Tough Boy Sonatas by Curtis L. Crisler

In a series of descriptive and vivid poems with gritty illustrations, Tough Boy Sonatas shows childhood life in the ghetto of Gary, Indiana. Each poem tells of an experience, told through the eyes of a child. The Poetry shows everything from childhood games and candy addictions to the hardships of not even being able to afford fruit at times. The dark illustrations emphasize the emotion and add a face to each poem. As more of life in this god-left city is exposed, you truly see the hardships of a culture most have never seen.

The poetry in Tough Boy Sonatas, by Curtis L. Crisler and illustrated by Flord Cooper is a view of life, of the poorer side, through the eyes of a child. The hardships are not just thrown in your face but are subtlety shown in each experience. All the poems fit with each other and none seem out of place. Along with the descriptive poetry there are illustrations that embody each beautifully. The length is a bit short, but I believe the author choose to make it that way on purpose, to make it easy to pick up. Tough Boy Sonatas is a combination of beautifully gritty poetry and art, but it still seemed too short for the age group they were shooting for.

Content: I gave the content rating a 2 because the illustrations were dark and gritty, and the poetry is equally as gritty at times.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 15

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

I don’t like faery stories, but Wicked Lovely has now replaced A Great and Terrible Beauty, Harry Potter, and the Lioness Quartet as my favorite book(s). My problem with Faery tales is that I can’t identify with them. But in this book, I saw myself in mortal and faery alike. Aislinn is everything I want to be (and hopefully am )- headstrong, passionate, tough, willful. She’s got kings and queens clashing over, trying to set her path, but she just keeps going, blazing her own trail. She doesn’t give in to the pressures, and she doesn’t loose her self. And, perhaps most importantly, she doesn’t run from her emotions. There are so many female characters out there who are strong because they can control their emotions. But forcing yourself not to feel is just hiding- it requires nothing, proves nothing. Facing and excepting your emotions- that is true strength. It is so refreshing to see an author who really understands where female courage and power are expressed. But Aislinn has already learned to listen to her heart- it is Donia who has perhaps one of the most powerful character journeys of all. She is, by nature, cold and isolated, walking the world alone. Her power comes from destroying her emotions, hiding what is so obvious, keeping herself away. But as she begins to realize the truth she has been hiding for so long, she also realizes who she is will not change. Horrible or not, she needs to accept herself, her role, and who she loves before she can be truly free. To me, as a teenager, that is a powerful statement. It’s a statement for all of us trying to make our way through the crazy worlds of middle and high school. I often motivate myself by thinking of characters in the books I’ve read, of what they’ve been able to accomplish. But few of them have character journeys as starkly real as Donia’s and Aislinn’s are. I think really what this book is about is accepting yourself, and learning just how perfect that person can be. It’s got such a powerful message, I cant even begin to describe it. Not to mention the absolutly stunning plot. The story starts off with a fascinating teaser- litterally, from the first paragraph, you're entranced. The prologoue gets your attention and curiosity up. Then, it moves to Aislinn. And almost immediatly, you can tell theres something diffrent about her. Shes fun, tough- and she can see things that are invisible to most people. Not to mention, shes being stalked by two of them. And then you meet Seth. As a reader- I don't care who you are, you'll love him. Ladies- even on the page, hes just that hot. Plus, sweet and caring, but with an edge. By the end of the book, you're half in love with him. Guys- he's- theres no other word for it- cool. Like, just sweet. A couple of peircings, a couple of tatoos, just totally awesome. And lets face it, we dont get too many male charcters like that. He's a real highlight, and a great friend for Aislinn. The book is fleshed out with hints of an emerging romance, an infuriation stream of tantalizing hints that offer no answers, a growing friendship and a ceacless prusit, all getting more intense until the book has you in a vice grip that won’t let go. It’s almost as much a mystery as it is a modern fantasy epic. It toys with your emotions- by the time you as a reader realize what’s going on, you’re caught in a complete conflict between all the things you want to happen. Its an exhilarating ride- it suddenly becomes your life’s goal to find out what happens. I found the book has a magnetic quality- it refused to leave my hand until I finished it. As someone who hates sad endings it has the most perfect and infuriating ending imaginable. Infuriating because you KNOW you should have seen that coming, but it didn’t even occur to you, and perfect because it is the most happy ending imaginable. There are no analogies I can use to describe the joy I felt when I finished it. All I can say is the first thing I did was jump around the house screaming and hugging any random object that caught my eye for about five minutes. Then I sat back down and read it again. I am finding it difficult to express just how good this book is. It is they type of book that will expose teens to stranger danger- just because everyone will want to tell every single person they seen just how great this book is! It’s got a stunning plot, eerily real characters, and brilliant writing. Everything is described perfectly- just enough detail to give you an image of the characters, but little enough to let your imagination soar. As someone who wants to be a writer- I want to be her when I grow up! Melissa Marr has more than a talent for writing. It’s almost bordering on her life’s purpose. There’s plenty of room for a sequel- if she writes one, I will camp out at the bookstore to be first inline when it’s released!

