Muchacho

Muchacho  written by Louanne Johnson is a story of a mixed up teenager named Eddie. He grew up in a bad town with the influence of violence, sex, and drugs. Throughout the book it takes you through the journey of his everyday life. In the part of New Mexico Eddie lives, cousins always band together. There's no need for friends when you have cousins. Unfortunately, Eddie only has older cousins to hang with, and the one he tends to always be around (named Primo) is a particularly bad influence on him. At the meek grade of second, Eddie was named a sex offender for kicking his teacher in the wrong place when she grabbed to twist his ear. So many people are making terrible choices that close in on Eddie. But when he meets a girl named Lupe and falls in love, he begins to try to change himself for the better.

If you want to step into another person's world, this is the book to read. Not because you feel like you're Eddie as much as you'll feel as if he's talking to you and only you. I really enjoyed how the author wrote it as if she were Eddie, using the language he would use as well as the thoughts he would have had. After I'd finished the book, I felt really lucky to be where I am today. Not having to worry about getting off the bus and being hit up by a drug dealer, or having to worry about having to act tough to not get beat up. It just goes to show don't take what you have for granted.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Libertyville, Illinois United States

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo

It starts with a question, a mysterious fortune, and, of course, an elephant. In easy to read prose, DiCamillo weaves together a stream of seemingly unrelated events to create a breath-taking novel perfect for all ages.

The story revolves around Peter Augustus Duchene, a young orphaned boy who lives with a near senile man in a bustling town two centuries ago. As Peter is out running errands for the day, he can't help but to ask a question of a fortune teller he sees. The cryptic answer Peter receives leads him on an adventure that would change not only his life, but the lives of everyone around him. Emphasizing the universal themes of hope, faith, and love, The Magician's Elephant is the perfect book for anyone looking for a heartwarming story.


Anyone who loved DiCamillo's The Tale of Despereaux will enjoy The Magician's Elephant. It is an enthralling book, and once you begin reading you will not want to stop. Believable characters and a multitude of sub-plots make the book not only interesting, but also a work of art. The way DiCamillo weaves together the stories of so many is brilliant. Read The Magician's Elephant-you won't be disappointed.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Tipp City, OH USA

Chanda's Wars by Allan Stratton

Chanda will do anything to keep a promise. She promised her mother she would take care of her family. She promised her sibilings, Iris and Soly, that she would not let anything happen to them. War is brewing in a neighboring country, so Chanda goes back to the town where her mother was born. Here Chanda faces the unthinkable, Soly and Iris are kidnapped to be child soldiers. Chanda and Nelson, a local boy, must track down the army to rescue her family and keep Chanda's promise.

Honestly, I enjoyed this book. However, some of the events were hard to connect to. Never in my life have I imagined having an arranged marriage to someone I just barely know. I would have never had the courage to follow an army of rebel soldiers to rescue my family. I believe that is why Chanda is such a good lead. Chanda has the courage to raise her family alone in a city and drop out of school to help support her brother and sister. Even when Chanda is tracking down her family with Nelson, she somehow manages to keep a cool head. And she also finds love along the way.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Brownsburg, Indiana USA

Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Cameron Smith is the king of low expectations. To him, not caring equals minimum disappointment, so he doesn't put an effort into school, his job, or his family. It seems that his life is going nowhere - that is, until he contracts Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, also known as Mad Cow disease. Cameron's illness is fatal, but there seems to be hope when he is visited by a sugar-loving angel named Dulcie. According to Dulcie, Cam must embark on a journey that will simultaneously cure his disease and save the world. Accompanied by a dwarf and a talking yard gnome, Cam must outwit evil wizards, fire monsters, snow globe fanatics and a happiness cult in order to save himself and humanity.

Going Bovine was a very interesting novel. The author, Libba Bray, is also known for her Gemma Doyle Trilogy, which is completely different than this book. Going Bovine was funny, touching, and also a little crazy. Cameron's journey is set in our world, but there were some fantastical elements, like talking yard gnomes and punk-rock angels, that kept things lively. I liked the juxtaposition of real life and fantasy. The reader never knows if what is happening is real or just a dream, which leaves the book open for interpretation. But even with the weird parts, Going Bovine was also deep and heartfelt and can be enjoyed by many readers. The only negative is that the book is extremely long, so be prepared to set aside some time for reading.

Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Aston, Pennsylvania United States

We Are the Weather Maker by Tim Flannery

I have recently read We are the Weather Makers by Tim Flannery. This book is an expository selection about the history of climate change, past effects of it, future events to come as a response to global warming, and what we are going to do about it. The book consists of three parts, all of which I have read. Part One, Earth and the Carbon Connection, is about the history of climate change. Part two, Endangered Habitats, is about species of plants and animals that have been driven extinct as a consequence of global warming, and species that are going to if the rate it is developing stays the same. Part three, What's to Come?, is about what could happen to our planet, how scientists figured this out, and multiple solutions to climate change and their pros and cons. One feature in this book that I adored was the Call to Actions. They were at the end of each chapter, and were things that young adults could do to help this problem in our own homes and hometowns.

I rated part one three out of ten, because although effective in getting the little points and big picture around to me, it went about doing that in a boring way. There are a lot of long scientific words to be memorized and, you have to reread almost the whole thing from time to time. Often I would find myself reading a paragraph in it three or four times before I got what it was saying! I rate the second part an eight out of ten. This was my favorite part of the book. It wasn’t boring, it vividly described what happened/would happen in the future to threatened species, and rereading was minimal for me. I rated the third and final part six out of ten. It had some boring parts, and some parts I had to reread, but it also had some really interesting chapters about renewable energy, environmentally safe cars, nuclear power plants, and groups that have taken action. One feature in this book that I adored was the Call to Actions, short articles at the end of each chapter talking about things that young adults could do to help this global warming in our own homes and hometowns. So overall, the first part is horrible, although I ensure it is worth your time to fully read parts two and three, and read all the Call to Actions!

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country:
Leawood, Kansas Johnson

The Golden Shrine by Harry Turtledove

Harry Turtledove's third and final installment in the Opening of the World series is as exciting as the first two. At the start, Count Hamnet Thyssen and his friends are finally showing resistance to the conquering Rulers. With their new shaman Marcovefa seemingly unstoppable, it seems only a matter of time before the Rulers are finally pushed out of Raumsdalia. However, each small victory weakens the band of fighters, and if the Rulers aren't defeated soon, all resistance will crumble. It seems their only hope lies in finding the fabled Golden Shrine. Can the band of warriors find the shrine when no one in history has managed to do so? Can they defeat the Rulers in time, or will they finally find a way to stop Marcovefa and bring Raumsdalia to its knees?

The Golden Shrine by Harry Turtledove is as thrilling and exciting as the last two in the series. With numerous twists and turns, Turtledove keeps the reader guessing at what will come next. His brand of comic relief helps keep the reader entertained at even the least exciting point of the story. With his style combined with unique characters and a fantastic plot, The Golden Shrine is a book I would suggest to any fan of Fantasy novels.

Sexual References
Drug Use

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

The Indigo Notebook by Laura Resau

Fifteen year old Zeeta and her eccentric mother, Layla, travel the world hitting a new country every year. From Italy to Guatemala to Australia to Thailand, Zeeta has been traveling her whole life and she’s ready to stop, to have a “normal” life. When Layla moves Zeeta to a small village in the Ecuadorian Andes, Zeeta meets an American boy named Wendell who is desperately scouring the market place for his long lost birth parents. Together the unlikely pair team up to search the country side and discover an exotic array of adventure, danger, and secrets. As Wendell and Zeeta find themselves and their wishes growing closer, will they be able to handle the truth and the reality? Do they know what they truly want?


