Book Summaries
13 Little Blue Envelopes – Maureen Johnson
When Ginny's aunt dies, Ginny receives one little blue envelope with strict instructions to read it and follow it until she gets the next one. Through these envelopes, Ginny goes on an adventure of a lifetime and meets lots of new people, including a new guy named Keith. Where else will the envelopes take her? And what will the last one say?
A Bend in the Road - Nicholas Sparks
A widower, named Miles, whose wife died in a accident believes he knows who the "killer" was and wants to exact his revenge. Miles is a cop and uses his authority as a cop in order to do everything he can to put the guy away for life. Everything changes when he falls for the new girl in town and finds out some secrets that lead to the discovery of what really happened on that night that changed his life.
Along for the Ride – Sarah Dessen
Auden decides to spend the summer with her father and his new wife and child in lieu of spending it with her mom and the grad students who are always hanging around the house. She has big plans for the summer; to prepare for the year ahead at college. But things soon change when she makes some friends and meets a boy named Eli. Will she stay the same? Or will this one summer change her future plans?
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret – Judy Blume
Margaret, now 12 years old, has just made a big move from the Big Apple to the suburbs and is waiting to become all grown up - namely to get her period, preferably before the rest of her new friends get theirs! She goes through a lot of thinking, even on which religion she should choose (her mom is Catholic and her dad is Jewish). If only things could be easier!
Artemis Fowl (Bk 1 of Artemis Fowl series) – Eoin Colfer
Artemis Fowl is a young genius who, at 12, is a criminal mastermind and has set his sights on the best prize of all; capturing a fairy. Even though most humans do not even know that fairies even exist, Artemis Fowl has found ways to kidnap a faerie, learn its laws, and find out where the faeries live and how to outsmart them at their own game. Follow his many adventures in the Artemis Fowl series, as Artemis finds out more and more about the secrets of the world around him.
Avalon High - Meg Cabot
Ellie is used to moving around a lot. This time she's moving to Washington, D.C. and is expecting to have a great experience in her new high school. Only, things turn strange when her teacher, Mr. Morton starts claiming that her friend Will is the re-incarnated King Arthur, his girlfriend is Lady Guinevere, his best friend is Sir Lancelot and that she is the Lady of the Lake. Not only that, but things start to fit into the old legend when Will learns of his half brother and that he is trying to kill him. Ellie has to make Will believe who he really is in time to save all of humanity, but will she succeed?
Blade Runner - Philip K. Dick
In the 2021, most of the humans who survived the world war have moved to Mars. Things are very bleak on Earth when there are very little animals left and rogue androids, who are so human-like that a person can hardly tell the difference, are slowly trying to take over the positions that humans keep. Rick Deckard is a bounty hunter and "retires" the bad androids to make life better for the humans. Only what will happen when he finds out that the police office he has been working for for years supposedly does not exist? And when he realizes just how smart the androids are that they are not going to let him live to tell the tale?
Cinderellis and the Glass Hill – Gail Carson Levine
This is a spoof on the commonly known tale of Cinderella where Cinderellis, a young inventor whose brothers do nothing but make fun of him. One day he meets a beautiful maiden who, he is told, is the royal dairy farmer, and decides to take on the challenge of walking up a glass hill to meet the princess so that he could ask the royal dairy farmer for her hand in marriage. While he tries to get up the hill, the princess is doing everything in her power to stop him as her father promised her hand in marriage to the man who could walk up the hill, and as she does not know that it is Cinderellis under the knight's armor.
Cycler – Lauren McLaughlan
Jill seems like an average teenager, most of the time. She goes to school, worries about her classes, wants to find a date for the prom... But if you look closer into her life, things change; 4 days out of every month, she turns into a boy. She cannot do anything to change what she turns into other than to hide in her room for those four days until it's over. But Jack isn't happy with the closeted life he's living, he wants to be free, to live his life, while he can, during his short time when he's able to. How will Jill make her life work when her life is only becoming more complicated?
Dust City – Robert Paul Weston
Henry is the son of the infamous killer of Red Ridding Hood and is feared for this fact. But things aren't always what they seem and Henry's dad was set up! The Mob boss has something up his sleeves and is making sure that no one finds out what really happened. Henry, after realizing that the truth might not be what he has always known, starts putting his nose in dangerous places in order to find out the truth. And set his father free.
