Books are a way of life.

Winter Girls- Laurie Halse Anderson

Lia doesn’t care. She’s down to 90. Almost to her goal. But in truth, once she reaches 80, will it ever be enough? Yesterday, an old friend of hers was found alone in a motel room. When Lia finally glances at her phone, she learns that the night Cassie died, she called Lia. Lia who didn’t answer the phone. Lia who didn’t help her. Lia who missed 33 phone calls from a now dead friend.

33 calls.

Cassie left messages, asking for help. 33 times, she asked- begged for help. 33 times Lia didn’t help her. But she doesn’t care doesn’t care doesn’t care so it doesn’t matter. Nothing matters but the scale.

How long can Lia lie to herself before shes forced to face the truth?

Before its too late..

I really like this book and this author. You might have heard of the very popular Speak, which was also written by Anderson (review coming soon!) I like Anderson’s writing style. She gives you the character’s thoughts in the form of facts its a helpful insider and i like it a lot lot lot.

Ally’s Rating :9.5/10

Kaitlyn’s Rating: 9.3/10

The Fault In Our Stars- John Green

Repost, because of the awesomeness of this book.

Wow- words cannot describe how both of us feel about this book. By far the best book I have ever read- and I have read a lot of books. I literally could not put it down, and reread it often.

 This is the story of a teenage girl named Hazel Grace Lancaster. At age 13 she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and the cancer has spread to her lungs. She has never been anything but terminal, and thinks of herself as a ticking bomb- ready to explode suddenly at any moment. Her life isn’t much more than her parents, her cancer, and America’s Next Top Model- her favorite show. Her mother forces her to go to a support group for cancer, saying “Hazel, you deserve a life.” Hazel fails to see how that constitutes as a life, but goes to make her parents happy. As Hazel says in the book, “..the only thing worse from biting from cancer when you’re 16, is having a kid who bites it at 16.”

Her parents are easily her two best friends- until she meets a drop dead gorgeous boy named Augustus Waters. Augustus shows her more to life and she quickly falls for him. Both Augustus and Hazel are obsessed with this book, An Imperial Affliction, by the reclusive Peter Van Houten. The book is Hazel’s favorite, and offers no closure to the lives of the characters, as it ends in the middle of a sente

The Fault in Our Stars is not a Cancer Book- it is a book about two young kids who happen to have cancer, and how they handle the knowledge they will inevitably die and be forgotten, and to a bigger extent, the inevitability of human oblivion.

This book will have laughing on one page, and crying on the next. A mustread. I’m a huge fan of John Green, and I encourage you to be too. Learn more about him and The Fault in Our Stars on his you tube channel:http://www.youtube.com/user/vlogbrothers?ob=0&feature=results_main

Ally’s rating: 11/10 stars.

Kaitlyn’s rating: 15000/10 stars

An Abundance of Katherines- John Green

Colin Singleton, noted child prodigy, has a type when it comes to relationships. Only his type doesn’t have anything to do with personality, or even looks. Its all about names. specifically one: Katherine. Every person he’s ever dated was named Katherine, spelled like that. And every Katherine he’s dated has dumped him. After Katherine 19, 19 heartbreaks from 19 Katherines, he decides he has to move on. So he packs his things, convinces his Judge Judy-loving best friend, Hassan, to go with him, and leaves. On a road trip going anywhere. There come across a town named Gutshot, where the Archduke Franz Ferdinand-whose death was the supposed spark of World War I- is buried. They stay with Hollis and her daughter Lindsey, who is dating- get this- a boy named Collin(nicknamed The other Colin by Hassan and Collin)Colin, being border line genius when it comes to math(though he won’t admit he is a genius), decides to come up with a formula to determine the outcome of relationships. He names it The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability. Him and Lindsey grow closer and closer… But she’s not a Katherine. But Colin is depending on the Theorem to prove he can be more than just a washed up child prodigy who reached his academic peak early… And maybe he can be a genius.

