Peter Cameron

James Sveck, an eighteen year old misfit living in New York
City, doesn't know what to do with his life. Because he
doesn't like being around people his own age (or anyone,
really) he doesn't want to go to college, but his gallery
owning mother and lawyer father can't understand this. For
some reason everyone thinks that he's gay, his poodle hates
him, and his therapist wishes that he will stop being "too
clever for his own good." Of course, when you throw in a
gallery full of blasphemous trashcans, one hundred genius
government students, and a nasty trick played on a coworker,
James' life gets even worse- and running away is only
effective for so long.

This book was simply amazing. Incredibly reminiscent of
"Catcher in the Rye," it takes the classic's themes and
modernizes them in a wonderfully hilarious way. It is easy
to empathize with James, even though he is such an original
character that it would be hard to find something in common
with him. Though this book explores some deep matters and
is, in fact, entirely about James' mental turmoil as he
struggles with growing up and facing the world, it still
manages to be hilarious and easily readable. Besides
creating an intriguing book, this theme means that this book
will certainly be enjoyed by a wide range of readers,
especially teens. Be sure to pick up a copy of "Someday This
Pain Will Be Useful To You" as soon as you have a chance-
you won't regret it!


Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

This book contains much discussion of homosexuality and a
bit of cursing.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Ellicott City, Maryland
United States

The Telling Pool

Rhodri Falcon gets lost at the village fair and meets a
blind blacksmith. The blacksmith tells him of the Telling
Pool, which is a magic spring that a few chosen people can
see the past, present, and future. Rhodri's father has to go
fight in the Crusades and Rhodri doesn't want to stay in the
village. He wants to be a hero. He learns information in the
pool and when his father comes back he is a bitter person.
Rhodri has to use the knowledge he learned to save his dad.
He must also find the one sword that will save his country.
Without taking on his destiny the whole country might die.

I thought this book was an excellent read. The author
used many, many adjectives to describe the setting and it
was done extremely well. Not only was I visualizing the
setting, I could feel what was going on around me. The
narrator was very detailed in everything. My favorite part
of the whole story were the words. The writing was very
beautiful. I have never read a book that took place in this
time period so it was interesting to read about how people
acted and what they did. The story was very exciting and was
a page turner. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a
little bit of fantasy with adventure. It was wonderful!

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Carlisle, Pennsylvania
United States

High Spirits

As children Maggie and Kate were big trouble makers. Leah,
who was much older, did not live with them. However, things
changed as they grew up. In the middle of the 19th century,
Maggie, Kate, and Leah managed to convince people of
knocking spirits and ghosts. As time went on, the knocking
ghost noises meant something different to each sister; some
scamming, some popularity, and some money. Many people found
them crazy and full of witchcraft, as their lies became a
way of life. Maggie met an arctic explorer who gave her a
chance to turn her life around from the lies and deceit. It
was time for her to decide how her whole life would turn
out. This book shows what family truly means to the
characters and lets them explore different worlds.

The style of the work is original and different to read
but to put it frankly, I did not enjoy this type of book. I
found it drawn out and hard to stay focused while reading.
I also found it hard to review because of how drawn out it
was. The characters were great individuals, but the
vocabulary and whole theme of the book couldn't make me that
interested. My mindset is more on the creative, artistic
fiction, and science fiction types do not draw me in one
bit. This is just one persons review so I would recommend
that you look around at other reviews. It is a fine book
though, in itself.

This book deals with some stressful things as in infamy,
deceit and lies, and tedious scamming. Use best judgment.


Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: , Pennsylvania USA

Saving Zoe

It's been one year since the brutal murder of her older
sister, Zoe, and fifteen-year-old Echo is still reeling from
the aftermath. Her parents are numb, her friends are moving
on, and the awkward start of her freshman year proves she'll
never live up to her sister's memory. Until Zoe's former
boyfriend Marc shows up with Zoe's diary. At first Echo's
not interested, doubting there's anything in there she
doesn't already know. But when curiosity prevails, she
starts reading, becoming so immersed in her sister's secret
world, their lives begin to blur, forcing Echo to uncover
the truth behind Zoe's life so that she can start to rebuild
her own.

