The Giver is the story of Jonas, a young boy living in what is originally presented as a utopian society. Everyone coexists harmoniously, spends the day going about their routines as expected, and even shares their feelings with their family at the dinner table. There is no violence, no pain, and no dissent within the community. As per tradition, when Jonas turns twelve, he and the other twelve-year-olds are assigned a job in the community that they will spend the next several years preparing for and the rest of their life fulfilling. While others receive typical jobs in the community such as Caretaker of the Old, Jonas is given a job that causes an unusual stir in the community, as it is one that is rarely given: Receiver.

Jonas’ training is done by the titular character, the Giver, who reveals a new world to Jonas. He begins transferring long-ago memories to Jonas, letting him in on secrets and knowledge: things like color, emotion, climate – all the things that are regulated and unknown to everyone else. Jonas begins to experience the things the community is kept from (true family, the feeling of a warm summer day), as well as the things the community is protected from (loss, and pain in the form of a blistering sunburn). Eventually, Jonas comes to the realization that the benefit of protecting citizens from the negative things in life does not weigh out the drawback of keeping them from the joys life has to offer.

The Giver has received a lot of praise, but also a lot of criticism because of some of the themes being explored in a children’s book. I’ll admit it’s probably a little advanced for most fifth-graders – I read it on my own when I was about that age, but it was done as a unit when I was in middle school. (Amazon.com describes its reading level as ages twelve and up, which puts a potential reader at the same age as Jonas.)

Towards the end of the novel, Jonas needs to decide: stay and remain oppressed, or leave and live free? What does he decide? What happens to him? The ending is ambiguous, so read it and decide for yourself!

Patterson just might be the world’s best-selling author. His books have sold more than 180 million copies to date. Recently, his novels have sold more copies that those of Dan Brown, Stephen King, and John Grisham, combined! He holds the Guinness World record for the most bestselling hardcover fiction titles (63), which includes 19 consecutive #1 New York Times bestselling novels. His newest novel, Private, currently rounds out the top 10 bestsellers at Barnes & Nobles. (The Hunger Game Series currently dominates that list.)

We all probably have a few questions for someone like Patterson. Luckily, at least 10 questions have already been answered in an interview conducted by Time in July 2010. I found one of his most interesting responses to be the one that answered the question, “What do you say to critics like author Stephen King who say you are not a great prose stylist?” It must be tough to have Stephen King question your legitimacy as an author. Luckily, Patterson took the question in stride, agreeing that he simply is not a great prose stylist. “I’m a storyteller,” he explained. And that’s what the majority of the population is looking for, so it all works out quite nicely for Patterson in the end.

One of his major goals is to simply ignite a lifelong passion for reading across the population. This is evident from his Web site ReadKiddoRead, which makes some fantastic suggestions for young readers. You’ll see titles of some really fun books, such as The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles. Of course, Patterson has the right to include some of his own hits such as the Maximum Ride series. Patterson is perhaps best known for his series geared towards adults, particularly the Alex Cross series, but has made quite a successful crossover to young adult literature. This is partly due to the fact that he has his own young teenage son to inspire in reading; what better motivation can there be?

Ginny receives a package from her dead aunt containing 13 envelopes,  all of them numbered 1-13.  So as most people would, she opens the one labeled #1.  Inside is a list of rules and instructions.

• Rule #1: You may bring only what fits in your backpack. Don’t try to fake it out with a purse or a carry-on.
• Rule #2: You may not bring guidebooks, phrase books, or any kind of foreign language aid. And no journals.
• Rule #3: You cannot bring extra money or credit/debit cards, traveler’s checks, etc. I’ll take care of all that.
• Rule #4: No electronic crutches. This means no laptop, no cell phone, no music, and no camera. You can’t call home or communicate with people in the U.S. by Internet or telephone. Postcards and letters are acceptable and encouraged.

