Natalie+W

=Natalie W's 9th Grade Book Review=

media type="file" key="nataliew-bookreview-0910.mp3" width="240" height="20" When you see the cover of this book, what does it make you think of? There is a girl, sitting near some kind of water with a key dangling above it. For me, I assumed the key opened up all the secrets that she had kept. When I read the book, I thought differently. The key held her past, her old life. The water was her new life. As she let go of her key into the water, she let go of her past and focused on the present. All alone in an almost empty house, the smell of cigarettes and beer bottles on the table lingers in the air. Her own mother abandoned her in this old, yellow house. She’s left there wondering where her mother went this time, and if she is ever coming back. Ruby Cooper (the main character) tells her story. What I like most about Sarah Dessen's "Lock and Key" is how she describes things; it helps me with the visualizations. Also, I like how she describes the main character’s thoughts and feelings well. This book caught my attention from start to finish. It is about Ruby, a seventeen year old girl who has been abandoned by her mother and was forced to live with her sister. Her life completely changed from the lonely girl who kept her distance, to someone who actually accepts help. It may not be the most exciting book I've ever read, but it isn't boring. In my opinion, this book is for girls. Guys may read it too if they wish, but it won't keep them entertain since there are no violence and gore. It is more emotional, more about love and understandings. Unlike other girly books though, this one is not all cheesy and corny. This is another reason why I like this book. It is about real life situations, almost everything in this book could possibly happen in real life. I would recommend this book to people, simply because it made me feel like I was in the book myself. I felt sorry for the characters, I could relate to their problems, and also everything just seemed real to me. I like how Ruby is the type of person who doesn’t count on anyone but herself, does not open up to people easily, and does not trust easily. I can somewhat relate to her. Also, her boyfriend is the type of person who keeps to himself, doesn’t share much, but acts like nothing is wrong and he’s happy as can be when he really is not. (Unlike Bella’s sparkling, “handsome”, perfect vampire boyfriend, Ruby’s is realistic…and non-sparkly) This I can relate to as well. I like the characters in this book, because they are similar to the people around my life. They have problems, their lives are not perfect. I’m in to books that are realistic, not some happy fairy tales that says everyone gets their happy endings and the world is perfect. That was when I was five. This book, at times, makes me kind of depressed. But then again, life is like that. It’s not always about happy moments in life that makes a good book; it’s the realizations that there are people in this world who are going through rough times. I am not saying this book is all depressing; there are happy moments as well. Those happy moments are something simple though, like how Ruby realized she has a new family now and how she has someone who understands and makes her happy. Overall, Ruby’s life is filled with both good and bad things. Like I said before, I like this book because I am tired of reading books that are far from realistic. I would recommend this book to anyone who is tired of sparkling vampires and wants to read about actual reality.