The Maze Runner

The Bookworm says... YES! The Maze Runner by James Dashner was an absolutely enticing novel. From the moment I started reading, it was painful to put it down. When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only think he can remember is his name. He gets hoisted out of the lift into an utterly unfamiliar setting: The Glade. When all the boys start talking with slang words he doesn't understand and talking about locations he doesn't recognize, his head begins to spin. He learns that they are stuck in a maze, and they have to get out. They get one new person a month, always have and always will. Once Thomas arrives, things start to go haywire. He gets attacked by a boy Ben that was stung by Grievers, crazy half animal half machine creatures in the maze. The next day, they get another recruit. Two in one month. And it's a girl. She delivers a message sure to terrify them all, and then slips into a coma. Thomas learns the rules of the Glade, and the jobs. He feels a need to be a Runner, those who run the maze and learn it. One problem: the walls change every night. One night Thomas breaks the number one rule, and goes into the maze. He gets trapped overnight, but manages to survive. When he returns from the maze, things get weirder. He hears a girls voice in his head, and realizes it's the new girl. She tells him she triggered The Ending, whatever that is. The doors stop closing. The sun disappears. Even worse, one person gets killed by a Griever per night. They need to do something, and quick. Will Thomas sacrifice himself? Will they sacrifice someone else? Will someone voluntarily get stung by a Griever to get back some memories? Will they find a way out of The Maze? And if they do, is what's outside any better? This book was amazing, and had me up until the break of dawn reading. 

"If you ain't scared, you ain't human."

Chasing Lincoln's Killer

The Bookworm says... Not for me. Chasing Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson was not an enjoyable book for me to read. This is the documentation of President Lincoln's assassination, other attempted murders, and the manhunt that followed. The thrilling chase filled with blood, sweat, and lies lasted days until John Wilkes Booth was shot in a tobacco barn. This was an assigned summer reading novel, and I did not find it to be intriguing; unless of course, you are a fan of nonfiction novels! Based off of telegrams, documents, letters, and photographs from the manhunt, Chasing Lincoln's Killer was an educational recollection of President Lincoln's Assassination.  

"The newspaper articles described some aspects of the assassination but cut off before the end of the story. I knew I had to find the rest of the story. This book is my way of doing that."- James L. Swanson, author 

Let's Get Lost

The Bookworm says... YES. Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid was a gorgeous book. Leila takes off on a 4,268 mile road trip from Louisiana to Alaska, with only her car, some clothes, her wallet, and her credit card. When passing through different places, it's outstanding to see how Leila and her red car effect other peoples lives. At the beginning of her trip, she decides she should probably get her car tuned up so it makes it all the way to Alaska. At the mechanics, she meets Hudson. Hudson takes her on an adventure, showing her all of the hidden treasures of plain old Vicksburg, Mississippi. Their final, late night destination, is Hudson and his friends secret island, the oxbow. They find Hudson's friends there, and join in a game. When the police arrive, Hudson and Leila lie low, not wanting to risk Hudson's pending scholarship. They end up falling asleep on the oxbow, and sleeping in. This caused Hudson to miss his meeting with the dean of University of Mississippi. He blames Leila, and tells her to leave. She continues on her road trip, but doesn't forget about Hudson. She keeps driving, and she comes across a young girl hitchhiking. Leila stops, and picks up a girl we come to know as Bree. Bree is just hitchhiking around the country after running away from her sister, post-death of her parents. Bree's philosophy is to "Seize the Tuesday". So, her and Leila rob a gas station. Then, they sweet talk a valet worker into letting them take a car for a while. This gets them sent to jail, where they are forced to call Bree's sister, Alexis, with whom Bree has not spoken in nine months. Alexis bails them out, and gets into a fight with Bree. Bree attempts to make up with her, and Leila continues on her trip. She is making good progress, until she nearly runs over a drunk boy named Elliot in the middle of the street. He has just been rejected by the love of his life in the middle of his senior prom. Leila takes it upon herself to make sure Elliot get hits perfect movie ending, and learns a few things about herself along the way. When his movie is over, whether the ending was a happy one or not, Leila keeps driving. When she comes out of a rest stop, she finds a sobbing Sonia leaning up against her car. She asks for a ride, and Leila is happy to oblige. Sonia explains that she lost her boyfriend to a heart disease, and then fell in love with his sisters fiancées brother. She feels awful because she isn't over Sam, so she leaves Sams sisters rehearsal dinner and asks Leila for a ride from Canada to the US. While at a rest stop, Jeremiah calls Sonia and tells her the jacket of his she took had the wedding rings in it. Leila and Sonia turn around to bring the ring back, only to find Sonia's passport stolen. Leila tries to go over, but border patrol dubs it a suspicious re-entrance. They then try to run through the woods, but get caught sent back. They manage to get smuggled across, and Leila leaves Sonia to sort out her relationships. When Leila arrives at her destination, she can only hope that the Northern Lights will be as fulfilling as hoped. This novel was absolutely outstanding, and a brilliant debut novel for Adi Alsaid. A must read for all lovers of John Green, Let's Get Lost is a fresh new story. 

"Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named Leila. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone most." 

The Program

The Bookworm says... Yes! The Program by Suzanne Young was an excellent book. When suicide becomes an international epidemic for adolescents and teens, the government must step in. They start trying out The Program, and one of the facilities happens to be in Sloanes town. After her brother Brady's suicide, her parents are on the alert for the slightest sign of the depression. A bad day could send Sloane off to The Program. Her boyfriend James is the only person she can be herself around, and vice versa. They make a deal to do whatever it takes to keep each other out of The Program. When James gets taken to The Program, Sloane follows not long after. Will they make it out of The Program memories intact, or will they end up brainwashed like the rest? Either way, what happens next? This novel was absolutely outstanding while reading it, and while nearing the end I assumed there would be a sequel due to the amount of unsolved conflict. I turned the page expecting a sneak peak to the sequel, but instead I was greeted with an epilogue. Though there is a sequel released entitled The Treatment, the epilogue was confusing. Ending aside, this book was hauntingly realistic, and will surely leave you with chills. 

"Everyone who's been through The Program returns as a blank skate. Because their depression is gone- but so are their memories."