Diary of a Whimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

The book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid was about a kid named Greg Heffley and his personal diary. How everthing he did went some how wrong. Everything that went wrong ended up to be exactually the opposite as he planned. While his best friend Rowley got the attetion for mostly doing nothing. Greg had a smaller brother who usually got all the attention, and never got in trouble from his parents. He got everthing for christmas, when Greg had got a sweater by mistake. Greg usually picked on his brother and on his best friend Rowley.

I thought the book was good, because it kept me reading on, and interested to what is going to happen next. The best part of the book was when Christmas time was around and Greg got a sweater that was for the giving tree guy, on mistake. There was never a part that didn't make sense or that I didn't like. I really liked the ending because it was interesting. I thought the author really made the book interesting. It kept on making me want to read more.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Sandy, Oregon United States

When Your Teen Is Struggling by Mark Gregston

Mark Gregston is the founder of Heartlight Ministries, a residential counseling facility for teens in crisis. He has more than 30 years helping teens in crisis and uses his experience to help parents going through a crisis or just wanting to prevent a crisis in their lives. Gregston's book is divided into chapters which strive to give hope to parents, to explain the causes of their teen's crisis and to provide solutions to the problems. Each chapter has personal examples of teens and parents to assist the parent in understanding the examples.

This is an outstanding book to assist a parent experiencing difficulties with their teen. The author states clearly that hope is action. Without action there is no hope. Reality is also emphasized in this book when it states that not all teens will be helped, but by putting our trust in God our relationship and outlook can change. We can change the way we communicate with family members and deal with crisis in our life. This book will help any Christian family facing turmoil in their teen's life.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Reviewer Age: 59
Reviewer City, State and Country: Spring, Texas USA

Girl of the Moment by Lizabeth Zindel

Lily Miles, entering her senior year of high school, had decided she needs an internship that will set her apart from the rest of the applicants to the school of her choice, Brown University. When her orignal summer plan fails, she begins to wonder why she isn't off at soccer camp like the rest of her friends. That is, until she gets an intership with the Hollywood starlet, Sabrina Snow. As Lily becomes more invested in her relationship with Sabrina her life begins to spin out of control. She notices that her primary support, her dad and her best friend, begin to fade out of the spotlight. Girl of the Moment is a great story that focuses on the importance of love and friendship. Maybe fame isn't everything its cracked up to be.

I really enjoyed Girl of the Moment. I found that the protagonist was incredibly likable. Lily is a good student as well as a good person. Her experiences with Sabrina teach her that people who care and support you are the people you should surround yourself with. This book was an excellent read, a complete page-turner. I fell in love with all of the characters, even the complicated and bratty Sabrina. I would definately recommend this book.

This book contains some teenage drinking and weight related issues. It is not a book to be severely worried about but there are some 'wild' attributes of the characters.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Concord, Massachusetts United States

Anything But Ordinary by Valerie Hobbs

When he is thirteen, Bernie Federman moves to Pittstown, New Jersey. Proudly different than anybody else, he doesn't know anyone in the eighth grade, and from the very first day of school sits in the back of the classroom. Then he meets Winifred Owens, also fiercely individualistic, and possibly the only person less popular at school than Bernie. They fall in love and begin planning their life together. Both very intelligent, they are at the top of their class and apply to all the same colleges, neither of them dreaming they'll end up somewhere different than the other. Then, shortly before graduation, tragedy strikes for Bernie, and all his dreams fall apart. He stops going to school, dropping to the bottom of the class, and starts working in a tire shop, abandoning his plans for college. Winifred is heartbroken, but presses on, going across the country to attend the University of California at Santa Barbara. Once there, she realizes just how much she doesn't fit in, and with the help of her new roommates, she gets a makeover and becomes 'Wini,' changing her major from nanoscience to communications and spending her time partying, gossiping, and drinking lattes. Meanwhile, Bernie realizes he may have lost her forever, so he travels crosscountry to catch up with her. However, once he finds her again and realizes that she's become 'ordinary,' it may be too late for them.

I really loved this book. It's different than a lot of the teen romances available today in that it deals with the dark horses, the underdogs, the "unpopular" kids. You really find yourself rooting for Bernie and Winifred to make it work, for Winifred to wake up and realize how silly she's being, and you want them to get back together in the end. From the moment I picked it up, I didn't stop reading ANYTHING BUT ORDINARY, and I would definitely recommend it. It's a great look at the first year of college and how much it can change a person (for better or for worse), and although the ending is slightly bittersweet, it still leaves the reader with a smile. I'll definitely keep my eyes open for other books by Valerie Hobbs.

Adult guidance recommended, as this book involves the lives of college students and deals with alcohol and sexual situations.

Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Little Rock, AR USA

Penny From Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm

Penny Falucci is just a "run of the mill" kid. Well&& except for her huge Italian family. Among her many uncles, mourning Grandmother, annoying cousin, and grumpy mother, Penny's life is a box full of crazy. Her father died when she was just a little baby. She never knew him. Though in a way, she was really close to him. Nobody tells her anything about him and she thinks her uncles just treat her like a princess is because they feel sorry for Penny. But when something extreme happens, she finds out a whole lot more info than what she wanted about her dad.

Penny from Heaven was an excellent book to read. It was a lot of fun to read about how she dealt with her crazy family. Her uncles all had their little quirks and it was fun. She had to balance her father's side of the family, all Italians and her mom's side of the family. Grim-faced bad cooks. It also had a bit of mystery in it. You try to think about what happened to her father. But it was really exciting to find out what in the end though.

Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: , IL

What Happeened by Peter Johnson

On a snowy night, when they were driving too fast, Kyle and his brother find themselves in a predicament that they never expected to be in. In addition to his already crazy and mixed up life, the narrator now must deal with the death of a stranger, a death he was a part of. The book portrays the unpredictable and meaningful experiences of a boy and his brother. Scarily simple and yet complex on many levels, this book was suspenseful without being a horror.

"There haven't been many happy endings in my life or Kyle's, or happy beginnings or middles either, just events needing to be pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle."

This poetic book is the twisted tangled story of mistakes made, and the weight of guilt on the shoulders of the ones who can do nothing. The tale was intriguing at times, but occasionally the change between the narrator's dreams and memories and real life confused me. The vocabulary was simple and easy, but the meanings of some messages were beyond me. The ending was plain but was a wonderful way to close such a mysterious book. Johnson has a way with words that could be compared with Robert Frost, with an exciting, modern twist.

The book had nothing too scandlous in it and was not gory.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Marblehead, MA USA

Ida B by Katherine Hannigan

Ida B is an elementary grade student. Her parents own an orchard that has many apple trees. Ever since she hated kindergarten, her parents have homeschooled her. In her free time, Ida B loves to have fun and talk to the trees and brook that she has named. When her mother develops cancer, her family must sell part of the orchard, and she has to go back to public school. Ida B is devastated because of both things and plans to not talk to anyone because she hates everyone now. She learns that a kid in her class is moving into the part of the orchard that her family sold, and she is devastated even more when she finds out that they will cut down trees to build a house. In the end, Ida B realizes that it is alright and that by being angry forever will not change anything.

Ida B was a page-turner for me to read. The length was perfect for this story. It was also very creatively written and unique. All of the life lessons about having fun, pain, and friendships taught me so much. When I read, I look for books with emotion in them or else it isn't too exciting. Ida B definitely showed emotion and left me crying at the end. The end of the story was well written and perfect for the whole story. I would recommend this story to anyone who wants to read about friendships.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Carlisle, PA USA

The Pull of the Ocean by Jean-Claude Mourlevat

The Doutreleau family is comprised of mother, father, and seven sons: three sets of twins and Yann. Yann is an unusual child, to say the least. He's ten years old and only two feet tall, but without any deformities of a dwarf. He's mute, but easily communicates with people through facial expressions and gestures of the hand. The mother and father are crude, cruel people who terrify their children.

One night Yann awakes his brothers with a warning that they must leave, or else their parents might do them harm. So begins their journey west as they travel towards the only refuge they know of: the ocean.

The Pull of the Ocean is told from many different perspectives, from the seven boys to the many people they meet along their journey, making it rather difficult to feel connected to any one of the characters. Written in a simplistic style, it is a story of survival and hope. The entire book seemed undescribably strange, though. It left me wondering what the point of the tale was exactly. Perhaps something was lost in its translation to English since it felt so incomplete.

Brief swearing by the mother in one chapter.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Moscow, ID USA

Keeper of the Earth by Jenna Solitaire

This is the fourth book in the Daughter of Destiny series. It is written from the first-person point of view. The author, Jenna Solitaire, is also the main charactor that is trying to retrieve the Boards of Babylon with her good friend Simon Monk. The book begins with a magical battle between two wizards. The victor talks to Jenna, who is watching from the side. He says his name is Emrys, and that he can guide her to the fourth Board, the Board of Earth. The Board can grant control over the very earth they stand on, and it, combined with the other Boards, can give the power of elemental binding, the ability to create the mysterious fifth element. Jenna then wakes up in a hotel room in Rome, hearing the voices of the three Boards that she possess along with the voice of her ultimate grandmother, Shalizander. Shalizander was also one of the creators of the Boards. After Jenna and Simon have a revealing visit with Cardinal Cepheus in Vatican City, they go to Scotland with Armand, a member of the Knight's Templar, to look for the phoenix stone that will lead them to the Board of Earth. They find the stone and the spirit of the wizard Coughlin. From this point on, Jenna will have to make decisions and bear burdens that will shape the very world.

