by Gene Brewer

This book was brimming of information - from psychology to reality. It was a masterpiece brought by Gene Brewer. The story moved me to inspiration and it gave me a better look at the world.

The plot revolved around 'prot' - a patient of Manhattan Psychiatric Institute who claims that he was an extra-terrestrial being from the planet he calls K-PAX. He was found in a bus terminal in New York and thus confined to MPI because of this belief.

I watched the movie first before the book so it gave me a very clear idea of what I would be reading now. When I started flipping the pages of K-PAX, I was pretty amazed that the plot went goes smoothly and almost everything were interconnected. The book focused more on the psychological aspect because Dr. Gene Brewer, one of the protagonist, aimed to find out and reveal prot's true identity and prove to him that he was merely but a human.

I loved prot's character. He was such a fascinating man (otherwise, if he isn't then he's a K-PAXian) because of his intelligence regarding astronomy. He presents his perception of the reality that humans don't realize. I liked the fact when he said that: (not really his exact words) "Crazy people are not really insane. They are just simply different from the majority. And if they were the majority, we would be the crazy people in their perspective."

The book was really satisfying and moving. It triggered some of my doubts as a human. prot was such interesting that you'd love to have a character like him in a book. This is the kind of book that I don't want to put down. When I finished K-PAX though, I was really disappointed and at the same time, elated to have ended it. The ending solved just some of the questions but the majority of the conflicts presented will leave you hanging till the end.

Rating: 5 stars

by Judy Blume

Rachel Robinson is a straight-A student and is often referred to by other people especially her friends as 'genius' or 'perfect'. But ever since her brother Charles came back from his school because he was expelled, she's now referred to by him as 'the child prodigy'.

Rachel knows that Charles would mean trouble at home and that he would be a big obstacle to her. When he finally comes home, things at the Robinson's residence swerved to a change: Mom and Dad is having a hard time with Charles, Jess is struggling to battle Charles' insults regarding her severe cystic acne and Rachel - well she's more than irritated as Jess is.

But at the least good thing, her brother brought some benefits: he's having a tutor come by at the Robinsons who becomes Rachel's new crush, and having ninth grader Jeremy Dragon around.

When things start to change, surprises pop up: Jess got a job in Mrs. Hirsch's travel agency whose daughter was Steph, one of Rachel's best friends. She's hired to work despite the fact that most companies won't hire her due to her physical appearance. Not only does the story revolve around Rachel, but also with the people around her. Then there's Tarren, Rachel's cousin, who happens to be a single mother with her child Roddy. And having her around brings something to Rachel which she didn't expect.

There are funny points in this story. I loved and hated its concept. There was a scene where Charles wanted to change his last name back to its origin. It was hilarious when he recited a poem in the Ellis Island (a place where the Robinson's ancestors landed from Poland) and people were starting to stare at him like some balderdash moron.

Rating: 4 1/2 stars - I admired Rachel's straight-A personality. Since I am an obedient student like her I know how it feels, although she's an almost perfect student while I'm a desperate-math-moron. I also saw myself in her shoes when it comes to dealing with family problems. Although this book wasn't focused on the three girls unlike in Just As Long As We're Together, this was a good story you cannot pass up.

When I have read this book it made me think of the true value of family. Charles' character struck me the most because it was his who made a big impact on me. We were alike in some ways that I am being considered as a pain in the neck of the family (okay, so much for the drama). I could truly say I fell in love with this book and it was wonderful! Judy Blume has made it very comfortable for me to read and by the end of the book, I craved for more of it. I recommend this book to you if you're wondering how life turns around with someone almost as perfect as Rachel.

by Gena Showalter

Love the story of this book - it revolves around individuality of a person. Jade is the eccentric Goth girl who finds herself struggling to stand out from the crowd. Her school rival Mercedes, is getting on her nerves and she has to find a way to stop her from spreading her evil scheme. They are very opposite: Jade loves black and gothic things while Mercedes loves girlie stuffs. They are both put into shock when they learned that the principal decides that they must go to a special field trip.

In the real world, everyone seemed to be Barbie clones. Well that's the opposite of the virtual game: now every single person is goth and they're trying to be Jade's friends. In this world, she is famous and well-appreciated. She's in total center attraction while Mercedes is looked down on and is disregarded. Jade thinks she can't handle any more of these pretensions and as much as possible get away from it all plus her only true friends don't want to talk to her. What would you do if you sought for people's acceptance and it is granted but your true friends won't talk to you?

Now, their excursion turned out to be a virtual game that'll teach them a lot about their lives. The two find themselves clinging to each other and helping out to escape this nightmarish punishment.

I could see myself relating to Jade because at one point in my life I decided to have my individuality. But as I read this book, it made me felt like I was in the game. The plot was good and I enjoyed the story but I got myself hanging in the end. I wish I could read more from this book. :)

Rating: 4 stars - This story made me laugh and envy at how things turn out to be good in the end. I love the way Jade thinks about the new boy Clarik and the ending put me to the edge of my seat.