(Speechless)…………..BEAUTIFUL beautiful book!! She Said Yes is written by a mother of a martyred Cassie. It is a touching, emotional, and an encouraging tale. It shows how a troubled teenager, Cassie, goes through the hardships in her adolescent life. It tells how she changes from a quiet, little worm living in a cocoon to a friendly, harmless butterfly. The book is super encouraging not only for parents who are trying to deal with their teenage kids, but also kids who go through the typical ups and downs of a teen life.

               I love the quotes given in the book before each chapter: “Many things can wait. Children cannot. Today their bones are being formed, their blood is being made, their senses are being developed. To them we cannot say ‘tomorrow’. Their name is today”, “how sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child.”, also, “until God has taken possession of you, you cannot have faith, but only simple belief, and it hardly matters whether or not you have a such a belief, because you can arrive at faith equally well through disbelief.” and many more.

               I actually found out more bout Christianity’s similarities to Islam. “seek the kingdom of God and his justice first, and then all the rest will be added to you.” We as Muslims are also taught to put religion as our first priority and then the rest. “all of us should live life so as to be able to face eternity at any time.” We’ re taught to be ready for death as well at each and every minute and day of our lives, because life after the death is the real, true life we’d be facing.

               Cassie was just like any other teenager who began distancing from her parents gradually. Misty and Brad, Cassie’s parents, after discovering Cassie’s ‘new character’, went through her stuff to find out the reason behind the changed daughter, and found letters from her ‘friends’ with pictures of vampires, knives, and dead people. Of course, they tried to separate Cassie from the wrong crowd, but it seemed impossible to do so.
               After when she was forced to change schools and go to youth groups in churches where conversations of not only religion, but also worldly topics were discussed, she loathed it naturally. As time went on, she made friends with a girl, who showed her a light in life, who encouraged her to live, who clarified about what God and His messages were about. That was when the barrier between herself and God broke, and she changed from a tough emo girl to the friendliest, never-judging, pleasant person remarkably. The journey that she took to alter her life and personality really wasn’t easy for her. I’ve only summarized the story into those lines, but when it is actually read, one won’t only know the details of what Cassie went through, but would also genuinely learn the great importance of his/her religion, God, life, friends, and family.
                Tragedy occurred when she was shot by some mentally ill students. However, her death was a story that’s still told today.
               After the killers had approached Cassie, they’d asked her whether she believed in God. She said, “Yes.” Then they asked her, “why?” and before even letting her answer, they shot her in the head….

               I go through what Cassie did almost everyday. The anger on parents or siblings or listening to dark music. The miracle was that after she had transformed, she stopped judging, barely lost her temper, was always ready to help others, read Bible everyday! It’s quite difficult doing these things yourself. She had truly prepared herself to die for God. She really had a strong faith. I really am her huge fan. I learned a great deal from the book.

               …..May her soul rest in peace.

               Rate of the book? A+….!

Lois Duncan

                Locked in Time is a good book. It was quite predictable, however. I would give it a B. This book can fit under the category of mystery as well as fantasy. There are a few characters in the book that never aged, which, of course, in reality is impossible whether we like it not. Yes, ouch that is pretty unfortunate…I think.

                The story was written from the main character, Nore Robbins’s point of view. She attended boarding school, and only had her father as a family…until he married a woman with two teenagers. She found them odd, especially when Josie, Nore’s stepsister, left off with remarks about her ‘family being stuck in time’ or ‘time not being counted as anything’. Nore’s mother’s spirit often came in her dreams to warn her about the family. However, Nore ignored the warnings and tried to enjoy her time with her father and his wife.

               Anyhow, when she was almost drowned by her stepbrother, Gabe, she was assured that something really is wrong with her so called sweet stepmother and stepsiblings, and had to get her father out of there. When Nore discovered diaries dated back around 1800s, she gets confirmed of the fact that the family truly is abnormally young. The conclusion can be predicted. Happy ending was a must in the book; otherwise, the tale would have been a flop.

                 In my opinion, it truly wouldn’t have been so great to live eternally while being stuck at an age forever. I cannot imagine myself living on and on in young or old age. It would be quite depressing, especially if your partner died old and you stayed however you are until God knows how long. But then, life probably would not be as bad if you and your companion live together forever perhaps. Like the couple in Twilight! Although one would be moving around a lot for not making your neighbors suspicious unless you want them to know of THE secret.

              Anyway, basically, I just don’t think it is exciting living forever. Once someone has lived a full life or so, he/she would truly want to move on to the real eternal world. Life on earth is temporary, and full of hardships and trouble. Why not make it better for yourself to rest in peace and move on to the actual next life of comfort…

              There was a story of how a warrior discovered a pool of water from which, if he drinks, he would actually live without end. Although amazed by the idea, his thoughts quickly changed when he learned about a bird that struggled for death after drinking from the pond before being severely wounded.

