The Rabid Reader's Report

The Sea of Monsters

2009-07-02T08:40:00.010-07:00

Hey everyone. I promised a review about book 2 in the PJO series, so here it is. Book Two: The Sea of Monsters.

(WARNING! CONTAINS SPOILERS!) (Skip this post entirely unless you've A) already read the books, or B) don't really care about spoilers.

In this 2nd installment of Percy's adventures, Percy is still reeling from the fact that he has to face it---he's a demigod. The book starts out with Percy's strange nightmare, warning about the safety of one of his friends. Percy is worried, but doesn't really dwell on it. He realizes that he has made it all the way to the end of the school year, and hasn't been expelled. He goes off to school that morning with his new friend, Tyson. Later that day, Annabeth comes to get Percy and head back to Camp Half-Blood. Tyson immediately likes Annabeth, but Annabeth seems almost scared of Tyson. When the trio gets to camp, they see that Thalia's tree is under attack. That evening, a new camper is claimed by an unlikely god, Chiron has some really bad news, a quest is assigned, and Percy makes an impossible choice. Pretty soon, Percy finds himself on a quest himself, to find the Golden Fleece, which they believe can help some problems at camp. Annabeth tags along, of course, saving Percy's butt more than one time. Percy and Annabeth, accompanied by Tyson, head to the place they're sure the Fleece is hidden---the Sea of Monsters. While there, they meet some strange people, creatures and monsters. At the end of the quest, the trio returns to camp. But something terrible has happened. The Fleece has worked its magic too well.

The book is wonderful, as are all of Riordan's books. (By the way, just out of curiosity, did anyone else know that it is pronounced RYER-dan, not RI-or-dan? Just wondering.) Anyway, the book sounds a lot like Odysseus' journey, which it kind of was. It also explained (somewhat) about Jason and the Argonauts, who were the people who found the Golden Fleece first. All in all, a thrilling book 2 which will leave any devoted demigods hanging on the edge of their chairs (or bus/train/plane seats, if you're on a quest right now.)

Enjoy the awesome second book!

I'm Back!

2009-04-14T15:27:00.007-07:00

Hey everyone! I am back! After six months of not posting because I was so dang busy, I am finally able to get back on. Hip hip huzzah! OK. Well. Since I've been gone so long, I have read many, many books, so I will do loads of new posts. This one is about a series that I have finally finished. I'm sure lots of you have heard of it. It is called Maximum Ride. Yes, finally I will post a review about it. So. Now that the Maximum Ride series is over, there are five total books: The Angel Experiment, School's Out--Forever, Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports, The Final Warning, and Max: A Maximum Ride Novel. Personally, I have no top favorite. There are too many parts. Oh, and by the way, I am going to write only about each of the Flock for right now.
Maximum Ride (aka Max) and her Flock have escaped from the School, a lab where whitecoats (read: mad evil scientists) experiment on human and animal DNA. Max and her Flock, consisting of Angel, Gazzy, Nudge, Iggy, and Fang (at the beginning) are different--they have 98% human DNA and 2% avian DNA. Thus, they have wings. And can fly. And kinda, sorta, basically have to save the world. Yupp, all in a day's work. Anywho, here's a breakdown of each character:

Angel: around 2 in book 1. None of them know their actual birthdays or ages. She can read people's minds and manipulate them to do what she wants. She has pure white wings with and 8-foot-wingspan, blond hair and blue eyes. She is the only one who is biologically related to anyone in the Flock (Gazzy), but she is considered the little sister of the entire Flock, and like a daughter to Max.
the Gasman (Gazzy, Gaz): around 4 in book 1. He is able to throw his voice, and well...pass gas at will. I can only say 'eww!' He has blond hair, blue eyes, brown wings with white spots, and a 10-foot wingspan. He is best friends with Iggy, and they both have a strage, pyromatic affinity for blowing things up.
Nudge: around 6 in book 1. She is a nonstop talker, and Max often says, "The Nudge Channel: All Nudge, All The Time". She is African-American, has russet-streaked wings with white undersides, curly brown hair, develops a computer hacking skill, and psychometric powers.
Iggy: around 9 in book 1? (I don't know, I don't have the books right now.) Anyway, he is totally my favorite character. Blue eyes, but he is blind because of a stupid experiment by the whitecoats trying to improve his vision. Strawberry blondhair, thin wire hoop through one ear, claims he has a "Highly developed sense of irony", which I think is hilarious. Golden-yellow wings, over 14-foot wingspan. Can (suprisingly) cook better than anyone in the Flock, Gazzy's best friend, with the same strange pyromatic sense of having a good time... Since he can't see, his other senses have gone into overdrive, so he can tell which flock-member is which with only tiny details. My fav: in a later book, he goes by the alias "The White Knight". When questioned why, he replies, "They're not gonna call me The Black Knight." HAHA!
Fang: around 9 in book 1? Olive skin, dark eyes, black hair. Max's "right-wing man", stronger than the rest of the Flock, has a soft spot for Max. Goes by the name of 'Nick' on occasion.
Max: around 9 in book 1? Leader of the Flock, off-white and brown with tan specks, wingspan of 13 feet. She is a terrible cook. Totally and fully in love with Fang, but doesn't admit it til a much later book.

