Sword Play by Linda Joy Singleton

This book is about Sabine Rose returning to her hometown to reunite with her family, that shunned her when she was blamed for the death of a football player named Kip. So now she is returning hoem to the town of San Jose leaving behind the new life she has grown to love, and bringing with her a quest given to her by the spirit of Kip telling her to "help her." So now she is back in the world that once shunned her, reuniting with people who always cared about her, her old fencing team and fencing teacher for one. She is not happy being back home again, but seeing those who once were close to her brightens the prospect of being home again. Although there are a few dark clouds that present themselves on her return, findingthe person Kip wants her to help, seeing her ex-best friend, her father constantly disappearing,her grandmother's illness she is not able to monitor anymore, and of course the fact that someone is trying to hurt her, Sabine is back home again and she's determine to try and be happy about being back in San Jose.

"Sword Play" was a good book. Although it was a sequal in a series, if you chose to read it without reading any of the other books before it in the series you wouldn't be lost wondering what the characters were talking about. Everything that might have raised a what are you talking about question was fully explained so the reader wasn't left confused. Throughout the book Sabine is trying to help Kip help someone else, but also they include a goal Sabine pursues throughout the series; finding a way to help her grandmother keep her memory. Although it isn't the best seer type of book I've read, it still did a good job of showing you the life of someone with a power to see things from the past, future and dead people's spirits making it an enjoyable book to read.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6
Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Tucson, Arizona U.S.A.

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

Fairest is the story of Aza, the daughter of an inn keeper, who lives in a town where beauty is worshiped, beauty of voice beyond all and though Aza’s voice is beautiful beyond belief her face is hideous. Her beautiful voice and unusual talent to throw her voice, which she calls illusing, lands her a spot next to the vain queen as her lady in waiting who is forcing her to illuse . Find out how Aza turns out in Gail Carson Levine’s Fairest.

I never liked fairy tales with their simple plots and cliche endings so when I picked up Gail Carson Levine’s Fairest I expected nothing more than a 2-bit retelling of Snow White. What I found was something entirely different. Gail Carson Levine takes the story of Snow White to a new high. Female fans of the Ella Enchanted and The Two Sisters of Bamaree will not be disappointed. Each page reminds you why Levine is loved my millions of fans everywhere and this book will only add to her ever-growing list of fans.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Starkville, MS USA

Before I Go by Riley Weston

Before I Go is a sad love story that brings tears to a reader's eyes. The skater and coach were also mother and daughter who have a very deep relationship. At the age of six years-old, Madison meets Jackson Wellington III, who becomes her best and only companion in life. All of her life, Madison had never belonged anywhere because she was a lone wolf, an outcast in other words. Skating was her only passion and reason to live. But things in her life change.

I would enjoy this book forever. Madison seems like a spoiled girl but she was actually under a lot of stress. Madison's relationship with her best pal is really sweet and romantic. The author did leave me wondering what happened to Jackson and Annie in the end. I really enjoyed the last chapter. The last chapter was sad. I was crying so much that my tissue was all wet. I really encourage teens and young adults to read this novel. I learned that you should enjoy life as much as you can. I cannot wait until "Before I Go" comes out so everyone can experience the emotions in this wonderful and tearful novel!

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Norwalk, California United States States

Journey Between Worlds by Sylvia Louise Engdahl

Melinda has her whole life planned out. She is going to marry her boyfriend and live on the beach. When she graduates high school, her father offers to take her to Mars on a long business trip with him. She accepts. On the ship to Mars, she befriends a guy named Alex. She lives on Mars longer than she expected and goes through many different problems. When Alex thinks about more than friendship, Melinda doesn't know what to choose. Who knows what will happen.

This book was excellent. It was a little slow at first but it got interesting quick. I'm not a big fan of science fiction, but this book was pretty good. It was a little confusing at some parts though. Overall it was good and I would recommend it to many people.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6
Reviewer Age: 11

Tales of a Hollywood Gossip Queen by Mary Kennedy

When Jessie was flown to California to redo some lines for her small role in the movie, Reckless Summer, she wasn't expexcting to get much out of it. She planned to go to L.A. for a few days, record some lines in the studio, maybe a little shopping, then back to her boring life on the east coast; but that changed dramatically. When Shane Rocket, the hearthrob (yet cheating) co-star, comes to visit her in the studio, she is in awe. Before she knows it, she has an internship for a gossip magazine, Juicy, with her best friend, Tracy, and is starting to fall for Shane once again. When Jessie starts to realize he is hooking up with another teen actress, the Hollywood scene isn't where she wants to be especially when she lands herself on the cover of Juicy...

I loved the book. When I recieved the book, I realized that Tales of a Hollywood Gossip Queen was the sequel to Confessions of an Almost-Movie Star. I had already read the first one but it didn't matter. The second book catches the reader up on the things that were significant in the first book for this one. Personally, I thought this book was good. Compared to the first one, I thought Confessions had more excitement to it but when alone, Tales was great! I would definitely recommend this book to my friends!!

