Review: The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan. a Forest of Hands and Teeth Book.

Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: March 2011
List Price: $17.99
ISBN-13: 9780385738590

Review: What would you do if you knew you had only a few days left to live? This haunting question plagues Annah as she battles for not only her life, but for the lives of all other living people in Carrie Ryan's third installment in her Forest of Hands and Teeth series - The Dark and Hollow Places. In this dystopian novel, Annah must come to terms with her past - leaving her sister in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, the horrific scars she endured from the barbed wire, and her uncertain feelings for Elias after he left to join the Recruiters - if she has any hope of ever having a future.

Annah's world ended when Elias left to join the Recruiters, and the longer he stays away, the more she realizes she's on her own - alone to try to escape the horrors of the Return. Over time, Annah becomes self-sufficient and learns secrets to avoiding the Horde and the Unconsecrated. However, a hole exists in her soul without Elias. In many ways she's as dead and void of life as the desolate world that surrounds her. But, when she runs into Catcher, a boy who in many ways reminds her so much of Elias, she finds that there might be a little life still left inside her. Catcher, however, is mysterious and comes to Annah with not only hope, but also heavy laden with secrets that cloud his past and more importantly link to her past as well. As Annah's feelings for Catcher grow, it becomes very clear that her past will come back to haunt her and she just might have to decide what she would do if she only had a few days left to live.

Carrie Ryan blends horror and romance in such a way that will capture the hearts of young adult readers. The Forest of Hands and Teeth series is about a dystopian world in which people don't merely die, but they come back to haunt and feed off the blood of the living. To truly understand the world in which Annah lives, as well as the characters and challenges they face, it is critical to start at the beginning of the series. However, readers will be excited they did! The Dark and Hollow Places is thought-provoking and makes readers take a look at the world in which they live. When Annah is trying to make sense of her world, she says, "Maybe, I just wonder sometimes if that's why all this happened. If there wasn't enough good in the world and that's what caused the Return. People got greedy and selfish with their lives and were unwilling to let it go in the end when it was time." Readers can't help but wonder what the lasting effects of a greedy world will be - and maybe seeing Annah's world is enough to make people think twice about how they live. Also, the character dynamics are well developed. Annah is a complex character that grows exponentially throughout the series. She makes realizations in The Dark and Hollow Places that show a wealth of maturing, plus her relationships with Elias, her sister, and of course Catcher, light the pages on fire. The story is complex, yet so compelling, readers find themselves reading into the wee hours of night - and then checking under the bed for an Unconsecrated! Although there does not seem to be a sequel in the making, it certainly seems like Annah's story is not finished - which will certainly make Carrie Ryan fans very happy!

Review written by Margo Nauert (6th grade teacher).

We would like to thank Random House for providing a copy of The Dark and Hollow Places for this review.

Have you read The Dark and Hollow Places? How would you rate it?

Book Review: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

The Red Pyramid
by Rick Riordan
The Kane Chronicles

Hyperion Books
ISBN-10: 1-4231133-8-1
ISBN-13: 978-1-4231133-86
Publication Date: May, 2010
List Price: $17.99

Review: Carter Kane has been living out of a suitcase, traveling around the world with his father, a brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane. This is because six years ago, his mother died by a horrific accident involving magic. But while he is being homeschooled by his father, his younger sister, Sadie, is living in London with their grandparents. Sadie has just what Carter longs for—a “normal” life and some cool school friends. But, what Carter has, Sadie longs for—time with their father. The kids have almost nothing in common with each other… until now in the exciting premier novel in the Kane Chronicles Series, The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan.

Carter and Sadie are reunited on Christmas Eve, when their father brings them to a British Museum not far from Sadie’s home with a promise that he’s going to “make things right”. But, what Julius planned does not happen; instead of his plan, he summons a scary statue that banishes him and creates a blistering outburst. Soon enough, Carter and Sadie find out that the gods of Egypt are waking from the Duat and that the nastiest of them—Set—has in mind a hazardous scheme to take control of the world. To save their father, they must embark on a crazy quest that brings them farther from safety and closer to their own history, which is linked to the old House of Life, a covert order existing since the time of the first pharaohs of Ancient Egypt! From the author of the bestselling series, Percy Jackson & The Olympians comes this first of The Kane Chronicles, mixing non-stop achievement, humor, anticipation, and suspense in a grand story of valor and conformity.

