Ice Island by Sherry Shahan

Tantum is a young teenage girl that is visiting Santa Ysabel Island (in Alaska) for a week with her mom. She loves dogsled racing and meets and befriends an Eskimo boy named Cole who also likes dogsled racing. They decide to do a trial run, but then a freak blizzard hits leaving them stranded in the middle of nowhere. With half of the dogs exhausted and one dog with newly born pups, one person will have to go for help, leaving the other behind.
Ice Island was a pretty satisfying book. I like do-or-die type of books and this was a good one. The author also does a really good job describing the scenes. An example of this is on page 74 "Cole's team looked like they were swimming down the trail, snow sprayed up from his sled like a wave behind a speed boat". I recommend this for ages 10 and up. If you enjoy it then I recommend books by Gordon Korman, more specifically his Everest and Island trilogies.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Uxbridge, Mass. USA

The Mirror of N'de by L.K. Malone

Hadlay Mivana and her people, the Ramash, have lived their entire lives as slaves or beggars, unlike the haughty Oresed. Hadlay wants nothing more than to help her people. When Hadlay becomes an Initiate at 13, the long lost Emperor and his son return to the city of Turris. Hadlay is hired as a servant in the Tower, the residence of the Emperor. Things are looking up for Hadlay until she finds that the Emperor is not what he seems. Hadlay then finds herself in the middle of a plot to destroy her people. Fortunately for the Ramash, Hadlay isn't about to let that happen.

This book was a bit like a roller coaster ride. It kept changing the way it felt. It started out rather slow, not exactly boring, just slow. Then it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when Hadlay's living conditions improved. Awhile after that it got a little creepy when the danger increased. It certainly kept me enthralled, though. Hadlay is very easy to relate to, so you really feel the emotions of her character. The plot was complicated enough that you didn't see everything coming, but not so complicated that you got confused. If you look for them, you (at least I) can find some parallels to the Bible. I feel glad I got to review it, and recommend it to any teen fantasy reader.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Rockwell, IA USA

Sister Mischief by Laura Goode

Sister Mischief, by Laura Goode, tells the tale of a quirky all-girl hip-hop crew in the Twin Cities. The four girls are each struggling to find their own identities; Esme's the lesbian lyricist, Marcy's the violent drum-line captain, Tess is the power vocalist and former church enthusiast, and Rowie is the beautiful, brilliant chorus-writer, but who are they really? The girls stick together as they discover their places in the chaos that is high school life. When the school makes an outrageous new rule that goes against what they believe in, the crew steps up to cause a scene in the school and show the world how educational hip-hop can be. Before long, their crew, Sister Mischief, is causing a stir in Holyhill High School in a way that only they could ever do.Though at first I was hesitant to read this book, I ended up really liking it. Each of the four main characters seems very realistic and is faced by real-life situations that high-schoolers face. The narrator, Esme, is amusing and engaging. The book was definitely a page-turner: it's not a challenging read, and I found myself finishing the 367-page novel in 2 days. Some mature themes are involved in the storyline, including sex, relationships, partying, swearing, and the uncertainty of sexual orientation. Teens who are uncomfortable reading such themes should avoid this book, but mature readers should find it a very entertaining read.
The book includes some mature themes such as sex, swearing, partying, drinking, and sexual orientation.
Rating: 8
Content: 3
Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Columbus, IN USA

Cheesie Mack by Steve Cotler

Ronald Mack, otherwise known as Cheesie to his friends, isn't a genius or anything, but he does remember all of the events that happened before, during and after his fifth-grade graduation, and he wrote it all down in his very own way-including drawings, lists, and lots of made-up words. But Cheesie doesn't just talk about his graduation ceremony/party-he also talks about his everlasting battle with his older sister June, his best friend Georgie's discovery of a strange old coin that could change their summer, and a mouse plot gone wrong. Will Cheesie and Georgie get to the bottom of the coin mystery? Will they get in trouble for their mouse plot? Who will win the sibling battle? Will the coin change Cheesie and Georgie's summer forever? You'll have to read for yourself and find out.
I thought this book was great! I could totally picture the characters and the settings (and not just because of the pictures, although they did help). I could probably picture Cheesie as a real person because he goes through some of the same things a normal kid would go through. An example of that is a seemingly-constant battle with an older sibling, which is present in the book. The book was told in first-person, so that made it all the more realistic to me, because I almost always write in first-person. The author included just the right amount of detail at all times throughout the book. I would totally recommend this book to others, especially if you are a "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series fan, because it is a good and humorous read

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Hopkins, Michigan USA

The Forever Crush by Debra Moffitt

The Forever Crush by Debra Moffitt is a book about girls in their teen years. This book expresses how you can do something you later regret or think you want something but when the time comes you find out you really don't want it. Jemma has a forever crush on Forrest so when he asks her to be his pretend girlfriend she goes along with it. Later she finds out that she doesn't like how it's going and how she can't tell her friends. At the same time the Pink Locker Society is getting blackmailed. Read this novel to see who is blackmailing them and how the fake relationship with Forrest turns out!

