Chicklish

REVIEW: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Review by Caroline.

The Maze Runner begins with a frightened boy hurtling into the unknown in a dark lift. Thomas has no idea how he got here and no memory of his former life.

When the lift doors open, Thomas finds himself in a baffling new world, a compound known as the Glade, which is run by teenage boys who speak in a strange dialect. None of the boys knows why he is there but everyone knows the only chance of escape lies in the huge maze that surrounds the Glade. Every day an elite group known as the Runners sets off to try and find a way out, but it’s vital they get back by sundown. That’s when horrible creatures known as Grievers, which are part machine and part monster, come out in their droves....

Things have carried on in this way for some months, but Thomas's arrival marks a shift in events. A strange girl arrives in the Glade and Thomas also starts to realise he has been here before. He has to find a way to unlock the secrets of both the maze and his own memory if any of the Gladers is to survive.

For anyone who enjoyed the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Gone by Michael Grant, The Maze Runner is an absolute must. It hurtles along at break-neck speed and is almost impossible to put it down. I can’t wait for the sequel...

Review by Caroline.

Joe Lownds, aged 11, adds: This was a brilliant book. I felt Thomas’s stress as a reader and was on the edge of my seat. It was an incredibly exciting story and is the best book I’ve read in some time. I give it 9.9 marks out of ten.

The Maze Runner is released in the UK in August 2010.

James Dashner's blog

Book Trailer below

REVIEW: Crawlers by Sam Enthoven

Review by Carly Bennett.

Last year I reviewed Blood Water by Dean Vincent Carter for Chicklish and commented on how much I loved the film feel it had. It’s always important for a horror novel to be visual and making me see the scene in my head is the most terrifying thing a writer can do. I’m really pleased to say that Sam Enthoven is a master at this and reading Crawlers was a brilliant experience from beginning to end.

Ben and Jasmine are our heroes in this fight against a parasitic plague of ‘crawlers’, horrific creatures that swarm the Barbican Theatre in London (the wonderful setting for this story) and take over the mind of their human host. Teamed with only their quick thinking and dysfunctional school friends, Ben and Jasmine have a matter of hours to escape the crawlers and their Queen, whose simple wish is to control the mind of every human on the planet.

One of the things that makes Crawlers so unique is the fact it is set (almost) in real time. The whole novel (bar the epilogue) takes place over a single evening and the fast pace Enthoven had to write at really keeps the tempo up the entire way through. It doesn’t slow down for a moment and by the time I turned the final page, I was exhausted.

The story really does play out like a classic horror film; just when you start to relax, another body slams into the wall/crawler bursts through the ceiling etc etc – you catch my drift. This is the novel’s strength but it’s also a weakness. The short time frame means we don’t get a chance to bond with any of the characters. Enthoven tries to make us feel for Ben and Jasmine but there simply isn’t enough time to get to know them. In horror particularly, it’s important to care about the characters, otherwise there’s nothing to root for. But Ben spends far too much of the novel worrying that he isn’t popular enough, and not enough time crushing crawlers with a spade. And Jasmine is supposed to be the pretty girl who’s trying to build a better life for herself, and we're constantly reminded that she’s better than the other girls in her class. Is she really, though? Sure, Lisa’s a weirdo (sorry to be blunt) and Lauren/Samantha (who are pretty interchangeable) are definitely portrayed a stereotypical chavs, but all Jasmine really seems to do is look down on them for not being quite as perfect as she is.

That said, the story of Crawlers is fantastic, the writing is great and the tension is brilliant. I’d recommend this book to anybody who loves a bit of old-school horror, and fingers crossed we’ll be seeing a Sam Raimi style screen adaptation before too long.

Review by Carly Bennett

REVIEW: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Review by Kate.

“What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.

Instead, it turns out to be her last.

Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.”

I found this book very thought-provoking. At first, Sam isn’t a likeable main character. She seems stuck up and her group of friends bully the people in their school who are less popular than them. However, as the novel goes on, Sam becomes more human and it becomes clear why she acts the way she does.

As Sam’s death day gets replayed, the events of the day start to fall into place and the people she encounters are connected in more ways than the reader expects. It might be the same day described seven times, but there’s always something different going on.

Sam tries to find ways out of replaying her day, sometimes trying to change things so that she can’t be in the car accident that kills her and sometimes trying to get in one last day with her family. It gives her closure, even though she knows that the people she’s spent time with won’t remember what happened the next day.

All the time I was reading, I was wondering about the ending. I was imagining two possible endings in my head, both would’ve brought the story to a close but I felt that they wouldn’t have been right. The ending that Oliver wrote was not quite either of the ones I was imagining and brought the story to a satisfying close.

Overall I thought this book was very well-written and an enjoyable read. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed “Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher and anyone who is a fan of the film “Groundhog Day”. Thought-provoking and not quite like anything I’ve read before.

Review by Kate

NEWS: Friday Roundup, 26th March 2010

Just a quick roundup this week!