                 This reminds of me another story called Tuck Everlasting. Now THAT was a great story.

Written by: Khaled Hosseini

            Beautiful beauuutifull book!! After Stephanie Mayer and Dan Brown’s books, I vote A Thousand Splendid Suns. Great book and genuinely touching. It is truly one of the can’t-be-put-down novels. It amazingly goes in a flow. Everything is so detailed but in a way that does not bore a person at all. I admire the way he writes. After bringing up a topic or event in the book, he does not directly explain what is going on.

             For example, when the topic of a letter was brought up in the book, the reader (I) had been so curious as to what letter Mariam, one of the main characters in the book, had received. As it turned out, she tore and threw it away. For a while I was like, ‘That’s quite a useless thing to bring up if the readers are not even going to know of it’. Yet, Mr. Khaled did bring back the topic…at the end of the book. And it suited the story! As I said, he goes with the flow, plotting events where they precisely fit.

             The story is about how two women become so close to each other after a bit a rough patch between them. Mariam and Laila are their names. Although Mariam was at least fifteen years older than Laila, they had become as close as sisters. The story took a great turn when Mariam’s crabby old husband married Laila, just so she could give him a child, specifically a boy. The husband’s character was really cruel. He’d literally beat the blood out of his wives. It was sickening just reading about them.

            The conclusion is the best and the most moving part of the story.

            Mariam dies.

            She kills her husband. Just so Laila does not have to suffer the consequences, Mariam makes Laila run away while she stays back to be sentenced to death and executed. That was heartbreaking.

             It was great knowing, however, that Laila at least moves on to her happier life. With kids and her beloved husband, she felt the satisfaction she longed for.

            I’m not sure I would’ve done what Mariam did, though I do know that a person cannot endure suffering their whole life. There comes a time when anger takes over, and the tyrant then goes through the time he deserves to go though.

            Brilliantly written. I give this big fat story a big fat A!

 Author: Scott Westerfeld

               I seriously hate stories with unsatisfying endings. Uglies was going great with its perfect actions, scenes, plots and characters. If only the ending was perfect as the story was, I truly think it would have been super popular. 
               The story was basically about kids who were taught to think that they’re ugly until they turn sixteen and use surgery to become beautiful. The main character, Tally, was one of the ones who dreamt of becoming a gorgeous person by the surgery. However, when one of her friends runs away, Tally is given a choice of becoming pretty by turning her friend in or staying ugly for the rest of her life. Desperately, she chooses the first choice, and travels as a spy to find her friend and turn her in. 
              When she locates her friend though, she learns a lot about living a real life. She was one of the few who actually got to know the real truth behind becoming a pretty; not only do the surgeons turn you pretty physically, but also mentally. The doctors transfer lesions, abnormal, cancerous cells, into one’s brain, causing brain damage. Tally’s lifetime dream becomes a nightmare. However, when one of her friends is forcefully turned into a pretty, that’s when a cure to the lesions is found. Since the pretties were not willing to test the medicine on themselves, Tally decides to take the risk of going through the surgery to become a pretty to be used as an experiment for the medicine. And the story ends there.
              I was so curious about what would’ve truly occurred later on, but the story sadly concluded at the part where the readers climax was in the sky. I must say, however, Tally was a rare, brave person. I’m not sure if I would have her nerves at the time.

             I really liked the part where Tally went through some magazines discovering famous people and models while she thought of them as ‘ugly’! This part can be good for any one who thinks that models are one of the best things that happened to the world. The way she described them as anorexics and bulimics in her definition would convince quite a number of people of the real lives of models.
            It was funny the way she thought of them as ugly though. Most people would worship any celebrity no matter how ugly. I actually kind of thought she was influenced not only by the pretty people in the “New Pretty Town”, but perhaps also the stereotypes shown in media.
               I was a bit confused about the time of the story. Though everything seemed advanced because of the hover-boards and the use of plastic surgeries, the way Tally’s character was blank about objects such as ‘Barbie’ or ‘roller coaster’ and the fact that she didn’t know how to write seemed as though she was illiterate. Or perhaps, all the kids under sixteen weren’t educated as on purpose. It was actually sad the way they were brainwashed into thinking that children under sixteen are ugly.

               As the book was good to read anyway, I would’ve given it an A, but as its ending was so unappealing, I’m settling with a B+.

Author: Paulo Coelho

                “Love your neighbor as yourself”, “When we look into the future, we see what it holds for us: death”. Other than these quotes, there are beliefs about paradise and angels. What angels are and can do is almost similar to what we believe in. However, there are parts that are fictional; hence, it isn’t a good idea to let this book influence you so much. I just like the way it relates to our beliefs.

