Smoke by Ellen Hopkins

http://bit.ly/1cSsjp6

     This book is the sequel to Burned, which is the book from my last post. I won't really be able to say much because I would give away a lot if I did, but I'll say the basics of what happens.

     In this book Pattyn is living in California as a maid for some strangers. The only person she knows is a guy named Angel. The family she lives with is a family of four. There's the mister and missus and their daughters Sophie and Dierdre. Sophie is 3 years old and emotionally neglected, and Dierdre is in her late teens and hangs out with troublesome people. She is hostile, threatening and an anarchist in the making.

     Pattyn is stressed about the questionable research she finds on Dierdre's computer and finds solace in the one person she can trust, Angel. She tells him about her worries and he gives her advice, which is to keep quiet. But that results in the death of Angel's friend, and the near death experience for Angel himself.

     But that's not all. This book switched off between Pattyn and her younger sister Jackie. Jackie is faced with heartbreaking gut-wrenching pain, too. She get involved with a boy named Caleb McCain. All she wanted was a kiss and to be loved, but that's not what he had in mind. After her painful experience with Caleb her mother forces her not to speak about what transpired between them. Not only that, but her mother also invites Caleb and his father over for dinner, and speaks highly of Caleb until Jackie simply cannot take it anymore.

     But the good thing is that Jackie finds comfort from her tutor Gavin. He cares about her and wants the best for her. He tries to help her the best he can and soon they fall in love. But Jackie has a secret, and it is  a terrible secret that would break them apart. She can't tell him the truth but she knows it breaks his heart that she doesn't trust him enough to tell him. 

     Will the Von Stratten girls find true love? True happiness? Well there's only one way to find out, you'll have to read the books yourself, which I highly recommend. They are heartbreaking yet wonderful. It will leave you wanting more.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

http://bit.ly/1cBUixg

     I had to read this book for English, and normally I don't really like the books I have to read for class, but this one wasn't too bad. It takes a while to really get into it but when I did I really liked it. It's probably one of the saddest books I've ever read.

     The main character is a boy named Amir. Amir lives in Afghanistan with his father who he calls Baba. They are pretty well off, they live in a big house and have two Hazara servants who are father and son. Their names are Ali and Hassan.

     Amir and his father are Pashtun and normally the Pashtun don't get along with the Hazaras because they follow different types of Muslim religion. But Baba and Ali have been friends for 40 years. Amir and Hassan get along quite well, but because Hassan is a Hazara Amir doesn't think of him as a friend.

     Amir and Hassan differ greatly in character. Amir is unable to stand up for himself and is unnecessarily rude to Hassan. Amir lies and is often jealous of Hassan because Baba never forgets his birthday, and always tries to include him in the things he and Amir do together. Hassan on the other hand is always honest, and always fights off bullies for Amir. Even when Amir is rude to him, he doesn't fight back, but rather encourages him in hopes that whatever anger has come over him will pass.

     Every winter there is a kite fight. A kite fight is an event where dozens of people get together with kites and try to cut down other kites and the winner is the last one standing. The book is called The Kite Runner because when a kite gets cut down people try to catch them because they are considered trophies and the ultimate trophy is the last one cut down.

     Hassan is an amazing kite runner and in 1975 they won the kite fight. Hassan got the last cut down kite, but something happens that changes Amir and Hassan's relationship forever.

*SPOILER ALERT*

If you haven't read the book skip over this next paragraph.

     The thing that changes their relationship is that while Hassan was getting the kite the same bullies that he had fought off before chase after him trying to take the kite from him. Amir is looking for him and when he finds him the scene he sees is a gory sight. Hassan is cornered by the 3 bullies, Assef, Wali, and Kamal in an alley and they are trying to take the kite from him, but Hassan being the honourable person her is, refuses to give it to them. Assef then says that it's fine he can keep it as a reminder of what he's about to do to him. He then proceeds to rape Hassan. Amir has seen the whole thing and being the coward he is, he doesn't stop them, he doesn't help Hassan. He doesn't want to risk losing his prize kite. And after Assef and his friends leave Amir finds Hassan and wonders if he knows that Amir knows what happened. later on it is evident that he did.

