Amelia's Book Room: Beka Cooper

Hey, guys! I'm back with one of my favorite authors again: Tamora Pierce!

I first introduced you to the amazing Ms. Pierce with her Song Of The Lioness Quartet, in which we got to know Alanna, a young girl in the kingdom of Tortall who dared to go against tradition and become a knight. The Beka Cooper series also takes place in Tortall; a hundred years before Alanna's story!

Starting with Terrier, we meet Beka Cooper (anyone who's read Alanna or the Trickster series may recognize the name; she is George Cooper's ancestor!), a trainee Dog in the Lower City. The Dogs are the police of Beka's world, and despite her shyness and poor background, she is determined to become one of them. As a Puppy in training, she is paired up with Tunstall and Goodwin, two of the best Dogs in the city, who were reluctant to get a trainee in the first place.

But Beka proves herself worthy not only with her skills, but her Gift: she hears the voices of the murdered that ride on the backs of local pigeons. This can come in handy when there's a mysterious kidnapper calling themselves the Black Snake, and something fishy going on with loads of precious stones, pretty enough to kill for.

OK, I made that sound a little morbid, but it's a very enjoyable book! The series continues in Bloodhound, and there is a yet-to-be-released third novel, Mastiff. These Tortall books are quite addicting!

Happy reading, everyone!

Amelia's Book Room: The Hunger Games

Hiya, guys! Before I forget, I finally got Maximum Ride: Fang on Wednesday last week, and finished it that night! It was pretty good; I didn't enjoy it quite as much as book 5, because there was a lot of crazy stuff going on, but overall it left me anxious for more--which, sadly, I'll have to wait for for another year!

Anyway, back to this week's book. Avid readers everywhere have been falling in love with Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games series! Beginning, of course, with The Hunger Games, we get to know 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, and the world she lives in. In a post-apocalyptic world, Katniss lives in the poorest of twelve districts controlled by the overpowering Capitol. Every year, the Capitol chooses two children from each district to compete in the devastating and dreadful Hunger Games: a fight to the death for survival, and there can be only one victor.

Katniss has always fought to keep her family alive in District Twelve; the people she cares most about are her widowed mother, her best friend Gale, and her little sister Prim. So, when Prim is chosen to compete in the games, she has no choice but to put herself in her place.

This great trilogy is continued in Catching Fire, and the last book, Mockingjay, will be released August this year! Definitely a must-read, and they really live up to the hype.

Before I go, I have to mention one non-book-related thing: it took me forever to get around to writing this today, because I have found a new addiction: owl-watching! I love all birds, but one of my favorite kinds is Barn Owls, and I have found a very unique way of watching them with this live owl box feed from San Marcos, CA. Living in this owl box, set up by Carlos and Donna Royal, is Molly, a proud new mother, and her eggs; two of which have hatched. The father, McGee, stops by at night to cuddle and bring food, and we get to watch little owlets Max and Pattison grow! It really is amazing and addictive.

OK, I'm done now. Happy reading, folks! See you owl--I mean, all, later!

Amelia's Book Room: The Chronicles Of Narnia

You've probably all heard of the movie versions of the famous Chronicles Of Narnia series. But, let's face it, some of you--and it's perfectly fine if you're one of these people--may not have read the books. We just have to work on that, you see, 'cause you're missing a lot!

Now, because the books were published sort of out of order in the beginning, the order of reading these can be a bit confusing. I like to start out with The Magician's Nephew, which was originally published as the sixth in the series, but is a prequel to it all. You'll get to know the very first human venturers in Narnia, Digory and Polly, and their troubles with Digory's odd Uncle Andrew.

The original first book, however, is of course The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe. In this we skip forward many years after Digory and Polly's adventures, and join the Pevensies, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and little Lucy. The siblings go away to live in a large house in the country, and Lucy discovers a magical wardrobe which appears to lead to another world.

After this, instead of moving on to the original book two, Prince Caspian, I prefer to read The Horse And His Boy, which although at first it may seem to have nothing to do with Narnia, actually takes place during book one.

So, you get the picture! C.S. Lewis' immortal series is one of the best, and if I dare say, way better than the movies. Happy reading, everybody!

Amelia's Book Room: The Princess Bride

You may be familiar with the movie version of this 'classic tale of true love and high adventure'. And if you're not, well, where have you been?!

