Debbie wished something exceptionally exciting would happen to her--a normal, average girl living in a boring, old city. Hector, the other main character, wants to learn how to play the guitar and impress a girl named Meadow. There are a few different characters that are the narrator in this story and each is very similar to the other. They sit in Lenny’s dad’s old pickup truck a lot and listen to a show called Criss Cross on the radio. Debbie has lost her necklace and it gets passed along to each character until it finally ends up being given back to her. Criss Cross mainly tells about the life of these teens through each one’s own perspective.
Criss Cross was a pretty good book but it didn’t really seem like there was a main focus to it. It mostly seemed like the author, Lynne Rae Perkins, just wrote this HUMONGOUS story to tell about some events that happened in these teens’ lives. I thought it was really neat how the author added extra things like haikus, poems, songs, and pretty detailed pictures to help you visualize what was occurring at that time. I think that the characters and their personalities weren’t really described well enough though. The characters were pretty much static (unchanging) and it was kind of hard to tell who the narrator was at times because they were so identical. I also think that there were definitely TOO MANY people involved in this novel. Criss Cross was written by Lynne Rae Perkins and is a Newberry honor book.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg, PA United States
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Friday, March 16, 2007
Forever in Blue by Ann Brashares
Lena, Tibby, Carmen, and Bee have just finished their first year of college, and are hoping for some time together. As in summers past, that doesn't work, and they rely on the pants to keep them together as their worlds are rapidly changing. Bee is upset to find that her boyfriend, Eric, is going to teach at a summer camp in Baja without her; as a way to get back, she signs up for an archaeological dig in Istanbul- finding more than just “ancient dirt.” Tibby is trying to find out if Brian is the one. After a rough summer start, she breaks things off with Brian in search of answers, while also staying for a summer class at NYU. Lena is still trying to forget about (forgetting about) Kostos, by having a summer fling with a boy in her summer art class. Carmen is the September having the hardest time dealing with change; the girls' first year of school separated was brutal to her. She, in turn, goes to theater camp for the summer to try and find out who she really is. Forever In Blue takes the girls on their own personal journeys; it questions how far they want to go in life, and for how long they want their friendship to last. As the last summer with the pants comes to a close, Tibby, Carmen, Bee, and Lena come together to realize that their friendship, with or without the pants, will be never ending.
Forever In Blue was a good ending to a wonderful series of books. It was very poetic; I experienced the lives of the Septembers as they experienced everything themselves. The book had a wonderful message: true friendship conquers all. The only things I would have recommended Ann Brashares not to put in the book were scenes in which Tibby had sex and in which Lena had sex. It didn't go into too much detail, but it was not necessary. This would have rated a 10 on the Flamingnet scale if not for those factors.
Content:Forever In Blue is best suited for mature readers, due to some sexual situations.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: , USA
Forever In Blue was a good ending to a wonderful series of books. It was very poetic; I experienced the lives of the Septembers as they experienced everything themselves. The book had a wonderful message: true friendship conquers all. The only things I would have recommended Ann Brashares not to put in the book were scenes in which Tibby had sex and in which Lena had sex. It didn't go into too much detail, but it was not necessary. This would have rated a 10 on the Flamingnet scale if not for those factors.
Content:Forever In Blue is best suited for mature readers, due to some sexual situations.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: , USA
Crispin - At the Edge of the World by Avi
When we last left Crispin, he was walking out of jail after saving his mentor and friend, Bear. As they are walking down the road, they stop at a hut to eat and drink,but after Bear gets in a fight with the owner of the house, he gets shot in the shoulder as they leave. They must run as they try to escape their newfound enemy. As Bear gets worse, they meet two suspected witches, Auge and Taaaa. When they are forced to run again, they must take Taaaa with them. They end up taking a boat to a new land... with new dangers.
Avi delivers once again! I think this is a solid book with a good storyline and an awesome moral. I did have some trouble staying with the book, but I think thats just me. I can almost guarantee that this will be a good read for any age. It isn't a very long book though, so it should only take about 5 days. Anyone who likes realistic fiction, or Avi, will like this book. It has already won a lot of rewards, and is one of the best books I've read in a while.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, Pennsylvania USA
Avi delivers once again! I think this is a solid book with a good storyline and an awesome moral. I did have some trouble staying with the book, but I think thats just me. I can almost guarantee that this will be a good read for any age. It isn't a very long book though, so it should only take about 5 days. Anyone who likes realistic fiction, or Avi, will like this book. It has already won a lot of rewards, and is one of the best books I've read in a while.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, Pennsylvania USA
The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
It is the middle of the Vietnam War with young Holling Hoodhood living on Long Island in New York. Everybody in Holling's new seventh grade class either goes to temple or church on Wednesday afternoons leaving him with his new teacher, Mrs. Baker, Wednesday afternoons. Having to survive an afternoon once a week for the school year doesn’t seem that hard, except that Holling feels that Mrs. Baker “hates his guts” and his family won’t help him at all. So every Wednesday afternoon all of his friends leave and Holling is stuck sitting with his teacher reading Shakespeare. Holling’s father an architect with his own company thinks about only two things the future of Hoodhood and Associates and Walter Cronkite’s evening report. Now Holling has to survive seventh grade, not just against Shakespeare, but rats, the class bully, Doug Swieteck’s brother, cream puffs, track, feathery tights, and many other things, while fate keeps giving twists and turns everywhere.
