The Princess and the Pauper

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The Princess and the Pauper
by Kate Brian
ISBN 9780689070488
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, 2004
Adventure
272 pages
12+
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Annotation: Julia and Princess Carina trade places so Carina can go to a rock concert.

Summary: Princess Carina is going to Julia’s school to give a talk. When she gets there, she finds a girl that looks just like her. They trade places so that Carina can go to a rock concert. Then, Carina gets carted off to a place that is far from LA. Julia will have to go to Vineland, Carina’s homeland without the actual princess. Will Carina get back soon? Or will Julia be recognized as an imposter?

Critique: Princess and the Pauper gave the classic book a new twist with a dash of modern life in it. The adventure was intense too with Julia almost getting kicked out of her house and Carina being taken to a faraway destination. There was action and romance, which is a good balance. Both of the characters had different personalities too so you can’t get them mixed up.

Biography: Kate Brian has written many young adult novels under a different name. She lives outside of New York City. As a child, she always dressed up as a princess for Halloween.[1]

If you want to know about her, please visit the websites at:

http://www.privatenovels.com/

http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Kate-Brian/20269767

[1] http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Princess-and-the-Pauper/Kate-Brian/e/9780689870422/?itm=1

[2] Retrieved the image from: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780689870422

How My Private, Personal Journal Became a Bestseller

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How my Private Personal Journal Became a Bestseller
by Julia DeVillers
ISBN 9780142403327
Penguin Group(U.S.A.)
Contemporary Life
224 pages
Young Adult
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Annotation: One day, Jamie’s private journal is printed out and read. It becomes an instant hit in the bookstores.

Summary: When Jamie's friend Harmony accidently prints out Jamie's private personal journal and turns it in for homework, Jamie is shocked! The teacher reads out loud the paper never expecting it to be a journal and it becomes an instant hit. Everyone wants a copy and it might come out as a book! Will Sawyer, the meanest girl, make Jamie's life horrible because Jamie based Myrna, the evil villain on her?

Critique: The story was good. There were parts of the journal in the book so we could see how good the journal was. There were a lot of thoughts going on in the book. My favorite character in the story is Jamie because she became an author and was a regular girl at the same time.

Biography: Julia DeVillers is the author of books for kids, tweens and teens.
Her book, How My Private Personal Journal became the Disney Channel Original Movie, Read it and Weep. Julia appears in a cameo as “Grossed-out customer being served pizza with real chicken feet sticking out of it.”
Her books have been featured in the New York Times, USA Today and all the major teen magazines. She writes books for Simon & Schuster, Dutton, and Random House. She is represented by Mel Berger at William Morris Endeavor Agency. [1]

[1] http://web.mac.com/juliagirlwise/Site/About_Me.html

If you want to know more about her, please visit her website at: http://web.mac.com/juliagirlwise/Site/Welcome.html

[2]Retrieved the image from: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780525472834

When Irish Guys are Smiling

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When Irish Guys are Smiling (S.A.S.S. Series)
by Suzanne Supplee
ISBN 9780142410165
Penguin Group, 2008
Contemporary Life
224 pages
Young Adult
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Annotation: Delk is off to Ireland to explore its beauty. But when she goes to Ireland, can she forget about the problems that are happening in her family?

Summary: Delk is going to Ireland to get away from her step mom Paige. Paige is removing everything that used to be her mom's. In the end, will Paige see that Delk really misses these stuff and her mom? When Delk reaches Ireland, she makes new friends including a great looking Irish guy. Will Delk be able to push all the troubles at home away from her mind so she can enjoy Ireland and its beauty?

Critique: This book was good because it let me experience the beauty of Ireland through the author's words. Delk experienced hardships but there still was a good ending.

Biography: Suzanne Supplee is the author of When Irish Guys Are Smiling, a Students Across the Seven Seas series book, and Artichoke’s Heart. Currently, Suzanne is working on her third book, untitled as of yet, but due out in the spring of 2010. Suzanne is a graduate of Southern Illinois University, and she earned a masters degree in creative writing from Towson University in Maryland. For a number of years, she has worked as both a teacher and a writer. Suzanne is married and has three daughters. Her favorite hobbies include exercise, reading, and, of course, writing. Susanne Supplee lives in Maryland.[1]

If you want to know more about her, please visit her website at:
[1] http://www.suzannesupplee.com/about_me/aboutme.html

[2] Retrieved the image from: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780142410165

Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter

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Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter
by Adeline Yen Mah
ISBN 9780440228653
New York: Laurel Leaf Books, 2001
Biography
224 pages
12+
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Annotation: Adeline starves to be in her father’s light instead of being cast away like a pile of rocks.

Summary: Adeline's dad has remarried and her stepmother loathes her. While her stepbrother and stepsister are petted on and are fed the most delicious food, she constantly wears old clothes until they are so tight, she can't breath! Will she push away all her nightmares and be the smart girl she is meant to be? This story is based on a true story.

Critique: Chinese Cinderella is an excellent book because it is based on a true story. We can also relate to the story. There are also many Chinese words so we can learn a little bit of Chinese. The book is both entertaining and exciting to read. The author describes her childhood well so you can feel what hardships she suffered.

