Book Review/Book-to-Movie Adaptation: Flipped

Title: Flipped

Author: Wendelin Van Draanen

Genre: Contemporary

Page Count: 212

Publication Date: October 9th, 2001

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Awards: South Carolina Book Award for Junior Book Award (2004), Nevada Young Readers' Award, Virginia Young Readers' Award, South Carolina Children's Book Award, California Young Readers Medal, The Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children's Literature Honor (2002)
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Flipped

Running Time: 90 minutes

Rating: PG

Release Date: October 22, 2010

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Director: Rob Reiner

Writers: Rob Reiner (screenplay), Andrew Scheinman (screenplay), Wendelin Van Draanen (novel)

Stars: Madeline Carrol, Callan McAuliffe, Rebecca De Mornay
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*WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

     Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen is about two complete opposite 8th graders who start to develop feelings for each other. In the 2nd grade, Bryce Loski moves in across the street from Julianne "Juli" Baker. Ever since, Juli is been crazy about Bryce. She always tries to talk him, play with him, and smell his hair. Bryce can't stand Juli and wants her out of his life. Then one day, everything changes when Bryce starts noticing things in Juli that he never did before. This story is very cute and easy to fly through. I devoured it in one sitting. While reading this, I felt like I was watching the movie because it was exactly the same. The two main characters, Bryce and Juli, were fantastic, relatable characters and the overall plot line was addicting. However, there were very few differnces between the book and movie.

     First of all, the characters were fabulous and relatable. Juli and Bryce's personalities both stood out but were also very different. Juli is the outgoing, smart girl who always is the first to raise her hand in class while Bryce is the shy guy who keeps to himself and is still trying to figure himself out. I liked seeing how Bryce changed from only seeing Juli's exterior to seeing her personality and kindheartedness. I think that this really built on Bryce's character and showed that he wasn't awful like his dad. Juli was obsessed with Bryce since the second grade for his dazzling blue eyes but realizes she doesn't really like him after really meeting him and getting to know him. This showed that people may not also be what they seem to be based on their apperances. I really enjoyed reading from each of their perspectives because you got to see how each of them looked at the same situation with a different view of how it happened. For example, Juli thinks that she is being neighborly but Bryce thinks she is trying to constantly trying to weasel her way into his life. I thought it was interesting to see how Bryce and Juli saw each other very differently than how they saw themselves. One of the worst parts of me seeing the movie before reading the book is that I kept imagining the movie actor instead of how the character was described in the book. In the book, Bryce has bright blue eyes and dark hair but in the movie he had blonde hair and dark eyes, so while I was reading I kept seeing this.

Bryce Loski

I am kind of disappointed how in the book Juli is constantly talking about Bryce's perfect blue eyes but in the movie he has brown eyes.





     Secondly, the storyline was addicting. It was really cute to see Bryce and Juli's relationship grow throughout the years. In most stories, you only get to see the character's relationship for a short period of time, but in Flipped you get to see the characters grow over several years. Bryce and Juli had to overcome a few obstacles that came from them being awkward teenagers. I really liked the story because it was relatable. We all go through that stage in our life when you start developing feelings for others that you don't know what to do with. This book was just that. Bryce and Juli go through a series of awkward confrontations and conversations that were just very enjoyable to read. However, I wish there was more of an ending. The book seemed to end kind of abruptly, but I guess that's what happens with a book so short. Also, the movie was almost exactly the same as the book. This was awesome but I wish I had read the book before I watched the movie because I knew exactly what was going to happen next because the book was the exact same as the movie. I guess that's a good thing right?
     All in all, both the Flipped book and movie were excellent! The characters were cute and relatable and the story was addicting. I definetly recommend this book to anyone in the need of a fast, cute read.

