Johnny and the Bomb by Terry Pratchett

Blackbury, a small town near London, is where a young teen named Johnny Maxwell lives. After dreams of the night Blackbury was bombed during WWII, nearly 60 years ago, his friends think he is starting to lose it. While walking back from the movies one night, Johnny and his friends, Wobbler, Bigmac, and Yo-less, stumble upon a homeless woman named Mrs. Tachyon. She appears to be injured, so while she is in the hospital Johnny keeps her cart in his garage. Later that day he discovers that the cart can be used to travel through time! While at the mall, they travel back in time to evade the authorities, Johnny realizes he is on the very day Blackbury was bombed! Only to make matters worse, when they head back to the present they notice they forgot Wobbler! Can Johnny get back to the past in time to save Wobbler and innocent people from being bombed?

I thought this was a very entertaining book. It was fast paced and very funny in parts. My family has been reading Terry Pratchett for a long time, so I was happy when I realized that I had read the first two books in this trilogy. Since the book was set in 1996, I don’t understand why it wasn’t a little more up to date. His characters were very “teenage” like, unlike some writers whose younger characters are much too adult-like. Again, this was a great book and should be enjoyed be readers everywhere.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Denair, California America

A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson

When the beautiful countess Anna Grazinsky’s father dies and she has to flee Russia, she is in for an adventure. Anna must find a job to support her mother and brother. She finds just the job working for the Earl of Westerholme. He is returning home from the war and brining his beautiful fiancée, Muriel, with him. Anna has to keep her identity secret, but what happens when she falls for the earl and he finds out her secret?

Truly a most surprising remake of the story of Anastasia. This was a wonderful love story. I especially loved the ending. The way Anna fought for her rights as a woman was also an amazing point in the story. Two thumbs up to Ibbotson!

Content: There is a brief moment when the book discusses nudity.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, USA

The Wolf by Steven Herrick

One day, Jake and Lucy, two friends, set off to find a wolf that both of their fathers want to kill. Lucy doesn’t intend to come back to her abusive father and Jake has every intention of coming back to tell his father where it is. Jake ends up twisting his ankle and he and Lucy must spend the night in a cave. Something happens that night that will change their whole lives.

This was a very unique book. The whole story was written through poetry! I have to admit that it did get a little annoying after a while, but overall it was clever. I especially liked the little love scene between Lucy and Jake. This was a very good book!

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, USA

Dream Factory by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler

Luke and Ella are just two ordinary people who work at the magical kingdom of Disneyland. Maybe the magical Kingdom isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Between drunk and hung over employees to secret love stories behind the scenes, there is nothing ordinary about it. Luke, who plays the fur-character, Dale, has a super-hot girlfriend named Cassie, who by the way, is Chip, who he thinks he loves. Ella plays Cinderella and is going out with Prince Charming, ironic, huh? Luke and Ella fall for each other. Something happens to make them fall back apart, maybe Dale and Cinderella just weren’t meant to be.

This has got to be one of the best books I have ever read. I loved how it took place in Disneyland and actually seemed real. It wasn’t one of those cheesy love stories you just happen to read, this one actually held my attention. I could hardly put down the book out of excitement of what would happen next. Two thumbs up to Barkley and Hepler!

Content:There is some mild language and some things that younger children shouldn't be reading.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, USA

Rise of the Golden Cobra by Henry T. Aubin

This coming of age story follows the adventures of Nebi, an Egyptian boy. He is in the employment of Setka, an important official of the King Piankhy. When Setka is ambushed by a traitorous count, Nebi is the only witness alive. Nebi braves the desert to reveal the count's actions, and to deliver an important message. Nebi gets caught up in King Piankhy's battle to reunite Egypt against foreign invaders. He meets many influential people, such as the king himself, and gets many good friends, as Nebi struggles to be reunited with his family, and get revenge for Setka.

This book is a wonderful historical fiction novel. The action is fast-paced and exciting, with intriguing characters. The ancient Egyptian setting is very well detailed, and feels lifelike. The book is a great way to learn about ancient Egyptian customs and history, while still having fun. I learned more about ancient Egypt from this book than I ever learned in a history class.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Urbana , Illinois USA

Dreamquest by Brent Hartinger

A horrible thing would be to find yourself inside your own nightmare and not able to get out. For Julie the same thing is happening to her, with two exceptions.

1. Her nightmares are being produced in a studio with actors, lights, cameras, and “action”.

2. She isn’t sure she wants to go back to her miserable life with her fighting parents.

As Julie travels through her own “mind” in a way, she decides it’s time to take a firm stand against the creators of her nightmares. But where to start?

Time is running out as Julie realizes Vivian (the actress who plays her in her dreams) has gone back through the tear in the fabric of Julie’s consciousness. Vivian arrives and starts messing around in the real world, possibly causing Julie’s permanent location to be in Slumberia.

I wished this book would never end. I mean, how cool is a studio that produces your nightmares? Dream Quest brings amazing adventure, imagination and a fabulous book. Brent Hartinger, the author of a bunch of books about teenagers, does good work!

