Captain Wentworth's Diary by Amanda Grange

Captain Wentworth's Diary by Amanda Grange highlights the beauty of lost love through the eyes of Frederick Wentworth. The book imitates Jane Austen's novel Persuasion, a story about Anne Elliot, daughter of a baronet in nineteenth century England, and Frederick Wentworth, a navy officer in England's war against Napoleon's France. Captain Wentworth's Diary gives readers of Persuasion a glimpse at the story through Frederick's eyes, and what happens when he leaves Somerset. The story spans eight years, the summer of 1806, when the young lovers meet, and then returns to the summer of 1814, after the war. In the beginning, Wentworth travels to his brother Edward's home for his brief shore leave. He is carefree and young, desiring to meet the pretty young ladies of town and dance frivolously with them at parties. Then his eye lands on the timid but intellectual beauty, Anne Elliot. Frederick admires her mind, her beauty, and her ability to endure such a horrendous family. The couple falls in love over the summer, however the people in Anne's life persuade her that the love cannot last. In frustration and anger, Wentworth flees, back to the sea. When the story returns, Wentworth has risen in the ranks, the war is over, and he returns to Somerset as a captain. He visits all the old haunts, reliving hard memories. Can old love be reborn? Captain Wentworth's Diary is the tortuous tale of past love and future questions

Persuasion is one of my favorite novels, and the primary reason is because Anne Elliot is a wonderful heroine, her inner beauty is as powerful as her looks and her charm. Captain Wentworth's Diary was a much harder read because Frederick Wentworth is not a natural hero. He struggles with his decisions, with his pride, and with the characters surrounding Anne. He becomes jealous of men she talks with, angry with her family, and hateful towards Lady Russell for ruining their engagement. The story is of lost and found love, but does Anne deserve a lost soul like Frederick? His voice and actions cost the story. He was a hard character to like, even if he did love the perfect woman. The novel itself is well written, but Persuasion is a hard act to follow.

Reviewer Age:17

Reviewer City, State and Country: Concord, MA United States

Pease, Love, and Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle

Fifteen year old Carly attends a private school, lives in a gated community, and can have all the expensive clothes that she wants. But what Carly wants is to be different and for people not to see her as a rich girl. So when her younger sister Anna turns Barbie doll pretty over the summer, it's hard for Carly to create her own image. As Anna begins high school, Carly must cope with a changing relationship with her sister, and rediscover the bonds of sisterhood that have been there all along, even if she couldn't see them.
I thought this book was so cute. Having a younger sister myself, I could relate with Carly. Sisters don't always get along, but they love each other no matter what, which was a major theme throughout the book. Even though Carly or Anna would get into all kinds of shenanigans, they each had each other to turn to for help and support. I liked reading about these two sisters, a simple story of the bonds of siblings. Peace, Love and Baby Ducks is also very funny; I would find myself laughing almost every other page. Just a sweet and heartwarming story that will make you want to give your sister (or brother) a hug.
Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Aston, Pennsylvania United States

Freaked

This book is about a teen-aged boy who was great in school... until he got mixed up with drugs. He was kicked out of so many schools that he was finally sent to a boarding school. There, he lives with his roommates who are also into drugs. The main character gets involved with the wrong people and hurts his future.

I didn't really like this book because I don't like reading books with people and drugs; it's a bad thing to get involved with. However, the story itself was good. The characterization was well done. I learned who the characters were and I could picture what they looked like in my head.

Reviewer Age:18

Reviewer City, State and Country: Newville, Pennsylvania U.S.A

Inchworm by Ann Kelley

Young Gussie is a twelve year old girl and already she has endured more stress and life threatening situations than anyone should have to go through. Back in the hospital, Gussie's transplant went smoothly and she now has a new heart and lungs; although they seem foreign, they are very healthy. Her color has returned and she is delighted at the sight of being a normal young girl. She can breathe right again. Nightmares come and go. Friends come and go. She misses her cats deeply. She is going through changes and she begins to wonder if these new organs are what are making her think and feel differently. Her doctor and the pamphlets said that she wouldn't have any characteristics from the donor, but she begins to wonder. It finally comes time for Gussie to go home and she hopes she will be able to attend school. The rest of her life will be full of tending to her new organs so they won't be rejected. All around her are these changes and she is only twelve. The problems that seemed so precious in the beginning are now long gone and new ones she never thought of are arising.