Book Review: Extras

Title: Extras

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Genre: Dystopian/Sci-Fi

Page Count: 417

Publication Date: October 2nd, 2007

Publisher: Simon Pulse

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*NO SPOILERS*

     Extras by Scott Westerfeld is a companion novel to the Uglies trilogy, takes place three years after Tally Youngblood took down the Specials, and  follows a fifteen-year-old named Aya Fuse. Aya lives in a city where everyone is given face ranks instead of being classified as an ugly, pretty, or special. Face ranks are your popularity status. You can build your face rank by kicking, our modern day blogging, an interesting story that the whole world can see. The more people that see your story, the higher your face rank gets. Aya is an extra, meaning her face rank is 451,396 out of a city with a population on 1,000,000 people, and wants desperately to be popular. She tries to kick cool stories but no one ever notices them. While sneaking into a popular party, Aya stumbles upon the Sly Girls, a clique that does crazy stunts but tries their best to stay unnoticed. Aya decides to follow them, along with her hovercam, Moggle, to get shots of them in action so she can kick a never-before-seen story. This story is full of twists and turns and kept me hooked the entire time. I enjoyed the world, the characters, the storyline, and the references to characters from the original trilogy.

     First of all, I loved the world. I was fascinated by the idea of judging people based on how popular they were and how many times their name was mentioned. I think that this is somewhat relatable to our society today because we tend to judge people on their appearance and make assumptions about celebrities based on what we hear through gossip. This is shown in the story through kicks about famous people that aren't true but are popular because they're famous. Also, I, once again, really liked the technologies used in this world. I think that the hovercams were really cool and that they were able to follow you around anywhere you go and find you when it gets lost.

     Secondly, I appreciated the relatable characters. Let's face it; all of us have wanted to be famous or popular at some point in our life and Aya is just like that. Plus, she isn't just sitting around complaining that she wants to be famous like the rest of us, she actually puts forth the effort to become famous and takes risks. I really admired that in her. However, there were some times when she was whining and complaining that she would never be famous which annoyed me. Also, Aya was very persistent to kick a popular story and did anything and everything she had to do to do so. Another character that stood out to me was Frizz. Frizz is the creator of a new clique entitled Radical Honesty. In this clique, everyone tells the truth all of the time and doesn't have the ability to lie. Frizz is very pleased with his invention but his also frustrated by it a lot. The downside of telling the truth all of the time is that you can't keep any secrets which creates difficulties later on in the story. I found this aspect of Frizz's character made him strong and showed his wanting to be a better person.

     Thirdly, the storyline was thrilling and engaging. Throughout the story, Aya was constantly on the look out for something kickable. This led her to take a few risks to get to where she wanted to be. I loved reading about Aya's adventures and how the little things she did created a scenario much bigger than she ever would've imagined. The Sly Girls, a clique that Aya tries to get shots of to kick, do so many insane stunts that I was engaged in the story and couldn't stop reading. One example of these stunts is jumping onto a moving train. I was so worried for not only Aya, but the Sly Girls as well. This part reminded me a bit of the Dauntless from Divergent by Veronica Roth.

     Lastly, I enjoyed seeing the characters from the previous trilogy weave their way into this story. Tally, Shay, and Fausto come back to deal with the Special Circumstance that Aya has created. I really liked seeing Tally again because it was interesting to hear about her through another person's perspective. The people from Aya's city learn about Tally and the other Cutters in their history class and it was weird to see how Aya worshipped them. Also, it was cool to see how far Tally has grown into a strong and confident person. Although Tally still has trouble overcoming the brain damage she received from being a Special, she was still able to function properly without having any random fits of anger. 

     All in all, Extras by Scott Westerfeld was a wonderful read and I would definitely recommend it to everyone who has read the Uglies trilogy. The world was fantastic, the characters were relatable, and the story was full of action.

P.S  To make it easier to follow my blog, I created a Bloglovin' account. This is a fun way to follow blogs that you love. Plus, you don't have to have a blog to be a part of it. 