Content: Wicked Lovely includes language, underage drinking, mentions of drugs and a closed-door sex scene. None of this is graphic in any way, but because of the subject matter, I'd consult a parent if you're on the younger side of things.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10

Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Stillwater, MN USA

Jumper:Griffin's Story by Steven Gould

Jumper: Griffin's Story is a story about a boy with the ability to teleport anywhere that he has been. Griffin's parents are killed by people who are still out to kill him. What can he do to survive when he discovers his enemies are ''sensitive'' and can feel where and when he teleports? Griffin has to fight for his life and friends lives that he encounters during his journey. This story is an action-packed page turner with romance and one important mystery. Why are these people trying to kill Griffin O'Conner?

This book had loads of action which caught my attention immediately. There was also romance which was entertaining. One of the few things I did not like about the book was that there was quite a lot of spanish and french which I do not speak. So in some places in the story I was confused. This is a book that I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys Sci-Fi stories.

Content: This book recommends adult guidance because there is some vulgar language, sexual scenes, violence, and gore.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

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

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT, by Derek Landy, follows the story of a twelve-year-old girl named Stephanie Edgley. The book starts out at the time when Stephanie’s uncle, Gordon (who happens to be a fantasy author), is murdered. Stephanie’s family is under the impression that Gordon was not murdered, but Stephanie believes otherwise. Soon after Gordon’s funeral, Stephanie and her parents are invited to the reading of Gordon’s will, along with Gordon’s other, very unpleasant brother Fergus and his even more unpleasant wife, Beryl. When they arrive at the reading of the will, they find that one of Gordon’s friends, Skulduggery Pleasant, has been invited to the reading. When Skulduggery arrives, Stephanie recognizes him from the funeral … anyway, she recognizes the wide-brimmed hat, frizzy hair, scarf, sunglasses, and overcoat that conceal his features, and then the reading begins. To Stephanie’s (and Beryl’s and Fergus’s and her parents’) surprise, Stephanie inherits Gordon Edgley’s house. After the reading, the Edgleys’ car breaks down, and Stephanie pleads with her parents to let her stay at her newly inherited house while they get the car fixed. Although reluctant, her parents give in, and Stephanie goes into her uncle’s study and reads his newest story. Later, Stephanie gets a call on her cell phone from her mother notifying her that she and Stephanie’s father have taken a little longer than expected while going to repair the car and will be home late. Stephanie asks her mom if she can spend the night at Gordon’s old house and finally convinces her mom to let her stay. Later that night, the phone rings. Stephanie picks up the phone and a man demands to know her name. Stephanie refuses to give the man her name, and he hangs up the phone. Moments later, the man is pounding on her door, demanding that she open it. The man tells her that he needs to search for something in the house for his master, and if she does not open the door, then he will kill her. Stephanie still refuses, and the man bashes in a window and busts into the house. He pins her up against a chair and asks her where she hid “the key.” Bewildered, Stephanie fails to answer, and just then Skulduggery Pleasant bursts into the house and slams into the man. The man and Skulduggery launch into a fight. After a short while of throwing each other into chairs, walls, and sofas, Skulduggery directly confronts the man by summoning a ball of fire and hurling it at him. Although the ball hits the man and flares all around him, he is not burned. The man taunts Skulduggery and Skulduggery draws a revolver and shoots the man in the arm. Howling in pain the man retreats from the house. Stephanie (who is currently in shock) notices that Skulduggery’s frizzy hair was a wig. She looks up at Skulduggery and notices that his skin is bleached white. At first she thinks that Skulduggery Pleasant is albino, but when she looks closer (now that he is not wearing his disguise), she notices that Skulduggery Pleasant is a skeleton. If you want to know what mission the mysterious man was on or who Skulduggery is, then read SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT by Derek Landy!

I think that SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT is one of the best books that I have ever read. It blended together a mix of tragedy, humor, fantasy, (a bit of) reality, science fiction, action, and suspense. It really appeals to all readers … I’d say ages 12 and up because I identify with the characters and they are written more toward my age group (and also on the book it says 10 and up). I enjoyed the book because the author’s writing style appealed to me too, and I also enjoy all of the genres that I mentioned SKULDUGGERY contained. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the Leven Thumps series (by Obert Skye) or any other modern fantasy book.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Saugerties, NY USA

Revenge of the Homecoming Queen by Stephanie Hale

Aspen Brookes lives in Comfort a small innocent town. Aspen is perfect in every way brains, looks, popularity. She's even going out with the quarterback of the Comfort football team, Lucas Riley. The only thing Aspen ever wanted was to be homecoming queen. When the tiarra is placed on the head of snotty Angel Ives and the crowned king is none other than the total geek Rand Bachrach, her world turns upside down. From slashed tires to degrading notes, suddddenly Comfort doesn't seem so innocent.

Revenge of the Homecoming Queen is an awesome book. I loved how Stephanie Hale jumps from one conflict to the next. It kept me hanging on throughout the story. Although I thought that at the begining Aspen was just another snotty popular girl, it turned out differently. I definitely recommend this book.

Content: This book involves high school experiences and relationships that elementary age children may not fully understand.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Reviewer Age: 11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, PA USA

Demon Keeper by Royce Buckingham

A boy named Nat lives alone in a demon-infested house in Seattle. His job is to take care of the demons that live in the house. His most important duty is making sure that the dangerous demon in the cellar does not escape. One night he goes out on a date with a librarian named Sandy. The date is a disaster, and, when he returns to the house, the demon is out of the house, roaming the streets. He has to work together with his three bumbling demon assistants to catch the rampaging creature and avoid attacks from a mysterious man. On the way, he makes new friends and has to fight for his life.

In my opinion, the book was fun but lacking a strong plot. The setting and history of demons was interesting, well thought out, and detailed. However, the plot was rushed. The events were hurried, and I felt that they could have been expanded upon. For example, when thieves break into Nat's house and unwittingly free the demon in the cellar, it feels like the author just included it because it was necessary to the plot, not because it was interesting. The author just seems like he wants to get on with the story. The author could have put more detail into each scene. However, the demons and their funny antics are a redeeming point. All in all, the story had nice settings and characters, but lacked detailed action.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6

Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Royersford, Pennsylvania USA

Simmer Down by Susan Conant and Jessica Conant-Park

Chloe Carter has a lot of things to be proud about during this holiday season. For one, she has a dream boyfriend that can cook just about anything. In this sequel to "Steamed", Josh Driscoll and Chloe are preparing for the opening of the new restaurant Simmer on Newberry Street in Boston, where Josh is the executive chef. Chloe is an intern for the Boston Organization Against Sexual and Other Harassment in the Workplace, where Naomi Campbell is her supervisor. They are preparing for a fundraiser event at a gallery, where they will set up a booth, along with Josh and Gavin, Simmer's owner, who are also hosting a booth there to give the public a sample of their food. However, on that night, Chloe and Josh met both of their ex's, Sean and Hannah, respectively. To make matters worse, Oliver, the co-owner of the Full Moon Group was found dead by Hannah, killed by Josh's food processor. With Simmer opening on New Year's Eve, Josh didn't have a lot of time to prepare, and had been working almost nonstop. Chloe goes on many "adventures" to try to solve the murder, and at the same time, trying to keep her love with Josh. Finally, on opening night, Chloe, along with her friends and family, goes to Simmer, and is greeted with spectacular food. Halfway through the meal, there was a gigantic crash in Josh's office. When Josh and Chloe rushed in, they saw Gavin and Barry, the other co-owner of the Full Moon Group wrestling each other, with a gun in Barry's hand. Gavin managed to unarm Barry, and the police arrived and took Barry away. It turned out that Barry had murdered Oliver to try to open an expensive restaurant. After the incident, Josh and Chloe spent a beautiful New Year's Day together, and another chapter of their lives began.

