Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky

When 17-year-old Dominique, or Dom for short, meets the boy of her dreams it is when she least expects it. She is sandwiched between a fat lady and this insanely gorgeous boy, covered it mud, standing next to a porta-potty. However, even though it their relationship seemed to be off to a rough start, things somehow flip upside-down, much to the suprise of Dom. As their love grows they end up experiencing many firsts: true love, dates, sloppy kisses, and boyfriends, together. If only he came with instructions...

Anatomy of a Boyfriend is an extremely fun book to read. The author, Daria Snadowsky, perfectly captures the emotions of a teenage girls perspective on a first relationship. Though the plot is a bit dry and fluffy for the first half of the book, it is still fun to read. The climax of the book comes as quite a shock, and will keep you turning pages as fast as you can. Anotomy of a Boyfriend is definately geared towards girls and is a great quick summer read.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Marblehead, Massachusetts

On The Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck

This book is about a kid named Davy growing up in World War 2. Davy's dad was in World War 1 and his brother is in the second. The first section of the book is about him before the war, everything a game. The other three sections are living in war times. Most of the book is lighthearted and funny but the last section is really intense. It's about how hard war times are. The ending is a little obvious but it was so beautiful it didn't matter.

I loved this book. It is funny yet still beautiful. All the characters are well developed especially Davy's dad.The only problem is the beginning is a little unclear. It is definitely up to Richard Peck's usual standards. You will fall in love with this book at first sight.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 10
Reviewer City, State and Country: San Francisco, California America

Septimus Heap - Book Three - Physik by Angie Sage

In this third book in the Septimus Heap series, the ghost of the awful Queen Etheldredda has come back to the palace, and her prescense creates chaos within the castle walls. She's as dangerous now as she was then, despite her ghostliness, and now she seems to be after Princess Jenna. Her plan also includes her son, an old looking glass, and Septimus Heap, Jenna's adopted brother. The looking glass is more than an ordinary mirror--it can send people back in time, to the time five hundred years ago when Etheldredda ruled the kingdom. When Etheldredda arranges for Septimus to be sent back, Jenna will do anything to find her brother--even if it means putting her life in even greater danger.

Physik is the wonderful third book in the fantastic Septimus Heap series, but even readers new to the series will enjoy this magical adventure. It's full of the same wonderful characters from the previous two books, as well as a few new--and just as believable--ones. The story itself is at least as good as the previous two, if not better. Angie Sage's imagination is brilliant, and it shows in this book! Besides being a brilliant story, Physik is also well-written, in such a way that will have the reader racing through the pages, eager to find out what happens next--and, at the end just as eager for the next book!

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

Raven by Dean Whitlock

Raven has fled the Baron Cutter’s estate. Four years later, she goes back to find her mother who did not accompany her. Trying to find the truth, she goes back and finds her mother with a new child and she is married to the baron!! Raven flees. When the Baron dies, Raven’s mother is shipped off as a bond servant. Raven goes to find her with the unexpected help of a boy named Hero.

This story had many surprises, from finding that raven’s mother has a child to seeing everything from a bird’s eye view. There were a few parts of the story that could have been heavily elaborated on, but other than that the story was fine. Whitlock uses an extensive vocabulary, and a lot of strange curses. Overall, this was an excellent book to read again and again.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, PA

Mistletoe by Hailey Abbott, Melissa de la Cruz, Aimee Friedman, and Nina Malkin

In this book, there are four stories all about romance and happiness. In Working In a Winter Wonderland by Aimee Friedman, a college girl named Maxine Silver is looking for a job so she can buy the perfect dress for her friend’s party. Low and behold, the guy of her high school dreams walks up and tells her about a job at his department store. She takes it… then finds out it is for the elf position. In Have Yourself a Merry Little Breakup by Hailey Abbott, Aria(the main character)’s best friend, Emily, went off to college. She is coming back for winter break and Aria needs to help her friend’s boyfriend find the perfect gift. Marcus, Emily’s boyfriend, is having a rough patch and doesn’t think he and Emily will make it. Aria doesn’t know if she has feelings for Marcus or not. In Scenes From a Cinematic New Year’s by Nina Malkin, a star named Connor, is going to be going home for Christmas. When a surprise audition pops up, he has to go. On his way there his car breaks down an there is only one house around, so he knocks on the door. Inside is a girl named Talisa. They go out and check his car to ge it working. Afterwards they fall in love, but he can’t find her after 3:15. In the Christmas Choos by: Melissa de la Cruz, Kelsey Cooper and her boyfriend have been together for a long time. She only has $42 to spend on his present. She finds the perfect jacket, but it is $400. So she sells her grandmother’s dress to buy him the jacket.

This is a wonderful book written by four aspiring romance writers. I loved how it was four stories in one. I would recommend this to anyone looking for one of those awwwww… moments. These sweet stories will have you wishing you had a guy like him.

Content:mature reader

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: ,

Vanishing Act by John Feinstein

Last year, Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson saved Chip Graber, Minnesota’s point guard, from blackmail at the Final Four. Now they’re back at the U.S. Open to witness one of the year’s best tennis events. But things don’t go as planned when Nadia Symanova, a talented new Russian player, is kidnapped on her way to her first match. Stevie and Susan Carol, along with their friends Bobby Kelleher and Tamara Mearns, take the challenge to figure out what happened to Nadia and where she is. But they’re saved the trouble when her kidnappers return her. The duo soon realize that there’s more to this story then meets the eye. As they keep investigating a trail leads to Susan Carol’s uncle, Brendan Gibson. What did Brendan have to do with the kidnapping? Who really kidnapped Nadia Symanova and why? These are the questions that you’ll keep asking yourself when you read the book.

