Out of Breath by Blair Richmond

Out of Breath is a thrilling mystery book about a young woman named Katherine. She is a very talented competitive runner but had her foot crushed in a car accident in her senior year of high school. She recovered but lost her chance of scholarships. She runs away to her hometown of Lithia, a picturesque small town. She meets a caring couple that allows her to stay with them and as her stay goes on, she meets new people and starts learning about the darker side of this sunny town. Richmond has blended elements of adventure, romance, mystery, and horror beautifully through her vivid descriptions and realistic dialogue. I believe that Richmond definitely achieved her purpose because the writing was very realistic and descriptive. I was snatched out of my bedroom and into the story. Her writing is effective because it flows very naturally. The vocabulary was age-appropriate; I never had to stop and figure out what a word meant, nor did I feel like I had to turn my brain off in order to get through it.

This book's advantage is in the delicacy and clarity of its writing. One weakness I did find was that the plot seemed a bit predictable. I don't think this book could be the next Harry Potter because there's no real surprise. The major plot twists and climaxes in the story are heavily hinted at beforehand, which I felt was unnecessary for a teenage audience; surely we can figure it out ourselves. Other than this unfortunate detail, the book was very strong overall. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a fun read; perhaps a stress-reliever or a comfortable, curl-up-by-the-fire and read book. This is because it is very smooth as far as flow goes, and the predictability of the plot may annoy those readers who are looking for something deeper or more mentally challenging, those who want to think hard to solve the mystery.

Rating: 8
Content Rating: 1
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Columbus, Indiana United States

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

Fury by Elizabeth Miles

Emily Winters is really happy when the boy she has liked forever shows some interest in her. The only problem is he is her best friend's boyfriend. Chase did something really stupid a long time ago. Now his life is turning upside-down. A mysterious and beautiful girl takes an interest in him. He thinks life is looking up until awful things start happening. Three girls punish those who do wrong. Chase and Emily must be punished.



I give this book 1 star. The first word that pops in my head when I think of this book is drama. The really well-written and interesting parts didn't make sense with the rest of the story. The idea was a great idea that just wasn't done as well as it could have been. I also rate it R for mildly inappropriate content and extreme amounts of bad language. I would not recommend this book to anyone.
The book had inappropriate contents and awful language.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Cibolo, Texas United States

Subway Girl by P. J. Converse

Simon is a teenage boy struggling to complete school in Hong Kong. On top of English class and pressure from his parents, Simon may not be graduating this year. But Simon's luck begins to change when he sees the most beautiful girl he has ever seen on the subway. He finally gets up the nerve to speak to her and learns her
personality is just as beautiful as her appearance. But is Subway Girl what Simon thinks? Or is she living a double
life?

At first I was skeptical of this book. I assumed it would be like every teen romance novel - cheesy and
fictional. But as I read on and opened my mind, I found this book was different from all the others. Simon's urge to be with the mysterious Subway Girl could cost him everything - yet he risks it all to be with her. This book is perfect for the girly-girl or sensitive guy!

Adult Themes

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Panama City, Florida 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

Taking off

Annie is a high school senior cursed with apathy. She has her boyfriend Markand her hometown of Houston where NASA engineers live and half the population never goes anywhere. After her friend Lea introduces her to Christa McAuliffe, Annie finds herself a role model. Christa is the woman from the famous 'Teacher in Space program'. As basic American history dictates, the spaceship explodes before leaving earth. Faced with sadness, Annie is confused about everything and--quite frankly--a hot mess. On her trip, she comes to know a boy named Tommy and must choose between him and Mark. A page-turner for sure.
Truth be told, as an engineer, I was excited to read this book.  However, I had been disappointed in the past when reading about The Challenger in other teen books.  Fortunately, this book did not let me down.
There were no creepy romance scenes, and I actually wanted to keep reading.  Emotion leaks off the pages, and readers find themselves identifying with the characters.  Moss also keeps her book real and does not end with Annie becoming an engineer.  While I'd have liked for Annie to study math and science, I found myself smiling for her when she finally started to make her own decisions and do what she wanted.

