Looking for Alaska by John Green

In the story Looking for Alaska by John Green, a sixteen-year-old with an interset in last words, Miles Halter, makes his way to Culver Creek boarding school in Alabama to look for the "Great Perhaps" in life. While there, he meets Chip "the Colonel" Martin, his roomate who shows him around Culver Creek. Miles (nicknamed Pudge by the Colonel) meets Takumi, one of the Colonel's friends, Lara, the sweet Romanian girl, and his secret love, the beautiful and intelligent Alaska Young. With these new friends, Miles learns the ins-and-outs of Culver Creek: the Eagle's death stare, the Smoking Hole, and to NEVER rat on anybody, no matter what. The teens, especially Alaska, are known for their pranks, which they do quite a bit of at the school, along with drinking, smoking, etc.

On a typical night at the Creek, something changes their lives forever. The friends need to learn to deal with this situation, but it's so hard, considering the vagueness of the situation. While the friends try and step into this mystery, they learn a lot about each other. Their endeavor revolves around two things: 1. trying to figure out what happened that night, and by doing that, they need to learn 2. how to escape the labyrinth. Can it be done? Read to find out.

Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

Readers dive into the diary of a fifteen year old girl's life in the story Go Ask Alice. It takes place in the late 1960s, and explores a teenager's life while dealing with school, appearances, boys, peer pressure, sex, and even drugs. While this book follows the tumultuous life of "Alice," readers learn all about her history, her friends, her family, her crushes, and her problems. This story is very graphic when it comes to the issues that teenagers 40-50 years ago faced, but don't forget, they are actual diaries to which Alice poured her heart out in. Not much can be revealed about this story; it is a story of its own. So how does a teenager, like teens today, face these kind of issues? Well, you can go ask Alice.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Alrighty, so, in English, we read The Scarlet Letter, and, ironically, that book was on my reading list!!! So here we go...

This story revolves around a young woman named Hester Prynne. Hester had committed a terrible sin: adultery. Her husband still lived in England when this all occurred. As punishment for her sin, she had to stand on the public scaffold and would then need to bear the scarlet letter upon her chest for the rest of her life. The scarlet letter was a red "A" that stood for "adulterer." This would be a constant reminder to everyone, including Hester, of the sin she committed. However, along with Hester on the scaffold was the product of her sin, her daughter, Pearl. No matter what others thought of Pearl, Hester saw her as a blessing. The mother stood with her daughter and was punished, so where was the father? Nobody knows who Pearl's father is, and when Hester is asked to reveal his identity, she refuses.

Many people have attended that public show. There is a physician named Roger Chillingworth, who appears to recognize Hester from somewhere. Arthur Dimmesdale, the church minister, also attends, and seems to have a more prominent role in this story than anyone had ever imagined. Mistress Hibbins, a witch, also gains a role in Hester's life.

A few years pass, and still, no one knows that father of Hester's baby. Pearl starts to grow up, and learns of things that seem to "torture" her mother, even though she does not realize it. Pearl starts to become fascinated with her mother's scarlet letter, and claims that one day, she will wear one when she sins. And still, no father figure has been revealed.

Will Hester's husband in England learn anything about her affair? And will Pearl's father's identity ever be revealed? Read to find out.

Ruined by Paula Morris

Hey everybody!!! Happy New Year!!! 2011 will be filled with a lot of reading, so check out my blog(:

When Rebecca's father needs to go to China for business, she is sent to live with her Aunt Claudia and cousin, Aurelia, in post-Katrina New Orleans in the Garden District. If that couldn't get worse, she starts to attend Temple Mead and meets Helena Bowman, a very snobby girl. Helena is part of the "patrician" class, who is pretty much in charge of the school. Rebecca finds herself spying on Helena and the rest of "Them" in Lafayette Cemetery, where she meets Anton Grey, the good-hearted and misunderstood teen. She makes another friend in the cemetery, Lisette. Then the unexpected comes about: Lisette is a ghost. As Rebecca starts spending more time with Lisette, she learns startling truths about New Orleans, and even herself. What does this mean for Rebecca?