Description: Bella has always shared her mother's hatred of the small Washington town of Forks where her father lives, but now she's voluntarily choosing to move there to live with her dad while her mother pursues a more mobile lifestyle with her new husband. At the high school in Forks, Bella is an immediate success, befriended by one of the most popular girls in school and pursued by one of the most popular boys. Everyone loves Bella. Everyone except the movie-star perfect Edward, who seems to loathe Bella on sight. But when Edward saves Bella from being hit by a car despite having been on the other side of the parking lot mere seconds before, it seems that Edward must not hate her so much after all. Bella's quest to discover who (and what) Edward really is eventually leads to the realization that he is a vampire...and he craves Bella's blood more than any he's ever encountered before. While Edward and Bella endeavor to work out their relationship, another vampire scents a challenge, and soon Bella's life is at risk from more than just Edward's blood lust.
Review: "Twilight" is the best YA vampire novel I have ever read. Readers will be able to relate to clumsy but certainly not helpless Bella and will fall in love with the dark and mysterious, but cutely geeky Edward. Their relationship is very believable; Meyer explores difficulties of a vampire/human relationship that aren't usually addressed in vampire stories. Bella's quest to discover Edward's true identity and their subsequent tentative romance is a decent plot in itself, and the homocidal vampire plot near the end of the novel only adds to the excitement factor. The almost mundane events of life as a high school student serve to anchor the story in reality, making the paranormal aspects that much more believable. No one should miss out on this amazing piece of young adult literature.
Rating: 1.5
Description: When she was a child, Ruth was brutally attacked by a green-eyed wolf in the woods on the path to her grandmother's house. Her legs still bear the scars of the assault, but Ruth has grown into a young woman, learning the trade of her father, a blacksmith, after her brother leaves for the Crusades and learning herb lore from her grandmother, whom the village has labeled a witch. When Ruth's cousin Peter returns from the Crusades with the news that her brother has died, Ruth is devastated, but when the young Earl, William, enters her family's blacksmith's shop, Ruth cannot help but be drawn to the man who, far from being disgusted by her profession and sharp tongue, seems intrigued. William is fascinated by Ruth and begins to make up excuses to see her, but he knows that their relationship is doomed to end, as William's family suffers under a curse that would put Ruth in danger. When a series of brutal killings take place in the very wood where Ruth was attacked as a child, the village looks for the same wolf that is responsible for Ruth's scars. When Ruth learns William's secret, that he is the wolf who caused her so much pain, she must look to her heart to tell her what action to take.
Review: After reading the author's book "Midnight Pearls", I was expecting a light, interesting retelling of a fairytale. What I found in "Scarlet Moon" was a dull, dark, and somewhat confusing story. Ruth is a somewhat interesting character, but she is never developed to the extent that she could have been, and all the other characters are pale and flat. I was never able to bring myself to care for them one way or the other. What little plot there is mostly revolves around the revelation of William's secret, but it's obvious from his and Ruth's very first meeting that he's a werewolf. While the ending is surprising, it's still rather stupid and is never explained to my satisfaction. Overall, I'd only recommend "Scarlet Moon" if you're desperate for a fairytale retelling or a ginormous fan of the "Once Upon A Time" series (of which this book is a part).
Rating: 5
Description: Leo is both embarrassed and fascinated by new student Stargirl Caraway's free-spirited and open approach to life. Stargirl wears pioneer dresses and kimonos to school, strums a ukulele in the cafeteria, laughs when there are no jokes, and dances when there is no music. In the beginning, the students of Arizona's Mica Area High School don't know what to think of Stargirl. Eventually they become enamored of her unique way of making everyone feel special. She even becomes a cheerleader. But Stargirl's friendliness even extends to the opposing team, and soon some students begin to think of her as less of a free spirit and more of a misfit freak. Leo, now "starstruck" by Stargirl's unexplainable regard for him, doesn't notice, lost in enjoying Stargirl's unique view of humanity and the world around them. But when Stargirl is verbally attacked on Leo's school show Hot Seat, he notices, and, while Stargirl doesn't seem to mind the new hostility, Leo does mind when it is extended toward him and he is scornfully dubbed "Starboy". Disturbed by this new negative attention, Leo begs Stargirl to become normal, to strive to fit in. Stargirl doesn't understand, but tries in order to please him. She becomes just Cathy, a normal high school girl. Leo is pleased and loves this new girl, but "Cathy" is secretly miserable, and unless Leo can learn to accept Stargirl, quirks and all, he may lose her forever.
Review: In this book, Jerry Spinelli takes the typical high school and throws in a wildcard, one person who represents everyone's inner identity stuggle. Stargirl is the person we all secretly wish we were, but in reality most of us are probably more like Leo, the normal boy who just wants to fit in. There is something in both Stargirl and Leo that we can all identify with. The plot, while not exciting, is interesting enough to keep the reader engaged, but not developed enough to detract from the message of the story, which is the important part. "Stargirl" is a must-read book, sometimes funny, sometimes haunting, and perfectly exemplifying society's habit of stifling individuality.