The Boys Next Door by Jennifer Echols

Which boy will she choose? Lori loves to swim, wakeboard, and hang out with her friends at her lakeside home. She and her neighbors, the Vader boys, are terrific friends and love to spend the hot, humid summer days together. Lori and Adam, the youngest Vader brother, are inseparable friends who do everything together; although she can’t deny her crush for Adam’s older brother, Sean. She’ll do anything to get his attention, even if it means “fake” dating Adam, which involves making out with the boy who she has always considered to almost be her brother. After realizing that getting Sean’s attention is going to take a lot more work than expected, she decides to crank things up a notch with her and Adam’s relationship. After taking things to the next level she realizes that maybe it’s not Sean that she wants after all. But even if it is, she has gone too far to turn back now--or has she?

I really enjoyed The Boys Next Door because it mixed the right amount of romance, suspense, and irony to get the perfect concoction. The author, Jennifer Echols, picked a wonderful theme for the plot of this amazing story. I loved this book so much that I couldn’t put it down, and I stayed up for hours into the night and lost a ton of sleep just to find out what would happen next. This is a great read year-round that will get your love life sizzlin’. I recommend The Boys Next Door to teenage girls who love reading novels that have a twist of a romantic conflict.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Reviewer Age: 13

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

Queen Geeks In Love by Laura Preble

The Queen Geek Social Club, started last year by Shelby and her friend, Becca, seems to be getting bigger. With 2 other officers and a new plan to start a website, things seem to be going great. But when boys are factored in, everything seems to go downhill. Shelby is happy with her boyfriend, Fletcher, though she thinks they’re getting serious way too fast. The problem really lies with Jon, their comic book designer, who has two queen geeks fighting for him. As the summer comes to an end, the girls realize that they need to come up with a new and exciting project. That’s when they come up with Geekfest, a talent show to showcase all the best geeky talents their high school can offer. But as the year goes by, the girls realize that they should stay true to their geeky selves and not let anyone, especially guys, come between their friendship.

The next adventure in the Queen Geeks books was just as entertaining as the original. Laura Preble’s writing style is comical and the plot kept me interested until the very end. Shelby is a likeable character and I think many girls can relate to her. I would definitely recommend this to teens who are looking for a light, entertaining read. I hope the author will continue to write about the Queen Geeks.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age: 20

Reviewer City, State and Country: Philadelphia, PA USA

Beyond Cool

Beyond Cool is the second book about Floe Ryan, a thawed
"frozen zombie." That's her term for it, but really Floe was
preserved after her death (vitrified, or "frozen,") which
happened about this time, and then "thawed" a decade later.
Even though it's only ten years, things are a lot different.
For one thing, Floe's younger sister, Sunny, is now her
older sister! Also, people don't drive anymore--they
hoverdrive (something Floe's having a bit of a problem
with). Teachers and movie stars are computer-generated.
Luckily, Floe's got another frozen zombie to help her deal
with all of this--her boyfriend, Taz. Of course, when Taz
starts acting kind of distant, and Floe finds out that she
and her fellow frozen zombies are suffering from weak immune
systems that make them susceptible to major diseases, plus she's having trouble learning to hoverdrive, life as a
teenage popsicle is less than fabulous.

Beyond Cool is just as good as the first book in the series,
I Was A Teenage Popsicle (which I recommend you read first).
The characters are wonderful, and the premise of the book is
highly original. It's a quick read, and well-written. Beyond
Cool is a funny, interesting story. It's sci-fi, yeah, but
it's also a very human story, and one that I highly
recommend!

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10

Reviewer Age: 16

>Reviewer City, State and Country: Asheville, NC USA

Balancing Acts

A winter to remember. Or else a winter to forget. Harley,
Dove, and Melissa arrive from three different parts of the
country to begin their jobs at a ski resort in the Alps.
Each girl has a secret they want kept in the past, as
they begin a week full of work, fun, and romance.
Harley has a mission here--she knows what she wants and she
knows how to get it. For Dove, this week is just seven days
away from her wonderful vacation with her far-away
boyfriend. Melissa has other plans, she has taken this job
to forget the past and begin anew--but will the past creep
up on her? As tasty as the treats Melissa serves, as wild as
the parties Harley attends, and as mysterious as Dove
herself, Balancing Acts throws readers into a winter
wonderland of fun and romance.

Balancing Acts presents three different girls, each with their own story, and twists them all into one. Harley, the wild child, becomes a lovable
character without whom the story could not blend. Melissa
and Dove are both sweethearts maturing and understanding
more about themselves and past experiences as the winter
progresses.