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: , ID USA

Monkey by Jeff Stone

Five "brothers" from the Cangzhen Temple are the only survivors when their temple is burned. They're told by the Grandmaster, before he was murdered, to scatter and find out about their enemy's history, as well as their own. This book focuses on Malao, which is Cantonese for "monkey." At the temple, he runs into his brother Hok, and they formulate a plan to steal the Grandmaster's body. They manage to steal it, but Malao is so terrified of dead bodies that he flees into the forest. There, he runs into a band of monkeys. When the monkeys attack a bandit gang, the bandits kill many monkeys before Malao stops the bandits and the monkeys flee. After he escapes from the bandits, he meets back up with the albino monkey from the monkey band. The monkey leads him back to the temple, where he apologizes to Hok and pays his respects to the Grandmaster. Then he stays with Hok to discover more about their enemy, Ying. They find out that their brother, Fu, has been captured, and they decide to go rescue him. Fu's captors capture them as well, and all seems lost. Their captors underestimate them, and they manage to escape. Hok separates from Fu and Malao. They decide to try to get the Dragon Scrolls back from Ying. After they steal the scrolls back, they go to a village that Fu’s been to before. There, they get food and then follow the white monkey to the Shaolin Temple to meet up with Hok. There, they find the temple destroyed, and they bump into Seh. The only surviving monk tells them that Hok may be dead, and then he steals the Dragon Scrolls. Then Ying shows up and starts to fight with the monk, who is actually the Emperor’s General Tsung. Tsung beats Ying, and Seh steals the Scrolls back from Tsung. After they have the Scrolls, the three boys flee into the woods.

This book kept me reading right until the end, and I never wanted to put it down. Malao was my favorite character because he was really energetic and acted a little like a monkey. The ending was AWESOME because it left a lot of questions to be answered in book three. This book was really good compared to other books of the same type that I've read, and could become the next best-seller. This book taught me that size really doesn't matter. The vocabulary level was appropriate for elementary school readers. This author has a unique writing style, and I really enjoyed this book, which was told in third-person view. The author used an adequate amount of detail, and the author left questions unanswered at the end of this book, which should be answered in the next book. I would have liked the book better if the author had told more about the other boys, and not just Malao.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Highland, Michigan USA

Baboon by David Jones

Gerry and his parents fly to Africa every few months to study baboons. They are leaving once again and Gerry is not happy. He has to leave behind all his friends. However, this particular flight is different. The plain crashes and Gerry wakes up to an unusual surprise. He has turned into a baboon. Now, he has to fight to survive, while trying to get his parents to recognize who he really is.

This is a fictional story that is unique. The book kept my interest with its unusual setting and exotic animals. The plain crash and the baboons made it an exciting book. I did enjoy the extremely descriptive and realistic interaction with the baboons. However, the book was very predictable and advanced readers may find that aspect disappointing.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6

Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Lemoore, California US

Dating4Demons by Serena Robar

Dating4Demons is Serena Robar's third book about Colby Blanchard, a teen girl who is turned into a half-blood vampire. Colby's got a lot to deal with, what with bloodthirsty vampires (as if there's any other kind!) out to get her nightly. And all because of her supposed role in an apocalyptic prophecy that may or may not be properly translated and interpreted! Piper, her best friend, has been working on figuring out the prophecy, but suddenly her role in the vampire community changes when she meets Hunter. He's taken a sudden interest in her, and there may be more to it meets the eye...

This book is a fun, light read. Serena Robar's take on vampire stories is a pretty unique one that I enjoy, and her characters are great! I was occasionally a little bored while reading this book, but, at other times, it was a real page-turner! This isn't a book that'll stick on your mind for ages, but if you're looking for a more fun summer read that's got a little more to it than some fluffy teen books, you'll want to pick this one up! I'm eagerly anticipating the next in the series.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age: 16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Asheville, NC USA

Crescent Fire by David M. Salkin

Crescent Fire, by David M. Salkin, is about a group of CIA operatives trying to stop a terrorist mission against Washington, D.C. The two main characters are agents Still and Hollahan, and they have been selected to try to stop a mission that they only know the name of: Crescent Fire. The plot goes between the men on the aircraft carrier -- Still and Hollahan among them -- the terrorists -- headed by Fadi Wazeeri and his brother, Kareem -- and the CIA agents back in the United States. The group on the aircraft carrier does not technically exist, so they can do anything they want, without U.S. jurisdiction. They have nicknamed themselves the "Men in Black" because they have no uniforms or ranks, just a black jumpsuit. The terrorists have acquired a Scud-B missile launcher and have loaded it with sarin nerve agent. They hid it in the belly of a modified oil tanker. They plan to launch it off of the coast and destroy Washington, D.C. The terrorist group is comprised of many different Islamic factions, including Al Qaeda, Hamas, and others. In the meantime, the men in black have captured Ibrahiim bin Abdul bin al-Bustan, the leader of the Harakat ul-Mujahidin terrorist group, and used drugs to get information of Crescent Fire. Now, they know that there is a missile with sarin headed for the eastern coast, and it is hidden in a ship out of a port in Syria. Unfortunately, they don't know what kind of ship, and all of their satellites in the Middle East are focused in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of the CIA agents in the U.S. has a friend in the Israeli intelligence agency, and he gets her pictures from a Syrian port that show a Scud missile being loaded onto an oil tanker. They can see the second word is "King" and the first word ends with "-ent." Using this information, they intercept the Crescent King within minutes of them using the missile on the U.S. Using a spy plane with Still and Hollahan aboard it, they bomb the ship and it sinks, killing all of the crew. Since the organization broke U.S. laws, however, they were unable to be recognized for their bravery, and nobody ever knew about a missile headed for the U.S. except for the men in black, the CIA, and the President of the United States (POTUS).

Crescent Fire is a very good book. It starts off a bit slow, but once you get into it, it's hard to put it down. I've never read a book like it, so I can't really compare it to anything. This book is one-of-a-kind. I took every extra bit of time reading it. If it hadn't started out a bit slow, I probably would have finished it in a few days. The plot keeps moving, and it's good that it moves around from one group to another, keeping you on the edge. I really got scared when it seemed the terrorists would succeed in their plan. It really let me know just how secret these things are, that we might not even know if someone tried something like this. A nine out of ten in my books.

The book has strong language and some descriptions are disturbing.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, Pennsylvania United States