Catching Fire by Susanne Collins

 

Catching Fire  is the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are the newest winners of the Hunger Games and are preparing to commence in the victory tour, but not before President Snow pays a visit to Katniss (18). She now must prove to the districts that she acted completely out of love, she alone must subdue the uprisings. To prove their love Peeta proposes, yet even this is not good enough for President Snow (74).  He wants them out of the way, and to do this he sends them back into the arena. The quarter quell is far worse than the previous games. They must battle blood thirsty monkeys and horrific screams all while avoiding their opponents. Just when Katniss accepts her fate the unthinkable happens. District 13 obliterates the arena and saves the survivors, all the survivors except for Peeta, and Katniss is willing to fight to the death for him.

Most people will say Katniss Everdeen is fearless; I disagree. She is not the symbol of rebellion because she doesn't feel fear, she is the symbol because she doesn't comply to fear. When in the arena she clearly showed her ability to push aside the urge to leave, to give up. Katniss fought through her emotional pain to help Finnick when he was confronted by the jabberjays (342).She shows courage in her pursuit to please President Snow, when she knows there is an easier way. She thinks of how her actions will affect those dear to her and strives to succeed for them. Katniss does acknowledge fear, she just refuses to accept it.

 Finnick Odair is different than most tributes. He is a 'Carrier tribute', a tribute who hails from a wealthy district thus receiving extensive training and plenty of nourishment. Most tributes from these districts care only for their pride, but Finnick is different. He cares for his family, for his mentors, for his allies, and for one special girl. Finnick is known in the capitol for his looks and suave, but at home he is known for his compassion. He is different than the other Carriers because he has a back story, because he cares for more than himself.

One of the themes in this book is strength in numbers. During the victory tour Katniss confided in Peeta and Haymitch to help her. In the arena Finnick sought help from the other tributes to remain driven. All through the book characters search for a friend to confide in and when they find one they become stronger. Catching Fire illustrates the need humans have to be with one another.

I would highly recommend this book for almost any age.  I enjoyed this book, my brother enjoyed this book, even my younger sister enjoyed the parts I read to her. This book contains action for those thrill seekers, love for the romantics, mystery for the curious, even a little futuristic electronics for the geeky readers. This book contains all the aspects of the perfect book. I find it a great read no matter how many times I read it.

I got my picture from:http://www.myhungergames.com/the-75th-hunger-games-arena-map

Dive by Gordon Korman

 

Dive: The Discovery is the first book of the 'Dive' series by Gordon Korman. It starts with four teenagers recieving internships with the Poseidon Oceanographic Institute. The interns consisted of Bobby Kaczinski, Dante Lewis, Andrea Ballantyne, and Star Ling, all of which are beginner divers or handicapped. They all wonder,"Why did they chose us?" Soon after many early mornings only to find their diving boat already out, they realize the truth. These Caribbean waters were hiding multiple wrecks and the children are merely a  cover up. With the assistance of another diving team on the island, the teenagers finally get a chance to catch up to the treasure hunters and make their own discovery. Dante, the colorblind photographer, can see the floor bottom with ease and with it the coins and anchor of a wreck. The dive team is told it is phony when really the treasure hunters plan to uncover it themselves. In the end of the book Kaz, Dante, Andrea, and Star catch the team illegally killing coral to reach the wreck and are left to wonder, 'what now?'

Bobby Kaczinski, commonly known as Kaz, is a prominent character in this book. Before he decided to learn to dive his life was all hockey. Living in Canada he played hockey for school, out of school, and in the summer. He had potential and his family and everyone else knew it, until he gave a legal, one in a million blow to another player paralyzing him(4). He gave up his dream. He became protective of all his teammates. From then on his protectiveness is evident. He saves Star when her airline is broke. He goes after Dante when he is endangered by the wildlife. He even confronts a tiger shark to protect his dive team (125). Kaz is the boy who learned from his mistakes and shows it.

Dante Lewis is also another interesting character. He is introduced as the clumsy boy but amazing black and white photographer. He has been featured in newspapers and magazines around the world for his work but they all want more; they all want Dante to capture color photographs. He seems as though he is quiet because of his personality, but as the book progresses he tells his secret. He's colorblind. He is living in a black and white movie. Dante is the perfect example that everyone has another side or something that makes them who they are. For Dante it was his sight, for me it may be where I live. Dante is one of the characters I have very easily related to in any book I have ever read.

One of the themes I noticed was growing closer with your friends. Throughout the book, the dive team is left on shore and is forced to be together whether they like it or not. They learn all the good and bad things about one another such as Dante's colorblindness (113) and Andrea's family troubles (52). All their secrets are unveiled when they spend time with each other and spot all the strange things about one another. This caused them to not only want to be closer, but it forced them to be.

