Into Thin Air is a very exciting and thrilling book. It's the kind of book that keeps you wondering what will happen. Because it is a true story about a reporter going on an expedition to climb Mount Everest, you can't really predict what's going to happen, and you can't assume that everyone will be fine and everything will go as planned. They run into all sorts or physical injuries and natural disasters. If you're the kind of person who likes action books and science fiction, I do not recommend this book. For the main character of a movie on this book, i would want to pick someone that people can take seriously, but with a sense of passion, so i chose Matt Damion. The start of the movie would look something like a documentary, interviewing everyone and the main character saying what he's about to accomplish. As it went back and forth between the main character and the expedition he was about to do, someone would be explaining the dangers and history behind Mount Everest

Steve Nash The Making Of An MVP By Jeff Rud

I recommend Steve Nash The Making Of An MVP to anyone who plays sports. This is because the hole book is about how Steve Nash spent his whole life practicing how to get better at basketball. Throughout the book Steve would practice, and get more talented than everyone else starting in grade 10 at Mt. Doug. Every time he moved up a level in the game he would practice, tell he was better than anyone else? After Mt. Doug he went to SMUS for grade 11 and 12. Steve was not allowed to play for SMUS for his grade 11 year. In his grade 12 year he was at the top of his game, taking his team to a 50-4 and winning the provincial AAA Title. He was at the top of his game for his grade 12 year because all he did was practice in his grade 11 year. By the end of his Grade 12 year, Steve was getting worried because no universities in the states had come to watch him for a scholarship. Steve’s B-ball coach Ian Hyde-lay was helping Steve find a university for Steve, by sending out E-mails to all NCAA universities. One university called Santa Clara. They came out to Victoria to watch Steve play. After that they offered Steve a full scholarship. Steve took the scholarship. Once Steve got to the school he had a lot of work to do to get as good as he needed to be. Steve first year was hard for him, but once he got to his 2nd 3rd and 4th year Steve was a superstar. After his 4th year Steve was going to the NBA draft, Steve’s dream. Steve was picked 15th overall with a contract of 763,000$ US with the Phoenix Suns. Steve once again had a lot of work to do to get to the top of the NBA. His first year he did not play much, but still worked on a lot of basic techniques and had to work on his determination to get to the top. This is why I recomend Steve Nash The Making Of An MVP to anyone who plays sports.

By Macbryan Bos

Caleb's Summer Reading

September 18, 2009 Caleb Meyer

Book: Across the Face of the Earth by Russell Kirkpatrick

Question 1: Reasons I recommend this book

Across the Face of the Earth is a great fantasy story for fans of the genre. It is part of a six book series, separated into two trilogies. Across the Face of the Earth is a book following the story of Leith and his brother Hal, whose father has been missing for about three years, are charged with a quest from the one and only God, The Most High. Upon their father’s return his wounds and events that soon precede confirm the most absurd of stories, his father’s tale of having been questioned and tortured by Bhrudwho warriors, who are lead by the immortal destroyer; the evil nemesis of The Most High. The information Leith’s father has acquired brings danger with him, four elite warriors from Bhrudwho kidnap Leith’s father and mother. Leith and Hal, with other comrades set off on a quest to rescue their parents and alert the nation of Faltha of the incoming threat of the Destroyer. Upon reading this synopsis you might realize that this story is rather complicated and contains great depth, which is the biggest reason I enjoyed this book. With a rather flexible plot this book can keep you surprised and maintains the excitement once you are into the book. While I have only read one book of this six book series, which leaves me with the excitement of guessing at the events to come.

September 20, 2009 Caleb Meyer

Book: Across the Face of the Earth
Author: Russell Kirkpatrick

Question 2: Reason’s I Don’t Recommend this Book.

Across the Face of the Earth is a great fantasy book written by Russell Kirkpatrick, I found the book rather enjoyable; however this book is not for everyone. Reasons I do not recommend Across the Face of the Earth are that it requires a reader with patience, and it is rather hard to get into the book if you are not in the mood to read. The beginning of the book spends a rather long time focusing on Leith and Hal, who are the main characters, but it is rather lacking in the development of the story. Such an occurrence means if you are not in the mood to read a book or are a patient reader, you will most likely stop reading the book before getting to the good stuff. Now in this book, Leith and Hal are charged with the duty of alerting their country of impending danger from Bhrudwho. Bhrudwho is an ancient enemy that fought against their country of Faltha one thousand years ago. Occurrences such as Bhrudwho spies in the courts make it hard to do so. Unfortunately for us readers, the first goal in this book is to save Leith and Hal’s parents and as such you find yourself longing to skip this long, highly detailed section; however, this is a majority of the book and is only allowed since this is a trilogy. If you struggle to get into books, and can’t deal with reading while wishing to skip parts, I would not recommend this book to you.

