How To Be a Teenager

Hello!

Let me get things straight. This blog post isn't about an amazing brand new book which will solve your life forever called ' How To Be a Teenager'. However if they ever do write one you will all be the first to know. No, I thought I'd be the voice of teenageness today and share with you some of my experiences with teenage hood. If you are no longer a teen and want to erase that part of your memory or if you are reading this blissfully unaware of the 'HORROR' that is in store for you, then I apologise for my next few paragraphs.

Okay what so I talk about first...

Mmmm.

Oh I know - girls and appearance.

1. So, as you may not know, I attend an all-girls school. I really enjoy it at my school, we can all talk openly about ' girl stuff' without the fear that boys will hear us, my friends can take their headscarves off at prom and best of all we can learn better in class because girls are *cough*smarter than boys. But there are some negative things about being in an all-girls school. Firstly instead of real boys most of my friends fantasise over celebrities like Zayn, Harry, Louis, Liam and Niall. Trust me after the 17th story about how your friend "had an argument on Twitter with some girl who claimed to be Zayn Malik's wife", you want to shoot them.

Next, there is just the constant bitching. And I mean constant. Imagine a bunch of cut throat fashion journalists all gathered around a table talking about a girl wearing double denim with bright white sneakers and a back to front top with the label sticking out. Now times that by about five and multiply that by EVERYDAY LUNCHTIME!

2. You have to look good. I mean all the time. It’s not like when you're 7, 8,9,10 and you don't know that people even look at you let alone judge you. Now being a teenager you are constantly being judged. You have a huge dilemma every Saturday morning about what to wear. During the week at least you have the cover of you school uniform which you have to pretend to hate but secretly think it looks good on you. You find something you like, say a perfectly nice skirt and a red t-shirt; you throw on a pair of purple Converses. You’re unsure about the outfit, you know it’s not your best but you’re going to be late.Cue the parents. They don't even present the 'you’re not going out in that' argument. That would be too easy. Instead they merely suggest that you reconsider what you are wearing. Up to that point you were thinking about changing. Now that they've said that, you can't possible change. You stomp out the front door annoyed and flustered.

Your perfectly nice skirt. All the teens think it’s too long and that you look like a 'geek' but they don't tell you that. They just stare at you. And you just know. Then they stop talking when you walk past to make it really obvious that they were talking about you. Even if a teenager likes it they'll get jealous and not like it as it looks good on you. The older people think it’s to short or to 'figure hugging’, they'll mutter something about 'young people these days'.

You have to be either with fashion or so out of fashion that you're suddenly fashionable. Jeans and t-shirt people like me practically get shunned however someone wearing creepers, jeggings, denim shorts and a fluffy jacket are like totally in. God forbid if you don't like shopping, because then you might as well just be a BOY! Oh but wait, boys have to be fashionable too. Well then you might as well be a hamster. Because hamsters have absolutely no sense of style whatsoever. New Look, Primark, Topshop and H&M are all fashionable stores that you would normally consider shopping in. However have you been in River Island? Hollister? Superdry? Nike? Paul's Boutique? If you say no then do not fear. Me neither.

3.Then you have to be pretty. But not to pretty otherwise jealous girls will not like you. How can you possibly look your best if your face is covered in spots as you puberty has caused excess oils to be produced? If you’re like me spending 20 minutes on your face every day is a pain. You'd rather be catching up on that late piece of homework or like me read. Unfortunately I talk to you about the woes of make-up because I am anti-make up aka I like my own face. However I do know that you don't want to wear too much foundation because then you look like an orange and annoying people come up to you and rub it off with their jumper.

 Also is everyone getting excited about NaNoWriMo???? Well you should be. Starts next week. I know what I'm writing about. Do you?

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin - Book Review

Hi again everyone! Here is the book review as promised quite short today.

The book I'm reviewing today is called 'All These Things I've Done' and it's written by Gabrielle Zevin. All these things I've done ( ATTID) is set in a future New York where chocolate is illegal. Mobile phones with cameras are illegal and pretty much having any type of fun is illegal. In this world of strict laws and rationing, emerges Anya - heir to an infamous criminal family. Orphaned from a young age, Anya has learnt to take care of her relatives without much thought for her own welfare. When Anya is wrongly accused of poisoning her ex-boyfriend the new District Attorney offers her a tough choice: stay away from his son or watch as he destroys what is left of her family. For Anya this should be a simple decision however she has fallen helplessly in love with the DA son, Win.

