Hell Girl

Hell Girl is a collection of stories told in a manga.
Mangas are Japanese graphic novels that are read from left
to right. Hell Girl contains five chapters that only have
one consistent character, the Hell Girl. Each story's main
character has been wronged by someone. When their life
becomes miserable, they hear about a website that people can
only access at midnight. At the website, the characters
type in the name of the person that they want to send to
hell. The Hell Girl soon appears. She tells them that she
can send their wrongdoer to hell, but they also must come to hell once they die. All of the characters agree and the Hell Girl gets revenge.

This manga was very different than the other mangas that
I have read in the past. The stories were only connected by
the Hell Girl, who does similar things and says similar
lines in each story. Despite this, I still enjoyed the
book. Each story was interesting, and the drawings were
very good. This manga was only the first in the Hell Girl
series. I may continue reading the series to see if the character, Hell Girl, develops or if we learn more about her grandmother, who was mentioned once. All in all, the book was interesting and unique. Manga readers will probably
enjoy it, as well as anyone who enjoys stories of betrayal
and revenge.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

This book is graphic because it is drawn as well as
written. It has some violence, suffering, and sexual content.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Royersford, PA USA

Finding Stinko

From the time Newboy was one week old, he had
been living in the state child care system. He had lived in
11 houses in 12 years, and, to make matters worse, when he
was nine years old he stopped talking. It wasn't his fault,
he just opened his mouth one day and nothing came out. The
school he went to labeled him difficult and stubborn, so no
one wanted to adopt him, or even keep him in their house,
which is how he came to live with the Knoxes. They were the
worst foster parents he'd ever had, so Newboy dedided to
listen to his instincts. One morning, he got out of bed
early and ran away. He had no where in particular to go ,and
with only a few possessions, Newboy was on the run. On his
first day away from the Knoxes, Newboy finds an unexpected
friend. It was an old, beat-up ventriloquist dummy with half
of his face missing that he names Stinko. To his surprise,
when Newboy pulls the string to open Stinko's mouth, his own
voice speaks for the first time in years. Throughout the
book, he uses his newfound voice to deal with life on the
streets.

To be honest, I didn't like this book. It was
a little boring and the plot was very predictable. The
ending leaves you wanting a sequel because it doesn't really
tell you what happens to Newboy. On the other hand, it was
very easy to relate to Newboy. Micheal de Guzman did a good
job making Newboy seem real, so I felt whatever he felt. I
would recommend this book to people who like bitter-sweet
endings and don't mind large sections of reading without
dialogue.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 5

Reviewer Age:12

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

Eifelheim

Tom Schwoerin is annoyed. He is a historian with a problem.
According to a certain pattern, old cities form a ring
around the cities of today. Following this pattern, he
discovers something wrong: a little town called Eifelheim.
Eifelheim was inhabited, records show, but something
happened around the fourteenth century so that Eifelheim was
never inhabited again. Tom wants to find out what happened,
so he goes on a search.
The book switches to the year 1348; the main character is
named Father Dietrich. He wakes up in his bed and knows that
something bad is going to happen, but he doesn't know what
will take place. Throughout the day, mysterious things occur
in the town. A part of the town catches on fire, and
Dietrich, and some friends find a hurt race of alien beings.
What happens to Eifelheim?

Though the book is very interesting towards the end, it
was not one of my favorites. In the beginning of the book
and towards the middle, the author had the aliens explain
their language. Unfortunately, the aliens use numbers to
talk, so it took a little while for the aliens to explain it
to Dietrich. Furthermore, some of the book was written in
German, especially the conversations between Tom and Sharon,
so I could not understand what they were saying. I did like
how the author explained the setting, but overall, I did not
like the book.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 2

Reviewer Age:14

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

Better Off Famous?

Annie Hoffman is an average, smalltown, teenage girl. After
receiving a letter from her aunt, Annie travels to New York
City for a visit. Annie, who plays the violin, knows of a
well known music school,and goes to an audition with hopes
of getting in. After being rejected, Annie finds something
that may change her life forever. This small town girl just
might turn into a huge star.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was very easy to
read and everything made sense in it. Better Off Famous is a
great story that teenage girls will love. There wasn't any
bad language, or bad content in this book. I enjoyed it even
more for that reason.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Newville, Pennsylvania USA

