Ivy June Mosley lives in Thunder Creek, Kentucky. She lives with her grandparents, who live up the hill from Ivy June's parents and siblings. Catherine Combs lives in Lexington, Kentucky with her parents and siblings. Ivy June and Catherine have been chosen from their school to be in an exchange program. In the exchange program they live with each others families for two weeks, write in their journal what things are different, and then they have to tell their class about.It seems that they are getting along well until disaster strikes in both families. Will they be able to keep themselves together or will they fall apart?
I thought this was a great book. I liked the style it was written in and how the author put in so much detail in to the story. I almost felt like I was there. I also enjoyed reading what the girls had written in their journals. I would recommend this book to girls who love to read about growing friendships.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Enon, OH USA
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
The adolescent, whimsical girl who renamed herself
Stargirl, and was the main character in the novel
Stargirl, appears again in this sequel Love, Stargirl,
also by Jerry Spinelli. In the first book, Stargirl had
been home-schooled her whole life before moving to
Arizona, where her first public school experience is
difficult, as she becomes a target for ridicule, when she
is not being completely ignored or excluded. Although she
is made fun of for being different, she remains a unique,
warm-hearted person. She develops a crush on a boy named
Leo who returns her feelings but is too embarrassed to act
on them. By the end of that book, Stargirl is so hurt and
bewildered that she and her family decide to move to
Pennsylvania, which is where the sequel Love, Stargirl
begins. This was definitely easier to read than Stargirl.
I really like the form of the book, a series of letters
written to her old boyfriend Leo, as well as a few other
characters. Also, it's not just a stream of consciousness,
with little plot or climax like the first book. This whole
book builds up to the winter solstice when several plot
lines are resolved, especially whether Stargirl will
choose Leo or Perry, her two main love interests.
Archie, the scientist who taught her so much in Stargirl,
doesnt physically appear until the end of this book,
though several of Stargirl's letters are addressed to him.
Love, Stargirl, in my opinion, is a wonderfully written
novel which captivates the reader and draws them into
Stargirl's unique life. It focuses on some neat issues,
like the fact that Stargirl's best friend, Dootsie is only
six, and very outgoing, while her other close friend,
Betty Lou, is an old, single woman, who is too scared to
leave her house. Also, it focuses on the long term
relationship between Stargirl and Leo, illustrating that
although people might not always be physically faithful
they can be emotionally faithful no matter how large a
distance separates them. Love, Stargirl seems to be
written for a middle to high school audience, and I would
recommend it to anyone within that age range..
The main character is a quirky, naive, creative character,
whose view of the world may help readers become more open-
minded. Even though the narrator is female, I think that
boys would enjoy both of these novels.
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country:
Hingham, MA USA
Stargirl, and was the main character in the novel
Stargirl, appears again in this sequel Love, Stargirl,
also by Jerry Spinelli. In the first book, Stargirl had
been home-schooled her whole life before moving to
Arizona, where her first public school experience is
difficult, as she becomes a target for ridicule, when she
is not being completely ignored or excluded. Although she
is made fun of for being different, she remains a unique,
warm-hearted person. She develops a crush on a boy named
Leo who returns her feelings but is too embarrassed to act
on them. By the end of that book, Stargirl is so hurt and
bewildered that she and her family decide to move to
Pennsylvania, which is where the sequel Love, Stargirl
begins. This was definitely easier to read than Stargirl.
I really like the form of the book, a series of letters
written to her old boyfriend Leo, as well as a few other
characters. Also, it's not just a stream of consciousness,
with little plot or climax like the first book. This whole
book builds up to the winter solstice when several plot
lines are resolved, especially whether Stargirl will
choose Leo or Perry, her two main love interests.
Archie, the scientist who taught her so much in Stargirl,
doesnt physically appear until the end of this book,
though several of Stargirl's letters are addressed to him.
