See No Evil

"See No Evil" is the tale of a girl named Nettie. She does not go to school like all other kids; instead, she has a private tutor. Her favorite of these tutors, Miss Kovachev, disappears under mysterious circumstances. After her parents refuse to tell her why, she asks for the help of her friend Bennie, the night watchmen's son. They soon begin to uncover the horrifying reality behind Nettie's father, Vladamir (aka Vlad the Impaler), and many other shocking truths.

I found this book extremely hard to follow and could not understand what was going on for the majority of what I read. All of a sudden, I'd understand something, but it wouldn't make sense in the storyline, since I didn't know what was going on in the first place. I thought Nettie was not a very interesting main character, nor was anybody else in the story. Her disdain for every tutor she had (except Miss Kovachev) made me think she was just a bratty main character and the disappearance of her favorite teacher is hardly a good reason to investigate. I was interested in the fact that Vlad the Impaler was Nettie's father, but even that was not enough to keep my interest in this book. I definitely would not recommend this.

Content: 1
Rating: 2
Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Westerville, OH United States

Guinevere's Gamble by Nancy McKenzie

"Guinevere's Gamble" by Nancy McKenzie is a lengthy book set in the Dark Ages. It follows Guinevere, the girl who is to one day marry King Arthur. However, King Arthur is scarcely mentioned as a present character in the novel. Additionally, there is no interaction between the two, let alone talk of marriage. Rather, the plot sticks to Guinevere's friends and enemies. A large part of the book talks about one of Guinevere's friends being falsely accused of kleptomania.
Book two in a four part series, this book is easy to follow. Events and characters are explained in depth. The only bad part is that major plot events in the legend of King Arthur are omitted; these are most likely saved for the proceeding books. Most of the book is either full of drama or mystery. While well-written, this hefty book does have some parts that make the book unnecessary longer.

Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Staten Island, NY USA

Skunk Girl by Sheba Karim

Nina Khan is skunk girl. Not because she stinks, but because she has a stripe of soft hair that runs along her spine. Nina and her family are from Pakistan and she has genes that make her hairy. She and her sister Sonia were born in the United States and have never been to Pakistan, but her parents grew up there and were all about the traditions. These traditions include never dating, arranged marriages, and not being allowed to party. Nina is having a tough time with these rules, not that a boy has ever asked her out, but she'd like to have parties and some fun like any teenager would. On top of all of that, her parents aren't as impressed with her as they are her sister Sonia, the "supernerd", because she knows she can't live up to those expectations.
Then, the new school year starts. Her friends Bridget and Helena are easy to find boyfriends and they try hard not to make Nina feel bad. Deer Hook High, being the small town that it is, no one new ever moves in, but that all changes when the boy of her dreams comes from Italy. He's Asher, he's handsome, and all the girls want him, including Nina. Asher soon dates Nina's archrival Serena, but Nina can't help but think that Asher doesn't truly like Serena, that he really likes her. But how would that work, her parents wouldn't approve of a boy non-Pakistani, and she would feel guilty going behind their backs.

This book was good, but a little cliche. Its plot was basic and a lot of other books I've read have the same kind of thing. Girl meets boy, girl wants boy, girl can't have boy, and so on. When you get to the middle of the book, you can pretty much guess what happens for the rest of it. Although, it did have a turn around from other books with this plot. The fact that Nina was Pakistani, it had a lot of their traditions, language, and food. I thought it helped me understand the culture a little bit because I didn't know anything about Pakistan.

Some drinking, mentions of sex, but no details.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Norristown, Pennsylvania USA

Flirting with Boys by Hailey Abbott

Every summer Celeste Tippen has to work at her family's resort. She also has to deal with the son of their family's wealthiest clients, Nick, flirting with her constantly. This year is different. Celeste's boyfriend, Travis, has a job at the resort as well. Nick and Celeste need to plan a party that will be the biggest event that her resort has ever seen, but Travis cannot leave Nick alone. Celeste's feelings change towards both Travis and Nick as she learns more about who they really are.

I thought that this book would be an easy, but fun, read. It was entertaining, but the level of difficulty was too low for me. Almost every event in the book was conventional and expected. The book was not unique, but it was still a good book. The dialogue between the characters seemed to be unrealistic at certain spots, and the characters' emotions were pretty extreme. This book is most likely suited for girly-girls. I would recommend this book to teenage girls who want a fun book to read in the summer.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Carlisle, Pennsylvania

Sisters in Sanity by Gayle Forman

Sixteen year old, Brit Hemphill can be seen as your typical semi-rebellious teen. She is lead vocals in her rock band, sports a tattoo, and can't for the life of her get along with her father and step-mother. Any other parent would just let their child live out their rebellious teen years. But not hers. Her father and step-mother send her to Red Rock; a boot camp like institution that breaks people down in order to "share their emotions." Here, Brit learns about her real mother, who lives in an institution with schizophrenia. Along the way, Brit meets four other young women who encourage each other to stay sane in this insane environment. These "Sisters in Sanity," as they call themselves, must stick together and find some way out of Red Rock; back into normal, real life.

I really liked this book. I have to admit, as an eighteen year old, it took me a little longer to get into the book. The issues Brit dealt with were very much so for a sixteen year old, like having her first crush and being totally against everything her parent's said. But once in Red Rock, I was intrigued. The situations each girl was in were very real and raw. For example, one of the girls, Cassie, was a bisexual. There was no hiding behind a blanket; the girls' issues were thrown right in front of you. At times, especially the end, the book jumped quickly from one scene to the next. I know the book can't go on forever but I saw some scenes that were more important than others and they were left for my imagination. But maybe that's how a good writer writes. Overall, it was a good book that made me take a step back from my sheltered life to see what other girls have to deal with in theirs.

