The Religion

In the 1500's Mattias Tannhauser, of the German language, is asked to help a noble woman, Lady Carla, find her lost son on the island of Malta. Tannhauser agrees to take her to the island if she agrees to marry him after her son is found. Yet, a steamy romance also develops between Lady Carla's friend, Amparo, and Tannhauser. The Religion, Christianity, is in control of Malta but the invading Turks threaten a hostile takeover. The Religion's soldiers are extremely far fewer in number than the Turks, and Tannhauser finds himself, his friend, Bors, and many more involved in the battles to help. Tannhauser must deal with death, Amparo's love for him, finding Lady Carla's son, a traitor or two, and the fight. Can he figure out who he loves, find the lost boy, and help Malta prevail?

I thought The Religion would be kind of boring. However, it was quite the opposite. Right from the beginning you get carried off into the world of Tannhauser. Dramatic irony builds up because you know everything about every character, but the other characters do not. The plot is simple at first, but then it gets extremely in depth and complex. You really have to pay attention to what is happening or you will get lost. Along with that, the vocabulary is very advanced; I found myself not knowing many of the words. The imagery is amazing because it describes things that you don't even expect to be described. Overall, The Religion was an amazing book that I recommend war-lovers or heroic-romance fans read.

There is extreme violence, sexual scenes, bad language, and also reference to Christianity and Islamic religions throughout the entire book.

Reviewer Age:14
p>Reviewer City, State and Country: Carlisle, Pennsylvania United States of America

Pirates of the Retail Wasteland by Adam Selzer

The whole downtown of Cornersville Trace is becoming a retail wasteland, full of heartless stores and indistinguishable fast food chains. The last decent place left in Old Downtown is "Sip," a flavorful coffee shop/teen hangout. As part of the school's "gifted pool," Leon and his friends take on a self-initiated mission: to take down the new (and all too office-like) coffee shop, "Wackfords," which endangers their favorite retreat, "Sip." Along the way, the dynamic quartet faces various misadventures. AMong these are an unsolicited crush, a quest to depress the gym teacher, and groping through the gray between friendship (with benefits) and full girlfriend/boyfriend status. 

Selzer's writing style is fast-paced and unpredictable, making the story a truly enjoyable read. Quirky characters and hilarious situations keep the reader hooked. The story is from Leon's perspective, and is definitely appropriate for guys or girls. Overall, I give Pirates of the Retail Wasteland three thumbs-up and recommend it to any high schooler who has ever felt a bit idiosyncratic.

Do note that the narrative is brimming with upper-level vocabulary, and is thus more suited for advanced readers.

Some explicit language, mature situations

Rating:10

Reviewer Age:15

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

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

Marcus Yallow is able to outsmart any security device in his school; whether he is putting rocks in his shoes to trick the Gait-meter, a device that uses the way you walk to identify you, or putting hidden programs on his SchoolBook, a school loaned laptop used by the students, to override the administrations sneak programs. One day, he and three friends sneak out of school to go play a game. Little did they know that they would be in one of the biggest terrorist attacks since 9/11. They were close to the site of a bombing and were taken in as suspects by the Department of Homeland Security, or DHS. After days of torture and questioning, three of them are released. Marcus's best friend, Darryl, is still in the clutches of the DHS. Now, their once beloved city has turned into a place of terror. Everyone is watched for suspicious activity and they are all having their privacy and freedom snatched away from them. Marcus decides he must put a stop to this, and declares a secret war on the DHS.

