The Smile by Donna Jo Napoli

The main character of The Smile by Donna Jo Napoli is Elisabetta, who is the daughter of a silk merchant outside Florence, Italy during the Renaissance. There is a subplot where Elisabetta is friends with a young servant named Silvia. Elisabetta's parents keep pressing her to end her friendship with the servant. Later on in the story, Silvia becomes important to the plot. Once when Elisabetta's family attends the funeral of the ruler and banker of Florence, Lorenzo de'Medici Il Magnifico, Elisabetta tours the city with her father's friend, Leonardo da Vinci. He promises to paint her portrait when she is older. Elisabetta meets Lorenzo's youngest son, Giuliano. They fall in love. Then the French army masses outside the gates of Florence because the city is an ally of France's enemy, Naples. The citizens support France, because Florence is one of the financial capitals of Europe, and the French were financially powerful at that time. The Florentines accuse the ruling Medici, Piero of being a tyrant and banish the family from the city. Will the love between Elisabetta and Giuliano survive the political turmoil? Will Elisabetta's friendship with Silvia survive? Finally, what does this have to do with the portrait da Vinci is going to paint of Elisabetta?

I will give this novel a 7. First I will give a disclaimer. I did not realize that this book was a romantic historical fiction. Anyone who enjoys romantic fiction would probably rate this novel higher. The author knew a great deal about the Italian Renaissance. The novel contains many historical events. I through transitions as Elisabetta gets older could have been smoother. I have noticed that young adult historical novels often interject modern thoughts and ideas into the story, especially about the role of women and class structure. I through that part three was realistic for the role of women at that time. If you enjoy romantic historical fiction, you will enjoy The Smile by Donna Jo Napoli.

Reviewer Age:18

Reviewer City, State and Country: Urbana, Illinois U.S.A.

The Smile by Donna Jo Napoli

The main character of The Smile by Donna Jo Napoli is Elisabetta, who is the daughter of a silk merchant outside Florence, Italy during the Renaissance. There is a subplot where Elisabetta is friends with a young servant named Silvia. Elisabetta's parents keep pressing her to end her friendship with the servant. Later on in the story, Silvia becomes important to the plot. Once when Elisabetta's family attends the funeral of the ruler and banker of Florence, Lorenzo de'Medici Il Magnifico, Elisabetta tours the city with her father's friend, Leonardo da Vinci. He promises to paint her portrait when she is older. Elisabetta meets Lorenzo's youngest son, Giuliano. They fall in love. Then the French army masses outside the gates of Florence because the city is an ally of France's enemy, Naples. The citizens support France, because Florence is one of the financial capitals of Europe, and the French were financially powerful at that time. The Florentines accuse the ruling Medici, Piero of being a tyrant and banish the family from the city. Will the love between Elisabetta and Giuliano survive the political turmoil? Will Elisabetta's friendship with Silvia survive? Finally, what does this have to do with the portrait da Vinci is going to paint of Elisabetta?

I will give this novel a 7. First I will give a disclaimer. I did not realize that this book was a romantic historical fiction. Anyone who enjoys romantic fiction would probably rate this novel higher. The author knew a great deal about the Italian Renaissance. The novel contains many historical events. I through transitions as Elisabetta gets older could have been smoother. I have noticed that young adult historical novels often interject modern thoughts and ideas into the story, especially about the role of women and class structure. I through that part three was realistic for the role of women at that time. If you enjoy romantic historical fiction, you will enjoy The Smile by Donna Jo Napoli.

Reviewer Age:18

Reviewer City, State and Country: Urbana, Illinois U.S.A.

Persistence of Memory by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

For Erin Misrahe, going to public school is something to celebrate. Ever since her diagnosis she's been in hospital after hospital, and had to take a rainbow of pills. And up until recently those pills have done the trick. Erin is surprised one day when her alter ego Shevaun shows up on an average day. But what if Shevaun isn't an alter ego at all, but a real person? What if Erin hasn't been crazy all these years after all?

