Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright

'If the innocent are unjust, I'd rather be counted among the guilty.-Valerie'

Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright is gothic twist to well known fairytale of Little Red Riding Hood. Valerie lived in a small village, it was just like any town except for one thing- every full moon people lock themselves and leave an offering for the wolf. On a certain night there is a red moon, then the next day someone had been killed by the wolf. When Father Auguste, the expert on werewolves, comes to their village he teaches the villagers about the wolf's way of life and suddenly everyone becomes a suspect. Valerie finds that she can now hear the wolf talk to her. Who is the wolf.

I really do ask, who is the wolf?!?! I didn't do any research beforehand so i ignorantly believed that like most stories the book comes first and then the movie. However, this wasn't the case with this novel. I really wish I knew this before because I probably wouldn't have read it.

Arthur: The Seeing Stone by Kevin Crossley-Holland

''Each of us needs a quest, and a person without one is lost to himself.''

Arthur: The Seeing Stone is about a 13 year old boy called Arthur, who lives in the Middle Ages. He wants to be a squire (a knight's attendant) and be betrothed to Grace but his father has other plans for him. His problems increase when Merlin, his friend, gives him a magical and mysterious obsidian stone. On the stone, Arthur can see things. The stone shows him a story but he doesn't know why and how it is connected to him. This is the first book in the trilogy and it is about Arthur trying to find out what the stone is showing him  and what is going to happen to him in real life. 

So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Duan

"Reading one book is like eating one potato chip," she said. (Mrs. Lesser to Nita.)

So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Duane. The library is a refuge for Nita. She has read, more than once, all books in the junior section. One day, when trying to hide from Joanne- the bully - she was surprised to find a book she'd never read. It was part of the So You Want to Be a ... This time it was So You Want to be a Wizard. At first Nita felt silly, believing such thing. But, there was no harm in trying it out. From the moment she took the Oath her life completely changed and she now follows a path of adventure and different universes. She must fight for Earth.

The book was first published in 1983. It isn't old enough to be a classic, but it is old. Surprisingly the only relation to its age can be found with the number next to the date published.

Inheritance Cycle by Cristopher Paolini

"Knowing is independent of being. I did not know you existed before you bumbled in here and ruined my nap. Yet that doesn't mean you weren't real before you woke me."  - Solembum 

Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. This series, previously meant to be a trilogy, is an epic fantasy series intended for young adults. Eragon  has no idea of who his mother or father are, instead he lives with his uncle, Garrow, and cousin, Roran, which to him they are his father and brother. Eragon helps in the farm as well as with the hunting. One day while hunting he finds a mysterious stone, no one knows what it is but it is fascinating. To his surprise the 'stone' hatches, it was a dragon's egg. Eragon has to flee, learn magic and mature if he is to fulfil his destiny, to become the next dragon rider and kill Galbatorix; the merciless and powerful dictator of the fictional world of Alagaesia. 

 Like many books the Inheritance cycle ponders on the coexistence of good and bad. Eragon himself realises that people might not be generally bad but really do believe their ideas to be beneficial. When Galbatorix talked to Nasuada about his plans there seemed to be some really good basis to what he wanted to achieve. Of course Galbatorix didn't care for people and manipulated them making him the 'baddy' however he made very good points, especially the fact that it was the Varden that went around killing people and then bashed Galbatorix for his cruelty. How do we know if what we believe in is really for the good of humanity? I may believe in something so profoundly that I do not realise that I'm hurting others or it may be that I am hurting others to help the many but in truth there is no line separating the good from the bad but a mix of both in everything.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy... but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." 

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a classic book. It is told by Scout as she looks back at her childhood, during the great depression in a Southern town of the USA. The second part follows the story of the court case of Tom Robinson and how he is judged unfairly because of his skin colour.

At the time of release this book was controversial; bashed by some and praised by others. Even now it is still  banned in some U.S states. Nevertheless it is now a classic and with the title of classic comes words such as 'ancient', 'educative'and probably 'boring'. To me, it was no exception. I was told to read for school. I was handed an old looking book and listened with dread as other students recounted how boring they bound it. Eventually when I started reading (I had to, there was a test coming up!) I found myself actually enjoying this book. I didn't think it was the best book ever written as my teacher said but it was definitely a book I would keep reading with or without a test.

The Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter

"I suppose a lot of teenage girls feel invisible sometimes, like they just disappear. Well, that's me—Cammie the Chameleon. But I'm luckier than most because, at my school, that's considered cool. I go to a school for spies."

Cammie Morgan attends the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women. Although the school  appears to be an ordinary private school it is actually a girls' school for spies. Cammie is fluent in 14 languages and can kill a  man in seven different ways. She has been taught advanced martial arts and knows about the latest chemical warfare but she definitely doesn't know how to understand boys.

Heist Society by Ally Carter

“I don't want tea, I want justice!” 

Heist Society and its sequel Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter is a teen spy fiction. Katarina Bishop comes from a family of thieves.Kat tries to escape this life and scams herself into a boarding school where she plans to study and live a normal, honest life. This proves harder than she expected it to be. When her father is blamed for the thievery of major artworks she must be called back in action to clear his name and return the portraits to its original owners. If I say too much more it will spoil the rest of the book but lets just say that by the second book she is back in business but this time alone. She is only stealing what is already stolen, so it isn't bad is it? When she goes back to her family she must face trust issues and when she runs into trouble she starts doubting her skills.