The Resurrection Fields by Brian Keaney

Someone's building a bridge. This bridge could ruin the lives of people everywhere: a bridge to the Resurrection Fields. When young Damien is possessed by a dark and evil magic, he manages to escape by possessing a bird and learning all the secrets of the power Orabas. Orabas is building the bridge to the Resurrection Fields, which is the only sacred place for the dead to be reborn. Meanwhile, Damien's friend Bea has been attacked and is now one of the only people who can save the villages. Damien must befriend the birds and figure out how to save Bea and the world before time runs out. Can he do it?

I liked the book The Resurrection Fields by Brian Keaney, however I did find it very confusing and dull, because I hadn't read the first two books. Everyone who reads this book MUST read the first two; otherwise the whole point of this story is a blur. However, the plot had an interesting storyline. Many parts were violent or frightening that would scare many children, but the literature was an extremely short and easy read. I recommend this series to anyone over 12 who needs an easy read on a rainy day.

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

A Stone In My Hand by Cathryn Clinton

After her father's disappearance, young Malaak is perched on the roof of her dingy home in Gaza, waiting for him to come home. Little does she know, however, that has been the target of terrorist bombings, and will never return again. As the days go by, her beloved brother Hamid is getting involved in a very violent terrorist Palestinian group that is threatening Israeli soldiers and threatening his life. More and more casualties are suffered, and all that Malaak seems to be able to hold on to is her pigeon, Abdo, and Hamid's poems. Can she save her brother and all of Palestine? Will the work of one girl be able to help and revive a whole nation?

A Stone in My Hand by Cathryn Clinton is very interesting and deep. I was thoroughly haunted by the story of young Malaak and all of the troubles she has faced as a girl living in Gaza with deep restrictions forced unto the Palestinian people. The characters came to life, and I could really sense all of the emotion that sweeps through Malaak's heart as she struggles to keep her family together and to keep her sanity. I recommend this to everyone who feels they can truly understand Malaak's struggle and faith as she goes through this terrible time. A Stone in my Hand is very moving and thoughtful - I will never be able to think of Gaza or Palestine again without thinking of Malaak; the world is not at peace.

Some very frightening, graphic, and disturbing scenes that younger readers may not understand. Mainly age 12 and up.

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

The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary by Jeff Kinney

The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary was an interesting book to read because it gave facts about the making of the movie. The Wimpy kid books are a series of events that take place with the character Greg Heffley. Greg gets in trouble all the time for messing with his younger brother. Other adventures include his older brother Rodrick. The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary gave me insight to behind the scenes of the making of the movie and how the original series was used.
The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary was a nonfiction book that showed how scenes from the author's original series was used to create a movie. I thought it was a very good book but I didn't enjoy it as much as the actual series. The books in the series are funnier. I recommend this book to young readers.

Reviewer Age:9
Reviewer City, State and Country: Glenwood, Arkansas US

The Book of the Maidservant by Rebecca Barnhouse

The Book of the Maidservant is about a young lady who is a
servant. She is sent to another country, but she can't
speak the native language, while her master can. When her
master leaves her behind, she has to find some way to
communicate with the people around her. Readers follow
her on her journey to figure out the language of the
country.

This was a great book, it was interesting and
kept me reading to the end. You learn about friendship
and loyalty, and also about medieval life. This book is
wise and funny, and filled with excitement to the very
end. I would recommend this book for everyone. If you
don't read it, you are missing out.
1

8

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Panama City, Florida USA

30 Days to Finding and Keeping Sassy Sidekicks and BFFs by Clea Hantman

Life without friends would be boring, right? Right. That's where this book comes into play. "30 Days to Finding and Keeping Sassy Sidekicks and BFFs" will help make new friends and keep your old ones. Friendships don't happen instantly; they all take time. This book will help you to recognize good friends and bad friends, as well as help you through rough spots in your friendships. It also has fun crafts and activities to do with your current or future friends to help make your relationships stronger and get to know each other better.

This book was an interesting read. I found the activities and information within the book helpful and it helped me to reevaluate the people that I am currently hanging out with. The book also gave me ideas to do with my friends. I would recommend this book to any girl, even if they already have friends. It never hurts to try something new!

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Brownsburg, Indiana United States of America

TIGER MOON

In this Indian fairytale like novel, a young newlywed,
Raka, waits in fear of being killed by her husband. To
pass the time, she spends time with her sole friend Lalit
by telling him a story.

Thief and all-around bad guy Farhad Kamal has been
targeted by the Hindu God Krishna to rescue his daughter
who was kidnapped by a demon. Farhad has been given the
cycle of one moon to find the princess. Only given a few
riddles, Farhad enlists the help from the white tiger
Nitish and decides to go ahead with the dangerous task.
He knows that there are dangers everywhere he goes, but
Nitish and Farhad rely on each other to get through them
and an unlikely friendship begins to grow between the two.

