Quo Vadis Israel? by H. Peter Nennhaus

Peter Nennhaus addresses a controversial subject when he talks about moving Israel to a different, possibly better, place in Europe. It would be a permanent place for Jews to settle, and where they would be able to live in peace. While such a radical move seems unrealistic, when you hear the arguments in its favor you will be forced to consider them and admit they are not as far-fetched as they seemed at the beginning. And if Israel were to move, would we finally have the peace in the Middle East that we have been wanting for so long?

Sorry Mr. Nennhaus, but to me your book was a total and complete YAWN! It was confusing and half the time I didn't know what you were talking about. Granted I am a thirteen-year-old girl, so it is possible if an adult read it they would enjoy it. But if you are under the age of eighteen, this book is sooooo not the book for you. And though I had trouble not sleeping while I read this book, you did have some good points and presented them really well. But seriously. If you are not an adult, stay away. This is NOT the book for you.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Casa Grande, Arizona United States

Henry VIII's Last Victim

Henry Howard was born in 1517 to a noble, wealthy
family. He had a very privileged, yet difficult childhood.
At a young age he inherited the title of the Earl of
Surrey and soon became accustomed to the life of someone
of his stature. When he joined the King's court, he
developed a good reputation with his peers and was dubbed
Knight of the Order of the Garter. However, Surrey was a
very reckless, overconfident individual and through one
mistake after another, slowly lost his favor with the
King. After much plotting of his enemies, Surrey became
Henry VIII's very last victim.
I found this biography by Jessie Childs very hard to
read for someone my age. With all the Old English and
academic language it was, at times, difficult to
understand. However, it was incredibly researched down to
every last detail of Henry Howard's life. The author was
obviously very dedicated and well educated. I would
recommend this biography to young adults and up who really
enjoy history.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg,
Pennsylvania United States
Rating: 8

Posh by Lucy Jackson

"Posh" centers around a high school girl named Julianne and her circle of friends, and their families. Julianne falls in love with Michael, who has his own struggles with his family and with bipolar disorder. The teens all attend an elite Manhattan private school where money equals status. The students need to decide what or who really matters to them. They all are figuring out how much they will take in the name of love.

This book has a lot of character development. You really feel like you are experiencing the characters joys and hardships and like you could be one of the gang. You get to know them like friends. "Posh" teaches the reader about bipolar disorder, and also how hard it would be to love someone who has it. This book has a fair share of sex, infidelity and violence and might be better suited for older teens.
Content:
Sexual Content, Drugs, Violence, Adultery, and Language

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Renton, Washington US

You Know Where to Find Me

Miles always felt second best to her cousin, Laura.
Laura's the skinny, pretty one, the popular girl with a
doting father and more wealth than she can ask for, while
Miles is the failure, overweight and underachieving. The
two may not be as close as they were in their childhood,
but Miles thought that she knew Laura, at least well enough
to predict and prevent her cousin's suicide. Now, with her
best friend gone, Miles is left alone, stranded on earth to
deal with the consequences of Laura's death. As her life
spirals out of control, Miles has to come to terms with the
fact that she isn't the only one who lost Laura, and that
life will go on regardless of who has left it.

Rachel Cohn strikes again with the beautiful prose and
risque topics that her readers know so well. Miles is the
perfect protagonist for this story, because she is well
aware of her problems. Thus, sympathizing with her is
incredibly easy. The entire novel is a masterpiece, a
perfect mix of different writing styles that keep the
reader intrigued and in awe. Cohn deals with an array of
difficult topics, but does so powerfully and clearly shows
the consequences of every action without being morally
superior. None of the characters are perfect, but they
aren't cliches, either. They're entirely believable and
wonderfully flawed. Overall, "You Know Where To Find Me" is
an incredibly moving book, worth devouring from beginning
to end.

This book contains mature topics such as
suicide, prescription drug abuse, and depression, as well
as mild sexual content.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer
State and Country: Maryland United States

The Silver Donkey

The Silver Donkey is a young adult fiction book written by Sonya Hartnett, and it takes place during World War I. The story starts one day when two sisters, Marcelle and Coco, find a runaway solider in the woods. The solider, Lieutenant Shepard, is blind and is trying to get back home to his dying brother. Marcelle, the oldest sister, realizes they can't get the solider home without help, so they tell their older brother, Pascal. Pascal creates a plan to help get the solider home. In return, the solider tells the children four stories about his good luck charm, a silver donkey.

The Silver Donkey is a great book. It is interesting and enjoyable. This book has a lot of strengths, but there is one that stands out the most. That strength is the fact that the author's writing draws the reader farther into the book, making it impossible to put down. The ending was okay, but I thought it left a lot of questions unanswered. The author could have put more detail into the ending of the story. Overall, The Silver Donkey is the best children's book I have read in a long time, and I recommend this book to anyone who loves to read.

