Struck By Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal

Struck By Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal

By: Chris Colfer

17-year-old Carson Phillips has it all: an absent father, an alcoholic, pill-popping mother, and scorn for his fellow peers that comes from being at the bottom of the bottom in a high school where having motivation instantly makes you a pariah. When Carson learns that working on the school newspaper (that he single-handedly writes despite having at least five people working on it) and his many journalism classes just aren't going to cut it, he devises a plan to make his application to Northwestern University stand out from all the others: starting a literary paper. Problem? Most of the students at his school more than likely have never heard the word 'literary', especially when combined with paper. But besides that, the students at his school would rather eat paper than write for one. So he decides to do what he does best: blackmailing the entire student body to get what he wants. From the mind of award-winning actor on Glee, and now New York Times bestselling author Chris Colfer, comes this tale. 

Violence: None, really.

Language: Well...he's a 17-year-old boy, what do you expect. A STRONG PG-13, if not bordering a little bit on R, but don't let that deter you (but be warned, the language does get a little strong. Don't let your 7-year-old sister read this just because she likes Glee)

Sexual Content: Again, don't let your little sister read this just because she likes Glee. Though nothing is explicitly stated, there is this one scene where Carson stumbles into the bathroom to find two boys stumbling out of a stall, one boy pulling up his pants. I think you know where this is going.

Rating: 3.5 out of 4 OMG's

I'll admit, I bought this book just because I was a fan of Glee and hey, Chris freaking Colfer wrote it, but I'll admit, I was shocked at how good it was. I had to bite down on my tongue multiple times to stop myself from laughing out loud during class while reading it. It's that funny. Also, it's a movie! So it has to be good (though that logic doesn't work for all book franchises *cough* Twilight *cough*. But it's definitely worth picking up, especially if you want a quick read that will have you laughing for days when you think about something hilarious that was in the book. There are a few slow parts, but for the most part it's really quick, witty, and sarcastic.

*Excerpt*

     "You were on ADD medication as a kid and you turned out somewhat decent."

     "No, I wasn't." I knew she had to be mistaken; I have absolutely no memory of ever taking anything growing up, even vitamins.

     "I hid it in your food."

     I almost choked, hearing this confession. She was kidding, right?

     "I thought I was just really calm and mature for my age," I said.

     "Nope, you were drugged," Mom said nonchalantly. "When your father and I began our divorce you started asking so many questions we found it easier to rookie you than to answer you."

     I almost choked again even thought I didn't have any food in my mouth. I t must have been true; Mom forgot how to joke after Dad left.

     All those years of judging my peers for playing tag on the playground, for digging up worms and eating them, for coloring outside the lines in coloring books--it was all medically induced  mot because i was superior to them.

     "Well, it isn't dinner unless some form of my childhood foundation is shattered,"I said.

Little Women

Little Women

By: Louisa May Alcott

Summer Reading 2012

Lovely Meg, talented Jo, frail Beth, spoiled Amy: these are hard lessons of poverty and of growing up in New England during the Civil War. Through their dreams, plays, pranks, letters, illnesses, and courtships, women of all ages have become a part of this remarkable family and have felt the deep sadness when Meg leaves the circle of sisters to be married at the end of Part I. Part II, chronicles Meg's joys and mishaps as a young wife and mother, Jo's struggle to become a writer, Beth's tragedy, and Amy's artistic pursuits and unexpected romance. Based on Louise May Alcott's childhood, this lively portrait of nineteenth-century family life possesses a lasting vitality that has endeared it to generations of readers.

(Taken from amazon.com description)

Rating: 5/5

Language: G

Violence: G, mention of the Civil War, but nothing else is really said

Sexual Content: G

A lovely, sedate, classic novel; those are the words I would use to sum up Little Women. This novel is heartwarming, simple, and goes through what was realistic back in the days of Alcott. It is a perfectly acceptable novel, and a grand old classic, that can bring you back to it, just to watch the women face their trials in life with a fire that was not well known in the late 1800s.

Payback Time

Payback Time
By Carl Deuker
Summer Reading 2012

Mitch True is depressed when he is assigned the sports beat for his high school paper. He wants to uncover a big story. But his depression turns to excitement when he spots Angel Marichal on the football team. Angel is big, strong, fast--and he's hiding his past. Why? Mitch knows there is a big story just waiting for him. He's right . . . and he's wrong.

(Taken from http://www.members.authorsguild.net/carldeuker/payback_time_106321.htm)

Rating: 5/5

Language: G, kid friendly in this department

Sexual Content: G, again, kid friendly

Violence: PG-13, some bullying and SPOILER (highlight if you want to see) Gang violence connected to Angel

This story is automatically a page turner for middle school level. It brings every person in a high school society into action, the smart girl who wants to get into the big school, the football jock, the overweight guy, whose confidence isn't up to par. It can appeal to everyone, and that is what I liked most about this book. It also brings in a plot that investigates a mysterious character Angel, and keeps you guessing about what has truly happened to Angel. Payback Time is an easy read that brings in mystery to keep you guessing, recommended if you are looking for a sports type book, but has more than sports in it.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
By: Rebecca Skloot
Summer Reading 2012

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. If you could pile all HeLa cells ever grown onto a scale, they’d weigh more than 50 million metric tons—as much as a hundred Empire State Buildings. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions.

Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave.

Now Rebecca Skloot takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the “colored” ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to stark white laboratories with freezers full of HeLa cells; from Henrietta’s small, dying hometown of Clover, Virginia—a land of wooden slave quarters, faith healings, and voodoo—to East Baltimore today, where her children and grandchildren live and struggle with the legacy of her cells.

