Rachana

=__The Billionaire's Curse__=

__ The Billionaire’s Curse __ is a suspenseful mystery by Richard Newsome that is set in the present. The author portrays the story of Gerald Wilkins who inherits 20 billion pounds from his Great Aunt Geraldine. Along with the fortune comes a note from his dead Great Aunt saying that she was murdered. It also says that this had to do with a recent diamond theft. Now Gerald must find out who Geraldine really was, and what she was hiding, or he might be next on the killer’s list.

The main characters in __The Billionaire’s Curse__ are Gerald, Sam, Ruby, and the thin man. Gerald is a thirteen-year-old boy who dreams of being a medieval hero. Throughout the story he doesn’t think much of himself, and is an average kid, despite his fortune. He has a sense of adventure and strives to do what’s right. Sam and Ruby are twins who are constantly bickering. Ruby has a sense of leadership, and Sam is often used as a source of comic relief. The thin man is a dangerous murderer who tries to kill Gerald, and his actions add to the plot. Throughout the story Gerald, Sam, and Ruby connect with each other, and learn more about the others’ perspective. They are believable, and the author is able to make the reader understand how the characters feel, and what they are doing through this natural dialogue. They tackle their problems systematically, but sometimes they do rush, and get themselves into scary situations. Somehow, they always seem to escape with insight and luck. This makes the story a lot more interesting, and keeps the reader on their toes, to find out what happens next. This story is written in third person limited, and the main character you see develop is Gerald. He is able to become his own person, and grows more responsible throughout the story.

The plot of this book is a little slow-paced, but it does tell a good story that develops throughout the course of the book. Although, some parts of the book may seem irrelevant to the rest of the story at first, these details become important to the plot thus keeping the reader interested. The only bad thing about the plot is that at times it seemed forced, and slightly confusing. There are many settings throughout the course of the book, and Newsome’s writing style gives the reader a taste of these places, such as; The British Museum, dodgy social clubs, the British countryside, and secret hideouts underground. These places enhance the quality of the story by strengthening the suspense and the uncertainty of it, such as, when the climax is set in a Roman ruin. The settings play an important role in the readers understanding of the plot, and often sets the mood for that specific part of the story. It is possible to identify with the characters, because it is set in the present.

The entire book is filled with reveals, and cliffhangers. It is your classic story of a group of kids trying to solve a mystery.What makes this read original is the author’s style of writing. Newsome is able to weave unforeseen details into the story, and at the same time not reveal too much too quickly.One of the key elements in the book is the dialogue. The dialogue is believable, and for the most part natural. The main theme of this book is that money doesn’t buy happiness.As the story goes on, Gerald realizes that with his fortune comes a great deal of responsibility. The author accomplished what he set out to do, which was to create a thrilling mystery, while at the same time creating a read suitable for children. In summary, this book is a suspenseful mystery with twists and turns in the plot that will keep the reader interested. This good book would especially be an enjoyable reading for children ages 9-12, but any adult who loves mystery will not be bored when they read this to their children. I enjoyed __The Billionaire’s Curse__ because of it’s, suspense, excitement, believable characters, and satisfying storyline, all leading up to a surprise ending.This book deserves four stars and I recommend it. Link to where book can be found: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Billionaires-Curse/Richard-Newsome/e/9780061944901/?itm=1&USRI=the+billionaire%27s+curse+the+archer+legacy+series+1 =__City of the Beasts__=

__City of the Beasts__ is a fantasy-adventure novel by New York Times best-selling author Isabel Allende. When his mother is sick in the hospital Alexander Cold must go on the adventure of a lifetime. He and his grandmother are going on an International Geographic expedition to the heart of the Amazon. Throughout the course of this book Alex realizes who he is and what he is meant for. Publishers Weekly said that it was "laced with surprises and ironic twists."

This book has a varied set of characters such as Alex, his grandmother Kate, Nadia, and top anthropologist Ludovic Leblanc. Almost all of the story is told from Alex's point of view. Throughout the entire story Alex has grown and changed. In a way he is forced to change by being exposed to hardship and having to live with natives for a month. He goes through a right of passage, and finds that inside he is a jaguar, and that he must embrace that. Alex's journey is touching and moving. All the other characters slowly push him forward, and at some point in the story he takes a step. That was the most wonderful part in the story, when he had to step forward to save the people he loved. Although it is hard to identify with the characters, they manage to connect with you, you can understand what they are going through, through their brief but descriptive thoughts.

This book has a memorable and developed plot, that grabs you and drags you into the book. Even when you aren't reading it it is still in the back of your mind, you're wondering what is going to happen next. It is deep, exploring subjects such as value, trust, compassion, joy, courage, loss and love. It asks you to look deep inside yourself and ask, have we progressed, or have we lost our connection with the real meaning of life? Like I said before, this story mostly takes place in the heart of the Amazon rain-forest, and in the present. Because of the harsh environment where the story is set it adds to the danger, suspense and tension in the plot. The author tends to write in a style that although shows the true emotions, thoughts and speech of the characters, but is complex and able to explain the most complicated topics. Most of the chapters end or begin with cliffhangers, and there are surely surprises in the story that kept me interested. Allende uses all these elements, and they have truly made this novel a wonderful read.

