Jinx by Meg Cabot

Wherever Jinx goes theres always some trouble leading up to her, which was the reason why her parents have sent Jinx to go to New York to live with her family. Until the mayhem she caused back at her home dies down. Somehow her presence at her family's makes disaster for her preppy, perfect snobby cousin Tory. Especially getting involved with a boy Zack, she's starting to wonder if she's more then just unlucky maybe she's cursed.

The Outsiders (by SE Hinton)

The Outsiders is a witty, startling honest, and moving novel that plunges you straight into the lives of the Greasers and the Socs, two gangs separated by their status in society. A remarkably insightful story about a fourteen year old Ponyboy who is friends with a group of Greasers named Sodapop (his older brother), Darry (his oldest brother), Dally, Two-Bit Matthews, Steve, and Johnny, finds himself in a society where violence is common, and the glaringly unjustified differences between Greasers and Socs are showcased daily through their rivalry with each other.

The book deals with issues such as social groups, abuse, youth, violence, and the controversies of it all. Not only that, but it touches heavily on morality and society, and how at the end of the day, there are things more important than the violence and conflict of their lifestyle and social gangs.

Ponyboy lives a fairly normal lifestyle, and the story opens with him going to the movies and musing about it on his way home when he gets jumped by a group of Socs on the road. Throughout the intense scenes and moments, we get glimpses of life on the street and in the life of not only the Greasers but also the richer and aggressive Socs. Streaked with suspense and a startling turn for the worse during the middle of the novel, SE Hinton started writing the book when she was fifteen, and it was published three years later.

Still a classic but also controversial novel, this can be recommended for any older reader who wishes to take a look into the world and life of a completely different society.

-Yuyan

Framed - Frank Cottrell Boyce
Rating: 4/5

Framed is a novel by Frank Cottrell Boyce, the infamous writer who debuted from Millions (another brilliant book, but we won’t go there yet), about a boy and his mastermind-thief sister, who, through acts of attempted thievery and illegal acts, end up ultimately reminding a small town about the power of art.

The protagonist, Dylan, is a 9-year-old boy (the only boy left in the easily-forgotten town of Manod). His family owns the only gas station/store in the town, and profits are down to a minimum no matter what they do; leaving the family scrambling to find other ways of earning money before bankruptcy. Their parents suggest other jobs, starting a new business, and the children? Dylan’s (its mainly Minnie’s fault) solution is to search and find the Holy Grail (and maybe sell it, they haven’t really decided that yet), by sneaking into the mines at the top of the mountain, where the strange trucks are ending up staying.

All in all, a bad, if not daring, idea.

Framed, (set in Northern Wales, where artworks were hidden in the mines during WW2) is a creative, quirky way of showing how a few pieces of art affected a small boy, his family, and the small town they live in - the product of exploration on the effect of art on the people.

It is a promising read for anyone of any age, and the book’s magic never dies; absolutely unforgettable.

 Yoyo

Kurt Vonnegut: Slaughter-House Five

"It is so short and jumbled and jangled, because there is nothing intelligent to say about a massacre."  - Chapter 1, Slaughter-House Five

When reading Vonnegut, there is no book you should miss out by the renowned modern writer, but Slaughter-House Five is a good place to start. One of Vonnegut’s most famous works, it deals with controversial issues revolving around war, humanity, cruelty, free will, and perspective. It is a truly dark novel at times, but Vonnegut’s clever writing takes on thought-provoking issues as it draws you into the rich plot and life of a haunted Billy Pilgrim, a veteran of World War 2 who has become “unstuck in time.”

Indeed the take on the concept of time and how we see it is a central concept throughout the novel, and first introduced when Billy is “kidnapped by aliens” called “Tralfamadorians”, and the wisdom they share with Billy is mentioned several times during the story. The story is told in lapses, as Billy Pilgrim “jumps” through time, from his terrible memories of war to his relatively normal life beforehand, to everything and anything in between.

Loosely based on some of Vonnegut's own experiences and memories, Slaughter-House Five is a challenging but rewarding novel for older readers. 

Book – Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
 
This book is about women growing up to be ladies and how they deal with
friendship, love and lost of their loved ones. This book is one of the best books for
women and is one of my favourite books. It talks about Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy the 4
March sisters talking about the hard lessons and poverty that they grew up in during
New England during the Civil War. Part 1 is more humorous but as it goes onto part
2 and gets to more serious with Jo’s struggle, Meg’s parenting, Beth’s tragedy and
Amy’s new found love.

-By Nicole Shim 11D