Fake Me A Match by Lauren Barnholdt

Fake Me A Match by Lauren Barnholdt
Expected publication in October 2011 by Aladdin (this edition is an e-Galley, courtesy of the S&S Galley Grab programme)


Description (from Goodreads)

Avery LaDuke is in the market for a new best friend. Her former BFF, Sophie Burns, dumped her to hang out with the popular crowd at school. But the good news Avery's getting a new sister who's bound to be her new BFF too! Blake is her age and she's from New York. How cool is that? But things don't go quite as smoothly as Avery hoped. And what's with Blake becoming BFFs with Sophie? Huh?? That wasn’t supposed to happen!When Avery gets put in charge of the eighth grade charity project, an on-line matchmaking service, she thinks she can use this project to get Blake back on her side. She decides to fix the matches so that Blake gets matched with Sam, the most popular boy in school, but when the matches come out something has gone seriously wrong! Not only is Avery matched with Sam, but the class advisor knows that someone tampered with the program. On top of that, Avery discovers that she actually kind of, sort of, likes Sam . . . and he likes her back. Torn between the guy she likes and her sister/best friend, Avery is left wondering: is there any possible way she can keep them both?

My thoughts
Fake Me A Match is a cute little book. And it's the first book I've read in ages that has that rather large font size that you get in children's books! Maybe because this is a children's book! Anyways, I am going off topic here.

I chose to read this book not because I had really been wanting to read it, but because I was participating in a readathon (and I was also reading The Historian at the time), so I decided that something short, cute and easy to read was just the thing to refresh my mind after too much historical information about Dracula,

Fake Me A Match is the story of Avery. Avery lives with her  mum, who is going to get married to a guy, who also has a daughter, Blake. So Avery is absolutely sure that she and Blake will end up being BFFs. But then Blake starts to get chummy with Avery's ex-BFF, Sophie, and she doesn't know what she's doing wrong. Avery is also on the student council and is put in charge of the eighth grade charity project, where they're going to raise money by playing matchmaker. Things start to get complicated when Avery, knowing that Blake fancies Sam, decides to tamper with the "matchmaking programme" and set the two of them up. But, of course, things go wrong and Avery ends up pairing herself with Sam. And then she realises that she actually likes Sam and that Sam also likes her back. It does get a little complicated, doesn't it??

This is a book that is aimed at younger readers and it shows. The language isn't dumbed down in any way, but it is a lot simple. Lauren Barnholdt really has done an excellent job of getting into the young teenager's mind and depicts their mannerisms, thoughts and worries in a lovely and very sweet way. Character development is okay, despite the fact that I really could not stand Avery. To me, she came of as a bit of a whiny little girl who is overenthusiastic about everything and ended up getting on my nerves. As for Blake, she wasn't really very nice for the most part of the book. Sam, on the other hand, was a lovely character. We first meet him through Avery's preconceptions about him, but through their charity project and their dog-training sessions, we get to see what he's really like. I love it when the boy in the book is a good boy!

All in all, Fake Me A Match is a great book for younger readers, but might not be very appealing to older ones. I suppose that what this book really is is a light fluffy read (just like chick lit) for young teenagers. Definitely a book to check out if you like that kind of thing! (I am definitely going to try reading one of her titles for older readers, because I really liked her writing style!)

Rating: 6/10 (I can't give it a higher rating because I just liked it - I didn't love it - but it is still a very good read)

Author:
Lauren Barnholdt seems to be a very secretive person and I can't find anything to write here. Some of her books include:

Two Way Street   |   Aces Up

The Witches of Santa Anna

You can find out more about her books from her Goodreads page as well as from her website. She also has a blog but it hasn't been updated in a while now.

Read for the: 100 Books In A Year Challenge 2011

Sleepwalking by Nicola Morgan

Sleepwalking by Nicola Morgan
First published by Hodder Children's Books in 2004 (this edition by Hodder Children's Books in 2004)

Description (from back cover):
Imagine being born into a world without wonder, where even your happiness is controlled.
A world where rain is programmed to fall, where mood state is at all times the same. Passive. Accepting.
But there are some citizens of this world, who refuse to have their story written for them. They are the Outsiders - and they risk death for their chosen life.
Now, even they are losing strength and heart. It is up to four 'chosen' teenagers to restore their hopes and dreams, and their stories ... for good.


