5 comments about Singularity.

1. This is the first William Sleator book I ever had the pleasure of reading, way back in those good ol' jr. high days. And the concept is one that has stuck with me--what is on the opposite end of a black hole?
   
   Turns out it's the possibilities to tinker with time.
   
   The single character obsession makes this book something of a slow read, but the concept is fascinating and there really is nothing wrong with the occasional character development.



2. This is one of my favorite books. I loved it as a middle schooler (the author was actually recommended to me by our librarian!!!). I then re-read it in high school...and then in college...and will definitely read it again in my lifetime (if I can find who I loaned it to!). A book that can be enjoyed at different ages says a lot. The characters are very strong and the story very original. I'm kind of surprised no one tried to make a movie based on this unless it would be hard to do logistically. I thought the brothers' reactions toward each other were very realistic and throwing in the mix the girl character of Lucy made it even better. Highly recommended to people (even if you don't like science)!



3. Every book has something good about it;however,this book has three good things about it. First of all, the charachters act like real people. You can identify with them. Secondly, it is extremely suspenseful. Sleator puts a master stroke with the "mouth", putting an exiting aimosphere in this story. Lastly, I enjoyed reading it. It was fun to read! Obviously, these three things make this book worth reading.
   
   Lulu in CA



4. Everything is faster inside than outside the playhouse! Mrs. Krasner gets a letter telling her that her Uncle Ambrose died and he left everything to her. She and her husband has planned a vacation so they sent their sixteen year old twin sons, Harry and Barry, to go check the place out. When the boys get there, they find a playhouse behind the house. They try to open it and find it's locked. A girl named Lucy, that's about their age, comes over and tells them some stuff about their great uncle. They go inside and Barry finds a key that has PLAY written on it, but when they try that one in the lock to the playhouse, it doesn't work either. Barry ends up finding a key that has HOUSE written on it, but that key doesn't work either. Then, Barry tries using both key (by putting one in after another) and it works. The playhouse is full of spider webs and the floor is coated in dead insects. When they go back outside, Fred, Harry and Barry's dog, is still in the exact same place as he was when they went into the playhouse a few minutes before. They don't really think anything of this and go inside the house. The next day, Harry and Barry decide to clean out the playhouse. After cleaning for a while, Harry goes outside to get the trash bags and the door shuts behind him. When he opens it up a second later, he finds Barry asleep on the bed that's inside the playhouse and the playhouse completely clean. Barry wakes up and yells at Barry for leaving him in there al night, but Harry had only been outside a few seconds. Harry later figures out that the playhouse is a singularity, or a black hole, and that for every second outside the playhouse, a hour goes by inside the playhouse. Barry keeps making Harry mad, so Harry decides that he wants to be the one in command and the only way to do that would be to be older than Barry. Harry figures out that two and a half hours outside the play house equals a year inside it. Harry stays in the playhouse for two and half hours (in Barry's time) while Barry is asleep. This makes him a year older than Barry. When Barry wakes up, he finds that Harry is different. Harry tells him what he did and Barry freaked out. Then, the thing that they have been waiting for to come through the singularity finally comes through. It ends up eating itself. After this, Barry, Harry, and Lucy go inside the playhouse and find a broken stone on the floor. They look outside and find that everything is moving as normal the time zone is no longer there. Lucy leaves and Harry and Barry try to figure out how they are going to tell their parents that Harry is now seventeen. This book has a lot of adventure type stuff, weird stuff, and suspense in it.
   
   Harry has most of the adventure, but some other people do to. Barry and Harry get to go check out their great uncle's house. Their parents go to California. Barry, Harry, and Lucy discover what the playhouse can do. Harry stays in the playhouse for a year.
   
   There are many weird things in this book. The playhouse is weird and that it has a different time zone inside of it. It's also weird because it can transport items from a different universe. It was kind of weird that Harry decide to age himself.
   
   This book is crazy with suspense. It was suspenseful when they were trying to figure out what was going on with the playhouse. The different things to come through the singularity was suspenseful. It was suspenseful while Harry was waiting a year inside the playhouse.
   
   With all of the adventuristic stuff, weird stuff, and suspense, this book was jam packed. It was really good and different from anything I've ever read. I really liked the Sci-Fi stuff, even thought it was a little weirder than I'm used to. I would recommend this book to anyone who like really cool Sci-Fi books.



