Carpe Corpus by Rachel Caine

Something terrible has happened in Morganville. The relationship between vampires and humans has been tampered with. The evil vampire Bishop has taken all of Morganville hostage and he is in sole control of everything... and everyone. Claire Danvers, one of Bishop's servants, has joined an underground resistance group composed of people in the town, both vamp and human alike. Can this resistance be enough to overthrow Bishop, or will the town of Morganville never be the same again?

Considering the fact that Carpe Corpus is that sixth book in the Morganville Vampires series, it was a tad hard at first to try to figure out who everyone was and what was going on. Yet, the author basically summarized what had happened in the first chapter so the reader was able to understand. The characters were extremely easy to understand and relate to. The emotions and issues that the characters are facing are real to life; from the trouble of keeping a romance alive to trying to rebel against suppression. This series may become as popular as Twilight, it is that good.

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

Anatomy of Wings by Karen Foxlee

"It was Angela's idea to look in the box. She said we needed to look inside to find my singing voice." Jennifer Day lost her voice the day her sister Beth committed suicide. No one knows why, just that after the day she fainted on the beach she was different. Jennifer is determined to piece the puzzle that was her sister's life together to find out why. Jennifer and her best friend Angela discover a cardboard box full of the last things her sister had with her. Did Beth really see angels that day at the beach like their Nana claims? Why could none of them, not even Jennifer, save Beth?
The Anatomy of Wings caught my attention as soon as I started. Jennifer Day is easy to identify with. Her journey to find her voice is endearing and I felt myself rooting for her along the way hoping she would find her voice. The story flips back and forth between the past and present which gives Beth a personality and lets readers get to know her and care about her. This book is a fast read that will be enjoyed by middle school readers who want a real life story.

Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Westerville, OH USA

Leigh Ann's Civil War by Ann Rinaldi

Eleven year old Leigh Ann Conners grew up her whole life in the peaceful town of Roswell, Georgia; it may have not been the best but it was a whole lot better than it was about to get. In spring of 1861 the Yankees start to invade Roswell, Georgia, slowly taking over the town, but the question is will Leigh Ann's family mill be included? In the mean time her father is slowly losing his memory, and her two older brothers are getting ready to go off and join the war. When the mill is in danger of being burned down by the Yankees, Leigh climbs to the top of the roof and replaces it with a French flag , hoping that they will leave the mill alone. Leigh Ann is then arrested for this simple act of love and compassion for her family. She will have to go to Marietta, Georgia where all the Confederate prisoners are being held and possibly live there until the war is over. She leaves with the fear of maybe never seeing her family again, but what she doesn't know is that this journey makes her grow up faster than she ever imagined.

I thought over all this was a very good book. I usually become very board during Historical Fiction books, but this one was a real page turner. Leigh Ann's Conners seems to be a very realistic character, which is one of the reasons I liked the book. This book didn't have any bad content so I would recommend it for ages 13 and up.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: , New Mexico USA

Slumgirl Dreaming by Rubina Ali

Rubina Ali has always wanted to be an actress. She loved watching the beautiful actresses on television in her little slum. Then one day her father met someone who wanted her to audition for an American movie call Slumdog Millionaire. When she auditioned she had to compete against 500 other slum girls. Will she make the cut against all those other people? Will her dreams of become famous come true?

I thought this book was a little boring, and hard to follow at first. It was confusing because of all the foreign words for father, brother, mother, and so on. Eventually I could figure it out, but it took a few pages. The ending was surprising though. It was beautifully written. I really enjoyed reading Slumgirl Dreaming, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading non-fiction.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Springfield, Ohio USA

Wild Girl by Patricia Reilly Giff

Lidie is a 12-year-old immigrant from Brazil who likes to ride horses and has to move to a ranch in New York. School and life are hard but she soon adjusts to her new circumstances as well as a new horse named Wild Girl. The two of them have something very special in common. Both Wild Girl and Lidie must live without their mothers. They also both have a bad case of homesickness, and they are heavyhearted because of it.

I loved this book because it was very well written and comprehensive. For example, this book has many interesting details about Wild Girl's life as a foal. This book is different from books like Black Beauty because Black Beauty is more of a horse's life story where as this was more about the girl than the horse. Young readers would like this book because it is both a challenge to read and a wonderful story. I recommend this book to all young readers who love anything and everything about horses.

Reviewer Age: 10

Reviewer City, State and Country: Mondovi, WI USA

Beating Heart by A. M. Jenkins

Evan has just moved into a Victorian Era house that his mother adores. The relationship with his girlfriend seems to be going downhill. Besides, in his dreams, Evan has been having intimate and passionate relations with an unknown girl. He finds papers that had been left in the house from decades past; one of the pictures in the pile is of the same girl that he sees every night in his sleep. Both Evan and the "ghost" of the house are discovering what they really want and need by their interactions. How do their "visits" help each other?

