Adam Was Right

I don't know why I like morbid books. I have recently started a book I purchased at the book fair called "Hunt for the Seventh" and it has seriously given me the hebbie jeebies.

The book is about this boy named Jim who has just moved into a super huge castle. His mother has died and his father has decided to take a job at the dilapidated Minerva Estate. His father has recently taken up a job as head gardener, which I think is a little pointless. The owner of the castle doesn't even go outside, let alone appreciate the beauty of his home. So I would just sell it to England as a historical landmark and have gardeners take care of it, but no head gardener. I think that if you are going to work at a place like the Minerva Castle, you should be the best of the best.

Anyways, this kid is seeing these strange things. He saw a ghost write on a chalkboard, a mysterious savant who he has named Einstein who may or may not be alive, and a girl has been seriously bugging him, asking him to "Find the Seventh". By Seventh I guess she means the seventh dead child, because six kids died in the grounds. This girl that has been bugging him died because she got nailed in the head by a weather vane. Ouch!

While this book is very good, I feel out of it. Maybe because this book gives me nightmares and I just don't want to be in it, but character development for the main character has been seriously low. The dad and this boy's younger sister, Sal, are extremely developed, especially the father. But it is a good book.

P.S. I commented on Rose's blog

Everlost: Why Do I Read So Many Books About Death?

Neil Shusterman is a genius. He is wacky, and his writing varies from stories about children being taken apart and having their body parts "recycled" to stories about Barbies coming to life. With his book "Everlost", he continues to use original plots.
One of the first mysteries that a person encounters is "Where do you go when you die?" Whatever you believe in, whether it is hell or heaven, purgatory or Nirvana, or even if you believe that you are reincarnated as a bug and the light at the end of the tunnel is really a bug zapper, we all have ideas. But, what if you don't make it?
That is the question that "Everlost" is all about. If you miss the light, where do you go? You go to Everlost, a land where you don't have to breathe, there are no adults, you can't get hurt, you sink to the center of the Earth if you stand in one place for too long, and an evil monster haunts everyone, waiting to rip out their tongues.
Nick and Allie are both killed in a car crash, and are both thrown into Everlost. They want to get back home, and they believe they can. The boy they meet, who they name Leif, doesn't believe they can. Leif lives in fear of the evil monster and of sinking into the ground. Who is right? I believe that Leif should not live a life surrounded by fear, but by the sound of it, going out into Everlost means that you are doomed. As doomed as a dead person can be.

P.S. I commented on Adam's blog.

Truancy is Awesome III

If you want to read a book full of action, suspense, a little love story, a lot of mystery, and full of amazing writing, skip The Hunger Games and read Truancy by Isamu Fukui.


The Hunger Games is not nearly as good as Truancy and is way way more popular. While certain parts of The Hunger Games bored me to sleep, Truancy had me at the edge of my seat every second I read it.


Truancy is a very good book for many reasons. While the end of The Hunger Games has a very predictable ending, Truancy keeps you guessing. Everything that was good about The Hunger Games is better in Truancy. And Truancy was written by a seventeen year old high school senior. Beat that, Suzanne Collins.

I finished Truancy, and this book really makes me think. Umasi was not part of the Truancy when it started. And guess what? He is Zyid's brother! Those two characters could not be more different! Zyid wants to end the City's cruel educational system with violence, while Umasi wants to end it with peace. And both of them have to intelligence and strength to end it.



This is a great twist. An even greater twist is that Umasi and Zyid are both actually the sons of the Mayor.





Tack has joined Zyid's gang. Why? Umasi, his mentor, has showed taught him of being a pacifist. He joins because his sister is killed by Zyid. He swears to kill Zyid after he shows no concern for killing an innocent student.



I agree with Umasi partially. Umasi is extremely patient, because his way of ending the system is waiting for the current leaders to die of natural causes and let the new ones solve the problems. I don't think I could be that patient. But killing thousands of people is too much. All the people murdered are fathers, husbands, brothers, wives, daughters, mothers, sons, uncles, aunts, all people with real families. And the family of the cruelest Educator doesn't deserve to suffer from the sadness of losing a loved one.



This book is also, I believe, meant to teach a lesson. The lessons here are harsh and very real, which is stunning from a seventeen year old. When Zyid makes a "speech" that the entire City hears, he comes up with some very good points. He talks about how children should deal with their parents, their teachers, and anybody who has considered them inferior. He says "No longer will we beg for their favor. No longer will we fear their displeasure. No longer will we hide from failure". He also realizes violence is not the way to go. He says that the violence can only bring the two sides to "mutual ruin". This speech tells us not to be afraid of our mistakes or ourselves. And it tells us that in the end, the real winner of wars is nobody