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Books You Can't Put Down!

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Books You Can't Put Down: Radiant Darkness

Clare Recommends:

Radiant Darkness                                                                            

By Emily Whitman

Persephone lives in a protected vale, completely closed off from the outside world. Her over-protective mother Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, has never let her do anything outside of the valley. She has never even seen a man until one day, a mysterious male being lands his golden chariot splat in the middle of her favorite field. Over time, Persephone falls in love with this beautiful stranger, and only later does she discover that her lover is Hades, the Lord of the Underworld.

Clare's review

The legend and myth of Persephone has been told and treasured for thousands of years. In all the stories, Hades forced Persephone to rule with him on his underworld throne, none of them mention that maybe she chose to accompany him to the realm of the dead. In this version, Demeter is not at all the loving mother, but a vain and egotistical goddess who cares more about the barely and wheat on Earth more than her own immortal daughter's well-being.  Hades does not suddenly fly out of the sky to kidnap the goddess, but instead courts her in secret, letting her choose whether or not she wants to rule at his side. She comes back not because Zeus forced her to, but to keep the promise she made to a deceased mother to find and protect her newborn child. The natural flow and style of the writing ensures that this is not a tale to forget, but one to pass down, along with the original tale of the goddess, Persephone.

I think the cover's OK, the girl is pretty and the flower is special, but I think that it could be more mysterious, in keeping with the content of the book - with darker colors and a more mature feel.

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Clare Schuett is 13 and lives in Sebastopol California. She is a lover of books and a voracious reader. She reviews YA books, prior to their publication, for the American Library Association. We have the privilege of posting her reviews on our blog.

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Want to know more?  Visit: http://amzn.to/9HpQLM

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Books You Can't Put Down: The Last Olympian

The Last Olympian                                                                                  

by Rick Riordan

The Last Olympian is the final book in the Percy Jackson and The Olympians series. It is also my favorite. For months, the entire mythological world has been preparing for war. Now it has finally arrived. Percy Jackson, Son of Poseidon, must now face the bloodthirsty battle, bent on either saving or destroying all he has ever known. His friends, his family, and Olympus itself are all at risk, and he is the only one who can save them.

Clare's review

This is my favorite book out of all five in the series. The cover was really cool. The dark hues hinted trouble, and thesword in Percy's hand indicated battle.  From the first sentence, "The end of the world started when a Pegasus landed on the hood of my car,' I was hooked. I couldn't put it down! The author's playful yet gripping tone really suited the story. The action, the intrigue, the romance, was perfection on paper. All the characters stood out, each claiming my attention even when I thought I had none left to give! From the very beginning, I felt as if I knew each character personally. (That could also be because of the series; if you haven't, read it, read it now!)

The story has many twists and turns such as, the identity of the spy - I won't spoil it by explaining it here! The flow of the writing made it seem like the entire story was just lifted out of history and copied onto paper; it seemed so natural. The ending was wonderful, with just the right pace of winding down. There were hints that there will be another Olympian series. I sure hope so!

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Clare Schuett is 13 and lives in Sebastopol California. She is a lover of books and a voracious reader. She reviews YA books, prior to their publication, for the American Library Association. We have the privilege of posting her reviews on our blog.

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Want to know more?  Visit:  http://amzn.to/cwwLS8

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Books You Can't Put Down: Fire

Fire                                                                                                    
by Kristen Cashore

Fire is the companion novel to Graceling. A human monster, with a monster father and a human mother, is cursed with unbearable beauty. When war attacks the Dells, Fire is faced with many seemingly impossible choices. Who's side will she be on? Will she further abuse her powers of mind control just to aid in the survival of a kingdom? Which of her lovers is truly worthy of her? She answers these questions and more, in this finely woven tale of love, loss, and war.

Clare's review

I still enjoyed Graceling more, but, that said, Fire was also superb. I stayed up all night just to finish it! The plot of the story was organized and executed almost perfectly. The settings and characters were described well, and there was just enough space between actions to give the reader some time to breathe. The author left the reader unsure as to who loved whom which kept the story interesting and made you want to figure it out! Some of my favorite parts were the action scenes and the musical segments. The truth about Fire's father's death left me stunned - I really didn't see it coming! This book is one of my favorites so far this year, and I hope readers everywhere will feel the same way.

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Clare Schuett is 13 and lives in Sebastopol California. She is a lover of books and a voracious reader. She reviews YA books, prior to their publication, for the American Library Association. We have the privilege of posting her reviews on our blog.

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Books You Can't Put Down: The Dust of One Hundred Dogs

The Dust of One Hundred Dogs                                                              
by A.S. King

A legendary teen pirate queen named Emer is cursed to live one hundred lives as a dog, with all her memories intact. Over the next 3 centuries, Emer travels all over this planet in the form of a poodle, a labrador, a chihuahua, and many other breeds as well.

Then she is incarnated as a pretty teen named Saffron, who is considered a genius due to her prior knowledge and experience. She works at McDonalds and lives with her dysfunctional family in a beat up, rusty old trailer. After seventeen years of enduring her drug addicted brother, alcoholic father, and her mother who is convinced that sending Saffron to college could solve all of her financial and social problems, Saffron decides to locate her buried treasure.

Clare's Review:

This book had so much potential I could cry. In fact, if there had been more detail about Emer's lives as the different dogs, and also about her life as a human, this book would have been wonderful. As it was, this novel was barely okay. The plot was a fantastic idea, if it had only been carried out better....oh well. On the other hand, I liked the characters, but they lacked definition. I especially liked the Frenchman. The lecherous old fool, he was really well planned out.

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Clare Schuett is 13 and lives in Sebastopol California. She is a lover of books and a voracious reader. She reviews YA books, prior to their publication, for the American Library Association. We have the privilege of posting her reviews on our blog.

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Books You Can't Put Down - What kids are reading


Maddie recommends,

Ties that Bind, Ties that Break
by Lensey Namioka

Powerfully told in flashback, Ties that Bind, Ties that Break isa thoughtful exploration
of the ways cultural pressures can bend not only our personal values but even our physical
appearance. And this gripping, lyrical story's theme may be most meaningful to those teens
who feel the need to pierce and tattoo their bodies in order to fit into contemporary adolescent
society

Want to know more?
Visit http://www.amazon.com/Ties-That-Bind-Break/dp/0440415993/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257387888&sr=

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