My thoughts:
Sleepwalking is one of my favourite books ever. And I do mean EVER! I think I first read it 8 or so years ago, but I have read it time and time again over the years (which is pretty easy to do, as it's a rather short book). I still love it, though. Every single time.

The society in this book is weird, to say the least. It's probably the first dystopian society I ever read about in a book... People live in cities, which cater to their every need. They have special prescriptions, called pims and funks, which are specially adjusted to each person, so as to make them as calm as possible. Those prescriptions serve the purpose of keeping order within the city. Despite that, there are still guards around, to keep the Outsiders out of the cities, despite the fact that being an Outsider is not illegal.

There are four heroes in this book: Livia, Marcus, Tavius and Cassandra. The first three grew up in a completely sheltered environment, as opposed to Cassandra, who grew up as an actual Outsider and has seen much more than a girl her ages should have seen. They come from completely different circumstances, but they have a common purpose: to try and restore the world back to what it used to be before pims and funks.

The actual explanation as to how the whole situation came to be the way it was is really ingenious and one that is definitely appealing to children (like me!). I really liked how the author explained everything in the end. I'm not going to say anything else, because it's definitely going to be spoiler-y.

I will admit that this time around, I found this book a little too quick. Everything seemed to be happen very fast. I probably only just noticed it because I am a little older now. I was also very sad when I saw that it is now out of print. It's such a lovely book, it deserves to be out there for more children to read.

Rating: 10/10


Author:
Nicola Morgan is the author of numerous books for children and teenagers. As in, she has had nearly 90 books published. 90! On her website, you can find a lot of interesting little facts about her, such as:

•  She used to go to an all boys’ school.
• She has one leg longer than the other.
• Each time she has a new book contract, she buys new boots.
• She used to be a professional cook.

Sleepwalking and Mondays Are Red are currently out of print, but she has loads of other books she has written, such as Fleshmarket, Deathwatch, The Highwayman's Curse and Wasted.

You can find out more about Nicola Morgan and her books HERE.

One Chance by Steve May

One Chance by Steve May
First published by Egmont in 2004 (this edition by Egmont in 2004)


Description (from Goodreads):
Jaq, is running scared. This is France, wartime, 1940. Dodging soldiers and enemy tanks, hunted by the villagers for thieving, Jaq has nowhere to hide, nowhere to shelter, no one to turn to. And then he meets Lise...Told in the manner of a traditional adventure story, Steve May's writing stands out for its pace and dynamism, and offers a wonderfully fresh and modern account of wartime France.


My thoughts:
I only picked up this book because, after 1984, I was in the mood for something much lighter and much easier to read. One Chance is a children's book, which we have had for quite a few years, but which I had not read when I was younger. 


What I got was not what I expected. This is a book that is definitely targeted to a much, much younger audience than my 21-year-old self. The good thing about this book is that, instead of focusing on the war itself, it focused on the relationships between the members of two families, when Jaq, a 15 year old thief, appears and steals a chicken from one of them. All of these events happen having the war as a background and it only seems more real as the reader reaches the end of the book. It doesn't lessen the effect of the war, as it is mentioned throughout the book; it's just that it is more real near the end. The characters are ok. I didn't feel as if I could relate to any one of them, except maybe Yvette, Lise's mother. She was a wonderful maternal figure, not afraid to stand up for her beliefs.


The one thing I really did not like about this book was the writing. I hadn't liked it even after a few pages, but it got more tiring as the book progressed. As a result, it took me 2 days to finish a 250-pages-long children's book with a relatively large font. To give you an example, this is what you can find on the back cover of the book (but it is in the same tone as most of the book):

This is France, 1940. War is approaching and Jaq is running scared. Branded as a thief. Hunted. He has nowhere to hide. No one to turn to. And then he meets Lise.

