The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, vol. 1: The Pox Party by MT Anderson (reviewed by Adam Sayre *AND* Lauren TenCate)

OUR FIRST EVER DOUBLE REVIEW! Whoo! (do you want to review books with a friend? This can be a great chance to get both your voices heard...even if you disagree!)

ADAM:
From the author of Feed comes the peculiar tale of Octavian. Set in and around Boston as the Revolution begins to take its first breaths, Octavian is housed at the Novangelian College of Lucidity and is part of an ongoing science experience attempting to find out whether or not "Negroes" are as intelligent as "Whites." Then the college suddenly changes hands, and the experiment takes a turn for the worse. Having journeyed from the faraway country of Africa, all Octavian's mother, Cassiopeia, wants, is a safe home for her son. And that's exactly what he doesn't get.

LAUREN:
The Pox Party by MT Anderson was a really good book. It was really interesting. It's about a young "Negro" boy named Octavian living far from his homeland in a house of scientists, as they experiment. Eventually with the help of his friend, the servant Pro Bono, he escapes. Out in the real world he stumbles on a bunch of people who like him for who he is. Unfortunately, the scientists capture him, but luck is on his side. The scientists turn on one another and the one who actually cares about Octavian for who he is, not because he's the experiment, takes him. The only bad things about this book was that at times it got a little difficult to figure out what was going on because of the language the author used and it got little dull at times. The things that I really enjoyed was the fact there was plenty of turns in the plot and that the middle of the book was written in letters. That was cool. It was a very serious book, though, all things considered. I thought it was a pretty good book.

--
Thanks Lauren and Adam for ALL your reviews and for taking the time to read and review a challenging book that is one of my *all time* favorites! Yay!

Click here to check our catalog to see if Octavian Nothing, vol. 1 is on the shelf.

Nightmare Hour by R.L. Stine (reviewed by Samantha Padilla)

Nightmare Inn (one story in Nightmare Hour) is about a girl named Jillian that has to go with her mother to buy an Inn. But when her mother leaves toi go to real estate office to but the Inn, Jillian meets a man named James that turns into a werewolf! And then Jillian has to be on the run with a life and death situation.
--

Yikes! Thanks for the hair-raising review, Samantha.

Click here to check our catalog to see if Nightmare Hour is on the shelf.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (reviewed by Anna Wermer)

I love this book. Stephenie Meyer writes in a way that is easy to understand, so you don't need a broad vocabulary. It's really easy for girls to relate to because its in a girls point of view, but it's an amazing book for the whole family. Twilight starts with what seems to be normal, but turns into a complete twist, which makes it interesting. Even though it's a fictional story, Twilight has conflicts in it that every teenager can relate to. The love and the passion in the story glued me to the book and once it was over I was sad and couldn't wait to read the next book.

--

Thanks for being the first person to review Twilight, Anna ... I am sure some other people have some thoughts about this book/author too! Let's hear them!! ^__^

Click here to check our catalog to see if Twilight is on the shelf.

The Secret Language of Girls by Frances O'Roark Dowell (reviewed by Anna Wermer)

This book is one of my favorites! Every preteen girl can relate and would love this book. It's a story about a close friendship and growing up. The Secret Language of Girls had the same conflicts and feelings in it that I was going through. This book is full of laughs and emotions that keep the story flowing with experiences that every girl goes through. Best friends have most likely experienced the same problems that have happened in this nook and can learn a little bit about how to solve their friend-related problems by reading this. Any preteen girl growing up and learning to deal with friends and family should read this book.

--

Wow Anna, thanks for the rave!

Click here to check our catalog to see if The Secret Language of Girls is on the shelf.

Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix (reviewed by Katelyn Skeen)

Double Identity is a sci/fi novel about cloning. Parents are abandoning their daughter at a relatives house and won't tell her why! A mysterious man seems to be a spy. What could happen? You will have to read to find out! Any of Haddix's books are great!

--
Thanks Katelyn for your first (of hopefully many!) reviews!

Click here to check our catalog to see if Double Identity is on the shelf.