Mind-Rain by Scott Westerfeld

Mind-rain is a great continuation and addition to the Uglies series, which helps to give a new perspective on the stories and the relationships between Tally, Shay, and their friends. This is a must-read for any and all fans of the Uglies series. This story is filled with thought-provoking essays on the main points of the series, which are written by other authors, and includes a neat short story that was the inspiration of the whole series. The essays' topics ranged anywhere from who should've been the real heroine of the series to who was the better boyfriend for Tally to the pretty-headedness that we see in our world today. Great to read before, during, or after you read the Uglies series, Mind-rain will certainly have you thinking deeper into the Uglies series than ever before.

The questions they used for the discussion topics were interesting and well chosen. Mind-rain was not only informative but was also really funny and had me laughing throughout the entire book. This book is definitely not one that you would want to read in one sitting. After reading a few essays my mind starting getting bogged down with all of the information, which caused me to get bored and lose focus. Overall, I greatly enjoyed reading Mind-rain and thought that it was a neat idea. It was a great addition to the series and I recommend it to everyone who has read, is reading, or is planning on reading the Uglies series.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg, Pennsylvania United States

Rescuing Seneca Crane by Susan Runholt

Best friends Kari and Lucas are traveling with Kari's mom to Edinburgh, Scotland to meet and interview the world famous Seneca Crane, a 15 year old piano prodigy. At first they think she will be snooty and posh, but when they meet her, they realize she is just an average girl on the inside who has never had a true friend. The three girls become fast friends. Kari and Lucas even get to see Seneca play at her concert! Who would've thought she would disappear after her standing ovation? The two girls know they have to rescue her before it's too late... the problem is, where is she?

This 277 page book was very exiting! There's mystery, adventure, action, and comedy. The ending is well explained and you don't feel lost at all. Clues pop up all over the book, along with enough facts about Scotland to fill up a guidebook. It is said to be for ages 11 and up, and I totally agree with that. My younger sister, who is 12, loves a good mystery and I will definitely recommend this whole series to her!

Reviewer Age: 15

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

Forest of Hands and Teeth

Mary's village is the last heartbeat of humanity. Her community, located in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, has endured droughts, disease and the Unconsecrated, flesh-eating zombies that are always trying to find a way into the village. After her parents die and her brother disowns her, Mary goes to live with the Sisterhood, a group of women who know everything about the village. As Mary gets accustomed to life in the Cathedral, she begins to discover things that she can't believe. But Mary's search for answers is cut short when a breach in the fence leads to an Unconsecrated attack. Will Mary and her friends be able to survive?

The Forest of Hands and Teeth is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It is set in the future, after our world collapses from a virus that causes people to turn into zombies, also known as the Unconsecrated. The people in Mary's village are the last humans alive, or so they believe. In a world without hope, Mary still has this gut feeling that there is more to the world than just her village. She is a resilient character who overcomes loss and despair and continues to move forward. Unlike everyone else, she is not content to live out her life in the village; she wants to leave and see if there really is an ocean, like in her mother's stories. These traits made Mary an interesting character. In addition to Mary's character, the plot, details and the rest of the cast were written so beautifully that I can't help but highly recommend this book to all teen readers.

Reviewer Age:17

Reviewer City, State and Country: Aston, Pennsylvania United States

Just Anothere Hero by Sharon M. Draper

Just Another Hero was about a group of teenagers who all go to the same high school. Each teen has a complicated set of problems, ranging between a new baby at home to a verbally abusive step-father to a pair of perpetually partying/gambling parents. My personal favorite character, Arielle, (the one with the verbally abusive step-father) definitely has the most complicated life, and learns lots about herself while dealing with her issues. If you are feeling sorry for yourself, reading this book will be a boost to your self esteem, if not to your mood.

This plotline was SO complicated I don't even know how to begin. There were 4 perspectives and TONS of characters. One of the reasons my above summary was so vague was that it is very hard to summarize a plot that is really 4 plots. And they don't really interact for ﾽ the book. I had to read this book twice all the way through and some parts three times before I got a good grasp of the storyline. Once I finally understood what was happening, the book was actually OK. Arielles story especially, was very interesting. At the beginning, she was sort of stuck up but her character evolved nicely into a likable person. All in all, this was a decent book, if you are willing to sit down and read it more than once.

Some mature themes, suggestive content

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Exeter, NH USA

Come Juneteenth by Ann Rinaldi

Luli has a secret, a terrible secret that threatens to harm a member of her family. Luli lives in the heart of Texas with her family and the one slave that her family owns, Ruth. Though Ruth is a slave, Luli's family accepts Ruth as one of their own.

News reaches Texas that the slaves have been freed because of the Emancipation Proclamation. However, Luli is not allowed to tell Ruth that she is free. Will Luli keep her family's secret, or tell her "almost sister" the truth? The novel becomes even more dramatic when Luli finds out that Ruth is pregnant with Luli's brother's baby. What will happen?