Full of stunning details, whimsical characters, and tropical air, The Indigo Notebook was exciting to read and has become a favorite that I will enjoy reading again. Zeeta is a great heroine, and although she wants a “normal” life, she has an experience of a lifetime and realizes what she really wants. Zeeta’s free-spirited mother and sweet-natured Wendell are such neat characters couldn’t get enough of them. Zetta’s quest for Handsome Magazine Dad and Wendell’s shocking discovery about his parents is enough give you the night owl bug and keep you reading nonstop. I really enjoyed reading something that was set somewhere besides high school and be able to travel through a book.

The Indigo Notebook is a great book for teens not only because of its lovable characters or its excitingly exotic backdrop, but for the sense of life it gives to its message of being content and pursing your dreams. Overall, I loved the colorful and refreshing story of understanding your heart that The Indigo Notebook had to offer. I hope you get a chance to read it soon!

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 16
Reviewer City, State and Country: , NM USA

Foxfire by Barbara Campbell

This was an adventurous book with lots of emotion and fighting. It's the third book in an action packed trilogy and I highly recommend it! Once in a while, the chapters feel boring and I wanted to put the book down. It moves through extremely slowly, but I loved the fast parts and if you like the fantasy genre, you'll like Foxfire!

There are six main characters: Darak, Griane, Keirith, Faelia, Callie and Rigat. They live in a clan with their closest friends and Keirith and Rigat are the special ones in this family. Keirith can touch people's spirits and relieve them of their pain, while Rigat is almost as powerful as a god. Very very powerful. It turned out that Rigat was not the son of Darak, who was the chief of their clan, but the son of Fellgair, the trickster god of Zherosi, who had been at war with the tree people for as long as they can remember. Rigat decides to join his father, who has his best interests at heart.

I think that this book was really adventurous! It had lots of mischief and action and I could tell that the writer put a lot of thought into her writing. I think that the author, Barbara Campbell, was a little harsh at the end of the book because there is a war and many soldiers die in it, but my overall reaction to it was that it was an interesting story and that i loved the book. The vocabulary age is definitely appropriate and the author definitely achieved her purpose. The strength of this book is that it was well written and the weakness is that some of the information was excessive and not necessary. I would recommend it to many people, as long as they're older than 12. It's a pg-13 book.

This is a little mature for some children and I would recommend parental guidance.

Reviewer Age:12

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

Front and Center by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

D.J. was the star of the girls' basketball team and the only girl football team. When she finally started going back to school, after her brother's accident and five months of absolute insanity, she was the center of attention. D.J does not enjoy attention and really dislikes the thought of having college scouts watch her play in basketball games. After being given great scholarships to many colleges, D.J. just doesn't know what to do or what college to choose. On top of all that, D.J. has two guys that are absolutely in love with her. Whom should she choose? Beaner, who has been there for her over all these years or Brian, who broke her heart in the past but promises that he has changed. With the town of Red Bend, her family, and her coach depending on her to make the right choice, who knows what she will choose?

I absolutely adore this book. It has great and hilarious characters with an amazing story line behind them. My favorite part of this book was when D.J. went to Beaner's for the karaoke party. To tell the truth I really couldn't find many dislikes about this book. The only thing I really didn't like was the fact that I couldn't really get a good picture of the different settings in my head. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a funny tale with an emotional twist.

Reviewer Age: 13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Springfield, Ohio United States

Tempted by P.C. Cast

Tempted is the sixth book in the House of Night series. It is a romance, a mystery, and a thriller. I loved every one of the books in the series. Tempted is my definite favorite.

This book, Tempted, is by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast. Zoey Redbird used to be a typical seventeen year old girl, her parents didn't understand her, they didn't care what she wanted. Zoey got Chosen by Nyx, the leader of all of the House of Night's across the world. In this sixth book Zoey is tempted by Kalona, a fallen angel, and tested by Neferet, an evil mistress that used to be a follower of Nyx, but darkness took over. Zoey has fallen in love with Stark, Erik, and Heath. But Erik pulls a fast one on her and ruins everything. Or is it just that, that fixed it all? This book had me ripping through the pages. P.C. Cast is my favorite author. If you’ve read the other House of Night books, you should definitely read this one. If you haven't read all of her House of the Night books, I highly recommend them.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Mineola, Texas, USA