I lumped these two entries together because both are books by Christopher Pike. When I was in middle school, these books were flying off the shelves of the library. Kids my age were obsessed with R.L. Stine's Goosebumps, the books, not so much the show, but they were more so for elementary school kids. Christopher Pike's books were what you read after you outgrew R.L. Stine. I selected two books at random from our library's shelves: Chain Letter and See you Later. The latter was more science fiction than "horror", but you still had to figure out who the antagonist was and what he or she was going to do. See You Later begins with Mark, a computer game programmer who has limited family involvement and little athletic promise due to a heart murmur, trying to gain the friendship and interest of a girl named Becky. They have both just graduated from high school, but the summer doesn't go how either of them planned when some new friends enter the picture and make Mark question his talent and his purpose. These new friends are where the science fiction aspect of the story comes in, but I won't ruin that for you.
Chain Letter is more of the Christopher Pike that I remembered from back in the day. A group of friends start being stalked by someone that knows their darkest secret. This person seems out to destroy their chances at success, forcing them to fail tests, lose races, and ruin performances, but to what end? The group has to question who could know, which among them can they trust, and when will it all end. Certainly a cheesy read, though I don't remember thinking so when I was in middle school. It reminded me of an old school horror movie, the kind that doesn't really scare you, but you are intrigued none the less, so if you are into that sort of thing, investigate the Christopher Pike selection in our library. We have quite a few.
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By Kate Kae Myers, Inherit Midnight follows seventeen-year-old Avery VanDemere on a quest for both freedom and family. It is hard to talk too much about the book without giving the plot away, but the gist is that Avery was raised by her wealthy but rather aloof grandmother who had certain expectations for her family members. When Avery disappointed her, Avery was sent away to a boarding school, that was really rather more like a prison. She kept trying to call her grandmother to beg forgiveness, to no avail. Then out of the blue, Avery is sent for by her grandmother, or rather, her grandmother's lawyer, to meet with her grandmother. So is every one else in the VanDemere family, much to Avery's chagrin, as her cousins and uncles are awful to her. Come to find out, the grandmother has set up a challenge for the family inheritance, an extremely significant amount. This challenge focuses on strong character traits and family history, things that Avery's grandmother has tried to instill in her brood without much success. It is kind of like crossing one of those reality TV shows, like Survivor or The Amazing Race, with the National Treasure movies. If Avery wins, she will be set free from her prison school and can live her life as she would like, not as her domineering grandmother would, but if she looses, she may end up with less than what she began with. I read this book pretty quickly; the different challenges from the grandmother keep the plot moving forward at a fast pace, and the drama going on in Avery's personal life is also a driving force (there is a decent amount of drama). Additionally, the main characters are people that are easily likable. Avery is a teenager just looking for a taste of independence, but also wanting to understand what and who she comes from. Her "team mate" Reilly doesn't shy away from trouble, but at the end of the day, he still wants to make his dad proud. Overall, it was a good read, despite the awkward dialogue at times. It certainly wasn't the best book I have ever read, but it did entertain me for a bit, so we will call that a success. It is a book that readers of all varieties could enjoy, and it is in the library. |
Note From Ms. PIt will probably come as no surprise that I am an avid reader. I have also been spending a lot of time in the Dawn Hodges Library here at WAAS evaluating what books we can add to have students really READING. Some of you already read on your own, which is great because reading opens your mind to new ideas and possibilities you might not otherwise think of. It helps you to imagine and live in a new world for a little while, which is something we all need sometimes. Archives
February 2019
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