The Mark of The Horse Lord by: Rosemary Sutcliff

I extremely enjoyed the book The Mark of The Horse Lord. It is a book that is set back in ancient Rome where men fought to death in the arena for a crowds amusement. The main character was a gladitor which was one of the few to win freedom but quickly is abducted and is basically forced to take part in a revoultion. I reccomend reading this book for 2 reasons. 1 because it actually was quite an enjoyable read and I could see it had some ties to atleast one major movie, "The Gladitor", it had many twists and diffrent stories going on and was a real page turner and a good ending. Reason 2 was that Mark of the Horselord shows what it was like for people back then and how violent and how hard it was to have peace and for everyone to be happy. It goes to show that the peace in the world now was worked for by 1000's of years of violence.

For the main character I would cast Russel Crowe because he has done similar movies to it and has the right look and type of body build. In the book the gladitor has been in the service for many years only becoming smarter at one thing, fighting. Russel Crowe seems like the actor who with training can look like a skilled fighter and skill to act out crucial scenes. Also for the brutal warrior female who falls in love with the main character should be Kate Winslett because I think her acting can range from anything and she seems the kind of person who could do this role. These would be my main choice of actors but there are many more I could see filling the shoes of these roles.

Reading this book was fun but somethings I didn't like and I will tell you if you decide to read this book the problems and boring things about it. Reason 1 for not reading this book is it sometimes can get very wordy, and long. Reason 2 is the writing is from the 50's so it uses diffrent words that people wouldn't use these days so sometimes is hard to decipher.

-WILL WILD

Summer Reading: The Lovely Bones

The book that I read this summer was called The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. Sebold's writing is bold, true, and indeering, and left me with a feeling of faith in not only humanity, but the universe. The Lovely Bones is the story of 14 year old Susie Salmon's family's life after her brutal rape, and murder, from her perspective in heaven. The Lovely Bones is the best book I have ever read for so many reasons, and I highly recommend it. Namely, is the fact that Sebold effectively integrates a mystery, romance, and tradgedy into one brilliant, surprisingly uplifting novel. The effect that the combination of these three genre's being combined creates is completely absorbing. Sebold writes as if she has lived the story first hand, with all its realities, in the fact that death is part of life and life must go on. The second reason I enjoyed The Lovely Bones, and recommend it, is that it suggests spirituality not only exists, but that we can tune into it. I believe in the sixth sense, and that the ferocity of the business world, and the stress of everyday life, distract us from this sixth sense. Sebold dares to question the laws of the human body, and of what we are told to believe, and writes that Susie's father can feel her presence, and that Susie actually comes back in a different body and lives for a small period of time. 

The characters I would cast if I were to make The Lovely Bones into a movie would be Lindsey Salmon, Susie's younger sister, and Mr. Harvey, the man who raped and killed Susie. My choice for Lindsey Salmon would be Dakota Fanning. Lindsey's character is very complicated, and I feel that you would need a strong, experienced actress to play her, even though her part isn't a leading role. Lindsey finds conflict in every part of her life after her sister's death. She finds love, but is conflicted with the fact that she feels selfish, that she has the chance to be in love. Her mother leaves her, so she is forced to take care of her broken father. She is conflicted with the fact that she is known by the town as "the younger sister of the girl who got murdered" rather than as Lindsey Salmon, ambitious wild-child, and young lover. I feel that Dakota Fanning could play this part perfectly, as to all her roles she brings great strength, as well as great relatability. The actor I would cast as Mr. Harvey would be Philip Seymour Hoffman. Mr. Harvey's character is very intrieging for so many reasons, but the main one is that he seems to be obsessive compulsive. The care with which he plans and plots murders is disturbing, almost as though it is a game for him. This grade of phycological disturbia can be played by few people, and Philip Seymour Hoffman is one. This is not to say Hoffman is some sort of psyco, but that he has the ability to look past what we see the character as, and into how they see the world.

