The Magician’s Nephew by C. S. Lewis

Good thing this was a short book! But it was still very cool, and very enjoyable. I can’t believe that I didn’t get to reading this book sooner, because as you would pretty well know, it’s quite an old series and it’s for a younger age group. I have to make this one quick because today I have to weed whack and go to a birthday party. I just finished making the card actually.

In London, Diggory and Polly make use of their time exploring Diggory’s Uncle’s old house, and finding secret passage ways that lead behind all of the houses along the street. When they accidently end up inside Uncle Andrew’s secret attic room upstairs, they get into more than they bargained for. Soon enough, they are spinning in and out of many different worlds, with an evil queen in tow. When they stumble into Narnia, a world that is just being born they see things that before they would have called impossible. How will they make it back home, and will Diggory find something that will cure is ill mother?

The writing style used in this book is something different, that’s for sure. It’s in third person, but sometimes the narrator will pop in with something like, ‘But I would have never done such a thing.’ So it was really quite fun to see what they author or narrator thought about what was going on in the story. A lot of times, the narrator was giving you a clue about what was going to happen next, or telling about the next book. Lewis made certain connections very clear.

It is a children’s book, so the story is very short, and there isn’t really any thing that jabbed out at you to be super important, the story just flows along like water and everything happens to make something else happen, and it all works out kindly in the end. Another thing that I noticed about this story, is that the English is pretty old fashioned but it made me want to go around pretending that I was British. Something about how they say, ‘Oh, do come over here Polly.’ makes me happy.

I liked this story very much, and I believe that it is a very good opening to the next book, which I have already read and seen the movie numerous times. I’m going to give it a 4. Here is the closest website for C.S Lewis that I could find besides Wikipedia, it says that his step son made it, and it’s factual if I say so myself. http://cslewis.drzeus.net/ 

Chow Mr. Cow,

MRR

The Eyes of a King by Catherine Banner

I’ve been camping non stop up till know, that’s why there hasn’t been much activity, but I am reading a short book next and I have many friends with many new books that they would LOVE to give me. I can’t believe that there is only one month left of sweet summer, I sure am going to miss it. Do you know what I’m not going to miss though? My Dad doing laundry….he folds weird. Anyway, let’s get started.

The great country of Malonia is a mess – the government is corrupted, the people are in ruins, and the young prince who is supposed to rule is stuck in a parallel world. Leo lives with his Grandmother and his little brother Stirling in the dirtier part of the kingdom, attending military school to add to evil Lucien’s troops. When Leo finds a black book that has words that appear by themselves, he is reminded of magic and the world of England that his father once told stories about. While Leo’s life takes too many turns for the worst, will the banished Prince be able to rise again?

Sometime around the Olympics, I went to Vancouver, and I went into the three story chapters there, and I saw this special section. It was called, ‘Teens for Teens’ or something like that. It was a section of novels written by teens that were supposed to be good books, so I thought, why not? I grabbed this book and finally got to reading it around now. I wish I spent my money on something better! Banner wrote this while she was 14 years old, and it is the most confusing book that I have ever read!

There are three different views in the book that all have different kinds of font, and you can’t tell which is who and who is which and etc. Until the very last chapter, I still didn’t understand the story, and even now…. I still don’t get the point of it all! It told Leo’s sad life, then it had random passages in between of a parallel world, and then it had a commentary of Leo in present while he was writing it. Too confusing!

Even if you did find some sort of point to it, there was no real climax or leading up point, I can only recall two events that stuck out to me. When Stirling gets sick and when Anna gets kidnapped, and they are way too far away from each other, so there was too much space to fill in with crap. Leo’s life is the most boring life to read about ever, and the point of the whole novel was to tell about it! Seriously, it was basically this. He goes to school, argues with some one, runs away, comes back, goes to school, runs away, fights with somebody, goes to the graveyard, cries, runs away, sits still in his house, cries, goes to the graveyard, runs away, cries again, sits around again. HOLY CRAP. I was grumpy while I was camping because this book was pissing me off!

The idea was cool, but she was just too inexperienced to tackle such a project. Although I’m sure that there are tons of very good teen writers out there. I give this book an overall, 2. Because some parts were interesting. Banner is going to write two more books with this one, and they are the same damn story but the time of it has changed, and the view of the person is changed. Haha, anybody want to read that? No tank you. Here is a wiki on her. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Banner

Chow Mr. Cow,

MRR

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

I’ve been away at my Grandma’s house, but I have been reading – somewhat. Trust me, lots of reviews are coming….I have a pile of 20+ books that I have to read. Right now though, I need a break….something must be wrong with my eyes because I can’t help but squint all the time, because my eyes won’t focus on any words. BUT it’s not like I can’t see other things, it’s just words. Enough about that though, HERE WE GO.

