Gulliver Zone by: Stephen Baxter

In the world of "The Web" series, people are hooked up to the internet by using suits that take their minds to the web. Sarah is one of the many users on the Web, and on world peace day takes a friend and her annoying little brother on a trip to the Gulliver Zone, a virtual magical kingdom. However, after meeting a small race of people called lilliputians, Sarah and her brother are shrunk down to the lilliputian's size. Now Sarah, George, and a lillputian named Cefven must go to the castle of the sorceress, grow back to normal, save her friend, and save a race of people from an evil tyrant before they are all stuck in the Gulliver Zone.

"The Gulliver Zone," set in a not so distant future, begins and ends as a great book. The plot is really good and it made me not want put the book down. The premise for the book, though not original, makes a lot of sense and the writer did a good job of playing that out.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Reviewer Age: 14

Reviewed by: RF

Poppy's Return by: Avi

When Poppy's sister, Lily, unexpectedly arrives in Dimwood Forest with bad news that her family's and friends' home will be destroyed, Poppy decides to go back to her old home and try to save Gray House. How will she manage taking along her bratty teenage son, Ragweed Jr. (a mouse) and his best friend, Mephitis. When Poppy returns to Gray House, will she accept her father's plans for her, and will she be able to stop the bulldozer from wrecking the house? If not, what will happen to all the mice that live there? Find out in this amazing story of "Poppy's Return".

I thought this book was exciting to read. I didn't want to put it down when it was time for bed but I had to. The book had amazing characters with many different personalities. This book was a real page turner but I only gave it an eight because of the weird stuff Ereth (a porcupine) says. The illustrations were drawn by Brian Floca and are detailed black and white pictures. I really liked the ones that had Poppy in the picture; she's a really cute mouse. The plot was interesting, and my favorite character was Ragweed Jr. because he did hilarious things. I recommend this book for kids ages 8-12 because the language is fairly easy.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age: 11

Reviewed by: CMy

The Foretelling by: Alice Hoffman

This novel is a coming of age story centered around the life of a young Amazon queen-to-be, Rain. It tells of her relationship, or lack therof, with her mother, the Queen of the Amazon women, and all of the things that are expected of her as the future Queen. The novel starts with Rain being absolutely sure of what she wants and the course that her life should take. Throughout the novel, however, she slowly begins considering what life can be like outside of the never-ending war that is the empire of the Amazon women.

The overall idea and plot of the novel is both original and creative while tying in themes that most young adults can relate to. Alice Hoffman also did a good job of using symbols consistently throughout the novel. Although the novel is exciting because of its originality, at the same time you finish it with a feeling of incompleteness and sadness-- as if the entire journey you have taken with Rain is pointless. Although Rain does age in the novel by many years, the content of her thoughts seem to remain the same. Had the author not written that she had gotten older, I would not have thought so. Besides this fact, I do feel that the novel is interesting and worth reading, just don't expect to finish it feeling as though you have taken a meaningful journey along with the main character.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6

Reviewer Age: 15

Reviewed by: ACC

The Printer's Devil by: Paul Bajoria

It all starts when the Printer's Devil is making wanted posters of an ugly convict named Cockburn. Mog Winter had stayed up late one night after printing 100 copies of the poster. Once done with that, the orphan had to deliver a bill to one of Mr. Cramplock's customers (he's Mog's employer). The man who is to receive the bill's name is Mr. Flethick. Mog finds Flethick in his room with several other men smoking and speaking of things like "The Sun of Calcutta" and "The Bonsun". Before you could blink and eye Mog is whisked away in a grand adventure involving thieves, camels, deception, and a mysterious past.

I thought that "The Printer's Devil" was good, but definitely a book you might want to use a notecard as a bookmark to keep track of who's who. At times it can be dreadfully confusing as to who's doing what and how they're involved in the first place. I thought the writing was inconsistent at times. One chapter would be smooth and the next it would take a while to catch up with the plot line. It was almost as if you missed something important. Warning: When reading this book be prepared for the weird little twists and turn that could utimately change the plot for somthing totally different. Assume nothing.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age: 13

Reviewed by: KA

Worlds of the Golden Queen by: David Farland

David Farland takes you on an adventure through amazing worlds, where there is knowledge on how to expand life, create new creatures/lifeforms, and so much more. But throughout the thousands of worlds there is suffering of people, for the Golden Queen Semarritte is dead, and now the Dronon are in control of the worlds. The Dronon are nasty creatures who have created chaos throughout the worlds. But there is hope to overthrow the Dronon by means of Semarritte's clone, Everynne. On the way to regain control of the worlds Everynne comes across three people, a bodyguard named Gallen, an orphen named Maggie, and a bear named Orick. Gallen, Maggie, and Orick live on what is known as a backwards world, where the tecnologies of the other worlds have been rejected by the original people on the backwards world, and so when they agree to help Everynne they have no idea of what kinds of things or people they will find on their adventure. Throughout Gallen, Maggie, and Orick's journey they find good and bad worlds and people, that always tests what they believe in . The only thing certain about this adventure is it will change them all forever.

