Monday, March 30, 2009

Another Contest

Do you want to win all these books?
Samira Hodges, debut author of Milestones (check out her website HERE) has asked me to help her host a contest. She is willing to give away all of those books in exchange for an answer to a quick question.
The details are as follows:
WHAT to Win:
1- When it Happens (Susane Colasanti)
2- Speak (Laurie Halse Anderson)
3- How to ditch your Fairy (Justine Larbalestier)
4- Lock and Key (Sarah Dessen)
5- Keeping the Moon (Sarah Dessen)
WHO can Enter:
anyone and everyone. This contest is open to residents anywhere
HOW to Enter:
email Samira Hodges (the links below) with an answer to the following questions:
1. What Samira Hodges should name her new girl puppy (She'll post pictures of her on Friday.) Food names are preferred.
2. A short paragraph of what makes you unique and why you want the books
WHERE to Enter:
email Samira Hodges at
with your entry
WHERE the winner will be announced:
the winner will be announced right here on my blog
WHEN the winner will be announced:
This Friday (April 3)
WHEN the contest Opens:
this contest starts today (March 30th)
WHEN the contest Closes:
the contest will close this Friday (April 3)
Ok that's it. So enter and enjoy. I'll let you know the winner once I hear from Ms.Hodges.
Thanks so much.
-Jill

Sunday, March 29, 2009

In My Mailbox (3)

I had a pretty slow week this time but I'm sort of OK with that because I need to catch up on all the books I got last week. So in a way only getting two books is a blessing in disguise.



1. Cold Hands, Warm Heart
By: Jill Wolfson
Release Date: March 31, 2009
Dani was born with her heart on the wrong side of her body. In her fifteen years of life, she’s had more doctor’s appointments, X-rays, and tests, and eaten more green hospital Jell-O than she cares to think about. Fourteen-year-old Amanda is a competitive gymnast, her body a small package of sleek muscles, in perfect health. The two girls don’t know each other, don’t go to the same school, don’t have any friends in common. But their lives are about to collide. (summary from Amazon)
*this is my second copy of this book which means I'll be giving it away so look out for a contest soon*
(no cover available)
2.Secrets of Truth and Beauty
By: Megan Frazer
Release Date: July 7, 2009
When Dara Cohen was little, she was a bright, shiny star. She was the cutest seven-year-old who ever sang Ella Fitzgerald, and it was no wonder she was crowned Little Miss Maine.That was then. Now Dara's seventeen and she's not so little anymore. So not little, that when her classmates find out about her illustrious resume, their jaws drop. That's just one of her many problems. Another is that her control-freak mom won't get off her case about anything. Yet the one that hurts the most is the family secret: Dara has an older sister her parents tried to erase from their lives. When a disastrously misinterpreted English project lands her in the counselor's office--and her parents pull her out of school to save face--Dara realizes she has a decision to make. She can keep following the rules and being misunderstood, or she can finally reach out to the sister she's never met--a sister who lives on a collective goat farm in Massachusetts. Dara chooses B. What follows is a summer of revelations, some heartbreaking, some joyous; of friendship, romance, a local beauty pageant; and choices. And as autumn approaches, Dara finds she may have to let go of everything she's taken for granted in order to figure out who she really is, and what family really means. (summary from Amazon)
What do you think?
-Jill

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Bad Girls Don't Die

By: Katie Alender

Summary:
Alexis thought she led a typically dysfunctional high school existence. Dysfunctional like her parents' marriage; her doll-crazy twelve-year-old sister, Kasey; and even her own anti-social, anti-cheerleader attitude. When a family fight results in some tearful sisterly bonding, Alexis realizes that her life is creeping from dysfunction into danger. Kasey is acting stranger than ever: her blue eyes go green sometimes; she uses old-fashioned language; and she even loses track of chunks of time, claiming to know nothing about her strange behavior. Their old house is changing, too. Doors open and close by themselves; water boils on the unlit stove; and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough to see their breath in. Alexis wants to think that it's all in her head, but soon, what she liked to think of as silly parlor tricks are becoming life-threatening--to her, her family, and to her budding relationship with the class president. Alexis knows she's the only person who can stop Kasey -- but what if that green-eyed girl isn't even Kasey anymore? (from Amazon)

Review:
Character Development:
10/10
Originality:
10/10
Overall Enjoyment:
10/10
Ending:
10/10
Voice:
10/10
Recommendation:
10/10
Total Score: 60

Grade: A+

Rating:
Cussing:
1/10
Drugs, Alcohol, Etc.:
1/10
Sexual Content:
1/10
This book deserves and extra category---

Completely frightening stuff that can make you jump and will scare you so much you check under the bed and in the closet before you sleep but it doesn’t matter because the book is so good no matter what you do you CANT. STOP. READING.:10/10
Aimed at: 13 and up

Other:
# of pages:
352pg.