*SPOILER ALERT*

     After the kite fight in 1975, Amir and Hassan's friendship was never the same. Amir tried his best to avoid Hassan, but he was persistent in having their friendship be the way it was before. Amir never gave in though.
     He eventually did something that he thought would make his father kick Ali and Hassan to the curb, but that wasn't the case. Instead they resigned, and left the house the very same day. After that Amir never saw Hassan again.
     Amir and Baba moved to San Francisco when Amir was 18. They moved to a small apartment building. Baba worked at a gas station and Amir was in school to become a writer. they made some extra money by buying things at garage sales and reselling them at a market. There Amir met his future wife.
     Near the end Amir returns to Pakistan because a family friend named Rahim Khan calls him and asks him to come see him. The end has a shocking twist that I won't give away. This book teaches repentance and atonement, and most of all the crushing effects of guilt.

Burned by Ellen Hopkins

http://bit.ly/1dxNvlr

     This is another book by Ellen Hopkins. It may seem repetitive but her books are each very unique and different from anything else I've read.

     The main character in this book is Pattyn Scarlet Von Stratten. She lives in a Mormon family of 9. She sees her mother as a baby-making machine, and her father as an abusive alcoholic. Her mother keeps having babies because after 7 girls her father is still hoping for a boy.

     Pattyn is generally a good Mormon girl, but she has not good dreams about an attractive boy named Justin at her school. She knows she shouldn't think about boys, least of all Justin because he isn't a Mormon.

     One day, when Pattyn is out on the desert doing some target practice Justin, and few of his friends happen to be 4 wheeling and notice her.

     Justin is with his girlfriend but he takes interest in shooting targets, while his friend Derek begins to take interest in Pattyn. They eventually start dating, but her dad soon finds out and forbids her to see him.

     Pattyn thinks that they can find a way to be together anyway, but Derek disagrees and breaks up with her. Derek was Pattyn's first boyfriend, and she overreacted when he broke up with her.

     After that, her life only goes downhill until eventually she gets suspended from school for the last month before summer.

     After a cruel outburst towards her mother Pattyn is sent off to live with her Aunt Jeanette in Nevada for the summer. Her father tells her the there's no way she can get into trouble out there, but she finds a way.

     Soon after she moves in, she meets a college student named Ethan. They start to see more and more of each other and eventually fall in love.

     Sounds like a classic love story ending doesn't it? Well that is not the case. After a tragic car accident Pattyn's life will never be the same. The ending of this book will leave you wanting more with the sequel Smoke.

Identical by Ellen Hopkins

http://bit.ly/1djrBVn

     From my experience with Ellen Hopkins's books, they are very dark and they all bring mental illness into it. Her books are written in verse rather than prose.
     This book is about the mental struggles, inevitable self-destruction of twin girls Kaeleigh and Raeanne. On the outside, their family is picture perfect. Their mother is a politician, and their father is a district court judge. They are living the dream, or so it seems. In reality, their mother is emotionally and physically absent, and their father is an abusive alcoholic. Both girls do well in school, but they also both seek their own form of escape. Raeanne retreats towards sex and drugs, and Kaeleigh binges and cuts herself.
     It is revealed in brief confessions that there is history of sexual and emotional abuse. This book is horrifying and shocking. It will make you almost not want to read but also hard to put down.
     The twisted ending will appall and amaze you. I recommend reading this book, even if it's not the type of book you read or even if you don't like reading you will like this one.

Everyday by David Levithan

http://bit.ly/1aOLeOQ

     This book is really amazing, I absolutely loved it. It's my favourite book, right after Harry Potter.

     It's about this person who wakes up in a different body everyday. The main character's name is A, and I'll have to refer to them as A or he/she throughout this post because they are not male or female they are the gender of whichever body they are in. A is sixteen, and the bodies he/she is in are always around the same age.

     A lives life in a disconnected way. He/she can't alter the lives of the bodies he/she inhabits because if he/she did that it could ruin the person's life. There is a chance that the people whose minds A is in charge of for a day won't remember the next day what he/she has done. So A gets by, by staying under the radar. A will talk to the person's family and friends, and try to leave their lives the way he/she entered them.

