Choices by Deborah Lynn Jacobs

Kathleen has lost her older brother Nick in a car accident. He was on his way to pick her up from a party that her best friend convinced her to go to. The guilty person in the accident is named Mark, and he walks away with no injuries. At Nick’s funeral, Kathleen meets a mysterious boy named Luke. As Kathleen tries to cope with the loss of her brother, Luke tries to comfort her and also warns her of a so called “shift of universes.” Nick knows of these shifts because he is a fellow shifter, and has been for years. As Kathleen “shifts” through four different universes, usually changing during the night, she is trying to find her real self, and her brother. Through all this, she runs into many obstacles that change her life drastically. Kathleen also has many questions, with answers that no one can give her; she has to find them on her own. Perhaps the biggest questions are: Who is Luke? Whatever happened to Mark? And will the “shifts” help Kathleen find Nick?


I loved Kathleen. She is a perfect example of someone who has fallen on her behind only to get back up again. I tried to put myself in her position of losing one of my siblings, and could not even imagine it. This book helps me appreciate each one of my siblings so much more. Kathleen is a very strong character and I admire her so much. And then there is Luke. I really like Luke, too. He started off a friendship with a lie, but only to protect the other person. He knew how to take control of his problems, and always tried his best to fix them. I did not like Kathleen’s friend Jen—she was rude, very judgmental, and did not give Kathleen’s other friends a chance—however, she was an essential part in understanding Kathleen’s “shifts.” All in all, the book is very good. The author’s choice of writing style may make it difficult for some to keep track of all the characters, but for advanced readers, it is definitely well worth reading.

Stdent reviewer state: Ohio

The Hand That Bears the Sword by George Bryan Polivka

Packer and Panna Throme are interrupted in the middle of their "honey month" by the king's urgent order that Packer must set sail on the Trophy Chase. Three lone ships that are left of the navy fleet go out to sea in an attempt to delay the attack on Nearing Vast from the kingdom of Drammun. Meanwhile, Panna is left behind in the hands of the lustful Prince Mather, who plots to steal her love. As Packer helps to fight the ferocious Drammun Armada, his faith is tested to the limit. He is forced to make the difficult decision to glorify himself or the one who gave him that glory in the first place. Back in Nearing Vast, Panna learns to lay everything down and trust God to show her a way to escape from the evil prince. Through it all, Packer and Panna's examples show others that true power comes from humbling yourself and trusting God to the end.

The Hand That Bears the Sword is the second book in the Trophy Chase Trilogy. It is filled from the first page to the last with action, adventure, and a beautiful portrait of God's perfect love. Some parts are a little bit gory, but other than that it is probobly a most valuable read for teens 12 and up. The plot was laid out very well, using third person, but switching points of view almost every chapter. I enjoyed that because you were able to get to know each character personally. I would highly recommend this book to all fantasy lovers.

Content: faith-based

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

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

Demon Envy by Erin Lynn

In this book, a girl named Kenzie accidentally spills some of her acne cream down her bathtub drain. She accidentally opens a demon portal, and a demon, Levi, shows up in her bathroom. He starts helping her to close the portal, and he slips right into an average teenage life. Meanwhile, Kenzie has to deal with him living at her house, and juggle her day to day life, without letting it slip that Levi is really a demon. At the end of the book, she figures out how to close the portal. The only way for her to do that, that she could see, was to drive her parents' mini-van into the kitchen wall. She gets grounded, and the portal is closed.

This book was TOTALLY AWSOME! I liked Levi, because he was always acting as though Kenzie was a little kid and protecting her. I loved the ending because Kenzie drove the car into kitchen wall. This book compared really well to other books I've read, but I don't think it'll be the Harry Potter. I didn't really learn anything from this book, but it was still an awsome read. The vocabulary was appropriate for the ages it was written for. This author's style is awsome, and she tied up all the loose ends and answered all my questions at the end of the book. I don't think this book could have been improved.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

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

Queen Ferris by S.C. Butler

Months after Reiffen was saved from the clutches of the three Wizards, he returns to them. But this time he does it of his own free will, so that he can try and outsmart the Wizards. However, as Reiffen learns more magic, he is forced to do terrible things. When evidence of his deeds emerge, Reiffen’s best friends, Avender and Ferris, begin to wonder if the Wizards have “turned” him. As the countries are destroyed by war with the Wizards, Avender is forced to choose his loyalty. And Ferris struggles between the part of her that still believes Reiffen is good, and the part of her that wants to leave him behind.

At first I couldn’t really get into the book because it was a sequel and I had never read the first one. However, once I started getting deeper into it, I thought the book was really good. I really liked how S.C. Butler switched from Ferris’ point of view, to Avender’s to Reiffen’s. It added to the suspense and kept the book moving. Overall I thought it was a great book, and it is perfect for anyone who enjoys fantasy and magic.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age: 16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Erlanger, Kentucky United States

Paper Hearts by Deborah Williamson

Imagine having no home, no family members, and only 22 dollars in your pocket. 15 year old Chancy Deel knows exactly how that feels. Chancy hitched here way from Pittspurgh, Pennsylvania to Wenonah, Oklahoma just to find a better life. When she arrives in Wenonah she is surprised by the kindsness of 1 sweet waitress, Corliss, a kind old man whose name is Max, with a dog, and a nice woman in a super market. Chancy doesn't realize it at first but she touched their lives just as much as they touched hers. With just a few simple acts Chancy feels like she has found her home in Wenonah, Oklahoma. Chancy happens to find a nice home with just the right numbers. She sneaks into the garage for a warm quiet night. Come morning Chancy finds that she has stumbled into none other than Max's garage. Max who planned on commiting suicide that day decides to give life a try one last time for a young homeless girl who captures his heart.

