The Debs by Susan McBride

This book is about these girls who work hard to get
what they want. Their names are Laura Bell, Mac Mackenzie,
and Ginger Fore, who have dreamed of becoming a debutante
(deb) ever since they were little girls. Laura is a little
overweight, but that doesn't stop her from attracting a
hot jock named Avery, making her rivals fiery with
jealously. Ginger falls in love with this older, college
guy named Javier, which almost lands her in jail. Mac on
the other hand, is the calmest out of the three. She
doesn't really want to be a deb, but will do whatever it
takes to make her friends happy. But the three girls have
some competition on their hands, Jo-Lynn Bidwell and her
posse, Camie and Trisha, who will do anything- I mean
anything- to keep Laura and her friends out of the Class
Slipper Club. Scandal, Lies, Secrets and much more lies
ahead.

The book was very interesting and made me want
to know what happened next. It gave great detail about
the characters and made me feel as if I knew them in
person. One thing I had to get used to at first was that
each chapter was about a different character and their
actions, but it all blended well together. I would
recommend this book to any girl in high school because
this book contains what most girls go through in high
school, such as making the wrong friends, dealing with boys,
backstabbing, and heartache. I would definitely like to see
a Part 2 of this book, and see what else Jo-Lynn has in
store for the girls.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer
City, State and Country: Cumming, Georgia United States

Noonie's Masterpiece

"Noonie's Masterpiece " by Lisa Railsback is about a ten year old artist who is under-appreciated. She is confident that she is talented, but not everyone seems to agree with her. Her mother is dead, and her father is constantly away on archaeological trips; so, she lives with her aunt, uncle, and cousin, all of whom are facetiously eclectic. She enters an art contest, talks about school, and comes to realize what is really important to her in the end.

The book’s illustrations by Sarajo Frieden are of high quality. The pages themselves have decorations and color; even the text has color. The plot itself isn't too intense, but this book is meant for the grammar school age, anyway. While it is great that a girl pursues her art dreams, it is a bit disappointing that she is noted as disliking math. Overall, this book is a nice bridge for young ones, and one that will prepare them for chapter books.

Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Troy, NY 12180

Revenge Fires Back by JR Thompson

I think this book is a mystery and adventure. This is a book about a family and the things most families go through. This family has been through a lot of hard times. This book, Revenge Fires Back, will remind a lot of people about the old days and how it was when they were kids. It gets you back to that happy time in life. You find yourself caught in the book, and soon its all you can think about. I really fell for this book, and I think whoever reads this is in for a good read. You're not going to want to take your eyes off of this good read!

I think this is a really good author. When I got my book, it was personally signed by him! It was amazing to see, which made the book even better to me to read. Once you read this, you can really tell that this author puts a lot of thought into his work. What he wrote about was truly delightful, but it's also sad because it talks about things that some people don't think about, but they're things that are really happening out in the world. This book will rip at your heart and make you ache to read more. I think JR Thompson really did achieve his purpose and that he worked really hard on this book. It was all worth it. I found it very moving and interesting. I wanted to read more to see what was going to happen next and see what else he wrote about in the book to make it connect with the rest of the story. I recommend this to anyone who gets that feeling in their hearts when they read a heart ripping story and a beautiful tale.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Mineola, Texas USA

Flight of the Renshai by Mickey Zucker Reichert

The Flight of the Renshai is a story of three brothers on a journey to find their place. Their tribe,the Renshai, are a tribe dedicated to the sword. Long ago they were exiled from the Northlands; the tribe had settled in Bearn working for the King as apart of his army. Now spies from the North have succeeded in the banishment of the Renshai yet again. And all the while a fleet of pirates are on the verge of destroying all of Bearn.

In the middle of all this is three brothers: Calistan, Saviar, and Subikahn. One is a brillantswordsman who is traveling to the North to kill the man who murdered his mother. One is struggling with who he is and his parents seperate heritages. One is struggling with his sexuality and who his father wants him to be.

