The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti

Deb Caletti's The Secret Life of Prince Charming
tells the story of Quinn, daughter of a heart-breaking
Casanova. With the status her mother, grandmother, and
aunt all women scorned, Quinn and her sister Sprout are
brought up to distrust men and shield their hearts. While
at her father's house, Quinn learns about her father's
dirty little secret involving his past relationships. Her
disgust with her father combined with her own recent
breakup drives Quinn to connect with her stepsister,
Frances Lee. Together, along with Quinn's sister Sprout
and Frances Lee's boyfriend's brother Jake, they set out
on the road to right their father's wrongs. Along the way,
Quinn is able to learn for herself the true meaning of
sisterhood and love.


Deb Caletti truly outdoes herself in The
Secret Life of Prince Charming. As a fan of all of
Caletti's books, I would say that this one is even more
touching and powerful than her others. Quinn's voice
connects with the reader almost immediately, allowing her
exploration to reach deep into the heart of the reader.
While the premise of this book had the potential to get
overly heavy and preachy, Caletti avoids this by managing
to draw in the wisdom of multiple generations in such an
optimistic and endearing manner. My one complaint with The
Secret Life of Prince Charming is that the diary insets
are unclear when they are first encountered. However, once
the reader is able to connect the names of the women to
those that Quinn comes in contact to, these insets
heighten the significance and universality of Quinn's road
trip and Caletti's message.

Content:1


Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10
Reviewer Age: 19
Reviewer City, State and Country: Farmington, CT USA

The Hidden World by Paul Park

"The Hidden World" by Paul Park is a science fiction book. It follows an army general, a fragile princess, and a lascivious hermaphrodite. In an epic war between Germans and Turks, the characters are in the middle of many battlefields. They must try to survive attacks from soldiers, as well as spies. In the end, the characters are victorious, enjoying their splendor.

It is a shame that Park had to ruin his book with explicit material. He writes well, but he just can't stray from the blue material. As the fourth book in a series, the plot is a bit hard to follow. Also, the ridiculously spelled names of minor characters don't help the reader keep track of everybody. The gore is not too comforting, either.

Inappropriate objectification of women and harsh language

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

Heartbreak River by Tricia Mills

As a new summer begins at her family's whitewater- rafting company, sixteen-year-old Alex can only hope that things will improve. After her father's death and breaking up with her boyfriend, Sean, last year, she feels as if her life is out of control. As the summer progresses, things seem to be looking up for Alex, that is until Sean returns to work as a river guide for her grandfather. Things heat up as Sean and another employee begin to compete for her affections, ultimately ending in tragedy. As Alex is forced to choose between her once-true-love and a new flame, the two face-off in a fatal battle of the elements. However, no matter who she chooses, someone will get hurt. Join Alex in this coming of age novel as she finds out who she is, and what she is to become.

Excellent detail, vivid characters, and complex situations are ever-present throughout this adventure of a novel. I found Heartbreak River to be an inspiring, yet enlightening, novel, and I was able to easily put myself inside of the story. Through the author's descriptions, I could actually picture the river that Alex is so afraid to enter! My overall evaluation of this book would be that it is a must-read for anyone looking to grow as a person. Through reading this novel, readers will learn to comprehend the complex mazes that a death can weave, along with observing the development of a love story that rivals that of Romeo and Juliet. It is safe to say that this summer-adventure will become the next "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants".

I gave this book a content rating of two because of its sexual situations. Although they are not extraordinarily descriptive, these situations may be slightly grown-up for underaged minds.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Elkview, West Virginia United States

My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters by Sydney Salter

My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters was a great narrative by an average teenage girl with some acceptance issues. (Who doesn't have those?)
After finishing her junior year of high school, seventeen year-old Jory Michaels has three things on her summer to-do list: get rid of the Super Schnozz, find her passion (aka land Tyler Briggs as boyfriend), and learn to drive a stick-shift. When both Jory's friends Hannah and Megan find their "passions", Jory feels she must speed things up a little. When she does, natural disaster follows. If only she can get rid of her big nose everything will be peachy....right?
In this comedic drama about every girl's worst nightmare comes the story of accepting yourself and getting the guy without causing natural disaster.

After reading the first chapter I was hooked! The humor was great, the issues surrounding Jory were so-true and easy to relate to, but she was a little too obsessed with boys for my taste. She was getting rather ridiculous and getting way too desperate. This was the only downside to the book.
Not only do you get to read a fun teenage novel, but you get to be introduced or re-introduced to those life lessons we keep ignoring. Now if only there was a book on how to accept those pesky black-heads. Talk about best-seller....

I recommend this book for teens ages 15+ because of some sexual content/references and teen drinking.
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: NM USA

Darling Jim

Imagine picking up a newspaper and reading that 3 women, the Walsh sisters, along with their aunt, are found brutally murdered in their house. As you're reading you find out that the aunt was secretly keeping her nieces locked away in the attic all because of one man, by the name of Jim Darling. Jim Darling is a "Seanchai" or story teller, who travels to different cities in Ireland and tells the same story. As he moves around from city to city, women are mysteriously being murdered. As the story unfolds you find out why the Walsh sisters risked everything, and if "He would love her or kill her".