OK, there are the profiles for now. I will post about the book in my next blog.

Megan

Perseus Jackson and The Olympians

2008-10-05T20:28:00.011-07:00

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't blogged lately... I've been busy with school, volleyball, scholarships for high school (Hoping for Seton; no clear idea yet), and other such things. But, on to the books!

This book I am reviewing is one that I have actually already read, but I had read it before I began blogging. As the title says, the series is called Perseus Jackson and The Olympians. The author, Rick Riordan, is absoulutely AMAZING!! (If I may have an opinion). He sure knows his Greek mythology, thats for sure. You know how smart I am about stuff like that? I actually had to leave my computer and go get a Greek mythology book to know what he was talking about! That's how well he knew about it! Yeah! Anyway, this book is about a demigod name Perseus "Percy" Jackson, who is sent on a mission to find Zeus' missing thunderbolts and return them before Summer Solstice. Before he goes on the quest all by himself, he goes to Camp Half-Blood to train with other demigods. There he meets Annabeth Chase (a Daughter of Athena) and Grover (a satyr). Percy decides that these two will accompany him on his quest. The trio travel all over the United States, looking for Zeus' lightning bolts. At one point, they even travel down to Hades' realm below the earth, where the plot is discovered. Percy, Annabeth and Grover now have to go all the way back to New York to tell the gods what happened. When they get there, they need to prove to the Olympians that they are telling the truth, or else who knows what will happen?

This is the first book in a 5-book series, but the fifth book isn't due to come out until May 5, 2009. Ahh! I WANT IT NOW!!! Oh, sorry bout that... you know how I am when I want books but can't get them or have them. :) So, this book is good for people who like male protagonists, Greek mythology, Greek stuff in general, anything to do with Greek, and funny characters who make you laugh out loud (For example, this comes from The Lightning Thief "So Ares and Aphrodite," I said, trying to keep my mind off the growing dark, "they have a thing going?" LOL I didn't stop laughing for days!) Even if you don't like mythology, the books are great, and have lots of teenage angst (lol NOT). But still, I recommend them to any and everyone!

Night! i have school tomorrow! Bye! Post a message if you want!

Megan!

House of Stairs

2008-07-07T11:47:00.004-07:00

Hey everyone! Are you impressed? Two in a couple weeks of each other! Wow! Let's give Megan a round of applause! (insert golf applause). Well, thanks everyone! I have been working overtime, reading books like crazy, but the computer was always 'not working' whenever I was ready to work. It's like it knew I wanted to work on this blog, but finally, VICTORY IS MINE!! MWWHAHAHAHA! Oh, *Ahem*... Sorry about that... outburst there, I am just excited to finally work on this blog!

Moving on to the actual BOOK in question...

This is a rather interesting book I picked up in the library when searching for a good book to read. It is called House of Stairs, by William Sleator. It is a psychological, science-fiction book about five 16-year-old teenagers named Peter, Lola, Blossom, Abigail, and Oliver who are stuck in an area, which is neither a jail nor a hospital, made of stairs. The teenagers find that the stairs all lead back to one platform -- a platform with a strange machine which dictates how they must act if they are to receive food. But how far are they willing to go to get their food?