The Red Pyramid is great. It makes readers want to read it, plus it is a long book, so it doesn’t end quickly. My favorite part of the book is when Muffin (Sadie’s protector cat) turns into Bast, the goddess of cats, while Amos Kanes’ house is under attack by magic demons. She starts fighting them by using her long knives. I also liked the chapter names in the book. Mr. Riordan always makes them very funny, such as “Muffin Plays with Knives”, or “I Face the Killer Turkey”. The Red Pyramid lives up to Rick Riordan’s usual excitement and adventure – making him one of my favorite authors! The first book in The Kane Chronicles also received many praises from different people, such as The New York Times #1 Best Seller, and Magazine.com. So, in short, The Red Pyramid is an awesome book, and I just can’t wait until the second book in the series comes out.

Review written by Karan (7th grade student).

We would like to thank The Mehta Family for providing a copy of The Red Pyramid for this review.

Have you read The Red Pyramid? How would you rate it?

Book Review: The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

The Dead-Tossed Waves
by Carrie Ryan
Sequel to The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers
ISBN-10: 0-385-73684-3
ISBN-13: 978-0-385-73684-8
Publication Date: March, 2010
List Price: $17.99

Review: Tragedy, romance, and a great plotline. Do you love all these great characteristics in a book? Of course! Then you should read The Dead-Tossed Waves, a sequel to The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. It’s a great book about friendship, and the importance of never abandoning friends- even in hard times.

The book starts off with a girl named Gabry, whose best friends Cira and Catcher want her to come with them out past the Barrier that separates the town of Vista (where they live) and the forest. Gabry knows this is dangerous, because Mudo (zombie-like creatures) wander the forest to look for humans to bite, and therefore Infect. When someone is bitten by a Mudo, they become Mudo. Gabry is anxious, but instead crosses the Barrier with her friends and others to an old amusement park. They turn around, and see a Mudo-like Breaker stagger into the clearing. Catcher tells Gabry to run, but she sees an Infected lurching over to her. Catcher saves her, but is bitten. He forces her to go back home before she's hurt. The next day Gabry tries to find Catcher; she travels past the Barrier on the beach and meets Elias, a boy who she later finds out is in a mysterious cult that worships Mudo, and when she finally finds Catcher, he tells her he is immune to Mudo. A few days later, Gabry must enlist the help of Catcher and Elias to find her mom who has disappeared. Gabry, Catcher and Elias traverse to find her, and when they finally do, her mother tells a tale of Gabry's mysterious young years. Trying to experience more than the world they already know, they come across Mudo, foreign strangers, and a heartbreaking love triangle that revolves around them.

The Dead-Tossed Waves is a great book filled with apprehension and pauses in the storyline. I personally thought it was an amazing page-turner suspense thriller that I couldn't put down until you read through it all (which is what I did in one night!). I liked that some parts left the reader hanging, like the time in between when she was at home and visiting Catcher. The author also threw in a lot of twists, like Gabry meeting Elias, Catcher's immunity, and other things. It was also really helpful that the author explained the Mudo, Infected , and Breakers, because I didn't read the first book, The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Otherwise, I wouldn't have understood the concepts very well. Also, I liked how she made Catcher be immune to Mudo bites, because I liked his character. In the beginning, I thought Catcher was really brave and it hadn't changed by the end of the story. In addition, I LOVED Gabry's 'hush-hush' past, because it totally changed the story and made it infinitely more interesting because Elias is wrapped up in it all. One last thing I liked was that Gabry was daring, brave, and willing to break the rules for her best friend Cira when Gabry looks for Catcher in the old run-down town. Some things I found unnecessary were all the blood, and violence at some points. I also disliked how the author made Gabry's mom seem so irresponsible, the way she just left Gabry all alone to take care of herself and the lighthouse. Nonetheless, all in all, The Dead-Tossed Waves is an amazing book. I can't tell you any more, but if you like how it sounds, read it! I can guarantee that you will love it.

Review written by Emily (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Random House for providing a copy of The Dead-Tossed Waves for this review.

Have you read The Dead-Tossed Waves? How would you rate it?

Book Review: Ghost in the Machine by Patrick Carman

Ghost in the Machine
by Patrick Carman
Skeleton Creek

Scholastic
ISBN-10: 0-54507-570-X
ISBN-13: 978-0-54507-570-1
Publication Date: October, 2009
List Price: $14.99

Review: Do you enjoy ghost stories? The Internet? Reading from a journal? Join Sarah Fincher and Ryan McCray on the adventure of a lifetime. Skeleton Creek is the journal of Ryan, who writes down everything he find out about his seemingly dull life, until they explore dredge, and discover it’s haunted. Have you read Skeleton Creek? Then Skeleton Creek, Book Two: The Ghost in the Machine, is the book for you. It sounds like a really thick book, but honestly it’s not. Do you want to know why? You need a computer to understand the full story. This is considered a multimedia story. Every 40 pages or so, you just hop on the computer when Ryan tells you to and use the password (the website is Sarahfincher.com). Ryan McCray and Sarah Fincher are on the brink of finding out the secret of dredge asset #42, Old Joe Bush, and the Crossbones. Ryan is almost ready to go back to school. The videos get scarier. And, you may just find a few surprises while you read.

