Batter Off Dead by Tamar Myers

Minerva J. Jay is known for her prodigious appetite. When she falls over dead at the local Mennonite pancake feed, after ingesting twenty-six pancakes and seventeen sausages, the question is: was this hotcake homicide, or Minerva's abused stomach? The church's Head Deaconess can answer that, even though she is eight months pregnant; Magdalena is a closet super-sleuth. The police call Magdalena for her help, and she' a little less than willing. She gives in, and finds a big surprise on her hands. When she takes on the murder, and investigates seven unlucky folks, her prime suspect turns up dead by a driverless steamroller. Will Magdalena find the murderer?

Batter Off Dead, by Tamar Myers, is overall a good book. It is much more of a leisurely read than a page turner. The plot is enjoyable although it is more of a book that asks whodunit, instead of an edge-of-your-seat murder mystery. Myers includes a twinge of wit that helps the reader keep turning the pages for more. I recommend this book to those looking for something to read on a rainy day, and those readers who like wit and mystery.

some mentions of sex and there is some violence

Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Osseo, Wisconsin United States

Pieces of Me

"Pieces of Me" has a very appropriate title. The book is literally in pieces. Each part is only several paragraphs long, separated by icons that indicate a break in the story. Through this, you get to know Mirabelle, the main character. She hates her name and goes by Mira instead, deciding it sounds more beautiful. She lives in a "half-basement" with her mom, who is slightly crazy. Her mom, somewhat of a fashion designer, is constantly paranoid that someone will steal her designs and insists that all the hot designs were created by her. Mira's father left them years ago and Mira has no real hope for anything in life. But then Cath shows up. Cath is different than all the other girls. She actually pays attention to Mira and shows an interest in art which is Mira's favorite subject. Throw that together with escalating tension between Mira and her mother, Mira's crush on her Art teacher (who she calls "the birdman"), and her first kissing experiment, and it is bound to be an interesting year.

I have had very mixed thoughts about this book. On one hand, the writing was excellent and I really felt for Mira on several occasions. However, the story progressed at an excruciatingly slow pace for the first sixty pages or so. After that, I was hooked. I stayed up late just to get further in the book. Yes, it was that good. I did not enjoy the fact that it would skip from one thing to another without giving a logical explanation of time or place. However, I found this to be manageable after several chapters. It makes for a very interesting read. The ending was not all that good, but still okay. I would probably recommend this to some people, but not to all. Some people would definitely not enjoy this because of the way the author writes, but I enjoyed this one.

There were numerous incidents of sexual behavior and references.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Westerville, Ohio USA

Unusual Suspects

Unusual Suspects is the go-to book for contemporary mystery and fantasy stories of the new year. Twelve amazing authors combine mystery, sci-fi and fantasy elements to create some of the most amusing short stories this reviewer has ever read! From dragons to vampires to Santa Clause, Unusual Suspects will keep readers entertained with its colorful cast of cunning detectives and odd villains. It leaves nothing to be desired. Each story will satisfy fantasy and mystery lovers alike!

Unusual Suspects was a very enjoyable read. By far one of the better short story collections I've read, each one had a different theme, yet tied in nicely with the entire book. I loved that most of the stories had morals, like the The Duh-Vice by Micheal Armstrong, that stressed the importance of "going green". Or A Woman's Work by Dana Stabenow, that addressed the wrongs of sexism. Many of the stories have comedy, which made it, my opinion, a favorable read but two stories stood out to me above them all: The House by Laurie R. King, and Appetite For Murder by Simon R. Green, both of which were written uniquely with completely surprising endings. This book is absolutely a read for anyone that enjoys being entertained.

violence, language and sexual content

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Albany, New York USA

Too Many Curses by A. Lee Martinez

Too Many Curses by A. Lee Martinez is a whimsical fantasy adventure of a kobold named Nessy. Nessy is short, furry, and sensible. She takes care of the castle with a crazy wizard only known as Margle the Horrendous. Oddly enough he finds no fun in killing his opponents; instead he transforms them into cursed forms and locks them up in his castle. When Margle suddenly dies, Nessy still takes charge of the monsters and the horrors of the castle. Though her allies don't help her either—a voice without a body, a monster under her bed, some pieces of a wizard in a jar, and an angry fruit bat. Join her in her mission to put her foot down to control these horrors!

