Review: The Ancient One

Book: The Ancient One

Author: T. A. Barron

Kate discovers a whole new world when she visits her sprightly Great-Aunt Melanie in her Blade, Oregon country cabin. Aunt Melanie has an inspiring love for the forgotten Hamali tribe of Native Americans, who lived in a crater near Blade over 500 years ago. However, the past is in danger of being erased when loggers discover a lush forest in the Lost Crater, and start clear-cutting it.

Kate’s life becomes a race against time as she accidentally gets teleported back 500 years through a time tunnel inside the most magnificent tree of all, the Ancient One. With only a magical walking stick as her guide, she luckily befriends a Halami girl, Laioni. Together, they race through the Lost Crater to attempt to destroy the Wicked One, while simultaneously trying to uncover a way to send Kate back into the 20th Century.

This is a truly inspiring book, allowing the reader to experience true nature through Barron’s detailed, descriptive diction. It reawakens the dying flames of human’s need to live in harmony with nature. I would recommend this book to nature lovers, as well as fantasy enthusiasts.

Reviewer: Joanna Tang

Review: Le Morte Darthur

Book: Le Morte Darthur: The Winchester Manuscript

Author: Sir Thomas Malory

Loyalty, justice, mercy, humility, equality, and gallantry are personified in Britain’s most famous hero, King Arthur Pendragon. Le Morte Darthur follows the adventures of him and his knights from his begetting, to the sword in the stone, to the receiving of Excalibur and its sheath, to Sir Tristram and Iseult’s forbidden passion, to the Quest for the Holy Grail. King Arthur’s renowned Knights of the Round Table epitomize courage, strength, and courtesy through their unrelenting quests and battles. But what will happen when Queen Guinevere’s committed treason is placed in the spotlight for all to see?

This particular version of Le Morte d’Arthur is one of the earliest manuscripts of the story. It contains some missing pages, but definitely puts some well-known Arthurian stories in a new light. I would not recommend this book to someone who has never read Arthurian legends before, but is a must-have for Arthuriad collectors.

Reviewer: Joanna Tang

Review: Son of Neptune

Book: Son of Neptune

Author: Rick Riordan

Son of Neptune is a sequel to the popular book series Percy Jackson. It is about Percy Jackson who wakes up with no memory what so ever. The Greek Gods exist and Percy is a demigod son of Neptune. His enemies do not die and the god of death, Thanatos is imprisoned. Percy then has to work together with his fellow demigods, Hazel and Frank to free death and to allow their enemies to die once more.

The book is an interesting and an exciting tale. However it is recommended to read the Percy Jackson series and the book before this The Lost Hero to get an idea of the setting which the book takes place in. The book really sucks the reader in. While the book is not very challenging to read it is a good book to read if the reader is bored or simply desires to read.

Reviewer: Anonymous

Review: Shogun

Book: Shogun

Author: James Clavell

Shogun by James Clavell is a book about the journey of an Englishman in Japan. The story starts of with John Blackthrone, an English trader getting shipwrecked of the coast of Japan. Blackthrone is then thrust into Japanese culture and a troubling time for Japan. Japan is almost at the point of civil war between two powerful daimyo or lords of Japan. Blackthrone is then used by one of the daimyo to gain an upper hand against the other.

This book is a good book. However it is very long almost one thousand pages long. The book has a slow beginning, which might deter people from reading the rest of the book. Even though it is good and interesting I highly suggest only reading this book if you are going to persevere through the more then one thousand pages.

Reviewer: Anonymous

Review: Catalyst

Book: Catalyst

Author: Laurie Halse Anderson

Kate Malone is the preacher’s daughter, a cross-country runner and a high achieving, chemistry-loving senior in high school. She is waiting to hear if she got into the only college she applied to: MIT, her deceased mother’s alma mater. However, Kate is rejected, and her life drastically changes. Teri Litch, a girl who used to bully Kate in elementary school, and is not liked by anyone, is forced to move into Kate’s house with her little brother, Mikey, because their house was severely damaged by a fire. Kate’s father organizes the community to help rebuild the Litch’s house, and Kate struggles with the fact that she only applied to one college, but she lied to her friends and family that she was admitted into her safety schools. Kate faces troubles with additional pressures from her boyfriend, and the fact that she has an unsupportive father does not help matters.

Written by the award-winning author of Speak, Catalyst is a relatable and realistic story about the pressures of high school, and how friendship can be found in surprising places. This is a moving and often disturbing story that is directed toward all teens. Kate’s story brings to light many pressures that students face, while also leaving readers both content and intrigued. Laurie Halse Anderson’s realistic fiction fans will find that this book is just as captivating as her many others.

Reviewer: Sondrine Bontemps

Review: Extras

Book: Extras

Author: Scott Westerfeld

A few years after Tally Youngblood ended the pretties operation, the world has completely changed. Fame is everything, and people try anything to increase their reputation. They show off their newest gadgets, spread gossip, or even have extreme plastic surgery to gain attention. As the 451,369th most famous person in the city, Aya Fuse is an extra: a total loser. When she meets a secretive clique known as the Sly Girls, she is determined to expose them. She is sure that the story of the Sly Girls will make her famous. However, the story escalates and brings Aya into a dangerous world she is not prepared for.

This book was a fast-paced one with a good storyline. A few characters were a bit underdeveloped, but the overall reading experience was enjoyable. It’s a good book for people who like science fiction or people who enjoyed the previous installments in the Uglies series.

Reviewer: Gemma Guo

Review: Specials

Book: Specials

Author: Scott Westerfeld

In a city of the future, there is a world where people, at age 16, go through an operation to turn pretty. “Uglies,” teens who have not undergone the operation, are separated from the “Pretties” by a river. Though the Pretties seem to have everything, they actually have damage done to their brains in the operation. The government places lesions into their heads in order to keep everyone under control. There are a few Uglies, however, who defy the system. They decide that they do not want to be “pretty.” Tally Youngblood is a Special, designed to keep such Uglies under control, in order to prevent the human race from warring and destroying the world. Tally loves being Special, with specially engineered muscles and bones that make her a human fighting machine. However, a small part of her still holds onto her former pretty self. The choice between her old life and her new one will change her life – and maybe even her world.

Specials is a great book overall. Some sections were a bit slow, but Tally was a strong character who kept the story going. The book was extremely difficult to put down, and is most certainly worth reading.

Reviewer: Gemma Guo