Casa Azul: An Encounter with Frida Kahlo by Laban Carrick Hill

The simultaneous stories of Frida Kahlo following her divorce to Diego Rivera, Maria and Victor Ortiz in their search of their mother in Mexico City, and the wresting match between El Corazon and El Diablo are told by Laban Carrick Hill in Casa Azul. Fourteen year-old Maria and her nine year-old brother Victor board a bus from their small village to go to Mexico City after the death of their grandmother. Maria seeks not only her mother but also the independance she was denied in her village. They meet Oswaldo, the accomplice of the wanted thief Oscar soon after arriving in Mexico City. Although Maria does not trust him, Maria and Victor enjoy adventures together and view Mexico City froma vantage point that few visitors ever see. Maria tells Victor of the matches of El Corazon and El Diablo, famed in Mexico when they are feeling down to keep him excited and entertained. However, this simple story turns out to dictate a lot to each of the characters in Casa Azul. Frida Kahlo's childhood home of Casa Azul is not only magical with her paintings talking and giving advice, but also caring with Fuland and Chico, her monkey and cat. Their animated conversations keep the reader entertained. This episode of art history gives the reader, whether an art lover or not, an intimate look at a famous artist often put in the backgound because of her famous husband Diago Rivera. The satisfying ending makes the novel well worth reading.

Laban Carrick Hill does an excellent job of personifying the name, Frida Kahlo, that students often read in textbooks. The parallel stories especially add to the drama because the reader is constantly wondering about what is happening to the other characters until they finally all meet each other. Casa Azul is a page turner not only because of the depth into which each story is told but more so because of the switching view points. Similar to historical fiction telling the stories of figures of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, Hill's art fiction draws the reader into the history a lot more than a textbook would and definitely gives a more personable account of a famous person. I doubt that Casa Azul will become a best seller but it is definitely worth reading whether one knows anything about Frida Kahlo or not. I wish the author would have included more historical facts about the Mexican Revolution istead of just hinting at it.

Flamingnet Reviewer Age: 17

Flamingnet Reviewer City, State and Country: Kansas City, MO USA

Framed! by Malcom Rose

In a futuristic Britain, Luke Harding is the youngest Forensic Investigator ever. On the day he is certified, Luke is assigned to a case that is too close to home. A student at the school he attends is murdered with an arrow, and the only fingerprints on the arrow are Luke’s! With his robotic sidekick, Malc, Luke is equipped with everything he needs to deal with a world where people are ‘paired’, cats and dogs are all but extinct, and people with white skin are jeered and teased. Luke must prove himself innocent of the series of murders that all point to him.

I enjoyed the book. Malcom Rose is clearly qualified to write the book, as he is a forensic teacher. The scientific facts are laced masterfully with an entertaining story. The only thing that the story lacks is character emotions. Though the development is fine, and we know exactly the disposition of each character, the feelings of the character leave a bit to be desired. All in all, the book is very good and certainly worth reading.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Flamingnet Reviewer Age: 12
Flamignet Reviewer City, State and Country: Greencastle, PA USA

Anthem by Ayn Rand

Equality 7-2521 is not like the other brothers. For one thing, he has a head quicker than most. He desires to become a Scholar and question all things. In the society of Equality 7-2521, the worst transgression is to prefer. Nothing is superior. Everything is all the same. Equality 7-2521 makes a huge discovery, but keeps it to him, for it is Uncharted. If the Council found out, he would be severely punished for breaking the law. There he discovers the secrets of the Unthinkable Times and satisfies some of his hunger for knowledge. He meets Liberty 5-3000, a girl, and falls in love without the Council of Eugenics assigning them together. Both of them escape to the Uncharted Forest and realize the power of the one Unspeakable Word.

It was a book that definitely made me think. However, the plot is very similar to that of The Giver. It also contains some elements from The White Mountains. Ayn Rand gives many of the modern-day concepts and items obscure and unclear names.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 12

Alice On Her Way by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Alice, a fifteen year old living in Maryland, only has a couple of goals in mind for her near future: getting a date to the Jack of Hearts dance because she and Patrick broke up; going to New York with her friends on their school trip; and getting her driver's license when she turns sixteen. When Sam Mayer, a photographer on the school newspaper with her, asks Alice out, she finds him perfect. Everything goes well with her and her best friends Elizabeth, Pamela, and Gwen until their trip to New York. More of their problems surface and changes are realized. All this takes place in front of a backdrop of her church class "Our Whole Lives" that her Dad signed her up for. Although she dreads going to it in the beginning, she looks forward to it and realizes its importance towards the end.