Drudge asset #42 is haunted, presumably the ghost of Old Joe Bush, and nobody believes Sarah or Ryan about it. And it doesn't help that Ryan's parents banned him from seeing Sarah ever again. The one bad thing about Sarah is that she doesn't take “no” for an answer. Ryan starts to freak himself out. We wakes up one night to find that he had written “Don't make me come looking for you” on the wall above his bed. And what does he conclude?... its Old Joe Bush. Sarah's videos get creepier, Ryan's journal gets harder and harder to stop reading, and the stakes get higher. While Ryan has to help Sarah and discover things for her while his mother and father check his computer, and Ryan can't walk with a broken leg, let alone go meet up with Sarah. Follow these two in the second book in the Skeleton Creek series the Ghost in the Machine.

Patrick Carman has a unique way of doing things, and frankly, many readers enjoy it. Instead of a simple paper book, he decided to add some technology into it. Carman has written a delightfully terrifying story, and everybody I've spoken to about it seems to have loved it. It gives you quite a fright, but this book may make you a bit paranoid, like it did to me. I wish I could give it more stars, but I'm only allowed 5, so he deserves all of the 5. There is one thing I would like to point out, though. If anyone is without a computer, they only get to experience about half of the story, and anything Ryan tells them from the video. The best thing to enhance this story had been the scenery. Nice, little town in the middle of nowhere, nothing ever really bothered it, then Ryan and Sarah, two innocent kids, go and find out that the smallest little town on the face of the US, has the biggest secret they could imagine. Ryan especially gets more and more worried (or you could call it paranoid) and freaks out at the smallest things. All in all, this story has been very enjoyable, but I don't want to spoil anything for those who want to read the book for themselves.

Review written by Willow (6th grade student).

We would like to thank The Mehta Family for providing a copy of Ghost in the Machine for this review.

Have you read Ghost in the Machine? How would you rate it?

Book Review: Malice by Chris Wooding

Malice
by Chris Wooding
The Malice Series

Scholastic
ISBN-10: 0-54516-043-X
ISBN-13: 978-0-54516-043-8
Publication Date: October, 2009
List Price: $14.99

Review: It’s not just a myth. It’s MALICE. It’s horrifying, it’s real, and it’s written by Chris Wooding! Better yet, it’s only the first book in the adventure! After Malice, Havoc will be let loose. I’m not really into horror books like Malice, but I could NOT put Malice down for a moment! If Havoc doesn’t come out SOON I will DIE!

The rumor is that if you gather the right things and say the right words you’ll be taken to Malice, a deadly comic world. I would tell you the items and the chant you have to say but I don’t want to be responsible for children disappearing all over the world. But I will tell you that you’ll find out in Malice. Seth and Kady don’t believe in all this mumbo-jumbo. But then… their friend goes missing and it doesn’t seem so silly anymore. Soon Seth and Kady are on a wild adventure inside of Malice. Malice is much more real than they ever expected. Will they make it out ALIVE!? I know, but YOU don’t. Read it. Say the chant. Be the next to star in, and possibly survive in MALICE!

It’s horrifyingly real, and I can’t get enough of it! Even I’M tempted to say the chant and see if I end up in Malice, and I’m one of the biggest CHICKENS you’ll ever meet! I’m going to DIE if Havoc doesn’t come out SOON! Let’s talk characters a moment. Seth is the kind of guy that lives for adventure and keeping his adrenaline pumping. But unfortunately, the world, the WHOLE world has already been explored. He has a great attitude and would lift the world and move the sky to keep a promise. Kady comes from a rich family and is Seth’s BEST friend. She’s always trying to keep them safe. She has easy to change attitudes and is being trained in hypnosis by her mom. Justin you meet later in the story but is an important guy. He’s an I-can-do-it-myself kind of guy but he’s always there for his friends. Tatyana you’ll also meet later in the story but is as important as Justin is. Tatyana was killed by a chitter - a mechanical robot created by the timekeeper to suck the time out of people. She is now a mechanical saber tooth-tiger. (Don’t ask, you’ll find out in the story.) The setting and the plot are awesome. Did I mention I CAN’T WAIT for Havoc to come out? I give Malice a 1 million star review!

Review written by Amanda (6th grade student).

We would like to thank The Mehta Family for providing a copy of Malice for this review.

Have you read Malice? How would you rate it?