Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill

Hi everyone! The sixteenth book is Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill. It's a novel written about the Salem Witch Trials. Before this challenge is over you will all realize how much I enjoy reading about the Salem Witch Trials. The story was written in an unique style. The pages kind of looked like they were in the form of poetry, but they weren't at the same time. It's confusing, but I would definitely check this novel out. It is well worth it. It is clear how much time and effort Hemphill put into this novel. She did a spectacular job!

About the Author:
Stephanie Hemphill

• First novel was Things Left Unsaid
• Second novel is Your Own, Sylvia 
• Enjoys baking and crafting in her spare time
• Huge sports fan

Awards/Nominations:

• Has received countless five star reviews.

What to Expect in this Book:

• Salem Witch Trials
• Accusations
• Fear
• Irrational Decisions
• Hysteria
• False empowerment

Rating:

• Four out of five stars
• Loved the style she used, and the topic she wrote about. 

Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber

Hey guys! The fifteenth book is Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber. It was an alright book, but nothing extraordinary to write home about. This novel is definitely a novel you could easily read in one day. If your looking for an easy read with vampires, then I say you have found a winner in this book. The writing level was easy with the occasional word that made you think for a second. This is a series, but the only reason I may continue reading this series is just out of curiosity. 

About the Author:
Ellen Schreiber

• Was an actress before taking writing up as a career
• Was a stand-up comedienne 
• Know for the Vampire Kisses series as well as her Teenage Mermaid novel. 

Awards/Nominations:

• Won New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
• Won IRA/CBC Young Adults' Choice
• Won ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

What to Expect in this Book:

• Vampires
• Immature Boys
• Mysterious new family
• Revenge
• Little brother

Rating:

• Three out of five stars
• Vampire Kisses didn't stick out to me, but that's not going to stop me from not reading the rest of the series. I might just not sprint out and knock down anybody who gets in my way to get it though. 

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

 Hey guys!! The fourteenth book is Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan. Oh. My. Goodness. Golly. Where can I begin?! First, John Green is one my favorite authors of all time. I just love how he puts in his dry humor. When I was reading I could really hear each character's own voice in my mind. I also loved the concept of how all the odd chapters were from the perspective of the Will Grayson written by John Green, and all the even chapters were from the perspective of the Will Grayson written by David Levithan. I really enjoyed the two different writing styles the authors had. John Green had that dry humor and reasoning, while David Levithan just wrote in this raw way. When I say raw I mean words that were supposed to be capitalized weren't and the random spaces between the paragraphs that seemed pointless but really added to the raw effect from this character of Will Grayson. Another thing is how the characters in John Green's chapters would say the word "like" while they were talking, which made me notice how much myself and my friends use that word. Never knew how that one word could get annoying.

About the Authors:

John Green

• Bestselling author of Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, The Fault in Our Stars, and Paper Towns
• Makes YouTube videos with brother that sparks changes throughout the country and world (Go Nerdfighters!)
• Earned a B.A. while double majoring in English (Specializing in Mark Twain) and Religious Studies (Focusing mostly on Islam) at Kenyon College

David Levithan

• Known for his first novel Boy Meets Boy and Nick and Noah's Infinite Playlist
• He is an editorial director for Scholastic
• He is the founder of  PUSH - a program through Scholastic that focuses on new authors

Awards/Nominations:

• Nominated for the Abraham Lincoln Award in 2013
• Was listed #3 on the New York Time's bestseller's list for chapter books for children - being the first novel to be on this list starring gay characters

What to Expect in this Book:

• Gay-Straight Alliance 
• Exaggeration
• Online IM-ing 
• MIA father
• Heartbreak
• School Musical

Rating:

• five out of five stars
• A read that will have you laughing out loud, but yet feeling the pain of heart break. 

Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell

Hi everyone! Isn't this snow crazy?! And to think this is supposed to be my spring break. The thirteenth book is Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell. I'm guilty of judging this book by its cover. By looking at this book I thought this novel would be spooky and creepy. However, as I began to read it I was devastated because it seemed like all the story was two best friends getting in fights because of some boy. But then. BUT THEN. The story finally got good, and the plot finally started to build rapidly to the climax. The suspense. Ohhh the suspense was killing me! Ha-ha sorry got caught up in the moment :) Anyway, the story ended up being beautifully written, and a complete success in my opinion. 

