Sweep:Blood Witch

When we last left Morgan Rowlands, she had just been caught
by Cal, her boyfriend, and Selena, his mother. Selena gave
Morgan her mother's Book of Shadows, a book witches use to
write down spells and things about themselves. Bree,
Morgan's ex-best friend, and Raven, Bree's new best friend,
are still planning their revenge on Morgan for taking Cal.
This time, Hunter, Cal's brother, and Sky, a woman from
Selena's coven, join them. Hunter claims to want to save
Morgan from Cal. Morgan gets some lessons on witchcraft
from her friends in Practikal Magick, a Wiccan store. Alyce
and David, clerks at the store, help Morgan along. Morgan
discovers in a vision where her mother's ceremonial tools
are and goes to find them. Morgan takes them over to show
Cal and Hunter shows up. He aggravates Cal so much that Cal
kills him. Will Morgan be able to see Cal the way she used to?

In this continuation of the Sweep series, Cate Tiernan
broadens the story, adding new characters and along with
them, new conflicts. I love how her characters never do
anything you would not expect them to do, and they always do
things that are believable for their character. The love
between Cal and Morgan is so complex that it is hard not to
keep reading, just so you can find out what is currently
going on between them. This series has sparked an interest
in Wicca for me. It made me want to learn more about the
art and religion.

Murder, some talk of sex, and it talks
about witchcraft.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, USA

Borderline

A brilliant coming-of-age story, Borderline portrays an
overwhelmed older brother, an over-ignored son, and a
determined caregiver in the form of Guy Ritter. And a
teacher who has it out for you, a best friend who won't stop
eating, and a temperamental semi-girlfriend isn't enough,
Guy's also been dealing with his "autistic" brother for way
too long. All of the problems Guy's been burdened with has
created quite a bit of stress. What can a thirteen-year-old
kid do when his best friend's father's fast food feasting
becomes perilous? And what will the utterly impulsive Guy do
when he comes across a majestic experiment animal that soon
becomes his best friend? And what about his brother's
controversial treatment? And most of all, can one child
really deal with all that?

I was quite fond of Borderline, especially the
highlighting of controversy- from Austin's autism treatment
to the experiments on wolves. Rozanski's writing style was
masterful with emotion. I could feel Guy's frustration,
excitement, irritation with every word. I found it a
page-turner from the first word; I could hardly put it down.
Although it moved a little slow in some places, it moved at
a relatively good speed. However, I was surprised at the
personality of the mother, Mrs. Ritter. She was almost
unrealistically uncaring and paranoid- although I suppose
that having an autistic son can do that to you. The
character development of some of the secondary characters
could have been more thorough. However, overall, I loved the
book; which was an achievement- because normally, angst
annoys me.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Mahomet, Illinois
United States of America

Right Behind You

Right Behind You, by Gail Giles, is a book about a kid named
Kip McFarland. When he was only nine years old he set Bobby
Clarke on fire. Bobby was Kip's neighbor, and it was his
birthday, so Bobby went over to brag about his new baseball
glove. Instead, he started to brag about how he had a mom
and Kip didn't. When Kip was little his mom got very sick
and died. So, instead of just getting pleasure laughing at
Kip, Bobby set him on fire. Three days later Bobby died in
the hospital. Kip was sent to a mental hospital, where he
stayed for four years. When Kip left the hospital, his
shrink told him about a hungry ghost. Kip didn't understand
at the time that the hungry ghost was seeking for the truth.
It was ready to tell his secret at anytime.
So, to keep Kip's secret he changes his name to Wade and
moves to Indiana.
There Kip, now known as Wade, starts a new life. Even though
he is making friends and playing sports, Kip still feels he
has to let his secret loose. Will Kip tell who he really is,
or will he keep it bottled up forever?

Gail Giles, the author of Right Behind You, wrote a book
that has lessons and realistic problems. This book is about
more than a kid who was a murderer, it's about lessons. The
lessons were on guilt, decisions and trust. The author wrote
the book on these three main priorities. That's what makes
this book so interesting and realistic because these are
priorities in life as well.
Right Behind You is a page turner, it makes you feel as if
you were right there watching. The mood seems more like
anger and depression, which is the way the characters felt
most of the time. I really liked this book and thought it
was amazing. I would recommend this book to anyone who is
interested in a book on realistic fiction.

