A Stolen Life

Doing a review on A Stolen Life is going to be extremely hard. In her own words, Jaycee Dugard opened up and told the world the horrible things Phillip and Nancy Garrido did to a helpless eleven year old girl. She talks about the abduction, her family, and everything else she fears. She describes her time spent in the secret backyard. We learned about the "runs" Phillip would take her on. Which was really just him on drugs for days on end. She recreates the horrors of being pregnant at age 14 and knowing her kidnapper is the father of her two little girls. She had to raise them in the captivity of the backyard. Not soon after, the Garrido's became Jaycee's whole world and she relied heavily on them for everything. She and her girls were finally rescued in 2009 when Phillip had a meeting with his parole officer. Jaycee describes to us the feeling she got just being able to write her name for the first time in 18 years. All in all, this is an inspiring true story of how our whole life could change in the blink of an eye. 

For information, visit The JAYC Foundation. And always remember, "Just Ask Yourself to Care."

Check out Jaycee's book of firsts, Freedom!

the curious incident of the dog in the night-time

Christopher John Francis Boone, age 15. He can tell you all the countries in the world and every prime number up to 7,057; but he hates the colors yellow and brown. Christopher's special teacher, Siobhan, prompts him to write a book. The curious incident of the dog in the night-time is just that. He decides to write about his investigation on who killed his neighbors dog, Wellington. After he promises his father that he won't investigate anymore, he learns some disturbing family secrets. So, he grabs his pet rat, a bag of food, and runs away. When he arrives at the train station he comes across many problems; he's 15 years old, hates to be in a crowd, and doesn't like traveling to new places. 

While I was reading this story, I had to keep reminding myself Christopher was 15. He jumps around quite a bit, this is more of a journal than a book. This tell-all story made me realize how different everyone really is. Christopher is a genius, but has a few difficulties. His journey to London and finding out who killed Wellington made him realize how strong of a person he really was. I encourage everyone to read this amazing book. You won't regret it.

Looking for other books by Mark Haddon?
The Pier Falls and Other Short Stories

Crank Trilogy

Crank begins the story of the monster Kristina created. Spending the summer with her dad, she meets a boy and her struggle with drugs begins. Not soon after, she becomes pregnant and decided to keep the baby. This story is told completely through the eyes of Kristina and Bree, her other personality. We see her friendships crumble and her crack addiction worsen.

In Glass, Kristina meets a new monster, meth. After being kicked out of her mothers house and losing custody of her son, Hunter, she finds a new boyfriend. Trey is everything she could ever ask for and more. The only catch is he's a drug dealer. Kristina gets caught in Trey's drug web and they both find themselves sitting in jail. With Kristina pregnant, yet again.

We all wanted to see what happened to Hunter, and what will happen with her new baby. Fallout is exactly that. We get to look into the lives of 3 of Kristina's children. They grew up in different households with different last names and have an odd relationship with their mother. We see the pain that Kristina has caused them and the mess she has made. We watch their everyday lives and get a peek at Christmas with the family.

These 3 hectic books are based on true stories. If you or someone you know is struggling with drugs, there are hotlines to help! Just check out this website for more information on overcoming an addiction: http://drugabuse.com/library/drug-abuse-hotlines/

Looking for more books by Ellen Hopkins?

 

Middle-Grade:

Closer to Nowhere

What About Will

Teen:

 Flirtin' with the Monster (Crank Anthology)

Rumble

Burned (Burned #1)
Smoke (Burned #2)

Tricks (Tricks #1)

Traffick (Tricks #2)

The You I've Never Known
People Kill People

Adult Fiction:

Love Lies Beneath (LLB #1)
A Sin Such as This (LLB #2)

Collateral

Triangles (Tilt #2)

 Anthologies:

One Death, Nine Stories

Behind the Song
Life Inside My Mind

The Best of Me

Nicholas Sparks can easily write a heart wrenching novel. The Best of Me is a great example of a love story with a twist. High school sweethearts, Dawson and Amanda, go their separate ways when Dawson breaks up with her so her parents will pay for her college education. 30 something years later, their mutual friend Tuck, dies of old age. Over the years, Amanda had been visiting Tuck and getting to know him rather well. For Dawson, he hadn't seen Tuck in years, but thought of him as a father. When the two meet again, the  old flame lights up. Amanda forgets all her motherly worries for a weekend and lets Dawson have every bit of her. Upon leaving this mini-vacation, Amanda gets a call saying her family is in the hospital. Dawson on the other hand, is facing his crazy cousins. The end of the novel is downright crazy. I couldn't believe it; I literally threw the book across the room.  This is the reason Nicholas Sparks is one of the best romance novelists. 

Ali's Pretty Little Lies

This is for anyone who has kept up with the Pretty Little Liars series! We all know Ali, we love to hate her; but deep down, we all wish we could be her. Lets take a step back and actually meet her twin sister, Courtney. How did Courtney become Ali? Well, Ali's Pretty Little Lies is the story of how Courtney tricked her parents into believing she was Ali. When she was visiting home from her mental hospital, The Radley, she snagged some of Ali's clothes and her favorite ring. Pretty soon, Courtney becomes Ali and Ali becomes Courtney. After watching her sister get shipped off to the psych ward, Courtney realizes she can never be herself again. We get the inside scoop on all things Ali. This prequel will leave you wondering. Could this be the start of A?

Looking for other YA books by Sara Shepard?
The Perfectionists (Perfectionists #1)
The Good Girls (Perfectionists #2)

Looking for adult books by Sara Shepard?
The Heiresses

Reputation

Meet Hunter

This isn't about books, but it is a matter that is very close to my heart. 

Everyone meet Hunter. 

This kid didn't have a care in the world. He was the sweetest boy I'd ever met. Not once did I ever see a frown on his face. He really was an all around great kid. I remember riding the bus with him, eating his pop tarts everyday, even picking on him for the way he laced his vans, or the first time he met my sister and told me about how much he liked her. He used to have a banana suit, and loved neon colors. I remember when he wore one bright orange shoe and the other bright green and he was so proud of it. There's so much more I could say. Honestly, I will never forget him.

Just yesterday, Hunter was hit by a car while he was longboarding. He was killed on impact. He was only 14 years old..  He had his entire life ahead of him, but one little accident cost him his life. My heart goes out to his family and friends. So all you fellow skaters out there, please be careful on the roads. To the drivers out there, PLEASE watch for skaters. I'll miss you, kid. <3

Only the good die young.

 

Rest in Peace

Hunter Sorensen

March 10, 2013

Amy, My Daughter

Amy, My Daughter was written by Amy Winehouse's father, Mitch. He takes us through the life of Amy. Welcoming us to the Winehouse family, we hear all about the happy times, and not so happy times. Reading this book really made me feel like part of the family. Mitch talks about the home videos he started making not long after Amy was born. He tells us what it was like to live without his beloved daughter around. They were always close; when he found out she was doing drugs they fought like crazy. Amy didn't have the best of luck with her relationships, and her father let her know it. Although Amy had drug and alcohol problems, many don't know that isn't what killed her. Mitch gives us this wonderful insight on what Amy was really like. I loved every page of this book, hopefully you all will too!


R.I.P. Amy <3
7-23-11

Looking for other books on Amy Winehouse?
27