Friday, December 31, 2010

2010 Archive

Hahaha readers I tricked you! I said I would post an archive tomorrow, but I'm thinking I'll do it now, and post something else tomorrow! Looking back at the books I reviewed, I realized I reviewed The Secret Series books a year apart. I've had this blog longer than I thought. So here is the 2010 archive. It might not look great, but at least the books are in order! Well at least I try to make them appear that way. They may or may not be in order (from bottom to top, sorry computers are stupid), and also sorry about the different sizes or pictures being really big :) But hey what are you gonna do?




















I Have A Secret

"A secret is only a secret if no one knows you have one" - Anonymous

Oh my goodness, I did it again! I haven't written for more than a month. Well if you must know I have been incredibly busy, as you probably have too. First of all my computer has been broken (It still is but I am using someone else's to write this, and as my cousin said "How are you not dead?"), I have been battling final exams and of course the holidays. But now that the new year is upon us, I felt that it was about time I wrote a little. I have recently read hmmm about four books in one week (plus the last two Harry Potters before that) and I have just started another. So you will be getting a few more posts pretty soon. But for right now, Shhhh it's another secret post!

For the holidays I received books three and four of The Secret Series. They are still excellent books. Book two I really didn't like so much and I was a little worried, but three and four most definitely made up for that loss. (Sophomore slump possibly?) A new villain is introduced in "This Book Is Not Good For You" (book three). The book is all about chocolate, but it didn't really make me hungry like Pseudonymous said it would. In book four things get a lot more serious, and a lot more intriguing. It is the best book in my opinion by far. "This Isn't What It Looks Like" held my attention so much, I finished it in 4 hours! There were a few fuzzy parts in the beginning, but they cleared up in the end. But I must say this, PAY ATTENTION TO EVERY DETAIL! If you miss one, there are probably a few other things that won't make sense! I found myself re-reading pages. Some of the things in the book were so predictable, but others surprised me. I know I'm being annoying right now, but I can't give too much away if you're going to read them. Just read them okay? Go to a book store, buy all four and read them right now. Only 273 days until book five!!

In all of this secret glory, I forgot to mention the winner of the Wait For Marcy contest! It was ALW, author and illustrator of ALW Comics! He found links to the book on Amazon and Ebay! Wait to go I'm so happy someone found it (I was getting worried there). Well since it is almost the new year, it's time for a 2010 archive. You can expect one probably tomorrow. A new post will hopefully soon follow the archive if I don't forget again. Recommend this site to your friends, or even enemies. Oh yeah I almost forgot something again! There is now a Mixed Up Izzy page on Facebook! The link is posted below. You can follow that or my blog, whichever.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/The-Mixed-Up-Files-of-Izzy-K/143397212375691

Keep reading into the new year!! MMXI awaits :)

Sunday, November 14, 2010

CHALLENGE

Hey Readers!

Sorry, no quote today but here is a challenge for you. I recently read a book called "Wait for Marcy". It was originally published in 1932! Try and see if you can find it. It's about a teen named Marcy whose brother thinks that she is nothing but a kid. She keeps trying to prove him otherwise, and finally does so when her brother's best friend asks her out! It's a pretty good book, but I didn't understand some of the references. Recommended for girls age 10 and up. Whoever finds it gets a shout out in my blog! Comment here if you find it...it looks like this:

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Last Time, I Promise!

The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who'll get me a book I ain't read. - Abraham Lincoln

Alright, I swear this is the last time that it takes me this long to write. People have been asking me to update, but I guess I'm just lazy. Today I have quite a few books to tell you about. They will be very short reviews since I have to fit so many in a short space (and not make it boring).

The first is called "Leap Day" by Wendy Mass. Two words. READ IT! I swear you will not regret it, it's such a good book. It's about this girl, Josie, who was born on leap day. It's her sixteenth birthday, but really only her fourth. The whole book takes place on her actual birthday, where she has to try and complete multiple tasks without them conflicting each other. The book is written in a cool way, where every other chapter is from Josie's point of view, and the ones in between are in third person. If you are 12 and over, I suggest reading it.

The second book is called "Something Remains" by Inge Barth- Grozinger. This book is based off of a true story. It is about a young boy named Erich Levi who lives in Nazi Germany. The book takes a slightly depressing turn, and the epilogue is especially heartbreaking. I can understand why this book would be a good read, but it honestly didn't interest me. I found myself asking my mom a few times, "Really, it's still chapter 7?" This would be a good research book, but personally not a leisure book. Recommended for people age 10 and up.