Most of the time, it felt as if I was reading a telegram or something of the sort. Though I did not enjoy it very much, I am pretty positive that a younger child would probably enjoy the book. (It is the intended audience, after all!)

Rating: 4/10

Author:

Steve May is a teacher, poet and radio dramatist, among other things. His novel, One Chance, has been described as a classic wartime adventure story, fit to rival the storytelling of Morpurgo.

Read for the: 100 Books In A Year Challenge 2011, British Books Challenge 2011

In The Bag by Jim Carrington

In The Bag by Jim Carrington
First published by Bloomsbury in 2011 (this edition by Bloomsbury in 2011)









Description (from back cover):

Joe and Ash are best mates.

One night after a party, they find a holdall abandoned by the side of the road.

They open it up.

Inside is £20,000.

Of course they're going to hand it to the police.

Aren't they?

And that is when the trouble starts.

My thoughts:
I'm actually not very sure as to how to start this review. In The Bag is not a book I would have chosen to buy for myself, the main reason being that I think I'm a little too old for it. But it seemed like a quick read, so I decided to give it a try.


The story in itself is appealing. It's about two boys (who are 15-16, if I remember rightly), who discover a bag with a lot of money in it. What are they going to do with it? Hand it over to the police? Or maybe not? It is quite a story, featuring mafia people, gunshots, black cars with dark windows. The main focus of the story is the reasons behind the boys' actions and how they deal of the consequences of their actions. Will they be able to keep it a secret, or will they find that they can't hold on to it any longer? Plus, it has a really weird ending... Like it's half-unresolved... You don't see it often in books and I have to say I didn't mind it! 


One aspect of this book that I liked was the fact that it had alternating chapters from the two characters' points-of-view. We got to be inside the heads of both characters and see how each one of them dealt with the consequences. Joe and Ash might be very good friends, but they're very different to each other and each one of them deals with the problem in his own way. That was very interesting to see. I also enjoyed the fact that the author did not focus solely on the 'bag'. He had a few side stories going on, which gave us more insight into both characters.


On the other hand, there were a couple of things I really didn't like. This book contains rather strong language. It even has a warning on the back for it (which I think is very good). To be honest, I am not bothered by swearing in books. But because of the fact that I think the story (as a storyline) would be more interesting for younger readers, the swearing excludes them from reading it. What I am trying to say here is that I am rather dubious as to whether the story would appeal to a 16 year-old me. It's more of the kind-of story that I would have found exciting when I was 13-14. Another thing I didn't like were all the smoking and drug references. I absolutely hate people smoking (I'm really weird about it) and I hate reading about children smoking. I know it is a wide-spread phenomenon nowadays, but I still don't like reading about it. (Including all those references to smoking marijuana.)


All in all, it wasn't a bad book, but the main problem I have is to whom I would recommend reading this book. It's worth a try though, as the writing is very good and the story flows well.


Rating: 5/10


Author:
Jim Carrington is the author of In The Bag and Inside My Head. (Sorry but that's all I could find!)

You can check out his website HERE.

Read for the: 100 Books In A Year Challenge 2011, British Books Challenge 2011

The Long Weekend

My first ever signed book!! Yay!!

The Long Weekend by Savita Kalhan
First published by Andersen Press Limited in 2008 (this edition published by Andersen Press in 2009)






Description: (from Goodreads)
Sam knows that he and his friend Lloyd made a colossal mistake when they accepted the ride home. They have ended up in a dark mansion in the middle of nowhere with man who means to harm them. But Sam doesn't know how to get them out. They were trapped, then separated. Now they are alone. Will either of them get out alive? 
This gripping and hypnotic thriller will have you reading late into the night.


Opinions:
The main reason I decided to read this book at the time I did was because I wanted a quick book to read, after The Loop. I was planning to read this book sometime soon, but I decided to just read it, as it would probably only take a few hours to read. 


