White Cat

Review by Edan
Title: White Cat (Curse Workers #1)
Author: Holly Black
Published: 2012
Publisher: Margaret K McElderry Books

Summary:
Cassel comes from a family of curse workers, people who can change your emotions, luck, memories and even your physical being with a touch of a hand. Cassel is an outsider, different from the rest, because he was not given the ability to curse work when he was born. There is one different thing about him though: he killed his best friend Lila when he was 14. Cassel soon has nightmares about a white cat, and is constantly sleep walking. Things start to go astray when he hears secret conversations, reads things he's not supposed to read and notices suspicious behavior. Is his family keeping a deep truth from him? A truth that changes everything. A truth that changes who he is and who he was. A truth that will change his life forever.

Review:
White Cat is an awesome book. It takes place in a world where people are afraid of bare hands and everyone wears gloves. Our world, just slightly different. It is really interesting. Cassel is an interesting character. He is different than the rest of his family of murderers, assassins and thugs. He uses his brain and con. He gets by in his world of magic just with his brain. It is a thrilling novel, but sometimes is confusing. It takes awhile to understand everything to know about "workers" and curses. It is also confusing when he talks about Lila. How can you kill someone and not remember? It is just weird, but makes sense later in the book. White Cat makes you sit on the edge of your seat and try to piece everything together. I would recommend White Cat for anyone looking for a good fantasy or thriller.

Shiloh

Review by Edan
Title: Shiloh
Author: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Published: 1991
Publisher: Atheneum

Quick Summary:
Young Marty lives in West Virginia and has always wanted a pet. One day he finds a small, shy and timid beagle in the woods, falls in love with him and takes him home, naming him Shiloh. He finds out it is really Judd Travers' new hunting dog and return Shiloh to Judd. Marty comes across Shiloh again and decides to keep him in secret, where Judd can't starve and kick him for running off. Things get tuff as Marty struggles to keep his secret and soon it slips out. It is up to Marty whether he has enough will to stand up to Judd and keep Shiloh forever.

Review:
I really liked the short, beautiful tale. I love animals and can relate to Marty in many ways. I don't know what I would do if I found Shiloh in the woods, but 11 year old Marty was really brave to stand up to Judd. In the beginning, it was a little hard to understand because it was written in first person and he wrote with an accent. Eventually it was fine. The story is not really that slow. It is so short that is fits everything in and has no lapses. If you like adventure, this book is not for you. But if you like real life stories about kids or if you like animals, you would probably enjoy this book. It is short and sweet and is one story about a boy and dog that has a happy ending.

Rating:****

Theodore Boone: The Accused

Review by Edan
Title: Theodore Boone: The Accused (Theodore Boone #3)
Author: John Grisham
Published: 2012
Publisher: Penguin Group

Quick Summary:
Theo Boone, son of two lawyers, is excited in the retrial of the Pete Duffy murder case, where Theo turned the table of events a few months earlier. The town of Strattenburg is alive with murmurs, but soon things start to look worse for Theo. First he find items stolen from his locker, later his bike tires and slashed and a rock flies through his window, showering him in glass. Next, things go too far as the police suspect him as the thief of a computer shop theft. All of the evidence is pointing toward Theo and only he can find out who the real thief is. Join Theo to see if he can find them before the case is closed...

Review:
Out of all of the Theodore Boone books, I liked this book the most. It was the most interesting and thrilling. It made me sit on the edge of my seat even more. It is full of suspense and you are as stuck as Theo when it comes to figuring out the problem. I love Thoe's character. It is really real and make you realize how fake and brave some other main characters are. It makes you think about who you would react to the vandalism and framing. The stories are always complicated and full of other cases and trails that Theo gets wrapped up in. It captures how busy a middle schoolers life really is. The Theodore Boone books are realistic and easily relatable, and it is still inthralling and captivating. I really enjoy reading the Theodore Boone books and can't wait to finish up the series with the last book, Theodore Boone: The Activist

Rating:****

Delirium

Review by Edan
Title: Delirium (Delirium #1)
Author: Lauren Oliver
Published: 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins

Quick Summary:
Love is a disease, or so Lena has been told all her life. Her evaluations are coming up, when she will be paired, and finally married. Married, of course, after she has been cured of the deadly disease of love. They tell her the cure will make her happy, that she has nothing to be afraid of, and she doesn't doubt them. She is afraid to do anything wrong and follows along everyone else. She finally begins to open her eyes when her friend Hana shows her the world of invalid music, parties and opinions. Where love is not scared of, where uncured girls and boys come together. Then there is Alex. Another boy with a mysterious past and who Lena looses her heart for. He shows her the lies that surround her life, the lies that had been fed to her since her mother committed "suicide". In the end, it is up to Lena has to decide who to trust, where to go, and what to believe.

Review:
I really like Delirium. In the beginning, I assumed it would be another Sci Fi book about a girl who falls in love, but has to marry someone else. She runs away and starts a rebellion or something like that. Delirium is different and a thrilling novel. In the beginning I was really frustrated at Lena because of how stubborn she was. She couldn't believe Hana was doing the illegal and was just scared. I hated how blind she was being and how she just wanted to go along with everything. Finally, things become more clear and you understand more about Lena. This book is not just about love and choice, but about freedom and truth. They lead more choosing lives than people in other Sci Fi books, but their minds have been corrupted into just believing what is told to them. They don't doubt the system. The end of the book leaves you with more questions, some answers and a longing to find out what happens next.

Rating:*****