Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg

Synopsis:

Rafe is a normal teenager from Boulder, Colorado. He plays soccer. He's won skiing prizes. He likes to write.

And, oh yeah, he's gay. He's been out since 8th grade, and he isn't teased, and he goes to other high schools and talks about tolerance and stuff. And while that's important, all Rafe really wants is to just be a regular guy. Not that GAY guy. To have it be a part of who he is, but not the headline, every single time.

So when he transfers to an all-boys' boarding school in New England, he decides to keep his sexuality a secret -- not so much going back in the closet as starting over with a clean slate. But then he sees a classmate break down. He meets a teacher who challenges him to write his story. And most of all, he falls in love with Ben . . . who doesn't even know that love is possible.

This witty, smart, coming-out-again story will appeal to gay and straight kids alike as they watch Rafe navigate feeling different, fitting in, and what it means to be himself.

You know when you read a book that you enjoy so much that you just want to shove it in everyone’s face and tell them to read it? Yeah, that is how this book left me feeling when I was done reading it.

It was a very well-written book that covered a lot of different topics. It was a very good coming of age story that portrayed what some young gay men may be going through on a daily basis. Everyone has a different experience, but I think the basic concept of Rafe’s feelings and beliefs can touch many different people.

This book was fun, it made you think, and it was heartbreaking all at the same time.

It covers topics of inner-struggles, acceptance, homophobia, and misconceptions – about many different “types” of people or “labels”.

Once I picked up this book, I couldn’t put it down. I read it straight through and didn’t even notice I was sitting there reading for 6 hours. It is very fast-paced, and I just needed to see how it ended.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys YA novels.

5/5 Stars

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Max by James Patterson

Synopsis:

James Patterson's bestselling Maximum Ride series is back, with Max and the gang as The Protectors. Someone--or something--is decimating ships and sea life off Hawaii's coast, and Max and her flock find themselves sucked into the Navy's top-secret investigation of the catastrophe. Their objective: Rescue Max's activist mom from a wicked subterranean enemy. The hitch: They must dive deep into dark waters, where gruesome evil dwells... and for high-flying Maximum Ride, could there be anything more terrifying than being trapped in the great abyss? This soaring new adventure takes Maximum Ride and the Flock into terrifying new territory--fans, hold your breath!

Thankfully this book was better than the previous one. If it wasn’t, I don’t think I would have been able to finish the series.

That said, it still wasn’t that great and on par with the first few books in the series, but any progress is a little better I suppose.

Most of the book took place under the ocean, which was interesting, but they didn’t see a whole lot aside from mutant radioactive creatures.

We also saw some more evolving of the flock. Max and Fang became aware that they have a new ability, which was important for the storyline of this book.

Other than that, I didn’t feel like this book progressed the story as much as it could have. They spent the whole book just trying to solve one problem, and once it was solved, the book was over.

It was okay, but I felt like it was lacking something.

3/5 stars

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The Final Warning by James Patterson

Synopsis:

In this breathtaking new story from the astonishing imagination of James Patterson, a girl has to save herself from an army assembled just to capture her -- and maybe save the planet while she's at it.

Maximum Ride is a perfectly normal teenager who just happens to be able to fly, the result of an out-of-control government experiment.

Max and the other members of the Flock -- six kids who share her remarkable ability -- have been asked to aid a group of environmental scientists studying the causes of global warming. The expedition seems like a perfect combination of adventure, activism -- and escaping government forces who watch the Flock like a hawk.

But even in Antarctica, trapped in the harshest weather on our planet, Maximum Ride is an irresistible target in constant danger. For whoever controls her powers could also control the world. Maximum Ride is James Patterson's greatest character, a heroine who manages to be human and fearless at once.

Now, I must start by saying that this book was really odd to me. It seemed like a book that wasn’t part of the series, it just featured the same characters.

The storyline wasn’t entirely consistent with that has happened in the previous installments, and it just felt weird.

It seemed like this book was written just to talk about ‘global warming’ or climate change. I question whether Max’s mission of saving the world was always planned around this, or if it just took that turn when this book was written.

That said, being a young adult series, I don’t mind this book or series as a whole talking about such a big topic like that. It is a good way to educate young adults about global issues. Use characters that they have already connected with during earlier books, and they are more likely to keep reading and take in what the message is.

It wasn’t a bad book by any means. It was just weird to me and seemed out of place. I found myself spacing out a lot instead of being focused on the story. I guess this has just been one of the weakest in the series so far. I’m also not very sure what the title has to do with this book as nothing seemed very final.

3/5 stars

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