I loved "Worlds of the Golden Queen." it was a great book with characters you easily could like. The bad guys in the book you hated, but felt bad for them because of the fact that they were convinced that what they were doing was going to make the world a better place. The best part of the book, in my opnion, was the first time Gallen, Maggie, and Orick meet Everynne. I liked that part the best because that is when Maggie, Gallen, and Orick's life changing adventure begins.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Reviewer Age: 13

Reviewed by : VR

Steel Magic by: Andre Norton

Avalon is Earth’s guardian. If Avalon falls into the hands of evil, Earth will soon follow. When Greg, Sara, and Eric are transported to Avalon by a hidden door in a castle and learn how close Avalon is to destruction they know they have to help. With the aid of a steel knife, fork, and spoon, they set off in search of three missing talismans, the protectors of Avalon. Without these iron objects in a land where iron is deadly, the war against evil is sure to fail. Each of them must conquer their individual fears to rescue the sword Excalibur that belongs to King Arthur, the Horn that is Huon’s, the Warden of the West, and the ring that circles Merlin’s finger. If they don’t succeed, Avalon will fall, and Earth, as they know it will be no more.

Magic is real in Andre Norton’s book, Steel Magic. The imagery is vivid throughout the book, and fear is always present and always in different forms. Young readers will adore this thrilling adventure. Andre Norton has created a new fantasy world.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age: 13

Reviewed by: SMo

The Adventures of a Notorious Youth: Capt. Hook by: J.V. Hart

Just like the title promises, this book is all about the youth adventures of Captain Hook. He goes to a school called Eton where he becomes infamous. Roger (nicknamed Jolly Roger) becomes James' best friend, James falls in love with a Sultana, and he creates total havoc at Eton. All the while, he had his loyal spider, Electra, by his side. As the book progresses, James makes a dramatic exit from Eton and gains his ship, the Jolly Roger. With his ship and friends by his side, James sets off in search of the perfect island he has always dreamed of.

This book was very interesting. It explained a lot about Captain Hook and how things came to be how they were in Peter Pan. The ending was a bit vague but you can connect it with Peter Pan and figure out what happens. The book has a lot of vivid word choices and the plot twists and turns a lot. Some parts of the book are a little disturbing so this book is better for older kids. Perhaps when you are done with this book, your outlook on Captain Hook will change.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age: 12

Reviewed by: AW

Out of Time by: John Marsden

"Out of Time" by John Marsden has multiple plots to it, but the main one is about a boy named James who sneaks over to Lab 17 every night, where Mr.Woodford makes extrodinary scienctific inventions. One night James sees Mr. Woodford's newest invention, a time machine, but the following night when James goes into Lab 17 he finds Mr. Woodford dead. However, temptation rises and James takes the little time machine home with him. Now that James has the power of time, will he use it to help the lives of others or will he use it for his own personal gain? He must decide for himself before the opportunity is lost.

"Out of Time" has some good aspects in it, like its multiple plot lines, interesting main story, and great theme. However, the multiple plot lines fail to even remotely go together. The ending is highly disappointing and how the author changes from one plot to another in a paragraph-like structure is a complete flop. Again, the book is an interesting idea, but Mr. Marsden does not make it work.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 4

Reviewer Age: 14

Reviewed by: RF

"Your Name in Print" by: Elizabeth Harper and Timothy Harper

"Your Name in Print" is about how you can improve your writing. Throughout the book, you are taught how to find subjects to write about, tactics you can use to help yourself write better, and examples on how hard work and determination can help your writing. You also learn in this book how you can get your work known to the public. "Your Name in Print" will help teach you how to write anything from school reports to books.

"Your Name in Print" was an interesting book. The most interesting parts of the book for me was when you would learn about how some writer started out. The book did have useful tips on how to help improve your writing, and good ways on how to come up with ideas to write about. It also taught you a lot about how to start out in writing, and move up to doing bigger things. The book did having some parts in it where I was daydreaming while I read it, but other than those few parts, I was really into what I was reading.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age: 13

Reviewed by VR

Girls Dinner Club by Jessie Elliot is a story about three high school girls of very different backgrounds bonding together to uncover the mysteries of love, friendship, and the art of cooking. Elliot successfully creates a relationship between the book’s characters and the reader. It’s an entertaining tale of the recipes of life, however too advanced for the targeted audience, who may not be able to see beyond some of the titillating details. Best friends Junie and Celia welcome classmate Danielle to join them for dinner one evening after working on a school project. The casual meal turns into a weekly tradition where the girls try their hand at lavish, mouth-watering cuisines while developing an unbreakable sisterhood union. Individually, the girls each have problems they are desperately trying to overcome. Junie’s yearlong relationship comes to a screeching halt when she becomes unsure of the direction it is taking, and then she becomes tempted by Danielle’s hunky twenty-one-year-old cousin. Celia’s sheltered world is turned upside-down when her father brings home a new woman and her annoying or wait, maybe her mystifyingly charming nephew. Life hasn’t been easy for Danielle being raised by mom, grandma, and big sis Christine especially when bad boy Steve resurfaces as a "changed man." The lack of parental guidance throughout the novel is evident when the seventeen-year-olds either have no curfew at all, or defy the 11:00 p.m. weeknights and 12:30 a.m. weekends set for them. Together the trio battles decisions of sex, underage drinking, cheating boyfriends, and sneaking around behind their parents' backs. The content is not appropriate for 12 and below. I would not be comfortable with middle school readers being exposed to issues like sex, underage drinking, and defiance of family rules. However, this behavior is perfectly acceptable according to this book.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6

Reviewer Age: 24

Reviewed by: NY