Wither by Lauren Destefano

Hi everyone! The twentieth book is Wither by Lauren Destefano! This novel was extremely intriguing for me, instead of the usual end of the world plot line, it had a certain twist to it. In this novel, males lived to the age of 25, and females lived to the age of 20. When they reach those age limits a virus would set in, and slowly, or sometimes rapidly, kill them. The First Generations, those who are able to live well into their eighties, are trying to find an antidote. While they are trying to find this antidote, the First Generations, who are wealthy as heck, send out Gatherers to find potential brides for their sons. It is common for the sons to have multiple wives at one time. The theory behind this, was to keep the offspring coming in hopes that the antidote would be found, and the First Generations could watch their grandchildren grow to old age. The story centers around three wives, their husband, their father-in-law, and a little dose of romance. Jenna, the oldest wives, has the most resentment towards Linden, the husband, because of what happened to her sisters. Rhine, the middle wife, wants to find her way back to her twin brother, but also knows how to play to the game, so she plays the affectionate, but yet resistant wife card. And finally Cecily, the youngest of the three wives, who is excited to bear as many children as Linden wants, and to take advantages of all the luxuries provided. 

About the Author: 
Lauren Destefano

• Has a Bachelor's Degree in English from Albertus Magnus College.
• Enjoys to thrift shop, play on her Nintendo, and playing with her cats in her free time.

Awards/Nominations:

• Nominated for ALA Teens' Top Ten in 2012.

What to Expect in This Book:

• Polygamous marriage
• Disease
• Survival 
• Dystopia
• Holograms

Rating:

• Four out five stars
• I highly enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, but what really stood out to me was the futuristic characteristics that this book had. Those specific scenes in the novel really made me wonder if these holograms and such could actually become a realistic thing in the near future. The characters were strong, and developed through the progression of the novel. 

Stork by Wendy Delsol

Hello!! I'm going to just jump right into it. The nineteenth book is Stork by Wendy Delsol. It's basically about this girl who finds out that she has this special power/gift that makes her a human stork. She gets to choose which vessel, or potential mother, gets to conceive the baby. The main character, Katla, runs into a boy from her childhood that she has no recollections of, but they end up re-connecting and finding out things from their past as well as from their present. It was a novel that allowed you to read, and not have to be constantly thinking about different aspects of the plot. 

About the Author:
Wendy Delsol

• Stork is her first novel.
• Was born in Canada.
• Has a Masters degree from California State University, Orange Beach.
• Married with two sons.

Awards/Nominations:

• Won the Voya Perfect Ten Award in 2010

What to Expect in This Book:

• Folklore
• Myths
• Pregnancy issues/scares
• Fantasy

Rating:

• Three out of five stars
• I only gave Stork three stars, because there was nothing that had me turning the pages rapidly. I felt like I could predict some of the events that took place. However, I still thought the book was very well-written, and has great potential. 

Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith

Hi guys! Okay, I have been majorly slacking. I actually finished this book literally two weeks ago, and I have never blogged about it. I have been in a mild reading slump which doesn't help the situation. So the eighteenth book is Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith. This novel really does send a women empowering feeling, which I kind of like. However, the novel wasn't that exciting. I didn't rush home to finish it, I would watch TV, do my homework, go on the internet, stare at the wall, and THEN I would pick this book up. The novel takes place in the 1940's when Pearl Harbor takes place. It's about a girl, Ida Mae, who absolutely loves flying airplanes. When her older brother is shipped off, she feels like she should be doing something more than collecting grease and silk stockings. One day, her younger brother brings her a news clipping advertising  the WASP or the Women Airforce Service Pilots. She is interviewed only thing is she fakes her true identity by claiming she is white. She is able to get away with this because her skin is lighter. The story takes the reader on Ida Mae's journey in trying to find her true self, and having the ability to achieve the respect women pilots were searching for during this time. 

About the Author:
Sherri L. Smith

• Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
• Flygirl started as a thesis project for her masters
• Lover of books

Awards/Nominations:

• Won the TAYSHAS High School Reading List Award in 2010

What to Expect in this Book: 

• Pearl Harbor
• Airplanes
• Women Airforce Service Pilots
• Issues because of race

Rating:

• Four out of five stars
• I ended up giving Flygirl a four out of five even though it really didn't jump out to me. I think the reason this got the fourth star was because I enjoyed how the book was centered in the 1940's during the war. That era just really interests me. 

Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger

Hi everyone! As summer is nearing, I have been busier than ever! The seventeenth book is Last Days of Summer by Steven Kluger. There are several reasons why I highly enjoyed this book. First, it's set in the time period of Hitler and the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Anything written during this time period is just really intriguing to me. Second, the novel is written in the form of letters mainly between a young boy and a famous baseball player who develop a friendship as time goes on. After awhile the letters extend to the baseball player's girlfriend as well as his best friend. Third, this is one of the first books that I have read that has kept me chuckling throughout the novel. The writing style is so just so pleasant...if that makes sense. Fourth, the ending. So unsuspecting. I recommend this to everyone who needs a suggestion for a book to read. 

About the Author:
Steve Kluger

• Novelist
• Playwright
• He enjoys dedicating his time to several different organizations:
• Lambda Legal
• GLSEN
• Models of Pride
• Also an uncle to his nieces and nephews

Awards/Nominations:

• Won the ALA Alex Award in 1999

What to Expect in this Book:

• Letters
• Baseball
• Baseball players
• War
• Friendship
• Amazing ending

Rating:

• Five out of five stars.
• It's a novel that will leave an impression. In my opinion, this novel deserves five out five because of its sentimentality throughout the whole book. This novel is so different from all the other books that are out now. Last Days of Summer is definitely worth your time. 

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.