Written in:
first person narrative, teen girl
Released on:
April 21, 2009
Tone: chilling, terrifying, and amazing

Pros: Everything about this book links to something else that links to something else which makes the book flow effortlessly

Cons: um…….I can’t think of anything I didn’t like

Written Review:

Can I just start by saying O MY GOSH!!!! This book was so cool and amazing and fantastic and every other word that is the equivalent to Absolutely Positively Great! OK I know I sound totally fake because who could love a book this much but I really did. And why wouldn't I? Like I said above the pages flowed effortlessly. Katie Alender obviously spent a lot of time planning the flow of this book. Every action had a reaction though you didn't necessarily figure it out until the end. The characters took such a definite role that made them seem so real. Their voices were so distinctive and their personalities were developed to the maximum level. The plot was so frightening but at the same time it was filled with humor, romance, mystery, and suspense to make a perfect book. The ending concluded things perfectly. The book foreshadowed enough to keep you wanting more but not enough to spoil the many, many exciting twists. There isn't much more I could say except I completely fell in love with this novel from page one. This book kept me in the novel until the very last page. To prove it I'll tell you I read over 200 pages today. 200 pages when I didn't even have the time to read one page. But this book was so good I made time. 2 minutes while my food reheated. 1minute waiting by the front door to run errands. 4 minutes on the ride to the store. You get the idea. I loved this book. O yea And I don't even like horror novels. The littlest thing can scare me for months. An article in a magazine about someone dying or a trailer for a horror flick all give me nightmares. I'm that easily frightened yet I loved this totally chilling novel. Weird huh? Overall this is a must read for everyone whether you are a scaredy-cat like me or brave enough to face the most dangerous of situations. You need to read this book! So check it out when it releases on April 21st.

O and check back on April 15th to read a guest blog by Katie Alender the amazing author of this superb book.

Thanks

-Jill

And the Winners are...

Just so you know how fair this was I used the random list generator and the random number generator to find my 3 winners. I first used the random number generator by itself but I felt it was being unfair because y'all couldn't pick your place and all your comments were in order so I used the random list first to mix things up.

Now the winners...

-Megan
-Jenna
-TruBlu93

I emailed y'all so just reply back with your address and (hopefully) I'll get it shipped by next week.

Thanks for entering.
There will be another contest real soon.

-Jill

Friday, March 27, 2009

Purge


By: Sarah Darer Littman

Summary:

Janie Ryman hates throwing up. So why does she binge eat and then stick her fingers down her throat several times a day? That’s what the doctors and psychiatrists at Golden Slopes hope to help her discover. But first Janie must survive everyday conflicts between the Barfers and the Starvers, attempts by the head psychiatrist to fish painful memories out of her emotional waters, and shifting friendships and alliances among the kids in the ward.

(from Barnes&Noble)

Review:
Character Development: 6/10
Originality: 8/10
Overall Enjoyment: 7/10
Ending: 5/10
Voice: 8/10
Recommendation: 8/10
Total Score: 42
Grade: B

Rating:
Cussing: 6/10
Drugs, Alcohol, Etc.: 3/10
Sexual Content: 4/10
Aimed at: 13 and up

Other:

# of pages: 228pg.
Written in: first person narrative, teen girl
Released on: April 1, 2009

Tone: emotional, serious, and informative
Pros: Good voice and very informative
Cons: More informative then intriguing

Written Review:

