From Books to Movies Part 1

 Title: The Princess Bride
                                  # of Pages: 464
                                 Author: William Goldman
                                 Previous Work ( Only the highlights, not including scripts):

                                 The Temple of Gold

                                  Soldier in the Rain

                                  No Way to Treat a Lady

                                  The Season: A Candid Look at Broadway


                                  Summary: William Golman has taken S. Morgenstern's
                                  classic tale of love and adventure and made it accessible to
                                  modern readers. The story is as follows.  When Buttercup's
                                  beloved Westley is killed by the Dread Pirate Roberts she vows
                                  never to love again. She becomes engaged to Prince
                                  Humperdink (whom she doesn't love) because it will be
                                  mutually beneficial. Unfortunately, before she can be married
                                  to him, she is kidnapped- not once but twice. Can Buttercup
                                  stay true to her heart or will she fall for the very man who killed
                                  her one true love?

                                  Rating: I'm honestly torn on my rating and I'll explain why in
                                  the opinion.
                                  Awards: There are no awards for the book, but the movie
                                  received The Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation

                                  Opinion: I'm going to save you a lot of trouble and tell you to
                                  take this book with a bucket of salt- not a  grain, a bucket.
                                  There is no S. Morgenstern, nor an extended version of the book
                                  you can find. Mr. Goldman does not have a son or a horribly
                                  selfish ex-wife. Lastly there is no reunion scene (although if
                                  you ask for it you get a hilarious email) and there isn't and
                                  never will be, a full version of Buttercup's Baby. You will
                                  understand all of what I just said if you read the book. The book
                                  had a really good, interesting plot, but in itself was just a satire
                                  of the author's views. It was funny but frustrating, and left me
                                  torn as to whether I should be awed by the genius of it or
                                  furious at its duplicity. (If you had issues with any of the vocab
                                  in this paragraph you may not want to read the book. It is filled
                                  with ten-dollar words.)

                                  Better than the Movie?: Absolutely not. The movie was
                                  hilarious and quotable and amazingly cheesy. The acting was
                                  great and you got sucked into the story. While the book
                                  certainly has its merits, there is a reason why the movie-and
                                  not the book- was an insta-classic.

                                 Movie Preview:

Save Yourself. Save the World.

 Title: Paradox
                                      # of Pages: 240
                                     Author: A.J. Paquette
                                     Previous Work:

                                    Nowhere Girl

                                    Rules for Ghosting
    
                                    Summary: Ana wakes up in a ship with no idea of who she is
                                    or why she is there. Her only clue is a set of instructions
                                    saying she has surgical retrograde amnesia, and her task is to
                                    observe and survive. Ana is confused as to the purpose of
                                    sending someone with amnesia into space, but she sets off
                                    with three other teens anyway. What she finds will shock her.

                                    Rating: This book is a 3. I loved the story, hated the ending.
                                    Awards:
                                    
                                    2013 Cybils YA Speculative Fiction Nominee

                                    Opinion: The story was good, but it was the arrangement
                                    that was interesting. The story was told in the third person,
                                    but you knew all of Ana's thoughts. She also receives
                                    snippets of memories that aren't hers. In addition to those
                                    quirks, the book included newspaper excerpts and three
                                    appendices. These aspects really moved the story along,
                                    giving background as to how Ana came to be on the planet.
                                    The plot was fast paced and amazing, but then it ended. The
                                    story didn't seem over, and there will be no sequel. It felt like a
                                    cop-out in what was an otherwise amazing book.

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.
                               

Pandora's Box

 Title: Doomed
                                     # of Pages: 472
                                     Author: Tracy Deebs
                                     Previous Work: 
                                                    
                                                      Tempest Series

                                                      The International Kissing Club
                                                      (As Ivy Adams with Shellee Roberts and Emily
                                                      McKay)

                                     Summary: With a mom in Alaska and a dad who's been
                                     absent most of her life, Pandora is craving birthday wishes.
                                     So when she finds an attachment with pictures and birthday
                                     wishes from her dad, of course she opens it. This unleashes
                                     a computer virus on the world, which can only be solved by
                                     playing a virtual reality game made by Pandora's dad. Is he
                                     a genius or a maniac? Pandora needs to find out.

                                     Rating: This is a 3.
                                     Awards: 
                                     YALSA
                                     Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers Nominee, 2014

                                    Opinion: This book was nerve-racking, romantic, and
                                    really good.  I didn't like that Pandora
                                    didn't carry her own weight. She keeps telling Eli and Theo
                                    that she can take care of herself, but she really can't. I also
                                    disliked a heavy environmentalist message and way too
                                    many characters from Greek Mythology. The author really
                                    needs to get her own monsters. If it weren't for those facts,
                                    this would be an exceptional book.