I found that this book was very well-written. I think that the age group for this book is appropriate for ages between 10 and 12. The character in the story is twelve years of age but I feel as if the author is portraying her far more mature than she is. Her words are not mature but her vocabulary is very developed. This book was not a book that I could stick to. I found myself distracted at times. Although I wanted to sit down and read it, I could not force myself. I would not recommend this series of books for anyone with advanced reading abilities.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: , PA USA

George Washington by James A. Crutchfield

George Washington: First in War, First in Peace by James A. Crutchfield is a biography of this nation's first president. Washington grew up in Westmoreland County in the 1730s and 1740s. He was responsible for starting started the French-Indian War, when, as a Major of the Virginia militia on May 27, 1754, he fired upon French soldiers at Great Meadows in western Pennsylvania. The first battle was a defeat. In fact, most of his battles were defends. His only four major military victories in the American Revolution were the battles of Monmouth, Trenton, Princeton, and Yorktown. Washington spent most of the Revolution worrying that his men were fed, paid, and trained and were content during the winters of war. Washington for most of his life wanted to experiment with agricultural methods and build his dream home at his plantation, Mount Vernon, Virginia. The biggest gap in Washington's busy public career was from December, 1783 to the Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia in the summer of 1787. On April 30, 1789, Washington becomes the nation's first president. He enjoyed large popularity. He strengthened the federal government, toured the states of the Union, secured the borders of the United States against Native Americans attacks, and keep Americans from dying on European battlefields. After his presidency, he lived at Mount Vernon until his death on December 14, 1799. Throughout the book there are sub-notes on the parable of the cherry tree, on his wife Martha Washington, the betrayal of his trusted general and friend, Benedict Arnold, Washington's conflicting views on slavery, and the Virginia Dynasty, which is because four of the first five presidents were Virginians.

I give George Washington: First in War, First in Peace by James A. Crutchfield an 8. This book is an excellent compact biography of Washington for younger readers. One thing that struck me about this book is how little of Washington's life is generally known compared to other historical American figures. In comparison to his importance, little is commonly known about the man aside from a few well established myths. The bad side of this compact book is the dry writing style. It would be hard writing a more emotional biography of Washington because he was a non-emotional character. This may lead to the dry feeling of the book.

Reviewer Age:18

Reviewer City, State and Country: Urbana, Illinois United States of America

Cold Hands, Warm Heart by Jill Wolfson

The book Cold Hands, Warm Heart by Jill Wolfson, is a book about two teenagers whose lives suddenly collide. Fifteen year old Dani was born with her heart on the wrong side of her body. She has missed out on her whole childhood. Dani always ended up getting sick and was put back in the hospital. Her heart is ready to shut down and worse case scenario she has two weeks to live, unless she gets a transplant. Fourteen year old Amanda is a gymnast. She is perfectly healthy and is the best gymnast in her league. Amanda is up on the high bar when she suddenly faints. Her perfect health, gymnastic skills, and perfect life are about to change forever.

Cold Hands, Warm Heart by Jill Wolfson is a fantastic book! This book can not compare to any book I have read lately. The book was hard to put down and it kept me reading on. Some strengths that I noticed were the authors use of mood and imagery. The mood was a big part of the book that held my attention. In parts of the book I felt angry, sad, and mostly happy; especially when the character were happy. The use of Imagery was great, it painted a vivid picture in my mind and made it easier to follow along. I found the book interesting and I loved the ending. I loved how everything worked out in the end, but it was in the way I least suspected. I learned many things by reading this book. I learned about the heart and medical terms. I recommend this book to anyone who loves happy endings.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Sandy, OR USA

Breathless by Lurlene McDaniel

Travis Morrison is a champion diver and the most popular boy at school. His life is perfect. He has the best girlfriend, a great best friend, and a family that cares a lot about him. Everything is going great until a day at the lake with his girl, his best friend, and his sister. Travis is looking for a challenge and tries a silly stunt dive off of a cliff, it goes completely wrong. Travis's life is changed forever. Travis has always been sure of himself and wants to decide the course of his life on his own. He hopes the people that he cares about the most will help him accomplish this decision. When things get even worse, who can he count on to make things better?

