Been There, Survived That

"Been There, Survived That" is a book about surviving the dreaded freshman year of high school. It is written by four teenagers (one of them being a freshman while the book was being written) and edited by Karen Macklin. The book is broken up into three sections: Social Advice, Academic Advice, and Practical Advice. Each section contains smaller sections of advice that are two pages long, with one page giving the advice and a second page giving a chart of some sort that relates to the subject. The book also contains a "flipbook", which is a small sketch in the bottom corner of the book that shows a guy writing "Been There, Survived That" on a piece of paper.

I felt that the book lacked practical advice, despite having a whole section called that. I also felt slightly disturbed because there were several pieces of advice that are highly controversial, such as "Learning How to Fake It". It says that, "in order to make it through high school alive", you have to occasionally tell a lie. I believe that you can still make it through high school without telling lies about who you are. To put it in a book and encouraging people to do this is, in my opinion, completely unacceptable. Another section tells kids how to fake sick, which I also do not agree with. This book is useless with its advice, and I would definitely not recommend this.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Westerville, Ohio USA

The Oak Hotel by Walter G. Klimczak

Kayleigh's parents need to sell her grandparent's old house by Christmas. Her mom gives her permission to bring her best friend, Lincoln, to look around the house and keep anything they find. When they get to the house they find a book that has a screen in the front cover.

The book takes them to an unknown world called Burnam, where they meet
several people and learn that the trees can transport people from one place
to another. Then they meet Kayleigh's grandfather, who's king in that
world, and finds out she's a princess. They go on and have many more adventures together.

I thought the book was good but it seemed a bit too young for me. I would recommend it to student in grades 4-6 who like science fiction. It is not very difficult to read and not very long.

Reviewer age: 14
Leopold, MO USA

The Ghosts of Lone Jack by Lance Lee Noel

Jared Millhouse is spending the summer in Lone Jack,
Missouri when he encounters the ghost of a long-dead
innkeeper in the woods behind right field. Soon other
ghosts and groups of ghosts begin to make their presence
felt. First comes the innkeeper. Next, a gang of ball-and-
chain wielding slaves appear. Hot on their heels are two-
headed Indian ghosts. And then, there are the soldiers,
reliving the battle of Lone Jack, exactly as it happened in
1862. They all demand "the key". Now, it's up to Jared, his
friends, and two whacky ghost hunters to find this key and
save Lone Jack - from itself. This book is based on a real
Civil War battle so it's mostly adventure, but also part
mystery.

The author achieved his purpose, which was to
write an entertaining book in a way that was both effective
and easy to understand. Although there is a large amount of
detail (which you sometimes need to understand the story-
line)in some places it is a bit too much. My overall
response to the book was one of complete fascination. I
would not recommend taking it to school to read. Once you
start, you can't stop! It's addictive. The characters feel
like your friends and neighbors, the action feels like its
taking place all around you. I liked the ending but it left
me wondering what happened to Jared and Lone Jack - it
cries out for a sequel.(Lance Lee Noel, if you're reading
this, write one!) You don't have to know much about the
Civil War to understand and enjoy this book. I recommend it
to anyone wanting to read an exciting, true life adventure
story.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and
Country: Lusby, Maryland USA

Mao-Chan

Mao Onigawara, Misora Tsukishima, and Sylvia Maruyama are three grade school students who are also members of the Defense Corps of Japan. Mao specializes in ground defense, Misora in air defense, and Sylvia takes part in the naval defense. Dangerous aliens have been invading Japan, and it is up to the girls to stop them. However, the aliens are very cute and deceiving. Their separate grandfathers want their own granddaughter to get the glory from working alone, and this prevents the girls from working together. If they cannot find a way to combine their defenses then the aliens will not be put to a stop.

Mao-Chan is, as the description suggests, a very cute manga. The three girls have wonderful personalities that tie into the book very well. Also, the aliens themselves were distinct in appearance and characteristics. The drawings were very excellent; I found myself looking at them for a while before continuing to read. One minor feature that I did not like was that the book would probably entertain a younger audience more than an older one. This is because the characters are younger themselves, so they appeal to readers of the same age. The overall storyline was amusing, but it was not a page turner. I recommend Mao-Chan to readers who like a wide variety of manga.

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

Runner

Flamingnet Student Book Reviewer VBer
This book was about Jane Whitefield, who helps people run away from their old lives so that they can survive in a new one. Jane takes the person and gives them a new identity far away from their old friends and family so that they will never be seen again. For several years she has not done this, because she has made a new life for herself, one where she doesnt have to worry about being killed every second of her life. Enter Christine, a timid secretary who has landed herself in a lot of trouble with her ex-boyfriend. Only Jane can save her but it will mean that she has to give up that whole not getting killed idea for a while. As the details of Christines life are revealed things that were just dangerous before become perilous adventures. Will everyone come out alive??? Find out in Runner.

This was an excellent thriller that I could not put down. The author was dealing with some pretty weird circumstances in the book but I believe that he handled that and the crazy plot very well. I was lost a little bit in the beginning, but I figured it out by the end. The only bad thing about the book was that I thought the sexuality was over the top at some points, but that did not really take away from the story, it was just an annoyance.

