Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Hello reader! For today I thought I'd bring you somewhere exciting. A book where man meets fairy. That's right, Artemis Fowl. Now, Artemis Fowl is amazing in so many ways. I cannot wait to tell you about it. 

Artemis Fowl is a 12-year-old criminal mastermind who is missing his father and his mother is lacking her sanity. He has only one friend, his guard Butler, who helps him in all of his evil doing. Artemis has finally discovered that humans and everything you know about are not alone. Deep underground by the Earth's core are the fairies. Where dwarves, elves and pixies live in secrecy but function just like mankind. This is we're you'll meet Holly Short, the one and only female in the entire police force  and it is her personal duty to be the best she can ever be and not fail. But so far she keeps getting caught doing the exact opposite.  One night a mission goes wrong and Holly and all the other fairies in her squad are punished. Angry, Holly decides she needs to take a fly topside alone and  refresh her magic. And that's when Artemis captures her in hopes she can restore his mother's sanity and run experiments on her. And Artemis knows every elf's weakness...gold. It is now up to Holly to fight her own way out and  trying to escape with the members of the LEPrecon fighting for her back from Artemis's clutches. But if Artemis knows their weakness and he is a criminal mastermind it's going to be much harder for the LEPrecon to free Holly than they expected. 

     This book includes magic, science fiction and unforgettable characters who you'll love more and more throughout the entire eight novels. These books are action packed and humorous (but not all humor you can find in Percy Jackson. It includes puns and some silly references that younger readers might not get) and you'll watch Artemis grow up and become the formidable man he is destined to be and how Holly Short gets tied up in it all. 

    The first book was a bit slow and it took me time to get into it but the rest of the series was fantastic with Colfer's creative ideas, shocking antagonists and surprising plans Artemis creates in the beautiful world Colfer provides. I really, really enjoyed this series and when you reach the last book I hope you feel like you grew up with Artemis even if you read the entire eightnovels* in less than a month and a half. Like Rowling, Colfer gives us important morals regarding friendships and reaching adult-hood. 

* Artemis Fowl, The Arctic Incident, The Eternity Code, The Opal Deception, The Lost Colony (my favorite), The Time Paradox and The Atlantis Complex 

 

  I hope you found my review helpful and enjoy the books  as much as I did! 

Remember to keep reading and be nice to others,

Scribbler On The Roof

The Cursed Child by J.K Rowling

So, it's finally here. The eighth Harry Potter book and reader, I'm sorry to say but I hope you have not bought it. To be honest, I enjoyed the book. We got to see Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Draco all grown up and with children and having jobs and leading different lives but it wasn't what I WANTED. I wanted J.K Rowling to write a story but as you know it's a play and she had help with it from Jack Thorne and John Tiffany.

      As you know, the story is a play. One thing first, plays are much easier to write than stories. It's just dialogue and working out what people's actions are. Stories, on the other hand are much, much harder. I feel like J.K Rowling wrote a premise and handed it to Thorne and Tiffany and said, "write me the eighth Harry Potter book as a play. We'll see where you are next week." And they left and wrote the story. I feel like this entire thing was just to make more money unlike all the other books which were for fun and the readers too. Because, when you look at it why is it a play instead of a book? Because Rowling wouldn't have to write it and she knows so very well that all her readers can tell what her writing's like. And then everyone will buy the book and poof! Rowling had thousands and thousands or more pounds in her pocket. Now, I'm not saying ANY of this is true. It's just my opinion!

     Another thing I didn't like was that the story did not match the summary. The story was better than the summary because it had time travel and mild excitement but it wasn't the J.K Rowling story I wanted. The tale does not properly start until Albus's fourth year and the scenes until then are practically on the train, a scene at Hogwarts and then the year is over. It is repeated until the fourth year.

     Also, unlike all the other Harry Potter books which had morals that taught us stuff like "be brave" and "as long as you set your mind to something you can do anything" or "you need to always stick with your friends to...". In Harry Potter we get to either grow up with the characters or watch them grow up (or both). To me, Albus and Scorpious are flat characters. They did not grow because the only moral we learned was "don't steal illegal stuff because they're illegal for a good reason" and "don't screw around with your parents' past because you'll make things even worse".  However, if you are so determined to read it and have not yet I suggest you borrow the novel from a friend or get it at a local library because it isn't worth wasting your money on.

All right, I'm sorry I had to discourage reading you from something but I PROMISE to come back with more positive reviews!

Remember to keep reading and be nice to others,
Scribbler On The Roof

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

     Hello, reader! I apologize for not posting recently but I am back with a review of one of my FAVORITE series, The Lunar Chronicles. Cinder, book one was extremely wonderful as was the rest of the series (Scarlet, Cress and Winter) and I strongly recommend the series.

     Humans, androids and cyborgs crowd the streets of New Beijing. A plague haunts the population. From space, lunar people watch, awaiting to follow their queen and make a move. No one knows that one girl will be humanity's only hope. . .
      Cinder, a sixteen year old gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second class citizen, lives with her adopted mother (also known as her step-mother) and step-sisters. One day, while tending her booth at the local marketplace, the prince of the Eastern Commonwealth comes looking for the best mechanic in the city unaware he will meet Cinder. But when her life  accidentally becomes intertwined with his she's caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal and must uncover secrets about her past to protect humanity's future. Because there is something unusual about Cinder. Something that she could be killed for.