This is a really short book. But I can say it is truly disturbing. It tells the story of two young boys, Sam and Lloyd, who make a BIG mistake when they just hop into a limo that stops and tells them to get in. It obviously happens due to a great misunderstanding, but it happens nonetheless. The story focuses mainly on Sam and his efforts to try and save them both. But don't take that the wrong way: that Lloyd was useless or too much of a coward to help. If you read the book, you will understand what I am trying to say.


While reading the book, there were quite a few hints of what was happening, but I suppose I just didn't want to see it. When it finally dawned on me, I realised why this book is not suitable for younger readers. I think you could probably give it to a 13-14 year old and they wouldn't mind it, but younger children might be distressed. That's just my opinion, though. If you are a parent, you should probably read this book yourself, before giving it to your children. Just to be on the safe side.


The ending of the book was the one that caused me the most confusion. I came to a completely and utterly wrong conclusion! I think you'll understand what I mean, if and when you get round to reading it yourselves.


All in all, I found this a rather good book, especially regarding the fact that it is a debut novel. I look forward to reading some more of Ms. Kalhan's works in the future!


Rating: 7/10


Author:
Savita Kalhan was born in India but moved to England when she was very young. She holds a Joint Honours degree in Politics and Philosophy from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. She has travelled a lot over the years, but currently lives in the UK. She began writing when she went to live in the Middle East and got a job teaching English there. The Long Weekend is her first published novel.
For more information about Savita Kalhan, you can visit her website, SavitaKalhan.com.

Counts as Book #26 in my 100 Books In A Year Challenge and as Book #13 in my British Books Challenge 2011!

(Disclaimer: I received this book from the author for free, as part of a blog tour with giveaways. Everything stated above reflects my own views on the book. My review has not been influenced in any way.)

Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters

As I mentioned in my review of the first book in this series, I wasn't absolutely thrilled with this book. But I decided to give the second book a try and see if I liked it. So, here is my review of it.

Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
First published by Hyperion Books for Children in 2006 (this edition by Puffin Books in 2008)

Book #2 in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series


Description: (from Goodreads)
Percy Jackson’s seventh-grade year has been surprisingly quiet. Not a single monster has set foot on his New York prep-school campus. But when an innocent game of dodgeball among Percy and his classmates turns into a death match against an ugly gang of cannibal giants, things get . . . well, ugly. And the unexpected arrival of Percy’s friend Annabeth brings more bad news: the magical borders that protect Camp Half-Blood have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy, and unless a cure is found, the only safe haven for demigods will be destroyed.

In this fresh, funny, and hugely anticipated follow up to The Lightning Thief, Percy and his friends must journey into the Sea of Monsters to save their beloved camp. But first, Percy will discover a stunning new secret about his family -- one that makes him question whether being claimed as Poseidon’s son is an honor or simply a cruel joke.


Opinions:
As you might know (if you read my review of The Lightning Thief), I did not love that book, as has been the case with many book readers. But I decided not to give up on the series and read the second book, The Sea of Monsters, in the hopes that it will just grow on me.


Honestly, I can't say I loved this book, either. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it, but on the same level as the first one. I liked the fact that it was set outside Camp Half-Blood and that Percy's affinity for water (being a son of Poseidon) is much more prominent. I suppose that also has to do with the fact that this book takes place nearly a year after the events in the first book, so he might have got more used to his powers...


Another thing I liked about this book, regardless of the fact that all the locations are messed up, was the fact that Mr. Riordan placed the Sea of Monsters in the Bermuda Triangle! I have to admit that was rather smart! I actually was not expecting it, so it was a pleasant surprise! Just like I actually liked the fact that the author set out Hades to be in L.A.! I know I don't live there, so I don't know what it's like, but it sounds like the perfect location for it. (I know this isn't very relevant, but I forgot to mention it in my review for the first book, so...)


One last thing I would like to say is that I rather like how Mr. Riordan is not too liberal with the number of different 'monsters' he uses in each book. After reading the first one, I thought ''Why has he mentioned so many of them in one book? What will he do with the rest of the books?''. But now, I realised that there are soooo many different monsters in Greek mythology, that he hasn't really run out of them...
(Shhh... Don't tell anyone... It's rather embarrasing, really...)


