Exciting Times

Hi there readers!

Drum roll please - I have some exciting news to announce. Well, okay it’s exciting for me. Do you remember a blog post I did last year about World Book Night? It’s an organisation which promotes reading, like World Book Day, but slightly cooler. Do you remember now? No.

Here’s a brief description;

·         The public votes for their favourite book of the year.

·         Really crazy book-lovers apply to be a ‘giver'.

·         These givers select a book that they’d like to hand out ( from the top 20 books)

·         On the 23^rd of April, across the country, hundreds of book-lovers will be handing out their selected book.

So, the exciting news that I’d like to share with you is that I have been selected to be a World Book Night giver! Whoop, whoop. The idea of introducing people to reading is one that makes me positively ecstatic. It’s strange to imagine a life which doesn’t involve reading – I’m lucky enough to have been introduced to books at a young age.

The books that have been nominated of the top 20 books this year are;

                                                                                    

1. Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman
2. Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
3. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
4. Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
5. The White Queen by Philippa Gregory
6. A Little History of the World by E.H Gombrich
7. Little Face by Sophie Hannah
8. Damage by Josephine Hart
9. The Island by Victoria Hislop
10. Red Dust Road by Jackie Kay
11. Last Night Another Soldier... by Andy McNab
12. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
13. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
14. The Reader by Bernard Schlink
15. No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
16. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
17. The Road Home by Rose Tremain
18. Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson
19. Judge Dredd: The Dark Judges by John Wagner
20. The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry  

 

Can you guess which book I’ll be giving out? Considering that she’s one of my favourite authors, I had the pleasure to meet and interview her when I was younger and she’s made me laugh and cry the decision was and easy one for me. It is of course Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman.

I chose this book because the book is so transferrable. I literally think that anyone can read it, young, old, male or female. I believe that I could hand the book to anyone and they’d enjoy it. Malorie Blackman’s message in Noughts and Crosses is so clear anyone can understand and relate to it. It’s practically a classic.

So in conclusion, I’ll be giving away books. For one amazing night. That’s what I like to call, The Best Night Out Ever.

 

P.S. It is also my birthday tommorrow...just saying.

 

Interview with Sophia Bennett

Hello everyone!

Today I've got a treat for all my readers; an interview with a brilliant YA author. She is one of my favourite authors; I've read all of her books and have written a review of Threads posted here: http://tellingitlikeateen.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/threads-by-sophia-bennett.html

 So without further ado, I’m very pleased to introduce Sophia Bennett *round of applause*.

 

Olivia: Hello Sophia! Welcome to Telling it Like a Teen. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Sophia: Hi Olivia. I'm a writer of books for teens, and I've so far published four books: the Threads series and The Look. My new book, You Don't Know Me, comes out in May.

Olivia: Why do you write YA books instead of adult fiction?

Sophia: Very good question. I think it's because I most passionately consumed books when I was 12-17. That's when I discovered my favourite authors, and writing styles, and what mattered to me about the world. Writing for that age group is very exciting for me, because you are forming the personalities and opinions that will carry you throughout your lives. You're making a few mistakes and working out how to make the world better. It's a stressful time, but so exciting. But having said all that, I don't write YA deliberately. I just write what I like, and that's how it comes out.

Olivia: What is your favourite book (it can't be one of yours:) and who is your favourite author (it can't be you:)?

Sophia: Quite impossible - there are far too many special ones. But I love PG Wodehouse and Dorothy L Sayers. Recently, my favourite books were The Hunger Games and Wolf Hall. I also loved Millions.

Olivia: Who is your favourite and least favourite character from The Look?

 Sophia: My favourite character to write was Tina di Gaggia - but she has my least favourite moral standards. She really would to anything to get a good picture. My favourite character to be would be Jesse, Ava's boyfriend, probably. He's gorgeous, has a great lifestyle by the sea, and he's kind. Also, of course, I love Ted the way she ends up in the book.

Olivia: If you could be a character would you rather be Ted or Ava and why?

Sophia: Hmm. Very tricky and nobody's ever asked me that before. I guess Ted, by the end. But to start with, definitely Ava.

Olivia: In The Look, Ted becomes a popular model while Ava becomes ill, why did you choose to have this contrast?

