Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

a book review by Paige Boehk

Katniss and Peeta have won the 74th annual Hunger Games and have returned to district twelve with Haymitch.  Katniss should be celebrating for even being alive, but she has upset the leaders in the Capitol by rebelling against their decision to only have one victor and forcing them to take both her and Peeta.  Katniss goes on the victor's tour through all the twelve districts, seeing all the parents of the kids they either killed or helped out in the game.  There were uprisings because of Katniss and her rebel ways.  When she gets home, back to district twelve, life is much different.  She's in the victor's village eating all the food she'd ever need, feeling bad because the rest of her district barely has food and she's set for life.

Things change when Katniss is thrown back into the arena -- the girl in the ring, the girl on fire.  The second book in The Hunger Games trilogy really shows how desperate the Capitol is to hold off a revolution.  Suzanne Collins has written a sequel which is better than the first book, which you rarely see. You'll read an awesome book and wait patiently for the sequel; when you finally read it, it's just not as good as the first book.  As the reader, I was excited and hopeful for Katniss, just rooting her on as the book went along.  For such a tragic and horrible world they live in, Katniss is real, even without a special gift like all the other books, except maybe her talent with a bow and arrow.  And not because she was a victor in the Hunger Games but because she was poor before the games and needed to hunt to survive.

Katniss is more grown up in this book, just by seeing how hard it is to kill people that she has gotten to know.  She also shows a lot of uniqueness and independence when she criticizes the people of the Capitol for stuffing their faces and then taking pills to make themselves throw up.  Or with her realization that this isn't just about her but about the good of the people in all the districts.

Just because this book is intended for a younger audience doesn't mean anyone other than young adults can read it.  Be hip -- read Catching Fire, the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy.


Find it in YA FIC Collins, S.

ALONG FOR THE RIDE by Sarah Dessen

A book review by Paige Boehk

Auden West is the best kid you could ask for, although she has a weird schedule -- she stays up all night and sleeps half the day.  She's been doing her own thing for awhile.  She uses her free time to study and take notes for college, even though she's 18 years old and hasn't  gone to college.  She is very mature and isn't like all the other girls her age.  She doesn't care about the latest fashion or who's dating who -- she just wants to do her own thing.  When Auden was 16, she saw her parents nasty divorce.  A couple years after, her father met Heidi, got married and had a baby -- a little girl named Thisbe. Auden also has an older brother named Hollis, who was backpacking around Europe.  Auden's mother was busy with her own life, having dinner parties with scholarly students every night.  That's when Auden chose to move in with her dad for the summer.

The beautiful beaches, the bright shining sun, and clear skies -- this was Colby in the summer.  Auden wanted to spend time with her dad and stay away from her new step-mom, Heidi.  She'd always seen Heidi as the girl who wears pink and high heels, though she found out this was not the case.  Heidi was very tired and emotional from just having her baby.  It was hard on her with no help from her husband.  Auden saw all the popular girls in miniskirts and the popular guys all riding bikes and doing tricks, seeing them all happy.  She still felt left out, like she did at home.

Auden realizes she will have to spend her whole summer with her dad in Colby and knows she needs to meet the kids there.  This is when she meets Jake Stock, a major player who has his eyes on her.  Colby is so small that Auden ends up getting together with Jake, who happens to be Maggie's boyfriend.  Maggie also works at Auden's step-mom's boutique, Clementine's.  After Auden apologizes, Auden and Maggie are able to become friends.  That's when Auden meets Eli, a boy with nocturnal habits and a past like her own.  They form a strong relationship throughout the book. 

Every character in the book needs to face his or her own fears and grow up.  They all make mistakes and have their own problems, which underscores the fact that no person is perfect though at first they may look that way.

Find it in YA FIC Dessen, S.

THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins

A book review by Paige Boehk


The book is based in Panem, which has 12 districts, and is governed by the capitol. The people who live in the capitol do little to nothing and are concerned only with the latest fashions and entertainment.  Each district is responsible for something, whether it be mines, agriculture, seafood, energy, material goods, peacekeepers. 

The Hunger Games is an annual "game" in which every year tributes from each district are picked.  One boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 are selected at random and are forced to fight till the death against each other until one victor stands alone.  If one of your tributes from your district wins the Hunger Games, it's an honor.  The district gets more food and a few luxuries.  It's basically a big reality show that no one really wants to watch but is forced to until it is over.

The main characters are Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark.  They are the tributes from district 12.  Katniss is a miner's daughter whose father died in a mine explosion.  To get food, she and her friend, Gale, go out of district 12 to hunt and gather food for their families.  While Peeta is a baker's son who helps out in the bakery, frosting cakes and baking bread.  They are both sent to the capitol and are put together by their mentor, Haymitch, and are sent into the arena. 

The book has lots more twists and turns.  You are going to have to read it to find out more!


Find it in YA FIC Collins, S.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

A book review by Aisha Ali

              This book deals with an Indian Boy who lives on a small reservation. All his life he has lived there, and nothing seems to change. He starts his freshman year in high school, only to find out that the textbooks being used in class are books from the time his mother wen’t to school. His anger flourishes, and even though he doesn't mean to, he ends up throwing the textbook at his teacher.

                This was a crucial moment that would define his life forever. His teacher saw the potential he had, and sought to take action. The teacher told Junior (the main character'’s name) to leave the reservation. At first this was an unthinkable, never heard of decision, but it would be the one that would map out his future.

                Junior did leave the reservation. This came with a price. The people in his reservation turned their backs on him. His Indian people saw it as a form of betrayal to leave their reservation and go to a school where only white kids attended.They considered him a traitor. If this wasn’t bad enough, he had to come home everyday to deal with rude remarks from the people that lived in his reservation.

                At first it was hard to fit into this new school full of white kids, but soon after Junior's arrival he made friends who helped him make his time worth while. In the new school he went to, people were more welcoming, and most of all nonjudgmental. Back at the reservation, he would constantly get bullied. He only had one best friend on the reservation, Rowdy. Soon after leaving, Rowdy, too, turned his back on Junior.

                With the help from his new friends and coach, Junior was able to realize who he truly is. Through all the troubles he faced, he still kept going. His motivation and hardworking spirt is what makes this book inspiring.

Find it in YA FIC ALEXIE, S.

How To Save A Life by Sara Zarr

This book is centered around two girls whose lives are completely different. The story is written from two points of view, Jill's and Mandy's.

 

Jill grows up with heart warming parents, but when her dad passes away her life is turned upside down. To make it worse, her mom's thinking about adopting a baby. Jill pushes away everyone who cares about her. It’s not until she reunites with a friend from school that she realizes she doesn’t have to push people away, she opens up about her fathers death.

Mandy’s life is different. She didn’t grow up with such loving parents like Jill. Mandy becomes pregnant and makes a promise that her baby won’t end up living like this. She decides on putting the baby up for adoption. Here in the midst of looking for a baby to adopt and in the process of giving up her baby for it to have a chance in life, Jill's and Mandy’s life collide.

Jill's mother decides to adopt Mandy's baby. Mandy soon comes to live with Jill and her family for the last months of her pregnancy. Months go by and Mandy starts to think about her life after she has the baby. She hopes that she too can find a home as welcoming as Jill's.

 

Find it in YA FIC ZARR, S.

 

Reviewed by Aisha