The Girls Who Braved The Waters - SOL #1

She sat there. In the boat. Listening to the waves crash against the hull, and the bird calls. The wind splayed her blond hair against her face. The girl stood up and switched places with the other girl. She grasped the tiller and steered the sailboat into the dark water. The girls laugh. They fall silent as the ominous dark clouds close in, shielding the sun from their view. Despite the rocky waves the girls find a way to laugh again. The girl at the tiller moves toward the hull and the other girl takes hold of the tiller. At the hull the girl holds onto the daggerboard and defiantly stares into the dark waves, that threaten to capsize the boat.

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/53104485@N02/7239250316">The Dark Tide</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/">(license)</a>

The Comets Curse by Dom Testa

              When the comet Bhaktul flies through the earths atmosphere all people over the age of 18 start coming down with a mysterious disease. As the adults of earth die off, Dr. Zimmer makes a plan to save the human race. A plan to send 251 teenagers into space, onboard a ship by the name of the Galahad. When the Galahad crew has reason to believe that an adult has snuck onboard the ship, they must find a way to rid the ship of its unwanted passenger and keep the ships master computer Roc running. Will the ships captain Triana succeed, or will the infected adult sabotage the mission and as a result eliminate the human race?

            

              The Comets Curse is a great book that has a gripping story and interesting characters. Once I started reading The Comets Curse I couldn't put the book down. I loved how Dom Testa switched between the events on the Galahad and when the Galahad was being made. By the end of the book I had grown to know all the characters. The fact that I felt a connection with the characters helped make this book more enjoyable for me. Overall The Comets Curse is a great book that is appropriate for children over the age of 10 who enjoy fantasy and sci-fi.

4.5 out of 5 stars

The Capital Miracle

They called her name. She walked up to the podium. They watched as she organized her papers and began her speech. She disagreed with many others, yet always found ways to remain the victor. They knew what was coming. They were sure she would adeptly argue more and more people over to her side. They knew her party would triumph. Yet they wanted to see how she would do it, if she even could. The lives of many were at stake. The responsibility that fell to the 435 people in the room added to the sense of gloom. The lights dimmed as she began to speak. All of her thoughts which would have seemed slurred and mismatched coming from another’s mouth, persuaded the others in the room. Though she seemed to speak so simply they knew that every word she spoke would prove to be a weapon against their party. As the congresswoman sat down in her seat, all 435 members of the House of Representatives gave her a standing ovation. Miss Haden smiled, proud of the miracle she had just accomplished.

I got this photo from:

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10645191@N08/10562332126">US Capitol - Front-4662</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/">(license)</a>

Blackbird by Anna Carey

               One day a teenage girl wakes up on subway train tracks. She has no idea who she is. She soon realizes that she is in Los Angeles. The girl discovers that a blackbird is tattooed on her right wrist along with the numbers FNV02198. The girl is soon framed for an office robbery when she tries to pursue the only clue in the knapsack, that was lying by her feet. She realizes that people are trying to kill her, after the first failed attempt. Can she keep herself alive and recall who she is, or will they get her first?

               Blackbird is a fast paced book that will keep you hooked from the first sentence to the last words. The author of Blackbird  does a great job making you feel a connection with the main character despite the fact that you don't know much about the main character. I enjoyed the plot line in Blackbird because of its intriguing twists and turns and action. I would recommend Blackbird to fans of dystopian and fantasy books. If you are under 12 I think that this book is too advanced for you because of it's violence.

The Sunfish on Clear Lake

The gentle rocking of the sailboat put me in a trance. When I realized what was about to happen I was startled from the trance. I clung tightly to the daggerboard of the red and white sailed sunfish. I raised the daggerboard while slightly looking at the pebbles on the bottom of the lake. The clear waters of Clear Lake looked back at me. I saw the gritty sand on the bottom of the lake. The water began to change and rough waves splashed against the boat as the water got darker. The bottom of the lake was no longer visible. The rays of the sun beat down on me. Warming up my blue lifejacket. The sailboat swayed in the faint breeze, speeding up as the helsman moved the tiller so the sailboat was on a close reach. The wind moved my hair around my face and chilled me from the top of my head to the very tips of my toes. I dropped the daggerboard and took a deep breath. I looked back to the sandy shore and saw our instructor wave her hands and tell us to stop. My gaze shifted to the red roofed dining hall. The flag pole and the yellow rope that fenced in the swimming area. I watched as the helsman moved the tiller so we were directly facing the wind. As the sail began luffing from the leech to the luff, I moved to the same side of the boat that my instructor and my companion were on. We rocked the boat back and forth. Once, twice, three times. The boat tipped over as we plunged into the icy cold water, our hands to grasping the side of the boat.

I got this photo from:

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/95721592@N00/9405115048">Betsy Catching The Wind</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/">(license)</a>

Legend by Marie Lu

            A 15 year old girl by the name of June Iparis lives in a country called the Republic. The Republic is a twisted reality from the country that we call home today.  In the Republic every child has to take a test at the age of 10. The children who do not pass the Trial are taken to labor camps, while the children who excel on the Trial are left alone. June Iparis is the only person to ever get a perfect score on the Trial. After a terrible family tragedy June is sent into a whirlwind of grief and revenge. She is mislead into believing that the creator of this horrible tragedy is a 15 year old criminal who goes by the street name "Day". When June is promoted to a military agent she is sent on a mission. A mission to find Day. A mission that would change her life forever.

        The author of Legend does a marvelous job of making the characters relatable and building suspense. As soon as I started Legend I couldn't put it down. Legend is a great book and the other two books in the series (Prodigy and Champion) are great too. I would highly recommend this series to fans of fantasy and distiopia novels. Legend  is not appropriate for people under twelve because of it's violent nature and some of the mature topics in this book. Overall this book is incredible and twelve year olds would throughly enjoy the book.

5 out of 5 stars