Ready or Not : An All-American Girl Novel

Sam returns in this sequel to All American Girl busy as
ever. She now has to contend with juggling school, art
lessons, her duties as teen ambassador, and dating her
boyfriend, David (the President's son). Sam is as hilarious
as ever as she fumbles from one incident to another. How was
she to know that taking a life drawing class meant drawing
naked people? Or that despite dying her hair black she would
still be recognizable as the girl who saved the President.
On top of all her worries, Sam's parents insist she get a
job, which creates some more interesting situations. But her
main worry is whether or not to spend Thanksgiving weekend
with David. So once again, we laugh and commiserate with Sam
as this time she tries to dodge her boyfriend while trying
to figure everything out.

Although, I don't think Ready or Not was as good as the
prequel, Sam is still the same amusing teen. Her personality
is what really makes the book come together in the end. In
this saga of the installation, Meg Cabot tries to make Sam
deal with more serious issues. But, in the end, this goal
does not work out as Sam's mirthful personality just makes
them laughable issues and thus undermines the true
seriousness of the topic. But it is still a great, funny
novel that is a great read for relaxing. The writing is
once again fantastic, and Cabot puts in just the right
amount of sincerity to make Sam into a believable character.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age:18

Reviewer City, State and Country: Kansas City, Missouri U.S.A

The Faceless Friend

Emmaline Cayley... Aviation extraodinaire... Robert Burns...
Errand Boy... Princess Purnah... Porok! Glekk!. Three young
children, one evil kidnapper, and a suspenseful adventure in
London- all woven together into one insane story called The
Faceless Fiend. It starts off in a pretty conspicuous
setting, in mad Mrs. Butterworth's cottage, with the three
children attempting a flight experiment shortly followed by
their teacher, Bellbuckle's lecture on why humans can't fly
like birds and the first impressions of the three children's
personalities. Emmaline; calm and scientific, is a careful
and calculating character. Purnah, shown as a bit of a
nutcase to the people of England (although she's mild
compared to the people of her Chiligriti homeland), and
Robert; enthusiastic, and not easily hurt, one of the only
two fans of Mrs. Butterworth's slug cake. (Stanley, the
little brown dog, was the other fan.) And all seems well.
However, when a series of mysterious events regarding
Princess Purnah and Chiligrit arise, everyone's suspicious-
and for good reason. Robert, dressed as Purnah, is kidnapped
by the henchmen of the infamous Faceless Fiend. Purnah,
trying to escape, finds herself lost in a forest, only to be
found by Emmaline, off a newly twisted ankle and bearing
chocolate, to Purnah's salivation... and salivation.
Although riding on separate carriages, all three find
themselves in London, and after Robert's half-baked escape,
he runs into a boy of the London streets, Peachey, who
inadvertently leads him to Banjo, a dog nearing senility,
the newest main character. But in attempting to save Purnah
and her country, and Robert from the Fiend's irritation with
him, can they possibly defeat a criminal mastermind?

I adored The Faceless Fiend. It's charming, funny, and
the characters were the most amusing people in the world.
Even serious Emmaline had her moments. I hadn't read any
other books in the series, but this one stands alone
wonderfully, with all the little details of previous books
inserted into the text, so the reader wasn't confused.
Although I was an avid Purnah fan throughout the book,
Robert was a close second- both of them, especially in the
same place at the same time, created a hilarious duo.
Emmaline, though, had a surprisingly small part in the book,
considering the series name (The Mad Misadventures of
Emmaline and Rubberbone), and I do think she could have been
a bit more prominent. Faceless Fiend is, just a little,
childish in writing style- something I would have
appreciated several worlds more when I was seven or eight,
but for those older adolescents, even adults who are still
fans of Dr. Seuss, I'd definitely recommend this.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Reviewer Age:13

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

Unholy Grail

This book is definitely a thriller. The pace of the book
travels so fast that the reader is breathless throughout the
reading. However, the fast pace does not cover the bad
writing, and Unholy Grail reads a little like the Da Vinci
Code without Da Vinci. To start the book, two people are
separately lured into Grand Central Station and one is shot
while the other is framed for it. Meanwhile a renegade
priest is killing other priests and marking them with
stigmata. There's also a mysterious Circle of Five, involved
with maintaining the bloodline of Jesus Christ and Mary
Magdalene. But this is all side story, because the two from
Grand Central Station decide to travel together, arguing
about Jesus and going through the story just because, not
even trying to unravel the conspiracies mixed in.

