Monday, July 9, 2012

Kids Korner: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Genre: Fiction/Suspense/Horror

Synopsis: A very smart college student named, Victor Frankenstein, has this amazing idea to create life. So, by attaching body parts from the dead that he scavenged from graveyards he creates a.... monster? Well, that's what everyone thinks. He's hideous and the immediate reaction from everyone is fear and hatred. The creature only wants to feel loved. The hate he receives in return for his kind actions is enough to turn anyone in to a murderous monster.

Our Thoughts: Surprisingly, my children really liked this story. Often my four year old was the one who wanted me to keep reading. We'd read four or more chapters a night because of her. ;) There is murder in the story so you'll have to decide for yourself if you want your child reading that. It gave us lots of opportunities to discuss judgment and how important it is to get to know someone before we decide if we're going to be friends with them or not. This story really has a great message of a man who just wants to be a friend and feel love but because people don't like his looks he can't have that love and acceptance that he is in search for. My kids did not like the ending or several parts throughout. By the end of the book my six year old son was SO angry at the monster and at Frankenstein. I kept having to remind him that it is fictional. haha! So, there are intense emotions in this book so take that into account when you decide if this would be an appropriate book for your child to read.

Author: (info from Google)
Mary Shelley was an English novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus. Wikipedia
Born: August 30, 1797, London
Died: February 1, 1851, Bournemouth

Rating: My kids had a hard time with rating it. They said it was a really good book and they want to give it 5 stars but because of all the sad parts in it they didn't like it as much so it should get 4 stars. But then, my son said, "No, it was still really good with the sad parts. Give if 5." LOL! So.... We'll go with 4.5 Stars!! :) hehe!
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Saturday, July 7, 2012

Destined by Aprilynne Pike

  • Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: HarperTeen (May 1, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0061668125
  • ISBN-13: 978-0061668128
WARNING: This is a Spoiler if you have not read the other 3 books of the Laural series.  For a review on the other three then click here. If you have not read those three first then do not read this review. :)

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy - Romance

Synopsis: Book three ended in a very bad spot, Luki is captured and they discovered she is a Winter Faerie... the strongest and rarest of all fae. Laurel and her friends must figure out what to do with her. When things don't go quite as planned, Avalon is in danger and Laurel, Tamani, Chelsea, and David are their only hope. Okay, that's kind of all I can say with giving away any spoilers.... trust me, this is hard. :)

My Thoughts: I know, being a Laural Series fan, it took me a really long time to finally get to this book. I just had so many other books that I needed to read. I finally could take it no longer and bought this book. Of course, I had to re-read the previous 3 so that I would know exactly what was happening. This book was just as good as the other three in the series and Pike was able to wrap up all the loose ends. She did leave it open for another story (oh, I hope she does!) or you get to use your imagination and figure it out yourself. I know that doesn't really make sense -- wrapped up loose ends but left it open too but, trust me. She did! Read it and you'll get it.
The biggest question I and most of my friends had was, "Does she choose David or Tamani?" I loved both of the guys but, I won't tell you who she ended up with. hehe!
The first thing I noticed about this book is the beautiful cover. I just love it! I loved re-reading the previous three books. I was able to see the amazing growth in the characters throughout the series. I love that they didn't just stay the same through out. They grew and evolved and learned from their experiences. The characters at the end of book four were not the same as the characters at the beginning of Wings. This book made me laugh and cry. It was such an emotional ride but still amazing. The story is just amazing! The writing is very simple and there is a lot of mushy romance stuff in it but the story is just so awesome that I am able to look over those. I thoroughly enjoyed this series and was sad to finish and end my adventures in Avalon.
Author: (from Goodreads) Aprilynne Pike has been spinning faerie stories since she was a child with a hyper-active imagination. At the age of twenty she received her BA in Creative Writing from Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. When not writing, Aprilynne can usually be found at the gym; she also enjoys singing, acting, reading, and working with pregnant moms as a childbirth educator and doula. Aprilynne currently lives with her husband and three kids in Utah, and dreams of warmer climates.


Rating: ***** Five Stars

Purchase Book: Click on link (hover for details)

 
Destined (Wings)

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