Gimme a Call

Hello one and all to All About Books. I know it's been pretty quiet on here, but surely if you read this you must know that I recently started school again so these blogs won't be quite as active as they would be in the summer.

Today, I'll be talking about one of the best books of 2010, Gimme a Call by Sarah Mlynowski.

It starts out where Devi is sitting on the water fountain in the mall on her Senior Skip Day, moping about her recent break-up and contemplating returning the watch she bought for her now ex-boyfriend.

Devorah "Devi" Banks is a typical american girl. She has had a less than great High School experience.She spent all her time with her now ex-boyfriend, Bryan, and neglected her friends and her studies. Now, they've broken up and Devi has nobody to hang out with at the mall during her Senior Skip Day.

She is thinking about what she would tell her younger self if she could go back in time. While she's thinking, she accidently drops her cell phone INTO the water fountain. Great. As if her day could POSSIBLY get any worse.

When she tests all the buttons to see if the chlorine destroyed it or not, she hits the Send button, and it starts ringing.

Back, three years prior to this, fourteen-year-old Devi picks up her phone when it rings and she sees the name "Banks" on the caller ID. Each of the Devis thinks the other is crazy, and Freshman Devi doesn't believe the girl on the other side of the line is really Senior Devi until later.

Devi realizes she has been given an amazing gift. She can go back in time and change her life for the better, starting with never going out with Bryan in the first place. She can start all over!

Only, she doesn't realize how fast the changes apply to her. One moment, all of her picture frames are filled with pictures of her and Bryan, the next, of her and her friends. Sometimes, Freshman Devi makes a change so drastic, it hits Senior Devi like a bomb.

How does this wild story end? Does Devi get into UCLA and completely forget about Bryan? Or, will Freshman Devi decide to go ahead and date him, despite the heart-breaking results? Find out it Gimme a Call by Sarah Mlynowski.

Walk Two Moons

Welcome back to All About Books, the third most popular blog on the web! Okay, I'm kidding about the popularity thing. BUT, if we work hard enough, we can make that happen someday!

Anyway, today I will be reviewing Sharon Creech's Walk Two Moons. It's about a girl named Salamanca Tree Hiddle (but everyone calls her Sal) She is the narrator of this story. She is on a trip from Eucilid, Ohio to Lewiston, Idaho with her grandparents. Along the way, she tells the story of her friend, Phoebe. The story of mysterious messages, a potential lunatic, and her mother's disappearance.

Inside Phoebe's story, Sal finds her own. Her mother left, promising to be back by when the tulips bloomed. Only, she isn't back. Sal wants to find her and bring her back home by her birthday, even though it seems impossible.

During the trip, Sal's grandparents stop at many places that her mother visited. They have all sorts of adventures, including an encounter with a certain water moccasin (you know what a water moccasin is, right? A deadly snake?).

Such an interesting story ends in tragedy for Sal. I can't tell you exactly what happens or I'll spoil the book. Just so you know, this is a really good book, but it isn't one of my favorites.I didn't write much because there isn't much to say. It sort of (to me at least) just lulls and ends in sadness. Someone else might enjoy it, though. I'll see you soon!.

Only the Good Spy Young

Hey everyone! As you may know, I'm back from Branson. Along with me, I brought something special: Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter! It's finally here!

The book starts out as Bex and Cammie are skating on an ice rink in London during their winter break from school. Bex is interested in some boys that are hanging around and checking them out. She looks at them carefully and sees a familiar face.

  "Hey, Cam," She says with an evil smirk, "Are you sure you've given up all boys?"

She intentionally falls down on the ice. Seven of the eight boys go to her "rescue". But the one that hangs back, the one who doesn't move, is the most interesting of them all.

Zachary Goode is a sort of friend of the Gallagher Girls. Being a student at the Blackthorne Institute for Boys, he knows their secrets and is good at keeping them. He doesn't even try to hide the fact that he likes Cammie.

Cameron "Cammie" Morgan is a student of the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women/ Target of international terrorist group. She narrates this story. Being almost kidnapped twice last semester, she is hiding as best as she can.

Rebecca "Bex" Baxter is a fellow student at the Gallagher Academy. She's one of Cammie's best friends. Her family invited her to join them on their Christmas vacation in England.

Cammie was happy and surprised at the same moment when she saw Zack. Her excitement ends when he tells her Joe Solomon didn't show when he was supposed to meet with Zack. This got her worried. What if something had happened to him? What if the Circle got to him?

