Code by Kathy Reichs

I am reading the book  Code by Kathy Reichs, right now. I love all of her book they are really good. I really like her Virals series.  That series has four books in it, Code is the third book. I have already read all of the books in the series, but I'm re-reading the series.
The series is about a group of high school students, who were infected by a virus. The virus gave them special powers. It was a virus that infected dogs, or wolfs, so the students got dog-like powers. The main character's name is Tory Brennan. She is the great-niece of  Temperance Brennan.
Kathy Reichs connected this book series to her other book series, Bones which is also a popular television show. She once wrote a short story that connects the two book series.
In the series, Tory and her friends solve crimes while trying keep their powers secret form their parents. In Code, she and her friends are hunting an evil, slightly insane, serial killer. So far the book is very interesting
If you want to try reading this book, I suggest that you start by reading the first book, Virals. It will make it easier to understand many things going on in the book. The book brings back some minor characters from the first two books. The series is really very fascinating, and if people like science fiction, mystery, or crime this series would be good for you to try reading.

The Shadow Thieves By Anne Ursu VS A Tale Dark and Grimm By Adam Gidwitz

So, I have just finished re-reading book called The Shadow Thieves by Anne Ursu. I thought it was a really good story, but I really loved the way that Ursu wrote the story. It had a third person narrator who would talk to you, and give his/her input on whatever was going on in the story. I love stories that do that! I feel like this style of writing makes the reader more involved in the story. There is another book called  A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz. In that story, Gidwitz talks to the reader all the time, he interrupts the
story to give his input on things. He writes the parts of the narrator in a different font, so it is easy to tell when the narrator is speaking. the narrator also criticizes the clique choices of the main characters. The story is a part of a trilogy. It is the first book, in the last book, he reveals how the three, seemingly separate, stories all connect in the end.

In my opinion, stories that include the narrator talking to the readers, are the best books. this style of writing is my favorite one ever. I like to be included in the story, and this style makes me feel like I am actually in the book with them.

One thing about The Shadow Thieves that I didn't like, is that it would jump around a lot, and sometimes it would get really confusing. other than that, it was a really good book over all, and it featured a cat as one of the main characters, which just makes the book even better!

If you like feeling included in a story, you should read The Shadow Thieves, or A Tale Dark and Grimm. The Shadow Thieves doesn't include you as much as the other book, though, but I still think that they are both great books.

Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah

Chinese Cinderella is about a young Chinese girl who faces problems within her family. Her mother died a short while after giving birth to Adeline which caused her to have the name of bad luck. Her father quickly remarried to a young woman, Niang, who was beautiful, but never had motherly instincts. She neither cared for her husband nor her children. Also she didn't treat the kids with true love.Above all, Adeline was the most abused and emotionally scarred by Niang.

Every day, Adeline comes home with fear. Her school is her hideaway from reality. She tries to hide her family issues from the other children, while at the same time she achieves several medals and awards. The only person she could truly trust was her Aunt Baba, who showed compassion as her own mother would have. Everything she accomplishment that she makes at school is to keep her Aunt Baba and her father proud of her. When she comes hone, Niang complains that she is bragging, and abuses her. She slaps her until she starts bleeding, and tells her words that sting her heart. Even through all of this, Adeline knows she can get a better life if she works hard enough for it.

Adeline is a strong and independent woman, who stands her ground for what she believes in. If she doesn't want to do something, she will try her hardest not to do it, until it is absolutely necessary. She would always do what she thought was right. She is really strong willed and wise. Adeline's life is a story that you would tell children to make them appreciate their life, and to let them know that even if it something seems to be the worst thing ever, and it won't improve, things will get better.

http://articles.latimes.com/2007/sep/11/world/fg-needles11
The article above is about another Chinese girl, who was abused as a very young baby, by her grandparents. Her grandparents had wanted a boy, but she was a girl, so they were angry, and abused her. This relates to Adeline, because she was treated poorly too, when she was a child. Adeline's mother had died a few weeks after she was born, and the girl in the article had "ruined" the grandparents hopes of a male grandchild. The difference here, is that the girl was abused very young, and didn't remember. Adeline, on the other hand, was abused almost her whole life.