Macbeth by William Shakespeare

It's Shakespeare's classic story of Macbeth, with lines untouched. The story begins with the king learning of Macbeth's fearless fighting on the battlefield. The king, it appears, is so impressed he decides to reward Macbeth in some way. Shift to Macbeth, our tragic hero, who has no lofty ambitions until he comes across the three weird sisters who inform him that he is to become Dane, and foretell his becoming a powerful king. Macbeth is skeptical at first but when he learns the king has indeed appointed him to such a position he begins to lust for even more power. Soon, he has vaulted down a road of obsession, greed, and guilt a combination that has nasty consequences. But how far is too far? Shakespeare's play goes on to explore the ideas of fate, the power of suggestion, and Machiavellian politics, in a truly emotional story that will grip you from the start.
I can't really say anything against Shakespeare's storytelling prowess. The graphic novel aspect of Classic Comics version of Macbeth made it much simpler to understand the more difficult parts of the play. It really is the best of both worlds: readers get to experience the integrity of Shakespeare's original text while getting the extra help of the graphics to better grasp the nuances of the play. The lines suddenly jump out with a vivacity that wouldn't otherwise be possible; they come alive. The comics helped make the play more understandable and thus more enjoyable without altering the lines. I would highly recommend it for anyone who wishes to explore Shakespeare, but is too afraid to tackle the challenges of Elizabethan English alone.

The play addressed some darker aspects of human nature...including murdering for the sake of personal gain. Additionally, to portray such things the comics showed some graphic pictures of violence, that younger children might feel squeamish seeing. Finally, Elizabethan english is difficult to understand, especially for younger kids.

Reviewer Age:17

Reviewer City, State and Country: Bellevue, WA USA

The Youngest Templar by Michael Spradlin

Tristan of St. Alban's has always lived his life with the monks. Now, he is being whisked away as Sir Thomas's squire. The Saracens are trying to conquer the Holy Land, and Tristan has been pushed into the conflict. Soon he meets a possible traitor within the Knights Templar and is entrusted with the most sacred relic in all Christendom. Tristan leaves Sir Thomas behind as he runs to deliver the relic to safety. His new allies, Robard Hode and a female assassin, help him remain alive and able to continue his quest. Can Tristan make it to safety with the Holy Grail?

By reading the summary of The Youngest Templar I knew it would be about the Crusades. However, I did not expect to read an extremely provoking, fiction story. While the beginning is slightly slow, the additions in plot move swiftly and beneficially in exciting the reader. The vocabulary was perfect for the young adult age group. Also, the character's personalities were intriguing, and the context clues made me want to know more about Tristan. On the downside, many conflicts were left untold and I will have to wait until the second book comes out to find more information.


Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Carlisle, Pennsylvania United States of America

Rating: 7
Content Rating: 1

The Otherworldlies by Jennifer Anne Kogler

Fern has always been different. She knows this, and her family knows this. What she DOESN'T know is that she is not really human. She's a vampire, an "Otherworldy." The kids at school pick on her, with the exception of her brother and another vampire, and one of the popular girls. Together, the three children set out to discover the truth about Fern.

I loved this book to pieces! The author wrote the story so that it almost seemed like you were there, watching it unfold. The author made the characters very believable, and I loved all the main ones. I think that the story was wrapped up quite nicely, though there was room enough for a sequel, if desired. The vocabulary used was appropriate for middle school and up, though some elementary school kids would understand and enjoy the book as well. This book is different from other vampire books I've read, because the author took the term vampire and completely redefined it. I loved this book, and begged my library to get a copy so that others could enjoy it as well.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Highland, MI USA

The Floating Circus by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

The Floating Circus by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer tells the story of Owen, a 12-year-old orphan in 19th century Pittsburgh, PA. As the book opens, Owen seriously damages his arm falling out a tree at the orphanage where he and younger brother, Zack, live. Within weeks, they are herded onto a train with dozens of other orphans being sent out West to be adopted. The boys have to give up their dream that their penniless mother and alcoholic father will reclaim them, but they still hope to be placed together. Although they are accompanied by two elderly Quaker sisters who dote on them, Owen fears that his useless arm will prevent anyone from adopting him. Not wanting to hurt Zack's chances for a new family, he runs away. He ends up on one of the 'floating' circus boats on the Mississippi River, after being saved from drowning by Solomon, a former slave who has bought his freedom, but is still subject to a multitude of indignities. Although Owen works with many animals, the elephants really capture his fancy. This book relates the adventures of a young boy trying to find his own niche in the world, and also discovering the tough reality that African Americans faced in 19th century America.