Graced with killing since she was very young, Kasta has a reputation of being King Randa’s very own thug. Everywhere in the seven kingdoms, people fear the girl with one blue eye, and one green. When Kasta befriends Po, a prince from a faraway land – they set out to solve the mystery of his missing grandfather, and the reasons behind many strange things going on in Monsea.But Kasta finds herself caught in a terrifying air of lies, and deceit and she must learn to see the truth to save what is most important to her.

It wasn’t hard for me to get used to the world that Kasta lived in, and I was super grateful that the characters weren’t all talking in old English because then I would have to hurt somebody. The dialogue was a bit annoying with all of the ‘My Lord’ and ‘My Lady’ things happening, but they died down after Part 1 out of three in the book.

Everything was so pulled together, and it always kept you on your feet. At one point, I was sure that something was going to happen, and then the opposite thing took place….and I was taken aback! I usually get my predictions pretty spot on. I thought that there was going to be a super happy ending, where everything was resolved…BUT THEN, something miraculous happened that made me happy and sad at the same time, crazy isn’t it? You’ll have to read it to find out yourselves.

I don’t have much complaint about this book, I thought it was wonderfully written and brilliantly thought out! I give it a 5 out of 5!

Now, here is Cashore’s website if you want to take a look, I believe that she has two more books coming out in this series called Fire and Bitterblue.

There is a little picture for you, so you can have an idea you know – and here is her blog/webpage.

http://kristincashore.blogspot.com/2009/02/explaining-graceling-fire-bitterblue.html

Enjoy your summers everybody! I know I’ll enjoy mine, (no matter how badly I burn)

Chow Mr. Cow,

MRR

Evernight by Claudia Gray

Hello, nice to see you all again so soon. PFT. I think that being a bookworm has it’s advantages most of the time….but seriously. I need to get off of my ass some time soon before I turn in to a whale! Sports are over, as is school…so I barely need to walk anymore except to get food! Since my last review, I’ve already finished the second Harry Potter book, and this one as well. Maybe I need to get out more and go play paintball or something.

Never before had Bianca questioned how she grew up, and the simple little things that her parents had drilled in to her head – some a simple as just remember to brush her teeth. But she had never truly understood them either, until she ends up at a strange and isolated boarding school called Evernight, where Bianca’s world takes a terrible turn. Struggling to fit in with the strangely alike students at the school, while trying to keep her relationship with an even more mysterious Lucas. Bianca will learn the truth about Evernight Academy, the students that attend it and most importantly – her confusing past where the obvious answers have been right under her nose from the start/

When I read the first couple chapters, I thought that this was going to be another book that was meant for children, because the writing style is so simple and so unadvanced that I couldn’t help but think – well this is going to be pretty darn boring. However, after you read more everything is some what laid out so that you some what understand what is going on. Of course, there is always that some what in there, so let’s cut to the chase. You’re going to be reading half of this book confused added with a little feeling of doubt. I don’t know if the author intended it to be that way…but the thing is that seems to be meant as a nice smooth transition between things turns out to be choppy. Basically, you’ll be reading along (laa lee laa lee laa) and then all of a sudden you have to go back and read again because you found yourself thinking. ‘Huh?’

It may seem that this story is going to be short, but some how it seemed so much longer, and I haven’t decided whether not that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Several times while reading I closed the book and sighed, because I just wanted a break, then did a circle around my house, and then picked it back up again. If you think about what happens in the story, it’s a really interesting plot line and the events that happen really do match up well in the end….but the the writing style is BORING. Very very uninteresting, to say the least.

I do know a good story when I see one, with good parts and bad parts, I give this book a 2.5 halfway mark.

Here is Gray’s website, I believe there are two other books in the series after this one. http://www.claudiagray.com/

Now, one more thing before I wrap this up. I know that I have one follower, and one comment from some body that I don’t know personally..but I still feel the need to confide in my….readers? When I first started this blog, I just wanted to make it simple and easy to read, easy to follow. But Blogspot has come out with these new designs that look pretty darn cool. Should I change the design to something more fancy, or is it better simple? In the end, I know that I’ll do whatever I feel like doing but still, being polite is the way to go you know, ;)

Chow Mr. Cow,

MRR

Alexandria of Africa by Eric Walters

Haha, after I finished writing the review for Born to Rock I picked this up and read the whole book, so now, here I am! My internet was down but I fixed it up, that’s why the previous post was just posted about 10 minutes ago. This book may have been short, but it definitely is an amazing story, I couldn’t put it down at all. Well…..maybe for one itty bitty pizza pretzel.