Beating Heart is a mixed book of prose and poetry. Evan's story is told in prose while the ghost's story is told in first-person poetry. The book was a very quick read because of the constant switch between the two characters. Sometimes I would reread the poetry for comprehension, but I would always look over the poetry again because of how beautiful it was. The way the words were laid out on the page matched the tone of the poems and kept me wanted to read more. I recommend this book to readers of poetry or books on teenage self-discovery.

The book is primarily of a sexual theme.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Carlisle, Pennsylvania United States of America

Circle of Friends: Book III by L. Diane Wolfe

Circle of Friends: James is about, Surprise surprise, James, and his complicated life with his girlfriend, Maria. James is a tragic character, whose life has been pretty much all around awful up until the book starts. He has some loyal friends, and has had some girlfriends, but his father is abusive and his mom walked out on him when he was young. At the start of the book James is reuniting with an old flame. She has a history of cheating on him, and she does again. James is devastated, so his friend Lori sets him up with Maria, a sweet, pretty, and shy girl. Their relationship is serious and soon grows into love. When a serious bump in the road is met, what will happen to them? Find out by reading the book.

This was a mildly disappointing read. I felt that the characters were not real enough seeming. I think that if the book had been written in 1st rather than 3rd person, most, if not all of the barrier I felt between me and the story would have been minimized. The plot was fascinating, but jarring. I felt that there was a lot of unnecessary drama that took the focus away from the main story. I had trouble trying to find a connection between some of the authors deep points and the actual story. I would have much preferred that there were fewer characters with more insight about each one. As I said, some what disappointing.

some muted sexuality

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Exeter, NH USA

Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr

Aislinn and Seth are finally together, she's started to accept her immortality, she and Keenan are just friends and everything seems perfect. There's only one main problem: Seth's mortality and Aislinn's immortality don't add up. Time is running out and they don't know how long they have left together. In addition to this, summer is growing closer and with that so are Keenan and Aislinn. This conflict within the Summer Court has drawn the attention of all the faery courts. Discord pushes the faery courts to an outcome that won't be entirely peaceful.

Melissa Marr weaves a fantastic tale of faeries, courts, immortality and chaos throughout the newest installation of this series. This novel was captivating initially but the pace and plot twists do not hold my attention throughout the book. It is a perfect way to pass the time but I do not suggest it for someone who wants to read a thought-provoking book. Melissa Marr instills great character depth and development in this novel. A character who demonstrates these qualities is the main character Aislinn who is easy to relate to because she faces the indecision that an average teenager deals with. This book also relies heavily on the information given in the preceding books, Wicked Lovely and Ink Exchange. I would suggest this book to anyone looking for an interesting read who has read both of the previous novels.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Richmond, Virginia United States of America

House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds

House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds is a riveting sci-fi novel about two clones called shatterlings, Purslane and Campion. Formed from a single human named Abigail Gentian, the pair explores and observes civilizations while returning every two hundred thousand years to a reunion with the nine hundred ninety-eight other male and female clones Abigail created. They dread going back for they are in love and have traveled together, a practice which is forbidden of shatterlings. They drag on the way to the reunion, fearful for what might happen to them. As a result, they miss the attack that nearly kills all of the Gentian line. Now they must search those who remain and try to find who or what is responsible for the massacre, before there no longer is a Gentian Line.

This book was incredible! I am hoping that there will be a sequel to this novel because although many questions were answered, a lot weren't, and I never have read a book with a more gripping cliffhanger. The descriptions of the setting were very detailed, right on the fine line between just right and a bit too much. However, the characters were shallow and I did not feel as if they were real. More character description would have been nice. This book is very captivating and nothing, nothing gives away the astonishing twist right when you think you know the ending. I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes sci-fi. If you don't, stay away, but if you do, this one is a great find.

Some of the content in this novel may be to mature for younger readers.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Northport, New York United States

Journey of Dreams by Marge Pellegrino

This book is a fictional account of a refugee from Guatemala. Tomasa, a young girl, and her family live in a small village in Guatemala. Their peaceful lives changes when soldiers occupy their town, supposedly protecting them form raids by guerrilla soldiers. First, Tomasa's mother and brother, Carlos, must flee to prevent him from being conscripted into the army. Tomasa, her father, and her two younger siblings follow when their village is destroyed by the army. The story describes the hardships they face while trying to meet up with Tomasa's mother and brother in the United States. They must smuggle themselves into both Mexico and the United States and avoid Guatemalan, Mexican, and American authorities. Along the way, they meet many helpful people who guide them on their way. The best categorization of this book is historical fiction because it is based off real events and places.

This book was interesting because it was realistic. Many of the experiences of Tomasa's family seem like experiences any refugee could have. This realism is probably partially because the author has worked with immigrants before. However, in most chapters of the book, Tomasa describes her dreams. These are often confusing and hard to interpret. They do not detract from the story, but they do not add much either. All in all, the book was an short but worthwhile read. I recommend it for teenagers curious about the plight of refugees.

There is some violence and war that, while not explicit, is probably suitable only for high school students or mature middle school students.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Royersford, PA United States