It has a lot of inappropriate language and mentions sex a
couple of times.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Sandy, Oregon United States

Haunted America

Did you know that along with a Bloody Mary, there lived a
real-life Bloody Polly? Did you know that not ALL the
residents at the White House are alive? Did you know that
not all ghosts are mean, but most like to play tricks?
Haunted America is a chilling collection of stories you
wouldn't want to read in the dark. These tales are all from
the 50 states of America and some provinces in Canada.

Though the book had some very interesting stories inside,
such as Bloody Polly, I believe the book lacked
spine-tingling tales. Most of the stories were of ghosts
turning on and off lights and scaring people half to death.
The book was a bit slow, especially closer to the middle of
the book. There weren't any main characters in the book, so
if you are looking for a story about a child who finds a
ghost, I would not suggest this book. On the bright side,
this book does have some stories that will keep you
quivering the entire time you read.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 4

This book is a little scary for some children.

Reviewer Age:14

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

Lucky

Jenny Humphrey has attended some crazy parties at Waverly
Academy, but none as hot as the bash at Miller farm, where
the antique red barn went up in flames. Literally. So when
Dean Marymount announces that someone is going to be held
responsible and expelled from Waverly, it's every owl for
himself--and herself. Tensions are rising, rumors are
spreading, and pretty soon everyone is a suspect. Jenny is
worried about her adorable, shaggy-haired new crush, Julian,
whose silver engraved Tiffany lighter was found at the scene
of the crime. Callie is petrified she and Easy will get
kicked out, because they were in the barn--together--when
the blaze began. And Tinsley knows she'll take the heat for
organizing the wild soir￩e in the first place. Luckily
she's come up with a crafty way to keep from getting in
trouble: by blaming Jenny. Of course. After all, Waverly's
girls always fight fire with fire. But watch out,
ladies--in a battle like this, someone's bound to get burned.

Lucky was an awesome book. I loved every minute of it
and couldn't put it down. From page one, I was immediately
drawn in and engrossed in the storyline. I really liked the
plot because it was different from other books I have read
and captured my full attention. The characters, all unique
and interesting in their own ways, were very easy to relate
to, and I honestly felt like I was right there in the book
with them. I loved how each chapter was a different
character's point of view, which allowed me to know what was
really going on and what everyone was thinking and feeling.
I have read all of the other It Girl books, and can say
Lucky was another wonderful book to add to my collection.
The only problem with this book is that if you hadn't
read the other books in the series first, you'd be very lost
reading Lucky, and would have no clue what was going on. I
really, really loved this amazing page turner. If possible,
I'd give it a twelve out of ten!!
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10

This book contained language, sexual material, and
underage drinking.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country:
Leopold, MO USA

Primavera

14-year-old Flora is the last daughter of the Pazzi,
though she is hardly treated like one. While her older
brothers and sister live a life of luxury, she waits on them
like a servant. Determined not having to live at a
convent, Flora devises a plan to win her parents' approval.
But soon she must throw everything away in an attempt to
save her family's and her dear friend Emilio's lives. As
everything she loves is stripped away from her, Flora must
go into hiding to save herself. All she can do is cling on
to the hope that her only family member left, her brother
Andrea, will live long enough for her to see him once again.

Set in the Italian Renaissance, Primavera is a
story of growing up, living out your dreams, and finding
true love. It is written in first person, but unlike some
books I've read in that point of view, I didn't feel like I
was the main character. One thing I did enjoy about the
setup was that most of the book was one big flashback, which
made it much easier to understand. I found the first half of
the book rather boring. The main character was vain and
self-centered which made the tone of the story a little
whiny. However, as the book progressed there was more
action, the main character matured, and the plot became more
meaningful. I absolutely loved the ending! It was totally
unexpected and made me feel like the time I spent reading
the book was worthwhile. I would recommend Primavera to
teens who like historical fiction mixed in with a little bit
of action and romance.


Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age:13

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

Time to Smell the Roses

In the little town of Pinchester, a watch making mouse,
Hermux Tantamoq is happily waiting for his wedding to arrive.
When Hermux is in Thorny End he meets Reezor Blossom, a
mouse who is hosting a huge party, to show off his locally
grown roses. In the process, strange bees appear, and a
squirrel shows up dead on a beach. Tucka Merslin, a super
spokes model squirrel, wants to become a huge fashion
diva/squirrel, and tries many ways to succeed, so she can
dominate the makeup and fashion industry. Another mouse,
Androse DeRosenquill is trying to find his long, lost son
for his company, DeRosenquill & Son. All of the characters
fight their battles in what some would call the will to
survive.

