If We Kiss by Rachel Vail

Finally, after all this time of her best friend, Tess, pestering her to start kissing, Charlotte (aka Charlie) finally gets kissed, but of all people to have kissed her, it was the one she despised the most. Before school officially started, Kevin grabbed Charlie (who's never really felt the need to kiss anyone) by the hand, pulled her to the side of the building, and gave her a kiss that would change her life and the way that she sees Kevin forever. Being too embarrassed by having been gotten caught by Mr. Herman (a ninth grade teacher) for kissing him, Charlie waits too long and decides not to tell Tess what had happened and just to forget that it ever occurred; too bad her feelings aren't letting her forget though. Charlie falls drastically in love with Kevin after that awful but yet totally amazing event and so does her best friend. Charlie, having not told her bff about the kiss and her newfound feelings for Kevin, hooks up her new crush and her best friend against her will. Sneaking around and lying to her best friend just to get closer to Kevin (and maybe acquire one more delicious kiss) certainly doesn't help her relationships at all, well maybe not with Tess, anyway. A few days later during diner, Charlie finds out about the secret relationship that her mom and Kevin's dad have been having and starts freaking out when they announce that over Christmas break Charlie and her mom are going to stay with Kevin's family in their nice home away from home in Vermont. Will this trip be a nightmare for Charlie, or a dream come true?

The everyday drama and deceit of teenagers; you gotta love it! I don't think that I personally would want to be Charlie, she has way too many problems in her life, but she did seem like she could be a fun person to be friends with if you can get past all of the lies she told. I think that Charlie was somewhat easy to relate to since we are around the same age and deal with some of the same issues such as boys and friends. I think that some of the plots were pretty well-written but some of them were very much undeveloped and ended way too quickly that I couldn't at times even really get a feel for what was occurring at the time in the story. I think that Rachel Vail did a pretty good job of writing this book, and I think that If We Kiss is one of the better stories that she has written. I liked how the author threw in a few different surprises along the way, which certainly helped to keep this story interesting. I also liked the cover that the author chose for this novel; it's very cute. Since I am getting older, If We Kiss got boring at times and didn't always appeal to me, therefore I think that girls around the ages of like 10-14 would enjoy this book the most.

There was some usage of alcohol.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg, PA USA

Deader Still by Anton Strout

Simon Canderous begins settling into his new job at the Department of Extraordinary Affairs (DEA), and before he knows it, Simon is thrown into a mystery like no other. As an officer of the Paranormal Police, his first official case is an unforgettable one: a vampire incursion. It has been 737 days since a vampire has even been mentioned in the DEA, and it turns out that on his next case, things might get a little tricky. To add to the trouble, a former friend and criminal, Mina, appears in town and tries to encourage Simon to join in on a painting heist. If you like vampires, zombies, retractable bats, secret agencies, and troubling foes, Deader Still by Anton Strout is the book for you!

I thoroughly enjoyed Deader Still by Anton Strout. Even though this is a sequel to the novel, Dead to Me, you can still read Deader Still and understand the plot. While reading this, I went through lots of twists and turns never expecting what was going to happen next; everything was unpredictable! Deader Still is an incredible page turner and is very hard to put down. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who likes paranormal mysteries.

Language, extremely violent scenes and situations that may be unsuitable for some children.

Reviewer Age:12

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

The Last Days of the Romanovs by Helen Rappaport

This book is about the Romanovs and the terrible ordeal they experienced. Tsar Nicholas and his family ruled over Russia during World War 1. Tsar Nicholas and his family were forced into hiding when the people revolted because the Tsar wouldn't help them get food or water. Tsar Nicholas then took his family to Ekaterinburg to go into hiding. The events that took place ultimately led to the death of the Tsar Nicholas and his family. The author's purpose is to illustrate the chain of command linking Lenin to the execution of the Romanovs. This book has history, adventure and mystery.

The author achieved her goal. She taught me that there was more then one person responsible for the murder of the Romanovs. This book was very powerful, but difficult to read. It would be better suited for adults. If you are a young adult who would like to learn about the history of the Romanovs, I would recommend this book to you. If you are person that doesn't care for history, then I wouldn't recommend this book to you.

I would rate this book a three due to the execution that took place and the adult language.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Chico, Caifornia USA

Christian the Lion by Anthony Bourke

"Christian the Lion" by Anthony Bourke is a fun little book. It documents the story of two friends adopting a baby lion. Their tale continues up until the point when the lion is sent to Africa to live in the wild. However, the bulk of the plot centers around the lion Christian living with John and Ace. Reading about the lion getting used to being in a city is interesting. It is also very cute to read about how he entertained himself.

