Title: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill YouThe Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women is a fairly typical all-girls school—that is, if every school teaches advanced martial arts in PE, chemistry always consists of the latest in chemical warfare, and everyone breaks CIA codes for extra credit in computer class. So in truth, while the Gallagher Academy might say it's a school for geniuses what they really mean is spies. But what happens when a Gallagher Girl falls for a boy who doesn't have a code name?
Cammie Morgan may be fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways (three of which involve a piece of uncooked spaghetti), but the Gallagher Academy hasn't prepared her for what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, and track him through a mall without him ever being the wiser, but can she have a regular relationship with a regular boy who can never know the truth about her? Cammie may be an elite spy in training, but in her sophomore year, she's doing something riskier than ever—she's falling in love.
As usual, here are the rules: this is an (educated) guessing game where every Friday I post five facts about an author, each one a little more revealing then the previous one. I'll give you the weekend to try and figure out who I'm talking about, and the Monday following, I post the answer:
"Maybe all the strings inside him broke," she said.
Title: Paper TownsWhen Margo Roth Spiegelman beckons Quentin Jacobsen in the middle of the night dressed like a ninja and plotting an ingenious campaign of revenge follows her. Margo has always planned extravagantly, and, until now, shes always planned solo. After a lifetime of loving Margo from afar, things are finally looking up for Q . . . until day breaks and she has vanished. Always an enigma, Margo has now become a mystery. But there are clues. And they are for Q.
Printz Medalist John Green returns with the trademark brilliant wit and heart-stopping emotional honesty that have inspired a new generation of readers.
Brilliant. Amazing. Astonishing. These are words that can't even justify a fraction of how beautiful and powerful this book was. I am deeply shocked and upset with myself that I have not discovered the outstanding John Green sooner.
Paper Towns was an interesting and different idea. I liked reading from a males perspective, which I don't remember the last time I've done. I must say that Q was much more mature when I thought he would act like my eight-year-old brother but he (along with his companions Radar and Ben) did make me think "ew" once in a while.
I also thought the mystery aspect of this book was quite different. Have you ever read a mystery novel where the person that leaves the clues wants to be found? That they left the evidence on purpose? This novel had an interesting twist that still kept me entertained and VERY tempted to flip to the end of the book.
This novel also made me think of us book lovers. There is always going to be a line between us and everyone else. Not everyone will see it, but it's there. True readers will see the world differently. They can understand people more clearly, live in their shoes. They will analyze things from a more observant pair of eyes. Why? Because we've been there. We know what people think and why they do things. Some people will say that reading is similar to watching T.V., and it is - a little - but it's not the same. When we read, we know why things happen. We get inside the persons' head and understand. In watching television we draw things out of our own experiences and use that, which is not always valid. I know that Paper Towns has made me think of things differently. Very thought-provoking.
The Bottom Line: This is a book that I think everyone should read. If you don't, I have a feeling someones will convince you to pick it up anyways. This is NOT my last John Green book. A.
I'm sorry for the late "Guess Who?" post - again. I'm going to start doing them in advance so that they're never late.
Title: Weedflower Twelve-year-old Sumiko feels her life has been made up of two parts: before Pearl Harbor and after it. The good part and the bad part. Raised on a flower farm in California, Sumiko is used to being the only Japanese girl in her class. Even when the other kids tease her, she always has had her flowers and family to go home to.That all changes after the horrific events of Pearl Harbor. Other Americans start to suspect that all Japanese people are spies for the emperor, even if, like Sumiko, they were born in the United States. As suspicions grow, Sumiko and her family find themselves being shipped to an internment camp in one of the hottest deserts in the United States. The vivid color of her previous life is gone forever, and now dust storms regularly choke the sky and seep into every crack of the military barrack that is her new "home."
Sumiko soon discovers that the camp is on an Indian reservation and that the Japanese are as unwanted there as they'd been at home. But then she meets a young Mohave boy who might just become her first real friend...if he can ever stop being angry about the fact that the internment camp is on his tribe's land.
With searing insight and clarity, Newbery Medal-winning author Cynthia Kadohata explores an important and painful topic through the eyes of a young girl who yearns to belong. Weedflower is the story of the rewards and challenges of a friendship across the racial divide, as well as the based-on-real-life story of how the meeting of Japanese Americans and Native Americans changed the future of both.
". . . that sometimes when you were low, all you had left in life was your right to close the door on the world and sit in your room alone where nothing further could befall you." 
Em over at Em's Bookshelf is hosting a Sarah Dessen Challenge so I've decided to join her!
Last week's "Guess Who?" author was . . .
