In Annie's Shoes

Over a Thousand Hills I walk with You- 339 pages

anniek2016 — Mon, 02 May 2011 23:20:27 +0000

I read Over a Thousand Hills I Walk with You, and I have to say, it was devastating. It tells the story from the point of view of a girl who was the only one in her family to survive the Rwandan Genocide. The story was absolutely heartbreaking, but so well written, even though you want to, you can’t make yourself pull away. You can’t be to sensitive to read this book because I’m not and I cried. This was a really amazing story, and touching because it also tells of how she makes a new life for herself in Germany after escaping. Jeanne’s story is one that everyone should know. I rate this book a 10 out of 10 for sure.

Fang (a Maximum Ride book)- 368 pages

anniek2016 — Mon, 02 May 2011 23:00:46 +0000

Also over spring break I read Fang from Maximum Ride, and it was, um, well, some people might say, BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD. I mean really bad, awful actually. I hate to say it because the first few books were intriguing, but they just got progressively worse as the series went on! The first three or so were decent with action and Fang and Max being just friends, but then they started dating and trying to “save the world”. Max was getting more and more stuck-up by the page and Angel kept trying to take over the tribe (or flock in this case), so to speak. The series went from an interesting plot to just plan stupid! It kind of reminded me of those books that you see in the grocery stores that have titles like Rescued by Love or something ridiculous like that. Almost like a teen soap opera with the faintest whisper of a story between the pages. Way to dramatic for my taste. It was just too much.

Bloody Jack- 336 pages

anniek2016 — Mon, 02 May 2011 22:42:08 +0000

I read Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer over spring break. It’s the first of a series about a girl pirate who is forced to masquerade as a boy to keep a job on a ship. At first I have to admit, I didn’t think that it was going to be all that stellar, but I have to say my sister was right about a book for once. The last book she gave me I read in a day and when I closed it I said, “Wow. And that won a New-berry Award Medal?” Needless to say, I was a bit skeptical when she pitched the plot line to me, but it turned out to be a really good read. I recommend it to girls mostly, but there is some action in it so guys might enjoy it too. I would probably give it a 7.5 to 8 out of 10.

The Hunger Games- 374 pages

anniek2016 — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:21:54 +0000

Because I am apparently behind the rest of the population in the 7th grade, I just now (yes, JUST NOW) read the Hunger Games. I know. Shame on me. And I really was wrong to wait this long to read it because it just as good as everyone said it was. I did notice though that it wasn’t quite as gory as people said. They made it sound NASTY! I didn’t think it was all that bad. But the point is that this was a really good book for all (maybe not ALL) ages and genders. I read it in a day over spring break. I liked it a lot, but I wouldn’t say it was the best book I ever read or anything. I would still definitely read the other ones though. I would call it a good vacation read.

To Pedro, with love

anniek2016 — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 23:55:40 +0000

My team praying with Pedro

I wanted to post a thank-you to my soccer coach because we just started our last season together as a team, and he’s the reason why we are all so close. Pedro may yell at us and say “No! That’s bad! We talk about that!”, but at the end of every hard practice, at the end of every game we lose, he never forgets to tell us, “I love you all, equally. Now get in a circle and pray.” He has nicknames for all of us (Mine’s Horsey), and thousands of inside jokes. (Some of which include deer and Kim Kardashian. Don’t ask, it’s a long story.) I wish all coaches could take Pedro lessons because he’s the type of coach who you want to give everything for. We would go to the end of the Earth for Pedro, and the best part is, we know he would do the same for us. I’ve known this song for a long time, but I never found an appropriate person to use it for until now. Do you know anyone who this song applies to?

Those schoolgirl days, of telling tales and biting nails are gone,
But in my mind,
I know they will still live on and on,
But how do you thank someone, who has taken you from crayons to perfume?
It isn’t easy, but I’ll try,

If you wanted the sky I would write across the sky in letters,
That would soar a thousand feet high,
To Sir, with Love

The time has come,
For closing books and long last looks must end,
And as I leave,
I know that I am leaving my best friend,
A friend who taught me right from wrong,
And weak from strong,
That’s a lot to learn,
What, what can I give you in return?

If you wanted the moon I would try to make a start,
But I, would rather you let me give my heart,
To Sir, with Love

-To Sir, with Love

The Dead and the Gone- 308

anniek2016 — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 00:20:55 +0000

The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer is about a 17 year old boy named Alex living in New York city with his two sisters, mother and father. His father is out of the country and his mother is at work when an asteroid hits the moon, knocking it dangerously close to Earth. Tsunami’s, floods, storms, and volcanic eruptions follow. Alex is forced to care for his siblings and do everything he can to keep them all alive. Although I think that it was a good idea for a story, the book, like the series Twilight, wasn’t well written. I kept waiting for it to get better, or a interesting twist in the plot to grab my attention, but it never came. Nothing happened. It was about Alex’s eternal struggle, and everything was always one step forward, two steps back, so it wasn’t a very interesting read. At the beginning, I was on Alex’s side, but by the end, I found myself thinking, “If I were put in this situation, I think I could do better.” I really don’t recommend this book, unless you want to be aggravated beyond belief with the main character.

Cirque du Freak: Vampire Mountain, 199

anniek2016 — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 13:50:07 +0000

In Vampire Mountain, Darren begins a long journey to a vampire safe haven with his mentor, Larten Crepsly. The book was a little slow like the last one with a interesting twist in the plot at the end that left me wondering what would happen in the next. I think that the last two books were slow because they were leading up to the 5th book, which is called The Trials of Death. Based on what the characters in the book said about the trials, the 5th Cirque book should be a fast-paced nail biter. I’m looking forward to reading it!

Cirque du Freak– Tunnels of Blood, 229

anniek2016 — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 13:43:03 +0000

I read another book in the Cirque du Freak series: Tunnels of Blood. It was okay; not as good as the first two, but still pretty good. I think that it mostly connects to the 4th book, and the 4th connects to the 5th, so those two books are a bit more slow in comparison. The end picked up speed and made it end with a surprising twist which is always nice in a book. Definitely not the best book in the series, but necessary to understand the next one.

Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, 241 pages

anniek2016 — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:51:20 +0000

As you know, I have placed a reading goal for myself of 1,700 pages. I got the second Cirque du Freak book today, and finished it in a total of about three hours (BOOM!)! Two words: SO GOOD! It’s so completely creepy (gross, sickening, whatever you want to call it) that it just keeps you wrapped up in the story until before you know it, you’re done! I have to say, though, I was slightly nauseous at the end when a one character gets his innards ripped out and eaten. Yeah. I’m not kidding either. GROSS!!!! But other than that, it was really quite thrilling. Awesome, Awesome series!

Cirque du Freak: A living Nightmare, 272 pages

anniek2016 — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 21:54:47 +0000

I read Cirque du Freak: a Living Nightmare by Darren Shan (pen name). In this book, a character by the name of Darren Shan goes to a freak show for a thrill with a friend. One mistake after another leads to Darren becoming a vampire’s assistant and his former best friend vowing to hunt down and kill him. I absolutely loved this book! It could really be for either gender but not for the fainthearted. I am no sissy and I found myself peering into my dark room before I took a flying leap across my bed so I could reach my lamp without touching the floor. But, in my opinion, that’s all the fun of reading a scary thriller!