Jovenique Davila
Mrs. Silverman
Language Arts 8B
February 24, 2015
Critical Book Review
In both Ketchup Clouds and A Fault in Our Stars teenagers have to face the reality of love and tragedy. Although the stories are similar in many ways, A Fault in Our Stars has a much better message that touches the heart of several individuals: it shows that the time we have is so precious and we should use it to our full advantage.
A Fault in Our Stars by John Green tells of two young adults by the names Hazel Grace and Augustus (Gus) Waters who are faced with one of the biggest challenges in life: cancer. Throughout the story you see them grow by learning from one another and falling in love. Gus wants to leave a mark on the world and to be remembered and, “Hazel knows the truth. She didn’t want a million admirers, she just wanted one, and she got it. Maybe she wasn’t loved widely but she was loved deeply, and isn’t that more than what most of us get?”(Augustus Waters). In the story Gus uses his “wish” to take Hazel to Amsterdam to meet her favorite writer, Peter Van Houtin, but soon is completely disappointed by his drunken attitude. Later on in the trip, Gus tells her that his entire body has been taken over by osteosarcoma (cancer); once they come back home to Louisiana Gus grows sicker. This book left me in tears, it shows that life is short and that we should take the time we have to live it to the fullest; the story is raw and leaves you with deep emotions. (Green)
Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher is about a young fifteen year old girl by the name Zoe who lives in England. Throughout the story Zoe is writing to man in Texas on death row, telling him of how she killed her boyfriend. Zoe’s fatal story begins with a drunken night at a party, and one striking pair of brown eyes who belong to Aaron. But when Zoe loses sight of him at the crowded party, she soon finds herself in the arms of popular boy Max, Zoe begins dating Max even though her she continues yearning to sees Aaron---that is, until she discovers that Max and Aaron are brothers. Once Max finds out that Zoe and Aaron are together he flies into a drunken rage which leads to one’s death. This story kept me on my toes; from the romance to the betrayal I couldn’t put the book down; this book show that you should always be careful of the decisions that you make for they can have fatal consequences. (Pitcher)