I overall liked this book. The characters were developed well but for some reason I never really connected with anyone but Janie. I totally went into this book expecting a heart wrenching novel about the struggles a person with bulimia has. I did see the struggles but I was never really caught up in this book and sympathizing with all of these characters because this book seemed more informative them personal at some times. The voice in this book was written very eloquently. The ending bugged me a little because everything seemed to end too perfectly with no consequences after Janie left the treatment center. I liked how each chapter began with a journal entry. It was a nice way to see inside Janie’s recovery. The novel was paced perfectly in my opinion. Her recovery was filled with baby steps forward and a few steps back but once she came to terms with the “Wedding Incident”(which I felt the author dragged out a little too long) and opened herself up to the idea of recovery the path was much easier. I liked how you not only saw Janie struggle with her problem but you saw the people with anorexia struggle to face their problems as well. You also got to see the family relationships and other stressful problems the patients faced that you could infer brought on their eating disorders. It was a very serious and real topic that few authors can handle as gracefully as Sarah Darer Littman did. Overall this book is serious, informing, and emotional with just the right amount of humor. I pray for anyone who struggles daily with an eating disorder as I now have a much stronger view of the pains they face. Thank you.

-Jill

Thursday, March 26, 2009

The Contest is Officially Closed

Hey everybody!
The contest for Wherever Nina Lies is officially CLOSED
Hopefully everybody who wanted to enter got a chance to
I should announce the winners very soon
To be specific I will most likely announce them Saturday afternoon when I get back from my track meet.
Thanks to everybody who entered
You really made my first contest a success and I can't thank you enough for that
So thank you
-Jill

Monday, March 23, 2009

Everything is Fine

By: Ann Dee Ellis

Summary:
Stuck at home caring for her severely depressed mother and abandoned by her father, Mazzy has only the day-to-day dramas of her neighborhood to keep her busy. But between flirting with the boy next door and worrying about the fact that she's flat-chested, Mazzy has to face the fact that her mom is emotionally paralyzed by a family tragedy. As readers delve into the story, they'll eventually discover what it was that tore Mazzy's family apart, and they'll see what it takes to put it back together. Despite its serious subject matter, Mazzy brings humor to the trying age of adolescence and gives readers just the kind of awkward, troubled, and endearing character they will gladly embrace. (from Amazon)

Review:
Character Development: 5/10
Originality: 6/10
Overall Enjoyment: 5/10
Ending: 5/10
Voice: 8/10
Recommendation: 7/10
Total Score: 36
Grade: B

Rating:
Cussing: 1/10
Drugs, Alcohol, Etc.: 1/10
Sexual Content: 2/10
Aimed at: 13 and up

Other:
# of pages: 154
Written in: first person narrative, preteen girl, verse
Released on: March 3, 2009
Tone: sympathetic, emotional, and hopeful
Pros: great voice and descriptions of Mazzy's thoughts of the world around her
Cons: lack of desctiptions of Mazzy and lack of a truly touching ending that this book deserved

Written Review:
What can I say about Everything is Fine. Everything in this book was....fine. There weren't any definite flaws but I didn't fall in love with this book either. I got a feel for some of the characters but I still felt like I never really knew any of them. I know some people will disagree with me but I personally loved how the book was written. I guess you could call the style verse but I think it was more than that. It was a 10 or 11 year old's thoughts. Not edited or censored or trying to please anyone. They were just there bluntly staring at you leaving you wondering who the heck this self-sufficient, rude, needy, sweet, young girl was. I liked the memories, the plot, and the writing but the book seemed to drag on the mystery of why Mazzy's mom was so depressed and I didn't really like that. It did hint gently through Mazzy's memories but the real reason was so shockingly tragic and horrible it kind of ruined the book for me. I liked the author's voice though. It was so blunt and truthful and real. This book was also really fast paced but it definitely wasn't a light read to me. The ending was good in one way but in another I wanted more. I don't think the conclusion really finished the book but I don't know how it could be changed to be any better either. I loved parts of it, hated some of it, but liked most of it so overall Everything is Fine is a novel worth checking out just don't expect it to top your all time favorites list.

-Jill

My First Award! YAY!

I was so graciously nominated for the Zombie Chicken Award by Kristi of The Story Siren. Thank you so much!
The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken - excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all...

