The Weekly Pen #1

The Weekly Pen is going to be a place where I will post original songs, short stories, or poems each week. So here is your weekly dose of TWP (The Weekly Pen):

Another Place, Another Time

by ReggieWrites

In another place,

In another time,

I was happy,

Sadness didn’t exist in my world

I was taken care of,

I was truly loved

In another place,

In another time,

I remember,

When I was on a sail train,

With my siblings,

Going out onto the horizon of the sea,

Not knowing where I’d end up

Now,

I am stuck

In a world,

Where I am not happy,

My world revolves around sadness

My family,

My brothers,

My sisters,

Were taken away from me,

My only companion is myself

I have to stand on my own,

I’m young,

But I’m strong

I have the will,

I have the perseverance,

To succeed,

To get out of this world I live in

Yesterday,

That’s what it is,

That’s what it’s called,

That was in another place,

In another time

Today,

I am abandoned,

I am hurt

I have wounds,

Deep wounds,

In my heart,

That will not be able to heal

Tomorrow,

Everything will change,

I will find a way out,

I will escape,

I will go on a journey,

To answer my questions,

To answer my pleas,

If there was an answer,

I’d find it there

I can push myself,

I can make my life better,

I will thrive for the best,

I will rise up,

I will succeed

Sometimes,

I think that the world is a harsh place,

With all the poverty,

With all the loss,

With all the pain

But now,

I realize that it’s up to us,

We make our own decisions,

Those decisions,

Affect us,

We make choices,

That make our lives better,

Or make our lives worse,

I realize,

It’s up to me,

To change my own life

My moments,

Weak,

Or strong,

Are in the past,

In another place,

In another time

For now,

The rest is up to me

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The Princess and The Pauper by Kate Brian

Title: The Princess and The Pauper
Author: Kate Brian
Pages: 266
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: May 1, 2004

SHABBY...CHIC?

Carina, a real European princess, is dying to hook up with the sexy American rock star she met online. Too bad about all those bodyguards watching her every move. Then Carina spots her down-and-out near-twin, Julia. For a fast ten grand, Julia grabs the gown and the crown, and the girls swap identities for a day.

Before long, Princess Carina is trapped on a skeevy bus full of roadies, and Pauper Julia is jetting off to...some small foreign country?

Only a storybook ending can get these two posers back to where they belong.

I thought This book is the classic Cinderella-meets-Pauper type of story. When I gave it a try, I was expecting just another cliché plot; boys meets girls and everyone lives happily ever after. But boy I was wrong! The moment I read about Julia and her troubles, it immediately piqued my interest. How would someone as practical as Julia agree to something so impetuous? Why would a pretentious princess like Carina want to 'hook up' with someone she barely knew?

There were all these questions I had at the beginning but Brian made it all work out in the end. It constantly threw completely unexpected scenarios at me. It made the plot more original and more comical. I enjoyed reading it all the way to the end.

The Bottom Line: Read it. It'll be worth it. A- :-)

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Post-it #1

Hey guys! I love quotes so much that I just wanted to try out this meme I 'borrowed' from Iryna in 'The Garden of Books' blog. On her blog, it's called 'In Between These Pages'. But I'm just going to rename it 'Post-its' because I write all of the interesting quotes I find, on a post-it. Happy Reading!!!!!

"I didn't feel like a princess at all. I didn't feel like a normal girl. I just felt like me,"

-Princess Carina

"Sometimes...life leaves you without directions, without guideposts or signs. When this happens, You just have to pick a direction and run like hell...and I just kept going,"

-Aunt Peg

"Sometimes we seek that which we are not yet ready to find,"

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CHERUB: Mad Dogs (Book 8) by Robert Muchamore

Title: CHERUB: Mad Dogs
Author: Robert Muchamore
Pages: 400
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Publication Date: October 1, 2007

The British underworld is controlled by gangs. When two of them start a turf war, violence explodes on the streets.

The police need information fast, and James Adams has the contacts to infiltrate the most dangerous gang of all. He works for CHERUB.

Cherubs are trained professionals, aged between ten and seventeen. They exist because criminals never suspect that kids are spying on them.

For official purposes, these children do not exist.

I am such a spy junkie! I love this author so much!!! This is definitely one of my two favorite spy series.

I really gained insight into how some of the biggest criminal masterminds work. The way James and Bruce infiltrated the Mad Dogs was flawless and obviously well-planned. I couldn't put this book down once I started to read it. All of the pieces fit together and I wasn't able to find any plot holes whatsoever.

The writing. Muchamore's writing is impeccable. He described everything without making anything seem boring. Each detail was important.

The research. The moment that I was pulled into the gang conflict, I could tell that Muchamore certainly did his research. I learned about different models of guns and drugs and how the British underworld revolved.

The action and suspense all through out the books kept me on edge. It made me think of all the possible scenarios that Muchamore was going to throw at me. The re-readability level of this book is off the hook. I read it three times and I never got tired of it. Every time I read it, I got caught up in all of the gun shootings, pursuits, and missions. It's just THAT good.

Muchamore's style is one-of-a-kind and so is the originality and cleverness of the plot. You never know what's going to happen. It's going to leave you asking for more. A definite A+.

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The Squad: Perfect Cover by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Title: The Squad: Perfect Cover (Book 1)

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Pages: 228

Publisher: Laurel Leaf

Publication Date: February 12, 2008



Bayport High operates like any other high school-jocks at the top, outsiders at the bottom, and everyone else in between. Enter Toby Klein, a sophomore computer hacker who doesn't play well with others. She has zero school spirit, a black belt in karate, and what her guidance counselor calls an attitude problem. She's the last person you'd expect to be invited to join the varsity cheer-leading squad.

But things are different in Bayport.

Bayport's varsity cheer squad is made up of the hottest of the hot. But this A-list is dangerous in more ways than one. The Squad is actually a cover for the most highly trained group of underage government operatives the United States has ever assembled. Athletically, they're unmatchable, though they make it all look easy on the field. Mentally, they're exceptional-but with one flash of their gorgeous smiles, you'll completely forget that. Socially, they're gifted, so they can command and manipulate any situation. And above all, they have the perfect cover, because, beyond herkies and highlights, no one expects anything from a cheerleader.

Toby Klein might not seem like the most likely recruit, but she's never been one to turn down a challenge. If she can handle the makeover, Bayport High may just have found its newest cheerleader.

Pretty, popular, armed, and extremely dangerous ---meet THE SQUAD.


This book was a TEN on the twists and turns scale. The ending was so unexpected. I thought I knew what was going to happen but I was wrong.

I couldn't help but notice it's kind of similar to The Specialists Series. In both books, each person on the team has a special skill. And it's kind of ironic how both series are in the perspective of a computer whiz.

I loved the characterization of Toby. She's sassy, sarcastic, and smart. But the zero to hero thing is a little unrealistic. In reality, someone like Toby can't be an insignificant nobody (no offense) one day and become an ultra-popular cheerleader the next day. It was a little cliché.

I was expecting more action in this book but it didn't have as much. It got a little boring in the middle. It wasn't as fast-paced as I wanted it to be, but oh well. The action that it did have, though, was flawless (the way it was planned). Everything made sense and everything was creative and original.

Barnes focused more on explaining (in Toby's POV) each and every team member's special skill and past. I enjoyed getting to know the other teammates and their sometimes not-so-great pasts.

The Bottom Line: The unexpected twists and a little hint of romance was enough to keep me wanting more. B :-)

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