Secret of the Sirens - The Companions Quartet, Book One

Connie Lionheart is sent to live with her eccentric aunt who is in a secret society. She makes friends with a classmate, named Col, who is in the society, as well. Connie discovers the society deals with creatures and their human companions. Since she always had a good relationship with animals, Connie tries to become a member of the society. The society and Connie deal with Kullervo, a terrible creature who wants to destroy humanity, as well as a new oil company, singing sirens, and much more. It is up to the society to bond with all possible creatures to prevent evil from taking over.

Julia Golding did an absolutely wonderful job incorporating environmental issues into a fantasy book! While it does not make my best book list, Secret of the Sirens is the most unique book I have ever read. The cooperation between mythological creatures and humans, and the actual environmental problems are outstanding. The beginning of the book was kind of slow, but afterwards it gets increasingly suspenseful. The dramatic scenes were definitely more than enough to keep anyone's attention. I also enjoyed how there was an equal portion of human and animal characters with significant roles. The vocabulary was perfect for a young adult age group. I recommend this book to anyone interested in fantasy.

Reviewer Age:14

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

Trouble by Gary D. Schmidt

For as long as Henry can remember, his life has been overshadowed by his seemingly flawless older brother, Franklin. All that changes when Trouble strikes and Henry’s family is stressed to the breaking point. So, Henry throws himself into an adventure, one that he had planned to take with Franklin long before the accident. The thing is Franklin won’t be coming with him; Henry is determined to go alone. So with a pack of supplies, a ragged dog, and ambition to spare, Henry sets out to climb the notorious Mt. Katahdin and escape the Trouble that bombarded his home. What he doesn’t know, though, is that Trouble could be around every bend, and Henry can’t face his future until he’s faced his past.

This sharp, real novel will take your breath away. From riveting action that will have you on the edge of your seat, to the comfortable friendships that develop along the way, Trouble is a terrific novel definitely worth reading. Even though I found the first few chapters a bit boring (and somewhat confusing), the story quickly picked up its pace and swept me away. I loved that I couldn’t tell what was coming. The surprises in the plot caught me completely off guard and, once I was into the book, I couldn’t put it down. This story will appeal to both boys and girls, and I recommend it to anybody who has ever had an encounter with Trouble. For an interesting look at perspective and knowing the whole story, pick up Trouble today!

Rating:8

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Tipp City, OH USA

The Secret Diary of Adrian Cat

Adrian is a typical curious, condescending house cat. He loves finding new cats to talk to, mice to torment, and dogs to taunt (and run away from). Then Adrian's life becomes complicated by females, and his experiences laughably mirror humans' struggles in relationships. First there’s a snub-nosed female cat. Next, a nomad cat that’s mysterious and knowledgeable in herbs. Adrian’s friend, Lucky, finds a mate sooner than he does. This pushes Adrian to decide between the two cats sooner than he can handle.

Stuart and Linda Macfarlane achieved a great mantra in writing this fictional diary: life is full of surprises. Whether it is finding a friend in the most unusual place or discovering lessons through relationships, their character Adrian follows in humans' footsteps very closely. I disagreed with the punctuation of the writing style, but the full meaning and storyline were very enjoyable. Adrian's day-to-day diary entries made each chapter interesting and surprising. The comfortable narration frequently made me forget that it was a diary. The irony of the similarities between a cat's life and a human's life were amazing. These two authors did a wonderful job in working together on their story.

Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Eagle Creek, Oregon U.S.A.
Rating: 7
Content: 1

A Time To Tell by Maria Savva

We all complain about our family.The noisy aunt and half-deaf grandfather. The games you are forced to play with your cousins and football blaring on the living room T.V. Family. They can be a hassel, but we still love them. But in the A Time To Tell family, everyone is caught in a web of secrets and lies that threaten to do serious damage if not taken care of. Abusive husbands are just the start of the family drama, and since Cara now is elderly, all she can do is sit, watch, and turn up the volume on the T.V. when the yelling gets too loud. There is so much she wishes she could go back and change, but one thing A Time To Tell says is that the past is definite. You can't change what you've already done, no matter how much you want to believe otherwise.