Part of the cover of All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

With an ending that will make you scream, this modern day mash up of Of Mice and Men and Romeo and Juliet will keep you enthralled throughout. Anya is a truly lovable character - it impossible to not be swept up in this love story. The best thing about Anya is that she is realistic, she doesn't dream about snogging Win or what he'll think of her - she focuses on the here and now and what is important. Perhaps this is her survival instinct kicking in but whatever it is it makes her so likable. I loved the book so much that tomorrow I am passing it on to one of my besties to read!

I thought that All These Things I've Done was a gorgeous story - but maybe I'm biased as I love novels set in the future! I'd recommend it to anyone that liked The Hunger Games, Matched or Bumped. Genuinely I think anyone who can survive a mild helping of loved up language will enjoy this book. Recommended for those age 12+. All These Things I've Done is the first in the Birthright trilogy. Her second book in the trilogy Because It Is My Blood is also now available.

To find out more about the book visit http://gabriellezevin.com/

A little holder...

Hi everyone! How's school going for all my teenage readers? I've been back for nearly three weeks now and everyday I have come back home and fallen straight asleep on the sofa. Year 11 is really taking its toll with an English Speaking CA ( that's controlled assessment for all ye olde folk) , a six hour drama exam, German Speaking CA, Maths retake, Chemistry Exam and oh all the pressure that comes with trying to find a sixth form / college.

However on a positive note, I have recently been made a Prefect - whoop, whoop, cheer, cheer, victory dance!This does mean I had to sacrifice two of my precious five lunchtimes and one break time a week including my librarian duty! I can't even begin to explain the misery that went through me when I was introduced to the prefect lunchtime rota and saw to my horror that Team 10 ( that's my team) were on student services on a Tuesday lunchtime. I literally thought my life was over and it wasn't until I went into the library to quit ( at the time there seemed to be no other option) that my friend, referred to as Stacey, said she would swap lunchtime duty with me!!!!! So as it turns out i now am a librarian on a Thursday and not a Tuesday.

Anyway, the very long-winded point I am trying to make is that because of all these things I haven't had time to write a proper blog post about books. I promise that by the end of the week there will be a new blog post.

For the moment all I can share with you is the news that today I bought 2 brand new books - using a Waterstones gift card I found lurking underneath my passport! They are Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter and , inspired by the excellent T.V series, A Game of Thrones by George R.R Martin.

World Book Night 2013

Okay, so we've all heard of World Book Day! The book fairs you had in primary school where you dress up as you favourite book character ( in my case Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz) and buy books from fold out shelves. But have you have heard of World Book Night? It's World Book Day's stepsister. I must admit I hadn't either until about 2 weeks ago.

So what exactly is it? World Book Night is a celebration of the best books around. Its aim is to encourage those who don't normally read to start reading. Members vote for their favourite books -  you don't have to pick from a list, you just type in your favourite book and nominate it. Then an independent editorial committee picks a selection of books based on these nominations. The books are then printed in there thousands and distributed by volunteers across the country. These volunteers are known as 'givers' and you can apply to be a giver if you are over the age of sixteen. I would love to be a giver next year - obviously!

World Book Night 2013 will be held on April 23rd and you have until August 31st 2012 to vote for your favourite books!

A big thanks goes to World Book Night for supplying me with this image to use in this blog post! www.worldbooknight.org

To find out more about World Book Night please visit www.worldbooknight.org

When I Was Joe By Keren David - Book Review

If you follow me on Twitter ( no excuses) then you may know that recently I've been 'comunitweeting' with Keren David the author of When I Was Joe. From this I  discovered that Lia's Guide to Winning the Lottery is going to be turned into a musical! Its really exciting for me as Lia's Guide to Winning the Lottery is one of my favourite books so I'll definitely be amongst the first to see it.

Anyway this post is titled When I Was Joe book review so i'll begin.

When I Was Joe is a book about a 14 year-old boy. No, it is not a book about a boy who has a sex change and yes someone has actually asked me that at school before. It is a book about a boy who witnesses a violent and  fatal stabbing and confesses to the police. You may have noticed I haven't told you his name this is because it changes twice in the book (and I don't want to confuse you all). The boy and his mother, Nic, have to be put into witness protection.  The boy now becomes Joe.

