The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Available in the Swift Current Library: No
General Topics: Introversion, High School, Sexuality
Rating out of 5: 4 out of 5

Summary: The story is narrated by a teenager named Charlie, who describes various scenes in his life by writing a series of letters to an anonymous friend. The story explores topics such as introversion, teenage sexuality, abuse, and the awkward times of adolescence. The book also touches strongly on drug use and Charlie's experiences with this. As the story progresses, various works of literature and film are referenced and their meanings discussed. The story takes place in a suburb of Pittsburgh during the 1991-1992 school year, when Charlie is a high school freshman. Charlie is the wallflower of the novel. He is an unconventional thinker, and as the story begins he is shy and unpopular.

Good Points: -Thought-provoking
- Interesting characters
- Deep thought
- VERY well written

Bad Points: -None

Overall review: I LOVED this book. It was a book that kept me reading... and reading... and reading! Chbosky is an AMAZING author, and can connect with his readers quite well! I could hardly put the book down!

If you liked this book, also try: N/A

Visit the author's website at: N/A

Carrie

Carrie by Stephen King
FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY.

Available in the Swift Current Library: No

General Topics: Telekenisis, Death, Religion, High School

Rating out of 5: 5 out of 5

Summary: The book uses fictional documents, such as book excerpts, news reports, and hearing transcripts, to frame the story of Carietta "Carrie" White, a 17-year-old girl from Chamberlain, Maine. Carrie's mother, Margaret, a fanatical Christian fundamentalist, has an unstable personality, and over the years has ruled Carrie with repeated threats of damnation, as well as occasional physical abuse. Carrie does not fare much better at school. Her frumpy looks, lack of friends and lack of popularity with boys make her the object of ridicule, embarrassment, and public humiliation by her fellow teenage peers.
Carrie gradually discovers her telekinetic powers, which she has apparently possessed since birth, but had not had conscious control over after her infancy, though she remembers several incidents from throughout her life. Carrie practices her powers in secret, developing strength, and also finds that she is somewhat telepathic.

Good Points: -Thought-provoking

- Interesting characters

- Deep thought

- VERY well written

Bad Points: -None

Overall review: I LOVED this book. It was a book that kept me reading... and reading... and reading! Stephen King is an AMAZING author, but is for very mature readers. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book!

If you liked this book, also try: Cell by Stephen King

Visit the author's website at: http://www.stephenking.com/

Cell

Cell by Stephen King

FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY.

Available in the Swift Current Library: Yes


General Topics: Death, Apocalypse, technology


Rating out of 5: 5 out of 5

Summary: Cell is an apocalyptic horror novel published by Stephen King. The plot concerns a New England artist struggling to reunite with his young son after a mysterious signal broadcast over the global cell-phone network turns masses of his fellow humans into zombies.

Good Points: -Thought-provoking
- Interesting characters
- Deep thought

- VERY well written


Bad Points: -None


Overall review: I LOVED this book. It was a book that kept me reading... and reading... and reading! Stephen King is an AMAZING author, but is for very mature readers.



If you liked this book, also try: The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King


Visit the author's website at: http://www.stephenking.com/

Maybe by Brent Runyon

Available in the Swift Current Library: Yes

General Topics: Death, Family, Relationships

Rating out of 5: 3.5 out of 5

Summary: This is a story of Brian, a young man whose home life is haunted by his older brother’s death from drinking and driving. Brian and his parents have moved to a new location, yet they still preserve the older brother’s room. As Brian adjusts to a new high school, he begins to make friends and explores relationships with girls.
Maybe is written as if it were a journal, viewing a small slice of this young man’s life through his eyes. The author effectively relays the day-to-day life of today’s teens, including swearing, drugs, drinking and dating – however, these areas are handled tastefully and realistically. We see how impressionable youth are. For instance, when Brian is asked if he is gay, he begins an inner dialogue of “…am I gay? Do I look like I’m gay?…”
Readers watch Brian discover his inner self while he deals with raging hormones.

Good Points: -Thought-provoking

- Interesting characters

-Realistic view on humans and our society

Bad Points: -Very short

Overall review: I was pleased to see that Brian learns that there can be intimate relationships without tensions and sexual pressures involved. This book will appeal to teens because they won’t feel like they are being lied to with its realistic storyline and use of language that teenagers can relate to.

