The Diamond of Dury Lane (A Cat Royal Adventure)

Title: The Diamond of Drury Lane
Author: Julia Golding
Pages: 419
Cover Rating: 4/5

Character Rating: 5/5

Plot Rating: 4/5

Over all Rating: 4/5

I am inclined to say that I liked this book exceedingly well. At first, I must admit, I thought of maybe putting it down, and reading it later, or never. But I wanted to give the book a chance, since all books deserve at least a 2 chapter trial. Anyway, but the end of the first Act, I was completely hooked. In fact I read most of the book (about 300 pages) within one day. I thought the characters enchanting, but not perfect. They were very believable, and sincere. I think they were the highlight of the book. The plot was also very good, and kept you wanting to read more. All in all, it was a big hit in my opinion, and I highly recommend it.

Plot:

Cat is a streetwise orphan living in the Drury Lane Theatre in 1790s London. Her budding friendships with violin prodigy Pedro, a former slave; two teenage members of the aristocracy; and the theatre's mysterious new prompter are put to the test when she agrees to help safeguard the hidden treasure of the title. Golding's fast paced story abounds with atmosphere and adventure as Cat struggles to prevent the vicious leader of one of Covent Garden's street gangs from finding the diamond.

The Transall Saga

Title: The Transall Saga

Author: Gary Paulsen

Pages: 248

Cover Rating: 3/5

Character Rating: 5/5

Plot Rating: 4/5

Overall Rating:4/5

I have to say that I am not normally a big sci-fi fan when it comes to reading books. But lately I have been really enjoying sci-fi. The other day I even bought two Star Trek books!!!! I am surprising my self daily. hehehe. Anyway, I really liked this book. I thought that it was done phenomenally. The characters were AMAZING!!! He did not really have to tell about them much for you to understand them. You found out more by their actions, which I greatly enjoyed. I thought that Gary Paulsn did a WONDERFUL job, once again. I HIGHLY recommend this book to his fans, and to fans of sci-fi.

Plot:

Mark Harrison thinks he's just going mountain climbing, but as he hikes he is struck by a mysterious beam of light that transports him to what appears to be a different world. In this world is a jungle that he has to learn to survive in, dangerous animals he must defend himself from, and eventually when he meets people he must learn about their culture and adapt there.

(I did copy and paste that paragraph about the plot, but did not do the whole thing because I think it gave away to much of the story line, so sorry for the short plot description. Oh, and if you are interested in this book, PLEASE do not read any other descriptions of the book, It is best to be read when you don't know all the details, so NO READING THE STORIES DESCRIPTION!!! (this means you Bostan!!! I think you will really like this book.)

Just Ella

Title: Just Ella

Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix

Pages: 192

Cover Rating: 3/5

Character Rating: 3/5

Story Rating: 4/5

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

I really did like this book. And once again I read a book on Cinderella, but it was a very abstract take on it. It showed what it was like after Ella was whisked away to the castle. I liked that, but must confess that I did not mean to read another Cinderella book, but it just happened that I did. I thought it was good, and liked the characters. I also liked that it was not the conventional story telling of Cinderella. Funny enough, this is the same author that wrote "Double Identity", which did not get very good reviews from me, but I do like this one, and recommend it.

Plot:

In Just Ella, Margaret Peterson Haddix puts a spin on the traditional tale of the glass slippers. In her version, Ella (sans "Cinder") finds her own way to the ball (there was no fairy godmother, despite the rumors) and wins the heart of the prince. But now she is finding that life at the palace as Prince Charming's betrothed is not as great as she thought it was going to be. In fact, it's downright boring for a self-reliant and active girl to do needlework all day or listen to instructions on court etiquette from the strict and cold Madame Bisset. Worst of all, Ella is beginning to suspect that Charming's beautiful blue eyes and golden hair are attached to a head with nothing in it. Her young tutor Jed, however, talks with her about serious things that really matter. Ella finally gets up the courage to announce to Charming that she doesn't want to go through with the wedding, but when she finds herself locked in the dungeon she realizes it's not that easy to walk away from a politically arranged marriage. In the end, as in all good fairy tales, our heroine and hero do manage to live happily ever after--but with a twist.

Tiger, Tiger

Title: Tiger, Tiger

Author: Lynne Reid Banks

Pages: 194

Cover Rating: 4/5

Character Rating: 4/5

Plot Rating: 5/5

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it wonderful in it's story line, and very well thought out. I will definitely look up more of the author's books. I thought that it was enchanting, and had very good characters. It was a good read, and I liked it alot, but I was not that happy with the ending. I highly recommend it.

Plot:

Two tiger cub brothers are torn from the jungle and taken to Rome. The stronger cub is trained as a killer at the Coliseum. Emperor Caesar makes a gift of the smaller cub to his beautiful daughter, Aurelia. She adores her cub, Boots. Julius, a young animal keeper, teaches Aurelia how to earn Boots’s trust. Boots is pampered while his brother, known as Brute, lives in the cold and darkness, let out only to kill. Caesar trusts Julius to watch Aurelia and her prized pet. But when a prank backfires, Boots temporarily escapes and Julius must pay with his life. Thousands watch as Julius is sent unarmed into the arena to face the killer Brute.