Spoiled, bratty, and annoyingly used to getting her way, Alexandria has lived her whole life getting what she wants, and depending on her father’s money. When she shoplifts and is faced by an extremely unhappy judge, she is sentenced to go to a juvenile detention center. But there is another option….to go to a diversion program in Kenya, to build schools. Faced with a whole new world that she could never have imagined or have even cared about before. Will Alexandria finally realize that what she wants isn’t always what she needs?

Not only does this story tell of a reality that some readers may never knew existed – just like Alexandria didn’t….but it also tells the story of how her experienced transformed her. It may be a bit cliché; the rich girl going to Africa and learning to open her eyes and see what’s around her for once, but it’s inspirational nonetheless, and so much more than a story told again and again.

The novel was fast paced and right to the point, which was very appreciated. Like I mentioned before, I really couldn’t put it down, maybe it’s the fact that going to Africa and volunteering is something that I have always wanted to do, and that I love Africa with all of my heart. BUT that is besides the point. I think that the story just developed in all the right places and events happened at the right times, everything matched up. It was almost like gravity, pulling you in to read and read and read.

There is nothing bad in the writing that sticks out like a sore thumb, or anything that bothered or confused me, maybe that’s why I liked it so much….usually there is one thing.

Anyways, as you probably know Walters is a pretty well known writer, who has written many books. Here is his site, take a look at his other novels. http://www.ericwalters.net/razorside/executeUseCase.do?useCaseId=1129689095013330

For those of you who are interested in Africa, or the diversion programs that help build schools and supply fresh water, I have a special video for you. Eric Walters thanked Free The Children in this novel, so I here you are.

There are plenty more where that came from, just go to the website. www.freethechildren.com

I'm going to give this book a 4 out of 5.

Chow Mr. Cow,

MRR

Born To Rock by Gordon Korman

WOW. On the border line of June here. But this was a short read, so I was able to finish it in pretty much one day. I am sure that if you love books as much as I do, then you love bookstores, like chapters. I am part of irewards system, and you can go on to online website and there are reviews for each book, and you can make your own lists, reviews, and recommendations. You just need to make an account and then explore a little. Here is my profile if you want to see what it looks like. Take a look, it’s pretty snazzy. http://community.indigo.ca/profile/Meggles/445991.html

Leo, a successful Young Republican thought that he had his future in his steady, reliable hands. Then his scholarship is taken away and he learns that his biological father is the most famous person in the history of punk – King Maggot. Leo ends up becoming a roadie for the Purge tour, and ends up getting in a lot of trouble while simply just trying to have some bonding time with his newly discovered Dad (who really isn’t as angry as a person that he seems). How will Leo manage to squeeze enough money to pay for his scholarship to Harvard, when his father is the biggest and angriest lead singer of all time?

After reading the first couple chapters of this book, I thought for sure it was about this crazy kid with a split personality that liked debating politics with other people. That probably is what you would think too, because the first chapters give you the most horrible impressions of the book. So my advice to you on this one, is keep on reading, or GET PAST THE CRAP. Because it really is about the rock and roll roadie life, not about this nerdy kid that sounds like he is going to have an asthma attack at any minute.

This book was meant to be short, and it explained and conveyed many things very well, but one part was so random that I didn’t even know where it came from. It was the whole liking somebody that Korman seemed to have trouble writing about. I mean, I knew the main character was going to end up falling for his best friend, it’s just predictable because it always happens. But it came out of nowhere, and when finally it was explained, it didn’t even seem real. It was in first person writing form, but the writing didn’t explain much about it. Maybe Korman hasn’t had a crush/lover before…or he sucks at writing about it – I don’t know.

It was a short book, so I don’t have much to say but I really did like it. It made me laugh and feel frustrated and sad, and had a great ending. A really great ending actually! When you finished the book, you really did finish the book, there weren’t any crap at the end, I was just able to shut the book and know that I didn’t have to keep looking through more pages to check if they actually are part of the story. (Pet Peeve)

Haha, alright. I give this book a 3.5. I realized what I tough critic I am, but what ever. 

Have a happy last day of June, and early Canada day. GO CANADA! Is it easy to tell that I’m a proud Canadian.

Chow Mr. Cow,

MRR

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

A romance novel! A sight to see, huh? Yeah, it wasn’t bad – even though I don’t particularly like romance novels….at all. Ever. Anyways, it was kind of boring and interesting at the same time…..but we’ll get to that later. Forgive me, but this book is far to complicated to make my own summary, so I’m going to put what is on the back of the book.