I nominate...
Jenny of Wonderous Reads

Thanks so much Kristi and congratulations to everyone else.
-Jill

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Wherever Nina Lies

By: Nina Weingarten


Summary:

Nina was beautiful, artistic, wild . . . and adored by her younger sister, Ellie. But one day, without any warning, Nina disappeared. Two years later, Ellie can't stop thinking about her sister. Although everyone else has given up hope that Nina will return, Ellie just knows her sister is out there, somewhere. If only Ellie had a clue where to look. And then she gets one, in the form of a mysterious drawing tucked into the pages of a book. Determined to find her sister, Ellie takes off on a crazy, sexy, cross-country road trip with the only person who believes she's got a chance -- her hot, adventurous new crush. Along the way, Ellie finds a few things she wasn't planning on. Like love. Mysteries. Lies. And something far ore shocking -- the truth. (from Amazon)


Review:
Character Development: 8/10
Originality: 7/10
Overall Enjoyment: 9/10
Ending: 6/10
Voice: 6/10
Recommendation: 9/10
Total Score: 45
Grade: A


Rating:
Cussing:
5/10
Drugs, Alcohol, Etc.: 5/10
Sexual Content: 4/10
Aimed at: 13 and up


Other:
# of pages: about 336 pg.
Written in: 1rst person narrative, teen girl
Released on: February 1, 2009
Tone: cute, funny, and surprising
Pros: Great main character and unexpected twists
Cons: some of the characters weren't developed enough or seemed unreal with their actions


Written Review:

I personally loved this novel. It was a great debut and I look forward to more of Lynn Weingarten's future books. This book had just the right amount of mystery, suspense, humor, and romance. The only thing that bugged me was that the clues to find Nina seemed almost effortless to find and uncover. Also the relationship between Ellie and Sean seemed to come too fast to be believable though I fell in love with them anyway. The relationship between Ellie and her mom seemed a little weird also. Ellie's mom just didn't seem to care about where either of her daughters were or whom they were with. I could easily relate to Ellie as most anyone with a sister could which was nice. This book took me a while to get hooked into but once I was into the novel I couldn't put it down. It had a lot of suspense and great feelings. There are pictures of Nina's drawings throughout the book which I assume will only help you to figure out the characters and their secrets but since my copy was an ARC I didn't get to enjoy them. Ellie's emotions were very realistic for each situation. Overall this book was a great debut novel and even though it lacked some plausible points in the story it had the suspense, romance, and humor that every good story needs.


*Make sure to enter my contest that ends on 3/27 to win 1 of 3 copies of Wherever Nina Lies*

-Jill

In My Mailbox (2)

Hi guys I'm back from my trip and ready to review.
I am going to start with something I am way behind on.
My in my mailbox post.
I got these books from the last 2 weeks.
Sorry for the lack of Pictures.
Ok Here we go.

I received all of my books via the mail these last few weeks.

1. Everything is Fine
By: Ann Dee Ellis

2. Purge
By: Sarah Darer Littman

3. Wherever Nina Lies (5 copies)
By: Lynn Weingarten

4. Fix
By: Leslie Margolis

5. Price of Admission
By: Leslie Margolis

6. Gorgeous
By: Rachel Vail

7. Shrinking Violet
By: Danielle Joseph

8. Hot Mess
By: Julie Kraut

9. The ABC's of Kissing Boys
By: Tina Ferraro

10. Skeleton Creek
By: Patrick Carman

11. King of the Screwups
By: K.L. Going

12. A Map of the Known World
By: Lisa Ann Sandell

13. North of Beautiful
By: Justina Chen Headley

14. Going Too Far
By: Jennifer Echols

15. Fairest of Them All
By: Jan Blazanin

I got these 3 today

16. Cold Hands, Warm Heart
By: Jill Wolfson

17. Bad Girls Don't Die
By: Katie Alender

18. Switch
By: Carol Snow

So what do you think?
Reviews of Everything is Fine, Wherever Nina Lies, and Purge are coming soon.
Thanks
-Jill

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Help Please

Hi
If you haven't noticed I have been changing my background like crazy the last 2 days. I just can't seem to find a template that fits so just bear with me. If you would like to help (which I would really appreciate) I put a few templates I like below. To help, just comment below which one you like best and when I get back from Arkansas (I'm leaving in an hour) I'll pick the favorite. This is totally optional though. If no one helps I'll just pick on my own but know that may take a few more changes. Thanks so much!

