Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver

title: Liesl & Po
written by: Lauren Oliver
genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
page count: 307
publication date: October 4th, 2011
rating: 5/5 stars!

Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice,until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone.


That same night, an alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable.


Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey.

Liesl & Po is one of the cutest books I have read in a while! Lauren Oliver is one of my favorite authors, and I absolutely love all of her books. Delirium is great, Before I fall is one of my favorites of all time, and Liesl & Po can be added to that list of all-time favorites. 

The story starts when Liesl meets Po, a ghost that just appears in her 'bedroom' together with its cat/dog. Po has forgotten about his/her former life. Even if it was a boy or girl! Po's stuck between life and death, unable to move on. Then we get to know about Liesl's life. She lives alone in a tower, imprisoned by her stephmother (this reminded me of 'the cupboard under the stairs') and is never allowed to go outside. Her father died and Liesl wasn't even allowed to see him when he was dying. After meeting the 2 title characters you meet Will, the alchemist's apprentice. He is a cute, brave boy who is always looking at the mysterious girl in the tower.


When the story really started I found myself mesmerized by it. It was so cute, all characters were extremely funny and very likeable, and the writing style was amazing. As the reader you already knew what happened before the characters found out. It was kind of special, as usually you find out what happens when the character finds out what's happening. 


As the story proceeded I started to like it even more. I could really relate to Liesl, and Po was such a cute ghost. It contained lots of things my inner younger me thoroughly enjoyed. It felt like the first time I was reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's stone! 


Altogether I would recommend this book to everyone! This book fits every age group! The story is uncomplicated, hilarious and touching. The characters are all relateable and cute and all of it was amazing. I give this book 5 stars and I added it to my list of all-time favorites!


Love,
Mar

A greyhound of a girl by Roddy Doyle

book: A greyhound of a girl

written by: Roddy Doyle
series? nope

genre: death, middle grade

pages: 208

own / library / netgalley

publication date: may 1st, 2012

publisher: ABRAMS

note: thanks to Amulet books and Netgalley for giving me the oppotunity to read and review this book, it has been an awesome read!

the book: 

Mia's best friend moves out of town, and just when her normal life is changing, she meets a strange woman, who looks as if she comes from another time. Also, she says she knows her grandmother, who lies in the hospital.  Who is the woman and how on earth does she know her grandmother? When her mother finds out that she is talking to strange women, she wants to meet this women. And it's a total shock to find out who she is!

my review:

This book was not a book I'd have chosen to buy in my bookstore, mainly because it's a middle grade book. But I must admit that I love the cover!!
This book is great in some ways. It shows you the value of family and how you take after your family, even when you look completely different! The characters are good, not annoying to read from their POV's! The story was pretty predictable, which made it kind of boring at some parts in the book. Also, the changing point of view was difficult to read sometimes. And the book did not have a lot of pages, which made it a very very very quick read. I get that it's a children's book, but still I would have written a thicker book...
But everything else was OK! I think my little sister would love this book, too bad she can't read English books...


There was one major problem I had with this book. A quote below:
"she read a bit of her book, Twilight. And not even the story - it was the best story she'd ever read and she'd seen the movie seven times- could not keep her awake"
I think this quote represents the innocence of the girl, and shows us how this twelve-year-old girl behaves, infected with the Twilight-virus. Sorry if you like twilight *sigh* but I get that this story couldn't keep her awake :S *yes, I had the twilight virus at that age, I know the feeling...*


I would recommend this book to 8-12 year old readers who value family and friendship, and like funny ghost stories. :D


total:
I give this book 2.5/5 stars :D

If I stay by Gayle Forman

book: If I stay
written by: Gayle Forman
genres: death, young adult
pages: 210
own / library / borrowed
release date: april 9th, 2009
publisher: Random House children's books


note: This book looked so thin, I thought this would be a quick and easy-to-read book. But reading it took longer than expected, it made me think. What would I choose?

the book: 
Everybody has to make choices. Some might break you. For seventeen-year-old Mia, surrounded by a wonderful family, friends and a gorgeous boyfriend decisions might seem tough, but they're all about a future full of music and love, a future that's brimming with hope. 


