Book Review #546 - The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Frankie Landau-Banks at age 14: Debate Club. Her father's 'bunny rabbit'. A mildly geeky girl attending a highly competitive boarding school.

Frankie Landau-Banks at age 15: A knockout figure. A sharp tongue. A chip on her shoulder.

And a gorgeous new senior boyfriend: the supremely goofy, word-obsessed Matthew Livingston.

Frankie Landau-Banks: No longer the kind of girl to take 'no' for an answer. Especially when 'no' means she's excluded from her boyfriend's all-male secret society. Not when her ex-boyfriend shows up in the strangest of places. Not when she knows she's smarter than any of them. When she knows Matthew's lying to her. And when there are so many, many pranks to be done.

Frankie Landau-Banks at age 16: Possibly a criminal mastermind.

This is the story of how she got that way.

My Rating: 3/5

This is my second E. Lockhart book. I really enjoyed We Were Liars but unfortunately this book didn't really do anything for me. 

I had heard so many positive things about this book prior to reading so I had really expected to love it. 

To be honest, I just really found the plot boring. I found myself constantly waiting for something to happen and it didn't. 

I did like the protagonist though. I thought she was unique, independent and determined.  

Book Review #545 - The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart

Mark has been in and out of hospital his whole life – and he’s fed up.

So when his cancer returns, he decides he’s had enough. Running away with his dog Beau, he sets out to climb a mountain – and it’s only when he’s left everything behind that Mark realises he has everything to live for.

My Rating: 4.5/5

I received this book for review from Chicken House for Scholastic Australia. 

When I first laid eyes on this book and read the synopsis I thought it not only sounded similar to The Fault in Our Stars but also that their covers are the same colours. 

This book is so much more than that. In fact, this is hands down the best book I have read so far this year. 

I love dogs in literature and will more than likely read a book simply because there is a dog involved so I was probably always going to love this book. 

Book Review #544 - Half my Facebook Friends are Ferrets by J.A Buckle

Sixteen-year-old Josh hopes to be a metalhead someday. Maybe then he would finally be considered as cool as his dad was. Right now, he's just a wannabe. He's never been kissed, he keeps getting weird mail, and a big chunk of his Facebook friends are, well, ferrets. Josh documents his teenage woes with a hilariously honest voice. From arguments with his nagging mother to awkward encounters with girls, from figuring out his future band name to learning the truth about his late father, follow Josh as he navigates his embarrassments and his triumphs.

My Rating: 3/5

I received this book for review from Hardie Grant Egmont. 

Given the small amounts of male narrators in young adult literature, it was refreshing to read a book from a male perspective especially one as unique as Josh. 

I loved that this book was set in a journal format as it made it very quick and easy to read and would do well in the hands of a reluctant reader. 

Whilst this book was quite humorous, I don't think it was anywhere near as funny as was intended. 

Overall, this book does well at conveying serious issues in a very simplistic manner for children to understand and relate well to.