Although I enjoyed the book I would not recommend it to readers at my age. The pace was slow and the plot was predictable. It did however, spark my intrigue into diving and treasure hunting. This book would not me one of my favorites,but there are multiple other books in this series, so if I do chose to read them I hope they go into further depths of the story with more than just the childish plot line of scary sharks and a sunken ship. Dive: The Discovery was not enjoyable for me but I am able to say for some audiences it will be. I simply do not have the point of view to appreciate it.

Peak by Roland Smith

 

 Peak Marcello has a strange hobby; he scales skyscrapers.Yet one day he's caught and trialed in court. His father, a famous mountain climber named Joshua Wood, flies from Thailand to save the day. As payment for his crimes Peak must leave his family in New York to live in Thailand with his dad. However, Joshua Wood has a different idea;Peak will scale Mt. Everest. Joshua's climbing business, Peak Experience, would gain publicity by placing the youngest climber on Everest's summit. On the secret climb, Peak meets a very lucky or psychic Sherpa, Zopa, and his grandson, Sun-Jo. Halfway through acclimatization the climbers must find a new route to the summit because because of, Captain Shek, a Chinese military official enforcing climbing permits, which Peak does not have. In the end, Sun-Jo reaches the summit in time, yet Peak gives up the chance to top the world to keep Sun-Jo safe.

Peak is the person all teenagers wish they could be. His physical appearance is nothing special, but his decisions and skills are what everyone wants to become. His family loves him, his education is top notch and he is amazing at one thing. Peak also has many opportunities many people never get. His father's work made it so he could top the world's tallest mountain. He could've taken those last steps to the top, but he thought about someone else instead. His mind set is of the perfect human. Many teenagers as well as other readers would be and are jealous of this fictional character's situation.

One of the themes I observed in this book was perseverance. Peak gave everything to risk the climb on Mt. Everest. He risked being caught by Captain Shek. He risked his health and his life by not taking the extra time to acclimatize. Peak pushed through all the emotional and physical pain to reach his goal. He pushed through; he showed perseverance.

Another theme I noticed was the affects of jealousy on friendship. When Peak became jealous of Sun-Jo, he stopped caring for him. Peak stopped checking on Sun-Jo when he was sick, he stopped helping him climb because Sun-Jo wanted to climb. Sun-Jo deserved the chance just like Peak did. Jealousy caused Peak and Sun-Jo's friendship to fall apart.

This book was perfect. That is also what I didn't like about it. Peak was the perfect depiction of a teenager, climbing Everest was the perfect setting and it had the perfect ending. However, its perfection was also shown in its predictable events. It was not surprising at all and the book's events were bland. A little bit of drama, a little bit of conflict, and a lot of success; the perfect kid, the new friend, the awesome parent, and the  weird family friend all create the over done book plot. This book was so similar to many other books I've read that I found myself having to reread the pages because I dosed off. This book was too slow for me even if I enjoyed it in the end.

The picture is from: http://www.mountainmadness.com/adventures/expeditions/asia/nepal/everest#trip-overview/description

Nancy Drew, Buried Secrets

 

Nancy Drew could never stay away from a mystery. Her need to solve to solve this 30-year-old case only amplifies as time passes. First she saves Todd Harrington's life, then she is challenged to solve Todd's father's death, and finally is threatened multiple times by an anonymous figure. All the while she is trying to work things out with Ned Nickerson, her boyfriend visiting from college. At first she has two suspects, both of which have disappeared since the mysterious suicide of John Harrington; however, after uncovering a hidden tape recorder on the Harrington estate she realizes the truth. Sam Abbott, the current mayor, was being black mailed by the victim and killed him to be free. The supposed suicide was expertly solved in Carolyn Keene's novel.

Nancy Drew is a courageous detective. She follows all the leads in the case no matter the danger. When confronted, she doesn't run, even when she is almost killed, she chases the man instead of waiting for someone else to. She cares little of her appearance on the case, never stopping to change her clothes and never refraining to ask offensive questions. Nancy is passionate in her work and thorough  in her cases.

Like in all crime novels, one of  the many themes was justice. Nancy believes that John Harrington's death was no a suicide and searches until she finds the killer. Not only does she believe in it, but enforces justice. There are many people who say they care about every one's rights, yet few have the courage or strength to show it when  the time comes.

Not only would I recommend this specific book, but the whole series as well. Carolyn Keene never runs out of surprises in any of her books and the plots are never the same. She has insight into a teenager's personal feelings and is therefore able to connect with the age group these books aim to please . This book, along with her other works are perfect for all mystery fans.

