Drama Club: The Fall Musical by Peter Lerangis

Who doesn't know the dramma club? They practically run the school, and are the people everybody wants to be. But Kara doesn't know that. All she sees is an oppurtunity to be someone else. Someone different then who she was in her old town. But somehow she finds herself as stage manager, even though she doesnt even know what she's doing! Then a boy complicates Karas first real friendship in Ridgefield. And on top of all that, memories are coming to haunt Kara. Ones she tried to leave behind when she moved... When a disaster stikes right before opening night, will the show go on? Or will the much anticipated Fall Production never even see opening night.

I enjoyed this book. I started to read it on the first day of school, and it even put me in the mood to try out for my schools drama club! And Peter Lerangis describes perfectly the way real school kids act, so it doeesn't sound at all fake. It flows along smoothly, and isn't one of those books you can tell the author is bad, beacuse you know that this author isn't trying to much to be 'cool.' Easy to read, and a great school story, Drama Club: The Fall Musical takes of without a hitch, and is a joyfuly pleasant trip, right down to the last page.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Casa Grande, Arizona Unites States of America

Muddle Earth by Paul Stewart

A boy named Joe and his dog are transported to Muddle Earth, a magical world, while taking a walk. There, they team up with an incompetent wizard, talkative bird, and dull-witted ogre to make some money for their new allies. To do this, the wizard equips Joe with a warrior costume and hires him out to the Horned Baron, the ruler of the land. The Horned Baron has Joe do tasks for his obnoxious wife. While accomplishing these, Joe realizes that he must rescue the other wizards being held hostage by the evil Dr. Cuddles if he ever wants to return. He and his band set off to try to accomplish this nearly impossible feat. Will they succeed?

This book was both good and bad. Sometimes the book was very funny and made me laugh out loud. At other points, the humor was stupid and hurt the novel. There were many plot twists, but they were only sometimes exciting or shocking. Other times, they were just plain dumb. The ending was nice, but there was no serious climax. It was a so-so book.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 5

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

One Is One by Barbara Leonie Picard

Stephen de Beauville was from a family of knights, but it seemed he was unfit for this profession. He was afraid of dogs, couldn't stand up for himself, and had a talent for drawing. His father, however, merely stated that he would be a monk. Stephen had no friends, and his siblings tormented him all the time. One day, his father's prize bitch gave birth to a litter of seven pups, but one was small and was to be drowned. Stephen, out of sheer pity, told them he would take it so it wouldn't be drowned. When he receives it, he immediately attempts to abandon it, but ends up rescuing it and keeping it. Naming him Amile, after the friend he never had, Stephen overcame his fear of dogs, and was no longer tormented as Amile was faithful and stood up for him when he was hit. Then, however, his father was going to send him to a monastery, and he couldn't keep Amile. Rather than give him to his cruel, abusive brother, Stephen decided to have Amile put down. At the monastery, he remained reclusive, speaking only when necessary. In his lessons, he often drew on his slate, and after so many beatings, his teacher finally sent him to the scriptorium. Over the next few months, Stephen would go there and be taught to draw by Brother Ernulf, the master of the scriptorium. His talent became so pronounced that he was allowed to draw in the gospels that Brother Ernulf was making, and no one, as yet, had been allowed to draw in it. However, Ernulf was grouchy and rarely complimented anyone, so Stephen never knew how great an artist he really was. Therefore, when his brothers came to make fun of him one day, he had no reason to stay and ran off from the monastery to seek to become a knight. After ten days of begging and working for meager amounts of food, he finally stole a loaf of bread from a woman who promptly called for help. Stephen was thrown onto the ground and beaten. Fortunately, Sir Paine Latourelle, or Sir Pagan, came along and stopped them. Stephen told Sir Pagan of his ambitions and Sir Pagan took him on as his squire. When Sir Pagan joined with another noble to attempt to rescue the king, most of his men were killed, leaving Stephen, Sir Pagan, and Ranulf, a mercenary. Ranulf sold them anonymously, and Sir Pagan managed to save Stephen by blaming him for turning him in. So, Sir Pagan was beheaded in front of a crowd, and Stephen went into a state of depression, unable to talk for many months. Finally, his uncle found him and took him as his squire. Stephen remained with his uncle for many years, going on a pilgrimage with him and continued until he was knighted. Then, on their way to war with the Scots, Stephen's squire's parents died, so his squire had to return to England. Stephen took on a new squire, one with a reputation of misbehaving, Thomas FitzAmory. Thomas was quite sullen for the first few weeks, then, after attempting to anger Stephen by putting salt in his wine and being forced to drink it, he opened up and he and Stephen became close friends. This friendship, however, was once again not to last. After the campaign, as they headed back to England, Thomas was struck with smallpox and died. Stephen, once again without friends, finally realized that he was meant to be an artist. After remembering Sir Pagan's last words to him, "Do not be afraid to do what you want to do," Stephen explained to his uncle that he wished to return the the monastery at Richley, he was welcomed back with open arms, and he was set to work by Ernulf to finish the gospels, as Ernulf was nearly blind. There at the monastery Stephen lived out the rest of his life in happiness.

