Book Blast from the Past

This feature was inspired by a post by Eleni at La Femme Readers. My goal for this new feature is to go back to the books that I loved as a pre-teen/teen, and write about why I still enjoy them.

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Synopsis: The action follows 11-year-old protagonist Lyra Belacqua, accompanied by her daemon, from her home at Oxford University to the frozen wastes of the North, on a quest to save kidnapped children from the evil 'Gobblers,' who are using them as part of a sinister experiment. Lyra also must rescue her father from the Panserbjorne, a race of talking, armored, mercenary polar bears holding him captive. Joining Lyra are a vagabond troop of gyptians (gypsies), witches, an outcast bear, and a Texan in a hot air balloon. (From Barnes and Noble)

I first read The Golden Compass in the sixth grade, and I remember loving it (despite my teacher mispronouncing daemon, and proceeding to get upset with me when I pronounced it correctly during my book report). It was one of the first fantasy books that I read, and Pullman seemed to transport me into another world.

Of course, I grew to appreciate the book more as I got older. When I was young, the experience of reading The Golden Compass was all about Lyra's adventure to find her father, Lord Asriel, and her friend Roger. Now that I'm older, I'm more aware of the different themes throughout the book. I find it interesting that this universe is ruled by the Church, yet the story talks about destiny, and the idea of parallel universes.

The Golden Compass remains one of my favorite childhood books because it still challenges me to think about the world, religion, and pursuit of knowledge.

Book Review: A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker

When the principal announces that every senior must participate in a mandatory year-long Marriage Education program, Fiona Sheehan believes that her life can't get any worse. Then she marries her "husband": Jerky jock Todd, whose cheerleader girlfriend, Amanda, has had it in for Fiona since day one of second grade. Even worse? Amanda is paired with Fiona's long-term crush, Gabe. At least Fiona is doing better than her best friend, Marcie, who is paired up with the very quiet, very mysterious Johnny Mercer. Pranks, fights, misunderstandings, and reconciliations ensue in an almost Shakespearean comedy of errors about mistaken first impressions, convoluted coupling, and hidden crushes.

A Match Made in High School was a funny, light read. I picked it up during a break between paranormal books, and I was pleasantly surprised with it.

A Match Made in High School focuses on a "Marriage Education" program that pairs every senior up into a couple. In all honestly, this reminded me of some of the worst classes I've taken in high school/college. The ones I'm talking about are the ones that are meant to teach students some sort of "valuable life lesson", but fail to think of ways to connect with the students. In the book, it's obvious that certain members of the administration have some underlying issues that led to the implementation of this program.

Walker did a good job of showing how thin the line is between prank, and just being mean. At the start of the book, Todd's pranks were rather cruel. In fact, I would consider him to be somewhat of a bully. So, it was nice to see those pranks and insults become more like inside jokes, and a way of communicating with Fiona. I also appreciated that this book didn't take the typical teen romance route. When I received the book, I was worried that Fiona was going to end up with Todd the jock/jerk. The synopsis makes it obvious that there's more to him than just mean pranks and sports, and in many YA books this would mean that Fiona/Todd would be the natural pairing. I'm happy to say it didn't happen here, which made the characters a bit more realistic.

Overall, it's a great summer read! I can't wait to read more from Walker.

A Match Made in High School
By Kristin Walker
Published by Razorbill
278 Pages
Rating: C+/B-

Waiting on Wednesday (July 28)

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine. This weekly meme shares the upcoming books that I'm most excited about.

Zombies Vs Unicorns, Edited by Justine Larbalestier

It's a question as old as time itself: which is better, the zombie or the unicorn? In this anthology, edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (...more It's a question as old as time itself: which is better, the zombie or the unicorn? In this anthology, edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (unicorn and zombie, respectively), strong arguments are made for both sides in the form of short stories. Half of the stories portray the strengths--for good and evil--of unicorns and half show the good (and really, really bad-ass) side of zombies. Contributors include many bestselling teen authors, including Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray, Maureen Johnson, Meg Cabot, Scott Westerfeld, and Margo Lanagan. This anthology will have everyone asking: Team Zombie or Team Unicorn?

Published by Margaret K. McElderry
Release Date: September 21, 2010

Teaser Tuesday (July 27)

What is Teaser Tuesday?
It's a meme hosted by Should Be Reading and here are the rules:Grab your current read...
Open to a random page
Share two teaser sentences from somewhere on the page
Don't include spoilers

Phoebe looked out the grimy window of Adam's truck, scanning the woods and thinking about those kids and where they might have come from. Her sleep last night had been restless, and having Adam drive her to school today just made the events of last night seem even more surreal."
- Generation Dead, page 94, by Daniel Waters

The Huge TBR Readathon Update

Thanks to Kristen at Bookworming in the 21st Century for hosting the Huge TBR Readathon (take 2). While I didn't read as many as I would have liked, I did get through a couple books.

Books Read:
Matched by Ally Condie
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
Accidentally Engaged by Mary Carter
Bite Me by Melissa Francis