Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge

This thick tome follows young orphan Mosca as she travels across land and sea with a strange man named Eponymous Clent. In no time at all, she is caught up in an intriguing struggle for power between different persons and guilds.

Fly by Night is not a fantasy book, nor is it historical fiction. Instead, her world is something somewhat like our world a few hundred years ago -- but with different laws and events, which have shaped its history and its people accordingly.

Initially, I thought this story revolved around books and literacy because the attractive front cover boldly states, "Imagine a world in which all books have been banned!" Though it did deal with writing and words, the book was ultimately more about power, greed, politics, and trickery.
Some of my acquaintances really loved Fly by Night. It was recommended to me by more than one person. The book never quite lived up to the hype which preceeded it. Perhaps it was not my cup of tea because it wasn't everything that I expected, but that is not to say it was a poor book. I did enjoy some moments of suspense, and I liked Mosca's pet goose.

A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life by Dana Reinhardt

Simone is a fairly well-adjusted teenager who is about to have her life turned upside down. She has known since she was a little girl that she was adopted, but she has never met her biological parents. She has never considered her adoptive parents anything less than Mom and Dad, and she loves them as much as and as well as her younger brother.

Then the phone rings. Simone's biological mother, Rivka has called in hopes that she can finally meet her sixteen-year-old daughter. Simone is understandably anxious about their first meeting, and becomes even more troubled after Rivka gives her some undeniably sad news.

A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life is a double
delight: a fantastic debut novel and a fantastic novel, PERIOD. It deals with family, friends, and fears - high school, home, and hope - love, laughter, and loss. This book's wit and wisdom will stay with readers for a long time. Highly recommended.

Specials by Scott Westerfeld

Specials, the third book in the Uglies trilogy by Scott Westerfeld, offers just as much intrigue and action as the previous two installments.

What if everyone in the world was pretty? What if things were more peaceful because of it? Would you conform to the norm or fight to be unique?

When Tally was almost sixteen, she was ready to get her obligatory operation, just as everyone else gets at that age. She thought the world was a pretty okay place and took her surroundings and standing in stride.

Then she learned that not everyone gets the surgery, some escaping to a safe haven known as the Smoke, where people look and live as naturally as possible.

Forced by the authorities to visit the Smoke, Tally found herself siding with the dissenters - a decision that risked her life and the lives of those she loved.
After the smoke cleared - no pun intended - Tally found herself one of the Pretties, having undergone the surgery anyway, again under the thumb of those in power. At first, she did not know any better, but once she learned of their mind-altering surgeries, she fought back, this time stronger and smarter than before.

Now she is one of the Specials - stronger than she ever could have imagined, with special privileges and high-powered contacts. But at what price? Sure, she enjoys the power, the strength, the immunity - but she has been given all of these gifts from people who may not have her best intentions at heart.

One thing is for sure: Tally is no longer the blissfully ignorant girl she was a few years ago. She cannot be. She can, however, attempt to right some of the wrongs she has been a part of, and, in the process, change her life and her society.

Readers of Uglies and Pretties will not be disappointed. Specials delivers all that it should and more. The action sequences are packed with octane, an the writing is imaginative and descriptive. The ending of Specials will challenge readers to think, really think, about what they take for granted and what they should truly value.

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

Pretties continues the story Scott Westerfeld started in Uglies. Set in a dystopic future where everyone gets an operation at age sixteen to make one pretty, teenaged Tally is learning that everything may not be as peaceful as it seems.
When last we left Tally, she and her friend Shay had attempted to evade the authorities and protect the secret location of the Smoke, a settlement where people who refuse the surgery could find refuge.

Pretties opens with Tally and her buddies getting ready for a party. They are extremely happy and "bubbly," all Pretties now, condoning conformity rather than condemning it. How and why did this happen? Readers may be surprised.

Readers who cheered for Tally in Uglies will continue to do so in Pretties. She is sharper in this story than in the previous tale. In fact, "sharper" may be taken literally when she discovers a painful way to reclaim her wits.

Tally must decide whether or not to follow through on the promises and bargains she has made. Not every decision is an easy one, and none of friends will make it through this journey unscathed.

