Turtle in Paradise

The author of this book is Jennifer L. Holm. It's a mystery genre and it's very exiting. Turtle moves to her aunt's house in Florida and she has some strange boy cousins. She gets into the boys' gang with their neighbor named Pork Chop. They are called The Diaper Gang, and they go out in search for treasure. I think that this book was a very interesting book, I couldn't stop reading it. Some of the things that I like about this book is that it got more and more mysterious when you read deeper into the book. But some of the things I don't like about this book is that it talks about one thing for one or two chapters when it could be summarized into a short paragraph.

I think that the beach is awesome and i think that it would be fun to go treasure hunting. Here is a quote that I thought was cool, "Life isn't like the movies and 11-year-old Turtle is no Shirley Temple. She's smart and tough and has seen enough of the world not  to expect a Hollywood ending. After all, it's 1935 and money and sometimes even dreams are scarce. So when Turtle's Mother gets a job housekeeping for a lady who doesn't like kids, Turtle says goodbye and heads off to Florida to live with reatives. Florida's like nothing Turtle's ever seen bofore though. It's full of rag tag boy cousins, family secrets to unravel...and even a little bit of fun. Before she knows what's happened, Turtle finds herself comeing out of her shell and as she does, her world opens up in the most unexpected ways." 

The Iron Knight

Julie Kagawa's The Iron knight entranced me with it's romance and adventure. Megan has banished Ash from the Iron Realm for forever. though she released him from his pact to be her Knight for eternity she could not let him die with her. Ash has a feeling that his one true love is still alive and he will do whatever it takes for them to be together again. Even if it means becoming mortal. He must travel to the ends of the earth with his once friend but now archenemy to take three tests to see if he has what it takes to become a mortal. Is this what he wants? Can he be with Megan again even if he is a mortal? Will she want him? Can the lead a regular life or has ruling the Iron realm gotten to her? Can they have a family? Find out in this amazing story By Julie Kagawa. Ash can be kind of stuck up about himself when it comes to being the Ice Prince but when it comes to showing his love for Megan he is very sweet. Puck is a mischief maker and always will be but he has a nice side to him to. Ash and Puck have a not so nice history. Megan is an unsuspecting human who's father has been missing for quite some time and now she is thrown into the middle of the never never. I really liked this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes romance and adventures all mixed into one.

Crows and Cards

  Helgerson's Crows and Cards captivated me with its stunning detail and amazingly in-depth plot.  I was unable to put the book down as I found myself drawn into the emotional story of a young farm boy named Zeb.  Zeb is thirteen years old and is deemed mature enough by his parents to begin the apprenticeship of the family business.  His parents decide it best to send him by way of a river boat to his uncle's fur trapping business to begin his intense training.  Along his journey, he meets a wealthy, big-city gambler named Chilly.  Zeb is so taken by Chilly and his high-roller lifestyle, that instead of going to his uncles home, he sneaks away with Chilly and assumes the role as his new gambling apprentice.  His adventures are centered in the downstairs rooms of an old saloon, managed by his shady friends Goose and Ho-John, a black slave.
   Once Zeb settles into his new surroundings, his role is to help Chilly get the saloon ready for gambling nights.  Chilly orders Zeb and Goose to rig up a way to cheat the system and steal the gamblers money that come into the saloon.  Zeb expresses his disapproval of the scheme, but Chilly convinces them that they are simply "teaching the wealthy gentlemen how to share their good fortune."  Zeb encounters a pouch full of money and questions Chilly regarding its origin.  Chilly says it used to belong to an old Indian Chief named Standing Ten Bears. The pouch was his medicine bag and carried great value to him, Chilly took it by means of bad gambling.  The intensity of the story heightens, as the old Indian chief comes into the saloon and boldly challenges Chilly in a game of cards.  The winner taking all, including the mystical powers of the pouch. The Indian chief dramatically wins the card game with a hand consisting of 4 aces and one wild.  He victoriously claimed his pouch and all of Chilly's possessions. In a rage,  Chilly chases him into the woods, but is unsuccessful in finding his foe or his possessions.   Meanwhile, Zeb and Ho-John also escape and promised each other they would never come back to Chilly's saloon.  Zeb returns home to the safety and easy-going lifestyle of his parents farm.  
   I believe that the themes and life lessons of this novel are to always listen to your parents and to always be honest in your dealings with others.  Parents have great wisdom and insight and are trying to make their children successful.  I think that if Zeb had followed his parents counsel and went to his uncles business he could have avoided great trials and danger. Also if you cheat nothing good will ever come from that.  I personally believe that cheaters never prosper!

   I really enjoyed reading this book because it was very captivating and well written.  I would strongly recommend this book for people that are drawn to old western books or even action books. I would advise you that there are a few swear words used when certain characters express their frustrations/anger and it can be a little confusing with all the authentic western slang/dialect they use but with those exceptions it is an outstanding book that most everyone should put on their "read next list".