Title: The Awakening Guess what?! It's "Guess Who?" time! If you're new, this meme is a guessing game where every Friday I post five facts about an author, each one a little more revealing then the one before, and then I give you the weekend to try and figure out who I'm talking about. The Monday following, I post the answer:
Title: Cracked Up to BePerfect Parker Fadley isn’t so perfect anymore. She’s quit the cheerleading squad, she’s dumped her perfect boyfriend, and she’s failing school. Her parents are on a constant suicide watch and her counselors think she’s playing games…but what they don’t know, the real reason for this whole mess, isn’t something she can say out loud. It isn’t even something she can say to herself. A horrible thing has happened and it just might be her fault. If she can just remove herself from everybody--be totally alone--then everything will be okay...The problem is, nobody will let her.
Iryna: What inspired you to create a series of PC games based on the beloved Nancy Drew?
HerInteractive: Nancy Drew interested us because she is an icon and positive role model. Girls who read her books are taken to world where they can solve mysteries, find ill-gotten treasures, and capture culprits. Debuting in 1929, she was one of the first female heroes; her gutsy, resourceful, and intelligent nature make her a great heroine for the adventure game genre. Her Interactive secured the Nancy Drew license from Simon &
Schuster in 1997.
Iryna: Are the staff members at Her Interactive a fan of the Nancy Drew books too?
HerInteractive: Yes! We have a collection of Nancy Drew books in our library that we like to peruse through every so often to get into the spirit of Nancy Drew.
Iryna: What would you consider to be the best part of your job?
HerInteractive: I love interacting with our fans and hearing what they have to say about our games. It’s important for us to understand what the fans want, and one of the most important aspects of my job, is to get feedback about what we’re doing well and what we could do better. So if you ever want to tell us something, email us at feedback@herinteractive.com. I also get to play a lot of games, Nancy Drew and then some – it helps us get a good idea of what other options girls might have besides our games.
Iryna: Do you ever wish that you could solve mysteries and travel the world like Nancy Drew?
HerInteractive: Yes! Although, I’m not sure I’m as brave as she is to go 
running into haunted houses.
Iryna: What do you think is Nancy’s best quality? Her worst?
HerInteractive: Nancy’s best quality is her ability to get things done, no matter what the obstacles are. She thinks outside of the box and uses all of her knowledge to find creative solutions out of sticky situations. Her flaw might be that she’s too perfect. She hardly ever makes a mistake and never has a bad hair day. It makes her character a little harder to relate to, but I suppose that’s part of the appeal of being Nancy Drew.
Iryna: How do you think up of the plot lines for all of your games?
HerInteractive: We look for topics that might be interesting to our fans and then craft a story around it. There’s also a wealth of Nancy Drew books that we can draw inspiration from, so that’s also very helpful. We also research a lot of topics and check our message board for anything our fans have been interested in experiencing. It’s all about the storytelling. We start off with a great mystery to hook the player, and then we lead them clues about the suspects until they reach the climax of the game. You’re constantly gathering clues and learning more about the suspects, but you never quite know if you’ve solved the case yet, so you keep going. The games appeal to a lot of people because they’re fun, challenging, and also wholesome. Once you’ve played one game, you’ll want to collect them all. We’ve sold over 5.5 million units to date.
Iryna: In your PC games you see the game directly as Nancy would. Why did you not decide to show how Nancy physically looks and what gave you the idea to do this?
HerInteractive: You’ll never see Nancy in our games because we want our players to be able to step into her shoes and be a spunky young sleuth who can solve any mystery. Nancy is smart, adventurous, and gutsy and this is the players chance to be just that. Wearing the perfect outfit and having killer heels is just the icing on the cake. J
I
ryna: How long does it typically take for a ND game to be created?
HerInteractive: It takes about 8 months to create a game.
Iryna: Recently, you created a new Nancy Drew: Dossier PC game series that is a lot like “I Spy” - you must find items to advance in the game. What gave you the idea to do this?
HerInteractive: Our fans have always asked us to make more Nancy Drew games – they have to wait a long time from the fall release to the summer release. So we’ve created a new series, called Nancy Drew Dossier that Fast Fun for Busy Detectives. It has everything a fan would want from a Nancy Drew game - puzzles, mystery, suspects - but the gameplay is different. You still need to look for clues, but this time, you’ll find them all in the same scene, and then you’ll have to use them together correctly to solve the mystery. In addition, there are some fun mini-games that you can replay in Arcade Mode. We came up with this idea because not everyone has the time to sit down to a complex and challenging adventure – it’s a great way to fill the time between the Adventure Series games. To see more information about the two series, check out our comparison chart. Our first title in the Dossier series is Lights, Camera, Curses! – try it out, it’s different, but it’s still fun!
Iryna: Sometimes, in the ND adventure games you can call the famous Hardy Boys to ask for help in the case you are currently working on. How did you think up of this?