It was challenging for me to review A Time To Tell because while it is captivating and very well-written, it also has a complicated plot that maded it hard to give a full summary of the book. But I loved reading it and hope I gave the story justice. It was just a joy to read, and I got in trouble a lot in class because I couldn't put it down. I think a lot of people will like this book, but if you have a short attention span maybe you should choose a different book, because it may leave you lost. But for those who are looking for a good, exciting book to read, this is the one for you.

Content: abusive relationships

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Casa Grande, Arizona USA

Storm: The Infinity Code

Will Knight is your average child prodigy - a genius. He creates gadgets that even the marines haven't come up with yet. A girl in his class, Gaia, sees him testing one of his inventions and asks him to join a secret organization called STORM, or Science and Technology to Over-Rule Misery. This organization was set up by a boy computer genius, and millionaire, named Andrew. At first, Will doesn't believe that STORM, a group of four kids, could do anything to help the world. He is proven wrong when STORM teams up to stop an evil plot, created by a madman, to take out a space hotel.

This book is one of the best spy/kid genius books I have read. Young took the story above and beyond the norm. She described her characters very well and makes sure they all had their place in the story. The plot is thick and filled with humor, suspense, mystery, and intrigue. There is never a dull moment. The thought behind the inventions and the solutions in this book are amazing. I can't figure out how Young came up with everything in this book. This is definitely competition for Artemis Fowl and Alex Rider. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a new and exciting read.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, Pennsylvania USA

The Girl Who Could Fly

Piper McLoud is a natural flyer. But when others see her amazing skill at a baseball game, her life is in danger. So, when a mysterious lady comes to take Piper to a special institute for kids with 'special' skills, she has no choice but to accept. However, at I.N.S.A.N.E., Piper soon learns that things are not at all what they seem to be. In the end, it all comes down to this: Will Piper sacrifice what she treasures most of all or will she break the rules to save her new found friends?

The Girl Who Could Fly is an excellent book. The vocabulary is age appropriate and easy to read. I found this book very moving, because of a certain song sung, quite literally, to the end. From reading this book, I learned that everyone has one unique talent at which they excel and should never sacrifice that skill to be normal or accepted. I would recommend this book to others because it was a very moving and an enjoyable read.

Underlying themes of abandonment, family death, and insanity.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Colleyville, TX USA

Misfit McCabe

When trouble maker Katie McCabe gets caught committing arson, her beloved father, the local sheriff, whisks her off to her Uncle Charlie's. Sarah, Katie's cousin, intends to set her straight. On Katie's second day at the farm, she meets Harvey Junior, her soon-to-be archenemy. Despite Katie's efforts to get along, she ends up hitting Harvey! Later on, she starts to make friends like Tom Pike and his buddies. Tom is the number one football player at school. Katie doesn't realize that life at Uncle Charlie's isn't going to be simple. Her new life contains rattlesnakes, nasty revenge, more archenemies, tears, and mud - lots and lots of mud!

I loved Misfit McCabe! The descriptions were amazing. I was glued to Misfit McCabe like a fly stuck to fly tape. I completely underestimated this book because I figured it would be boring. It turned out to be a very, very exciting book. Don’t underestimate the book's cover. Misfit McCabe is a difficult book to read, so I don't think it should be for 9-12 year olds, it should be labeled for young adults. This is a great book. Gardner-Griffie has outdone herself.

There are a few situations with underage drinking and smoking: also some frightening situations, and language.

Reviewer Age: 11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Osseo, Wisconsin United States
Rating: 9
Content: 3

Side by Side edited by Jan Greenberg

Mythical and real interweave
fantastical figures
spirited unicorns, delicate deer,
flying fleeing flocks, fierce falcons
Nature unbound
an overflowing vista
to hold close.