Consisting of only 120 pages and a full spread of photos, this book is a quick read. It is quaint and excellent for a dull afternoon. The vocabulary is simple for young readers, but older readers still find the story charming. At the end of the book, there is even a whole set of pages full of fun facts on lions and animal endangerment in general. Overall, this book is a great read and will leave readers with a smile on their face.

Reviewer Age:17

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

Kisses and Lies

In the book Kisses and Lies by Lauren Henderson, sequel to Kiss Me Kill Me, Scarlett Wakefield is tracking down the murderer of Dan McAndrew, her crush that she kissed at an A-list party. As soon as she kissed him he dropped dead. She later finds out that he was allergic to nuts and at that very party she ate chips with peanut oil in them. If only Dan had his EpiPen on him, which would have saved him, but someone stole it from him.

Scarlett and her friend, Taylor McGovern, who's goal is to become a private investigator, try to figure out who killed him and why. But when Scarlett visits Dan's family and stays at their castle for a few days, the case gets more complex. Signs point in different directions and anyone in the castle could be the murderer...

I found this book very interesting. For example it takes place in Britain and has a lot of places and traditions that average Americans wouldn't think existed. This includes castles and manners (you have to say things slower and add in "if you wouldn't mind", "please" and, "thank you".) I also found it confusing at parts where you think one person is the murderer, then it completely changes and you have no idea who the murderer is, but that's what makes a good mystery.

Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a good book, even if you aren't into mysteries.

recommended for 14 and up has some sexual content (e.g. Dan had porn pictures of every girl he dated)

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Norristown, Pennsylvania USA

Lord of Misrule

In the book, Lord of Misrule by Rachel Caine, the main character is Claire. Claire and Amelie, the vampire leader and some body guards attempt to rescue Myrnin who is a very intelligent vampire. He is on the side of the good vampires. He had an antidote to cure all vampires of a certain disease. In order to rescue him Claire and Amelie have to fight Bishop and Amelies father. Claires friend Eve disappears into a warehouse. In the end Bishop thinks he has won but is surprised to find out he has not really won after all.

This is a great book. It's the fifth book in the series but is also stands alone and makes sense by itself. It is filled with suspense and action all the way to the end. I like reading about vampires and this book held my attention.
Age:12
Leopold , Missouri United States

Portrait of a Lady by Diane A. S. Stuckart

Upon returning to the city Milan, Dino and Vittorio, apprentices to Leonardo, stumble across a motionless woman lying at the base of the city's guard tower. Dino is really Delfina disguised as a boy so she can be an apprentice to Leonardo da Vinci, the great artist/painter who is her mentor. While looking into the woman's tragic death they discover that her identity is Bellanca, Caterina's servant, and on Bellanca's person they find four extravagant tarrochi cards, the very ones that belong to Caterina, the contessa. Caterina is in love with her dog as well as her sacred tarrochi cards that had once belonged to her mother, therefore she holds them very dearly. A few days later as Dino and Leonardo go in search of Lidia, another of Caterina's servants, to question her about the death of her fellow servant, they also find her at the base of the tower, but to their great shock, Lidia is dead. Leonardo is suspicious of the two ladies' deaths and has reason to believe that Gregorio, the Captain of the guard, was the murderer. So, in order to gather some clues and learn the truth about these strange deaths, he ironically disguises Dino as a girl, and sends her to the castle to be a servant to Caterina, all the while also spying on her and Gregorio to learn the truth. A lot of mysterious things occur at the castle and hidden secrets are everywhere. Leonardo is assigned by Moro, the contessa's cousin and keeper since her parent's died, to plan a masquerade ball, which is actually a secret marriage for Caterina, who has no idea about Moro's marriage plans for her, and the person of Moro's choice. Leonardo gives Dino until the date of the masquerade ball to learn what truly happened to the women, but with the date of the ball coming ever so closer, will the truth ever be unmasked before it is too late?

This is one of the best books that I have ever read! Portrait of a Lady contains romance, lies and deceit, hate, treachery, love, truth, many tears of sadness and joy, well just about every emotion out there, and ones that I never knew existed! It is just filled with so many emotions it is difficult to describe. The conclusion was a huge surprise; I had no idea that it was going to be such a heart-wrenching, truth-telling, and tear-jerking/teary-eyed ending; what a conclusion! The author, Diane A. S. Stuckart, did an awesome job at writing this novel; it felt so much like I was actually living Delfina's life that I literally experienced all of the same emotions she did. This book was very intriguing; it kept my mind open, alert, and focused the whole time, as I was wanting to see what very surprise and/or secret meeting with the stunning Gregorio lay around the corner. I'm greatly looking forward to reading The Queen's Gambit, which was also written by this amazing author, and any other books that she writes in the future. These books are spectacular and should be read by everyone, but I mainly recommend Portrait of a Lady to older girls and women.

There were some sexual references.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg, PA USA

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