One Crazy Summer is about three sisters who travel to Oakland, California to visit their mother who left them when they were young. It takes place in the 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement. Their poet mother is not very friendly to the girls and doesn't seem to want them around. The sisters spend their days at a community center where they meet and are influenced by the Black Panthers. I loved the author's style of writing. She described events and characters in such a vivid and unique way. I found myself thinking that I would have never thought to describe things the way she did! It really created some memorable images for me. I also liked that it was a historical fiction book because I learned a lot about the Black Panthers.

Uglies is a book set 300 years in the future where people have an operation at the age of 16 to become a "pretty." Up until that point everyone is an "ugly." This book and the others in the series have become a few of my all time favorite books! I love the way Scott Westerfeld uses descriptive language! I often found myself rereading passages just to enjoy the poetry of his words! The theme of the book is one that really makes the reader think. It makes you wonder if you would like living in a world like this and what you would do if you were one of the characters. I highly recommend this book to students and adults!