Forbidden City – Ted Bell
Alex Jackson is a history buff who loves to make models. One day his dad tells him that he is going to go to Beijing to film the students protesting for their freedom, for CBC, and Alex can’t wait, this is something he’s always wanted. But things turn sour when the Chinese Army gets involved and foreigners are forced out of the country. Alex has to decide what to do, to help the students and do something illegal, or go home and pretend nothing happened.
Holes – Louis Sachar
Stanley Yelnats has always had bad luck, but he isn't the only one. So has his father, and his grandfather... and it's all because of his no-good-dirty- rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather. Want to know why? Legend has it that his great great grandfather fell in love with a girl, he wanted her so badly that he promised to do something that he didn't end up doing after he found out she wasn't right for him and the curse has stayed. Only now, it's really bad because Stanley has been sent to some juvie camp where he is being worked to death. Will Stanley find a way to get out? Will he make some friends? And finally, will he be able to break the curse?
I Never Fancied Him Anyway - Claudia Carroll
Cassandra is a psychic. She can see foresee what will happen... to other people. She is swept into a whirlwind of events where she goes from giving writing an advice, to being on a tv show, to becoming a celebrity of sorts, but she can hardly keep up! She has a problem though, she had a vision that she would end up with the perfect man for her... who ends up being her best friend's boyfriend. Moreover, when he's around her, she cannot see anything! Which is a problem when he's her producer and she's on national TV. If only she can come up with a way to fix everything and have the guy.
Just Listen - Sarah Dessen
Annabel has the perfect life... or so her new commercial would make you think. But when you get closet, you'll find that she hasn't talked to her best friend since Annabel did something Claire didn't like, and her other close friend Sophie... well, something happened and Annabel doesn't want to talk about it. Owen, though, is a different story. Owen is a loner, just like her, and makes her realize something she didn't know about herself. He also helps her piece her life back together and find something she didn't realize she could have.
Love the One You're With - Emily Giffin
Ellen and Margot have been best friends since becoming roommates in college and when Ellen finally settles in with Margot's brother Andy, Margot is happy not only because ex-boyfriend Leo is finally out of the picture, but that Ellen will be part of her family forever. Things soon change after Andy and Ellen decide to move to Andy's hometown and Ellen starts feeling homesick for NYC, her old home. When Ellen is contacted by Leo, she realizes that she can have part of her old life, and cannot wait! She realizes, however, that you should always love that one that you're with.
Match Game – Beverly Brandt
Savannah’s life gets turned upside-down when the day that’s supposed to be the happiest of her life, her wedding is ruined by feds storming in the church to arrest her. For something she didn’t do. And to top it all off, her fiancé leaves her because she’s causing him too much stress – as if it’s her fault someone stole her identity and ruined her credit! Savannah decides to start fresh and live the lifestyle that the person who stole her identity lives, since she must be happy, right? She gets more then she bargained for and realizes that you might not get what you want, but every cloud has a silver lining.
Remember Me - Sophie Kinsella
Lexi Smart is broke, has a boyfriend whose nickname starts with loser, but she has great friends. The night before her dad's funeral, she trips and ends up in the hospital, only things aren't what they seem since she is somehow now in the future, and cannot remember what happened since her dad's funeral. After leaving the hospital she thinks she has a great life; she's rich, she has a hot husband, and she got the top job in the office. But things start slipping and she realizes that she has to do something to make things right again.
The Frog Princess – E. D. Baker
Princess Emma is not made out to be a princess; she’s clumsy, she like to play outdoors and get dirty, and she doesn’t want to get married to just anyone. One day she finds a talking frog who is supposedly a prince. He tells her that he only needs one kiss on the lips and he will turn back into a prince and help her get rid of that awful Prince Jorge her mom wants her to marry... If only it were that simple.
The Help - Kathryn Stockett
Skeeter Phelan comes home from University and realizes how unequal her town of Jackson, Mississippi (in the year 1962) really is. She decides to make a splash in town by writing about the maids of her town and their stories, to let them be heard. Her and all the maids who help her take many risks and have some happy and many sad stories to tell about the town. Will Skeeter's book be published? And what will happen to the maids who are risking it all to help her and let their stories be known?