The Seer of Shadows

When Horace Carpetine, a photographer's apprentice, is
outside sweeping, he meets an eerie black girl named Pegg,
who needs a photograph for her mistress. She schedules an
appointment and disappears into the damp, thick mist. When
they arrive at the mistress's house, Mrs.Von Macht opens the
door and strictly informs them that she needs a picture of
herself in her house to put on her dead daughter's grave.
The photographer and Horace accept and then once outside,
Mr. Middleditch the photographer, has a fantastic idea.
Mrs. Von Macht's daughter died of yellow fever, and Mrs.Von
Macht wants the picture on her grave. Mr. Middleditch
decides to put a hoax on Mrs. Von Macht, by secretly taking
pictures of Eleanora, the dead daughter, and making her look
like a ghost in the finished picture. Horace is finally
allowed to take pictures, and when he is taking secret
pictures of Eleanora, strange sights are happening in the
Von Macht house, and the more pictures he takes, the more he
sees Eleanora. Pegg has become friends with Horace and
together they battle the demonic spirit of Eleanora before
it's too late.

The Seer of the Shadows, by Avi, is a gripping fictional
story of spirits and photography. I was amazed by how well
the book was written, with deep descriptions of not just
Eleanora, but everyone. I could picture all the characters
through their vivid descriptions, and could hear their pleas
when they were affected by Eleanora's wrath . The Seer of
the Shadows is horrific and heart wrenching. The details of
1800s photography, just after it had become popularized,
provide a perfect plot line for the story. This is an
amazing book!
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10

Various situations that some parents may approve
of-(religiously)

Reviewer Age:11

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

Why Can't My Turtle Be A Ninja?

If you want to laugh, you can read poems such as "The Wreck
of the Ski Bum", "The Family Vacation", "Profit Motive",
"Girl Troubles", or "A Forest of Fungus". If you want to
bone-up on some of life's lessons, you can read poems such
as "Simon Says", "Reginald Dixon Farnsworth, III",
"Darwinian Theory", "The Wright Brothers", "Polly and Kevin"
or "People Are Like Tea Bags". And yet, there are some of
Keith's favorites, such as "Changing Lines", "Keegil's Law
of Laughter", "Why Can't My Turtle Be a Ninja?", "Poker with
Sasquatch", "Electric Eel", "Jersey Traffic", and "Life is
One Big Experiment". Life truly is one big experiment. We
need to laugh, think and live. These are poems that most
people can relate to, identify with, and enjoy.

Why Can't My Turtle Be A Ninja? was a fantastic, funny,
and fast read. Webster's poetry was extremely delightful
and witty. Reading this eBook was quite enjoyable because
it was such a page-scroller. I thought Webster's writing
was very effective because it appealed to all ages and
genders. Some of his poetry often reminded me of Shel
Silverstein, another great poet. I thought this eBook was
very interesting, but a few poems were a bit bland. All in
all, Why Can't My Turtle Be A Ninja? was a really great book
that I would recommend to people of all ages.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Leopold, MO USA

The Chicken Dance

Don Schmidt lives on a chicken farm in Horse Island,
Louisiana. He is unpopular at school as well as at home. He
has absolutely no friends and everyone refers to him as "new
kid," even though he has lived on Horse Island since
kindergarten. At home his mother constantly refers to his
dead sister Dawn, and thinks the world revolves around
herself. Out of loneliness he befriends the chickens living
in his backyard and they become his best friends. Don's luck
soon changes when he becomes the youngest person ever to win
the chicken-judging contest at the local dairy fair.
Everyone wants to be his friend and his mother seems to
care about him a little more, but not enough to stop
ordering him around. Don is content with his life until he
finds a metal box with a birth certificate in it. The birth
certificate belongs to a boy named Stanley. Don wonders who
Stanley could be and decides to ask his father. His father
simply tells Stanley that it is his birth certificate and
they changed his name to Don, because the uncle whom he was
named after was a bad man. Don doesn't believe his father
and begins to believe that Stanley is actually his twin that
got kidnapped when they were younger. Stanley isn't real,
but Don believes he is and talks to him like he was a normal
person. Don soon learns that the hidden birth certificate
isn't the only secret his parents have been keeping from
him. Once he learns one secret he is hungry for more, and
then they all unravel into a shocking, unforeseeable truth.

For the most part I enjoyed the book. It was full of
unexpected twists and turns and made me laugh. There were
parts of the book though that made me very mad. Especially
when Don's mother forgot his birthday - twice, and when she
wouldn't even congratulate him on his winning the
chicken-judging contest. I would get very frustrated with
the book and put it down and walk away at these points,
because I feel that no mother should ever forget a child's
birthday and should never treat their child the way his
mother treated him. Besides this, the book was suspenseful
and ends with a bang you would never see coming. Jacques
Couvillon created a good first novel that I would recommend
to other teen readers and I look forward to reading what he
has coming next!

