Shark Girl

 Title: 
                                                 Shark Girl

                                                 Formerly Shark Girl

                                      Author: Kelly Bingham
                                      Previous Work: None

                                      Summary: Jane Arrowood has her life pretty much figured
                                      out. She has a huge crush on a guy named Max (which she
                                      knows won't ever lead to anything) and she's going to be an
                                      artist when she grows up. Then she is attacked by a shark,
                                      forcing the doctors to amputate half of her right arm. Jane
                                      starts to doubt her goals in life, and begins to wonder if it
                                      isn't time to be more realistic.

                                      Rating: 3.
                                      Awards: (For Shark Girl)
                                   
                                     Oprah's Book Club for Kids

                                     Best Books For Young Adults Nominee

                                     The Schneider Family Book Award Nominee

                                     Iowa Teen Choice Book Award Winner

                                     And many more!

                                     (For Formerly Shark Girl)

                                     Bank Street's Best Books For Children List

                                    Opinion: I normally don't like books that are written as
                                    poetry.At all. I usually find them incredibly depressing with
                                    plots that are hard to follow. The poems just don't lend enough
                                    substance. However, I make an exception for these particular
                                    books. The poems actually tell what is happening, not just
                                    Jane's feelings. I like the plot line, and Jane's struggles with
                                    herself and those around her. These were good books; they just
                                    lacked something to make them great.
                               

Shakespeare Shake-Up Part 1

 Title: William Shakespeare's Star Wars® - Verily, a New
                                     Hope
                                     # of Pages: 174
                                     Author: Ian Doescher
                                     Previous Work: None, but there will be sequels.

                                     Summary: I believe the book trailer for this work best
                                     describes the book, showing both the prose and a glimpse of
                                     what Star Wars® is about.
                                       Rating: I give this a 4.5.
                                     Awards: None

                                     Opinion: This book is only for those that like Star Wars® 
                                     and love Shakespeare. It is told entirely in prose as shown in
                                     the trailer. I like the insight into the characters that the
                                     movies can't necessarily show. R2-D2, especially, talks to the
                                     audience about his plans. He, of course, still talks in blips and
                                     bloops around other characters. The one bad thing is that if
                                     you don't play close attention, the action scenes are
                                     confusing.