Tracie- She has the most perfect life. A fantastic boyfriend, acceptance to Yale, and a totally awesome band. Everything changes once the new guy comes and blows her away. Mark-Things are going great for him. His girlfriend Sienna is in the band with him and the band is finally going somewhere. But when Lily, the exotic new lead singer catches his attention, he may find himself doing something different Sienna-Her and her boyfriend have done everything for the band. They write songs, book gigs, and still find time to make out. But she finds that she is becoming more and more hateful towards Lily. The band is about to make it big. Everything is going great with everyone, until one night at the beach, when one question changes everything. “Just for fun, why don’t we trade boyfriends and girlfriends?”
The Band Trading Guys, for me was a fun read. It was similar to a soap opera. When everything is going fine, just one question changes everything. When I first started reading, I had a lot of ideas of what was going to happen and who with. But when I finished I found that none of my ideas matched up to the plot. I would defiantly recommend this book for anyone looking for a little drama.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Minooka, Illinois
Thursday, May 24, 2007
A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd
When 15-year-old Shell’s mam died, her family was messed up. Her father started to drink whiskey every night, her little siblings are not acting well, and Shell is in on a bad group at school. Then, Father Rose, the new priest, comes and her whole world changes. She can feel her mother’s spirit again and truly believes in God! Later, the most horrible thing happens, Shell gets pregnant and the babies father mysteriously went away to America, leaving Ireland and Shell completely behind. Shell births her baby, and then gets caught up in the biggest murder mystery her little own has ever seen!
This was an awesome and touching book from start to finish! I absolutely loved it! The way that Dowd portrayed the characters and made them seem so real was just amazing! This is also a sad story so if you want sad, this is the right book for you! Some of the dialect was confusing but it was astounding. Thumbs up to Siobhan Dowd!
Content: There was a lot of talk about sex and had a woman having birth to a child. it was faithbased also!
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensbug, USA
This was an awesome and touching book from start to finish! I absolutely loved it! The way that Dowd portrayed the characters and made them seem so real was just amazing! This is also a sad story so if you want sad, this is the right book for you! Some of the dialect was confusing but it was astounding. Thumbs up to Siobhan Dowd!
Content: There was a lot of talk about sex and had a woman having birth to a child. it was faithbased also!
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensbug, USA
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Lurulu by Jack Vance
Lurulu is an account of the adventures of the Glicca, a space freighter, and its unforgettable crew. In each of the eccentric vignettes, the crew encounters fascinating natives and their strange cultures. Captain Malfoor tracks down Loy Tremaine on the beautiful planet Fluter. Tremaine has killed Malfoor's father and kidnapped his mother, in addition to upsetting the puritanical Flauts, the inhabitants of Fluter. After successfully apprehending the culprit, Malfoor and his crew head off to various other ports, meeting ferocious acrobats on Blenkinsop, reclaiming stolen cargo on Star Home, and enduring other such adventures as they ship cargo across space. As they travel, the crew discusses 'lurulu,' a term that takes on a slightly different meaning for each character, and for the reader as well. In the spirit of Gulliver's Travels, this story is a critique on society, while being coy in narration and sharp in dialogue.
The story was captivating, but some of the dialogue seemed staged. Despite that, I enjoyed the story and thought that the tongue-in-cheek moments and the politically-incorrect statements added a certain charm to the otherwise simple narrative. The main characters were interesting, though the similarities between names made it hard to follow occasionally. Because Lurulu is a sequel, it felt a little distant from the reader, because the character interactions were taken for granted, but with an subtle reference to previous journeys I was not privy too. This made reading it a little frustrating, and perhaps made the characters seem flat and one-dimensional. At times, the story would lapse from light-hearted gallantry to solemn, metaphysical conversation, and this made the characters more realistic than if the story had remained on the superficial level. Jack Vance did a good job of creating realistic settings, though the situations were ridiculous (although sometimes that seemed to be his intention). Overall, this story was intriguing and a good book to reread.
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Overland Park, Kansas United States
The story was captivating, but some of the dialogue seemed staged. Despite that, I enjoyed the story and thought that the tongue-in-cheek moments and the politically-incorrect statements added a certain charm to the otherwise simple narrative. The main characters were interesting, though the similarities between names made it hard to follow occasionally. Because Lurulu is a sequel, it felt a little distant from the reader, because the character interactions were taken for granted, but with an subtle reference to previous journeys I was not privy too. This made reading it a little frustrating, and perhaps made the characters seem flat and one-dimensional. At times, the story would lapse from light-hearted gallantry to solemn, metaphysical conversation, and this made the characters more realistic than if the story had remained on the superficial level. Jack Vance did a good job of creating realistic settings, though the situations were ridiculous (although sometimes that seemed to be his intention). Overall, this story was intriguing and a good book to reread.