Emily Franklin presents heartwarming characters as well as
an adventurous plot that becomes wild with romantic twists
and gives the reader a chance to imagine a life of hard work
and secrets blended into one. The beginning tale of Harley,
Dove, and Melissa is worth reading--just grab a mug of hot
chocolate and sit by the fire and you are set to go.

This is a book centered on three eighteen (or nineteen) year old
girls. A prominent theme in the plot is sensuality.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country:
Concord, MA, 01742 United States

The Cloud Chamber by Joyce Maynard

When Nate Chance arrived home from school, he new something was wrong. There were multiple police cars and an ambulance at his house. As he got off the bus, he saw his dad being supported by two police officers. Then he noticed the blood dripping down his fathers face. Nate soon discovers that his dad tried to commit suicide. Nate’s father is alive, but unfortunately has no recollection of the event. The police are blaming Nate’s mother, accusing her of attempted murder. No one in his family will talk about what happened, and they will not even allow Nate and his sister Junie to visit their father. Nate’s mother pretends like her husband never existed and acts like nothing has happened. Nate begins to grow frustrated and upset, so he tries to take matters into his own hands, even committing crimes.

The Cloud Chamber by Joyce Maynard is an emotional drama depicting a family’s tragedy, through a child’s eyes. It is a heart wrenching account of a boy who is struggling to understand his family’s reaction to his father’s attempt at suicide. This well written book will likely bring you to tears. I enjoyed reading The Cloud Chamber because it demonstrated many good life lessons regarding honesty and morality. In addition, it gave you a perspective of how children really feel in difficult situations, showing a child’s powerless position as well intentioned parents make horrible mistakes. Although this was an excellent book, I was extremely disappointed in the conclusion of the story.

Content: The father in the story shot himself, so the book is slightly graphic and very depressing.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Lemoore, CA USA

Lizard People by Charlie Price

For the past few years, Ben's mother has been growing steadily stranger. She talks of lizards dressed as people, who hate the color red and can only be identified by a seam in the back of their mouths. She has even gone so far as to attack people in searching for the proof that they are lizards bent on destroying the human race, and has been hospitalized quite a few times. And now Ben's father has walked out- so what's a seventeen year old boy to do when left to take care of a crazy woman? But that's when Ben meets Marco, who claims to have just moved in and have an ill mother himself. This arouses Ben's curiosity, and he eagerly befriends the strange older boy. Marco has a problem, and Ben thinks that he might be able to help- but he never expected that the problem would involve a story about wormholes in oak trees and a civilization two thousand years in the future, and Ben certainly hadn't predicted that Marco's story would strangely mirror his own life.

I expected to love this book. But, to begin with, I wasn't so sure. The writing style is juvenile and awkward, and I found the protagonist boring and hard to relate to (he is solely described as a fly fishing wrestler with a crush on his best friend's older sister.) Marco's story seemed out of place, and was so much more interesting than the rest of the book that I wished that Ben's life would stop butting in. However, as the book went on it got more interesting, and I realized that, somehow, I had begun enjoying it! Though the beginning drags and the prose is annoying, the story is worth reading for its insightful exploration of mental illness and its intriguing combination of time travel and realistic fiction. Overall, while this book is nothing amazing, it is certainly a worthwhile read for science fiction readers or fans of Charlie Price's first book.

Content:3This book contains teenage drug use on two occasions, drug use by a character's parent, talk of a woman committing suicide, and a character's role model having sex in exchange for drugs.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 5

Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Columbia, United States

Friends and Enemies by David Field

Tommy is a normal 15 year-old boy living in 21st century England. He lives with his Mummy and Daddy, and they go on vacations just like all families do. While on vacation in a chateau in France, something strange happens. The house is more like a castle, with big towers and old pictures; and one of these pictures draws Tommy’s attention more then the others. It’s a picture of a girl—roughly Tommy’s age—from over 400 years ago. The strange part happens next; and Tommy is magnetically drawn back into the year 1599. Tommy is confused, but he goes with the flow of whatever is happening to him. He actually thinks it’s kind of cool. But then Tommy and the girl in the painting run off together for adventures, and that’s where all of the fun begins. Tommy still has his cell phone from the 21st century, which may be his key back to his world…

I really liked how David Field was able to bring a lot of history into this book and still keep it modern. It was neat when Tommy was staying in the house in the 21st century and then he stayed in the house back 400 years. I didn’t really care for the writer’s style, though. David Field went a little too fast, not explaining things where he should, and also made things very unrealistic. Tommy also wasn’t a character I could very easily relate to; he fell in love almost immediately with the girl in the picture, which was a little strange. All in all, I didn’t particularly care for this book, but someone with a love for Sci-Fi historical fiction might enjoy it a little more.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 2

Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Boothwyn, PA US

Demon Envy by Erin Lynn

Kenzie is a regular sixteen year old girl who doesn't really fit into her world. She isn't perfest like her little sister and the guy she likes won't give her a second look, or even a first look at that. One day when Kenzie drops face cream in her tub, a demon portal is opened and she unleashed a demon named Levi. Levi is supposed to make her envious of everyone else's life, so he decides to make her life tourture. First, he becomes the most popular guy in her school after about 3 weeks of being there. Second, he takes the most popular girl in school to the Homecoming dance. Third, he makes the guy that she likes ask her to the Homecoming, so Kenzie doesn't think he likes her. The most important f all is that she has to close the demon portal before even more demons are unleashed into the world.