5. Singularity was my favorite book in middle school. I just read it again for a class in college and I still really enjoy it! Below is a review that I wrote for my class about Singularity that may be helpful. **Just a warning - it gives away the ending!
   William Sleator writes of Harry and Barry Krasner, twin brothers who could not be more opposite. Harry, the narrator of the story, is the scientific, mathematical, timid brother, while Barry is athletic, out-going, and domineering. When the two are sent to their late great uncle Ambrose's farm to house-sit, they come across a very strange playhouse in the backyard. The brothers find out from Lucy, an attractive female neighbor, that the Krasner's Uncle Ambrose was a very creepy man who could make his neighbor's cows dry up and grow feeble over night.
   As a team, Harry, Barry, and Lucy find the keys for the playhouse and being exploring. They soon find that time goes faster within the house, and that there is a portal to another universe that they can see reflected in water in the playhouse's sink. From the portal, strange things arrive such as a small blinking device that Harry realizes must be a clock for another life form. Other things also arrive like a green hairball and a purple furry fruit peel, but the three truly begin to worry when they see a large set of jaws coming through the portal. However, by now, they realize that it will take many days for it to arrive in their world.
   In the meantime, Harry and Barry's relationship grows increasingly competitive, and Harry begins to worry that Barry will go into the playhouse at night and stay in there until he ages enough that they are no longer twins. Harry, who's character by now is getting a little annoying because he is so whiny and insecure, does something startling to both the reader, himself, and, later, Barry: Harry goes into the playhouse. He spends a year in "playhouse time" within the confines of the little shed, but in real time it is only a few hours. During this time, Harry develops a regimented schedule to keep himself from going crazy. This part is more interesting than one would expect. Through journal entries, Harry shares his deepest concerns and theories about his brother, the monster coming through the portal, and about life in general. As Harry ages, he truly becomes more wise and confident in himself, and this mini bildungs roman is exciting to view, as a reader, in such a short time.
   When the playhouse year is finally over, Harry confronts his brother, which is actually only the next morning. Barry's reaction is satisfying for both Harry and the reader. Unlike many readers might expect, however, the brothers actually get along better when Harry is a year older. Sleator does a good job of emphasizing that Barry's new behavior is not just because Harry is now the older brother, but also because Harry has more confidence in himself and is more controlled in his reactions toward his brother.
   That same morning, the monster arrives. As soon as Harry opens the door to the playhouse, the monster violently jumps out, destroying the playhouse and the portal, and consumes itself. Harry explains to Barry and Lucy that it was probably a robot sent to destroy the portal on purpose because it was a danger or an annoyance to have an exposed portal to another universe. Older readers may connect the end of the playhouse's power to the end of Harry's childhood, however, even if they do not fully understand the deeper intentions of this story, it is still an exciting sci-fi journey for readers ages 12 and up.

5 comments about Tantalize.

1. If you are looking for a fast, entertaining read then this book is for you. I thought the storyline was interesting and the author's take on vampires and werepeople was unique. My only complaint, as some other reviews have stated, is that we didn't see much of Kieren, whom, from the summery of the book, I'd have thought would have been more of a key character. I would have loved to have seen more of a development in the relationship between Qunicie and Kieren instead of the subtle glimpses. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am really looking forward to the author's next novel.



2. I've seen some of the reviews here and I've got to tell you that the only thing that might hurt this book is the long reaching shadow of another vampire tale. This is a vastly better written story than many.
   
   You enter a world not that different than our own except most people know vampires and werewolves really do exist. And you'll learn that vamps aren't always amused by humans making a buck off of their reputations. When Quincie starts a vampire themed restaraunt, she inadvertently attracts the real deal and makes life deadly dangerous for her and her werewolf boyfriend. And this story gives a whole new meaning to "kiss the cook."
   
   Funny, exciting and gripping this book will tempt your mind's taste buds from appetizer to desert.



3. This story has excellent potential and horrible execution. There was nothing compelling about the good guys, the bad guys, or even the menu! The main conflict isn't compelling or even interesting: Smarmy guy is actually bad, dead guy is actually dead, benevolent goof of an uncle is actually just an oaf and more smarmy than Smarmy Bad Buy. The only thing I liked about this book was I recognized some of the highways... not exactly a ringing endorsement. Nothing tantalizing at all about this read.



4. Rating: 3.5/5
   
   This review is taking me awhile to really form... most likely because I've already analyzed the death out of it for a book report for my English class. Either way, there's not much for me to really say.
   
   
   Good:
   
   This take on werewolves and vampires is entirely new to me... and I thought it was an interesting point of view. I wouldn't call it my favorite viewpoint, but there's kudos to be given for a decent novel with a new idea (the new idea not being the werewolf/vampire idea, but the way they were presented).
   
   I also want to point out how incredibly fast this novel went by. It wouldn't feel like I was reading that much, but suddenly I was halfway through and then I just breezed to the end. There are some 300 page books I really struggle to finish; this was not one of them. I was done quickly.
   
