put in charge of his company that has always been run by “the good ol’ boys” standard. She lets them know that she may not know as much as they do, but she will learn.  I loved her pairing the opposite sides of the education issue.  Although I would not go so far to believe that we should get rid of higher education, after all I am a teacher, I believe that we need to stop spoon feeding our students a watered down education.   I thought it funny that Stanzie hired a former chicken farmer/editor of his magazine to run the opposite side of the publishing campaign.  I felt a lot of things were repeated.  My only pet peeve was the constant use of “expectorated in an officious manner, coughing politely.” I don’t really know why that phrase grated on me so much.   Over all it was an okay book.

Dark Digital Sky by Carac Allison

Genre: Adult, Technological Mystery
Source: I received a copy to help facilitate my review. What follows is my honest review.

From Goodreads:

LA Private Investigator Chalk is hired to find three adult sons a Hollywood mogul fathered through a sperm bank many years before. United, the three half brothers discover they share a desire to be warriors. They plan a heist to prove they are worthy of enlisting with a paramilitary leader who has taken both a name and a mad inspiration from Kubrick’s dark satire Dr. Strangelove. General Ripper’s forces begin by robbing pharmaceutical warehouses and then mailing the stolen prescription drugs to America’s veterans. They escalate to kidnapping video game designers and broadcasting their deaths. The ensuing chaos builds toward a culminating drone attack that will forever prove Ripper's warning that graphics have made warriors terrorists.

My Thoughts:             

There were several things I found intriguing throughout this book.  First of all is the fact that Chalk had tattoos of book covers on his body and went about explaining their meanings. The second thing was that at times, with all of the technology and how much he used it to help himself or just to know what was going on, made me feel like I was reading an episode of A Person of Interest. I didn’t always understand all of the technology.  The reader is given the feel of a detective along the lines of Mike Hammer using modern or futuristic technology to make this an interesting read.  There are many people I am sure that have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.  It was enjoyable but not my cup of tea.  I am sure that the author definitely will have a following. As I said the book , and its story line were well written just not a genre I enjoyed as much as others I have read. I will recommend it to those I know enjoy this type of novel.

The Flip by Michael Phillip Cash

Genre: Adult, Horror, Ghosts

Source: I received a copy to help facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

This is the first book I have read by this author.  I am so glad that I was offered the book for review.  I might never have found him.  As a middle school teacher I often have trouble finding adult books that I enjoy.  This is definitely an author whose books I will enjoy reading and recommending.

If you are like me and love a good ghost story then this is definitely the book for you.  It mixes the past and the present.  Brad and Julie flip houses.  When they find the Hemmings House on Bedlam Street, they figure this Victorian house would be the perfect project.  Brad feels something is not quite right the minute he enters the basement.  He wants to flip the house and sell it.  Julie on the other hand has fallen in love with this run down property.  She wants to keep it and turn it into a bed and breakfast. 

The other inhabitants in the house, Gerald and Tess have other plans.  Tess has design on Brad.  She wants him even if it means she has to get rid of Julie.  Sentinels in the house keep this from happening. With all of the strange happenings Julie now wants to sell the house.  It will take a lot of money to fix it up to sell.  She and Brad find a lot of valuable items left behind by the previous people.  What else does this house hold besides, ghosts, valuable possessions and secrets?  You really must read this book to find out.  This is not your bloody, gory type of horror book.  It is just creepy enough to keep you sitting on the edge of your seat turning the pages until you have finished.  

The Buried Children - Daniel Farcas

Genre:  Adult, Memoir
Source: I received a copy to help facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

If you like reading about the hardships faced by others from different countries then you migh like this book.  If you enjoy reading about someone's life then you mike like this book.  This is not a feel good book.  Danile Farcas was one of many children who grew up in an orphanage in Bucharest, Romania.
During Nicolae Ceausescu's reign he created a law that made it a criminal offense to get an abortion or to use contraceptives.  He was trying to increase the communist population.  Unfortunately the effect of this was women having babies they did not want and leaving them in an orphanage. Most times they were not wanted there either. They were abused, neglected and nameless.  For many the only names they carried were the nicknames they were given like Scabby, Burned, or Horse.  Daniel managed to escape from the celar of the orphanage.  He ended up living in the sewers under the cities with many other boys.  Finally, he is assisted in reaching America where he hoped to see a change in his life.

This is not easy to read.  Is is open and raw.  American children are for the most part blessed to live in the circumstances they live in.  This is a good book

The Reaper's Daughter Book Cover Reveal

The Reaper's Daughter by KM Randall

Publisher: Booktrope

Expected Publication: February 15, 2015

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

I’ve always felt like an average girl . . . except for my strange relationship with death. You could say I like to court it. Whether I’m soaring through the air as a flyer for Specter University’s cheer squad, or speeding down the steepest mountain with only grace and balance keeping me from an icy end, I’ve always needed to feel a rush. But now Death is courting me―in more ways than one. First, there’s Rishi, a rogue death deity who has a penchant for annoying me nearly to my grave and whose intense gaze has the power to see right through me. Then there’s Hades, who I’d rather had stayed just a myth. Now that he knows I exist, he’s never going to leave me alone until he can do the same to me as he’s done to my mother. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention her? I spent my whole life thinking she had died when I was a baby, but now I’ve found out she’s much more than dead. Fifty years ago, Hades banished my mother from the underworld and along with the Council of Death Deities, took away her ability to cross over souls―souls that have wandered lost through the world ever since. Now she wants me to clean up the mess. You may have heard of her before: they call her the Grim Reaper. You know what that makes me? The Reaper’s Daughter.

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About the Author

As a girl, K.M. always wished she’d suddenly come into magical powers or cross over into a Faerie circle. Although that has yet to happen, she instead lives vicariously through the characters she creates in writing fantasy and delving into the paranormal. When K.M. is not busy writing her next novel, she is the editor-in-chief of a blog covering the media industry, as well as an editor with Booktrope Publishing. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree in English-Lit from Nazareth College of Rochester. K.M. lives in Upstate New York’s Finger Lakes region with her husband and her extremely energetic little boy.