Knucklehead by Jon Scieszka

Most of us probably head straight to the fiction section of the library, forgetting about the biography and autobiography sections. So if we never venture into that unpopular library section how much will we miss out on? Are there interesting or perhaps even entertaining books that we won’t ever know about? Honestly, I would usually keep my distance between the biography section and myself. However, after recently reading the hysterical book Knucklehead by Jon Scieszka, I saw that there actually are some great autobiographies.

Knucklehead is an autobiography of Jon Scieszka, the editor of Guys Write for Guys Read and the hilarious co-author of books such as The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! and The Stinky Cheese Man. His autobiography focuses mainly on his incredible boyhood and growing up in a family with six mischievous boys. Scieszka and his brothers were deemed “knuckleheads” by their father, which, after each amazing act of stupidity and their never-ending monkey business, is proven to be true. I really enjoyed reading this book and often times found myself laughing out loud. From breaking his brother’s collarbone four times, tying his little brother to a bed with his father’s ties, tying a babysitter up in a closet for two hours, and some crazy road trip adventures, this book is full of laughs! There were also tons of great pictures and drawings included along the text. This book was very funny and was a pleasure to read. As an autobiography, I give Knucklehead high praise, and would rate it three stars compared to all books.

Works Cited
"Knucklehead Cover." Online Image. LibraryThing. 08 Jan. 2009 http://www.librarything.com/work/book/40236172

How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalester

Charlie is a fourteen year-old girl living in New Avalon, a city in a world where everyone has a fairy that gives them good luck in certain areas, whether it be making the perfect serve every time, always having nice hair, or possessing a knack for finding loose change. These fairies are very helpful, make life easy, and can even bring fame. But for Charlie, having a fairy is a nightmare. Her is a parking fairy which always allows her find a good parking spot. Charlie’s gift has become a horrible nuisance as people always drag her along with them when driving anywhere. She begins going out of her way to get rid of her fairy. As things get worse and it seems like she will never be free of her fairy, Charlie teams up with a girl she despises, Fiorenze, who also dislikes her gift, in hopes of getting rid of their fairies. They both find a way to get what they desired only to realize that their new gifts might be even worse than before. In the end, they have to take some extreme actions to fix things.

This book was an enjoyable read, and I think it would appeal to most younger girl readers at Highland, especially those who enjoy more girly fantasy stories. I found this book a bit confusing as it was set in a different world with a whole new vocabulary. I also felt like I wasn’t able to relate to the characters. The plot was very simple and the lack of major conflicts bothered me. I also felt as if I had read similar books and thought this one didn’t stand out. I would give it two out of five stars. Though I wasn’t very impressed by this novel, it was a fun, lighthearted book that I think most readers will enjoy.

Review by KM

Works Cited
"How to Ditch Your Fairy Cover." Online image. LibraryThing. 27 Nov. 2008 http://www.librarything.com/work/5267367/.

The Disreputable History of Frankie-Landau Banks by E. Lockhart

Frankie-Landau Banks is known to her family as ‘Bunny Rabbit’, a rather degrading nickname, and has been underestimated by them for her entire life. She attends an elite boarding school where most don’t really notice her and those who do have no idea what she is capable of. After a huge summer growth spurt, Frankie suddenly acquires the attention of a whole new crowd of friends, including her crush from the previous year, the handsome and talented Matthew Livingston. She quickly starts dating him, but while everything seems to be going perfectly, she knows that he is keeping secrets from her and shutting her out. She thinks that Matthew is part of an all-male secret society called the Loyal Order of the Bassett Hounds. After finding a book of Former Bassett’s deeds and spying on the group, Frankie uses her undiscovered intelligence to take over the Bassett Hounds and direct them to perform complicated pranks with hidden meanings, while challenging the club’s leader. Nobody suspects it is Frankie since her boyfriend and his friends all seem to want her to be a cute and fragile girl instead of the brilliant genius that she really is. When everything goes terribly wrong, Frankie has to confess to what she has done and deal with the ruined relationships afterward. In the end, Frankie realizes that though losing friendships might hurt, it’s better to be yourself than to be with people that don’t accept who you really are and won’t let you become a part of their lives.

I really enjoyed reading The Disreputable History of Frankie-Landau Banks. It was an entertaining book and was hysterically funny. I would give this book three stars. This is a great book for girls who enjoy humorous books and are looking for a fun read.

Review by KM

Works Cited
"The Disreputable History of Frankie-Landau Banks Cover." Online image. LibraryThing. 13 Nov. 2008 http://www.librarything.com/work/3528275

Evermore by Alyson Noel

Are you looking for a good romance book but tired of the typical love-story plot line? If so, I would recommend the book Evermore by Alyson Noël. The novel’s main character, sixteen-year-old Ever, lost her family in a terrible car crash. She miraculously survived the accident, and gained the ability to hear people’s thoughts, see auras, and know everything about a person by touch. She also has frequent visits from her dead little sister. She takes extra measures to restrain her powers, and these precautions make her an outcast. This doesn’t affect Ever because she hasn’t cared about most social matters since her former carefree lifestyle ended. That is, until she meets an unusual new student, Damen. Everyone at her school is falling for him, and for good reason, because he is extraordinarily handsome, interesting, and talented. He not only stops the hearts of every girl at the school, but also stops Ever’s burdensome gifts. Ever finds herself in love with Damen, but she quickly realizes that he isn’t like other humans. In fact, she isn’t even sure that he is human. Along with this new love comes danger. Damen’s close friend, Drina, hates Ever and becomes a horrible threat to her existence. Ever finds herself facing a horrible enemy, trying to understand her abilities, helping her sister move on, and deciding whether or not she belongs with Damen.

I thought Evermore was a really interesting and thought provoking book. I also thought it was a refreshing, unique love story compared to typical romance novel, however it was not one of my favorites. I felt like I didn’t get to know other characters besides the narrator very well, and this made it harder to understand their ways of thinking and had trouble wanting Damen and Ever to end up together. Also, it seemed like I had heard some of the ideas and details before, in Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight. I think that those who haven’t read the Twilight series will appreciate this book more. Overall, I would give this a rating of 2.5 stars out of 5. Despite my low rating, I did like this book and think that fans of romance and the paranormal will enjoy reading Evermore.

Works Cited
"Evermore cover." Online image. LibraryThing. 1 Nov. 2008 http://www.librarything.com/work/6103672

Exodus by Julie Bertagna

For science fiction and fantasy readers, I would highly recommend Exodus by Julie Bertagna. After pollution caused the polar ice caps to melt, entire continents have been covered by water and whole nations drowned, leaving only a few scattered islands inhabited by survivors. One of these is the island Wing. As the days grow hotter, the immense waters rise. Fifteen-year old Mara knows that her people need to face the problem before they all drown. A new discovery convinces her that strong cities were built that could provide safety for them. Her people leave to find them. Once they reach one of the grand metropolises, they realize those in safety have decided to turn away all refugees. As everyone grows ill, Mara sneaks in and finds others living in hiding in the city. They are convinced that she is meant to save them. When two of her new friends are taken to be slaves, she ventures into the world above with the hope of helping them all escape to a land that may exist in the north. With the help of a rebel citizen, her plan might work. In the end, Mara has to make a huge sacrifice so that the unwanted people can start their own civilization.

This novel was almost magical and had the important message of protecting our environment and acting with selflessness. My only complaint was that some of the subjects weren’t fully explained. This was a great read!

Review by KM

Citation
"Exodus Cover." Online image. LibraryThing. 13 Oct 2008 http://www.librarything.com/work/255625/covers/