Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson

Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson is a book of teenage angst and the pressure to be perfect. When 18 year old Kate Malone is rejected from the only school to which she applied her world is suddenly turned upside down. Kate is the ideal teenager; a gifted student, an avid runner and huge asset to her cross country team, a caring sister, and a wonderful daughter. As the daughter of the widowed Reverend Malone, Kate sort of unwillingly assumed this role of the perfect kid. Although inside she felt far from perfect and resented the very person she had become. Kate applied to MIT with no doubt that she would be accepted; she had no other option seeing as it was the only college she applied to. But to Kate this was more than just a college, it was the last connection she had to her mom who had attended MIT and died a few years back. In place of the long awaited acceptance letter Kate is instead rejected, and when mixed with her severe insomnia and anxiety she finds herself in a vicious downward spiral. Kate keeps the burden of her denial a secret from everyone, she is forced to share a room with a neighbor whose house burnt down, and she looses someone very close to her. As her life becomes more and more out of control she begins to lose grip and falls into an emotional meltdown. The book unfortunately is somewhat unresolved with Kate simply taking a year off from school, but without a resolute ending you come to find that in reality there is no quick fix, no immediate happy ending which I feel is just what Anderson was trying to convey. The raw power behind Laurie Halse Anderson’s novels are what not only makes them unique but what makes them great. Catalyst is a beautifully written testament to what is not only expected of teenagers by parents, friends, and teachers but what we teenagers expect of ourselves. We are told throughout our entire lives to reach for the stars and that if you work hard enough, anything is attainable. Does that mean if we work hard enough perfection is potentially attainable? Unfortunately Kate Malone comes to find that the more she tries to obtain perfection the more she lets herself spiral out of control. Anderson has a refreshingly realistic take on the conflicts that consume the characters in her books. Her use of modern dialogue also makes the text fun and relatable to the reader, especially young adults. The scientific twists on concepts in the book were both entertaining and interesting, and show that Anderson had done thorough research prior to writing this novel. The suspense keeps you guessing but the struggle and strife are what in my opinion make this book great. Laurie Halse Anderson is a truly beautiful writer and I look forward to reading her other books.

      

At first Sight by: Nicholas Sparks

      At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks is about a man named Jeremy who falls in love with a girl he barely knows named Lexie. When they just met they became friends right away and then they became more than friends about a few weeks after they met. Then after they have been together for three weeks they are already planning their wedding.
       I think this book is an excellent book for people that like romance and drama. At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks has a lot of conflicts dealing with relationships and who to trust.

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

If you like dramatic stories of love hate relationships then this is the book for you. The Last Song is about a rebellious teen girl who finds she has been closing herself off from the things she loves the most. Ronnie used to be all about music and playing piano, but she has a change of heart when her life gets turned upside down. After many years together her mom and dad decide to spit up. Ronnie's mother realizes her daughter is having a difficult time adapting to the new way of life without her father. By her mother forcing her to do something she doesn't want to, it helps her to be more open to the things shes been missing out on. Ronnies mom sends her to her dads where along with becoming more open she meets a boy that she quickly falls in love with. In some ways the story is predictable, but it also keeps you guessing. This is an interesting book that i would reccomend.

VM

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

      The Notebook is an outstanding book, that makes you not want to put it down. It is a tearjerker. Allie Nelson and Noah Calhoun are the main characters, they fall in love the summer before Allie has to leave town. Allie is a smart, upperclass girl, who is 15 while Noah doesn't have much money and is 17. Allie leaves after the summer and Noah writes her letters, but they don't speak until 14 years later. When they end up seeing eachother, Allie is engaged to Lon, a wealthy, handsome lawyer. Her and Noah realize they are still in love and Allie is put in the situation to chose the love of her life, Noah, or her fiance, Lon, who her parents love.    
        I liked the book, it has sad parts but in the end it leaves you happy. I like that the man telling the story is really Noah trying to get Allie to remember the past because she has Alzhimers and is in a nuhsing home. She ends up remembering him. It makes you think and it really kept me reading it. I really liked the book and i reccomend it to anyone who loves a love story.
JD 5/20

The Old Man And The Sea By Ernest Hemingway

The Old Man And The Sea is an American literature classic that stood through the tests of time literally and metaphorically and in a way told people of the interesting life of Ernest Hemingway but it also taught people about the struggles of life and simplicities behind it.The story revolves around a man named Santiago who relys on fishing for living and Meditation.In the novel he struggles to catch the great Marlin he's been trying to catch for years.In his struggles he manages to catch the great fish.But in process of all this the antagonists,the sharks,take away his great catch.In a sense, his dream comes true, he catches the fish and looses his dream as quickly as he catches it.In the end he is tired and beaten, but not defeated the next day he will go and do the same thing he did the previous day.Go fish.

ZB

"finding jack" by Crocker, Gareth

Finding Jack is about a very deeply depressed man who tried killing himself and failed. then he decided to throw his life away in the vietnam war. he was put in part of a unit called "The Fat Lady" unit. his lieutenant was lieutenant Rogan with point guard Mitchel pilot Peterson infantry man Travis and medic Edgar. they were on a really bad recon mission heading back when suddenly a dog wonders out of no where right in front of them. It was Jack. At first Lieutenant Rogan thought he was a threat so Rogan ordered him to be shot, and Fletcher the main character didn't want him shot so he tried to get in between them. he was shot anyways so Fletcher picked him up and carried him all the way back to the military base. he also punched Rogan in the face and got into a fight with him. he then decided to try and save the dog with an emergency surgery to remove the bullet. he also called Wallace, leader of the k-9 unit and asked for a shipment of supplies. Mitchel, Peterson and Travis and Egar all helped out Fletcher on his side mission to save the dog and Fletcher immediately fell in love with his new best friend Jack. they stuck by each other to the end.
I loved this book because it was full of a lot of valuable info and my insight on the vietnam war has changed. I highly recomend this book to anyone and everyone I know.
 B.L.H.                                                                                                                            may/20th/2011

Emerald Windows by Terri Blackstock

   Emerald Windows is about a girl named Brooke Martins who left her hometown right after high school because of a scandal that brought shame to her family. Brooke's old teacher Nick Marcello was helping design windows for a historic church and he offered Brooke, who is now a experienced skilled stained glass artist, the job of helping him design the windows. This would mean that Brooke would have to move back home to help which will bring all the rumors and stories of the scandal back and shame her family more.  Also moving back home brings new rumors and scandals to be seen by the small town.
   I love this book it kept me up several nights trying to finish the book as quickly as possible because the book was so great.  The book was a very enjoyable read and is a splendid book to read for a report or just for fun, either way it is a very good book. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a romantic suspense-filled book that is also based off of the religious point of view of the author.