I really liked this book. It had a lot of imagery; so much that I kept thinking I was watching a movie. Sometimes I would be thinking about it, and I would say to myself, what movie was that? And then I would remember that it was this great book. This book makes you feel like you are tagging along with these characters in an adventure to keep everything safe. I would recommend this book to everyone who enjoys fantasy or wants to pick up a good read.

Reviewer Age: 16

Reviewer Cities, State and Country: Northport, New York USA

Hiding Glory by Laura Chester

"Hiding Glory" by Laura Chester is a classic children's book. It features a main young protagonist in her dual setting of the real world juxtaposed with the incredible glee of Joya. Turner is a grammar school girl who keeps horse figurines in her room along with flowers. Then, one day, a magical blue horse named Glory comes out of a morning glory flower and invites her to Joya. There, Turner learns the majestic yet silly ways of the land. She ventures to this land when she is ready for bedtime. This would make readers think Joya is just part of Turner's dreaming subconscious, but Chester's vivid descriptions say otherwise. Glory is actually a tiny horse, but whenever he meets Turner, they match up to be the same size so he can ride her to his lackadaisical land of happiness and delight.

This book has many subtle undertones that the average child may not pick up. The main antagonists are called Kurmudgins, who love order, and hate any sort of fun. The main adventure in the story involves Turner helping Glory to make them less cantankerous--so to speak. This is the order from the royal King and Queen. The Kurmudgins sound awfully like curmudgeons, but children will most likely not know this word. Still, there are other themes that youngsters can understand. For one, the Golden Rule is outlined: do unto others as you would have done unto yourself. This is even spelled out in pure dialog by the characters. Additionally, there is the moral of turning the cheek when others are malevolent towards you. Excellent lessons are alongside breathtaking illustrations in this cherished book.

Reviewer Age: 17

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

My Life in Pink and Green

"My Life in Pink and Green" by Lisa Greenwald is a spunky book of a budding entrepreneur. Still in middle school, Lucy has her small group of friends and her family pharmacy to worry about. She is a melancholy girl with too much responsibility on her shoulders. However, Lucy learns how to enjoy life and be happy when she can utilize her knowledge of beauty products to help "cool" kids and make a name for herself. Also, when the family pharmacy is in jeopardy of being shut down, Lucy takes it upon herself to find a solution. Throughout the novel, the plot sticks to just a few characters and is mainly concerned with Lucy's business adventures. Childhood crushes come into play in a sweet way towards the end, as well.

This novel is an excellent read for young adults, although it is geared more towards girls. Each chapter includes a beauty tip or business tip. These fun facts, coupled with the theme of beauty products sprinkled throughout the book, makes this tremendously appropriate for girls. The book teaches girls how they can be more confident and beautiful with both outer makeup and inner self-esteem. Also, for younger girls that have never worn makeup before, this novel subconsciously tells them to not overdo it when they finally start using the products for the first time. The term "green" is thrown around a lot in the book, as Lucy joins an Earth Club. Overall, the book is easy to follow and is a clean read for young girls.

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

Courage in Patience

Whoosh. That's the sound that Ashley Asher hears when her stepfather sexually abuses her. As a fifteen-year old she is no longer a child, but she never was an ordinary child to begin with. She endures emotional and physical pain while living with her biological mother, who doesn't care for her at all, and her abusive stepfather. The only way to save herself is to confront her mother and reveal the years of abuse she has received from her stepfather. When Ashley finally has the courage to tell her mother of the painful details of her horrific childhood, her mother turns her back on Ashley and continues to believe that nothing is wrong. The only people that care and are concerned for her safety are Ashley's friends and her teacher. When her teacher contacts Ashley's father (who Ashley has never seen) her life is turned upside down. She leaves her selfish mother and abusive stepfather to live with her caring biological father and stepmother in Patience. She learns that there are people out there that care about her and would do anything to protect her. It is where Ashley finally understands the meaning of...love.