Amelia Atwater-Rhodes has a very unique style of writing. I felt the book was very original and had a good creative twist. But towards the middle of the book it started getting rushed. It was like the author was trying to fit as much in before the end of the book. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a good book. Or to anyone who enjoys predicting what the end of the book will be.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Seaside , OR USA

Fabulous and Monstrous Beasts by Belinda Weber

Fabulous and Monstrous Beasts is a fictional field guide, rather than an actual story. The book is very well organized, dividing the monsters into three different sections: air, land, and water beasts. The major and minor sections are arranged clearly and according to the table of contents. Large, colorful, detailed pictures help the reader visualize the monsters and connect to the informative paragraphs about the different creatures. The guide hits the basic points about the monster such as its lore from the area it originated but doesn't go into complicated details. The author only gives small examples of the variations of the creatures, and doesn't list all of them. When you reach the end of the book, there is a reference that contains the following sections: Folklore of today, Real-life monsters, a Glossary, an Index, and Further reading. The Folklore of today lists common animals and their place in folklore. The Real-life monster section describes animals from our natural world with amazing traits or abilities some of which were the basis for the mythological creatures list in the book. The Glossary gives a brief definition of the monsters or creatures along with places and other terms used in the book. The index is straightforward; it lists the term and the page number(s) it is located on. The Further reading section contains a list of books and websites with more information about monsters and creatures.

Now, you may be thinking, If it's a book about monsters that could tear you apart, won't there be blood and such in it? The answer to that question is a simple no. The only parts of the book that weren't too gentle weren't as bad as you may think. There was only three pictures, one with MINOR blood, another was a bunch of stuff that could have been an extremely large lump of seaweed that kind of resembled a sea-monster carcass, and the last one was a beheaded Hydra head. I really enjoyed how the pictures were painted with intricate details, so that you can see every separate strand of fur and scale. I would recommend this book to anyone who is 7 and up, and who enjoys fantasy beasts.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Round Rock, TX USA

Barnaby Grimes and the Curse of the Night Wolf by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell

Barnaby Grimes and the Curse of the Night Wolf is about a boy, Barnaby Grimes, who is a tick-tock lad, delivering messages to people all over the city of London. He is also a highstacker, meaning he gets around by climbing up houses, chimneys, and things like that. One night, while climbing above the rooftops, Barnaby runs into a wolf! That same night, his good friend Old Benjamin mysteriously disappears. Barnaby knows there must be some link between these odd events, and he is determined to find out what. Then Barnaby meets the suspicious Doctor Cadwallader after receiving a letter that was meant for Old Benjamin from the Doctor.

This book was a good light read. The plot was a little boring because I got the main idea of what was going to happen within the first third of the book. It is a good read for anyone who is looking for an easy book to read in one afternoon. The vocabulary was a little difficult, but not hard enough to ruin the story. Barnaby Grimes was a little scary, so I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who doesn't like to be a little freaked out. Overall, I enjoyed reading Barnaby Grimes and the Curse of the Night Wolf.

Reviewer Age: 12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Harleysville, PA USA

Rating: 8
Content Rating: 1

Lay-ups and Longshots by Joseph Bruchac

This book is about different people's experiences with sports. The stories range from having difficulties playing the sport to how they got treated on the team. There were also stories about how they found confidence in themselves. The author’s purpose was to entertain the reader with stories of other peoples’ experiences. The author did this by having different stories about various sports to keep us hooked and excited for a new story.

This book was interesting because the writers have all kinds of stories. I liked how the author used detail to give me a picture in my head. My favorite story was when a guy could never make two baskets in a row. But when he asked if his grandpa was going to live he made a couple shots in a row. I would recommend this book to people who like realistic fiction and sports. If you like short stories, read this book.

Flamingnet student reviewer
age: 15 St. Paul, MN.

Heir to Sevenwaters

Clodagh and her five sisters are the daughters of a great chief. Their cousin Johnny is next in line to be Heir to Sevenwaters. Then Clodagh's mother has a son, and he is next in line. Then trouble starts to stir. Johnny's men are acting suspicious, and Clodagh's mother,with no strength to get out of bed, leaves the baby in her hands. That is when the baby goes missing, and a changeling is in his place. Now no one trusts Clodagh, and they all think that she is insane because she is the only one that actually realizes that "Finbar" is actually a way to find her brother. Finbar is a baby made of sticks and stones, but he cries, eats, and sleeps just like a normal child. Clodagh sets out on a journey to find the Heir to Sevenwaters.