I found this book to be very interesting, even though it is the first book in the series I have read. It did a great job of explaining old concepts and previous details from the other books. Once you start reading this book, you will not want to stop, especially if you like fantasies that are set in our world. The author does a good job of keeping the reader entangle in the plot.Overall, I thought that this book is very good, even though some parts go a little slowly.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Pennsylvania U.S.A.

The Disunited States of America by Harry Turtledove

Justin Monroe and his mother travel to an alternate United States where the Constitution was never created. Each state has broken off and formed its own country. Becky Royer, a young girl from the country of California, journeys with her grandmother to her hometown, Elizabeth, Virginia, so her grandmother can say her final goodbyes. She meets Justin there just as war breaks out between Ohio and Virginia. Ohio releases a tailored virus, trapping the two in Virginia under quarantine. Becky can't return to California, and Justin can't return to the United States he calls home. As those around them begin getting sick and the war intensifies, they struggle to find a way to get to their respective homes, alive and well.

I thought that the book had a fascinating storyline, and that the action was well-developed. However, the language was poorly executed. As the characters conversed, their dialogue was forced and its sole purpose was to further the plot. It broke the believable world of the story. Also, the narration used too much slang, as though the author was trying to incorporate the characters' styles into every aspect of the book: the scenery, the descriptions, the action. Though the story is told from Justin's point of view, Justin himself is not telling the story, and again, it discredited the world Harry Turtledove was trying to create. The character development was unbelievable as well. Either they were 100% heroic, or they had annoying weaknesses that became their entire character. It was hard to relate to the characters, because they were too lucky and too perfect (or absolutely flawed) to allow the reader to sympathize much with their struggles. Though the idea of the book was exciting, I had to force myself to finish it because of all the obvious shortcomings.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 5
Reviewer Age: 16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Overland Park, Kansas United States

Secrets of My Hollywood Life on Location by Jen Calonita

Kaitlin Burke fell off Hollywood status when she pretended to be a normal high schooler and got caught. Now she is back in full force working on the next big movie with the next big director. She has the perfect boyfriend, a semi-normal family, and everything starts looking good for her. But when the "Cruella daVille" of Hollywood actresses plus Kaitlin's crazy ex-boyfriend costars in the movie, things start taking a turn for the worst. Follow Kaitlin and her high profile life through breakups and makeups in Secrets of My Hollywood Life on Location.

I loved the book!!! This is the kind of book I love to read. There are so many diverse characters from the yoga obsessed director to the calm and collected Austin, Kaitlin's boyfriend. I also liked throughout the book it has "Hollywood Secrets" such as "Many Stars don't stay for their own premieres." I loved the plot but the outcome was kind of predictable. Kaitlin's relationship was the boy meets girl, boy dumps girl, boy and girl get back together. It was too obvious in the beginning. However, the rest of the book was great and to girls who like girly books, this screams you.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Villa Hills, Kentucky United States

One Whole and Perfect Day by Judith Clarke

Lily is the only sensible on in her family. Soon she finds herself acting like a parent or grandmother would, saying odd phrases and smelling of dishwater and steamed vegetables. Should she fall in love? She seemed to figure that everyone who fell in love weren't at all sensible, surely that would help. Daniel Steadman, a grade eleven in Lily's school, was who she had her eye on. With her Crazy Family and her Pop's Upcoming party on the way, she only wished for just one whole and perfect day!

I thought this was a very beautiful book. At times I caught myself day-dreaming but that surely just means a lot was on my mind. This book was written wonderfully. The use of vocabulary just blows your mind away. I would surely choose to raise the age to young adult since some criteria may not be understandable to younger readers. The ending grabs you by the gut and certainly urges you to read the last 10 chapters as fast as you can. I didn't quite like the character, Lilly, since her attitude was all wrong towards things such as her mother bringing home old people from her nursing home job as a doctor. Her mother just put up with her nagging all the same. This book was also written from a different culture base as well [australia] so i can understand the differences. GREAT BOOK!

Young Adult would suit this book more appropriately since the vocabulary is quite confusing at points. At times I had to refer to a dictionary. Mature Readers may be an overstatement but I picked what was closest to the book. There is nothing in the book that is inapropriate so all readers are welcome, but it may be harder to understand.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Carlisle, PA USA

Hollywood Hills by Aimee Friedman

Best friends Alexa St. Laurent and Holly Jacobson are off on a new adventure to Hollywood after Alexa manages to secure an invitation to the hottest event in California, Margaux Eklundstrom's wedding. It's a whole week of shopping, partying and fun in the sun. The girls get to stay in the guesthouse of Margaux's hot brother, Jonah, and Alexa hits it off immediately with Jonah. But as they hang out more, Alexa realizes that they may not be meant for each other. Holly immediately senses that there seems to be trouble in paradise. She is not getting along with her boyfriend, Tyler, which puts a damper on her mood. The girls try to put their boy problems aside and have fun relaxing on the beach and shopping. Holly realizes that she loves California and decides that she wants to go to college there, which means that she will be separated from Alexa for the first time. After a week in Hollywood, both Holly and Alexa learn a lot about themselves.