Book Review: Specials

Title: Specials

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Genre: Dystopian/Sci-Fi

Page Count: 372

Publication Date: September 2007 (first published May 9th, 2006)

Publisher: Scholastic

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*WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

     Specials by Scott Westerfeld is the third and final book in the Uglies trilogy. This book follows Tally Youngblood's journey as a dreaded special. Specials are the equivalent to our modern day police. They have razor-sharp teeth, body modifications to make them lethal, and extremely high-tech technology. Dr. Cable has finally managed to turn Tally into a special so she can use her for her own purposes. As members of Special Circumstances, Tally and Shay must hunt down the New Smoke and stop them from curing the pretties. This book is action-packed, delivers a significant message, and is an excellent conclusion to the trilogy.

     First of all the story was action-packed. The beginning of the story starts off with Tally, Shay, and Fausto, the Cutters, running after some members of the New Smoke, a group of people who choose to live in the wild instead of living in the luxurious city. This opening scene instantly hooked me. Both the Cutters and the New Smoke were using a technology, called a sneak suit, to blend in with their surroundings so one couldn't see the other. As I have mentioned before, I love this technology! Also, throughout the story Tally and Shay are on a wild chase to capture the New Smoke and stop them from curing the pretties. During this journey, Tally tries to get over her ex-boyfriend, Zane, and move on to become a better special. I found this part very annoying. Tally was constantly watching Zane and questioning his wellness. She kept telling herself that she didn't need him but deep inside she really did. I kept thinking to myself,"Get over him already! Do what you need to do, you don't need to be so obsessed with him." Besides that, I liked how Tally went through, yet another, stage of finding her true identity during that adventure. I don't know why but I really love seeing characters build into fantastic people. Additionally, I enjoyed the city of Diego. I found it interesting how the people living there were constantly changing their style and trying out crazy fashion trends. I was really enthralled by the scene where Tally was locked up by the Diego doctors. I was in suspense to find out Tally's fate and how she was going to get out of the situation. In addition, I thought it was unrealistic that a small prank that Tally and Shay pulled could start a huge war between cities. I know that Dr. Cable took advantage of the situation to create the war, but in reality I don't think that people would be so stupid to go into waging a war. The war, however, was interesting to read about.

     Secondly, the story left an important message. The story ended with Tally defeating Special Circumstances and ending the rain of brain damage. Tally and David leave a letter behind stating that they don't think that anyone needs them to do the saving anymore and that the city civilians shouldn't be completely free because "freedom has a way of destroying things". I really appreciated the ending because it shows that people don't need to be dependent on others to do all of the heavy lifting for them and that people are fully able to survive and thrive on their own. I also believe that the phrase "freedom has a way of destroying things" is true because if you leave the population with no set of rules or laws and let them run free, they will find a way do stupid things and endanger the people around them. Also, the whole trilogy centers around how outer beauty is more important than inner beauty which is later proved false. This dystopian city gives everyone plastic surgery and messes with his/her brain when they turn sixteen to make them "pretty". Later on in this last book, Tally stops the city from doing this operation to prove that the world can survive without cosmetic surgeries and brain-dead people.

     All in all, this book was excellent! The story was very action-packed and left a significant message for readers. I am sad that this trilogy is over but I am looking forward to moving on the companion novel Extras. I recommend this series to people who like stories about alternate realities and science fiction.

Book Review: Pushing the Limits

Title: Pushing the Limits

Author: Katie McGarry

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Page Count: 416

Publication Date: July 31, 2012

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Awards: 2013 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers, RT Magazine's 2012 Reviewers Choice Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, 2012 Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel
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*NO SPOILERS*

     Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry is about two complicated teenagers, Echo Emerson and Noah Hutchkins, who's lives intertwine in the most unexpected way. Echo has no memory of what happened one terrible night when she went from popular girl with a jock boyfriend to the school freak with gross scars on her arms. Also, her home life is very complicated. Her mom is bipolar while her dad and stepmom are very strict on her and don't allow her to do what she wants. Noah is the school bad boy who everyone tries too avoid. Noah has a reputation of using girls and being a druggie. One day after an intense session of therapy, Echo is forced to tutor Noah and their relationship builds from there. Noah and Echo go through a journey of self-discovery together and realize that their lives can be healed over time. This book had very well-thought-out characters, touched very deep topics, and a storyline that wouldn't let me put the book down and left me in awe. 