Rating:9
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Sandy, Oregon United States

The Dragons of Babel

The Dragons of Babel is about Will, a young boy with responsibilities thrust upon him. Adopted by his Aunt as a young child, Will never knew his true identity. He was disowned by his village for events beyond his control, and thrown out into a world in which war is raging. Along the way, he encounters Esme, a girl with knowledge beyond her years, and Nat, a trickster who knows more about Will than Will does himself. Taken to Babel as a refugee from the war, Will will discover more and more about himself, fighting imaginary wars and dealing with bureaucrats, while the city's people await a new king to fill the throne. Will deals with staying alive and free, but all the while events are being put into motion behind his back. Falling in love with bureaucrats and making enemies with others, will Will be able to save himself from his fate? Will he find his true identity, and if he does, will he accept it? Read The Dragons of Babel to find out.

The Dragons of Babel is a fascinating story of adventure and romance. With dynamic characters and unique (if not strange) beings, it is a great read cover to cover. From the hardened soldiers down to sweet Esme, and from the trickster Nat to the bureaucrats of Babel, each character is unique. I would recommend this book to any fan of fantasy or adventure stories. The Dragons of Babel receives a nine out of ten from me.

Some sexual references, language

Rating: 9

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, PA USA

PBS.org Pride and Prejudice - Seth's Comments

Hi Seth and Gary,

Just wanted to let you know that your wonderful post is live on Remotely Connected. We’ll be promoting on the homepage of pbs.org on Sunday evening and Monday.

Thanks so much for being a part of the project.
Best wishes,

Jeannine

Seth's Post on PBS.org

Geek Magnet by Kieran Scott

Everyone loves KJ Miller. Especially the geeks. See, KJ is super nice, smart, pretty, the stage manager of her high school's Grease...and a total geek magnet. She's like the geek pied piper of Washington High, drawing every socially clueless guy in a five-mile radius. If only Cameron Richardson, star of the basketball team and hottest guy in school, would follow her around and worship her the way her entourage of dorks do. Enter Tama Gold, queen of the popular crowd, star of Grease, and solution to all of KJ's problems. She insists that KJ is too nice, and the nice girl never gets the guy. Tama's ready to help KJ get cruel, ditch the dorks, and win Cameron's heart. But is KJ?

Geek Magnet was a hilarious page-turner about love and friendship. I really enjoyed reading this book because the characters and the plot were very unqiue and interesting. From page one, I was immediately drawn into the book and felt as if I were actually there, especially because the characters seemed really realistic and easy to relate to. The only thing I didn't like about this book was that it seemed very predictable. Overall, I loved reading Geek Magnet and would definitely recommend it.

This book contained some profanity, sexual comments, and teenage drinking.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Leopold, MO USA

Savvy

Thirteenth birthdays in the Beaumont household are very exciting and Mibs is having hers very soon. Her family gets more than presents for birthdays. They get a special savvy, and that means that they get a special power. One of her brothers can cause hurricanes, another creates electricity, and Mibs knows hers will be exciting, too. However, the day before her birthday, her father is in a bad accident and goes to the hospital. The preacher's wife comes over with her children to watch the Beaumonts while their mother is in the hospital with their dad. Mibs doesn't wish for just any savvy. She wants a savvy that will save her Poppa and Mibs is certain that that will happen. She decides to secretly climb aboard a bus, with her siblings and the preacher's kids, to go to the hospital. However, the bus starts heading in the wrong direction. No one on it will ever be the same! What is Mibs' savvy? What will happen to the characters involved on the bus? You've got to read this book!

Savvy was a really interesting book to read. I loved how creative and original it was with the savvies. The vocabulary is just right for the ages of 10-15 because it is not too hard, but it does use some bigger words. My favorite thing about the entire book was the imagery. It was amazing that every paragraph would paint a picture inside my head! There was a great amount of detail in describing the setting and the characters' moods. Unlike some other books with 'magical powers', this one uses magic in a new and neat way. This book is probably best for younger teenagers in grades 5-8 because the writing seems to be designed for that age group. I do recommend it for tweens and early teens if they like reading something fresh and unique.

Reviewer Age:14

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

Mystery at Shildii Rock by Robert Feagan

When Robin Harris, a twelve year old boy, claims to have seen someone on the top of Shildii Rock, no one believes him. Not even his father will listen to him. Robin is determined to prove that someone is up there. He convinces his friends to help him discover who it is and what they want. This person is not friendly though. The person threatens their lives. The friends run into bigger problems then they had expected. Once they reach the top there is no turning back. Will the children live to prove that someone is up there or will the unknown stranger kill them first?

Mystery at Shildii Rock by Robert Feagan is an excellent mystery for a young reader. I think more advanced readers may find this story slightly predictable. Overall, it was an exciting story that was full of suspense. It keeps you guessing from beginning to end. I think that younger readers will really enjoy this book.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Lemoore, California US