The Camel Bookmobile by Marsha Hamilton

Fiona Sweeney wants to do something worth while with her life so she volunteers to travel to Africa and run a bookmobile. She favors one community in particular, Mididima. But many people in Mididima resent this "white woman" and the bookmobile in fear that their children will forget tradition. When some of the books borrowed from the bookmobile by a Mididima boy are not returned Fi is ordered to discontinue her visits to Mididima. She is determined to find the books and continue her work there.

The book was written in third person perspective and it switches between many character’s point of view. I was really hoping someone would fall in love and actually there is a lot of falling in and out of love. At times it is heart wrenching and at times it is heart warming. Something that really surprised me was that there really is a camel bookmobile in Kenya and in the back of the book is an address you can send donations. The book had some hard vocabulary words and the characters were hard for me to relate with at times. But over all I think it is a pretty good book that will open your eyes to how poverty-stricken and uneducated people are in Mididima.

For language

Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Lakewood, New York USA

Harmony by C.F. Bentley

Sissy is just an ordinary girl, one who works in an ordinary factory. In fact, everything about her is ordinary. She has dark skin and dark hair. She is a normal worker, except for the six extra caste marks on her cheek. Each person on the planet Harmony has a caste mark that distinguishes him or her among society. And when the ruler, Laude Gregor finds out about this, he elevates Sissy to High Priestess in order to soothe the God Harmony's distress. But he does not foresee the trouble she may cause, as well as the change she may bring about.

Harmony was an excellent book, one that used many elements such as setting and development of characters to enhance the contents. First off, I think the author used and described the scenery well. It would feel as if I was the main character at parts, but at other parts the descriptions were only so-so. Different moments of this novel have different mood tones, such as uncertainty, fear, trust, and desperation to intensify the book further. I could very well tell that Sissy was from a totally different civilization than ours, and she was not happy with the way it was run. This would create tension, as well as a great deal of suspense that would last throughout the book. Some characters, however, seemed to be more and more suspicious and less trustworthy as the story progressed. This created an aura of skepticism towards the sketchy characters. I think it was completely appropriate to speak in third person, for there were many characters. To complete the first book, I think the author should write a sequel because there were very many loose ends left untied.
The author achieved a gripping novel, which I could absolutely not put down. It shows how a simple girl of the lowest social order could elevate herself to bring about a change on the planet Harmony. Also, amazingly enough, the only flaw I could find was that the beginning just thrust you right into the story with very little explanation. Furthermore, the plot was compelling with completely age appropriate vocabulary. Harmony had a distinct and original plot, which was superior to the other books I have read in the sci-fi/fantasy genre. I think Harmony was a great book, which had an interesting ending. I would definitely recommend Harmony to any person who just likes to read an all-around fantastic sci-fi/fantasy novel.

Rating:10

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Baltimore, Maryland USA

So You Want To Be A Film Or TV Director?

Supposedly everybody wants to be a director, but what
would they be getting themselves into? First, directors
have to use the film script to figure out the key points
to start filming. They figure out the genre, what it is
about, how to shoot it, which angles to shoot from,
lighting, and so on. Then, they need to start filming the
movie or television show. Sometimes the director needs to
talk to the actors about the characters they are
portraying. Still yet, the director needs to be there in
the editing process. Overall, the director does a little
bit of everything. Do you have what it takes to be a
director?

I have been interested in acting and filming
for a long time. I thought that this book would give me
information on what exactly a director's responsibilities
are. This book was definitely satisfying because it gave
me basic terms and "rules" that directors use all the
time. I liked how there were constantly examples from
shows or movies. Some parts were slow and boring, but they
can be skipped. The vocabulary is easy to understand, and
if a new term is introduced it is defined. I recommend
anyone interested in directing read this book for
information.

Reviewer Age:15

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

Sharks by Miranda Smith

This book is all about an interesting predator of the sea, the shark. You learn many facts about how they live their sleepless nights. In this book it talks about basically everything to do with sharks. It gives information about many different types of this sea wanderer. With all of this information and great pictures you will get lost in the mind of this creature.

I enjoyed this book because it had a lot of facts I did not know about sharks. It also has great pictures that go with the facts. I am not a person who likes non-fiction books like these, but this one kept me interested. I would recommend this book to whoever would like to find out more about sharks.

Reviewer Age: 15

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

Milagros by Meg Medina

Milagros has the perfect life . . . Well, it's almost perfect. Sure, her dad left her to become a pirate. It's true that Milagros has barely any friends. And, yes, she is disliked by most of her fellow islanders for her notorious mischief. All the same, Milagros loves life on the tiny Caribbean island of Las Brisas. She adores her loving teacher, Senorita Alma, and the magical manta rays that are her very own secret. But things change. A terrible event tears Milagros from her beloved island and sends her across the sea to a place she had never imagined: a place that is cold and gray and awful. Yet again, Milagros doesn't fit in; she is called girl from Away, and is feared by her superstitious neighbors. When there is nowhere to go, nobody to confide in, what is a girl to do? Follow Milagros on her mystical journey, and you, too, can discover the magic of hope, the meaning of love, and the promise of home.

Milagros, Girl from Away, keeps the reader hooked to the last page, for the most part. Its plot is full of unexpected twists, and at the same time interlaced with details that make the story more real. The book drags a bit, though. The exposition is too long; I kept waiting for the action to start. Overall, Milagros is a fine book that will hopefully capture other readers the same way (or even a bit more than) it captured me.

