Book Review: Treasure Island

If you ask me which book was more suspenseful The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins or Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, I would say Treasure Island. But I didn’t expect that to be my answer before I started reading it.

Treasure Island is a classic coming-of-age story about an 11 year old boy named Jim Hawkins. The story starts with Jim at the inn that he and his mother run. A scary, drunken, pirate comes to stay at the inn. We find out this pirate is being hunted down by his ship’s crew because he took off with a treasure map that belonged to all of them. The pirate has a stroke, and Jim and his mom run off with the map seconds before the other pirates descend on their inn and start to tear it apart to find what’s rightfully theirs.

Jim turns the map in to some trustworthy town members. A few of them decide they will follow the map knowing it will lead them to a real treasure.  

This story is full of adventure, shock, deceit, betrayal and the narrowest of escapes. I never would have thought I would have become so intrigued by a story about an 11 year old boy and some pirates, but this book had me turning pages faster than The Hunger Games did. I had to know what happened next! I thought I was only reading it to keep up my literary reputation. Little did I know, it would become one of my all-time favorites.

Check this book out next time you stop by the DHS library. You won’t regret it.

                                                                                                  Reviewed by Ms. Myles

Book Review: A Bride's Story

A Bride's Story by Kaoru Mori

*A YALSA Great Graphic Novel for Teens 2012*

I was first drawn to this book by the absolutely stunning artwork.  Mori is such a talented artist.  I was amazed by the detials she was able to put into the clothing and landscapes.

A Bride's Story is a historical fiction manga, set in the early 1800s on the central Asian silk road.  Amira is a 20 year old girl who has recently been given in marriage to a boy 8 years her junior.  While this may sound awkward to our modern ears, his maturity and leadership  make it believable.  Amira is a super cool chick who is an expert horsewoman, can shoot a hawk out of the sky with her bow and arrow, and is generally just the nicest person around.  When her old family decides they need her back so she can be married off to a more politically affluent family, her new family and town rally for a big throwdown.  Dotted with little day to day experiences of life during this time period, I found myself entranced by the characters and the lifestyle.  The character of Mr. Smith, an Englishman living in the area in order to conduct research, helps give clarity on certain cultural habits and beliefs. 

Romance, cool horsebackriding, great fights, and some awesome shots with a bow make this a great read.  It's worth it just for the illustrations! 

Book Review: Death Cloud

Death Cloud by Andrew Lane

(Sherlock Holmes, the Legend Begins)

http://www.amazon.com/Death-Cloud-Sherlock-Holmes-ebook/dp/B004EPYWKG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1361993144&sr=8-2&keywords=death+cloud

Sherlock Holmes, the famous consulting detective, is one of the most famous literary characters out there.  There have been countless movies, tv shows (including my personal fav, Sherlock), and book series spin-offs.  What makes this book different is that it is the first Sherlock book actually endorsed by the family of Sir Aurthur Conan Doyle (the man who wrote the original Sherlock Holmes books). 

Young Sherlock Holmes, only 17 and shipped off to live with an estranged aunt and uncle for the summer, expects to spend the next few months bored and lonely. Instead, he finds himself smack in the middle of a murder most mysterious. Two men are found covered with sores and a strange yellow powder.  As they lay dying, a black cloud leaves their bodies, a cloud that seems to have a mind of its own.  With the help of his new friend Matty, an orphan who lives on the canals, and Virginia, the attractive and spunky daughter of his tutor, Sherlock learns to put the pieces together and use his blossoming powers of deduction to solve the riddle.

There is plenty of action and suspense in this book.  In the midst of fistfights, gunshots, and narrow escapes, we meet a Sherlock who we easily see becoming the hero we know today.  Mix in a very creepy villian and you have a story that's definitely a page turner. 

If you like it, check out the sequel, Rebel Fire!

Book Review: Wrapped

http://www.amazon.com/Wrapped-ebook/dp/B003V1WXCI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1361993713&sr=1-1&keywords=wrapped+bradbury

Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury

Agnes is about to make her debut in Regency society as the beautiful, wealthy daughter of an aristocrat.  She has even caught the eye of the dashing and powerful Lord Sherwalter, the dreamboat hunk of the neighborhood.  Her life seems perfectly planned out for her, but Agnes isn't quite satisfied.  She longs for adventure and travel before she resignes herself to a life of marriage and duties at home. 

When she finds a mysterious object hidden in the wrappings of a mummy during an "unwrapping party", she suddenly finds herself in the middle of a consipracy that could change her life and the fate of England forever.

Start with some fancy dress balls, add some action and espionage and throw in a mummy's curse and you've got a thrilling ride that makes for great storytelling. Agnes is intellient, funny, and not afraid to do what's right, even if it means personal danger to herself.  While the ending is a bit predictable, the suspense and great characters make it worth the read.

A sequel is planned for the summer of 2014, but you can read this book without fear of the dreaded cliffhanger.  Bradbury wraps up her story with enough closure to leave you feeling satisfied, but looking forward for more!

Book Review: To Kill a Mockingbird

It’s a Sin to Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a book about a little girl named Scout, who throughout the book starts to develop a better understanding of prejudice and racism. Jem, Scout's older brother, helps her understand these words, and why people are this way. Jem and Scout play, make new friends, and come to know of a shadowy figure by the name of Boo Radley, who lives in a neighboring house and yet is never seen. He is rumored to be an evil person, but their fair-minded father, Atticus, who is a widowed lawyer, warns them that they should try to see the world from the other people's perspectives. Atticus gets assigned a case to defend a black man named Tom Robinson, and the whole town of Maycomb cannot believe that Atticus has accepted this case.  I love To Kill a Mockingbird  because it is suspenseful, mysterious, funny, and heartwarming. It shows you the world from a nine year old's point of view. Scout asks why things are a certain way, she states her opinion without fear, and she just wants everything resolved. If you like heartwarming books with a twist, go check this one out! They have made a movie of the book and I suggest you go check out the trailer here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks88MPOyoYc).

                                                         Reviewed by a DHS student

Book Review: The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt

This inventive novel follows Frankie Platt, a young woman coming of age in the 1920s, as she travels the world in her pursuit pf her dream to become a writer.  This dream seems impossible at first when her father dies, leaving the family struggling to make ends meet.  When Frankie falls in love with a captain, much older than her and with a sordid past, her mother finds a way to ship her off to get a higher education.  Thus begins Frankie's fascinating journey to Vassar College, New York, Paris, and eventually, back home.  Some of her companions include two exiled Russian princes, a "spinster adventuress", Ernest Hemingway, and the dark captain of her past. 

What makes this novel so unique is that it is told almost completely in full color vintage memorabilia from the 1920s.  Preston uses advertisements, old fashioned note paper, and real photographs from the time period to engross the reader and tranport them to another time.   A lovely story about a vivacious young woman, skillfully told with few words, but a whole lot of fun and heart.