“When Henry meets Clare, he is twenty eight and she is twenty. Henry has never met Clare before; Clare has known Henry since she was six. Impossible but true, because Henry finds himself displaced in time, pulled to moments of emotional gravity from his life, past and future. Henry and Clare’s attempts to live normal lives are threatened by a force they can neither prevent nor control making their passionate love story intensely moving and entirely unforgettable. A story of fate, hope and belief, and more than that, the power of love to endure beyond the bounds of time.”                 - Audrey Niffenegger

To start this nice little review off, I just want to say that I have never taken a liking to romance novels. I find stories that are just about people falling in love, and them telling about their lives – is extremely boring to read. As a fantasy lover, it’s hard when books don’t have the spy, or the dragon, or something to keep things interesting. But I think that you can concur that from the title of the book, and the summery – this book isn’t about an ordinary couple falling in love and trying to be happy. I mean, this may be a romance novel, but the whole time traveler things made it fun to read, and as you should know that is something that is important to me. ;)

When Clare was working on her art, and the author when in to way to much detail that I had to skim, or I was reading it but it was going out one ear. That only happened two times though, so it isn’t bad at all. It was hard when you first started and you were trying to understand what all the dates meant and what was going on, because he does flash between the past, present, and future (he is a time traveler after all.). My advice is just to ignore the dates, just see how old each of the characters are and move on. All of the flashing back and forth starts to make sense, and it pieces together quite brilliantly near the end.

The thing about this book, is that it’s engaging, very well written, and everything is realistic and well placed. But it is still about this same old same old: lovers meeting parents, and then getting married, and then trying to have a baby at least seven times ( heh heh ). My point is, if you decide to read this and you’re still not sure that you like romance novels, then you might find it extremely boring. It is an emotional story though, especially near the end. SNIFF, I almost cried, (almost)

I will give this novel a, 3.5 because it was good.

This story was published in 2003, and I believe that Niffenegger has a brand new story out. (Her second one.) So, here is her website if you chickarees want to check it out! http://audreyniffenegger.com/ Sorry for being short!

Chow Mr. Cow,

MRR

City Of Bones – Cassandra Clare

Told you that it wouldn’t be long! Now that my final math exam is over with I will have plenty of relaxing warm days to put my feet up and read for hours. Summer is a time for lost of plans and going out for me, but I always seem to have those times where I am stuck with boring relatives that are all to young to do anything interesting. Those….are the times where the books come out of the backpacks. ;)

Brooklyn was where Clary grew up, with her best friend Simon, her over protective mother, and her sort of step – father Luke. Sheltered and feeling out of place (just like any other teen) Clary things that she’s just imagining things when she witnesses a strange event in one of her favorite clubs, an event that is the starting point of opening a whole window of dark secrets and a story that she would have normally just read in one of her animes. With her mother missing, her home destroyed, and a whole new world of Demons and Shadowhunters, unveiling itself before her eyes. Clary must search through her clouded memory of the past, and the false impersonations of the present to save the people that she loves from pain and betrayal.

I wish that I could overload my complaints on to you about this book in mass amounts, (I’m sure that you would love that) but I am proud to say that this book is almost….mistake free. The one things that I can make a comment about is the describing. The author really feels the need to overload with information about the buildings that the characters go into and such. It can be a bit overwhelming and hard to picture of times, but you get used to it….and the author balances it all out with her dialogue.

The dialogue. I can tell you this, it is really amazing. No – she doesn’t have fancy words that you can’t understand, and no – there isn’t some special way that she arranged the words and made it magically spectacular. It was just how normal people talk. How people actual convey their feelings, and how different characters respond in their words. Dialogue is one of the hardest things in writing, because it’s the one thing that you want to make as realistic as possible, in most circumstances. The dialogue wasn’t flawed one bit, not even a little…it flowed so smoothly. Even when one of the characters was saying something that lasted a chapters length.

The thing that stands out most about this novel, is that even though it’s fiction, everything is so…realistic. How she writes it, and how her words convey things to the reader…it just all is in harmony. Of course, that’s not the only thing that made this book great. Let me tell you, I haven’t read a book like this in a long long time… I felt sad, and happy, and extremely frustrated while reading this book. The emotions I felt, and the twists and turns that made them happen – I can’t even explain.

Now here, my friends…is a rare moment indeed, so brace yourselves……… I GIVE THIS BOOK A 5 OUT OF 5.  Dinga Linga LING!`

And there you have it folks, a 5/5. Now, Clare has a new series coming out called something about clocks. Here is her website if you want to learn more. http://cassandraclare.com/cms/home

*ahem* YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK. Chow Mr. Cow,

MRR