   
   Bad:
   
   Yes, I was done quickly. But with very little real impact. The book was entertaining, but it didn't stick with me. I closed it at the end and looked at it, then promptly put it aside so I could finish my book report and move onto my next book. I didn't hover, like I do with the books that I really like. I was sort of indifferent when it came to a close.
   
   In fact, I am kind of disappointed with the ending. The beginning was great; it was a fantastic introduction to an interesting story and one hell of a page-turner. But the ending came too fast, and it was too rushed. Somewhere between the beginning and the end, it turned from a semi-normal fantasy novel, to something that was just a bit too bizarre and creepy for my tastes.
   
   Although, it wasn't so bizarre that I'm not going to read the sequel, Eternal, when it comes out in February.



5. I was disappointed by this story as I thought the premise sounded so interesting. For the story to fall so flat ... I did make it all the way through the book and had to take a moment or two when I was finished to sort out what the heck had actually happened.
   
   Quincie is not exactly a normal high-schooler in Austin, Texas. Her parents died when she was small and her childhood sweetheart is a half werewolf. On top of that she has inherited her parent's restaurant and is almost too responsible.
   
   Despite her apparent responsiblility in helping to run a restaurant, Quincie makes some terribly poor decisions. She's drunk for the second half of the book for example.
   
   The writing is staccato and doesn't flow as it should and even Kieran (Quincie's best friend & childhood sweetheart) who is the most dynamic character feels static and unlikeable. The story ends abruptly and badly in my humble opinion. :(

5 comments about The First Evil (Fear Street Cheerleaders, No. 1).

1. Bobbi and Corky join the Shadyside cheerleading team, much to the chagrin of all the other team members, and accidentally unleash an ancient evil. It's Fear Street, for crying out loud. What else could happen?
   
   The first time I read this series, I was eleven and whoa, did I love it. Fifteen years later, it's showing its age. I didn't expect I would be wowed again, fifteen years later, but I didn't expect I would cringe with regret, either.
   
   Don't take that the wrong way. The book isn't bad. But with the quality of work available to young adults and tweens nowadays, it simply can't stand as high as it used to. The characters are flat, the plot is benign, and the style was apathetic and cold this time around.
   
   Bottom Line: It's not good. It's not bad. It's average, but in a 1992 sort of way.



2. Corky and Bobbi Corcoran are newcomers to Shadyside. Together, they become cheerleaders in Shadyside High. Bad things start to happen. Jennifer Daly is throw out of the bus and lands at Sarah Fear's grave. Fortunately, she survives. Unfortunately, worse things start to happen.



3. Whooa, I think I still have all three parts of this series. I was a big R L Stine fan. I started off with goosebumps, and quickely moved to the fear street series. I had ALL of the books in the fear street series (this was in 92-97). I gave alot of them to my younger cousins or family friends, but reading some of these reviews, I may just have to locate one and take a hour (thats all it takes now lol) to read one(sad thing is, that I am an 26 yr old) LOL. I like the fear street cheerleader sage (even though I didnt know they had a fourth installment), and the Fear Street Saga (The very first 3, but I see they added ALOT MORE to the fear street history. Reading some of these reviews is like going back in a time machine LOL



4. The Fear street cheerleaders, is about a group of cheer leader (Boobi,Jenifer,Corky,Kimmi, Debra) and them fighting an evil spirit. Corky and Bobbi are new comers to the squad, makeing Kimmi resent them, because they get her friend kicked off the squad(Ronnie). One day, while on the way to a football game, Corky and Bobbi make the bus driver go to fearstreet to pick up the Fire battons. While on the way, Jenifer, the captin of the squad, falls out of the bus. She lands on Sarah Fears grave, and apears to die. She lives, but is unable to walk.
   The next day, Bobbi, much to Kimmis distress, is the captin. She then hooks up with Kimmis ex boy friend, Chip. After that thoug, wierd things happen. Bobbi hears screaming in the halls, doors open and shut, and Chip, in mid quater back football toss, freezes. Nobody, not even Corky, belives her.
   A few days later, the Cheerleader are doing a jump. Kimmi jumps of one girls shoulders, and Bobbi catches her, but Bobbi freezes. Kimmi jumps off, and hurts her wrist. Practise ends, and Bobbi goes to see Jenifer. Jenifer acts normal, but while leaving, Bobbi watches as Jenifer stands up and walks. Corky thinks she is insane.
   The next day, Bobbi is thrown off the squad. She goes to take a shower, and gets cought in boilling hot water. Bobbi tries to escape, but gets cought in boilling water. Bobbi then boils to death. Corky was late for practise. While looking for Bobbi, she finds a neckless that Kimmi wears. She then findsa Boobis broilled body.
   Cory first thinks it was Kimmi, because of the neckless. Kimmi said that she gave it to Jenifer though. Corkys goes to see Jenifer, but finds out she is at the grave yard. Corky sees her walking, and Dancing around Sarah Fears grave. Jenifer turns out to be possed by the evil spirit, who possed Sarah Fear. Corky defates the evil, and Jenifers two month dead body is reviled. Corky knows the evil isn't gone forever.