I liked this book. It was a great book to take my mind off of serious things. But this book was somewhat predictable and unrealistic, but that made the story more fun. Once I started this, I didn't want to put it down. I really want to go to Hollywood now after reading this! Alexa and Holly are fun characters to read about and I hope that the author will write more books about them.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 20
Reviewer City, State and Country: Philadelphia, PA USA

Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins

Debbie wished something exceptionally exciting would happen to her--a normal, average girl living in a boring, old city. Hector, the other main character, wants to learn how to play the guitar and impress a girl named Meadow. There are a few different characters that are the narrator in this story and each is very similar to the other. They sit in Lenny’s dad’s old pickup truck a lot and listen to a show called Criss Cross on the radio. Debbie has lost her necklace and it gets passed along to each character until it finally ends up being given back to her. Criss Cross mainly tells about the life of these teens through each one’s own perspective.

Criss Cross was a pretty good book but it didn’t really seem like there was a main focus to it. It mostly seemed like the author, Lynne Rae Perkins, just wrote this HUMONGOUS story to tell about some events that happened in these teens’ lives. I thought it was really neat how the author added extra things like haikus, poems, songs, and pretty detailed pictures to help you visualize what was occurring at that time. I think that the characters and their personalities weren’t really described well enough though. The characters were pretty much static (unchanging) and it was kind of hard to tell who the narrator was at times because they were so identical. I also think that there were definitely TOO MANY people involved in this novel. Criss Cross was written by Lynne Rae Perkins and is a Newberry honor book.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg, PA United States

Forever in Blue by Ann Brashares

Lena, Tibby, Carmen, and Bee have just finished their first year of college, and are hoping for some time together. As in summers past, that doesn't work, and they rely on the pants to keep them together as their worlds are rapidly changing. Bee is upset to find that her boyfriend, Eric, is going to teach at a summer camp in Baja without her; as a way to get back, she signs up for an archaeological dig in Istanbul- finding more than just “ancient dirt.” Tibby is trying to find out if Brian is the one. After a rough summer start, she breaks things off with Brian in search of answers, while also staying for a summer class at NYU. Lena is still trying to forget about (forgetting about) Kostos, by having a summer fling with a boy in her summer art class. Carmen is the September having the hardest time dealing with change; the girls' first year of school separated was brutal to her. She, in turn, goes to theater camp for the summer to try and find out who she really is. Forever In Blue takes the girls on their own personal journeys; it questions how far they want to go in life, and for how long they want their friendship to last. As the last summer with the pants comes to a close, Tibby, Carmen, Bee, and Lena come together to realize that their friendship, with or without the pants, will be never ending.

Forever In Blue was a good ending to a wonderful series of books. It was very poetic; I experienced the lives of the Septembers as they experienced everything themselves. The book had a wonderful message: true friendship conquers all. The only things I would have recommended Ann Brashares not to put in the book were scenes in which Tibby had sex and in which Lena had sex. It didn't go into too much detail, but it was not necessary. This would have rated a 10 on the Flamingnet scale if not for those factors.

Content:Forever In Blue is best suited for mature readers, due to some sexual situations.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: , USA

Crispin - At the Edge of the World by Avi

When we last left Crispin, he was walking out of jail after saving his mentor and friend, Bear. As they are walking down the road, they stop at a hut to eat and drink,but after Bear gets in a fight with the owner of the house, he gets shot in the shoulder as they leave. They must run as they try to escape their newfound enemy. As Bear gets worse, they meet two suspected witches, Auge and Taaaa. When they are forced to run again, they must take Taaaa with them. They end up taking a boat to a new land... with new dangers.