This book is one of the best I have read in a while, but it does have its downpoints. I do not believe the book is for the age group that it was preposed for: the writing is a bit to big for young adults and the novel is a VERY short read. I do think the story line is really intersting and I can't wait for the author to come out with the next book in the series. The best part of the entire book, in my opinion, is when she first meets Levi. At first, she thinks he's a dream and she has sort of a mini panic attack. At the same to of her 'issue', Levi is trying to calm her down and show that he isn't a dream, and it turns into quite a bit of a fight. My favorite character would have to be Kenzie because she is so sarcastic and really funny, but her only downfall is that she doesn't have a very good self-image. I love the way the author developed the characters and made them seem like real life people.

Content:2The book talks about hell and demons.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

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

Jumper:Griffin's Story by Steven Gould

Griffin O'Connor is completely normal in all respects - except that he can instantly teleport to any place he has visited before. When he was five, he accidentally "jumped." Since then, his life has never been the same. A group of men is out to kill him, and he and his parents move around a lot. He learns to control his jumps. One day, when he was nine, he flinched away from a bully at school - all the way home. That night, some men came to his house. They murdered his parents, but he jumped away. These men could sense whenever he jumped within a certain radius of him. Griffin is rescued by Sam and Consuelo, two hispanics who search for people stranded in the desert. They didn't turn him in, so Griffin lives with them for a while. After returning to his flat and having it blown up, Griffin is taken to Mexico to live with Alejandra, Consuelo's cousin. Griffin is happy for a few years, but then the group of people found him because he had fillings and they used his name. The group tracked him, but he escaped and they didn't know about Alejandra. Then, Griffin decides to live on his own, so as not to put others in danger. He takes an abandoned mine in the desert as his home. Griffin buys a generator and a lot of things needed to survive, and he lives there after blowing up the entrance, so only he can get in or out. Then, Griffin is happy for a while, jumping all over the world and sketching places so he can jump there again. All the while, he kept in touch with Sam and Consuelo. Then, the group of men, who Griffin now knows are called "Paladins," find and kill Sam and Consuelo. After relocating Alejandra and overcoming his grief, he decides to continue his lifestyle. In France, he meets an American, E.V. Kelson. He and E.V. fall in love over the next few months. One day, they went to a dance. Unfortunately, E.V. had been threatened by the Paladins to kill Griffin or her parents would die. Griffin talked her out of it and saved her mother and brother, but her father was already dead. Mortified, Griffin severs ties with E.V. Then, Griffin lures some Paladins to his "Hole" and traps them in it. Once they were in, he opens some propane tanks and lights a few candles and jumps out. All but one of the Paladins die. Griffin learned from one man that they were lead by a man named Roland, but nothing else.

Jumper: Griffin's Story is a great book. It takes place in the present, and it's about an ordinary kid with extraordinary powers. Griffin is such a dynamic and round character that it feels like he is an actual person. Each time someone close dies, he learns a lesson and changes a bit. It's like no story I've ever read. This book gets a ten out of ten from me.

Content: Strong language, Sexual content

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10

Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, PA U.S.

The Curse of the Campfire Weenies: And Other Warpe by David Lubar

The Curse of the campfire weenies was an exciting collection of warped and creepy tales that sent chills up your spine. The book includes thirty-five tales, some of which are scary, many funny, and others just plain odd. You’ll learn about the frightening Wanderban, what happens when parents count to three, and why some trees can be “unforgiving”. Why do pigeons live in the city, and what happens with magic chalk? You’ll find all the answers and more in the Curse of the Campfire Weenies.

This was indeed a collection of “warped” tales. I liked it because I could relate to most of the stories. Some of them were silly like I mentioned, but others I didn’t understand. I especially liked the last story, Forgotten Monsters, it was creative and hilarious and scary all at the same time. I could actually feel the chill going down my back. I would recommend this book to anyone, except for adults, it’s too silly. Since I read the first two books in the series, I really enjoyed and had respect for the Curse of the Campfire Weenies. It was definitely a great book.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age: 12