- Sofia Campbell

The Hot Zone by Richard Preston

The Hot Zone is a terrifying and thrilling novel that tells the true stories behind some of the most lethal disease outbreaks in recent memory. The trail starts in Africa with a man named Charles Monet who starts displaying some disturbing symptoms after a camping trip on Mount Elgon. After several days of suffering, his co-workers convince him to go to Nairobi Hospital. While sitting in the waiting room at the hospital, Monet “crashes” and suffers full body haemorrhaging. Monet is dead by the next morning but not before infecting the ER doctor that treated to him. The story continues in Washington D.C. with the out break of Ebola from the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID). It catalogues the United States government’s efforts to control the outbreak with graphic realism and proves once and for all that truth is scarier than fiction.

I would recommend this book to anyone because it was highly descriptive and gave detailed back stories to the events leading up to an outbreak. It kept me as a reader enthralled with graphic descriptions from start to finish. Also knowing that the stories were 100% true made it that much more interesting.

While reading The Hot Zone it would appear at times that Richard Preston might be slightly biased. However I feel that this is simply not the case. Preston frequently mentions meeting the people in his book personally while researching. He speaks vividly about their appearance and how they described their lives after the outbreak, as well as the tragic demise of their friend or loved one. Because of this irrefutable evidence I feel as though Preston is actually quite unbiased in his telling of The Hot Zone and I would highly recommend this book to anyone except the faint of heart.

DESPERATION by Stephen King

Desperation by Steven King is a book of brutality. It takes place in a Nevada on “the loneliest highway in America” highway 50. A psychopathic cop pulls people over on this highway including newlyweds a family of four and a world-renowned writer. This lunatic poses as a normal cop in order to get the people trust and is able to get all of them to come with him weather by force or trickery. He takes these helpless people to a town called Desperation were he murders an 8 year old girl and the husband of the newlyweds. The rest of the novel is about the people who are locked in prison to find ways to escape, but discovery’s about the cops degree of being an actual human make the escape much more difficult.

I would not recommend this book to certain classmates that are easily disturbed for the following: Steven King is a very descriptive writer and in Desperation he describes things that are beyond most peoples idea of pure evil and absolute brutality. Desperation in an exhausting read due to King’s use of alienation in it making the reader snap back into reality every few pages due to the images and ideas that are projected by King. Yet if you are a fan of horror books this would be a book I would recommend it due to it’s descriptive details and the way King tells the background information on his characters so well that it makes later statements in the book much easier to understand.

Desperation is already a movie but if it was to be remade I would chose new actors to play certain roles. To play Entragen (the cop) I would chose Arnold Schwarzenegger based on the physical similarities of the two.

To play the high roller writer (John Marienville) I would to jack Nicolson. These to people have similar views on life and are both very much apart of the Hollywood scene that it would be an easy role for Jack to adapt to.

To play Ralph Carver I would chose Tom Hanks because of the high level of emotion and intensity he brings to the screen with his control over his tone, facial expressions, and gestures he would be perfect to play the high strung father.

To play Ralph Carvers with Ellie I would chose Jodie Foster. Jodie Foster in Flight plan showed she can be a protective loving mother who finds he self in total desperation to help her loved ones making her fit perfectly into the part of Ellie.

“At the last minute, Billy Rancourt understood and tried to run. He broke to his right, toward a ramshackle house squatting tiredly behind a picket fence, but it was too little and too late. He yelled there was a crump as the cruiser struck him hard enough to make the frame shudder. Blood spattered the picket fence, there was a double thud from beneath the car as the wheels ran over the fallen man.” It is paragraphs like these where King takes rich descriptive language and molds it into a horrifying, disturbing paragraph.

Over all Desperation was a read worthwhile, the book is full of unexpected twists that will keep you turning the pages. What I like most about the book is King isolates the characters so well and puts them through so much horror that you can’t help but feeling for them, it is then when you remove your eyes from the pages and quickly snap back into reality.

Todd Darcie's Summer Reading: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maitenance

Question #1:

I would recommend that you read Robert M. Persigs Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance for two reasons. When I think of philosophy and philosophy novels I think of Aristotle, Socrates and the other great minds of the ancient world. To enjoy the novel Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, you do not have to enjoy or even know about these people. The Author explores the metaphysics of quality in a modern setting while relating it to modern topics such as technology and, of course, motorcycle maintenance. I would recommend this book because it is original and, more importantly, it is thought provoking. The author has a unique view of life that he narrates blatantly throughout the book. After reading it, you would believe me when I say that no one else would be able to put that same view into a novel, even if they had read this book first. The second reason that I would recommend this book is because it really makes you think. Even if you do not agree with or even understand some of the concepts, It is impossible to read the book at all without really stretching your brain muscles and coming out as a more intelligent person. If you read this novel, I guaranty that you will learn something. It may be about classic and romantic personalities and how they are both necessary in today’s society. You may learn something about quality, the “metaphysical entity” that it neither objective, existing in reality, nor subjective, existing only in the observer. Who knows, you might even learn a little something about motorcycle maintenance.

