Once Upon Stilettos by Shanna Swendson

Katie Chandler, the assistant at MSI, lives an unordinary life. She is one of the few employees at Magic, Spells, and Illusions, Inc who can see magical illusions, spells, enchantments and more. Yet she doesn't have one magical bone in her body. As the newly promoted assisstant to Merlin, she is given some rather special jobs. When someone breaks into wizard Owen Palmer's office, she is sent to investigate the crime. When it is determined that someone in the office is sabotaging the company, it's up to Katie to find a clever way to find the culprit before they can get to her first.

I'm a fan of chick-lit, so I was immediately attracted to the title and cover of the book. As soon as I started to read this book, I could not put it down. I loved the twist with the magical elements. It definately added a little something different. I really liked the main character, Katie, as well. I will try to find the prequel to Once Upon Stilettos as soon as I can. This is a great summer read!

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 19
Reviewer City, State and Country: Philadelphia, PA USA

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Narrated by a wise, non-threatening voice of, ‘the angel of death,’ The Book Thief by Markus Zusak tells the reader, “If you feel like it, come with me. I will tell you a story. I’ll show you something.” The something is an endearing, emotional journey not to be missed or soon forgotten. Through the main character Liesel Meminger and her love for books, The Book Thief is an honest account about the universal truths of the contagiousness of fear, childhood innocence, and the resilient power of people in the time of catastrophe - even while living through Nazi Germany. Living in the working neighborhood of a small town outside of Munich during WWII with an accordion playing foster father she adores, a Jewish boxer hiding in her basement she finds inspiring, and the undying love and childhood she shares with her best friend named Rudy, Liesel encourages her piece of the world with her fervent admiration and desire for books. Her spirit and strength, and Rudy, help fuel her desire by stealing books from where she can, from the mayor’s house, Nazi book burnings, and gravesites. She reminds the reader about the respect books deserve through their ability to medicate the soul even during bombing raids, the destruction of homes, and the loss of loved ones. The Book Thief is a book you will fall in love with. Markus Zusak has an artisan writing style. The thoughtful character development and engaging storyline are so carefully woven it’s almost breathtaking. Zusak is sensitive in providing small hints about the destruction and inevitable loss of life to come. Although still emotional moments, this foreshadowing helps prepare the reader. As such, this over 500-page novel is entirely appropriate for young adults and, the not so young, adults. The Book Thief is destined to become a true classic and find its place on bookshelves everywhere including yours.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10
Reviewer Age: 29
Reviewer City, State and Country: Arlington, Virginia United States

Come Back Jack by Gary Nei

All thanks to one little word, Jack Rabbit's life will never be the same. After losing to the tortoise in that oh so embarrassing race, Jack decides he wants to become a star. After searching for a way to become famous, Jack befriends a crow that tells him that he knows where Jack can fulfill his dreams. The crow takes Jack to Magicland where they meet the Magic Man. The Magic Man gives Jack an offer to become the star he wanted to be, but it will cost him a small price. Jack becomes a star when performing for the Magic Man, but is what he had to give to become that star worth it?

I think the author of Come Back Jack put in a lot of time and thought to create this wonderful book. I really enjoyed this book, but when I got to the last few chapters the book fell flat. The ending was pretty boring and the fighting scenes were continued way too long. I think the author could have made this book better by shortening the length of the fighting scenes and that he should have added more details to the ending to make it more interesting. There are cute, sometimes silly illustrations that were drawn by Heather Shellenberger throughout the book. I recommend this book for ages eight to twelve.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg, PA US

Boys That Bite by Mary Mancusi

Sunshine and Rayne are identical twins, but they have completely different personalities. Rayne, obsessed with being goth and training to become a vampire, convinces her goody-two-shoes sister, Sunny, to go to a goth club. And that's where everything goes wrong. Being mistaken for her sister, Sunny is bitten by a gorgeous man, Magnus, who turns out to be a vampire. Sunny is shocked to discover that within seven days, she will be a full-fledged vampire. She desperately wants to return to normal person status, especially since she was just asked out to prom by the hottest senior at school. With Rayne's coaching, and Magnus's help, Sunny begins to understand the process of becoming a vampire while trying to find the holy grail, which is her only hope of turning back.

At first, I thought that this would be a cheesy vampire romance novel. But instead, I found this novel to be humorous, especially with all the pop culture references in today's world. The idea of turning into a vampire was uniquely refreshing as well; it was fun to read about modern vampires. The story was a quick read and I finished it in one day. I'd definately recommend this as a fun summer read. And I did not see the twist coming at the end and I cannot wait to read the sequel, which is coming out in December.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 19
Reviewer City, State and Country: Philadelphia, PA USA

The Wizard Lord by Lawrence Watt-Evans

The Wizard Lord is the ruler of all the land of Barokan. He controls anything and everything from the weather, to keeping the peace by hunting down rouge wizards and other criminals. However, if he goes bad there are eight Chosen people (the Leader, the Seer, the Swordsman, the Beauty, the Thief, the Scholar, the Archer, and the Speaker) who when working together can remove the Wizard Lord, through persuasion or other, more gruesome methods. Breaker is the main character of this story. He, after months of rigorous training, takes over the position of Swordsman. During his travels, which he starts shortly after becoming one of the Chosen, he meets the Seer and the Scholar. Then they head out to find the other five chosen, because they found some “reasons” to remove the current Wizard Lord. Find out by reading The Wizard Lord.