Sophia: I thought it would make a much more interesting story than 'girl who is obviously beautiful becomes model and has a great life'. I wanted to explore the contrast between one girl discovering her looks and another battling with them. But they both discover great strength and courage inside, so in some ways their journey is the same.

Olivia: I am frequently frustrated when I read a book and find the last 30 pages are a total disappointment. Therefore I was so pleased, when I read The Look - this was not the case. Can you give our readers any tips on how to write successful endings?

 

Sophia: Oh, thank you! What did you particularly like about it? I'm very curious to know. I like endings that are slightly unexpected, but that make perfect sense when you read back over the book. I like it when the 'happiness' of the ending isn't down to the girl getting the boy or vice versa, because we all know that can go wrong soon afterwards. I like it when lots and lots of what seem like loose ends are miraculously caught up, but at the same time it doesn't seem too neat. And I like a feeling of a bubble floating high into the sky, when a character gets the happiness or recognition that he or she has earned.

Olivia: If someone gave you the choice, to either continue being a successful writer or break (successfully) into the fashion industry, which would you choose?

 

Sophia: Blimey! Wow. Well, having tried the writing out, I would say I'd stick with it - because I know the people in the writing world are wonderful and supportive and kind. But I don't hear that so much about the people in the fashion world.

Olivia: Can you see yourself writing a YA novel not centred on fashion?

Sophia:Yup. Just did! Out in May …

 

Olivia: And lastly, can you give us any hints as to what your next book will be about?

Sophia: Four girls love to sing together. But when they're mysteriously entered into a talent show, and get the chance to do well in it, they make a hideous mistake. Suddenly, it's as if the whole internet hates them for what they did, and their friendship is torn apart. How will they cope?

  

Thank you very much Sophia!

 Well I hope everyone enjoyed that. I’m very excited about Sophia’s new book – I’ve always wanted to enter a talent contest.

 
To find out more about Sophia Bennett check out: http://sophiabennett.com/

What to expect from An Unexpected Journey - going from film to book

First up, Happy New Year everybody! To kick start this year off I have posted below a review (ish) of The Hobbit film/book. I strongly recommend that if you haven’t already read the book you do that before you see the film as although the film is based on the book the storylines are quite different. Secondly, sorry for the lateness of this blog post!

The Hobbit

18.30, 3D glasses really starting to annoy me, been in the cinema for 3 hours. Really enjoying it but losing track of the endless dwarves. And those geeks in the front row are really starting to get on my nerves with their Lord of the Rings quotes. Martin Freeman looking at a bird flying off in the distance. Cut to credits. OMG it’s gonna be a trilogy! I have to wait a year to find out what happens to them! Yes, last Saturday I went to see The Hobbit in 3D with something about a higher frame rate. After I left the cinema I felt disappointed, not with the film itself but with the fact that it is a trilogy. The book is only 360 odd pages!

So, wanting to find out the fate of Bilbo and Co, I started reading The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. I have to admit that it has been sitting on my bookshelf ever since my mum bought it for me when I wasn’t into reading – yes that long! Strangely this time I didn’t skip the introduction (a bad habit - don’t do it). The book itself is very descriptive and uses so much imagery that would bring a smile to my English teachers face.

Unfortunately, I have the faces and mannerisms of the actors playing in my mind as I read. While I’m on the topic of characters I’ll say one thing; the characters in The Hobbit (book) are very different to those in the film. For example I’m finding that Gandalf is slightly in the book whereas in the film he is shown as wise and kind. It is interesting to spot these differences as I read the book. I can feel my whole Hobbit world crumbling as I turn each page.  So far I don’t like many of the main characters e.g. Gandalf however in the film I found I loved them. I think it’s strange that my opinion of Gandalf after watching the film and after reading the book for a short while can change.

In terms of storyline, I think the film and the book are on the same page (pun!) but I do think there are slight differences. The film seemed to have made up more details whereas the book is simpler and somewhat faster.  The numerous characters are easier to remember and recognise in the book however in the film some of the characters – particularly the dwarves – get a bit confusing. Yet, in the book I think the story is harder to grasp and follow – strange considering I’m slightly at an advantage having seen the film before reading the book!

