About Me

My photo
Cher-y-lynne {sher-uhl-lin} –noun 1. One who formerly sold and recommended children’s books at a bookstore; a specialist in young adult, middle grade, and picture books. 2. A para-educator at a middle school. 3. A struggling young adult writer. 4. A lover of chocolate and popcorn. Archaic: An Audiology and Speech Language Pathology major at Brigham Young University. Questions? Suggestions? Books you'd like me to review? E-mail me at cherylynne1 (at) gmail (dot) com.
This is a blog for my ranting, raving, and occasionally brilliant opinions. You have been warned. Enter at your own risk.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Book Review: Airhead by Meg Cabot




Cabot, Meg. Airhead. New York: Scholastic, 2008.


"It's time to stop messing around. Who did this to you, Nikki? And be honest. Was it Al Qaeda?"

"Brandon!" Lulu shrieked from the kitchen.

"Well." Brandon shook his head. "If they want to strike a blow against freedom, why not go after the Face of Stark, one of America's most beloved models?"

"Al Qaeda doesn't know how to give people AMNESIA," Lulu declared, from behind the black granite-topped island. "Only the Scientologists have the technology to do that."

Brandon looked at me gravely. "Was it the Scientologists, Nikki?" he asked.


Em Watts is smart, funny, and...invisible. The only person who seems to even care that she exists is her best (and very cute) friend, Christopher. And even then, it's like she's nothing more than a fellow video gamer.

But then Em Watts is killed in a freak accident. When she wakes up again, she's no longer in her own body, but in that of supermodel Nikki Howard, surrounded by celebrities, rivals, round-the-clock paprazzi, and a boss who isn't above murdering his employees to get what he wants.

Suddenly, being invisible is the best lifestyle she could possibly imagine.


Took a little while to get going, but once it did, WOW! I loved the premise. I couldn’t put it down. It ends on a cliffhanger, so we have to wait for the next installment to get any satisfaction. Girls will love the fashion and the romance and the concept that someday they could wake up and be the most beautiful girl in the world.


One of my favorite aspects about it is the way she deals with popularity and beauty. Beauty, surprisingly, isn't looked down on. It's also not glamorized as the end-all be-all. It's an added bonus to a strong, bright protagonist. How much harder would it be to discover one's inner self-worth when the world judges you exclusively on your appearance? Once again, Meg Cabot has taken chick lit to a new level, and proved that you can have comedic romance with substance.


Monday, May 17, 2010

Book Review: Cirque Du Freak #3: Tunnels of Blood by Darren Shan


This book is the third in a series. To read my review of the first novel in this series (A Living Nightmare), click here. To read my review of the second novel in this series (The Vampire's Assistant), click here.

Shan, Darren. Cirque du Freak #3: Tunnels of Blood. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2003.

“Well?” she asked.
“Well what?” I replied.
“Aren’t you going to ask?”
“Ask what?”
“Ask me to go to a movie,” she said.
“But you just—”
“Darren,” she sighed. “Girls
never ask boys out.”
“They don’t?” I was confused.
“You’re clueless, aren’t you?” She chuckled. “Just ask me if I want to go to the movies, okay?”
“Okay,” I groaned. “Debbie—will you come to the movies with me?”
“I’ll think about it,” she said, then unlocked the door and disappeared inside.
Girls!

Mr. Crepsley, Darren, and Evra the snake boy decide to take a little vacation from the Cirque Du Freak. For Darren and Evra, everything seems perfectly normal; Evra develops a disguise that will let him shop during the daytime, and Darren meets a girl.... But the two soon discover that Mr. Crepsley has darker ulterior motives for taking a break.

I'm liking this series more and more all the time! Such fun concepts. And now we finally get to see a little more of Crepsley's past, which up until now has been pretty much non-existant. We also get to see a little more of the vampire world, including the hierarchy and the rogue vampires (we all knew they must be around, right?)

There is still a considerable amount of violence. This is not a series for those who get nauseous at the thought of blood (i.e. me!) But if you have a teenage boy who shoots zombies down all day on the Xbox, these novels will be perfect.

Buy this book now!
Or buy the first three books in one volume!

Monday, May 3, 2010

Book List: My Fantasy Teen Recommends

Young Adult:
Fantasy:

Books of Bayern by Shannon Hale (currently four in series)
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (currently 4 in series)
Once Upon a Time series by various authors, including Cameron Dokey
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
Beastly by Alex Flinn
The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
Vampire Diaries series by L.J. Smith (currently 5 in series)
Airhead series by Meg Cabot (currently 2 in series)
Mediator series by Meg Cabot (6 in series)
Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey