Sunday, December 28, 2008

I Was A Non-Blonde Cheerleader by Kieran Scott

I Was A Non-Blonde Cheerleader by Kieran Scott
Annisa Gobrowski is a New Jersey transplant in Florida, a very blonde Florida. She has a problem- she is the one of the only brunette girls in her entire school. At least two people make her feel welcome, Bethany a cynical teen, who just happens to also be a brunette, and Daniel her uberhot neighbor, who just happens to be a popular football-wrestling-track star, and secret guitar-player. After Annisa breaks the most popular girl in school's nosein a disatorous first day, it seems as if it can't get worse.Though Bethany objects, the fact that Annisa is a brunette is not going to stop her from trying out for the cheerleading squad at Sand Dune High when two girls get kicked off the team. And who would have guessed that the girl who's nose Annisa broke would be the cheer captain, but despite all of this she makes the squad. Follow Annisa as she tries to survive as a non-blonde cheerleader.
I didn't really know what to expect from this book. It looked good, but a book about a cheerleader, in Florida? It just seemed a bit to perky and like fluff to me. And I was partially right, but that didn't stop me from liking it. Annisa is very perky, but the thing is many of her fellow cheerleaders are not.The team is falling apart, and the typical stereotype of cheerleaders being popular is held, but not the cheerleaders being stupid. Annisa's character shows that it is possible to maintain who you are even when you are being pressured to change. And a plus, there is a bit of romance! I also have new respect for the sport of cheerleading, seeing how hard and dangerous cheerleading can be. The characters were great, I loved Annisa's brother Gabe who has been described as a chameleon because of how often he changes his look. It's not a book you want to read if you're looking for a serious, but if you're looking for a quick and fun read this the perfect book for that. If I were to use a star rating, it would be between 3 3/4 and 4 stars out of 5.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Twilight

Okay, this isn't a normal review, I'm just gonna say that these are great books. If you had talked to me about four months ago I would have told you I would never read Twilight and sequels and when I orginally told my friend I would go see the movie with her it was to get her off my back about watching it. Then, I decided I would read the book if I liked the movie, and then I realized I didn't want to become one of those people who watch a movie to decide whether or not to read the book, so that started my search for a copy of the books. But, I didn't have the money to buy it, no library around me had a copy, and my friends were reading their's, so I started with New Moon, then read Breaking Dawn, then Twilight and finally Eclipse. And if you're wondering how I knew what was going on, I admit I read the book summaries on Wikipedia. So, just to say I still like Harry Potter better, J.K Rowling is a better writer is some ways and I loved the world she created, but I also loved Twilight. So this reccomendation is coming from someone who said she would never read the books and only decided to read them because she promised a friend she would see the movie, then they must be good. So if you are like I was, I would get over yourself and read them. They are not perfect, but they are a great and exciting love story.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

This Lullaby

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen.
Remy, an 18 year old recent high school graduate, was raised by her mother who has had four husbands and is about to marry the fifth. Remy always knows when to break up with a guy, right after the romantic rush and before anything long-term happens. Watching her mother have so many failed relationships, Remy no longer believes in love. Her father abandoned the family while her mom was pregnant with her, and then wrote a song for her the night she was born called "This Lullaby". Then Remy meets Dexter, who is everything she hates, clumsy, messy and a musician. But, for some reason she finds that she can't keep to her usual rules regarding boyfriends. Could Dexter finally be the one to teach her that the love songs may actually be true...

I absolutely loved this book!! The characters are great and seem real, and Dexter and his band are hilarious. I wish the book had gone farther, because I wanted to see what happened. So if and when you read this, be prepared for songs about potatoes and diet cokes that manage to hit people perfectly on the head!

Audrey, Wait!

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway, is a book that came out a little while ago, but I couldn't force myself to buy it because it was a hardcover. I finally got it this fall and I finished reading it ages ago, but I lent the book out and still have yet to get it back (so, therefore have been unable to do the summary) and then I decided that I should review it anyway. Before I start though, my heart goes out to any people who still have power out from the ice storm (or who just got it back), and hope that you are staying warm (or stayed warm).

Audrey, a pretty typical music loving teen, breaks up with her self-involved boyfriend Evan, who happens to be the lead singer of a band called the Do-Gooders. Upset about the breakup, Evan writes a song called Audrey, Wait! which becomes a hit and skyrockets up the billboard charts, and now everyone wants to know the girl who inspired this hit song. And all Audrey wants is to be able to hang out with her friends and maybe get some peace and quiet with her new crush, which of course is impossible when you are getting mobbed by paparazzi. So follow Audrey as she navigates this fame, and enjoy the book.
So, I gave this book to my friends to read after I read it and loved it. And I got reports back that it was a bit slow moving in the beginning. I hadn't even really noticed, but they were somewhat right. But the beginning is just to getting to know the background, and soon the book picks up and personally, I had trouble putting it down. So I say read it, and just know that the beginning is slow, but the rest is not.