"Geek Charming"

"Geek Charming" by Robin Palmer

Blog Post By Natasha S
 

        Geek Charming is about Dylan, a popular girl at her school, who meets Josh, a "computer nerd," who needs to make a documentary about something. When Dylan's bag falls into the fountain at the mall, Josh saves her bag, and so Dylan has to repay Josh by being the subject of his documentary. At first, they both believe that they will both hate it and that it will never work out. They end up having lots of fun, although Dylan's boyfriend, Asher, keeps ignoring her and not hanging out with her. As a result of this, Dylan keeps hanging out with Josh, which makes Asher mad. Asher and Dylan break up, and Dylan ends up helping Josh with his crush, Dylan's ex-best friend, Amy. What will happen to them? Will Dylan and Asher get back together? What will happen with Josh and Amy?

      I would rate this book a 5/5. I have probably read it over five times because I love the moral of the story: Don't let yourself change because someone else wants you to change. "Not that I don't already adore him just the way he is. But, you know, I'm me," (Palmer, page 338). This shows that Dylan had changed herself to fit in and be in the 'popular' crowd, but it wasn't really 'her'. She ends up changing back to what she really is and that's when she feels like she fits in and she has fun. There is lots of humor in it and you can relate to the conflict that Dylan feels, with Asher and Josh.

         They also have a movie titled, "Geek Charming," and I have also watched that and I enjoyed it very much. It showed the book exactly the way it was in the book, except at the end, Dylan and Josh date and Amy and Asher date. The moral is the same, and you always want to know what happens next. I also like how the author added both Josh and Dylan's perspectives, because one chapter would be from Josh's perspective, then the next chapter would be the same scene, but from Dylan's perspective. You can tell how they had differing perspectives on the same topic, for example, in the movie, Josh thought it was funny how he spilled food on Dylan, but Dylan was very mad about it. It added lots of humor and I love both the book and the movie. This book would be for someone who loves funny books, but also books about finding your center and finding who you really are.
  
     

"January First: A Child's Descent into Madness and Her Father's Struggle to Save Her"

January First: A Child's Descent into Madness and Her Father's Struggle to Save Her by Michael Schofield

Blog Post by Natasha S

 

      The central idea of "January First: A Child's Descent into Madness and Her Father's Struggle to Save Her," is love and family. The book is about Janni, Michael Schofield's daughter, and their struggles with Janni's illness, schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is an illness that makes you hallucinate, up to the point where you don't know the difference between reality and fantasy. Janni has many imaginary friends, like 400 and Monday, who she thinks are real. Throughout their journey, Janni has many ups and downs, including hitting her parents and her little baby brother, Bodhi, to loving Bodhi and her parents. They visit many hospitals and psychology wards, but none of them help Janni. When Janni and Bodhi eventually have to live in different apartments so no one gets hurt, Michael thinks everything is over. What will happen to Michael, Janni, and Bodhi? Love and family are a big part of the book because they add the idea of, "Love will make families go the extra mile." This is true because Michael and his wife, Susan, had to go many hours just to visit Janni for one hour every day. 

For a news article about schizophrenia go to this article: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/04/living-with-schizophrenia-the-importance-of-routine/?_r=0

For more information about schizophrenia go to this website: schizophrenia.com/szfacts.htm

^^^^
This is a picture of Janni, Michael, Susan, Bodhi, and their dog.
The picture was taken from: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/edge-of-the-abyss-20120820-24h4r.html
If you want to read a summary of this book, go to: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/edge-of-the-abyss-20120820-24h4r.html

I loved this book and would definitely read it again! It was eye-capturing and had so much suspense on what would happen to Janni and Bodhi? At the beginning it was suspenseful because it made you wonder why was Janni hitting her parents and Bodhi and who are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday? I would rate it a 5/5 because I love reading biographies and this was so interesting also because I want to be a doctor/pediatrician when I grow up, so learning about the different diseases would prepare me for doing that in the real world.


I can connect to Michael because he explains how they went so many miles just to see Janni and how he always played with Janni even if she was playing with her hallucinations. This relates to me because when my grandpa was sick, we went to visit him across the world. If Janni was my daughter, I would want to play with her so that she wouldn't feel excluded from the world.