Like many books written for teenagers today, Phyllis Naylor's Alice on Her Way portrays a teenage girl trying to get along in the world. Naylor's laid back style of writing makes the book relatively quick read. Although this book is not really original in its plot and approach to teen-agers, there is a lot of positive in it. I doubt Alice will make it to the top of the best-seller lists but it is a fun read. Alice can be compared to Meg Cabot's Mia but it is a lot faster paced and Naylor takes a totally different approach to presenting her plot. Overall, Alice on Her Way is worth reading in some spare time.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 5
Reviewer Age: 17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Kansas City, Missouri USA

Chopstick

Chopstick is the story of Paige Winsome and Kate Kennedy, who both love music. Paige needed a guitar and Kate emailed her back about one she would sell her. When they met up at their dads' same work place, Rainmaker, one of the the largest employers in Snake River Valley, Paige buys the guitar from Kate and invites her to Two Trees, a Chinese resturant and she accepts. When they are done with their meal, they decide that they should have something that symbolizes their love of music. Kate looked around a minute and discovered they could each wear a chopstick in their hair as the symbol and that's how their friendship began. Each girl is in the same singer-songwriter contest to compete for the four dollar prize so that they can give it to charity, as they find out later. Will this contest ruin their friendship or make it better? Find out in this awesome book called Chopstick, the second book of the Friends For A Season series. There are four books in this series and there's a website too at http://www.friendsforaseason.com.

This book is on fire! You will think so too as soon as you start reading Chopstick. I will admit at first it was a little hard to understand until I figured out that Chopstick alternates from Paige's to Kate's perspective the whole way through this book. Each girl is telling the story of their own life and how they meet up with one another and become the greatest friends anyone could ever have. Now if you ask me I think this book sounds awesome and it really is. I think you definitely should buy this book if you like books about competition.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10
Flamingnet Reviewer Age: 11
Flamingnet Reviewer City, State and Country: Upperstrasburg, PA US

Princess in Training: Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

This book is the sequel to Princess in Pink. In this book, Mia has more important things her mind. By important we mean, running for student council against Lana, dumping snails in the Bay of Genovia, and the most important thing of all, doing IT with Michael. With a fantastic show of understanding and smarts, Mia blows the student body away. Michael is an understanding boyfriend and they work it out. Now you may ask, well, what about the snails? Well, you'll just have to find out in Princess in Training.

I think that Meg Cabot has done a good job in portraying Mia's life again. Mia is like a typical high schooler even though she is a princess and faces problems we could face someday and that makes it easier for readers to relate to her. All the song titles and movies are also modern enough that we know them.Each chapter relates to the next and some are even just 5 words long! Also, Meg puts some fun little activities that Mia did into her diaries and you can do it too. As the books progress, Cabot starts putting more adult material in it. I recommend this book for older kids. A very well written book.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Flamingnet Reviewer Age: 12
Flamingnet Reviewer City, State and Country: Tucson, Arizona USA

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

Liz had an okay life. She was going to get her learner's permit in about a year, she had a prom coming up, and she had a pretty nice family. Then, one morning she wakes up to find herself on a boat! She meets all sorts of strange characters on the boat. Such as Curtis Jest, a member of her favorite band, Machine, and Thandi, a girl who claims to have been shot in the head. Liz is positive she's dreaming. Liz gets a letter, telling her to visit the Observation Deck. When she gets there, she gazes upon her own funeral. Then she gets it. This isn't a dream. She's dead. Liz struggles in her first year in Elswhere. But, she makes friends, gets a job, and makes peace with her death.

I loved this book! To me, it represented that every cloud has a silver lining. Liz was a great character, sometimes bratty, but nevertheless, she was very sweet. I also loved this book because I love dogs. It would be cool to be able to talk to dogs for a job. After reading this book, I decided that when I die, I would like to go to Elsewhere.