And the pirates are drawning nearer; an epic battle awaits the people of Bearn,who will need the Renshai to survive. In the end it takes the Renshai and the Northmen coming together along with the Bearn to defeat the marauders. Calistan discovers that vengence is not the answer. Saviar learns that a man can live happily honoring both of his heritages. And Subikahn finally accepts who he truly is and also gains his father's acceptance.

My opinion of this book is that it is very complicated. I had a hard time getting into the story itself. It has several plots that are happening at the same time and it was difficult for me to follow. I did enjoy reading about the struggles that each brother went through on there own journies, but it wasn't enough to hold my attention. I feel that maybe this book was meant for someone older then my twelve.

This book deals with homosexuality

Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Mineola, Texas USA

Dirty Little Secrets - C.J. Omololu

Can you imagine living in a dumpster? This is what life is
like for Lucy. With her mom's obsession of keeping useless
stuff and shoving it futher into her trash-compacted
house, Lucy has never been able to have friends in her
home. But things are turning around for Lucy. Her long-
time crush finally wants to date her and she is making the
popular girls envy her. But one day she comes home to find
her life completely turned around. How will she live a
normal life? You'll have to read the book to learn
her "Dirty little secret".

In my opinion, this book is crawling with mystery, horror, and sorrow. I found myself crying for Lucy as she struggled with her temperamental
mother. I never met a dull moment in this book. Secrets are a part of everyone's life, but Lucy possesses a secret that could never be matched. I also felt like I was in the cramped house, crying with Lucy. I could read this book over and over and never tire of it. C.J. Omololu has
created one of my favorite books.

It's scary.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Panama City, Florida United States

The Family Greene by Ann Rinaldi

The Family Greene, by Ann Rinaldi, is a post-Revolutionary War book about the family of a well-known general who served second in command to George Washington. The two main characters are Caty Littlefield Greene and her daughter, Cornelia, whose stories are told in the two parts of the books. The book begins with Caty as she ventures out of her small world and into an exciting new life with her aunt, and then moves on to Cornelia, who is confused and upset after being confronted with the realization that she might not be her father's child. Throughout the book, Cornelia seeks to find the truth about her parentage while her mother, Caty, deals with struggles of her own. Readers will be captivated by this historical fiction account of two women's struggles to find a place in their family.

This book, while not my favorite by this author, was an interesting read. I enjoyed getting to know the two main characters, whose likeable personalities made me want to keep reading. The setting did not serve to spark my imagination, but I was still interested in the characters' surroundings. I thought the relationships between the characters were strong and believable, but I was left wanting a little more action besides what they did in their everyday lives. In my opinion, the quality of writing was the same as other books by this author, but the plot was a little lacking. I liked the ending, and I also enjoyed learning about the real family, the Greenes, who this book was based on. I would recommend The Family Greene to all historical fiction lovers, or anyone else who enjoys a story with strong female characters.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Bayside, WI U.S.

Shadowglass by Erica Hayes

In the dark fairyworld of the Shadowfae, hidden in the human world, Ice is just one fairy trying to survive the violence and catastrophe that surrounds her. The fairies are obsessed with clubbing, sparklies, and sex. Ice lusts after the hot metalfare, Indigo, a dangerous thief with a secret. When he turns her down, yet again, she throws herself into the arms of the demonlord, Kane. After a sultry night at his apartment, she leaves and steals a shiny mirror from his coat pocket. Soon, she and her friends begin to hear whispers after they looked in the mirror. The mirror shows Ice her counter-self, and it scares her deeply.

This dark and sultry novel kept my attention all the way through to the end. The storyline was exciting and kept me on the edge of my seat constantly wondering if the characters would figure out the mystery behind the mirror. The author made an exciting mix of romance, action, and psychology into this one novel. Although the storyline was intriguing, I was somewhat disgusted by the amount of sex scenes in the book. It seemed as though one was happening every other page. At the beginning of the book, I was reminded of Tithe by Holly Black because of the genre. However, Tithe is a more PG-13 alternative to the rated R Shadowglass.