Love, Stargirl, in my opinion, is a wonderfully written
novel which captivates the reader and draws them into
Stargirl's unique life. It focuses on some neat issues,
like the fact that Stargirl's best friend, Dootsie is only
six, and very outgoing, while her other close friend,
Betty Lou, is an old, single woman, who is too scared to
leave her house. Also, it focuses on the long term
relationship between Stargirl and Leo, illustrating that
although people might not always be physically faithful
they can be emotionally faithful no matter how large a
distance separates them. Love, Stargirl seems to be
written for a middle to high school audience, and I would
recommend it to anyone within that age range..
The main character is a quirky, naive, creative character,
whose view of the world may help readers become more open-
minded. Even though the narrator is female, I think that
boys would enjoy both of these novels.
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country:
Hingham, MA USA
Terra Insegura by Edward Willett
Terra Insegura by Edward Willet is a science fiction novel with a highly original plot. The storyline centres around the adventures of the Selkie (a modified human meant to live under water) Emily Wood and her mother along with those of Victor Hansen (a clone of the Selkie's creator) and his crew. Marseguro is a water world far away from earth. The people and Selkies of Marseguro have long been victimized by the radical religious group that has taken over Earth, The Body Purified. The Body believe that their duty is to fulfil the wishes of their God and eradicate all the modified humans in existence. Emily's mother had developed a horrific plague that destroyed many of the Body Purified and devastated Earth.
Now, Victor has come to Earth in order to rescue the survivors. However, the surviving Body Purified are trying harder than ever to destroy the mods . Avartar, the Body leader, Karl the first is convinced that the plague is a sign from God that the Body haven't been taking their duty seriously. Now, as all their lives intertwine Earth becomes a battlefield for the survival of all.
This is an engrossing novel that has many unexpected twists and turns. In the beginning it is a little hard to follow, if you haven't read the preceding books, but as the story progresses it all falls into place and becomes a fantastic, entertaining and at times nail-biting read that readers will thoroughly enjoy. Although the end is satisfying it does come abruptly. Fans of Ender's Game will find a good read here although this novel is not quite up to that standard. The characters are quite believeable and the reader is really able to care about them and become drawn into their world. Willet's use of description is great and involved, making the reader really interested in the events of the story and is definitely the novel's biggest strength. The vocabulary sometimes is a little science focused but the context helps to give the reader its definition. The lack of explanation is slightly frustrating but didn't really hinder my overall reading experience. I would recommend Terra Insegura to all fans of science fiction and even to those who want to try reading the genre for the first time.
Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: San Diego, California United States
Now, Victor has come to Earth in order to rescue the survivors. However, the surviving Body Purified are trying harder than ever to destroy the mods . Avartar, the Body leader, Karl the first is convinced that the plague is a sign from God that the Body haven't been taking their duty seriously. Now, as all their lives intertwine Earth becomes a battlefield for the survival of all.
This is an engrossing novel that has many unexpected twists and turns. In the beginning it is a little hard to follow, if you haven't read the preceding books, but as the story progresses it all falls into place and becomes a fantastic, entertaining and at times nail-biting read that readers will thoroughly enjoy. Although the end is satisfying it does come abruptly. Fans of Ender's Game will find a good read here although this novel is not quite up to that standard. The characters are quite believeable and the reader is really able to care about them and become drawn into their world. Willet's use of description is great and involved, making the reader really interested in the events of the story and is definitely the novel's biggest strength. The vocabulary sometimes is a little science focused but the context helps to give the reader its definition. The lack of explanation is slightly frustrating but didn't really hinder my overall reading experience. I would recommend Terra Insegura to all fans of science fiction and even to those who want to try reading the genre for the first time.
Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: San Diego, California United States
Girl to the Core
When fifteen-year-old Molly refuses her new boyfriend's sexual advances, she soon finds that he has not been as faithful as she thought. After a huge internal struggle, Molly decides that her time would be better spent with another person: her six year old neighbor. Although breaking up with her boyfriend was in her best interest, Molly is still depressed and looks to the Girl Scout-like group "Girl Core" for guidance. However, the group's leader Rhondi seems to think that Molly is a bad influence on the girls. Throughout her fight to retain her membership, Molly learns more about herself and where she stands on her friendships.
Although I loved the Irish ambience of this novel, I can not say that it is one of my favorites. The word choice was limited, and I felt as if the book was written for much younger children. However, certain parts of the storyline were rather intriguing, such as Molly's trip to a wild bar. Through it all, I believe that this book, though not a complex read, would be a good book for girls in the 10-12 age group, due to the fact that the language is mild and there are very few sexual references. This book was not the right choice for me, but I would recommend giving it a try.
Content: 1
Rating: 7
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Charleston, WV United States
Although I loved the Irish ambience of this novel, I can not say that it is one of my favorites. The word choice was limited, and I felt as if the book was written for much younger children. However, certain parts of the storyline were rather intriguing, such as Molly's trip to a wild bar. Through it all, I believe that this book, though not a complex read, would be a good book for girls in the 10-12 age group, due to the fact that the language is mild and there are very few sexual references. This book was not the right choice for me, but I would recommend giving it a try.
Content: 1
Rating: 7
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Charleston, WV United States
Friday, July 17, 2009
The Fire Thief Fights Back by Terry Deary
The Fire Thief Fights Back is a fantasy/adventure fiction about Prometheus, a demigod (half-god) who must find a hero to save himself from being destroyed and fight the monsters of Ancient Greece. Along the way, he meets Sam, a smart kid being chased by an angry mob for selling fake medicine, and asks him to help find the hero. Also, back in Ancient Greece, Zeus is captured by the Typhon, a monster with 100 snakeheads, who cuts out his tendons so he can't leave, and Hera (Zeus's wife), sends Hermes to rescue him. After his rescue, Zeus goes to help Prometheus fight the monsters that attack Eden City.
The writing was okay, but not very descriptive. This book is good at giving you a general idea of the scene and letting you imagine the rest. I thought this book moved from interesting to dull at some points. There was a lot of extra stuff in the text.
Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chippewa Falls, WI USA
Portia's Exclusive and Confidential Rules by Anna Hays
Portia Avatar, a girl detective is on the case to find her father, Patch. When Misty, a new student arrives, she brings a case along with her. She tells Portia her case is top secret, and somebody's life is at steak. Portia spends time with Misty in school and out of school. Portia's best friend, Amy, starts to become jealous. Portia has to juggle her two cases and keeping her old friend.
Portia's Exclusive and Confidential Rules on True Friendship was written in vivid detail. The characters were unique and interesting. The author used fantastic comparisons and used magnificent describing words. I could not always connect to the characters because it seemed they acted younger. I believe younger kids would enjoy it more. As the book progressed, Portia learned about the meaning of true friendship, which is a great lesson to teach through a book.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Lake Bluff, IL
United States
Portia's Exclusive and Confidential Rules on True Friendship was written in vivid detail. The characters were unique and interesting. The author used fantastic comparisons and used magnificent describing words. I could not always connect to the characters because it seemed they acted younger. I believe younger kids would enjoy it more. As the book progressed, Portia learned about the meaning of true friendship, which is a great lesson to teach through a book.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Lake Bluff, IL
United States
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Skinwalker by Faith Hunter
Skinwalker is a story about love, action, and magic.
Jane Yellowrock is a young woman that is a vampire hunter. She is hired by one vampire to hunt down another vampire who is killing other vampires. Jane must figure out who this rogue vamp is while keeping the secret that she is a skinwalker-a Cherokee that can change into any animal she wants. Throughout the book, Jane must look into her own past to solve the mystery of the rogue and why she shares her body with another soul that she calls Beast.
