Have you ever felt the way that you would do anything for one person in particular to notice you? Especially the one person who you are deeply, madly in love with.
This was the case for Frankie Landau-Banks, in The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart. Frankie spent her entire Freshman year of high school living in the shadow of her older sister Zada. It doesn't help either that the high school that she attends is a snobby boarding school where everyone is concerned with how things were run there years ago. But anyways, I digress.
Suddenly, it is her Sophomore year of high school and many things have changed for Frankie. She went from being an awkward looking preteen to a beautiful young women. But best of all is that her secret crush, Matthew Livingston, has now become her boyfriend. However, when Matthew starts spending more time with the fellow members of a secret society, The Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, and will not till Frankie what it is all about; she comes up with a way to sneak herself into this secret society.
I really enjoyed reading The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks and I think that many teens, like you, will be able to enjoy it as well. It's a fun and pretty easy read that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
It also looks at love and dating in the teenage perspective. This novel shows how sometimes you will do anything to be in a relationship with another person. Sometimes even by losing who you are to please them. Frankie so badly wants to be apart of the secret society that Matt is in that she almost loses her mind to scheme her way into it.
If you are looking for an enjoyable read, I would definitely recommend The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation
I know that when I was in middle school and high school I hated when teachers picked books that it took forever to get into. And back then I would think to myself, "Why did they chose this? Just to torture us?"
Well they choose these books for a reason. The reason is that there is something that they believe in the novel that is worthwhile for the students. Whether it is an important theme or just a good story.
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation is a good book when someone gives it a chance. It is about a black boy who grows up in house full of philosophers and his mother, an African princess, in Pre-Revolutionary War Boston. Octavian has relieved a classical education from the philosophers with which he lives. But little does he know this was all a plan. The philosophers really wanted to see if Black people could learn as well as white people. When Octavian finds out about this, he questions everything in his life. This book looks at the concepts of power, enslavement, and what it really means to be free.
I'm not going to lie to you. This book was not riveting or page turning. Sometimes it was very hard to get through. But once you give it a chance it has a lot to offer and will definitely get you thinking.
I also really enjoyed the history element of this book as well. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing gives you a new and different perspective of American slavery. The way that M.T. Anderson frames the context of slavery gets you thinking on what it really means to be enslaved, both mentally and physically. For you history buffs out there I would check this one out!
My advice to you give The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing a chance. You will not regret it.
Well they choose these books for a reason. The reason is that there is something that they believe in the novel that is worthwhile for the students. Whether it is an important theme or just a good story.
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation is a good book when someone gives it a chance. It is about a black boy who grows up in house full of philosophers and his mother, an African princess, in Pre-Revolutionary War Boston. Octavian has relieved a classical education from the philosophers with which he lives. But little does he know this was all a plan. The philosophers really wanted to see if Black people could learn as well as white people. When Octavian finds out about this, he questions everything in his life. This book looks at the concepts of power, enslavement, and what it really means to be free.
I'm not going to lie to you. This book was not riveting or page turning. Sometimes it was very hard to get through. But once you give it a chance it has a lot to offer and will definitely get you thinking.
I also really enjoyed the history element of this book as well. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing gives you a new and different perspective of American slavery. The way that M.T. Anderson frames the context of slavery gets you thinking on what it really means to be enslaved, both mentally and physically. For you history buffs out there I would check this one out!
My advice to you give The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing a chance. You will not regret it.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Hungry for A Good Book?
Dystopian Literature. When I heard that I was going to be reading a book classified under dystopian literature I was completely thrown off. Dystopian literature is where the vision of society is miserable and conditions are poor. Usually it takes place in the future and includes some kind of technology. I thought, this is something so totally unlike what I would pick up at a bookstore. I usually head for romance titles or just books about normal life situations. So this new genre that I had not heard a lot about completely threw me for a loop. But I guess this was a loop in the right direction.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a novel of dystopian literature about a teenage girl who is thrown into the Hunger Games to save her young sister's life and honor her family. The Hunger Games is an event led by the government where two participants from each district competes against each other. The last one living is the winner. The Hunger Games includes elements of suspense, humor, and romance to keep the reader engaged.
One element that I really liked about The Hunger Games is the satire on governmental policies. It shows how sometimes governments manipulate their power and the effects it has on the citizens who live there. I know as a teen sometimes you can feel powerless compared to mightiness of the government. This would be a good book to check out if you feel that way. It shows how sometimes you can outsmart them.
I really enjoyed reading The Hunger Games. Even though the writing is pretty basic and not so "beautiful" the story is exciting and riveting. You can really get into how the main characters are feeling. If you have a free chance check out Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a novel of dystopian literature about a teenage girl who is thrown into the Hunger Games to save her young sister's life and honor her family. The Hunger Games is an event led by the government where two participants from each district competes against each other. The last one living is the winner. The Hunger Games includes elements of suspense, humor, and romance to keep the reader engaged.
One element that I really liked about The Hunger Games is the satire on governmental policies. It shows how sometimes governments manipulate their power and the effects it has on the citizens who live there. I know as a teen sometimes you can feel powerless compared to mightiness of the government. This would be a good book to check out if you feel that way. It shows how sometimes you can outsmart them.
I really enjoyed reading The Hunger Games. Even though the writing is pretty basic and not so "beautiful" the story is exciting and riveting. You can really get into how the main characters are feeling. If you have a free chance check out Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games.
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