Prairie Winter by Bonnie Geisert

Rachel Johnson is a sixth-grader at a Cresbard school this year. Going to school means everything to her. She lives in a rural part of town with no phone, so going to school is a way for her communicate. She can talk to friends and play in the band, which is going to Chicago this year, it is everything she loves. Then all that could be taken away from her when a huge snowstorm hits Cresbard, keeping her away from her beloved school. Then, in a surprising turn of events, her strict father agrees to fly her and her sisters into town. She stays in a hotel for weeks, living the good life. Will she ever return to her farm life again?

Prairie Winter takes place on a farm in the 1950's. It describes the way of life for a 10 year old farm girl in the harsh winter. This book gave a good depiction of a slower paced, quieter time period in history. It is a big contrast to the times we live in today. I had a difficult time relating to the main character and the different ways of this time period. Perhaps this book would be more interesting to a younger age reader or someone much older who might reflect on memories of their childhood.

Reviewer
Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Springfield ,
Ohio USA

Through any eyes, genocide is an awful crime, but through the eyes of Javier Mendoza, genocide is unbearable. When a genocide curriculum is introduced to Javier's fifth grade class, Javier begins to see just exactly how genocide affects the human race. From an upset parent to a genocide victim, Javier is inspired to help stop genocide.

This very informative book covers different genocides from the last century and explores the roots of genocide. Any reader wishing to broaden their scope of global
understanding and human suffering would do well to pick this book and give it a read.
In the style of a journal, the horrors of genocide are explained in simple, easy to
understand words. I liked that this book gave a straight-forward approach to what genocide is, what causes it, and why it is awful. While maybe not a "for fun" read because of the content, I think this book would be excellent for any teacher teaching a curriculum on genocide. I think the most interesting section of this book is a conversation with a character known as Maker's dad and Javier. In this, I gained a new insight on genocide as Maker's dad reveals how he personally was affected by genocide. This book was definitely an eye-opener.

Adult guidance is recommended because the descriptions of genocide can become semi-
graphic.
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Mineola, TX U.S.A

We Were Here by Matt De La Pena

This is the best book I have ever read in my whole life. Matt de la Pena, made the book connect with readers and had a very interesting story behind it all. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good story, with a thrill around every corner.

This book is called We Were Here by: Matt de la Pena. It's about a young boy named Miguel, who has made some mistakes in his life, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have feelings too. Miguel gets sent to a group home for his big mistake, and meets up with a few other guys that have messed up too. Later on in the book, Mong, the crazy kid who smiles weird and fights all the time, and Rondell, all brawns and no brains kind of guy, escape the group home. There are many twists and turns for Miguel and his friends, but in the end, something unthinkable happens, and changes the meaning of the entire book. This is my favorite book of all time. I loved it so much, and I understood everything that happened. Matt de la Pena relates to teens well. I recommend this book to anyone of teenage years, you won't regret it.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Mineola, Texas USA

Love in Translation by Wendy Nelson Tokunaga

Celeste Duncan has lead a hard life. She never knew her father, her mother died when she was young, she moved from foster home to foster home all her life; never finding a permanent family, and her boyfriend is always criticizing her music. She just feels stuck. But when an unexpected phone call tells her about her late aunt, she must travel to Tokyo to return the family heirlooms and possibly find some clues about her father. With her cute homestay brother, Takuya, they travel Japan trying to find her family. But things get tough with her nosy homestay mother, Takuya's ex girlfriend, and her music career. Will she ever find the family of her dreams?

This book was very good! Celeste is nice, her Japanese teacher, Mariko, is funny, Takuya is cute, and his ex, Sakura is annoying. Everything is right. There are a lot of Japanese words and traditions that are well-explained. This book makes me want to go to Japan! Love in Translation did not end the way I thought it would, but I like this ending better! I could really see this book as a blockbuster film!

There are a few sexual references, and one sex scene.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Gearhart, Oregon United States

Troubadour by Mary Hoffman

Will Elinor be able to capture Bertran's heart and change his views about marriage or will another handsome gentleman steal her heart first? Elinor has fantasized her entire life about marrying the mysterious troubadour Bertran de Miramount, so when she learns that she may never see him again and her parents don't approve of nuptials between her and Bertran, she comes up with a plan. She takes on the disquise of a boy troubadour and sets forth into a journey of a lifetime and a brand new life in hopes of finding her true love and escaping the marriage her parents had arranged for her, before it's too late. Little does she know that there are tensions brewing everywhere and many of the surrounding cities are on the brink of war. Having no hope in the life she left, Elinor believes that she made the right decision in leaving everything she once knew and loved like her family, friends, and the extravagant life of a noble; but is the hope of satisfying her heart's desire worth the possiblity of putting her life at jeopardy?


