Pandora of Athens, 399 B.C. by Barry Denenberg

I wasn't sure if I wanted to read Pandora of Athens or not, simply because of my dislike of another book in the Life and Times series. I thought it was best that I give the series another try and picked Pandora up, hoping to view this one without any influence from the other book.

Pandora is a young girl growing up in ancient Greece. She's sheltered like most girls in Athens at that time, and the most she has to look forward to is getting married when she turns fourteen. Pandora's been taught that girls should be silent and obedient and they should be protected from the outside world. They aren't even allowed to go to plays. Her only freedom is her daily trips to the Fountain House. While she's collecting water, she's able to meet and talk with other girls and experience just a tiny taste of freedom. Her life changes completely when she meets Socrates one day at the well. In discussions with him, Pandora begins questioning her fate more strongly and looks for ways to change it.

While not exactly life-changing, Pandora of Athens, is surprisingly much better than I had expected. Readers can easily put themselves into Pandora's shoes and empathize with her feelings about not having control of her future, and lack of understanding from her parents. Not a bad read, but nothing out of the ordinary. A 'C' from me.

Killer Pizza by Greg Taylor

Killer Pizza, a horror story with an eye-catching cover, tells the story of Toby, a fourteen-year-old wannabe chef. He'd just about given up in finding a summer job, when he's offered a job at a new pizza restaurant in town, Killer Pizza. Toby's super excited about the opportunity, because how else is he going to get experience in the kitchen in order to one-day fulfill his dream of becoming a famous chef. After starting work there, Toby and his two co-workers, Strobe and Annabel, learn that Killer Pizza is actually a front for a monster-hunting organization and are recruited to become its latest trainees.

Teens will be drawn to Killer Pizza by the striking cover and will be hooked immediately after reading the prologue, which describes a monster attack on a teen. The story is fast-paced and action-packed which will keep even the most reluctant reader turning the page. Personally, I found it a bit campy, almost like a B-movie of the past come to life. This allowed me to look fondly on a story which probably would be forgettable otherwise.

I know many teens that will love this story much more than I did. From me, it gets a 'C.'

Twilight : The Graphic Novel, Volume 1 by Stephenie Meyer, Art & Adaptation by Young Kim

I am so sick and tired of the Twilight mania, not that I didn't like reading the books. By now, most everyone knows the basic plot, whether they've read the book, watched the movie, heard someone talk about it, or maybe see or read a parody. I did enjoy them, but I don't get the total obsession with them. That said, I did attempt to read this graphic novel version of Twilight, part one with fresh eyes.

Obviously, this is only the first book in a series, for it only partially tells the story told in Twilight. From what I could tell, it pretty much stays faithful to the original storyline. I could detect a few homages to the film version, but I didn't get the impression of being overdone or solely relying on it.

The book's definitely uses the artwork to give the reader more insight into Bella's feelings and moods. I especially liked the use of colors to emphasize a dreamlike feeling. The frames where some images are sharp, while others are blurry help to highlight some of Bella's confusion and to make the reader key right in on certain plot points or characters.

I was surprised that I liked it as much as I did. I could tell that thought went into how and why of the images, and it wasn't a slapdash attempt to cash in on the popularity of Twilight. I give it a B.