Breathless is a remarkable story about being strong when things get hard. As I read it, it became impossible for me to stop reading. This book is breathtaking and intense. I was filled with many emotions as I read it. Breathless is a book about courageous people and I recommend it to all young adult readers.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Fairborn, Ohio USA

Lucky by Cecily Von Ziegesar

When life is already perfect and you have almost everything your heart has ever desired, can not getting one thing you really want ruin your entire life? Well for most people the answer is no, but for Phoebe that answer is a whole other story. Phoebe had a bad feeling that something was awry when she came home early after school and her mother was home, but thinking that nothing bad could happen to her, she decided to just think nothing of it. Well, that was until Phoebe's mother took her shopping to look for the perfect dress for her perfect graduation (from middle school and 8th grade) party that she and her perfect friends were throwing. This was only a few days after her mother had announced that she had lost her job, but Phoebe figured that they could get through the crisis since she was the spoiled rich kid who had the best friends, the best family, the best clothes--the best of everything, really--and just the best life she could have. So once they arrived at the fancy store and she tried on that green dress that she had cut the picture of out of the Teen Vogue so long ago and knew it was the one, she thought life couldn't get any better, and she was right because from that point on it only got worse. Her embarrassment at the ritzy store, because they wouldn't accept any of her mother's credit cards was bad enough, but when her father told her that she had to cancel her party all together because they could no longer afford it, Phoebe thought that it was the end of the world. Not wanting to lose her best friend, Kirstyn, aka Miss Popularity, by letting Kirstyn find out about her financial crisis and how her family was on the brink of becoming poor, as well as becoming the main target of everyone's pity, she decided that covering up the truth and lying about it (and continually lying about her deep crush on Luke as well) would save her friendship, but it did quite the opposite. Now Phoebe, friendless, boyfriendless, and green dressless, having decided to handle everything on her own, may just not have that so-called perfect life after all; and until she learns to rely on her friends and family rather than just herself, she will never have that perfect life again. So before you answer no to that seemingly simple question from the first sentence of this paragraph, you should read Phoebe's story and see just how one perfect green dress can really change a person's life.

I really liked Lucky written by Rachel Vail. I thought that it was kind of hard to relate to the characters though because their lives are way different than mine in many different aspects. I liked the characters and I thought that it would be really cool and easy to be friends with them, and most of them were pretty well developed but some of them I wouldn't have minded a few more details and descriptions about them and their lives and personalities. The almost too rare occasions of romance thrown into the book added a nice bit of spice to Phoebe's tale, not to mention a fun way to keep me interested the whole way through the story. I was left with a few questions such as what ended up happening with her mother's job, which I'm hoping will get answered in one of the next two books of this teenage trilogy. I recommend this novel to younger teenage girls who like drama with a twist of love thrown in.

Reviewer Age:15

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

Valor's Trial by Tanya Huff

Set in the future were humans and a few other races join together in war. Gunnery Sergeant Torin Kerr’s life takes a turn for the worst when she finds herself in an underground enemy camp. She knows she isn’t the only soldier down there, but she also knows that she is the only person that still has the free will to escape. Can she set free enough soldiers to fight their way out of enemy grounds? Torin is determined to get herself and her soldiers out, but she has no idea how it could affect the entire war.

Valor’s Trial had a good story line but it was almost impossible to follow. She uses military terms and big words throughout the story, making it very hard for young readers to understand and comprehend. I did like how detailed she was, though. It made me feel like I was actually underground with her. I would not recommend your reading this book without reading the first three books in the Confederation series. It will definitely help you understand it a lot better. If you really like military science fiction than this is the book for you. If you are looking for a quick read, don’t pick this book. It took me three times longer to read this book than any book I have ever read.

Reviewer Age: 13

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

The Magician's Daughter by S.C. Butler

It has been ten years since Reiffen, Ferris, and Avenderraised the siege of Rimwich and killed two of the threeWizards. Now, Ferris and Reiffen are married and raisingtheir daughter, Hubley. Their peace is haunted with the fearthat the last Wizard, Reiffen's old teacher and enemyFornoch, wants to kidnap Hubley. Reiffen's paranoia turnshim against everyone he loves. Now, with the help of hermother and all her friends, Hubley must try to save herfather from himself.

S.C. Butler's novel, The Magician'sDaughter, is the epic conclusion to the Stoneways Trilogy.The writing is fluid and poetic. Butler's mammothimagination helps launch the reader to places unheard of orseen before. In truth, the book starts off slow, but thetension quickly develops as Reiffen's fears push him closerto madness. Overall, it's an intriguing book that leaves thereader satisfied. I would definitely recommend this book andtrilogy to others.

Reviewer Age:23

Reviewer City,State and Country: Owings Mills, MD USA