The book is based on the idea that Joe is very different to who he was before the crime. Before the crime Joe was, to put it lightly, a bit of a lameo. He followed his best friend and clung on to him -which  put a strain on their relationship. As Joe, he cannot have any contact with his best friend and therefore Joe discovers who he really is - however negatively this affects those around him.

I would recommend When I Was Joe to both girls and boys - although the main character is a boy who says girls can't enjoy books with boys as main characters eg. Harry Potter? Its probably best for those aged 11 and over due to the very mild sexual references and the themes explored in this book. It probably ideal for a Year 9 student.

The book had a very clever way of revealing the story behind Joe and the violence he saw. However the plot wasn't perfect. I think the story of 'Claire' was some what under detailed and in a way unrealistic - without giving too much away. It felt like the last third of the book was crammed with lots of activity.

Overall I thought When I was Joe was an excellent book and I can't wait to read Almost True - the next in the series!
For more information about the author and book visit   http://wheniwasjoe.blogspot.co.uk/
 

Much ado about nothing and more...lol really its a Robert Muchamore book signing

Well hasn't it been a long time? No I promise I won't talk about exams anymore. Do you know why? Its the Summer! Oh yeah, oh yeah oh yeah yeah oh yeah ( little victory dance inserted here). The Olympics are here . Our school gave away tickets and my friends got to go and see the Basketball and some paralympic events. So jealous! Mind you I'll be house bound anyway due to the crazy transport systems.

However I am involved in the London 2012 Festival - thank goodness! I have recently been rehearsing The Ripple Effect written by Ursula Rani Sarma. It will be performed at Richmond Theatre this Wednesday...i promise... you can check at http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/atg-project-the-ripple-effect/richmond-theatre/

Anyway , the reason for this post is to notify you about Robert Muchamore's upcoming book signing. The next book in the second Cherub series is called Guardian Angel and is coming out in August along with the graphic novel The Recruit ( 4th of August). So to celebrate these releases Robert Muchamore is holding a book signing tour all around England.

The first signing in the London area is at Forbidden Planet, 179 Shaftebury Ave ,  London WC2H 8JR at 1pm on Saturday 4th August. The graphic novel artist , John Aggs , will also be there.

Shaftebury Avenue is easily accessible by tube (Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square) and bus. I had to walk down Shaftebury Avenue everyday on my way to Work Experience two weeks ago.  If you are here for the Olympics and then you may want to visit the famous Oxford street which is nearby. Obviously you may need to check how you route is effected by the Olympics beforehand whether tourist or not.

If you live in West London like me ,  then it might be easier for you to go to the signing at Waterstones , Unit 59 , Wood Street , The Bentalls Centre , Kingston , KT1 1TR at 3pm on Sunday the 5th of August. Again the signing is with the graphic novel artist , John Aggs.

For more information about Guardian Angel and to read an extract click here:
http://www.cherubcampus.com/book14.html

For more information about The Recruit (the graphic novel) click here:
http://www.cherubcampus.com/bookg1.html

And for more information about the book signings including the other dates and venues visit:
http://www.muchamore.com/events.htm

Unfortunatley I will not be able to attend any of the book signings ( darn it!) so please tell me what the signing was like below in the comments section.

P.S If your thinking about going to the cinema , Spiderman is amazing!

Destined By Aprilynne Pike-Book Review

After a busy week of going to the theatre and settling back into school I have finally managed to finish Destined by Aprilynne Pike this morning.

On Tuesday I was able to watch ‘Noises Off’ which transferred from the Old Vic to the West End. I have to say, I think it one of the funniest things I have ever seen. It is certainly the best play I’ve seen. Being a creative myself, I absolutely could relate to all the characters in the play. If you are thinking about going to the theatre this month you would be mad not to see it. You have to hurry as it finishes on the 30^th June. Anyway my point is that while on the train journey to Waterloo I was able to cram some valued reading time.

 If you follow me on Twitter @TellingitTeen then you will know how often I have tweeted to my friend about the book. In truth I haven’t been 100% loyal to the book I did have to stop reading it halfway through as I had a Maths Unit 2 exam which just about killed me! So without further ado here is the much anticipated Destined book review.

Destined is the fourth book in the Wings series by Aprilynne Pike. If you aren’t familiar with the series let me give you a bit of background info- continue review from beside the picture.

