This is the perfect book for the girlie girl in all of us. I really enjoyed reading this book. This is a collection of beauty tips and tricks. I loved the gorgeous photos of Thalia. Even if you are not a fan of her music you can appreciate her as a person after reading this book. I saw this on the same shelf with the new Sephora book at Barnes and Noble. After flipping through both I decided to take home Thalia’s book. I am so glad I did. It is organized very well with sections on skincare, foundation, eyes, lips, hair and body care. I really appreciated Thalia’s background story. She explains how she had acne when she was a soap star. She explains the causes and treatments she came up with to correct the problem. The before and after photos of herself and other models are really helpful. I liked her celebrity tips throughout the book. The last section of the book contains makeovers for different themes or occassions. While many of them are very pretty, some are a little too wild for me. Still they were all fun to look at. The only problem I had with this book was that it did not list any specific products. It shows a makeover and the shades you should choose but the actual products used are not listed. This was frustrating. When the makeover says brown or bronze eyeshadow…there are so many shades…which one do they mean? I think young people and adults will like this book despite this one flaw I see. If you are interested in a book that will list suggested products, you can pick up Sephora: The Ultimate Guide to Makeup, Skin and Hair from the Beauty Authority. In fact I think I might have to go back to Barnes and Noble and reconsider buying it myself. Another great book for product listings is Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me.

What if you knew that Faeries existed? What if you saw them playing tricks on people and they never knew? What if one of them wanted you and there was no way to resist him? Aislinn has known about “sight” since she was a child. Her grandmother taught her all the rules to keep her safe from the faeries and other creatures that coexist with our society. However, when an important faerie named Keenan (which she later finds out is a King in his realm) takes notice of her, she does everything she can to avoid him. She turns to her almost boyfriend Seth with her secret and they work together to try to stop Keenan. The Summer King’s power is too strong and she unknowingly is forced to enter the faerie world when he decides he wants her for his future queen. Once chosen, Aislinn must complete a special ritual. She must take the staff from the winter queen or choose to be a summer girl. If Aislinn is the One when she takes the staff she will be transformed into the Summer Queen. However, if she is not the right person she will succumb to the cold and be turned in a winter girl. Keenan’s mother is the Winter Queen and will lose her throne if her son finds his Summer Queen. The Winter Queen does everything in her power to ruin Keenan’s chances of ruling the faerie realm. But what about Seth? Aislinn wants nothing more than to be with him. How can she rule the faerie world with Keenan and not have Seth? In the end Seth stands by Aislinn’s side. Keenan, Aislinn and the Winter Girl work together to overthrow the Winter Queen. Aislinn takes the staff and is the ONE. Keenan understands that Seth will always have Aislinn’s love and they agree to rule together more like brother and sister. I really enjoyed this book, but I was left wanting more. I was wondering: does it really all work out with Seth and Aislinn? How can Keenan allow her to be with Seth when it seems he loves her himself? This book screams sequel. I have not heard about one in the works. This disappoints me and leaves me wanting more from Melissa Marr.

As S.E. Hinton wrote in Tex, “There are some people who go places and some who stay.” Arnold Spirit will go places. In this touching and laugh out loud story Arnold tells just what it takes to make it in the world. Poor Arnold. He has a rough life. He was born with water on the brain. After surgery to treat the problem, he has permanent brain damage which causes him to stutter, lisp, and have 10 extra teeth. Because of all that he is constantly being picked on. But that’s not getting Arnold down. In fact, Arnold is doing everything he can to beat the odds. All his life he has grown up on a reservation, or the Rez as Arnold calls it. His family is very poor and his father is often drunk. He best friend is the town bully, but he is also Arnold’s protection. When one of the reservation teachers tells Arnold he is really smart and not to give up like so many other Indians on the reservation have, Arnold decides the only way to be someone is to get off the reservation. Arnold enrolls in the closest public school, almost 25 miles away in Reardan. It’s a hick town, small minded, with hardly any minorities and Arnold Spirit sticks out like a sore thumb. The first day is rough, but after Arnold punches the captain of the football team, he slowly earns the school’s respect. The Indians back home seem to think Arnold is acting superior and even his best friend stops talking to him. Arnold finds himself split to two…stay on the reservation and become a loser or risk everything to get off the reservation. In the end Arnold makes new friends at the school in Reardan and stands up for what he believes in.