In this novel, the author details much of the story. Many of the characters were well developed and thought out. Sometimes, I had difficulty keeping up with the story because it switches the point of view between two character (Jane and Beast). The author put in lots of description and irony that keeps you reading until the end. In my opinion, I think that the author should have added more detail to the ending, but overall, it was a really interesting. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes books similar to the Cirque Du Freak or Harry Potter series. Readers can expect a large mix of mystery, action, and fantasy.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: McDonough, Georgia United States
Jane Yellowrock is a young woman that is a vampire hunter. She is hired by one vampire to hunt down another vampire who is killing other vampires. Jane must figure out who this rogue vamp is while keeping the secret that she is a skinwalker-a Cherokee that can change into any animal she wants. Throughout the book, Jane must look into her own past to solve the mystery of the rogue and why she shares her body with another soul that she calls Beast.
In this novel, the author details much of the story. Many of the characters were well developed and thought out. Sometimes, I had difficulty keeping up with the story because it switches the point of view between two character (Jane and Beast). The author put in lots of description and irony that keeps you reading until the end. In my opinion, I think that the author should have added more detail to the ending, but overall, it was a really interesting. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes books similar to the Cirque Du Freak or Harry Potter series. Readers can expect a large mix of mystery, action, and fantasy.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: McDonough, Georgia United States
Racle of the Morrigan by Tiffany Trent and Paul Crilley
After reluctantly agreeing to help with the council's mission of finding the rathstones, Siobhan is thrust into a portal and wakes up to find herself still in Scotland, just a scarier, more medieval Scotland. She takes a liking to her mortal rescuer named Conal who takes her to an annual festival located in the actual Fey kingdom itself. There she realizes that Fey and mortal live side-by-side in peace and harmony, but she knows that that can't be for much longer since she came from the future. Already knowing what is yet to come, Siobhan decides that maybe her mission isn't to find the rathstone after all, but maybe it's to prevent the future events that cause the Fey and mortal warfare from happening. But is a war so large preventable and if so, can she do it all alone when she is scared of the very thought of her daunting mission? She'll have to set aside her cowardly fear and look inside herself and maybe to a few others for help as well if she wants to succeed.
This was one of the best books so far in the Hallowmere series and I couldn't put it down. Oracle of the Morrigan was very suspenseful, exciting, and captivating, and it definitely kept my interest. I found myself fully engrossed this story and it felt like I was actually living Siobhan's life. It was a very sad story that was also full of adventure and intrigue and had a slight pinch of love thrown in, but it was such a small dose it was almost unrecognizable. The words were fairly large and I found myself constantly reaching for the dictionary. I feel that the storyline definitely could've continued into further books because there were still many questions that were left unanswered such as whether or not Siobhan even made it home and if she does how. I think that it was kind of a bad place to stop the story. I really admired Conal and his bravery and every girl should wish for a great guy like him because he was always there for Siobhan, definitely in the direst times of peril. I greatly enjoyed this amazing and very well-written story and highly recommend it to teens that are into fantasy genres.
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg, PA USA
This was one of the best books so far in the Hallowmere series and I couldn't put it down. Oracle of the Morrigan was very suspenseful, exciting, and captivating, and it definitely kept my interest. I found myself fully engrossed this story and it felt like I was actually living Siobhan's life. It was a very sad story that was also full of adventure and intrigue and had a slight pinch of love thrown in, but it was such a small dose it was almost unrecognizable. The words were fairly large and I found myself constantly reaching for the dictionary. I feel that the storyline definitely could've continued into further books because there were still many questions that were left unanswered such as whether or not Siobhan even made it home and if she does how. I think that it was kind of a bad place to stop the story. I really admired Conal and his bravery and every girl should wish for a great guy like him because he was always there for Siobhan, definitely in the direst times of peril. I greatly enjoyed this amazing and very well-written story and highly recommend it to teens that are into fantasy genres.
