Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder

4/5 Stars

My Summary:

Trella is a Scrub. Scrubs are insignificant nobodies who roam the bottom two levels. They do all the dirty work because they're scrubs. The Uppers live in peace and luxury.

Trella lives in the pipes that she cleans. She doesn't want interact with any of the Scrubs; she just wants to be left alone to explore.

This plan was working for her until someone sought her out for help. But helping would disrupt Trella's world. The Pop Cops don't want this world disrupted and will take-out anyone who tries.

By helping, she'll learn things about her world that the Pop Cops and controllers do not want anyone to know. She'll learn the truth about the Uppers, about her world, about relationships, about her "family," and about herself.

Trella starts a rebellion. One she can't stop. But, does she really want to stop it?


My Review:

I really enjoyed this book. The beginning was a little confusing due to the different world Maria created. It took me a few minutes to really wrap my mind around it. It is such a different world she created- through pipes and floor levels. Some of her explanations were a bit much for me because I couldn't understand what she was talking about at first, but as I kept reading I figured out I just needed to know the basics to get the story going.

The character of Trella was created very well. She is strong and determined. She complains a lot about not caring and not wanting to change things and not believing...but one can see through that before she does.

Moving through the story and seeing her relationships with the different characters was very interesting. Seeing how she interacted with one character but not others.

The suspense was perfect. Enough to keep one reading. There were some good twists throughout the book. I enjoyed at the end how I figured something out, Trella knew it, but another character couldn't put two and two together.

The really liked the character Riley. I kept wanting Trella and Riley to spend more time together.

On the last page you find out the book will be in a series. That was crushing because it's not out yet! I will definitely pick up the next one.

Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford

3/5 Stars

B&N:

I'm not crazy. I don't see what the big deal is about what happened. But apparently someone does think it's a big deal because here I am. I bet it was my mother. She always overreacts.

Fifteen-year-old Jeff wakes up on New Year's Day to find himself in the hospital. Make that the psychiatric ward. With the nutjobs. Clearly, this is all a huge mistake. Forget about the bandages on his wrists and the notes on his chart. Forget about his problems with his best friend, Allie, and her boyfriend, Burke. Jeff's perfectly fine, perfectly normal, not like the other kids in the hospital with him. Now they've got problems. But a funny thing happens as his forty-five-day sentence drags on—the crazies start to seem less crazy.

Compelling, witty, and refreshingly real, Suicide Notes is a darkly humorous novel from award-winning author Michael Thomas Ford that examines that fuzzy line between "normal" and the rest of us.

My Review:

This was an "OK" book. I really like the books about mental hospitals and such and this one wasn't too bad. Jeff is telling us his story about being in the hospital. He takes us through meeting the other teens there and the relationships he has with them. You know that he tried to kill himself, but you don't really find out why until the end. They give hints and he lies a lot, but the total story doesn't come out until the end. There was one part towards the end that was very touching...I didn't see it coming- although I should have.

I noticed on the inside of the book that it lists key topics that it deals with and one topic it mentions is homosexuality. This is fine with me and I would even consider putting it in my library (although I know some people at my school wouldn't be too happy-) actually, let me rephrase that. I'd keep it in my classroom- but behind my desk. That way I can really track who is reading it. BUT because of some of the descriptions on what happens... whether it be between males or females or males and females- it's a bit too graphic for 8th grade.

The character Jeff is great though. His humor and quick wit had me laughing at loud many times.

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summer

4/5 Stars

Regina Afton used to have it all. She was one of the “Fearsome Fivesome,” a group of high school girls who were the “mean girls.” They ruled the school. They didn’t care who they hurt. They used fear to enhance their popularity. Then something happens that causes Regina to be “frozen out.” One day she’s part of the five, the next she’s the target.

While battling with her old best friends and trying to survive each day in high school, Regina befriends social outcast Michael. Michael used to be her enemy- one of her victims…but now she needs to rely on him more than ever.

This book shows us the ugly side of bullying but also shows us what happens when it’s turned around and the bully gets bullied. Throughout the book the reader is able to see the characters change and how they react to what’s happening. It’s also very interesting to see how a group of teens can change someone’s life in the blink of an eye. One moment Regina is at the top, and then she is pushed to the bottom and the entire school is against her. To see the power that takes place within the social aspect of a high school is very eye opening.

There is mature content within this novel. Drugs, drinking, and the hint of sex are all mentioned throughout the book. Also, the language is true to life with how some teenagers speak. This is definitely a high school book. High school students will be able to relate to the characters in the book and the events that take place within the book. You will find yourself cheering along characters and then really disliking others. This is a great book that hopefully will help some people realize the real issues with bullying. One must question though, will reading this book change how bullies see what the problems they cause as Regina did? One can only hope. I do believe that if students read this novel, it could help.