Reviewed by Mariana Escobedo

I read Othello in my AP Literature class first semester and it has become one of my top pieces of writing so far. It’s based on jealousy and the perceptions of interracial relationships. Othello, the so-called leader of Cyprus, who is also a moor, calls Cassio to be his head Lt. instead of Iago. Iago seems to be a great man to everybody’s face but betrays every single person he interacts with, including his wife. He makes Othello believe that his faithful wife is cheating on him with his partner Casio. This of course is all a lie. Throughout the play Iago makes little remarks about Othello’s wife and Casio being togehter and by the end of the play, Othello goes nuts. He ends up killing his loving wife then realizing the truth and hating himself so much that he kills himself. It’s a great love story gone bad.

Find all of Shakespeare’s works in the nonfiction section under 822.3 Sha.

Reviewed by BJ Rosen

Eldest is the second book in the planned Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. It is the sequel to Eragon. Like, Eragon, Eldest became a New York Times Bestseller.

Eldest begins by following several important events from Eragon. The story is the continued adventures of Eragon and his dragon, centering around their journey to the realm of the Elves in order to begin and end Eragon’s training as a Dragon Rider. Meanwhile, defiance and hate are experienced throughout the book, involving old characters and new characters. This book ends at the Battle of the Burning Plains., where Eragon faces a new Dragon Rider.

Unlike the first book Eragon, there is no planned movie for Eldest yet. But don’t get your hopes up – read this book in the meantime. What I find great in this book is that all things have a beginning and an end (you will understand if you read it). I rate this book on a scale of 1-10 with an 8 because I am an evil book critic – Ha Ha – just kidding, my views on books are just that the original is better. But don’t let me put you in the wrong direction, some people think this book is better than the first. Anyway, you should check this book out, it will blow your mind. Be sure to look for the next Inheritance book – I heard it’s coming out soon too.

A note from Mrs. Walker: I just checked, and BJ is right – the next book in the series is due to be released in September, 2008. The title is Brisinger. You can read more about the series here.  I also read that the series will eventually include a fourth book.

Reviewed by BJ Rosen

Eragon is a fantasy novel written by Christopher Paolini who was surprisingly only 16 years old when he wrote it. Set in a fantasy medieval time comes a young boy who lives as a peasant with his father. His brother has already fled to get a job in order to prevent him from being forced into military service for the evil king Glabortriox. Anyway, while hunting, Eragon comes upon a strange rock. It turns out that this rock is a dragon egg, not found by the forsaken yet. Because of his benevolence the dragon chooses him as its rider. Within time they are chased by the clutches of the king in hoping to reach the Varden before time runs out. With evil spreading faster than hope, would freedom be achieved or will the land of Alagasiea be in turmoil once again?

I find this book rather interesting for you do not know what’s going to happen. Will Eragon and his dragon ever reach the Secret Varden which is cast in defiance against Glabortriox? With all the twists and turns, one can only hope that such freedom can be achieved. Personally, I rate this book (on a scale of 1-5), a 4.99 because it ends unexpectedly and goes on to another book. In a way it can be a young love story and an action story, making it a great teen book. If you check this book out, just trust me you won’t be disappointed.

Find it: In the Fiction section under FIC Pao.

M.T. Anderson is another author I’ve been wanting to revisit. I read his book Burger Wuss several years ago and liked it, and some of his other books, including Feed, have been getting a lot of attention. I really liked Feed. For starters, you gotta love the first line, “We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck.” You soon learn the teenagers in Feed are always on the lookout for the next big thing, a new way to have fun, but too often they’re disappointed. To get a grasp of what the “Feed” is, think about all the things you do online: shop, check your email, instant message, watch videos, etc. Now imagine having all these capabilities from a computer feed linked directly to your brain. So, you can just think your IMs directly to your friends. They can share videos, memories, and thoughts with you at any time. Businesses tap into your feed to sense your emotions, wants, and environment to recommend the products you “need.”The Feed is the center of the story which involves Titus, his friends, and his new girlfriend Violet. Violet was raised in somewhat traditional means and is only now really exploring normal teen life of the times. Her emotions are tangled admist wanting to fit in and questioning what society has become, and her questions force Titus to acknowledge some of their world’s darker realities. The world in Feed is constantly mesmerizing. There’s the Feed itself with its onslaught of images and information. Then there’s the people and the physical signs that something is very wrong (hint: lesions have become cool). People drive in floating “upcars,” farms are just genetic plants where meat is produced in rows of tissue, and each neighborhood produces its own clouds and weather determined that day by the homeowners’ association. Despite how freaky everything appears at times, Anderson manages to keep it in a perspective that at the same time makes it clear that we are really not that far from such a reality.