There are many notable themes present in this novel. Its main problem has to do with the People of the Mist, a tribe native to the Amazon. When he first ends up among there tribe Alex learns that they are being threatened by modern people, or has they call them the Nahab. Alex also learns that he is destined to save them from the "bad Nahab", people who want to destroy their home for land, and wealth. I mentioned all the subjects of the novel and they are all notable themes. I think that the most discussed are the meaning of life, simplicity, courage and finding whom you are. This book had many moving themes.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has a thirst for adventure, or loves drama, and suspense. It is best suited for children ages 10-14, and my only concern is that it might be intense for some readers. I surely enjoyed this book. I wonder if you will? Rachana

Link to where book can be found: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/City-of-the-Beasts/Isabel-Allende/e/9780060535032/?itm=1&USRI=city+of+the+beasts+alexander+cold+series+1 = = =__Ender's Game__=

__Ender's Game__ is a fiction novel written by Orson Scott Card. It a very gripping, emotional, and intense book. The setting of this book is in a dystopian future where the human race has been attacked by aliens twice. The third alien war is approaching and in order to make sure they win the next war the world government has "been breeding military geniuses and training them in the arts of war". Their early training is in the form of games. Ender is the best of the best he is able to win all the games, but is he good enough to save the world?

This book has a highly developed plot that goes deep into the character's past to find out who they really, are, were, and will be. The author is able to build on his story and then unexpectedly add a whole new angle to it at the end. This is one of those books whose strong emotions make you want to read more to better understand the characters and plot. This story takes place in a dystopian future, and the main locations are Battle School, Commander School, and a lake in America. These settings in a way represent Ender himself. In battle school Ender starts to discover his military talent and learns the bad side to his talent. When he is at the lake he is able to think about the world in a new way. And finally in Commander School the government generals push him to his limits. The characters make and lose connections with each other they grow close and then something causes them to grow apart, and sadly Ender is at the center of all of this. No character truly understands what the other is going through and that makes it very hard for them to connect, they all have complicated pasts. Many of the characters develop throughout the story. They grow up, they lose their childhood but they still need to go on.

Card is able to write in a style that captures the reader, and doesn't seem forced, or incoherent to the rest of the book. Each chapter begins with the generals talking about what they have in store for Ender, and then continues on as the character whose point of view we're concentrating on in that chapter having their situation explained in third person limited. Because of this some people might be confused by the story's plot at first, but it becomes easier to understand as the book goes on. Every chapter ends with a slight concluding cliffhanger, and the story contains many surprises throughout the plot.

The main themes in the book are love, compassion, kindness, courage, survival, judgement, morality and so on. Throughout the book Ender is faced with many moral dilemmas and and challenges. He is always forced to decide everything for himself, only to find out that he had no true part in the decision. Ender is pushed to his psychical and psychological limits and loses all connection with the people he loves. He believes that he himself has become a killer, a murderer, and heartless. I believe that the author accomplished what he set out to do, which was to write a very gripping, emotional, and intense book, a truly enthralling novel that will stay with the reader for quite some time.

I enjoyed this book because of its gripping story line, its deep characters, and its amazing surprise twists. I would recommend this book to anyone ages 12 and up who enjoys sci-fi, has as thirst for adventure, and loves to see how a character in a book really feels. And if you've already read __Ender's Game__ I would recommend __Pathfinder__ by Orson Scott Card and The __Hunger Games Trilogy__ by Suzanne Collins. I really enjoyed this book (5 stars). I wonder if you will? Rachana

Link to where book can be found: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Enders-Game/Orson-Scott-Card/e/9780765342294/?itm=3&USRI=ender%27s+game+ender+wiggin+series+1 = **__Louis Pasteur__** =

Louis Pasteur is considered one of the most revolutionary scientists of all time, his experiments practically being the foundation of the entire field of microbiology. Perhaps just as extraordinary is __Louis Pasteur,__ a biography detailing the life of this great man, by Patrice Debre, (translated by Elborg Foster). This book is a precise account of Louis Pasteur's life and experiments, that is highly informative and engaging. "Work, science, and ambition- the outline of an entire life is already drawn in these words", as these three words define Louis Pasteur I believe that this book is the very essence of him.

This book was amazingly detailed, there were moments when I felt just as infatuated with Pasteur's experiments as he probably was. This book told the story of Pasteur's life word for word, and gave life to the experiments of a man who lived and died over 2 centuries ago. It's plot was highly developed and memorable, and was able to get the main points of his life across, although at times being a little too specific. The plot of this book, in retrospect is somewhat slow-paced compared to what you would usually see in a biography, but at times it allows us to look deeper into the life of this revolutionary scientist. At times I was forced to skim, and found my mind wandering while reading this book, but it the plot did pick up at times, and allowed skimming when necessary. Overall, an amazingly detailed, accurate, and interesting adaption of Pasteur's life.

This book takes place from 1822-1895, Louis Pasteur's entire lifetime. Throughout this biography Pasteur travels to Germany, Italy, etc.., but was born, and for the most part lived in France. It is very important that these settings be described and discussed in oder to understand the situations, and mindset of the characters in these places, luckily Debre is able to throughly explain the different setting of the book, in a way that is not horribly boring to the reader. In these settings the characters are able to connect with each other, and Louis does change, mature, and grow as a person, both in and out of the lab. In a way I was able to connect with Louis, sometimes ambition does interfere with your goals, but with hard work and ambition anyone can go a long way. This book was written in a highly organized and complete style. Each chapter was divided into smaller sections, and at the end of each chapter a brief summary of the events in the chapter, very useful if you didn't understand the information.

One important point about this book is that it was written for graduate and undergraduate students, so this is a very challenging read with many challenging scientific concepts, I will say that it is probably meant for that age group so I don't think that most people my age would want to read this book. I really enjoyed this book due to its detail, and explanations of complicated scientific concepts. Personally I give this book 5 stars, but it might be hard for some readers to handle.

Rachana



Link to where book can be found: http://www.amazon.com/Louis-Pasteur-Dr-Patrice-Debr%C3%A9/dp/0801858089