-Excerpt from The Vision, by Nimah

Ismail Nawwab


So begins one of the dreamy, meandering, thought-provoking poems in this excellent compilation of poems inspired by artwork. Side by Side contains poems from such different countries as Bhutan, Syria, Norway, and Guyana, and the collection shows a well-rounded glimpse of culture from around the world. Each poem is translated into English, but the authentic feel of the poems is kept by also including a copy of the poem written in its original language. The piece of art that each poem is based off is also included, riveting any reader's eyes to, if not the fantastic poems, the colorful and often startling artwork. The poetry offers a surprisingly frank look at life, art, and how the two can so easily become intertwined without meaning to be.

Jan Greenberg, as the editor, did a wonderful job of selecting poems for this collection. I loved flipping the book open to a random page and delving into the poem I found, savoring all the different styles of poetry I could find. From humorous to serious to sad, this book had them all. The book provides biographies of all the authors and translators, as well as a map to locate them all. I recommend this book to anyone who likes art, poetry, world cultures, or simply wants to try something new-it was my first book of poems, and I loved it. It offers a unique look at what art is and can be, and I liked simply gazing at the pages, seeing the poems and paintings as though they were one, which is what this book set out to do and accomplished splendidly.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Richmond, Virginia U.S.A.

The Compound by S.A. Bodeen

America's worst fear has come true, we are at nuclear war. The fallout from this crisis is the setting for The Compound. Eli, our protagonist, has lived six years in the compound, a multi-billion dollar fallout shelter built by his father, one of the most powerful businessmen in the world. One might think Eli would be the happiest nuclear refugee ever, but his father's wealth is not an escape from his grief over his lost twin brother and his life above the ground. As tensions rise underground and Eli's father's plan begins to crumble, Eli must question everything he believes in to save the family from which he has become so detached. Full of suspense and drama, The Compound is a great book for all thrill-seekers.

Besides the many twists and turns by the plot, I really enjoyed the development of Eli, our far-from-perfect protagonist. Readers are able to examine the real person behind Eli's long hair that often covers his face. Eli's twin brother, Eddy, was an interesting addition to Eli's character. I saw Eddy as an example of everything that Eli is not. Eddy is someone that Eli can become, but he is not capable without the opportunity. The end of the story marks Eli's escape from his own personal Compound as he attempts to save his family from his father's physical compound. I recommend The Compound not only for its suspense, but for the rich transformation of a most-unlikely hero.

Reviewer Age:18

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

Violet By Design by Melissa Walker

Violet Greenfield was a skinny and awkward wallflower through high school, up until the point where she was thrusted into the modeling industry; changing her life and even her attitude towards life. She took a trip to New York in "Violet on the Runway" and now she's back to leading a quiet life by the pool, with her best friends Roger and Julie, in "Violet by Design". She loved her break from the modeling industry but she spoke too soon. Her agent, Angela, had soon booked her a show in Brazil where she met a young and quite romantic designer named Paulo. True colors of the modeling world had come into vision, some colors not so pretty. Compared to the Tryst girls in competition with Violet, Paulo had more influence on her than she thought. Living wealthy was something Violet could get used to, but the soon to come heartbreak was a change most unwelcome. Soon Myspace blogs, paparazzi, and dangerous habits overwhelm and threaten her career and even her relationship with friends. A downward spiral of young and beautiful, Carolina raised, Violet Greenfield could make or break her international modeling career forever.

I thought this book was one of the best books I have ever read! I lead a very busy life and often I was tempted away from reading, but this book somehow made it so I just couldn't resist! The modeling industry is something I have always dreamt about and the real life references in this book made it oh so believable and surreal at the same time! So many parallels in this book were made between the life a model leads and the effect that it has on modern day children growing up; as well as the effect society and the way our expectations effect not only models. The element of surprise was FANTASTIC in this book. Not only did it present a problem but it presented five more! Where ever Violet traveled, she encountered something new and each and every time it resulted in either another problem, or an unexpected solution, each time stunning myself. I applaud Melissa Walker in her attempt and absolute success to write a MASTERPIECE!

Profanity was a large part of this book's dialogue in addition to eating disorders, sexual behavior, drinking, and other adult content.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: , PA USA