Laurel thinks she is an average human. Until one day strange petal like shapes start to grow on her back. Unsure what they are and struggling to settle in at her new school she doesn’t tell anyone. Eventually she befriends a handsome boy called David, a relationship starts to form and they become boyfriend and girlfriend.  After confiding in David about the strange petal like objects on her back, the two of them do some tests and they discover that Laurel is in fact a plant.

However Laurel is no ordinary plant (surprise, surprise) she is in fact a faerie!  A faerie from a magical city called Avalon, which she left when she was seven, had her memory wiped and placed in the care of a couple who coincidentally cannot have children. The couple live on land that is home to the gateway to Avalon. However this isn’t the end of the book, we read further and discover Tam; a young faerie that was sworn to protect Laurel and who is also madly in love with her. So amidst the danger of trolls and spells that disrupt the lives of the people she loves, a love triangle is formed.

Destined by Aprilynne Pike features with Wings and Wild also by
Aprilynne Pike. Louise Rennison in the background.

After three books we are now able to read the last one in the series. Destined continues directly from Wild and it may be helpful to read the last chapter of Wild before you start this book. A similar style to the other three books is used however apart from the fact that the entire book is written over a 24 hour period. The book is spilt between the point of view of Tam and Laurel however the narration flows effortlessly between the two characters so that you hardly notice the change.  The characters in Destined are very consistent and clear yet I would have liked to have seen more action from Chelsea.

I would recommend this book to those of you who like romance/fantasy novels such as The Iron King by Julie Kagwa. On the book it is recommend to readers over the age of 13 however I think people over the age of 11 would enjoy this book. I would definitely say this book is for girls, the main themes are romance and magic and the cover as you can see is very girly. Similar to most sequels I do always think it is important to have read the other books (Wings, Spells and Wild) before you read Destined as I mentioned earlier the book continues directly from the third book. Overall there were several twists which did keep the reader entertained for the majority of the book.

I regret to say that the book did have a few parts which let it down. The majority of the book was based on one main event and this meant that after a while you felt yourself drifting off. The best way to enjoy this book would be to read it all in one sitting- which is feasible as it only has 300-odd words. Several times I would pick Destined up and feel like I was rereading the same part. Saying this however there were quite a few twists which did add to the depth of the novel. I was pleased to see more involvement of the human characters David and Chelsea however I at times felt their reactions to the situation was unrealistic- particularly Chelsea.

 Maybe I was reading it quickly however I did feel that the ending was rushed however I didn’t think it was predictable. I do feel that is appropriate to add a warning to the readers here. Aprilynne Pike added an extra chapter to the end which I wish I hadn’t read now. It gave a more realistic ending to the story. If you are in any way happy with the ending then I recommend you refrain from reading the last part!

Overall I enjoyed Destined, however I do believe that I preferred the other books in the series much more. Due to the fact that there were a few parts towards the ending which were hard to follow I give Destined 6/10.

Please as always post your comments below and tell me what you thought of the book.

You can view the author’s website here http://www.aprilynnepike.com/

To find more about Noises Off visit http://www.oldvictheatre.com/noises-off-west-end/

To find out more about The Iron King series click here  http://www.juliekagawa.com/books.html

Starters by Lissa Price-Book Review

Hi everyone!

 What is up with the weather in London?!!! Anyway here is my latest review. Today it is of Lissa Price's new book Starters.


Brief outline of story

16-year-old Callie’s world has been turned upside down by the’ Spore Wars’ a deadly virus is released as a weapon to the general public. The young and elderly are vaccinated however the virus spreads too quickly and adults die. This leaves children (Starters) and the elderly (Enders) in charge of the world. New technological advancements mean that you can now live to the ripe old age of 200! In the ruined streets of America, Callie discovers Prime Destinations known as the Body Bank. At the Body Bank, Starters can sell their bodies so that Enders can experience youth again and participate in all kinds of activities. A large sum of cash is available and Callie desperately needs the money to ensure her and her seven-year-old brother, Tyler, have a safe place to sleep at night. However after renting out her body Callie discovers her renter wants more than just to party in Callie’s young body- she intends to murder. Can Callie fight hard enough to gain control of herself and her body?