The fourth and final extract of Solace of the Road by Siobhan Dowd is now in the widget to the left. Hope you've enjoyed reading all the sample chapters! We hope to bring you extracts from other books here soon.

There's still time to enter the Solace of the Road giveaway, and there are definitely more giveaways coming up in the coming weeks, too.

In Chicklish news this week, we've welcomed two new reviewers, Kati and Georgia, and you can read their first reviews below.

It's also the final week to use World Book Day tokens in UK shops, so don't forget! I really meant to review the Chris Higgins/Sophie McKenzie WBD book (Walking the Walls/The Thief, image above) but I didn't find time - argh! In brief, though, I absolutely loved it and I'd highly recommend it. Chris Higgins writes a touching tale of school life, family life and bullying, and Sophie McKenzie writes a total page-turner based on The Medusa Project, her futuristic series.

Time for a shortened roundup from just a few of my favourite blogs:

REVIEW: I Was Jane Austen's Best Friend by Cora Harrison

Review by Georgia.

Cora Harrison’s I Was Jane Austen’s Best Friend is a gripping book, good for a wide age range. It gives an enthralling insight into 18th century life, with a brilliant storyline to keep you guessing what will happen next. It’s also written in an exciting journal format.

Confident Jane Austen’s shy cousin Jenny Cooper has a brush with death at the start of the book. Jenny is taken in by Jane’s mother. Once she is there, there is only one thing on her mind: marriage. She is only a teenager but she’s being pressured to tie the knot already. And now she’s out of an awful all-girl boarding school, she is swooning over many. What with Jane’s brothers, their friend, and a certain someone, she’s very confused and even more shy. And when upper-class French cousin Eliza visits, Jenny has a lot to learn.

This is a enthralling book that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The characters are very relatable, so you can connect with the book, and get lost in it. The storyline is very gripping, and makes it hard to stop reading. It’s a very romantic book, and I would specifically say it was aimed for girls. It has an extraordinary element of love, and makes your heart beat faster. It’s also very historical, and I found it very good for an understanding of the life of girls in this era: clothing, language and many other thing. I particularly like Jenny’s character, I found that you could understand her well, and also picture her in your mind. I also think that the ending was a lovely one, and made you feel light and happy. People who like old-fashioned books, such as those written in the time of Jane Austen, will probably enjoy this.

I think the book could have started slightly quicker, but overall it was a brilliant book and I have recommended it to many people. I give it a 3 ½ out of 5. A very enjoyable book.

Review by Georgia, aged 13

(Thank you, Georgia, and welcome to the Chicklish reviewing team!)

Check out Cora Harrison's website

Read an extract of I Was Jane Austen's Best Friend

REVIEW: The Beautiful Game: Lauren's Best Friend by Narinder Dhami

Review by Amber.

'A big house, loads of clothes, exotic holidays - Lauren's living every WAGs' dream. If only her mates knew the truth...'

Lauren's Best Friend is the second book in The Beautiful Game series. I was expecting this book to be good, and it didn't disappoint! This novel was more than good; it was fabulous!

This book is about six girls; Hannah, Lauren, Katy, Grace, Georgie and Jasmin. They all play for Springhill Stars which is a football club and, even though I don't really like football, I really liked this book. So for people who don't like football, don't worry! You'll still love this book.

I liked all the schemes Lauren came up with to get rid of Tanya - some of them made me laugh out loud! Sometimes I got a bit annoyed with Lauren though, like when she was bragging about her parents having lots of money in front of her friends.

Also I really liked the gold cover, and the way that the girl on the cover looked real but she is actually a drawing.

I don't really have any complaints about this book - it was brilliant all the way through. I really enjoyed it and give this book 5/5!

Review by Amber, aged 11

REVIEW: Vampire Diaries Volume 2 by L. J. Smith

Review by Mya. 

NOTE: The following review may contain spoilers for the Vampire Diaries Series. Volume 2 of Vampire Diaries contains book 3 and book 4 of the series.

Book 3: The Fury
Faced with an ancient evil, Stefan and Damon must stop their feuding and join forces with Elena to confront it. But in so doing, they are unwittingly sealing her fate ...

Book 4: The Reunion
Elena summons the vampire trio once more to unite and challenge their fate. Together they will be called to face the most terrifying evil Fell’s Church has ever known.

In The Fury Elena wakes up from her drowning to find herself in a wood, surrounded by senses which she didn’t know that she had. Not only this but she didn’t remember her vampire boyfriend Stefan and was seemingly in love with the more assertive brother; Damon.

Stefan is furious that Elena has been turned into a vampire and his finger points straight at Damon. Whilst Damon insists that he is innocent, Elena begins to remember what happened before she died. The trio soon discover that there is a third power in their town of Fell’s Church. When faced with this Power they are all equally surprised at who and what it is. The result: One of them must sacrifice themselves in order to save the rest. But who could it be?

I found The Fury a book which I can just keep picking up and reading over and over again. When I managed to pry myself away from the book, about ten minutes later I would always find myself back to reading it in some sort of a trance.