One is One by Barbara Leonie Picard not only is a great story, but sends a great message. It will make you feel what Stephen is feeling as Picard describes the helpless pup Amile, and how all of Stephen's friends and companions were torn away from him. It was hard to put down at night, and the first thing in my hand in the morning. I've never read a book quite like it. The message it sends from Sir Pagan's quote is wonderful. "Do not be afraid to do what you want to do." This was an outstanding book.

Content: Some slightly gory descriptions

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, PA United States

Jimmy Coates: Target by Joe Craig

Jimmy Coates is an 11 year old boy in France with his friends and family. He is a cyborg created by NJ7, a secret British agency. His goal in life was to kill. While hiding from them, he learns that he is not the only assassin created by NJ7. This assassin has only one mission: bring Jimmy back to London.

Jimmy Coates: Target, by Joe Craig, is the sequel to the book Jimmy Coates: Assassin. This clever book focuses on the fact that there is a second programmed assassin. This "equal" is after Jimmy in an adventure that will not be forgotten. The new characters brought into this book are phenominal and fit well with the overall storyline. I would recommend this book to any reader over the age of 11 who is looking for an action/adventure worth reading.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, Pennsylvania United States of America

Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull

In this sequel to 'Fablehaven', Kendra and Seth are faced with more magical dilemmas. A goblin appears in Kendra's class, Seth gets bitten by some sort of demon, and they can't get a hold of their grandfather. Soon they are whisked back to Fablehaven - but are they any safer there? Not only do they have enemies wishing to penetrate the preserve, but soon they realize that there is an enemy from within, too.

I was not quite as enchanted by this book as I was by its precursor. I did like the imaginative creatures and situations introduced in it, as well as appearances by some familiar things from the first book. The characters did not seem as fleshed out as in the first, which was disappointing. However, it was still a fun, fresh adventure and I will definitely pick up the third book. A good read, but not great. If you liked the first, you will probably like this one as well.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

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

Dragon and Judge by Timothy Zahn

Jack Morgan is a fourteen year old orphan with Draycos a K'da poet warrior dragon on his back. If you read any of the previous books there is no need to try to explain that last sentence and if you didn't this probably isn't the review you should be reading first. In the latest Dragonback series book Jack Morgan is trying to find out the mystery of how his parents died. While his friend,that is a girl, Alison Kayna is trying to get away from the group of people that is trying to kill Draycos' people.

Nearing the inevitable end of the Dragonback series, Timothy Zahn uses his new book Dragon and Judge to answer a few ,not so burning, questions and to add some suspense pending the final book(s). If you've been following the series from the beginning you would probably want to read this book but you could do without. This book in my opinion is not the best book in the series, so if you're looking for new Timothy Zahn phenomenal you're not going to find it in Dragon and Judge. As I said before this book is more of a transition book that add a few new characters ,that I assume will be important in the upcoming book(s), and foreshadows a bit but nothing really deeply advancing the series. I have followed the Dragonback series from the beginning and as a long time Timothy Zahn fan I can definitely tell you that the final Dragonback book(s), if they are on par with the other Timothy Zahn book I read, will at worst be very good. I just hope that Timothy Zahn doesn't prove me wrong. Overall I would pass this book and just wait for the upcoming book(s) of the Timothy Zahn Dragonback series.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age: 17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Starkville, Mississippi United States Of America

Defect by Will Weaver

David isn't like everyone else: he has bug eyes and he can fly. After pulling a prank on some of the mean kids in his school, he is sent to a school for gifted people... people like him. There, he meets a girl named Cheetah, who has epilepsy. Next, he meets a doctor who can make David look like a normal kid and offers his services. While thinking about his decision to go through with the surgery, David meets a boy named Brandon. Brandon has cancer and is going to die soon, so he tells David that he's a participant of the Make a Wish foundation. Brandon's wish is for someone to prove God is really there. David decides to make his wish come true.

