Undone

Her eighth grade year changes Serena Moore's life forever. A chance meeting introduces her to Kori Kitzler, known to the students as "The Dark Angel" of her school. The two girls soon become inseparable, even as Kori begins to spiral out of control several years later. When a tragic car accident leaves Serena alone she has to find a way to cope. That is when she discovers a list that Kori left behind. The cryptic list contains five things Kori wanted to accomplish. Serena sets out to finish her best friend's tasks. Along the way she discovers more about Kori and, more importantly, about herself.

As soon as I began reading this book, I became certain it was going to receive a glowing review. It was a captivating story with a lot of emotion. At one point, I was so touched that I called my best friend in the middle of the night to tell her how much I loved her and that she absolutely must buy Undone as soon as she could. The story was told from Serena's point of view which made it all the more engaging. It had a pleasant mixture of humor and drama. The vocabulary used was also refreshing, as it was accurate with teenage jargon. I would recommend this book to any teenagers, especially girls. Even though I am usually not a fan of realistic fiction, I enjoyed this novel thoroughly.

This book contains profanity, drug use, and sexual references.

Rating: 10

Reviewer Age: 14

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

Drive to Nowhere

Drive to Nowhere is a modern day Nancy Drew novel set in Australia. While on a four day school trip to the wilds of the Warrumbungle National Park, half of the girls go missing. Eeare, the daughter of a famous rock star, suspects the teachers have a hand in the disappearances, but no one else shares her views. Eeare sets off to find the culprits and her classmates.
I liked Drive to Nowhere, but I felt like the characters were unrealistic. At one point in the book, the girls were drinking at school and no one noticed or said anything. I also felt like the plot was lacking in some areas. The story dragged on, and I felt like the suspenseful parts weren’t really that suspenseful. While reading it, you know who committed the crime, and it gets rather boring. I would recommend this book as an easy read, but nothing more.

Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Dundee, Oregon USA
Rating:6
Content:1

Sweet Valley High: Double Love by Francine Pascal

Welcome to Sweet Valley High--a world of good girls and
bad girls, hot boys with fast cars, perfect tans and
natural highlights...all under the Southern California
sun. Twin girls, identical in every way--yet they
couldn't be more different. Jessica Wakefield is used to
getting what she wants--at school, with her friends, and
especially with boys--and she'll stop at nothing to get
it. Elizabeth Wakefield is used to letting her twin
sister have her way. There's not much that's worth
fighting her over--lost earrings can be replaced, petty
problems can be resolved, and rumors can be doused like a
fire. But when it comes to Todd Wilkins, Liz isn't so
sure she should step aside and make way for Jessica. This
time, Jessica Wakefield is going to have some competition--
from her own sister.

Sweet Valley High: Double Love was
an awesome book! It was like a special treat just reading
it. I loved it right from the beginning, and was sad when
it had to end. What I loved best was how I got caught up
in all the emotion, feeling everything the characters
felt. I also liked all of the drama, which made the book
more interesting. The only problem was that some of the
drama and events were a bit cliched and most of the time I
could predict exactly what would happen. Although it
seemed predictable, there were times when things extremely
unexpected happened, which made me like this book even
more. Sweet Valley High is beyond a doubt a great book,
and I can't wait to read the next one. I would definitely
recommend it to teenage girls.

Some of the events and
comments in this book may not be suitable for young
readers.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and
Country: Leopold, MO 63760

Sweethearts by Sara Zarr

In the beginning, Jennifer Harris and Cameron Quick were each others only friend. They would spend time together but not at Cameron's house. Jennifer's mom prohibited her from going there because of his father. After Cameron moved away, Jennifer was told Cameron had died. Her life moved on and she is now known as Jenna Vaugn. She has a boyfriend, best friends and a normal life, but as her childhood friend she is faced with a lot of memories and problems that she doesn't know if even Jenna can face.

Sarah Zarr did a wonderful job of putting a picture in my head of each person, place, or thing. She makes me believe that Jenna and Cameron are real people because she describes their personality, description, and mood they are in each day. At the end, Zarr left you thinking. She didn't tell you what happened to the characters for the rest of their lives, but she gave you enough information to make an assumption. I would recommend Sweethearts to anybody that wants to read about friendships, memories and hard times. It is a real page turner.

Reviewer Age:11


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

My Funny Dad, Harry

My Funny Dad, Harry by Karen Arlettaz Zemek is a collection of stories about the author's father, Harry. The stories are about many different aspects of Harry's life like his cats, some of his experiences, and some of his traits. Each story is unique and helps portray Harry as a whole. The stories are a great way to remember those who are deceased and are no longer part of our worlds.

Overall, I would say that this book is amusing, but also dull. It lacks the power to keep readers hooked on until the end. Some of the stories are not interesting. Also, the style of writing does not seem professional and reminds me of something that someone might write for fun but not to be published. Although the book was okay, I don't know if it was something that I would recommend to a friend because it just wasn't that interesting.

