The Pilgrims of Rayne (Pendragon) by D. J. MacHale

In this book, Bobby Pendragon uses the flume to travel to 1st Earth with Courtney. When they get there, they go to the Manhattan Tower. Bobby leaves Courtney with Dodger so that they can search for Mark, and he leaves for the territory of Ibara. When Bobby gets to Ibara, he is attacked by bees and becomes unconscious for several days. When he regains consciousness, he is arrested for being an outsider and is taken to see the Tribunal. He is released and told to hang out with Siry, the Traveler of Ibara. Siry takes him into the jungle and introduces him to the Jakills, a bunch of rebel teenagers. The Jakills have plans to escape from the island, and they expect Bobby to help them steal a boat to do so. They successfully steal the ship, and they travel to the city of Rubity. There they are ambushed by Flighters. Siry and Bobby believe that they are the only two to survive the attack. They go back to the island to warn the Tribunal of an attack from Saint Dane, the ultimate bad guy. Bobby decides to throw out the rules, and starts mixing the territories. He comes back with a few things from three different territories. Alder comes back with him, and they start thinking about how to beat Saint Dane. They come up with a plan, and defeat Saint Dane and his army. Afterwards, Bobby sends Siry and Alder away, and then blows up the flume, trapping Saint Dane and himself on Ibara. While all this is happening on Ibara, Courtney and Dodger are searching for Mark on 1st Earth. They discover that Mark boards the Queen Mary and is killed. They arrive on the Queen Mary as stowaways and begin searching for Mark. They find him and convince him that he needs to return to 2nd Earth with Courtney.

First off, this book was so good, I stayed up REALLY late to finish it. One of my favorite characters was Courtney, because she was always ready with some sassy comeback or retort. I was very sad about the ending, but I still liked it because Bobby wasn’t thinking about just himself, and he finally realized that he could be defeated. This book was just as good as, maybe even better than, the rest of the series. I learned that no matter who you are, you can still be defeated, so you shouldn’t get really full of yourself. The vocabulary and content used was appropriate for teenagers. This author is a superb writer, and I love his style. He regularly uses plenty of detail. I don’t see any way the author could improve this book.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10

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

Quantum Prophesy: The Awakening by Michael Carroll

Ten years ago, superheroes roamed the earth, bringing evil to justice and saving humanity from itself. But in a battle against a supervillain, Ragnarok, all the superheroes lost their powers and were effectively lost forever. But now, it seems Danny and Colin, two best friends, have abilities that only superheroes could. Caught up in a whirlwind of conspiracy, the two and their "superhero" parents are kidnapped and sent to America, where Colin escapes and is set against not only trained soldiers but the mystery that is America. Danny and the adults find themselves in a secure bunker in California, where Danny must keep the villains at bay until Colin can come to save him. Colin locates the two superheroes who didn't lose their powers ten years ago, a superhero with no special powers to lose, and a telepath who was miracurously unaffected. Together, they try to rescue Danny and the others. But both Danny and Colin's struggles are rife with obstacles and betrayal, and they wonder who they can trust, and how they can possibly triumph over evil.

The book was a nice quick read, but not something to take seriously. The language was clumsy, and the plot was predictable. But it had its moments. There were times when the characters truly shone, and the narrative sparkled with clever, lively language. However, the majority of it was sluggish, and the action scenes were too short and unrealistic. The book had potential, but it was never realized.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 5

Reviewer Age: 16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Overland Park, KS United States

The Campfire Crush by Cylin Busby

You are finally a junior counselor at Camp Butterfield and can’t wait for all the new experiences you are about to encounter. From hiking to horseback riding to flirting with a cute guy, there is always something to look forward to. Sometimes though there are snakes to worry about, poison ivy to watch out for, and paths that could lead you off course and get you kicked out of camp, so be careful! This is a choose-your-own-boyfriend book where you get to make the decisions, which could either lead you to true love or realizing that he’s not the one after all. With over twenty different endings to choose from, you are bound to find the right guy for you!

