Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Annabel Greene, a model, starred in one commercial as a girl who has everything. The irony is that she is, in fact, a loner. Annabel was once best friends with Sophie, the most popular girl in school. But something happened that caused them to separate. But Annabel doesn't like to think about that night. That's not the only problem she has to deal with. Her sister, Whitney, has an eating disorder and that fact is what started a fight between Kirsten, her oldest sister, and Whitney. Her mother tends to be unstable in dealing with problems. And Annabel wants to quit modeling but doesn't know how to tell her mother. When Annabel meets Owen, she gets a whole new outlook on life. Through music, he helps her deal with her problems and shows her how to confront them.

I thought this book was even better than previous Darah Dessen books. I could not put this book down until the very last sentence. I think that every girl can relate to this book in some way. She really was able to take serious issues and put them together to make a novel that wasn't too heavy, yet got it's point across. The hints of romance were nice to break up the seriousness of the novel. I highly recommend this novel and I will be looking forward to Sarah Dessen's next book!

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10
Reviewer Age: 19
Reviewer City, State and Country: Philadelphia, PA USA

Braced2Bite by Serena Robar

The book starts out with Colby, the main character, going through a normal day of life. Getting dressed, going to school, flirting with the cute jock, going to the football game, cheerleading, walking home because cute guy ditched, and then going to bed. Well, everything was normal until Colby started to go home, and bumps into a guy. Well the guy was a vampire and decided she should be one too. Now Colby's life is turned around. She has trouble getting up during the day, she can't eat regular food, she has to have a fang retainer because her canine teeth were pulled out, and she receives visits from the vampire inspecters and they tell her that she is going to have to argue for her life. Also everyone thinks she faked her attack, she doesn't have a date for homecoming, and the cute vampire she likes may want her dead. Colby's future seems bleak,but she is determined to live her undead life, even if that means killing her creater to do so.

"Braced2Bite" was an interesting vampire book. The author took a few modern ideas of the perception of vampires and added those ideas with her own, creating a new and original vampire community. The main character, Colby, situation was fun to read about. The attitude Colby had towards her life's sudden change was funny to read about. One moment Colby would hate being a member of the undead, and then the next moment she would find a reason that would make her love. From when Colby learned that she was a vampire to her finally finding out if she would live or die, the reader followed her on a journy full of adventure, friends, and the forever changing life of a teenage undead.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Tucson, Arizona U.S.

Mary Edwards Walker: Above and Beyond by Dale Walker

In this short biography of Mary Walker, Dale Walker gives glimpses into the history of medicine, the world of women’s fashions, prisons of the Civil War, and the beginning of the campaign for women’s vote. Mary Walker was born in 1832 in upstate New York to freethinking parents who insisted that the four girls work on the farm and wear clothing that allowed amble circulation of blood. Not only did she follow her father’s suggestions for attire, she also followed him into the medical profession and became one of the first female doctors in the Unites States. Her father was self-taught; Mary graduated from Syracuse Medical College in 1849 and began the difficult task of finding patients who would pay to see a woman doctor. What the Civil War began, she volunteered as a physician and fought hard to be paid as a physician, not a nurse. She worked to stop battlefield amputations and to incorporate sanitary practices. Known as much for her brash, unrelenting behavior as her trousers, she became fodder for Civil War tabloids. Captured as a spy, Mary spent four months in Confederate prison where she schemed for prison reforms including better food and medical care. She was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1865, had it rescinded 1917 when Congress decided that too many medals had been awarded without merit, and reinstated in 1977. Her life spanned the Civil War and beyond. She saw women’s roles changed from domestic work to physician. Just before she died in 1919, women were granted the right to vote.

Mary Walker is a terrific role model for today’s girls- feisty, responsible, hard-working and not at all concerned about the fashion police. Well worth reading.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 58
Reviewer City, State and Country: Timonium, MD US

How to be a Teen Fashionista by Chase Koopersmith

Have you ever woken up in the morning and found that you have nothing to wear? Well now, you can learn how to put together new outfits and make new clothes out of the same book! Make matches you would have never thought of and have fun doing it. It's all about clothes. Find the teen fashionista in yourself.

This book has such great capacity to be good. The title is intriguing and interesting. However, I do not think that the book contains enough things that were promised. The book only contains a few tips on what you should wear and a lot of it is bulked out with pictures. Admittedly, the pictures are very interesting, but they do not teach us about what clothes we should wear. It is the start to a very interesting topic but I think that it needs more.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Tucson, AZ USA

Fat Camp by Deborah Blumenthal

Camp.. One of the many things kids enjoy during the summer. But not for Cam. Her camp consists of nutrition classes and mini sized portions of food. Yes, a fat camp which her obsessed workout parents made her go to. She and her best friend, Evie, are separated and are forced to go to different camps. Now, she has to sleep in a room full of girls who only talk about food and how "fat" they are. She thinks it is all down hill from here but to her luck it's not. She meets a boy, Jesse, who she falls head over heals for. Now she has to juggle the love of her dreams, mailing her best friend, and dealing with the other girls at camp. Can she do it all and lose weight before the end of the summer?

