The King of Mulberry Street

In Napoli, Italy, a nine-year-old boy (later to be called
Dom) lived his regular life with his aunt, mother, uncle,
and younger siblings. But one day his mother woke him up
early, and suddenly set him on a ship straight to America.
Dom found himself alone on the streets of the strange town
the civilians called Five Points. Dom discovered friends on
the streets and realized that he had to rely on himself more
than on others. Even though he was Jewish, Dom was forced to
go to a Christian church and eat un-kosher foods. Soon he
settled into life and blended into the New York crowds.<

p>The King of Mulberry Street was amazingly written, and
suspense was included in all of the appropriate places to
polish it off. Donna Jo Napoli helps the reader visualize
the life of an orphan living on the streets in New York in
the 1890s. I think this novel could become a well-known
historical book about what life was like for nineteenth
century American immigrants. It might be as popular as the
novel Stones in Water, another one of Donna Jo Napoli's
books. The King of Mulberry Street is definitely a page turner.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Some adult situations that some children may not understand.

Reviewer Age:11

Reviewer City, State and Country: Osseo, Wisconsin United
States

Lily Dale: Awakening

A girl named Calla is recovering from her mother's recent death when she is sent to live with her Grandmother in a little town called Lilly Dale. Unbeknownst to her this town is a haven for mediums and clairvoyants who call themselves followers of Spiritualism. Calla is shocked when she learns this and she abruptly plans to leave. Suddenly however, she herself begins receiving visions from a missing girl. Will she be able to forget her misconceptions and trust her instincts? Read the book to find out.

This book was very good. It held my interest with an exciting mix of mystery, fantasy, and romance. Calla was a likable main character that had you rooting for her. The only thing I did find odd, if not necessarily bad, was the fact that the whole book was written in the present tense. Nonetheless, I would recommend this book as a well written and exciting novel.

There were points that contained descriptions of ghost that may be mildly scary for some readers. People may not be comfortable with the Spiritualism either.
e were points that contained descriptions of ghost that may be mildly scary for some readers. People may not be comfortable with the Spiritualism either.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, PA Franklin

Hot Mama

Fiona Fine, also known as Fiera, is one of the most famous
superheroes in the world. As part of the Fearless Five, she
has made it her mission to rid the world of ubervillians,
especially after her fiance was killed by one. After a year
of grieving, she decides that she needs to move on, and
happens to meet Johnny Bulluci at her friend Carmen's
wedding. While her love life slowly starts to improve, her
superhero life gets more complicated. Siren and Intelligal
are two villains intent on taking over the world and it's up
to Fiera and her fellow companions to stop them before it's
too late. But then another fighter, Johnny Angel, comes on
the scene and it's not to save the day, and rather causes
more trouble for the Fearless Five.

The last time I read anything with superheroes was back
in grade school. This new book gives a fresh look on a
rather childish idea, but this story isn't childish at all.
The story is filled with romance and action and makes a
great read for older readers. Once I started the book, I
couldn't put it down and read it pretty much in one sitting.
I'm excited to see that the author will continue to write
about superheroes and I look forward to seeing what Jennifer
Estep will come up with next.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10

sex scenes

Reviewer Age:20

Reviewer City, State and Country: Philadelphia, PA USA

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