Question #10:

Another thing that makes Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance a good read is the fact that the author is not biased in any way when supporting his views, particularly his views on technology. Much of the book is about technology and how it relates to classic personalities, or people that are driven by reason and romantic personalities, or people who are driven by their feelings. As you can tell by his interest in motorcycle matenence, you can tell that the narrator is a classic person. He explains that his friends all go motorcycling to escape from technology and its complications and their lack of interest in the area of motorcycle matenence is not caused by the extra work or hassle, but the fact that by taking an interest in it, they are allowing technology into the one place where they go to avoid it. Their “sanctuary” if you will. He then argues that it is illogical not to take an interest in technology because, no matter if you like it or not, it is all around us no matter what your immediate feelings on it are. Besides, it your motorcycle fails, you may need some general knowledge on the subject if you want to get it fixed and back on the road. He says that the Buda exists in the engine of a motorcycle just as much as he exists in nature. It would be an insult to the Buda to say otherwise. Until this point he supports his side only. The writer then goes on to say that the world does need both types of people to function at all. We can’t run the whole world on logic and reason alone. By doing this he implies that both personalities, classic and romantic, technology and anti-technology have some merit. I know that by saying that both sides are not only good but essential it today’s world, he makes the novel allot stronger and more entertaining.

Adrift

Steven Callahan

The book I read over the summer was the novel Adrift. This book is an adventure novel that describes a mans fight against the elements after his boat crashes and he is forced into his life raft for 76 days. The rest of the novel describes how he finds different ways to eat, drink and survive.

I would strongly recommend this book for any reader but more so to people who enjoy adventure books. This book was great because it describes very in-depth how he finds ways to create his vital needs, One example is how he makes his own fresh water using sun stills. He describes how he catches his own fish and the ways he prepares his food so that is it safe to eat. Next he not only tells his readers how he survives but also gives points and tips on how he did things in case anybody who read the book were to find themselves in his situation. He does this by letting the readers know things he did wrong and how he would change them.

There were also a few flaws with Adrift, primarily the common theme that occurs page after page of Steven Callahan describing his every day experience that seems to be the same as the previous. This makes the read very slow at times and almost hard to compare one day from another. The next defect in the book is when he gets saved there is not as much happiness that would have been expected after his 76 day ordeal. This almost added a dampen to the build up the that single point and made me think that maybe some of his stories may not have been as accurate as once .

Overall this book was a good read and one that I would recommend to any reader.

By Nick Grundmann

The Lottery

Beth Goobie

The Lottery is a captivating story about bullying and friendship. Sally is this years lottery “winner” therefore no one in the school is permitted to speak to her, and her closest friends turn on her. She is forced to deliver threats to other students and carry out jobs from the shadow council. It is by doing so that she relizes the true meaning of friendship, and is able to stand up to peer pressure and protect the school.
I recomend The Lottery for two main reasons. Beth Goobie is an extreamly talented author and portrays bullying in two very unique and powerful ways. She illustates the view of Sally from other students perspectives and from her own. She also creates bone chilling charactors and unbeliveable situations. After reading the lottery i have a whole new perspective on bullying, so i would encourage others to do the same.
The opening shot of a movie based on the book would be of a school with no visable activity. It would then show inside the school in a hallway filled with exited students ALL in groups chatting and laughing. A girl would walk down the isleway alone, and as she passed each group, it would become silent. The students would turn to stare at her and as she reached the end of the hallway she would walk up to a door, a normal wood door, knock, and enter.


“You know how it works. Everyone co-operates. Everyone wants a victim, Sally…and now it’s your turn."

Miranda Treloar

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a remarkable story, which revolves around Liesel, a young girl growing up in Nazi Germany. Death, who is busy reluctantly coaxing souls from their dying bodies, narrates Liesel's struggle to hide a Jew in her foster family's basement, learn to read by stealing books, and stand up for what is right.

I would highly recommend this book because it is extremely well-written and thought-provoking. The characters and their emotions become real to the reader. Although this book is not based on a true story, it could be. The author uses foreshadowing to make you wonder what happens next without giving everything away. Death reveals enough to make you dread turning the page, but feel you have no choice. The Book Thief also makes us question the traditional perspective on this period of history. History is written by the winners, so the Allies are usually portrayed as "the good guys" and the Nazis as "the bad guys." However, this book offers a different viewpoint, one where the Allies are the enemies who kill Liesel's loved ones. The fascinating narrative also makes us think about Death, and wonder who the true enemy is: Death, or ourselves. The line, "Even Death has a heart," implies that sometimes people are heartless.