After this she is told that she will be traveling to many different foreign places, meeting quite a few people, and that she will be gone for a few weeks.  She is also given $1,000 and instructions to buy a plane ticket.  In the second envelope she’s told to go to a specific London flat and ask a certain person what he sold to the queen.  I know, odd, right!  The third tells her to find a starving artist.  And in envelope four, she and her artist have to go to Scotland.  Which, if I may tell you, results in a couple very disastrous things, although it also creates a bit of romance.  Unfortunately for Ginny, she doesn’t know if she will ever be able to see her artist ever again.

And due to envelopes six and eight, Paris and Rome are in Ginny’s future. And as we found out in the first envelope, Ginny may NOT open the envelopes out of order — that is, if she manages not to lose any of them — or nothing will go according to plan.

With nine sassy chapters (including my one of favorites, titled: “The Only Thing You Should Ever Fake… Being A Domestic Goddess”), Jane sheds lights on how to handle any situation life throws at you, whether it be a flat tire, a fashion emergency (the stain removal guide is basically my Bible), or whipping up a gourmet dinner for unexpected guests. She teaches you how to keep up with the boys while still remaining a lady, how to nail that dream job, and how to manage your life without going into debt.

I enjoy reading through the book when I have free time just for the tips in the margins. I’m a sucker for useless trivia, so I loved these little facts that I’ll be able to pull out of nowhere someday. When my roommates and I had minor emergencies and wanted to handle them on our own (read: not running to our cell phones to call our parents!) I’d consult Jane’s guide. For example, when my roommate left her light on in her car… and woke up to a dead battery. Luckily we had jumper cables, but we didn’t know if it went red-then-black or black-then-red. I suppose we could have Googled it, but having it handy in a book saved us that time.

While some of these tips could certainly be considered a little old-fashioned (the etiquette chapter for instance, though I’d argue that being polite never goes out of style!) and some may seem excessive (I know I certainly can’t afford to stock a full bar just to satisfy any guest’s needs!), many of them are classic tips and tricks of the trade. Jane’s tongue-in-cheek commentary is clever, creative, and empowering.

The Modern Girl’s Guide to Life is definitely a great idea for a upcoming holiday present for your favorite modern girl!

Bridget has  taken a turn for the worse over the winter  and decides to go to Alabama to find a family member who may be able to answer a few questions about her mother.  Tibby leaves Wallman’s and goes to a college film program to try to forget about Bailey, but the Pants don’t.  Carmen  tries to sabotage her mother’s love life because she is afraid she will lose her.  And Lena  finally confronts Kostos, and has a little fun with it.

This summer the girls were all supposed to stay home, except for Tibby with her program in Virginia.  But nothing ever happens the way it is supposed to, so Bee decides to go all the way to Alabama to find her grandmother to ask her about her mother, and decides to turn her life back around and get it back on the track it used to be on.

Just like the last book, Ann is still amazing with the way she molds her words into a movie in your head.  With her very descriptive language and way that she writes, the second book is just as good as the first.  Brashares has written another phenomenal, amazing novel filled with love, strength, heartbreak, and sheer joy.  So, if you were unsure about reading the second, I would urge you to read it.  Not only is the book good, but reading is good for you too.

Stargirl is the story of Leo, our narrator, and his experiences through his junior year of high school with the new girl at school, Stargirl. Stargirl, her self-imposed moniker, is the definition of unique. She has a pet rat, Cinnamon, who lives in her purse, puts a flower vase on her desk for each class of the day, and plays “Happy Birthday” on her ukulele to people in the lunchroom — even people she doesn’t know. She immediately intrigues Leo, and he finds himself fascinated by her odd charm.

Stargirl is kind to everyone, open-minded, eager to please, and completely unaware of why this makes her different. Naturally, this makes her a target for the other students. Frustrated by his peers’ reactions, Leo asks her a simple question: Why can’t she be like everyone else? With that, Stargirl transforms herself into the typical teenager, and Leo sees just what it’s like for everyone to follow the crowd.