"Things are Gonna get Ugly" Book Review

                 "Things are Gonna get Ugly" by Hillary Homzie

Blog Post by Natasha S

            Ernestine Smith renamed herself - to Taffeta - when she moved to California, and is the leader of the school. She cheats off tests, plays tricks on people, and doesn't care for anyone but herself and her friends. When the teacher catches her cheating off Winslow, a school 'nerd,' he gives her a chance to have a complete do-over. What she doesn't know, is that when her teacher gives her a do-over, it's a real one, where:
1. Her name is Ernestine
2. She is a big school 'nerd'
3. Tyler was going to ask her to the dance
4. Her new friendship with Winslow...?
5. She doesn't know how to get out of it

            A quote from the book is, "Normally, I wear my glasses only in the morning before I put in my contacts. Okay, this is weird. I really thought I put my contacts in before school. I scratch my neck like mad, which makes everyone laugh... The scary part is that I'm wearing a black skirt with an elastic waist band. Elastic! And ankle socks with unicorns. I've got on some kind of polyester blouse, too, with horses jumping over fences. how had I not noticed this before?" (Homzie, 46). This shows that 'Taffeta' is freaking out about her changed identity. She hangs out with Winslow a lot in her 'changed form,' but she was supposed to say yes to Tyler when he asked her to go to the dance with her as Taffeta! She thinks she likes Tyler, but her new friend, Olivia, likes Tyler a lot. In the past, Taffeta and her friends sent a letter to Olivia from "Tyler" (when they were the ones who wrote it), and she feels really bad because Olivia has turned out to be a really nice and kind person, not like how Taffeta and her friends treated her. Ernestine starts to like Winslow, until she changes back into Taffeta, a world where Winslow hates her and Tyler wants to dance with her. She knows now that Tyler likes Olivia, and she might like Winslow. Tyler and Olivia are talking and having fun, while Taffeta herself isn't having fun at all. How will Taffeta get Winslow to like her again? Her life is spiraling out of control and she can't stop it! What will happen with Winslow and Taffeta? Read the book to find out!!!

            I liked this book because it was funny but at the same time it makes me think of how Taffeta felt, being stuck in her own body, but feeling trapped, where your parents don't know Taffeta, but Ernestine.

            I would rate it a 5/5 because I loved this book because it was funny when Taffeta realized that it wasn't "her." I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a funny read. The author adds parts about where Taffeta doubted herself and so it makes you relate to her situation.

"The Reece Malcolm List" Book Review

"The Reece Malcolm List" by Amy Spalding

Blog Post by Natasha S

 



        Devan Malcolm just moved in with her mom, Reece Malcolm after her dad died. She moved to L.A., a long way from St. Louis. She's nervous because she hasn't talked a lot with Reece. When she gets to L.A., her mom just ignores her and immerses herself in work. Devan's upset because a mom should be encouraging to her daughter and want to talk with her to know her life. Instead, Reece ignores her and even Reece's boyfriend, Brad, spends more time with Devan. Devan explains that she loves to act, and so she tries out for the New City School, a school that has a prestigious acting program. There, she meets Sai, a cute boy who is also interested in acting. They get close, and Devan might have feelings for him, but she gets a boyfriend, Elijah Cross, while Sai gets Nicole Ediss as his girlfriend. Devan has more problems at home, with her mom starting to share her problems with Devan.

      So, she makes "The Reece Malcolm List:"
"1. She graduated from New York University.
2. She lives in or near Los Angeles (even the internet can't confirm).
3. Since her first novel (Destruction) was released nine years ago she's always had at least one book on the New York Times bestseller list.
4. She likes strong coffee and bourbon, the only personal details she gave in a rare interview with The Daily Beast.
5. She's my mother." (Spalding, 1%)
      I like how Devan makes this list because it shows how ironic it is that the only facts she knows about her mom are things she can find on the Internet. When you first read the list, from #1- #4, you think that Reece Malcolm is just an author and not Devan's mom. When you get to #5, and it says that she's Devan's mom, it makes you go, "Whoa. Reece Malcolm is Devan's mom and the only four things she knows about her are found on the Internet?" I also like how the author said "...(even the Internet can't confirm)..." it makes you know that Devan had looked on the Internet to find the facts about her mom. Devan continues on with her list:
"6. She is a hermit sometimes...
7. Reece is Reece, which never really describes someone likeable...
8. She always runs late, even to pick up her long-lost daughter.
9. She is bizarrely really enthusiastic about hamburgers..." (Spalding, 2%, 3%, 6%)
     When Devan gets to the 24th fact,:
"24.              " (Spalding, 40%).
      By including this, it makes you think, "Why didn't Devan add anymore facts? Did her mom stop talking to her?". I think that this is also the most important 'sentence' in the chapter because it's the one line that grabs your attention. It also makes you think about it and makes you panic a little bit, because in the book before, she always had something to write, and now she doesn't.
     The list goes on and on but you can see how the author uses to crossing out of the words to add emphasis on her thoughts. For example, "...(Honestly, Nicole or no Nicole, who runs home to email anyway? Besides me.)" (Spalding, 23%). This shows that Devan isn't confident in herself and always changes her thoughts to make herself more confident. By thinking that she is the only person who runs home to email someone, she's decreasing her confidence by then thinking how she is lonely and no one else is like her. Another example of Devan's conflicting feelings is, "'Night.' I wave and walk upstairs, where I focus on homework only, definitely not picturing the cast list sheet or Elijah or Sai or every single thing and person I'm scared of." (Spalding, 54%). It shows how Devan has conflicting feelings because she's not sure if she cares more for Elijah or Sai, but then she crosses Sai's name out because she feels like that's what other people would want her to do. Make sure to read the book to find out more about how Devan and her mom get along!
    Devan's characterization is that she has her own thoughts and feelings, but then she changes those ideas so that other people feel like she did the right thing and she doesn't feel conflicted about it at the second.
    I would rate this book a 2/5. I didn't really enjoy it because it was a slow book. The type of reader who would enjoy this book is someone who likes books that go into detail about a daughter's distant relationship with her mom. The writing style was from Devan's point of view and her thoughts about herself and her mom.