WOW! This book was amazing, and I could hardly put it down. The characters are so well written, and the plot unfolds beautifully. This is one murder mystery that should be read by everyone. I absolutely loved the Walsh sisters, and as I was reading the book I was fighting for them to succeed in their quest. Unfortunately, I also was fighting for Darling Jim. Christian Moerk makes such a likeable narcissistic male you almost feel bad for him...almost. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy plots that are full of exciting twists and murder mysteries that actually have depth to them.

I rated it a 3 because it has a few sexually explicit scenes, and the language could be viewed as mature, as well.

Content: 3
Rating: 10
Reviewer Age:19
Reviewer City, State and Country: Dundee, Oregon USA

Doom Lake Holiday by Tom Henighan

This is an exciting book about a seventeen year old boy named Chip who goes on a family vacation. His dad has rented a cottage by a lake to spend the time, but crazy, unanticipated things happen and the family moves over to an island where Chip and his family suspect the house is haunted. They get tied up in a mysterious past and Chip is determined to find out what is going on. This is an amazing mystery full of detail and adventure.

I think the author is good at describing the surroundings and the characters appearances. It feels like you are on the island. The main character, Chip, is very realistic and is kind of heroic. He sounds like a nice boy that is determined to find out what is going on on the spooky island. Overall it was a good mystery book. It was a little confusing at the beginning, but once I got into it I couldn't put it down. I think that almost anyone would like this book because it has a little bit of everything: mystery,adventure,ghosts,some history,and even some romance.

Our rating
(0 - 10 scale)
8

Age Level
9-12

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Brownsburg, Indiana United States.

The Diamonds by Ted Michael

At Bennington High School, the Diamonds rule. The Diamonds are the most popular girls at Bennington. They're the ones that guys want to date and who girls want to be. Being a Diamond is the best thing Marni Valentine could ask for. She's best friends with the ring leader, Clarissa. Life seems perfect, until Marni gets too close to Clarissa's ex-boyfriend, Anderson. Big mistake. Now Marni has gone from Diamond to a lower class loser. Even worse, the Diamonds are the new mock trial team and they're delivering their so called justice to anyone in their path. There seems that nothing can be done about the Diamonds. Marni has some dirty secrets about the Diamonds, though, and she's not going down without a fight. After all, the one way to break a diamond is another diamond.
The Diamonds by Ted Michael is not only outrageously funny, but it keeps you on the edge of your seat, wanting more and more. The Diamonds has believable characters. This book shows that sometimes friends aren't always what they seem and sometimes aren't always truthful. The Diamonds teaches you that even if you're an outcast, you can stand up for what you believe in and triumph over all. I recommend this book to all young adult readers.
Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Fairborn, Ohio United States

Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors

Katrina lives in Nordby, an authentic Scandanavian town, complete with quaint houses, a Solstice Festival, and her grandmother's coffeehouse, where she spends most of her time. One day Katrina sees a homeless man sleeping in the back alley behind the coffeehouse, and she decides to leave him some coffee and pastries. But the homeless man is actually an angel named Malcolm, and he decides to reward Katrina with her heart's desire for her selflessness. After two botched wishes, Katrina is afraid to tell Malcolm what she really wants - because what she wants is him.

Coffeehouse Angel was really cute. I didn't realize that this was a romantic comedy, so I was pleasantly surprised by the humor. Katrina thinks and says some funny things, which makes the book more enjoyable. I liked the fact that Malcolm was an angel, which gives this book an element of uniqueness. The only problem I had was that Coffeehouse Angel started bordering on silly. Some of the character's antics started becoming annoying, rather than being funny. Even so, I liked this book and its humor, but I think serious readers might find the comedy immature.

Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Aston, Pennsylvania United States

The Bird by J. Marshall Martin

In this book, The Bird, Tripp takes his Granddad from a nursing home in Seattle to their real home in Savannah, Georgia. To get there Tripp takes his dad's prized possession, a 1962 Thunderbird. Along the way they meet a girl named Angie who does art and is looking for a ride to Denver to get a bus ticket to New York. Also, along the way, Granddad hears his owl screech, the one that saved his life from a lightening bolt. When they get to Savannah, Granddad finishes the carving of his owl,then Tripp and Angie find out Granddad has died.

I liked this book. It was an adventure book. It told about Granddad's early memories. Also it reminded me of my grandpa. The author made me want to keep reading to find out what would happen next.
Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Leopold, Missouri USA

Whispers from the Bay

Whispers from the Bay by John Tkac, is an adventure book. The main character, Mike Connelly finds out he can communicate with the dolphins in the Florida Bay. Mike fell into the water; when the dolphins came to help him he realized he could read their thoughts and they could read his thoughts. With the dolphins help Mike learns to study and wins a spelling bee. Mike reads to the dolphins. Mike learns a very important secret about the dolphins. A friend of Mike's disappears and Mike must keep the secret and find his friend.

This book will not go on my list of favorite books. I thought I would like it from the information about the plot but it was difficult to follow most of the time. I think the dolphin names and the italics used when they spoke bothered me. The adventure in the book was not too exciting. I was not drawn into the story right away. I had to keep reading through several chapters before it got even a little interesting. I honestly would not recommend the book to anyone but I am sure there would be others who might like it.

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