I enjoyed every aspect of this book, except for the beginning, which starts out too slow. I think the author did a very good job at developing the characters and the plot, which made the story suspenseful and mysterious at the same time. This book would be enjoyed by almost anyone who likes fantasy stories. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Denair, California United States

La Linea by Ann Jaramillo

Papá and Mamá left seven years ago to cross la línea, the line. Miguel, a fifteen-year-old Mexican boy, has been promised several times that he can join them soon, and still, nothing has happened. Then he gets a note on his birthday saying to contact Don Clemente, a rich man known for helping people cross into Estados Unidos, the United States. Miguel is finally on his way. Unfortunately, he didn’t reckon on his sister sneaking out of the house and onto the train with him, carrying enough borrowed money to cross on her own. She is determined not to be left behind, and if Miguel refuses to travel with her, she will go on alone. Together, they face extreme peril in their attempt to cross the line. Will they make it? Will they finally see their parents again? Will they finally get to meet the twin sisters they’ve never seen?

Ann Jaramillo has created a compelling story filled with fear, danger, and the importance of family. The story of two teenagers who set out to find a better life, one that actually includes their parents, teaches readers young and old of the strength friends and family can bring and the determination people must have to improve their lives. La Línea shows us just how hard some people are willing to fight to reach a place where they know hard work will actually pay off. Vivid pictures and horrors are depicted throughout the book, as well as common Spanish phrases and a view of the life Miguel, his sister Elena, and their grandmother, have on their farm in the middle of a drought. This is definitely a novel to remember.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, PA United States

Monterey Shorts 2

"Monterey Shorts 2" is a collection of short stories written by authors of the Monterey Peninsula in Central California. Each of these wonderful stories takes place somewhere in the area of the Monterey Peninsula. The stories date back from the days of the gold rush to present time. Another interesting aspect of the book is that some of the stories refer to characters in another story. This helps tie key parts of the plot together and gives a better overall understanding of the stories. If you like stories of all varieties without a large time commitment, this is the book for you. "Monterey Shorts 2" gives you the thrill of a best-selling novel and the feel-good lessons of life with its many stories written by some of the best authors in the country.

I thought this book gave great insight to the reader about life in the Monterey Peninsula. There is an excellent variety of stories from psychological thrillers to the stories that send great universal messages. The stories incorporated a lot into the plot and storyline, but not too much to confuse the reader or detract from the main idea of the story. Many of the authors wrote more than one story in the book, and I was impressed with their ability to write high-quality work from vastly different genres. I thought the subtle details blended with the plot very well to keep the reader on edge at all times. This book will not bore the reader because of the many twists in each story along with the wonderful pictures the authors paint the reader. "Monterey Shorts 2" is one of the best books I have ever read, and I recommend everyone to read it.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Eden Prairie, Minnesota United States

The Invisible Detective by Justin Richards

A local drunk is found dead days after he claims to see a thing in a soldier uniform with metal claws coming after him. Fear not for The Invisible Detective is on the case. Using his wits and a little bit of luck The Invisible Detective and friends solves the case of the Ghost Soldier. Meanwhile in the present his grandson Arthur is trying to solve a mystery of his own, read how it turns out in The Invisible Detective: The Ghost Soldiers.

This book is a paranormal mystery book complete with evil scientist and of course ghost soldiers. It keeps you guessing through half of the book and repeatedly loses you through a lot of loops and turns, most of which are irritating. Then the author brings you back with a lot of minor clues and explanations. Then, it loses you again with its continuous flash backs, which ranges between 1936 and the present. It can be somewhat confusing. I think the author does a good job of explanations though they are rather tedious. By the end of this book you basically know what has happened in the previous books of the series. This book is slow and takes a while to get through, but it has potential. The story of Arthur Drake finding his grandfather's journal made in Arthur's own handwriting from years before he was even born is a very intriguing plot. I am interested to see how the series will end. I recommend this book to people that enjoy reading slow mysteries, and have the time to sort through this book.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6
Reviewer Age: 16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Starkville, Mississippi USA

Emma's Secret by Veda Boyd Jones

Twelve-year-old Emma Farley worries if her family will survive the cholera outbreak that was caused by the terrible flooding of the Ohio River. Emma wonders if her dreams of becoming an animal doctor will ever come true, because in Cincinnati in 1832, girls have to become wives and mothers instead of having careers. Emma tries to keep her dreams and her family alive during this hard time. What will happen to the people of Cincinnati and how will they ever get this mess cleaned up? Find out in this exciting story called Emma’s Secret.

Emma’s Secret is one of the many wonderful books in the Sisters In Time series. Emma’s Secret kept me up all night long and I liked reading about this time period in history. Emma’s Secret is a faith-based book that shows you how sometimes when you believe in God, good things may really happen. I think that this story could be improved by having more adventure and additional things happen. I really enjoyed reading this book and I recommend it to kids ages 9-12.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg, PA United States

Return to Quag Keep by Andre Norton and Jean Rabe

A group of adventurers, who have been whisked away from Earth to a magical land much like the one they play Dungeons and Dragons in, are forced to protect a caravan to pay off their debt that they made when they accidently started a bar fight. On their way to one of the towns, one of the scouts, Ingrge, captures a man who was following them. The man tells them he was sent here to, and why they were whisked away here after they touched the figurines. He also tells them that the only way to get back to Earth and to save Earth is to save a wizard locked in Quag keep. The band of adventurers try to make their way to Quag Keep, while encountering more and more dangers, that help them find out the truth of why they are here. Will the adventurers save Earth or even find their way home???

I thought this was a great book. I love fantasy books so this suited me well, and would be great for fantasy readers and Dungeon and Dragon players. This book was confusing, however, because this was the sequel to the first book, so I reccomend reading the first one before reading this. This book really intrigued me because it had a lot of mystery and suprises that really kept me interested. I also thought it was cool because the main characters were regular people like you and me. The authors are very good writers, and they kept me wanting to read more.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Lutherville, Maryland United States of America