Avi delivers once again! I think this is a solid book with a good storyline and an awesome moral. I did have some trouble staying with the book, but I think thats just me. I can almost guarantee that this will be a good read for any age. It isn't a very long book though, so it should only take about 5 days. Anyone who likes realistic fiction, or Avi, will like this book. It has already won a lot of rewards, and is one of the best books I've read in a while.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, Pennsylvania USA

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

It is the middle of the Vietnam War with young Holling Hoodhood living on Long Island in New York. Everybody in Holling's new seventh grade class either goes to temple or church on Wednesday afternoons leaving him with his new teacher, Mrs. Baker, Wednesday afternoons. Having to survive an afternoon once a week for the school year doesn’t seem that hard, except that Holling feels that Mrs. Baker “hates his guts” and his family won’t help him at all. So every Wednesday afternoon all of his friends leave and Holling is stuck sitting with his teacher reading Shakespeare. Holling’s father an architect with his own company thinks about only two things the future of Hoodhood and Associates and Walter Cronkite’s evening report. Now Holling has to survive seventh grade, not just against Shakespeare, but rats, the class bully, Doug Swieteck’s brother, cream puffs, track, feathery tights, and many other things, while fate keeps giving twists and turns everywhere.

The Wednesday Wars is an amazing book that tells the story of an average kid leading an exciting life. The book is very good and has bits of history entwined in it like the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy. The book shows a lot of unexpected things happening that all seem perfectly logical making this book a good read that keeps you entertained and waiting for the next twist. It is definitely a page turner, even when my mom said lights out; I took out a flashlight and continued reading. I enjoyed how the entire book was written form the point of view of a seventh grader showing every event form their point of view.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Eastchester, NY USA

Pompeii: The Living City by Alex Butterworth

Pompeii is a well- researched historical non-fiction that examines life in the Roman city of Pompeii. The book begins with the arrival to power of Nero, a vibrant new Emperor. The twenty-five years preceding the eruption of Vesuvius are detailed in many aspects, including economic, social, and political problems as well as greatness. The eruption of Vesuvius, and the subsequent burial to the city under volcanic ash and mud, is considered to be one of the most catastrophic events faced by the great ROman Empire. As the authors explain, it is nearly impossible to positively date artifacts so far back in antiquity and since the initial discovery and excavation of Pompeii began in the eighteenth century, much of that work has to be deciphered as well. This book tells a story based on the understanding of the authors and many scholars to allow readers to discover Pompeii for themselves without sorting through the tremendous amount of artifacts made available through the discovery of Pompeii.

I really liked the authors' style in introducing individual chapters, and different time periods with short stories showing emotion and daily activities. This book, I believe, is intended for individuals interested in the social sciences. It is not necessarily a quick read to pass the time in the afternoon, although the authors do an excellent job of putting their tremendous research into an understandable story. Readers will definitely learn a great deal, but patience is the key when dealing with historical non-fiction. I like how the book has a specific aim and provides a lot of detail in presenting the twenty-five years preceding the eruption Vesuvius. I also appreciate the fact that the authors do not assume great amounts of previous knowledge regarding the subject. Overall, not everyone will enjoy this but it is a great book.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Kansas City, MO USA

Pompeii: The Living City by Alex Butterworth

Pompeii is a well- researched historical non-fiction that examines life in the Roman city of Pompeii. The book begins with the arrival to power of Nero, a vibrant new Emperor. The twenty-five years preceding the eruption of Vesuvius are detailed in many aspects, including economic, social, and political problems as well as greatness. The eruption of Vesuvius, and the subsequent burial to the city under volcanic ash and mud, is considered to be one of the most catastrophic events faced by the great ROman Empire. As the authors explain, it is nearly impossible to positively date artifacts so far back in antiquity and since the initial discovery and excavation of Pompeii began in the eighteenth century, much of that work has to be deciphered as well. This book tells a story based on the understanding of the authors and many scholars to allow readers to discover Pompeii for themselves without sorting through the tremendous amount of artifacts made available through the discovery of Pompeii.

I really liked the authors' style in introducing individual chapters, and different time periods with short stories showing emotion and daily activities. This book, I believe, is intended for individuals interested in the social sciences. It is not necessarily a quick read to pass the time in the afternoon, although the authors do an excellent job of putting their tremendous research into an understandable story. Readers will definitely learn a great deal, but patience is the key when dealing with historical non-fiction. I like how the book has a specific aim and provides a lot of detail in presenting the twenty-five years preceding the eruption Vesuvius. I also appreciate the fact that the authors do not assume great amounts of previous knowledge regarding the subject. Overall, not everyone will enjoy this but it is a great book.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Kansas City, MO USA