After the book was published, some schools began creating “Stargirl Societies” — groups that celebrate nonconformity and community service. Spinelli has since published a list of suggested activities on his website for others to start their own Stargirl Societies. All activities promote tolerance, kindness to others, and developing a sense of community. With all the mentions of bullying in the media, and how dangerous it can be, I think Stargirl’s message is a good one for kids to hear. It’s so easy to follow the norm, and do what everyone else is doing — but is this always right? Stargirl shows readers that being different is not only not wrong, but can actually be a good thing.

Stolen

Gemma always had a fairly normal life.  She was the average teenager who was always getting into fights with her parents, she felt unloved, and she drank.  She got into another fight with her mom at the airport that day.  She said she was going to get a drink and left.  And that’s when she saw him.  He saw her before she saw him and he had a look in his eye as if he wanted her.  Gem ordered her drink and they started talking.  When her drink came up he paid for it, and drugged it.

After that, everything was a blur.  She only remembered a few things, but they were all fuzzy, like when you look through binoculars and they need to be focused.  The main thing she remembered was the chocolate; he kept feeding it to her, the sickening sweetness and the feeling of chocking after as if the chocolate was smothering her.

And then, she was lying on a bed.  The heat was unbearable and her muscles hurt, she could barely even move her head to look around.  She was so tired; she decided to go back to sleep.  When she finally woke again she got up and looked around.  When she went outside, the light was blinding and the sand burned her feet.  That’s when she saw Ty.  He seemed familiar, as if she had seen him more than just once at the airport.  She tried to run away, but he caught her, telling her that if she left she would die.

No matter how much he told her that, she never listened.  The more they talked, the more she got to know him, and the more she fell in love with him.  But, despite that, she still wanted to get away, so she made a deal with him; if she stayed there for a few months and after that, still wanted to go home, he would take her back.  But Gem was stubborn and she wanted to leave then.

One day when Ty was working on his paintings, she noticed that he had left the key in the car’s ignition, so she tried to leave.  He starting running after Gem, but she kept driving.  Eventually the car stopped, so she started walking.  After she became too dehydrated, she buried herself in the sand and Ty saved her.  He brought her home and kept cold water on her burns.

After she had healed, a snake bit Gem and Ty knew he couldn’t save her.  So he fastened her to a camel, and together they rode to the mine site thousands of miles away. Gem was flown to a hospital.  When they got there, Ty turned himself in and Gem went a little crazy.  She missed Ty and didn’t want to be with her mother, so her mother consulted a psychologist who made her write this.

At first, Miss Texas takes over and, instead of trying to allow them to get used to the island, she wants them to work on all of their pageant stuff.  The girls protest and they start searching for the other half of the group that Miss Texas didn’t realize was missing.  While they are out there, they realize that the jungle is a pretty creepy place.  There are giant snakes and tons of bugs, but at the same time the place is gorgeous.

After about a week or so of Miss Texas ruling, she discovers a group of men living in the volcano on the island.  She can’t tell who they are working for, though.  Well, they know that the girls are there.  They are saying that the pageant is going to be canceled.  And, um, Miss Texas kind of goes crazy on them, literally back flipping on their faces.  She runs away and a guy chases her and shoots her with a blow gun.  After that she goes insane.  She hides in the forest and creates sculptures of Ladybird Hope, the most famous pageant winner ever.  As crazy as she is, she is able to sneak a couple of AK-47s from the men, who she’s figured out are working for the Corporation, this huge company that’s  running the beauty pageant and owns an agglomeration of beauty suppliers.

Meanwhile, Miss New Hampshire, go New Hampshire!, takes over, but instead of working on pageant skills, she has them make huts and get food and water.  They actually end up living very well once they figure out how to do everything.  Then, a bunch of hot male pirates show up on the island and all of the girls end up hitting it off with one of them.  Long story short, one of them emotionally hurts Miss New Hampshire.  And she gets mad, very mad.  Anywho, the pirates end up leaving the island and the girls get “found” by the men in the volcano.