Alice Macleod, Realist at Last by Susan Juby

"Alice Macleod, Realist at Last," Susan Juby's latest novel, continues the adventures of Alice Macleod, a self-proclaimed outcast who was home schooled for ten years before attending a public school. This is the third installment in a highly successful series which also includes the
books "Alice, I Think" and "Miss Smithers."

The book begins during the summer before seventeen-year-old Alice's senior year and her world seems to be falling apart. Her mother has been jailed for protesting the building of a toxic plant. Her boyfriend has recently moved to Scotland with his parents. Her empathetic counselor Bob has been temporarily replaced by the detached Ms. Deitrich. To top it all off the family's home-based candle making business has been snuffed out leaving Alice and her father in need of some fast employment.

And that's just the start of Alice's troubles.

This engaging story is told in the first person through pieces of Alice's diary and snippets of her tentatively titled screenplay "Of Moose and Men" where she has cast herself in the lead. The narrative devices skillfully convey Alice's unique outlook on life, but it might take several pages for new readers to warm up to her voice. Her sense of humor is quirky and often times quite dark. Alice's previous exploits are occasionally alluded to during the course of this novel, but reading the first two books isn't mandatory in order to thoroughly enjoy this one.

Alice is the kind of character that readers will find charming. Potentially sensitive topics (such as Alice's mother's incarceration) are dealt with in a non-offensive and light-hearted manner. However, the book contains sexual content that may not be suitable for younger readers. This is a funny and entertaining book for ages twelve and up.

Reviewed by Amy Vance for Flamingnet Book Reviews
www.flamingnet.com
Preteen and young adult book reviews and recommendations

Ariel by: Grace Tiffany

"Ariel" by Grace Tiffany is a re-creation of William Shakespeare’s "The Tempest". Ariel is a powerful spirit who does not possess a physical body. However, she can shift shape, control people’s minds, create other spirits, and show images in the air. In the beginning of the book, Ariel starts out as a dream that belongs to a sailor named Jasper. A storm has swept Jasper onto an island. Over time, Jasper starts to go mad. He starts praying to his dreams and calls the spirit Ariel out of them. Jasper finally dies of his madness, but Ariel lives on. One day, a pregnant woman named Sycorax washes up onto the island. She and Ariel help each other to survive. Finally, Sycorax is about to give birth to her baby. She asks Ariel to help her, but Ariel cannot because she is only a spirit. Angry, Sycorax prays to her god, Setebos, to trap Ariel. Setebos turns Ariel into an ant and sticks her inside a tree! To find out what happens to Ariel, and Sycorax, read on for yourself!

"Ariel" is an enchanting book. Many interesting characters show up on Ariel’s island, including Sycorax’s “monster” son, Caliban; Prospero the farmer and his young daughter, Miranda; Alonso the king of Naples and his son, Ferdinand; Prospero’s “evil” brother Antonio; and Ariel’s three spirit minions—Acrazia, Nous, and Fantasia. At some points Ariel is a little slow, but other parts are exciting and read quickly. Readers who like "Treasure Island" and those who like Shakespeare’s stories would like Ariel.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age: 11

Reviewed by: GS

Tackling Dad by: Elizabeth Levy

Cassie was the star of the pee-wee football team a few years ago. Many things have changed since then, such as her parents getting divorced. Now she only visits her dad on weekends. When she and her best friend Molly make the new football team, will Cassie ever get her parents to sign the form to allow her to play in the games? If they do let Cassie play, will she ever get the respect she wants from the boys on the team? How much longer will Cassie be able to stand Serena, her new step-mom(Mrs. Tofu Queen), who gets worked up over almost everything? You can find out in this terrific book called "Tackling Dad".

This book was a page-turner and and I enjoyed spending the time to read it! At first I didn't know how this book would be since it was about football and I don't like football, but this book turned out to be excellent. The things the characters said in "Tackling Dad" were very funny. I recommend "Tackling Dad" to pretty much anybody who likes to read funny books, but especially if you like football.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Reviewer Age: 11

Reviewed by: CMy