The Year of Disappearances by Susan Hubbard

Wouldn't you think being a vampire is fun? Sure there is the constant worry about blood, but that may not be all of Ari's problems. In The Year of Disappearances, someone goes missing in Ari's town of Homosassa Springs, and Ari is one of the prime suspects. With the fear of her secret being found out, she flees Homosassa Springs, and while going to college might not have been on her to-do list at age 14, she gets in by lying about her age. While there, another friend from Homosassa comes to visit her. The visit is brought short, though, because she is mysteriously murdered. With all the pressure of being the prime suspect again, she runs from college to try to find out who, or what, did this.

I truly loved this book. Susan Hubbard really made me feel like I was there in Homosassa Springs with Ari, the way she described everything. I thought Ari was a very powerful person and that she was clearly portrayed. I really think that this book could be one of the next Twilight or Harry Potters. I believe that Susan Hubbard did a fantastic job.

There was a fantasy element and some profane language.

Rating:9

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Minooka, Il United States

The Penderwicks on Garden Street by Jeanne Birdsall

This book was the sequel to The Penderwicks. It was about the Penderwick adventures in the "Save Daddy plan". The save daddy plan is the plan to save Mr. Penderwick from ever having to get married by hooking him up on blind dates with horrific women. After just a few of these hilariously weird women Mr. Penderwick finds his own girlfriend, the mysterious Marianne. Meanwhile, a beautiful new neighbor, Iantha moves in with her adorable little boy, Ben. Who will get to hear wedding bells? Find out in this book.

This is an extremely enjoyable book. This book has the potential to become an instant classic. One of the best things about it was the extremes the author went to to make the book funny. Even though I thoroughly enjoyed the book, it wasn't quite as good as the first one. The first Penderwick book had a certain magic about it that the second one didn't. I very much enjoyed the ending. The only bad thing about the entire book was that it was EXTREMLY predictable. I would recommend this book to my friends because all of my friends loved the first one.

Reviewer Age:11

Reviewer City, State and Country: Exeter, NH USA

Season of the Witch

Season of the Witch is a mystery novel unlike any other. Gabriel Blackstone is a "remote viewer," a skill that allows him to tap into someone else's surrounding energy and "relive" their experiences. However, Gabriel had resigned from the craft after an unfortunate and horrifying experience. Or so he thought. Now a thief and hacker living it big in London, Gabriel receives an offer from a very wealthy man. He asks Gabriel to find out what happened to his son, who has been missing for a while. With much pushing and prodding from Gabriel's ex-girlfriend, Frankie (who is the old man's new wife), Gabriel is convinced to help the couple out. Gabriel's search leads him to the Monk sisters, Minnaloushe and Morrighan; unusual names for unusual women. Entranced by the sisters, Gabriel spends almost every waking moment with them. Then the tide turns. Gabriel learns that the Monk sisters have a very dark and mysterious past, one that Gabriel is now trapped in.

Season of the Witch is an amazing novel that I could not put down. Rich with mystery and intrigue, every character has their own fascinating story. The Monk sisters, although dangerous and dark in every way, are so enthralling that readers cannot help but follow Gabriel in his quest to learn more about them. Gabriel has a strong voice in the novel. One that readers will love. In my opinion, Season of the Witch is comparable to the most popular mysteries, Harry Potter, The Da Vinci Code, and the like. Season of the Witch is a fantastic novel. Try it for yourself.

Season of the Witch has mature content such as sensuality and language. The concepts of the novel are also for a more advanced reader.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Concord, Massachusetts United States
Rating: 10
Content: 3

Cassandra's Sister by Veronica Bennett

The story of Jane Austen's life is a tale similar to that of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. Cassandra's Sister is the journey of young Jane (Jenny) and her experiences that soon become the inspiration for her novels. Jane Austen is an intelligent woman in her early twenties, who, surrounded by family, recognizes love for what it is, beautiful. Her special relationship with her sister Cassandra is lovingly portrayed and the friendship of the sisters binds stronger as their lives continue. Reality and sadness wound the sisters throughout the story, and readers learn that their lives were not perfect--although sometimes filled with balls and handsome men. Cassandra's Sister portrays the beauty of love, friendship, and fighting for what you want.