-Jill

It won't upload right so I'll tell you the numbers
1.Green /Pink/ Blue
2. dots/brown/yellow/green/blue/white
3. dots/lace/flower/brown/white/light green/baby blue
4. argyle/dark purples/yellows/greens/ baby blue
5. multiple patterns/brown/yellow/orange/pink/blue
6. or the layout I have now

1.












2.











3.










4.
http://leelouargyle.blogspot.com/ there's the link for the whole thing if you want to see it since it wouldn't let me save the whole picture




5.


http://leeloufunkyflip.blogspot.com/ there's the link for the whole thing if you want to see it too for the same reason as above






That's all. I'll pick the winner Thursday.
Thanks again.
-Jill

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Its Contest Time !!!

THIS CONTEST IS OFFICIALLY CLOSED. THANKS FOR ENTERING.
-JILL


Hey!

Yes this contest is a day early but I have so many things to do before my trip that I've decided to post it a today. Somehow I don't think it will be that big a problem.

Anyway here are the rules and what I have to give a way and all that good stuff....

Lynn Weingarten and her publiscist have so generously given me 3 extra copies of Wherever Nina Lies to give to all of you!






Here are the rules:

-This contest is open to U.S. residents only (sorry but I can barely afford shipping to the US)

-Each entry should be posted in a separate comment so its easier to be counted for
-Each entry should include your name and email so I can easily contact you if you win

-There are 3 possible ways to enter
-comment below
-become a follower of my blog or continue to follow and let me know in the comments
-promote this contest/my blog by posting about it on another site
and telling me where you posted it in the comments

This contest begins: Today 3/12
This contest ends: Friday 3/27
The 3 winners will be announced on: Saturday 3/28

So enter once, twice, three times
and I'll let you know the results as soon as possible
Thanks so much
-Jill

Spring Break

Hi everybody!
Don't y'all just love Spring!
The smell of rain, the sunny days, the cool nights.
Track meets and baseball games
and perfect weather all day every day
Reading on the hammock
or swingset
or laying down in the grass
But especially that feeling that Summer is so close
That school is almost over
That Spring Break is here
Now
Like Right Now.
Aren't you excited!




I just wanted to let you know that next week is the start of my spring break.
I am going somewhere to relax.
Just me, my family, and my books.
But unfortunatly that somewhere is a place without an internet connection.
Which means no new reviews.
That also means when I come back you should expect at least 3 more reviews.
I am leaving Saturday and I'll come back around Thursday.
Until then,
I wish you hours and hours of happy reading and a very enjoyable Spring!
-Jill

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Interview with C.K. Kelly Martin

This is C.K. Kelly Martin

and these are her books.



The Basics


1. When did you know you wanted to be an author?
I started writing and drawing picture books for myself when I was seven so I guess you could say I knew on some level then. Definitely by my late teens/early twenties I’d realized it was what I wanted to do for a living but I also knew it would take me awhile to get around to. I felt like there were other things I wanted to do first, even though I wasn’t sure what those other things were. After I’d graduated from university and spent several years in Ireland I finally felt ready to dedicate the time and energy required to writing.


2. What’s the best part of being an author?
I think the time you actually spend writing the book in the first place – getting lost in the characters’ world. It’s sort of like being an actor – you get to exist in someone else’s skin for awhile. How many people can say that?


3. What’s the hardest part of being an author?
All the rejection that occurs at various levels of your career. As a writer (or a musician, actor, artist etc.) you’re constantly setting yourself up to be judged. This piece of work you’ve spent so much time on – there are people who are bound to dislike it and that can be difficult to deal with.


4. What’s the most surprising part of being an author?
For me the most surprising thing is the very same thing that you always hope for as an author – that there are readers out there who genuinely care about your characters and their situations and feel a real connection with them. It’s so amazing to hear from readers that a book really meant something to them.


5. *anything else you want to say about being and/or becoming an author*
I saw this movie once where some guy was calling himself a “failed writer” because he’d had fifteen rejections. This was long before I was published and I just had to laugh to myself and think man, I could’ve been a failed writer ages ago! The quality you need most as a writer is persistence – to continually try to improve your work and keep on sending it out to agents and editors.