Although historical fiction is not my favorite genre, this book had a relatively interesting story line, with the intriguing theme of trying to find your place in the world. Even though I was interested in Owen, and the descriptions of circus life were fascinating, the main reason that I kept reading the book was to find out what happens to Solomon, a free African American, and former slave. Solomon reveals that he has made terrible mistakes in the past, but he is goodhearted and tries to protect Owen as well as the circus animals from cruel treatment. The author's research is impressive, and her writing is clear, but there were so many subplots--including one involving the Greenes, a circus family whose son Caleb befriends Owen, and also features a depressed mother, and a beautiful, snooty daughter. The ending was disappointing for me as it left too many loose ends hanging, particularly Solomon's fate. I usually read a book in a few hours or days, but this book took weeks to get through as it rambled along and did not hold my attention very well. Even though this book is not at the top of my list I would still recommend it to readers between 9 and 14, especially if they like historical fiction, or are curious about circus life.
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Hingham, MA USA

My Name is Number 4 by Ting-xing Ye

In a time where what your parents did defines who you are, Ting-xing Ye is growing up. As the Cultural Revolution evolves and changes from white to black, Ye is trying to go to school and become smart enough to go to a University like her brother. That is the only way for her to become independent of welfare and live a better life then what she has. But when Ting-xing Ye is sent to a prison farm so her sister can get a job, not only has it become a much more difficult struggle to survive, but also it means the chances of her going to a University are getting thinner and thinner. Injuries and sickness plague the farm, but will Ting-xing be able to survive and overcome, and eventually be able to achieve her dreams?

Wow. Wow and amazingly good. That's really all I can say about this book. For this author to be able to go through what she did and then write about it is truly amazing to me. My Name is Number Four is a shockingly true poetic novel that will have every single person who opens the book unable to put it down. Not only is this book surprisingly easy to fallow, it also educates the reader about the Chinese Cultural Revolution without being boring or sounding to much like a homework assignment. My Name is Number Four may be one of the best books I have read this year.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Casa Grande, Arizona USA

The Golden Path by Anson Montgomery

In the book The Golden Path by Anson Montgomery you get to decide your own destiny. You and your two friends, Dresdale and Peter, spend the summer on an internship at an archaeological and geological expedition run by your parents in the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. You and your friends are exploring off the trails when you find an unusual pottery shard. You start researching it and decide to use it as a project for school. The next thing you know your parents are missing, some guy is accusing you of stealing the pottery shard and you're getting expelled from school. You have no choice but to find your parents and save the day. It's up to you to be the hero in this adventure.
I thought the Golden Path was a good book. I thought the beginning was slow, but the more I got into the book, the harder it was to put down. I thought it was a great idea to let the reader choose the decisions the character made and how the book was left with multiple endings. One of the strengths in this book is how it draws the reader's attention further and further into the story. I think a weakness in this book are some parts where the reader gets to decide what happens to the character, I think it becomes more confusing, like where the character can die. You have to find the place where you went wrong and re-read it and make another decision of what to do. I found myself trying to remember my page number or writing it down so I could just go back to that page if I made a mistake. I thought the ending in this book was okay. It left me with many questions but just enough answers to buy the next volume book and read on. I would recommend this book to anyone who is tired of reading the same types of books and wants to try something new.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Sandy, Oregon United States

The Miracle Girls

The Miracle Girls by Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt tells
the story of 14 year-old Ana Dominguez. Ana has just moved
from San Jose, California to the nearby small town Half
Moon Bay. A few weeks after she starts her freshman year
of high school in this new town, Ana lands herself and
another girl, Riley McGee, in detention after accusing
Riley of cheating on a pop quiz. While there, the teens in
detention are required to write an essay entitled "The Day
My Life Changed" and are then divided into groups of four
to whom they must read their essays. Ana is paired up with
Riley and two other girls, Christine and Zoe. After each
girl reads her essay, they all realize that the four of
them each would have died years ago, but each was saved by
a miracle. Ana and Zoe team up and try to befriend the
other two "miracle girls" and in the end the four
experience adventures that can only be experience with a
true friend.

