How Come?

How Come?


By: Kathy Wollard
Reviewed by: Karthik, 12
Rating: Really liked it


This book is not one of great stories but of great information it provides ,knoledge on almost every question you could think of. For example how come you can see through glass if it is a soild? Why are bubbles round? What is a black hole? How come scientists say energy can't be created or destroyed? If light has no mass, why can't it escape the gravity of a black hole? This and many other questions are answered by this smart little book and if you think even one of these questions are interesting i suggest you go out and buy it.


Recommended to: everyone

Mean Girls

Mean Girls


Directed By: Mark Waters
Reviewed by: Tahrima, 13
Rating: It was amazing!


Raised in African bush country by her zoologist parents, Cady Heron thinks she knows about survival of the fittest. But the law of the jungle takes on a whole new meaning when the home-schooled 15-year-old enters public high school for the first time and encounters psychological warfare and unwritten social rules that teenage girls face today.

Her parents being zoologists, Cady Heron has never known what "high school" truly meant. She lived her first 15 years in the African jungle, home-schooled, living life with only her parents and the animals of the wilderness, knowing all of the rules of survival. However, when she moves out of Africa, she has to learn the rules of high school, a jungle in itself. She instantly makes friends with two sweet teenagers, Damian and Janis, who, in the terms of the high school, were in the "out crowd." Soon she meets the Plastics, the three crude, beautiful, popular girls, consisting of Regina, the unofficial leader, Gretchen, Regina's full-time follower, and Karen, "one of the dumbest people you will ever meet." They immediately let her into their group, but Cady, wanting to keep her first friends, is unsure. The two convince Cady to keep her relationship with the Plastics, only so that they can know their dark secrets. However, events turn for the worse when Cady falls for Regina's ex-boyfriend, Aaron Samuels. When Regina finds out, she seeks revenge of Cady by taking Aaron back. When Cady finds out, what began as a game to discover secrets turns into a plan to destroy Regina. Now, Cady, Janis, and Damian plot together to bring Regina's status down. However, as Cady spends more time with the Plastics, she, too, begins to become one.


Recommended to: teens, chik flick

Sweet Little Lies

Sweet Little Lies


By: Lauren Conrad
Reviewed by: Tahrima, 13
Rating: Really liked it


Jane Roberts was the average girl next door until she and her best friend, Scarlett Harp, landed their own reality show, “L.A. Candy.” Now the girls have an all-access pass to Hollywood's hottest everything. But there's more to life on camera than just parties and shopping….

When racy photos of Jane are leaked to the press, she finds herself at the center of a tabloid scandal. She turns to her co-star Madison Parker for help, unaware that Madison is scheming behind the scenes. She might be Jane's shoulder to cry on, but does Madison really have Jane's back?

Scarlett's working on a scandal of her own. She's fallen for someone who's strictly off-limits --- which means Scarlett has a big secret to keep…from the “L.A. Candy” cameras, the paparazzi staking out her apartment, even from her best friend.

Of course, nothing stays secret for long for the stars of the newest hit TV series, and all this drama couldn't be better for ratings. But can Jane survive another season in the spotlight?


Recommended to: teens, reality

The Sky is Everywhere

The Sky is Everywhere


By: Jandy Nelson
Reviewed by: Tahrima, 13
Rating: It was amazing!


Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life --- and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.

This remarkable debut is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti and Francesca Lia Block. Just as much a celebration of love as it is a portrait of loss, Lennie's struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often hilarious, and ultimately unforgettable.


Recommended to: teens

Scarlett Fever

Scarlett Fever


By: Maureen Johnson
Reviewed by: Tahrima, 13
Rating: Really liked it


Life just can’t get any more interesting. Or can it? Between the breakup with Eric, working --- no, “slaving” is the right word --- for the tyrant Mrs. Amberson, trying to help out at the hotel and just keeping her 15-year-old life together, Scarlett Martin has no time for brooding. Of course, she does manage to brood because you can’t be a teenager and not brood. What would that be like?

Scarlett’s mom and dad run an ancient hotel in New York, the Hopewell, where you risk everything just taking a shower. She and her three siblings do what they can to assist their parents. Unfortunately, all of them lead very busy, dramatic lives. Her little sister Marlene is recovering from cancer and belongs to a kid survivor group. Older sister Lola is sort of between high school and college, so she is actually helping a lot around the hotel. Big brother Spencer, on the other hand, is constantly auditioning and working the theater scene. Scarlett just wants to go to school, get through the day and figure out how she can get Eric back. The subject of money is also on her mind. Where would it come from, and why do all of her friends have it and she doesn’t?

Things do pick up when Spenser lands a great role in a soap opera. But unexpected complications pop up when his character kills off one of the main characters and he becomes the most hated guy in the world. There are even people stalking him. Lola begins acting a little strange, too. She has this thing for the wealthy but nerdy Chip Sutcliff. Chip is just so not like any of them, but there is definitely something going on. Lola is Marlene’s main buddy; she has supported her and done the real big sister thing through the whole cancer experience. Now Marlene is growing up and getting a little demanding, and Lola seems totally distracted. Is it just Chip?

Mrs. Amberson has now asked Scarlett to sort of “baby-sit” one of her client’s brothers. His name is Max and he’s in Scarlett’s biology class. She can’t stand the guy the minute she lays eyes on him and definitely has other things she’d rather do. Even walking Murray, the fear-filled dog of Mrs. Amberson’s friend, is better than dealing with Max.

