A Review of A World Away

A Summer of Firsts
Sixteen-year-old Eliza Miller has never made a phone call, never tried on a pair of jeans, never sat in a darkened theater waiting for a movie to start.  She's never even talked to someone her age who isn't Amish, like her.

A Summer of Good-byes
When she leaves her close-knit family to spend the summer as a nanny in a suburb of Chicago, a part of her can't wait to leave behind everything she knows.  She can't imagine the secrets she will uncover, the friends she will make, the surprises and temptations of a way of life so different from her own.

A Summer of Impossible Choice
Every minute Eliza spends with her new friend Josh feels as good as listening to music for the first time, and she wonders whether there might be a place for her in his world.  But as summer wanes, she misses the people she has left behind and the plain life she once took for granted.  Eliza will have to decide for herself where she belongs.  Whichever choice she makes, she knows she will lose someone she loves.

Above is the description that is in the inside cover of the hardcover copy I have of this book. 

This book was written by Nancy Grossman.  Nancy Grossman lives in Chicago where most of this book is actually set.  A World Away is her debut novel.

This book turned about to be pretty amazing. I couldn't put it down about 1/4 to 1/2 of the way through.  It took me a few chapters to get into it but that is how I tend to get into books anyway because I'm usually still going off of a high on how the last book I read ended. 

This story starts out in Iowa with Eliza Miller and her mother getting ready for "Stranger Night" which is really just a bunch of English people coming over and eating dinner while finding out what the Amish life is like.  This story is told from Eliza's perspective and it's really a great read especially if you're into books about the Amish.  This book was really cool to read because instead of just seeing how the Amish live and some of the hardships they have there it goes through Eliza's rumspringa, which is what Amish 16 year olds call their exploring year.  (At least that's how I perceived it, though that may not be the way it was told in the book.) 

Eliza really wanted to get out of the Amish world and experience the "real" world.  While working at an inn, which was what her mother decided was what Eliza would be doing for her rumspringa, she met a lady named Rachel who wanted Eliza to come be a nanny for her in Chicago.  Eliza had to try hard to convince her parents to let her leave but when they finally did Eliza felt like she was floating on air.

While Eliza is in Chicago helping out Rachel she meets a boy named Josh who says that he will show her everything there is to know about being in the "real" world.  Over the course of the summer she gets t o make her first phone call, take her first picture of herself and go dancing for the first time.  She also finds some family secrets along the way that make it hard for her to choose where to go in the end.

Overall, I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.  I suggest that teenage girls and possibly young adults read this as well.  It was such an intriguing book and it really made you think about that if you knew a world where there were no electronics or any of the things we consider normal here, how would it feel to be thrown into a world like ours. With me personally, I would be terrified and ask to go back home!

I hope that this review helped you out in what to read.  I really would enjoy if you guys reading this would leave me a comment on how to make these better because I want to do more reviews of books that I have read this past year but I don't want them all to sound as stupid as these.  Thanks for the help if you do comment.

Until the next review,

-Aly 

A Review of The Book Thief

It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

Above is the description in the book that Marcus Zusak wrote about The Book Thief.  First off, there was a second description of the book in my copy, that I do not currently have with me, that tells you that this book is from the perspective of death.  This is just a forewarning that if you aren't into really dark, and kind of creepy ways of telling a story that this may not be for you. 

This book is set in the time that World War II took place in a little town in Germany.  It follows the story of a girl named Liesel Meminger who's brother dies in a train of an illness that he had.  When he is buried she steals her first book, The Gravediggers Handbook.  At first, it was just a keepsake to remember the last time that she had seen her brother.  But eventually she wanted to learn to read this book.  By this point she was forced to live with foster parents, the reason I can't quite remember at this point.  She asks her foster father if he would teach her to read one night when she is woken up from a nightmare that she has every night.  During this time he started teaching her how to read and write.  Over time she got better at reading and eventually she got done with the first book.  Then, she wanted to read more.  As the story progresses it goes through her life in Nazi Germany and how she handles challenges along the way.