      First of all, this book had excellent well-thought-out characters. Echo struggles with depression after her brother died and her mom is placed under a restraining order. She has to live through the strict conditions of her dad and stepmom while trying to keep herself happy. Throughout the course of the story, Echo tries to remember what happened to her that awful night. I thought that this part of the story really helped show Echo's character by exposing her determination that she didn't even know she had. I found that Echo was a very insecure character but I liked it because I think that some people will be able to relate to her. Also, Echo competes with her inner conscience to decide whether to stay with her jerk boyfriend from her past or to trust her newfound feelings for the bad boy, Noah. This, I feel, helped build her self-trust and showed that she didn't care what the other students thought of her after hiding in the shadows for so long. Noah has a different, but at the same time similar, situation to deal with. He has a reputation he has to live with at school but he also has to face being a foster child and not being able to see his two younger brothers. This revealed Noah's love of his brothers and his persistence to get his brothers back. He is a very strong character who copes with his own lack of self-confidence as well as the pressure that others put him under. I think that Echo and Noah fit very well together and worked great together to conquer their issues.

     Also, this book discusses some very deep and serious real-world problems. For example, Noah had to live with an abusive foster father. I think that issues, such as child abuse, don't get talked about a lot in young adult literature. Also, Echo's boyfriend, on several occasions, tried to pressure into having sex. This was a big issue Echo had to deal with throughout the story. She was conflicted with not doing it , upsetting her boyfriend and staying a virgin forever and doing it just for the sake of satisfying her boyfriend. This happens in the real-world and I don't think that people at such a young age should be pressured into having sex just for "bragging rights". 

     Lastly, this book had a storyline that hooked me and left me in awe. The relationship between Echo and Noah kept me engaged the whole time. Noah and Echo were an unlikely couple but worked perfectly. They comforted each other through each other's time of need and helped each other other find the secrets to their past. The dual perspectives really helped deliver the full effect of the story. Both Echo and Noah had very different train of thoughts and I really enjoyed reading from both of their perspectives. The beginning of the story was a little slow but it gradually picked up the pace. I think that the pacing of the story worked really well.

   Overall, Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry was amazing. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good contemporary novel. I went into this expecting a light fluffy romance, and there was a good majority of romance, but it wasn't completely focused on the romance and more on self-discovery. It still greatly satisfied me!

Friday Reads: April 11th

     First of all, I apologize for my absence the last two weeks. I went on a school trip and was unable to read anything or update my blog. As a little update I decided to do a Friday reads! As you may know, I was reading Specials by Scott Westerfeld, but when I came back from my trip I wasn't in the mood at all to continue that book and was in the mood for a contemporary. So, I decided to pick up Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry. Don't worry! As soon as I finish this I will be finishing Specials and reviewing it! From the inside flap, "No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with 'freaky' scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchkins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible. Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again,". I am currently on page 122 and so far, this book is pretty gripping! The story is deeper than I thought it was going to be. I'm anxious to see the romance pick up and how Echo and Noah resolve their problems.

Top 5 Most Anticipated Releases of Spring

*Organized by Release Date*

Title: Dorothy Must Die

Author: Danielle Paige

Release Date: April 1st

Synopsis: I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.

But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?

Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though—but even that's crumbling.

What happened?
Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.

My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.
I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.
I've been trained to fight.
And I have a mission:
Remove the Tin Woodman's heart.
Steal the Scarecrow's brain.
Take the Lion's courage.
Then and only then—Dorothy must die!

