Dash & Lily's Book of Dares
By Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

3 out of 5

Dash is a snarly teenage boy, whose divorced parents both think Dash is staying with the other for the Christmas season. Lily is an excitable teenage girl, who loves Christmas, and whose parents have abandoned her with her older brother while they go to Fiji for Christmas. These two kids would have never met if it were not for the red moleskin notebook.
Lily left it in the Strand bookstore, in the section of her favorite author. Dash picked it up and followed the clues. Then rights some clues of his own. So begins an epic journey all over New York City as the two teens, who have never seen each other face to face, learn more and more about each other in a completely anonymous method. Both develop feelings for the other, but without actually seeing the person and talking to them, hearing their voice, how well can you really know a person?

This book was cute, and definitely put me in the Christmas spirit--especially when it is snowing outside as I read it. Personally, I liked Naomi & Ely better, but I think that's just because I was more like them than I am Dash and Lily. The story was fun and whimsical, as most things around Christmas are, but the message is clear. It's what on the inside that counts, but the outside is still important.

P.S. I am conducting the full swing of David and Rachel. I started with Every Day, By David Levithan. Now I have read their duo number, and I just picked up Beta by Rachel Cohn from the library. After this, I will be taking a prolonged break from these lovely writers, and explore other works.

The Maze Runner
By James Dashner

3 out of 5

Thomas wakes up in a metal box with no memory of how he got there or anything before the box. Next thing he knows, the box is being pried open, and tens of boys are helping him out of the box and into a whole new world. Welcome to the Glade. Thomas is baffled by everything that has happened, but no one seems really keen to answer his questions until he has had the grande tour. The next morning, Thomas starts his tour with Alby, the boys' appointed leader. But then weird things start happening. The next day, a girl comes out from the box. And this girl has a message: Everything Is Going To Change. Now Thomas is more confused than ever, but no one can answer questions they don't know themselves. Add in the Changing, crazy boys, and the burning desire to be a runner, and you're just at the beginning.

I personally thought that this book was pretty good. My dad didn't like it because he said that the book didn't end. But it does end, but it's also part of a series, so not every question is answered, but it definitely ends. I like how the boys have organized their lives, and I like the points of dry humor that are thrown seamlessly into the story. Living under such hard conditions, it is nice to see that the boys can still make some jokes every so often. I like Thomas, even though he can be a little irrational, and I like Newt (mainly because he's so obviously British), even though he can be terribly hot tempered.

Every Day
By David Levithan

3 out of 5

Every morning A wakes up in a different body. Someone else's body. For 24 hours, A lives in this person's body, trying to not disrupt or call attention, and move onto the next person. Everything was going fine until A meets Rhiannon. A instantly falls in love with Rhiannon. All A can think of is her, and for days, A disrupts the lives of teens all over Maryland in order to be with her. But how can a relationship work if you look different each day? If you wake up three hours from your love one day, and in the same time the next day. A can be girls, boys, happy kids, suicidal kids. Rich, poor, how far will A go to be with the one girl?

You can thank Sandy for this one. Stuck inside the house for a few days, I read. The entire time I was reading this book, I kept thinking, "I don't know if I like this." In my opinion, this book was weird. I have liked other things that Levithan has written, (Will Grayson Will Grayson, Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List), and I have Dash and Lily's Book of Dares sitting on the desk next to me, but this one just didn't do it for me. The premise is weird, but even if you can accept the premise, the story is still weird. After living hundreds of lives, with no issue, A suddenly wants to throw everything away for one girl he met one day. I don't know, this book just didn't do it for me.

Shatter Me
By Tahereh Mafi

4 out of 5

Juliette has never touched anyone, without hurting them. Now she is locked up, being kept there for death or something worse. But then she gets a roommate. A boy roommate. A boy roommate that she has tried to forget, but could never never never forget. Adam. The Reestablishment has plans to use Juliette as a weapon, but that is not what she wants. All Juliette wants is to be loved. But how can you be loved when everyone you touch suffers? Will Adam be able to help, or will he be part of the enemy?

