Pirouette: Ballet Stories by Harriet Castor

The Pirouette is a collection of fiction short stories
based on ballet life. Harriet Castor has chosen the
stories for the book. The book has sixteen short stories
meant for teens. The focus is the different problems and
achievements made by young girls in the ballet world.
Harriet Castor wrote one story called Grace, based on how
a young girl who did not have the dream of ballet but her
mom did.

Each of the stories focused on one young lady
in the ballet world. One story may be about school and
ballet or about repeated frustrations during work outs.
Most stories were set in English schools and homes. It was
hard to see them due to not knowing England's countryside
or the differences in school systems that came up
frequently. The book would be wonderful for hopeful future
ballerinas. The everyday teen may have a hardtime sticking
with the book due to its focus solely on
ballet.

Reviewer Age:20
Reviewer City, State and
Country: Marble Hill, Missouri Bolliger

Notes from the Dog

Notes from the Dog is a very inspirational book. It starts out with a kid named Finn, his friend Matt, and Finn's dog Dylan. One day on their summer vacation they meet a girl with breast cancer who is going through chemo. Finn was hoping to only talk to twelve people this summer but he over shoots his number by a huge amount. Join the journey of this shy teenager as he opens up and does things he doesn't plan to do. Johana, the girl with breast cancer, also gives notes to the dog to give to Finn. With the notes and nagging Finn in to things, you would be surprised what Johana gets him to do.

One thing I liked about this book was that it was very predictable but you never knew how things were going to happen. This gave you a reason to keep reading even though you predicted an event a chapter before it happened. I also liked that all of the characters were developed very well. You end up learning a lot of characters and you never stop learning until the end. My overall opinion is that this book was a very fast read, but even though it was quick, it doesn't lose any impact on the reader.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Newville , PA USA

Fade To Blue by Sean Beaudoin

Sophie Blue and Kenny Fade (he'd like to make sure you know that it's pronounced Fa-DAY) are on opposite ends of the spectrum. While Sophie endures being the outcast of Upheare High School, Kenny is living the high life. As the Upheare Toro's star basketball player, paramour of the head cheerleader Dayna Daynes, and an all-around nice guy, he is worshiped by the majority of the school's population. Both have irritating, red scars on their elbows. Both know a strange woman in white called Rose Fade, or sometimes "La Nutrika". After Kenny collapses and dies following a basketball game, he ends up in neither heaven nor hell, but a vacuum store in space. He spins a wheel, drinks a can of the popular soft drink Sour White, and is returned to Upheare High School. Only this time, he's not Kenny. From zombie attacks to trips to the virtual world, will Sophie finally figure out what happened to her father? What is the Virtuality? And will Sophie's arm ever stop itching?

Fade to Blue is a mind-boggling patchwork of twists and turns. The book begins with a snarky, sarcastic bang, and then the reader is sent off on an evil speeding truck of confusion through this dense novel. Sophie and her younger brother, Kenny 'O.S.' Blue, seemed to be the only 3-D personalities throughout the story. I believe the author wrote them this way on purpose, not only to develop the storyline, but also to offer a commentary on how teens see their lives. Giving the secondary characters simple, repetitive names like Dayna Daynes and Aaron Agar only served to accentuate this. From the very beginning, we can feel Sophie's confusion and anger, and we are amazed at how her mind retains its ferocity throughout the trials she goes through. The author only gives us information when he thinks we need it, and keeps us coming back for more. We have to not only find the puzzle pieces, but follow the trail and put them together at the same time. As a reader, the constant point-of-view switching was jarring and more than a little disorienting, but it was something I got used to over time. I found the graphic novel comic book interlude to not only be helpful to the plot, but also very mentally refreshing. It's not often that an author can pull something like that off in such a short novel. I would recommend reading this book twice, just in case you missed a connection the first time around. An amazing, confusing, and exhilarating read.

Reviewer Age: 17

Reviewer City, State and Country: Shoreview, Minnesota USA

Closed for the Season by Mary Downing Hahn

Logan Forbes doesn't like the looks of the creepy, old mansion he is moving into with his parents. Overgrown grass, hanging shingles, collapsing porch, Logan hates it right away, but not only because of it's looks, he has a bad feeling there's something not right about the house. When Logan meets his new neighbor, Arthur Jenkins, Logan learns he had a right to be nervous about the house- a woman was murdered in it! Arthur ropes Logan into his quest to find Mrs. Donaldson's killer. Their search leads them to the old Magic Forest Amusement Park, which is closed due to losing a lot of money. As Logan and Arthur get tangled more and more in the mystery of the murder, the boys realize they're in a lot more danger than they ever thought they would be...

I've read quite a few other books by Mary Downing Hahn and enjoyed them, but as with Closed For the Season they're directed to a younger audience. Although, it held my attention, there were times I was wishing there was more detail in plot and character development. Keeping in mind, this book was written for younger kids, I enjoyed reading it. The mystery was orginial, although at times a bit predictable. There were a few twists in the plot that kept me guessing, but I wouldn't read it again. Hahn's other books I read were all ghost stories, with a mystery tangled in as well, so while reading this I always felt like something was missing. Boys might be able to better relate to the main characters in the book, than I could, as they were mostly all male. Even if it wasn't my favorite book, all in all I would recommend it to kids who enjoy a fun mystery that's an overall quick read. <

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Hightstown, NJ USA

Second Skin by Jessica Wollman

For Sam Klein, having to go through a school day being unnoticed was a normal thing. Popularity was something she only dreamed she could have but cheer leading and sports just weren't her style. She read every magazine and memorized every article but absolutely nothing worked. All of that changed when the most popular girl in school moved in right next door. Her name was Kylie and she had everything she ever wanted. She was co-captain of the pep-squad, had tons of friends, and her boyfriend was the hottest guy in school. Could all the popularity just be natural or was it caused by something the world has never known? Sam was to soon find out...

