Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil

-Contains Spoilers-
Lately I’ve been obsessed with books set in Melbourne. The two main characters in Life in Outer Space are Sam and Camilla. Sam Kinnison is a self-confessed nerd and he’s fine with that. He’s a believable nerd who’s constantly referencing the video games, movies, books and magazines. His internal monologue is also very hilarious. I’d say this book is almost casually hysterical because Sam’s witty humour was prominent in every scene. He loves slasher horror film and, writes screenplays about Killer Cats from the Third Moon of Mars. Surrounding Sam are his best friends, Adrian, Allison and Mike. Like him, they’re misfits, bullied by the popular kids, also called the A crew, and resort to hiding out in the IT lab during lunch. Allison is the only female in the group before Camilla. She has wispy blonde hair, the body of ‘a twelve year old boy’ and is obsessed with Hello Kitty.

“She grimaces a lot. I don’t always understand why. But in spite of the Hello Kitty, I know that a habitual grimacer is one of my people.”

Mike and Sam have been friends for a long time and were said to be very close before the year started. Mike also happens to be gay. When he tells his friends this, they embark on an ‘Extremely Gay Weekend’ in order to try and confirm it.  He is also obsessed with karate.

“Mike has been obsessed with karate since year seven, when he discovered that kicking people in the face was a legitimate sport.”

Adrian is described as very short and having a very scruffy beard. He gives some much needed comic relief and made me laugh out loud multiple times. Besides from that not many things stand out about him for besides that he’s a loyal friend. You would have to be a loyal friend to forgive your best friend for punching you in the eye that severely discolours it.

Everything changes for this group of friends when a new girl shows up in Sam's English class. Her name is Camilla, her father is a famous rock journalist and if she wanted to, she could easily set herself up to be the most popular girl at school. Instead, she hangs out with the geeks and also the popular kids.  He and Camilla share a love of World of Warcraft and start talking through it. He then figures out that strange Camilla can bounce from clique to clique and back again without repercussions. Thanks to Camilla's friendship, this group of misfits goes from being bullied, to being ignored, to being sort of accepted and this book is mostly about their journey along the way and how it changes them as individuals as well as their friendships.

Sam is a funny character but some moments just make my blood boil because Sam is just a jerk. For example this:                                                                                                                                               “Allison is as good as I'm likely to get. I dunno. I've tried, experimentally, picturing her shirtless; I suspect she looks like me when I was twelve.”                                                                                   That part just made me so angry. It was just uncalled for and nobody should be judged like that. I understand it’s just a book and fictionally view but it didn't stop me from feeling mad.

This book was a breath of fresh air because I haven’t read many books about nerds that accept who they are and not constantly seeking popularity. I adored Sam and his nerdy crew. On whole, this novel was not perfect, but had many shining points that are worth of mention. Life in Outer Space is sweet, awkward, believable and raw. There are messages thrown around and topics being addressed throughout that I believe got a fair amount of attention. I would recommend this book to teens who like to read contemporary books.

-The girl with her head in the clouds

If I Stay written by Gayle Forman

If I Stay is a young adult novel by Gayle Forman that was first published in April 2nd 2009 by Dutton Juvenile. The story is about a 17-year-old girl named Mia Hall as she deals with the aftermath of a car accident that killed her family. In a coma, Mia has an out-of-body experience, and watches as friends, family gather and boyfriend, Adam Wilde, at the hospital where she is being treated. Mia watches as them and at the same time her memories flash before her eyes as she comes to realize that she must decide if she is to wake up and lead a life far more difficult than she ever anticipated, or to slip away and die. A sequel was released in April 2011, titled Where She Went.

Although this was first published more than 5 years ago I had never heard of this book before. I had heard of this book through the teacher in charge of my school book club. At my school book club our teacher brings in sweets and then we discuss good books we have read and the teacher recommends some of her recent reads. When the teacher told us a short synopsis of the book, I was intrigued by it. I knew that it was a book that I had to read so I want to my school library to borrow it and I’m so glad I did.  The novel follows Mia's experience as she lies in a coma fully aware of what is going on around her and everything her visitors say and do. Feeling the agony of loss of those closest to her yet aware of the abounding love of those that remain, she must make the choice to hang on or let go.

There are many books in this world. There are books about handsome and sparkling vampires. There are also the other kinds of book that will touch your heart and will haunt you for the rest of your life. I enjoyed this book so much that it took me only 2 nights to read. I could have probably read it in one night, but I had a test that week and had to study. I loved the flash backs because it showed why Mia is who she is and why she plays the cello in a family that loved rock music. It also gave a look into how her life was before the accident. She was just a normal girl who had a bright future playing the cello. This book was so captivating because you can see the inner conflict within her about whether she wants to die along with her family or wake up and orphan.  Either way, she has something to gain and something to lose. This book was very endearing and tugged my heart strings deeply. This book had many classic clichés, but is still well written.

This book is beyond beautiful. It's heart-warming and heartbreaking at the same time. You'll laugh, you'll smile but you will cry or drop a tear now and then. This book made me wish that played the cello as exquisitely as Mia does. This book makes you think about your life and how it isn't easy but that, when you're surrounded by people you love, it's, somehow, easier to cross over all those obstacles life puts you through. Mia sure is constantly sharing wonderful memories with us, but what is so impressive is that the author subtly included a message in each of them. It is well-written, with a perfect atmosphere fitting the story and all the emotions of the characters.

This is the movie poster for the movie adaption that is going to be released in Australia on the 28th of August.

Mia’s parents were every child’s ideal parents. They were cool, know music, laidback, had wild childhoods and understand teenagers.  Mia is a big fan of classical music and Adam is into punk music. Their relationship is the cliché where the quiet girl and the dark and mysterious guy fall for each other. I didn’t mind the cliché though. Thanks to the flash backs you can see how much Mia and Adam loved music and how their strong passion for music bought them together. In some of the flash backs Mia and Adam have some very cute and adorable scenes. There are flashbacks from happy moments with her family, her best friend Kim and her boyfriend Adam. Mia's close relationships with her parents, brother, and with her grandparents were all wonderfully vibrant and amazingly realistic.

I enjoyed this book very much and I strongly believe this is a good book to read. My friend, who will remain nameless, loved this book almost to an obsessive level. When I asked her why she liked it so much she said that she nearly lost her dad so she connected to the character who she believed was like her dad in going through something though. She also said that the theme of this book is family and friends which is something she loves dearly so that’s why she loved this book so much. After talking to her I can to the conclusion that this book is so popular because most people can connect to it because it’s about losing family and grieving but has a strong sense of family and friends.

Books about death are sometimes hard for me to review to or form coherent thoughts on. The way readers react to them is so deeply personal and reflects on the reader. This book had its cute clichés and some parts which I can’t imagine any teenagers actually saying or doing, but I still thoroughly recommend this book. Overall I found the book very enjoyable and I would strongly recommend it to other teens and even adults.