Reviewer Age:18

Reviewer City, State and Country: Villa Hills, Kentucky United States

Rise of the Heroes - Hero.com #1 by Andy Briggs

When Toby, Lorna, Pete, and Emily stumble on a website that gives them superpowers it soon gets them in trouble. In order to get hero points they must perform jobs. When Toby and Lorna's mother is kidnapped they have no choice but to save her. With their friends' help of course. Can they do all of this even though they get bullied all day from the school kids? Will these mere kids be enough to stop a super villain? Find out when you fly through the pages of this book!

This was a really good book. I loved the concept of how a website could give you super powers. Giving the super powers to little kids and not grownups made the book even better. The book was very simple with a few hard words and I flew right through it. The book had very vivid imagery which felt like you were in the experience with them. Though when your mother is torn away from you I believe you would do anything in your power to get her back!

Mild Violence
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Northport, NY USA

Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur

"Love, Aubrey" by Suzanne LaFleur is about a girl whose
little sister and father die. Traumatized by the experience, Aubrey's mother just walks out on her one day. The grandmother takes Aubrey to live with her upon
discovering that Aubrey is alone. Up in Vermont, Aubrey makes friends with the girl next door and learns to cope with her life. In the end, when her mother comes to her
senses, Aubrey must choose between moving back home and staying in Vermont.

This book revolves around a melancholy issue, but it does not make readers sad. Rather, it makes readers think about their own lives and just how precious
life is. The plausible drama in the book makes it a page-turner. Also interesting are Aubrey's meetings with her guidance counselor and her letters she writes to her
sister's imaginary friend and dead family members. This book is great for young ones, making them think beyond their years.

Content: 1
Rating: 9
Age:18 Staten Island, NY USA

The Entomological Tales of Augustus T. Percival by Dene Low

What if your uncle (and guardian) started eating bugs? What if, on the day of your coming out party, two important guests - and later, your dearest friends - were kidnapped? What if your heart's true love still treated you like a little sister? And finally, what if your pesky, insane relatives got wind of this scandal and came knocking at your door?

Preposterous you say! But it's exactly what happens to Petronella Arbuthnot. Now it is up to her, Uncle Augustus, the handsome Lord James Sinclair, several old biddy aunts, and some bumbling investigators from Scotland Yard to rescue the threesome, and possibly save England. Grab your intelligence, a copy of Insectile Creatures (in case Uncle Augustus gets hungary), and some relatives to boot! This quirky Victorian story is bound to tickle you pink and leave you waiting for the next preposterous adventure!

Complete with zaniness and historical events, The Entomological Tales of Augustus T. Percival (whoa, even the name is preposterous) was quite an entertaining book. Not to mention it was nice to read something different for a change! It wasn't an extreme page flipper, but it had just enough fun and mystery to keep you occupied. It reminded me a lot of a Charles Dickens novel, but minus the sad or dark approach because this book was always light and humorous. The language was easy to understand,despite it staying true to the 20th century grammar or the "large" words throughout the novel. "Large" words? Hey, don't be scared off that easily, it was just part of Petronella's character! I found Petronella to be a very good heroine since she stayed completely one top of the kidnapping case and wasn't afraid to "tally-ho" into danger (or rather relatives with pointy umbrellas). What of Petronella's bug-eating uncle? Now, that was the best addition to the story - never a dull moment with him on the scene!
I truly think Low has a knack for the preposterous: funky wordplay and the outrageous characters. All in all, this book was fun and I would highly recommend. Mind you though, stay away from the Tou-eh-mah-mah beetles or you'll wind up like Uncle Augustus....

Recommended for ages 11 to teen
(Nine yrs. seems a little too young for the semi-Victorian style language)

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: , NM USA

Alvin Ho by Lenore Look

This is a funny book about Alvin Ho, a second grader, who is afraid of everything. When his father suggests going on a camping trip, Alvin is terrified. He asks his brother, Calvin to help him be less afraid. Calvin orders special camping equipment, including night vision goggles. The camping trip was filled with some unexpected moments and Alvin learned to overcome his fears. In the end, he actually enjoyed it.


I liked this book because it is the funniest book I have ever read. Alvin met a friend while he was camping and they pretended to be superheros. His sister, who was usually annoying, was a big help on the trip. The best part was that Alvin faced his fears while having fun. If you like to laugh and like adventure, you will love this book.

Reviewer Age:10

Reviewer City, State and Country: Baltimore, MD USA

Peril on the Sea by Michael Cadnum

Sailing the seas in the summer of 1588 was a risky voyage for many people and for the heroic Sherwin Morris, it was a job that he must do. Riding on the sea vessel named Vixen, captained by the pirate/gentlemen Brandon Fletcher, Sherwin is assigned the job of writing the life story of Captain Fletcher. On their perilous journey, they manage to strike a deal with the once wealthy Sir Anthony Westing to kidnap his own vessel. They are told to hide it away from the Spaniards and other men who would love to get their hands on its precious cinnamon and spice cargo. In the mean time they are also to take his daughter, Miss Katharine Westing, along with them so she will not be caught in the middle of the Spanish Armada attack. Little did they know that they were sailing right into the Spanish Armada and who knows what lies ahead in their path.

I had hoped this book to be a lot better, but it wasn't. It lacked excitement, and seemed to linger on the same subject forever. It took me a little while longer to read it because it didn't interest me as much. It also took a long time to get to the battle scene, and when it finally did I didn't have a clue what was going on!! It did have a good story line and yes I would recommend it to someone who likes historical fiction. If you like books with a lot of action, this isn't the book for you. I would recommend this for ages 13 and up.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: , New Mexico USA