The Lord of the Rings is a trilogy set of books which includes Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and the Return of the King.  They are all produced by the legendary J.R.R. Tolkien.  Out of this trilogy, my favorite is the Return of the King. 

In order to understand the Return of the King, you must have read the first two books.  In the third book, you will see defiance, power, and action in battle.  And with the same characters from the original two and new ones, it will be a bumpy ride to read, so make sure you read everything to understand.   In the  opening of this book you will see Gondor facing a crisis by the ever-growing darkness of the empire Mordor set in Middle Earth.  Already been through the scars of war on their own the mighty Rohan and horse lords are determined to help fight for the Gondor empire.  With the help of the mighty wizard and the returning king, they hope that their fellowship will continue their journey to destroy the one ring forever.

The book is mostly about the fellowship destroying the ring of Souron and defeat the evil emperor of Mordor.  In order to do that the fellowship must go through some challenges that will push their faith to the limits.  Will they succeed?  Or will the mighty army of Souron overtake the good and free will of Middle Earth?

I rate this book a 9 out of 10 as it is such a good book to get hooked on.

Reviewed by BJ Rosen

Do you like adventure and action?  Well, this book is the book for you!  In the setting of present times comes the author Cornelia Funke.

This book is about a girl named Meggie Folchart whose life changes dramatically when she realizes that her father, a bookbinder named Mortimer (nicknamed Mo), has an unusual ability.  When he reads aloud, he can bring characters out of the book – literally.  Meggie and Mo’s adventure takes them throughout Europe particularly Italy, and brings them into contact with many unusual characters.  Along with the cast that was read out of the book like Capricorn will try and kill all who oppose him.  In order to do so he must track down the one whom released him from the book.  Along the journey Meggie realies something so dramatically powerful that not even she can control properly.  Will the surviving family escape from the clutches of Capricorn or will this fictional character have more in store to come?

My personal views on this book may be different than others, but personally I view this book as an interesting time out story that will grab your imagination withing the first two chapters.  What I found to be the moral of the story is that the power of reading will get you far in life.

There are more books in this series.  I have not read any of the rest of them yet but I assume they will be great.  They are Inspell which was released in 2005 and Inkdeath that will be released by the end of 2008.

Reviewed by: B.J. Rosen

When Tony V discovers the buried diary of Pelly D, we enter Pelly D’s world which is at once familiar (teen girls obsessed with shopping, boys, and popularity), but strange details (why does everyone go by their last initial and why ARE they always swimming?) hint at a very different reality.  The novel is fun to read as you quickly begin to pick up the clues and put together the truth behind Pelly D’s world.  Then things take a dark turn as history repeats itself in a way humanity promised it never would, and Pelly D’s life is completely turned upside down.  It helps to have some knowledge of events surrounding the Holocaust, and the parallels in this novel are done so well that we are able to see how entire societies are methodically swayed by the rhetoric of their leaders.  A very interesting read on many levels, it’s language is easy to follow, and it’s easy to read.   Find it in the Fiction section under FIC Adl.  HINT:  Be sure to look very carefully at the cover for one important clue.

Reviewed by: Mrs. Walker

This is the second book in the Twilight trilogy (see my Twilight review below). I don’t want to give too much away, especially to those who haven’t yet finished the first book (if you haven’t – what are you waiting for?!?), but in this novel, there is a lot less of Edward & his vampire family and a lot more of Jacob and his, um, “pack”. As Bella and Jacob’s friendship flourishes, Jacob becomes involved in his own mystery and of course, our Bella is right in the middle of it. As for Bella and Edward? It helps to have read or seen Romeo and Juliet here as the R&J theme is heavy in this novel. Think Romeo vs Paris, separated & distraught lovers, crucial MISinformation, warring families. This sequel provides a nice change of pace and an excellent buildup for major battles (there are many to be waged!) in the final book. I’m off to hunt it down in the shelves. Nobody else had better have it out!

Reviewed by: Mrs. Walker

Tookie Williams was the cofounder of the Crips gang.  He wrote this book while serving time on Death Row (he has since been executed).   His work in prison, including this book, reflect his repentence of his gang life and earned him a 2001 Nobel Peace Price Nomination.  This book gives a true-to-life look at life in prison including the realities, daily routines, and emotional challenges.   The details are interesting (for example: hygiene is an interesting challenge), but at times he tries too hard to connect to kids.   What struck me most about his account was how he confessed he used to look forward to prison life (hanging with the guys, working out, earning a “gladiator” status), but once inside he found it humiliating, dehumanizing, and painfully lonely.  

This book is a quick read – I read it in one lunch period, so carve out a bit of time and check it out.   You can find it in the Biography section call number 920 Wil.

Reviewed by: Mrs. Walker

As I mentioned, I do so love Vampire stories. Peeps is a very different kind of vampire story. Here vampirism is actually a disease caused by a parasite and spreadable through biting (naturally!), kissing, etc. Our protagonist Cal is himself a vampire but is immune to many of the typical vampire symptoms. Unfortunately, his past girlfriends weren’t so lucky, so he must now locate each one and, with the help of a special secret agency, help contain the spread of vampirism. And of course, a new love interest frustrates the situation as he can’t act on any emotions (see kissing=girlfriend vampire). Sounds pretty hokey, but it’s actually pretty darn good. And because vampirism is so different in this book, it’s hard to predict where things will head. Turns out there’s WAY more to this story than Cal even knows and mysteries are revealed at a frantic pace at the end. The plot gets a little complicated and darned if I didn’t realize this is a series! I only purchased the first novel, but I’ll hunt down the sequel The Last Days soon, I promise!

Scott Westerfeld has been getting a lot of buzz. This is the first novel of his I’ve read, but I just purchased several more (non-vampire) titles. Check below my review of Twilight (below) for more vampire recommendations. I’m on a vampire reading spree, so you’ll be hearing more as I finish them.

Find all Scott Westerfeld books in the Fiction section, FIC Wes.

Reviewed by Mrs. Walker

While I dislike scary movies and horror stories, I am always, always up for a good vampire story. Twilight is a very good one. Bella leaves sunny Arizona to live with her father in dark and miserable Forks, Washington. At her first day at her new school, she is fascinated by a table of quiet, pale teens, each of whom is “devastatingly, inhumanly beautiful.” She soon falls for Edward, a member of this mysterious family, who we learn (of course!) to be a vampire. It gets a little too long and mushy for a bit, but bear with it as the final chapters bring an unexpected and horrific twist. And the best part…there’s more! Twilight is the first of a trilogy, so hunt down the sequel New Moon (we’ve got it!). All Stephenie Meyer books can be found in the fiction section under FIC Mey. Find more Twilight reviews here.

Readalikes:

If you like Twilight, try sinking your teeth into: The Silver Kiss (FIC Kla), Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles which begin with An Interview with a Vampire (FIC Ric), Bloodline (FIC Car), Peeps (FIC Wes). Still want more? Visit the OPAC station and search for Subject -> Vampires.

Reviewed by: Mrs. Walker