This book rather creeped me out, mainly because it is something that happened in the future, and since we don't know what will happen in the future, anything is possible. But it was also a really interesting concept, and don't forget the end, with the weird epilogue! But other than that, this is a great book for people who like sci-fi, psychological situations (ha, try saying that 10 times fast!), and a good read. Well, hope to see... erm... blog, again soon!
Megan

Are you an Obnoxious Jerk?

2008-06-24T14:20:00.015-07:00

Hey everyone! Wow, it feels great to be able to work on my blog after such a long period of not using the computer. So, how are your summers going so far? Mine has been pretty busy, since I have had to work at church with the younger kids for the past two weeks, so I am exhausted! But, my evenings have been uneventful, so I have had some time to read! Yay!

If the title (of the book or the post) insults you, please, don't be offended! It is the title of this new book that I read, called The Obnoxious Jerks, by Stephen Manes. It is about this groups of boys in high school, who call themselves The Obnoxious Jerks. They perform pranks, which they call jerk-outs, to protest against school rules which they think are unfair. But, after the school talent show, a girl named Leslie "Iceberg" Freeze, asked to join The Obnoxious Jerks. Unfortunately, only one of the boys thinks that Leslie should join the group, and the others don't want her to join, mostly because she is a girl. But they really need help for their next jerk-out, and only Leslie can help. So they grudgingly allow Leslie to join, but only if she helps with their jerk-out. At the end of the book, The Obnoxious Jerks actually realize that it is kind of cool to have a girl in the group and they become great friends. Yay! A happy ending!

This is a hilarious book and I think that almost everyone who reads this book will enjoy it. It starts, explains, and ends very well. I would recommend this book to everyone I knew (if many of my friends actually READ (haha I'm kidding friends!!) books that they would enjoy it too.)

Well, until I review again!

Megan

Ten Apples Up On Top: Simple Child's Book or the Underlying Story of the Cold War?

2008-05-21T20:04:00.035-07:00

Hey everyone! I know I promised a review of Go, Dog, Go!, but my library didn't have it. So my guest reviewer (Yes! He's- and yes, unless I say differently, this reviewer is a male -here at last!) and I have created a review of Ten Apples Up On Top. Uh-uh-uh! Don't be TOO quick to judge! You never know what you will find if you read into the books as me and my reviewing partner did. I was at the library with my dad, who happens to be my reviewer, and we came across this book as we searched in vain for Go, Dog, Go!. I saw this on the shelf and, being the little child I am, remembered it from my childhood and decided that, since I couldn't find Go, Dog, Go!, I would read and review it instead. Note that my dad and I came up with this review as we were at the library by the children's books, trying not to laugh too loudly as we came up with this stuff. As we went through it, my dad/reviewer realized that THIS was the REAL story of the Cold War, all in a little child's book by Theo LeSieg (A.K.A.) Dr. Seuss. And here it is:

GUEST REVIEWER: Jim Mc

On the back cover of the book Ten Apples Up On Top there is a phrase, "A lion, a dog, and a tiger balance apples on their heads". How simple... How quaint... How misleading!

After exhaustive study, it can be revealed that this 'simple child's book' actually holds a parallel story about the Cold War between the United States of America and the United Socialist States of Russia (U.S.S.R.).

The main characters in the story are a lion, who is joined by a dog, which both later meet up with a tiger. The three of the them have a contest to who can balance the most apples on their heads. At one point, they are threatened by a large bear, some smaller bears, and some birds. All the other animals chase the lion, the dog and the tiger. Finally there is a major collision with a large apple cart pulled by a horse with a driver. Then they all have apples on their heads.

Here is the "actual" meaning. The lion is the United States, and the dog is Europe (lead by the United Kingdom, France and the other free countries). They start balancing apples, which represent many of the attributes of free society (such as democracy, capitalism, freedom of speech, free and fair elections, etc.). They meet up with the tiger, and in this case it represents Japan, which was one of the other leading industrial countries. All three of them are working to outdo each other when it comes to balancing the apples (making each country as strong and as free as possible).

The story takes a nasty turn when they meet up with a large angry bear. The bear is (of course) the U.S.S.R. The bear is after the three Allies and is swinging a mop (the mop stands for the Soviet atomic weapons arsenal). Note that the Allies are threatened soon after they are near a refrigerator (which is the Cold War). Soon, the bear is joined by other smaller bears (the Soviet puppet states, such as the Baltic states). There are also three birds that also go after the three Allies. These are Cuba, North Korea and Vietnam.