In love with this book. I absolutely adore the writing style. The descriptions are so vivid and, coming from me, that's saying a lot. 99% of the time, I will choose pages and pages of dialogue over one paragraph of description, but this book. Wow. I felt like I was sitting in that cell, feeling the darkness, the fear, the desperation. I was uncomfortable when Juliette was uncomfortable, alive when she was alive. Again the writing style, awesome. The repetition and crossing out really adds a personal touch to the story, and allows the reader to really get into Juliette's mind. Book two, Unravel Me, comes out in early Frebruary 2013.

All These Things I've Done
By Gabrielle Zevin

3.5 out of 5

Anya (Annie) Balachine is not your normal sixteen year old girl. She is the daughter of the city's most notorious 9and dead) crime boss. In a land where chocolate and coffee is illegal and there are vouchers for everything from ice cream to paper, Anya is trying to keep things simple for her little family. Anya and her younger sister go to a catholic school, which is known for being the best in New York City, and her older brother works at a local animal clinic. But things for the children of mafiya never stay normal for long. Enter a chocolate contamination scandal and a hot new boyfriend, Win, who just happens to be the son of the new assistant DA. How will Annie deal with all of these on going challenges?

This book was not what I expected it to be. i don't know if I had even read a summary of this book,or if I just chose it at random, but I had no idea what this book was going to be about before I opened to the first page.But I really enjoyed the book.There were some spots of humor, as well as sadness. It portrayed the dramatics of a teenager combined seamlessly with the responsibility of a young girl who grew up too quickly in the middle of organized crime. I thought the way Anya dealt with everything was very mature for her age, but honesty who wouldn't love Win! (this is where I stop talking about the book, and just gush about the boy of this book) He is literally perfect. Such a gentleman, and he doesn't let bullshit slide by when he sees it. he knows what he wants, and you got to respect anyone who knows what they want--even if you don't agree with it. And, by all accounts, he's handsome, charming, clever, chivalrous, and gorgeous.

Saving Francesca
By Melina Marchetta

4 out of 5

Francesca is a normal seventeen year old girl going to high school in her Australian hometown. But she just changed to an almost all boys school. Francesca's class is the first class to have girls in it, and there are thirty of them. All of Francesca's friends went to a different school, so she is stuck in a predominantly boys school, with only a few girls--who she only barely knows. All boys school sounds good right? But when these boys have never had to be mature around girls before, it's not the thrill that it sounds like. Plus, Francesca's mom--the driving force in her life--has taken to her bed, and won't leave. How will Francesca deal with her mom's struggles as well as her own?

I am pretty sure that I am Francesca. I have the same sense of humor as her, I found this book hilarious, and I have the same flare for the dramatic rants, which she uses to full extent. I like how normal the book was, how realistic it was. Boys and girls can be friends without wanting to get into each others pants. They can joke together just as well as people from the same sex can. I loved the way the book did that, but also did a little bit of the awkward, romantic, confusion that accompanies high school. I had read another by Marchetta (Jellicoe Road) a while ago, but after reading this one, she has become an author I really like and enjoy. I will definitely be reading more from her in the future.

Code Name Verity
By Elizabeth Wein

5 out of 5

Enter occupied France in the midst of World War II. A British female wireless operator--her code name Verity--has been captured by the Nazis and is being held in a prison of sorts. After being tortured for two long weeks, she finally gives in and says that she will tell them everything she knows, all she needs is an endless supply of paper and ink. With these materials, she tells the story of her and her best friend, Mary, all the way up to how the ended up emergency evacuating their plane over Nazi France.

I loved this book. It was fabulous. I have always been interested in World War II, it was my favorite part of history class, and I really liked the insight on a prisoner of war who knew that she was going to die, but still put on a brave a face as she could. I loved Verity's personality and attitude, even during her weakest moments. I loved her stubbornness that she is Scottish NOT British. My favorite character is Jamie, though his role in the story is minimal. That doesn't mean that I don't love Verity and Mary just as well. After all they make a sensational team. As does this book, sensational.