Overall, I thought that the book was really boring. It would talk about one thing in the whole chapter. She described the changeling in one chapter and described how the sticks looked. I liked the characters and their personalities, but there wasn't very much action. I would recomend this book for older people because some of the words didn't even make since to me!

Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Leopold, Missouri, United States

Magic to the Bone

Magic to the Bone by Devon Monk tells the tale of 25-year-old Allison Beckstrom, daughter of the prominent businessman responsible for the discovery and distribution of magic. Though Allie could be living a luxurious life as part of her father's company, she avoids her father entirely along with his magical influence. Instead, she works as a hound, someone who tracks magical "offloads" (placing the consequences of magic on another person), and lives in the one of the worst neighborhoods in Portland. When she is called to hound an offload on a five-year-old boy, Allie finds that the hit has her father's signature. After speaking to her father for the first time in several years, Allie is forced to fight for not only her life, but to prove her innocence in her dad's murder. Along with the help of her few existing friends, Nola and Zavion, Allie runs from the law and tries to protect a man claiming he knows who the real murderer is. She endures many surprises including learning things about herself and magic that she never knew to be possible. The story then ends with a completely unpredictable finale.

I thought this book was very entertaining and exciting. Though some of the language and actions used are geared for more mature readers, it can still be pleasant to read for younger teens. The author's vivid details make you feel like you're part of the story. I found the book's unusual form of magic to be very interesting because of its great contrast to the traditional type in witch and wizard stories. I think Magic to the Bone would be a good read for most teenage science fiction fans.

This story contains some vulgar actions and language.The flamingnet underwriter was Mrs.Bellis.

Reviewer Age:14Reviewer City, State and Country: Marble Hill, Missouri US

Inca Gold is a story where the reader and a girl named Sally both go to an airport in Cuzco, Peru to find the Lost City of the Incas. In this book from the Choose Your Own Adventure Series, the reader gets to make decisions that will determine what happens to them throughout the book as they search for The Lost City of Gold. The book will take the reader through many adventures including through jungles and many other treacherous paths. Be careful because others are out there looking for it too. The decisions you make in this quest could be good or bad. The wrong decisions could end your journey, but you can always go and reroute your path.

I like this book because it feels like you are in the book. You can decide what you want to happen. The author included details that helped me as a reader imagine the sounds and sights of each setting in the book. I like it because it's adventurous. It's the first book I've ever read that you can choose your own path and I really like that. My least favorite path is when I decided to go jump out of an airplane and my parachute would not open. I jerked it roughly and my chute opened, but the jungle was coming too fast and I crashed into what first looked like a soft blanket of green. The closer I got it seemed like an angry porcupine. The book let me know that this wasn't the way I was supposed to go. I had a hard time picking my favorite way to go. There were a lot of great ways.
Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Leopold, MO USA

"Navigators: Stars & Planets" by Dr. Mike Goldsmith

Dr. Mike Goldsmith's "Stars and Planets" is a discovery all in its own. It discusses exactly what its eponymous title implies. The book starts out with the simple notions of the solar system and light, and cascades later into the more complex ideas of supernovas and space exploration. Each topic covers two pages and is akin to a poster that spans the left and right side of the book middle. Each section has a fun fact on the bottom of the page, a definition on the left side of the page, and a website to visit on the right side of the page. The middle of the pages are full of glossy, colorful pictures and short explanatory paragraphs. The contents of the book are what anyone could find online, but they are laid out in such a way that they do not seem at all intimidating to the non-PhD-holding reader.

This book is a great, quick read for kids of all ages. The holographic cover excites readers and makes them expectant for what lies on the inside of the book. The pages have plenty of pictures that make concepts understandable, but there are not so many pictures as to make the book seem too rudimentary. The scientific principles are all laid out, but there are only enough facts there for the reader to comprehend what lies within the book. The additional websites provided serve to guide readers to sites that hold more advanced science. Overall, the book is quite informative. In about an hour, it can transform any reader into a novice space connoisseur. From the enigmas of gravity to the wonders of ageless astronauts in hibernating capsules, this book will make you think and leave you with a sense of self-satisfaction when you are done.

Reviewer Age:17

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