The entire crowd eventually collides with the apple cart, and the resulting scene shows all of the characters with ten apples on their heads. This is the wishful idea that the United Nations (the apple cart, the horse and driver) could intervene and make all of the countries live peacefully.

Wait for my next guest review! I'll examine the underlying meaning in the book Ping the Duck!!

~Jim Mc

Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed the guest review! I just received book number two of the Warriors series, so I might write the review for that! Please tell me what you think of all my reviews so far!

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T17:33:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Happy Mother's Day!

How was everyone's Mother's Day? I was at Sun Splash all day with my best friend. Boy, for someone like me who doesn't like heights, I did pretty well with that water slide!

Anyway, moving on...

I finished a couple of books in a thrilling series called Maximum Ride, by James Patterson. It is about six genetically altered kids who have wings and can actually fly, and then as the series goes on, the kids discover that each of them has even more powers then they thought. But they are being chased by creatures who want to kill them. Oh, and did I mention that they have to save the world? Yupp. The said friend above got me hooked on them. There are going to be at least five, maybe more. But it is a great series for people who like adventure, science fiction...ummmmmmmmm, people who can fly, and people who like reading about people blowing stuff up, which happens a lot in this series. But seriously, this series is great! Lots of kids in my class have read it and enjoyed it... Except for one, who finished the second book and decided he hated the series. But, hey, some apples are bound to be rotten. So make sure you read this series! Let me know what you think of it!

Warriors... The SERIES! (insert heroic theme music!)

2008-04-28T18:43:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! How are all of you guys doing? I just finished a couple of great books, but if I explained what happened, you would have to read the rest of the series to understand (and I would probably give away a lot of secrets!). If this sounds interesting, great! Keep reading. If this sounds too difficult or you don't have time to read a whole series, sorry. Maybe there will be another review you will like more in the near future. Or, if I get enough requets, I will do a review of Go, Dog, Go! Is that better?

The first book in the Warriors series is called Into the Wild, and it is about a cat named Rusty. The books should be read by cat lovers and people who enjoy adventure. Or if you have ever wondered what it would be like to be a cat, this series would be great for you! The series starts with a kittypet (a pet cat) being asked to join one of the clans that lives in the forest. Of the four, he is invited to live in ThunderClan. But as Rusty becomes more accustomed to being a Clan cat, he realizes that there is much tension between the Clans because of the many battles between them. As Rusty delves into the lives of his Clan, he realizes that he is the subject of a prophecy, "Fire alone can save our Clan." But how could fire help the Clans that live in the forest? And as Rusty goes on, becoming a warrior, he realized that there was something wrong with ThunderClan's deputy. But his leader refuses to believe him. How can he prove to his leader that he is a loyal Clan cat, yet still be uncertain of the loyalties of the deputy?

~~~~~~~~

This is a very long series, so I will add the rest of them as I finish reading them, OK? In fact, I will list the books, IN ORDER!, so that you, yes, YOU, can read them as well. Sound good? GREAT!

~~~~~~~~

WARRIORS

Into the Wild

Fire and Ice

Forest of Secrets

Rising Storm

A Dangerous Path

The Darkest Hour

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WARRIORS: THE NEW PROPHECY

Midnight

Moonrise

Dawn

Starlight

Twilight

Sunset

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WARRIORS: POWER OF THREE

The Sight

Dark River

Outcast

Eclipse (released soon on September 2, 2008! can't wait!)

Long Shadows

Cruel Season

(NOTE! The two above, Long Shadows and Cruel Season, are NOT out yet! Please don't ask me where you can find them! I don't know!)

can't sleep :(

2008-04-26T21:59:00.002-07:00

Hey everyone, I know it is late and I am sorry! It is 9:59 PM here in AZ and I just can't sleep. I wish I could fall asleep as easily as this: ... But I can't. So I will just tell you some stuff to expect from the blog! We will have a guest blogger every now and then, just telling us about some book that is too adult-ish or I think would put me to sleep. We will also have some blogs that don't have to do strictly with books, but I might be bored (like now!) so I might just tell you random things that you might not know. So I hope you check in every once in a while to see what new things I might have added!

Luv you all!~

Megan M.