Even though I haven't read "Steamed", I still very much enjoyed this culinary mystery. The book was packed with events, so I was never bored reading it. Also, the humor in this book made me laugh numerous times. The story is told in the first person, in Chloe's point of view, and she is very funny. For people who like cooking, this is definitely a must-read. For others, like me, the book is still very relaxing and interesting to read. Even though this book is a mystery, the authors also mix in romance and humor, which makes Simmer Down a very enjoyable read. The characters in this book are probably in their mid to late 20's, so this book should is great for teenagers and young adults. I don't think Simmer Down is a very serious mystery, and is meant to be more of a comedy (in my opinion). Again, I was never bored reading the book, and it was very tempting to continue to the next chapter even when I wanted to stop. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book very much. I'm even thinking about reading the previous book in the serious, "Steamed".

Content: This book contains quite a bit of crude and sexual humor and inappropriate language.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Sunnyvale, CA USA

Raining Sardines by Enrique Flores-Galbis

Ernestina and Enriquito are best friends, but when they receive a strange visit from an even stranger woman, who knows where their friendship will take them! A passing storm left wreckage covering the surface of the bay. Fishing, Enriquito spotted a couch with a woman sitting on it. She was singing a lovely song. She invites Enriquito and Ernestina to climb aboard. The woman is a fortune teller! She tells them about a lost treasure and a fearsome guard. The children leave to seek out this lost treasure. Throughout this story, Enriquito and Ernestina encounter many events together. They have to deal with Alyssa Rigol—the daughter of wealthy land owner Don Rigol. He believes the entire mountain, including the wild ponies and the lost treasure it shelters, belongs to him. Enriquito and Ernestina must fight to discover the secret of the lost gold and keep the land, the treasure, and the mountain ponies free from the clutches of greedy Don Rigol.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys stories about fortune tellers and secret treasure hunts. Raining Sardines was an exciting story. It included so many different topics and scenes—from a family struggling to get by to rich people getting richer by taking advantage of poor workers, and from an artist’s studio to a courtroom trial. The writing in this fantastic fiction book was amazing in the way it brought the characters to life. My favorite part was when Enriquito escaped from jail with help from Ernestina. This book is great. If you choose to read it, you’re in for a treat!

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age: 11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Saugerties, NY USA

Every Crooked Pot by Renee Rosen

In her heart, Nina Goldman knows that beauty is only skin deep. But as a teenager in Akron, Ohio—-with her larger-than-life father, Artie, a color-blind carpet salesman and frustrated musician—-the only thing Nina wishes for is...to be beautiful. Or at least normal. As if having such an eccentric dad wasn’t enough, Nina has another issue to face: the mirror. Born with a strawberry birthmark over her eye, Nina spends countless hours applying makeup and trying out ridiculous hairstyles to hide her eye. Convinced that her birthmark is the only reason she’s not popular and can’t find a boyfriend, Nina must find other ways to survive high school. With a string of crazy exploits that have her riding in dryers and appearing on TV, Nina proves she’ll do just about anything to fit in, and even more in the hope of finding love.

Every Crooked Pot was a wonderful book. It was funny and heartfelt. I felt as if I could really relate to this book because it was so realistic. While reading this novel, I could not put it down. Some chapters were a bit slow getting started, though. I thought the plot was great because it wasn’t extremely predictable. Throughout the book, I always found myself wondering what would happen next and was usually wrong. All in all, this novel was great. The vocabulary was pretty easy but there were some Yiddish words I didn’t know. I love Rosen’s style of writing because it is descriptive and had many details, making me feel as if I were actually in the book.

Content: This book had profanity, sexual content, alcohol use, and drug use.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Leopold, Missouri United States

The Noah Confessions by Barbara Hall

Lynnie Russo turns sixteen and expects a car. This is not out of the ordinary--every girl who turns sixteen at her school in Los Angeles gets a car. Instead, Lynnie gets an old charm bracelet and a letter written to a boy named Noah by her mother. When Lynnie's mother passed away years ago, her relationship with her father deteriorated. Now, as her father gives her a gift she is not so willing to accept, Lynnie is thrown on a roller coaster ride of the past. The Noah Confessions is a story about finding yourself in the tiniest details of life.

The Noah Confessions is now one of my favorite books. The novel is a suspenseful tale of Lynnie Russo and Catherine Pittman. The intricacies of each story is fascinating and has the reader desperately reading. The Noah Confessions is a wonderful novel--I know I am not giving it justice by throwing words such as "suspenseful" and "wonderful" but trust me--you don't want to miss out on this story. I fell in love with every character. Barbara Hall wrote a fascinating story about understanding your past--and understanding yourself.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10

Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Concord, Massachusetts United States