The Most Unusual Adventures of Black Shadow Smokey and the Blue Streak by Suzan Tanner

"The Most Unusual Adventures of Black Shadow Smokey and
the Blue Streak" by Suzan Tanner is a children's book.
The story revolves around a cat and a dog who happen to
live with the same family. Tempers clash as they both vie
for their humans' attention. Later, they meet up with a
common friend and rescue her from kleptomaniacs. Dubbed
heroes, the cat and dog become friends and vow to be
superheroes together.

There are many friendship themes
in this book. Also, animals are discussed as intelligent
and considerate. There is not too much action in the
book, but there is just enough to entertain the target
audience of six to ten year olds. There are also some sci-
fi parts where scientists realize the animals can talk.

Overall, this book is easy to follow and pleasant for
younger ones.

Reviewer Age:18

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

Camp Alien by Pamela F. Service

Zackary Gaither is a boy who knows he is not human. He is an alien who is trying to get Earth into the Galactic Union. Zack has lived on Earth for all of his life. The other aliens planted him on Earth so he would grow up and know how the people on Earth live. When Zack got home from his friend Ken's house he found that the camp he wanted to go to was full. He was mad when he found out the he needed to go to Camp Takhamasak instead. Zack went to a carnival to cheer himself up, and at the carnival another alien agent named Agent Sorn briefed Zack on his next mission - he had to find 100 Duthwi eggs. Zack set off on an adventure, along the way meeting a number of interesting aliens and humans. Zack had to keep his identity secret while accomplishing his mission.
Camp Alien has a strong plot with lots of twists and turns. The characters range from evil aliens to best friends. I recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy and quick reads. This book is easy to pick up but hard to put down. This book is the second in the Agent Alien series, but you don't need to read the first book, "My Cousin, the Alien" in order to enjoy it.
Reviewer Age:10
Reviewer City, State and Country: Randolph, NJ United States

The Island of Mad Scientists by Howard Whitehouse

"The Island of Mad Scientists" by Howard Whitehouse is a wild book, indeed. The stories of over ten characters are intertwined when an island used for scientific research comes into play. Not far from this island, the Collector spies on the scientists and kidnaps the ones he wants to hold prisoner. In the book, he is after two young avionics. The other characters in the book are are related to the kids, friends of the kids, or merely people the kids meet on their journey. The story kicks off when a mad scientist steals a car and all those associated with him are on a most wanted list. So, the characters split up to flee to the isolated island of mad scientists. Little do they know what this island will have in store for them.

This book has the stories of characters divided in each chapter. It is rare for all the characters to actually be in the presence of the others. Also, the infamous island is not reached until well after the midway point in the novel. The plot events are hard to keep track of, and some are a bit incongruous (hence the madness). Sometimes satirical and other times just plain silly, this book is definitely unique. Due to the accents in some of the dialogue, grammar is thrown off. While this adds depth to characters, it can be detrimental to little eyes just learning sentence structure.

There is brief mention of rum, paganism, and unintelligible swearing (to make certain characters appear more silly and block-headed)

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

Girl Force by Nikki Goldstein

What are you an air, fire or earth girl? GirlForce by Nikki Goldstein tells you this then uses it to give you a guide to your life. Fire girls should exercise in a calm and meditative way and dress in mostly blues. Earth girls should eat bitter foods and air girls should stick to slow, gentle yoga moves. All this information, plus more, is inside GirlForce.

GirlForce has a cool idea, basically you take a test that tells you if you are an air, fire or earth girl then it uses this information to give you advice on every aspect of your life. Sadly, this concept doesn't come through very well. Although some of it is quite interesting and shockingly true most of it is kind of goofy. It provides a good laugh but isn't as deep as it is made out to be.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Greenwood Village, Co USA

Girl Force by Nikki Goldstein

What are you an air, fire or earth girl? GirlForce by Nikki Goldstein tells you this then uses it to give you a guide to your life. Fire girls should exercise in a calm and meditative way and dress in mostly blues. Earth girls should eat bitter foods and air girls should stick to slow, gentle yoga moves. All this information, plus more, is inside GirlForce.

GirlForce has a cool idea, basically you take a test that tells you if you are an air, fire or earth girl then it uses this information to give you advice on every aspect of your life. Sadly, this concept doesn't come through very well. Although some of it is quite interesting and shockingly true most of it is kind of goofy. It provides a good laugh but isn't as deep as it is made out to be.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Greenwood Village, Co USA

The Eternal Smile by Gene Luen Yang

Come fly into these three graphic novels in only one book! Meet Duncan, he's charming and brave and also the princess's favorite. Is he enough to go get the frog kings head and win the princess and her kingdom? Then there is Gran'pa Greenbax, a greedy old frog, longing for a pool full of gold. When a peculiar smile appears in the sky, will it satisfy him? Or will it lead to more greed? Finally, there is Janet; her nine to five life spins when she gets a romantic email from a Nigerian prince. She is chosen to liberate his family fortune; all he needs is her bank account. Is it a scam or will a true prince finally rescue her? When you read these three graphic novels, they will take a turn and lead to unexpected places.