The Camp Fire Crush is the first book in the Date Him or Dump Him series written by Cylin Busby. I thought it was really cool how The Campfire Crush was created like the Choose Your Own Adventure series, which are really fun to read. This is an extremely quick, and enjoyable summer read with unpredictable endings. I think that the author had a great idea for this awesome series that allows you to choose your own boyfriend. It’s neat how if you don’t like the decision you made, you can go back and make a different one. If you enjoyed this series, then don’t miss the next two releases called Ski Trip Trouble and The Dance Dilemma.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg, PA USA

Everything You Need to Know About the World by Simon Eliot

Did you know... ...the Southern American electric eel can knock out a horse from nine feet away? ...Rubbing your hair with peanut butter can remove gum from your hair? ...the word pineapple got its name because the first Europeans thought it looked like a large pine cone and tasted like an apple? ...a Japanese man farted over 3000 times in a row on TV in 1980? ...hens don't actually sit on their eggs, but sit behind them and puff out their feathers in front of them to cover the eggs? Well if you don't know these things, and are surprised by it, you will surely enjoy this book! "Everything You Need to Know About the World" is a packed book filled with funny facts that ranges from weird science to pop culture. Also, the little cartoons and "handwritten" comments add to its fun. With 180 pages of fun little facts, people of all ages can be amazed by it! This book is filled with facts about things you never thought you knew, or thought you knew but were incorrect, or was just plain embarrassed to ask!

This book just pops random facts here and there. But there are 22 chapters, or categorizes that ranges from 1 page to 24 pages. It gives all sorts of different facts that the whole family can read and enjoy! There are numerous things in this book that I had no idea about, or I thought I knew but were wrong. Some of the items in this book really surprised me. I'm sure it'll surprise most people out there too. Overall, this book is a really easy, simple book packed with amazing facts. The cartoons and drawings make it more fun to read, and I sure enjoyed reading this book.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

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

The Night Wanderer: A Native Gothic Novel by Drew Hayden Taylor

Tiffany tries to fit in with everyone in her school, but she’s the only Native American around. When her boyfriend, Tony breaks up with her and blames her father as part of the reason why, Tiffany gets really mad. She’s already mad at her dad for driving her mother to run away. He puts a lot of pressure on her and finally Tiffany’s decided that she’s had enough. What Tiffany doesn’t account for is the mysterious stranger who’s staying at her house. While he looks like any other Native in the reservation, he is in fact a vampire who has come home for the first time in many years. When Tiffany runs away, it is her encounter with the vampire Pierre that helps her to make the right decision.

I’m a fan of vampire novels, and this one was different from any other that I’ve read. I loved how the main characters were Native American. Not many stories are about Native Americans and it was a nice change. Also, the plot wasn’t a typical vampire story. It was a bit confusing to follow, but overall, it was good. This book isn’t for everyone, but I would recommend this novel to fans of vampire and gothic novels.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age: 20
Reviewer City, State and Country: Philadelphia, PA USA

Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little by Peggy Gifford

Moxy Maxwell likes to read. The thing is, she likes to read what she wants to read, and not what someone else tells her to. Now it's almost time for school to start back up, and Moxy has STILL not read her assigned book, 'Stuart Little'. But it's not as if she hasn't been trying to - the book's been everywhere with her all summer. She just hasn't found a good time to actually get to it.

Short, simple, and sweet, 'Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little' is an adorable story. Moxy is a winning heroine who you can't help but laugh at and with. The book revolves around one day, August 23rd, and is accented with photos (taken by Moxy's brother) that give the story a nice touch. I would highly recommend this as a fun, easy read for early readers. It would also make a good read-aloud.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10

Reviewer Age: 16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Moscow, ID USA

Before I Die by Jenny Downham

Tessa has been diagnosed with leukemia, and doesn't have much longer to live. So, to take advantage of the time she has left, she makes a list of all the things she wants to do before she dies. Enlisting the help of her friend, Zoey, Tessa tries things she's never dreamed of doing before, like breaking the law and trying drugs. But as her leukemia progresses, Tessa things about the more important things in life. She helps her parents get back together and she falls in love for the first time and she really begins to appreciate the everyday things in life.

Reading this book makes you realize how great everyday things are and that we shouldn't take them for granted. But the novel wasn't what I expected it to be. I was hoping for it to be inspirational, like Lurlene McDaniel books. But instead I didn't really like the characters and I had to force myself to get through the book. The story wasn't interesting enough to keep me wanting to read more, but I did manage to get to the end. And while I understood the point of the ending, it was a bit confusing so I tended to skim through that section rather than read through it. Overall, this book was touching, but not something for an everyday read.