I remember reading an article a few weeks ago in preparation for my GCSE English Language Paper about The Lord of the Rings and its visuals. The author expressed feelings of loyalty towards the book and said how films can never be as good as the books that they are based on due to the fact that are imagination is greater than CGI, animation etc. However after watching the film and reading ‘Part 1’ of the book I would have to disagree with him.

I think the films like Narnia, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings/ The Hobbit are easier to understand than the books; the setting is in front of you. For me, by the time I’ve finished reading a long paragraph about X’s bedroom I’ll have forgotten the first half of it! Yet when I see a film I only have to look for a couple of seconds at an image and I’ll remember it. I’m not saying that details are bad I just think it is easier to see the setting then to imagine it. However, many fantasy novels contain items that don’t exist, these items are therefore open to interuptation. These objects e.g. the swords Bilbo and Co. find in a cave I prefer reading about.

I can’t give you an overall view of The Hobbit as I made myself stop reading when I reached the part which corresponds with the end of the film. When The Hobbit Part 2 is released then I’ll read ‘Part 2’ of the book.

Which is better? Even though I have a strong pull towards the book (as it is a book) and I normally say books are better than films, I’d have to say The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was better than ‘Part 1’ of The Hobbit.

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/

An extract from my nanowrimo novel!

Finally I have written a substantial amount to write a blog post! My novel( at the moment) is very short and I must confess I don't think I will get to finish it. However it's the taking part that counts! The book is about a girl and boy who survive a deadly virus, known as the Black Virus, and their life when there are only a couple of thousand people alive on Earth.

Alone

On the first day they showed footage of the dying. On the second day they started to count the number of deaths. By the fifth day they were estimating how many people were still alive. By the seventh day, our T.V wouldn’t turn on.

The virus came in the summer, people were complaining about the heat. Old ladies sat on park benches and fanned themselves. The schools closed and work became voluntary unless you worked in the government or emergency services. The President flew over to talk with the Prime Minister. There were scientific conferences, peer reviews and then there were the rumours.

Rumours spread across the country faster than the virus itself. First it was the pigs. The pigs had caused the Swine flu, hadn’t they? Then maybe they could have caused this virus too. Next it was the African mosquitos. They had already caused millions to die at the hands of malaria. Could they have caused this? Finally the craziest idea of all, aliens. I knew there was no hope for our world when people started to suggest it was true.  The rumour that aliens had somehow sent a poisonous gas to Earth to kill every human and enslave the stupid animals that lived here.

P.S My exams are finally over, now I have loads of controlled assessments to do!

Happy NaNoWriMo!

Hello all,

I hope you are all having a spooktastic Halloween- not! Okay so now I’m older I tend to not get so excited about dressing up as a witch or vampire and asking random strangers for sweets.  My evening is going to be spent revising as next week I have three massive exams! Two science and one maths. Ahhhhh! Panic attack. Luckily for me Halloween marks the end of October and the start of NaNoWriMo ! Brilliant isn’t it? For those of us who don’t shorten every word, NaNoWriMo is simply National Novel Writing Month! Each November, writers from around the world come together to write a novel consisting of 50,000 words. It’s quite a challenge and at first I didn’t think I would be able to do it. However my best friend Fatima, who is the biggest bookworm period, assured me that it was very fun and very, very addicting. So this year I thought I might give it ago and early today, at the eleventh hour, I signed up.  So far I have absolutely no idea what I will write about but any suggestions are welcomed! I will post my progress here and I would recommend that you should give it a go- even if you have loads of exams like me.

If you are interested you can find out more and sign up for National Novel Writing Month here:

http://www.nanowrimo.org/

So Many Detested-Poem

A friend of mine recently wrote a poem about the riots a few weeks ago. I really liked it and (with her permission) have decided to post it here to see what people think about it. It's called So Many Detested. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

So Many Detested

Riots in London breaking out,

Being cool is all they care about,

Faces covered with scarves and hoods,

Booze, money and electrical goods,

Are taken by crazed thugs,

So driven it's like they're on drugs.

Buildings going up in flame,

These hooligans have no shame,

They all communicate by text,

No one knows where they'll head next,

People know the meaning of fear,

When they lose everything they hold dear.

Police brought in to keep looters at bay,

But these rioters look like they're here to stay.