If you liked this book, also try: The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon

Visit the author's website at: http://www.randomhouse.com/author/results.pperl?authorid=52604

Remembering Raquel

Remembering Raquel by Vivian Vande Velde
Available in the Swift Current Library: Yes
General Topics: Death, Family
Rating out of 5: 4 out of 5

Summary: Ever wonder how will you be remembered by your friends and school mates? Have you made enough of an impression to even be remembered? Remembering Raquel explores these questions and more. Raquel was not a popular girl. She had very few close friends and did not stick out in school by being the smartest, funniest, or dumbest in class. When she dies in a freak accident, her family, friends and classmates give you their impression of how she was viewed by them. She would be surprised at the things some of them said. I bet we all would be surprised by what people say about us.


Good Points: -Thought-provoking
- Interesting characters
-Realistic view on humans and our society


Bad Points: -Very short


Overall review: I actually really liked this book, though it could have been longer. The book made me think about the impression I'm leaving, and whether or not I really care about what others think about me. I reccomend it for deep thinkers.

If you liked this book, also try: Stolen by Vivian Van Velde


Visit the author's website at: http://www.vivianvandevelde.com/

The Dead and the Gone

The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Available in the Swift Current Library: Yes
General Topics: Natural disasters, enviromental, human relationships, survial, family (for more mature youth)
Rating out of 5: 4.5 out of 5

Summary: 17 year old Alex has life set out for him. He has a college picked out, he is on of the top of his class grade list, he has a job and all he wants is to be elected class president of his senior year. But on his way home from work he notices things are just not right. People are sobbing, praying and running on the streets. When he looks up, he sees that the moon is a lot bigger then usual. It is out of orbit. This affects evrything, from volcanoes to tides to amount of sunlight needed to grow food. When subways flood, stores close and his parents don't come home, will Alex be able to keep his two younger sisters alive and at what cost?

Good Points: -Thought-provoking
- Interesting characters
-Realistic view on humans and our society

Bad Points: -Not a very good stand alone book.
- Hard to get into due to the third person perspective

Overall review: This was an excellent book once I got into it. The book starts with a major event (the astroid) and does a hundred or so page decresendo. Although those pages were a struggle, they were important to the book and fundimental to the rest of the story. After I toughed that out, it instantly got better. I read without wanting to put it down.
This book would likely not work as a stand-alone. In order to fully understand the major event of the moon, it would be a good idea to read LIFE AS WE KNEW IT by the same author. That book is the first, so to say, of the series. LIFE AS WE KNEW IT was a first person journal perspective of a small town girl, where as THE DEAD AND THE GONE is a third person perspective of a boy in New York city. The only real simularity they have is the major event, the moon leaving orbit, which is better explained in LIFE AS WE KNEW IT.
The view on human society was well shown and it proved our desperation as a society to survive and how quickly a happy neighborhood can turn into a 'dog-eat-dog'/survival of the fittest jungle. When people are faced with tough times, we do weird things as this story portrays.
If you want a happy ending, then this is not your book. This is a major event, one that can not be solved in a matter of weeks, months or years. But it does provide a glimmer of hope for you to hang on to.

If you liked this book, also try: Life as we Knew it by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Visit the author's website at: http://susanbethpfeffer.blogspot.com/

Freaky Green Eyes

Freaky Green Eyes by Joyce Carol Oates

Available in The Swift Current Library?: Yes
General topics: Family, Arguments, Trust, Betrayal
Rating out of 5: 3.5/5


Summary: Fifteen-year-old Franky Pierson knows that her famous sportscaster father has a bad temper. She also knows that her parents do not get along and that sometimes violence erupts. When her mother moves into a cabin she owns and only visits a few days a week, Franky thinks they just need their own space for a little while. But things seem to get worse and her father's behavior becomes more extreme.

Franky's alter ego, Freaky Green Eyes, is a tough personality that saves her from dangerous and scary situations and is now needed more and more often at home. When her mother disappears, Franky does not want to know what happened. But the truth always seems to have a way of getting out.


Good Points: - The plot was okay
- The characters had at least one realistic quality


Bad Points: - While Franky's denial of her terrible home life is realistic, it goes on for far too long for the patience of readers.
- The plot was predictable
- The characters were very cliche and unrealistic, with few realistic qualities.



Overall Review: While the book looked interesting and wasn't difficult to get into, I found it far too predictable and quick-paced to make a decent novel. Things chugged along above the speed limit, and most things had little connection with others.
I was disappointed.


If you liked this book try: Big Mouth and Ugly Girl


Visit the authors website at: Unavailable At This Time