Stargirl

Title: Stargirl

Author: Jerry Spinelli

Pages: 4 discs

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Stargirl is not like anybody else.  She wears whatever she wants to school, sings Happy Birthday to kids in the lunchroom while strumming on her banjo and decorates her desk with tablecloth and flowers in each period. The kids at school don't know what to make of her, but eventually she becomes popular for a short period of time until her 5 minutes of fame are up and the cliques at the school begin to shun her again.

My Review:  The novel is a sort of coming-of-age book about a brave, strong, girl who is not afraid to be a non-conformist. It was an easy, thought-provoking read, and quite enjoyable.

Vespers Rising (The 39 Clues #11)

Title: Vespers Rising

Authors: Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman, Jude Watson

Pages: 4 discs

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: The first 10 books were all focused on the strengths of the Cahill Family and the secrets that were uncovered by Gideon Cahill hundreds of years ago. This, the 11th and final book introduces us to the next threat to the Cahills, the Vespers!

My Review: I didn't love this book, it was too much of a filler book for me.  When the authors saw that the book series that they had been working on for the last few years is coming to an end, they brainstormed ways to keep it going and this is the solution.  While the 39 Clues series has now concluded, the groundwork has been laid for the next series.

Sh*t My Dad Says

Title: Sh*t My Dad Says

Author: Justin Halpern

Pages: 159

Genre: Humor

Grade: B

Synopsis: The inspiration for this book was a twitter account that blew up with popularity.  Justin would simply post his father's foul-mouthed rants and quotables. He rode the wave of popularity by gathering everything into this book and connecting it with some personal history.

My Review: As you hopefully gathered from the title of the book itself, this book has loads of language, but it is still pretty dang funny. For a synopsis of the book, look up the @shitmydadsays twitter account and you'll get a taste of what's in the book.

The Race For A New Game Machine

Title: The Race For A New Game Machine

Author: David Shippy & Mickie Phipps

Pages: 256

Genre: Non-Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: IBM was tasked with creating the new cutting-edge microprocessor that was to power the PlayStation 3.  When Microsoft was also searching for designers for their new chip for the Xbox 360, they also turned to the same team at IBM, but had different performance requirements and an even tighter design and manufacturing schedule.

My Review: Ok, so the writing itself could have used some touching up and condensing, but the back story and technical aspects of this book were very interesting.  A lot of the book was focused on the relationships between the design teams, but the parts that I found most interesting were details about the performance, technical requirements and how Microsoft and Sony each approached the design process. That said, a good portion of the technical topics were over my head.