Reviewer Age:19
Reviewer City,
State and Country: Staten Island, NY USA

Swoon at your own risk

Polly Martin has quite the dating history, and along with each ex (or in Polly's

case ex-ex-ex-ex) a club she took up to be with them. Her latest ex, Sawyer,

got her roped into working at Wild Waves Western-themed water park. Now

Polly has sworn off guys, there's new temptations in the form of a once fourth

grade desk-licker turned cute mysterious skateboarder. Thank goodness her

advice columnist grandmother, Miss Swoon, is moving in! But will Polly be able

to learn to love and be herself? Only summer will tell.

While reading, 'Swoon

At Your Own Risk', I was found sitting in a room, by myself, literally laughing out

loud! I thought Sydney Salter did a wonderful job capturing the essence of a

hectic teenager's life. She was able to include many components young girls deal

with, such as a family's messy divorce, embarrassing swimming pool moments,

emotional breakdowns, and soul searching. I liked how the author was able to

create such a realistic world in 'Swoon At Your Own Risk'. This book was very

entertaining and I can easily see myself reading it again because it was so

enjoyable. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, or rather, funny

romantic comedy.

Mature content and innudendos
Reviewer

Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Seaside, OR US

After

"I wondered for a second if I was dying. Far away I could hear Logan yelling and Tanner crying but I couldn't hear Dad. Why couldn't I hear Dad?"
Lacey's life used to be normal. She had two parents who loved her and two brothers to annoy her, everything was as it should be. Then one day a tragic accident changed it all and her dad was gone forever. the months that follow the accident are extremely hard for Lacey and her family. Her mom had become an alcoholic, Logan has changed into a different person, Tanner won't speak and Lacey believes it's all her fault. Everything seems to be deteriorating until two good things come into Lacey's life. 1.Support group for kids who have lost a parent and 2. Sam Stome. Sam has also lost his father. Can he bring Lacey out of the guilt trip she is taking or will he just make everything a whole lot worse?

This book is AMAZING! Kristin Harmel has done an excellent job telling Lacey's story just enough to make me want to turn the page to find out more. This story would appeal to anyone. It has all the components to a great story: Tradegy, family and romance. I finished this book in one sitting and by the end of the book I had cried numerous times. Amazing story and excellent writing. Brava Kristin Harmel!

Reviewer Age:18

Reviewer City, State and Country: Mantua, New Jersey USA

Magic Can Be Murder by Vivian Vande Velde

Two witches, Nola and her mother, are living a tough life. They are constantly on the run, fleeing from towns people who suspect their secret. When Nola casts a spell, and leaves it unattended, everything goes wrong. She finds herself wrapped up in murder story. Will she be able to reveal the murderer, or will she be accused, herself, by the man she's falling for?

This story I found, was hard to put down, especially near the end. It has an ending I never expected. I was surprised by how well she put together the plot, with it being a mystery, and a romance. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a funny, mystery, and a little bit of romance.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Springfield, Ohio USA

A Veiled Deception

Annette Blair's A Veiled Deception introduces Madeira Cutler, better known as Maddie. Maddie is a young woman with a taste for fashion, especially anything vintage. While home in Mystick Falls, Connecticut, to help her sister, Sherry, with wedding plans, Maggie realizes that these vintage pieces magically speak their histories to her. Not long after arriving in New England, Maddie finds Sherry's fiance's former girlfriend strangled to death with Sherry's veil around her neck. Determined to prove her sister's innocence, Maddie conducts her own investigation. Along the way, Maddie enlists the help of a certain FBI agent who happens to be her on-again-off-again boyfriend and a resentful local police detective who she nicknamed Wiener as a child.

A Veiled Deception is one of the best mysteries I've read in a while. This novel is a quick read, filled with romance, history, magic, and cute fashion references. I especially appreciated the way Blair gave her characters depth, especially Maddie and Mr. Vancortland, by including meaningful family history plots to support the main mystery. Blair's new series incorporates magic wonderfully, blending Maddie's newfound psychic powers into the mystery through ghosts and visions that add an element of supernatural to the story without taking away from A Veiled Deception's clear storyline. This book is a sure hit for any fan of Blair's Accidental Witch Trilogy, Laurie's Psychic Eye Series, or Alt's Bewitching Mysteries.

Reviewer Age:19

Reviewer City, State and Country: Farmington, CT USA