I thought the author portrayed the characters as real-life people, but I had a hard time getting into the book. My favorite character would have to be Cheetah because she enjoys life and lives it to its fullest though she has epilepsy. I liked the ending, but I think it could have been better if the author had made the ending less sad. The book showed me that even if you are different, you still have to power to change someone's life, like David had changed Brandon's. I think the author could have written more of the book and answered the ultimate question in ever reader's mind: Does David get the surgery or not?

Content: The book mentioned God and there was some death in the book.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6

Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Pottstown, PA United States

Birth of the Pack by Petru Popescu

Birth of the Pack is about four sixteen-year-old girls who start a girls' soccer club at their school since it doesn't have an official team for girls. They've been playing together since they were little, and Lily's father christianed them the Weregirls. Of course, that name meant more than they thought. What starts out as a book about soccer has a supernatural twist to it! Soon they're involved in a major battle between good and evil.

Birth of the Pack is, overall, a pretty interesting book. It does drag a little, and the characters can be a little flat, but fans of the supernatural should enjoy it well enough. A little more action and a faster pace would be good, but there are certainly worse books out there! I also enjoyed the soccer, being a soccer fan. Birth of the Pack is a decent book but by no means outstanding.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6

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

Everything You Need to Know About the World by Simon Eliot

Everything I Needed To Know About Being A Girl I Learned From Judy Blume is an interesting collection of essays by talented authors about how Judy Blume affected their lives. Even now, years after these amazing writers read Judy Blume, she's still popular. This is something that generations of girls can relate to! Judy Blume, through her writing, teaches about all sorts of things, including friendship, relationships, and, well, life. Everybody who reads her work is affected, and they all take different things away from reading about these universal experiences.

These essays are well worth reading and very interesting. I could definitely relate to these stories--I read Judy Blume's books, too. She taught so many people about life, and reading their personal experiences with her books was great! This is something any fan of Judy Blume's should definitely read. And if you're unfamiliar with Judy Blume, what are you waiting for? Get to the library and check out some of her books, relevant even so many years after they were first written!

Content: As some of the content in Judy Blume's books is for mature readers, so is this book, where things relating to those books are talked about.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

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

Sorrel: In the Shadow of the Bear by David Randall

This book is a story about a young girl named Clovermead. It is the second book of a series and I recommend reading the first book, otherwise certain things are a bit confusing. Clovermead has many struggles throughout the book. She has to decide what is most important to her, what is most important to her lands, and what is most important for the world. Her decisions can change everything, as can her powers. Because not only does she have the power to help her nation, she has the power to transform into bear shape, and she alone can free the bear-slaves of the evil dictator, Lord Ursus. She must also face her inner feelings, as she struggles with her friendship with Sorrel, her longtime friend, and what is right and wrong.

I chose this book looking for a good fantasy read, and although I did get that, I felt that it reminded me of other currently popular fantasy books. In this tale, you find a strong, courageous girl who finds love in a sea of turmoil. Amidst war, political expeditions, self-indecision, and family loyalty she manages to conquer evil. But to conquer evil she has to discover her own power and look to friends for help. Many stories contain several of these plot aspects, and the addition of the usual mysterious yet beautiful animals, makes this book seem familiar. But, thankfully this book has a couple of twists, giving it a little bit of excitement. I enjoyed reading this book even though it felt somewhat familiar and although I would have liked to see a bit more of Sorrel himself (the book is named after him after all), I liked what I did see. There is a plentiful helping of character development and many of the settings put pictures in my mind. This book is not my favorite, but it is certainly worth reading.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: South Pasadena, CA U.S.A