When this book came out, I really didn't have an interest reading it. When the movie came out, I still didn't have an interest. However, I kept noticing it on reading lists and students mentioned it to me. So I picked it up thinking I'll listen to a chapter or two and decide whether or not to continue. Boy, I was wrong! Right away, I knew I would finish the book. Wade lives in the distant future where everyone is hooked on a virtual reality called the OASIS. The owner, when he died, released a video that announced a contest to find the easter egg hidden in OASIS. Whoever found it would inherit his company and fortune. In order to get the egg, you had to find three keys: copper, jade, and crystal. They would open a gate. Millions of people are searching for the keys including rival company IOI led by Nolan Sorrento. When Wade is the first to find the Copper Key, five years after the announcement, the "Sixers" (IOI searchers) begin targeting him. He befriends the five other people who find the key after him. Will Wade find the egg before Sorrento and the Sixers do? Full of 1980 pop culture and computer/video game history, this was quite an adventure. I highly recommend this to fans of science fiction and video games.
0 Comments
Nic Stone tells the story of Shebi and Andy. Shelbi is a senior at Windward Academy who has no friends and has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Andy is the son of a politician and has a drinking problem. At the beginning of their friendship, Shelbi has Andy sign a contract that includes the clause that he will not fall in love with her. Is their friendship in doom because of their issues or does it make them better people in the end?
This is a heartwarming story. I love their text messages to each other. I highly recommend this book. Ivy lost the student council election to a class clown. She is not looking forward to his victory assembly. So when she sees her old friends Mateo and Cal in the school parking lot, they decide to relive the time they snuck away from a field trip and explored the city on their own. They get into Cal's car and drive off. While in the city, they see another student and decide to follow him only to discover him dead and Ivy is the prime suspect. Can Ivy, Mateo, and Cal solve the case and save Ivy from being framed for murder? McManus does a great job keeping up the suspense. Each one has secrets and suspects are all around them. I recommend this novel to those who have enjoyed McManus's other books as well as Jennifer Barnes, Maureen Johnson, and E. Lockhart novels. Imagine, you are in high school, trying to do your best to earn a scholarship so you can go to college when all of a sudden you are told that a billionaire had named you in his will. You have no idea who this guy is. You never met him, or at least you don't think you did. So you go to the reading of the will only to find out that you have inherited his entire estate and fortune! That is what happened to Avery Grambs. There are stipulations though. In order to fully inherit, she must live in the Hawthorne mansion for a year with the family who was written out of the will, including his four handsome, but unruly grandsons: Grayson, Jameson, Xander, and Nash. Together, they must solve Tobias Hawthorne's riddles to discover family secrets and why Avery became the sole heir of the estate.
Full of twists and turns, this mystery of Avery's inheritance was a very good read. The boys are mischievous but Avery is able to hold her own with them. Fans of Karen McManus and E. Lockhart will enjoy this novel. This book is about crimes such as breaking and entering, burglary, assault, murder, sabotage, and terrorism. The perpetrators are all animals, plants, and trees. Using her humor, Mary Roach investigates how we deal with lawbreakers who are just using their instincts. Animals such as bears, cougars, monkeys, birds, and rats are discussed but also trees, legumes, and other plants are included. This was a fascinating look at nature. Although I found the last two chapters dealing with poisons and extermination was a bit much, this was an interesting read. Roach's humor adds to the book in the right places. I strongly recommend this book to those who enjoy hiking and the outdoors, biology, and the environment. Fanboy is in his sophomore year. He is the first one out in Dodgeball every time in gym class and then he gets hit repeatedly in the shoulder by Mitchell Frampton. At home, his mother and stepfather are getting ready for their new alien - Cal's new brother or sister. His only friend, Cal, is turning into a jock and becoming popular. The only thing he has going for him is that he is writing a graphic novel until he meets Kyra - Goth Girl. His relationship with Goth Girl is a life-changer for him, but Goth Girl has secrets of her own. This was an enjoyable read. Both main characters have their flaws, but that's what makes the novel work. This is a good friendship? story. |
AuthorMr. Andrusyk is a school librarian at IC Catholic Prep in Elmhurst, Illinois. Past Book RecommendationsClick here to view a listing of Mr. Andrusyk's list of favorite authors, series, fiction, and nonfiction. Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
|