   There is a prequel to the series but I wouldn't read it before Cinder. Here is the order of how I believe you should read the series: Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, Fairest, Winter, Stars Above. I recommend reading the prequel before Winter so that you don't have to constantly deal with unanswered questions.
   All right, reader! Thank you for your attention. I hope you enjoy the series just as much as I did!
Remember to keep reading and be nice to others,
Scribbler On The Roof

The Knife of Never Letting Go- Patrick Ness

   If you haven't read anything by Patrick Ness I honestly have no idea what you're doing with your life. You should be ashamed of yourself if you haven't even heard his name.

     The Knife of Never Letting Go, the first book in The Chaos Walking trilogy is AMAZING. I loved this book so incredibly much. This book takes place on an entirely new planet called New World where humans left Earth to colonize. Todd Hewitt lives with his two fathers in a town called Prentisstown. Everyone there is a man.  A dictator by the name of Mayor Prentiss rules. Todd is the youngest boy and will soon become a man. He's the last of the generation.

    When humans first moved to New World they discovered a terrible disease that killed women and let men hear each other's thoughts. Every form of learning in Prentisstown is gone due to Mayor Prentiss so Todd cannot spell and since the story is written in first person you see his spelling mistakes. It might be annoying at first but it was actually really creative and I admire the idea tremendously.

     One day, Todd and his dog Manchee are out retrieving something for Ben, one of Todd's fathers. However, Todd sees something he shouldn't and is forced to flee with Manchee. On the expedition he meets a girl who crashed in a scout ship and her parents died. She refuses to talk but Todd cannot leave her and drags her along on his mission to get to safety. Her appearance shocks Todd enormously. He's never seen a girl before and is terrified that the disease will kill her.

Todd, Manchee and the girl set out on a perilous journey to escape. However, there's one problem. How can you escape from someone that can hear your every thought?

Tremendous book, a must read. There's a ton of violence and inappropriate language but I still think it's good. After finishing The Knife of Never Letting Go you can read The Ask and the Answer and Monsters of Men.

Remember to keep reading and be nice to others,
Scribbler On The Roof

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

     Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli is a fantastic book. It takes place in Arizona and is narrated by Leo Borlock who's heart is captured by Stargirl the day he meets her at Micah High. Stargirl explores the themes of friendship, first love and how that it's okay to BE YOU and no one else has the right to tell you different.
      When Stargirl first transfers to Micah High no one knows what to make of her. Somehow, she figures out which day someone's birthday is and will play her ukulele and sing to the during lunch. She's kind, odd and different. She sings in the rain, has a pet rat that she carries around everywhere and Leo can't help but fall in love. She sparks a school-spirit revolution with one cheer. The students of Micah High are completely and utterly enchanted by her. Until, she makes one mistake that results in her downfall. Leo can't bear the pain of the hate she is given. So, he decides she can no longer be Stargirl. So, foolishly, Leo urges her to be the one thing that she cannot be.
Normal.
Stargirl takes up the name she was given at birth. People start to like her again. She's normal. She doesn't carry her pet rat. She stops singing and playing her ukulele during lunch or for anyone's birthday. She doesn't dance in the rain. The Stargirl that first walked in is gone. The Stargirl that Leo fell in love with is no more.
And at the very end of the book your heart will break as mine did and you'll have no choice but to read the sequel Love, Stargirl.
I recommend you read this. It's a terrific book for those of us who adore realistic fiction.

Remember to keep reading and be nice to others,
Scribbler On The Roof

The Book Theif by Markus Zusak

     Hello reader! Today I'm reviewing The Book Theif by Markus Zusak. This is a terrific book and I really hope it sounds interesting to you!

     Nine-year-old, Liesel Meminger's younger brother has just died. It's sometime between 1939-1945. Her mother (supposedly a communist) is putting Liesel up for adoption. During the burial,  Liesel notices a book lying in the snow. She can't read and has always wanted to know. When the grave diggers are off and her mother unaware she snatches the book up and tucks it into her coat.

     Liesel is later adopted by Hans and Rosa Huberman and moves to Munich, Germany. Her new parents treat her well and send her to school.  After a hard day, she returns home, insisting Hans read to her before bed. So, the two sit and begin reading The Grave Digger's Handbook.

      Liesel's passions for books grow, until it comes to the point where she's steals from a book-burning bonfire. Throughout the novel she steals a total of nine books.

     The book is written from the point of view of Death. The book is slightly harsh so if you're not a fan of hitting and beating–be warned!

     I'd tell you more, reader, however I'm trying to avoid spoilers! I hope I've helped you look for something to read and  I strongly reccomend this novel.

Remember to keep reading and be nice to others,
Scribbler On The Roof

A Dog's Purpose by W.Bruce Cameron

     Hello, reader! As promised, I said I'd review books. So here we go!

      A Dog's Purpose is for all people out there who adore animals. Even if you don't like dogs and prefer cats (or other animals) I believe this book to be a must read. This book is written from the perspective of a dog who has ONE question. What is my purpose in life? I'm sure some of you have wondered this same question. So, this adorable, bittersweet novel takes you on an adventure as the dog explores the world.

     The dog reincarnates multiple times throughout the novel (this is why it might be hard for some readers because we do experience the dog passing). Despite the fact, I suggest you continue because the novel is worth every single tear and more to come. The dog (who you will probably grow to love) learns valuable lessons. He experiences what it's like to live in fear when out in the wild, what it's like to love someone so incredibly much, how to save and protect people and experiences cruelty (which was hard to read) and seeing someone feel no love towards their partner.

     I will let you in on two things–the book has a bittersweet ending and DO NOT read the last line (I tend to do that myself) for it spoils!

     So, with this I hope W. Bruce Cameron's novel has caught your attention and I hope you DO add it to your list of books to read and that I have helped YOU!

     Remember to continue reading and be nice to others,
Scribbler On The Roof