Rating:5

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Champaign, Illinois USA

My Life: The Musical by Maryrose Wood

Philip and Emily's love for the play Aurora is nothing short of an obsession. It is an obsession that takes them to see it on Broadway every week (with the help of a loan from Emily's Grandma). When the show threatens to close, Emily has some questions. Why is the show closing? Who keeps bad-mouthing Aurora on-line? Why does her English teacher hate the show so much? Most importantly, does Philip like Emily or not?

I thought this was a good book because the author clearly explained how the characters felt about problems and solutions. You could understand every single thing they did in the story. I wish the author said a little more about the actual play, though, to help the reader understand why Emily and Philip cared so much. That might help readers feel the magic. I found the book very interesting, possibly because I like musicals very much. I would recommend it to other readers who are theater lovers as well.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Exeter, NH USA

Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine

Morganville is anything but ordinary. Claire Danvers, a sixteen (almost seventeen) year old student, has been under strain like no other student in Morganville. Not only does she have the stress of friends, family, and school, but her wit and will are being tested. The alliance between humans and vampires is being tested more than ever. Who knows if she will have the strength to pull through.

This was the first book in the series I have had the priviledge to read so I got to look at it as a unit, and not a sequel. I am a huge fan of vampire books, so I of all people would have been a tough critic. However, I was surprised. Not only was I not confused when reading this book, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Rachel Caine did a remarkable job sewing together all the different elements in Feast of Fools. I recommend this book to anyone that likes fast-paced, thought-provoking page turners. When this book is sold in book stores, I will be the first in line!

Content: Some questionable language.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Seaside, OR US.

Nick of Time

Twelve year old Nick McIver is always up for an adventure. Especially if it has to do with sailing around Greybeard Island, which he calls home, in his self made boat. While off gallivanting around the island with his sister Kate, Nick comes across a washed up chest. Nick and Kate manage to hide it in a cave until they are able to come back for it, but on the way back home, they encounter a terrible storm and run to their old friend Gunner's Inn for shelter. There they meet two mysterious pirates who scare them senseless. When the pirate Billy Blood hears Nick, Kate, and Gunner discussing the chest, he becomes very interested in it. Could Billy Blood possibly know the contents of the chest? After realizing Blood's suspicious fascination with the chest, Nick is determined to find out what lies in it, and keep it away from Blood. In order to protect the chest, Nick decides that he must take it to a supposedly abandoned castle. When he reaches his destination, Nick finds that it is far from deserted! There he finds that Lord Hawke and his trusty sidekick Hobbes are still living in the castle, hidden away from society, and know quite a lot about the contents of the chest. Even with the chest safely guarded at Lord Hawke’s castle, Blood finds it and is hot on Nick’s trail. It seems that blood will do anything to gain possession of the mysterious chest. Will Nick be able to keep the chest away from Blood?
While the plot was interesting, I can't say I loved the book. For me, there wasn't that extra something that completely pulled me into the book. When I was reading the book, I thought it was excellent. Once I put the book down, I found it very hard to pick back up again. However, there were many good things about the book. The story was a combination of spies, pirates, mystery, adventure, and war. Some of the scenes in the book reminded me a lot of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, which I really enjoyed. One other thing I enjoyed was the author's ability to make you vividly picture the scene in your mind. Every scene played like a movie in my head making it easy to relate to the characters. I would recommend "Nick of Time" to middle school boys as it deals with topics that they just seem to love!
Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Currituck, NC, U.S.A.
Rating: 6
Content: 1

Gamma Glamma

Did you ever have two things, that you like, happen on the same day? Well, in the book, Gamma Glamma, Luz did. She was chosen to do a science experiment competition for her school, which was on the same day of the Homecoming dance. After thinking about it, Luz conducted her experiment on her friends. However, every time Luz did an experiment, it meant trouble.

I very much like this book because the author writes it in a humorous way. Luz is a little like me, because I love science and math. I like how the setting takes place in high school, because I get to know more about high school. Also, the author makes me want to read more of her books. Even after several readings, it always makes me laugh out loud. (I would recommend this book to people that like humorous book, because it will make you laugh like it did to me.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: St. Paul, MN USA

Knowing Joseph

When Autistic first grader, Joseph, gets teased and bullied, Brian, his older brother, has to fend for him. Brian has to go out in public with Joseph even when he's kicking and screaming. A bully, named Louis, always makes fun of Brian for having a 'stupid' brother. If Joseph was normal, Brian would be able to go into public without being embarrassed and wouldn't get in trouble with Louis. When Brian goes camping with the family, he thinks it's going to be a horrible trip, because he doesn't get to bring a friend along. But then he meets Billy. Billy's best friend's brother is autistic, also. He knows all about kids like Joseph. Brian, Joseph, and Billy have adventures together. Read Knowing Joseph and find out what they do.

Opinion: Knowing Joseph is a great read. I read it in two sittings just because I never wanted to put it down. After reading it, I know so much more about autism than I had before. I can relate to Brian, because he’s a normal kid, just like me. Sometimes, you feel like nobody knows what is happening to you. Then, a kid like Billy comes around and makes you realize that you’re not alone. All in all, I would recommend Knowing Joseph to everybody, no matter what age.

Content:1

Rating: (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age: 11

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