The book has some mature content that I would not
recommend for readers aged 9-12. For example, Don's mother
has an affair which I don't think is very appropriate for
younger children, but some parents may be fine with these
types of topics. Also, there is reference to drinking and
sex, which again may not be appropriate for younger readers.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Cur

Carl Melcher Goes To Vietnam

Carl Melcher, an eighteen-year-old boy from Philadelphia, is
drafted into the Vietnam War. His first six months are spent
fighting, running, advancing, and touring through different
stations. As he meets and fights alongside people, he
acquires several friends. However, as the battle continues,
they begin to fall. One by one, and sometimes two at a time,
his friends fail in battle, and soon it is Carl and three of
his friends that are left of their previous group.

The author, Paul Clayton, shows a clear understanding and
knowledge of several war slang words. This knowledge was
easily shared with me, and I learned a good number. The
actual plot of the story was captivating, and balanced the
genres of adventure, suspense, comedy, and even romance very
well. There would be a time of absolute peril, and all of a
sudden a few sentences that equaled the adventure in comedy.
Carl's romance with the Vietnamese girl was interesting, and
although it was short was satisfying, in the sense of
balancing genres. The wide array of characters kept my
memory moving, and in doing so I easily not only learned,
but memorized the new phrases mentioned earlier. The
stereotypes of soldiers, lieutenants, and captains were
present, but were a minority. The majority of the
characters' personalities were colorful, and I enjoyed the
introduction to each new one every time.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age:13

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

The Thief Queen's Daughter

This book describes the journeys of the explorer Ven. Set in a parallel world this book includes many different creatures including Ven, who is a Nain. Ven is entrusted with a mission by the king, who wants to discover the origins of a box given to his father. Inside the box is a stone which appears to be made of light. Engraved upon the stone is the seal of The Gated City where the descendants of ancient thieves are forced to live. Ven and his friends have many adventures in the Gated City, including a run in with a weapons dealer, a search missing companion, and a gift from a fortune teller. Eventually, however, their journey takes a turn for the worse when they encounter the queen of thieves and realize that one member of their party has a dark past.

Perhaps most importantly, I would like to say that I would have enjoyed this book much more had I been three years younger. I would not recommend this to older readers because the plot can be predictable at times and the language is not challenging. Another problem I had was that at times it seemed as if the author was attempting to fit a longer story into a certain number of pages. This novel had a lot of potential and an original plot, but the length didn't do it justice. I feel that it would have been more enjoyable had the author put more detail into the adventures. My biggest complaint was that is was simply okay. It didn't excite me or seem to be special in any way. These points aside, I think preteen readers will enjoy it for its creativity.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 5

Reviewer Age:13

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

The Sweet, Terrible, Glorious Year I Truly, Completely Lost It by Lisa Shanahan

Gemma Stone’s existence is far from boring. In the beginning, Debbie, Gemma’s sister, is planning to wed her newest boyfriend, Brian. After a plethora of uncanny characters that had held the position of “Debbie’s Boyfriend,” Brian certainly seemed normal…until the Stones meet his war-fanatic family. To add to this, Debbie has gone completely over the edge with her preparation, insisting that the day be planned to absolute perfection. Matters are only complicated when Gemma auditions for the school play. Her initial motive is to gain the attentions of heart throb Nick Lloyd, but her plan splatters as bad-boy Raven DeHead begins creeping into her life, instead. Unwittingly, a unique bond forms between the two, and things begin to get complicated. This sweetly comical narrative, laced with romance and action, is an enjoyable read.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I was hooked throughout a majority of my reading, and captivated by Gemma’s very real feelings. It caught me by surprise that the story takes place in Australia, and I’ll admit that the “lingo” took some getting used to. The author created believable characters, if somewhat unbelievable circumstances. The tone throughout the book was humorous, and at times gentle. I liked that the author seemed to sympathize with Raven, and that even though Gemma tells her story through first person, we can still see her critically. The book might have been more satisfying had the ending been more thorough. I felt as if the conclusion was rushed, and didn’t have quite as much detail or action as I expected. Overall, though, The Sweet, Terrible, Glorious Year I Truly, Completely Lost It was a delightful read that I would recommend to any teenage girl who’s looking for a lighthearted, quality read.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Tipp City, Ohio USA