Forced Out by Gene Fehler

A new catcher has joined Zack's travel team, the Roadrunners. His name is Dustin and everybody is wondering why he gets so much playing time. How did he even get invited to such a good travel team? Everyone is also wondering how the team can finally afford to go to an expensive tournament. It creates lots of problems and threatens the Roadrunners chance at winning the championship. A rumor starts about Dustin and the tournament. Then Zach finds out what Dustin's dad is secretly planning that Dustin doesn't even know. But what can Zach do about it?
Overall, it is an interesting story about teamwork, choices, and fairness. All Dustin's dad cares about is himself and his son. His choices affect the whole team. It gives a vivid description without too many adjectives, and I can picture things in my head. I can also tell a lot about Dustin and Zach's personalities. They are very believable characters. The vocabulary was appropriate for the recommended age, but it is about high schoolers. High schoolers with lower reading levels would probably enjoy this book as well. The bad thing was the plot seemed to drag a little bit at some points.
Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Calhoun, GA USA
 

Dead to You by Lisa McMann

Dead To You is the story of Ethan DeWilde. When he was 6 years old he got into a car with total strangers and was abducted, sending not only himself but also his family, into a total nightmarish whirlwind. 9 years later, after scouring the internet in search of his family, Ethan finally finds his way back home. Unfortunately for Ethan and his family, his return isn't quite the happy ending he was hoping for. Unable to remember anything that happened before he was abducted, Ethan is searching for answers to his many questions. Will he uncover something that he wished had stayed hidden?

The author did such an amazing job of weaving the story together along with the character development and all of the raw emotion of what these character's are feeling. I could feel his parents' heartbreak from the loss of their son, and the shock of his return as well as their struggle in how to best handle the situation while getting to know their son all over again without neglecting their other two children. I felt Blake's jealousy when suddenly his long lost brother returns and gains the attention of everyone around them. There was definitely some major middle sibling issues Blake was dealing with, and at times I wanted to reach my hand through the pages and slap some sense into him. I even felt for little Gracie as she struggles to get to know a brother she never met or even knew she had!

Mostly though, my heart ached for Ethan. I cried for the little boy who was taken from his family and far from home. I wanted to hug the young man who no one trusts, and who everyone blames for getting in that car in the first place. His struggles with adjusting to his new life and his family were compelling. I felt like I wanted to protect him from all of the anxiety plaguing him.

Dead To You is a masterfully written journey into the life of a young man who is simply trying to find his way home.

 There was some language in this book and readers should be cautioned that the f word is use several times in the book. Parents may want to take this into consideration when considering this book for their children.
Reviewer Age:26
Reviewer City, State and Country: West Columbia, Texas United States

When Life Gives You O.J. by Erica S. Perl

A girl named Zelly really wants a dog. Her parents, on the other hand, aren't so willing to give in. They don't think she's quite ready for the responsibility. But when Zelly's grandpa, Ace (as everyone calls him) comes up with an idea involving an orange juice jug and some extra imagination, things change. You'll need to read the book to find out the rest!!

I was a HUGE fan of this book! I thought the author used a lot of imagination, and was thoughtful and amusing. I also really enjoyed how the author maintained the very humorous spirit of the character of Ace throughout the book. Of course, the other characters' spirits were maintained, too, but there was something in the way the author created Ace that was very entertaining. If you read the book, I have a feeling you'll know exactly what I mean...I don't want to spoil YOUR experience of reading it! The only problem I found was that I wanted the author to write more, like a series or something! I would most definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a little fun!!!

Reviewer Age:10

Reviewer City, State and Country: Evanston, IL 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

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