Trilogies often sag in the middle, producing a second book which is not quite as good as the first and not as important as the last. Such is not the case here.
Pretties is more than a mere second step. It is just as fast-paced as Uglies and perhaps even more thought-provoking. It is followed up excellently with Specials, the final book in the trilogy.

Maximum Ride: Schools Out Forever by James Patterson

Fresh out of New York City, Max Ride and her flock of human-avian hybrids fly to Washington D.C. to locate their parents. On their way, Fang, one of the older flock members, gets his side cut by flying Erasers, human-wolf hybrids, including Ari, who Max supposedly killed in the first book. The flock then goes to a hospital, where an FBI member meets them and lets them stay in her house. Things aren't as they seem to be, and the flock eventually finds themselves in Florida, investigating a major company who will supposedly blow up the world. Maximum Ride is one ride you'll wish would last forever.

James Patterson is one of the most popular adult novelists out there. His attempt at a young adult series proves why the nation loves him. This is a sequel, but there really is no need to read the first book, as he gives details about it as they come up. Still, I would reccommend reading The Angel Experiment first, to set the stage. The characters all have their own unique personality that is pretty consistent throughout the book. Iggy acts blind, the Gasman is a typical kid, Angel is sweet and innocent, Nudge is talkative, Fang is silent, and Max is caring, yet sarcastic. There are many twists and turns in the book, which make you question yourself as you are reading almost every page. Yet all (or most) of the twists are explained, either through inference or simply reading it outright. Patterson's storytelling is amazing, and the major questions in the stories still isn't answered. I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel (there is plans for one), but not so much the movie, because, well...make your own movie/book comparisons. Still, Patterson proves that he can write just as well for Young Adults as he can for Adults.

Adult Guidance: NONE, some violence
RATING:9
Age:13
Name: Josh McLucas
City:Quincy
State: Pennsylvania
Country: United States

The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless by Ahmet Zappa

The book I read was The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless by Ahmet Zappa. The protagonist’s name is Minerva. She has a brother, Max, and they live with their father; her mother is deceased. One day when Minerva’s father is out of the house buying a cake in honor of the anniversary of his wife’s death, Minerva and Max discover their father’s study and learn that he is a monsterminator—a monster hunter. In their father’s study, Max and Minerva discover the Monstranomicon, a living book about monsters. The Monstranomicon bites Minerva, and its venom knocks her out. Her father finds that the children have been in his study, and he explains his occupation and warns them never to go into the study again. They, of course, ignore him. One day, a mysterious package arrives, and the next day monsters kidnap Minerva’s father. Will Max and Minerva save their father? Read the Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless to find out!

I loved this book! It was creative and funny. I liked the illustrations—a great mix of drawings and photos--because they give the reader a visual guide to the book. Also, there are really cool, funny monster defense recipes scattered throughout the book. This book is a must-read. I would recommend it to anyone who loves monsters, the Charlie Bone books, or the Harry Potter series.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10
Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Saugerties, NY USA

Trouble With A Capital O by Miss O, with Devra Newberger Speregen

Olivia (“Miss O”) wakes up on the first day of the school year with a bad feeling. Not even dressed yet, she starts dreading the first day. She has been assigned to the worst teacher in the school—Mrs. Hintermeister (“the Hinter Monster”). To top things off, none of her friends are in her class! Miss O knows she’s in for a long year when she steps into class one minute late and almost gets detention. A few days later, Miss O’s friend Isabella breaks the news that while Googling the other night, she came across a picture of the Hinter Monster with a caption saying “Local Teacher Behind Bars”! Olivia has an exciting year ahead of her—unraveling the mystery behind her teacher’s “mug shot,” entering her one-of-a-kind oatmeal cookie recipe in a baking contest, and dealing with a suddenly obnoxious older sister. How will her cookies turn out? Will she survive fifth grade with the Hinter Monster? Check out Miss O and Friends: Trouble with a Capital O to find out!

I really liked this book. It seemed like it was about a girl exactly like me. Miss O has all these encouraging friends, and this story seems like everything could really take place. I recommend this book to 10- to 12-year-old girls, especially fifth graders. This book is about relationships among friends and family members, and when siblings have trouble getting along. I think girls my age will get a lot out of this book.