     A does this until he/she is in the body of a boy named Justin. Justin is in a relationship with a girl named Rhiannon. The day that A is in his body he skips school with Rhiannon to go to the beach. They have an amazing day, and A falls in love with Rhiannon.
     After that day A doesn't care about keeping the lives of the bodies he/she is in the same. A just wants to be with Rhiannon and have her understand who and what he/she is. So everyday A wakes up he/she accesses the location of the body he/she is in to see how far away from Rhiannon he/she is, and whether or not he/she is close enough to go see her.
     One day A is in the body of a boy named Nathan and he finds out about a party that Rhiannon is going to because he keeps Justin's email and checks it the day he's in his body. He decides to go to the party and try to talk to Rhiannon, and he does, he has an amazing night with her, but he needs to get Nathan back to his house by midnight because that's when he will change into the next body. He doesn't make it though and ends up leaving Nathan on the side of the road. That escalates into a major news article and A has to deal with that along with his feelings for Rhiannon.
     As A is going through his/her days, he/she sees Rhiannon fairly often and eventually tells her what he/she is. A also tells her that he/she is in love with her. She is shocked at first that A could think that he/she loves her after so little time of actually knowing her, but she warms up to him/her, and breaks up with Justin because of A.
     I don't want to go any more into it because I feel it would give a lot away. But I recommend reading it, even if it isn't the type of book you'd normally read. It is absolutely amazing, and really easy to get hooked into it.

Crank By Ellen Hopkins

http://bit.ly/1bmLSoj

     This book is written in verse. The words are creatively placed; sometimes written in two columns that can be read together as well as separately. The following is an excerpt:

Life was good
before I
met
                                                the monster
After,
life
                                              was great,
At
least
                                                         for a little while.

 

     This book is loosely based off of Ellen Hopkins' daughter's addiction to crystal meth. This frightenly realistic book is written in the perspective of 16 year old Kristina Snow. She lives in a priviledged home with her caring mother and step-father.
     During the summer she gets a court order to visit her biological father who is addicted to alcohol, cigarettes, and crystal meth. Kristina arrives thinking the time she has to spend with her father will be boring and tedious. But she soon meets a guy named Adam that she is immediately attracted to.
     It is Adam who introduces her to "the monster". During her time visiting her dad, Adam also makes her feel the urge to be somebody other than the obedient, straight-a recieving Kristina. Which gives way to her new, "cooler", and more relaxed persona: Bree.
     As her addiction grows, so does Bree's control over how she behaves, and thinks. When she returns to her home in Reno she can only think of one thing: getting her fix of "the monster".
     She starts dating two guys that both do crank, and as this progresses so does her alienation from the friends she had before she left Reno.
     Her life starts to fall apart; her grades in school start dropping, she disrespects her mother and tells her "F*** you", and due to a horrible date rape ends up being a teen mother.
     This chilling depiction of of Kristina's descent into addiction will leave you wondering what else happens to Kristina. Ellen Hopkin's doesn't disappoint with her equally, if not more frightening sequel: Glass.

Bi-Normal by M. G. Higgins

http://bit.ly/16UEbGH

     This book is a really quick read. It's only about 200 pages. It's not the greatest book I've ever read, and it's not exactly on my list of amazing books, but it is pretty good.
    The main character is Brett Miller. He is a fifteen year old boy. His school is the classic cliquey type. There's the jock's that torment the "losers", and Brett is one of them.
     Brett has an amazing girlfriend named Jillia; he imagines marrying her someday, he's totally in love. But then he meets Zach. He has art class with Zach and when he's around him he gets all fluttery and nervous. At first, he doesn't understand why he's feeling this way, but he eventually realizes that he's attracted to Zach.
    I don't want to go into it anymore than that because it gives a bit too much away after that, but it's about him coming to terms with who he is and accepting himself for who he is.

Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford

http://bit.ly/19TDJJj

     Now looking at this book you'd probably think that its very depressing and dreary. Well in some ways it is, but the main character being a sarcastic 15 year old boy makes it funny in some ways.

