Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Messages From Henry in Books
Nov 20, 2019
This is told from the point of view of Tammy, Evelyn's neighbour who first realises that Henry is carrying messages from Evelyn and Henry does come out as the hero, defying the odds to save his mistress.
A short story for younger readers (but not too young due to the subject matter which at times could be distressing for them) this will especially appeal to animal lovers. The story is written to be both sympathetic and dramatic and having Tammy narrate as a friend to the hostage works well.
The story flows at a good pace and the reader will be waiting for Henry to arrive almost as much as Tammy and each time hope that Evelyn is finally rescued.
A good read for those just under the target audience for most 'young adult' stories and short enough that it doesn't seem a chore to read.
Foals and Young Horses: Training and Management for a Well-Behaved Horse
Sue Anderson, Ute Ochsenbauer and Beate Schmidtlein
9.0
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Foals imprint on their mothers and are guided by instinct. But over time they get accustomed to...
Jackjack (877 KP) rated I am Jonas (2018) in Movies
May 17, 2020
Good film about a young man (Jonas) that becomes good friends with a new guy at school (Nathan) they share a few kisses and a small romance starts. The film jumps from the main character as a 15 year old boy to an adult showing both parts of his life and how he wasn't on the best path and it explains why as the film goes on. These two young boys head off for a date night at the cinema Jonas is the innocent one and wants to go home after but Nathan the adventurous one wants to try and sneak into a gay bar unable to get in they take an offer from a man to take them to another bar, one thing leads to another and Jonas is left deserted and Nathan gone. Good film for a late night watch and if you don't mind reading subtitles.
Silhouettes
10.0
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A bittersweet story about family, friendship and the impact one life can have on others, no matter...
Young_Adult Contemporary
Moxie: A Novel
8.8
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"Moxie is sweet, funny, and fierce. Read this and then join the fight."―Amy Poehler An...
Young Adult Gender studies
Animal Planet Baby Animals
10.0
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With more than 200 adorable photos of baby animals and their families, there's serious "aw" factor...
animal
Academy Arcanist (Astra Academy #1)
10.0
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Hopes. Dreams. And literal nightmares out to kill a young boy. Gray Lexly, son of a candlemaker,...
Young Adult (YA) Fantasy
The Wolf Song: A Blood of the Wolf King Novel
Book
A grand fantasy tale unlike any other. In a world that mirrors our own, violence and death are a way...
young adult fantasy
The Diary of a Young Girl
Anne Frank, Mirjam Pressler and Otto Frank
8.2
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One of the most famous accounts of living under the Nazi regime of World War II comes from the diary...
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated I Am the Cheese in Books
May 16, 2018
Like most of Cormier's books, I Am the Cheese is set in the town of Monument, Massachusetts. It is a fictional setting based on the author's own home town. In this story, the main character is Adam Farmer and doubles as my pick for PopSugar's 2017 Reading Challenge as a book with an unreliable narrator, because young Adam Farmer is precisely that: unreliable.
Adam Farmer grows up with a rather complicated life: his family is part of the early stages of the Witness Protection Program. They are relocated to Monument after his father uncovers deeply rooted corruption among government officials and, as a result, testifies against them. Having been young at the time, Adam only knows his life as it now and goes about his day to day business as any boy his age would. He meets and falls in love with a girl named Amy and one day decides to skip school and bike to Rutterberg, Vermont so that he can deliver a gift to his father, who is currently in the hospital. As Adam tells us his story of visiting his father, we are simultaneously introduced to him in the future, where he is currently under psychiatric care. There, he is urged to recover his memories via sessions with Brint. During these sessions, the reader learns more Adam and his family.
I really can't say a whole lot more about the book other than that without revealing spoilers, but what I can say is that this book has more twists and turns with sharp jerks than those little mini-coaster rides at a theme park. You know, the ones that leave you with bruises instead of making you scream with glee? Even better, these twists are rather dark in nature - more so than I would have expected for a book labeled Young Adult back in the 70s. It's extremely rare for me to find myself questioning elements of story throughout an entire book, but I Am the Cheese succeeded in doing just that.
Another interesting element to I Am the Cheese, and one of the many traits it shares with Post-Modernism literature, is the use of several different styles of writing within its pages. While the book has alternating perspectives, there is a clear distinction when each perspective changes: first person is from Adam's point-of-view; the interview transcripts are from recordings of Brint and Adam speaking; the final style is third-person limited, with most of its focus centered directly on Adam and what goes on around him.
I was also surprised to learn, via my instructor, that the number Adam calls to try and reach Amy was actually Cormier's personal phone number. He had put it in the book so that if readers called it, they would be able to speak with him - particularly during less happy moments in their life. That alone is deserving of kudos.
I Am the Cheese is undoubtedly one of my favorite Young Adult books and, as a result, I definitely plan to read more of Cormier's books, especially since many of them have startlingly dark themes.