Content:1

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6

Reviewer Age:15

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

97 Things To Do Before You Finish High School by Steven Jenkins & Erika Stalder

The title of this book says it all. "97 Things to do Before You Finish High School" is about 97 different activities or ideas that every High School student should do before they graduate. This book gives you new activities to try that students may not have ever considered doing. These ideas should be on every teen's must do list, with the longterm goal of broadening your horizons."97 Things" was a very insightful book that gave me many new ideas to try before I finish school. I think that the ideas listed in this book are things every high school student should try, especially riding a horse, seeing a Broadway play, keeping a diary, and creating a scrapbook. Since I read the book I have tried only a few "things", but I plan to do all of them before I recieve my diploma. I think that any high school student looking for something fun to do should definitely read this book. There are so many things young adults can try; I found the challenge exciting and fun!
Reviewer Age:15Reviewer City, State and Country: Lemoore, CA US

Swine not?

"Swine Not?" by Jimmy Buffet is a very good book. It is told from the point of view of a pig named Rumpy and a twelve year old boy named Barley. Both points of view are very different but are written very well. Through the two points of view, you really understand what is happening. This book is about a pig named Rumpy and her three owners, Ellie McBride, the mother and Barley and Maple, Ellie's twin children. Ellie decides that they should leave their small town in Tennessee and move to New York City. The McBrides pack up and take Rumpy with them for their move. In New York, Ellie becomes a pastry chef at a five star hotel named Flubein's Hotel. The McBrides get a room on the top of the hotel and live there with Rumpy. Rumpy is excited about being in New York because then she might be able to find her lost twin brother Lukie, whom she left in New York to head to Tennessee when they were very young. The twins find great opportunities in New York, but then, out of nowhere, the hotel puts up an exotic pet bane. What will happen to Rumpy? Will she ever find her brother? What sparked the pet bane to be put up? Find out in "Swine Not?"

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes animals and adventure. I really enjoyed this book because it was funny; I especially liked reading the story from the pig's point of view, something new to me. Rumpy's narratives made me want to read more of the book. I did not have any trouble picturing the plot as I read the book. This book was easy to read and I would recommend it to anyone who likes animals and likes to laugh.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Finksburg, MD USA

Poison Ink by Christopher Golden

Poison Ink by Christopher Golden is a thrilling example of a mixture of realistic fiction, fantasy, and mystery. Sammi, the protagonist, has always been a "floater"-- never really part of a group at her high school. Then she meets a bunch of girls who are also "floaters," and they all instantly form a strong bond. For Sammi it is a dream come true, as she finally has a whole group of friends. When they decide to get matching tattoos despite the fact that they are underage, and none can get parental permission, things get very strange. Their only hope is a sketchy tattoo place with blacked out windows and a very weird man who does not care how old they are. He comes up with a special design, which intrigues all of the girls except Sammi.. At the last minute Sammi backs out and refuses to get a tattoo. The next day at school, she finds that all of her "friends" have turned on her and do hateful things to her. Even worse, they seem to go beserk, and get involved in vandalism and drugs. Why do they hate Sammi? What was up with that creepy tattoo place? Are the tattoos growing? And scariest of all, who or what has control of her friends? To find out the answers to these questions and more, you must read Poison Ink by Christopher Golden.

The language used in Poison Ink draws the reader in, making you care about the characters, especially Sammi., who is described as a lonely, but loyal and sincere person. I really loved this book, and was draw into it and couldn't stop reading it until the very end. Parts of it were chilling, just scary enough to keep you involved, but not so frightening that you had to put it down. Overall it was a great book and an amazing read. I would recommend it to middle schoolers and above.

There is a little bit of blood and gore that younger middle schoolers might find disturbing.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Hingham, MA USA

Acting Out by Avi, Sharon Creech, Patricia MacLachlan, et al

Acting Out is a collection of six plays by six award-winning children's authors. Along with the plays, each has its own production notes written by the author. These plays are easy to read, humorous, and have lots of fun and simple acting roles to play. The pieces have a wide range of topics, so everyone is bound to find at least one that they like. All of the stories have great plots, and very believable characters. Some of the authors are: Avi, Sharon Creech, and Richard Peck.

"Acting Out" is a great read for people of all ages. The dialogue flowed very smoothly. If you are considering reading this book, I recommend that you don't just pick up the book and read the plays one after another. Gather up a group of friends, choose one play, and act it out, as the title implies. If you find one that everyone likes, make a production of it, using the production notes at the end of each play. Teachers looking for a fun activity to do with students would appreciate this book.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Renton, Washington United States

The Big Field by Mike Lupica

Hutch Hutchinson is more at home on a baseball diamond than at his own house. Standing between second and third base, at shortstop, is paradise for him. And when his team is invited to play in a tournament for the state championship, Hutch knows his season is getting longer. But he does not foresee the hardships ahead of him, such as an unforgiving teammate and an unsupporting father. These hardships may take the fighting spirit right out of him.

The Big Field is an interesting book, one that will appeal to baseball fans and the general public alike. Mike Lupica enhances the settings of this novel to make its scenes more spectacular. The Big Field carries a distinct tone of the betrayal that Hutch felt from of his father. I liked Hutch, as a 14-year-old boy who loves baseball more than anything else. He also gave you the sense that he just wanted to do the right thing, but could never do it. I like the author's writing style, but I wasn't sure it was appropriate to use the third person. The book followed Hutch and nobody else, so why not use the first person?Mike Lupica definitely showed what it was like for a boy to achieve his lifelong dream in considerable fashion. The vocabulary was age appropriate, and the author made you empathetic to Hutch. You could definitely tell when he was frustrated, and you understood his emotions. This novel is strong and passionate about Hutch's feelings, which guided the plot. As I said earlier, The Big Field was excellent as well as interesting. The ending was spectacular, one that was very heart-warming. I would definitely recommend this book, because it had an interesting and intense plot.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Baltimore, Maryland USA