John Feinstein did an excellent job on this book as he captivates the reader in a suspenseful mystery. His writing style was so eloquent that it made me feel that I was with the main characters in their quest for the truth. Even though the book is written as a sequel to Last Shot, there really isn't much connection between the two books. So, anyone can pick this book up and enjoy it in the same way that I did.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Champaign, Illinois USA

Going Nowhere Faster by Sean Beaudoin

Going Nowhere Faster stars Stan, a boy handicapped by his name and the weirdness of his family, but with an extraordinary mind. Ask Stan any math question, or anything about the video collection of Happy Video, where he works, and he'll blink, and in that time, come up with the correct answer. Still, though, Stan has a difficult time in life. He doesn't have a girlfriend. He has one friend. He hasn't even applied to college. He doesn't know where he's going with his life--or even if he'll make it through the summer, as someone is out to get Stan!

Going Nowhere Faster is a well-written book. It's very interesting, and I especially loved Stan's very...unique family. Going Nowhere Faster is full of interesting characters, especially Stan himself. He gets into the most hilarious situations, too! It's a funny, fresh, and wonderful story that's well worth reading!

Content:Some adult guidance

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

Faerie Wars by Herbie Brennan

Henry Atherton is an average boy. When he wakes up on a not so average day, he finds out several things. First of all, his parent's relationship is ruined because his mother is having an affair with his dad's secretary. Secondly, when he goes to work for old Mr. Fogarty, he finds a mysterious fairy named Pyrgus Malvae, the Crown Prince. Pyrgus is from a different world, the Faerie Relm, and he is next in line for Emperor. He doesn't care for politics too much anyway. While he is out roaming the streets, Brimstone of the glue factory captures him and needs to sacrifice him to the demon Beleth. Pyrgus gets rescued by the Emperor's guards [his father's]. When his father knows he isn't safe in their world anymore, he gets sent in their magical portal to the Analouge World [the human world]. Pyrgus somehow gets sabotaged in the process, so instead of going to an island, he gets sent to Mr. Fogarty's backyard. Henry and Mr. Fogarty try to help Pyrgus get back to his own world, but something else goes wrong. The whole time this is going on, his sister Holly Blue, is trying to help get Pyrgus back and find out who sabotaged him. Will he get back to the Faerie Relm safely?

When I first started the book, I thought it would be about a war going on [because of the title]. However, after reading a few chapters I knew that it wasn't. The chapters go back and forth from character to another to another so you have to pay attention to understand the whole story. The vocabulary is understandable and has a great variety. I would recommend this book to people who like fantasy because of the different 'species' of characters. There is great foreshadowing to help you predict events that would happen later in the book. I found this book very well-written, addicting, and I can not wait to get the second book to read in this series!

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Carlisle, PA USA

Not Like You by Deborah Davis

Kayla's mother, Marilyn, is always moving them from place to place. Even though she claims to be starting a new, better life for them every time, things don't usually change. Most of the time, she's just moving on and leaving her life in one place (and, she likes to think, mistakes there) behind. Kayla feels like the only mistake that Marilyn can't leave behind, but in New Mexico, she's starting to put down roots for herself. She's making some money with her dog-walking, she's got a new friend, Luz, and she might even have the attention of an older guy. She doesn't want to be an afterthought in her mother's life of men, booze, and mistakes, but she's not sure what her own life should be, either. Can Kayla find a balance between having her own life and loving her mother?

Not Like You is a pretty good book. Certainly, the subject matter, though heavy, is handled admirably, with even some funny moments! It has some wonderful characters, and the story itself seemed to have a lot of potential. For the most part, it was wonderful, but there were moments when Deborah Davis's obvious talent for writing did not shine through, for no particular reason. Not Like You is a very painfully real, honest book. It's a good one, and certainly worth reading!

Content:For a mature reader because of some sexual situations.

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

Bloodline Two: Reckoning by Kate Cary

The story takes off right where Bloodline ended. As Quincey Harker turns his back on his bloodline, he leaves his home at Castle Dracula and goes in search of Mary Seward. Mary has since fled back to her home of Purfleet and wants nothing to do with the darkside. But Mary soon realizes that she can't get away. Her father succombs to a strange virus where are his blood is taken from his body and soon, Mary's patients are dying from the same affliction as well. She knows that evil is near and when Harker comes to her asking for help, she has to decide whether Harker truely wants to turn his back on evil or whether he's toying with her emotions.

After reading Bloodline, I've been waiting to read this sequel and it has definately lived up to the first. I couldn't stop reading the book once I started. The author has left the story in a place where it could be continued, so I'm hoping there will be a third book to follow. This book is for anyone interested in action, mystery and horror and it even has some romance. These books have made me very interested in stories about Dracula and I can't wait to see what happens next!

Content:There is some violence in here, so this is not for younger readers.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10
Reviewer Age: 20
Reviewer City, State and Country: Philadelphia, PA USA