This book is like any of Dan Brown's books, and just as
poorly written. While the plot is interesting, there is so
much clunky dialogue and it seems that every other sentence
is cliche. The actions seem scripted and despite the intense
pacing, no suspense is truly built up. The characters were
all two-dimensional and seemed able to convey emotion only
through their eyes. Their eyes would flash with anger. Their
eyes bug out. Also, the descriptions were drawn-out and
ineffective. Overall, I would not recommend this book.
Rating (0 - 10 scale):

Reviewer Age:17

Reviewer City, State and Country: Overland Park, Kansas
United States

The Heights, The Depths,and Everything in Between

This book is about a girl named Lucy struggling to defy the
stereotypes of life being thrown at her. Her best friend
Jake is a midget with a mom that's in love with a man who's
not his dad. She and Jake start hanging out more and more
with the resident bad kid, Gary. Her dad is currently on the
road, and he doesn't seem like he wants to come back. Oh,
and Lucy's super tall, but she's got the last name of Small.
Watch Lucy come to terms with herself and her friends
lives...whenever that happens.

This book is very well constructed. Sally Nemeth, the
writer, creates a story of dilemma after dilemma, but in a
way that's not overwhelming. Towards the end, you can't peel
your eyes away from the book. But I don't know how well
written it is. I would say that Nemeth could've made her
audience feel more connected to the book. When you read it,
you'll like it, but you don't feel much emotion for the
characters. Maybe you'll sense a little triumph for Lucy at
parts, but that's it.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age:11

Reviewer City, State and Country: San Francisco,
California United States of America

Major Crush

Tired of the beauty-pageant circuit, Virginia Sauter tosses
her tiara, pierces her nose, and auditions for the most
unlikely of roles--drum major of the high school marching
band.

Virginia wins, but is forced to share the title with
Drew, whose family has held the position for generations.
Sure, Drew is hot, but because of his superior attitude, he
and Virginia are constantly arguing. That is, until they
share more than just their half-time salute...

But as the drum majors' heated competition turns to
sizzling romance, explosive rumors threaten everything--
including the band's success. Love seemed to be a sure
hit, but Virginia and Drew may be marching straight into
disaster.

I loved reading Major Crush. It was pretty realistic
and had many laugh-out-loud moments. The plot was great,
but sometimes it seemed kind of predictable. I also
thought the characters were great, because they were
original and fun to read about. I really liked the
author's style of writing. She included just the right
amount of detail, drama, humor, and romance to make this
book the page turner it was. I really couldn't put this
book down. Major Crush is a must-read for all teenage
girls.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

There were mentions of sex in this book, which
may be inappropriate for young readers.

Reviewer
Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Leopold,
Missouri USA

How They Met, and Other Stories

"How They Met and Other Stories" is a collection of short
stories. All the stories are related to love and all
different kinds of love. Some are sad, but some are also
very happy. Each story in the book is different, and the
variety ranges throughout the entire book. The age of all
the characters differ throughout the story, as well as the
orientation of the couple involved. They all explain a
situation of love and show the history of the love or how
the love played out. The style of each story is as
different as the plot. Some are written as poems. Others
are written as a story passed on down the generations. And
others are written with dialogue in the present time. The
diversity and range of David Leviathan is obvious through
his writing.

"How They Met and Other Stories" by David Levithan is an
interesting book. Throughout the novel, the reader must
keep an open mind and invite all different thoughts and
opinions inside. David Levithan achieved his purpose of
sharing these love stories with others. The reading was
easy to understand and was not meant to be tripped though
and stumbled over. The different stories make you see all
the different kinds of love in the world. Not every love
will be picture perfect like in movies or in many other
books. These stories are not Disney romances that always
play out perfectly in the end. The novel makes you see
that love is all around us and comes in so many different
flavors and varieties. Not every love will be picture
perfect like in movies or in many other books. By the end of
the eighteenth short story, you will be able to look at love
from all angles and appreciate it so much more. This book is
definitely out of the ordinary and I would recommend it to
others that enjoy romance and have an open mind.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

"How They Met and Other Stories" does have sexual
content for mature readers.

Reviewer Age:18

Reviewer City, State and Country: Phoenixville,
Pennsylvania U.S.A.

