MAX

The 5th instalment in the Maximum Ride Series is here! Yet another adventure with Max and the Flock unfolds in this James Patterson page turner. Off the coast of Hawaii, millions of fish are dying, and the reason is unknown. Ships are also being destroyed by someone or something and it is up to the Flock to stop it.

Now, to be frank, when I heard this synopsis, I thought something along the lines of, "What?!?! That doesn't sound like something worthy of the title, Maximum Ride!" Patterson actually pulls it off, though. He mixes the right amount of adventure and mystery to create a good story. He also adds in a little bit of love, for those fans of Fax ('Fang and Max in love' for the newbies).

Anyway, the world is waiting to be saved and the Flock must step up to the challenge. There is an assassin watching their every move and plenty of bad guys trying to make their lives miserable. A certain Mr. Chu also has his own plans for the Flock. So this new book certainly puts the Flock's powers to the test, all of their powers, maybe even some new ones! I can't tell you any more without ruining it, so you'll have to read it yourself.

I would rate this book an 8.5 out of 10. I would recommend it to anyone of any age!

Shades

  About a month or two ago, my teacher recommended a book for me, entitled Shades. Honestly? I was a bit skeptical. But she told me to go ahead and savor the book... take my time. So I did. I read it very slowly, sometimes stopping in the middle to read another book. I savored it. Each passage, each breath of writing Ms. Poland created, was beautifully crafted. It wasn't so much that the plot shook me up-- it was the fascinating writing itself. 

  How the blood betrays, marching up the neck and across the cheeks and through the ears, announcing itself. Walter could feel the heat rising. Poised, they stood, Victor and he. Then Victor shuddered his way past, opened the door and was gone. The draught blew out the candle that stood on the table. The little grey tail of smoke hung suspended in the dark. -- Marguerite Poland, Shades

   

          How can you not love such writing? Perhaps it is not your favorite style, but her descriptions are so vivid, you cannot help but be entranced by them! I know I was. While reading the last half of the book, I was amazed at how much I loved it. In the beginning, you have to get used to her writing and her descriptions, but once you plow through and keep reading, you start to love her details. I would rate Shades an 8 out of 10.

   

Shades is about a young man, Walter, who travels to South Africa for a mission. He stays with the Farboroughs, a family of four. Walter feels an immediate attraction to Frances, the daughter, and their romance and emotion towards each other progresses throughout the book. Meanwhile, the book follows the lives of others, such as Crispin Farborough, the son; and Victor Farborogh, the heroic and brave cousin of Crispin and Frances. All those in the story struggle to find love and faith in difficult times of drought, famine, war, and loss of hope. 

Inspiring and sharp, Shades tells a story of passion, turbulence, and the clash of cultures: a story I will continue to be awed by.

Elsewhere

Ever wonder what is after death? In this novel, Lizzie finds out the hard way. She is like any 15-year-old girl, until she is hit by a taxi on her way to pick out a prom dress. Lizzie finds herself aboard a ship, the S.S. Nile. She soon discovers that she is dead, along with everyone else on the boat. The boat is taking her away from Earth to a place called Elsewhere. There, you age backwards from the day you arrive, which Liz finds unsettling and horrible. When she does arrive she meets her grandmother, Betty, who died even before Lizzie was born. Lizzie misses her family terribly and now she has to try to adjust to the ways of life in this foreign place.

I can't tell you any more without ruining the book for you. You'll have to read it yourself! I would rate it a 8.7 on a scale from 1 to 10. It was definitely worth my while. I recommend it to anyone who likes a novel with a bit of mystery, some love, and a whole new way of looking at the world!