Rachel reviews Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
So a few weeks of ago, I was looking through the new books for teens and trying to decide what to order. Part of how I do that is reading through the summary of the book and deciding whether or not I would read the book. This is one of the ones I not only decided I would read (the cool cover is a plus too), but I immediately put on request so that I could be one of the first ones to get my hands on it. Yay me!

This book begins with Finnikin as a young boy who is close friends with a prince and princess of Lumatere. At least he is close to them until one horrific night when assassins enter the kingdom murdering the entire royal family and seizing the throne. In the days to come (known as the five unspeakable days), a powerful priestess is blamed and is ordered to be burned alive by the imposter king. However, before she dies she places a curse on the kingdom which allows nothing to either escape the kingdom or enter it until a rightful king returns with the exiles to retake the kingdom.

For ten years Finnikin searches the land for exiles and for any sign that the prince may still be alive. Along the way he meets Evanjalin, a girl who claims that she walks the dreams of their people and can help lead them to the royal heir. However, her unpredictable behavior makes her nearly impossible to trust. She is obviously not all she appears to be, but the truth may be more than Finnikin can handle.

Overall, I really liked this book. The story was full of suspense and was very entertaining. One of my favorite authors, Kristin Cashore reviewed the book as well. Here's what she had to say: "The world of this book is dark and beautiful and utterly believable; and, as I've come to expect of Marchetta's work, the characters are wonderfully complex. Here is an author who writes fantasy as well as she writes realism -- and in the case of Melina Marchetta, that's high praise, indeed!"
Rachel reviews Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
When you don’t talk, there’s a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said.
 This is the lesson the D.J. becomes very familiar with over the summer. Her family seems to be on the brink of falling apart: her mother is never home, her little brother refuses to talk, and no one has heard from her two older brothers since they moved out to go to college. D.J. has essentially taken over her family’s dairy farm since her father’s accident, so who has time to talk anyway. She milks cows, mucks the stalls, oh, and helps with football training for Brian. She loves training Brian, and the more she does it the more she enjoys both football and Brian himself. Just a few problems with that, like: 1.) her dad would flip if she tried out for the team and 2.) Brian Nelson is sooo out of her league.

Through the course of the summer D.J. tries to figure out who she really is, and if what she wants is really worth going after. It might cost her everything if she speaks up, but boy does she have a lot to say. Her story is one every girl should read. It’s hilarious, romantic, and daring all tied into one neat package.
TAG: Take Two
Hello again lovely people!

It’s about that time, and I just wanted to remind you all that we will be having our TAG! meeting next Tuesday! That’s February 16th at 4:00 in the Lake Room (same room we were in last month). Please, please, please come if you can. Oh, and if you have a friend that might want to come, bring them too!

We’ll have snacks, show off some new books, and go over some of the ideas we discussed during the last meeting. Remember, if you are still interested in doing the Book Club, please bring the title of the book you think we should read. Other than that, just come hang out and have fun! Hope to see you then!

~Rachel Cox, your friendly neighborhood librarian
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For those who love Hunger Games
Okay, the internet stalker is back. I've been surfing the web looking ideas for our blog, and I stumbled across something that I really wanted to share. This is really for the people who are as obsessed as I am with the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It's a post I found on another teen blog that discusses the Team Peeta vs. Team Gale controversy. Check it out here: The Eternal Debate.

WARNING: Do not visit this page if you have not finished reading both the Hunger Games and Catching Fire.  

Other than that, enjoy! (For the record, I'm Team Peeta!)


-Rachel

 
Rachel reviews Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves
Wow... I'm not even sure where to begin with this one... Okay, so there's Hannah, who is totally bonkers. Like clinically. She been diagnosed with several disorders, she often hallucinates, and her aunt has threatened to throw her in a looney bin. She decides to run away, but not before bashing said aunt over the head with a table lamp. Eventually, she makes her way to her mother (who left after she was born) in Portero, Texas. Of course the mom is almost as crazy in her own unique way, and wants nothing to do with Hannah, who insists on staying. Fortunately, the monsters in Portero make Hannah's hallucinations look absolutely normal. Because she has dealt with her own monsters all her life, Hannah is not freaked out by the strange happenings that take place. As in any good book, Hannah finds a way to fit in and a boy who accepts her because his own life is almost as unbelievable. 
Bleeding Violet is definitely an interesting book, but will never make it into my top ten. I'd probably recommend this to teens who enjoy the paranormal and who don't mind a little dose of crazy now and then. 

-Rachel
Coming to Rabobank Arena...
Okay, I officially love living in Bakersfield... Dave just told me (yes, Dave, the other totally cool teen librarian) that he saw signs for a concert that is going to take place at the Rabobank Arena. It's DAUGHTRY!!! Those of you who made it to the last TAG! meeting know that I like Daughtry (I had it playing in the background). So YAY! Oh, and Lifehouse will be there too! I'm so excited!!! You better believe that on May 4th I'm going to be standing around in my jeans waiting for the doors to open. Here's the link if you feel like coming out for the party: Daughtry with Lifehouse.