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"When I get a little money, I buy books; and if anything is left, I buy food and clothes." ~Desiderius Erasmus
The Hunger Games; Book 1
Author: Suzanne Collins Description: When Katniss Everdeen takes the place of her younger sister in a deadly competition where she must fight to the death against other kids, her life is turned upside-down. Facing an evil government, bloodthirsty rival teens, and the ones she loves, she must decide who to trust, and who to kill. The stakes get higher and higher when she realizes that to stay alive, she must kill her crush, Peeta. Our thoughts: We believe that the Hunger Games; Book 1 is a stunning thriller with tons of action, although it has many disturbing scenes which contradict their romance theme. We do classify this as a love story, as well as an adventure/thriller. This hybrid concept makes it stand out from other books. We recommend people to read this book. We rate this 8.5/10. |
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Maximum Ride; Book 1
Author: James Patterson Description: Max Ride and her family have escaped the clutches of an evil band of scientists known as the School. The School has implanted bird genes into their veins during their mother's pregnancy, so that they have wings upon birth. They have been on the run for years and years. When the School kidnaps Angel, the youngest of the family, and brings her to a secret laboratory, Max and her family come to rescue her. When Angel returns with information about their unknown pasts, they dive in over their heads into secrets people would kill for. Our thoughts: Maximum Ride; Book 1, although slow going, is a very interesting book. It has many action scenes, as well as a greatly thought-out back story. We enjoyed this book because of its thrilling and intriguing nature as well as its tendency to reveal plot-twisting catches that draw the reader in. We rate this 9/10. |
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Divergent; Book 1
Author: Veronica Roth Description: Beatrice Prior lives in a future Chicago where everyone is divided into 5 factions. They are Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless, and Erudite. At the age of 16, teens take a test to show what faction they have an aptitude for. They then choose a faction in which they will reside in for the rest of their lives. Beatrice takes the aptitude test. The answers are inconclusive, because she has an aptitude for 3 factions, marking her as divergent. She hides among Dauntless where she is pushed to her physical and mental edge. Can she survive the Dauntless, and the leaders who want to kill her? Our thoughts: We think Divergent is an amazing novel overall. It is inappropriate,however, and not suited for younger teens. Despite its restricted age level, it is a shocking story about a teen who's life defines her and the ones she loves. It became highly confusing for us at Bookworm Info, which we took a disliking to. Divergent, on the bright side, has a perfect balance between detail and action. It also displays high levels of commitment from Veronica Roth. She makes you feel for the characters. By the end of the book, you are tempted to cry at depressing moments and scream with joy from uplifting moments. We rate this 7.9/10. |
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Legend; Book 1
Author: Marie Lu Description: Day is the Republic's most wanted criminal. When his family is infected with a mutated plague virus, he attempts to steal the cure from a hospital facility. The Republic's child prodigy June Iparis is sent to retrieve the cure. Her older brother is murdered in the process, and Day is the prime suspect. But, when June fails to return the cure, she is sent undercover to get the vials from Day. They fall in love, not knowing who the other is. Becoming unintended allies, they uncover valuable government secrets that reveal who is innocent, and who deserves to die. Our Thoughts: We think that Marie Lu has done an excellent job writing this trilogy. It is however, confusing. But other than that, it's awesome. The action is well timed in between detailed plots and backstories. Her imagination soars above what is expected for teen fiction. The whirling romance of two complete opposites is completely breathtaking. We rate this 9/10. |
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Michael Vey; Book 1
Author: Richard Paul Evans Description: Michael Vey was born into a normal family. He leads a seemingly normal life. He goes to school like us. He does homework like us. He goes out with friends like us. But he is not us. He was born with the power to discharge electricity from his body. A sinister man by the name of Hatch is trying to kidnap him and 12 others with powers like him. He knows that if they catch him, it would mean certain death. He collaborates with Taylor, a girl with the ability to manipulate brainwaves, to rescue the others Hatch has imprisoned, including Michael's mother. Our Thoughts: Michael Vey is a novel that keeps the reader with it for hours every day. It does "jump the shark" which gives it that fantasy feel. It's fast-paced and action-filled, but it lacks in detail and has very little explanation of the plot. It does, early in the book, displays clearly the real life of a teenager (We know this from experience), as well as the troubles of being a parent, which gave real connections to the reader. We rate this 7.5/10. |
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39 Clues; Book 1
Author: Rick Riordan Description: Amy and Dan Cahill don't think they're much of a big deal. They're orphans living with an overprotective aunt and a really cool grandmother, whose just died. At her funeral, the twins discover they are descendants of the most powerful family on Earth! Then, they are sent on a mysterious hunt that, if they win, they will become the most powerful people on the planet. Our Thoughts: 39 Clues; Book 1 is a short but enthralling novelette. The details lack, but is made up in the later books. The whole concept is a bit cheesy and unrealistic. This book has a lot of action which is the one part that takes up much of the space in the book. Unfortunately, this doesn't have the same awesomeness as some of his other works. We rate this 7/10. |
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The Lightning Thief; Book 1
Author: Rick Riordan Description: Percy Jackson is your average Brooklyn school kid. Until his pre-algebra teacher turns into a mythological demon and attempts to kill him. He is sent to a camp for children like him, demigods, called Half-Blood Hill. His mother is kidnapped by a minotaur on the way. Go figure. After many more surprises, he embarks on a quest to save his mother from the god of Hell, find his father, the god of the seas, and ultimately save the world. Our Thoughts: Rick Riordan has excelled in writing this series. The characters are well explained as well as the plot. You do need some background knowledge of ancient Greek mythology, which could be a problem for some readers. The characters don't really connect to the reader and the only scene where high emotions were displayed was when Percy's mom gets kidnapped. We rate this 8/10. |
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I am Number Four; Book 1
Author: Pittacus Lore Description: John Smith is actually an alien, hiding from evil mercenaries trying to kill him. He needs to survive, and find the others of his kind. The alien mercenaries must kill John's kind in order. Number One was gored in Malaysia, Number Two shot in England, Number Three stabbed in Kenya. John is Number Four. He is next. Our Thoughts: Pittacus Lore is an amazing author. This series flew by our expectations with flying colors. We were awestruck by its heart-pacing action scenes perfectly in balance with the sweet love of John and the humans around him. It is very explicit, however, and is gory, bloody, and disgusting at times. We do not recommend this to our younger readers. |
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