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Table of contents for Student Reviews
Unholy Sacrificeby Robert Scott Students get bonus points in my classes for reviewing books, and sometimes they give me permission to share them on this website. I don’t do much to edit what my students turn in. Sometimes I fix a little error or typo, but basically, what you see is what they wrote. This is the first one I’ve posted.
Where to Find ItYou can get it from the public library.
This list was last updated May 17, 2012 at 1:36 pm UTC. Click here to see newer information. June 14th, 2010
 Tags: bay area, california, crime, murder, real people |  Category: True Crime
|  Write a comment | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-timeby Mark Haddon Christopher is 15 years old, and he tells us he has “Behavioral Problems.” He carries a knife with a saw-blade that (he thinks) would be good for cutting off somebody’s fingers. He wouldn’t mind if everyone else in the world just vanished one day. He likes math. However, he’s not a serial killer or anything even remotely like that. Christopher’s brain works in a different way. He has trouble understanding feelings or interpreting facial expressions. He pays attention to everything, so crowds or some kinds of noises or lots of signs or even looking out the window while he’s on a train overwhelm him. He really hates being touched. That’s part of why he doesn’t like people. The story is told entirely from Christopher’s point of view. It begins when he discovers that his neighbor’s dog, Wellington, has been murdered. Since Christopher loves Sherlock Holmes, and since he really liked Wellington, he decides to investigate the murder and bring the killer to justice. The murder is solved about half way through the book, but it leaves Christopher in the middle of an even bigger problem, and he spends the rest of the story dealing with it. People seem to either love or hate this book. I think one reason some people hate it is the writing style, which I can kind of understand. Since Christopher is telling the story, he tells it his way. However, this didn’t bother me. I actually thought it was pretty easy to read. However, I’ve noticed that a lot of people feel cheated because they thought it was a very different kind off book than it really is. Let me try to clear up some of the most common myths I’ve seen about this book. Myth 1: This is a murder mystery. Well, that’s what Christopher says, but he’s wrong. This is a novel about Christopher, his life, and his family. In fact, Christopher spends every other chapter writing about his daily life, his hopes and dreams, and his hobbies. He is very fond of mathematics and physics, and he talks about math a lot. Myth 2: This book is for kids. Actually, the author got tired of writing books for kids, so he wrote this one for adults. His agent decided that it would be good for kids, too, so one edition was published for adults and one edition was published for children. Just so you know, there’s a lot of swearing in it, and bodily functions appear more than a few times.* Myth 3: This is an accurate, scientific portrayal of autism. It isn’t. In fact, the author never says that Christopher is on the autism spectrum. He never claims that Christopher has Asperger syndrome. The author used to work with people who had autism, and he says he basically combined various traits of people he knew to create Christopher. He didn’t go out and do any research. You might want to check out this interesting article about the book written by a man with Asperger syndrome. If you want to give the book a try, you can read an excerpt of it at the publisher’s website or Google Books. *: One way to get a book marked as “Literature” is to kill an animal, talk about bodily functions, and make the main characters people you wouldn’t want to hang out with all the time. Having the main character talk about academic topics also helps. Where to Find ItYou can get it from the school library.
You can get it from the public library.
