Carly

=media type="file" key="01 Monster.m4a" width="300" height="50"Carly= Music: Monster by Paramore //Identical// by Ellen Hopkins To me this novel is a remarkable example of not everything being as it seems. Just simmering below the surface of people could be a catastrophic 10.0 earthquake. Most people their hide problems from the eyes of others, because they want to feel normal, they believe not saying it out loud will make it not real, they may not want to burden others, or they feel as if they are unworthy or cannot be helped. So, to me, this realism really hit home on how the characters deal with pain and life.
 * Book Review by Carly Hughes**
 * Summary**: Twins, Kaeleigh and Raeanne are apart of an affluent all-American family, with a judge for a father and a politician for a mother; the family seems perfect—on the surface. Hiding behind the illusion of a flawless life is a family crumbled to the foundation. After a traumatic accident has severely emotionally distanced their parents, Kaeleigh, the twin most like her mother becomes the object of affection for her father. To deal with her pain, Kaeleigh mutilates herself. Her identical twin, Raeanne, only sees her father playing a game of favorites and strives for his attention. When he ignores Raeanne she turns to drugs, alcohol, and sex to deal with her trauma. These are secrets that the twins harbor. One twin will have to step up to the plate in order to save them both from their paths of destruction.
 * Importance to me:**

media type="file" key="07 Strange.m4a" width="300" height="50" Music: Strange by Tokio Hotel and Kerli //Specials// by Scott Westerfeld This book and series is important because it brings concepts of classic literature into contemporary fiction, such as that of one of my favorite novels, //Brave New World//. Both novels bring the idea that there is no such thing as a utopia. In //Specials// no matter what group it is teens (uglies), pretties (adults), or special (government official) somehow the government was brainwashing the citizens, in order to keep change from happening and everyone in an ignorant bliss. The government has good intentions, but handled situations in under-handed ways by not allowing choice.
 * Book Review by Carly Hughes**
 * Summary**: In the last book in the original trilogy, Tally Youngblood, our heroine from //Uglies// and //Pretties// who always believed Special Circumstances and the infamous Specials were an urban legend, now **is** one. Tally goes on a complete physical and mental journey only to have her world turned around, and the people she though were sane only to turn out insane. The series has a pure dystopian feel to it. The book discusses aspects of adolescent awkwardness, beauty, and developments of extraordinary technology and their effects on people of all ages.
 * Importance to me**: