Liar by Justine Larbalestier

According to Micah Wilkins, lying is not an easy business. There is keeping up the different stories you have told everybody and then backing it up; oh, and making sure that you don't get caught is another biggie. Although she claims it is so difficult, Micah has become a fluent liar, even to the point where she has started to believe her own lies. Her lies get her into quite some trouble though when her boyfriend Zach shows up dead. While she has the reputation of liar, this time she swears that she had no involvement in Zach's death, but many people find it hard to believe. Will Micah finally learn to tell the truth for once, or will she just create more lies to cover up what really happened?

Throughout the ups and downs of high school and many unexpected twists, Justine Larbalestier creates a fantastic novel that is hard to forget and even tougher to put down.

This book was absolutely wonderful. I truly enjoyed the entire story and thought the way it was written was extremely intriguing. This was the first time I had read anything by Justine Larbalestier, but I know how she writes fantasy novels and such. Therefore I was a bit shocked with the realism this book contained, but then I soon came to find out that Ms. Larbalestier weaved her signature style into the story flawlessly and intensely.

The plotline of the book was incredibly interesting and jaw-dropping. There was grief and sorrow as well as many laughs and giggles throughout the entire story. Although there were points where I was pretty sure I had the rest of the story figured out, there was always a twist to what I was thinking. As the book progressed, the plot became more and more intricate, but the author still managed to keep things very clear to the reader with no confusion. The ending was also absolutely perfect for the book.

As for the characters, I thought they were all really well developed. Even the characters that were only mentioned once or twice were described well and came alive off of the pages. For example, there was this one character, BRANDON, who we only met perhaps three times, and you could just tell that he was one of the biggest perverts in the world. To me, this really made me enjoy the story even more because it got me involved in the world that the author created. I also loved the development of Micah. She is definitely not your average young adult girl character. For one she kind of resembles a boy and two she doesn't really care what other people think. She was a great character though, as many of her lies were comical and she always left this lingering thought in your head as if she was really telling the truth. Throughout the entire story it felt like she was whispering her secrets into your ear.

Another very strong aspect of this book was the point of view the author created. Micah told the entire story and the reader learned all about her family history and the days leading up and proceeding Zach's death. Micah also talked to the reader, asking if he / she really believed her and again making the reader feel that he / she were sitting there on the couch beside Micah, listening to her life story. The author also created such a feeling of suspense throughout the whole book that it was near impossible to set the book down even for a minute. She also set the book up really nicely, making a very logical progression of events that made the story that much more intriguing.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and thought it was just wonderful! I will definitely be reading more by Justine Larbalestier in the future, as she is a fabulous author. I recommend this book to anyone looking for an interesting and riveting read.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Currituck, NC United States

Stonecutter by Jon J. Muth

"Stonecutter" by Jon J. Muth is about a man that cuts stones for a living. Suddenly feeling despondent, he changes his occupation around. He becomes a merchant, an official, the sun, the wind, and more. Trying out each situation, he learns that he is still not good enough. In the end, the stonecutter does not settle on a final occupation, but he does find closure.

This is an ideal coffee-table book. It's short, full of pictures, and offers a unique message. Very philosophical at times, the book shines light on feelings of nonfulfillment, disappointment, and comparisons. The illustrations are beautiful in a simple sort of way, reminiscent of charcoal. Since there is really only one main character, this book is also great for young readers.

Reviewer Age:18

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

Faith, Hope, and Ivy June by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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