5. Corky and Bobbi Corcoran are the two new girls on the cheerleading squad at Shadyside High.When they cheer everyone finds out how good they really are.What will Jenifer Daly do to Bobbi when she finds out that Bobbi is the new cheerleading captain?Now some of the strangest things are happening to Bobbi,Corky,and other people of Shadyside High,who could be to blame for the murders?The strange noises,the weird thoughts,and akward actionsof people.What's going on?Could it be the evil spirit of Sarah Fear agian? This book was very interesting and suspenseful I gave it five stars.

5 comments about Slumber Party (Point Paperback).

1. I read this book when it was new and I was 8 years old. After reading it I continued to read books by Christopher Pike through my teen years. I am now tring to hunt down all those great titles so my daughter will enjoy reading as much as I did/do.



2. This book is really awesome and I would reccomend it to anyone, because it's very exciting and quite creepy. Out of all the books I have read, I will never forget this one. You are constantly trying to figure out what the mystery is to it, therefore you HAVE to keep reading it. I highly suggest that you read it!



3. If you're looking for a good, swift read to take you through a cozy night by the fire, you could do a lot worse than to pick up Slumber Party, which is about a gaggle of high school girls who are snowbound in a luxurious winter resort. And oh, it seems that one of them is a murderess.
   
   Pike does a good job in this one, sticking to his by-the-numbers formula involving attractive teens, plot twists designed to throw suspicion on everyone but the murderer, and a paranoid feeling that the muderer walks among us.
   
   It may not be original, especially when measured against Pike's other books from the same period, but at least he does it well, moving us from point A to point B without a pause to catch our breaths.
   
   Young adults will like the way that this novel has been tailored to suit their culture (pop culture, that is), and while it may not educate anyone about the real world, it's a pleasant diversion. And hey, you're reading, so that's good.



4. In "Slumber Party," 17-year-old Lara Johnson (the protagonist) and her five girl friends (Celeste Winston, Dana Miller, Rachael Grayson, Nell Kutroff, and Mindy Casey) travel to Cedar Stream, California, for a weekend ski trip. Shortly after they arrive, strange and dangerous things start to occur: a snowman mysteriously melts; Dana goes missing, leaving unusual ski tracks in the snow--both events leading Lara to a "supernatural hypothesis"--and then Mindy's arm gets seriously burned in the fireplace. What it all leads back to is a fiery slumber party eight years ago when one of them was disfigured and her sister died. And someone wants to make sure they never forget it.

   "Slumber Party" wasn't quite as engaging as some of Pike's later books (I think this is his first published book under this pseudonym), but it was still a fast-paced mind twister, with a little bit of romance thrown in between Lara and a 22-year-old guy (Percy Chand) she meets at the lodge. It vaguely reminded me of "Weekend" (the book published just after this one), because of its conspiratorial vacation setup; though instead of heading South, this one heads for the slopes. If you've read "Weekend," then you may be able to uncover the mystery in "Slumber Party" a little quicker. This is certainly worth picking up if you're a Pike fan and/or like teen suspense.




5. This was pikes first book. i found it fairly good. the plot was good and (kind of) kept u hooked. it kind of would of been better if it was supernatural like how the characters though. More mystery than horror/thriller. Ive been reding pike since i was 10. He is WAY better then rl stine. stine repeats him self WAY too much.

   Some of my fav pike books r:
   Remember me 1&3
   Final Friends
   Chain Letter 1&2
   and the rest of his books
   Worst bk:
   The Visitor

5 comments about Ransom.

1. Ransom is a book about 5 teens in High School who get kidnapped. The tennagers, Bruce, Glenn, Marianne, Dexter, and Jesse have rich families or so the kidnappers think. When the teens get on the bus, they realize they have a sub bus driver. The driver doesn't know the routes, so Bruce sits in the front and tells the driver where to go. After all the kids are dropped off, the driver ignores the 5 teens left. This when they realize that they are being kidnapped. The kidnappers take the teens to the Rocky Mountains to hide. What happens next is mind-blowing.
   
   I enjoyed this book. I think anyone who like mysteries or suspenceful books would enjoy this book. I liked how Lois Duncan described the characters. What I didn't like was how Lois kept swiching point of views. I think that this book should be read by every middle school and high school student.



