Book Reviews: Zeb and the Great Ruckus, The Fault in Our Stars, and Beauty Queens

Hi everyone. I finish reading a few books so I wanted to write reviews on them. I tried to keep these reviews *spoiler free* so that you all can enjoy the books to its fullest. Let's begin.

Zeb and the Great Ruckus

Author: Josh Donellan
ISBN: 9780987232533
Format: e-book from NetGalley (thanks Odyssey Books)

About: (from Goodreads)

“This is a story made from pieces of all the dreams that you had when you were asleep, but then forgot when you woke up.”

Hello! You are reading this in order to determine whether or not this book will be of interest to you! Well, congratulations, you obviously have fabulous taste! Zeb and the Great Ruckus is a story about magic, music, fireworks, bewilderbeasts, clockwork birds and weaponised toffee. It has some funny bits, some scary bits, some sad bits, and a rather large bit about a cave-dwelling ruttersnarl which we would tell you about but we don’t want to give away the ending. If you like the sounds of any or all of the above, then this is the book for you! If you would rather read a complete history of European haberdashery, please consult your local book emporium

My thoughts:
Zeb and the Great Ruckus is a middle grade read that’s charming and fun. I love story of kids traveling on a quest so this book fits my range perfectly. Zeb, the main character, lives in a city without beautiful music. He and his female friend Flip will go on an adventure to bring back the music in order to get rid of the bad guys. Zeb has a nice charisma in him and Flip is very outspoken. They are really fun to read about. The book has a simple premise and it’s a fast read. I also really like the different monsters and the illustrations. I wish there were more adventures in the middle but it was about the right size for a middle grade read. I like how the story ends. I would recommend it to those who love to read a fun fantasy adventure.

The Fault in our Stars
Author: John Green
ISBN: 0525478817 Format: Book

About: (from Goodreads) Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumors in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tay kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind

My thoughts: The Fault in our Stars is one of those absolutely heart wrenching feel good kind of a book. John Green did a great job of introducing us to Hazel and Gus. Hazel was able to change because of Gus and Gus was able to find a special meaning to live because of Hazel. This book is such a great book. I was tearing the second half of it. I love how the story flow and the interactions between the two. In addition, the romance in the book is great. Gus is such a romantic and Hazel is such a luck girl. These two were one of the best couple I’ve ever read about. The book has a great twist and unexpected ending. I highly recommend this book.

Beauty Queen

Author: Libba Bray
ISBN: 0439895979
Format: Audio book read by Libba Bray (she’s awesome)

About: Miss teen dream contestants got into a plane crash and was left stranded on a deserted island. They have to work together to survive the dangers of the jungles, pirates, and terrorist organizations.

My thoughts:
This was the first Libba Bray book I listen to. I find Beauty Queens entertaining and funny. There were pop culture references, stereotypical clichés, and even random commercials squeeze into this one book. The miss teen contestants were fun and unique. I love how Libba explore the girls’ personalities and how they came to be. There’re lots of surprises in Beauty Queen that I didn’t expect. For example, the addition of the pirates and the crazy terrorist was really unexpected but so funny. It’s great to read about how the girl survive and how they work together to achieve something great. All in all, Beauty Queens was a blast to listen to. It was a fantastic audio book and a great read.

Audio book thoughts:
Libba is a great reader. She was able to voice each of her characters differently with different accents and different vocal tones. Her reading was really funny. My favorite voice would probably be Tiara because she’s bubbly, innocent, and so nonchalant about the world.

Wonder by R. J. Palacio Review

Wonder

Author: R. J. Palacio
Publisher: Knopf Books
Recommended for: Middle grade +

About:

August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances?

Review:

Wow. Wonder is a really good book. It was touching and Auggie has such an adorable personality. Beauty is only skin deep they say. Auggie may not be perfect but he has such a good heart. The writing style consist of many character's perspective. I'm glad to see Via, Jack, and Summer's POV. This kept the story engaging. I also like the backstory of Auggie's parent and his favorite aunt. There was a good flow in the story and I didn't get lost. Every adventures he goes through is fun and exciting. Let's just say you get to see him in a difficult situation kids deals with + his deformity.
Final thoughts:

I highly recommend this book. It was better than what I expected. It gives a positive message to people. Auggie was a very interesting character. He has his weak points but he never gives up. That's because there are people who supports him and love him. I think that's such a great takeaway message.

Maggie's Chopsticks Review

I got the pleasure of reading a cute picture book called Maggie's Chopsticks from NetGallery. Thanks Kid Can Press.

Maggie's Chopsticks

Written by: Alan Woo
Illustrated by: Isabelle Malenfant
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Published on: July 30, 2012
Recommended: for ages 3+

About: Little Maggie got her first chopsticks and she's trying to use them.

Review:

It'd been a while since I pick up a picture book to read. I think the last one I read was Where the Wild Things Are back when the movie came out. On the contrary, Maggie's Chopstick is completely different from that. I thought this picture book was cute. Alan Woo create a basic premise that's easy to follow and Isabelle Malenfant's art is really nice. The character design of Maggie and her family was not bad. It's nice to see a picture book with Asian related topics. I think majority of us know that chopstick is a utensil used in Asian culture.

As for the story, it's pretty simple. Maggie is trying her best to use the chopstick like all the other people in her family. You get to see her using different means to achieve her goal. I find it cute and hilarious at times. I think explaining to people what sapao is might be helpful. Will she triumph in using her chopstick? You'll have to read it to find out. Overall, Maggie's Chopsticks is definitely a cute picture book to read to the little ones.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho Review

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

I've heard of this book for a while and I've been curious to read it. I started it sometime earlier this year and got through half of it. I was able to finish it and reflect upon it and wanted to give a general review. It's a short and simple book but there's a deep philosophical meaning in it. Here's a quick review on it that won't spoil the book.

What's it about:

The Alchemist is a book about a sheaperd boy, Santiago, who goes on his personal journey to find treasure but he discover something more. On the way he meets a gypsy, a king, an alchemist, and many more people which will impact his life in many ways.

My thoughts:

I always love story about the main character(s) going on adventures because that's how conflicts and obstacles can pursue. Santiago is but a young teenage boy who's trying to make something of himself. His self discovery and how his character evolves throughout the book is the thing that makes this book shine. As he meet each side character, he would learn something from them and matures as a person. The setting was great. He travels from Spain to different town sand crosses the desserts to Egypt to find the Pyramid where the treasure lies. He was able to pick up another language and learn about different cultures and different ways of thinking. Also, alchemy did come into play later in the book and you'll find out how if you read the book. I really enjoy the last half of the books and the end leaves me in awe a bit. Overall, The Alchemist was a great book about one's journey of self discovery and I did learn a few things out of it. It's a good book and I do recommend it.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower Quick Review

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Wow. Just finish reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Really enjoyed it. Brings me back to my high school days and all the crazy stuff that goes on in a teenager's mind.
It's a coming of age story about a teenage boy transitioning into high school life. The story consist of series of letters that Charlie writes to a random person and I thought this format was quite entertaining. Charlie is just a pen name he use and all the people in the story he change their names too. He talks about life, love, and lost. We get read about his family and how that environment molds him into the person he is. All in all, Charlie is a good kid who's just a wallflower. We also get to read about the obstacles he had to overcome and how he befriends Patrick and Sam, two seniors that became his greatest friends. These two are wonderful characters. The story was touching at times and it's sad at times and it felt real. Overall, it was a solid read and it makes me feel infinite.


Currently reading: (here's some of the many. I jump around between different books depending on what I feel like reading)

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff
Cloud Atlus by David Mitchell
The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter bu Seth Grahame-Smith