Fall of Light by Nina Kiriki Hoffman

Fall of Light by Nina Kiriki Hoffman is a story about magic, love, and movies.

Opal LaZelle is a make-up artist with magical abilities, which she uses to better transform the actors and actresses into their characters. She was hired to turn Corvus Weather into a dark monster for a horror movie and strange things begin to happen. Corvus begins to turn into the monster that stars in the movie and is taken over by another more supernatural force. Opal has to figure out how to save Corvus before the other creature absorbs Corvus and those around him and bends them to his will. She will have to look into her past for support for her power alone is not enough to confront this much more powerful and possibly evil force.

In this unique story, the author used details when describing certain parts of her story, so I could imagine those parts very well but then other parts were harder to picture. The characters were developed fairly well, especially Opal, and the author is able to show the conflict and how Opal feels about it well. She is definitely a believable character, because she often has second thoughts about things and isn't always sure of herself or other people. Since I found Opal to be more realistic, I liked her character better. The story was a little confusing at the beginning and the idea was a little strange, but as it played out it made sense and the book was well-written and captivating. The ending tied up some parts nicely, but left a lot of threads hanging and I'm not sure exactly how everything worked out. I wish there was a little more of an ending to the story, but I thought the book was definitely interesting and different from most other fantasy books I've read. I think it would be a good book for people who enjoy lots of magic, some twists, and a strong character.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Needham, Ma. USA

Sayonara, Zetsubou-Senei by Koji Kumeta

The teacher Nozomu Itoshiki is extremely depressed. All that he wants to do is kill himself. He is loved by the students in his class, even though none of them are normal either. There is a stalker, a shut-in, and an extremely meticulous girl. They all try to stop him from harming himself. New students join his class and react to Nozomu's suicide attempts in different ways. What will his reaction be to the students getting in his way of death?

Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei is an average manga. I enjoyed reading the manga, and it did not take long to finish. The drawings were beneficial to the story, but they were not the best that I have seen. The storyline was unique at the beginning, but nothing new happened throughout the story. Rather than the plot following the teacher's plans to kill himself, it focused on different students and their lives. I think that readers who love manga should read this book, but other people should find a more interesting book to read.

Suicide is a big part of this book.

Reviewer Age:15

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

Sayonara, Zetsubou-Senei by Koji Kumeta

The teacher Nozomu Itoshiki is extremely depressed. All that he wants to do is kill himself. He is loved by the students in his class, even though none of them are normal either. There is a stalker, a shut-in, and an extremely meticulous girl. They all try to stop him from harming himself. New students join his class and react to Nozomu's suicide attempts in different ways. What will his reaction be to the students getting in his way of death?

Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei is an average manga. I enjoyed reading the manga, and it did not take long to finish. The drawings were beneficial to the story, but they were not the best that I have seen. The storyline was unique at the beginning, but nothing new happened throughout the story. Rather than the plot following the teacher's plans to kill himself, it focused on different students and their lives. I think that readers who love manga should read this book, but other people should find a more interesting book to read.

Suicide is a big part of this book.

Reviewer Age:15

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

2012: A Conspiracy Tale by Bryan Collier

This book is more of a future type of book. It foreshadows what will eventually happen in the future to come. The government will take over the world until nothing and no one is left to be bossed around. The main character is a business man with a corporate business, and he realizes that the government is taking over the world. In 2012, the world will end.

The book was an easy read and it was interesting. I enjoyed how the main character discovered the government plot to take over the world. The main character is a CEO of a corporation, and he doesn't know how to respond when the government throws everyone for a loop.

Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Newville, Pennsylvania U.S.A

Beautiful Americans by Lucy Silag

Four American teens go away to Paris for a semester for very different reasons. PJ is in Paris to avoid a scandal involving her parents. Dancer Olivia is there for a job while Alex and Zach are looking for the perfect boyfriends. For some, their situations at home prevent them for letting go completely. But all of the teens hope to reinvent their lives while in Paris.

Once I started reading this book, it was hard to put down. Sometimes it would get confusing having to keep up with so many characters. But they were all so different and their stories were interesting to read. Setting the story in Paris just added to the intrigue. This is the perfect summer beach read. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel later this year.

Reviewer Age:22

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

Just Another Judgement Day by Simon R. Green

Just Another Judgment Day by Simon R. Green is novel about the city of Nightside, which is the sinful parallel of London in another universe. Every kind of sin is practiced here. God sends the Walking Man to destroy all Evil doers. The only problem is that in Nightside, everyone is connected with sin in one way or another. The Walking Man was destroying all of Nightside. A private investigator named John Taylor and a holy Sikh monster hunter named Chandra Singh are sent by the Authorities in Nightside to stop the Walking Man. The only question that remains is: how does one stop the wrath of God?

