Deadline

Author: Chris Crutcher

Copyright: 2007

Pages: 320

Rating: 9 out of 10

How the book got from the shelf into my (sorta) loving arms:

It was my turn to pick two books at Barnes and Noble. I already knew I wanted the new Sarah Dessen book, but all the other books didn't seem appealing because I had either already read it or it was some vampire book. (Are vampires the only thing people care about these days? Seriously, there are other things to read/write about.) I read the back of the book and the plot seemed fresh and inviting, so that's why I ended up buying it.

It's the summer before Ben Wolf's senior year when he receives the devastating news that he has a terminal illness. The doctor tells him has only one year left to live. If this were any other book, any other character the story would end here. Not in Ben's case. Legally, Ben has no obligation to alert anyone of his condition due to the fact that he's 18 and no longer a minor. Instead of grieving over his inevitable death, Ben decides to make the most of his last year on earth. From the very start, Ben proves to be a likable, witty character in the face of death. He decides to try out for the football team and woo the girl of his dreams, Dallas Suzuki (which is not a Car Dealership, to be clear).

This book, and Ben for that matter, could have been a tearjerker. What makes Deadline special and unique is the fact that it wasn't. Ben takes an optimistic look on the life that has never been perfect. He changes multiple people's lives, and if we let him, he changes ours. For me, this book had a slow start, but it was well worth continuing. Of course, this book may make you cry, but I guarantee you'll most likely be laughing by the next page.

Crowned

Author: Julie Linker


Copyright: 2008


Number of Pages: 296


Rating: 8 out of 10

Why I Picked This Up: I was in the library and this was one of the new books. The cover looked interesting, (Yes I judge books by their covers, but only in the literal sense) and it was purple, my favorite color, so I had to pick it up!





Presley is a born pageant queen. It's her life. Dancing gives her a rush and being a beauty queen is truly what she is passionate about. However, there are a few problems. Her parents are rockers who Presley can barely relate to. Also, her family has a lot less money than the other contestants. But despite all of this, it does not stop her or bruise her ego. She seems unstoppable until one day, when Presley catches her boyfriend, Gabe, making out with her arch-enemy: Megan. Although Presley is upset that Megan stole her boyfriend, she isn't surprised. Presley and Megan have been competing against each other in many other pageants and Miss Teen State had been coming up soon. Presley knew she had to take revenge. But what happens when their competitive nature turns into all-out war?
Crowned takes catfights and backstabbing to a whole new level. The hilarious antics of the girls finding ways to torment each other (Secret hair dying, scandalous online pictures and more) are very original and funny. However, what makes this book so laugh-out-loud-funny is Presley's humorous narration. She is one of the funniest protagonists that I have read about in a long time. This book was definitely an enjoyable read but was not very emotionally deep. Another con was that the main character, Presley, was a little bit of an airhead. This will not be a concern for many readers though, and the humour helped overshadow this fact. Overall Crowned was a fun and quick read that I would recommend for teenage girls who are looking for a little something to tickle their funny bone (oh, and some dangerous revenge ideas).



Quote from book:
"Yeah, while my grandfather spent the sixties selling 'love beads' out of a beat-up version of the Mystery Machine, Justine's grandfather was busy going to Harvard medical school and inventing some sort of super-important surgical thingy that 'revolutionized twenty-first-century medicine' and made a bajillion trillion dollars. Can you say 'Life is so not fair?'"