2. This will be a mini-review, instead of a full one, since the book in question is less than 150 pages long and told in the omniscient viewpoint, so character complexity is minimal. Lois Duncan was rather the R.L. Stine of the X generation, except that she wrote for a slightly older audience and was more psychologically creepy than blood-and-gore. Her stories weren't the type made for around-the-campfire telling; they'd take too long to explain in full. I remember reading and enjoying this one, Ransom, and especially Locked in Time as a teen.
   
   The story's premise is fairly basic: five teenagers are kidnapped by their substitute bus driver on the way home from school. He and two accomplices have planned out the kidnapping, selecting a route that terminates in Valley Gardens, a rich neighborhood, for maximum financial benefit. They take the kids high up in the New Mexico mountains where the cold and altitude make escape very unlikely and wait for the money to roll in. Unfortunately, the kidnappers only minimally examined their would-be profit makers. Of the five kids - Marianne, Glenn, Bruce, Dexter, and Jesse - only two families have any real money or access to it. Brothers Glenn and Bruce's parents have it, but Jesse's parents are only renting/housesitting in the glitzy neighborhood, and Dexter is an orphan temporarily lodging with his uncle. Popular Marianne's family looks like it has more money than it does. Her mother got the house in the divorce, but her new stepfather's income is paltry. Which leaves a lot up in the air. The kidnappers are capable of plenty, and if their demands aren't met, it's entirely possible, they'll cut their losses - literally - and run rather than bargain down.
   
   Written in 1966, this book has the spare prose of an earlier era. In some indefinable way it reminded me of Mary Stewart's writing. Perhaps it's because Duncan describes a gentler, less complex era, an era in which kidnapping children is shocking, and murder is shock inducing. 1966, after all, is only a few years after the events of In Cold Blood, a crime which left Kansas speechless with horror. A Columbine or Virginia Tech mass murder was behind the scope of imagination. These kids still believe in the innate goodness of humanity. They are also a bit more polite and respectful than kids are these days. That and a little dated slang keeps this book from being quite timeless.
   
   Duncan uses the omniscient point of view which allows her to impart a great deal of information about these kids, their parents, and the kidnappers, but this device allows for little mystery. It's all just out there; the reader knows what's going on in everyone's head at all times. Still, since the reader doesn't know how these characters will all interplay with each other, there is a level of suspense here that Duncan adroitly builds to a climax. And in the meantime she creates a portrait of a teen sociopath who is perhaps more chilling a character than any of the kidnappers are.
   
   Ultimately, this is a fast and fairly enjoyable read. For the most part it holds up, even after all of these years. My grade: a B-.



3. Ransom, by Lois Duncan, is a very good book. It is a realistic fiction book.
   In Ransom five kids from a rich neighborhood are kidnapped and kept for ransom, but only a few families are able to stretch their money and use it for the ransom. This book is about what the kids, and parents, go through when the kids are kidnapped.
   Ransom was a very good book and keeps you interested throughout the whole entire book. If you like exciting and exhilarating books you will love this one.



4. 
   
   
   This was an outstanding book about
   the triumph of five kids as they fight for their
   life in Ransom.
   
   This book is about a group of students
   from a wealthy part of town. On the bus they
   realize theirs a new bus driver, whatever the
   old one must be sick. But when the bus driver
   kidnaps them and brings them to a kind of
   hunting post in the middle of nowhere.
   The kidnapper asks for an impossible ransom,
   the kids need to get away. They know their parents
   just won't come through.
   
   
   This book is for readers who like books
   that everything is weird until the last page where
   it wraps up. It had a lot of switching but besides
   that it's pretty easy to read.



5. The book ransom is a very good book. It has kept me interested through the last word. The moral behind the story was great; the grass is not always greener on the other side. The moral is a common one, but in this story you see it in a different way.
   The kidnappers plan the whole thing out. They would kidnap the kids that lived in valley gardens, a place thought to be all rich people. The kids are riding the bus home from school unexpectedly as they do every day, then all of the sudden they go past their drop off spot. They go farther and farther until they have no idea where they are.
   Five kids are kidnapped as each of their families are forced to pay a very large ransom. What the kidnappers don't know is that the ransom is as hard for them to find as it would be for anyone else.

5 comments about The Goodnight Kiss (Fear Street Super Chillers, No. 3).

1. This my favorite fear street book out of like 100.It combines my 2 favorite things (1)Vampires (2)The Beach.I must have reread this book like 10 times already and i never get bored(even though i kno whats gona happen)I can agree with some other reviews it could have used another 50-100 pages i would i have loved to read more but it is still an awesome book.