I personally had a really hard time putting this book down.  I loved every second of it.  Before I read this book, I read the acknowledgements in the front and it said that it was destined to become a classic.  I believe that this will be one day.  It truly should become one.  Also, I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars because of how well written this book is and how it intrigued me from start to end. I suggest that anyone thirteen and up read this book because it is that amazing and I know you would love it.  This also isn't just a book for girls.  This is definitely for mixed genders. 

Overall, I hope that you guys enjoyed this review.  I tried to do better than I did with Beneath the Glitter on this one.  But, I was also more passionate about this one than the other so that probably made a difference in what I wrote down. 

Until the next review,

-Aly

A Review of Beneath the Glitter

         Welcome to a place where dreams are made. And where nothing—and no one—is ever what it seems.

              After their make-up and fashion videos went viral on YouTube, sisters Sophia and Ava London are thrust into the exclusive life of the Los Angeles elite. Here fabulous parties, air kisses, paparazzi and hot guys all come with the scene. Sophia finds herself torn between a gorgeous bartender and a millionaire playboy, and Ava starts dating an A-list actor. But as they’re about to discover, the life they’ve always dreamed of comes with a cost.

               Beneath the glitter of the Hollywood social scene lies a world of ruthless ambition, vicious gossip…and betrayal. Someone close to them, someone they trust, is working in the shadows to bring the London sisters falling down. And once the betrayal is complete, Sophia and Ava find themselves knee-deep in a scandal that could take away everything they care about, including the one thing that matters most—each other.

      Above is the description of the book that is put on the inside cover of the book.  This book, Beneath the Glitter, is written by Elle and Blair Fowler.  They are two sisters who both have very successful YouTube channels called juicystar07 and otherjuicystar07(which are Blair's) and allthatglitters21 and ellesglittergossiop (which are Elle's).  I highly suggest that you check these girls out.  They are fabulous.  (I'm also a girl who likes makeup so that kind of sways my vote on those channels too.) 
      This book isn't very thick but it is packed with a fabulous story.  I really enjoyed the plot line of this story.  One thing that I say gets confusing at some points is whose perspective the story is coming from.  I feel like both Elle and Blair got certain chapters to write and then they wrote it from their character's perspective.  It wasn't always clear who was speaking until you got a couple pages into the chapter. 
       This book obviously features on what the two sister's lives are like and the quarrels that they have and how they overcome them but they also have love stories in here too.  It was really interesting to see both of these things developed as time went on.  Also, at the very end of the book they left you with a huge cliffhanger and that got me real excited for the next book to come out.  (Which isn't until the summer of 2013.) 
       Overall though, I do highly recommend this book for girls anywhere between the ages of 11 and 18 I would say.  I'm fifteen and read it and I was pretty pleased with the book myself.  I also think that I would give this book a 4 out of 5 stars because even though it was a great book things could've been clarified better and the writing could've been slightly stronger.
 
               Also, I'm sorry that this review wasn't the greatest.  I didn't know what all I should write so apparently this is all you got.  I hope that it gave you at least some help though.  Until the next review,

-Aly

An Introduction

          Hi!  My name is Aly Rosema and I am a huge fan of reading books.  I am constantly searching for more books to read and can never get enough of them.  Also, just a little FYI if you will.  I'm not the best writer around but I love to give reviews of books to my friends and now  I decided to give them to you too. 
          As of right now, in the year 2012, I have read a total of 64 books and hope to finish 3 more before the beginning of 2013.  (So if you didn't believe me before, you probably believe me now about being a fan of reading.) 
          And now, this is going to be a very informal goodbye because I have no idea what else to write and I'm itching to start giving you guys reviews.  So I hope you guys all enjoy the reviews even though all of them won't always be the best.  Thanks so much for reading! 

-Aly