                The story was a fiction, by the way. Mr. Paulo himself had never gone on a journey that he described in the book, but he truly did experience some problems in his personal life that he had shared in the story. I curiously wonder which ones are true. The idea of him searching for an angel to speak with is pretty peculiar for reality. I would not precisely go around the world in search of some odd magic to speak to my angel. Sounds like a tiring job, especially when you know God is everywhere and no matter where you are and what you do, He’s there to see and listen to you as well as angels.
              Though the tale seemed simple and easy to come up with to publish, Mr. Paulo had said that he actually had a hard time writing it. That was quite shocking to hear. Moreover, in his note, he didn’t forget to spread a message out to the world just like he always does (in his stories though). “We will never allow our weaknesses to paralyze us if we believe that God is love, generosity, and forgiveness.”

                I would not rate the book as high as I had rated his other work. It’s an average book for me. I would give it a C+.  I still love his philosophy though.

Author: Paulo Coelho

                I guess I have been having high expectations from Mr. Paulo after I read his book The Alchemist. I give this book a ‘B’. Although I am not quite finished with it yet, I could not take more interest in it. However, its relation to Islam intrigues me at times. Mr. Paulo writes quotes and sayings that actually exist in our religion as well. It is pretty interesting knowing he would relate them to his life or his fictional stories.

               “Angels will sound the trumpet on the Final Day of Judgement”. We know even in Islam that when the Judgement time will occur, there actually will be a sound of trumpet that will notify us about the Time that has come.
               Also, there is one of the famous tales about God that is mentioned quite surprisingly in the book. It was about a master and his disciple that stop to take a rest during their journey. While the master sets up the tent, he assigns his student to tie the horses. ‘My master is testing me. He said that God is aware of everything, and then asked me to tie up the horses. He wants to see whether I believe  in God’, thought the student. And so, instead of tying them, he says a long prayer and leaves the fate of the horses in God’s hands.
               When they wake up the next morning to find out that the horses have disappeared, the pupil complains to the master that he doesn’t only distrust him, but also God since he asked Him to take care of them and He did not. The master replied, ‘God wanted to take care of the horses, but in order to do so, He needed to make use of your hands to tether them to the stone.’
               The tale certainly has a huge lesson for those who lose faith in Him rather quickly.

               The story of this book is not so great, but I still like Mr. Paulo’s usage of philosophy. The main character in the book has been himself. So far, I learned that he is on the path of deep magic. Specifically, he wants to converse with his angel, thus he nearly travels around the world to see the right people who can teach him how to do so. It is pretty odd. Let’s see how the ending turns out to be.

Author: Pam Munoz Ryan

               Although this book was not precisely for my reading level but the middle-school’s, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Its story was so touching and true I could not care less about feeling ashamed of reading this tale. I really like Esperanza’s character in this book. She’s the main character who went from riches to rags…yes; this phrase is often used the other way.

               I can actually relate to her in my own way. I remember the time when, after my mom, my sister also had to leave. I had to be in charge of the household while ‘mothering’ my little sister. It certainly felt like a nightmare at first. However, as Esperanza in the story had gotten used to laundry, sweeping, and taking care of the babies, I had gotten used to baby-sitting, cooking, working around the house myself as well. Or actually, I still am trying to fully get used to it. As I am a student, it is not exactly easy for me to have both jobs of studying AND sweeping around.

               Also, there were times when her mother had been seriously ill, and Esperanza had to finally act like a lady without being so dependant on her parent for life. She literally worked so she could pay off hospital bills, but desperately missed her mom. She would describe in details about her mother’s graceful movements she missed, her soft touches, her laughs that she longed to hear, how she would cry to sleep because she didn’t want to lose her mother after her father. This chapter nearly brought me near tears; I couldn’t help getting emotional. This section had been especially touching to me; I could completely relate to how much I desperately missed my mom that way. I know it sounds immature for an old teenager to say, but I seriously truly saw a greater meaning to a mother through this book, and what she can hugely mean to one.

               Esperanza was not the kind of a spoiled brat any one would hate or get irritated of. In my opinion, she was really cute. The way she tried to learn how to handle kids and do chores around the house just for the sake of her mother was very considerate and adorable. I don’t have to say what I would do if I was in her situation, because I have been in her shoes and I can wholly understand what she went through.

               Honestly, terrific book. I give it an A.  

Author: Dan Brown

                Fantastic work.  Superbly written. I was simply impressed by the way Mr. Brown kept the suspense smoothly from chapter to chapter. It was so bad sometimes that I felt like leaping ahead to solve the mystery. Even if you took the action and figured out the result to that problem, it may just be useless. Clever Mr. Brown had placed hitches even in the solutions to bewilder and anticipate you again. It is frustrating, but this book is certainly one of the can’t-put-down novels.

