Reflection 8: Top 5

Sami’s Book Awards

Best Tear Jerker:

About: My Sister’s Keeper is about a girl who has cancer and her sister who has done medically everything to save her life. The sister finally decides she has had enough and goes to court so she can become medically emancipated. This brings the family together as they argue against each other while the daughter continues to get sicker.

Why it won? Jodi Picoult does a good job at making the reader become attached to the characters. The unexpected ending leaves readers bawling in confusion. The loss of a child can bring tears to the toughest person’s eyes. It is a great book that will leave you in tears.

Movie Preview

RIYL: Handle With Care, family involved stories, Jodi Picoult

Best Nonfiction:

About: Marley and Me is a man’s true story about the worst dog ever. Marley is a rambunctious yellow lab who causes more problems than most. But with those problems comes unconditional love.

Why it won? Nothing can make a reader cry more than a dog dying. Going into the book you know that is how it ends but the story makes you want to believe otherwise. It especially hit close to home because I have a similar yellow lab that is absolutely obnoxious but is a big lover. It is really easy to believe the story because of the experiences I have had.

Interview with author, John Grogan

RIYL: You like to cry, you like animals, My Dog Skip

Best Book I Was Forced to Read:

About: Night is a teenager’s true account of his experiences in Nazi death camps. The details are horrifying as he explains the everyday struggles of a death camp. The story is dark, but is necessary because there are no other ways to describe what happened in those days.

Why it won? Many books that are read for a class are painfully repetitive. This one is different. Night is about a topic that interests many. The realness of the story brings shock to readers.

Book description and review

RIYL: History, Diary of Anne Frank, World War II

Best Book That Makes You Think:

About: Pretty Little Liars is the first book of a 13 book series. It is the perfect setup to the teenage mystery series. The story is about 4 friends who are brought back together after the investigation of their best friend’s death. While figuring out who murdered the teenage girl, the friends are tormented by a mysterious texter who leads them into danger.
Why it won? Most teenage books are about vampires or romances, or both. This book is a refreshing change. The high school cliques and stereotypes are magnified. The multiple twists in the story keeps readers thinking and also have the ability to creep a reader out. Do not read at night.

Pretty Little Liars Season 1 TV Show Preview

RIYL: Pretty Little Liars TV series, The Lying Game

Best Knee Slapper:

About: Seriously . . . I’m Kidding is a collection of hilarious true stories that Ellen Degeneres has experienced. She creates an easy to read hodgepodge of tales that will make anyone laugh.

Why it won? Fan or not, Ellen Degeneres knows how to make people laugh, whether it’s on her show or in her books. Like said before, a super easy read for anybody. It is a refreshing change and a book has never made me laugh as hard as this one does.

Reader's Reviews

RIYL: Ellen Degeneres Show, Tina Fey, Betty White