Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared To Dream by Tanya Lee Stone

Most everyone has heard of the Mercury 7, the first human spaceflight program in the Untied States. It lasted from 1959 through 1963, and the goal was to beat the Russians in putting the first human in orbit around the Earth. Everyone pretty much knows John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, and the rest of the crew that trained, but very few people know of the thirteen women who trained and never got to go into space. Jerrie Cobb was the first woman pilot to take all the same tests that the men took, and even scored higher than the men! Not only did they create a path for female astronauts, but they also played a very important role in WASP (The Women Air Force Service Pilots) and other rights for women in the 1960s. These thirteen women should be honored and remembered throughout American history.

This was an excellent book! Tanya Lee Stone did a great job in her research and interviews for this book. I am so glad that she wrote this book, because I never knew anything about these women who fought to be part of the space project with NASA. This book would be a good source for a book report or research paper for anyone. I would recommend it for ages eleven and up.

Reviewer Age: 14

Reviewer City, State and Country: NM, USA

MY BROTHER ABE by Harry Mazer

Have you ever wondered what Abe Lincoln's life was like when he was a kid? If so, My Brother Abe is a good book for you. In this book Harry Mazer writes from Sally Lincoln's, Abe's sister, point of viewand you are reading her diary. This book is easy for kids to understand because it is written like a kid would write something. You also get to see the problems the Lincoln kids had to face every day, from moving to bickering amongst themselves.

My Brother Abe was a pretty good book, but there were some boring parts. It was a good easy read. If anyone wants a book they could read in an afternoon, I would recommend My Brother Abe. If you aren't at all interested in history, don't read My Brother Abe. If you like historical fiction or enjoy learning about presidents then this book is the right book for you.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Harleysville, PA USA

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Nobody Owens knows he is different. But now, he's finally learning just how different he really is. After his family was killed one night by an ancient and secret organization, Nobody, now known as Bod, has been raised in the graveyard. He has gained some gifts from the inhabitants, such as the ability to Fade out of sight. But now, 13 years later, the same people who killed his family have set out to finish the job. Bod must save himself and his friend- but it comes at a price.

The Graveyard Book is full of fascinating components and dynamic characters. Neil Gaiman has done it again- another great book full of twists and turns. The people are so realistic and true that one can almost reach out and touch them; the settings make so much sense and give the story an easily identifiable background. Although the tone is dark and the beginning of the book is a bit scary, it just makes the book even better. I would recommend this book for those around the age of 10 because of this.
Attempted murder and advanced views.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Colleyville, Texas USA

Ben 10 Alien Force by Cartoon Network

Ben Tennyson is back and better than ever. Five years after putting the Omnitrix, a device that he uses to transform himself into an alien, away for good, he is called into action. Grandpa max has been kidnapped and Ben is the only one who can save him. With the help of the Omnitrix, his cousin Gwen, his former nemesis Kevin Levin, and an alien, he goes on a search for Grandpa Max.

This graphic novel is illustrated very well, but the actual story was written in a very choppy way. It is a very good book for younger kids who dislike reading, but want some form of entertainment. It was a short read, not much actually happened in this first book. This is good for anyone who likes the Ben Ten TV show and/or movies.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, Pennsylvania USA

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong

Chloe, who turns out to be a magical science experiment, can see and talk to ghosts. That's because she happens to be a necromancer. She runs away from Lyle House, where she was previously kept by members of The Edison Group, the group that actually genetically altered her. She's not alone. With her are Simon, a sorcerer; Derek, a werewolf; and Tori, a witch; not to mention her dead ghost friend Liz. Their goal is to find Simon and Derek's father, who could possibly help them retain their freedom. Along the way, Chloe and Derek run into a rather disgruntled pack of werewolves, the group has to evade capture, and injury, several times, and Simon and Chloe just may like each other.

Wow. After reading The Awakening, I was quite pleasantly surprised. The Awakening was even better than The Summoning, the first book in this amazing series. Twilight lovers that would have liked a little more action, or fans of the City of Bones series, would really enjoy The Awakening. It was well written, incredibly suspenseful, and there was never a slow moment. Overall, the plot is excellent and the characters seem like real people. I would definitely recommend The Awakening to anyone interested in a work of fiction with suspense, werewolves, and dynamic, well-thought-out characters. I can't wait for the next installment in this incredible series!

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Charleston, SC USA

Jane of Chelsea by J. J. Edwards

Jane is with her cousin, Edward, returning to her kingdom when a mysterious fog surrounds them. Soon it clears, ending their fear, but only to give them a new one. They find themselves in a different world where their adventure starts by being kidnapped. A huntress saves them and takes them to talking storks who think Jane is the missing daughter of their kingdom. Jane is taken to the kingdom, and automatically fits in, convinced she is the missing daughter. Edward, however, doesn't fit in and wants to return home. Jane has to see through challenges to prove she is the missing daughter, while Edward is tricked into going to a place where whoever goes into it never returns. Distressed, Jane goes in to save her cousin. Will they both get out of there alive?