"The Summer I Became a Nerd" by Leah Rae Miller Book Review Post

"The Summer I Became a Nerd" by Leah Rae Miller

Blog Post by Natasha S

      "The Summer I Became a Nerd" by Leah Rae Miller is about a girl named Maddie. Maddie is one of the "popular" girls. She has lots of friends and a boyfriend, Eric. When summer comes around, Maddie always looks for the new comic books, especially the series, The Super Ones. When book number 400 comes out, Maddie can't wait to get her hands on it and read it. No one knows that Maddie is a comic book nerd, so she goes in with a disguise. When she gets to the comic book store, she asks for #400. The boy at the counter looks familiar, and she recognizes him as a boy from school, Logan. She panics that he recognizes her, and when he looks behind her, she's confused. He says that they don't have any left, but then she sees a copy of it right next to him. When Maddie asks for it, he says that it's his copy, but he finally gives it to her, as well as his number so she can return it. She gets suddenly nervous when she starts to think more and more about him, not just about how he's 'adorkable' but also how he's nice and caring.
       At the prologue of the story, it explains Maddie's past life, where everyone knew her as a comic book nerd. She had a double-life after that, after the bullying, after the teasing. No one had known about her love for comic books except for now, Logan.
      She still has Eric as her boyfriend. When Eric goes to Florida for vacation, Maddie and Logan start hanging out more and more. He tells her that the reason he looked behind her that first day in the comic books store was because he had always sat behind her in English class and to make sure it was Maddie, he had to look at her hair. Logan has a show on the radio, "Logan's Show of Awesome." They are both comic book nerds and they have an interest in hobby. When Logan invites Maddie to go to the NerdCon, an event once a year where everyone dresses up as their favorite comic book characters and acts like them, she gladly and eagerly accepts. They go to many other comic book events together, including one where Maddie dresses up as Laowyn and Logan as Graffin. On Maddie's character card, the card that says who you're friends with, your powers, etc., it says 'Laowyn is in a relationship with Graffin.,' She soon realizes that she likes him and she knows the right thing to do is to either push Logan away or break up with Eric. She knows she cares for Logan more, and so she breaks up with Eric. She and Logan like each other a lot, but Maddie's still hesitant to show that they are more than friends in public, because if her image. Logan's upset at that because he believes that an image isn't enough to break off love. When Eric invites Maddie to lunch, she thinks it's just a friendly lunch. When they get there, Eric holds her hand, and suddenly Logan's there. He's furious and he and Eric have a fight. Maddie's confused because she broke it off with Eric and now he's calling her 'his girl.' She has officially pushed Logan away, and he won't even talk to her. She's alone. She later comes up with the perfect plan to at least let Logan know that she wants him and she broke it off with Eric before the lunch disaster. She forms a plan with Logan's mom. What will happen to Logan and Maddie? Will they date or be forever enemies? Read, "The Summer I Became a Nerd" by Leah Rae Miller to find out!

      The type of reader that would enjoy this book is anyone who likes a story revolving around a character's internal and conflicting feelings. This book had suspense, romance, and emotions. Emotions are a big part in this book. Maddie's emotions were what created the conflict, which was what the story revolved around. Maddie's emotions were created as if it was another character, one that created problems around Maddie and Logan.
     
     The author makes good use of Maddie's feeling because it makes you feel like you can relate to Maddie and her feelings because everyone feels conflict between situations.
     The theme of, "The Summer I Became a Nerd" by Leah Rae Miller is inner versus outer strength. Maddie had lack of inner strength because she didn't want everyone to know she was a "comic book nerd" and on the outside she looked like a "popular" girl, even though she had a big internal conflict. This quote explains the theme well, "What's wrong with me? One second, I'm concerned about whether or not someone will see my name in his phone contacts, and next, I want to strangle Dan for interrupting what could have been the hottest, nerd-boy kiss of my life. I have a boyfriend. A boyfriend who wouldn't like me kissing another guy. Probably." (Miller, 21%). This quote shows that Maddie likes Logan more than a friend enough to want to kiss him, but then she has internal conflicts about Eric because she's not even sure if he would care if she kissed another boy.
       I would rate this book a 5/5 stars because once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. It is one of those books that if you feel like you have to know what happens next. It had a good theme and I could relate to what was happening with Maddie's feelings.