I thought Troubadour by Mary Hoffman was a pretty good book. The words were very much age-appropriate and there was an easy-to-use glossary in the back of the book, as well as a neat historical note that was very informative of the ways of the thirteenth century time period. The plot was fairly interesting but I found it was hard to focus on what I was reading because the text was hard to follow and confusing thanks to the excessive and somewhat outrageous number of characters. The author tried to help with this problem by providing a list of characters and their roles in the back as well, but I was still confused and got kind of annoyed at having to constantly flip to the back of the book. The over-all plot was well thought-out and developed but I thought that the action of the plot, as well as the conversations between the characters were very repetitive. This repetition caused me to get bored easily because it felt like I had already read those lines at least ten other times. I enjoyed the happy ending and was glad that the story took a surprising turn for the better. There is plenty of romance, adventure, and war for a large range of readers to enjoy.

There was a lot of war and bloodshed, as well as different religious matters.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg, PA USA

A Faraway Island by Annika Thor

In 1936, during Hitler's reign, two Jewish sisters who live a wealthy life in Vienna have no choice but to be shipped off to Sweden for their own protection from the war and the German Nazis. Twelve-year-old Stephie and seven-year -old Nellie Steiner are then placed in the homes of two women who live on an island just off the shore of Sweden. Nellie is put into the care of a lady with other children her age and she begins to get attached to her foster home on the island. On the other hand Stephie despises her foster mother, that she has been placed with, who makes her clean and never offers to buy anything new for Stephie. In the mean time Stephie manages to get bullied at school for being a foreigner while her little sister
is loved by all her classmates. As the months pass and winter turns to summer, Stephie starts to wonder if she and her sister will ever go home or even worse if they will ever see their parents again.

I really enjoyed a faraway island by Annika Thor. It had a good story and the characters had very realistic personalties. The story was very sad in a way because of the events that happened throughout the book, her frustration with her foster mother and her little sister. Overall I really liked it, and I would recommend it to 12 and up.

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

My Self: A Guide To Me bt Marlene Wallach

"My Self: A Guide To Me" by Marlene Wallach is a self-help reference book for girls. Topics include self-esteem, body image, negociation techniques, and other confidence-related issues. The book is broken down into four chapter with several sub-chapters included that are not long at all. Additionally, quizzes are inserted alongisde direct memos from the author. The book gives direction for preteen and teen girls and tells them how to act towards themselves and others.

With a notebook spiral binding, colorful printing, and glossy pages, this book is definitely girly. Since the author is president of Wilhelmina Kids & Teens Modeling Agency, the photos of girls in the book are sophisticated and of high quality. For the most part, the photos represent several nationalities. Yoga is also pushed a bit, but not so much as to make the reader want to put the book down. The book would have been better if it discussed fashion more, though.

Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Troy, NY USA

Snog: A Puppie's Guide to Love by Rachael Hale

Snog: A Puppy's Guide to Love is full of great pictures of adorable puppies. The puppies are napping, playing, wrestling and just being puppies in each picture. From Labradors to Pugs, Bloodhounds to Weimaraners all the puppies are very cute. Many of the pictures are paired with great quotes about love. Puppies sure could teach us a lot about love and friendship.

I am an absolute dog lover. The puppies in this book are extremely cute and no two are alike. The quotes go great with the pictures. I would recommend this book to anyone. Looking at these pictures will make you smile even on your worst days.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Finksburg, MD USA

Surviving the Angel of Death by Eva Mozes Kor

Eva Mozes Kor and her twin sister where 10 years old when they arrived at Auschwitz. They were separated from their two older sisters, mom and dad the minute they got to Auschwitz because they were twins. Dr. Josef Mengele allowed the many twins that he "saved" to have "privileges" like keeping their hair and clothes. They had to fight for survival and try and get through Mengele's torturous experiments performed only on twins. Together these two girls try to fight for survival in one of the worst death camps of all.

I really enjoyed this book. I have always liked reading about the Holocaust and to see it through 10 year olds eyes was very interesting. You can really tell how hard it was to survive and how you needed someone to rely on. This was my first time reading about someone who had been one of Dr. Josef Mengele's twins. It was really interesting to read what he did to them and to see just how hard they had to fight to survive.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Finksburg, MD USA

Jonas Brothers: Inside Their World by Brittany Kent

Are you a Jonas Brothers fan? If so, this is the book for you! You can learn about their life before they were stars, their songs, their first movie, and their television show. Also, take quizzes, see never-before-seen photos, get behind-the-scenes glimpses, and the scoop on their friends, family, and fans. After reading this, you will know every thing there is to know about the Kevin, Nick, and Joe!

I enjoyed reading this book. My favorite section was when they talked about their lives before fame. I also liked when they talked about friends, family, and fans. Another thing I enjoyed was looking at the pictures and taking the quizzes. I would recommend this book to anyone with Obsessive Jonas Disorder (OJD).

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Enon, OH USA