The third book is called "Chasing Normal" by Lisa Papademetriou. I meant to review this earlier, as I read it this summer, but I forgot. Laziness again possibly? Anyways, this was an...interesting book. It is about a tween named Mieka. It's her and her dad against the world. Mieka knows she doesn't quite fit it, and it only reassured of this fact when they go from Boston to Texas to stay with their cousins and sick grandmother. Her perfect blonde, tall cousin looks down on her, or at least Mieka thinks she does. Their crazy grandmother doesn't help Mieka either. In fact, th grandmother didn't even help me! She was completely irrelevant if you ask me. The ending of this book wasn't particularly satisfying, but everything leading up to it was. Recommended for girls age 11 and up.

The second last selection is a series of books called "From the Files of Madison Finn" by Laura Dower. I found this book extremely confusing until I realized I was reading book #19. Other than that it is a very good story. The books are told from the point of view of 7th grader Madison Finn. She tries to thwart her arch enemy Ivy, stay friends with all her besties, and get the cutie Hart. It is a great book for 6th and 7th grade girls. Good summer read.

Ok guys, last one. Just bear with me here. This one is called "What my Mother doesn't know" by Sonya Sones. This is a really good book. It is from the point of view of a teen named Sophie, who is trying to figure out who she loves and who she doesn't. Her parents fight all the time, but Sophie knows there is more to them than they are letting on. She thinks she loves Dylan, but Murphy just keeps appearing in her dreams! What is she going to do? Read the book to find out. BTW it is written in little verses; that type of writing used to annoy me, but it's ok now. Recommended for girls age 12 and up.

Phew are my fingers tired! My computer is overheating too. That post should hold you for a while. Remember to tell your friends about this blog and post some comments of books you want me to read, I'll do my best to get to them. Keep reading!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Three is a Magic Number

I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma. ~Eartha Kitt

I love this quote. It definitely explains life. Sorry it took so long for me to get back, I've been super busy with school and all the books I had to read for class! But don't worry, I'm not going to bore you with facts from "East of Eden". Which actually isn't half bad...just saying...
This post, I'm going to talk about three books. The first is a sequel, called "Movers and Fakers". The second is called "Vive la Paris." The third is "I'm Exploding Now".

"Movers and Fakers" by Lisi Harrison, is a sequel to the book "Alphas". I may have reviewed it, but honestly I can't remember. So I'll do a recap. "Alphas" is a spin off novel from "The Clique". There are a few main characters. Skye, a frustrated dancer who just needs to have fun; Charlie, the wiz kid who can't get a break in love; Allie J/Allie A, the singer in disguise; and of course the Darwin boys. I love these books, particularly the second one, because everything is so out of this world. There are clear planes, holograms, personalized "aPods", and best of all, mirrors that show you EXACTLY what you want to see. It's amazing. Recommended for girls age 11 and up.

The second book, "Vive la Paris" by Esme Raji Codell, is a work of art. It takes place in Chicago, and is told by Paris McCoy. She is a fifth grader who doesn't quite understand the world outside her community. She takes piano lessons, but learns a lot more than the names of the notes. Her crazy piano teacher, Mrs. Rosen (I think), teachers her the meaning of life, and a lot about history. I personally think this book would make an excellent movie. Recommended for kids age 12 and up.

The last book is called "I'm Exploding Now" by Sid Hite. It is about a boy in his late teens who thinks he is going no where. He is in love with his best friend but can't tell her, his other bestie hasn't been the same since the mental instituition, and his little sister is growing up faster than he is. Yeah, he's kind of a mess. It takes place in the summer before his senior year, a common time for teen books. He thinks he is going crazy so he keeps a journal all summer. It deals with his battles with girls, and with life in general. This book is very deep. Recommended for people ages 13 and up.

That's all for this post, I promise there will be another one soon!

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Keep reading :D

Monday, July 19, 2010

A Favorite, and a series

"Outside of a dog, a book is your best friend, and inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."- Groucho Marx

Today I'm going to be reviewing two books. One is a favorite that I read at least once a year. The other is the most recent book in a famous series, The Clique.

The first book is called "Bella at Midnight" by Diane Stanley. The book takes place in the medieval times. It has magic, emotion, action and most importantly, love. Wow that sounds corny. But its true. The story starts out with the birth of a girl named Isabel, a rambunctious, imaginative kid with a head full of fiery red hair. But, almost every chapter is told by a different character. It can help you understand the plot line better. The book really makes you think about how hard some people have it, while others practically roll in money. I rate this 5/5. It is recommended for boys and girls age 10 and up. There is some difficult language, the way peasants used to speak, which might be hard for children under 10 to understand.

