Snakehead by Ann Halam

This book retells the ancient myth of Perseus, the god touched son of Zeus and the beautiful princess Andromeda. Perseus and his mother are refugees from main land Greece. They were thrown out after Perseus's mother's Immaculate Conception and the birth of her son. Whether by luck, chance, or fate, the mother and son survive being locked in a box and thrown out to sea. Many years later they end up living in Serifos where they lead an easy life working in a restaurant. Then Perseus meets and falls in love with Andromeda (or Kore). Now they must set off together to Gorgon's Head to fight her sacrificial destiny.

I was not interested in this book at all. I think, at the start, it threw way too much information at you at once and didn't give you any time to get to know the characters or surroundings. So after a slow start I was never caught by this book. I never felt any incentive to read it. I do acknowledge that it would have been very hard to rewrite an ancient Greek myth but none of the fictional characters she introduces nor the characters from the myth were very interesting or people to whom I could relate. Overall I think Ann Halam has a wonderfully descriptive imagination and creative ideas, but I think they could have been put to better use in maybe a more suitable genre. If I were to recommend this book to others it would be to those who are interested in Greek mythology and could take something from this rendition of the story.


Rating: 4
Content Rating: 1

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Melbourne , Victoria

By Venom's Sweet Sting by Tiffany Trent

After the violent destruction of Falston Manor, Corrine and a few others embark on a dangerous quest to Scotland to retrieve the rathstone from the powerful trickster, Rory. That is how Corrine meets Euan, a young man who is everything Corrine has ever dreamed of--and A LOT more! Corrine finds out that he has mysterious powers when Euan saves her from certain death onboard the Great Eastern and thats just the beginning. As the servant for Sir James, Euan always seems to be around since they are also staying at the mansion, but maybe he's around just a little too much?? At least, it seems that way since no matter where they are, in town or not he always happens to show up. Also, Sir James is certainly acting strangely; accusing her of things that she didn't even do and Rory is nowhere in sight. Corrine's friend becomes mysteriously ill; and to top it all off, she gets attacked by a crow and nearly loses her sight. If all of that wasn't bad enough, she still has to go into the Prince's rath to try and cut out his heart, otherwise known as a rathstone. So her stay in Scotland isn't going to be as pleasant as she'd hoped it would be.

I absolutely love this series! These books just keep getting better and better. This is one of my favorite series and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. Even people who don't like to read would love the Hallowmere series; that is how wonderful these books really are. By Venom's Sweet Sting is full of adventure and mystery with a perfect twist of romance, love, and hate. This novel kept me intrigued and guessing what would happen next until the very end and still after I finished reading it. The author is an awesome writer and uses vocabulary mostly appropriate for the age level, but a few words are kind of hard, so occasionally you might need to pull out the dictionary and look a few words up. I can't wait to read the rest of this powerfully dramatic series and find out what will happen to Corrine, her friends, and her love life next.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg, PA USA

Enchantment Place

Enchantment Place is a compilation of seventeen stories from different authors; however, the stories are all linked by their setting, a magical mall called Enchantment Place. This mall, and all of the stores in it, cater to a cliental vastly different from what you see at your average mall, mainly because it is made up of witches, vampires, ghosts, and of course some demons and weretigers, a creature similar to the commonly known werewolf. Each store in this mall sells unique items, from combustible clothing and accessories, to altars for any new coven, and familiars for the whole family. Familiars are pets much like your average cat or dog with a twist, they speak to you, enhance your powers, whatever they may be, and guide you through your problems. Enchantment Place even has a store very similar to one in the real world, although it stirs up a lot of anger with some of the mundane; Make-a-Mortal is comparable to Build a Bear. The best part about Make-a-Mortal is that it is owned by a werebear named Ted, who seems to hold a grudge against mortals for the mockery.

Enchantment Place was an interesting mix of short stories for anyone who is interested in fantasy. I loved the fact that there were many different authors involved in this compilation, because you can see the different writing styles from author to author. One reason I was happy with this book was the fact that it did not conflict with other stories in its description of mythical creatures. Also, I loved the fact that the setting of the book was a mall because I feel that when you go to a mall, you experience so many different things that any other setting, such as a park or grocery store, would be overshadowed. I definitely recommend Enchantment Place to all reading addicts looking for a quick fix between novels.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: East Islip, New York United States of America

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