The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde - UPDATED REVIEW

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde  Genre : Classics Blurb (on back of book) : Oscar Wilde’s only novel is the dreamlike story of a young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty. In this celebrated work Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late-19th-century England. Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world. For over a century, this mesmerizing tale of horror and suspense has enjoyed wide popularity. It ranks as one of Wilde's most important creations and among the classic achievements of its kind. UPDATED REVIEW MY OPINION : ****** I would like to start out this review by stating that this is undoubtedly m
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If I Were You - Leslie Margolis

If I Were You by Leslie Margolis
Genre: J Realistic with a Twist :)

Image result for if i were you book leslie margolisBlurb (on back of book): Katie's reasons for why it's better to be Melody

  • She's a boy magnet
  • Melody's parents are still married. Mine are too...to other people.
  • Her parents never make her do any chores. Meanwhile, I get stuck babysitting almost every day.
Why Melody thinks Katie has the ideal life:

  • Her house is fun and lively. My house is empty and lonely.
  • They have family dinners practically every night. My dad almost never comes home.
  • Everyone talks about how pretty I am, like that's the most important thing, like that's all I am...
Twelve-year-old Katie is insanely jealous of her best friend, Melody. Turns out Melody is jealous of Katie, too. When they both wish for the exact same thing at the exact same time, to redo summer as each other, their wishes come true. Katie is Melody and Melody is Katie and neither one has the experience they expected. In this be-careful-what-you-wish-for tale, two best friends learn that the grass is not always greener on the other side.

MY OPINION: ***

Not the best book I've ever read, but not bad either.

This book is a whirlwind of adventure of two girls becoming each other. They both think the other one has a perfect life, but in reality, nobody has a perfect life. You just have to make do with what you have, and ignore the negative.

But no, these girls wish to be each other at the exact same time in a wishing tunnel. They become each other. Poof. I did not really like how this happened, but it was important to the story, it turns out.

Melody and Katie become each other, and start their summer all over again. At first, Melody is so happy that she is Katie. The real Melody is a "model", always known as the pretty girl, and she hates that nobody notices anything else about her. Katie, no offense, is not pretty at all, and is just an average twelve-year-old that people don't notice. Melody is so happy to become this person, and she is amazed at how much Katie has. 

Katie, on the other hand, wants to be pretty, and becomes so happy at getting Melody's body. Katie then experiments with clothing, happy to feel wanted in Melody's body.

Both girls soon learn that what they thought of each other is far from correct. Katie learns that Melody has been dating the boy that the real Katie called dibs on in the first summer. Kevin is this rocking god of a boy, who Melody has been secretly dating. Katie soon finds out that Kevin isn't all she thought he was. (He's actually pretty flaky - looks aren't everything). 

Melody also learns that although she loves Katie's twin stepbrothers, babysitting four-year-olds isn't always the best thing. 

Soon, they both realize that they would rather be themselves again. 

This book is not my favorite for different reasons:

*I didn't like the plotline very much.
*The wish. How did that even happen????
*It was too juvenile and easy for me to read. 

I am not saying that this book was terrible. Never. Instead, it was a really interesting book. It's just that it's aimed towards younger kids. 

So if you are in fourth grade or above, be sure to try reading this book. It is really good for younger readers, and it also has a good message.

Thanks so much for reading! Please comment down below :)

Main Character: Katie and Melody
Sidekick(s): Ryan, Reese, Kevin, parents, etc
Villain(s): Wanting something you can't have, etc
Realistic with a Twist Elements: This could have happened in real life, except for the fact that there is a sort of "magic" involved that is highly unlikely to ever happen in real life.

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