Halcyon Blithe: Dragonfrigate Wizard by James M. Ward

Dragonfrigate Wizard Halcyon Blithe, by James M. Ward, starts as Halcyon Blithe, an Arcanian midshipwizard, heads off to attack a fleet of Maleen ships. They single out one ship in particular, a small ketch. As they attack the ketch, it fires red-hot mortar shells back at them! Halcyon; Ashe Fallow, a friend and countryman of Halcyon’s; Denna Darkwater, a half-troll marine; and a few other marines take a rowboat and launch off their dragon ship, the Sanguine, as soon as the ketch has been wounded. Halcyon and his war party quickly take over the ketch, the Salamander. Halcyon goes belowdecks and discovers the captain of the ketch. Halcyon disarms the captain by managing to heft a table at him. After defeating the captain, Halcyon and his crew sail smoothly. Smoothly, until one day a ship has been spotted a couple of miles off. As the ship draws nearer, it is identified as a demon ship--a ship made of metal, with no sails, that is piloted by demons. The crew panics and thinks that they are going to die. Halcyon, having demon heritage himself, remembers some powerful demon spells. Beginning to cast the spells, Halcyon starts to grow bigger in size. Halcyon’s spells are powerful, and he begins to grow savage; all the while, the demon ship is drawing nearer to the small Salamander. Will Halcyon and the rest of the crew defeat the demon ship, or will Halcyon forget his loyalty and kill all of his fellow crew? Read Dragonfrigate Wizard Halcyon Blithe to find out!

I liked Dragonfrigate Wizard Halcyon Blithe because I like books about sea adventures and mystical characters. However, I think that the author gives Halcyon a bit too much luck and skill. I thought to myself as I was reading certain parts of the book, “He should have just died.” Although this unrealistic good fortune took place a lot, the book was very enjoyable. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the previous book, Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe, or likes naval combat and fantasy stories.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Saugerties, NY USA

Why I Let My Hair Grow Out by Maryrose Wood

Relationships can be tricky at best and are especially complicated for high school student Morgan whose boyfriend Raphael breaks up with her just before summer vacation. She responded as any heart-broken teenager would; she cut off twenty-four inches of her strawberry blonde hair and leaving nothing but stubble. Her parents decided a change of scenery was in order and sent her on a bicycle trip through Ireland, the land of leprechanus and magic stories. They had not counted on time travel as part of the adventure, but it was. Morgan learned, among other things, that hair grows back and a broken heart does not have to stay that way.

Imagine bicycling around Ireland with newly married starlets, a grieving widow and a family with two middle schoolers. Not much opportunity for friendships, or so Morgan thought. Her definitions of friend and boy friend change as she peddles up and down the hills and across time. Across time? Yes, she can and does. For readers who like just a bit of fantasy with their reality, this is a perfect book to read while you are waiting for your hair to grow out. Even if you have no hair issues, you are sure to find this book well worth your reading time. I highly recommend it.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer City, State and Country: Timonium, Maryland US

L8r g8r by Lauren Myracle

L8r, g8r by Lauren Myracle is a fictional compilation of instant messaging between three friends. Maddie (mad maddie), Angela (SnowAngel), and Zoe (zoegirl) depict the drama of their senior year by typing frantic, excited, or depressed messages to each other. Jana, a girl that has been the bane of the trio's existence, is along for the ride, playing cruel tricks on each one of them. It is a novel of budding romance, but it especially demonstrates the strong power of friendship that binds the girls together as their support, love, and compassion are expressed.

I have read both of the previous novels in this series, TTYL and TTFN. I enjoyed each of them immensely and was incredibly excited for the chance to read the third segment of Myracle's work. Although the novel drags at some points, the AIM "language" and pace allow the book to go quickly and the hilarious antics of the girls have you laughing from the start. This novel is both sharp and entertaining; the characters are fascinating and keep you wanting to read more. Maddie, a wild child, acts as the mature grownup in this book; she consoles her friends and gives them helpful advice. Angela experiences the most difficult events. She undergoes troubles with her boyfriend and Jana; this begins to affect her usually carefree spirit. Zoe, the more conservative “good girl”, finds that having a boyfriend can turn your world upside down (or right-side up) and she learns just how important love is. As the girls go to the end of their senior year, they realize that the time for fun is also a time for goodbyes. L8r, g8r appropriately declares the book about farewells but also about new beginnings. This book is a great, quick and easy read.

Content:There are several situations in which the girls discuss sex and protection(Zoe begins to have sex with her boyfriend) and several swears are used throughout the novel. This book should probably be considered for a mature reader.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Concord, Massachusetts United States

God Can Work It Out by Stephanie Perry Moore

Can Faith Thomas’s life get any worse? Faith’s family members are constantly fighting, she has a sparse supply of friends, her teammates on the cheerleading squad are total jerks who think they’re “all that”, and her mom wants her to hang out with the new girl across the street. From friends to family to cheerleading, something is always going wrong and Faith doesn’t see how if there really were a God, why he would let such things happen to her. After a state of depression, God finally gets through to her, she accepts him into her heart and things start to turn around until… her dad leaves. Her life once again is back to being a wreck and all Faith knows is that it is going to take a miracle to turn her messed-up life around.

