Rescue Me by Alex McAuley

Maggie Leigh is trying to be a normal girl. But that's hard when London is in the midst of World War II and German bombs are raining on the city every other day. After an attack that leaves Maggie's aunt in a coma, Maggie's ultra-religious mother sends her to a faraway boarding school in Wales. The school is run by nuns that are even more religious than her mother and slightly crazier to boot. After only one day at the school, an incident on the beach causes Maggie and her three friends to flee for their lives.

This book was weird. Most of the characters were really odd, with the exception of the protagonist Maggie and maybe a few minor characters. I have read other books where girls in this time period are sent to boarding school, and this doesn't compare at all. I feel like the author wanted to write a historical novel but didn't quite know how to do it. So he wrote in a lot of things, like the crazy nuns, to add to the "creep" factor and then turned the plot upside with a huge twist at the end. I want to say if this story was better written I would have liked it, but even then I don't think I would have.

Reviewer Age: 16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Aston, Pennsylvania, United States

Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Orphaned at 13, Quincie Morris is left in the care of her uncle. She finds support and comfort in her werewolf best friend and love interest Kieren. Quincie and her uncle manage the family's Italian restaurant. Four years after the death of her parents, they decide to renovate the restaurant to a vampire themed night spot. They expect that in the unusual town of Austin, Texas, where Vampires and Were-people are tolerated, the vamp theme will attract and inspire all sorts of new guests. And so it does. A month before the opening of the restaurant, the head chef Vaggio, is viciously murdered. Bottling up all the emotion from the death of Vaggio, Quincie must decide where her allegiances lie. When a tantalizing new chef is hired by the restaurant, whose shoulder will she turn to?

I did enjoy this book but found it a little slow and dull at times. It has a great story line. Most of the characters were described well but others failed to grip my attention. I loved the strained relationships and love triangle between Quince, Kieren the new chef, Bradley Sanguini. I think the author was clever in the way she twisted the plot and made it hard to decide what was coming next. I felt disappointed at the end as I expected a big ending and really got no closure. This was an easy read that at times, fascinated and enthralled me. I would recommend this novel to teenagers from 12 up as a book not to taken too seriously. A tantalizing read with all the seduction of good spaghetti and all the fright of men in capes.

Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Melbourne , Victoria, Australia

My One Hundred Adventures by Polly Horvath

Jane Fielding lives in an ocean-side cottage in New England with her mother, a local poet, and her three younger siblings. At the age of twelve, she is yearning for adventure amidst the otherwise hum-drum goings-on in her little sea-side town. Surely enough, adventure finds her, first with a hijacked hot-air balloon ride, and then with the strange appearances of her mother's old boyfriends--and her possible fathers. Befriending the town's preacher and babysitting the unruly Gourd children lead to even further adventures. But beyond the simple pleasure of finding excitement and mystery, Jane's adventures lead to her own revelations about life, relationships, faith, and, most of all, herself.

The book's most remarkable feature is its beautiful imagery. From the sand blown across the floorboards of the Fieldings' cottage, to a dumpy trailer park, where there lives a man with an acute resemblance to Santa Claus, every image is stunning and memorable. Jane's exploits do not drive the novel's plot, instead the reader's interest is drawn to the adult characters in Jane's life. I found that the adventures and conflicts that surrounded Jane were more compelling stories than Jane's own trials babysitting and trailing behind the eccentric preacher. At a later part in the novel, Jane reflects that "all our lives are mundane but all our lives are also poetry." Indeed, My One Hundred Adventures is simply a story about a girl's summer, but in the way that it's told, the mundane becomes poetic, and even at day at the beach can be an adventure.

The novel contains some domestic violence.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Concord, MA USA

Rating 8

Content Rating: 2

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Nineteen-year-old Cassandra (Cassie) Parrish is dead in a motel room in New Hampshire. Before she died, she called her best friend, Emma (a struggling bulimic), begging Emma to pick up. After leaving Emma thirty-three messages, she suddenly died. Now, Emma is being visited by the "ghost" of Cassie. Emma once again turns to bulimia to try to cope with the situation. This life-altering decision will send her down a path to destruction, with the ghost of Cassie leading the reigns.