Rating: 6/10


Author:
You can find out more about Rick Riordan in my post on his other book, The Lightning Thief, which you can find here!

Counts as Book #24 in my 100 Books In A Year Challenge!

Also, counts towards the 2nd in a Series Challenge!

The Cabinet of Curiosities

I received this book from Bloomsbury, through Becky of The Bookette, who managed to get Bloomsbury Publishing to sponsor the month of February for her British Book Challenge 2011. I received 6 books in the parcel and I am now going to review the first one I read out of the bunch!

The Cabinet of Curiosities by Paul Dowswell
First published by Bloomsbury in 2010 (this edition by Bloomsbury in 2011)





Description: (from Goodreads.com)
When Lukas Declercq is orphaned, his uncle summons him to Prague, a refuge for Europe’s greatest alchemists and natural philosophers. Uncle Anselmus is court physician to Rudolph II, the reclusive and unstable emperor. He is also curator of Rudolph’s bizarre Cabinet of Curiosities, a series of vast rooms stuffed with wonders and scientific marvels. As Rudolph retreats further into his fantasy world, the threat of rebellion hangs in the air. Dorantes, a diplomat from Spain, comes with his daughter, Celestina, on a mission from Philip II to persuade Rudolph to give up his heretical ways. Soon Lukas discovers the terrible truth behind Dorantes’s mission. But sinister forces have plans for Lukas too, and before he can thwart the plot against the emperor, Lukas must gamble on Celestina’s loyalty in order to save his own life.


Opinions:
This book was a rather quick and enjoyable read. It tells the story of a boy, Lukas, who is on his way to Prague to join his uncle and train as a physician. He faces many adventures, which begin while he is still on his journey to Prague, and continue throughout the whole time he is living there with his uncle.


As I said before, it was quite a quick book to read. It was quite enjoyable, too, and I did like the book. However, I didn't love it. I think the characters were well-thought out and the story was quite interesting, especially with the inclusion of the Cabinet of Curiosities. From the description inside the book, there seemed to be everything in that Cabinet! Which was more of a series-of-rooms than an actual cabinet. You might wonder how a Cabinet can play such an important role, so as to have the entire book named for it, but it does. Most of the things that happen in the book, either directly or indirectly link back to the Cabinet. (I think I've said the word cabinet one too many times...)


Other than the Cabinet, the book also focused on alchemy (seeing as most physicians at that time were actually alchemists who brewed different concoctions and investigated the properties of ingredients, so as to use them as a way of curing ailments) and the Inquisition. I don't really enjoy books that feature the Spanish Inquisition in them, as there is usually too much violence and too many notions that I find completely and utterly stupid (but which were important to them) but this one was not that bad. Can't really say why, but it wasn't.


There was one character in the book that I did not like: the emperor, Rudolph. From what I saw (after I looked into it a little), Mr. Dowswell has done his research and has pictured him correctly in the book. So my criticism is not for the way the character was developed in the book, but the character in general. He seemed like such a pathetic man. Afraid of everything and desperately seeking to find out the truth about the world. Which is not a condemnable fact in itself (does that sound right?), but it made him the weakest, most pitiable character in the book. It probably came with all the power of the position. Made him feel more vulnerable. I don't really know. Though, having said that, one thing I liked about him was that when he had made a decision, he kept it. Especially ones which were directly connected to the Church.


I didn't mind the author's style of writing. It was by no means fast paced, but it wasn't slow either. A good pace, which is definitely more suited to younger readers. I think I would have enjoyed it a little more, had I read this book when I was younger (which is impossible, but I'm just saying...)


Rating: 6/10


Author:
Paul Dowswell is a British author, who has written both fiction and non-fiction books. He worked in publishing for many years and has written a great number of books that have been published by an array of publishers in the UK. His books have also been published outside the UK. His books are mainly historical fiction (he studied History at university) and information books.


