Band of Acadians by John Skelton

Nola is about to embark on a journey along with about fifty other boys and girls. The young teenagers and children were given a plan to follow from their parents; they must escape Grand Pr￩ and make their way to Fort Louisbourg. The British are invading Acadia during the Seven Years' War and are determined to bring down any Acadians who support the French. Nola and the others must face hostile weather and conditions while trying to survive. Is the group going to succeed in escaping from the British and ensuring the survival of Grand Pr￩ Acadians?

I have just taken AP European History, and the course made me interested in the plot of Band of Acadians. I already knew the history of the Seven Years' War, and this book expanded my knowledge. Though the story is fictional, the behaviors of the British and Acadians are accurate. As soon as I began the book, however, I noticed that the dialogue was unrealistic. People don't speak the way that the dialogue was written, but that was the books only drawback. It was a quick and decent book to read. I recommend Band of Acadians to any reader interested in European or Canadian history.

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

Demon Inside by Stacia Kane

Ever hear a voice whispering in your ear, telling you to do something that you know is wrong? The little voice is a demon, something that everyone has; everyone but psychologist Megan Chase: she killed hers when she was 16. Years later, Megan is now in charge of her own group of demons, though things start becoming horribly wrong when her demons start to explode, along with demons from other families. Megan also discovers a horrifying secret that links her present to a problem in the past. To top it all off, Megan's demon boyfriend, Greyson Dante, is driving her wild, but will not share what he knows about the issue with Megan's past. Can Megan sort everything out and still emerge from the ordeal unscathed?

I thought the novel was enjoyable. Even though most of the main characters were demons, they were still easy to relate with. Also, the author describes the settings as scenarios throughout the novel in great detail, which makes it easier for the reader to understand what is going on and to "see" what is going on in their head. The main plot line is original, and the added touch of romance between Megan and Greyson adds depth to the novel. The story was somewhat confusing at the beginning because it is a sequel; however, within the first 1 or 2 chapters, the author explains what happened in the first novel, which makes the novel much easier to understand and to follow.

Violent scenes and sexual situations.

Reviewer Age: 16

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

Digital Revolutionaries by Steve Lohr

"Digital Revolutionaries: The Men and Women who Brought
Computing To Life" by Steve Lohr is an informative book
about computers for children. It chronicles the history
of computers, from the very large to the very small. Many
facts are given; timelines and newspaper articles are
pasted into the book, too. Biographies of the so-called
revolutionaries are given briefly. Most of the
information is on well-known computer companies and
devices that readers should be somewhat familiar with.


This book reads like a documentary narration, and it is
very simple. Young readers may get excited by it, but
older readers will feel the book is a bit too slow-paced.
Some science behind computers is given, but it is watered-
down to some degree. Overall, this New York Times book
does its job of giving an introduction to the faces behind
the computer revolution. This book would be best suited
for youngsters with no knowledge of computers
whatsoever.

Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State
and Country: Staten Island, NY USA

Amelia Earhart by Lori Van Pelt

"Amelia Earhart: The Sky's No Limit" by Lori Van Pelt is a
biography in the American Heroes series. It chronicles
about ten years of Amelia Earhart's life; other facts
about her life are there, but the majority focuses on her
flying years. The book expounds on Earhart's journey into
the world of flight, her obstacles, her family, her drama,
and, ultimately, her fame. It sheds light on the woman
behind the cockpit that many are so familiar with, and
offers a glimpse into her world. Many quotations are
given directly from primary sources, as well as strikingly
accurate descriptions.

Apart from most biographies, this
book is written in a novel form, reading like a story.
There isn't any dialog or twisting of information to make
it historical fiction. There are just the facts on the
pages that flow with an ease one would not expect.
Additionally, every now and then, there are timelines
inserted to recap flight history. As for the descriptions
of the planes and flight mechanics, Pelt writes these in a
very perfunctory manner without boring the reader, which
is a feat in itself. This historical book will make
readers get lost in the pages, especially those partial to
aeronautics.

Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Staten Island, NY USA

Kitchen Princess: Search for the Angel Cake by Miyuki Kobayashi

Najika is a teenage girl with an extraordinary talent for baking. While catering for a party for a fellow classmate, she discovers her friend's grandmother was a friend of her deceased parents. Najika's parents, before their tragic accident, promised the grandmother that they would recreate a cake that the woman had tasted in her childhood in another country. Now that Najika's parents are gone, she is determined to find the mysterious cake recipe for the old woman. The only problem is she is left with so little clues.

Kitchen Princess: Search for the Angel Cake is a companion novel to the Manga, Kitchen Princess, so therefore if a person has not read the series, it could be quite hard to understand the story plot. The story is also Japanese, so readers must keep in mind the cultural differences that differ between the East and the West. Getting past that, this was a lighthearted, absorbing read that made me want to jump up onto my feet and start baking. In between chapters, there were easy instructional visual directions on how to make desserts that were prepared in the book, including a scrumptious Angel Food Cake that I made myself! This book would be for a younger age group (9-11) and does not have complicated vocabulary, but it kept me thoroughly interested.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Lake Bluff, Il The United States of America

Timelock by David Klass

Timelock by David Klass, is a book that fuses both the future and the past together. A boy named Jack is the Prince of Dann in a future world. His parents sent him back in time to our present-day with a set of legal guardians, in hopes that he will save the future world. There are many sacrifices that the royal family made to save the grim future. But will they be enough?

Timelock is the third book of the Caretaker Trilogy. If you ask me it was fairly easy to follow, but they did refer to the previous written books on numerous occasions. If you plan on reading this book, I'd suggest reading the first two books to get the full emotional impact.

