Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer

Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer
2007; Dutton Children's Books

Summary

Junior high really stinks for thirteen-year-old Vladimir Tod. Bullies harass him, the principal is dogging him, and the girl he likes prefers his best friend. Oh, and Vlad has a secret: His mother was human, but his father was a vampire. With no idea of the extent of his powers and no one to teach him, Vlad struggles daily with his blood cravings and his enlarged fangs. When a strange substitute teacher begins to question him a little too closely, Vlad worries that his cover is about to be blown. But then he realizes he has a much bigger problem: He’s being hunted by a vampire killer who is closing in . . . fast! (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

A few years ago, I was sitting in church listening to a boring fascinating talk, when I noticed the kid in the pew in front of me was reading a book. He was holding it at an angle where I couldn't see the title. I spent the better part of five minutes craning my neck and ignoring what I'm sure was fabulous spiritual insight to figure out what book the kid was reading. I never did catch the title, but once I saw the words "Vlad" and "Vampire," I guessed it wasn't a religious book.

Fast forward a few years...I assume the kid was reading one of the Vladimir Tod books. I finally picked the first book up after having it on my TBR list for a long time. It did not disappoint.

Vladimir Tod is half-human, half-vampire. His parents died mysteriously a few years ago. Now he lives with his aunt who sneaks blood for him from the hospital blood bank. The only other person who knows that Vlad is a vampire is his best friend Henry. Being a vampire isn't that big a deal for Vlad. Drinking blood at meals is natural to him. He's just a kid with a dietary difference. He hangs out with his friend Henry drinking a blood bag when Henry has Capri Sun. His vampiric nature definitely creates some awkward situations, but for the most part his life is like any other eighth graders.

This starts to change when a favorite teacher disappears and is replaced by an odd man who shows too much interest in Vlad and his uniqueness.

I loved the friendship between Vlad and Henry in this book. In a literary genre overrun by romance, it is refreshing to read a book that focuses on two buddies. Vlad and Henry work together to figure out what's going on with the disappearances. Henry has the tendency to follow Vlad around like a puppy dog, but Vlad is basically unaware of the inequities in their relationship (actually he wonders why cool Henry even bothers with him). They have a great banter throughout the book - typical boy talk.

This book bills itself as a light, humorous read, which it was. I was surprised, however, that it got as dark and dangerous as it did. Nothing too scary, but the danger was more intense than I expected it to be. I like the contrast of a sarcastic narrator and banter among friends with life-threatening situations and even a few heartfelt, touching moments.

Eighth Grade Bites is a fun start to a series. Definitely something for middle grade and early high school boys. And everyone else.

Rating: 4 / 5

Hunger by Jackie Kessler

Hunger by Jackie Kessler
2010; Harcourt Graphia

Summary

“Thou art the Black Rider. Go thee out unto the world.”

Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home: her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power — and the courage to battle her own inner demons? (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

"Issue" books are very common in the young adult world. Death, drugs, depression, eating disorders...you name it. It gives the author an easy plot arc - start down in the depths and build yourself up to recovery in some fashion.

Hunger is an "issue" book in the sense that the main character Lisa has a severe case of anorexia. It does follow the familiar plot arc, but does so in a unique manner - by incorporating fantasy. Lisa is chosen to be one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Appropriately, she is chosen to be Hunger.

Lisa's anorexia is the dominant theme of this book. Her life revolves around it. She dropped friends who questioned her health and attached herself to bulimic Tammy, who eggs her on. While the reader hates manipulative Tammy, I definitely see why Lisa is friends with her - it's comforting to have someone who understands the way you think and the way you eat. Lisa's inner voice is her constant nemesis. Always telling her that she's not thin enough. To everyone else she looks gaunt, but Lisa's voice points out all her flaws, real and imaginary. The author portrayed the inner voice well, showing just what kept Lisa from eating or changing. I thought it was an accurate reflection of the anorexic frame of mind.

