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: 13 Reasons Why

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

http://www.amazon.com/Thirteen-Reasons-Why-ebook/dp/B0054R6BFM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1361993771&sr=1-1&keywords=13+reasons+why

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a random mysterious box laying on his porch with his name on it.  He later finds several cassette tapes recorded by his classmate and crush, Hannah Baker, who recently committed suicide.  As he listens to the tapes, Hannah explains 13 reasons why she decided to end her life.  Clay finds out that he was a reason.  If he listens to all 13 he'll find out why.  If he is one of the reasons, who else is going to get one of these packages?

This book is one of my all time favorites and probably always will be.  For me, reading is not my favorite thing to do.  I will not read a book unless the first page grabs my attention.  Well, this book will grab your attention and it will keep you wondering until you finish the whole book.  If I were you, this book would be my number one read.  Maybe some of you can relate to it.  Please check out this book from the DHS library.  I can guarantee you will enjoy it.

                                                                                    Reviewed by Kenzie D.
                                                                                     (a DHS student)

Book Review: And Then There Were None

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

http://www.amazon.com/And-Then-There-Were-None/dp/0062073486/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1361993826&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=and+then+there+were+none

Written by Agatha Christie, the queen of thriller novels, And Then There Were None simply gave me the chills whenever I read it.  Taking place on a mysterious island, this book is about ten people who all have fallen into the hands of a madman.  Each was to persecuted and murdered, one at a time, as they spent their days in fear and doubt on the island.  With an unexpected twist ending, this book will definately make you want to keep on reading and find out who is the mastermind behind all the murders.  

Check out the book right now at your library and be prepared for a thrill!

                                                                                               Reviewed by Karen N.
                                                                                                 (a DHS student)

Book Review: Hunger Games

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

A girl named Katniss will have to fight for survival for her district in an arena full of dangerous obstacles along the way.  This is what they call the Hunger Games.  Twenty-four tributes will have to fight to the death to win these games and there is no turning back.

The reason I like this book is becuase I love all the action and problesm teh protagonist has to face through the games.  Once you pick it up and start reading, you won't let it go down on something.

                                                                                             Reviewed by Alyssa N.
                                                                                             (a DHS student)

Book Review: Animal Farm

The animals are coming!  The animals are coming! 

Animal Farm by George Orwell

At Manor Farm, the animals are treated badly by the mean old Mr. Jones.  One day they fight back against Mr. Jones and take over Manor Farm, renaming it Animal Farm.  They intend to make everyone equal, but two evil pigs begin to take over the farm and create something worse.  This is the story of Animal Farm.

The story changes direction from there.  George Orwell uses the pigs to allude to the various aspects of communism.  The pigs are meant to be the leaders of Soviet Russia, and the events of the communist regime are reflected in the book.  Even events that really occurred in Soviet Russia happen in this story.

The story is very exciting and told like a kid's book.  It even has children's book illustrations to show the innocence of the story, but there are really much darker themes hidden within.  The book begins very innocently but like the animals the story gets much more mature.  Many teenagers would like this story but it is not for the faint of heart.  The pigs go around killing the other animals and the conclusion is very emotional if you get attached to the characters.  It wil make you really think about your own pets.  It's a good story that will really make you think.
                                                                                       Reviewed by William C.
                                                                                       (a DHS student)

                                       

                                                                                       

Book Review: Whale Talk

Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher is an action packed book that I would definately recommend to young adults.  The main character is a teenager named T.J.  He's an all-star athlete, but he only wants to use his talents for the school's swim team.  The problem with this is that the school doesn't have a swimming team, so T.J. puts together a seven man swim team before the swim season starts.  He sets goals for the other swimmers so that they can earn a letter jacket of their own.  He runs into a lot of trouble during the story, and it gets pretty exciting the more you read it.  T.J. also protects this kid named Chris because the school bully picks on him. Chris can't defend himself because he's mentally challenged, so T.J. protects him.  This book is only about 220 pages long so it won't take long to read.  At first I thought I wouldnt' liek it because I judged it by the cover, which I learned never to do, but I started reading it and it's quite exciting!

                                                                           Reviewed by Mark J. (a DHS student)

Book Review: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader

Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? by Neil Gaiman

Batman has died, but how is the question.  As Batman watches from teh beyond, all of Batmans' closest friends and enemies gather around tot hell their opinion on how the Dark Knight met his fate.  Was Alfred the JOker the whole time and killed him on accident, or did Catwoman bdtray him?  These are some of the few thoughts Neil Gaiman puts in the reader's mind.  The best part of what Gaiman does is that he makes the story feel like an unpredictable tale fo greatness. Everything is unpredictable:  Gaiman adds his magical touch to make the story coherent and full of surprises.  Comic book writing and characterization is at its best, and this book might even be one of the best two issue comic stories in history.

Neil Gaiman has given us many great stories throughout his career, such as Sandman, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book, to name a few.  He uses his unique eye of perception for suspense and horror to write some of the greatest modern day books.  Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader is a great addition to the Batman library, and is surely a great read for teenages, Batman fans, and newcomers to reading alike.  So don't just sit there, check it out from the library!
        
                                                                                           
                                                                     Reviewed by John B.  (a DHS student)