Biography: Adeline Yen Mah is a writer and physician. She grew up in China and knows first hand the effects of child abuse. She donates the royalties from her books to the Falling Leaves Foundation, which enables American students to study at universities in Beijing and Shanghai. She lives in California.[1]

If you want to know about her, please visit her website at:

http://www.adelineyenmah.com/index2.html

[1] http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780440228653&view=tg

[2] Retrieved the image from: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Chinese-Cinderella/Adeline-Yen-Mah/e/9780613340120/?itm=8

The Clique (Clique Series #1)

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The Clique (Clique Series #1)
by Lisi Harrison
ISBN 9780316701297
Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2004
224 pages
Contemporary Life
12+
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Annotation: Claire has moved to Westchester on a bad day…when Massie was planning to go shopping. With a bit of help from Claire on an embarrassing night, Massie might learn to accept Claire as a friend.

Summary: Massie can't wait to go Labor Day shopping until she learns a family will come to live at their guesthouse and Massie can't go shopping. She develops an instant grudge to Claire and the family. During the book, Massie starts a line of cosmetics made by edible products and Claire struggles to fit in with Westchester.

Critique: This book was excellent because of its details. There was one inappropriate word so if you don't like inappropriate words then you shouldn't read it. I liked Massie in the end because she looked past all the things that made her dislike Claire and saw what made Claire likeable.

Biography: Lisi Harrison was the Senior Director of Production Development at MTV, Music Television, and was responsible for creating and developing original programming for air on MTV. She also served as Head Writer for MTV Production and before that had her own column in Jane Magazine. Lisi lives in Laguna Beach, California, and is currently working on her eleventh Clique novel, coming in July 2009. [1]

If you want to know more about her, please visit to her website at:

http://www.lisiharrison.net/home.html

[1]http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Clique/Lisi-Harrison/e/9780316701297/?itm=1

[2]Retrieved image from: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780316701297

The Model President

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The Model President, Vol. 2
by Brian Tacang
ISBN 9780060739140
New York: Harper Collins, 2009
Mystery
256 pages
9-12
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Annotation: A fashion queen and a smart student run head to head for the place as president in their school. Who will win?

Summary: Millicent’s parents went into a time travel machine and never came back. Where have they gone? Nobody knows. From then on, Millicent lives with her aunt and uncle who are also inventors. At Millicent’s school, she is part of a team that is very smart. The Pretty Liddie’s school collapse suddenly and the students are forced to move into Millicent’s school. Now Millicent is planning on running to be the president of the school but Fiona, the prettiest of the Pretty Liddie’s plans on running. To win, she gets the entire school excited about a runway run, not a boring speech run for president. Millicent isn’t very fashion forward but with the help of a friend, she might wind up winning.

Critique: It was a good book and there were many details on the outfits. There was many action and dialog in it. It was kind of boring after a while but some parts made you really want to know how it ended.

Biography: Brian Tacang was a fashion designer for many years before becoming a writer. He lives in a haunted house made of dirt in El Prado, New Mexico. This is his second book. [1]

If you would like to know more about Brian, please visit his facebook at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brian-Tacang-Author/94614235077

[1]http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/28731/Brian_Tacang/index.aspx

[2] Retrieved the image from: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780060739140

P.S. I Loathe You (Cliques Series #10)

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P. S. I Loathe You (Cliques Series #10)
by Lisi Harrison
ISBN 9780316006811
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2009
208 pages
Contemporary Life
12+
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Annotation: With Massie and LBR Layne liking the same boy, Kristen having to chose sides, Alicia forming a grudge over Massie, Dylan liking Massie’s ex, and Claire never looking up from her phone, this book is sure to be packed with adventure.

Summary: Massie is back and has announced an end to the boyfast. Her current crush is Dempsey who seems to be crushing on her or LBR Layne. It's up to Kristen to find out but she has become buddy buddy with Layne over the summer. Who will she help? Massie also starts a cheerleader team but Alicia is determined to add her own step or two to the mix of dances. Will Alicia start her own team? Since Massie has found a new crush, Dylan thinks it is okay to have Massie's ex as her boyfriend. But when Massie finds out, will everything be really okay? Will the PC break up or will everything, despite their arguments, stay together.

Critique: This book was good because of the details and the action that was going on, downfall was that there were too many problems so you couldn't really enjoy the book. I really liked Claire the most because she stayed loyal to Massie.

Biography: Lisi Harrison was the Senior Director of Production Development at MTV, Music Television, and was responsible for creating and developing original programming for air on MTV. She also served as Head Writer for MTV Production and before that had her own column in Jane Magazine. Lisi lives in Laguna Beach, California, and is currently working on her eleventh Clique novel, coming in July 2009.

[1]

If you want to know more about Lisi, please visit her website at:

http://www.lisiharrison.net/

[1] http://search.barnesandnoble.com/PS-I-Loathe-You/Lisi-Harrison/e/9780316006811/?itm=1

[2] Retrieved the image from: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780316006811