The Dark Hills Divide by Patrick Carman

The Dark Hills Divide is about a 12 year old girl named Alexa Daley. Alexa is a small skinny girl that loves to explore everything. Her dad is the mayor of Lathbury, a small town. Every summer, Alexa and her dad leave Lathbury to go to Bridewell. Bridewell is a town surrounded by walls that protect them from a monster in the Dark Hills behind the walls. One day Alexa was exploring the Bridewell castle where she was staying. She finds a small door behind a chair that turns out to be a tunnel through the wall to the Dark Hills. Alexa meets all the animals that live in the Dark Hills that suffer from the wall because they got separated from family and friends. She finds a stone that lets her talk to the animals. Alexa realizes that the walls aren't protecting them from a monster; they are the monsters. She solves the mystery behind the walls and finds out why they are there in the first place. The walls were originally prisons and the prisoners built a wall so that one-day they could trap the people inside and overthrow Bridewell.

I liked the book because of the mystery. Alexa Daley is my favorite character. She is smart and brave. The book is slow at first, but it gets a lot better. The mystery and idea are very interesting. I really liked the talking animals and how they help bring down the wall.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age: 11

Reviewed by AJ

Dragon Blade:The Book of the Rowan by Andre Norton & Sasha Miller

Ashen NordornQueen and Gaurin NordornKing are enjoying peace at last, after the defeat of The Great Foulness, a mighty ice dragon. Their infant son has been crowned Bjauden NordornPrins, and though the land still has a lot of healing to do, things are looking on the bright side at last. Unfortunately, things are about to take a huge turn for the worse. When Ashen discovers a mysterious letter in the false bottom of one of her gifts, she realizes that the assault of the Ice Dragons is not over. According to legend, only the Dragon Blade, which was forged from the scales of the Mother Ice Dragon’s mate when he was killed, can subdue her, and until she is subdued, she will continue to produce offspring that will attack the lands of ice and snow. Can Gaurin defeat the mother Ice Dragon without the Dragon Blade? Can Ashen get to her husband in time to give him the map to the Dragon Blade and the Mother Ice Dragon’s lair before it is too late? And can their friends defeat a new ancient evil that threatens the lands while Ashen and Gaurin are away?

Dragon Blade is an unbelievable book. Prophecies and Ancient legends, love, magic, hope, and the strength and courage to attempt the unthinkable are interwoven throughout the story to make it a huge success. The imagery of the piece is unbelievable, making you not only see everything that is happening but feel it too. Fantasy, mystery, and romance readers will all love this book because it is written in such a way that even if you are a romance reader who dislikes Fantasy, or vice versa, you will still love the book. Norton and Miller have done a wonderful job creating this masterpiece.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10

Reviewer Age: 13

Reviewed by: SMo

Gypsy Prince: War Horse by Tom Townsend

In the book, Gypsy Prince, an innocent horse is thrown into WWII. He was not prepared, but he adjusts quickly in training camp. Gypsy Prince thinks all of the drills are like games. When he really goes into war, he learns otherwise. He goes from a Nazi warhorse to a food cart puller. He even goes to the American side for a little. Gypsy Prince continues wandering, until he finds some trace of his old, peaceful life.

I loved this book. I thought it was kind of like Black Beauty. A horse goes from owner to owner, meeting up with his past now and then. It was great. I enjoyed hearing what war was like for Gypsy Prince. However, I didn't like that the horse was on Germany's side, although I guess he really wasn't for the ideas of the Nazis.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age: 12

Reveiw by: RC

Gypsy Prince: War Horse by Tom Townsend

In the book, Gypsy Prince, an innocent horse is thrown into WWII. He was not prepared, but he adjusts quickly in training camp. Gypsy Prince thinks all of the drills are like games. When he really goes into war, he learns otherwise. He goes from a Nazi warhorse to a food cart puller. He even goes to the American side for a little. Gypsy Prince continues wandering, until he finds some trace of his old, peaceful life.

I loved this book. I thought it was kind of like Black Beauty. A horse goes from owner to owner, meeting up with his past now and then. It was great. I enjoyed hearing what war was like for Gypsy Prince. However, I didn't like that the horse was on Germany's side, although I guess he really wasn't for the ideas of the Nazis.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age: 12

Fresh off the Boat by: Melissa De La Cruz

Vicenza, known as V, hates being called “FOB” (Fresh Off the Boat). A recent Filipino immigrant, she misses her lavish lifestyle in Manila and has a difficult time fitting in with the wealthy girls at Grosverner, her private girls school. Vicenza is hard pressed to admit to her limited means financially and wants a social life like Whitney Bertoccini and her clique, the most popular girls in the freshman class. Refusing to see her life as it is leads to treachery and deceit as V emails Peaches, her best friend in Manila, with fanciful information about her life in San Francisco. Her emails tell of what she wants, Claude Caligari, while her narration shows the reality of her initial disappointment in America. V tries to become someone she is not in her attempts to gain popularity, even though her new friend Isobel accepts her as she is. She looks past Paul, a guy who spends his breaks with her in the Sears cafeteria her mom runs, until she realizes, almost too late, that it is actually him that she likes and understands.