Some of his other books include:

Powder Monkey (The Sam Witchall series) (Amazon.co.uk | Goodreads)

Auslander (Amazon.co.uk | Goodreads)

Sektion 20 (Amazon.co.uk  | Goodreads)

Sektion 20 is his latest book.

You can find out more about the author here:

Paul Dowswell Official Website

Paul Dowswell on Amazon.co.uk

Counts as Book #21 in my 100 Books In A Year Challenge and as Book #10 in my British Books Challenge 2011!

(All pictures are from Goodreads)

Reminder: I received this book for free from Bloomsbury, as part of a prize pack. It has not influenced my review in any way.

Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief

Woo-hoo! At last, a review! It has taken me ages, I know... But I started reading The Moonstone and I just couldn't get into it!! It sounds very interesting, but it's soooo slow... So I decided to read other books at the same time, to see if it will help!

Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
First published by Hyperion in 2005 (this edition from Puffin in 2008)





Description: (from Goodreads)
Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he cant seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse. Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. Percys mom decides its time that he knew the truth about where he came from. She sends Percy to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friendsone a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of AthenaPercy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.


Opinions:
I'd read quite a few things on other blogs about the Percy Jackson series. I'd also seen the film, when it came out last year (and actually enjoyed it, even though I don't think it was supposed to be that good). We had the book at home (my brother had bought it at some point), but I just hadn't got round to reading it. So finally the time came!


I can't say I was impressed. It was a good, quick read and it was quite enjoyable. I liked how he managed to link two conditions present in many children today (dyslexia and ADHD) with battle reflexes and the ability to read and understand Greek. I thought that was quite original!


But (and that's a big but...) I didn't like the fact that the Greek gods had moved to the 600th floor of the Empire State Building. Call me weird, but I'm half-Greek and I like the Greek gods to stay where they ought to stay - Mount Olympus in Greece... Not some equivalent of it in America. I know it wouldn't have been much of a story if the gods were still in Greece, but still, it's one thing I didn't like about the plot.


One thing I did enjoy about this book was the friendship that developed between Percy and Annabeth. They started off with the fact that their parents aren't friends, so they can't be either, but after what they went through, it was kind-of a moot point. I liked Annabeth's character though! She's one tough cookie (if that's the correct expression!).


One final comment: I actually enjoyed the film more than the book. Which doesn't happen very often...


Rating: 6/10


Author:
Rick Riordan was born and raised in Texas. He holds a double major in English and History from the University of Austin, Texas. He used to teach English and history (including Greek mythology) to middle-school children. He currently lives in San Antonio with his wife and two sons.
He has created many succesful series:
1. The Tres Navarre series, which have won multiple awards
2. The Camp Half-Blood series, which include the Percy Jackson books
3. The 39 Clues series, which he helped create and for which he wrote the first book
4. The Kane Chronicles, a new series which focuses on Egyptian mythology
He has won many awards for his books.
Here are the covers of some of his books:

The 39 Clues - Book 1: The Maze of Bones (source)

The Red Pyramid - Kane Chronicles Book 1 (source)

Big Red Tequila - Tres Navarre Series Book 1 (source)

If you want, you can check these out!

Rick Riordan on Wikipedia

Rick Riordan on Amazon.co.uk

Rick Riordan Official Website

Counts as Book #16 in my 100 Books In A Year Challenge!

The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories

This one is another of my brother's books! Not that it is much of a book, but I read it, so I am counting it in!

The Melancholy Death Of Oyster Boy & Other Stories by Tim Burton
First published by Rob Weisbach books in 1997 (This edition by Faber and Faber in 2005)





Description: (from back cover)

Tim Burton - the creative genius behind Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow and The Nightmare before Christmas - now gives birth to a cast of gruesomely sympathetic children: misunderstood outcasts who struggle to find love and belonging to their cruel, cruel worlds. His lovingly lurid illustrations evoke both the sweetness and tragedy of these hopeful yet hapless beings.