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Title: Dear Killer

Author: Katherine Ewell

Release Date: April 1st

Synopsis: Rule One—Nothing is right, nothing is wrong.
Rule Two—Be careful.
Rule Three—Fight using your legs whenever possible, because they’re the strongest part of your body. Your arms are the weakest.
Rule Four—Hit to kill. The first blow should be the last, if at all possible.
Rule Five—The letters are the law.

Kit takes her role as London’s notorious “Perfect Killer” seriously. The letters and cash that come to her via a secret mailbox are not a game; choosing who to kill is not an impulse decision. Every letter she receives begins with “Dear Killer,” and every time Kit murders, she leaves a letter with the dead body. Her moral nihilism and thus her murders are a way of life—the only way of life she has ever known.

But when a letter appears in the mailbox that will have the power to topple Kit’s convictions as perfectly as she commits her murders, she must make a decision: follow the only rules she has ever known, or challenge Rule One, and go from there.

Katherine Ewell’s Dear Killer is a sinister psychological thriller that explores the thin line between good and evil, and the messiness of that inevitable moment when life contradicts everything you believe.

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Title: Free to Fall

Author: Lauren Miller

Release Date: May 13th 

Synopsis: What if there was an app that told you what song to listen to, what coffee to order, who to date, even what to do with your life—an app that could ensure your complete and utter happiness? What if you never had to fail or make a wrong choice?

What if you never had to fall?

Fast-forward to a time when Apple and Google have been replaced by Gnosis, a monolith corporation that has developed the most life-changing technology to ever hit the market: Lux, an app that flawlessly optimizes decision making for the best personal results. Just like everyone else, sixteen-year-old Rory Vaughn knows the key to a happy, healthy life is following what Lux recommends. When she’s accepted to the elite boarding school Theden Academy, her future happiness seems all the more assured. But once on campus, something feels wrong beneath the polished surface of her prestigious dream school. Then she meets North, a handsome townie who doesn’t use Lux, and begins to fall for him and his outsider way of life. Soon, Rory is going against Lux’s recommendations, listening instead to the inner voice that everyone has been taught to ignore — a choice that leads her to uncover a truth neither she nor the world ever saw coming.

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Title: Dangerous Creatures

Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Release Date: May 20th

Synopsis: A new series returns to the world of Beautiful Creatures. Some loves are cursed...others are dangerous.

Ridley Duchannes will be the first to tell you that she's a bad girl. She's Dark. She's a Siren. You can never trust her, or even yourself when she's around. Lucky for her, Wesley "Link" Lincoln can never seem to remember that; quarter Incubus or not, his heart is Mortal when it comes to Ridley. When Link heads to New York City to start a music career, Ridley goes along for the ride-and she has her own reasons. As if leaving small-town Gatlin for the big city, trying to form a band, and surviving life with a partially reformed Siren isn't hard enough already, Link soon learns he has a price on his head that no Caster or Mortal can ever pay.

Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthors of Beautiful Creatures, are back and casting another magical spell. Their signature mixture of mystery, suspense, and romance, along with a dash of fun and danger, will pull fans in and leave them begging for more.

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Title: City of Heavenly Fire

Author: Cassandra Clare

Release Date: May 27th 

Synopsis: ΕRCHOMAI, SEBASTIAN HAD SAID. 

I am coming.

Darkness returns to the Shadowhunter world. As their society falls apart around them, Clary, Jace, Simon and their friends must band together to fight the greatest evil the Nephilim have ever faced: Clary’s own brother. Nothing in the world can defeat him — must they journey to another world to find the chance? Lives will be lost, love sacrificed, and the whole world changed in the sixth and last installment of the Mortal Instruments series!