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Overland Park, Kansas United States
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Louisianna's Song by Kerry Madden
Livy Two and her family are back with even more excitement and drama. She has had to grow up fast! With her dad still recovering from his traumatic car accident, Emmett working in Ghost Town in the Sky, and money getting tighter and tighter, she really has no choice. Things will get better, they have to... Louisiana (Louise) is a big part of this story, too. In the last year, she has sprouted and now is the focal point of horrible mockery and teasing from children at school. Fortunately, Louise can go to her artistry for comfort and reassurance. As their family works hard to keep everything and everyone alive, a queen is crowned, fairy huts are made, trips are taken and the whole Weems family works intensely to get money in the “Everything Box".
Livy Two continues to follow her dream of song writing and through out the book makes-up absolutely beautiful songs! I enjoyed imagining what they “really” sounded like in my head. I liked the feel of the story and like I said in my review for Gentle’s Holler (Kerry’s first book), I really want to visit some of these places!!! Kerry Madden does it again by writing another “heartwarming” book. Stay tuned for the third installment of the Maggie Valley trilogy….
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer State and Country: ID, USA
Livy Two continues to follow her dream of song writing and through out the book makes-up absolutely beautiful songs! I enjoyed imagining what they “really” sounded like in my head. I liked the feel of the story and like I said in my review for Gentle’s Holler (Kerry’s first book), I really want to visit some of these places!!! Kerry Madden does it again by writing another “heartwarming” book. Stay tuned for the third installment of the Maggie Valley trilogy….
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer State and Country: ID, USA
Marked by PC Cast and Kristin Cast
Zoey Redbird is an absolutely normal girl with a best friend and an almost-boyfriend, until she gets marked. One day, the tracker comes for her and marks her sending her to the House of Night, the vampyre school. She gets scared and runs home only to find that her parents are in a fright and then she runs to her Grandma Redbird’s. She ends up falling unconscious and goes to see the goddess, Nyx, who puts a special mark on Zoey. When Zoey finally makes it to the House of Night, she is a complete outsider because of the strange mark, that is until the whole school gets overturned and Zoey has to help save it.
This is truly one of the best books I have ever read. I couldn’t even put it down to go to sleep! I loved how Cast actually made it sound like a teenager, not an older person trying to sound like a teenager. This book shows the ancient struggle between good and evil, in a way that we can all understand. Cast made an amazing bunch of characters; from Damien the gay guy, to Erik the sweet hottie! I loved this book and everything in it! I can’t wait for the next!
There is some talk of sex and mentions about a girl giving a guy a blow job.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, USA
This is truly one of the best books I have ever read. I couldn’t even put it down to go to sleep! I loved how Cast actually made it sound like a teenager, not an older person trying to sound like a teenager. This book shows the ancient struggle between good and evil, in a way that we can all understand. Cast made an amazing bunch of characters; from Damien the gay guy, to Erik the sweet hottie! I loved this book and everything in it! I can’t wait for the next!
There is some talk of sex and mentions about a girl giving a guy a blow job.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, USA
The Friskative Dog by Susan Straight
Sharron is fourth grader who is in love with a stuffed dog named Friskitive. This is the dog her daddy gave her when she was in first grade. Her daddy is a SWIFT trucker and goes on lots of runs. One day, he goes on a run to Alabama and doesn’t come back. A year later, his daughter is still upset, and still in love with her dog as the present fourth grader. Everyone makes fun of Sharron for thinking this dog is real. One day, her dog goes missing, just like her father.
This was an awesome book. Definitely an easy read for advanced readers. It is about the struggle of a little girl through her time of need, facing things, she shouldn’t have to face. It was very sad when Sharron lost Friskitive, and threatened to make me cry. I hope everyone finds it as moving as I did.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, USA
This was an awesome book. Definitely an easy read for advanced readers. It is about the struggle of a little girl through her time of need, facing things, she shouldn’t have to face. It was very sad when Sharron lost Friskitive, and threatened to make me cry. I hope everyone finds it as moving as I did.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, USA
The Raven League by Alex Simmons and Bill McCay
Archie Wiggins is a boy just trying to fit in. He was just kicked out of a gang called the Baker Street Irregulars. These kids have always helped Sherlock Holmes and Archie has never felt worse. Then all of a sudden, the famous detective himself, Sherlock Holmes, goes missing. It is up to Archie and his new friends, the Raven League, to help find Holmes.
The book, the Raven League, was a good mystery story and has many plot twists. The characters are well defined and their personalities shine through the story. The character dialogue greatly exhibits their emotions and feelings. Some of the actions of the characters lacked details but other than that, it was a good book. I would recommend this book to any mystery-novel reader under the age of 13 who is looking for surprises.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6
Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, Pennsylvania Chambersburg
The book, the Raven League, was a good mystery story and has many plot twists. The characters are well defined and their personalities shine through the story. The character dialogue greatly exhibits their emotions and feelings. Some of the actions of the characters lacked details but other than that, it was a good book. I would recommend this book to any mystery-novel reader under the age of 13 who is looking for surprises.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6
Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, Pennsylvania Chambersburg
Inside Girl by J. Minter
Normal by day, famous by night is how fourteen-year-old Flan Flood is living her life. She has decided she needs a change in her life, and going to a public high school instead of the usual private one she went to would be the perfect solution. Flan’s parents are still away on vacation so she and her older brother, the famous Patch Flood, are left at home to fend for themselves. When her three celebrity friends Sara-Beth Benny, Philippa, and Liesel all start having tragedies in their own lives they decide to stay at Flan’s house for a while. Flan has to keep secret the fact that her superstar friends are staying with her because of fear of the paparazzi finding them. She doesn’t tell anyone about her popularity and how she goes to the hottest clubs at night with her famous friends while, during the day, she acts like a typical teenager who likes to hang out with her normal peers. Bennett, her boyfriend, invites her to a party at his apartment and against her better judgment, she decides to go. She had been doing such a wonderful job of keeping her true identity confidential until an unexpected guest reveals whom she truly is. How will Flan be able to explain this shocking truth to her new school friends who loved and trusted her?