As a lover of fairy tales, this novel caught my
attention immediately. I've never read a tale centered in
India, so I loved that aspect of it. Everything about
this story was amazing, from the characters to the plot
and the writing style. The themes in the novel also left
an impression, such as the importance of friendship. The
historical aspects were interesting as well. Once I
started this, I couldn't put it down. I would recommend
this novel to readers of young adult fiction, and
especially all lovers of fairy tales.

Reviewer
Age:23

Reviewer City, State and Country: Philadelphia,
PA USA

A Cousin's Challenge by Wanda E. Brunstetter

A van accident two years prior to the beginning of the story leaves Jolene Yolder without her hearing. She is living with her aunt and uncle to learn total communication when she gets a call from the Amish community that she grew up in and where her family and friends live. Two deaf children have moved into the community, and the community wants Jolene to come and teach them total communication since she was a teacher before the accident. When she moves back, she tries to teach the whole community the art of signing, so that it is easier for her to communicate with everyone. Within a few weeks, Lonnie Hershberger also gets into a serious accident and loses his hearing. Jolene tries to reach out to him and help him through his grief and pain. With the new addition of signing, love starts to blossom in the Amish communities as friends come together to support each other.

Do read this book. The setting is in an Amish community and while that is not the usual setting for most books, Wanda E. Brunstetter makes it work well. She uses phrases that the people in the community say that are not familiar to us but they help to immerse us in the reading. The characters were interesting and complex, and they were the reason that made me keep turning the page to find out what was going to happen next. The characters stories were intertwined in some way that made them interesting. The writing was effective and it was not too dull. The ending was good, it was not too abrupt and it told me what i wanted to know about the characters. I would recommend this book. It was interesting and a fun read.

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

Noodle Pie

I just read the book Noodle Pie by Ruth Starke. This book is about a 12 year old boy named Andrew Nguyen, Andy for short, going to Vietnam for the first time with his father, who hasn’t seen Vietnam since he escaped as a refugee from a back then communist Vietnam to Australia. Now his father is going back, and is taking Andy with him. Right from the start, Andy realizes this is going to be no ordinary trip where the only thing to look forward to is jetlag and visiting relatives. What happens in this piece of realistic fiction, you might ask? Read Noodle Pie to find out.

Noodle Pie was a very interesting book. I found the description of the setting to be very vivid and descriptive, and I felt as if I were really in Vietnam with reckless drivers and polluted air. The book contains a humorous and yet serious tone. The book is funny because it is from an 11 year old boy’s point of view. However, the author also pinpoints the fact that there are thousands of street kids in Vietnam today. This brings a touch of seriousness to the book, but does not kill the humor in this book. I believe that the characters could be real because they act like any other kids would if they were in that situation. I think the way I felt about the characters really affected how much I liked the book. The author has a humorous yet serious tone. In this book, lack of detail was non-existent. The author left me hanging at the end, and I was left wondering about the main character’s adventures that started at the very end of the book. In conclusion, this is what I thought about the book Noodle Pie.

Content: 1
Rating: 6
Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Braintree, Massachusetts United States of America

My Double Life by Janette Rallison

Ever since she could remember, Alexia has been compared to Kari Kingsley, the pop star sensation. Their appearances are uncannily similar. And Kari begins to take notice. Alexia gets a picture of herself posted on the internet, which comes to the attention of the pop star, who asks Alexia to become her double. As a double, she'd pose for pictures at events, sign autographs, and lip synch at some small concerts, all so Kari could focus on her newest album. In a sudden rebellious decision, Alexia leaves the comfort of her small, West Virginia town to become a body double for one of the most famous singers in the world. However, once she gets there, she realizes that her fame isn't all it's cracked up to be. What does she do when faced with not one, not two, but three shocking realizations?

This book was simply amazing. I have read several of Janette Rallison's books before and this was definitely the best one. Her portrayal of Alexia had so much depth to it, as did her portrayal of Kari, a seemingly one-dimensional, shallow pop star. The twists keep you occupied because they just keep on coming and you never know what to expect. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone, as it was just extremely enjoyable to read and had me sucked in from the very first page.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Westerville, OH United States

The Secret Satrudays by Elizabeth Hurchalla

The Secret Saturdays The Kur Stone Volume 1 Part 1 is a mildly funny action graphic novel. The story is about part 1 of the search for Kur, the most powerful criptid on earth. Criptids are all the strange, exotic creatures that regular science doesn't believe in. The Kur Stone is needed to find Kur. To prevent the villian V. V. Argost from having all 3 pieces of the Kur Stone, the Saturdays need to retrieve the piece of the Kur Stone they had previously hidden. One of the reasons that the book is so short is that 6 out of 100 pages are just introduction to the characters.

I thought the book was way, way too short. If you aren't going to read the whole series, don't read this book because it ends in a cliffhanger and the entire book is mostly just an introduction. The introduction takes up too much of the book and the action is crammed into the end. I think it should have had more of a plot. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but it was unsatisfying.

Unsatisfying because too little action and too much introduction.

Reviewer Age:10
Reviewer City, State and Country: Sammamish, WA USA