Jade Leigh is a goth. She is the minority at her school. The teachers and other students pick on her because of her choices. When her math teacher makes a reference about her being a vampire in front of the whole class, Jade erupts in anger. Unable to control her reaction, she continues to push her teacher’s buttons until her expels her from his class. When she arrives at Principal “Hammy’s” office the next day, her father and Mercedes Turner’s mom are talking to Principal Hamilton. Jade and Mercedes are arch rivals. Mercedes is Miss Popularity at school, but she also disregards the rules and stands up to authority figures. The door opens to Hammy’s office and the girls are ushered inside and told their fate. Their parents have decided to work with Principal Hamilton and allow her to perform an experiment on them. They drive to a dilapidated building in a bad neighborhood. Both girls are strapped to a table by medical professionals and injected with sedatives. They are told they will be put into a virtual reality game to learn their lesson. The next thing Jade knows she is in her own bed. She wonders at first if it is all a bad dream. But as soon as she goes downstairs she knows something is wrong. When she arrives at school, Goths are everywhere and the Barbies are the minorities. All her bestfriends are now the Barbies and won’t talk to her. Jade is disgusted by the thought of everyone looking the same as she does. She doesn’t want to hang out with Mercedes’ friends. Working with Mercedes, they look everywhere for Principal Hamilton. The longer they stay in the game, the more Jade starts to like Mercedes’ life. How popular she is, how respected she is, how much the new boy in school likes her. Suddenly she realizes, the things Mercedes likes are not so wrong. In fact she likes them too when she is on the receiving end. Jade starts to stand up for the Barbies. She begins to fall for the new boy Clarik and she hopes he will still like her when the game is over. Jade and Mercedes start trying everything for a way to escape. Jade confides in Clarik and he tells her he is in the virtual reality game too. He’s a very talented hacker and he promises to help Jade and Mercedes reverse the procedure and send them home. After they find a way out of the game, Jade and Mercedes remain friends. Clarik still cares for Jade. At the conclusion, Mercedes and Jade see Principal Hammy confronting another student and telling him she will teach him a lesson.

I enjoyed this book. I liked seeing a book representing goths, since I believe this is an audience that has been underserved. My eighth grade students seemed very intrigued by the title and cover art. I was a little put off by the idea of being trapped in a virtual reality game. This seems silly to me, but the further I read the more I began to forget about the game and become immersed in the story line.

The Blue Bloods novels are similar to the Twilight series in that they are both about vampires. However, this series focuses on a war raging among the blue blood and silver blood vampires. Schuyler (Sky) Van Allen is the last Blue Blood vampire in her family line. Her bestfriend is also her human conduit, Oliver Hazard-Perry. His sole purpose is to be Schuyler’s confidant, assistant and right hand man. The story begins with Schuyler and Oliver in Venice searching for Sky’s long lost grandfather, Lawrence Van Allen. Her mother is in a coma after being attacked by a Silver Blood. Only her grandfather holds the key finding out who among the blue bloods is helping the silver bloods. After finding him in Venice he refuses to help her. Schuyler returns to New York feeling helpless.

She has to attend the Four Hundred Ball to represent her family name. Throughout the novel, Schuyler is torn between her feelings for Oliver and her secret crush on Jack Force, a blue blood from the most powerful family in New York. At the masquerade after party, she is kissed by a man she hopes was Jack. Jack’s sister is extremely jealous of the connection forming between Jack and Schuyler and she starts plotting to get rid of Sky. With the help of a cute new vampire in school named Kingsley, Jack’s sister Mimi summons the dark matter and the silver bloods to get rid of Sky. Quite a bit of the story remains a mystery as this is book 2 in a three part series. In the end, in order to save Mimi’s life Schuyler does the right thing and preforms a blood trial. The real culprit…Kingsley…is discovered and Mimi is freed of all charges. The story does not end there, as Kingsley is just a puppet for a stronger group of vampires. Schuyler’s grandfather has returned and is made regis over the blue blood coven. Plans to uncover their enemy are being made as the book draws to a close. Sky also has broken a vampire rule by taking Oliver as her Familiar (the human she feeds on.) A love triangle is growing stronger.

I enjoyed this book and do plan to read book 3 when it is released on October 28, 2008. I have to know who the real culprit is helping the silver bloods. Also, who will Sky choose Jack or Oliver? The downside is this book felt more like a soap opera than a mystery novel to me. I prefer the Twilight series over this one.