When Ginny's aunt dies, Ginny receives one little blue envelope with strict instructions to read it and follow it until she gets the next one. Through these envelopes, Ginny goes on an adventure of a lifetime and meets lots of new people, including a new guy named Keith. Where else will the envelopes take her? And what will the last one say?
A Bend in the Road - Nicholas Sparks
A widower, named Miles, whose wife died in a accident believes he knows who the "killer" was and wants to exact his revenge. Miles is a cop and uses his authority as a cop in order to do everything he can to put the guy away for life. Everything changes when he falls for the new girl in town and finds out some secrets that lead to the discovery of what really happened on that night that changed his life.
Along for the Ride – Sarah Dessen
Auden decides to spend the summer with her father and his new wife and child in lieu of spending it with her mom and the grad students who are always hanging around the house. She has big plans for the summer; to prepare for the year ahead at college. But things soon change when she makes some friends and meets a boy named Eli. Will she stay the same? Or will this one summer change her future plans?
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret – Judy Blume
Margaret, now 12 years old, has just made a big move from the Big Apple to the suburbs and is waiting to become all grown up - namely to get her period, preferably before the rest of her new friends get theirs! She goes through a lot of thinking, even on which religion she should choose (her mom is Catholic and her dad is Jewish). If only things could be easier!
Artemis Fowl (Bk 1 of Artemis Fowl series) – Eoin Colfer
Artemis Fowl is a young genius who, at 12, is a criminal mastermind and has set his sights on the best prize of all; capturing a fairy. Even though most humans do not even know that fairies even exist, Artemis Fowl has found ways to kidnap a faerie, learn its laws, and find out where the faeries live and how to outsmart them at their own game. Follow his many adventures in the Artemis Fowl series, as Artemis finds out more and more about the secrets of the world around him.
Avalon High - Meg Cabot
Ellie is used to moving around a lot. This time she's moving to Washington, D.C. and is expecting to have a great experience in her new high school. Only, things turn strange when her teacher, Mr. Morton starts claiming that her friend Will is the re-incarnated King Arthur, his girlfriend is Lady Guinevere, his best friend is Sir Lancelot and that she is the Lady of the Lake. Not only that, but things start to fit into the old legend when Will learns of his half brother and that he is trying to kill him. Ellie has to make Will believe who he really is in time to save all of humanity, but will she succeed?
Blade Runner - Philip K. Dick
In the 2021, most of the humans who survived the world war have moved to Mars. Things are very bleak on Earth when there are very little animals left and rogue androids, who are so human-like that a person can hardly tell the difference, are slowly trying to take over the positions that humans keep. Rick Deckard is a bounty hunter and "retires" the bad androids to make life better for the humans. Only what will happen when he finds out that the police office he has been working for for years supposedly does not exist? And when he realizes just how smart the androids are that they are not going to let him live to tell the tale?
Cinderellis and the Glass Hill – Gail Carson Levine
This is a spoof on the commonly known tale of Cinderella where Cinderellis, a young inventor whose brothers do nothing but make fun of him. One day he meets a beautiful maiden who, he is told, is the royal dairy farmer, and decides to take on the challenge of walking up a glass hill to meet the princess so that he could ask the royal dairy farmer for her hand in marriage. While he tries to get up the hill, the princess is doing everything in her power to stop him as her father promised her hand in marriage to the man who could walk up the hill, and as she does not know that it is Cinderellis under the knight's armor.
Cycler – Lauren McLaughlan
Jill seems like an average teenager, most of the time. She goes to school, worries about her classes, wants to find a date for the prom... But if you look closer into her life, things change; 4 days out of every month, she turns into a boy. She cannot do anything to change what she turns into other than to hide in her room for those four days until it's over. But Jack isn't happy with the closeted life he's living, he wants to be free, to live his life, while he can, during his short time when he's able to. How will Jill make her life work when her life is only becoming more complicated?
Dust City – Robert Paul Weston
Henry is the son of the infamous killer of Red Ridding Hood and is feared for this fact. But things aren't always what they seem and Henry's dad was set up! The Mob boss has something up his sleeves and is making sure that no one finds out what really happened. Henry, after realizing that the truth might not be what he has always known, starts putting his nose in dangerous places in order to find out the truth. And set his father free.