Since the book was written in past and present tense the author did divide the book into different parts. Personally I found the reading too choppy in the present tense, which was how the majority of the book was written. Also, certain parts were a little too cheesy for me. It was definitely not my favorite book. That being said I have to commend the author for the wonderful fight scenes. These scenes were the only ones that I liked in present tense. The fights had a perfect balance--weren't too bloody-gory, and yet I felt involved. The scenes were also vividly captured and to the point.

This book took me over three weeks to read, because I kept putting it down and didn't want to pick it up again. It needed suspense to propel the book forward.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Libertyville, IL United States

Growing Wings by Laurel Winter

"Growing Wings" by Laurel Winter follows an eleven-year-old girl called Linnet on her journey one summer. Her mother refuses to cut Linnet's hair, and Linnet's back is always itchy. Facts fall into place when Linnet finally has wings growing out of her back. Drama ensues with Linnet and her mother as family history is divulged. Then, through a series of events, the setting changes and more characters with wings are introduced. Mysteries still linger all throughout the book, but readers will relish the interactions amongst the winged characters, especially when a dangerous act of suspense threatens their lives.

This book is a classic page-turner. Children will get lost in the pages as they walk alongside the characters. They will identify most with Linnet and feel connected to her. Descriptions of the winged characters are most breathtaking, not methodical like most fantasy books. At parts in the book--just when the reader thinks it will get boring because some situations can't last for another 70 pages or so--the author inserts something new to make the reader lean even further forward over the book in enthrallment.

Reviewer Age:18

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

Akira by Katsuhiro Otoma

This book is a science fiction manga. Manga is a type of Japanese graphic novel that is typically black and white. In the story, Tokyo was destroyed in 1992 by a mysterious explosion that triggered World War III. It was rebuilt as Neo-Tokyo, a dystopian city with military police and teenage gangs. The year is now 2030, and Tetsuo and Kaneda are two of these gang members who attend a school filled with violent teachers and students. Tetsuo is injured in a motorcycle crash when a man appears in the middle of the road. However, the man disappears before Kaneda can confront him. During another encounter with the man, Kaneda meets Kei and Ryu, who have a relationship resembling younger sister and older brother. They tell Kaneda that the mysterious man has escaped from a shady government organization. This organization is finding people with paranormal abilities and harnessing their power. Kei and Ryu are fighters for a group that is resisting this organization. All three of them try to find the old man and help him escape but are foiled by the government. Before escaping, Kaneda steals a mysterious pill from the government. Kei and Ryu escape separately from Kaneda. Kaneda then returns to school to find that Testsuo has been released from the hospital. However, Tetsuo's personality is unbalanced and his strength has drastically increased. The head of the government organization shows up at the school and takes Tetsuo to the group's headquaters. Kaneda soon meets up with Kei again, and they wind up on the run and living together, which Kei is not pleased with. By the end of the story, Kaneda and Tetsuo are both involved in the world of the paranormal.

This book was very interesting. It is the first in a series, and I am definitely going to read the others. The story is unique, with conflict between a shady government organization seeking people with paranormal talents and a fairly suspicious rebel group. There is a backdrop of impending doom and fear of a creature called Akira. One weakness is that the characters are not outstanding or particularly likable, but the plot is good enough to make up for this. The drawings are detailed and intriguing, even though they are mainly in black and white. The ending is not very conclusive, but that is because it is in series. Despite its many good points, this book may not be for everyone. I personally love action, science fiction, and manga. This book is probably best for people who enjoy action stories and are open to reading a graphic novel instead of a traditional book.

This book has very graphic violence, due to the fact that it is illustrated, and some fairly mild sexual references. It is probably best suited for high school students and adults.

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

Boys Without Names by Kashira Sheth

Running away from the law seemed difficult for Gopal and his family. Money in their meager Indian village was tight, and when his family couldn't pay off their debt, they had to escape to Mumbai. After Gopal's father disappears, Gopal is offered a job in a factory, and he takes the chance to earn some spare change. However, he ends up being drugged and whisked away with four other boys. All of them are forced to make beaded frames for no pay and little food. The only way they can survive and keep themselves sane is to tell stories. Their boss becomes more violent each day, and their need to escape is dire. Can Gopal save himself and his newfound friends before time runs out?

Boys Without Names is a superb book. The characters are so real, and the material is raw. The realistic fiction novel Boys without Names details the situations some homeless children in India are forced to endure: harsh conditions, slavery, and working with toxic chemicals. The message is so powerful it teaches readers to never look at the world the same way again. I recommend this book to anyone ages 12 and up. Once I read the first fifteen pages I was hooked, and couldn't put it down. It seemed like I was one of the boys as their emotions poured out onto the page.

some harsh and graphic situations

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Osseo, Wisconsin United States

The Seven Rays by Jessica Bendinger

Beth Michaels is a straight A high school student taking classes at the local community college. Living with her single mother and hanging out with her best friend, Shirl, is a normal day in Beth's life. Until Beth receives a message saying "You Are More Than You Think You Are" and Beth's life starts to spin out of control. She discovers gold envelopes addressed to someone named Aleph Beth Ray, starts seeing strange images and can read minds. Her mother is definitely keeping something from her and soon Beth begins to think there might be more to the message than she ever thought.

The Seven Rays was an amazing whirlwind of mystery and romance. I never knew what was going to happen next and I was swiftly turning the pages anxious to read more. The author did a terrific job of creating an original plot that kept the reader at the edge of their seat. The characters were excellent as well. They were well developed and original, I enjoyed the alternating chapters about different characters. By the end I couldn't put the book down and the ending was fantastic. I never would have guessed the ending and I really liked how Beth learned a lot about both herself and others by the end of the novel. I also loved how everything tied together in the end, all the characters and the little twists in the plot came together perfectly. I would highly recommend this to anyone and am looking forward to more books by Jessica Bendinger.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Hightstown, New Jersey USA