The conclusion of this story is both heartbreaking and inspiring. If I were to rewrite the ending, I would eliminate the slaughter of Liesel's parents and friends. Instead, the bomber planes would miss the town where Liesel and her friends live, and everyone would survive the war and live long and happy lives. Unfortunately, this is unrealistic. However, one of the ideas emphasized throughout the book is the premise that you live or die by chance. Although a few fortunate characters survive the war, why can't everyone live?

Reading this book is a memorable experience that will make you think long after you've finished it. Parts of the story are humorous while others are deeply moving. The Book Thief takes the historical facts of World War II and connects them to familiar faces, achieving the perfect balance between education and emotion.

Mortal Engines By Phillip Reeve

The book Mortal Engines is set in a post-apocalyptic future in which all cities have uprooted and become mobile. All of the cities follow a code called "Municipal Darwinism". In short this means that larger towns "eat" smaller towns in order to survive. By "eat" I of course mean strip the prey town of its fuel and materials and capture the people on board. If this isn’t enough to add to it, there is a group of immobile towns called the “Anti-Traction League”. Their goal is to destroy all of the “Traction” towns and “Make the world green again.” Need I say that some serious shenanigans ensue?
The narrator follows the lives of a kind, shy Tom, an outgoing Kate, and a cruel, sad girl named Hester. These three meet on the traction town of London, until Tom and Hester are thrown onto the tread torn bare earth, only to meet again to stop a great technological evil.
I heartily recommend this book to all readers. It is both exciting and violent for the guys and passionate and emotion for the girls, (and the sensitive guys). The plot is so unique and original that it has never been done before. Phillip Reeve is very descriptive and his writing style allows you to completely lose yourself in an amazing world. The contrasting personalities between the two main characters, Hester and Tom, show the reader that friends can be, quite literally, polar opposites. I sat down and read the first three books (of four) in the series quite quickly. This book in particular is, without a doubt, my favorite book right now. This book is absolutely the bee’s knees. GO OUT AND BUY IT NOW! (or ask me if you can borrow it).
In a movie based on this book I would choose “Farewell” by Apocalyptica. This song would play at the end of the movie when Tom and Hester fly off in an airship. The two are powerless and at the mercy of the winds because their engines are shot. All they can do is drift. This song is played by 3 cellists and a drummer. It portrays an overall tone of sadness in the beginning, which gradually changes into defiance, and, finally hope. The tone of this song is also the story of Tom and Hester’s life. It was also the song I was listening to when I finished reading this book. I definitely recommend this song as well. It is my favorite song right now. Please search it up on youtube, but beware, it is an acquired taste.
By the clearly, (as much as I disagree), opinionated, Ben Life.

A Long Way Down, by Nick Hornby

The novel A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby is a dark comedy, playing mainly on the theme of suicide, and was published in 2005. It is written in a rather unorthodox manner, featuring narrative by four main characters; Jess, Martin, JJ, and Maureen, each of whom are found on the roof of the most popular suicide location in London in the first chapter with suicidal intentions. Their common goal is a result of very different mishaps in each of their lives, and Hornby spends much of the book giving us their backgrounds; Jess's parents are divorced, her sister ran away from home some years previously, and she is very unpopular within her social circles, Martin had his idyllic lifestyle as a TV celebrity torn apart after sleeping with a fifteen year old and doing time in prison, JJ leaves his promising band to continue a relationship with his longtime girlfriend who subsequently breaks up with him, and Maureen finds herself ambitionless, without opportunity, and seperated from society as she single handedly takes care of her disabled son. Over the course of the story, the protagonists agree to refrain from suicide and try to rebuild their lives for the time being, and the remainder of the book deals with them attempting to do just that.
In A Long Way Down, Hornby achieves several positive things within his writing. One of these is the witty dialogue which he makes use of, and another is the diversity of each different character's narrative; their differing philosophies, responses, and emotions. The dialogue is quite funny because of the extreme personality of each protagonist. They all possess traits that one might see in every day life, yet these are magnified intensely to illustrate a character that is very much a misfit. This means that the arrogant Martin, diminutive Maureen, obnoxious Jess, and calculating JJ constantly misunderstand each other, and in some cases hate each other because of this. Secondly, the characters' narrative is a humorous insight into their true thoughts and opinions on all that goes on around them.
Despite these two positives, the audience of Hornby's novel may also feel that he did some things worse than he could have. For example, I found that the format left something to be desired, in that it was a little to jumpy at times, switching from one characters' point of view to another every few pages, making it difficult to follow. Also, I felt that some issues were not tied up properly, and not revisited sufficiently to make them seem worthwhile. While this may have been in the spirit of the novel, generating an air of overall incompleteness and making most things the characters do seem like pointless pursuits.
I enjoyed A Long Way Down immensely, and thought that its dark humour and interesting characters would make it a worthwhile read for all.

