Doctor Who: The Shakespeare Notebooks byJustin Richards

"Newly discovered entries and drawings in William Shakespeare’s journals reveal for the first time the astounding relationship between the great Bard and the Doctor.

Since his first adventure in 1963, the Doctor has enjoyed many encounters with William Shakespeare. Now, BBC Books has rediscovered notebooks, long thought lost, compiled by the Bard in which he divulges the influential role the Doctor played in his creative life. Here are the original notes for Hamlet, including a very different appearance by the ghost; early versions of great lines (“To reverse or not to reverse the polarity of the neutron flow”); the true story of how the faeries of A Midsummer Night’s Dream were first imagined; stage directions for plays adjusted to remove references to a mysterious blue box; and much, much more."

I am both a fan of Shakespeare and Doctor Who. So when I received this book for my birthday I was over the moon. Some of my favorite things put into one book! And did I laugh! If you are expecting a serious book than you will be sadly mistaken here. The author combined these two themes together in a great way. 

The book was a quick read, which sometimes is the best way to have these kinds of mash-up books. The only part of the book that I did not like was the "Academic Notes" it seemed to drag on, and I could not follow what Richards was trying to do. over all though I loved the book. 

So if you are a "hardcore/naturalist" Shakespeare lover, than steer clear of this book. But if you like to laugh, like Shakespeare and/or Doctor Who, than by all means pick this book up!

I gave this book a four out of five stars.

A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle

"It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.

"Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them. "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me sit down for a moment, and then I'll be on my way. Speaking of ways, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract."

A tesseract (in case the reader doesn't know) is a wrinkle in time. To tell more would rob the reader of the enjoyment of Miss L'Engle's unusual book. A Wrinkle in Time, winner of the Newbery Medal in 1963, is the story of the adventures in space and time of Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O'Keefe (athlete, student, and one of the most popular boys in high school). They are in search of Meg's father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the tesseract problem."

I was recommended this book, by an acquaintance. I had heard of the book before and that it had been made into a movie a while ago. But it was the first time picking it up. I had always though that it was a children's book, and I think that it would be a good book for a middle schooler to start reading science fiction. But if you were to judge the book by the cover than I would not advise it. One of the reviews on the book said that it contained a "brooding horror", I did not find this in the book. While there was a mystery and a slight suspense it was no where near what I would call horror. 

While I did like the book, I was a little disappointed in the ending of the book. It felt rushed, and abrupt. I wanted there to me more conflict and more explanation of what had happened and why.

If you want a easy science fiction read this is a good book. I give the book a three out of five stars.

The Named by Marianne Curley

"Ethan is a member of the Named, sworn to fight the Order of Chaos, an evil group determined to permanently change the course of history. But he is also a normal high school student trying desperately to keep up with his homework and fit in. When he is assigned to mentor Isabel, a cute classmate and future member of the Named, the line between his two lives begins to blur. So begins an epic quest as Ethan, Isabel, and others travel through time to battle dark forces and protect the future."

The author did a good job mixing, what I feel is different genre's together to tell this story. It gives you a little bit of everything. With saying this I had a hard time deciding on giving this book a four or a five star. After some deliberation I decided on a four star, but that just goes to tell you have good this book is!!

Being by Kevin Brooks

"

It was just supposed to be a routine exam. But when the doctors snake the fiber-optic tube down Robert Smith's throat, what they discover doesn't make medical sense. Plastic casings. Silver filaments. Moving metal parts. In his naked, anesthetized state on the operating table, Robert hears the surgeons' shocked comments: "What the hell is that?"
"It's me," Robert thinks, "and I've got to get out of here." Armed with a stolen automatic and the videotape of his strange organs, he manages to escape, and to embark on an orphan's violent odyssey to find out exactly who--exactly what--he is."

I had great hopes for this book. After reading the back I couldn't wait to find out what the 

mystery was. This book reminded me of a young version of the Jason Bourne series. It had 

the same sense of urgency to know what was going to happen next, who were the good 

guys and who were the bad, all tied in a mystery of who or what Robert Smith is. While the 

story line was interesting, the books lacked in other areas. The author was good at 

describing things but at points he gets so descriptive that I would lose what he was talking 

about and could not picture it at all. He also had the story moving fast, but it seemed like it 

took him a long time to get where he wanted the reader to go. While it was an interesting 

novel, it did not turn into a favorite. It would be a good book for adventure spy types that 

don't mind the perfect ending. 


I give this book a 2 out of 5 stars.