Second Quarter Outside Reading Book Review

Uninvited by Amanda Marrone. Simon Pulse, 2007. Genre: Fiction Novel.

The main character of Uninvited was a girl named Jordan. She was shy, dependent teenager until a boy named Michael Green moved into town. They got together over the summer and when school started, Jordan broke up with him. A couple of months later, Michael died. Everyone said that it was a suicide, but Jordan found out that it wasn't. He would come to her window every night and ask her to let him in. His visits made her feel stressed and she turned to drugs for an answer. After a while, we find out that Michael became a vampire and he wants to get revenge on Jordan for breaking up with him. One night, when he threatens to kill all of her friends, Jordan invites him in. He tells her that he will come in later and kill her when she's sleeping. Jordan and her friend Rachel follow him and they have an eventful fight. Michael ends up dieing and everyone that knew about him was relieved. Jordan grew a lot more independent throughout the book because of the hardships that Michael put her through.

"There are some great teen vampire novels around at the moment. This one is completely different from all the others, although it's equally wonderful. For a start, it's not really a 'vampire novel' at all, even though there's a vampire in it. The story is more about Jordan learning to cope with life, and it's beautifully written." From http://keris.typepad.com/chicklet/

At the beginning of Uninvited Jordan didn't really knew who she was. She was lost and had a low self esteem. On the "Social Food Chain" Jordan was near the bottom. Michael was a popular jock, which was why Jordan broke up with him. She saw the way everyone looked at her and she couldn't take the pressure. The author expresses all of this through flashbacks and conversations. All of her characters are very realistic and genuine. I want to compare this book to The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. The plot and setting aren't like it at all, but I believe they both have the same mood. I think that the characters of Michael and The Phantom are a lot alike. They are both trying to find a way to live in a world that doesn't except them. The moods of the book are alike because of this.

"I fumble with the screen, wishing I could make myself stop. I want to stop; a voice inside my head is telling me this isn't what I really want. My knuckles scrape roughly against the wire mesh; I pull my hand back, feeling the blood well up in the tiny scratches. I hear Michael moan; he must smell the blood. I stop searching for the latch and collapse against the screen, tears streaming down my face." (Page 86)

Once I started reading Uninvited I was immediately hooked. I couldn't put it down. This book held my attention from start to finish. I had never heard of this book or the author before, but my friend read it and recommended it to me. This book showed me how much drugs can control your life and how your friends are always there for you. It made me realize how good I've got it. Jordan's mother never payed much attention to her, which is why she got into drugs so easily. I'm glad my parents are interested in what I do and I'm happy that I've got good friends like Jordan's. This book made me more appreciative of what I have.

My project's links are underneath the D block links. It's titled Uninvited. I chose the homepage project(#11).