About the Books


1. What inspired you to write I Know It’s Over?
I’d just finished a trilogy with a female main character and I really wanted to clear that character’s voice from my head by writing about someone very different. The Third Eye Blind song Ten Days Late inspired me to write a short story about pregnancy from the guy’s point of view. When I couldn’t find a market to sell that short story (which was called Happy Families) to I decided to keep going with the story and it became I Know It’s Over. Chapter One of I Know It’s Over is basically the story Happy Families. They both end the exact same way, with Nick and his dad inside the Burger King restroom on Christmas Eve and Nick telling him that Sasha is pregnant.


2. Did you have to do a lot of research for this book?
I’m constantly reading nonfiction materials on teenagers but for this book I also read books, articles etc. on teen pregnancy and hockey. My brother used to be the assistant couch for a team of fifteen year olds and he read through all the hockey related stuff in the book to make sure it was realistic, which was invaluable. From the time I wrote I Know It’s Over to its publication the rules about Plan B (the emergency contraception morning after pill) in Canada (where the book is set) changed so I also had to look through information about that. In theory, current regulations allow for Plan B to be on the shelf with Tylenol or condoms but unfortunately, pharmacists still keep it behind the counter. So the more liberal rules are deceptive – people still have to talk to a pharmacist to get access to Plan B.


3. What is your all time favorite part of I Know It’s Over?
My favourite part is the saddest scene (don’t want to give any of the story away by revealing what that is here but you’ll probably know when you read it) because it’s so raw and private, one of those moments between two people that you don’t normally witness.


4. What was the hardest part to write?
That same scene. It’s not so much that it was difficult to imagine but more that it was so emotionally draining. I felt really worn out after this book.


5. How long did it take you to write and publish this book?
The original draft took about six months, which is how long a book usually takes me if there aren’t any interruptions. That was back in 2003 but my then agent really didn’t like the book and suggested changes that I didn’t agree with. So we parted ways and I continued writing other YA books while searching for a new agent. Altogether it took five and a half years from the book’s completion until it was published.


6.What is your latest project that you’re working on?
Right now I’m working on revisions for my third book, The Lighter Side of Life and Death. The main character’s a sixteen-year-old guy again but the subject matter is a lot less serious. The book’s mostly about his love life. Mason’s had a crush on his best girl friend for years and they fall into bed together one night after a party, which he thinks is one of the best things to ever happen to him. Meanwhile, she thinks it’s a huge mistake and doesn’t even feel comfortable talking to him anymore. Shortly after that he gets secretly involved with a twenty-three year old woman, a friend of the family.


7. What was different about the process in writing and publishing your second book compared to the first?
I already had several books, including the second to be published, finished when I Know It’s Over was picked up by Random House so the process for writing One Lonely Degree (due out on May 26th) was very similar. Because my editor and I had already worked together I had a better idea what to expect of the revision process too. I think there may be a little more anticipation about One Lonely Degree since I already have a book out, which is nice.


8. *anything else you want to say about any of your books*
The paperback version of I Know It’s Over will be out at the end of April with a brand new cover. It’s very different from the original and at first I was kind of disappointed that we couldn’t keep the original cover (which I love) but now I’m excited about the change because it makes I Know It’s Over look like a whole new book. I’m also really excited about One Lonely Degree because it’s such a summer book and after this seemingly endless and crappy winter (this is from the point of view of someone who has been sick for the past five weeks!) I can’t wait for some half-decent weather! We still get some bright days in Toronto during the winter but most of them are pretty cold.


Extra Stuff
5, 4, 3, 2, 1…..


5 of your favorite books
- Emma Who Saved My Life (Wilton Barnhardt)
- Deaf Elephants (William Benton)
- Atonement (Ian McEwan)
- A History of the World in 10 ½ Chapters (Julian Barnes)
- The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)


4 things you can’t live without
- a steady supply of new books to read!
- sunshine (something I didn’t realize until I’d spent a few years living in Ireland)
- white bread (I can’t eat the whole/multigrain stuff that’s popular now)
- a major body of water nearby (in Dublin it was the Irish Sea and here it’s Lake Ontario). I think it would just feel wrong not to be able to hang out near the water when the weather’s fine.


