Book Reviews

Gossip Girl: Bad Literature?

It seemed like for years every time I'd go to Barnes and Noble I'd see the book series titled Gossip Girl lining bookshelves. The covers always showed gorgeous girls in the most fashionable clothes doing whatever glamorous things rich girls in New York do {as if I had any idea}. Though I knew they were popular books, I only recently started reading them. To my surprise, I was sucked in from the very first chapter. Everything about the books were so fun, spur of the moment, and carefree. All the girls in the books were rich, good-looking, and had parents that could care less about what they did {including but not limited to drinking, running around New York alone, and spending their money on designer clothing}.

The books have a variety of characters, several plots going at once, and constant humor provided by the webpage written by the anonymous Gossip Girl. Indeed, the books give the reader very little chance to grow bored since they follow seven very different characters at once. The first two main characters, Blair and Serena, are like living Barbie's. Both are beautiful, well dressed, and fun loving. Though they sound innocent enough, they have darker sides as well. Blair suffers from an eating disorder and enjoys drinking, partying, and can be quite manipulative at times. Serena shares a few of the same qualities, such as drinking and a tendency to party, but is a little bit more friendly. Throughout the book these two girls are either friends or enemies. The reasons for the rifts often vary from fighting over the same boy, jealousy, or school trouble. Either way, both are very entertaining, though at times frustrating.

Two of the other characters of the book couldn't be more different from Blair and Serena. Dan and Vanessa serve as the peculiar artists of the series. Dan, a coffee addicted poet, is skinny, quiet, with a mop of untidy brown hair and has a tendency to over think things a bit. Vanessa is Dan's on-again, off-again girlfriend. She is an aspiring film maker, who shaves her head as a statement to the preppy girls of her school. This goofy and sometimes weirdly out there duo bring a lot of variety to the books and keep things interesting.

Then there's Jenny and Nate. Jenny {who happens to be Dan's little sister} aspires to be just like Serena. At times this is not a very good goal, but Jenny does succeed at following in Serena's footsteps by modeling in some well-known fashion magazines and becoming popular with some famous people. Jenny is also an intelligent girl who is quite gifted at painting and receives decent grades. Overall, I view her as the most wholesome character of the series. Nate, however, is pretty much just a simple stoner boy who happens to be very handsome. He starts out as Blair's boyfriend and then dates Serena as well, causing friction between the two girls.

The last character is pretty much the focal point of the book series: the infamous Gossip Girl. This anonymous young woman is the creator of the popular webpage that reports on everything Dan, Vanessa, Serena, Blair, Jenny, and Nate do. Just when you think you've figured out who Gossip Girl is, she says something that totally throws you off. It is possible that the Gossip Girl is one of the main characters {such as Serena or Blair} given the amount of information she acquires. Or it is also highly possible that she is one of the girls' schoolmates that the readers are not very familiar with. Either way, the reports by this girl are full of witty humor and uncanny advice.

As you can imagine, with so many interesting characters I quickly devoured the first book. Though I was enjoying my guilty pleasure, one morning I flipped on the TV to find a woman on a morning talk show discussing how she thought that the books were inappropriate for girls to read. Though I admit what Serena and Blair do isn't something I believe many girls should try to copy, I don't think the books are evil. To me they are just something to read for mere entertainment, not something I take seriously. The girls in the books have no repercussions for the foolish things they do, which is not what would happen in the real world. I have to admit, though, if the girls in the books did pay for what they did, it would take a significant amount of the fun out of the whole scheme of things.

Although I enjoy the books, I do think that they are not appropriate reading for any girl under fourteen. And even at that age, I think the girl needs to be mature enough to be established in her own personal values and mature enough to understand that the books are pure fiction.

Indeed, as far as literature goes, these books do not stand up to any real great works of writing. They are simply fun because you get to live precariously through the characters but not have any of the guilt of actually doing what they did. If anything, the books can teach you what not to do. J

Submitted by Haley Welch

Last Hurrah for Harry Potter

For months I had been semi-patiently awaiting July 21, 2007. Who could wait? The seventh and final installment of the Harry Potter series was about to come out! I had to work at the county fair that night, but as soon as I got home I saw that package on the counter. I was elated. I knew that the day had come, when I would finally know the fate of three characters, which I had come to know so well over the past years.

Sitting down on my couch, I was slightly afraid to even open the book and read the first page. I knew going in that there would be some parts of the book that were gut-wrenching and horribly upsetting, but I still would not be able to put the book down. I had decided beforehand to take the book slowly so I could take in everything that was happening. I spent four days with my nose stuck in the book, unlike many people, who were finished reading the book Saturday night. I am glad to say that my pacing was well worth it.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is more of an adventure than the other books. From sneaking into the Ministry of Magic and Gringotts to seeing into Lord Voldemort's mind through Harry's scar, most readers will be on the edge of their seat.

This book takes Harry, Ron, and Hermione on an excursion through the English countryside looking for Horcruxes, little pieces of Lord Voldemort's soul. It is definitely testing of the trio's friendship and problem-solving power.

The softer, more emotional side of the book has also grown. Ron and Hermione get closer, perhaps more than friends while Harry and Ginny still pose a possible threat to Ron and Harry's friendship. A recent publication by Rita Skeeter causes Harry to question what the real Dumbledore is actually like.

Rowling makes a grand finale of the classic good versus evil at the end of the book. Hogwarts is the scene of the great battle between Dumbledore's Army and the Death Eaters. My favorite part of the book is included in the clash. It was when Harry went into the forest to face Lord Voldemort for what might be the last time that I realized how bad I was going to need the tissues resting across the room from me. He uses a piece of the Deathly Hallows to talk to his parents as he walks right into what he knows is his death. It was very emotional and probably the first time in the entire book I felt like I was going to start crying.

All in all, this book was very captivating and hard to put down. J.K. Rowling did a great job of creating another side of the characters that we have not seen yet. This may even make it easier to relate to them and the things that they are going through. The plot is real, and you realize how much J.K. Rowling put into the series, starting with the first book. All of the questions that have been hanging are answered and the intricate web of the Harry Potter series is finished for generations ahead to enjoy.

Alyssa Cole