A great read, Titus and Violet are each incredibly interesting and every turn in the story brings new fascinating details about this future world.

Find Feed in the Fiction section under FIC And. Note: Be warned that this book contains strong language.

Reviewed by Mrs. Walker

Reviewed by Niko Martinez

This book is a very good book for anyone who likes old western books.  This book is full of excitement and battles!

Comanche Moon is about the Texas Rangers and the Comanche Indians.  The Texas Rangers under the command of Captain Skull, were established by the state of Texas to contain and destroy the Comanche.  The Comanche led by Buffalo Hump have tried to run and scare the whites away from their land. 

What I liked about this book was its suspense and wars/battles.  It talks about the hardships and good things that happened when settling the west.  I encourage anyone who likes old western books to read this one.

Reviewed by: Christina Sullivan

Lemony Snicket’s A Bad Beginning was a great book!  I don’t read and I don’t like to read but when I read that book, I was hooked into it.  Usually it takes a week or two until I finish a book, if I finish it, but with this book I finished it in two days.  I thought it was such a good book, I’m reaing the rest of them, and I recommend other people read it too!

As a change of pace, I picked up A Northern Light primarily due to its Printz Medal Honor status. I normally don’t give much weight to book awards, but the Printz award has been dead-on with some of its best picks. A Northern Light is set in the Adirondacks in 1906. Mattie is 16 years old and nearing the end of her schooling and is torn between two choices which will determine her life’s path. Does she keep her mother’s dying request and remain on the family farm to help raise her younger sisters? or does she follow her heart’s desire to head north to college and pursue her dream to be a writer? The decision is complicated by a new romance with many questions of its own. Mattie’s personal story is told through flashbacks after becoming involved in a mystery surrounding the death of a young woman who was a guest at the resort where she works. As she tries to make sense of the truth behind the young woman’s death, Mattie must make sense of the truths surrounding her own life. The story is very well told and you truly get a sense of the challenges, struggles, and hard work involved in those who survived off their land. Mattie’s choices also bring to life two very different realities for women during the time. Through Mattie’s eyes we see first hand exactly how hard it was to be a woman: marriages often for convenience sake, difficult childbirths, and the hard work of raising a family while toiling on the farm. But Mattie has another option -to become an independent, educated woman, a role that is not widely viewed as favorable. A great read for those who enjoy historical fiction and also for any teen facing the choices that come with the end of high school and the options that lie beyond. Find it in the fiction section under FIC Don.

Reviewed by: Mrs. Walker

Happy New Year! And welcome to a new year full of great reads. Over break I was able to finally finish Eclipse, book three in the Twilight series. Wonderful! This series just keeps getting even better. I love that in this book there is much more depth given to several characters – Bella’s character finally comes to some honest to goodness sincere revelations on several issues, Edward is no longer the arrogant Edward of book one (and I can finally REALLY see what makes him so special to Bella – besides being gorgeous, rich, immortal and all), and we get to know another character who’s been lurking in the background – Jasper, who has a very interesting story to tell. All those countless conflicts in book two come seamlessly together in a MUST-read battle of epic proportions, one that involves former foes, new foes, the Cullens, and the werewolves. And of course, the Edward-Bella-Jacob triangle continues to develop with some surprises (or maybe you saw it coming?). Not sure how I like the very last few pages and the final decisions that are made (or rather why they’re made). I’d like to hear what others think (use the Comments button above), as I don’t want to give away too much here for those who haven’t read it yet. But read it, you must.

For Twilight fans, there’s great news on two fronts. First, the next book, tentatively titled Breaking Dawn, is scheduled to be released this August. This may or may not be the last book in the series, but there’s talk of a companion book told from Edward’s point of view.

Also, there’s a MOVIE in the works and filming is set to begin in the next few months, so it won’t be in theaters for another couple of years. In the meantime, visit author Stephenie Meyers’ website for talk and pictures of actors she and other readers would recommend to play various characters. The roles of Bella and Edward have been cast with actress Kristin Stewart playing Bella and Robert Pattinson (aka Cedric Diggory from Harry Potter movies) playing Edward…hmm, I think I can see it. The series has developed quite a following. There’s dozens of fan websites and MySpace pages devoted to the book and its characters, so there’s plenty of Twilight content out there to keep you busy until August as you wait for the next book.

Be sure to visit my reviews of the first two Twilight books in the December archives to the right. More vampire fiction reviews coming soon…

Reviewed by Mrs. Walker