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

Incantation by Alice Hoffman

Estrella deMadrigal was confident in who she was and her place in the world. She was a good Christian girl; a daughter, a best friend, a sister, a granddaughter. When Jews are persecuted for their beliefs, though, Estrella's world is changed. She learns that her family are the worst criminals in Spain in the year 1500: marranos, Jews who only pretended to convert to Christianity. When she learns of her true identity, everything changes. Even through all of that, though, Estrella -- or Esther-- is still going through the normal process of growing up and falling in love. In a time when she has to fight every day to even live to the next morning, Estrella is falling in love.

Incantation is a fantastic story. It's a very well-written novel about an interesting time in history. The characters are all very believable as well. Estrella seems very real, and her story captured my attention from the first page, and held it until the end. I didn't want this book to be over, but, at the same time, I raced through it, anxious to find out what would happen next! It's a short, quick read, but Alice Hoffman manages to tell a beautiful, sad, and amazing story in fewer pages than some authors take to write a not so great story. This is a wonderful book that everyone should read!

Content:Violence, death, very sad book about a sad time in history, but not particularly graphic.

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

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

The Baudelaire siblings are at Briny Beach. The oldest, Violet, likes to invent things. The middle child, Klaus, likes to read books. The youngest is Sunny, who is just a baby and loves to bite things. Mr. Poe comes down the beach to in order to tell them about their parents’ death in a great fire that destroyed their house and all their possessions. Mr. Poe takes them to live with their third cousin four times removed, or their fourth cousin three times removed, Olaf. Olaf is an evil theatre performer who messes up the children’s lives. They have to do back-breaking chores and cook all the meals. Then comes a time when Olaf wants the huge Baudelaire fortune. He devises a theatrical performance that involves a real marriage. Klaus figures out Olaf’s plot which was to marry Violet in order to get claims on the Baudelaire fortune. Olaf then hangs poor Sunny out a window in order to get Violet to marry him. She goes along with it, but Olaf’s plan is foiled anyway. He gets away, but not with the money.

I liked this book. I have read several in the series and I really liked all of them. I would say the tone of this book is misery and misfortune. You feel bad for the three children because their parents have died, all their things were lost in a fire and they are stuck living with a raving lunatic. Count Olaf makes them do back-breaking chores and cook all the meals. The characters cope with whatever is thrown at them. Even though I was happy that they no longer had to live with Olaf by the end of the story, I was also sad because they have to go live with another relative they don’t know. I sometimes had trouble relating to what the children were going through, but the story was quirky and kept my interest. I would also recommend reading these books in order because they will make no sense if you don’t.

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

The Adventures of Michael MacInnes by Jeff Carney

The year is 1924... Michael MacInnes is a cleaver and rebellious sixteen year old orphan who is accepted to a boy's only boarding school called Stoney Batter. At the time, Stoney Batter was one of the few schools with a letter-press and Michael wants desperately to write poetry for the school paper, but is rejected. Michael's school life may not seem very promising, but all that changes when he meets a mysterious woman who tells him that his poetry will receive great notoriety and he will soon fall in love with a beautiful girl. Michael is skeptical at first, but the predictions soon come true when he publishes a popular underground magazine expressing his controversial views on the school's religious practices and meets a girl from another nearby school. Jeff Carney's The Adventures of Machael MacInnes contains many elements that define the period such as bootlegging and an aerial blimp rescue. Michael is a character who is willing to stand up for what he believes in even if it means cruel retaliation from the school's Dean Reverend and some of the other students.

I really enjoyed how this book takes place in 1924, and addresses many topics that are considered quite controversial even today such as homosexuality and atheism. It's not often that an author comes around who's daring enough to delve into the complex issues many authors dare not write about. I hope that teens who read this book will find it an eye opening and mind freeing experience. Jeff Carney has created a great piece of historical fiction with a very modern twist that many teens can identify with. I look forward to any books Jeff Carney writes in the future and hope to be one of the first to be waiting in line to buy his next work of fiction.

Content:mature reader

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Navarre, Florida USA