Book Review: Skin by Donna Jo Napoli

Title: Skin

Author: Donna Jo Napoli

Pages: 352

Publisher: Amazon Children’s Publishing

Publication Date: August 6^th, 2013

Source: Netgalley

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Rating: 2.5/5

Giuseppina, otherwise known as Sep, always thought of herself as average. And on the first day of her junior year, she’s ready to start off another boring school year. Except for one small detail: her lips are white. Not pale, or faded. Plain white. With no clue of what’s going on, Sep’s got to find out the problem with her skin – and fix it - before somebody finds out. This young heroine has to figure out where she stands in life – no matter what she looks like.

But to Sep’s dismay, she has vitiligo, a condition where the cells in your skin lose their color. And it has no cure. Knowing that she does not have long before somebody finds out, Sep’s got to live her life to the fullest, before it all changes.

I really liked the idea of this story. It was clear, explained, and somewhat interesting. The emotions the author was trying to explain were easy to understand; the sadness, conflict and happiness. It was a nice break from all the dystopian books about the future, and was fun to just read about the present. This book wasn’t too long, or too short, and the pages seemed to whizz by.

But to me, the introduction was a slow and hesitant, and from there on, it just steadily got worse. Adding to that, I felt that this book wasn’t very captivating. Sure it was fun to read some parts, but I found myself skimming over others when I felt there wasn’t much value of reading them.

My biggest problem with this book was that I couldn’t really connect with it. I understand that Sep was going through this huge change in life, and that she didn’t understand what was going to happen to her, but I just don’t agree with the way she reacted. In the beginning of the book, before she figured out she had vitiligo, it was easy to understand what she was going through. But, once she realized what the condition was, it completely shaped who she was – into a person that I can’t say I liked or connected with.

Overall I would say ‘Skin’ by Donna Jo Napoli is a less than average book. I don’t reread all books I read. The ones I do are usually great, and I know for a fact that I won’t be rereading this one.

Book Review: Ghost Time by Courtney Eldridge

Title: Ghost Time
Author: Courtney Eldridge

Publisher: Amazon Children’s Publishing

Publishing Date: 6/11/2013

Source: Netgalley

Genre: Mystery, romance

Rating: 4.5/5

In this, the first book of her new series, Courtney Eldridge writes about a girl facing the troubles of finding her missing boyfriend.

Thea has never been popular. So when Cam, a senior asks her out, she’s shocked. But that feeling is nothing compared to how she feels when Cam goes missing. Now trying to track down her missing boyfriend, Thea struggles through her everyday life. But that isn’t very easy when somebody starts posting videos of her and mysterious things occur at the school she attends.

Life is different without Cam. Desperately hunting for clues, Thea’s whole world has been destroyed. And when an unexpected turn of events occurs, Thea learns the truth about Cam’s past, a truth that had changed his life. But throughout this all, the main problem is consistent and shines through: Will Thea ever find Cam?

My favorite character in this book is Thea. Thea has always been the shy girl. That is, before Cam came. Now when she is finally fitting in and he goes missing, everything is thrown into disarray. While hunting for her missing boyfriend, and having to deal with the FBI and lawyers over her strange predicament, there is too much occurring in Thea’s life to cope with. But it is only when Thea realizes the truth about Cam, that this chain of events make sense.

When I first picked up this book, I knew this was definitely not my cup of tea. I usually don’t read romance/mystery books. So when I first picked up the book I wasn’t too excited. But after reading the first couple of pages I realized that this book was better than I had originally expected.

To me, the best part of this story is how Thea’s whole journey is mixed with details of Cam’s disappearance and how she is dealing with her life because of said disappearance. This makes the book seem as if it is nothing but romance but in reality, it isn’t. Instead, it shows how Thea’s character is developing because of the sudden change in her life.

In this book, the chapters were alternating present life and flashbacks. I thoroughly enjoyed the flashbacks because it helped me get to know the characters better and helped me understand what was actually happening. Though it took a while to get used to, having the flashbacks mixed in with the present day story was interesting and completely unexpected.

Read the book Ghost Time by Courtney Eldridge, a mystery/romance. I recommend this book to teens because of the language. 

Book Review: Silent Harmony by Michele Scott

Title: Silent Harmony

Author: Michele Scott

Publisher: Amazon Children’s Publishing

Source: Netgalley

Publication Date: 5/28/2013

Genre: Fantasy Fiction

Rating: 4/5

Vivienne Taylor has always been a good horse rider, with her special power that lets her “talk” to horses. But she is still surprised when the Fairmont Academy, an exclusive equestrian academy, accepts her on a scholarship basis. Now, traveling to a new school, a new life and new friends Vivienne has to adjust, because the other rich students weren’t accepted on scholarship. And where there are the rich, there is always drama.

Attending her new boarding school, Vivienne is hard at work. But when her new horse at Fairmont, Harmony, doesn’t respond the way other horses do, things are definitely off. Little does Vivienne know that Harmony belonged to the school vet who has passed away just recently. Yet, there is something strange about this school. Vivienne must figure out the mystery of her horse, before it is too late.

My favorite character in this book is Vivienne. After living in a small town in Oregon and growing up with the same kids for the first 17 years of her life, moving somewhere else is something Vivienne has never thought she would have to do. But moving to a private, rich school is far worse. After being tormented by the popular girls, and teased because of her relatively impoverished life at home, Vivienne is definitely the odd one out. But, throughout the story, Vivienne stays strong and doesn’t let herself become the laughingstock of the school. As Vivienne continues her training and investigates the matter that is troubling Harmony, it is hard to tell right from wrong. But will Vivienne figure it out in time?

There were some very enjoyable aspects to this book. One such aspect is that throughout the whole story there is always something important occurring. Whether it be details on how somebody lied to another, or the proof of someone’s misdoings is revealed, there are lots of twists and turns that keep this book lively and entertaining. The best part of this book to me would be that there are multiple story lines going on at the same time. In the beginning the main character is fitting in. Around the middle, the first problem is observed and solved, and in the end a second problem is created and solved. This keeps the book fresh and helps the reader not feel as if they are reading about one long, continuous problem.

One main point that I did not like at all was how the story kept changing perspective. In lots of books there are different point of views, and everything flows. But in this book, I felt that when the point of view changed from the first person to the third person point of view, there was a very rocky transition. Adding to that, throughout the third person point of view, the wording was awkward, and hard to understand.

Read the book Silent Harmony by Michele Scott, and join Vivienne on an enjoyable adventure. I recommend this book to teens based upon the language being too young for pre-teens and other children. Other books about horses include ‘Catch Rider’ coming out June 4, 2013.