I thought this book was pretty good, although sometimes I would get a little confused. My confusion was caused when I didn't know exactly who was talking. I thought it had a good plot, which consisted of twists and turns that the characters had to think a way out of. There were many good qualities to this book, it was very descriptive and it had good dialogue. However, the beginning was a little slow. This is a good book for readers who like fantasy and adventure all in one.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Carlisle, PA United States

Prophets: Apotheosis: Book One by S. Andrew Swann

Something is going on with the supposedly uninhabited planet Xi Virginis. An egg sent out by humans to see this planet has disappeared without a trace. The Roman Catholic Church and the rest of the universe decide to intervene and see what is going on with this planet.

Enter Father Mallory, Nickolai, Jusuf Wahid and Julie Kagura, the team assembled to find out what is going on. Mallory is sent by the Roman Catholic Church and is posing as ex-staff sergeant Fitzpatrick. Nickolai is an alien prince who has super-human strength. Wahid and Kagura both posess exceptional skills with weapons.

This odd team of people will be the universe's only hope to figuring out what is happening on Xi Virginis... and may be the universe's only hope to not cause a full out war.

I thought that the book was all right. I thought that some parts of the book were rather slow while other parts were extremely interesting. I enjoyed the plot line and the diverse characteristics of the characters. However, I thought that the first half of the book was rather confusing because the author had the point of view switch with the characters; that is, the author had each character narrate a chapter or two and then switched narrators, which made it difficult to follow which character was doing what. Overall, I thought that the book was pretty good, but it was confusing during the beginning of the book.

Reviewer Age:15

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

Hannah Pritchard: Pirate of the Revolution

Hannah Pritchard: Pirate of the Revolution is about a girl named Hannah who wants revenge on the attackers who killed her family. She goes out on an adventure and meets 2 women who give her work at an inn. Then she sees an ad in the newspaper for a cabin boy on a ship. She knows that girls aren't allowed on ships so she dresses as a boy. She barely gets the job as cabin boy. Dressed as a boy, she tries to keep her secret. She had trouble with another sailor named Lawson. Finally, they go back home. Then Hannah inherits her father's farm.
I loved this book because it told a good story. It was the best story I've heard in ages. Also, it told her emotions about her problems with Lawson and everything.
Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Leopold, MO United States of America

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones, the first in the Mortal Instruments series, is an intoxicating and addictive novel told from the point of view of Clarissa Fray. Clary is an ordinary girl, living with her artistic mother. But Clary always thought she was different. Her suspicions became reality one night when she sees a blue haired boy being attacked and killed by a group of very attractive looking teenagers. Though it seems she is the only person to be able to witness such events. After this incident she is thrown into a world of paranormal magic and her life is never the same again. She befriends a group of shadow hunters (teenagers who kill demons etc) and finds that she is mysteriously connected to all the strange supernatural happenings around her.

I thought City of Bones was amazing. It truly caught your imagination and was hard to put down. Cassandra Clare used so much description in her words and in the way she betrayed her characters that City of Bones was a very interesting read. I was a little disappointed at the final twist in the story and was able to pick what was going to happen a while before it did. This would definitely be a great book to follow Stephanie Meyers Twilight series, if you are like me and a die hard Edward fan. Overall, City of Bones was an intriguing mix of urban fantasy, witty humor and romance.

Reviewer: SMill
Age:14

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

The Anatomy of Wings by Karen Foxlee

When Jennifer looses her sister, she has no clue why this horrible thing has occurred. Her sister, Beth, was beautiful, popular, smart, and according to their grandma, could talk to angels. Plus, now that Beth is gone Jennifer has lost her stunning ability to sing. Every time that she opens her mouth, the words just will not come out. So now with the help of her best friend, Grace, Jenny is on a hunt to figure out what went wrong with her sister. In doing this, she thinks she will regain her ability to sing. Though, along the way, she finds a few secrets that she simply can't understand.

When beginning The Anatomy Of Wings, I thought I was going to love it since the summary made it seem like it was going to be fast paced and I loved the cover. Unfortunately, it was none of those things. The plot moved incredibly slow and sometimes showed little or no relevance to the main plot at hand. Also, the writing was, at times, too descriptive and had little action. For example, there is one time in this book when the author spends around seven pages describing all of Jenny's aunts and uncles who are not part of the story at all! The only part that made this book somewhat decent were the characters. They were well developed and Karen perfectly captured the feeling of their love for and loss of Beth. Though, in all, the cons out weighed the pros. Overall, The Anatomy Of Wings was a big disappointment to me. Even though, I felt that way, I still think Karen has the ability to get better over time and I look forward to possibly reading some of her future books.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Mountain Top, PA 18707