About the Author:

• Wife and mother to two children
• Screenwriter for 15 years for a couple different series of short films
• Considered an expert on the topic of folklore and urban legends

Awards/Nominations for Shadowed Summer:

• Won the The Society of Midland Authors Book Award for Children's Fiction in 2010
• Nominated for the Edgar Award in 2010

What You Would Find in this Book:

• controlling best friend
• mild young love
• suspense :)
• family secret
• small town (where everything travels fast)
• gossipy townspeople

Rating:

Four out of five stars 

• the climax is what got me to give Shadowed Summer four stars instead of three

The Night Children by Kit Reed

Welcome back everyone! The twelfth book is The Night Children by Kit Reed. I despise this book with all my being. I wouldn't be able to tell you all how many times I almost stopped reading this book. I had to literally force myself to finish this book. The plot was so weak, and I found myself asking myself why am I reading this???? The author would switch from a character's perspective to another character's perspective without having a break to show that perspectives were changing. I would be reading, and a page later I would be confused and realized that the perspectives had changed. Another thing is that Reed would repeat herself about a situation in the book two or three times in a matter of a few pages. I gave this book a one out of five. This book had so many different aspects that irked me, and clearly wasn't challenging at all. Even though the idea of the book sounded great the actual story line was a drag. I don't know what the hype was all about for this book. If any of you have read this book leave a comment below because I would love to hear about others' opinions about this book :) 

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Hi everyone! I meant to put this up a couple of days ago, but that obviously was a fail. The eleventh book is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. I fell in love with Twain and his work when I had to do a report in second grade over a historical figure. (something like that...it's been so long ago) Of course, second grade is sort of too young to understand his work. The one thing that I really enjoy about The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is how Twain incorporates the vernacular of the time period. I will tell you it's challenging to read at points, especially when Jim, the runaway slave, is speaking. Twain was openly against slavery, and he combines his views about that topic throughout the story. The thing about that is that he did it in a way that you wouldn't really pick up on it quickly. I know this novel is very controversial, but you need to keep in mind that this was the lifestyle and speech during that time period. It really opened my eyes to how far our world and society has come. I rated this classic four out of five. It definitely is a book that everybody should read. What do you think of this American classic? Leave a comment below :)

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Hi everyone! I hope everyone is having a great spring break, or if it's next week I hope you will have lots of fun! If it is next week, you're not alone because mine's next week as well. The long awaited tenth book is Insurgent by Veronica Roth. I absolutely loved this book, and the trilogy! All though I am not too please that I have to wait till OCTOBER to read the last book. Sorry. Just had to vent about that a little. Anyway, the book is beautifully written and AHHHHH. I'm honestly speechless. Towards the end, my heart was breaking because I truly thought that Tobias and Tris were over, but then they didn't and cue happy dance and the words OHHHH MYYYY GOOSSSSH! Insurgent was definitely suspenseful, and I couldn't stop turning the pages. I was sort of intimidated by the size of the book, because I have been crazy busy with little time dedicated for reading that I thought I would never get through this book. I would give this book a five out of  five! Definitely one of my favorites, and will be going out and purchasing a copy for myself to keep forever! I hope you enjoyed, and if you have read Insurgent, Divergent, or just want to vent about having to wait till OCTOBER to read the final installment feel free to leave a comment below :)

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness Inspired by Siobhan Dowd

Hi again! Long time, no write! ha-ha  The ninth book is A Monster Calls written by Patrick Ness. He actually got the idea from Siobhan Dowd who had passed away before she could put this idea into book form. I absolutely loved this book! I started reading it today, and I couldn't put it down. I thought it would be  scarier judging by the cover, but it wasn't even close to scary. The novel does deal with cancer, which hit at home with me because of family members. Although, I think it would hit at home with anyone. My favorite character was the Monster, because he was so wise and had a way with words that I found myself saving some of his lines to go back and reflect on or use during a rough time. Also, Ness added pictures throughout the novel, and they were placed strategically that they really flowed with the story. I would give this book a 4.5 out of 5. I highly recommend this to anyone and everyone. It's definitely an unforgettable story that leaves you thinking. 

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't been able to post an update. Things have gotten crazy! Anyway, the eighth book is Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. I was hesitate to begin reading this novel, because I was thinking it would be Twilight all over again. However, I got over that and I began to read and what I noticed was that the first couple chapters basically were just the girl seeing her wolf through the window, and her wolf watching her in the woods. At this point I was so close of putting the book down and walking away from it forever.   So then I talked to a couple of my friends who have read it, and they said, "Oh no you gotta keep going. gotta." So. I did. I don't know if it was a good thing or not, but I did finish the book. I will say that I loved the ending, BUT I don't know if I should continue the trilogy because I'm afraid the other two books will just be about the drama that goes on in their relationship. I would give this book a three out of five, just because I felt like the plot was weak in the beginning, and there were more than a few times during this book where I just really wanted to stop reading. If any of you have read Shiver, feel free to leave a comment below telling me how you felt about this novel. Talk to you all soon!