Airborn

Book Cover

Airborn

Author: Kenneth Oppel

Publisher: Firewing productions, inc.

Airborn is about Matt Cruse who lies in a time where Airships control the skies. He works aboard the Aurora as a cabin boy, spending his day serving lazy passengers drinks and messing around with Baz, his best friend. 

A year before the main story takes place, Matt spots a hot airballoon floating around.An unconscious old man aboard the hot air-balloon is brought on board, and Doc Halliday says the man has phenomena and had a heart attack. When the man is conscious, Matt visits and the man babbles about beautiful creatures. Shortly later, the man dies, leaving Matt wondering what he was talking about.

The main story line involves Kate, an adventorus girl Matt's age; Miss. Simkins, Kate's controlling nanny who has a tendancy to get headaches; Bruce Lundari, a young man that 'steals' Matt's future position aboard the ship; a pirate Captain called Szpirglas, who tries not to kill unless 'nessicary'; and a Cloudcat called: She.

I loved Airborn so much and I stayed up two nights in a row, long past midnight to read this book. It's so amazing. There was a few things that bugged me. One of Matt's sisters changed names frequently, but she wasn't a big part of the book, so I was okay-ish. There was also some grammar mistakes, but I was too caught up in the great story to not read it because of those tiny buggers.

OH, and I CANNOT wait for this book to be made into a movie. It's in the works right now!!! :D

Rating (Out of five): four stars

Suggested Age: 12 and up

Warning: Minor Violence and several swears.
-Dani

See You at Harry's

See You at Harry's

Author: Jo Knowles

Publisher: Candlewick Press (?)

Word of the wise: Make sure you have tissues nearby when you read this book. I cried for like an hour.

     Fern is the third child in a family of four. Her dad's alway's trying to get more people to come to his diner. Her mom's always off meditating, her older sister Sara is taking a year off before going to college, and can be found kissing the busboy at their dad's diner; her older brother Holden has a secret there's no way he's telling his parents, and then of course there's Charlie. The center of the universe. 

       Frusturated, Fern spends a lot of time with her best friend, Ran. Whenever he says  his motto, 'all will be well', she beleves it. When a terrible event flips Fern's world upside down, will all be well?

    I loved this book soooooo much. I can't really say much without giving anything away, but Jo Knowles spent a small portion of the book building up your relationship with the family, and when the 'event' happens, it feels as if your world gets rocked too. It changed my point of view on life.

Rating (out of five): ****

Suggested age: 11+

Warning: TEAR JERKER!

--D

A Tale Dark and Grimm by: Adam Gidwitz

A Tale Dark and Grimm

Author: Adam Gidwitz

Publisher: The Penguin Group

                A spoof on The Grimm Brothers’ stories, Prince Hansel and Princess Gretel, run away from home after a terrible incident happens in their family. They try to find a family that won’t cut off your head, or try to bake you. When Hansel and Gretel finally find  a respectable home, will something bad happen?

                Adam Gidwitz is an amazing author. In the story, when things start to get intense, he’ll ‘pop’ in to defuse tension. I loved that part, although some of the people in my book club weren’t as enthusiastic about it.

Rating (out of five): *****

Suggested Age: 11+
--D

Maximum Ride: School's Out- Forever

                              Maximum Ride: School's Out- Forever                        

Author: James Patterson

Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company

   The Second book in the Maximum Ride series, School's Out- Forever, is just as thrilling and action-packed as the first. In this book Max and the flock, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel; are discovered by the FBI. The younger kids take a liking to one of the agents, Anne. She lets them stay at her house with one catch, They go to school. After two months of enduring school, an surprise attack from Erasers, whitecoats, and some crazy staff, the flock leaves Anne behind to escape.

I liked this book a lot. Patterson writes these amazing stories from Max's perspective. I enjoy reading her story, and she tells it hilariously. I end up laughing at the strangest times.

Rating: (out of five) ****(and a half)

Suggested Age: Mature 11, 12+

Warning: Violence, swearing, and kissing

-D

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment

                         Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment
                         Author: James Patterson
                         Publisher: Little, Brown and Company


        The first book in the Maximum Ride series is The Angel Experiment. It's about a group of kids, ages 6-14, who have been genetically altered. They have been living a happy four years together, ever since Jeb, a "whitecoat" had rescued them from the School, where they had been held and tested on for most of their lives. All that falls apart when the youngest of the group gets taken away by Erasers, boys with wolf genes in them. The rest of the book is devoted to finding, and rescuing her, along with finding their long-lost parents.
      Over all, It was a great book. It kept me up till 11 pm, and I read it in a day although it was my second time reading it. It is filled with violence and suspense, so I wouldn't recommend it for anyone under 12.

                                              Rating: (out of 5) *****
                                              Suggested age: mature 11 or 12+
                                              Warning: Major Violence, swearing.

-D