Melissa de la Cruz tackles the ever-repeated story line of girl wants boy but does a pretty good job of keeping it from sounding trite. Fresh Off the Boat qualifies as a "page turner" in a way similar to other young adult books narrated from a teen point of view. The inclusion of emails to Peaches at the end of chapters adds a great deal to the narration because it adds insight into Vicenza’s desires. Fresh Off the Boat reminds me of the Samurai Girl series by Carrie Asai but is a much shorter and condensed account. The role of Whitney Bertoccini, the popular girl, is totally cliché but overall Fresh Off the Boat is worth reading for fun, perhaps as a stress reliever among other activities. Vicenza's prince, Paul, is a very likeable character even though he is in the background for most of the narration. The author, to mix things up a bit, could have avoided some of the overused ideas in setting up her characters. It is a book I can see made into a movie, such as Meg Cabot’s Princess Diaries.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age: 17

Spy High Mission Five: Blood Relations by: A. J. Butcher

Things are turning for the worst for Ben Stanton. His grades are dropping. Final exams are very soon, and it seems like Ben may not pass. Also his relationship with Lori is almost destroyed. Ben needs something to prove himself again, and lucky for him, there is a new mission. Soon he wishes he wasn't in this mission because some of the suspects are Ben's family members. As they lead more and more to his family, Ben is very upset with his life. He also loses his last pride... his leadership, as the leader of bond team. But Ben has to fight through all of this, and try to find out what a temple is doing to young orphans, who are getting "transformed" somehow.

This book was very exciting. At almost all points of the story there was suspense and action. Every corner another obstacle would come up. I was reading for hours trying to find out how the plot would unveil. This was a great book, and it also talked about life and challenges.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Reviewer Age: 10

Reviewer: MY

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Ginny receives 13 little blue envelopes from her recently dead Aunt. These envelopes soon direct her on a wild ride through Europe to not only have the experience of a life time, but to discover something about her self and to solve the mystery of what her Aunt really wants her to do. One problem: there are rules to this chase. 1) She can only bring what fits in her backpack. 2) No guide books, phrasebooks, or any kind of foreign language aid, and no journals. 3) No extra money that includes debit/credit cards traveler’s checks etc. 4) No electronic crutches (No laptop, no cell phone, no music, and no camera.) She also can't talk to people in the US by phone or Internet. Because she can only open one envelope at a time she has no idea where she'll be going next. On the way she finds love, adventure and learns a lot about life.

I enjoyed the variation of writing. There was some romance, humor, adventure, mystery and just plain good realistic fiction. There was something for everybody, but there was not any fantasy. Although, I must say that it was mostly chic literature. Every book has its ups and downs. In this book the unexciting parts were few and far between, but they immediately are followed an extremely exciting scene, which made them seem better than they really were. At those points you almost wanted to put the book down and get a snack, then come back in a few minutes to start the building up to excitement again. Good thing that there were only two or three of those parts.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Review by KA

Measle and the Dragodon by Ian Ogilvy

“Measle and the Dragodon” is about a boy named Measle, whose parents are wizards. Measle's parents work as Wrathmonk hunters for the Wizards' Guild. Wrathmonks are evil, pale, small creatures that are followed by rain clouds and practice magic. The reason they are so dangerous is that they are insane. One day, Measle's mom is kidnapped outside a supermarket. Measle is sure that Wrathmonks kidnapped his mom, but when he goes to ask his dad who the kidnapper is, his dad doesn't even recognize that Measle is his son. Measle knows that Wrathmonks are dangerous, but they don't cause amnesia. So he begins to investigate. He finds evidence that the Wrathmonks and whoever is aiding them are hiding at the Isle of Smiles (an amusement park). So, with the aid of lemon jellybeans that turn him invisible, an auto piloted car, night-vision goggles, and his faithful dog, Tinker, Measle sets off for the Isle of Smiles. Can Measle go up against the Wrathmonks and the Dragodon and his giant pet dragon, Arcturion, to rescue his mom and restore his dad's memory? Opinion: This book is a great fantasy adventure. Measle is a charming character. The author uses creative figurative speech to describe objects and characters. This makes the characters interesting and the story fun to read. All readers will love Measle's dog, Tinker. I loved this book and think Mr. Ogilvy should write a sequel. I'm looking forward to reading the book that came before this one, “Measle and the Wrathmonk.” Readers who liked the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud would probably also enjoy this book. Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