Opinions:

Weeeeell... This is not really a book. It's a collection of short poems accompanied by their corresponding illustrations. My brother recommended I have a look at it, even though he know I absolutely hate poetry (that is the main reason I hadn't ''read'' the book until now). It's a book that you can read in 5 minutes. Full stop. That's it.

I'm not going to say anything else about the book, because I'll end up spoiling it for you! I can honestly say the book was lovely and very, very touching. But strangely, it's what one might expect from a person like Tim Burton... I don't know why (seeing that is an absolutely weird person), but it is! Try  reading it! I think you'll like it too!

I know this review isn't what you might call informative, but I can't do it any other way! Just to add a last thought though, the illustrations are lovely. Sad-looking (sometimes), but lovely, nonetheless. Just to get an idea, here are some samples of his work!

(from link)

(from link)

(from link)

Rating: 10/10

Author: 

Tim Burton is an American director and producer, as well as an artist and a writer. He is famous for some very well known films he has directed, like ''Edward Scissorhands'', ''Sleepy Hollow'', ''Beetlejuice'', ''Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street'' and, most lately, ''Alice In Wonderland''. He has also directed the animated film ''The Corpse Bride'', one of my favourite films of all time!

He lives with his girlfriend, Helena Bonham Carter, and their two children in London.

In 2009, he published a compilation of his drawings, titled ''The Art of Tim Burton''.

More information can be found here:

Tim Burton on Wikipedia

Tim Burton Official Site

The Tim Burton Collective

Counts as Book #10 in my 100 Books In A Year Challenge!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Book title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Author: Jeff Kinney

Publisher: Puffin

First published: 2007

No of pages: 217

Description: (from Amazon.co.uk) Greg Heffley finds himself thrust into a new year and a new school where undersize weaklings share the corridors with kids who are taller, meaner and already shaving. Desperate to prove his new found maturity, which only going up a grade can bring, Greg is happy to have his not-quite-so-cool sidekick, Rowley, along for the ride. But when Rowley's star starts to rise, Greg tries to use his best friend's popularity to his own advantage. Recorded in his diary with comic pictures and his very own words, this test of Greg and Rowley's friendship unfolds with hilarious results.

Review: We bought the Diary of a Wimpy Kid because my brother fancied reading it. It was probably over half a year ago... But I only just got round to reading it on the 31st of January. Thus, making it the book I was reading on the 1st of the month!

Before reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid, it had been years since I had last read one, and I can't really remember which one it might have been. And I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was funny, very well written and probably very factual, as well. I'm not sure about the last one - as I never went to school in America and schools work a bit differently in Greece - but I'm pretty sure quite a few American children would be able to empathise with the main character, Greg Heffley.

You can't honestly say that Greg is the good kid on the block. The only thing he wants to do is fit in at school. Only, he doesn't have the right way of going about it, and ends up hurting quite a few people in the process (especially his best friend, Rowley).

It might be classified as a children's book, but I think that quite a few adults would appreciate it, too. It's funny and will probably make you smile or maybe even laugh out loud at some of the things going on in the book. Same goes, whether you are young or old. A book definitely worth reading! You'll have fun! Trust me!

Rating: 8/10 (for funnyness!)


Author: Jeff Kinney was born in Maryland in 1971 and attended the University of Maryland in the early 1990s. He already knew he wanted to be a cartoonist, and actually ran a comic strip called ''Igdoof'' for the campus newspaper. In 1998, he started Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He worked on it for 6 years, until he started posting it in installments on Funbrain.com. In 2006, he signed a multi-book deal to turn the Diary into a proper book, which was published in 2007. Since then, he has also written extra books in the series:

1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid

2. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

3.  Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Do-It-Yourself book (out of series)

4.  Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw

5.  Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

 6.  Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth

The author lives in southern Massachusetts with his wife and two sons.

Linkies:

Jeff Kinney on Amazon.co.uk

WimpyKid.com

There is also a film based on the book, the trailer to which you can see here:

Plus, the second film is coming up, based on the second book of the series (Rodrick Rules):

Counts as Book #6 in my 100 Books In A Year 2011 Challenge! 

Goodnight everyone!