Courage in Patience was an emotional, heart-warming book that is unforgettable and hard to put down. I haven't read a book like this in a long time. It makes you realize that life comes in many forms and how it begins or ends all depends on you as a person. Even though I have never endured the pain that Ashley did, I could feel inside of me what she felt when her mother turned her back on Ashley and how her heart shattered into little pieces. It was just so detailed, it felt like my heart was shattering into little pieces as well. When she moves to live with her biological dad, it felt as though my heart was healing along with Ashley's. I think this book will really touch the hearts of every reader and give them the sense of let-down and then the sense of somebody pulling you back on your feet and giving you the chance to live a life of hope and courage. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a heart, which includes everyone.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Gearhart, Or U.S.A.

"Man in the Moon", by Dotti Enderle

"Man in the Moon" by Dotti Enderle is a children's chapter book. As its appropriate title suggests, the plot is focused around a peculiar man in a moon. Technically, the part about the moon is just a metaphor, but, towards the end of the book, the reader may take this statement to be more than just literary. The story follows a girl growing up in the sixties with a sickly younger brother. The boy yearns to play outside but is confined to his indoor setting. One day, a very unique man comes to visit. He saved the girl's father back in World War II and has a fascination with the moon. Oddly enough, he gains weight when the moon waxes and looses weight when the moon wanes.

This book is a must read for young and old alike. There are no swear words in it or inappropriate scenes. While younger ones will benefit greatly from reading this, it is also great for all ages. Children will learn life lessons and start up a love of reading while adults will enjoy a story that doesn't take too long for them to read with their busy schedules. Family issues, friendship, the notion of death, destiny, dreams, and social interactions are spelled out in the book. The book truly is a coming of age story that involves a silly yet somber man in the moon.

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

Wow! This book is amazing! In this book a fourteen year old girl, Savvey, tries out for an eighteen year old basketball elite team and makes it. Then her older sister, Callie, tries out for cheer leading but just barely makes it because she is too heavy. When Savvey plays in her game, Callie gets mad because Savvey becomes the star of the game and gets all the attention. During one of her games, steroids mysteriously appear in her bag at half-time. In the end, the book tells who put the steroids in Savvey's gym bag.

The reason I think this book is good is because it has a great sequence of events. The fact that steroids magically appeared in Savvey's gym bag during the middle of the game kept my attention. I wanted to know how the drugs got in the bag. I hoped that she didn't take steroids because she was a great athlete and the team needed her. She proved that she could be a great player without taking drugs. This book was really interesting and it kept me on the edge of my seat.




Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Leopold, MO USA

The Prism Blade by Patricia Bow

The Prism Blade is the second book in the series The Passage to Mythrin. Amelia, Simon, and Ike get caught in the middle of a battle that has been raging forever between Dragons and Humans. Simon wants his life to go back to normal after the first visit to Mythrin, but Amelia and Mara (the dragon she met in the last visit) have different ideas. Amelia believes that she is being sent dreams from Mara that are telling her to go find a passage way to Mythrin. The dreams eventually lead them to a library window, which eventually leads them to Mythrin. When they return to their world, a 12 year old seeker returns with them to see if this world is safe from Dragons. She is also on the search for something called The Prism Blade. It is said that The Prism Blade can kill off all the Dragons. When Amelia returns the face off is about to begin. Can she stop it? And if not, whose side is she going to take? Read the book to find out.

The Prism Blade is good for anyone who likes fantasy. It never has a slow point where I wanted to put it down. The book is a never ending adventure. Whether it is winning a trophy or it is finding a Passage to Mythrin or even looking for a window, Amelia will one way or another make it sound like the best thing ever. This one takes a different view on dragons, one like I have never seen before. If you liked Eragon, Dragonspell, and/or The Dragons in our Midst series than you should like this one too. It ended up being one of my favorite books I have read. Enjoy!

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Topeka, Kansas United States of America