The Lampkins by Eve Bunting

“The Lambkins” is a story about a lonely woman and how she manages to make a family, even without her husband, Magnus the Magnificent. Mrs. Shepherd, the lonely woman, had a dollhouse that Magnus had made for her. The dollhouse was an exact replica of her real house. It even had electricity at one point! Needing to fill her house with dolls, Mrs. Shepherd decided that she could help real kids in the process. Whenever Mrs. Shepherd found a kid who was an artist of some kind, whether it was in writing, music, painting, acting, or singing, who had a struggle to continue with their passion, Mrs. Shepherd would kidnap them. She would cleverly trick the child into reaching for something in her trunk, then, suddenly, she would give them a shot to make them as small as a doll. Mrs. Shepherd would place the doll-sized kids, who she called “Lambkins”, in her dollhouse, but only four at a time to allow for each kid to have their own room. When one of the Lambkins died, another kid would be kidnapped and shrunk to doll size. The Lambkins were McNamara Chang- a baseball player who wanted to write, Tanya Roberts- a foster child who played the violin, Lupe Sanchez- a four-year-old girl who was taken because Mrs. Shepherd wanted a little girl to act, and John Ponderelli, a singer who died and was replaced with the main character, Kyle Wilson, a painter. There was also a dog named CH Pippy (CH stood for champion). These four kids and their dog try to escape many times, but fail every time. After months, they get the chance for an escape when there is a leaking pipe. Mrs. Shepherd had to call a plumber to fix the pipe, and the Lambkins were positive that she would show him the dollhouse. They painted, “Help. Mrs. Shepherd kidnapped us. We are hidden in her house”, and they listed their names. Unfortunately, Mrs. Shepherd saw the note before the plumber came and decided that she had to get rid of her present Lambkins and get new ones. Luckily, the Lambkins were able to knock her down with a stone to escape. Finally, they escaped to the neighbor’s house and were in safety for the first time in months.

The book, “The Lambkins”, is one of my favorite books that I just couldn’t put down. With the help of a great plot, this book was almost perfect. Even the beginning was interesting, as opposed to containing a long, introductory build up, which is hard to find in books. Every aspect of the book was entertaining, especially the characters. My favorite character was Mrs. Shepherd, because of her surprising personality. You never knew whether she would respond to an action kindly, with a giggle, or angrily, with a beastly roar. The character, Mrs. Shepherd, made the book a never-ending surprise. Everyone would enjoy the characters in this book. The ending of this book brought a definite surprise. The plot in the end just kept turning and turning, so you wouldn’t be able to guess what was going to happen next. When I saw the Lambkins plan failing with only a few pages of the book left, I thought the story would end with no solution to the problem. It was a shock to see how well the writer kept the suspense throughout the book, and ended it so quickly, without sparing great detail. If I were to compare this book with another science fiction book, like “Running Out of Time” by Margarot Haddix, I would automatically say that “The Lambkins” by Eve Bunting is better in many ways. The ending to “The Lambkins” was excellent, and so was the plot of the story, but unlike “Running Out of Time,” it was not the type of book that would be read over and over again. “The Lambkins” introduces new vocabulary, such as the word “retch”. The dangers of being allured by strangers are definitely well described. You are also able to learn some of the vocabulary easily because the words are defined within the book for explanation to one of the characters, the four-year-old Lambkin. The way the author grabs the reader into the book is amazing. Her writing makes you feel like you’re there, in the book. You can feel the fear and eagerness of the Lambkins to get out. There is just enough detail in the book to make you understand the struggles of the Lambkins. Unfortunately, I was hoping to find out more of what happens to the Lambkins after their escape, but it is also nice to leave the aftermath to your imagination. “The Lambkins” is an excellent book that makes you eager to read the author’s other books.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer: MP

Warriors: The New Prophecy #1: Midnight

The forest is home to four different clans of cats. However, they are all in grave danger. Their only hope lies with four chosen cats, one from each clan. These chosen cats are given a prophecy through a dream, and although they are from rival clans, they must learn to work together to defeat an unknown enemy or face a terrible fate - the destruction of all their clans.

This book is a wonderful story for young and old. It is a little confusing in the beginning and the plot is slow to develop. However, the further you read, the clearer and more addicting it becomes. The end is a real surprise. After reading this book, you find yourself wanting to immediately pick up the next book in the series to find out what will happen next. If you have not yet begun this series, this book is a great place to start.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewed bt a Flamingnet Student Reviewer (www.flamingnet.com)