The Highest Tide: A Novel

Jim Lynch's The Highest Tide is the story of Miles O'Malley
growing up over a summer. An only child, he is fascinated by
and spends his time at the beach collecting all sorts of
marine creatures. He likes Angie, his cool neighbor who is a
couple of years older than he is and used to baby-sit him,
but she does not notice him until he makes a life-changing
discovery and becomes famous overnight. At a time when he is
facing his parents possible divorce and is struggling to fit
in with kids his age, he finds a rare squid from the
opposite side of the world. His friend, Professor Kramer,
who was one of the only supportive people in his life, is
astounded. Florence, an elderly neighbor who Miles considers
as a grandma, worries Miles as she declines steadily with
Parkinson's. The Highest Tide presents the dilemmas of a boy
who has to grow up quickly, especially during this summer,
with everything he faces, yet manages to survive.

The Highest Tide is a well-researched book about a boy
with unique hobbies. The author presents a lot of
information about marine creatures and life without
overdoing it. I also enjoyed the multi-layering of the book,
especially with the dilemma that Miles faces regarding his
feelings for Angie, his concern for Florence, and his
future. However, the book takes a while to get into in the
beginning. Otherwise, I liked how The Highest Tide is
similar to many books about the child growing up over a
summer, but has a different setting (in the Pacific
Northwest) and many developed characters.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6

Reviewer Age:19

Reviewer City, State and Country: Kansas City, MO USA

Thank You, Lucky Stars

Over the summer Ally's best friend, Betsy, meets Mona and
together they practically ignore Ally. Betsy and Mona do
everything together as they even started a band with some of
Mona's friends. Ally is being bullied constantly and this
weirdo, Tina, is trying to be her friend. A big fifth grade
talent show is announced and Tina is thinking of all of the
things she and Ally could do in the show. Ally is slowly
warming up to Tina and suggests they disco dance together.
Ally knows Betsy's band is playing and she really wants to
go-go dance for them, but Betsy was too cool for her now. At
a rehearsal, Tina and Ally's dance performance bombs
resulting in a fight between Tina and Ally. Since they're
not talking Betsy asks Ally to dance for them, and she
agrees. They all start to hang out, but Ally still doesn't
seem to fit in, although she is now a part of the coolest
kids in the school. Ally thinks she is happy until she
realizes she misses Tina.

I enjoyed the book; it was a fast easy one to read. The
book inspired me to draw a picture of what I thought the
band would look like. Sometimes bad things happen before you
realize the good that was there, and that the things you
think you want most, are really not what you want after all.
Ally's predicament quickly changes. Your emotions change
with hers, sometimes agreeing with her choices, sometimes
wanting to strangle her for them. The character's actions,
at times, are a bit exaggerated. Keep an open mind about
your friends, don't leave anyone out and always try to be
friendly. I think that most pre-teens would enjoy reading
this book.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Baldwin, Maryland USA

Betrayed

Young vampyre Zoey's life seemed to be getting back to
normal. She finally feels at home in the House of Night's
finishing school where she has made new friends, and even
has a boyfriend. Zoey thought everything would stay normal this way, but soon after she is chosen as the Leader of the Dark Daughters, a series of horrible things begin to happen. The House of Night is suspected of murder when two teens go
missing. Zoey, with personal struggles from her human life,
fears for someone she loves. When they, too, go missing,
it's Zoey's turn to do something about it. Can she put
peace to the war that's raging inside of her?

Fans of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series will fall in
love with these books. Betrayed is a rich and sexy story,
all rolled up into one. All of the scenes seem very real;
P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast are very descriptive writers. I
was nervous reading the cliched of one of those vampire
stories, but the authors pulled it off very well. This
book was very, oddly enough, true to real life, while still
being fiction. I enjoyed it a lot, and recommend it to
anyone who loves a good vampire story.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

This book is for older teens only. There were a few
scary sequences, and adult-themes.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Boothwyn, PA US

The Kayla Chronicles

Kayla has spent her whole life feeling secure and strong.
She and her best friend are strong feminists following in
her grandmother's footsteps. Just when things are beginning
to really get rolling and she and her friends are planning
big things for their used-to-be small club, Kayla finds
herself questioning the meaning of being a feminist. With
her newfound interest in boys and love of shoes and dancing,
Kayla wonders why she has been letting her friend boss her
around all the time telling her what to do and how to act.
She feels she must find her voice and stand up for herself
before she explodes.

The Kayla chronicles is a wonderful book for any girl,
though I found it wasn't anything extremely special and
sometimes came off as a bit odd and awkward. However, the
book is very well thought out, and overall extremely fun.
You can picture the well thought out characters and
understand how they're feeling. There were also multiple
situations throughout the book where I could fully relate to
the characters. Although it is a fairly quick read, the
author keeps you entertained with quotes, headlines, and
bulletins, and, of course, Kayla's crazy personality.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Marblehead ,
Massachusetts USA