The only caution I have for readers is the aforementioned sexuality and extreme violence. You should be at least 12 or 13 to read this book.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Exeter, NH, USA

The Year We Disappeared: A Father-Daughter Memoir

Cylin Busby is a regular nine-year-old girl with a perfectly ordinary family. Her father, John, is a police officer working for the town of Falmouth, New Jersey. Her mother is a med student. Her two brothers are stuck in their middle school lives. While John was driving to work one day, someone leveled an untraceable shotgun at his window, which leaves his lower jaw dangling off of his face, and provides a horrific foretaste of the Busbys' life thereafter. As John suffers with not being able to eat or talk, the rest of the family is put under twenty-four-hour surveillance, because they fear the shooter, a convicted arsonist, will come for the family too. Find out what becomes of the Busby family in The Year We Disappeared: A Father-Daughter Memoir, by John and Cylin Busby.

The Year We Disappeared is an intriguingly tense memoir. I find it very appealing because you get both sides of the true story from the father's and the daughter's perspective. This book shows how injustice can change peoples' lives; how you may live a normal life one second and the next second that life can be turned upside down! This is definitely one of the most captivating books I have ever read. Page turning and intense, John and Cylin keep you asking for more. I expect that The Year We Disappeared will be a popular read for young adults and adults alike.

Lots of bad language, violent scenes, and frightening situations.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Osseo, Wisconsin United States

The Snake Prince of Montreal by Aliana K. Deveza

Agatha and Lucille are best friends. Lester and Prince Aaron are best friends. Lester likes Lucille who likes Aaron who likes Agatha who likes Aaron. Aaron and Agatha marry, making Lucille angry. So she runs off to her aunt (a black witch) and learns dark magic to plan revenge on Agatha. On the day of Aaron and Agatha's wedding, Lucille shows up out of nowhere and curses their unborn son. Every full moon, he will turn into a snake! Will he ever break the curse?

This book felt like a Dick and Jane book; the sentences were very choppy and didn't flow well. That was before I read the About the Author section. Turns out it is very good for her age - she is only 11! It had a very good storyline but I think the author could have given more detail. It was a cliffhanger ending, so I am going to have to locate the second book!

Reviewer Age:14

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

Rating: 5

Content Rating: 1

The Flame and the Shadow by Denise Rossetti

Cenda has just gone through a horrible experience losing her baby daughter. But out of the tragedy, she gained an invaluable power - the ability to call and control fire. Even though Cenda wants nothing to do with it, she must quickly find a way to manage the power before it ruins her. What she doesn't know is that there are hunters out looking for her, including Grayson, the Duke of Ombra.

Gray has his own agenda. As the Sorcerer of shadows, for as long as he can remember, he's been stuck with Shad. Gray believes that Shad is the darkness within himself, so he's on a mission to rid himself of Shad, even if he has to destroy people he loves.


As Cenda slowly starts to fall in love with Gray. But then she discovers that he's about to betray her and she must do something to save herself before it's too late.

This book has an interesting premise. I like reading fantasy books once in a while and this one fit the bill. But this wasn't the best novel that I've read in that genre. It seemed that the story focused more on the sex rather than on the plot. Personally it was a slow read. I would recommend this to a very select audience, and especially older readers.

This is definately for older readers because there is sex and language in the novel.

Reviewer Age:21

Reviewer City, State and Country: Philadelphia, PA USA

The Twilight Companion by Lois H. Gresh

If you're a big fan of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, then this is the book for you! Just released to coincide with the movie, this guide gives behind the scenes information about the novels and their characters. Also included in this book are spotlights on the history and myths of vampires, werewolves, and much more. This Twilight Companion provides insights on almost everything regarding the Twilight books. By the end of this book, the reader should be very knowledgeable about Twilight and vampires.

While this book was entertaining at some parts, overall it wasn't my favorite read. This book initially caught my eye because I loved the Twilight books. I really liked the history parts of the book, especially the parts on vampires. The author did quite a bit of research to get the facts. But I didn't really like her sarcastic writing style and the numerous quizzes didn't really grab my interest. But I would highly recommend this guide to any Stephenie Meyer fans.

Reviewer Age:21

Reviewer City, State and Country: Philadelphia, PA USA

Willow by Julia Hoban

The story of Willow, a teenage cutter who's addiction to the razor stems from the night her drunken parents were killed in a car wreck. The twist is Willow was the one driving the car that rainy night when she lost control of the wheel. Now it is hard for her to face the world without feeling like a murderer. The only glimmer of hope in her life is Guy, the love interest who is unwilling pulled into the drama of Willow's life.

A typical young adult novel. True it is the common "teen issues" that draw readers into these kinds of stories, but it can be said reading about these issues over and over again tend to make the genre a bit stale. Credit can be given to the author for trying to add a new twist to the tale yet it still can be put into the category of "just one of those teen books." There were some problems with pacing. For instance at times you don't realize a conversation takes place in two settings and by the time this is noticed you can not pin point the place were the transition occurred. The love interest was stereotypical for a teen novel, always popping up in the right places and being undeniably perfect. But again it is the "perfect relationship" image that young girls fawn over. The novel did end on a good note though. And although some people may view it as unrealistic, or soap opera like, or wonderfully sweet or perfect, you at least could put the book down without waiting for the sequel to find out if Willow's addiction was truly dealt with.

Since this book is about a cutter, some images described may not set right with young, or perhaps even mature readers, if they're sensitive to blood. Some inappropriate language and at one point Willow and her love interest Guy decide to have sex. Not much detail is mentioned, but still, it may not be appropriate for young readers.

Reviewer Age: 15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Holly Springs, North Carolina United States of America