These graphic novels were great, but I thought they were a little slow. For example, in the first one, I wish there was more fighting. The second one with gran'pa frog took a little time for the story to build, but once it did, it was very good. My favorite was the last one, though the character didn't act as you expected, which I liked. Janet shows the reader that any dream or wish can come true. Overall, these graphic novels were really good!

Some Adult themes.

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

City Boy by Jan Michael

Sam has grown up very comfortably as an only child. Every morning he is driven to a private school which he attends up until the day his mom passes away. Sam's mother and father both die a slow, painful death caused by AIDS. His Aunt, Mercy, willingly takes him in. Sam now has to say goodbye to the life he once had. He is forced to live in poverty and struggles with the drastic changes in his life. He lives with four other children in a small house that doesn't even have electricity. He also has difficulty making new friends. Sam feels alone and confused. His journey is filled with challenges and lessons to be learned.

City Boy by Jan Michael is an inspiring story about a young boy. The book has many strengths such as its use of mood and imagery. The author uses a very creative vocabulary that helps to paint a picture in the reader's mind. The author also has one weakness that stands out. When reading I found parts of the book boring. So boring that it made me want to put the book down. The ending was one of the best parts of the book, everything was resolved and all the loose ends were tied up. The authors message in the book was whatever happens, you will always have family that will love you, and where ever you are, your home is where your family is. I recommend this book to anyone who loves books with happy endings.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Sandy, Oregon United States

Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon

Chen Yong has been seeking the truth behind who his parents really are. He meets a young woman, Ai Ling, as she struggles to find and rescue her own father. Chen Yong gladly accompanies her, but she begins to experience a power that is growing within her. Ai Ling can hear people's thoughts, and that helps the travelers as much as it lures evil towards them. Along the way of finding their family, Chen Yong and Ai Ling also find monsters, goddesses, and romance.

I really enjoyed reading Silver Phoenix because of its mix of genres. Adventure, romance, and fantasy are all incorporated in this delightful book. The introduction to the novel seems at first meaningless, but as the reader gets further along in the story it make sense and makes a better read. The clues and hints that are thrown in the plot are very beneficial to the reader when the events they foreshadow occur. I loved the characters and the way that their emotions were well described. If there were a sequel to this book, I would read it. I recommend it to anyone who likes one, or all, of those three genres.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Carlisle, Pennsylvania United States of America

How To Buy A Love Of Reading by Tanya Egan Gibson

In Carley Well's life, reading wasn't one of her top priorities. Her personal trainer, her tutor, and her English Teacher, Mr. Nagel, are not some of her favorite people in the world. When Carley answers one of Mr. Nagle's questions of "What is your favorite book?" with "Never met one I liked.", Mr Nagel and Carley's parents decide to fix that problem. Carley is to have a book written just for her, that meets her standards, and has to impress Mr. Nagel along with the town of Fox Glen.

After reading this book I was amazed. Not only was I amazed by the actual story line of the book, but I was stunned at the language that was used. At the same time, I came to understand that without the cursewords that were used in the book, the characters would not be who they are and the whole book would be completely different. Other than the cursewords, I found the book to be very interesting but yet maybe not at the age level that it should be. I would recommend this book to an age of a higher level of reading such as maybe 16 or 17 years old.

I rated the content of the book a 2 because I felt that they used some curse words that may be have been too mature for the reader and also spoke of sexual interaction throughout the book.

Reviewer Age:13

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

Terribly Twisted Tales by Jean Rabe

Approaching famous fairy tales from a different direction, the eighteen stories in Terribly Twisted Tales will challenge the reader's preconceived notion of a fairy tale. This anthology edited by Jean Rabe and Martin H. Greenberg includes stories by Dennis L. McKiernan, Annie Jones, Chris Pierson, Mickey Zucker Reichert, Mary Louis Eklund, Robert E. Vardeman, Kathleen Watness, Jody Lynn Nye, Jim C. Hines, Steven D. Sullivan, Brendan DuBois, Paul Genesse, Ramsey Lundock, Skip & Penny Williams, Elizabeth A. Vaughn, Janet Deaver-Pack, Kelly Swails, and Michael A. Stackpole.

From Grimm to Andersen, classic fairy tales are taken from new angles and sometimes transformed so much that the reader can hardly recognize the original. These stories range from funny to heartbreaking to slightly disturbing, each one distinct from the stories preceding and following it. Some of the best stories include the tale of Snow White's falling out with the seven dwarfs, another of Rumpelstiltskin as the victim, and of Red-Riding Hood challenging a suffocating religious force.

Anthologies in general are often hit or miss. Terribly Twisted Tales falls somewhere in between, with quite a few absolutely fascinating stories that are scattered among mediocre tales along with a couple that are so complex they aren't at all enjoyable. Nevertheless, it is worth picking up this anthology just for those great twists on your everyday fairy tales. In particular, McKiernan's Waifs, Pierson's Once They Were Seven, and Swails' Three Wishes are not to be missed as they are very well-developed despite being short stories and are absolutely captivating. Also, fans of Jim C. Hines' The Stepsister Scheme will appreciate a glimpse of Red who will be central to the third installment of this Princess series. Terribly Twisted Tales is a great read for those who only have short increments of time to read as the varying lengths of the stories and their independence makes the book one that is easy to pick up and put down.

Reviewer Age:19

Reviewer City, State and Country: Farmington, CT USA