Overall, I thought the novel was alright. I thought that the topic that Ms. Ann Rinaldi chose was incredibly interesting. However, the ending was sudden. It was completely unexpected and I felt that the novel ended too quickly. I thought that the characters were people that I could relate to and I found myself wanting to know more about what hapened to the characters once the book ended.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Pottstown, PA United States

Dodger for President by Jordan Sonnenblick

"Dodger For President" by Jordan Sonnenblick is about a fifth grade boy and his British friend who run for class president and vice president. Propelled by their magical blue monkey, the children go up against the school's most popular boy and the scariest boy. A true tale of underdogs, the story shines light on the power of hard work and believing in oneself. Many magical potions and whimsical events are chronicled, mostly revolving around the blue monkey.

This book is second in a series. Although some details are confusing at first, the author clears them up. Readers learn that the monkey came from a magic lamp, and he is always around the main character since he wished for the monkey to be his best friend forever. The humor in the book can be a bit crude at times, but it is in no way inappropriate for youngsters. Silly to the utmost degree, this book is great for kids who want to read a story that won't put them to sleep.

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

If I Love You, Am I Trapped Forever? by M. E. Kerr

Alan Bennet is a very popular guy in Cayuta High. He's a star football player, has got the looks, and is going steady with one of the prettiest girls there, Leah. Duncan Stein, however, is going prematurely bald, wears huge glasses, lives in a rehabilitation center for alcoholics, and is nicknamed Doomed by everyone because he doesn' fit in. When Duncan invents a very strange newspaper called REMOTE, something happens. Somehow, the big geek has everyone's attention, and Alan doesn't. Duncan has got all the girls wearing dead anemone flowers on their shirts, and writing the most absurd wanted ads in his newspaper! And then Duncan starts going out with someone, when he doesn't even believe in going steady in the first place? Suddenly, Doomed is the most popular guy around. What happened? It seems like senior year for Alan is doomed, all because of Doomed.
If I Love You, Am I Trapped Forever? was a great book. It surprised me a bit because when I read all the summaries and reviews, it seemed like the story would be told from Duncan's point of view, but it was actually from Alan's. It allowed you to see that even a seemingly perfect person has problems. I don't like how the author didn't describe some of the main characters; I couldn't picture how they looked. The only other thing for me was Sophies vocabulary; she used a lot of medical terms. Even though most of the words were defined, I had to use a dictionary a few times to understand them. I liked the story line and the way that as you read, Alan and Doomed subtly switch places. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a little high school drama, and stories where the character changes for the better.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Coatesville, PA USA

Riding The Universe, By: Gaby Triana

Chloe isn’t your typical high schooler. She is failing chemistry and has a 1200 Sportster Harley Davidson. And to add to that she was adopted.
She tries to pay attention in chemistry but her teacher is too boring, so she goes to tutoring. Her tutor ends up being Gordon, a super smart and good-looking guy. She starts to understand chemistry, but Gordon is a big distraction. Chloe and Gordon spend more and more time together.
Chloe finds out she was adopted. She had no clue who her parents would be but she doesn’t know anybody that is blood related to talk to. Her uncle, who helped her create her motorcycle, was the only one she knew but he had died when she was younger.
She later finds out two things that were a huge shock to her and she ends up passing chemistry.
Riding the universe was a good book. The author used details to make it seem like it was happening in real life. I would recommend it to young adults who like suspense, realistic fiction and a good book.
Content: 1 Rating: 9
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Fairborn, Ohio USA

Alyzon Whitestarr by Isobelle Carmody

Alyzon Whitestarr isn't at all musically or artistically gifted like her parents and siblings. In fact, she finds herself rather plain and overall boring. Then, she has an accident that leaves her unconscious for a month. Suddenly, her senses are extremely sharpened and she can smell people's feelings. Everyone smells pretty good except for her extremely handsome crush, Harlen. He smells rancid. Alyzon and her newfound friends, Gilly, Raoul, Sarry, and Harrison sense something wrong about not only Harlen, but also Alyzon's sister Serenity and Aaron Rayc, a strange man that seems to be mixed up in multiple odd happenings. That's just the beginning.

Overall, I was not impressed with this book. The entire conspiracy involving Harlen, Alyzon's sister Serenity, and Aaron Rayc seemed to not be very well though out. There were a few interesting bits, such as Alyzon's ongoing romance with Harrison, but as a whole, the book was a little boring. It's good enough to finish the five hundred-page book, but not good enough to reread it. It seemed as if every chapter or so, the characters would talk about how to behave morally, which rather annoyed me. This is not a masterpiece but it does have a few bits that make it worthwhile to keep reading to the end.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Charleston, SC US

Mare's War by Tanita S. Davis

Octavia and Tali don't have the typical grandmother. Their grandmother, Mare, refuses to be called Grandma, dresses like she is Octavia and Tali's age, and drives a sports car. Like any teenagers, Octavia and Tali are dreading the cross-country road-trip that Mare is taking them on. But Mare was once a strong headed teenager herself and she is determined to tell the girls her tales of adventures in the 6888th African American battalion in World War II. Slowly and surely, the trio bonds on their road-trip.

Mare's War tells the story of a little known group of fighters in the World Wars, African Americans. The book beautifully describes the conditions of small town Alabama and the hardships on African Americans who lived there. Many people don't know about the African American soldiers in the World Wars, and the prejudice they faced. The same prejudice that African Americans faced back home carried over into the war, even though blacks and whites were fighting in the same war. Mare's War teaches that not long ago life was segregated into groups and sometimes the strongest bonds are with your family.

Reviewer Age:14
Brownsburg, Indiana USA