Time to Smell the Roses, is thrilling and intense, a new
mystery Animal Farm, with less politics. Michael Hoeye has
captured the spirits of animals and heavily stuffed them
into the lives of humans. A murder case, missing person(s),
it could not be better! You need some time to adjust,
because it is a bit confusing with all the characters. This
is a definite page-turner. Join their mystery!
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Some violent murders, and violent situations.

Reviewer Age:11

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

A war of Gifts

This novel is a short science fiction story designed mainly
to entertain. The book is short and an easy read. It was a
fairly serious story, but it has a few touching and sweet
parts. It is set in the Ender series that Orson Scott Card
created, probably in the middle of Ender's Game. In the
book, a boy named Zeck is taken from his abusive
Fundamentalist Christian family into Battle School due to
his amazing memory. War, however, is against his pacifist
views, but religion is against the rules at Battle School.
He still refuses to participate in the mock battles.
Therefore, he is shunned by his fellow students, who are all
being trained to become soldiers. He ends up in Rat Army
with Dink and Ender. When the students rebel by giving
holiday gifts, Zeck is confronted with the truth about his
family and the holidays.

This book is a decent, but not nearly as good as Card's
other Ender novels. To read this book, you need to have
read at least Ender's Game, the first book in the Ender
series. Otherwise, none of the characters or the settings
will make sense. Even if you have read the series as I
have, the book is a disappointment. It is not nearly as
good as any of Card's other novels. I would recommend
reading it only if you are an avid Ender fan and must read
every story about Ender. The plot is only mediocre and the
story is too short to fully develop the few interesting
characters. It is basically a Christmas and holiday story
using the characters in the Ender universe.

This novel has some violence and abuse. Zeke's father
beats him and there is a mildly violent fight between Zeke
and Ender. Also, there are also some anti-Fundamentalist
Christian aspects and pro-Christianity aspects of the story,
so it is partially faith-based.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 5

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Royersford, PA United
States

Dinosaurs

As the title suggests, this book is about dinosaurs - all
kinds of them. From oviraptorosaurs (egg-thieves) to
tyrannosaur's (tyrant dinosaurs), the book provides
interesting facts about numerous categories of dinosaurs.
There are also articles written by expert paleontologists,
and each page is loaded with colorful illustrations. But it
doesn't stop here. There are also chapters about geology,
paleontology, fossilization, and more. Instead of presenting
blunt facts, this book tells interesting stories and is
full of information. This book can amuse people of all
ages.

Not only is this book packed with information, but
it also offers perspectives from many paleontologists. In
fact, over 23 paleontologists contributed toward the book,
and it is really enjoyable to read from them. This is not
one of the regular dinosaur encyclopedias where the book
just lists each dinosaur name and gives its features.
Instead, this book groups some species into one (such as
stegosaurus). And for each chapter, the author presents
colorful information, such as stories, pictures,
interesting behaviors, etc. In addition, there are
information about geology, geography, paleontology, and much
more. You won't be bored with dry, boring facts with this
book!
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and
Country: Urbana, IL USA

Dinosaurs by Thomas R. Holtz Jr.

As the title suggests, this book is about dinosaurs - all kinds of them. From oviraptorosaurs (egg-thieves) to tyrannosauroids (tyrant dinosaurs), the book provides interesting facts about numerous categories of dinosaurs. There are also articles written by expert paleotologists, and each page is loaded with colorful illustrations. But it doesn't stop here. There are also chapters about geology, paleotology, fossilization, and more. Instead of presenting blunt facts, this book tells interesting stories and is full of information. This book can amuse people of all ages.

Not only is this book packed with information, but it also offers perspectives from many paleontologists. In fact, over 23 paleontologists contributed toward the book, and it is really enjoyable to read from them. This is not one of the regular dinosaur encyclopedia where the book just lists each dinosaur name and gives its features. Instead, this book groups some species into one (such as stegosaurs). And for each chapter, the author presents colorful information, such as stories, pictures, interesting behaviors, etc. In addition, there are information about geology, geography, paleotology, and much more. You won't be bored with dry, boring facts with this book!

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Urbana, IL USA