Content: There are some passages about sex in the book, so it's definately for older readers.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 5

Reviewer Age: 20
Reviewer City, State and Country: Philadelphia, PA USA

The Big One-Oh by Dean Pitchford

Charley Maplewood has never been one for parties--that would require friends, which he doesn’t have. But now that he’s turning ten--the big one-oh--he decides to throw a birthday party for himself, complete with a “House of Horrors” theme and a big birthday cake. Of course things don’t work out as Charley plans. In trying to make friends, he ends up inviting the class bully Cougar to come, and that’s before he ruins the cake and burns down the garage. By the time of the big day, Charley’s home really is a house of horrors. Will Charley be able to pull it all together before the big one-oh becomes the big OH-NO?

The Big One-Oh was an extremely hilarious book. From start to finish, I found myself laughing out loud. I even finished The Big One-Oh in one sitting! This is only Dean Pitchford's first book, but I was very impressed. It had a really great plot and orignal, funny characters. Even though this book was meant for younger readers, I really enjoyed it and think other older readers would like it too. The Big One-Oh gets a big one-oh from me. Too bad I wasn't invited to Charley's party!

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10

Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Leopold, Missouri USA

Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Stargirl has moved and left everything behind: Arizona, Mica High, enchanted desert places--and Leo, her once (and future?) boyfriend. He's all she can think about, and her life begins to feel like a parade of unhappy anniversaries. Then Stargirl meets her wonderfully bizarre new neighbors: Dootsie, the curly-headed five-year-old "human bean"; Charlie, who sits among the tombstones; hot-tempered Alvina with that one glittery nail; and Perry Delloplane, the blue-eyed thief who soon lays his own claim to Stargirl's heart. In letters to Leo over the course of a year, Stargirl comes to find hope in new places: mockingbirds, donut angels, moon flowers, and the Winter Solstice--that turning-point day when dark tips to light. But what's life without Leo? Will he--can he--answer that one crucial question she asks every morning to the rising sun? In this companion novel to Stargirl, Newberry Medalist Jerry Spinelli continues his beloved heroine's story in a tale of hurt and healing, promise and revelation, solstice and sunbeams.

Jerry Spinelli has done it again with another wonderful book. There was nothing I didn’t like about it. I would even say that I loved the whole entire thing! In this amazing page-turner, there is a little bit of everything: there’s comedy, there’s romance, there are heartfelt moments and there are even a few tear-jerkers. It was very well-written, had realistic characters, and a great plot. From page one I fell in love with the zany, hilarious characters. The vocabulary in this book was perfect for young adult readers. It would even be good for younger readers. The ending was great. I was not left hanging, just left wanting more. The author’s style for writing this book was great. The first book was from Leo’s point of view, so I liked that this book was from Stargirl’s point of view. Everything about this book was just wonderful!! It is a must-read for boys and girls of all ages.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10

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

The Sisters Grimm Book Four: Once Upon A Crime by Michael Buckley

The Grimm sisters, their grandmother Relda, Puck and Mr. Hamstead (one of the Three Little Pigs) are off to New York City! Puck is very sick from his injury at the end of the third book of this series, and the Grimm gang need to find their way into the Faerie kingdom in order to find his fairy family who can help heal Puck. They arrive at their destination, but soon everything is mayhem when a murder occurs, and the Grimm detective sisters Sabrina and Daphne are once more thrown into the search for a criminal. Meanwhile, Sabrina is re-thinking if she even wants to be a fairy-tale detective and live such a wild, dangerous life.

I have only read the third and now fourth of The Sisters Grimm books, but really ought to go back and read the first two. They are such pure, unadulterated fun! Fast-paced, thrilling plots and a unique writing style make them enjoyable for all ages. And since I love anything to do with fairy-tales, reading these books filled with characters and creatures from all sorts of classic tales is nothing short of a blast. If you are a fan of light-hearted mysteries and mixed-up fairy-tales, make sure not to miss this series.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Reviewer Age: 16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Moscow, ID 83843