Scarlett does have a best friend named Dakota. Although Dakota is totally rolling in money, they have good times together. While she thinks about the Eric situation, Dakota encourages her to move on, to just get over him. Reality is what she needs but definitely not what she wants.

One day while Scarlett is working at the hotel desk, Eric --- the long-lost, most handsome guy in the world --- walks in. Not only has he come to see her, he actually asks her for advice. At last, something cool is happening. Could this possibly mean what she wants it to mean?


Recommended to: teens, drama

By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead

By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead


By: Julie Anne Peters
Reviewed by: Tahrima, 13
Rating: It was alright...


Daelyn Rice can’t be left alone. Following her most recent suicide attempt, her well-meaning parents have her on suicide watch. They follow her when she goes for walks, pick her up from school, and monitor her online computer use. Daelyn has found a way around them, though, with a website called Through-the-Light.com, which promises to evade detection by the kind of monitoring programs that her parents use. Through-the-Light also promises something else: to give users contemplating suicide a discussion forum, frank advice, and a countdown clock to their own date of death.

Daelyn is obsessed with suicide but just not sure which method will provide the best combination of minimal pain and maximum effectiveness. Her earlier attempts obviously didn’t work --- she’s still here, isn’t she? --- so she needs a better way. Through-the-Light gives her plenty of material to work with.

As Daelyn counts down the days to her appointed “Date of Determination,” she recalls the events that have led to her current state of despair and desperation. Daelyn, who is overweight, has been bullied her whole life, ranging from fat jokes to a sexual attack by a group of boys in a school bathroom. She has been physically and verbally abused at “fat camp,” made the object of cruel pranks at school, and ignored or pitied by teachers and school administrators.

Just one thing is getting in the way of Daelyn’s single-minded progress toward a successful suicide attempt: a boy named Santana. He’s kind of a pain, engaging her in ridiculous conversation when all she wants to do is escape into the pages of the latest romance novel. He’s also kind of weird --- he has a pet rat, for Pete’s sake --- and extremely persistent. It turns out that Santana has a secret of his own, one that might change Daelyn’s perspective on life --- and death.


Recommended to: teens

Unclaimed Heart

Unclaimed Heart


By: Kim Wilkins
Reviewed by: Yuuki, 13
Rating: It was amazing!


Constance has always known that her mother had disappeared when she was young, but when her father returns from one of his long sea journeys, she finds out that her mother might still be alive, having been spotted living in Ceylon a few years ago. With her determination to find her mom, Constance sneaks onto her father's ship before he sails to Ceylon.

On the way, she saves Alexandre, a pearl diver who is trying to get his freedom using a pearl he has found. As she keeps his pearl safe, they both try to find out about where Contance's mother is. In time they both begin to fall in love with each other, but how can they when the society that they live in won't allow it?

I LOVE this story. It is written very well, and the mood of the story made me cry. It's such a beautiful story, with so much emotion, and it reminds me of other characters from books that I've read in the past.


Recommended to:

Samurai Girl: The Book of the Sword

Samurai Girl: The Book of the Sword


By: Carrie Asai
Reviewed by: Yuuki, 13
Rating: Really liked it


When Heaven was six months old, she fell from the sky, being the only survivor of the Japanese flight, Japan Airlines flight 999. She is taken in by the Kogo family and is named Heaven. Years later, her father arranges a marriage for Heaven and on her wedding day, her life shatters in front of her as a ninja interrupts the wedding and her brother ends up dying, trying to kill the intruder. As Heaven runs away from her family and her old life, what awaits her?

The story is well written, and somewhat descriptive as well. There are also a few illustrations throughout the story, which I must admit are quite good. The only part I didn't like about this story is that Heaven tends to have second thoughts on whether she wants to return to her old life or continue with her new one.


Recommended to:

Call of Duty 2*

Call of Duty 2 for Xbox 360*


By: Infinite Ward and Activision
Reviewed by: Karthik, 12
Rating: It was amazing!


This call of duty is on of the best especially becasue the gameplay is simple and user friendly. In this early call of duty you fight as three different counrties. the u.s, russia, and britan. even though the game doesn't imploy much vechile combat (only 3 missions) you can still use machine guns, anit-aircraft weapons, and my favorite a panswerwafer stimilar to todays rpg. The game is a little easy on normal and easy difficulties but on hard or vetern it is nigh impossible. The realism is good and the graphic are ok on a HDTV. I would suggest this to Xbox 360 owners, COD fans, and some one looking for a fist person shooter.


Recommended to: Xbox 360 owners, COD fans, first person shooter lovers.

*The library does NOT have this version of Call of Duty.

Circus

Circus

By: Britney Spears
Reviewed by: awesomeVia, 15
Rating: It was alright...


I think that this album by Britney Spears is better than her last album (Blackout) which she did not give her best shot in. This time, you can call this her comeback album.

Britney Spear's voice find I find is annoying but her songs are so catchy, especially "Womanizer" and "Circus". Just like Time magazine said about her, "she's won't be one of the performers in the circus; this time, she'll be the ringleader!" She may have messed up in public affairs and in the tabloids but this time, she may have fixed herself. That's what you pay for the price of fame, lack of privacy.


Recommended to: Britney Spear fans, preppy girls, etc...