The second book is the most recent in The Clique series. There are 12 books I believe, and I have read all of them. There are also 5 others, from The Clique summer series. Many are quite good, while some could use some work. I recently finished the prequel, when the five girls are nine. It is all about when Massie, Kristen, Dylan, and Alicia meet. Claire doesn't come in until the first book because she only meets the girls 4 years later. The prequel was strange because the girls were nine, but acted as if they were 15. I thought that they could use an attitude adjustment, but that just made it all the more...clique-y. These books are recommended for girls 11-16. I rate these books 4/5.

Thats all for this post, keep reading! And don't forget to recommend this blog to your friends.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Long Time, No Post

"To sit alone in the lamplight with a book spread out before you, and hold intimate converse with men of unseen generations - such is a pleasure beyond compare." ~Kenko Yoshida

Sorry that I haven't posted in a while, but I've been busy with school and puppies... But I have three great book to talk to you about today.

The first book is called "The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney" by Lauren Barnholdt. This book is great if you like teens trying to solve problems. Devon Delaney is a seventh grader who tells a massive lie. Over the summer she is stuck at her grandmother's beach house, and makes friends with Lexi. To keep her friendship with Lexi, and have a little fun, Devon lies saying that her nickname is Devi, she loves high fashion and the hottie at school is her boyfriend. Thinking that she would never see Lexi again, Devon doesn't tell anyone at school about her summer. Little did she know that Lexi would be transferring to her school, and expect all these lies to be true! While Devon tries to solve this problem, she has some mishaps and might even find the real hottie. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it for girls age 10-15.

The second book is called "Hershey, Herself" by Cecelia Galante. Although the title and cover of the book may seem friendly, the book deals with some heavy topics. This book is not recommended for people under the age of 13. The story circles around Hershey, a 13 year old girl who is a bit overweight and in a lot of trouble. She is partially blind from an accident a few years back, but she knows it wasn't an accident. Her mother's boyfriend Slate is an abusive jerk who doesn't care about the health of her mother, Hershey, or Baby Ella. When he lashes out at Hershey's mom for no reason at all, all of them had had enough. They leave and go to a battered woman's shelter. While they are staying there, Hershey finds a hidden talent, learns more about the world and the people around her than she normally would havbe, and finds self acceptance. This is a great book and very emotional.

The last book is one of my favorite of all time. It is called "The Cinderella Rules" by Donna Kauffman. This book is amazing. I love the witty and dry humor, and the relationships between the characters. The story is about Darby Landon, who was raised in Montana by her grandfather, to escape the high society world her younger sister and father live in. She hates to fly, hates shopping, and thinks she will never find true love. Shane Morgan on the other hand, is a playboy who doesn't think of anyone except himself. They are both called to Washington D.C. for unexpected business. Darby, because her sister needs her to play hostess, and Shane because he is expected to run a company which is seeming more and more like an empire! They meet and yes, fall in love. Everything is going great until a Darby's client starts acting suspicious. Everything they've ever known was turned upside down, and now Shane's life and Darby's family are in danger. Scintillating story, and I have now read this book 3 times. Recommended for EVERYONE ages 13 and up.

That's all for this post, and Keep Reading! Especially now in the summer. If anyone has any books they want me to read and review, post it in a comment.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Shhh...this is a secret entry

"Many people look forward to the new year for a new start on old habits."
- Author Unknown

Happy New Year Everyone! I thought I might start 2010 with one of my favorite series. The Secret Series, by Pseudonymous Bosch. There are currently two books in the series, but I have only read two. When I read the third one, there will be a follow- up post.
The first one is called "The Name of This Book is Secret". It's about two children, Cass and Max- Ernest, and their adventures together. I can't say much more, since the book is secret, but I can say that the children find powers that they thought only superheros could have. I love this book because of the riddles. The whole series is about a secret, and many riddles, tricks, and voyages are used to help discover the secret. The book really makes you think. It's the kind of book that you pick up and never put down until you finish it, and when you do finish it you look for the next in the series.
The second book is called "If You're Reading This, it's Too Late". This one wasn't as good as the first, but it was more dramatic. Many more events take place. You also have to fill in the blanks more. The author doesn't reveal all of the information to the reader, so one has to think more. You might even have to do a little research. After you finish the book of course. Both of these books are recommended for everyone ages 10 and up.
For anyone who would like to read the third book before I write a review, it's called "This Book is Not for You". That's all for this post.

Happy New Year, and Keep Reading!