Moccasin Thunder

This is a book of modern Native Americans. It is a collection of stories from ten different people's lives. Some of the stories are ok while others are completely boring and hard to understand. I didn't really like this book all that well. Unless you are just really into Indian books I don't think you'll like this book very well either.

Review/Description
The young people's experiences in these 10 short stories will resonate with Native readers and inform and affect non-Natives as well. Joy Harjo writes about a boarding-school experience. Sherman Alexie talks about the slow painful separation and divorce of parents, and the needs of a boy to be seen/heard/taught by his father. Cynthia Leitich Smith shows an example of the everyday struggles Native people have with stereotypes, and the pain it causes on all sides. Richard Van Camp offers a glimpse into a life of addiction, loss, and the struggle to overcome poverty. Linda Hogan demonstrates the pride, generosity, and determination of an elder living on the reservation selling eggs and grain to make ends meet. Lee Francis shares a story of self-realization, oral tradition, and ways things are passed from one generation to the next. This distinguished anthology offers powerful, beautifully written stories that are thoughtful and important for teens to hear

All that Glitters

This book was pretty good, it wasn't that interesting though. The characters lack personality in my opinion. The ending fits the story pretty well I don't really know how I would change it. It's not a necessary book to read, but it's ok if your bored. I don't really like books that a guy is the main character and narrator. It just lacks the emotion I guess you could say. Except for the narrator in twisted, he had plenty of emotion.

Review/Description
Brian, 16, is not looking forward to spending an entire summer with his divorced, uncommunicative, and seemingly uninterested father. Almost as soon as he arrives at Leo's place in the Florida Keys, he discovers that Leo; his friend Nathan; and a beautiful but sullen teenage girl, Tia, are going to help an eccentric underwater archaeologist dive for sunken treasure. As the summer wears on, Brian becomes adept at scuba diving and develops a stormy friendship, then a tentative romance with the enigmatic Tia. He is unable to understand his father, and finds more in common with Nathan and the archaeologist. The plot gains momentum when the group begins to suspect that thieves are raiding a site that they believe holds a sunken Spanish galleon. A hurricane provides the climactic confrontation between Brian and Leo, which finally clarifies the man's behavior toward his son. Several major issues drive this story. Nathan and Tia are black and are forthright in talking about racism and its effect on their lives. Nathan also articulates the need in our society for strong male role modes, or as he puts it, "good men." Clearly Brian doesn't think his father fills this bill, but learns that people are not always what they seem.

Both Sides of Time

I liked this book it was really good up until the end. The end really really sucked, and I mean really bad. I was so mad after I finished. I was like all that for nothing. The characters were ok. Their personalities weren't that brought out since a specific character wasn't the narrator the whole time. It kind of bounces around a little bit. Overall it was a good book. though. It is set in two different time periods which is cool. Oh and I just found out that it has three sequels which I'll have to read.

Review/Description
Disturbed by her parents' marital discord and completely taken for granted by Sean, her mechanically inclined boyfriend, Annie Lockwood is ripe for romance. And where better to find it than in the past--a past epitomized by the once elegant mansion about to be razed in her hometown. At the mansion during a storm, Annie finds herself falling 100 years back in time to a point, where she encounters the romantic idyll she has yearned for and where she alters the lives of several people when she and Hiram Stratton Jr. fall in love. But she realizes that the 1890s are not her time and makes the transition back to the present, only to realize that she has to return to prevent a miscarriage of justice because a ladies' maid has been wrongfully accused of murder. Life among the wealthy in the 1890s is nicely rendered, as are Annie's bittersweet experiences. However, after the first time, Annie's time shifting loses credibility, and her ready acceptance by the Strattons is forced.

Yay!

It makes me very happyful that all my friends are joining my blog now just to recruit a few more peoples and we'll be set!!!

It's Kayla.

Hey it's Kayla (Pleasant_Nightmare...call me Night for short)

Some other really good books are the Riley Jenson Guardian Series by Keri Aurthur...at least I think that's her name :P. They're about a woman who's half vamp, half werewolf...theyre a bit...um..sexful...but theyre pretty good.


also. Hawksong is wonderful. It's by the same person who wrote Shattered Mirror. Dont read the sequels...except for maybe Snakecharm...they'll disappoint you.


Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is pretty good too... the ending is blah though....


quick about me section: I too am in band. I play in the percussion section on mallets, chimes, and bells. I have a strange obsession with Papa Roach... And I love kittehs ^_^.

I'll post more later. It's Friday. School has drained me of sanity.

My Life in Dog Years

I read this book a few years ago so my memory of it is kind of vague. It is just a short collection of stories but the stories are touching. They are all based on his experiences with his dogs through the years. It is amazing how he came to be acquainted with some of them and how close he got to them. If you really like dog stories you should read this book.

Review/Description
Paulsen reveals bits and pieces of his own life story through his experiences with eight of his dogs. After a heartfelt dedication to Cookie, the sled dog who saved his life, the author introduces readers first to Snowball, the puppy he acquired when he was seven years old and living in the Philippines, and then follows chronologically with profiles of other canine companions. He concludes with tales about Josh, the border collie with whom he currently shares a home. Paulsen is a master storyteller with a dry wit. His description of his dog Fred, whom he claimed was actually "nuclear in his capacity for destruction," and his account of his Great Dane Caesar, who was so petrified of trick-or-treaters that he would hide in the bedroom closet every Halloween with a housecoat over his eyes, are sure to elicit smiles. Paulsen can also make readers sigh when he relates how Snowball saved him from being bitten by a poisonous snake and how Cookie pulled him out of the water when he fell through the ice while trapping beaver. The statement, "Josh...is a person. I do not think in my heart that he is a dog," gives youngsters a real sense of how the man looks at these animals. An attractive pen-and-ink sketch of the profiled animal opens each chapter.

Crooked River

This book is about a girl who has to decide what's right and what's wrong. She has to choose between being on her family's side or choosing the side of an Indian of all people. It is set back in time when the white people and Indian's were still fighting. I of course sided with the Indian right away. In the end it shows I picked the right side. I liked the ending I thought it was very fitting. This was a decent book and if you have time you should read it.

Review/Description
Thirteen-year-old Rebecca Carver gets a front-row seat on frontier justice in Pearsall's second historical novel. She and her older sisters return to their 1812 Ohio home and find, in addition to many chores, a Native American chained upstairs. Her father, a widowed farmer, is keeping "Indian John" there to await trial for killing a trapper. Rebecca is the primary narrator here, but the Indian, whose Ojibwe name is Amik, is given a voice through a scattering of spare story-poems. His is a gentle soul, and Rebecca, who is routinely ignored or mistreated by her father, soon finds sympathy for him. Before long, a young lawyer turns up to defend Amik, telling Rebecca about the kindness Amik's family had shown years before. The scenes leading up to the trial are compelling, if not surprising, and Pearsall wonderfully captures the language of the time as well as Rebecca's growing awareness for what passes for truth and justice in her community.