Book Review #11: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Pages: 448
Tally Youngblood is ugly. In her world she is hideous, she is completely horrible, but in our world she is totally normal. Tally lives in the future, in this future when you are sixteen you go through an operation, and you are pretty and you live in "Prettyville". Tally is only one month away from turning sixteen when she meets Shay. Shay tells Tally a secret, and that secret is that there is a place out in the wild waiting to take uglies in so they don't have to get the operation. A couple days before they are both sixteen Shay runs away to this place, and tells Tally not to tell anyone where she went. When Tally goes to get her operation she is not aloud to. Dr. Cable from Special Circumstances sends her on a mission to find Shay so that Shay may receive her operation too. When Tally finally does find Shay she realizes that convince Shay to come back isn't as hard as convincing herself, especially when she finds out the secret of the Pretty operation.

The first time I tried reading this book it was quite confusing because I didn't understand that they were in the future. The second time I actually finished it and I fell in love with it. Now I have quotes from it written in notebooks and paper taped to my walls. If you gave up Uglies I urge you to give it a change it's a really great book.

I'm very happy I gave it a chance because it's really interesting to see how people see themselves and how they think they need an operation to be pretty, just like people these days do. In a part of the book Shay and Tally were looking at magazines from our time saying that the models and stars had "That Disease" meaning anorexia or bulimia. I thought that that was really interesting because it's frowned upon in their time and it seems like a way to get skinny in our time.

I rated this book four and a half out of five, because you really have to persevere through the first few parts before you can fully appreciate it. I'm glad I did because if I didn't I wouldn't have been able to enjoy this great book.   

Book Review #10: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Pages: 378

All Mrs. Bennet has ever wanted for her daughters are to get them married to good men with connections and money. When a handsome rich bachelor, Mr. Bingley moves in to Netherfield, she sees her opportunity to marry off one of her daughters. Our heroine Elizabeth Bennet, the second daughter in the Bennet family, meets Mr. Bingley’s oldest and closest friend, Mr. Darcy, she can’t help but loathe him. Mr. Darcy is proud and seems to feel he is above her family and friends, so Elizabeth can’t help but hate him. Who cares if he makes ten thousand a year? He is too proud and rude for her. But when Elizabeth’s sister visits Mr. Bingley’s sisters and gets sick Elizabeth walks all the way to Netherfield , Mr. Darcy’s can’t help but see that her eyes are quite brightened by exercise. Thus begins the greatest love story in all history.

When I picked up this book I wanted a real challenge, old English literature. I got exactly what I wanted. But after I really got into the book I began to understand. When I got really into this book I couldn’t put it down. I read late into the night, I would keep turning the pages even after eleven. I felt so happy when I finally finished it because it was the first classic that I had read, and now I love reading classics.

I would only recommend this book to people who know that they can handle the difficult old English language. When you can understand the language it is easier then trying to figure out what their saying. Cliff notes will help as well.

This book is very light and happy, it is full of humor. The simple things they said back then are simply hilarious nowadays. I found myself laughing hysterically over the simplest things because of the things they said that would not be acceptable now. The way they insulted each other in a very subtle way made me laugh.

While I was reading this I could feel myself getting smarter, so if your looking for something to raise your IQ this book is perfect. I wouldn’t suggest it as light reading because you’ll get sucked in before you know it.

I rated this five out of five. It was a lovely happy book that made me laugh. I’m very happy I read this because I feel smarter and I know that I can read any classic I want now. Thanks for reading!  

Book Review #9: The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Pages: 400

Ani has always been an odd sort of princess according to the people of her country, Kildenree, so when her mother tells her that she will be traveling to Kildenree’s neighboring country to marry an unknown prince to make peace will them, she accepts hoping to finally find her place. But after several weeks traveling in the forest Ani’s lady in waiting, Selia, and half of Ani’s guard betrays her and attempts to kill her so that Selia can be the princess. Ani flees and finds her self in the foreign country with a job as the palace goose girl, determined to get her name back and make Selia face her crimes.

In fifth grade my teacher read this story to us and I totally fell in love with this story, so much that when we hit a cliffhanger just as the bell rang I screamed! I fell completely in love with the book. On my list of favorite books this one is definitely number two. This book is perfect for everyone; it has action and gore for the guys, and love and princesses for the ladies.

I love this book, it’s a perfect book; princess fairytale, deception, betrayal, action, magic, and of course a little romance! I would recommend this book to anyone, even guys! It’s a perfect, it’s appropriate for all ages, the thickness might make some others not want to read it but it’s totally worth it, there are no boring parts, you’re always wondering what is going to happen to Ani, and what Selia is going to do next.

I feel bad for those publishers who turned down Shannon Hale because they thought her book wasn’t good enough, they really are missing out on a lot of money from those people like me who buy her books! I love Shannon Hale’s books!

I rated this book happily a five out of five! It is an awesome book and a great one to re-read over and over again!