Second Review ~ And Then There Were None

2008-04-26T15:30:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! (That seems to be my catchphrase now, huh?!) This next book is by a world-famous author, Agatha Christie. She wrote many best-selling mystery books, such as Murder on the Orient Express. But that is not the book I am focusing on right now. This book is just as famous, and the name is And Then There Were None. This book was published in 1940. Anyway, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK AT NIGHT IF YOU ARE FAINT OF HEART! (Like me!) I read it at night once and it gave me nightmares for a week!

Anyway, the story is about ten men and women who get an invitation from a Mr. U.N. Owen, inviting them to visit on his island, called Indian Island. They get to the island, when they realize that their host and hostess are not there. However, when they arrive, they hear a record play and the record states each person's name and their "crime". Everyone is worried, especially when later that night, one of their number is murdered!

Oddly enough, in each room, there is a nursery rhyme, which the killer seems to be following. For example:

Ten little Indian boys went out to dine;

One choked his little self and then there were nine.

Nine little Indian boys stayed up very late;

One overslept himself and then there were eight.

The very night that everyone had arrived on the island, someone (or something) slipped potassium cyanide into one man's drink, causing instantaneous death. But who could have done it? The man was not the kind to commit suicide, and he had taken his own glass. None of the other glasses were touched. WHAT could have happened? Later that same night, another death occurs, and the mystery mounts!

At the end of the book, almost everyone on the island is dead, and the few remaining people suspect each other.

This novel is not good for the faint-of-heart, like me. It took a lot to read it, but it is relatively short. Lots of twists and turns makes this mystery chiller great reading for at a scary Halloween party!
~PS~ Do you like the picture? My copy of the book was so old that I couldn't find a picture, so I made my own, in Paint!

My First Book Review ~ Alphabet of Dreams

2008-04-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Yup, it's me again, Megan! I stayed up until 10:00PM last night to finish a really impressive book. It is called Alphabet of Dreams, by Susan Fletcher, who is also the author of some other books, like Shadow Spinner and Walk Across the Sea. This book is good for people who like adventure, and tie-ins to history.

This book is about a girl named Mitra and her younger brother named Babak, who are beggars in the city of Rhagae. However, Mitra and Babak are of royal blood! Their father plotted to kill the king, but King Phraates killed Mitra's father first. Mitra must now disguise herself as a boy to help her brother survive in the cities, where girls and women usually stay home. But there is something different about Babak. If he sleeps with someone's possession, he can dream the person's dreams. Mitra wants to use this power to locate her kinsmen in Palmyra.

They join a caravan, where they meet a Magus (plural: Magi, if that makes sense) named Melchior. Babak must now dream for Melchior and do everything he tells him to do. As they traverse the desert, they meet caravans with other Magi, named Caspar (or Gaspar) and Balthazaar. (If this helps, the Magi were also known as Wise Men. "Hmmm... where have I heard THAT before?")

The Magi continued across the desert, barely surviving on their measly supplies. As they continue, Mitra and Balthazaar realize that if they force Babak to dream much more, terrible things would happen. When they realize this, they confront Melchior about Babak, but their concerns fall on deaf ears. When they finally cross the desert, the caravans stop in Bethlehem, where the Magi finally understand who the "new king" is.

As the story comes to a close, Balthazaar tells Mitra that her family has been killed by King Phraates, so Mitra and Babak must find another home. Mitra decides that she and Babak will stay in Bethlehem, and a family takes them in. A few years later, Mitra's new father tells her that a caravan has come around asking for her. To her amazement, her old friends from the Magi caravans have come back, looking for her. They brought another man, whom Mitra had thought was handsome. The man asked for her hand in marriage, and the book ends with her and Babak living with her newly-wed husband.

I enjoyed this book because it interacted with all the characters, had lots of action, and talks about interesting subjects, such as growing up and the power of dreams. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys tackling the longer stories and who enjoy historic tie-ins, because it is the birth of Jesus, from the Magi's point of view. This is why I would recommend this book to fiction/historic readers.

Hey everyone

2008-04-26T09:39:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! My name is Megan and I am making this blog to help out the Chandler Public Library to encourage more people to read great books! I will read many different books, and then I will review and give insights as to who would enjoy them and what they are about. I hope you enjoy this blog! Thanks for reading!

~Megan McNaughton~