Hamish Ballantyne

The Bourne Identity - Robert Ludlum

THE BOURNE IDENTITY, by Robert Ludlum, is a complex novel that revolves around two main characters, Jason Bourne and Marie St. Jacques. Jason Bourne wakes up in the Meditteranean Sea, 30 km off the coast of Marseilles, France, his bullet-ridden body floating on the surface, surrounded in a cloud of his own blood. He is then rescued by a fishing boat, and soon realises that he has no memory of his past, or of any details of who he is. Once back on land, Jason is taken to the local doctor, who extracts many bullets from Jason, as well as a small piece of photographic film surgically implanted in his hip, with the account number to a Zurich based bank account. After spending many moths recuperating in the doctors small home, and discovering many talents Jason never knew he possesed, he sets out to find the Zurich bank, and to discover who he is and why he possesses skills that he can't explain. What ensues is a whirlwind, action packed adventure that is exciting from Chapter 1, and leads Jason around the world, from France to New York, and will keep you engaged until the very end.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and would highly recommend it to anyone who is in the mood for a action packed thrill-ride, but if you are looking for a light read, this may not be the book for you. I particulary enjoyed the way the author descibed the scenery and the various settings; this made the novel much easier to understand and to picture as I read. Also, looking back on the novel, it is easier to describe the characters and situations to others, in greater detail. I would also recommend this book because it is full of high-intensity action, and will keep you guessing until the very end. This is done to such a degree that you don't suspect what will happen next, but is not so unexpected that it is unclear, or does not clearly tie into the plot. With its vivid descriptions and high-paced action, THE BOURNE IDENTITY is a great, fast-paced read.

While Ludlum vividly describes the novel's characters and scenery, it can become a bit much, and can sometimes get confusing, or cause you to lose the plot line of a certain section. This often forced me to have to jump back a few pages, and to re-read sections to get a better understanding of the chapter. Secondly, Ludlum integrates foreign languages quite often, to create a more realistic environment for the reader, and to further develope the characters. Although this does achieve the desired effect, it does become confusing, and I had to spend considerable amounts of time translating phrases, which ususally were meaningless. These two factors combined to severley subtract from my general opinion about the novel.

In conclusion, THE BOURNE IDENTITY is a great, fast paced read, with vivid characters and page-flipping action. Unfortunately, the descriptions can become distracting from the plot, and the frequent use of foreign languages often becomes confusing, and you will likely have to spend a great deal of time translating. Altough these elements can sometimes take away from the general excitement of the novel, it remains a great story of action, drama and suspense, and I would highly recommend it to anyone in the mood for a vivid, action-packed thrill ride.

-Dale Hughes

Hitler Youth - Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow By Susan Campbell Bartoletti

I recommend you to read this book for the following two reasons. First, though this book is non-fiction , it was written in such an interesting way that for once, I read a 150-pages long, non-fiction book in two days. Second, this book does not contain any bias toward, or against Adolf Hitler’s National Socialist Party, which is a very noble and fascinating method for a historical writer.
When you think of a non-fiction book, you are probably going to picture a long boring essay, fully loaded with information, or a detailed descriptive story with emotions flooding all over the place. And when you think of a historical non-fiction book, the former, and also the least enjoyable one, would probably be the one which jumped into your subconscious mind. Yes, in order for a good historical book to be successful and useful, it’s necessary for it to contain information that is as accurate and as supportive as possible, but most of these books turn out to be long and dry essays that no one could read through without falling asleep once or twice, or... until tomorrow. This book, however, did not make me feel bored even when I read the most tedious part of the book at the most tiring time of the day. Combining the quotes from the primary references with the story which Mrs. Campbell had successfully rewritten based on those quotes, the whole book turned out to be almost as interesting as fiction. The greatest advantage of a half-fiction historical book is that it can make you fall into and drown inside the sea of information without realizing it.
No matter how well a history book is written, if it contains a great bias against or toward a certain subject, then it is undependable. “Hitler Youth”, however, did not contain bias, at least not in an apparent way, toward or against the subject – the Second World War. With only provable stories and primary sources that Campbell had collected, this book presented to us a place where we can learn without being disturbed by the disturbing views of some extreme people. With is very good for us, who should not form such bais opoin on this time of age when we still need further study in order for us to build our very own opion on thing like this.
After all this book is a good book for you to read. Very interesting, indeed.