Little Brother describes the hardships of what happens when a government takes over and nullifies people's freedom. It talks a lot about the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the freedom of the people of the United States of America. It is a very opinionated book, and has a lot of fact and history behind it. I learned things that I never knew existed. One such thing was the existence of the Yippies in the 1960's-70's. Little Brother is full of reasons why we should not let our government get out of control and take away our freedom. This book was excellently written with a little of everything: action, adventure, intelligence, spying, romance, and tragedy. However, the ending didn't satisfy me, it wasn't good enough. The story never really completely resolved. I would recommend this book to every single person; it may just make them reassess their outlook on life.

sex, swearing, and intense situations

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, PA USA

Writing On The Wall by Christopher Cleary

The main characters in Christopher Cleary's novel, Writing on the Wall, are Donnie, a quiet, lonely boy who is still recovering from a family tragedy, and Megan, the pretty new girl, who has reinvented herself by means of a drastic physical makeover. Though they become friends, they keep vital secrets from each other. Their home lives are hectic and neither feels accepted by their families, so they rent a storage unit which becomes a refuge where they hang out. Gradually, the storage unit becomes the home for which both of them have been longing. As Megan's trust of Donnie grows, she reveals her own past as an unattractive girl, and their relationship progresses from being friends to being lovers. However when she accidentally discovers Donnie's secret and confronts him about it, it causes a crisis. Thanks to the strength of their bond, Donnie finally begins to open up to Megan after closing himself off from everyone for so long.

Throughout this novel both protagonists grow and develop, resulting in a wonderfully written realistic fiction novel. It is a great book, gripping until the very last page. It makes the reader very emotional, I cried at parts. The style of the writing makes it a very easy and enjoyable read. Overall I loved this book and would recommend it to middle schoolers and above.

There is mention of suicide and and some sex, so this book may be vetoed by parents until their children are old enough to handle these issues.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Hingham, MA USA

Thrown A Curve by Sara Griffiths

She's got only one friend and a father who seems to hate her. Fourteen-year-old Taylor Dresden's life is neither normal nor easy. She is an average student, but her ball playing is anything but average. After giving up baseball for nearly six years, Taylor is forced to begin playing again or get turned over to the police for an act of vandalism committed on her school. No one seems to cheer for her at home or on the field, not even her baseball playing brothers. However, her self-confidence grows throughout the book as she begins to open up and solve the many complicated problems in her chaotic life, such as an ongoing relationship with her best friend and the real reason her mother left. Taylor struggles to fit in somewhere and attempt to let her true self shine through. This is a good solid book that any adolescent can easily relate to.

This book was a pretty average book about a struggling adolescent. Told in the first person narrative, I could really connect with the 14-year-old and empathize with her situation. The author's language was simple and to the point, although I would have liked a little more detail in some scenes. Most of the story was sad but it had some good moments and concluded well at the end. I don't think this book is quite good enough to recommend to someone but it was a mediocre book that all adolescents could relate to.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Richmond, Virginia USA

Rating: 7

Content Rating: 1

Hot Mess by Julie Kraust & Shallon Lester

Emma Freeman is 18 and spending her summer with her best friend in New York City. All Emma wants is to be independent and to meet the perfect guy. She goes to New York to spend the summer doing an internship for an amazing company, but she finds out that the company isn't as cool as she thought it would be and her boss is definitly below loser status. So Emma tells herself that she just has to endure the horrible job even if she isn't getting paid for the whole summer. This book is a girly book, but it holds its own in entertainment.

I enjoyed this book. It was a typical girly book with a predictable plot, and while reading it, I knew what was going to happen to Emma. There are better books in the girl category, but Hot Mess has good characters and, for a teenage girl, Emma comes off as being smart and having morals. I would only recommend this book to teenage girls, because, as explained before, it's a chick book.

Reviewer Age:19

Reviewer City, State and Country: Ward, Oregon USA

Neptune's Children by Bonnie Dobkin

When the world falls victim to a deadly virus what happens? In Bonnie Dobkin's novel Neptune's Children, when this virus strikes an amusement park only the children survive. Feeling lost and hopeless the children struggle with the loss of their parents, and wander aimlessly on the islands that make up the park, until one boy takes charge. The children accept the islands as their home, and appoint leaders to keep them organized. What happens to the outside world remains a mystery until Zoe, one of the survivors, spots a glow in the distance. As secrets are revealed, a war rages, and few will believe the truth.

