Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry

Joe Ledger, a leader of the Echo Team for the DMS (Department of Military Service), was a cop but is now a hero. Joe is in charge of a group of four other fighters who all had to go on their first mission after only one day of training. The Echo Team fights infected dead people called walkers. Walkers are dead, zombie-like creatures who feed on living flesh. On the Echo Team's first mission, they arrived at an old meat packing plant in Delaware. There they fought many walkers and left the plant deserted. On their second mission, they fought so many walkers that all of the men ran out of ammunition. This group of men, the Echo Team, are faced with many heart-racing challenges of saving the world from walkers.

Patient Zero is a fairly good book, but it can be hard to follow at times. I did enjoy this book, because it had lots of action and suspense. I would recommend Patient Zero to anyone interested in war, zombies, action, suspense, and risk-taking characters.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Fairborn, Ohio USA

The Girl From Junchow by Kate Furnivall

Lydia and Alexei lost their father several years ago. Now, the two are reuniting in an effort to rescue their father from an unknown camp in Russia. Their relationship is strong; neither sibling wants the other to be alone or be at risk of getting hurt. Lydia finds that the location of their father is in Moscow. Alexei does not know whether or not to believe that is true. Together, and with help from trusted companions, they search for their father. Meanwhile, Lydia's love, Chang An Lo, knows more about their father than either of the two. Chang An Lo rushes to aid Lydia and keep them safe.

I really enjoyed the historical context that is found in The Girl From Junchow. I did not know that it was a sequel to another book, The Russian Concubine, and that made it a somewhat confusing book for me to read. The descriptions of the characters and plot were well-written enough for me to understand their relationships from the previous novel. I liked how the chapters would switch from one character's perspective to the next. This gave me insight on what each character was specifically feeling and thinking. I recommend this series to anyone interested in Stalin-controlled Russian times or historical fiction.

The book has swearing and violence.

Reviewer Age:15

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

Secret Subway by Martin W. Sandler

"Secret Subway" by Martin W. Sandler is a non-fiction book from National Geographic. It tells the story of a scientst called Beach, whom first thought of a subway system. Historical characters are cited, like Edison and Tweed, while other lesser known figures are mentioned. The book accounts the marvelous journey of Beach with his subway cars propelled by pneumatic science (air pushes the car back and forth in the tunnel from a giant fan).

This book is somewhat scientific but does not go too into depth as it is a children's book. However, some parts just don't make sense. Some pictures have words written over them from other sites, and one picture is omitted completely with just a box in its place. Also, each page has the same caption in some language that is definitely not English. Aside from that, the text is wonderful.

Reviewer Age:17

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

Blackbringer by Laini Taylor

Magpie Windwich is a faerie with the seemingly impossible mission to save the world. She and her feathered friends hunt down escaped devils that the humans have been releasing. Now, she comes upon a devil like no other, a dark force only few know. With faerie people who have forgotten their own legends and the Djinn, creators of the earth, mysteriously gone, where is one small faerie to start? Well, maybe Magruwen, the King of the Djinn.

Blackbringer is an extremely well written book. Taylor created wonderful characters, especially Magpie that spunky, stubborn faerie that made the book come alive. Each character brought spark to this book and it was a perfect example of a fantastic multi-view story. I can imagine Taylor's world of faeries, the castle, spider caves, and the whispering old trees. I give five stars.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Lake Bluff, IL United States of America

The Beautiful Stories of Life by Cynthia Rylant

"The Beautiful Stories of Life: Six Greek Myths, Retold" by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Carson Ellis is a pleasant book. It puts the stories of Pandora, Persephone, Orpheus, Pygmalion, Narcissus, and Psyche into modern language. While the stories are all different, some characters' names are mentioned in several scenarios. The text flows as readers revisit Greek tales that captivate their imagination.

This book is a quick read; with under seventy-five pages, it can easily be read in a day. Its black and white pictures are beautiful, but the reader is left wanting to see more. The vocabulary is simple, with the hardest word being philandering. There are some sexual innuendos, but they are not at all graphic. They refer to married couples sleeping in the same bed and loving each other. The euphemisms aren't explicit, but parent guidance is suggested.

slight sexual innuendos

Reviewer Age: 17

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

Post Grad by Emily Cassel

Post Grad opens up on the eve before Ryden Malby's college graduation, where
Ryden and her best friend, Adam, are playing a typical game of "Who would
you rather be?" Ryden is anything but nervous about her upcoming graduation,
since she has an amazing, if she must say so herself, plan for the future.
First, do a great job in high school. Then, get a fantastic scholarship so
she doesn't bankrupt her parents. Next, don't do anything appalling to lose
said scholarship. Finally, graduate and get a sweet job at a publishing
house in Los Angeles; Happerman & Browning, to be exact. As the weeks go on,
Ryden still doesn't have a job at Happerman & Browning, well, make that at any publishing house. She loses her chance at having a cute little apartment.
And last but not least, she has to move back in with her parents. They are crazy people and she's always tried to distance herself from them. Ryden wonders if life will ever be the way she wants it to be.

