Dorothy Must Die

Dorothy Must Die By Danielle Paige

Meet Amy Gumm. Pink-haired and loud-mouthed, she is nothing like Dorothy Gale of The Wizard of Oz. But Amy, like Dorothy, is brought to Oz by a tornado.

Munchkin children are used for slave labor. Dorothy uses paste to make people smile. She is a tyrant. The gleaming yellow brick road is dull. Good is evil. Evil is good. 

Amy is recruited for the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked. And her mission is clear: REMOVE the Tin Woodman's heart. STEAL the Scarecrow's brain. TAKE the Lion's courage. DOROTHY MUST DIE.

Age: 12+ This would probably interest anybody, but Amy's mother's alcoholism and drug use is described in some detail.

Rating: 11/10 stars. Yes, I know saying that is tacky. But this deserves it.

Out of My Mind...(as promised!)

Out of My Mind By Sharon M. Draper

*I just want to say that this book is for a slightly younger audience than most reviews will be*

Melody (age ten) doesn't walk or talk...she has cerebral palsy. But, little do other people know, she has "thousands, maybe millions" of words inside her. 

This book follows Melody through her fifth-grade year: when she starts going to class with "normal" kids, when she tries out for the Quiz Bowl team, when her little sister Penny gets seriously injured. Melody's voice is very insightful...she's what I would call an observer.

The thing Melody wants most is to talk. But when she can, who will listen?

Rating: 9/10 stars. The only problem is that the tense of the book isn't very consistent.

Age: 9+. This is the kind of book where people close to/older than Melody would still ap-preciate it.

If I Stay

Okay. In the future, I definitely won't post as often, but this is MY FIRST REAL BOOK POST!!!!

IF I STAY  By Gayle Forman

Mia, a 17-year old cellist, falls into a coma after a horrific car accident (this is not a spoiler; it happens in the opening pages). More than you would expect happens while comatose. She can hear what's happening around her, from nurses discussing her prognosis to her boyfriend's band trying to break into her room.

Hovering between life and death, Mia experiences vivid flashbacks...some about music, some about her relationship with her boyfriend Adam, a rocker, and most about some combination.

Through all of this, there are medical setbacks. Mia goes in and out of the operating theater, and some of the tensest scenes are when it looks like she won't make it...or rather, stay.

All in all, I would give this book 8/10 stars. The flashbacks are very lengthy, and I found the book to be a little overpriced ($7 on Kindle for around 180 pages). But, it's sweet and a must-read.


Age: 11+ (Grade 5+ interest level)

Quality: 8/10 stars

I just want to start by saying I got the idea for a book blog from a friend. SO not original. I know. This will be a blog reviewing the books I like (or didn't): anything YA or dystopian pretty much.

So if you love Harry Potter, The Mortal Instruments, Divergent, TFiOS, or The Hunger Games, that's what this will be.

My first-ever post (!) will be my top 5 ABSOLUTE FAVORITE books of all time. Here goes nothing:

1. Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares. The 5th book in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. Probably an adult book. 11/10 stars.

2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K Rowling. Far from cult fiction but amazing. 

3. Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein. Very depressing Holocaust book, but incredible (also see Code Name Verity, the companion novel).

4. The City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare. Who doesn't luv The Mortal Instruments?

5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K Rowling. Again: who doesn't?

Alright. So. I admit I have no idea how to end a blog post. Yeah. Um.... Awkward.

I guess...bye? My next reviews will be of If I Stay and Out of My Mind.