The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod

I thoroughly enjoyed this story because it's a story of a teenager boy learning to be a vampire. He must learn to control his desire for blood. Vampires are "in" right now and this story can be compared to Twilight but aimed at teenage boys. I enjoyed the mystery and how Tod uncovers many secrets that surround his family. This story also touches on stalking and who the main character truly is. We all try to find how each person that we meet actually is on the inside. It was a nice quick read.

Teenage boys need more books like this one. Twilight is aimed at girls and has hit the big screen. This story should become a film as well to draw more boys into the world of reading.

Brewer, Heather. (2008). Eighth grade bites. Speak.

Harry Potter and the Sorcer's Stone

A lonely orphan named Harry Potter was sent to live with his snobby and dispicable Aunt, Uncle, and cousin and was never told of his parent's secret life. After turning 11, Harry is visited by a half giant named Rubeus Hagrid and is told about his life destined to be a wizard, and how he was the only survivor from Lord Voldemort's attack that killed his parents. Harry soon finds himself on a mysterious train to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry where he befriends a boy named Ron and earns an enemy named Draco Malfoy. Harry and Ron befriend a very intellectual girl named Hermione and the three discover after several events that the hated Professor Snape is after the fabled Sorcerer's Stone. The three get past the three headed dog, through the trap door and pass through the series of traps set up by the professors in the school. The last obstacle Harry realizes that Snape isn't the thief, the villain is Voldemort who shows himself through Professor Quirrel, and Harry outsmarts them by obtaining the stone through the mirror. Harry defeats Quirrel thus defeating Voldemort in spirit form and turns the Sorcerer's Stone back to the head of the school, Professor Dumblebor, and Harry becomes the hero of Hogwarts.

Plot is a VERY strong element because so many details go into this story and series that carry the reader along. The characters are very believable even though they are doing things that normal humans cannot - magic. The characters still suffer everyday tribulations of teenagers.

Rowling, J. (1998). Harry potter and the sorcerer. Arthur A. Levine Books.

Stage Fright on a Summer Night, Magic Tree House

Brother and sister Jack and Annie follow a shooting star to their magic tree house and they see Morgan le Fey who has a mission for them. She sends them back to Elizabethan England to find magic. Jack and Annie only have a rhyme to try discover magic all the while exploring England. They come upon a play and the writer William Shakespeare needs two replacements to read in his play for the queen. Even though girls are not allowed to be on stage and Jack has terrible stage fright, the two do an amazing job. The queen is pleased with the play and gives a speech and Jack and Annie learn the magic of turning day into night...on stage.

I personally think this is a poorly written story but the characters are believable and have personalities that could teach young people how to be a better person. This story is full of precise vocabulary and teaches the reader new language from Elizabethan time.

Osborne, Mary, & Murdocca, Sal. (2002). Stage fright on a summer night. Random House Books for Young Readers.

Junie B. Jones, Stupid Smelly Bus

Junie B. Jones rides the bus for the very first time in Kindergarten. Junie hates riding the stupid, smelly, yellow bus and would rather be a car rider. Jimmy rides the bus and bullies her because he has a secret crush on her. Jimmy gets them in trouble and the bus driver comes to talk to them about their behavior. Junie convinces her grandma to drive her to school. She no longer has to ride the bus anymore and is happy.

Junie uses figurative language to describe her thoughts, fears, and what angers her. Mood is very evident in this story to explain how this 5-6 year old girl feels about the world.

Park, Barbara, & Brunkus, Denise. (1992). Junie b. jones and the stupid smelly bus. Random House Childrens Books.

New Moon

After an accident at Bella's birthday party at the Cullen's house, Edward realizes that he only endangers Bella's life and leaves Forks and she is left crying in the forest calling his name. In her depression, she begins to hear Edward's voice talking to her only when she is in a dangerous situation. After she acquires two motorcycles, Bella befriends Jacob Black, a family friend, they repair the motorcycles and during that time he begins to feel stronger emotions towards Bella than she feels towards him as Bella also discovers that Jacob morphs into a werewolf. Bella endangers herself on the motorcycle and also cliff jumps in an attempt to hear Edward's voice again but Edward's sister Alice sees in a vision Bella's demise, informs Edward, and he travels to petition the Volturi in Rome in hopes they will end his existence. Bella and Alice fly to Rome and find Edward before he reveals himself as a vampire in public, but all three are escorted to the leaders of the Volturi where Bella's unknown talents are discovered and they learn that the Cullen's must turn Bella into a vampire or she will suffer the consequences of knowing the vampire life.

Understatement is rampant in this story because of Bella's depression and how she loses herself when Edward leaves her in Forks alone. The reader is left to infer and add their own life experiences into the story. Internal dialogue allows the reader to see how each character feels about situations and relationships during the story.

Meyer, Stephenie. (2008). New moon. New York, NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Twilight

Bella Swan moves to Forks to live with her father and she attends the local high school but unknown to the town, a vampire family lives there. Bella is drawn to this unusual family and boy named Edward who she finds out through a series of events is a vampire. Bella and Edward begin to date and discover there are limits to their love when Edward begins to bring her around his family and attends their baseball game. At the baseball game, three rogue vampires hear the game, want to play, and James smells her and wants her blood. The family tries to hide her and in a whirlwind of events she ends up in her hometown in Arizona where she is enticed to go to James alone after he compels her to believe that she is saving Edward. After she is bitten , Edward and the family save her from her ultimate demise.

Dialogue is very strong in this story because one of the best parts of the story is when Edward and Bella declare their love for each other without saying the words I love you.
This book has a lot of understatement because it is a teen story and the reader is left to let their imagination take them as far as their knowledge and inferring allows.

Meyer, Stephenie. (2006). Twilight. New York, NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.