     Though, it's called Suicide Notes there is only one note actually read. But I won't say whose.
     The main character in this book is named Jeff. On New Year's Eve he tried to kill himself by slitting his wrists. He was saved by his parents, and got put into the psych ward of the hospital. That's where the story starts, he wakes up in the hospital disoriented. He doesn't know where he is at first, but when he finds out he starts to protest, and says that he doesn't belong there. He says that he's not crazy and he believes this for most of the book.
     He has to sit through an hour each day of group therapy and individual therapy with Dr. Katzrupus. He is reluctant to say much about why he tried to kill himself and answers Dr. Katzrupus's questions sarcastically or not at all.
     Excruciatingly slowly, he starts to open up, although it takes him a while to say what's actually wrong you don't really notice until he finally says whats wrong and you realize you're maybe 50 pages from the end. The rest of the book isn't boring because of this, in fact it's quite the contrary. There's so much going on that you don't pay attention to the fact that it takes so long for him to say what's wrong, but when he finally does he's just confirming what you'd probably have already guessed.
     This book is funny, and sad, also a little weird, but very good. There is a little bit of sexual content, nothing very graphic, but it's there. Just a warning for anyone who is uncomfortable with that.

The Program by Suzanne Young

     What happens when teenagers start to seem like they're depressed? Well in this frightening depiction of society gone wrong they are sent to The Program where they are given pills that make them forget who they are. There are no anti-depressants, there is only the wiping out of almost everything that makes them who they are.

     This book is a page turner like no other. The main characters in this book Sloane and her boyfriend James are struggling to stay out of The Program. The Program is the "cure" for an epidemic of suicides among people aged 13 to 18. 

     Sloane and James have lost Brady, Sloane's brother and James's best friend, due to suicide. That alone brings them closer to becoming flagged as suicidal. But then their best friend Miller commits suicide with a poison called QuikDeath. After Miller's death James is not himself, he shows signs of someone who is infected.

    He gets flagged and then sent into The Program. After this Sloane is also flagged and sent into The Program. The Program's idea of a "cure" is making their patients forget any heartbreak or painful memories. Basically, when they get out of The Program they don't remember who they were before or anyone that was a part of their lives other than their family.

     So when Sloane gets out she doesn't remember James, or Miller, or that her brother died of suicide. 

     This book made me so mad because she went into The Program knowing that they would take away her memories, but she took the pills they gave her willingly. She didn't seem suspicious at all. It's infuriating because as the reader I know what's going on so her reaction to the drugs doesn't make sense to me whatsoever.

     The ending also makes me mad because there is another girl in The Program and the same thing that happens to Sloane happens to her. I haven't given away most of what happens to her in The Program, but I'll tell you this: the guy on the cover holding her hand isn't James.

Bitter End by Jennifer Brown

     This book is about a teenage girls' downward spiral from what she thinks is love to physical and emotional abuse.
     The main character in this book, Alex, has never had a serious boyfriend before, so when the attractive, and charming new boy, Cole, at school starts to show interest in her she believes she's found her soul mate.
     But as their relationship progresses Cole becomes jealous of her close friends Zack and Bethany. He also insults her in subtle ways, threatens her, and physically harms her.
     As his violent actions and implications increase Alex begins to question their love. She wants to get help but she's afraid of losing him because after all he was her first love; he's her "soul mate". So she doesn't say anything. She stays with him until one fateful night when he loses his power over her.
     This book is an enlightening look into the development of the psychology one experiences during an abusive relationship. While scary and painful this book is also an insightful view of what it's like to be the abused in an abusive relationship. More often than not if we know of someone in an abusive relationship we'll ask ourselves why that person doesn't just break up with their abuser. this book reveals that it's not as easy as saying, "I want to break up." The abusive factor makes is something that holds them back from doing what they know they should for fear of being hurt.

Sources
https://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&q=bitter+end+jennifer+brown%5C&spell=1&sa=X&ei=VmpVUu6_Iemz2QWr34GgBg&ved=0CE4QBSgA&dpr=1&biw=1040&bih=839#facrc=_&imgrc=cVv2dTHI3qtpTM%3A%3BCu5s-SIpk9fW6M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fd202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net%252Fbooks%252F1344267166l%252F9415958.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.goodreads.com%252Fbook%252Fshow%252F9415958-bitter-end%3B314%3B475

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

     The main character in this book is Will Grayson. He is a straight teenager who feels that he's friends with a boy named Tiny Cooper only because no one else wants to be his friend. You're probably wondering why I mentioned that he's straight. Well that's because there is another boy with the same name as him that is gay.
     They meet in a peculiar, and unexpected way that, along with bringing them together, brings Tiny Cooper and the gay Will Grayson together in a way that exceeds friendship.
     Throughout the book Tiny Cooper is creating a play originally about how he came to be friends with the straight Will Grayson, but it turns into a play about how met both Will Graysons.
     This book is more than a love story, it's also a story of friendship and appreciating the people in your life. This book takes a little while to get into but once you've gotten through the lead up it's actually quite good.