Love and Loss Part 2

 Title: Legend Trilogy-
                                            Legend
                                            Prodigy
                                            Champion
                                   Author: Marie Lu
                                   Previous Work: She has not written any other books.

                                   Summary: The United States has been split into two countries,
                                   the Republic and the Colonies. June is born into privilege and
                                   Day is a legendary criminal. When they fall in love, can they
                                   work together to save each other- and the Republic?
                                 
                                   Rating: This is a 5.
                                   Awards: (For Legend)

                                   New York Times Best Seller

                                   (For Prodigy)
                               
                                   Goodreads Choice Award Top 20

                                   (For Entire Series)

                                    Best Books of 2013 Kirkus Reveiw

                                    Opinion: This series was amazing. It holds your interest
                                    the entire time and has a wonderful bittersweet ending.
                                    You need to read this series!

Goodnight Moon

 Title: Last Survivors Series:
                                           
                                                 Life as We Knew it

                                                 The Dead & the Gone

                                                 This World we Live in

                                                 The Shade of the Moon (Released September 2013;
                                                 Obviously I won't be reviewing this one ;-))

                                      Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
                                      Previous Work:
                                       
                                                        Blood Wounds 
                                     
                                                        Portraits of Little Women Series

                                                        Starring Peter and Leigh

                                                        The Sebastian Sisters Series

                                                        Twice Taken

                                                        And many more books!
 
                                      Summary: "They said asteroids hit the moon pretty often, 
                                                         which is how the moon gets its craters, but this 
                                                         one is going to be the biggest asteroid ever to hit 
                                                         it and on a clear night you should be able to see 
                                                         the impact when it happens, maybe even with the 
                                                         naked eye but certainly with binoculars. They 
                                                         made it sound pretty dramatic, but I still don't
                                                         think it's worth three homework assignments."

                                                   Two days later the asteroid hits and causes tsunamis,
                                                   earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and food shortages.
                                                   Miranda, in Pennsylvania and Alex, in New York are
                                                   forced to fight for their very lives.

                                        Rating: 3.5
                                        Awards: (For Life as We Knew it)
                                                2006 Booklist Editor's Choice Award for Books for Youth
                                                (Older Reader's Category)
                             
                                                2007 ALA Best Book for Young Adults

                                                2007 YALSA Best Books for Young Adults/
                                                Teen's Top Ten List
                                               
                                                2007  Andre Norton Award for Outstanding Science
                                                Fiction or Fantasy Book

                                                2008-2009 Truman Reader's Award

                                                2009 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award

                                                Many other awards

                                       Opinion: I love the characters! The book is also well written.
                                       However it is a young adult book* so you need to think if the
                                       series is right for you. It is brutally realistic and totally
                                       awesome! I can't wait for the next book!

                                     



                                       * The young adult rating is probably for mention of adult
                                          content and bad language.
                                          Plus SPOILER ALERT! People do die in the series.

                                             
                                     
                                     
                                   

                                     

Contest Book

I wasn't sure about reading this book, but I entered the contest for a free advanced copy, anyway. I figured if it wasn't good I could sell it. (It didn't come and I ended up getting a signed copy instead, but that's another story!- Thanks ThisIsTeen!) However, I only review "good" books on my blog so you know it worked out!

 Title: Endangered
                                      # of Pages: 272

                                     Author: Eliot Schrefer 

                                     Previous Work: 

                                                          2 novels for adults

                                                          

                                                          The Deadly Sister

                                                          

                                                          The School for Dangerous Girls

                                     Summary: Sophie has never quite understood her mother's

                                     passion for the Bonobo apes. However when she finds one

                                     (whom she names Otto) she decides to care for him.

                                     But when the Bonobo sanctuary is attacked Sophie and Otto

                                     must survive in a war torn country. 

                                     Rating: 4.5, because this book sometimes contradicts my

                                     beliefs, claiming speculation as a fact.

                                     Awards: 

                                     2012 National Book Award Finalist 

                                     for Young People's Literature

                                     2012 Cybils Nomination

                                     Opinion: This book was amazing. My favorite part is the 

                                     question Sophie grapples with most of the book. Is it really

                                     okay to save an animal when so many people are suffering?

                                      I thought this book would be "run, run, save the monkey!" 

                                      (When really Bonobos aren't even monkeys!) But I was 

                                      pleasantly surprised at the depth of the story. It was really
                                      good Don't be like me and write it off before you start it.
                                      You'll be missing out on a great story!