  Soon, after talking more, Mr. Baxter calls the girls off the ice to get going. When Cammie turns back to say goodbye, Zack was already gone. This is where things go wrong.

Cammie realizes that there is a double agent, a traitor, a member of the Circle whiten the Gallagher walls. That person, desperate, strikes when Cammie was most vulnerable. Now, Cammie is unsure who to trust. Bex and Cammie need the help from old friends if Cammie is to ever come close to being safe. They realize that the key to Cammie's future may lie deep in the past.

It's a great story where the girls must lie, hack, and steal their way to answers. But, near-tragedy overcomes them when they get closer to the truth. If you were to read this, you will be shocked at what Cammie is doing over her summer.

 

Big News, Big News, Big News!

Hey, everybody! I have some BIG and exciting news. Do you remember that countdown widget I have at the top of the screen? Well, you have a chance to wait less long!

Ally Carter has a box of completed copies of OGSY, and she's giving five away. She is holding a contest to see who will win them. The winners will be announced at 7:00 Central time THIS up-coming Sunday.

Visit allycarter.com/blog for official contest details and entry regulations.

Good  day, and good luck!

When You Reach Me

I just finished this new book I won from school. It's an awesome one called When You Reach Me.


It starts in the future of this story, where Miranda, the narrator of this book, sees that her mom, after three years of trying, is going to be a contestant on $20,000 Pyramid. It was going to be in a certain studio. she refers to someone as "you", when she says "Just like you said."

Miranda Welsh is a pre-teen girl who lives in New York City. She has read this one book about time travel over and over. She knows the safe places to go in town. She also knows who and what to avoid, like the crazy man on the corner.

They spend a few chapters in this future time period, where Miranda is helping her mom prepare for the show. Then, they go back into the past, for the events that led up to this. Miranda's best friend, Sal, gets hurt, and starts ignoring her. Then, the emergency key for their apartment was stolen. Then, the notes start to appear. These notes are from someone who knows too much about Miranda and her life. Even things that haven't happened yet.

I'm coming to save your friend's life and my own. I ask you two favors. One, write a letter.

This person writes. Then, the notes say when and where proof that he knows what will happen will appear. The final proof is the postcard that says Miranda's mom is going to be on $20,000 Pyramid. 

This is an interesting story of friendship, trust, and time travel. Where the adventure ends I can't tell you. The real drama is what is between the lines. Figure out the mystery of this story in When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stread. Fun fact: This book won this years Newberry Honor Award.

 

 

In Case You're Wondering....

I have a few questions to answer for you. Just in case you're wondering:

Q: What have I been doing these past few weeks?
A: I've been wrapping up the school year with a big bang.

Q: Why haven't you been posting as regularly as you promised?
A: Well, to tell you the truth, I get to busy to read a book and write about it EVERY week. I get caught up in other things like school or family

Q: What in the world is that on the side of the screen?
A: Well, Ally Carter's new book Only the Good Spy Young is coming out soon, so she held a contest to see who could make the best countdown widget. I didn't enter. Well, that gadget on the side bar is how long until the book comes out. I'll get it ASAP and review it here.

That's all I have time for right now! Bye!

Little Women

Hello and welcome back to All About Books. Today, I'm going to review an old classic. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

"Christmas won't be Christmas without presents." Is one of the most famous openings to a book in history. Josephine March's complaint is the beginning of this sweet, heart-felt classic.

Josephine "Jo" March is the fictional Louisa May Alcott. This tall, angular girl is part of the comedic light of the story. She's more like a boy, passing her time by whistling, walking around with her hands behind her back, and talking slang. She is an image of a girl growing into a young woman and not liking it.

This lines up a conversation between the March sisters about their Christmas without presents, or their father. He was "where the fighting was".

The March sisters were growing up in Concord, MA during the Civil War. Their father was there, but I can't remember what he did. They knew they wouldn't have him for many months, and perhaps never. Meg is next to speak.

Margaret "Meg" March is the eldest March sister. She remembers a time when her family was rich, and they had no worries. But, after an incident with helping a poor friend, lost most of their money. She complains constantly about being poor, and often dreams of living in the lap of luxury forever.

Cheerful Beth tries to brighten their spirits. Elizabeth "Beth" March is the third oldest of the girls. She is sweet, selfless, and all together happy with the world. She dedicates herself to housework and her music. Her only wish is to be loved and get a fancy piano.