To be truthful, I wasn't expecting a whole lot from this novel. A sweet
quick novel, yes, but not the addicting read that it turned out to be. It
had me constantly flipping the pages, laughing at Malby's quirks and
wondering what would happen next. The whole Malby family, and Adam, of
course, were a great set of well rounded characters. I especially liked
Ryden because we are both similar in our overachieving ways. Though the plot
was predictable at times, it threw a few twists that I didn't see coming.
Overall, Post Grad is a great read for the summer. I look forward to seeing
the movie adaptation of this, which comes out this summer, as well as
reading more by Ms. Cassel.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Mountain Top, PA USA

A Magic Of Nightfall by S.L. Farrell

A Magic of Nightfall by S.L. Farrell is the second book in his fantasy series, The Nessantico Cycle. 25 years after the events in the first book, A Magic of Twilight, a boy king, Audric ca'Dakwi, rules over Nessantico with the advice of Regent Sergei ca'Rudka. He is the grandson of the legendary Kraljica Marguerite ca'Ludovici. But, Audric has a serious illness and there are those who wish for his death, leaving the Sun Throne open for claiming. The Holdings has split and the Concenzian Faith has two different rulers, each claiming the other to be illegitimate. In Nessantico's main rival, the city of Firenzcia, dispute over who shall be the next Hirzg has created a dangerous sibling rivalry. Ana ca'Seranta rules as Archigos in Nessantico while Semini ca' Cellibrecca claims the same title in Brezno. The Numetodo are accepted and respected in Nessantico while in Brezno they are viewed as vile heretics. Here lies one of the main difficulties in creating a united faith. Allesandra ca'Vorl, forgotten daughter of Hirzg Jan, plots and schemes for both her son's and her own sake, and the Tehuantin warriors thirst for revenge. Unexpected twists and assasinations will forever change the course of Nessantican history and its people.

The characters in A Magic of Nightfall by S.L. Farrell are believable and amazingly real to the reader. I enjoyed reading this book very much and would recommend it to almost anyone. There are points where I lost interest, but they were few and far between. I specifically liked how the author made each chapter about one particular person and their own experiences. It helped me connect with the character a lot better than if he had done it differently. The unexpected decisions of many of the characters and their flaws made them stand out to me and seem more real. S.L. Farrell did an amazing job with this book and it will always stand out to me.

I gave this book a Content Rating of 2 because there are certain implications and descriptions that may not be suitable for some readers. Whether or not this book would be appropriate depends on the maturity of the reader.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Braintree, Massachusetts United States of America

Reckoning by Arvin Short

Reckoning is about a boy, Albie, who stops a well known killer. Everyone in town knows Albie and his two friends, Norbert and Leonardo, who spend most of their time at the caves at the edge of town, Norbert's house, or the pool. When they go anywhere in town, they are normally met by Larry and Butch, the town bullies. Albie is faced with either standing up to the bullies or trying to control his outrageous temper.

On one trip to the caves, an Indian appears at their camp. Johnny Killbird tells them stories of wars that happened way back when, then he disappears. The boys plan another trip to the caves, but when they get there, a killer is there.

Reckoning is an interesting book. I liked the way the author planned the events in the story, and how he ended the book with a not-so-happy ending. Happily ever after isn't true in real life. That is why I think Reckoning is the best book I have read so far.

Reviewer Age: 13

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

Gringolandia by Lyn Miller-Lachmann

Daniel Aguilar has moved to the United States as an outcast. His father, Marcelo, was arrested in Chile for political reasons, and like so many other political prisoners, tortured. Released after five years in prison, Marcelo is allowed to return to his family in the United States. Marcelo is not the Papa who Daniel remembers though; while being tortured, Marcelo became partially paralyzed. Daniel wants to reconnect with his father, but can not. His father yearns for Chile, and Daniel soon gets caught up in this longing.

Gringolandia tackles a hard subject to talk about openly, but Miller-Lachmann does it extremely well. The characters are well crafted, each with their own unique personalities, which I understood and liked. Marcelo, Daniel, and Courtney Larkin may not have magical powers, but all three have the power of hope for the country Chile. While Daniel and Courtney tell the story, Marcelo is the glue that holds the story together. His experiences in Chile are revealed in a steady trickle throughout the book, right up until the end. The horror of these events kept me glued to the book, waiting for the wrongs done to Marcelo to come around to the people that organized them. Gringolandia may not be about princes, wizards, or princesses wanting to be rescued, but tells the story of three independent people that believe in themselves.

This book contains torture and sexual content.

Our rating: 9

Age Level: young adult

Flamingnet Content Rating: Adult guidance

Reviewer Age: 14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Brownsburg, Indiana, USA

The Summer I Turned Pretty

For Belly, summers are the only thing that matters. Everything good happens then. During the summer, she gets to see Conrad and Jeremiah, they are the boys that Belly has known since her first summer at the beach house. They've been everything to Belly, brothers figures to crushes. This is the summer that Belly has finally turned pretty and she wants this to be the perfect summer. During this one summer, though, this wonderful and terrible summer, everything changes. As everything changes, the more things end up turning out just the way they should have all along.

In The Summer I Turned Pretty, complex situations are throughout the whole story. You could imagine yourself at the setting. You can imagine the characters as people, too. The author did not give much detail at some points in the story, though. I would've liked to get a better idea in my head about what the beach house looked like and what the characters were wearing. The ending could have been better. The ending made me wonder how things worked out in the end. In an overall review, I enjoyed the book very much. The Summer I Turned Pretty, was a page turner. I learned from this book that sometimes, what you've been wanting has been right in front of you all along. I recommend this book to young, female adult readers that enjoy romances and a some comedy along with it.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Fairborn, Ohio United States