This list was last updated May 20, 2012 at 9:21 am UTC. May 13th, 2010
Tags: animals, england, family, murder, mystery, school, Science, unusual perspective | Category: Fiction
| Write a comment | Dead is the New Blackby Marlene Perez The women in Daisy Giordano’s family have special powers. Her mom can see bits of the future. One sister can read minds, and the other is telekinetic. Somehow, though, Daisy missed out. She’s normal, or as near as you can get when your family runs a psychic detective agency. A lot of strange things happen in her hometown of Nightshade, California, but Daisy’s life really gets interesting when the most popular girl in her high school comes back from vacation looking kind of dead. Undead, actually, and she’s popular enough to make pale skin and custom-made coffins stylish. Then one of Daisy’s fellow high school students is murdered. Death doesn’t seem to stop this student, though, and she shows up to a pep rally. It’s up to Daisy and the police chief’s son Ryan (the guy she’s got a crush on) to figure out what’s going on. Where to Find It
July 25th, 2009
Tags: friendship, funny, magic, murder, psychic powers, Romance, satire, school, strong female characters, teen, vampires | Category: Contemporary Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Supernatural Investigation
| Write a comment | H. P. Lovecraft’s Book of the Supernatural: Classic Tales of the Macabreedited by Stephen Jones H. P. Lovecraft’s Book of the Supernatural is a collection nineteenth-century horror stories. Even if you don’t like horror, keep reading. These stories are not the kind of things that Steven King or Clive Barker write. This book includes short stories by Robert Louis Stevenson, Rudyard Kipling, Washington Irving, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. These stories are much more about developing an eerie atmosphere than they are about violence, blood, and terror. H. P. Lovecraft was one of the most famous and influential horror writers in the United States. In addition to short stories and novellas, he wrote “Supernatural Horror in Literature,” an essay about the history of horror stories. For this book, Stephen Jones has collected nineteen of the stories from Lovecraft’s essay. These are some of the best short horror stories of the past 200 years: if you want to know who influenced your favorite horror authors, or if you dislike modern horror but enjoy weird stories, this might be a good book to read. This is actually the second one of these collections that Stephen Jones has done. The first is called H. P. Lovecraft’s Book of Horror. Where to Find ItYou can get it from the public library.
This list was last updated May 11, 2012 at 12:25 pm UTC. Click here to see newer information. July 20th, 2009
Tags: collections, gothic, murder, super, supernatural | Category: Fiction, Horror
| Write a comment | A Morbid Taste for Bonesby Ellis Peters This is the first in a series of books about Brother Cadfael, an unusual monk who solves mysteries in the twelfth century. Cadfael is Welsh, but he lives in an abbey in Shrewsbury, England. That’s not why he is unusual, though. Cadfael wasn’t born a monk. When he was younger, he took part in the First Crusade. He has seen a lot more of the world than most monks (or most other people in the twelfth century), he knows a lot of unusual things, and he has a knack for noticing little details. He also tends to ignore any rules that get in the way, and he has a very different take on religion and morality than most of his fellow monks. In A Morbid Taste for Bones, a monk named Columbanus collapses and appears unable to recover his senses. Another monk, Brother Jerome, has a vision: Saint Winifred will cure Brother Columbanus if they take him to where Winifred was killed. This is awfully convenient, since the abbot has been thinking about getting a saint for the abbey. When Saint Winifred actually cures Columbanus, the abbot takes it as a sign from God that Saint Winifred’s remains should be moved from her grave in Wales to the abbey. A group of monks, including Jerome, Columbanus, and our hero Cadfael, make their way to Wales to pick up Saint Winifred’s remains. This idea isn’t too popular with the local people, who are rather fond of their saint. There is a fierce debate, and before everyone can come to a conclusion, a very important person is murdered. This is about 900 years too early for forensic science, but Cadfael has a few tricks up his sleeve. Where to Find ItYou can get it from the public library.
This list was last updated May 20, 2012 at 2:35 am UTC. July 16th, 2009
Tags: crime, england, Fantasy, murder | Category: Fiction, Historical Fiction, mystery
| Write a comment | Bad Monkeysby Matt Ruff Jane Charlotte is arrested for murder, but when she tells the police that she is actually a member of a secret organization dedicated to fighting crime, they put her in the psychological ward. Jane claims to be part of a division nicknamed the Bad Monkeys, who are supposed to track down and kill really evil people who have managed to escape justice. Apparently, this secret organization has access to all kinds of nifty stuff, like the NC gun, which kills its victim through natural causes. If you believe Jane (and the police don’t), this secret group hides tiny security cameras in pictures of eyes on posters, dollar bills, etc., and their operatives communicate through the Daily Jumble (that puzzle in the newspaper where you have to unscramble words). Bad Monkeys is the story Jane tells a psychologist who is trying to find out if she is crazy or just lying. It is part thriller, part science fiction, and part satire. You don’t know if Jane is crazy, if she’s telling the truth, or if she’s crazy and telling the truth until the very end. If you want, you can read the first chapter online at the author’s website. Where to Find ItYou can get it from the school library.
You can get it from the public library.