3 things readers probably don’t know about you
- I’m freaked out by sharks so can never watch the Jaws movies. I saw a documentary on the making of the third one years ago and even that gave me a bad dream.
- Dublin and Toronto feel so close together in my head that sometimes it’s surprising to me that I can’t jump on a streetcar in Toronto and end up near Grafton Street in Dublin.
- I’m allergic to practically everything – when I was a kid I sometimes had to stay inside for days at a time during Ragweed season because I’d break out in enormous hives all over.


2 of your favorite YA authors
- E.R. Frank and Joyce Carol Oates


1 other career you probably would have chose if you weren’t an author
- Probably film critic – my degree is actually in Film Studies and I still love movies. My first web page, when I was living in Ireland, was mostly a film review site, something I did just for fun. I also used to do some reviewing for my university newspaper.
_____________________________________________________

I would like to thank Ms.Martin for doing this interview with me and for being so generous and kind. She truly is an amazing author. I am looking forward to reading her new books and you should be too. Thank you.
-Jill

Monday, March 9, 2009

The School for Dangerous Girls




By: Eliot Schrefer

Summary
Angela's parents think she's on the road to ruin because she's dating a "bad boy." After her behavior gets too much for them, they ship her off to Hidden Oak. Isolated and isolating, Hidden Oak promises to rehabilitate "dangerous girls." But as Angela gets drawn in further and further, she discovers that recovery is only on the agenda for the "better" girls. The other girls -- designated as "the purple thread" -- will instead be manipulated to become more and more dangerous . . . and more and more reliant on Hidden Oak's care. (from Amazon)

Review
Character Development: 5/10
Originality: 6/10
Overall Enjoyment: 5/10
Ending: 8/10
Voice: 6/10
Recommendation: 5/10
Total Score: 35
Grade: B

Rating:
Cussing: 8/10
Drugs, Alcohol, Etc.: 7/10
Sexual Content: 1/10
Aimed at: 14 and up

Other:
# of pages: about 341 pg.
Written in: 1rst person narrative, teen girl
Released on: January 1, 2009
Tone: violent, shocking, and dark
Pros: good plot, foreshadowing, and emotion
Cons: unrealistic characters or plot line
Written Review:
I don't really know what to say about this book. It was an interesting idea but that's really all it has going for it. The characters were very impersonal to me but I am a reader who lives for good, relatable characters so I could just be judging this book hard. Obviously Angela had a dark past and we only find out about it through very vague memories she shares with the "Coven" and that really isn't enough to feel any sympathy for her at all and the same goes for the other characters who also lacked "realness" if that makes any sense.
There were too many shocking twists that didn't make sense. I love surprises in books, otherwise they become too predictable, but in The School for Dangerous Girls the surprises just didn't fit. I would give examples but that would spoil the book. Sorry. Also the punishments and teachers were not very believable. I get that the girls are "dangerous" and all but locking someone in a freezer? That seems a little harsh to me. And the teachers just don't care and neither do the parents which also surprises and confuses me because if their goal is to get these students to improve in their behavior shouldn't they take the time to get to know the student and give them opportunities to recover not opportunities to get knocked down again.
Even with all of those negative comments the book was semi-enjoyable. Angela has a clever and sarcastic voice which makes this book a little lighter and easier to read than the cruel idea of teachers treating their students like worthless animals. The plot was exciting, intense, and dramatic. There was a lot of foreshadowing I picked up on later and that was neat.
So overall it wasn't my favorite book but it was entertaining at the most.
-Jill
That was my first negative review and I feel pretty bad about it but it has to be said, right? What do you think?

Monday, March 2, 2009

Sorry

Hey everybody. I just wanted to say sorry for the lack of reviews and such. I haven't had much time to read which really makes me upset. But tomorrow is our first TAKS of the year. And it's a Reading/English TAKS which as y'all probably could figure out is totally my subject. So basically you have 6 hours to sit in one room and take a test that takes 1 hour. When you finish you can't leave. So what do you do with the remaining time? Sit there and read. I am TOTALLY going to use this to my advantage. I am bringing 2 books. I hope I finish at least 1 & 1/2 to make up for my lack of reading lately. Again keep your eyes out for an "In My Mailbox" Post (I know I should stay consistent with one day but I haven't found a day that fits yet) and an interview with C.K. Kelly Martin. Thanks.

-Jill