I really liked this book! I think I liked it so much because it expressed more of what really happens in High School. It really described what actually happened along the lines of drama and feelings of the characters. I especially liked the part towards the end when Sam decides to give the Skin back to Kylie because she doesn't want it anymore and Kylie decides that she doesn't want it either because she likes the way her life is without the Skin. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys books with a moral value along with some funny sarcastic characters.
Reviewer Age:13
Springfield, Ohio, United States
Rating 10
Content 1

Constellation Chronicles by Vincent Lowry

Glenn never thought that he would be fighting battles against anyone--except maybe his sister occasionally. Flying a spaceship and seeing the planets in the solar system close up were definitely not things that Glenn planned on doing either. On his way to get a meal for his family, he saw a bright object fly across a field. Curious, he drove to see what it was. Glenn found a small and interesting animal from the site. From that point on, he was involved in the fight against evil with the other alien crew members of a spaceship! Will things ever be normal again for Glenn?

I have never read a book that takes place in outer space. It was a new and interesting setting for a story. This book taught me a lot about our planets, but that part of the story was rather dull and slow. I liked how the chapters were split into parts and went back and forth between the different characters. This allowed me to understand all different parts of the plot and made room for surprises and irony. I was happy to read from the author's note that there will be more books in the series. I recommend Constellation Chronicles: The Lost Civilization of Aries to anyone interested in science fiction.

Reviewer Age:16

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

Amefurashi: The Rain Goddess by Atsushi Suzumi

Everything is going well in Gimmy's desert town. That is, until his younger twin siblings disappear. When Gimmy goes to find them, he meets a bossy girl named Sora. She just so happens to be the rain goddess that is in charge of the water in his town! He needs to make sure she stays happy so that she will continue to provide rain. What will happen when another goddess comes to claim Sora's territory?

As a manga, Amefurashi lives up to others in the same genre. It is a fantasy book with adventure and action incorporated in it as well. I really enjoyed the drawings. All of the characters looked amazing, and their physical characteristics went along well with their personalities. I liked the plotline because the story went neither too slow nor was it boring at any point. It is a very unique manga; many people would enjoy it. I recommend this manga to anyone who likes graphic novels and is looking for an enticing, quick read.

Reviewer Age:16

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

Recipe For Disaster by Maureen Fergus

Francie's life was perfect. She had a great best friend, Holy, and it seemed like her and her crush, Tate, were getting closer, and closer. Her cooking was also becoming more popular at her parents restraunt. So why does she feel like it is all falling apart? Because the new girl, Darlene moved in. Darlene seemed nice at first, but it all turned out to be an act. She was wrecking her friendship with Holy, and her relationship with Tate. Then to top it all off, she thinks that her obsession with baking is weird. So with all this dramma going on her dreams of becoming a baker is slowly slipping. Then, she was a chance to meet her idol, Lorenzo, a hit tv baker. All she has to do is is tell him how passionate she is about baking and how he inspires her. Meeting him means so much her, he would help her launch her career. Will she make the cut against millions of other people, while trying to handle everything else?

This book I loved because it was about friends and crushes, that everyone can relate to, while also having a little bit of humor, and and a lot of conflict. When the main character, Francie cooked,she seemed so passionate about it. Her best freind, Holy was just like any other best friend, she was there for Francie and supported her whenever she needed it. The bird Rory, was hilarious. Although I found the problem with Francie, Tate, Darlene a bit predictable, I still enjoyed reading it. The romance in this book was very unexpected though, still believable.I would recomend this book to anyone who likes an inspiring book about a young baker.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Springfield, Ohio USA

Cowgirl Dreams

"Cowgirl Dreams" by Heidi M. Thomas is an adventurous novel. The main character, Nettie, aspires to be a rodeo star. She abhors domesticity and yearns to be more than just a housewife someday. Nettie gets involved in altercations as her mother is against her participating in rodeos. Still, she finds a way to ride and even meets famous female riders. The descriptions of western life in the 1920s are fabulous, and readers will root for the Nettie.

The book starts out with action, leads to drama, goes back to action, and then delves into romance. Kissing is mentioned, and consummating a marriage is included. There are no details, but readers get the gist. Vocabulary-wise, readers may have to look up five verbose words at the most and a couple of horse equipment terms. While anyone could read this book, it will probably be more enjoyed by female readers. Subtle romance.

Content: 2
Rating: 9
Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Staten Island, NY USA

The Dark Hunters by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Kyrian is a man who was born rich and lived his life without fear of anything around him. One day he was beaten and killed because his wife poisoned him. After his death, he was offered a chance to live again if he became a Dark Hunter. To become a Dark Hunter, you have to sell your soul. A Dark Hunter is immortal and each one has different powers. The bad part is that if you get caught in the sun's rays, you die again. Dark Hunters fight against the evil Daimons who are just like Dark Hunters only they suck human blood. The Dark Hunters is a graphic novel about how Kyrian fights the Daimons.

At first I didn't like the book because it is printed from right to left and it is a graphic novel, which means it is written like a comic book. I didn't expect that. I kept reading it and I got used to how it is printed. The Dark Hunter's plot is kind of confusing because if you read the wrong panel the whole page doesn't make sense. The book was OK but I would not highly recommend it. However, if you like graphic novels, you might enjoy it.

Reviewer Age:10

Reviewer City, State and Country: Randolph, NJ United States