2. Goodnight Kiss alex c.
   By
   R.L Stine
   Isbn#0-671-73823-2
   
   The story I read was Goodnight kiss by R.L Stine. The genre of the story is horror/ fiction. The main characters are April Blair a 16 year old girl who is vacationing with her boyfriend in Sandy Hollow , Matt who is April's boyfriend is a immature monster movie loving 16 year old boy, Todd Matt's best friend who is also staying in Sandy Hollow is a shy 16 year old boy who is always thumbing a plastic butane lighter, Gabri is a vampire who is trying to turn April into a vampire, Jessica is a vampire that accidentally kills Todd so then tries to turn Matt into a vampire. The conflict of the story is that two vampires "Gabri and Jessica " make a bet , which ever one that can turn April or Todd into a vampire first wins but in the process of the bet Jessica accidentally kill Todd so then turns her sights on Todd. The climax of the story is when Matt is chasing April and Gabri in a row boat bound four Gabri's lair.
   
   The resolution of the story is Matt thinks he saved April but a few days later there alone and April drinks Matt's blood. Yes I would recommend this book. I would recommend this book because its scary and full of suspense.



3. okay, its been a while since i've read this book and am incredably fuzzy on the details but i do remember how much i loved it. i've read it twice at least. R.L. Stine was my favorite author back in middle school and as sad as it may be i still enjoy reading them. If i have nothing better to do than i'll borrow one of my friends old books or one of my own and finish them in a couple hours. I highly recomend the Goodnight Kiss books for any young adult horror reader or any of Stine's books for that matter. I'm actually about to dig the book out of my basement to re-read just for fun.



4. This book rocks. I read it two years ago and I still remember it because it was so good. I read it three times. The plot is all twisted in itself at the end. The ending is so surprising.



5. This book is really good you really get into it and i enjoyed reading it.....that is...........before i got to the ending! The ending is the most stupidest thing i have ever read!

5 comments about Remember Me.

1. This was one of the first Christopher Pike books I ever read, and it is probably one of his best. The plotline is interesting, the characters are fun to read about, it's everything the back summary promises it to be and more.
   First of all, let me say that Pike has a habit of writing about characters who are quite stereotypical. The characters in this book are no exception, though I feel that the stereotypes work better here than they would in other books of his. Shari's view of the world was always somewhat black and white, and, in some ways, it remains that way even after death. I suppose that is the way things are to many teenagers. This book won't enlighten anyone about the complexities of human nature (except in a somewhat cursory way), but it is still quite an interesting read for young teens who are looking for a simple, yet unique, murder mystery that is also a quirky and intelligent young adult thriller. The concept was somewhat different. I don't really know how original an idea it is (there have been other stories told/shown from the point of view of a ghost), but it certainly felt refreshing to a 13 year old me. And then there were the characters. Shari was just bursting with personality, and I liked her. Some of the things she said were very witty. She admits that she can be a bit phony, and this makes her seem real in a world that often doesn't feel that way. Maybe this is why I didn't mind the stereotypical characters so much. Sometimes I felt that Shari was mocking the ways in which we tend to focus on the things that seem important at the time but really aren't. Anyway, the characters were never boring. They were certainly memorable, in my opinion.
   The book also makes its own statement on the after-life and while it may or may not conflict with the reader's own religious views, I have to admit that it's an intriguing look at one of life's greatest mysteries---where we go when we die. The fact remains that we'll never know exactly what it's like to die until we actually do, so, in the meantime, all we can do is question.
   
   Anyway, Remember Me does deal with some mature themes and, for that reason, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone younger than 13.
   
   This is a great book to start with if you're looking to venture into the world of Christopher Pike. But you don't really have to bother with the rest of the series unless you're interested in the spiritual questions the first one raises and want to read more on that. The other two have weaker storylines. They seem far more into the more complex questions of life and death and, I must admit, much of it went over my head.



2. First let me say that this book, in my opinion, is a 4 1/2 stars. This is by no means Christopher Pike's best book, which would be "The Last Vampire", no doubt.
   Christopher Pike has an incredible talent and precision for details. I love the way he can make the smallest of detail into a major part of the plot, an excellent technique... especially in a murder mystery.
   This book had everything in a good mystery, and more, when considering the fact that the main character was a ghost trying to solve her own murder.
   As the book progresses, the storyline thickens and one cant help but be enthralled with it. I dont want to give anything away, but the end revelations are shocking, and you wont believe who the killer is. You wont be dissapointed!
   The diolouge and characters are more than extraordinary, and all his books hold you captive and dont let go till the end, but I think there could have been some improvements.
   During the novel, I felt little danger for the lives of the characters in "Remember Me", until the last 50 pages... where the story really takes off. Since they were ghosts, it wasnt like they could be harmed again.
   Also, I was hoping for some more "spooky" interaction. Shari was a spirit, yet she couldnt do any of the cool things mosts ghosts are mythed to do, like fly, travel through doors and walls, and somehow communicate with the living. It was almost as if we were reading about an ordinary girl.
   Although the story bagan a little slower than I'm used to with most Pike novels, I still loved it very much, and would reccommend it to people of all ages.