Overall, I think Saving Zoe was a really good book. In
the beginning, things were a little slow. After Echo
received Zoe's diary, it became really interesting, the plot
got exciting, and I became engrossed in the book, barely
able to put it down. I thought the plot was very original.
It had a great combination of heartbreak and humor,
creating an awesome storyline. Alyson Noel's descriptions
of the characters and setting made me feel as if I were
actually in the novel. While reading Zoe's diary and what
was going on in Echo's life, I felt a deep connection with
them. They seemed so real with their complicated and
interesting lives. I really liked the ending, too, because
it tied up all loose ends and didn't leave me hanging.
Noel's writing was beautiful and powerful. From reading
this book, I have learned to appreciate the time I have
with my loved ones. I recommend this book to every teenager
out there!

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

The book contained several accounts of underage drinking,
drugs, and sex.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Leopold, MO United States

The Lighthouse Land

The Lighthouse Land is about Jamie O'Neill, who had his arm
cut off to cure his cancer. Since then, he hasn't talked at
all. His mother inherits Muck Island in Ireland, and a
mysterious lighthouse lies on it. Jamie and his friend
Ramsay explore the lighthouse and find the Salmon, which
opens a wormhole to another world. On this world, Jamie
talks and has both arms. This world has an island nation
about to be attacked by the Alkhavans, a group of pirates
who use Iceships carved from glaciers. Jamie and Ramsay
meet Wishaway, an alien from Aldan, the island being
attacked. They save her father, Callaway, from the
Alkhavans. Then, a group of Aldans plan to overthrow the
Alkhavans. They want to make Greek Fire, an explosive that
would burn on ice. However, when they sneak into the city
to get one ingredient, they're captured. Meanwhile, the
Salmon is running out of energy. On their way to Alkhava,
the ship stops. Everyone has come down with the chicken
pox, and as no one except Ramsay, Jamie, and Wishaway, who
traveled through the Salmon's wormhole, has an immunity,
it's killing them. Jamie saves them with a syringe by
taking Wishaway's blood and injecting them. They go and are
about to capture the incapacitated Commander Ksar of the
Alkhavans when a group who hasn't succumbed to the pox
attacks them. However, Ksar attempts to use the Salmon, but
he wasn't in the right location. Therefore, it didn't work.
The leader of Alkhava then attacks, but the Aldans have
been cured and attack with Greek Fire. Then, Jamie, having
fallen in love with Wishaway, decides to stay while Ramsay
leaves. Unfortunately, he hears his mother screaming
through the wormhole and is forced to go. Ksar breaks from
his bonds but Jamie throws him off. Jamie saves his mother
and finally talks back on Earth. However, the Salmon is out
of power, so they can never return.

This was the best book I've ever read. It has romance,
action, and suspense. There's even some comic relief thrown
in. All of the characters are round and dynamic. They
change at every turn in the story. It's like no book I've
ever read. This gets a ten out of ten from me.



Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, PA USA

The Shadow World (The Eidolon Chronicles)

Ben Arnold's mother is going away. He's not happy about it,
but he knows she has to go. See, she's not just his slightly
wacky, laughing mom. She also happens to be Queen Isadora of
the Secret Country of Eidolon, and things in her kingdom are
not going well without her. So, Queen Isadora, Ben's mom,
needs to leave her husband and two of her three children
behind to go back to Eidolon and try to restore the balance
between the two worlds. She'll be taking baby Alice with her
as Alice, it seems, is destined to be the future Queen of
Eidolon.

Book II of the Eidolon Chronicles, THE SHADOW WORLD picks up
the story of the evil Dodman, a villain who's eight feet
tall and has the head of a dog. Dodman has enlisted a crew
of goblins, trolls, and an ugly giantess (who wears leather
and spikes!) in his quest to take over the Secret World. All
he needs to do is get Queen Isadora out of the way. With the
help of his sneaky ally, the Sphynx, Dodman puts his plan
into motion and Ben's sister Ellie, who doesn't share any of
their mother's magic is in real danger. Can Ben save Ellie?
Will Queen Isadore take her rightful place and restore peace
to her kingdom, or will Dodman and his dark minions be too
powerful to beat? Read the SHADOW WORLD to find out!