Though the book was interesting in some parts, I thought that it was hard to understand. The way that the author wrote some of the paragraphs was somewhat hard to comprehend; the narrator would say something, then cross out the idea and re-write it. Once I decoded what the author was trying to portray, I thought that the idea was interesting and that the writing was written exactly like people think. Personally, I thought that the topic of the novel was very realistic. The whole concept of Emma fighting an inner battles (her vs. her weight and her vs. the guilt of not picking up the phone when Cassie called) and the battle with her best friend (Cassie vs. Emma) was heart-wrenching. I would suggest this book to anyone who enjoys reading a story about coming-of-age and likes reading about overcoming obstacles.

Reviewer Age:15

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

xxxHolic: Anotherholic by Nisioisin

Kimihiro Watanuki is plagued by spirits; he can never get rid of them. One day, he stumbles upon a bizarre wish-granting shop owned by Yûko Ichihara. She tells Kimihiro that she can make the spirits go away & for a price. Now he must serve her and help with her business. He encounters many strange phenomena while working at this shop.

This book was based off of a manga series and is, in my opinion, not as good. This book isn't very descriptive. It used only the main details of the plot. The imagery that you usually get from a good novel wasnt there. It was like reading a manga without the pictures. It was not the best book I have ever read.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, Pennsylvania USA

The Hammer by Vance Neudorf

Corvan was finally turning 16, the age of becoming a man in his little village town. All he wanted as a birthday present was to be able to stand up to the bullies at school and have his families financial problems disappear, but Corvan got a whole lot more than that. Beginning with the finding of a single hammer with strange blue writing on it, mysteries begin to unfold after his parents hint around about the real meaning of his name and the secrets of the hammer. Corvan is confused and scared and turns to his one and only friend Kate. This decision pulls Kate into a world of dangers behind doors of which only Corvan can save her. Corvan is forced into a world with prejudice, dangers, and lies, with only the hammer to guide him as the Cor-Van, this world's only glimmer of hope. The Hammer is an enjoyable adventure/fantasy book.

This book really captured my attention with the fantasy and adventure that came with it. The plot was very simple and was an easy read but, was slightly confusing in explaining the characters attitudes and looks. I had a hard time picturing the plot and that caused me to guess a lot of the events. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend this book as an easy and adventurous read. I will most definitely read the upcoming sequel to end this decent series.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: colleyville, Texas USA

Black Dragon Codex by R. D. Henham

Black Dragon Codex is a very interesting adventure book. It starts with a bang, and the beginning really holds the reader's interest. However, after that, there is a lull of action and it is quite boring for awhile. Then, the end is also very exciting.
The two main characters in this book are Satia, a girl taken by a dragon, and Septimus, the black dragon that snatches Satia. An evil wizard named Thordane captures Septimus's mother, who transforms Septimus into a boy. Now, Septimus and Satia are together, and they make a pact that they will help rescue Septimus's mother, and Septimus will, in return, take her home. In order to find out what happens next you must read Black Dragon Codex.

In my opinion, the book Black Dragon Codex is a fairly exciting story. One thing I especially like about this book is how, in the action-packed parts, you can't wait to turn the page. Also, I like how the book starts out with a bang, and that makes you want to continue reading it. Another thing I enjoyed about this book was how it varies the main focus. At some points, it concentrates on Septimus, while at other points, the main character is Satia. This is nice, because it gives the story two different perspectives.
There were quite a few things I did not enjoy about this book. I did not like how during the middle of the book, there was very little action and excitement. Also, the author never made me feel like I was one of the characters in the book. I liked Bronze Dragon Codex much better than Black Dragon Codex. Overall, I wouldn't say this book is great, but it is surely not a bad book.