The Princess Bride is the epic story of Buttercup, a young farm girl turned princess, and her true love, Westley. When Westley is lost at sea, Buttercup is reluctantly taken as Prince Humperdinck's bride. It's nearing their wedding when she is kidnapped by Vizzini, a hunchback Sicilian, Fezzik, a Turkish giant (who likes to make up rhymes), and Inigo, the greatest swordsman to ever live, who seeks revenge on the six-fingered man who killed his father.

There seems to be some sort of plot going on; but all of a sudden, this odd guy dressed all in black shows up, chasing after them. Who could he be, and why is he kidnapping the princess bride from her kidnappers? You'll just have to find out!

It can get a little confusing about who wrote this. Throughout the book, William Goldman speaks as though he is only abridging it, and says that it is all a true story, written down by Florinese author S. Morgenstern. But just so you know, Goldman really wrote it, hah! This is one of my favorite books, and the movie is pretty great too.

As for a bit of news--my Nutcracker Ballet show was last weekend! Our Editor, Dina, came to see it; thank you again, Dina! It was great meeting her, and I'm glad everyone enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun! In other news, guess who's turning 15 this week? Yup, my birthday is this Thursday, the 17th :) It seems like it was only a little while ago I was celebrating my 14th.

Happy reading!

Amelia's Book Room: Give A Boy A Gun

Ahh, another day late! I have a good excuse this time, there was a big storm in the Bay area; my power went out at 1:30 on Tuesday, and didn't come back until 7 AM the next day! A lot of people won't have power for a long time because of all the trees falling on power lines.

Anyways, back to the review! This book is sort of depressing, but it's very enlightening, for lack of a better word. Give A Boy A Gun is a fictional take on the tragedies that are high school shootings. Based on the Columbine High Massacre in 1999, the book tells the story of two teenagers' breakdowns through a series of interviews and quotes from people who knew them. Through their friends and family, you slowly discover what drove Brendan and Gary to the edge. The thing that almost made me cry was the list of real school shootings at the end of the book, and it isn't even that up to date.

Although it's sad, I think it's important for us to learn about this stuff, so that maybe we can put a stop to some of it and help these people. You can find out more about author Todd Strasser here. And now, I end the depressing stuff, and leave you with the reminder to read Violet On The Runway by Melissa Walker this month for the Dekoposh Book Club! Have a great week, guys! And if you happen to be without electricity on the coast in these stormy times, I hope you get it back soon!

Amelia's Book Room: Catwings, The Care & Keeping of Friends

Today I thought I'd try something a bit different and review two books, since they're both kind of small. Double the fun!

First up is Ursula K. Le Guin's Catwings. Although these are pretty much picture books, I love them and think they're a great story; I'm fourteen, so that's saying something! The four 'catwings', Thelma, Roger, Harriet and James, were born in the city, but there's something unusual about them. They have--you guessed it-- wings. Their mother, Mrs. Jane Tabby, sends them off into the wilderness, knowing a city is no place for such unusual cats.

Catwings is continued in Catwings Return, Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings, and Jane On Her Own. Jane is my personal favorite character, along with Alexander. Le Guin is well known for her Earthsea series, starting with A Wizard Of Earthsea.

This one is just for the girls, haha. From the American Girl Library, The Care & Keeping Of Friends, is a handy little book with tips on how to be a good friend, long-distance friendships, and making friends. Filled with fun quizzes, lists, and activities, this is a must-have for girls in need of some social tips!

If you're interested in this American Girl book, you may also like The Big Book Of Help and A Smart Girl's Guide To Manners. 

I hope you liked this doubled review! Don't forget to join the Dekoposh Book Club, and keep on reading, everyone!

Amelia's Book Room: Lucky Stars

When Kira goes to stay with her dad in New York, she wants to do anything but sing. She has a beautiful voice—like an angel, people say. But she finds herself in a subway with her dad and two brothers singing “Amazing Grace” and other songs for money. “I’m not a human jukebox!” she tells her dad.

Jake struggles with his stutter and the “God of Tongues” (just his, not all tongues), and dreams of being able to sing half as good as Kira does. His best friend, Eugene, wants to be a comedian—to have the world laugh with him, not at him, as they usually do.

The three of them are grouped together when the school music teacher, Ms. Hill, thinks they have potential. Lucky Stars is a hilarious novel; one of my favorites, that I’ve checked out many times from the library! I adore Jake and Kira’s younger brothers, Chris and Charlie, and I think I only have to mention that there is a duck named Dirk involved. Along with this, Lucy Frank is the author of teen novels like Oy, Joy!, I Am An Artichoke, and The Annoyance Bureau.