When I first started reading Paper Hearts I was expecting a tough girl who would spend the whole book defying everyone, and making enemies in every person she came in contact with. Instead I was completely taken back by the sweet generocity of Chancy Deel. She truly felt bad when she had to steal or lie to someone to make her way in the world. If she had to steal food from a store she would leave little paper hearts with the person who she stole from. I believe while reading this book that you tend to think about the person you are and the person that you are becoming, and it is because of the excellent protagonist that Deborah Williamson has created.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age: 18
Reviewer City, State and Country: dundee, Oregon USA

Kissing the Bee by Kathy Koja

Senior year is going by faster than anyone can imagine and Dana, her best friend Avra, and Avra's boyfriend Emil are going into a long windy journey that is going to change their lives forever. Dana is working on a project about bees that has her very interested and enthralled. Dana has a full scholarship and is planning to use it. Avra on the other hand has no plan whatsoever except shes leaving and Emil is going along with her. Prom is coming up and tension is starting to build for certain people. But why? Dana has a secret that has her slightly confused and even a little crazy. Will she be able to hold it in?

Wow, this was a really good book! I read it in one night because it kept my attention starting from the first page to the end. It had so many great descriptive details that it made me feel like I was actually there! The author just has such a great unique style of writing that anybody would enjoy this book. The author has a style that just automatically clicks with the reader. My favorite character was Emil. He just had a really sweet personality and he just was really creative and always went with the flow.I did but yet did not like the ending. The author definitely brought the story to a close I just personally thought it would have been somewhat.....different. There is still a piece of information that you want to know thats missing at the end.

Content: In this book there was some language and some adult situations would be better for mature readers only.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

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

Clan Ground by Clare Bell

Thakur is concerned about the Red Tongue's power over the clan. Ratha leads the clan but her position is threatened by a newcomer named Shongshar whose life she spares. Thakur and Ratha grow closer as the clan grows strained and the Red tongue and Shongshar grow more powerful. Thakur learns a new way to tame the Red Tongue, but it is met with hate in the clan. As the clan becomes more violently divided, Ratha and Thakur must decide how to regain control.

This novel was very enjoyable. It is one of the best fantasy novels I have ever read, and probably one of the best novels I have ever read in any genre. It is great for someone who loves animals because the characters are animals, but they still have quasi human personalities. It is a generally well thought out novel. Though it is the second book in a series and I would recommend reading the previous one first, I enjoyed the novel despite the fact I had not read the first one. I am going to go back and read the first novel and then continue the series because I enjoyed it so much.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

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

The White Giraffe by Lauren St. John

A girl named Martine parents died in a fire so she had to live with a grandma she never knew about in Africa on a wild life preserve. She hears quiet gossip about a magical white girrafe living there, but no one has claimed to see the giraffe. Her grandma didn't believe it but she had mixed emotions about it. One night Martine see's the white giraffe...

In my opinion, I really liked the book because the plot is creative. The whole concept of being orphaned and having to move to Africa with a grandma she never knew about. I also thought the "white" giraffe is a creative twist in Martines life. In those parts it was hardest to put down because it had suspense and creativeness.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Reviewer Age: 11

Reviewer City, State and Country: Norristown, Pennsylvania United States of America

Genesis Alpha by Rune Michaels

The book Genesis Alpha was about a boy and his brother who even though they lived away from each other always found time to play an internet game called Genesis Alpha together every night. Then one day the boy realized that his brother had left his computer in the middle of the game without turning it off so he assumed something might have happened. You then find out that his brother was accused of killing a girl that went to his school. The police began to think that he had met her on this Genesis Alpha game and that he was doing this to many other girls. The book is mostly about their family trying to figure out if he is innocent or guilty.

Genesis Alpha was a great book and a really fast read. The story line was interesting, but you expect for there to be a big plot twist in the end but really the story goes in a perfect sequence to the ending. I do not think that this book was a good one for the genre it was placed in, however. The book has a vocabulary of about seventh or eighth grade and a highschooler may become bored with it. But, for the middle school crowd it would be a good book to read. It helps you realize that your judgement of someone, even a family member, may be wrong.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6

Reviewer Age: 16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Nelsonville, Ohio United States

Bad Idea by Todd and Jedd Hafer

Uggh, a road trip! When 18-year-old Griffin Smith has to leave for college, his dad’s fiance’ decides that the whole family and his best friend, Cole, should drive up to his college in Southern California from their home in Kansas. Leaving his long time crush, Amanda Mackenzie, is really hard for him, but he is also eager to meet the mysterious Carrot, a girl he met online who goes to the same college he will be attending. On their way to college they will have to deal with many devastating problems from muggers to family affairs to a young child’s death. Once he arrives at the California college which he is attending on a running scholarship, Griffin quits his longtime addiction of burning himself with lighters and blow dryers with some much-needed help from his dad. This terrible habit started after his mom left when he was very young; he did it to punish himself for all of the horrible things he did that were not very Christian-like. Join Griffin Smith as he faces life’s tragedies and hopefully finds the best solution to solving each of them.

I think the authors, Todd and Jedd Hafer, did an awesome job at writing Bad Idea: A Novel (With Coyotes), because I didn’t think that I would enjoy this story and I ended up loving it! I thought that it was cool how the authors used coyotes as such a big part of the creation of this book, even though they weren’t actually mentioned a whole lot in the story. I didn’t overly care for the fact that there was a lot of misconduct and wrongdoing in this book, but after realizing how messed up his life was, he became a Christian. Overall, though, I thought this composition was well-written and an all-together amazing story. I recommend this wonderful book to young adults ages 12 and up, but mostly to boys who love running since it is a main topic in Bad Idea.

Content: There was drinking of alcoholic beverages, sexual content and references, smoking, burning their flesh (self mutilation),fighting, and suicide.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

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