Unlike in Twilight, I found that the main protagonist was a great role model for teenage girls and the overall book was a million times better. The characters were well-developed and had feelings which I could relate to.

5 Stars! Excellent read!

In The Reunion, the town of Fell’s Church is finally getting back on its feet. Stefan and Damon, the two local vampire brothers have moved out of town and Elena is dead. But the peace is shattered when messages from the dead Elena are being sent to her old friends: Meredith and Bonnie. Bonnie soon discovers that she can contact Elena through her dreams, but the messages are often unclear. With Meredith’s help they both find out that the town is yet again put in jeopardy. They need Stefan’s help.

Stefan and Damon return to Fells Church only to find that their leaving didn't rid the town of all its evil. The newly formed group soon discover the new evil in the town, but they are an ant on the ground compared to it.

If only they had some help from the grave...

Another amazing book from L. J. Smith! I have been wanting to read this book for ages and when I did, I wasn’t disappointed. When reading The Reunion I escaped into this amazing world which I wouldn’t have even dreamt about before. What made this book the best of all of L. J. Smith’s books was the main antagonist and his henchmen. I’m not revealing any more though!

Thank you so much, L. J. Smith, for another truly amazing book!

Review by Mya, aged 13

NEWS: The WICKED Young Writers' Award

The Wicked Young Writers' Award has a website with fantastic clips and intro by author Michael Morpurgo. Click here to find out more.

From the website:

What is the WICKED Young Writers' Award?

The Wicked Young Writers' Award has been established to recognise excellence in writing, encourage creativity and help develop writing talent in young people.

Any young person between the ages of 5 and 25 years old is eligible to enter, making the award the first of its kind to reward excellence to such a wide age-range of young people across the whole of the UK.

The Award is open to any young person from the UK aged between 5 and 25 years old on the closing date of Saturday 31 July 2010.

Click here to find out more.

REVIEW: The Summer That Changed Everything by Ann Brashares

Review by Kati.

"Polly, Jo and Ama were best friends..."

From the bestselling author of "The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants" comes a new novel revolving around friendship and the barriers such bonds struggle to overcome. "The Summer That Changed Everything" follows three friends who have grown apart from one another and face the summer vacation apart. Isolated Polly, outgoing Jo and intellectual Ama move into their summer holiday as young adults.

All the girls are faced with stark and real issues which are portrayed sensitively and in a manner which invites empathy including body issues, insecurity, betrayal and divorce. We as the reader trace the paths of the girls through their highs and their lows and, regardless of age, this book is perfect for anyone who enjoys a dose of reality and compassion.

With three separate stories to follow it is easy to think that the plotline would be complex and difficult to understand. However, this book is both logically and clearly set out and I personally felt that moments of suspense were heightened though Ann Brashares’ use of changing persona. I loved the ending and the gradual build up of emotions and misunderstanding.

"The Summer That Changed Everything" has it all! It’s a love story, a friendship story, it’ll make you laugh, make you cry and make you look carefully at yourself and how you react to and treat others around you.

I would recommend this book to anyone aged 11 or more and it can certainly be enjoyed by older readers. The novel is well-paced and enjoyable with all the elements of teenage anxiety weaved into the plot. The perfect summer read which acts as a subtle reminder to the true powers of friendship.

Review by Kati

(Thank you, Kati, and welcome to the Chicklish reviewing team!)

NEWS: Friday Roundup, 19th March 2010

By Luisa

This might be a little shorter than last week's roundup, but here goes!

Chapter Three of Solace of the Road by Siobhan Dowd is now available to read in the sidebar to the left. Please check it out - it's a wonderful book! And enter our giveaway, if you haven't already! The draw will take place on 1st April 2010.

In other news this week, we've heard about a brand new blog for dragon fans, started by Lucinda Hare, author of The Dragon Whisperer. Here's what she told us:

"...it's about Dragonsdome, Tangnost, Quenelda and Root and the dragons and the research and inspiration behind The Dragon Whisperer. The day to day background, how to ride the wooden dragon, new illustrations, sneak peeks etc." Find and follow the Dragonsdome Diaries here.

(Our review of The Dragon Whisperer is here, and our interview with Lucinda Hare is here.)

Speaking of fantasy novels, The Bookette launched a campaign this week aiming to get Song Quest by Katherine Roberts back into print. Read all about it at The Bookette or on Ink and Paper, and sign up to the special blog tour.

This week I've bought, borrowed and otherwise got hold of some wonderful new books to review. And I helped out with Teenage Flicks at my local library again last Saturday, where we discussed last month's book (Uglies by Scott Westerfeld), talked about World Book Day, talked about library developments and decided on this month's book (Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls).

I've also received lots of brilliant reviews from our reviewing team, so watch out for those in the coming weeks!

Here's my roundup of posts I enjoyed on a few of my favourite blogs - sorry there aren't more this time, but I really do love reading all your sites! (Yes, you! I love your book site.) :)