This book was an exciting, heartwarming page-
turner. The Authors have successfully written an
intriguing story for teens and preteens. The story is both
slightly foreseeable while also being reasonably
unpredictable. The details are vivid enough to let you
easily picture the settings of the story. Also, the
characters are very much real to life. The Miracle Girls
is an excellent book that I would recommend to any teenager
especially girls.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City,State and Country: Marble Hill, Missouri, USA

Papillon

This book is based in China and it is about twin sisters name Hana-Chan and Ageha. When they were little Ageha went to live with her grandmother in the country and Hana-Chan stayed with their parents in the city. Ageha came back to the city when her grandmother became ill. Hana-Chan and Ageha turned into completely different people even though they were twins. Ageha ended up working with her childhood friend but doesn't ever say anything to him because she is in love with him until one day he realizes who she is. She and her twin sister, Hana-Chan, end up competing for young Ryusei Koike. Along the way friendships are gained and lost and Ageha becomes friends with someone unusual who gives her a lot of helpful advice.

I loved the book Papillon because it was very descriptive of what an everyday life of a teenager would be like if they thought they were in love. I would definitely recommend this book to kids of mature age and good moral standings. It has some graphic details and vivid pictures so some parents may not approve of the children reading it. This book provides real-to-life situations and is very true to what love is like and what happens in relationships. I would definitely recommend this book and trust me you won't be able to put it down once you start to read it.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Leopold, Missouri United States of America

Endless Quest by Bruce Algozin

This book is a great and adventurous story where you make the decisions of what to do. In the book, you are a halfling that goes by the name of Tammery Blackfoot, a quiet and peaceful person. However, behind this disguise, you are the Night Shadow, the only one who can stand up against the evil Blue Hag! And when your friend, Clarion the Pegasus, is captured by the Blue Hag, you immediately go out on a quest to find her, with some help from your friends. If you make the right decisions, you get closer every step you take, and will eventually find and save Clarion. But if you make one bad move, the Blue Hag will catch you, Clarion will certainly die, and it will be The End!

In my opinion, this book was exciting, but it lacked some crucial parts to it. The idea was a great one and I liked how the author set it up in the beginning. But, once the group got inside the castle, the choices you could make seemed obvious and boring. I did not think this was a very suspenseful book, and at some parts, I had wanted to close the book and give it up. Also, I felt that the story was short and not well described. However, I did like that one wrong turn could lead you the defeat or victory. This is my opinion of the book, Endless Quest 2: Search for the Pegasus

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Baltimore, Maryland United States of America

Rating: 4

Content Rating: 1

Time's Chariot

This novel is science fiction, action, mystery, and
historical. Its purpose is to entertain. This story is
set in future period called the Home Time. In the Home
Time, it is possible to travel back in time as long as one
is careful not to upset the history of the world. If
history is drastically altered, the time stream will split
and many more people will be created. The main problem
with the Home Time is that it will end in twenty-seven
years and it will no longer be possible to travel through
time. Two field agents, Rico and Su, that escort groups
back in time are swept into a plot involving a murder,
time paradoxes, and dangerous contact with the people of
the past by people at the highest levels of Home Time
society. While seeking the truth, Rico and Su are sent
through time, threatened, and held captive by their Home
Time foes and powerful historical figures. Though the
characters in the book travel through history, the book is
more science fiction and adventure than historical or
factual.

I found this novel very entertaining and
exciting. I read lots of science fiction books and many
contain time paradoxes or time travel, but this one was
unique. It was for a young adult, though not childish,
and more general audience, rather than most science
fiction books that are written for adult science fiction
fans. It was cleaner and less focused on hard science
fiction. The flawed futuristic society is not the focus
of the novel, but it does provide room for thought about
how much people should be controlled. The different
periods of time and alternate histories were enjoyable, as
were the straightforward main characters. There was
enough mystery and intrigue to keep me guessing, but I was
never too confused or lost. The ending has unpredictable
and exciting plot twists. The book is a short and easy
but thoroughly worthwhile read.

There are a few
instances of language and violence.

Reviewer
Age:14

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