Cassandra's Sister is a beautifully written novel. The storyline and plot are both fascinating; Jane Austen lived the lives of her characters and Veronica Bennett alludes to fantastic parallels between Jane and her protagonists. However, the character of Jane is rather dull. She mopes about and spends most of her time desiring the life of her elder sister, Cassandra. Thankfully, Cassandra's character is strong enough to pull the story along and the plot flows steadily. Cassandra's Sister is a wonderful introduction into the novels of Jane Austen and any reader hoping to begin an Austen novel may want to read Veronica Bennett's introduction to her prose. With the Masterpiece Theatre series, Jane Austen's audience has grown once again and Cassandra's Sister is a beautiful addition to the literature on Jane herself.

Rating:7

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Concord, Massachusetts United States

Baxter Moon Galactic Scout by John Zahour

Baxter Moon: Galactic Scout is a fun science-fiction novel about a young, ordinary space cadet who is surrounded by an unordinary cast. A boy-genius, a super-strong girl, and a genetically altered chimpanzee complete Baxter Moons shuttle team. The book accounts Baxter's training as a pilot at the Galactic Academy of Scouts, and it also describes Baxter's unlikely first mission. Much like a sinister plot from a James Bond movie (see Tomorrow Never Dies), a group of evil robots called TVTrons attempt to ignite a war between Earth and the planet Aqua. The TVTrons main weapon: a TV signal that leaves victims in a zombie-like state while being addicted to watching TV. In such a perilous situation, Baxter Moon is Earth's only hope to prevent an unnecessary intergalactic conflict. Loaded with action and humor, Baxter Moon: Galactic Scout is a fun and entertaining adventure.

My first reaction when I finished the book was: "That was a lot of fun." For literary readers looking for great universal messages, this probably isn't the book for that. Still, the author subtlety raises some interesting themes. Baxter Moon, the protagonist, is really the only character in the book from "our generation" - the only one not genetically enhanced or influenced by future technology, making it easy for readers to relate to him. By examining the motives of the TVTrons, readers might see some realism in a futuristic setting: in our world of globalization and free trade, our society is bent on consumption and the dollar, just as to the TVTrons, this staged war is all about getting ratings. Maybe there is something to be said about this. The author also pokes fun at politicians in the end of the story saying, "They made more progress on that one-day trip than they had in weeks of negotiating." Thus, in the concerns of today's intellectuals, the author shines a cheerful light on the subjects. What made this work so enjoyable was the author's ability to expand our imaginations of science-fiction while providing an escape from our society's worries about an uncertain future.

Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Eden Prairie, Minnesota United States

The Secret Rites of Social Butterflies by Lizabeth Zindel

When Maggie moves from her home in New Jersey to live in NYC with her mother, her life drastically changes. At her new school, she feels like she doesn't fit in and her only friend is the school's biggest nerd. But she soon finds herself becoming part of the in crowd. While hanging out with Victoria, Lexi and Sydney, she finds herself privy to a very big secret. Thing are starting to look up; she has cool friends, she's found a boy she likes, and her family problems aren't as bad as she first thought. Just when she thinks everything is getting better, the secret is revealed to everyone in her school. Maggie finds herself just as responsible for what has happened and has to find a way to make things better.

This story reminded me a lot of Mean Girls. I thought the idea behind the story was pretty interesting. But it was unrealistic to the point that I couldn't really connect with any of the characters. There was never a point where I wanted to stop reading, but I didn't read this in one sitting. This book is great for teenage girls looking for a fun beach read.

Reviewer Age:21

Reviewer City, State and Country: Philadelphia, PA USA

Lamplighter by D.M. Cornish

D. M. Cornish starts his latest novel in the Monster Blood Tattoo series (a planned trilogy), Lamplighter, where his first book, Monster Blood Tattoo, left off. Lamplighter follows a Foundling (orphan) boy, Rossamond, who has been summoned to train under the military branch of the Lamplighters, soldiers who walk the Empire's monster-plagued streets and light the Great Lamps for the safety of travelers. Rossamnd arrives at the Lamplighters' barracks, Winstermill Manse, and begins his training as a prentice. Not extremely long after his beginning at Winstermill, Rossamnd's military prentice quarto (that is, the group he is assigned to) heads out on a prentice-watch to light and dowse the Great Lamps from Winstermill to the Wellnigh House, along the Wormway, but after the overnight stay at the Wellnigh House, on the way back to Winstermill, a carriage comes racing headlong down the Wormway -- a carriage with vicious horn-ed nickers attacking it! Will Rossamond survive his first theroscade, or monster encounter, as a Lamplighter? Who is in the carriage? Read Lamplighter by D. M. Cornish to find out!