Henrietta’s family did not learn of her “immortality” until more than twenty years after her death, when scientists investigating HeLa began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. And though the cells had launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sells human biological materials, her family never saw any of the profits. As Rebecca Skloot so brilliantly shows, the story of the Lacks family—past and present—is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of.

Over the decade it took to uncover this story, Rebecca became enmeshed in the lives of the Lacks family—especially Henrietta’s daughter Deborah, who was devastated to learn about her mother’s cells. She was consumed with questions: Had scientists cloned her mother? Did it hurt her when researchers infected her cells with viruses and shot them into space? What happened to her sister, Elsie, who died in a mental institution at the age of fifteen? And if her mother was so important to medicine, why couldn’t her children afford health insurance? 


(Taken from Amazon.com description)


Rating: 5/5
Language: PG-13, nothing too bad from what I remember
Sexual Content: PG, none remembered
Violence: PG-13, its a non-fiction book, and the racism back then was terrible, as well as what they put Henrietta Lack through was extreme


This is a work of nonfiction, Henrietta Lacks was a real person, and her cells live on today, and have led to many scientific discoveries. This book focuses on what it did to her family, and how Henrietta, gifted, or perhaps cursed with immortal cells was tested time and time again, and how she was never once mentioned as the person who unwillingly gave cells, the cells were referenced as HeLa. Working for ten years to research and develop this book, Rebecca Skloot gave us a masterpiece to read here. I was studying genetics when I read this book, and it not only gave me a sense of who Henrietta is, but what the cells were used for, and I was able to study and understand the science of genetics so much more! A great work, but not for those who have trouble with science or do not like nonfiction.

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer
By: John Grisham
Summer Reading 2012

A perfect murder.
A faceless witness.
A lone courtroom champion knows the whole truth…and he's only thirteen years old.
Meet Theodore Boone.

In the small city of Strattenburg, there are many lawyers, and though he's only thirteen years old, Theo Boone thinks he's one of them. Theo knows every judge, policeman, court clerk—and a lot about the law. He dreams of being a great trial lawyer, of a life in the courtroom.
But Theo finds himself in court much sooner than expected. Because he knows so much—maybe too much—he is suddenly dragged into the middle of a sensational murder trial. A cold-blooded killer is about to go free, and only Theo knows the truth.

The stakes are high, but Theo won't stop until justice is served. 

(Taken From the Book's Synopsis)

Rating: 5/5
Language: G, absolutely none! Entirely kid friendly!!
Sexual Content: G, again, kid friendly!
Violence: PG, It is a murder trial, but it isn't overly descriptive, and there are no illustrations done so you don't see anything graphic

Theodore Boone is from a family of lawyers, but while his family deals in minor incidents, Theodore wants to be big time lawyer, dealing with the big, criminal cases. Many details involving the judicial system were needed, and despite how complicated the judicial system is, this was a quick, and an easy read. I enjoyed it immensely, but I also enjoy criminology. It was fascinating how Grisham was able to involve the judicial system in such detail but still make it simple for my younger brother to read. I recommend this book if you need a simple book to read this summer. I'm looking forward to getting into the rest of the series, but also into some of Grisham's other books, such as The Confession, A Time To Kill, and others from his pile of works!

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl
By: Barry Lyga
RPLTG - July

Fanboy has never had it good, but lately his sophomore year is turning out to be its own special hell. The bullies have made him their favorite target, his best (and only) friend seems headed for the dark side (sports and popularity), and his pregnant mother and the step-fascist are eagerly awaiting the birth of the alien life form known as Fanboy's new little brother or sister.

Fanboy, though, has a secret: a graphic novel he's been working on without telling anyone, a graphic novel that he is convinced will lead to publication, fame, and--most important of all--a way out of the crappy little town he lives in and all the people that make it hell for him.

When Fanboy meets Kyra, a.k.a. Goth Girl, he finds an outrageous, cynical girl who shares his love of comics as well as his hatred for jocks and bullies. Fanboy can't resist someone who actually seems to understand him, and soon he finds himself willing to heed her advice--to ignore or crush anyone who stands in his way.

(Review taken from amazon.com)

Violence: PG-13, Fanboy deals with punches from bullies, and Kyra SPOLIER (highlight if you want to see it) tries to commit suicide before the book begins, but it is mentioned throughout the novel

Rating: 3.5/5

Language: PG-13, though the words aren't used that often if I remember correctly

Sexual Content: R, Kyra flashes two people, and the boys mention having sex quite often

This was a pretty good book, but the genre, its never been one of my favorites. The plot, I felt, missed a few key points, that made me confused a bit, but I can't reveal for spoiler problems. And Goth Girl/Kyra, I just didn't like her personality, I understood what she went through, but did she need to act like that? But anyways, the sequel is out, and I'm not quite sure if I'll read it or not. But we will see as the summer moves along

Divergent

Divergent

By: Veronica Roth

Summer Reading 2012

"In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her." (Taken from the inside cover)

Violence: PG-13, it's got a lot of violence, but its not really graphic in my opinion

Rating: 4/5

Language: PG, there's not any words I remember, maybe a d word here and there

Sexual Content: PG-13, there's kisses, and then talk of having sex, but its never completed

Divergent is definitely a plain, fun book, that doesn't require much thinking to enjoy. The world building is not done very well, but if you don't want to think about how everything happened, and take in a lot of information from the book, this is definitely the book for you. I can't tell you much about the book itself, and how I liked the heroes, because there would be way too many spoilers in it! But I really and truly cannot wait for the next book to come out, (which is May 1, 2012.) I think this series can transform from this beginning to a truly spectacular series!

~Katie