These riots are spreading,

Where will the thugs next are heading?

So many arrested,

So many detested.

Please tell me what you thought of it!

Threads By Sophia Bennett-Book Review

I picked this book up the other day in a charity shop up Chiswick High Road. What drew me to it was the cover. The illustration is by Giles Deacon a British fashion designer.

The book, Threads, follows the story of Nonie and her two best friends Edie (obsessed with her CV and world peace) and Jenny (an actress). When they meet a young girl in fairy wings sketching a dress in the V&A museum they are instantly hooked. Nonie, who has a big interest in fashion and anything to do with it, takes her under her wing. They quickly form a strong friendship and they learn that Crow, the girl's nickname, is a refugee from Uganda and lives with her aunt in a small, smelly apartment. It very quickly becomes clear that, even though Crow struggles with reading and writing, she has amazing talent. Crow draws and designs gorgeous outfits that are up there with all the latest designers. Nonie, Jenny and Edie decide that they should help Crow and soon she is producing and selling dresses and skirts. Customers are practically falling over each other to try and get one of her creations.

This is a well written and creative story of friendship, fashion and passion.  Even if you’re not into fashion you can still enjoy it as much as any other good story. The book is also packed with lots of sub-plots e g Jenny's crush and possible relationship with co-star Joe Yule. What’s more is that £1 from every copy sold is donated to Save the Children.

Have you read this book? If so what did think of it?

Robert Muchamore Book Signing

For those of you who don't know already, I am a massive fan of Robert Muchamore's Cherub book series. Today at Foyles in Charing Cross I was lucky enough to meet him at his London book signing as part of his UK three day tour. I woke up at quarter past seven ready and eager to take the trip to Theatreland to see the author. After travelling on a stuffy tube filled with business men and women for an hour and walking up Charing Cross Road I finally arrived at Foyles, the bookstore. It's embarrassing for me to say, but at first I couldn't see anyone. I walked into the shop expecting to see a huge queue of teens but instead the bookstore was virtually empty. My initial thought was that I had missed it, but that couldn't be right as I had checked three different sources of time and they all said that it was two minutes past ten. My mum and I were circling the shop and I was about to ask a shop assistant where the the signing was, when I heard a woman ask "Are you here for the Robert Muchamore book signing?" Although she wasn't in sight we followed the sound of her voice until we discovered a whole other part of Foyles bookstore where a queue of teens were. Relieved to have finally found the signing, I joined the queue. I was soon approached by a smiley, curly haired woman who explained to me what I needed to do e.g write my name on a post-it-note and stick it in the new book, People's Republic.

While I spoke to the curly haired woman (whose name I never found out) my mum was given the task of picking up a copy of People's Republic. I thought it would be a pretty easy task as I have talked constantly about this signing for weeks. However my mum proved me wrong and returned with a paperback copy of Shadow Wave, the 12th book in the Cherub series! Now my mum isn't stupid, she runs her own business and has an IQ higher than average, but somehow she had managed to miss all the A2 posters with the cover of People's Republic on, the display stall packed with hardback copies of the new book AND the forty plus people each holding a copy of the new book! I gave up trying to explain to her the fact that it is a new book, which means that it is only available in hardback, as I realised that wouldn't mean anything to my mum as she isn't a crazed Cherub fan like me.

The queue moved very quickly and in no time at all we were only a few people away from being at the front. After seeing a very funny poster of Robert in a wig wearing big, pink sunglasses I was reminded that I needed to teach my mum to use the camera on my phone. This sounds pretty hard but unlike most mums, my mum is pretty good with technology . This was the case up until the point when she had to take the picture of Robert and I.  I had spoken with him briefly and he seemed to be a really nice guy, I told him a little bit about my blog and he was happy to sign the extra four books that I had brought along with me from home. He was happy for my mum to take a picture and I gave my mum the phone. She seem pleased with the picture and I left the table picking up a pen, bookmark and badge that they were giving away. When my mum showed me the picture I felt a little disappointed as we weren't even looking at the camera let alone smiling, but I didn't mind as she had made the effort to come all the way into London with me.

Overall the book signing was great and I really enjoyed meeting Robert Muchamore.   I can't wait to start reading his new book and will, of course, be reviewing it here.