Last, but certainly not least, is Amy. She's the youngest of her sisters. She thinks herself "a very important person". She can be vain at times, but often catches herself. She is called Raphael 2, because she has a talent in art. She likes to spend her time sketching, or making clay figures.

All of these girls have their own little hopes and dreams. That night, when they were complaining, their father wrote them that when he comes home he hope to be even prouder of his "little women". When the sisters read that, they each make a resolution to be good and what his father likes to call his "little women" and is proud of.

Throughout the years, the girls learn about friendship, tempers, sorrow, love, and pure happiness. Through tragedy, and excitement, they never lose sight of their love for each other.

Little Women is actually made up of two parts. Louisa May Alcott wrote two books that make it up. Good Wives is considered part two of Little Women.

This book is sweet, down-to-earth, and funny. I hope all ages get to read it. I absolutely love this book. I hope you will learn to love it, too.

Heist Society

Welcome back to All About books. Today, we're going to be talking about my favorite author, Ally Carter's newest book: Heist Society.

It all starts when Katarina Bishop is waiting to meet with the school board of Colgan Academy about her supposedly putting the headmaster's 1958 Porshe on the top of the water fountain in the middle of the quad, with water squirting from its headlights.

When Katarina "Kat" Bishop was only three, her parents took her to Paris to case the Louvre. For her seventh birthday, her great Uncle Eddie took her to Austria to steal the crown jewels. You can imagine the family business was passed on down to this intelligent, clever strong, independent young woman. She ran away to con herself into the world's most strenuous school in the world when she was fifteen, hoping to leave her family's theiving legacy. Unfortunately, "The Life", came back to haunt her.

As it turns out, Kat was actually innocent. Due to so much evidence against her, Kat is expelled. Outside, a limo is waiting for her. Thinking it's the car Colgan sent for her, she climbs in. When she does, she finds herself siting next to her friend and former co-conspirator, Hale. He framed Kat for his putting the Porsche on the fountain for a good reason: A job was pulled in Italy. A big one. Five priceless paintings were stolen. Their owner, a powerful mobster named Auturo Taccone, wants them back in two weeks. Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list.

When Kat goes to Paris to talk to her father, she learns he has an alibi: he was pulling a job in Paris the time the Taccone estate was robbed. Later, when heading to hail a taxi, a car drives up to her. Its passenger beckons her to join him. Kat learns that she is face- to- face with Auturo Taccone himself. She tries to convince him that her father is innocent (for the Taccone robery, anyway) , but Taccone isn't buying it. He reminds her that he has two weeks to retrieve his paintings. If they weren't returned by then, bad things would happen.

Throughout the book, Kat forms a teenage Heist Society, goes around the world to search for clues, and realizes family might be most important.

So what are you waiting for? This book is filled with mystery, drama, and a little suspense here and there.  Get to your nearest bookstore and get Heist Society today!

I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You

Hey! Welcome back to All About books. Today I'm going to talk about Ally Carter's book I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You. I understand that it's kind of a scary title, but once you really get into the book, you can't put it down, I guarantee it.

It all starts when Cammie Morgan is watching limousines drive up to drop off pupils at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women. But, nobody knows just how exceptional they are. It may look like a normal boarding school for bored heiresses with no where else to go, but it's really a school for spies.

Cammie Morgan narrates this book. She is the daughter of the headmistress. In this book, she is starting her sophomore year of high school.

The adventure starts when a new student arrives. Macey McHenry was in for a big surprise when her parents forced her to go to the school. She has a tough time fitting in, have been kicked out of all of the other boarding schools in the country.

Macey McHenry is your typical teenager. She know something that even the geniuses at the Gallagher Academy don't know: boys. She loves the facts that she has to keep her school a secret, and that she spends ninety percent of her life away from them.

During a mission in the town of Roseville, Virgina, Cammie is seen by a cute boy who's lived there his whole life. Sure, she knows how to tap his phone, hack his computer, and fourteen different languages, but she has no idea what to do when she likes Josh Abrams, a normal guy who thinks she's just a normal girl.

With the help of Cammie's best friends, Liz and Bex, along with their new-found ally, Macey, Josh and Cammie get together.

But, imagine what happens when Josh finds out that Cammie is more than just a religous, cat-loving, homeschooled girl. That makes the climax of this story.

This book is filled with comedy, romance, drama and suspense. How this confusing romance ends is only told in I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You.