Marley and Me by John Grogan

Marley and Me is a well-known, bestseller story about the Grogan family adopting a yellow lab named Marley. This book makes sure to point out that Marley is no typical dog: he flunks obedience school, chews off drywall, steals a Thanksgiving turkey, chases the UPS guy, and goes absolutely bonkers at the sight of lightening. But, although we might laugh at whatever ungodly thing that this dog has done, this book tells the story of how something so crazy can bind an average family together, and to realize how precious everlasting love really is.

Personally, I admire this book, even as an avid cat lover. It’s sharp, funny, and always makes you beg the question, what has Marley done now? Not only that, but the story has a serious and a bit more philosophical side and John Grogan certainly does well to blend it in. However, there are a few things about the book that were not highlights. For one, the story is about the dog, the family and nothing else, which doesn’t give much room to write anything more thrilling. Sure, Marley might assault the obedience instructor one day, but what if the John told the reader about how awful his day was on that day already, and then have the dog do such a thing? I would think that would be a bit more interesting. Also, I might be some strange exception, but I can see this book to have a very narrow audience- that is, and audience who are dog-lovers. Had it be written more openly, or in a way that would captivate a larger audience, I would think it a more satisfying read. For example, here would be a short alterative ending:

“Marley looked up at me from his tense stoop on the porch. Today was the day after his visit to the vet. She told me he had a twisted stomach, which if he had had again, would mean putting him to sleep. Even though it hadn’t happened again, I felt worried. To lose him would be like losing a dear, undying friend; but that look in his eyes, of sorrow and pain, wasn’t common with him. In fact, I had never seen it.

However, it’s easy to say that now that feeling was unnecessary, because as finish with these last few closing words, Marley is close by me sleeping, with less vigour in his life, but still nonetheless the world’s worst dog.”

alive by: Piers Paul Read

alive by: Piers Paul Read This is a true survival story about the story and a rugby team that's

plane crashed in the Andes on the way to a tournament. They crashed and were stranded for 72 day's and survived by sleeping in the plane with nothing but a few plane blankets and some chair cushions for sleeping on and using the plane's roof to try and cook the meat that they cut of the body's of their dead former team mates and other passenger's.
I really liked this book because it was amazing to think that this was a true story and there was actually a group of people who survived in some of the world's hardest conditions and did things like eat pretty much only the body's of other people.
I recommend this book to anyone who want's a pretty easy to follow read but still some intense excitement and constant suspense or if you like those t.v. show's like survivor man or man v.s. wild. It was a great story told to the writer by the 16 survivors of the 45 passenger's them selves and was one of the best book's I've every read.

The terrible hours---by: peter maas

I would recommend the book to any one who would enjoy a good bit of history and all those who enjoy rescue books. The book is about how people from the U.S.A rescue are trying to rescue the 31 survivors of the sunken submarine Squalus. The writer described how the submarine got ready for its test dive, and then it went down to the 250 feet under the sea level. Finally, when the captain saw that the sub was sinking towards the bottom, he realized some thing was wrong. Because the sub was flooded at the rear section, all of the electronic equipment is knocked out and they are stuck under the sea with not electronic heating system and no way of getting out. All they had were some signal flares, which were hard to be seen in the vast blue sea and each other. One hour past the time that the sub was supposes to return back to port. The people at the port felt that something was wrong. Then they tried to message the sub, no response came back. The U.S.A was quite worried as the sub was supposed to be the finest sub at the time. Then came the rescue and the writer described the rescue in such fine details it made the book come to life.

Monologue:

What should I do, we are 250 feet below the sea with no heating elements and the temperature is below zero. Though we have plenty of food and water, none of it can be heated. And the oxygen, we don’t have an infinite supply of it. I have already given the men Momsen lungs to use as breathing mask when the air became too bad to breath but how long can the lungs last. I am the captain of the ship and therefore I cannot panic. But what I am I suppose to do? We have already sent out 8 signal rockets but there is not a single sound of an incoming rescue ship. This is hopeless. But still I must keep heart for I am the ship’s captain and I need to set the example for everyone.

What Captain Naquin would think before he first hard the sound of a rescue ship.