The fantasy aspect - the Horsemen - is quite strange. Lisa wonders around on her horse making people starve to death. It was interesting, although a bit of a stretch. Some fantasies are so well-described that I almost believe it's true no matter how magical it is. Although Hunger is well-written, I never came close to believing it.

I loved Death. He seems like a sensitive thinker who's taken on the image of Kurt Cobain. While I don't want to get close to Death, Death as a person seems pretty cool. Pestilence was creepy, but good for Lisa. He helped her understand that her role as Hunger can either be a force for evil or a force for good. War is evil. Out for herself and full of hatred.

It was interesting how having the power to determine whether people starved or thrived helped Lisa come to terms with her anorexia. While the plot itself is a bit odd, I really liked the path Lisa took to discovering the value of her body and her health. She discovered the meaning of friends and family.

Definitely an interesting novel.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Manga Mondays (52): Vampire Knight vol. 10 - Matsuri Hino

Vampire Knight vol. 10 - Matsuri Hino


Summary

Cross Adademy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorm, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy's dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires!

Zero contemplates his relationship with Yuki and eventually tells her that he wouldn't have minded if she had killed him. Meanwhile, Maria Kurenai spies on Kaname and witnesses his destruction of the Vampire Senate. She notifies her parents, who informs the rest of vampire society. At the academy, the Headmaster battles the Vampire Hunters and kills the Association President. He is then arrested. At the fallen Senate building, the Pureblood Sara Shirabuki arrives to find an unconscious Takuma Ichijo, and she apprehends him to find out more about Kaname. Meanwhile, Kaname arrives back at the academy and gets into a fight with Zero, but Yuki stops it before Kaname could deliver the final blow to Zero. (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review


*Warning: Potential spoilers. My manga reviews tend to be more of a summary than a review. I find it hard to review manga in the same way I do regular books.

I'm still nonplussed about Vampire Knight, because it keeps getting stranger and stranger. But there are still some nice moments in this volume.

We begin just after Zero kills Rido and Kaname kills the entire Senate. This series certainly doesn't refrain from killing. Zero has pledged to kill all pureblood vampires, including Yuki. He ends volume 9 and starts Volume 10 pointing his gun at Yuki, but he can't do it. Yuki has always been there to protect and love him, even knowing all his flaws. When Kaname comes back and sees Zero about to kill Yuki, he's understandably furious. He would have killed Zero if Yuki hadn't stopped him.

Meanwhile, the Vampire Hunter Society has decided to destroy the entire Night class of the Academy. Headmaster Cross will not stand for that. He kills the president of the Society.

Inside the school, the Day students are no longer in the dark. They know that the Night students are vampires. To their credit, school loyalty prevails on both sides. The Night students pledge to protect the Day students and the Day students remain loyal to the Night students.

Like the last several volumes, Volume 10 is very confusing. A lot of things aren't properly or clearly explained. For example, Zero's body has been surrounded by brambles or the "Bloody Rose" for the last few volumes. There is some reason for this, but I haven't caught it yet. It just looks weird.

I'm curious to see where Vampire Knight goes, but I'm getting more and more frustrated.

Armchair BEA How to Write a Review

Today's theme for Armchair BEA focuses on the nitty gritty of blogging. I wish I knew enough Html to come up with an interesting tech-themed post, but alas... I'm going to focus on the most basic element of a book blog - the book reviews.

On a side note, I did a big advice post a few weeks ago about increasing followers. Check it out:
Blogger Advice: How to Gain Followers

My comments about how to write a book review is by no means the only way to do things. There are a million ways to write a great review. I've tried many of them. It's just a few thoughts that come to mind...

How to Write a Review

1. Review Elements: Most reviews have three parts - Cover photo, summary, and review. I think the majority of people paste the Goodreads/Amazon summary onto their reviews. That's what I do. I admire the people who come up with their own summaries, but I'd rather focus on the review (I'm lazy). Then there's the review itself.