3. I couldn't put the book down and as soon as I got done I picked up the second one and so on... I finished all 3 in 2 days... this book had me second guessing every one all of the characters



4. I've read this book at least 4 times already...and I'm not sick of it at all. I first read it when I was about 14 and now I'm 19 and the book STILL interests me. The character development was good but not GREAT; there were some people who he could've expanded more on, but overall an excellent novel for not only teens, but adults as well.



5. I read many Christopher Pike books when i was a kid and loved them all. Remember me is one that has stayed in my head forever. I'm finally getting it for my oldest. I know she's going to love it as well!

5 comments about Whispers from the Past (Charmed).

1. Hi, how are you all? Well I know this book is wonderful! Acually i never read the book charmed but i did read the book so little time, which is by the same author. That was a very good book. So if that was a good book that she wote then this should be good also. The book is very intersting and tells you alot of information and some good heads up and tips. Kids my age would like the book, i would belive..... I might not be giving alot of information right now but the more information you want is right inside the book. So i would suggest to read the book and i think you will injoy it! I also think Charmed is a good book to read too.!.!.!.!.! Well i hope i at least helped you out a little bit. And i hope you read BOTH books because reading is good for you , and just enjoy them! Thank you for taking your time out to read this.



2. I have a penchant for time-travel stories, as they are striking, interesting, not to mention compelling. This book is inevitably one of them. Phoebe being abducted into past by a time-demon during the times of the Salem Witch Trials was huge (amazing)!! I'm not going to reveal details of the story, but what I don't get is that how on earth could the Charmed Ones use their powers in the past, and how the Law of no coincidences is oblivious to the author.
   
   
   But as this is not the tv show, I suppose authors are able to use their imagination freely. My fave bit of this book is how Piper and Prue was under the evil influence of the root tea Prudence drank, given by Hugh, and they acquired amazing powers, which included being "evil" themselves and coming in handy to rescue their sister. I especially like the fact that Prudence did not succumb to the tainted root tea to nearly kill her own descendant, as the power of good always prevails!!! Also, its nice to involve the Charmed Ones' ancestor to this book, as readers somewhat know more about certain witches from the Warren line. Rosalind Noonan did a good job portraying each sister's characters, and how all their different and unique personalities combined together can pack a huge wallop. True to the series, with dry humour added and the Power of Three situation makes Whispers from the Past all the more enjoyable. And the fact that poor Phoebe, despite "stuck playing cinderella", she was determined to stay focused on the path to solving the problem, is also rather warmth-evoking.
   
   In a nutshell: If you like Charmed, there's no doubt you will like this book. Not as excellent as Soul of the Bride, but close. One of my all-time faves. Well worth it!!!



3. Finally, a Phoebe episode [well book] that any Charmed fan can get behind. It's a time travel piece and a family get-together. Need I say more?



4. Fantastic addition to the Charmed series :) Not as good as 'Soul of the Bride' but up there with the best of the books.
   
   I always love a good time-travel story if it's: 1) Well-Written, 2) Believeable. This book gets it on both counts.
   
   The evil piper/prue angle was kinda amusing *ducks* The new powers they got were awesome too (though Piper's was kind of an extension on her stopping tme power)
   
   This book does have a couple errors (Girls using their powers in the past to get home) but considering these books aren't written as fast as the series is ('least most of them seem that way)... we need to give the author's a break. We can't expect them to keep up with the pace/storylines of the show.
   
   Considering SOME of the storylines 'Charmed' has taken, maybe the creators should look to some of these books for plot ideas.
   
   I hope Miss Noonan puts in another contribution to the Charmed series again sometime.



5. This was the very first Charmed book I read and it was solid. I have now watched every episode of every season and there were no holes in it. I love all episodes that the sisters go back in time or forward or relive memories etc. If you are like me, then you will love this book too!

5 comments about Bad Bargain (Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

1. Buffy Summer's just wants a normal weekend with her friends. So she signs them up to help with the school rummage sale
   But then the opening day everyone who buys something, starts to act oddly. Buffy knows that it isn't normal and that it is her job to stop it!
   
   
   This book takes place in the second season. It fallows along well with the characters. It was a really fun read and I was hooked.
   Even though Spike is one of the villains in this season, he is also one of my favorite characters. Gallagher did a great job making them like the Buffy characters from the show.
   I do wish the characters had shown a little more emotion, but in 3rd person it's always harder to do. Great book for any fan.
   
   If you haven't seen the second season then you can still read the book. I am not sure if you could if you've never seen the show. But if you've read the earlier books but not seen the show then this one is good, because is gives backgrounds to past events in the series.
   