Sex scenes

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, PA USA

Think Again by JonArno Lawson

Think Again makes you do just that (think again). Filled with short four-lined poems, this book keeps the mind intrigued while trying to guess at the deeper meaning in each one. The sometimes-puzzling poems get you thinking about the meaning of every word and are most enjoyable to read. Most of the lovely little poems are about mysterious young love and are very realistic. Every poem portrayed a unique mood, which kept the book interesting and guessing at what would come next. Each page has a cute well-drawn illustration that incorporates well with the poem. The author did a good job at using interesting words in every line to get the most appeal out of each poem.

I enjoyed reading Think Again and it was nice to pick up and read when I had a few extra minutes throughout the day. It was very convenient to read because it presented many different opportunities/places to stop at since it had a new poem on every page. I thought the poems were cute and pretty creative and the author did a good job at writing it. One thing I didn't like, however, was the shortness of the book. It didn't take very long to read and I was disappointed when I came to the end. I think Think Again would be great to take to the beach or just read before going to bed. It made me light-hearted and I got a few good laughs from this quirky book of four-lined poetry written by JonArno Lawson.

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

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

The novel Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready features a relatively normal girl named Aura, who has the ability to see and speak to ghosts, like everyone else born after the mysterious Shift. She lives with her Aunt, Gina, since her father is missing and her mother is deceased. On her boyfriend Logan’s birthday, due to excessive alcohol and drug consumption Logan dies during the after-party, which is supposed to celebrate his band’s success at a performance. However, Logan sticks aroundas a ghost. Aura becomes confused as her relationship with Logan continues, especially after meeting the peculiar Scottish Zachary, who has quite a lot of convoluted secrets. He helps Aura with her thesis, which involves Stonehenge, Newgrange, stars, and her deceased mother. Aura learns some surprising secrets about both Zachary as well as her mother.

Shade was a decently written novel with a mildly interesting plot and characters. It seems as if pretty much as if all of the supernatural beings, such as ghosts, werewolves, and vampires, have pretty much been written to death, but that does not stop even more from continuing to be published. While Shade had some unique characteristics, such as using obsidian and the color red to ward away ghosts, for the most part, the story-line and setting were not especially unique. I was intrigued by the strong and willful character of Aura, who kept going, even after her mother and boyfriend died and her father disappeared. Shade was a decent read, but it was definitely not a masterpiece.

Alcohol and drugs were part of the plot.

Reviewer Age:17

Reviewer City, State and Country: Charleston, SC USA

The Adventures of Jack Lime by James Leck

In this wonderfully written little novel by James Leek, the illustrious character of Jack Lime, self proclaimed private eye, is out to tackle his high school's biggest mysteries, from vanishing bikes to hamster hostages to missing brainiacs. There is no shortage of modern adventure or intrigue as our cool and confident protagonist Jack wanders about getting into all sorts of sticky situations. The book stands as a new sort of mystery novel, giving a youthful, fun take on the classic whodunit genre, throwing in just enough teenage romance and cliches to keep it light and fun. A short and sweet book that combines a mix of cleverly crafted characters and witty escapades, The Adventures of Jack Lime radiates mirth and mayhem.

"The Adventures of Jack Lime" uses convivial details to add to a solid, enjoyable plot. Leck uses his characters to add great panache to the tale, cleverly supplying the main character Jack with catchy sayings and endearing quirks. The book doesn't aim to be thoroughly thought-provoking, and instead intends to entertain and amuse readers, something it does well in its concise 126 pages. Written entirely in the first person, the book continually involves readers although it does not flow as one long tale. The book begins in the middle of the action and ends with the proper back story into Jack Lime's P.I career, but this backwards way of story-telling manages to work with Leck's atypical flare. The book goes down like a chilled glass of lemonade in the summer: tangy, refreshing, and just what you need to kick back and relax with. A nice read for middle and high school students, The Adventures of Jack Lime proves an easy yet highly entertaining novel that will keep you grinning with every page.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: South Pasadena, CA U.S.A