2. Time: First off, how long after reading the book should you wait before writing the review? I think my reviews are best 2 days to a week after I've read the book. Too soon and the review is gushy or angry. Too late and I have trouble remembering the book. Lately, I've been waiting several weeks before writing reviews. I don't recommend this. It takes extra long, because I have to comb my brain to remember the book.
Second, how long should you spend writing the review? However long it takes you to write a review you're pleased with. I typically spend 20-40 minutes per review, which is the main reason I procrastinate in writing them. I've spent as long as 2 hours! (for the Twilight Official Guide, which was a super long, detailed review).

3. Style: Here's the big one. How do you write a review? Obviously there's no answer to this. The only "must" is content. You should say something other than just summarizing the book.

Here are some things to think about:

Pacing - Slow start, slow middle, consistent, page-turner?
Prose - Simple, complex, beautiful, lyrical, too wordy, clunky?
Characters - Likeable, relatable, smart, funny, strong, swooning type, agressive, etc.
Plot - Believable, engrossing, confusing, complex, fun?
Romance - Hot, not believable, otherworldly, realistic?

How do you put this down? In traditional five paragraph essay form? That's how the majority of my reviews are. But for books that I really love or have a lot to say about, I often break it down into an outline - splitting elements up by numbers or separating the good from the bad. I think this format is easier to read, but not so much so that I write all my reviews that way.

Here are a few examples of my review styles

Standard Paragraphs: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Numbered Outline: Die For Me by Amy Plum
Good v. Bad: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

4. Consistency: Here's where I don't follow my own advice. I think the best blog has a standard format for reviews, so the reader knows what to expect when she looks at your blog. My reviews are definitely not consistent. As I said above, my reviews range from multi-paragraph essays to numbered outlines to good v. bad. How I write my review depends on what comes to me in the moment.

5. Length: There's an ideal here, although I'm not sure what it is. It's possible to do a good review in a paragraph, but pretty difficult. I think a review should be at least 2 to 3 paragraphs. Probably not too much longer. Here's another "do as I say, not as I do." Many of my reviews are quite lengthy. I don't purposely write them long, but once I get going it's hard to stop. Ultimately, I think the ideal length is however long it takes you to give a thorough discussion of the book.

6. Prose: My only "must" on this front is proper grammar and spelling. I'll excuse one or two mistakes, because we all make them, but people don't want to waste their time trying to decipher poor writing. Now that doesn't mean each review needs to be a masterpiece. Most of my reviews are readable, but certainly not pretty. I have a conversational tone. I admire bloggers whose reviews read like a piece of art, but if I tried to do that it would sound stupid. Each person has her style. I just write in the same style that I would talk about a book with a friend.

7. Negative Reviews: Another tough one. My main suggestion on negative reviews is to be kind and be fair. If you hate a book, you should explain your reasons. In a way that does not turn into a personal insult of the author (e.g. My pet rock could write better than AUTHOR.) I think a good negative review highlights good things about the book as well as bad. After all, if you hated the entire story, would you really finish it? If I can't stand a book, I put it down and then don't review it. If I've finished the story, there are definitely elements I liked, even if my overall reaction was bad.

Conclusion

The most important part of a review is conveying your feelings for the book. There's no right or wrong. If your readers come away from your review having learned something new or gaining a different perspective on a book they're interested in, then you've succeeded. It doesn't matter whether the review is long or short, written in flowery prose or with laugh-out-loud humor. You should write a review in whatever style allows you to best describe your thoughts.

Blog Hops

It's time for the weekly book blogger hops again! A great opportunity to meet new bloggers and say hi to old.

Crazy For Books' Book Blogger Hop

Parajunkee's Follow My Book Blog Friday.





I'm Alison. I've been blogging for eleven months. I review mainly YA with a few MG books and a weekly manga feature.

On the blog:

This week is a little different in that my posts have all been for Armchair BEA. Best thing next to actually being at BEA!

Armchair BEA Introduction
Armchair BEA Best of 2011
Armchair BEA Favorite Blogs
Armchair BEA Nurturing Relationships: Memes

Manga Mondays

Vampire Knight vol. 9 by Matsuri Hino

Questions of the Week:

Blog Hop: What book-to-movie adaption have you most liked? Which have you disliked?

