The Gates by John Connolly

The book, The Gates by John Connolly,is a fantasy book
about a young boy, Samuel Johnson, and his dog, Boswell.
Not meant to necessarily be comic reading, the author
weaves the story with a funny twist, so as to render a
laugh or two in the process. Here is the plot of the
story. Samuel and his friends (and dog) happen to stumble
upon some strange activities going on at a neighbor's
house, just a few days before Halloween. The neighbors,
the Abernathys, while tinkering around with some
recreational devil-worshiping, just so happen to
mistakenly call forth Satan who ventures through a pair of
very large gates - the "gates" of Hell. It is then up to
Samuel and his friends to save the world from Satan and
his often funny demons by closing the gates before Satan
takes over the planet. The adults in his world don't
believe that the gates exist and that makes it harder than
ever to fight the battle.

Overall, I really liked this
book. I felt like the author brought me into the plot and
I could actually see myself as one of Samuel's friends,
running around with him and trying to save the planet.
I'm also a dog lover, so I easily identified with Boswell
and his keen senses and intelligence. As a follower of
many fantasy books, this one held my interest throughout
the entire story. There was enough of everything - scary
parts but not too scary, funny scenes, scientific
information (which I can identify with, too, since I am
interested in all types of science and experiments), and a
good, follow-along and kid-friendly story. I couldn't put
the book down for too long because I kept wanting to see
what would happen next. The characters were all developed
well and I could easily follow who did what and when. My
favorite characters were some of the demons. The story
flowed nicely and it wasn't too confusing like some books
can be. This book was probably one of my favorite to
review ever.

Reviewer Age:14
Towson, Maryland U.S.

Conspiracy 365: February by Gabrielle Lord

On December 31st Callum Ormond was told by a stranger to stay in hiding for 365 days, and that it had something to do with his father's mysterious death. After being framed for a crime Cal didn't commit, he's one of the most wanted teenage fugitives. Now its February and not only are the police after him but two dangerous gangs and worst of all he has no clue why. Relying on his best friend Boges, Cal must get to the bottom of what his father involved in, but who should he trust?

Since I read the first book I've been itching to read this one, and it lived up to my expectations. February's book went by really fast, but was still written very well and was overflowing with action and excitement. Even though I felt frustrated at the cliff hanger ending I still really applauded it. Before delving into this story, though, I recommend finding out how it all beganin Conspiracy 365: January. Ages 12 up.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: , New Mexico USA

Lawn Boy Returns By, Gary Paulsen

In this book Lawn Boy continues his lawn business. Then a shady character named Zed shows up. After that Joey Pow, the boxer Lawn Boy sponsors, wins a fight he wasn't supposed to and then they have to fight off these guys who plan to really mess things up. So once they stop them Zed steals lots of food from Lawn Boy's house and leaves. After all of this Lawn Boy decides to move up north and quit the lawn business. Then the story is set-up so that there can be a sequel and the story is over.

I like how in this book it flows very smoothly from the last. I like how his friends come back and they help him out. I like the new character Zed. I really like the ending how Lawn Boy moves up north and gets an ice-cream maker. It sets the book up for another sequel.

Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Mineola, Texas United States

The Book of Samuel by Erik Raschke

The Book of Samuel is about a twelve-year-old boy named Samuel. He lives a normal life with his two parents and his grandmother. He was a happy teenage boy, hanging with his friends, jumping at the ramps, and doing whatever it is that teenage boys do. Until his father goes out on a mission to preach to the world. After his fathers departure, Samuel not only does some crazy things, such as; blow up his friends garage, make-out with the hottest girl in school, and gets in some terrifying fights with a girl at school, but he also learns a lot about himself. Through it all Samuel makes some important decisions and grows in the process.



In my opinion this book was ok. It was definitely not my favorite book I have ever read, but it was probably the most interesting. Some of the things that I didn't like about The Book of Samuel would be, the plot. There really was nothing for me to hold onto in that area. I couldn't exactly get into the book when the main idea of the story was a mystery to me.
In The Book of Samuel there is some very questionable content. Some may not be very suitable for younger children. Such as graphic fight scenes, racism, and some foul language.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Mineola, Texas United States

Green Dragon Codex by R.D. Henham

To ten-year-old Scamp Weaver, an old mahogany chest is just too incredible to keep whatever secrets it holds inside. Especially when he finds it by a dead dragon! When Scamp brings it home to open the chest with his older brother, Mather, and his best friend, Dannika, they discover that the chest contains an odd stone and a mysterious tablet. But before they can even wonder what these items might be, they are attacked by dragonslayers who come to take the strange objects for themselves. Forced to flee, the trio begins a journey to save their lives and possibly many others. Soon they find what they contents of the chest are from a stranger as a green dragon hatches from the stone.   

I very thoroughly enjoyed the Green Dragon Codex. The harrowing tale of a boy who stumbles upon a dragon egg was very intriguing. I think many would love this book for its surplus of high adventure and suspense.  Its fast-paced action and nerve-racking mystery really kept my attention. Of course, this is my opinion. So pick up this book and decide if you can handle the story. 

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

Swoon at your own risk

Polly Martin has quite the dating history, and along with each ex (or in Polly's

case ex-ex-ex-ex) a club she took up to be with them. Her latest ex, Sawyer,

got her roped into working at Wild Waves Western-themed water park. Now

Polly has sworn off guys, there's new temptations in the form of a once fourth

grade desk-licker turned cute mysterious skateboarder. Thank goodness her

advice columnist grandmother, Miss Swoon, is moving in! But will Polly be able

to learn to love and be herself? Only summer will tell.