HerInteractive: Nancy has friends that she often asks for help from in the books ranging from Bess, George, Ned, Carson Drew, and the Hardy Boys. They’re all a very important part of her world. We needed a hint system for the games, and since Nancy collaborates with the Hardy Boys in the Super Mystery books, we 
though this would be a great idea. You can actually play as the Hardy Boys in Nancy Drew: Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon and Nancy Drew: The Creature of Kapu Cave. In Nancy Drew: Ransom of the Seven Ships (releases summer 2009), you’ll be able to meet Nancy’s best friends, Bess Marvin and George Fayne, as animated characters for the first time!
Iryna: What’s in the future for Her Interactive?
HerInteractive: We had a phenomenal year in 2008 with the release of our first Wii game, Nancy Drew: The White Wolf of Icicle Creek, and two chart topping PC games: Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice and Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy. This year, we’ll release two Adventures series titles, the first being Nancy Drew: Ransom of the Seven Ships releasing this summer and our 21st game in the fall. Recently, our new Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses just shipped into retail stores and we’re looking forward to releasing a sequel to the game this summer as well. Also, look for our first entry into the handheld market and Hardy Boys game with The Hardy Boys: Treasure on the Tracks. It’s going to be an exciting year, so make sure you keep checking www.HerInteractive.com for the latest updates!
. . .
Thanks for letting me interview you, HerInteractive!
So, what did you guys think? Do you want more interviews that have to do with books, but don't always have to do with authors or bloggers? Or was this a little too off topic?
Title: The Summoning Chloe Saunders sees dead people. Yes, like in the films. The problem is, in real life saying you see ghosts gets you a one-way ticket to the psych ward. And at 15, all Chloe wants to do is fit in at school and maybe get a boy to notice her. But when a particularly violent ghost haunts her, she gets noticed for all the wrong reasons. Her seemingly crazed behaviour earns her a trip to Lyle House, a centre for 'disturbed teens'. At first Chloe is determined to keep her head down. But then her room mate disappears after confessing she has a poltergeist, and some of the other patients also seem to be manifesting paranormal behaviour. Could that be a coincidence? Or is Lyle House not quite what it seems...? Chloe realizes that if she doesn't uncover the truth, she could be destined for a lifetime in a psychiatric hospital. Or could her fate be even worse...? Can she trust her fellow students, and does she dare reveal her dark secret?
"Guess Who?" is the guessing game where every Friday I post five facts about an author, each one a little more revealing then the one before, and then I give you the weekend to try and figure out who I'm talking about. The Monday following, I post the answer. Here is this week's:
Title: Down to the Wire
Title: Audrey, Wait!California high school student Audrey Cuttler dumps self-involved Evan, the lead singer of a little band called The Do-Gooders. Evan writes, "Audrey, Wait!," a break-up song that's so good it rockets up the billboard charts. And Audrey is suddenly famous!
Now rabid fans are invading her school. People is running articles about her arm-warmers. The lead singer of the Lolitas wants her as his muse. (And the Internet is documenting her every move!) Audrey can't hang out with her best friend or get with her new crush without being mobbed by fans and paparazzi.
Take a wild ride with Audrey as she makes headlines, has outrageous amounts of fun, confronts her ex on MTV, and gets the chance to show the world who she really is.
For those of you who have read Audrey, Wait! then I'm sure it won't shock you when I tell you that my first thought when I finished this book was "Wow. Just wow."
When I first started this novel I had some trouble getting into it. I couldn't relate to Audrey at all. I remember reading a line in the book that went something like "If you don't like you music loud enough for the neighbours to call the cops then I'm afraid we won't get along very well." Please Note: I don't speak music (except for Christmas carols). I still have no idea who Lady Gaga is and I pride myself in the fact that I am familiar with Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus.
I also absolutely loathed the swearing in this book. Me + swearing = unhappy customer. Every time someone swore in this book I flinched. I'm sure I got permanent nerve damage from that.
However, I hung on to this book and kept reading because A) Audrey is one of the most entertaining fictional characters that I have ever met, B) I wanted to know if James would start speaking again and C) It was HILARIOUS reading about the predicaments Audrey got herself into. Finally, sometime in the middle of the book, Audrey began to realize that she had to do something about her sudden uprise in popularity if she ever wanted to make it home from school without being trampled by fans. This is probably when I started to relate to Audrey and really get caught up in the story.
On the back of my copy of this book it has a quote from Pop Culture Junkie: "I want to be friends with Audrey, James, Victoria and Jonah" and I have to say - I couldn't agree with you more! The only thing I kind of found . . . unbelievable about James was how different he was once you got to know him. It almost felt a little too surreal.
This book is perfect for anyone (especially music fans!) who would love to hear the truth about being famous and the way some people feel about it. I'm giving it an A-!
"Guess Who?" is the guessing game where every Friday I post five facts about an author, each one a little more revealing then the one before, and then I give you the weekend to try and figure out who I'm talking about. The Monday following, I post the answer. Here is this week's:
Posts
All Comments