This list was last updated May 18, 2012 at 8:21 am UTC. Click here to see newer information. July 10th, 2009
Tags: action, alex award winner, crime, drugs, murder, psychological, satire | Category: Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller
| Write a comment | A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldierby Ishmael Beah Ishmael Beah grew up in Sierra Leone during its civil war. He and some of his friends have their own rap and dance group, and one day, they all go to another town to take part in a talent show. While they are out, their home town is attacked and destroyed. Ishmael is twelve years old at this point. He and his friends think about going back to find their families, but instead they end up on the run and try to make their way to some safe part of the country. Ishmael is eventually separated and forced to join the army. They brainwash him, give him drugs and an assault rifle, and let him and other children loose on the rebel army and anyone else in the way. Eventually he is released and take care of by UNICEF, but he has seen and done a lot of really bad stuff, and he doesn’t know how to be a normal person anymore. One volunteer finally reaches him through his love of rap music, and he finally begins to recover. This book has a lot of violence, but it is more about the author’s recovery. It is also written to draw attention to the tragedy of child soldiers – Sierra Leone is not the only country where children have been used this way. There has been some controversy about this book. Some reporters say that Beah’s dates are wrong, that certain events probably didn’t happen, and that it is unlikely that any one person could have experienced everything that happens in this book. I don’t know the whole story, but you can read about all of this on Wikipedia. Even if this book isn’t the literal truth of what happened to Ishmael Beah, it’s still a moving description of the kinds of awful things that children face in many civil wars. You can read some of it online at Google Books. You can watch Ishmael Beah on the Daily Show. Where to Find ItYou can get it from the school library.
You can get it from the public library.
This list was last updated May 12, 2012 at 10:15 pm UTC. Click here to see newer information. July 9th, 2009
Tags: action, alex award winner, crime, drugs, murder, sierra leone, teen, trauma, war | Category: Biography, Nonfiction
| Write a comment | The Lies of Locke Lamoraby Scott Lynch Locke Lamora is the best thief in the city of Camorr, a city that is kind of like a fantasy version of Venice. As a young child, his parents are killed in a plague. When the city guards come to round up survivors, Locke steals one off their purses. From there, he was sold to a man called the Thiefmaker, who trains orphans to be thieves. Locke’s work is just too much for the Thiefmaker to handle, but rather than kill Locke, the Thiefmaker sells him to a priest named Chains. Rather than trying to turn Locke into a decent citizen, Chains teaches Locke to be an even better thief. Eventually, Chains assembles a team of outstanding pickpockets, burglars, and con artists. Locke and his friends Jean, Bug, Caldo, and Galdo, are masters of disguise and deception. They can convincingly impersonate nearly anyone, from a priest of the god of death to a nobleman. Thieves in Camorr must follow a few simple rules set by Capa Barsavi, the crime boss of the city. Among other things, they must give him their allegiance, pay him a portion of their earnings, not draw too much attention (Locke is really bad at this part), and leave the nobility alone (Lock is really, really bad at this one). In return, the city guard pretty much leaves the thieves alone. This is called the Secret Peace,and it works pretty well for the nobility and the thieves, but not for anybody else. Locke and his friends ignore the secret peace. After all, stealing from the nobility has three huge advantages over stealing from anyone else.
However, Locke and his pals aren’t the only people breaking the Secret Peace. Thieves are being murdered, but nobody has the faintest idea who is doing it. This throws the criminal underground into chaos just as Locke, Jean, Caldo, Galdo, and Bug are in the middle of the con of a lifetime. The scams Locke and his friends use in this book are just amazing. They are works of art. This is like Ocean’s Eleven, except much more clever. However, the story is also a lot grittier and more violent. There’s a lot of swearing, and a fair amount of bloodshed. Locke isn’t much of a fighter, but Jean is a big guy who fights with a pair of axes, and he gets to use them on more than one occasion. The setting for The Lies of Locke Lamora is really elaborate and creative. Scott Lynch has put a lot of detail into the city and the many different cultures of the world. This is a fantasy novel, and while there aren’t a lot of people who can cast spells, there are still plenty of fantastic elements. Another race of creatures ruled the world before recorded human history, and they left amazing artifacts behind. Much of the city is made out of a special material known as Elderglass, which is indestructible and glows just after the sun sets. The towers on the cover shown above are the five main Elderglass towers of Camorr, where the rich and powerful live. Of course, since nobody alive can really work with Elderglass, and since whatever ancient devices once moved people from one floor to another have long since broken down, the nobles of Camorr get around these giant towers in crude wooden elevators slapped onto the sides of the towers. Alchemy, a fantasy version of science (plus a little magic) is also an important part of the world. Alchemists make poisons and potions, but they also make lights, cooking stones that heat up when you pour water on them, and many more nifty things. Alchemists also help develop new kinds of plants – alchemically enhanced fruit and wine are popular treats among the extremely wealthy. I haven’t really mentioned the characters yet, but they are really well done. Pretty much everybody is interesting and has a twist and a surprise or two hiding inside. Locke, of course, always has a trick up his sleeve. Jean is a big, chunky, axe-wielding accountant with a soft spot for romance novels. Capa Barsavi was a famous scholar before he took control of Camorr’s underworld. There are too many twists and surprises for me to spoil, but I’ll leave the rest for you. Where to Find ItYou can get it from the public library.