Forbidden City – Ted Bell
Alex Jackson is a history buff who loves to make models. One day his dad tells him that he is going to go to Beijing to film the students protesting for their freedom, for CBC, and Alex can’t wait, this is something he’s always wanted. But things turn sour when the Chinese Army gets involved and foreigners are forced out of the country. Alex has to decide what to do, to help the students and do something illegal, or go home and pretend nothing happened.
Holes – Louis Sachar
Stanley Yelnats has always had bad luck, but he isn't the only one. So has his father, and his grandfather... and it's all because of his no-good-dirty- rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather. Want to know why? Legend has it that his great great grandfather fell in love with a girl, he wanted her so badly that he promised to do something that he didn't end up doing after he found out she wasn't right for him and the curse has stayed. Only now, it's really bad because Stanley has been sent to some juvie camp where he is being worked to death. Will Stanley find a way to get out? Will he make some friends? And finally, will he be able to break the curse?
I Never Fancied Him Anyway - Claudia Carroll
Cassandra is a psychic. She can see foresee what will happen... to other people. She is swept into a whirlwind of events where she goes from giving writing an advice, to being on a tv show, to becoming a celebrity of sorts, but she can hardly keep up! She has a problem though, she had a vision that she would end up with the perfect man for her... who ends up being her best friend's boyfriend. Moreover, when he's around her, she cannot see anything! Which is a problem when he's her producer and she's on national TV. If only she can come up with a way to fix everything and have the guy.
Just Listen - Sarah Dessen
Annabel has the perfect life... or so her new commercial would make you think. But when you get closet, you'll find that she hasn't talked to her best friend since Annabel did something Claire didn't like, and her other close friend Sophie... well, something happened and Annabel doesn't want to talk about it. Owen, though, is a different story. Owen is a loner, just like her, and makes her realize something she didn't know about herself. He also helps her piece her life back together and find something she didn't realize she could have.
Love the One You're With - Emily Giffin
Ellen and Margot have been best friends since becoming roommates in college and when Ellen finally settles in with Margot's brother Andy, Margot is happy not only because ex-boyfriend Leo is finally out of the picture, but that Ellen will be part of her family forever. Things soon change after Andy and Ellen decide to move to Andy's hometown and Ellen starts feeling homesick for NYC, her old home. When Ellen is contacted by Leo, she realizes that she can have part of her old life, and cannot wait! She realizes, however, that you should always love that one that you're with.
Match Game – Beverly Brandt
Savannah’s life gets turned upside-down when the day that’s supposed to be the happiest of her life, her wedding is ruined by feds storming in the church to arrest her. For something she didn’t do. And to top it all off, her fiancé leaves her because she’s causing him too much stress – as if it’s her fault someone stole her identity and ruined her credit! Savannah decides to start fresh and live the lifestyle that the person who stole her identity lives, since she must be happy, right? She gets more then she bargained for and realizes that you might not get what you want, but every cloud has a silver lining.
Remember Me - Sophie Kinsella
Lexi Smart is broke, has a boyfriend whose nickname starts with loser, but she has great friends. The night before her dad's funeral, she trips and ends up in the hospital, only things aren't what they seem since she is somehow now in the future, and cannot remember what happened since her dad's funeral. After leaving the hospital she thinks she has a great life; she's rich, she has a hot husband, and she got the top job in the office. But things start slipping and she realizes that she has to do something to make things right again.
The Frog Princess – E. D. Baker
Princess Emma is not made out to be a princess; she’s clumsy, she like to play outdoors and get dirty, and she doesn’t want to get married to just anyone. One day she finds a talking frog who is supposedly a prince. He tells her that he only needs one kiss on the lips and he will turn back into a prince and help her get rid of that awful Prince Jorge her mom wants her to marry... If only it were that simple.
The Help - Kathryn Stockett
Skeeter Phelan comes home from University and realizes how unequal her town of Jackson, Mississippi (in the year 1962) really is. She decides to make a splash in town by writing about the maids of her town and their stories, to let them be heard. Her and all the maids who help her take many risks and have some happy and many sad stories to tell about the town. Will Skeeter's book be published? And what will happen to the maids who are risking it all to help her and let their stories be known?