The Forever Crush by Debra Moffitt in my opinion was a pretty good book. You get to see what it's like to get to have a fake relationship with someone you're crazy about and see how scary blackmailing and keeping secrets can be. I liked how you could see that everyone is scared about growing up but it all ends up fine. I also liked how they had a website to help girls out with the things they were scared of and get multiple people's opinions on it. I think that would've been very helpful for me when I was younger and scared about what would come as I grew older.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Sandy, Oregon U.S.A

Ask Amy Green: Summer Secrets by Sarah Webb

Amy Green's life had just gotten perfect, and then her family had to go and ruin it. Her parents decided to go on a family trip; with her mom's ex-husband and his wife and kids. Meanwhile, her new boyfriend is going to be spending the summer in Rome, without her. Thankfully her cousin Clover is going too, so Amy won't go nuts while on vacation. Just as Amy's summer started to take a turn for the worse, Clover's magazine company decides to send her to the U.S. to interview America's new teen movie star and uncover his secrets. The best part is: Amy gets to go with her! Will Amy's summer finally get better, or will it only get worse?



Sarah Webb has put together a wonderful book for teens. This book takes place mainly in Ireland, and it uses just the right amount of the Gaelic language to make the setting authentic. The only thing I would have added would be a glossary at the end of the book to tell the readers what the different phrases of Gaelic mean. I would recommend this book to younger teens, and girls in-between the ages of twelve and fourteen.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Fresno, California USA

Wildwing by Emily Whitman

As a young woman of no means in 20th century England, Addy has very few options for her future. When a rich classmate taunts her in school, Addy leaves and becomes the maid of mysterious local man, Mr. Greenwood. While in Mr. Greenwood's house, Addy comes across a time machine in a locked room. She is transported back to the 13th century where she is mistaken for a Lady. Addy is given the chance to live the life of the rich, and she couldn't be happier. But as time passes, she learns that the life of a wealthy lady is just as difficult as hers was. As she comes to this realization, Addy has to make a choice between staying a Lady in the 13th Century or returning back to the future and her family.
As soon as I picked up Wildwing, I got caught up in the story. I'm a huge fan of all historical fiction novels, and this story combined both the 13th and 20th centuries. The idea of time travel made the story more interesting. Addy was a great character to follow and I looked forward to all of her adventures. The only thing that bothered me about the novel was the way it was written; it's better suited for younger readers. But the story was excellent and I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.

Reviewer Age:24
Reviewer City, State and Country: Philadelphia, PA USA

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The Graveyard Book is the story of Nobody Owens' upbringing in a cemetery after the tragic murder of his family. Bod--short for Nobody--is welcomed by the inhabitants of the graveyard (who are ghosts), after an attempt to protect Bod from the man Jack, the assassin who killed his family. Bod' s new guardians show him the ways of the graveyard, along with the many secrets and legends it holds. Bod encounters ghouls, witches, and other creatures of the graveyard throughout his bizarre upbringing. Ultimately, these experiences help him face his family' s killer with the hopes of seeing the world beyond the gates of the graveyard.

Neil Gaiman lives in a world that science fiction enthusiasts would do anything to explore. The number of creatures and worlds presented in this book are tightly woven together and creates endless possibilities to the reader' s imagination. Gaiman has written a book that mesmerizes readers while taking them on a journey of a boy' s coming of age. Gaiman effortlessly combines the fantasy world he created along with a tale of childhood that everyone can relate to. The Graveyard Book is a masterful story that I highly recommend.

Reviewer Age:20
Reviewer City, State and Country: Eden Prairie, Minnesota USA

Swim the fly by Don Calame

What do you get when you put together three typical teenage boys, a naughty summer goal, and the 100-yard butterfly? Definitely NOT what Matt Gratton expected. Then again, anything is possible during summer. Which Matt discovers only after too many embarrassing mishaps to count: the befriending of Kelly's close friend, Ulf's crazy, torturous swim training, and of course the loyal help of Matt's best friends.

This book was a peek into the male mind. Reading Matt's thoughts and feelings was refreshingly funny and sweet. This book drags you in, to do crazy dares and goof off with Matt and his friends. The author's writing style made for a relatable and hilarious read. Be prepared to laugh-out-loud 'till your stomach hurts. Each chapter in this book plays out like a scene in a comedy movie. This book is perfect for more mature readers who enjoy quick, entertaining reads. 

This book contained a lot of raunchy, sometimes crude humor.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Wailuku, HI United States