Every teen girl who loves mild romance, drama, and real life novels should read this fantastic, one-of-a-kind story, ASAP! J. Minter is an amazing author who really understands the life of teen girls. I loved this book and constantly found myself thinking about what will happen next. Once you start reading this wonderful novel it is almost impossible to put it down. I extremely enjoyed reading about the unique characters, whom I thought had awesome personalities. Inside Girl should definitely be a “must read” on every teenage girl’s list.
Content:2
There were a few instances when drinking alcohol was involved. Also, sometimes the language wasn't overly appropriate.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg , PA US
Every teen girl who loves mild romance, drama, and real life novels should read this fantastic, one-of-a-kind story, ASAP! J. Minter is an amazing author who really understands the life of teen girls. I loved this book and constantly found myself thinking about what will happen next. Once you start reading this wonderful novel it is almost impossible to put it down. I extremely enjoyed reading about the unique characters, whom I thought had awesome personalities. Inside Girl should definitely be a “must read” on every teenage girl’s list.
Content:2
There were a few instances when drinking alcohol was involved. Also, sometimes the language wasn't overly appropriate.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg , PA US
Thursday, May 17, 2007
The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond by Victoria Foyt
Lexie Diamond is a young girl that is simply obsessed with computers. She doesn't really have any friends in real life because she doesn't believe that she belongs in the 'bubble'. The bubble is the real world. Lexie believes that there is another world, located in the internet. The only real friends she has are her mother and the mysterious webrider, who has been her internet pal for years. Suddenly, when her mother is mysteriously killed, things just get worse for Lexie. Her father meets a woman named Jane, who Lexie thinks is involved with her mother's death. Also, she sees her mother on her computer, and talks to her! The only person who really believes her is webrider. They work together to figure out how her mother really died, and how to get rid of Jane. In the end, webrider is someone that you would never expect them to be.
This was a good book to read. I thought it was VERY different than anything else I have read before. I don't think there are many books that deal with computers or the internet, so it was an odd book to read. Even though it was based on computers, the storyline was twisted in a way I would never imagine. The plot was set up very well with many surprises along the way. The only bad thing I would say about it, is that The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond was only a page turner for a few spots in the story. I recomend this book to anyone who wants to read something different then normal or anyone who loves computers.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Carlisle, Pa United States of America
This was a good book to read. I thought it was VERY different than anything else I have read before. I don't think there are many books that deal with computers or the internet, so it was an odd book to read. Even though it was based on computers, the storyline was twisted in a way I would never imagine. The plot was set up very well with many surprises along the way. The only bad thing I would say about it, is that The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond was only a page turner for a few spots in the story. I recomend this book to anyone who wants to read something different then normal or anyone who loves computers.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Carlisle, Pa United States of America
The One Left Behind by Willo Davis Roberts
Eleven year old Mandy has just lost her sister Angel. She is all alone in her house except for her big, black, and hairy dog Herry. Together they struggle to remain happy and they find themselves pretending Angel is still there. Then things really start to get different when she meets Zander Vyland and his little brother Dusty. Mandy decides to help them because two other men are going to try to kill Zander, or hold Dusty for ransom. She helps them escape the men and eventually discovers that she will never be alone, even without her sister alive.
This book was a very quick book to read because it only had 140 pages. It wasn't really a page turner, however, I finished it in almost one sitting. The story kept you wondering what would happen next because of the different plot line. I also found myself worried about the characters and wondering if they would ever be alright. Sometimes I found it hard to remember which character was which because there were many mentioned in a short time, but other than that it was a great book. The story took two major problems that don't even relate and put them together. I plan on reading other books by Willo Davis Roberts in hope of finding more like this one.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Carlisle, Pa United States of America
This book was a very quick book to read because it only had 140 pages. It wasn't really a page turner, however, I finished it in almost one sitting. The story kept you wondering what would happen next because of the different plot line. I also found myself worried about the characters and wondering if they would ever be alright. Sometimes I found it hard to remember which character was which because there were many mentioned in a short time, but other than that it was a great book. The story took two major problems that don't even relate and put them together. I plan on reading other books by Willo Davis Roberts in hope of finding more like this one.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Carlisle, Pa United States of America
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