Neptune's Children is a fast paced book, full of mysteries waiting to be discovered. The main characters Josh, Zoe, and Milo, all have a strong voice and a well developed personality. No two characters are alike, and all of them change over time. Josh and Zoe, the two main characters, are easy to relate to and understand. As Zoe becomes more suspicious, the reader does too, and when Josh feels betrayed by those he trusts, the reader can easily sympathize. The author's vocabulary and writing style works well for the intended age group, and manages to create appropriate moods throughout the book. The conclusion ties up most of the ends neatly, but leaves some questions for the reader to ponder. Neptune's Children is a great book for anyone who likes sci-fi and mystery books. I enjoyed reading this book very much, and will look forward to this author's future works.

Mild language, and mild violence, as well as some suggestive themes.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Colleyville, Texas United States

The Copper Indian by J.P. Morgan, D.Min.

Jim Utze grew up in New York listening to the radio show: The Lone Ranger, and to stories about his Native American ancestors. Always wanting to be just like his hero The Lone Ranger, Jim started a career in law enforcement. He started working for the NYPD in the 1950's. In this book you will learn what it's like living in the footsteps of Jim Utze. You will learn about his crazy arrests, and his life on and off the job. I recommend this book for anyone who loves mystery and crimes.

I thought The Copper Indian was an interesting book. It is not like any book I have read lately. It made me feel as if I were actually there in Manhattan, New York (where the book takes place). The Copper Indian had many strengths, but one that stood out the most was the sentence fluency. The sentences flew in an organized rhythm, making the book a page-turner. The only downside to this novel was I found myself day dreaming and wondering if the next page would be better. Most of the time the book got better and more exciting as it went on and it was hard to put down because I wanted to know what happens next. This book is one of the best books I have read lately. I highly recommend this book to everyone. I guarantee you will enjoy it.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Sandy, Oregon United States

Circle the Truth by Pat Schmatz

Circle the Truth is the story of Rith, a somewhat unique young boy, and his supernatural staircase. On certain occasions, Rith's staircase changes and leads him into a completely different living room than that of his typical home. In this new living room, he meets Bible Man, an old man who only speaks by quoting the Bible. The excerpts from scripture that Rith, actually named Orithian, hears parallel the triumphs and setbacks in his life, and they also help him find the truth about his biological father and Rith's unique name. This divine intervention also brings Rith closer to his faith. Whether Rith accepts it or not, Bible Man brings him face to face with what his religion is really all about.

I really connected with the theme of truth. In today's media it is extremely difficult to find where the truth lies. And I really liked in the end how the author takes the two worlds we are presented with and combines them. It reflects the idea that truth is almost something that we have to determine on an individual basis. That is, we must decide what is true and false. While this novel presents some strong universal questions about the role of religion in our society today, it may not make up for an average plot. The dialogue between characters seemed a bit off in the sense that the word choice didn't seem to fit the characters' personalities. I also had a feeling of emptiness as the story didn't seem to come together in the end; a feeling that it was incomplete. Nevertheless, Circle the Truth is a solid tale that provides substantial value to those in search of food for thought.

Reviewer Age:18

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

This Life, This Death by Michael P. Graham

This novel is set in the fictional South American country of Asturia. David Bridgeman is a former United States fighter pilot ace from World War II. He lives a peaceful life with his girlfriend and her daughter until his friend at the mail company he flies for gets shot down. This incident is the first evidence of the threat that is to arise, an overthrow of Asturia's new democracy by one of the former brutal rulers. David Bridgeman is chosen to train new fighter pilots in preparation for the attack and lead them when the time comes. However, he is distrusted for being from the United States. He must gain the other pilots' trust before he can teach them. The story focuses on the aspects of flying a fighter plane and the tactics involved.

I did not care for the book. It was too focused on the fighting scenes and different planes, at the expense of character development and relationships. The fight scenes were long, drawn out, and confusing to follow. Also, the story often jumped between different characters' viewpoints. This made it hard to really get to know and like any character. I personally had trouble keeping the different characters, sides of the war, and airplanes straight due to the confusing manner in which the chapters jumped from one area and perspective to another. It was a dull read because of the confusion, and I would only recommend it to someone interested in fighter planes and aerial warfare.

The story contained sex, violence, and death.

Reviewer Age:14

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