I do not believe that the author is bias in my book. Though it is a non-fiction book, the writer has nothing to be bias about. He is simply retelling a real historic event. Though he might credit Momsen a bit more, but it is still far from bias. The author has done a good job describing the events from the time when the sub was sinking to the time that everyone had been rescued.

Summer Reading Blog- Just Listen.

By: Sarah Dessen

“Just Listen” by; Sarah Dessen is a realistic and engrossing novel that is a must-read for any young teenage girl. The book explores real life matters that have both positive and negative affects on families and these events are foreseen through the eyes of the main character Annabel Green. Some events that arise throughout Annabel’s life in the novel are loss of friendship, family crisis from her sister’s disorder (anorexia), a no longer desire to model, and the discovery of a person who views life from an entirely different perspective.

The many conflicts discovered throughout the novel would certainly produce an interesting and quite absorbing movie to watch. The two main characters from this book are two high school teens: One, a former “popular girl” Annabel who used to be seen at all the school’s social events and modeled as a desired “It Girl”. The other character is a rather large teen boy named Owen who once beat up the most popular guy in school. He has no friends. He sits on the wall all lunch listening to his I-pod. Annabel would be played by Michelle Trachtenberg whole played the lead role in the movie Ice Princess and played Georgina in Gossip Girl. I would choose Michelle for playing Annabel for a few reasons: For one, she is an exceptional actress and she is able to play various characters from the “goodie two shoes” (Ice Princess) to a rebellious adolescent. This would be the perfect combination as Michelle would be able to play the parts in the movie as the old Annabel, and as the new Annabel. Also, Michelle has a very young face which makes her appear much younger than she is which would be an enormous benefit as she would be more experienced but still look like a high school student. The role of Owen would be played by: Jonah Hill who acted in the movie Superbad, Accepted, and some other films. Jonah Hill has usually played in comedies, but I feel that he would make an outstanding Owen, as he appears to have a small sensitive side whenever I watch the movies he is featured in. His appearance compliments the role quite well, as I imagined Owen to have a big afro-like head of hair, and a big round face.

I could imagine the opening shot of this movie to look something along the lines of this: The movie opens with a commercial of a girl modeling for K-Mart and she is shot in different locations of a school. (ie: field, lockers, cafeteria) She is supposed to be portraying the life of a girl who has it all. When the movie opens, the commercial fills the screen, but as the commercial nears its end, it pans out to the family room/ kitchen of Annabel Green, played by Michelle Trachtenberg. The girl in this commercial is Annabel, and Annabel is watching this commercial, and sighs after it is over as that was just like the girl she used to be. She get’s into her 1990’s hand me down BMW and drives to school. As she is driving a particular piece of music begins to play to set the mood. The song is “Glass of Water” by Coldplay. I chose this song because it sound like one of those songs that are often played at the beginning of a movie, that don’t necessarily have a definite emotion to them. They are not entirely happy, but they are also not depressing. The song is very mellow. After about 10 seconds of the song playing, it fads so that it is just instrumental and is much quieter as a narrative in Annabel’s voice is suddenly heard. She begins to talk about her life how it was in the past, and how it has changed.

Overall, the novel, Just Listen, is a very realistic view of an average teenage girl and the conflicts that occur during her high school year. At times it is delightfully exciting, and there are moments of depression, and these emotions balance the story out to create an inviting and excellent read for any teenage girl.

By:Cameron Rice-Gural

The Journey of the Pink Dolphins by Sy Montgomery

I would recommend this book for two reasons. One reason is that this book educates you about the Amazon in a way that keeps you interested in the book. The author, Sy Montgomery, fills the book with several stories of people who have had encounters with the mystical boto (the pink dolphin) while also inserting facts about the wildlife in the Amazon at the same time. She will talk about the facts of the Amazon for the right amount of time and then put in a personal ancedote to keep the reader intrigued. Another reason I would recommend this book is that it makes people become aware of the issues that are happening in the Amazon currently; things such as the depletion of the rainforest and the illegal hunting and selling of animals like the pygmy marmoset.

I believe that the author isn’t biased in her version of the facts described because she has quotes from both biologists and the local people of Brazil, explaining what they know about the Amazon rainforest. She remains open-minded and quotes the local people on their stories, beliefs, and lifestyle. For example, she has several stories of how the ‘boto’ will try to take you away to their underwater city of Encante. She also integrates quotes about the plants and animals in the Amazon for a more scientific view of the rainforest, from books such as Secrets of the Blind Dolphins by Giorgio Pilleri and Amazon: The Flooded Forest by Michael Goulding.