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.

Summer is finally here!

After all those long hours spent in exam halls and then the boring last weeks of term where you just sit in class and watch films, then move on to the next lesson and start another one, I am so glad that summer is finally here . Although yesterday the weather was beautiful and you almost couldn't move in the heat, I woke up this morning and was greeted by miserable black clouds and the familiar sound of rain hitting the windows. I find summer a great time to catch up on any books that you haven't read during the year but have wanted to or even to reread some of those excellent books. I love to use summer as an excuse to go to the park and sit under a tree with a good book and a cool ice-cream. But if like in London its raining and miserable and raining at the moment good books are just the thing to take your mind off the weather. Here are some great reads to try out and get you into the Summery mood!

Lock and Key By Sarah Dessen or any of her other books for that matter...

I have just finished reading Lock and Key, which just like her other books, failed to disappoint me. It follows the story of 17 year old Ruby, who, after her mum abandoned her, moved in with her 27 year old sister, Cora, who she hasn't seen for 10 years. The book is great as it shows the change in Ruby's character from a quiet, reserved girl to a mature individual who has friends who adore her. I highly recommend it for anyone who has ever felt a little bit isolated and small.The books are based in America as Sarah Dessen is American,but that still makes them great reads.

Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Wings is the first one in the faerie series by Aprilynne Pike, and a great start. Again it is set in America, like most books these days, and follows the story of Laurel a young girl who has, after years of home schooling, started school for the first time. All seems to be going smoothly when a mysterious lump appears on her back. Laurel and her friend David, a gorgeous science geek who Laurel has a big crush on, experiment on Laurel that Laurel is not an animal but in fact a plant. As the story unfolds we discover that Laurel is a faerie sent into the human world as a young child to inherit land that the fey treasure. The book is filled with trolls, faeries and that all important love triangle. A perfect book to get you into summer.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

If fantasy just isn't your bag then try The Secret Life Of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. set in the 50's and 60's is a story about love, relationships and guilt. The book also covers the issue of segregation in America during the 60's particularly in the southern states. 14-year-old Lily was brought up to believe that when she was four she accidentally shot and killed her mother. Stuck on peach farm with her short-tempered father and only one friend Rosaleen her black servant. When Rosaleen is badly beaten, Lily decides to free her and they travel together. Lily meets three bee-keeping sisters who help her unravel the mystery of her mother and her mothers death. This is an amazing book which will make you feel angry and want to cry, but I truly recommend it.

I hope that you enjoy the books above. Happy Reading!