Double Identity

“A thousand times today I've started to open my mouth, started to squeak out, "Can you tell me...? But then I'd look into the front seat, at my mother's silent shaking, my father's grim profile, the mournful bags under his eyes, and all the questions I might ask seemed abusive. Assault and battery, a question mark used like a club. My parents are old and fragile. I'd have to heartless to want to hurt them.” 
― Margaret Peterson Haddix, Double Identity

Margaret Peterson Haddix is an amazing writer. This book is intense and not like any ordinary book you would read. Bethany a thirteen year old girl is suddenly dropped off at her aunts house that she never even knew existed. Leaving her mom crying uncontrollably and her dad very angry she walks with her aunt inside. Her dad tells her he will call her as soon as he can, but soon for her father takes a couple of weeks. Bethany has no idea why her parents did this to her. A couple of months later her mother calls and tells Bethany some very interesting news Bethany wasn't supposed to hear. Bethany's aunt Merlin then has to explain what the phone call is all about and that is when things start to change. She finds out that she has an older sister (well you could say it was her sister) who died in a car crash a couple of years back and receives a package from her father containing four birth certificates and ten thousand dollars. After that everything starts making sense to Bethany. Everything plays out and she goes through a few more adventures learning more about her "sister". That involves meeting her older "sister" Elizabeth's best friend Joss. I can't tell you how the story ends but it was good. 

The setting is mainly at her aunt Merlin's house. This is where Bethany gets all of the information she never knew before. Her aunt Merlin's house is an older one. Bethany actually ends up sleeping in her mother's old room that she had when she was little. Haddix (author) describes the setting in very good words that makes you able to picture everything very well. I am a person who can't picture things very well and this book was very easy to picture. 

I would reccomend this book it is very thrilling how everything in Bethany's life changes when she founds out she has a "sister". It is a pretty easy read to, so it is worth reading it. This book always had me guessing what was going to happen next, but i was always pleasantly surprised when it came out a different way. I loved reading Double Identity!!

The Maze Runner

James Dashner's The Maze Runner thrilled me with every action and mind twisting question!
This book is not for someone who wants to fall asleep while they read.  It seems like in every chapter something new and exciting happens.  You never know whats going to happen next with this stirring novel!
This exhilarating  book is about a teenage boy called Tomas who wakes up in a pitch black room, and he can only remember is his name.  He then finds himself in the Glade (wich is in the middle of a maze) surrounded by other boys close to his age.  Whats going on?  Where am I? Who are these guys?  Is all that he can think of right then.  Tomas later figures out the rules in the maze and what their knew purpose is in life-to stay alive and find a way out.
I personally loved this book and could not seem to put it down.  This book is filled with action, and a lot of it!  This book is for the action lovers!  It also has a little romance and mysterious events.  Trust me you will never be bored with this book!  This book really makes you stop and think what would I do if I were him?
A connection I made with this book is about how you can end up in a place unfamiliar surrounded by strangers but you somehow can make a close realation ship with someone that will last a life time.

It knows I'm done, he thought.  After all that effort, here he was, surrounded by Grievers.  It was over.  Not even a week of salvageable memory, and his life was over. - The Maze Runner

Matched

“Every minute you spend with someone gives them a part of your life and takes part of theirs.” 
― Ally Condie, Matched

Ally Condie's novel matched, (book one of the Matched trilogy) is about a seventeen year old girl named Cassia Reyes.  Cassia lives in a world where the society (government) has perfected every possible way of living a perfect life.  They give specific meal portions to each individual and everyone is assigned a specific occupation.  The society has strict rules; for example, no running in public, no owning a vehicle, only two hours of leisure time a day, no owning jewelry, and no one learns how to write, etc.  However, the one requirement that effects Cassia's life the most, is the match banquet.  Every year, everyone who is at the rightful age of seventeen, must attend the Match banquet. At this banquet, each girl and boy are matched to who is most like them and who is most likely to fall in love with them. They will spend the rest of their lives together with whoever their matched to. Cassia is overwhelmed when she is matched to her best friend Xander.  Nothing has happened like this in years but she does not mind at all.  She loves Xander.  What she does not know, is everything in her life will change later that night when she looks at her micro-card of Xander.  A picture of Ky Markham, a childhood friend, shows up on the screen.  Is she matched to Xander, or Ky?  Does anyone know about this?  Was all of this just a mistake?  Will she choose to find out about Ky's mysterious past?  Which will she choose and what events will take place?  Find out for yourself in this mind-grabbing novel.  

When I first read this book, I could not put it down.  It gives a message that everyone can stand up for what they believe in, and each person should be given the right to choose who they love.  I recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure and stories that talk about rebellion.  Of course there is romance in this book also. :) Whoever you are, I think you should read it!

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