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Book Review: Pretties

Title: Pretties

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Genre: Dystopian/Science Fiction

Page Count: 370

Publication Date: November 1, 2005

Publisher: Simon Pulse




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*WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

     Pretties by Scott Westerfeld is the sequel to Uglies. This sequel centers around Tally Youngblood who is now pretty. She lives in New Pretty Town with the rest of the new pretties and loves spending her days with Peris and Shay. Tally, Peris, and Shay are all apart of the Crims, a very popular clique in New Pretty Town. All she has to worry about is having fun all of the time and making sure she is wearing the correct attire for parties. One day, Tally and the rest of the Crims attend a costume party and someone from Tally's past arrives. Tally must try to remember her past and decide whether she wants to stay in New Pretty Town and have fun all of the time or rejoin her friends from her past and fight for her life. This book was satisfactory. The first of half of the story was boring and nothing much happened but the second half of the story was more fast-paced and reminded me a lot of the first book. There is new lingo, a promising plot, decent characters, and an interesting view on humanity.

     First, there is a lot of new lingo. Since pretties basically have brain damage, they tend to use different vocabulary and new,"cool" slang. Some of this slang includes "Crims", short for criminals, and "surge", short for surgery. At the beginning of the story, I was very confused on what these words meant. They are somewhat obvious and I may just be bad at catching on to these things, but the way the characters used this slang was very unclear to me. Eventually, Westerfeld explained what each word was short for, then I understood. There is also new terminology, which consisted of "bubbly" and "bogus". The new pretties use these two terms so many times it was driving me crazy. I swear, every sentence they were saying, "That's so bubbly," or "That's bogus,". It was honestly so annoying. I understand that the purpose of this language was to show how contorted the pretties minds were but it really got on my nerves.

     Secondly, the plot was okay. The story had great promise to be a book full of action and betrayal, and at some points there was, but overall the story was bland. All that happened the first half of the story was Tally and Zane trying to figure out their past memories and them wandering around to find the cure for being pretty-minded. There were some scenes of action such as the trouble at Valentino Mansion and the revelation of the pills that contained the cure, but other than that the story was boring. The second half of the book, I feel, definitely made up for the first half. In the second half, Tally and Zane began to become cured and realized what an awful place New Pretty Town is. They find out secrets about Shay and how she is trying to find her own cure so she can be level-headed like the two of them. The most intense part begins when Tally, Zane, and the rest of the Crims decide to break away from the city and venture out into the wild to find the New Smoke. This is the part that reminded me of the first book Uglies. This part had the same ideas of Tally struggling to survive out in the wild on her own and her wondering if she will ever find her friends again. The end of the story was very interesting and left me in need of the last book in the trilogy Specials. 

     Thirdly, the characters were decent. Tally was very pretty-minded at the beginning of the story and was very dependent on the technology inside her home. Eventually, she became more like her normal self and was in desperate need for answers. She tried her best to do what was right for her faltering society and herself. Tally was an overall brave character. Zane is the leader of the Crims and is interested in Tally. He has been theorizing for a long time that there was something wrong pretties. When he meets Tally, he knows that all of his absurd ideas are true. He is very comforting towards Tally and wants what is best for her well-being.

     Fourthly, Scott Westerfeld had a very interesting view on humanity. This story has a lot of scenes in which the characters make spiteful comments on our present day selves. These characters who live in this high-tech world think of us as these ugly monsters that destroy our environment and try to kill each other. I found these little comments very interesting because they are to some extent true. The characters described what we know as anorexic people as these people who are contaminated with some awful disease to make ourselves overly skinny. I especially enjoyed reading this part because it's true that people nowadays are so obsessed as becoming "pretty" when in reality all they're doing is making themselves sick and grotesquely unattractive. This story has made me think about our human nature and how horrible we really are.

    In conclusion, Pretties by Scott Westerfeld was a pleasurable read. Although the plot wasn't at it's fullest, it left me in contemplation. I will, without a doubt, be continuing on with this series. I'm looking forward to see how this trilogy wraps up.