While reading, 'Swoon

At Your Own Risk', I was found sitting in a room, by myself, literally laughing out

loud! I thought Sydney Salter did a wonderful job capturing the essence of a

hectic teenager's life. She was able to include many components young girls deal

with, such as a family's messy divorce, embarrassing swimming pool moments,

emotional breakdowns, and soul searching. I liked how the author was able to

create such a realistic world in 'Swoon At Your Own Risk'. This book was very

entertaining and I can easily see myself reading it again because it was so

enjoyable. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, or rather, funny

romantic comedy.

Mature content and innudendos
Reviewer

Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Seaside, OR US

Token of Darkness by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

When Cooper Blake suddenly finds himself victim of a horrendous car crash and his football career destroyed, he is also met another life changing surprise: Samantha. Samantha is beautiful, slightly obnoxious, only visible to Cooper and definitely not alive. This not only all Cooper knows about her, but all she knows about herself. Together, they are trying to unearth Samantha's hidden past and discover how she died. Enter Delilah, the head cheerleader with powers beyond Cooper's comprehension, and Brent, Delilah's ex-boyfriend who can hear everyone's most intimate thoughts. Brent and Delilah both dabble in the supernatural and are pushed together in order to discover who or what Samantha is, before she puts Cooper and those around him in grave danger.

Token of Darkness, by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, is a fun, quick read. It is not overly challenging to digest but still has an imaginative and intriguing plot. It takes an unusual (but welcome) turn away from the typical ghost story and still maintains some of the familiar elements of the genre that will keep the reader in their comfort zone. Atwater-Rhodes presents interesting characters that are vividly rendered and always have a certain aura of mystery about them. The characters who I found most enjoyable to read about were Cooper and Samantha. The dynamic and fun banter between them were excellent elements of the novel and their developing relationship was a great part of the novel. The one thing I really disliked about the novel was the relationship between Delilah and Brent as all their interactions seemed contrived and out of place. I also think that there were too many loose ends at the end of the story that I would have liked to see tied up. Other than that, this novel was very entertaining and kept my attention the whole way through. The settings felt true-to-life and were very well described. The dialogue between characters was, for the most part, natural and flowed very well. I would recommend this to any reader who enjoys reading about the supernatural and is looking for a quick, roller-coaster of a book. I definitely look forward to reading some of the author's other books in the future.

Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: San Diego, CA USA

Changing the World edited by Mercedes Lackey

Changing the World is an anthology (book of short stories) about the Heralds and Companions of Valdemar. This book includes stories about a young woman whose heart is broken when her love leaves to be a Herald... A young man who is so wrapped up in love that he can only be shown the truth by a Companion he refused to follow... A young herbalist who has to choose between her home and her duty to her country... and more! Companions are horse-like animals with silver hooves, soft blue eyes, and a dazzling white coat & mane. Heralds are people with gifts that are chosen to help the Companions. Some of the things Heralds do are solve family feuds that have grown too large, help towns in trouble and judge trials that will affect the whole country.

I thought a lot of these stories were great! In certain stories, the characters have a lot of depth. I think Mercedes Lackey (The creator of Valdemar) could have done a better job of editing. A handful of the stories weren't even about the Heralds and Companions. One of the stories called "For Want of a Nail" takes a lot of background to understand. Even though the stories weren't long, you got attached to the characters quickly. You felt their pain, happiness, and grief. Over all it was a very good book.

A few of the stories may require guidance for 13 and 14 year olds as they contain sexual innuendo or references. I didn't notice them, but my mother did and thought this should be mentioned. Most of the stories are quite safe though.

Reviewer Age:10

Reviewer City, State and Country: Rockwell City, IA USA

The Clearing by Heather Davis

After being in an abusive relationship, Amy just wants her
life to be different, even if different means moving into
a small trailer in a rural area with her Great-Aunt Mae.
Henry Briggs wishes that he wasn't stuck in the eternal
summer of 1944, avoiding the tragic events that would
occur if he had lived past that day. One day Amy discovers
a clearing, where she meets Henry, the most polite and
decent boy she has ever met. He helps her deal with her
past and she helps him deal with his future.

I thought
that this book was okay, but not great. I generally don't
read love stories, so on this type of book I haven't read
enough to compare it to other books. The story was great,
but it wasn't carried out as good as it could have
been.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and
Country: Garden Ridge, TX USA

Before I Fall

It seems like Samantha Kingston has it all: three best friends, a cute boyfriend, and adoring students at her high school. Sam is popular, and though she feels guilty at times for the way she and her friends treat other students, she still loves her life. That is, until Friday, February 12, when Sam has a fatal car accident. Sam discovers, however, that she is given a chance to relive her last day on earth, and she better make the most of it. As she relives the day over and over again, she struggles to learn what to do to break the cycle.

I really enjoyed reading “Before I Fall”. The novel was so original, because even though I have read books that involve a dead protagonist, this one had one day repeating over and over again. This concept might seem boring, but each day Sam does something different and the author reveals new information that makes you want to keep reading. I also really liked Sam as a character. In the beginning, she's not the nicest person. She's rude to other students at school and shows no respect to her parents at all. But as the novel progresses, Sam begins to appreciate life more and sees the mistakes that she has been making. I thought “Before I Fall” had a great message, to appreciate every day, and I think the author executed her ideas flawlessly in a well-written story.

This book contains material such as underage drinking, strong language, and drug use, which is only for mature readers.

Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Aston, Pennsylvania, United States