Chance Fortune in the Shadow Zone

Chance and the Outlaws are mysteriously transported to the Shadow Zone. After an encounter with the dark beings called shadowmen, the Outlaws are separated. Four of them are captured and sent to the Shadow Tower, where the dreaded Shadow Prince is awaiting a moment that the Outlaws are unfortunately there to see. Can Chance and the Outlaws reunite themselves and escape, or will they be trapped in the Shadow Zone forever? Watch the story unfold in Chance Fortune in the Shadow Zone.

Chance Fortune in the Shadow Zone is a great book for the super-hero lovers of the world. The combination of action-adventure and mystery is the best. The action happened quick and sometimes slow but left that wave of suspense that made you not want to put the book down. The plot was so thick that you could cut it with a knife and no one could even guess what would happen next. Anyone looking for a good super-hero book would be satisfied if they read this.

Content: 1
Rating: 10
Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Mineola, Texas, America

Love is the higher law

"Love is the Higher Law" is the story of three teenagers: Claire, Jasper, and Peter. They all live in New York City at the time of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centers. Each is affected in a different way. This book tells the tale of how they coped and how their lives were forever changed by the events on that fateful Tuesday morning.

This book was extremely well-written. I have always been intrigued by books written about 9/11 and this was by far the best fictional account of the attacks I have ever read. David Levithan creates depth in his characters, something I find extremely rare and hard to accomplish. I felt a lot of sympathy for Claire, Jasper, and Peter, as all their worlds got flipped upside down. The book asks the ever-interesting question, "Where were you when the plane hit the first tower?" Levithan has written a wonderful and heart-wrenching novel that I will surely read again and again. I would recommend this for anyone who was old enough to remember the attacks, but too young to grasp the meaning, just like I was. At the time, I didn't realize the magnitude of the attacks and this book has helped me realize just how bad it was. An instant classic.

Many instances of harsh language (including the f-bomb) and several sexual scenes.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Westerville, OH United States

A Flash of Hex by Jes Battis

A Flash of Hex by Jes Battis is very realistic for its genre. Tess, Mia and Derrick make up a very dysfunctional family that also seems to work. Tess and Derrick live together and have adopted Mia, a teenage vampire, while working as Occult Special Investigators (OSI). And they're working on the case of a dead runaway drug addict. On the way to finding whoever or whatever plastered this boy across the ceiling of a new apartment, two new murders take place and other not so good situations. Miles from Toronto is called in as a profiler and Lucian the yummy necromancer that has a past with Tess, is also called in to help with the case. Love or companionship is most always found in these dark and dangerous times and there is no lack of that in Tess' world.

A flash of Hex is well written with a lot of descriptions of people and places. I also like how this whole other world of mystical creatures and people, are so smoothly incorporated into the "real world." There are situations that can occur in one world can happen in the other and that the mystical world is not stuck in what seems like another era. Both worlds are modern and the mystical world is not left behind like some other books where two worlds life side by side. I also like how these worlds are not parallel anymore and that they intersect.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Guilderland, New York USA

Lessons From A Dead Girl by Jo Knwles

Laine McCarthy wished for something, something bad. She wished for Leah Greene to die. Now Leah is dead and Laine believes that it was her fault. She feels guilty about her death, but she hated Leah. She can't help but still hate Leah for all of those things Leah made her do in the closet. Leah had told her that they were praticing. She wanted them to be prepared for when they were older and had boyfriends. laine knows that she lied. She knows that other bestfriends don't do those things. Laine just doesn't understand why Leah chose her out of all the girls she could've chosen. Does she have some kind of importance or was she just easy to control? Leah is dead now and Laine knows that she can't erase the memory of what happened all those years ago. Now she needs to find meaning in the lessons that she was forced to learn. Laine knows she has to find it in her heart to forgive Leah, because maybe something drove Leah to do it. Maybe something worse had happened to Leah for her to hurt Laine so emotinally.

This book was very interesting. It was very different than most young adult novels turn out to be. It had surprising twists to it. Lessons from a Dead Girl explains about abuse and guilt. Jo Knowles did and excellent job on the plot of this book. I enjoyed every last page that I read. Lessons from a Dead Girl tells the story of forgiveness and it tells the story of two young, very confused girls. I recommend this book to all young adult readers who enjoy all genres.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Fairborn, Ohio USA

Stealing Heaven

What would you do if you had to move every few weeks? What
if you had to live out of a suitcase and make new friends?
What if you had to move all the time because you and your
mother stole things? Well, in Dani's case, that's reality.
She must help her mother break into houses, steal silver,
and leave town as quickly as possible. As an eighteen year
old, Dani has never been to high school, had friends, or a
boyfriend. Dani and her mother have "settled in" to a
little beach town called Heaven. Dani has finally made a
friend and met an amzing guy, who happens to be a cop. Can
she balance her new relationships while still pleasing her
mother? Only time can tell, in Stealing Heaven.