At first, I was kind of bored of the book. In the beginning it only talks about her love of food and the 'hot' waiter. I thought it was going to be another book where girl goes to camp, makes friends, loses weight and looks amazing. Well, I was wrong. Yes, that does happen but it is more in-depth than I thought. After chapter 3 or 4, I really got into it. You see a girl dealing with social and emotional issues that many teenagers are facing today. At the camp, there are other girls who are also going through health issues such as bulimia and depression. Deborah Blumenthal did an amazing job of slowly breaking Cam out of her shell. The ending was somewhat of a surprise. I kind of knew what was coming but there was more that I would have ever guessed. Overall, I thought it was an astounding book.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Villa Hills , Kentucky USA

Time's Memory by Julius Lester

Josiah, a white captain of a slave ship, agrees to help Amina, a black slave on one of his ships, in order to calm a storm. Amina is pregnant with Ekundayo, the spirit, or nyama, of her dead father. Josiah sneaks Amina off of his ship and takes her to his home, where she gives birth to Ekundayo as a young man. But Ekundayo dies shortly after and his nyama is transported into the body of Nat, a slave on a Virginia plantation. Ekundayo now must learn to live with the struggles of slavery, the forbidden love he shares with Ellen, the white plantation owner's daughter, and the brutal uprising led by Nat's father. Ekundayo also must complete his mission; he must find peace for the nyama before they destroy the land. Only after Ellen dies does Ekundayo find a solution-to share the stories of Time's memory.

Time's Memory by Julius Lester was a wonderful book with an interesting plot. Lester mixes the traditional West African religion with the spirituals of the slaves. The beginning of the book is a bit confusing and abrupt but quickly picks up and becomes a page-turner. A theme throughout the book is the sadness and pain caused by slavery and death. But the epilogue adds a happy ending to the story. This book is great for anyone who likes to read historical fiction.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Erlanger, Kentucky United States

Open Ice by Pat Hughes

Nick Taglio has been on the ice his entire life. He loves hockey and is the best player on his team despite his three concussions he has had. His life seemed perfect until his fourth concussion. After the concussion, he can never play hockey again. How could Nick give up his entire life just because of a little concussion?

This book surprised me, in both good and bad ways. The situation that Nick is in is greatly emphasised through both his actions and words. Readers can understand the personalities and faults of every character in this book. Some of the dialoge of the characters were inappropriate and may not be suitable for young children. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a realistic-fiction book and to anyone who enjoys sports.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, Pennsylvania United States

The Sea Singer by Craig Moodie

The Sea Singer by Craig Moodie is about a young Viking named Finn and his journeys as a stowaway on Sea Sword, Leif the Lucky’s mighty ship. When the story begins, Finn and his mother are on their farm. Finn’s two brothers and father have set out to go a-viking, in search of a distant, unexplored land. Finn is left behind to tend the farm. Unfortunately, years pass and Finn’s father and brothers have not returned--in fact, not one sign of them has been discovered. Twelve-year-old Finn is growing restless on the farm. He is tired of tending the flock and wants to go voyaging with his father, like his older brothers did. Day after day, he keeps watch for the return of his father and brothers. One day, Viking captain Leif the Lucky’s ship sails into the harbor and docks there. After replenishing the ship’s supplies and food, Leif’s crew is ready to set sail. Finn, desperate to find his father--and some adventure--stows away on the ship. When Leif finally discovers Finn, it is too late to turn back. And too late to turn from the mess they are sailing into!

The Sea Singer is a decent, enjoyable book. It starts a bit slowly but really sparks about midway through. It gives interesting details about Viking life, and many of the characters are real historical figures, such as Leif Ericsson and Bjarni Herjolfsson. The Vikings’ journeys to “Wineland” and their encounters with the “Skraelings” are based on the actual voyages of Ericsson and Herjolfsson to North America--many years before Christopher Columbus arrived there. I would recommend this book to most kids ages 9-12 who enjoy adventure stories, and especially those who enjoyed the book Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 11
Reviewer City, State and Country: , NY USA

Follow the Blue by Brigid Lowry

Follow The Blue by Brigid Lowry is a quaint tale of a suburban girl living in Perth, Australia. Bec has always been a levelheaded girl; she looks out for her two younger siblings, helps her world-famous mother in the kitchen, and maintains her school work. After her father, who has recently suffered a mental breakdown, returns home, her mother and father decided to take a long vacation to promote her mother’s new book. This is when Bec decides to live a little. With the aid of a new housekeeper and the love of her siblings Bec meets new friends, has a party, and dives into the crazy world of guys. Throughout the novel, Bec discovers that there is a whole world out there, waiting for her to explore it.

This novel was written in a friendly style, you feel as if Bec is telling her story to an old friend, you. It has a great plot foundation; however I did not feel that the author raised it to its potential glory. Bec is an easy character to identify with but her adventures weren’t as thrilling as one might hope. It was a quick read but in the end I didn’t feel like Bec had changed much. I felt that it ended too abruptly and that Bec hadn’t had a great adventure, instead it seemed like it was only the beginning of exciting things to come. Bec was still mulling over her feelings and opinions as it ended, however, Bec did receive some excellent advice from her housekeeper, Ms. D. Her messages of wisdom are easy to understand and can be used in all aspects of life. It is a nice story of an average girl, but it leaves one feeling a bit confused.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6
Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Erlanger, Kentucky America

Community Spirits by Jonathan Pearce

Community Spirits: Infestations on the Spectral Plane Summary: Not everyone would make the connection between believing in ghosts in being truly in love. Joseph Oliver Kuhn, second-year student in Criminal Justice at Chad County Community College and potential private investigator, does. From the first appearance of Stara, a vision in a gauzy green gown, until the final poof of smoke from the former Dr. Parker, his hometown Balona is populated with ghostly visitors. What do these visitors have to do with true love or journalism or the advance of digital cameras? As Joseph tries to make sense of the strange events, another wrinkle appears. Disappearing goats, poetry-reading chauffeurs, and korndog eating citizens play big parts in unraveling the mystery of true love and falling statues. Put aside logical thinking and get ready for a trip through a hometown wackier than Mayberry.

Looking for fun and goofiness? Is your brain fried after school? Pick up Community Spirits and watch your spirits soar. Enjoy the ride. This book is more fun than a barrel of swirling orbs. R

Beth Edelstein
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 58
Reviewer City, State and Country: Timonium, MD US