Matthew

__**Marked (summer reading)**__ **By: P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast** “Just when I thought my day couldn’t get any worse I saw the dead guy standing next to my locker.” I read __Marked__ by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. I would rate this book 3 out of 5 stars because I felt that there were certain points in the book where they were talking about one thing then completely changed it on you. I found it easy to concentrate on this story because when I started to think about something else I was pulled right back into the story. I think that the plot was believable.

The story takes place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and The House of Night in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The House of Night helped to make the story exciting, but Tulsa, Oklahoma was boring. The setting is important for the reader and the character. It was important for the reader because it helped you understand the story and how dark the story can be. It was important for the characters because it is where they were throughout the story.

I felt that the characters connected with each other but they did not connect with me because I felt like I did not have any of the same problems except for the ones at school. The characters do develop throughout the story not just by the way they looked but the way they acted also. In the story there were surprises that kept me interested like how she matures faster than the other young vampires. Some of the chapters ended with cliff hangers like when how her parents will act when they find out that she was marked. The cliff hangers are what kept me interested in the book. After I picked up the book I found it hard to put it down. I think that people who like fantasy books would really enjoy this book. I did like this book a lot because I liked the mystery part of it. You must read __Marked__ to find out what happens to Zoey and her friends. http://www.amazon.com/Marked-House-P-C-Cast/dp/0312360258/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1285019441&sr=1-1 

__**Red Kayak** (Summer reading)__ **By: Priscilla Cummings** “It’s just that sometimes even when the right answer is smack in front of you, you got to reach deep inside yourself to act on it.” I read the book __Red Kayak__ by Priscilla Cummings. I would rate this book 3 out of 5 stars because parts did not seem to fit in. I belive that the author told a good story. Not how it went but how she told you the story.

The story takes place in the Chesapeake Bay area in Maryland. This is extremely important to the story in so many ways. The main reason why is because of what happens to Brady’s neighbor’s red kayak. The theme of the story was a conflict because the main character, Brady, has to decide between his friends or doing the right thing. I think the author’s goal was to tell you that it is ok to tell the truth. I think that she succeed.

I don’t feel that the character connected with me but I felt they connected with each other. I do not think that the characters changed throughout the story. There were some surprises in the book that kept me interested, although there were no cliff hangers at the end of any of the chapters. I did feel that the characters acted in a way that matched their personalities. I suggest people that like mysteries should read this book. I did not like this book because a four year old child dies in the book. I did however like some parts of the book like when Brady brought Ben back to live. To find out what I mean by this read the book __Red Kayak__ by Priscilla Cummings. http://www.amazon.com/Red-Kayak-Priscilla-Cummings/dp/0142405736/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1285019825&sr=1-1

 __Hate List__ By: Jennifer Brown “Time's never up. Just like there's always time for pain, there's always time for healing.” I read the book __Hate List__  by Jennifer Brown. This book was, at times, emotional for the main character, Valerie. I would rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars because everything except for the ending was really good.  It is about a high school girl, Valerie, who’s boyfriend shoots kids at there school. Valerie tries to stop him from killing one of the popular girls and she gets shot in the leg. After Nick shoots her her kills himself. Valerie is blamed in the shooting since her and Nick created a “hate list”. Nick used this list to target people. I think that the characters connected with each other. They all seemed to just match and go together perfectly. There were characters that you would expect from a high school. The characters also changed and did things that they would not done at first. Like Valerie would not have hung out with the popular kids before the shooting but since she saved one of them now she does. People that would like to read this book would be people who like are people that like to read fiction books. I would say that people in seventh grade or higher would like this book more then fifth or sixth graders would. I really liked this book. I would definitely recommend this book. To see what happens to Valerie read the book __Hate List__  by Jennifer Brown.   [|http://www.amazon.com/Hate-List-Jennifer-Brown/dp/0316041440/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1289317389&sr=8-]  <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">  <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> __A Child Called It__ <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> "I gobble down the food so fast I can hardly taste it. I finished the tray in record time." I read the book <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">__A Child Called It__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> by Dave Pelzer. I would give this book 5 stars. This book is a true story about Dave Pelzer. He decided to write about how his mother treated him when he was younger. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is a good book but not because of how Dave is treated. His mother is abusive and there is no one to protect him since his family turned against him. She does terrible things to him if he does not do what she tells him to. One of her favorite things for a while is the Gas Chamber “game”. She locks him in the bathroom and put a bucket of bleach and ammonia in the center of the room. When I was reading this book I often wondered “Why does she only do this to him? He has like six other brothers!”  <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This does not happen at the beginning thou because he described his family as “the ‘Brady Bunch’ of the 1960’s.” He described the vacation they use to take. Some were out to a river, others into San Francisco. Either one you could tell that his family was happy when he and his brother’s were younger. His family started to change when his mother and father started drinking heavily. They would get into fights then his father would leave the house. <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dave is extremely lucky to have survived what his mother did to him.This story could teach you how to be brave and strong when everyone else wants you to give up. There were many times that he wanted to give up but he did not. If anything I said interests you or you want to find out how Dave lives his child hood and what other “games” that his mother liked to play then you should read <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">__A Child Called It.__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I hate you and I wish you were dead! Dead! do you hear me? Dead!" []

__I am the Cheese__ <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"...there are the Never Knows. Never knowing who can be trusted. Never knowing who that stranger in town can be." I read the book <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">__I am the Cheese__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> by Robert Cormier. I would rate this book a 3 out of 5 stars. This book is a bout a boy who is riding his bike from Monument, Massachusetts to Rutterburg, Vermont. his is going to find his father who is in a hospital.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This book was a little confusing. It was because every other chapter was a tape recording between Adam and a man named Brint. Brint asks Adam questions and that is all that really happens. In some of these chapter they talk about Adam and his family's midnight moves and his parent secret conversations in the middle of the night. He could never hear what they were saying though. <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I feel that this book was hard to follow between the tapes and the real chapters. If you are in to this kinds of books then you will enjoy it. I just know I was confused. So if this book sounds like it is interesting to you then read <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">__I am th Cheese__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> by Robert <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cormier."...I stood there with all that immensity of space around me in center field and I felt as though I'd be swept off the face of the planet, into space." []