Miss Lowe's Book Nook

Hello! I just started college, so I have been super busy, but this week I finally had time to finish a book! This one was actually a reread for me- Hidden Talents , by David Lubar. I first read this book in about 8th grade, so it was really like reading it for the first time again. I loved it just as much the second time! Hidden Talents tells the tale of Martin, a skinny young guy with an attitude problem. He's been kicked out of so many schools that he's on his last chance- Edgeview Alternative, a beat-up and run down dump of a school. He's suddenly surrounded by the worst of the worst, kids who have been kicked out of even more schools than he has. People like Torchie, his roommate, who is constantly setting fires; Cheater, who always manages to have the exact same answers as his neighbor; and Lucky, who can't seem to stop stealing things. But soon, Martin realizes that there may be something bigger going on at Edgeview, and he's determined to get to the bottom...

Within the past year, I have discovered the magic that is Studio Ghibli. My favorite (right now) of their creations is Howl's Moving Castle , an amazing work of art and storytelling. However, I learned that it was originally a book! Diana Wynne Jones created the story first, and her reputation preceded her. I knew I had to read the book. It did not disappoint! I can confidently say that Howl's Moving Castle is now one of my favorite books. The plot is surprisingly similar to the movie, just more complex. (The movie obviously had to slim it down a bit.) There are more characters in the book, and a few of them have slightly different personalities. If you haven't seen the movie (you poor deprived thing!), our main character is Sophie. She lives a boring life making hats, but then is cursed by the Witch of the Waste. She ends up becoming a cleaning lady for the Wizard Howl, who has a fearsome reputation. I won't give much more away- it's too good, read it yourself! ...

With all the buzz about the new Jurassic World movie, I wanted to go back to the beginning. So I decided to read the book that started it all- Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park . And boy, was it a thrill ride! I haven't seen any of the original movies either, so I was coming in with no concept of the plot, except that it was full of dinosaurs. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this read! Crichton's style is boom-boom-boom, with short chapters and constantly changing POVs. It made the book feel like a roller coaster, like you were living the adventure right alongside the characters. There wasn't a "main character" per say, more like a group of characters whose POVs we observed. All of the stories connected and overlapped, and I loved when one character's view would answer questions that had been asked in another. My favorite character, however, was Dr. Grant. He was one of the larger characters, with a large chunk of the plot centered arou...