I thought The Shadow World was pretty good. I liked the
personalities of all the characters, especially Iggy the
cat. I loved the way that Iggy could communicate with Ben
and his mom by talking to them. This was my favorite thing
about the story. This book would probably be a great read
for anyone who has read and enjoyed the Narnia Chronicles,
as it's got plenty of magic and fantasy. I would recommend
this book to readers ages 10 to 13, especially those who
enjoy fantasy and science fiction.


Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age:11

Reviewer City, State and Country: Saugerties, NY USA

Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley

Dragonhaven is a first-person narrative story of a teenage boy who lives at a dragon preserve. Most of human society doesn't think much of dragons, so they're no longer around in most of the world. In Dragonhaven, Jake rescues an orphaned baby dragon. He raises the dragon, and realises that dragons are much more than most of the world seems to think. The entire book is written in Jake's voice--the voice of a teenage boy.

Dragonhaven didn't immediately grab me. I wasn't totally caught up in it from the first page, but once it got going, I did enjoy this novel. I liked the idea behind it, too. I just wasn't particularly thrilled with the voice of it, which may have been true enough to the character, but didn't make for a particularly good read. Good characters, good story, but Dragonhaven is just not the greatest narrative.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6

Reviewer Age: 16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Asheville, NC USA

Runnerland by John Burns

Peter is a normal high school kid, just trying to get through life. Suddenly, his dad dies and makes everything change. While looking for something, Peter discovers that he is adopted! He decided this was a big thing that his parents didnt tell him, so he decides to run away from home. Peter ends up being involved with a guy who is involved with gangs, but will this change Peter? Will he give into what he trys to tell him?


I really enjoyed this book. The author really made it so I knew exactly what Peter was going through. It was also like I could feel everything that was being described throughout the book. The main character, Peter was very realistic sounding. He goes through many things in the book that an average teenager goes through. I think that the vocabulary used in this book was appropriate; it wasn't for a little kid, but it wasn't too bad. There wasnt much swearing in this book, which made me happy. I would recommend this book to others because it is a good book to read if you are wondering what some people go through. I know for me it was a change because I never realized that people actually have to go through things like this.Overall, I enjoyed reading this book.

Content: There is some swearing in this book, and some violence.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Newville, PA USA

Grains Of Sand: The Fall Of Neve Dekalim

In Israel, an average family of two children and two parents
are living in Gush Katif. The two children, Yair and Efrat,
are growing up as all children do, but with one large
difference: the Disengagement is looming over their studies
and every-day life. Their parents, Yoram and Miri, are doing
their best to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but when the
family finds gun shots at night normal, perhaps it is time
to become worried. Yair, Efrat's younger brother, finds his
new hobby as finding live bullets, while Efrat goes into
recession, trying to escape all the Disengagement horror...
while their government crumbles around them.

Grains of Sand begins a little too calmly. However, once
I got four chapters into the book, it began to pick up the
pace. The descriptions of all the different objects were
wonderful, ranging from a bloodied moon to a fluffy dog. The
action was wonderful (once four chapters in), ranging from a
peaceful walk across sand dunes to a protest led by
teenagers. And most of all, the psychological message was
powerful. All at the same time, it informed me of the
happiness of a regular family, moving onto the frustration
and anger of that same family, all because of a government
that could not sustain itself. Grains of Sand closely
follows the story of a once happy community destroyed by
powerful outsiders.


Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Eagle Creek, OR USA

Cover-Up

Stevie and Susan are teen writers and stars of a new TV
show, Kids-Sports. They go to lots of events as reporters,
but it seems wherever they are a deep, dark secret is
uncovered. But, this time, during the Super Bowl it's not
going to happen. I mean it's the Super Bowl, what could go
wrong? Because of a slinky business deal Susan and Stevie
aren't working with each other. They soon realize that the
only way their problems can be solved is if they work as a
pair. The hard part is everyone around them doesn't want
them working together....

This book was a delightful read for me since I absolutely
love football. Even though Stevie is the opposite gender of
me, I felt at many points I could really relate to his life
and thoughts. I believe any football or sports fan would
enjoy Cover-Up and want more when it's done. This is John
Feinstein's third book about Stevie and Susan and definitely
my favorite. A bit of language and boyfriend/girlfriend
content, but overall a very suitable book.


Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Durham, NC USA