It is very neat how God Can Work It Out is a book that is designed like a magazine. It is a very good choice for those who get bored easily by the layout of regular stories and enjoy reading magazines. It has many different things included in it, such as blogs, a quiz, character profiles, a few short reads called Salvation’s Path, and much, much more. It is divided into twelve chapters by what month the events are taking place. I very much enjoyed God Can Work It Out by the wonderful author, Stephanie Perry Moore, and I can’t wait for the next installment. This is the first book in the Faith Thomas Series, and I think girls who are interested in cheerleading will most definitely enjoy reading this awesome story.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg, PA United States

Kichi in Jungle Jeopardy by Lila Guzman

Kichi in Jungle Jeopardy, by Lila Guzmán, takes place in Chilaam, an ancient temple, where Kichi, a rare blue Chihuahua, is pampered by Fortune Teller and everyone else in the Mayan City. Kichi is so happy in Chilaam, he does not know what he is in for! One day, Ah Tok, Fortune Teller’s brother, comes back from a raid with a slave named Uxmal. Kichi is delighted to see that Uxmal can speak Dog. After so many years of trying to get Fortune Teller to understand his language, he almost gave up on having anyone to talk to! Kichi takes a liking to Uxmal, and they meet every day. Until . . . an army attacks Chilaam and kidnaps Uxmal. Kichi sets out into the jungle, a scary place for such a small dog. Kichi has adventure after adventure, eventually learning a big surprise about Uxmal that turns out to be very important for Kichi and the future of his friends.

This story was great. It was exciting around the edges and mild in the middle. My favorite part was when Uxmal was captured and Kichi is sent on his journey into the jungle. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes talking animals who behave like people, and slight wars (without too much violence). The theme of this book, in a sense, was friendship, and sticking by a friend in a difficult situation. Also, I learned some of what it is like to have a really good friend. I really enjoyed this book!

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Saugerties, NY USA

Summer of Love by Emily Franklin

Summer of Love, by Emily Franklin, is part of a series about a girl named Love Bukowski, this time focusing on the summer before her senior year. As the book begins she looks forward to a great summer with her best friend and to using the summer to discover the mysteries of her past, like the whereabouts of her previously absent mother. She soon finds some of the fun she was seeking but with it comes new confusion about her past. As she tries to live in the moment, she is thrown into even more confusing situations and faced with new obstacles, like choosing a good college and making important decisions about her future goals. The book ends with a new set of revelations, and therefore a new set of questions for Love to answer in the next book.

This book was sprinkled with a plethora of musical references from the Talking Heads to the Beatles and everyone in between. It was an easy read; information from previous books in the series wasn’t necessary to understand what was happening. Love seemed like a real character, however, the circumstances of her life were a bit too unrealistic. The book floated along but without any real substance to hold onto, relying instead on clichéd situations. Some parts screamed potential but then were left with the surfaces unscratched. Franklin’s characters are easily related to but the plot was so quick and implausible that they could not be empathized. The plot was nothing too exciting or new but it wasn’t horrible because it was expected. Overall, it was an easy and semi-enjoyable read, but lacked potential depth that it could have held.

The Invisible by Mats Wahl

A high school boy, Hilmer Eriksson, becomes invisible on a Monday morning, and is the main character in a murder mystery. Once he realizes it, he becomes dependent on the detective investigating his disappearance; Detective Fors. Hilmer stays invisible through Monday morning to Tuesday afternoon, following Fors in hopes of becoming visible again. But, as the detective uncovers more clues, Hilmer suffers invisibly, where no one can help him. In the visible world, Detective Fors finds information on Hilmer's troublesome classmates. In the end, he discovers just who caused Hilmer to be where he is now.

This is one of the best mysteries I have ever read! It is quite literally a book that you cannot put down! If you are a mystery lover, whether you care if it is a murder mystery or not, this book will have you hooked and wanting more! It includes wonderful dry humor, engaging interrogations, and, several flashbacks between the past and present. The author clearly wound these three key attributes around an original plot, to create a fantastic book.

Content:Has some extreme violence and vague sexual content, but I do not think it should be restricted to a mature reader.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Eagle Creek, OR USA

Penelope Bailey Takes the Stage by Susanna Reich

Penelope Bailey is an 11 year old girl who is absolutely obsessed with acting. She lives, thinks, and talks acting. If you haven’t guessed already her dream is to be a famous actress on stage. Penelope and her best friend, Cassie are planning on practicing scenes from Romeo and Juliet over the summer to perform at their school in the fall. But, Penelope’s mom decides to go and help her dad on a scientific experiment and sends Penelope to live with her aunt and three cousins. Penelope is horrified. She can stand her bratty cousins, but not her aunt. Her aunt thinks that anything and anyone to do with the theater is vulgar and shouldn’t be on the earth. Penelope doesn’t think she will survive. Then she befriends a girl at her new school, a professional actor next door, and a flamboyant dancer/actress who has a totally different life style then Penelope has ever seen or heard of before. With their help and encouragement Penelope learns to follow her dreams and to never ever give them up.