They take them in and let them shower and eat and everything.  Then they tell the girls that the pageant will be tomorrow night.  The girls end up devising a plan to get out of there and blow up the place. The only thing is that Taylor, Miss Texas, is still out on the island somewhere.

I could tell you if the girls get out OK, or I could do what I usually do and make you read the book to see if the girls even live.  Yeah, I think I’ll do the usual.  I wonder what you guys would do if one of these times I actually told you the ending of the book, you would be pretty shocked wouldn’t you, that would be pretty funny.  Well either way, read the book and then tell me what you think. (;

Sarah Dessen

I’ll be the first to admit that the story lines aren’t always realistic. If they were in cinematic form, they would absolutely scream romantic comedy (in fact, two of her books, Someone Like You and That Summer were adapted into the 2003 movie How To Deal, starring Mandy Moore, and I would not be surprised to see others making their way into theaters over the next few years). Still, there’s something about chick flicks (or chick lit, in this case of books), that appeals to the audience — it’s nice to think that everyone ends up happy in the end.

Still, despite the too-good-to-be-true nature of the stories, Sarah Dessen novels are among my guilty pleasures. It was only when I looked at her website that I realized just how nearly complete my personal collection was. Of her ten novels, I own half and have read six. Like Picoult’s books, if you read more than one you’ll notice overlaps – characters that appear in minor roles in more than one book, or made-up bands, restaurants, and shops that remain consistent in Dessen’s universe. For an observant reader, they’re nice little treats. The overlapping characters can especially reveal more between the lines.

The nice thing about Dessen’s books is that her characters are not perfect — they all have flaws, which makes them realistic (and not the I’m-so-clumsy fatal flaw of Bella Swan a la Twilight). There are broken families, insecurities, and other emotional issues that tend to rear their ugly head. Often, accepting and coming to peace with these issues are  first steps to overcoming them, which is a nice message to readers. The situations in the books aren’t sugar-coated: these are high school kids, and yes, they swear, drink, and have sexual relationships. This kind of honesty in a book is refreshing.

In true Potter fashion, fans were able to discover the secret behind Pottermore through a series of riddles. Using the Secret Street View feature of Google Maps, Rowling hid letters spelling out P-O-T-T-E-R-M-O-R-E in locations important to the books (King’s Cross Station in London, the Forest of Dean, etc.), and posted these coordinates on various fan pages. When fans unscrambled the letters and went to the website, they were forwarded to a YouTube account counting down to an announcement that would be made 11 a.m. on June 23. (11 a.m. is, coincidentally, the time that the Hogwarts Express traditionally leaves for Hogwarts). Fans were guessing what it could be, from a new book, to an encyclopedia, to a social networking site.

Finally, on June 23, the website added a video of Rowling explaining the concept of Pottermore — an interactive website where fans can share information about the books. There will be 18,000 words of new information that Rowling has written specifically for the website, and there will also be a store for buying the books in e-book form, something that hasn’t been available yet. Rowling means for Pottermore to be a “Thank you”to her fans who have stuck by Harry throughout the series.

Pottermore will go live to a group of beta users soon — a million spots were available in yet another series of clues and puzzles, leaving fans around the world scrambling for a membership. I was lucky enough to claim my spot on the fourth day of registration (there were seven, one for each book) after solving a riddle and finding the “Magic Quill” embedded in another site. The Magic Quill is Hogwarts’ quill that writes down the names of magical children that will be offered a spot at the school. My name was added to the list of magical students alongside Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and I was assigned a username. Anyone who wasn’t able to get an early spot will have to wait until October, when registration is open to the general public.

All the excitement about Pottermore has inspired me to reread the series, reminding me just how much I love the world of Harry Potter. Since J.K. Rowling has sworn up and down that she will not be writing a new Harry-centric book, Pottermore is the next best thing to continue the magic!