The Wednesday Wars is an amazing book that tells the story of an average kid leading an exciting life. The book is very good and has bits of history entwined in it like the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy. The book shows a lot of unexpected things happening that all seem perfectly logical making this book a good read that keeps you entertained and waiting for the next twist. It is definitely a page turner, even when my mom said lights out; I took out a flashlight and continued reading. I enjoyed how the entire book was written form the point of view of a seventh grader showing every event form their point of view.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Eastchester, NY USA
The Wednesday Wars is an amazing book that tells the story of an average kid leading an exciting life. The book is very good and has bits of history entwined in it like the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy. The book shows a lot of unexpected things happening that all seem perfectly logical making this book a good read that keeps you entertained and waiting for the next twist. It is definitely a page turner, even when my mom said lights out; I took out a flashlight and continued reading. I enjoyed how the entire book was written form the point of view of a seventh grader showing every event form their point of view.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Eastchester, NY USA
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Pompeii: The Living City by Alex Butterworth
Pompeii is a well- researched historical non-fiction that examines life in the Roman city of Pompeii. The book begins with the arrival to power of Nero, a vibrant new Emperor. The twenty-five years preceding the eruption of Vesuvius are detailed in many aspects, including economic, social, and political problems as well as greatness. The eruption of Vesuvius, and the subsequent burial to the city under volcanic ash and mud, is considered to be one of the most catastrophic events faced by the great ROman Empire. As the authors explain, it is nearly impossible to positively date artifacts so far back in antiquity and since the initial discovery and excavation of Pompeii began in the eighteenth century, much of that work has to be deciphered as well. This book tells a story based on the understanding of the authors and many scholars to allow readers to discover Pompeii for themselves without sorting through the tremendous amount of artifacts made available through the discovery of Pompeii.
I really liked the authors' style in introducing individual chapters, and different time periods with short stories showing emotion and daily activities. This book, I believe, is intended for individuals interested in the social sciences. It is not necessarily a quick read to pass the time in the afternoon, although the authors do an excellent job of putting their tremendous research into an understandable story. Readers will definitely learn a great deal, but patience is the key when dealing with historical non-fiction. I like how the book has a specific aim and provides a lot of detail in presenting the twenty-five years preceding the eruption Vesuvius. I also appreciate the fact that the authors do not assume great amounts of previous knowledge regarding the subject. Overall, not everyone will enjoy this but it is a great book.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Kansas City, MO USA
I really liked the authors' style in introducing individual chapters, and different time periods with short stories showing emotion and daily activities. This book, I believe, is intended for individuals interested in the social sciences. It is not necessarily a quick read to pass the time in the afternoon, although the authors do an excellent job of putting their tremendous research into an understandable story. Readers will definitely learn a great deal, but patience is the key when dealing with historical non-fiction. I like how the book has a specific aim and provides a lot of detail in presenting the twenty-five years preceding the eruption Vesuvius. I also appreciate the fact that the authors do not assume great amounts of previous knowledge regarding the subject. Overall, not everyone will enjoy this but it is a great book.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Kansas City, MO USA
Pompeii: The Living City by Alex Butterworth
Pompeii is a well- researched historical non-fiction that examines life in the Roman city of Pompeii. The book begins with the arrival to power of Nero, a vibrant new Emperor. The twenty-five years preceding the eruption of Vesuvius are detailed in many aspects, including economic, social, and political problems as well as greatness. The eruption of Vesuvius, and the subsequent burial to the city under volcanic ash and mud, is considered to be one of the most catastrophic events faced by the great ROman Empire. As the authors explain, it is nearly impossible to positively date artifacts so far back in antiquity and since the initial discovery and excavation of Pompeii began in the eighteenth century, much of that work has to be deciphered as well. This book tells a story based on the understanding of the authors and many scholars to allow readers to discover Pompeii for themselves without sorting through the tremendous amount of artifacts made available through the discovery of Pompeii.