It took
me some time to get into this book. In the first part of
the book, the author switched back and forth from past to
present frequently, and at times I was confused with which
state the character was in. Other than that, I liked the
book. Each character was well thought out, and I felt like
I knew them. I also loved the vulnerability of Dani. She
was torn between pleasing her mother and pleasing herself.
She tried doing both, but in the end, it failed. I think
all teenagers have tried to please both their families and
friends, and at one point or another, they have chosen the
wrong one. I also loved the relationship between Dani and
the police officer. It was obvious Dani liked him, but the
love was forbidden. The characters were realistic and the
author did an excellent job.

Reviewer
Age:18

Reviewer City, State and Country: Villa Hills, KY
United States

Fantastical Creatures Field Guide

The Fantastical Creatures Field Guide is a collection of
short, one-page stories about different fantastical
creatures. Each short story has a picture of the creature
being described, and includes creatures from all seven
continents. Each creature's story is written in news
article form, which gives the stories a more realistic
feel.

The stories in this book were amazing, as were the
illustrations that went with them. I liked the way that
each story was written almost like a news article,
featuring one creature at a time. The stories themselves
were humorous and made me smile more often than not. I
really enjoyed this book and all the creatures featured in
it. Anyone into the fantasy realm of books would enjoy
this book.

Reviewer Age:17

Reviewer City, State and
Country: Highland, MI USA

Emma Dilemma and the Camping Nanny by Patricia Hermes

"Emma Dilemma and the Camping Nanny" by Patricia Hermes is about a little girl with a nanny she adores. Then, one day, the nanny gets a significant other. This makes Emma insecure and afraid that the nanny will forget about her. Also, to add to stress, Emma is having trouble when her best friend acquires a new friend. To top it all off, Emma finds herself lying and breaking rules. The ending is satisfactory, but the plot, conflict, and resolution are what really draw the reader in.

While the title mentions camping, the actual camping itself is only a small segment of the book. The bulk of the story revolves around Emma and her issues. This book has great lessons for young children. Through the adventures of Emma, readers learn that people can love more than one person at the same time. This can relate to parents not picking favorites and friends expanding their influence to include someone new. This story is great for young readers, boys and girls alike.

Reviewer Age:18

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

The Magic Scales by Sam Wilding

The Magic Scales is an adventure about James, a boy whose dad disappeared, and Mendel, a goldfish who is a wizard.

Shortly after meeting Mendel, James learns that the sun of Denthan, the world Mendel cames from, is about to go supernova.

Mendel proceeds to get to Denthan to try and save it. James and his friend Craig are dragged into a whirl of adventure and mystery to try and save Denthan.

In my opinion of The Magic Scales, you can get lost in this book. The writing is powerful and it draws you in. I found this book very interesting. I loved the ending, but I can't reveal that and spoil it for you. I think the author couldn't have done better.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Chippewa Falls, WI USA

Gamer Fantastic by Martin H. Greenberg

"Gamer Fantastic" is a collection of fantasy short stories relating to video games. The stories are about everything from a single virtual reality to many virtual realities and everything in between. Each short tale is told by a different author.

This book held my interest at the beginning, but failed to do so the further I got into it. The first few stories were very entertaining. Each story behind those became harder and harder to understand. I would finish a story and have no idea what happened. I found that each author had a different writing style and, while they may understand their own plot, it is impossible for anyone else to grasp the concept of the writing. I would only recommend this to fans of fantasy writing, as I doubt anyone else would be able to understand it.

This book contained many sexual references and instances of profanity.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Westerville, OH United States

Seventeen by Per Nilsson

Seventeen by Per Nilsson is about Jonatan, a seventeen year old boy who is lying in the hospital. When his absentee father, Goran, comes to his bedside Goran decides that, although his son may not be able to hear him, it is the perfect time to tell Jonatan about his life and why he hasn't been there for the past eleven years. During the story Jon also hears his mother Karin's side of the story and his girlfriend's point of view. The story will not be about what you expect. You may even find that your curiosity may lead you in one direction at the beginning and in another direction towards the end.

Seventeen begins with a wonderful opening paragraph. The structure of the book makes it easy for the reader to find a good stopping point and makes the book a quick read. The narrator tends to talk about pictures of his life and then gives background information on what is occurring; allowing the reader to ponder a bit before everything is fully explained. The novel's European setting adds to the brilliance of the book and is refreshing compared to the usual American stories most young adults read about in the United States. In the beginning, the story is told from the father's point of view. The entrance of Jonatan's girlfriend permits the reader to relate to the story on a personal level, as Jonatan's peer. Per Nilsson is very in tune with the mind of his reader. This is exhibited in how the opinions of the audience are addressed within the story and the realism with which the characters acknowledge their verbal and historical faults. Nilsson expounds the idea that even the events in life that seem insignificant, can be very life altering. Small and large events can change a person; including the day-to-day habits that provoke new thoughts and decisions. Although the book doesn't end the way one might expect it is still quite a satisfying ending.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Raleigh, NC United States