                Since I have a major problem in summarizing everything I hear and learn- well, that’s not such an obstacle in my general life, but it surely is one in education (since all the troubling essays and written work require a lot of information)- I never actually knew there was such a job in which one can literally gist, or summarize documents, and still get well-paid. This is the job Rachel Sexton, the main character, has in this novel. I was quite impressed of knowing such a job exists, and surprised that it even exists.

                I really liked the setting of the book. The time and place for every plot was clear and made sense. Actions took place at the reasonable areas. For example: the act of the deadly assassins after Rachel and her friend-partner, Michael, in the snow storm at Antarctic was a completely exciting part. You would never assume that luck in a situation like theirs would still be on their side. With well-trained and heartless people such as those assassins, humans barely survive. Nevertheless, no matter how much evil there is in the world, good still defeats the bad i guess. The timings of events were excellent as well; I liked how most of the murders that took place under the evil dark times of the nights were creatively planned out. They were so full of tensions that I can’t recall being this anticipated even in movies.

                Though I have read many thrillers, this book takes the first place in my list. I give him a solid A. It’s what he and this book truly deserve.

By: Paulo Coelho

Although my overall grade for this book would be between a “C” and a “B”, I’ll settle with a “B”. Despite Mr. Coelho’s way of words on his philosophical books, I could not find this book as amazing as his other work has been. It is, however, an interesting story about a woman who was being taught by the teachers who knew about magic. The characters were pretty fascinating…and frustrating.

I liked Brida’s-the main character-nerves of never giving up no matter what she had to face or what ridiculous rituals she had to do to cross into the enchanting world. I liked her strong nature. Her teachers, although odd, were very encouraging. They often seemed to talk in riddles whenever she asked them questions. Though she had trouble understanding in the beginnings, she learned fairly quickly of the lessons beings taught to her and impressed her tutors all the way.

I sort of thought whether what this book was about is true or not. Due to Mr. Coelho’s true philosophies, I had to ponder about this fantasy-ish story to be correct as well. In my point of view, seriously I don’t see a point in looking for that invisible world. Reality’s complicated enough to struggle more for a supernatural world.

Overall, the conclusion was disappointing. It was a pure anticlimax. Bride was supposed to end up with her Soulmate, but when she didn’t, the book all of a sudden seemed pointless. I mean she WAS learning this process of magic and etcetera to literally look for the love of her life. But her Soulmate, in the end, frees her from him and gently advices her to live her life with her boyfriend. That was so not how it was meant to be, nevertheless, he ruined the story. Brida’s Soulmate, by the way, was one of her teachers who, unlike others, had hopes all along for Brida to finally learn magic and see him as her Soulmate. I honestly still am confused about why he would let her go after all the waiting he had done. The finish was genuinely irritating. If I were in her place, hmm, well truly I don’t know what I would do, but I most probably wouldn’t walk over my soulmate to spend the rest of my life with some one else I can’t exactly be happy with.

Anyhow, good book. Good work by Mr. Coelho.

By: Daniel Defoe

I would give this book a B. I liked its introduction. It had catchy information. I really liked the it is written in the main character’s point of view; however, those sorts of point of views limit the information one may want to know about, for example, the marriage of Crusoe, the main character of the book. He had never said much about his wife, other than; she died a few years later.

This book reminds me of another tale I’ve read about surviving except in that, kids had to live without any supervision of adults. Yes, it is called Lord of the Flies. Both the main characters of the stories, Ralph and Crusoe remind me of one another in one way or the other. The way they’re both all about rules, maturity, civilization, and surviving is very impressive. Especially Ralph, who is only twelve, was a surprise to the audience.

If I were in any of those people’s places, ESPECIALLY Crusoe’s, I do NOT think I would have survived as long as he did. It was astounding to know he had lived on the island for years without another living organism, with the exception of the goat. Ooh no, that would not be the same with me. I would live maximum a month or so and then God knows what would happen next. I have been lost many times in cities and towns of foreign countries and I can still remember the fear of not finding family again and living on the streets or adopted by someone (cruel). I don’t think I would survive THAT appropriately, let alone being stuck on an island.

The descriptions of this book were quite good, but very formal as well. Due to that, interest was lost a lot from the book. Nevertheless, the theme of this story can strongly affect one. “Disobey your parents only to get the worst in your life”. Even though it was Crusoe’s desire to explore the world outside, he probably shouldn’t have ignored his parent’s advices. They had wanted his best, and, he, of course, had regretted for not listening to them. Almost in each chapter, he would remember what his father, especially, had told him about the cruel world. As he grew older, though, he became more religious and careful about his steps even if his parents words constantly echoed in his ears.

A nice book to read if one thinks they have the worst life. Encouraging in its ways and also, rather fun to read at times.