   Great book!



2. Everyone else has described the plot well enough, so I won't go into that. Just wanted to give my opinion. I very much enjoyed this book. It takes place during a very good time during the Buffyverse, and it was so much fun to revisit that time frame. Once I started, I had to finish it. My 11 year old is now reading it, and enjoying it. I'd recommend it for adults and older kids as well. Any Buffy fan would enjoy it. All my favorite characters were present! Oh, how I miss Buffy!



3. this book could have easly been a episode,I think anyone who like's buffy will enjoy this book.



4. I loved it..My only problem was that it was too short.



5. Now that "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" has been ended since the show took it's final bow in 2003 (*sniffle*), fans will really get a kick out of this blast from the past -- Buffy style!
   
   While any and all Buffy novels that have been produced since 2003 must choose a position on the Buffy timeline with which to create their new tale, it is pleasantly refreshing to see one that hails from the early season 2 timeline. "Bad Bargain", in relation to it's timeline and setting within the Buffyverse, actually takes place during Season 2, before Angel turns evil. By my estimate, it would need to take place sometime after the episodes "What's My Line? parts 1 and 2" (because we know Xander and Cordelia have begun their secret tonsil hockey sessions in various broom closets), but before the episodes "Surprise" and "Innocence" because Angel is obviously not evil yet.
   
   Buffy novels have evolved beautifully, coinciding nicely with the evolution and sophistication of the show. One of the things I loved about this novel was that it truly represented the whole Season 2 vibe in it's storyline, dialogue, and writing style. It would be easy to read this novel and be able to completely picture it being an actual episode during that season, which I think might have been the feeling author Diana Gallagher might have been trying to invoke. There are many incredible Buffy novels, but at the same time it is not always easy to try to picture some of the stories being an actual part of the Buffyverse. They are fun and entertaining, but also a little constricted with a this-doesn't-quite-feel-like-a-real-part-of-the-story kind of mentality. "Bad Bargain" is 100% a season 2 episode!
   
   Another fun thing about this novel is that it (like all post 2003 novels) has the advantage of knowing where things are going. It can easily slide into it's place in Season 2, while at the same time constantly foreshadowing things to come. Jonathan and Andrew make an appearance, while Mayor Wilkin's darker dealings are alluded to -- and all without breaking it's own storyline. This book doesn't bog itself down by trying to do nothing but foreshadow, but it does throw enough little winks our way. The actual story, which has Buffy dealing with the bizarre and increasingly alarming behavior and physical symptoms of students and teachers who have seemingly come into contact with a mystical ailment contracted from various items during the school's fundraising bargain sale, is admittedly cheesy at times. However, then again, so were parts of season 2!
   
   Bottom line, it's a light and enjoyable read for the average Buffy fan.

5 comments about Beating Heart: A Ghost Story.

1. I have typically enjoyed Jenkins' other books, but I wasn't drawn into this book as much as the others. It seemed like several issues weren't developed enough--the little sister longing for her dad, the single mom as a struggling writer trying to live her dream, and a boy dealing with his supposed love for his girlfriend. The only thing that was really developed was the sex. Beating Hearts portrayed the sex-obsessed teenage boy quite well. I did enjoy the almost concrete poetry of the ghost. It's an okay read, but I think others will be disappointed as well.



2. When his mother forces him to move with her to a new house, Evan Calhoun doesn't expect much. Sure, he'll have to move all his stuff, but he'll still go to the same school and have the same friends.
   
   Little does he know that there's a spirit occupying his new room, a spirit who will mistake him for her dead lover and change his life forever.
   
   BEATING HEART was really interesting, and my favorite part was the way the story is told. The point of view alternates between Evan and the ghost, and the ghost speaks in beautiful verse fragments that definitely make the book worth reading.
   
   Reviewed by: Andie Z.



3. A short tale about the interactions of a boy and a ghost who lives in his house. The ghost speaks in poetry.



4. Cora is dead, longing after her love for a hundred years. Evan is alive and struggling with his girlfriend Carrie who is becoming needy and clingy. Together, but separately, they learn the difference between love and sex.
   The poetry is beautiful. The whole story just touched me. I would recommend it to anyone.



5. A. M. Jenkins is well known for her accurate and sympathetic portrayals of teenaged boys. Here she mixes things up by alternating with the broken yet poetic voice of the ghost of a young girl from a hundred years before. The life of the boy and the memories of the ghost intersect in a literally shattering way. While this seems like Cora, the ghost's story, there is so much revealed through the seemingly distant third-person telling of the boy's story. You will want to read it over again immediately to savor the clues and details the author so skillfully weaves into her unusual narrative.