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg, PA USA
Crouching Vampire Hidden Fang by Kate MacAlister
Pia Thomas is the Beloved of a Dark One named Kristoff, meaning that Kristoff can no longer live without her. She hasn't seen him since Iceland two months ago and is surprised when the messenger from the vampire council comes to her doorstep. She drags her best friend and her fiance, Magda and Ray, to Venice to go before the court. There, she once again meets Kristoff. Together, they are charged with crimes they did not commit and set off to clear their names and possibly learn to love each other.
Crouching Vampire, Hidden Fang was a well written book. It was interesting and made me want to keep reading. However, the book was a little confusing in the beginning. This book has another before it called Zen and the Art of Vampires which probably would have helped my understanding of some of the terms used and how Pia became a Beloved. There were also some adult moments in the book, especially when Kristoff and Pia were together, that some parents might not want their children to be reading. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy romance and vampire books.
There are four major sex scenes in the book along with a lot of sexual thinking on Pia and Kristoff's part that some teens and young adults should not be reading.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Brownsburg, Indiana United States of America
Crouching Vampire, Hidden Fang was a well written book. It was interesting and made me want to keep reading. However, the book was a little confusing in the beginning. This book has another before it called Zen and the Art of Vampires which probably would have helped my understanding of some of the terms used and how Pia became a Beloved. There were also some adult moments in the book, especially when Kristoff and Pia were together, that some parents might not want their children to be reading. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy romance and vampire books.
There are four major sex scenes in the book along with a lot of sexual thinking on Pia and Kristoff's part that some teens and young adults should not be reading.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Brownsburg, Indiana United States of America
Monday, July 13, 2009
Soldier Mom
Jas is a 12 year old girl who has everything she needs: a mom who works for the Army at an office close to home, (She orders supplies and ships them to soldiers.), a cute 10-month old baby brother who is good to cheer you up, and a game that she is good at, basketball. But she also has a nuisance, her mom's boyfriend and her little brother's dad,
Jake. He is so irresponsible! Jas just goes on with life, even though Jake is SO annoying, and makes team captain for her b-ball team. Everything is fine and dandy until Paula, Jas's mom, gets a phone call. Paula is to leave in a day to
go to a country near Saudi Arabia called Kuwait, no excuse to leaving the mission, she has to go. Jas is destroyed. How can her mom leave her? Leave her with Jake? The one person who is always late, and Jake's work hours mean that Jas has to pick up Andrew, her baby brother, from daycare, at 5:00 o'clock sharp, exactly when basketball practice ends! She'll have no time, and coach won't let her be captain if she has to leave practice! And Jake refuses to get up earlier and take the early shift. What will Jas do? When will her mom get back? Is her mom even okay?
Jake. He is so irresponsible! Jas just goes on with life, even though Jake is SO annoying, and makes team captain for her b-ball team. Everything is fine and dandy until Paula, Jas's mom, gets a phone call. Paula is to leave in a day to
go to a country near Saudi Arabia called Kuwait, no excuse to leaving the mission, she has to go. Jas is destroyed. How can her mom leave her? Leave her with Jake? The one person who is always late, and Jake's work hours mean that Jas has to pick up Andrew, her baby brother, from daycare, at 5:00 o'clock sharp, exactly when basketball practice ends! She'll have no time, and coach won't let her be captain if she has to leave practice! And Jake refuses to get up earlier and take the early shift. What will Jas do? When will her mom get back? Is her mom even okay?
This book, "Soldier Mom," is a wonderful book that really opened my eyes and let me know what kids sometimes go
through when one of their parents gets called to war. It has a fantastic writing style, which gets you all wrapped up in the story. This book is a very quick and easy read, yet the two days I read the book, I was captivated by the story...it
even made me shed a few tears once. The main character, Jas, really got through to me, and let me know how she felt, and how she thought; it was amazing. Also the plot was something most people never think will happen, but sometimes it does, so it really informed me about those situations.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Winslow, Arkansas, United States
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