This list was last updated May 6, 2012 at 3:50 pm UTC. Click here to see newer information. July 4th, 2009
Tags: action, adventure, alchemy, con artists, crime, friendship, magic, murder, thieves | Category: Fantasy, Historical Fiction
| Write a comment | A Fly for the Prosecution: How Insect Evidence Helps Solve Crimesby M. Lee Goff Forensic entomology is the study of insects and how they can be used to solve crimes and settle lawsuits. When did this person die? Were they poisoned? Was the body moved? Can we prove the suspect was at the scene of the crime? If you are a skilled forensic entomologist, you might be able to answer any of these questions and more. This book combines some personal stories of the author, such as how he stays sane while examining partially decomposed bodies, as well as the history of forensic entomology, a bunch of interesting examples of cases involving insects, and a some explanation of how it all works. He has one chapter that explains how he does his research, which involves lots and lots of pigs, and sometimes illegal drugs. Apparently, one conversation with a Drug Enforcement Agency officer started with, “Oh, you again.” Another chapter describes the different insects that show up as a body decomposes. If you know the cycle, you can often tell how long ago someone died. If you aren’t easily bothered by maggots and decaying bodies, and if you really like CSI-stuff, you will probably like this book. It’s not a textbook, but you will learn a lot of neat stuff. It includes a lot of details and science, but it’s still very interesting. You can read some of it online at Google Books. Where to Find ItYou can get it from the public library.
Since Contra Costa libraries only have one copy of A Fly for the Prosecution, you might want to request it through Link+. You get the book through your local library, so you will need to have a library card.
You might want to read the rules for borrowing books before you request anything. If you want to check
on the book or cancel your order, go here. June 25th, 2009
Tags: crime, morbid, murder, scientists | Category: Forensic Science, Science
| Write a comment | Dead Men Do Tell Tales: The Strange and Fascinating Cases of a Forensic Anthropologistby William R. Maples and Michael Browning If you like CSI or other shows like that, you might want to check out Dead Men Do Tell Tales. William Maples was a forensic anthropologist (someone who studies human remains to try to find out the cause of death and other things like that) and he talks about many different cases he has worked on. Some of the more famous ones include examining the remains of the Elephant Man, seeing if the 12th President of the United States, Zachary Taylor, was poisoned, and flying to Ekaterinburg, Russia, to tell whether nine skeletons there are those of the last members of the Russian royal family. If you are uncomfortable reading about suicide, murder, or decomposing bodies, you should skip this book. I don’t think Maples goes out of his way to gross anyone out, but he is talking about dead bodies. On the other hand, if you’ve ever wondered how you can identify someone after they have been cremated, how you tell if someone was murdered or committed suicide, how you tell if a skeleton is from a man or a woman, or how you tell which particular brand of saw was used to dismember a body, this might be the book for you. This is not a textbook. It is more like a biography that focuses on interesting cases Maples has had. He talks about his early life, how he got into forensic anthropology, as well as stories about his work and some general information about forensic anthropology. You get enough of the details to understand the big idea, but Maples mostly focuses on the story. You won’t learn how to do any of the stuff they talk about on CSI, but you should get a better idea of what they are talking about. If you want to read some of the book online, you can do that thanks to Google Books. Where to Find ItYou can get it from the public library.
This list was last updated May 4, 2012 at 6:32 am UTC. Click here to see newer information. June 24th, 2009
Tags: crime, medical, murder, real people, scientists, suicide | Category: Forensic Science, Science
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