Scars by Cheryl Rainfield

https://www.google.ca/search?q=scars+cheryl+rainfield&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=LoZNUtrzFaiMyQHX5YGIAg&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1040&bih=882&dpr=1#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=HJsjUYtj-cJMaM%3A%3BVYJiarN7X9jaSM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fcherylrainfield.com%252Fblog%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2010%252F01%252FScars-350.bmp%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fheatherlo.wordpress.com%252F2010%252F04%252F08%252Fscars-by-cheryl-rainfield%252F%3B360%3B556
     The cover of this book looks quite gruesome, and it definitely is. The scars on her arms are not a ploy for attention, but a way to keep her from the horrifying, and haunting memories that threaten to steal her sanity. This book's shocking ending will make those who joke about rape rethink and regret their disgusting humor.
     The main character in this book is a teenage girl named Kendra. This book is about her struggle of coping with the trauma of being sexually abused between the ages of 2 and 12. She cuts as well as uses her phenomenal artistic skills to fend off the fearful memories of her childhood. She keeps this secret from everyone; her parents, her teachers, and even her therapist. This changes when she befriends a girl named Meghan. She feels more comfortable around her than anyone else. As she shares certain secrets with Meghan, she also secretly falls in love with her. Kendra believes that Meghan is straight due to her promiscuity with boys, but little does she know that Meghan has feelings for her that she could never have for a boy.

     I think this book is very hard to read because of the pain and fear involved, but I think it;s definitely worth reading. It's one of the books I've read that have really stood out for me. I'll never forget reading this book.

The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group By Catherine Jinks

    Now I bet this sounds like the next terrible werewolf novel, and you're probably thinking it's something like Twilight. It's okay, I thought so too when I first saw it, but it is actually nothing like Twilight. I haven't completely finished it, but so far it is a very good book.

    The main character is 13 year old boy named Tobias (Toby) Vandevelde. The book starts when Toby is in the hospital after waking up in a dingo pen at the local zoo, with no memory of the night before or how he got into the dingo pen. While still in the hospital, a priest named Father Ramon Alvarez leaves a letter for Toby that says he thinks Toby has a rare condition, but he didn't specify what it was at the time.

    Later, when Toby has gone home Father Ramon comes to his house with a guy named Reuben Schneider. They tell Toby and his mother that he is a werewolf, but they don't believe them. Toby met up with them and some others after that incident, without his mother knowing. He is soon convinced that he's a werewolf, but before he can take the precautions advised by Reuben And Father Ramon he is kidnapped.

    These two men drive up to him in the street and claim to be police. They tell him that the owner of the zoo is mad and wants to press charges for the damages made to the dingo pen. He comes with them and realizes too late that they lied to him. They were actually people that collected werewolves to stage fights every full moon.

    They drug him with something that makes him sleepy, and he wakes up in an underground jail cell. He's skinny enough to squeeze through the bars, so he does and then starts to explore the place. He comes across another boy locked in a cell and together they manage to escape.

    After they are out of the underground cells a truck drives up and though they fear it's the "police", it turns out to be a guy that Reuben knows that had escaped from the cells, and now lives in the desert.

    This guy is Danny Ruiz and he wants to ambush the "police" and kill them. They don't ever actually die, but they come close to it. The rest of the book is crazy event after crazy event. You just grasp what is happening in one insane situation and then the next already unfolding before your eyes.

    I won't give away any more because it's too much for me to even explain. This one is a good read, and a real page turner. I recommend reading it.

Sources:

https://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1280&bih=923&q=the+abused+werewolf+rescue+group&oq=the+abused+werewolf+res&gs_l=img.3.0.0j0i24l2.861.7993.0.9481.23.11.0.12.12.0.90.641.11.11.0....0...1ac.1.27.img..0.23.671.um36cvAfNYM#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=xae28u2MNd6qBM%3A%3BnT53WKOgt9L_FM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.mugglenet.com%252Fmedia%252F2013%252F7%252FJinksAbused-Werewolf-Rescue-Group.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.mugglenet.com%252Fbooktrolley%252Fjinksc-abusedwerewolf.shtml%3B333%3B500