I hope you enjoy Lucky Stars! I wanted to mention that the fifth book in the Maximum Ride series, Max, was released a few weeks ago. I read it in about a day; I think it’s the best so far! Happy reading, and don’t forget to join the Dekoposh book club; we only need ten members till we really start. Tootles!

(I apologize for the small book cover today; it was unbelievably hard to find a large image!)

Amelia's Book Reviews: Coraline

Okay, I think it’s about time I do a creepy book. Coraline and her parents have just moved into their new house, a nice old place. Sure, the neighbors are a bit odd-Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, with their collection of highland terriers and relics of their stage days, and the old man upstairs who is apparently training a mouse circus-but it has a large garden, and plenty of rooms for her to explore.

Coraline steps through a door one day that should lead into the empty flat next door, but instead, she finds a strange woman who looks exactly like her mother-with a few exceptions. Her skin is papery-white, her nails long and red, and strangest of all; she has big, black buttons for eyes.

The woman tells Coraline that she is her ‘other mother’, and she has another father too. The strange place seems to be the opposite of the world she came from. Miss Spink and Miss Forcible’s dogs speak, as does the black cat in the garden. Dave McKean’s slightly disturbing illustrations bring this spooky novel to life, and author Neil Gaiman perfects the art of horror.

Gaiman is also the author of Stardust, Neverwhere, and children’s books The Wolves In The Walls, and The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish.

If you’re interested in creepy, disturbing, and thought-provoking tales for teens, Coraline is the book for you. This is another soon-to-be movie; the animated film featuring the voices of Dakota Fanning and Teri Hatcher comes out February 2009. You can find the sneak preview and teaser trailer on Youtube.

Amelia's Book Reviews: Inkheart

If you’ve ever read a good book; a fairy tale, an adventure, a romance; you know the feeling of wanting to be in the story. You long to meet those lovable characters, even the villain (if only so you could give them a good whap over the head).

German author Cornelia Funke paints pictures in your head with Inkheart, and you can almost see the characters beside you. That is the reality for twelve-year-old Meggie and her father, Mo. It all begins one night when Meggie sees a strange man standing in their yard. The events following change Meggie’s life, and her view of the stories she so loves.

The first time I read this book, I really didn’t read it--I listened to it on CD, read aloud by Lynn Redgrave; ironically. The mysterious man, with an even stranger name: Dustfinger, knows a secret about her father. Mo is reluctant to tell it; instead, suddenly drives them off to visit Meggie’s great-aunt Elinor, all the while hiding a certain book from his daughter.

This is all I’ll give away about this amazing book. Every time I take it off my shelf and open it, the first sentence draws me in, like a magic spell. I think it would captivate anyone with an interest in magic and adventure.

Funke continues the series in Inkspell, and the last part of the trilogy, Inkdeath, came out this month. (I’m about halfway through it!) The movie starring Brendan Fraser, Eliza Bennett, and Paul Bettany comes out January 2009.

I hope you check it out!

Amelia's Book Reviews: Confessions Of Georgia Nicolson

A month or so ago, I found the first book of this series, “Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging”, by Louise Rennison. It was marvelous, or in Georgia’s words, ‘marvy.’ This is the beginning of a hilarious journey with Georgia Nicolson, a teenage girl in England. Through her much-updated diary, you’ll laugh at Georgia’s antics and mischief, ‘luuurve’ and blues.

Though often a bit small-minded, Georgia is very clever and sarcastic. You’ll also love her best friend Jas, her little sister Libby, and of course, her cat, Angus. Taken from memories of her own teen years, Rennison perfectly captures the thoughts of young girls, with equal obsessions with boys and makeup. She and her friends, the ‘Ace Gang’, also deal with the hardships of school, bullies, and rather loony parents.

Her confessions continue in “On the Bright Side, I’m Now The Girlfriend Of A Sex God,” "Knocked Out By My Nunga-Nungas," and so on. The newest addition to the series is “Stop In The Name Of Pants!” I really think any teenage girl would enjoy these books. For those not familiar with British slang, there’s a handy glossary at the back, with definitions of terms such as ‘loo,’ ‘double cool with knobs,’ and ‘full-frontal snogging.’

I hope you’ll check out this series, and enjoy it!

New Column Writer

deko and posh here...We want to let you know we have a new Column Writer, Amelia Phelps will be contributing to our blog on Tuesdays. Amelia Phelps will have her own Column every Tuesday on Book Reviews. Welcome Amelia!! If you love to read, which is what we always say, "Readers are Leaders," make sure you check out Amelia's reviews on Tuesdays.

G2G...deko and posh