I absolutely loved Lamplighter. I was excited when I saw that D. M. Cornish had come out with a sequel to Monster Blood Tattoo. The book matches, if not outmatches, the creativeness of its predecessor. I thought that the characters all showed their personality well, and you could see Rossamond transform from a weak Foundling boy into a courageous adventurer. Like the first book in this series, the text is filled with words that you would never find in Mr. Webster's dictionary  terms like "gretchen-globe," "enkle," and "slot and drag." But not to fear  both books include their own glossary, and it's a whopper at nearly 100 pages. (By the way, you'll also find a few of Mr. Webster's odder words in there too: "pledgets" and "sillibub" make an appearance.)

I recommend this book to readers who liked Monster Blood Tattoo as well as anyone who enjoys intricate plots and detailed descriptions of the fictional world that a story is set in.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Saugerties, NY USA

Escape From Castle Cant by K.P. Bath

There's a war going on in Pauline and Lucy's town. Everyone wants gum, but others think otherwise. Loyalists say Pauline is the heiress to the throne, but then the rebels say Lucy Wickwright is the rightful heiress. Lucy and Pauline run away to find gum plants so they can restore peace and stop the war.


Then, a guy name Vladmir Orloff, a postal commissioner for gum chewing, is chasing them around. He wants to put Pauline on the throne because he killed Lucy's family when she was little.


The girls were resting when a swineherd said he will kill Lucy if they didn't come along. He tells them that it really doesn't matter if Pauline tags along, he just really wants Lucy with him. But secretly he is Vladmir Orloff. So they go with him to a swineherd hut. When they arrive at the hut, they They find out that Vladmir is actually Blaise Delegrassi, a guy who works at the castle. Later, Orloff tells Lucy to surrender, so she grabs a sword, and the girls escape, using the stolen horses. Do Lucy and Pauline get killed? Do the girls destroy the Gum Plants? Read this book to find out!

This book was AWESOME. There were suspenseful parts and the whole book was silly in a good way. Like, when they are having a war over gum, it was really funny. The suspensful parts were, for example, when they were running away with the horses. I'd recomend this to anyone because this book is packed with fun.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Norristown, Pennsylvania USA

Seven Deadly Sins: Sloth by Robin Wasserman

After an accident that left one girl dead and another injured, the seniors at Haven High are shaken and scared. And understandably so: Harper's return to school and Kaia's permanent absence are making everyone uncomfortable. Harper is haunted by nightmares of Kaia and the accident; the events of that night are still foggy and frightening. Beth's determined to make Spirit Week memorable, but she finds herself slipping up. Miranda misses the old Harper; the new one seems to be pulling away from everyone and everything. The boys are stumbling as well: Adam's falling behind in school, Kane's partying, carefree; and Reed's surprised to find Beth leaning on his shoulder.

While each of the characters are plagued by varying degrees of guilt over Kaia's death, the only thing that seems certain any more is that nothing will ever be the same.

In Seven Deadly Sins, no one is blameless, and everyone has something to hide. This series takes the parties, dating, makeups and breakups of TV shows or series such as Gossip Girl, sets it in a small town called Grace where everyone knows everyone, and throws in a murder mystery. If you like the Sevens series by Scott Wallens or the Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard, you'll like Seven Deadly Sins by Robin Wasserman.

Sloth is the fifth in the Seven Deadly Sins series. It is recommended that you read the series in order:

Lust
Envy
Pride
Wrath
Sloth
Gluttony
Greed

Drinking and drug use, and other situations

USA

Misspelled by Julis E. Czerneda

This book of short stories explores the world of magic. It especially shows what can go wrong through a misunderstanding or by a mispronunciation. From various points of views and differing authors, this book illustrates the consequences of mistakes. In the magical world, you have to be perfect, and if you aren’t, this book demonstrates some of the grim consequences together with humorous side effects. From the musical magic to the fairy tale endings this book is full of misspells.

This book is confusing and mediocre compared to most that I have read before. In each of the seventeen stories, you are assaulted with different types of magic, diverse characters and only a few pages per story to become acquainted with each tale. Though some stories illustrate true potential in the writer, most can be distinguished as baffling. I wouldn’t truly recommend this book to most people unless they are prepared for a bumpy ride.

Rating:3

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Richmond, Virginia USA