Unfriended

By Rachel Vail

     What an eye opening read, I enjoyed this quick read fairly well.  This book has you one enthralled and engaged from the first page.  Meet a group of students in Middle School, they are all trying to either be popular or remain popular.  Middle school everyone is worried about perception and being accepted by your classmates.  Beautiful friendly Brook rules the school, she is friendly and outgoing and has a crush on her best friend Clay.  Clay is mr. Cool, he is athletic and all of the girls like him.  His problem is that his perfect older brother just went away to college and he is struggling with his own identity.  Natasha dated Clay briefly and is very self centered, she wants to be the queen bee and plots to overthrow Brook.  Meet Truly, she was Natasha's best friend until 6th grade, she wants to be liked by everyone, she joins the populars through a Natasha ploy.  Unfortunately, she leaves her best friend Hazel by the wayside, angered and hurt.  

     As  the story progresses other characters come into play, but the mechanizations of Hazel and Natasha destroy Truly's confidence and self worth.  They manipulate circumstances making Truly believe that she is a bad, evil individual, which is far from the truth.  Jack, who has a crush on Truly is one of the fw people believe in her innocence.  What this book really shows is how quickly things can spiral out of control in today's technology laden world.  Cyber- bullying is a very real and dangerous situation.  Smarrt phones and anonymous apps are the rage, and people are feeling emboldened by their hidden identity.  Does everyome back together, who ends up being popular or on the fringe, you gonna have to read the book to find out.  

     This book did a few things extremely well, it highlighted the dangers of apps, social media and cyber bullying which is necessary in today's environment.  It also altered the view point to each of the main characters, each chapter is from a different perspective.  So most of major occurrences you will see from varying characters eyes.  I am giving this book a 4 out of 5 stars, I am marking it down because I felt that the chunk of the climax was missing.  In fact, I thought I missed part of the book and reread the last couple of chapters a few times.  I do think this book is a great read and encourage any student from 5th grade up to give it a try.  

Links

Author - Rachel Vail

Stop bullying

Dangers of Anonymous Apps

Dangerous anonymous apps?

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6

Olive's Ocean

By Kevin Henkes

    This coming of age book could be an incredible story, but it falls a little flat for me.  I think it tries to encompass too much.  It tries to cope with death of a classmate, first love, secret passion of writing a demanding sibling, parental discord and a lasting relationship with  a grandparent.  If one of the conflicts would be eliminated it would be a stronger read.  

     Martha's summer is going pretty well until she finds out that a classmate, Olive, has died in a tragic accident.  Even though they were never truly friends, Martha gets a surprise visit from Olive's Mom.  Martha receives a slip of paper from Olive's journal.  Martha gets a inside look into Olive's shy life.  Olive shares her desire to write and a wish to visit the ocean.  Of course, Martha spends part of every summer at her Grandmothers on the east coast.  Olive dwells on how to find closure for her dead classmate, has a romantic kiss, almost drowns before she safely returns home.
     Unfortunately, since  the main conflict was diluted there was no strong climax and no resolution that left the reader wanting more.  I am going to give this book a 3 out of 5, it was sufficient but I found it lacking.  This book is appropriate for readers 5th grade through 7th grade.

Links

Author Kevin Henkes

Dealing with the death of a classmate

Guide on how to become a writer

Frost

IBy M.P. Kozlowsky

    This Sci-Fi book is an interesting must read.  I am the first one to say that Sci Fi is not my favorite, yet this book held my attention and kept me coming back for more.  This is an end of the world book, where technology has overcome the planet and humans are hunted and enslaved  Meet Frost, a human child that is hiding and being raised by a robot that houses the essence of her father.  When her pet, becomes sick, the three have no choice but to search for the fabled battery.  The route is fraught with dangers, human, wild eaters and robots.  

     The city is in a state of change, although truthly nothing ever stays the same.  She meets other free humans, rebels, evil robots and discovers many things about the past, her family and a true accounting of how the planet has come to this critical state.  Will she ever be able to look at her father the same when she discovers he is the one that developed the technology that has the robots ruling.  Will she be able to reach the battery.  

     What I enjoyed most about this tale is the interesting plot twists and the surprises are well earth shattering.  I am giving this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars.  A few of the plot twists are a little too obvious.  This book is very appropriate for students above 5th grade and would be enjoyed by everybody.  If you enjoy sci fi, zombie apocalypse or just a good story than this is the book for you.  

Links

Author - M. P. Kozlowsky

Technological threats to humanity

Zombie apocalypse ?????

The Charm Bracelet

By Viola Shipman

    This is a wonderful generational story.  Three wonderful characters in different parts of their lives, all connected by familial ties.  Lolly is the matriarch and lives in the small Michigan coastal town where she grew up.  She resides in the same cabin that has been handed down through the family.  Lolly honors the past with a charm bracelet that chronicles important events for herself and her for"mothers".  Lolly is also a local icon, she portrays Dolly at Scoops the candy and ice cream parlor.  She is recognized and adored by locals and visitors alike, but how can you hide crazy wigs and crafty aprons.  The persona that gives Lolly joy and a purpose in life, chases her daughter out of Michigan into Chicago.  As Lolly ages and begins to lose her memory she struggles to reconnect with her distant family in Illinois.
     Arden ran from her home town, wanting more than her quaint cabin and a local boy, she craved affluence and wealth.  She falls in love, marries and has a beautiful daughter, but when her marriage falls apart and she divorces, she is left floundering in a dead end job.  Her ex husband refuses to help foot the bill for Lauren's college and has left Arden in a financial crisis.  She can not handle too much more stress, the phone call from Michigan informing her of her Mother's dwindling memory, and missing shifts at work has her worried.  After a quick lunch with her daughter Lauren, they decide to take an extended Memorial day weekend and check on the aging Lolly.
     Lauren a senior in college is well aware of her mother's financial difficulties and has changed her plan of becoming an artist to be a business major.  She feels caged and is wildly unhappy with her current direction.  She idolizes her Grandmother, Lolly, and can not wait to visit her in Michigan.  Lauren knows she has to change her major, if she is ever going to be truly happy, but dreads the discussion with her mother.
     When Arden and Lauren reach Michigan, they are despaired of Lolly's obvious lapses in memory. After a doctor's visit and a consult with a home care professional, it is decided that Lolly should remain at home with some medication and a viable treatment is for her to relive the past.  Arden is dismayed since this means a reciting of the  meaning of the charms on her bracelet.  The bracelet that Arden has abhorred for years.  As the three women reconnect, wonderful heartwarming changes are made and they form loving lasting bonds.
     This book is a very heartwarming read, I don't feel that most children will appreciate the intricacies of the relationships at play.  The story resonated with me on a personal front, and I enjoyed it, it is not however, a story for kids.  Highschool girls may find this a eye opening tale as they prepare for college.  It does put life, school and love in a definitive perspective.  Since the book is not for children, I am giving it a low rating, of 2 out of 5, but for any adult readers this is a great story.

Links

Author - Viola Shipman

Wade Rouse

Memory Loss

Northern Lights