Starters by Lissa Price photographed with similar books; Bumped and Thumped by Megan McCafferty, Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien and Matched by Ally Condie

I first heard about Starters when I went to the cinema to see The Hunger Games for my friends party (I would totally go and see it, it is AMAZING!) There was a trailer for it and my friend and I both looked at each other and got very excited. So when I saw it in the bookshop 3 weeks ago I practically screamed. I knew I had to buy it and every day when I see it on my bookshelf it makes me smile.

Starters is a post-disaster novel, which after reading it, I would recommend to 13-16 year olds. However it still is fun to read if older. This book has all the qualities of a great novel; romance, friendship, love, adventure and a lot of dramatic action. If you enjoy reading all genres then this book is definitely for you.

I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but this cover is perhaps one of the best I have seen. As you can tell by the picture, it features a girl with a brown eye and one blue eye- this has no relevance to the story itself. When you download the free Starters Book app from the App store or Android Marketplace and point your device at the front, the image comes to life.

Each character you can easily relate to especially Callie, however I would have liked more interaction with her brother and friend Michael. The honesty is this book is very realistic and even though some of the activities that Callie participates in aren’t necessarily 100% good, you cannot help but like and pity her character. My favourite aspect of this book is the contrast between the world Callie lives in and how she deals with it. Some of the events would freak people out, however Callie remains calm throughout. Even though this isn’t perhaps a realistic reactions I think readers accept and admire it.

I think my favourite part in Starters would have to be when Callie ditches her reservations and gets some spunk. She holds a gun to a man’s head and confidently orders him to start talking. When reading this I nearly caught myself yelling ‘Go Callie’!

However there were some down sides to this book. Like most books, the ending didn’t live up to my expectations. I felt it was a bit rushed and not very descriptive. Without giving anything away, there were a few curveballs thrown which made the ending rushed. In addition, Lissa Price introduced a few new characters in quick succession which made it hard to follow the storyline. Another slightly annoying thing is that in Starters there were several sub plots and these were quite vague, for example one involving another teenage girl. These hopefully will be clarified in Lissa’s second book, Enders which is released this winter.

In conclusion, Starters is a great book which has some negative aspects however these can hardly be helped since the book covers so many topics.

To find out more about Lissa Price and Starters visit http://www.lissaprice.com/

World Book Day!

Hi everyone!

Just a short post today as I have a Physics exam tomorrow.

It's the 1st of March which means that it is World Book Day! This is great news for book lovers like me- it's not often that a whole day is dedicated to books and reading. Today across the globe people are celebrating reading and books. I know that in my school an author gave a talk to a group of Year 8's and in many primary schools pupils dress up as their favourite book characters. Today Sophie McKenzie, Malorie Blackman and Charlie Higson were at the Apple Store in Covent Garden.

 To read more about this event visit:
 http://3guysonalondonbus.com/2012/02/see-charlie-higson-malorie-blackman-and-sophie-mckenzie-your-kids-will-love-it/

Happy World Day everyone!

Life as We Knew It by Susan Pfeffer- Book Review

Hello there! Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Here is my latest review for Life as We Knew It published in 2006 by American writer Susan Pfeffer.

Picture this; you’re an average 16 year old girl in Pennsylvania, America. You're behind on your coursework and your mums disappointed because you didn’t get 100% in your maths test. This is the case for Miranda until the Moon is pushed out of its' orbit by a large piece of rock. Suddenly school is cancelled and tsunami's cause most of the land to flood. There no T.V and communication becomes near impossible- and defiantly no BBM!

Miranda , throughout this brilliant book, is pushed to her extremes as she watches her world around her and her family collapse. The relationships in Life as we knew it were realistic and at times tear jerking. Miranda’s emotional struggle was at the forefront of my mind throughout the story- perhaps this was because it was written like a journal- and this made it hard to put down the book. At times I found myself in fearful of what would happen to her and I would often find myself rereading the same page so that I didn’t have to turn over.

This book could be described as a sci-fi, however the bit of science was simple enough for the average reader to understand. So don’t be put off by the sci-fi label. My one and only negative comment about Life as we know it would be that the ending was slightly disappointing, if you have already read it then you will understand when I say this: a dramatic build-up for a simple solution.

I would recommend this book for those aged 12-16. Younger readers may find it hard to relate to the main character as she talks a lot about her school, social and family life.

Overall I enjoyed this book and I hope the sequel, The Dead and Gone, is as good.

Check out Susans' blog http://susanbethpfeffer.blogspot.com/