In a horrible accident, Mia's parents die. But that's not all. She herself is severely wounded and ends up in the hospital. Only, there is something strange happening. Why does nobody hear her when she screams, and why can she see her own body lying a few feet away from her? That's when she finds out that she is a ghost. She gets to choose: Will she choose to stay alive, or will she die, leaving behind her best friend, boyfriend and what's left of her family. How valuable is her life?

my review:
This book was nothing like I expected it to be. It was way better! The characters were great, and easy to relate to. Their love for music was awesome, since I love music, too. This book made me want to listen to classical music, something I have never ever wanted to do before.
The plot was very interesting. I have never read anything like this before, which means it's quite original :)
The book was written in a few present-time pieces and a lot of flashbacks, which I totally love. Flashbacks make the story look way longer than it actually is.
The love in this book *only in flashbacks* was great, it was not like boy meets girl and BOOM! love, but more like boy and girl are friends and fall in love slowly. That is so much better than most YA romance!
This book was a fantasy novel, but it was so realistic. It made me wonder if we all have to make this choice someday, and that made me think about it until I got a headache *which took pretty long*, and I think that the realism in this book contributed in the popularity of this book. If she were a 'ghosty' ghost flying around and walking through walls no-one could have related to her as much as you could when she was just a 'normal' girl.
The way the family of Mia and her friends deal with the accident seems realistic, like the author has experienced it herself.
Of course there were the few things that annoyed me, like the shortness of the story and the continuous 'should I stay or should I go' and a few minor other things, but overall it was a quick, great and most of all moving book with lots of almost-cry-moments. *yes, almost, I have not cried, only almost*


overall rating:
3.8 stars!!

Everlost by Neal Shusterman (Skinjacker #1)

the book: Everlost 
by: Neal Shusterman
bought / borrowed? : borrowed from the library
release date: august 22, 2006
pages: 303
publisher: Simon & Schuster
series: yes, Skinjacker trilogy #1


summary:
Allie and Nick, two kids aged 14, die in a car crash. They do not know each other. They are walking to 'the light' , but they are being stupid and they bump into each other. They are unable to reach 'the light'. Their souls do not go where they should. Allie and Nick become part of another world, which is located in our world. They are living in the everlost, and become afterlights. As soon as they wake up, 9 months after the car crash, they are 'welcomed' by one of the older afterlights, who has forgotten his name. He explains them about their new lifes. Allie calls him Lief (which is funny, because that means sweet in Dutch :) ) They cannot be seen by humans.
Allie and Nick want to go home. But that is not as easy as it seems. If they stand still they will sink to the centre of the earth! Still, they start walking home. They end up in New York, where the twin towers functionate as the afterlight-headquarter. (they are ghost-towers, so there you don't sink to the centre of the earth) Inside that palace, there is Mary. She is the 'mother' of all afterlights, and guides them. But she's not as nice as she seems. Allie is not happy with her life in the towers, and decides to go to the Haunter, because she wants to show her parents that she's still alive. During this trip Nick and Lief are captured, and Allie finds out that she has special powers, because she can move normal things using her willpower. 


SPOILER ALERT!


Then the McGill (a monster) captures the Haunter, and Allie has to free Nick and Lief. She moves on board of a ghostship (which is very dangerous, because if you fall in the water you will sink to the core of the earth) and finds out that she also has the ability to skinjack. The McGill is very interested in learning to skinjack. He does not capture Allie btw. Allie pretends to teach the McGill how to skinjack, but actually she does not. The McGill starts to like her. She makes a plan, to free her friends and the other afterlights. 
In a final battle is revealed that the McGill is actually just a boy who forgot how he looked, and that he is the broter of Mary, who is actually called Megan. McGill is the surname of the 'monster' who is actually just called Mikey. Allie has almost sunk to the core of earth, but Mikey, who has fallen in love with her, saves her. Nick finds out that he and Mary are enemies. He has to free all children, but Mary won't let go of them. Nick saves lots of children by giving them their coins. 
(omg, I just typed all of that by myself O.o)


my review:
loved this book! I think it was written for children a little bit younger as me, but still I loved it!! Most of all I loved the character of the McGill, the monster who is actually just a boy. The way he hates everybody but loves Allie is kinda romantic, even when there is no romance shown at all. Also I like the world, the everlost. I  just want to believe in it, it seems so realistic. 
The author did a great job thinking of the plot of the book, and it was great. Also, the characters were not bad (in a twilight way) but great!
It took me quite long to read the book, not because it was hard to read, but just because it was sometimes kinda slow. But whatever :D 


Cannot wait to read part 2!


4.5 stars <33