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

Hit the Road by Caroline B. Cooney

On the first day of Brit's summer vacation, her parents leave for an Alaskan cruise. They entrust Brit's care to Nannie (or rather Nannie's care to Brit). Nannie has recently lost her driver's license and her car because Brit's mother feels Nannie has become senile. Nannie fights back by renting a large van and attempting to take her old college roomates to their 65th reunion. When Nannie discovers her inability to drive the large van, Brit must take over, only having her license for a short time. Along the way, Nannie and Brit must stage a kidnapping of Auriela, Nannie's former roomate being kept in a nursing home against her will by her contrary son Aston the Third.

I found the book incredibly entertaining, but a little cliched and over-the-top. There are several subplots in the book that make it much more interesting and complex. The characters brighten up the story for me, especially the "girls" (Nannie's former college roomates). I think it ended rather abruptly, with many untied ends. Parts of the book were laugh-out-loud funny, while others were a bit overextended. Certainly an entertaining summer read.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Skopje, N/A Macedonia

The Tourmaline by Paul Park

The Tourmaline is the continuation of the story that began with Paul Park's A Princess Of Roumania. In this novel, several characters from our world have been transported to an alternate world. It turns out that Miranda is really not from the familiar world that Peter, who is the first character we meet in this book, was born in. Miranda was, in fact, only sent for her own protection as a baby. Now she's back in this magical world, to save Roumania (or Romania) which is, in this reality, a world power. She has some help, including Peter, who is turning into the Chevalier de Graz, Andromeda, who is currently in the shape of a dog, and several others. Can they do it?

The Tourmaline is a beautifully written book. It has great characters, real enough so that the reader feels real emotion (like or dislike, or stronger) for them, which is a great accomplishment for a writer. The plot is fairly original, too, which is becoming more and more difficult as the number of books written increases, and more and more people struggle to come up with ideas no one else has already written down. This alternate world, wonderfully described, is especially interesting because it is obviously very different from the world we know, but is also similar. This fantasy novel is one that is worth reading, when it seems sometimes that there are too many similar fantasy books around, as it is a popular genre.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Asheville, NC USA

Out of Focus by Margaret Buffie

When Bernie's great-aunt Charlotte died, she left something behind for her niece. Bernie's mother, Celia, inherited the Black Spruce Lodge. Now they have a place to live, where they won't ever have to leave in the dead of night to avoid paying the overdue rent. Things aren't as easy as one might hope, though. Bernie's angry at her mother, and can't believe Celia could even try to stop drinking, or take some responsibility for her children, Bernie's younger siblings who have been taken care of by their older sister for years. That's the most dominant emotion Bernie feels: anger, specifically at her mother. It makes life out of focus (as the title says). Can Black Spruce Lodge help Bernie get things in focus?

Out Of Focus is one of the best young adult books I've read recently. It was very well-written, with believable, unique characters. The story, told from Bernie's point of view, surpassed any expectations I had of a novel from an author I'd never heard of. Now that I have read a book written by Margaret Buffie, I'll certainly be looking for more from her. The story is interesting and original, rather than the same old books I've been reading lately. Out Of Focus was certainly worth reading.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Asheville, NC USA

Jennie's War by Bonnie Hinman

Will Jennie ever be able to catch Pietro in the act? Jennie is led to believe that Pietro is a spy trying to find out information about Boeing, a factory that makes airplanes for the war, after she sees him doing some very suspicious things. One day Jennie overhears Pietro talking to a strange man about meeting in the underground, and having no idea where that is, she decides to follow him. While doing so she runs into a small problem along the way and has to seek the help of her brother, Tommy, in order to solve it. Jennie is uncertain of asking for Tommy’s help, for she is afraid he will take control and boss her around when it was her idea in the first place. From growing vegetables in the “Victory Garden” to collecting scrap metal for the war effort, Tommy and Jennie are always making everything a contest between them. Will Jennie ask her brother for help or will she let Pietro get away and possibly risk the lives of the many people who work at Boeing? Find out in this faith-based book called Jennie’s War written by Bonnie Hinman, which is one of the many wonderful books in the Sisters in Time series.

This book is set in 1944 during World War 2. It teaches the reader how the people had to live and about the many different things they had to do to help with the war effort. Jennie’s War also teaches you how working together instead of competing against one another will get you farther in life. I think this is a great book that throws a surprise ending at you. I highly recommend Jennie’s War mainly to girls, ages 9-12.

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

Harlem Hustle by Janet McDonald

Harlem Hustle is a teenager living in (where else?) Harlem. Hustle, who also goes by "Double H" (real name Eric Samson) may not have much in his life, but he's got big dreams. Hustle wants to be a rap star. He's got the words--he's been writing down his raps for a long time now. He just needs to break into the music business and get his work noticed. Easy, right?

This was a decent book. The characters, while interesting, were not particularly three-dimensional. They didn't exactly step off of the page. The storyline was not particularly original, either. There are tons of people out there with dreams of becoming music stars, and this wasn't a particularly new twist on that. Still, it was moderately interesting, and did keep my attention through most of it. The author's style wasn't remarkable, either. It was a decent read, though, but not one I'd spend my money on; I might, however, check it out from the library. It's worth that.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6
Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Asheville, NC USA