Good: Pride and Prejudice (BBC); To Kill A Mockingbird; Anne of Green Gables/Anne of Avonlea

-I can't think of any bad ones right now although there are obviously tons.

Twilight: The Twilight movies get a lot of grief. I like all of them. Are they perfect? Clearly not. However, I think each movie has gotten better as the budgets have grown larger and the actors have gained experience. I love the first Twilight for Catherine Hardwicke's edge indie feel to the movie. I like the emotions of the second movie. I like the action and improved acting of the third movie.

The best thing about the Twilight movies, particularly the first one, is that they take the books seriously. It would be so easy to mock the novels or deviate vastly from the books' plots. If anything, the movies stick too closely to the books - some things are hard to translate well on screen. I really credit Catherine Hardwicke and Melissa Rosenberg for being so passionate about the novels and the movie. I think the movies are about as good as they could be with the source material they have to draw from.

Follow Friday: How many books do you read in a week? And in what format do you read them, or listen to them?

Hmmm...Well, in the past week, I read 7 books. But that's a bit more than usual (plus, one was manga). I'd say 3-4 on a normal week. A mixture of e-books and print books.

Armchair BEA Nurturing Relationships: Memes

Today's Armchair BEA topic is Nurturing Relationships.

I've met so many great people through blogging: authors, publishers, and most importantly bloggers. I don't want to place one relationship above another so I'm going to focus this post on the main way that I have found other blog friends: Memes.

*I suppose my post is a combo of networking/nurturing relationships, but it's a rather amorphous topic and this is what I was inspired to write (hmmm...inspired makes it sound a little more grand than it is. Rather, it's what popped into my head and subsequently onto the blog).

What is a meme?

A meme is a theme, usually weekly, that multiple blogs post about. It is hosted by one blogger who usually has a spot on his or her blog where each participating blogger posts the link to her blog post. Then you visit as many other blogs participating in the meme and comment on their post.

Why do I participate in memes?

I participate in the three big memes: Parajunkee's Follow Friday, Crazy For Books' Book Blogger Hop, and The Story Siren's In My Mailbox.

As much as I love memes, I don't want them to take over my site. My blog is primarily to review and discuss books. Memes are one way to do that, but it's not original content. Armchair BEA week is unusual for me in that I have only done Armchair BEA posts - no reviews this week aside from Manga Mondays. Normally, I have 2-4 reviews and/or a discussion post plus Manga Mondays.

I participate in memes for two reasons:

1. Fun. I love the blog hops, especially the weekly questions. I love seeing what books everyone got in In My Mailbox, even though it makes me jealous. There are lots of other cool memes, but the lack of time factor outweighs the fun factor for all but my favorites.

2. Networking. When I first started blogging, I only knew about the big blogs like The Story Siren, Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf, The Book Scout, Steph Su Reads, etc. You can find other blogs through directories and blog rolls, but it's hard to get a feel for them. Memes are a great way to find all sorts of blogs you'd never encounter otherwise. Plus, limiting the post to a single topic or single question allows the unique characteristics of each blog to stand out. Seeing what books people received In Their Mailbox lets me know if we read the same things - would I be interested in their reviews? Reading how they answer the weekly question in the Blog Hops highlights the blogger's personality - are they funny, interesting, smart, grammatically correct, etc.?

I still read the "big blogs" that I mentioned above, but almost all of the other blogs that I love now came from memes, as did most of the people who read my blog.

I think consistently participating in memes is the best way to get your name out there and to meet a lot of great friends. It's what takes your blog to the next level - not just an Internet journal, but rather a place for virtual conversation and friendship.

Armchair BEA Favorite Blogs

Armchair BEA Day 3: Favorite Blogs

I didn't sign up in time to interview a blogger for Armchair BEA, so I'm featuring a few of my favorite blogs instead.

Here are just a few of my favorites. I have tons more. I'm sorry to all the people I left out.

Supernatural Snark

I Swim for Oceans

The Unread Reader

Reading Vacation

Small Review

Books In the Spotlight

Magnet 4 Books

Angieville

Emily's Reading Room