Reviewer Age:13

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

"The Crown" by Deborah Chester

Deborah Chester's "The Crown" is an exquisite fantasy novel. It has all the aspects of a fairy tale, as well as action that one would find in a blockbuster. The book follows the story of Lea, a princess of light. She is captured by Shadrael and his men. Pretty as can be, Lea is subjected to wooing from Shadrael's men; yet Shadrael himself shows no sign of his libido around her. Shadrael has no soul and was supposed to deliver Lea to his brother. Instead, he sends Lea to Vindicants in exchange for a soul. Over the course of the novel, Lea bewitches Shadrael so that eventually, Shadrael realizes that Lea is the most important thing in his life. After all, Lea has several opportunities in the book to run away from Shadrael or kill him; however, she stays by his side and even protects him. Drama and action ensue as one of Shadrael's men betrays him and Lea is used as a source of life for evil lords. The overall genre is fantasy, but this book incorporates all genres into it, making Chester worthy of her national bestselling author title.

This book is a page-turner that will keep readers on the edge of their seats, reading the entire book in a night. Deborah Chester's "The Crown" spins a tale of romance and forbidden love, action and classic light vs. dark combat. The chemistry between Lea and Shadrael is wonderfully composed. It is subtle at first and escalates to matrimony towards the end of the novel. The love between the characters is tender, yet there are no grotesquely chauvinistic love scenes described. Hence, this book is great for those whom love romance yet do not want to read a steamy book full of explicit descriptions and no literary density. Also, many small internal conflicts arise between characters and their families. Chester's writing style flows superbly, and the chapters coalesce in an ebbing fashion. Lea struggles against her fate with light, whilst Shadrael struggles against his taste for blood and deceit. This novel is magical and depicts the coveted struggle which is so clearly portrayed on the cover.

Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Staten Island, NY USA

The Stepsister Scheme

The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines revisits the classic fairy tales Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White as the first installment of the Princess series. In Hines' fantasy, these "happily ever after" fairy tales come to us with a twist. Cinderella's (known to her stepsisters as Cinderwench) real name is Danielle Whiteshore, Sleeping Beauty is actually a martial arts master who goes by Talia and hates fairies despite their blessings, and Snow is a sorceress who changed her name to hide her royal roots. After Danielle's stepsister attempts to take her life and her husband, Prince Armand, is kidnapped, these three princesses head out to Fairyland on a mission to find the evil stepsisters and rescue the prince. On the way, the princesses are forced to revisit their pasts, outthink riddles, conquer magical beings, and, most importantly, trust each other.

This princess trio is certainly one to admire, full of courage, wit, beauty, and fun. As a great lover of fairy tales, I enjoyed how Hines combined the traditional fairy tales with the Disney ones in his own retelling, empowering the female characters as they went to rescue the prince. These strong heroines were well-developed and relatable, and their unique abilities and personalities balanced each other well. The Stepsister Scheme is full of action, moving the plot along while helping to attract a male audience in addition to the obvious female one. After being introduced to Danielle, Talia, and Snow in The Stepsister Scheme, I can't wait until The Mermaid's Madness is released to see how Hines merges these tough princesses into the tale of The Little Mermaid.

Content: 1
Rating: 8
Reviewer Age:19
Reviewer City, State and Country: Farmington, CT USA

The Chimera's Curse, by Julia Golding

Connie Lionheart is once again dealing with the stress and
dilemmas of the magical society. Ever since the first
book, Secret of the Sirens, Connie has been growing and
strengthening to defeat the evil being, Kullervo. When
Connie first found out that she was a Universal Companion,
or able to communicate with any mythological creature, she
had no clue what she was up against. Connie started to
train with a rock dwarf in the earlier books, but Connie
now finds herself learning different attacks on her own.
She plans to use these attacks and weapons to defeat
Kullervo. The leaders of the society want to keep her safe
and free from danger, so they do not want Connie to go
anywhere near him. Meanwhile, Connie's brother, Simon, has
been acting strangely around the woods of their home. Does
he have any connection with the chimera that has been
roaming around? What will the society do about Simon, and
can Connie defeat both the chimera and Kullervo?
I thought that The Chimera's Curse was a good end to the
Companion Quartet. Although it was a bit slow at times,
the relationships and intentions of the characters were
very realistic. I also liked how Golding incorporated many
conflicts to stand in Connie's way and the steps she took
to overcome them. Unlike the first in the series, I did
not think that this book was a page turner. The vocabulary
was written primarily for readers that are in their early
teens. I would only recommend this book to people who have
read the other three, but I do recommend this series to
everyone who has spare time.

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