I really liked the authors' style in introducing individual chapters, and different time periods with short stories showing emotion and daily activities. This book, I believe, is intended for individuals interested in the social sciences. It is not necessarily a quick read to pass the time in the afternoon, although the authors do an excellent job of putting their tremendous research into an understandable story. Readers will definitely learn a great deal, but patience is the key when dealing with historical non-fiction. I like how the book has a specific aim and provides a lot of detail in presenting the twenty-five years preceding the eruption Vesuvius. I also appreciate the fact that the authors do not assume great amounts of previous knowledge regarding the subject. Overall, not everyone will enjoy this but it is a great book.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Kansas City, MO USA
I really liked the authors' style in introducing individual chapters, and different time periods with short stories showing emotion and daily activities. This book, I believe, is intended for individuals interested in the social sciences. It is not necessarily a quick read to pass the time in the afternoon, although the authors do an excellent job of putting their tremendous research into an understandable story. Readers will definitely learn a great deal, but patience is the key when dealing with historical non-fiction. I like how the book has a specific aim and provides a lot of detail in presenting the twenty-five years preceding the eruption Vesuvius. I also appreciate the fact that the authors do not assume great amounts of previous knowledge regarding the subject. Overall, not everyone will enjoy this but it is a great book.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Kansas City, MO USA
Monday, March 12, 2007
Halcyon Blithe: Dragonfrigate Wizard by James M. Ward
Dragonfrigate Wizard Halcyon Blithe, by James M. Ward, starts as Halcyon Blithe, an Arcanian midshipwizard, heads off to attack a fleet of Maleen ships. They single out one ship in particular, a small ketch. As they attack the ketch, it fires red-hot mortar shells back at them! Halcyon; Ashe Fallow, a friend and countryman of Halcyon’s; Denna Darkwater, a half-troll marine; and a few other marines take a rowboat and launch off their dragon ship, the Sanguine, as soon as the ketch has been wounded. Halcyon and his war party quickly take over the ketch, the Salamander. Halcyon goes belowdecks and discovers the captain of the ketch. Halcyon disarms the captain by managing to heft a table at him. After defeating the captain, Halcyon and his crew sail smoothly. Smoothly, until one day a ship has been spotted a couple of miles off. As the ship draws nearer, it is identified as a demon ship--a ship made of metal, with no sails, that is piloted by demons. The crew panics and thinks that they are going to die. Halcyon, having demon heritage himself, remembers some powerful demon spells. Beginning to cast the spells, Halcyon starts to grow bigger in size. Halcyon’s spells are powerful, and he begins to grow savage; all the while, the demon ship is drawing nearer to the small Salamander. Will Halcyon and the rest of the crew defeat the demon ship, or will Halcyon forget his loyalty and kill all of his fellow crew? Read Dragonfrigate Wizard Halcyon Blithe to find out!
I liked Dragonfrigate Wizard Halcyon Blithe because I like books about sea adventures and mystical characters. However, I think that the author gives Halcyon a bit too much luck and skill. I thought to myself as I was reading certain parts of the book, “He should have just died.” Although this unrealistic good fortune took place a lot, the book was very enjoyable. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the previous book, Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe, or likes naval combat and fantasy stories.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Saugerties, NY USA
I liked Dragonfrigate Wizard Halcyon Blithe because I like books about sea adventures and mystical characters. However, I think that the author gives Halcyon a bit too much luck and skill. I thought to myself as I was reading certain parts of the book, “He should have just died.” Although this unrealistic good fortune took place a lot, the book was very enjoyable. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the previous book, Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe, or likes naval combat and fantasy stories.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Saugerties, NY USA
Why I Let My Hair Grow Out by Maryrose Wood
Relationships can be tricky at best and are especially complicated for high school student Morgan whose boyfriend Raphael breaks up with her just before summer vacation. She responded as any heart-broken teenager would; she cut off twenty-four inches of her strawberry blonde hair and leaving nothing but stubble. Her parents decided a change of scenery was in order and sent her on a bicycle trip through Ireland, the land of leprechanus and magic stories. They had not counted on time travel as part of the adventure, but it was. Morgan learned, among other things, that hair grows back and a broken heart does not have to stay that way.
Imagine bicycling around Ireland with newly married starlets, a grieving widow and a family with two middle schoolers. Not much opportunity for friendships, or so Morgan thought. Her definitions of friend and boy friend change as she peddles up and down the hills and across time. Across time? Yes, she can and does. For readers who like just a bit of fantasy with their reality, this is a perfect book to read while you are waiting for your hair to grow out. Even if you have no hair issues, you are sure to find this book well worth your reading time. I highly recommend it.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer City, State and Country: Timonium, Maryland US
Imagine bicycling around Ireland with newly married starlets, a grieving widow and a family with two middle schoolers. Not much opportunity for friendships, or so Morgan thought. Her definitions of friend and boy friend change as she peddles up and down the hills and across time. Across time? Yes, she can and does. For readers who like just a bit of fantasy with their reality, this is a perfect book to read while you are waiting for your hair to grow out. Even if you have no hair issues, you are sure to find this book well worth your reading time. I highly recommend it.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer City, State and Country: Timonium, Maryland US
L8r g8r by Lauren Myracle
L8r, g8r by Lauren Myracle is a fictional compilation of instant messaging between three friends. Maddie (mad maddie), Angela (SnowAngel), and Zoe (zoegirl) depict the drama of their senior year by typing frantic, excited, or depressed messages to each other. Jana, a girl that has been the bane of the trio's existence, is along for the ride, playing cruel tricks on each one of them. It is a novel of budding romance, but it especially demonstrates the strong power of friendship that binds the girls together as their support, love, and compassion are expressed.