Website for image: http://www.series-books.com/nancydrew/files.html

Alabama Moon

 

Watt Key creates an exciting plot full of capture and escaped in Alabama Moon. Moon Blake's story starts peacefully in the deep woods of Alabama with his father. When his father, now his only surviving guardian, dies and the land they had lived on is sold and searched chaos erupts. An orphan and minor, Moon is discovered living alone and is sent to Pinson, a boy's home that fails to contain restless Moon. Kit Slip and Hal Mitchell help him, and all the other Pinson boys escape,yet are they only ones that stay with Moon to venture further from civilization. Only after Hal leaves to live with his father and Kit becomes fatally ill do they return. Lack of proper medical care causes Kit to lose his life and Moon to give up. An angry constable takes Moon to court before his family is found and notified of Moon. In the end, Moon is adopted by his uncle, Hal went on back to Pinson, and the story becomes calm yet again.

Moon Blake is clueless. He has no knowledge of manners, who to trust, of when to quit. The small bow takes down many grown men before realizing the care about his safety. His knowledge extends to survival in the forest, not in the city Moon wishes to be independent only because it is what he was taught by his father. He disapproves of the government just as his father did. Moon was taught how to survive, in this book he learns how to live.

Kit Slip was a Pinson orphan with medical issues. Moon showed him how to become a nature loving boy. Kit trusted Moon to show him how to become independent. For such a fragile boy, he sure had a strong will. Kit may have died in the end, but he made an impression on not only Hal and Moon, but the reader as well.

Kids do need guidance. This was the lesson I saw all throughout the book. If Moon and Kit had listened to the adults and taken Kit's medication, he would have stayed healthy. Moon wouldn't have won his trial against Constable Sanders without help from Mr. Wellington, Moon's lawyer, who found him after his father's death. Moon shouldn't have been so set on doing things on his own. He should have asked for help.

I enjoyed reading the book Alabama Moon, yet I did not enjoy the book itself. The plot was intriguing, but the ending wasn't what I expected. To me, books are supposed to be places where endings are perfect; where everyone is happy. In this book the weakest boy died. When I thought about that it seemed as though it diminished hope. I was waiting all through the book that Kit would get better, he would overcome his problems, but he didn't. Overall, the book was spectacular, but one depressing event and the ending ruined my night.

http://www.wattkey.com/ (This is Watt Key's website and where I got my picture.)

Scat by Carl Hiaasen

It all started with an arson. In the book Scat by Carl Hiaasen is is perceived as a simple wildfire of the Florida dry season. To Nick Waters and Marta Gonzalez, the fire is not as important as Ms. Starch, their hard core biology teacher who went missing during this fire. Duane Scrod Jr., a 16-year-old student, and Twilly Spree, a nature-loving, cash-filled man, still decide that another thing entirely is their most important goal; Red Diamond Energy company planned to illegally drill oil and scared away an endangered mother panther in the process, leaving the cub on its own. After some digging around and running into each other, Nick and Marta find that Duane Jr., Twilly, and Ms. Starch, who are hiding in the Black Vine swamp since the fire, are looking after the panther cub and tracking the frightened mother. It all changes when D.J. is charged with arson and then becomes a fugitive. Nick knows he is innocent and helps find the panther anyway, however, Marta is shaky and only goes because Nick is there. In the end, Jimmy Lee Baylis , the Red Diamond project manager, is charged with arson, and the rest of the company with illegal drilling. Nick and Marta get the panther cub to its mother, and Twilly and Duane Jr. save Ms. Starch after she gets badly injured. Fire is never simply handled in this action-filled book.

In Scat there are two main characters, Nick Waters and Marta Gonzalez. Nick and Marta alike are students at the Truman School in suburban Florida. Both love to succeed and are passionate in what they do. Nick is the more gut-trusting, following every feeling he has and even becoming left-handed after his father's right arm is amputated in Iraq. Marta, however, follows the crowd, or in this case, Nick, and only commits fully in demanding situations. To her a demanding situation would be along the lines of when Nick is called out to sing in class after his father's accident. She chose to stand up and forcefully tell the substitute to leave him alone.

Twilly Spree is another character that you hear about all throughout the book. He is an odd sort that is not often written about in other books. He has everything and more, yet puts less above him. Twilly chose to oversee the panther cub himself instead of contacting someone else to do it for him. He is a big man with a gentle heart, large pockets yet little want, and is the type of person that is rare in society.

The reoccurring theme I saw in this book was teamwork. All of the characters were from different backgrounds, yet worked perfectly together, paying no attention to their differences. Twilly was rich, D.J. was poor, Ms. Starch was unreadable, and Nick was an open book. I relate this to my math group. In no way are we saving endangered animals, but we get the job done and done well. One person in my group is a sporty, unfocused student, another a hardcore, schoolwork-doing girl, and me, crazy and calm in one. Both may math group and the group in Scat don't notice the difference in each other and finish their task at hand.

Like almost every other book I read, I loved it. I would recommend it to other junior high students because it shows confidence. It shows we have the power to change, to help. We aren't too young or old to participate, we aren't restricted anymore. This book entertains the reader and when though about, has many life lessons that impact positively on everybody.

http://www.carlhiaasen.com/books/books-scat.html (This is Carl Hiaasen's official site as well as where I got my picture from.)

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