Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Once Was Lost by Sarah Zarr


Title: Once Was Lost
Author: Sara Zarr
Publisher: Little Brown Books
Publication Date: October 1, 2009
Reviewer: Bethany (15)
Rating: 5 cheeseburgers

“Once Was Lost” is the story of fifteen-year-old Samara Taylor, the daughter of a pastor. The book takes place at the end of a long, hot summer, when her mother lands in rehab after a DUI and her father seems more interested in his congregation than his family. Sam struggles contemplatively with her faith, what little she had left fighting for survival once another tragedy strikes the hot Californian town in which she lives.

I liked “Once Was Lost” because it was different. It wasn’t a love story, even though Samara does develop an interest in a boy in her town, and it wasn’t about whether God exists or not. It was about the characters; not just Sam, but everyone, and their suffering and recovery. My favorite line in the book is, “I want to believe the stories, that there really is someone who would search the whole mountainside just to find that one thing that he loves, and bring it home.” It basically sums up the novel in its entirety. Thanks to Sara Zarr, Samara is now one of my favorite literary characters. The religious aspect is a device used to show how Sam really loses herself, and though you never really learn where she stands on the subject of God by the end, I think the book was better for it. I give it five whole cheeseburgers; my love for Sara Zarr is cemented.

Note from editor: This book has a new title, What We Lost. Don't be confused! :) It was a National Book Award Finalist too. 

Hunger (Gone #2) by Michael Grant

Title: Hunger (Gone #2) 
Author: Michael Grant 
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Reviewer: Shira (11)
Rating: 11/10

 Readers won't be able to put the book down, and will be submersed in the world of the 'FAYZ' -- A world of kids all under 15 years of age, trapped in a forcefield like bubble, and gaining mutant superpowers.

 In Hunger, we follow the main character, Sam Temple, and his friends as they try to survive in the world of the FAYZ while fighting Sam's brother, Cain Soren,and his posse. In the end, the kids team up to fight the 'Gaiaphage',a mutant power that has been growing in the depths of the earth, living off of nuclear power from a meteorite that hit Perdido Beach, CA, 13 years prior.

 This book is undoubtedly the best book I'v read ,I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves action, drama, and excitement.