I have read both of the previous novels in this series, TTYL and TTFN. I enjoyed each of them immensely and was incredibly excited for the chance to read the third segment of Myracle's work. Although the novel drags at some points, the AIM "language" and pace allow the book to go quickly and the hilarious antics of the girls have you laughing from the start. This novel is both sharp and entertaining; the characters are fascinating and keep you wanting to read more. Maddie, a wild child, acts as the mature grownup in this book; she consoles her friends and gives them helpful advice. Angela experiences the most difficult events. She undergoes troubles with her boyfriend and Jana; this begins to affect her usually carefree spirit. Zoe, the more conservative “good girl”, finds that having a boyfriend can turn your world upside down (or right-side up) and she learns just how important love is. As the girls go to the end of their senior year, they realize that the time for fun is also a time for goodbyes. L8r, g8r appropriately declares the book about farewells but also about new beginnings. This book is a great, quick and easy read.
Content:There are several situations in which the girls discuss sex and protection(Zoe begins to have sex with her boyfriend) and several swears are used throughout the novel. This book should probably be considered for a mature reader.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Concord, Massachusetts United States
I have read both of the previous novels in this series, TTYL and TTFN. I enjoyed each of them immensely and was incredibly excited for the chance to read the third segment of Myracle's work. Although the novel drags at some points, the AIM "language" and pace allow the book to go quickly and the hilarious antics of the girls have you laughing from the start. This novel is both sharp and entertaining; the characters are fascinating and keep you wanting to read more. Maddie, a wild child, acts as the mature grownup in this book; she consoles her friends and gives them helpful advice. Angela experiences the most difficult events. She undergoes troubles with her boyfriend and Jana; this begins to affect her usually carefree spirit. Zoe, the more conservative “good girl”, finds that having a boyfriend can turn your world upside down (or right-side up) and she learns just how important love is. As the girls go to the end of their senior year, they realize that the time for fun is also a time for goodbyes. L8r, g8r appropriately declares the book about farewells but also about new beginnings. This book is a great, quick and easy read.
Content:There are several situations in which the girls discuss sex and protection(Zoe begins to have sex with her boyfriend) and several swears are used throughout the novel. This book should probably be considered for a mature reader.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Concord, Massachusetts United States
God Can Work It Out by Stephanie Perry Moore
Can Faith Thomas’s life get any worse? Faith’s family members are constantly fighting, she has a sparse supply of friends, her teammates on the cheerleading squad are total jerks who think they’re “all that”, and her mom wants her to hang out with the new girl across the street. From friends to family to cheerleading, something is always going wrong and Faith doesn’t see how if there really were a God, why he would let such things happen to her. After a state of depression, God finally gets through to her, she accepts him into her heart and things start to turn around until… her dad leaves. Her life once again is back to being a wreck and all Faith knows is that it is going to take a miracle to turn her messed-up life around.
It is very neat how God Can Work It Out is a book that is designed like a magazine. It is a very good choice for those who get bored easily by the layout of regular stories and enjoy reading magazines. It has many different things included in it, such as blogs, a quiz, character profiles, a few short reads called Salvation’s Path, and much, much more. It is divided into twelve chapters by what month the events are taking place. I very much enjoyed God Can Work It Out by the wonderful author, Stephanie Perry Moore, and I can’t wait for the next installment. This is the first book in the Faith Thomas Series, and I think girls who are interested in cheerleading will most definitely enjoy reading this awesome story.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg, PA United States
It is very neat how God Can Work It Out is a book that is designed like a magazine. It is a very good choice for those who get bored easily by the layout of regular stories and enjoy reading magazines. It has many different things included in it, such as blogs, a quiz, character profiles, a few short reads called Salvation’s Path, and much, much more. It is divided into twelve chapters by what month the events are taking place. I very much enjoyed God Can Work It Out by the wonderful author, Stephanie Perry Moore, and I can’t wait for the next installment. This is the first book in the Faith Thomas Series, and I think girls who are interested in cheerleading will most definitely enjoy reading this awesome story.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg, PA United States
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