As always, we think highly of John Green as an author and you can get to know him better on his YouTube channel: vlogbrothers

Ally’s Ratings: 8/10

Kaitlyn’s Rating: 7.7/10

Deadly Little Secrets- Laurie Stolarz

Currently a series of four books, the fifth and final coming out in December of 2012. The Touch Series is about a young girl-named Camelia after the chameleon- whose life is turned around when a mysterious boy suddenly saves her life. She is inexplicably drawn to this mysterious boy who would rather pretend she does not exist. She slowly gets to know the boy, who is rumored to be a murderer. She learns things that she wishes she never had to know.

The sudden twists in plot will leave you stunned. Just when you think you have it all figured out, you turn the page and realize how terribly wrong you are. Laurie Stolarz is a great author. She has a way of forcing you into the story, and you have no choice but to be in the characters shoes.

Learn more about Laurie Stolarz and her books here:

http://www.lauriestolarz.com/bio.html

Ally’s Rating: 7.5/10

Kaitlyn’s Rating: 7/10

The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald

[MAY CONTAINSLIGHT SPOILERS,SORRY.]

The Great Gatsby- a classic? Yes. So it’s long boring uninteresting? NO! This book is spectacular- and very easy and fun, yes fun, to read critically.

I am going to leave this review to New York Times best selling author John Green. John? (This was all said in a video on his video blog, in 2011)

Read his critical thoughts here: http://nerdfighteria.info/index.php?title=Gatsby%27s_American_Dream:_Reading_The_Great_Gatsby_Critically,_Chapter_1

I can’t really describe it better.

Even if it’s just for a school assignment, i would say you HAVE to read this book. The Great Gatsby is a very captivating book that makes you really think. It does have a few difficult words in it, but then again, it WAS written in 1925.

Ally’s Rating: 10/10 Stars.

Willow - Julia Hoban

Seven long months ago, Willow’s parents died in a terrible car accident. The twist? 16 year old Willow was driving. She secretly begins cutting herself to block the pain. It is working for her, until one boy, named Guy, discovers her terrible secrets- and threatens to tell her brother. How will he react? How will she? Can Willow forgive herself? Will her brother forgive her? The questions keep building until Willow feels like she can’t take it anymore. Will this boy help her? Or just make things more complicated?

This book is more than a ‘self-harm book’- it is the story of struggle, of forgiveness, and of sorrow. I strongly encourage you to read it.

Learn more about Julia Hoban and her books at:

http://www.zimbio.com/YA+Book+Reviews/articles/6/Interview+Julia+Hoban+Author+Willow+TSS

Ally’s rating: 9/10 Stars

Kaitlyn’s rating: 8.5/10 Stars

The Fault in Our Stars- John Green

Wow- words cannot describe how both of us feel about this book. By far the best book I have ever read- and I have read a lot of books. I literally could not put it down, and reread it often.

 This is the story of a teenage girl named Hazel Grace Lancaster. At age 13 she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and the cancer has spread to her lungs. She has never been anything but terminal, and thinks of herself as a ticking bomb- ready to explode suddenly at any moment. Her life isn’t much more than her parents, her cancer, and America’s Next Top Model- her favorite show. Her mother forces her to go to a support group for cancer, saying “Hazel, you deserve a life.” Hazel fails to see how that constitutes as a life, but goes to make her parents happy. As Hazel says in the book, “..the only thing worse from biting from cancer when you’re 16, is having a kid who bites it at 16.”

Her parents are easily her two best friends- until she meets a drop dead gorgeous boy named Augustus Waters. Augustus shows her more to life and she quickly falls for him. Both Augustus and Hazel are obsessed with this book, An Imperial Affliction, by the reclusive Peter Van Houten. The book is Hazel’s favorite, and offers no closure to the lives of the characters, as it ends in the middle of a sente

The Fault in Our Stars is not a Cancer Book- it is a book about two you kids who happen to have cancer, and how they handle the knowledge they will inevitably die and be forgotten, and to a bigger extent, the inevitability of human oblivion.

This book will have laughing on one page, and crying on the next. A must read. I’m a huge fan of John Green, and I encourage you to be too. Learn more about him and The Fault in Our Stars on his you tube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/vlogbrothers?ob=0&feature=results_main

Ally’s rating: 11/10 stars.

Kaitlyn’s rating: 15000/10 stars