Rating: 
Summary: not good at all
Review: The book tries way too hard to be catcher in the rye from a girl's point of view. It's nothing more than a lame ripoff. I did not care for Stella at all. Sure she suffered a tragedy, but she had a couple who was willing to adopt her. Some kids aren't even that lucky. I don't buy the way her adoptive parents treated her. Especially the stupid explanation that from day one Stella had been glaring at them, judging them. Anyone who adoptd a child, especially one that had been through a tradgedy know that child is going to have some emtional problems. You'd think the adoptive parents would be sympathetic and try to get her pyschiatric help and show her love. The book was unrealistic, depressing, and b-o-r-i-n-g!
Rating: 
Summary: One of the Best
Review: This book is amazing. I cannot say that I identify with the character's life, but more so I identified with her reactions to life and the observations which she makes. You will fall in love with Stella's wit and ability to see through the superficial world which high-schoolers create. You will even begin to question all which we as adults deem meaningful. Ultimately for me this book was extremely philosophical. I cannot say enough good things about this book. READ IT.
Rating:
Summary: Boring can barely describe it
Review: This book is incredibly bland, and if I hadn't been reading it for a class I probably wouldn't of finished it. There was barely a plot; all you really know is that she's smart and she wants to kill herself. She never comes across as depressed - the only reason she ever gives for wanting to commit suicide is because she wants people to talk about her once she's gone and she wants people to wonder why they didn't see her suicide coming. Her parents did die when she was young (which could easily lead to depression) but there is only one part of the book where she even seems sad they're gone. She doesn't have any good friends in the beginning, but that doesn't bother her either. She makes one good friend towards the end and the book goes slightly uphill because it seems like something is finally about to happen, but then the author abruptly ends the book before anything can happen.
In a nutshell: She spends the entire book doing absolutely nothing.
Rating: 
Summary: original but flawed
Review: This book is supposed to evoke "Catcher in the Rye," but there are some noteworthy differences between the two protagonists. Holden Caulfield tries valiantly to connect with people, but usually only succeeds in alienating them. Also, there are cracks in his facade, cluing the reader in to his deteriorating mental state. Stella, the main character, of "Panda" is his opposite number. The reader gets very limited access to her mental state, and as she seems to effortlessly move from task to task before ending her life, we are left in the dark as to why she is going to do this. Apart from her foster mom, she improves her relationships if anything as she manages to charm her teachers and principal into overlooking minor misbehavior, and makes - dare I say it - a friend. She is not locked into any one path, and has a chance to delay college. Though she quits an acting class, she must indeed be a first class actress if she can carry off "normalcy" so well. Many people who end their life are depressed, and it is impossible for a depressed person to feign interest in their surroundings so perfectly. (At least I think so.) I also agree with reviewers that said that the drug dealer boyfriend and the outburst from the foster mom came completely out of left field. Stella never explains why she and the guy broke up - which might be an important clue right there. And the foster mom thing seemed added because the author was trying to shoehorn in some "drama." The character of Ainsley was the most fascinating to me. I wanted to know more about her, as she was the least stereotypical of the cast. Stella, in comparision, did fit into that "angsty teen" mold, despite some uniqueness.
Rating:
Summary: great book
Review: This book is very difficult to describe. Because it's in journal format, Stella's mind wanders in several directions and she writes it all down. It's hard to keep up with what's actually going in the story. I had to stop and re-read serveral pages. I'm actually going to re-read the whole book just in case I missed something.
On the plus side, the character development is superb. You can actually feel what Stella is feeling. You understand her reactions and her sarcastic comments. She is troubled and slowly the author takes you deeper and deeper into her troubled mind.
You will find yourself asking "what is she (Stella) talking about?" You have to think about it hard in order for it to make sense.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully and fluidly written -- highly recommended!
Review: This book reminds me why high school and suburban life are so screwed up, and I hope that everyone reads it and learns -- with something raw for anyone who ever felt misunderstood growing up, and with something enlightening for parents and the delusionally happy. Rather than going for the obvious route of the predictably dark and twisted teenager that one would expect, Seigel delves unflinchingly into the mind of a witty, relentlessly honest anti-hero. Emotionally, I feel the same perverted sense of sympathy, appreciation, and repulsion for Stella that I feel with Pechorin in A Hero of Our Time. Looking at the reviews below, I don't entirely see the simplistic comparison to Holden because they're such radically different characters -- and thankfully so -- plus, Stella has much more of a sense of humor!
Rating:
Summary: so good, i almost couldn't think
Review: this book was so easy to follow, and it made you think about little details in the world. it was insanely truthful, and i reccomend it to most anyone.
i am an avid book reader, and i think this may have become one of the top 10 books i have ever read
Rating:
Summary: Instant Classic
Review: Wow. I knew this book was going to be good. I wasn't prepared for it to be a work of art. In every way imaginable it surpassed what I thought was possible from a new work of fiction. I would say that the style, characterization, plot, and theme were flawless, except that these bland terms fail to describe the pure content of the book. I would again say emotional, intellectual, spiritual content, but the all encompassing, almost Zen nature of the book requires me to throw out these distinctions. I am therefore reduced to trying to describe the book without using words. Since that is impossible, I think I should just say that if you haven't read it, you should and if you have, you should read it again. Thank you Andrea. Thank you so much.
Rating:
Summary: um... yeah
Review: You would think that someone who attended Brown University would have at least gone to a creative writing class, but unfortunately this seems to not be the case. I have read better written children's stories. (Goodnight Moon, anyone?)
Like the Red Panda has all the intentions, but none of the action necessary to make this book a real "tour de force". Stella, although she is a somewhat witty heroine, makes all the funny observations that you've come to expect from modern fiction, yet she misses the mark with a gross lack of refinement and originality. Called by my English teacher "Holden Caulfield-esque", I think Salinger would be quite mortified to have his genius compared with Stella. Although the typical disenchanted teenager, Stella's decision to kill herself makes little real sense. The book has no point, other than to serve as a antithesis to the other crap that's been circulating in book clubs. My advice: Buy it if you need a new coaster, but if you're looking for real, well-written literature, let this panda go extinct.
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