Named by Scripps Howard News Service as One of the Best Kid’s Books of 2006, this book is definitely one of my favorites. I am an aspiring actress and this book was perfect for me. It gave me encouragement, self confidence, and even some useful tips on acting. I believe any performer, actress, dancer, or singer will eat this book up just as much as I did. I applaud Susanna Reich.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Moscow, Idaho United States of America

Such A Pretty Face

"Such a Pretty Face" is a collection of stories about beauty. The first story is about a beautiful, seemingly perfect girl wanting to just be ugly and fit in with everyone else. The second about a girl living in another country where everyone she sees seems beautiful, making her feel like an outsider. The third a story of a boy stuck in the hospital with a broken back and falling in love with a nurse he can't evem see. The fourth is a story of a girl who has a a hair on her chin that keeps growing longer and thicker, and on the day of prom too. The fifth is a story of boy going to a circus freak show, and finding a beauty he did not expect. The sixth story is about a girl trying to find her own look, a look that does not parallel her mother's looks. The seventh of a very hairy boy nicknamed "ape," who just wants to get a date with his dream girl. The eigth is of a a beautiful girl whose mom wants her to be a model, but who doesn't want to draw attention to herslef. The nineth is about a depressed boy whose best friend is trying to make him feel better by making up a bingo game with him. The tenth is about a girl named Beauty, but is considered anything but a beauty. The elventh is about a depressed, suicidal girl who is getting therapy from a short comedian. And the twelfth is about moments in a girl's life when her perceptiona of beauty does not include her.

First of all, I am sorry about my summary, it's just that it is hard to convey the plots of every story in this book in a couple of sentences. I liked this book because although every story in this book is very short, all the stories are long enough to send the reader a message about beauty, not always outward beauty but sometimes inner beauty and perceived beauty. I especially liked how every story offered something different, told something different about beauty, which made it so the book was not a repitition of the same idea. The book was good because every writer wrote kind of heart warming characters that you could somehow relate to because of their perception of beauty. Some of the stories in the book left you hanging, though, but it wasn't a necessarily bad thing not to know what happened to each charater, and those stories left the future of the charater's and their ideals up to the reader to decide, which I think made those stories better. This book was also good because it made you think about beauty and how you define it, which before I read this book I never actually considered anything outside of the magezine definition of beauty. I thought this was a great book that you should at least read once.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Tucson, Arizona U.S.A.

Stuff - The Life of a Cool Demented Dude by Jeremy Strong

Life isn’t always easy, and never has that saying been truer for Simon. His parents are divorced, and now Simons house has been taken over by GIRLS(Sherry Trifle, his dads girlfriend, and Natasha, his new stepsister)!!! What’s more is that there is an evil man-obsessed rabbit that wants to kill Simon and his dad! But Simon finds solace in his comic book drawings and dreaming about a new girl in his class, Sky. But when Simons art teacher has him draw an anonymous comic strip for the schools magazine, what is everybody going to do when they realize the people in the comic strip are based on them? Will Simon survive having to live with girls in him home? Will Sky, the love of his life, ever like Simon back? Will Pankhurst, the rabbit, kill Simon before he has had a chance to live?? Find out in Stuff: The Life of A Cool Demented Dude.

I did not really like the book at the beginning. It was confusing at first, and some of the English sayings (like thing thong and Citroen)were driving me nuts, because I did not know what they meant ( I didn’t know about the glossary in the back). But after the first few chapters, I started to really get into it, and couldn’t stop reading it! I felt that a lot of the things in the book were true, about the way Middle school is in real life. Overall, It was a good book, with a lot of surprises!

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Casa Grande, AZ United States of America

The Chaos King by Laura Ruby

Georgie may be the Richest Girl in the World, but she may also be one of the most unhappy. Her parents are being overly protective and won't let her use her invisibility skill anymore. Her best friend Bug is now a superstar, constantly blabbering about the latest commercials and movies he's been in. Being a teenager is pretty hard when you feel so alone. It isn't long, though, until Georgie is caught up in fresh adventures. Weird things keep occurring around Bug and herself, but all of the events are seemingly unconnected. Not wanting to scare her parents, she lies whenever they worriedly ask about her life. In the end she realizes that this was not a good idea, and that her parents are protecting her because they love her.

Laura Ruby's brilliant writing caused me to fairly zip through this book. She creates all sorts of subplots and inventive circumstances, somehow making everything flow smoothly and perfectly. A fantastic and colorful read, The Chaos King is at least as good as its predecessor The Wall and the Wing, if not better. Highly recommended!

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Moscow, ID USA