I would give Just Another Judgment Day a 7. As a disclaimer, I have not read any other Novels of the Nightside series. The novel is interesting, but lacks depth and the book has a lot of set-pieces of random violence. The novel could be made into a nice physical action movie if the screen writers added more depth to the story. It raises the question, whether good can be evil. It also raises the question can villains have a good side? Is an amoral person evil? I found the psychological questions raised in this book interesting.

Reviewer Age:18

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

The Day I Hit a Home Run at Great American Ball Park

The Day I Hit a Home Run at Great American Ball Park by Paul Millen is a book about Cory and his love for baseball. In the beginning of the book Cory, a sixth grader, is trying out for C-Ball. Cory's dream is to hit a home run in the Great American Ball Park. Along the way Cory is both encouraged and criticized by his dad. The book shows how Cory's relationship with his perfectionist father grows. Cory learns to believe in himself.

I was hoping for a book full of baseball adventures. This book did not give me that. It was a rather dull book with very little adventure. This book was more about relationships and learning to believe in yourself. Some people will really like the book but I would have liked a lot more action.

Age:12 Leopold, Missouri USA

Fate by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

After receiving a mysterious tattoo two years ago, Bailey Morgan's life has changed. Not only does she have to deal with the social pressures of high school, but now she has to weave the web of life in the Otherworld for every being on earth. She does this because she is the third Fate, the mystical being who controls the fate of the world. But why then is it so hard for her to see her own future after high school? Caught between two worlds, Bailey faces tough decisions as she tries to balance her life as a graduating senior in high school and and mystical being at night.

I really enjoyed this novel by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I absolutely love contemporary fantasy novels, so this was right up my alley. Having read the first book in the series, Tattoo, I was very comfortable with the characters that appeared in the sequel, Fate. But I was pleasantly surprised to meet some new characters who made up the mysterious and frightening "Sidhe". Barnes does a wonderful job describing her characters' personalities and allowing the reader to get into the head of her main character, Bailey. The plot was fun and gripping and the climax was really exciting. Ultimately, I enjoyed this novel, and I hope Barnes keeps writing this series!

Reviewer Age:18

Reviewer City, State and Country: Phoenix, MD United States

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Twenty Boy Summer follows the characters of Anna and her best friend Frankie during their summer adventures with Frankie's family in Zanzibar Bay, California. That would be normal, were it not for the fact that a year earlier, Frankie's older brother died tragically in a car accident. Also, Frankie didn't know that Anna liked him due to a promise that she, Anna, made to him, which she planned on keeping until the day that she died. Their A.B.S.E (Absolute Best Summer Ever) plan to get twenty boys in approximately twenty days comes to an end when they fall for Jake and Sam. For the first time since Frankie's brother Matt died, Anna feels as if she can care about someone the way she did with Matt, and Frankie appears attracted to Jake. Unfortunately, secrets are revealed in the worst possible way, and it appears that Frankie and Anna's friendship is destroyed when Anna's journal is discovered.

This book was decent, but not amazing. The characters seemed realistic in their actions, as did the fact that Anna got through her grief by writing letters in her journal to the deceased and beloved Matt. Twenty Boy Summer wasn't anything special and didn't really "grab" me. The language wasn't awful but neither was it mesmerizing. This is an ok book for a quick read when one is rather bored but not if one's looking for a worthwhile book. It does have good aspects such as the plot, but overall is severely lacking in character and originality and is pretty mediocre.

There were aspects involving the social lives of Frankie and Anna that would not be suitable for readers below high school.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Charleston, SC US

The Penalty, by Mal Peet

In the second Paul Faustino novel by Mal Peet we are once again drawn into a world of mystery surrounding a famous soccer star. After superstar El Brujito simply disappears, Faustino is thrown into the deepest, darkest parts of South America to find him. The story is intertwined with vast African American history and culture, including flashbacks to the life of a slave boy almost 100 years ago when practicing magic and selling people was the norm. Faustino is forced to follow around crooks and off shore criminals while taken captive, to write the story that was never his. He learns to reserve trust and experiences things that a reporter never expects to face.
After the first Mal Peet novel, Keeper, I was expecting further information on El Gato's story. But that was not to be. After immersing myself in the new situations created surrounding El Brujito's disappearance, and the spiritual flashbacks I was intrigued. The differences and correlations Peet shows between the two story lines really made you feel like you were there.He made it easy to sympathize and celebrate with the main characters. This book included less football technicalities which was good for the not so fanatical, but I found myself a little lost during some of the major spiritual scenes and action scenes. The Penalty was definitely a worthwhile read, filled with excitement, deception and passion.
Some scary and violent scenes are described.
Age:14
Melbourne , Victoria Australia