Wednesday, June 02, 2010

Yokaiden 2 by Nina Matsumoto

Hamachi Uramaki travels to the Yokai realm, to avenge his grandmother's death. A Yokai named Madkap has killed his grandmother for setting a Yokai trap and severing Madkaps leg. Hamachi is in search of the nine tails, but when he finds her she wants him to stay so she gives him three different tasks. They endanger his and his only chance of survival and completion of the tasks is his knowledge and determination to avenge his grandmother. So will he succeed or will he fail, find out in this adventurous novel by Nina Matsumoto.

A great book I highly recommend it, but if you don't like Japanese Mangas then I suggest you don't read it. This is definitely a great book so please read it. You can even skip the first one, it explains it to where you know enough to where you understand the story. It's great 'cause unlike a lot of Mangas you don't have to read back to front. It's an easy quick read that provides an entertaining story.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Sandy, Oregon USA

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

Short Circus by Stephen V. Masse

Jem Lockwood has just got back to school and his first
task is to write a report on his summer vacation. Short
Circus is Jem's story about all of the adventures he went
on with his friends and famliy. Jesse Standish is Jem's
older brother through the Big Brother Association and he
may be forced to move. That is one of Jem's problems
along with someone destroying the swimming pond, and
problems among his friends. Will Jem even make it through
the summer?

I didn't like Short Circus very much. In
fact, it was difficult to pick up and read because I
wasn't really interested in it. I couldn't finish the
book. I thought Short Circus had a weak plot and no
rising action. There was not much happening throughout
the book. It is written in a kid's point of view, but it
is not like what a kid would do. If I had a say in the
making of the book, I might make it more of a narrative
instead of a first person story.

I thought the book was
uninteresting. I had a tough time getting into it. There
wasn't much action or interesting things
happening.

Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and
Country: Randolph, NJ United States

Riding Invisible by Sandra Alonzo

Yancy is the good kid. He is the one who gets all A s in
school, does not get in trouble, is a talented writer and
artist, and keeps his responsibilities to his horse, Shy.
Yancy's brother, Will, has a conduct disorder. He is the
one who does not do well in school, gets in trouble, beats
on other kids and needs to have a good deeds chart
completed before he can get his learner's permit. So, why
is Yancy the one who runs away? After Will attacks Shy,
Yancy packs up his horse and leaves home, attempting to
find a place where he and his horse can live safely. He
gets himself into a whole heap of trouble and has more
adventure than he could ever imagine.

As a horse lover,
myself, I have often been disappointed by the inaccuracies
in horse-related books. I was not with this one. Yancy
is a clever and detailed narrator and it is a pleasure to
step into his mind while reading his so-called adventure
journal . Travel with Yancy and Shy along their journey
that is full of sarcasm and potholes. This is a book
about a boy, his horse, and the life they are determined
to escape from.

This story is told through the eyes of a
sixteen year-old boy in journal format. He does not mince
his words and some of his references to the female
characters could be offending. Also, Yancy's brother does
things that include drugs and alcohol.

Reviewer
Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Leverett,
Massachusetts USA

Willie-Off-The-Pickleboat by Thomas M. Wilkinson

This book is about King Krausen 1 hides a pickle somewhere in his village and it is up to the villagers to find the pickle. Then when Gherti finds the pickle in a pine tree, she also finds Willie. Willie is the character which the book is based on because he drives a pickle boat. Will Ghertis life now change because she finds the pickle. The reason the book was probably written is because it has become a custom for people to find a pickle ornament. It is suppose to bring good luck if you find it.

I thought that this book was confusing. It wasn't one of the best books I have read. I thought this because, I don't really like these type of books. I thought it was very appropriate for the age level given.

Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: nokomis , illinois united states

Hero's Tribute by Graham Garrison

Hero's Tribute by Graham Garrison is a mystery. It is about a news reporter named Wes in a small town Talking Creek. He writes a sport page until one day he gets a message from his boss. It was a note from a local hero who was a sport legend at Talking Creek; he served in the army and got the biggest award possible the Medal of Honor, and ran a foster care retreat for young kids in Talking Creek. His name was Michael Gavin he had passed away a week ago from cancer. Michael wanted Wes to write his eulogy and to find everything about him, the good and the bad. Wes never met Michael and didn't know him at all. Then Wes decides to go off on his journey to uncover the truth about Michael Gavin. What good and bad will Wes find out Michael did? What will happen next? What will Wes uncover about Michael that no one knows?

Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and Country: cleveland, ohio United States

Ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley

Charlotte Usher was an invisible nobody... last year. But this year there's going to be change - she's going to be popular. That includes dressing the part, hanging out with the popular girls like Petula Kensington and the Wendys, and of course going to the Fall Ball with the most amazing guy in school, Damen Dylan. But now she really IS an invisible nobody. She's dead. And all because of a gummy bear. How can Damen possibly fall in love with her if he can't see her? Can anybody see her?

This book was great! I loved every word of it! The outside of the book itself is very nice: the cover is really cool (its hard to describe - it has this shadow in a coffin but when you flip it open, the shadow is Charlotte), it's hardcover, and the sides are silvery! The inside was just as amazing! The story is really great and I will definitely be reading it again and again and again! Charlotte is as easy to fall in love with as it is to hate Petula. The author uses nice wording and you really feel like you're in Charlotte's shoes trying to figure out what happened and how to get Damen to like her even though she's dead. I would recommend this to anybody. Period. It has action, humor, and boys - and all around good book.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Gearhart, Oregon United States

Women's Stage Monologues and Scenes by Lawrence Harbison

Women's Stage Monologues and Scenes by Lawrence Harbison is a collection of monologues for women of diverse backgrounds and ages. The book contains 62 monologues and 15 scenes that include two to three all female or coed casts per scene. The book contains various dramatic, seriocomic, and comic excerpts from actual scripts.

The monologues and scenes used in the 2009 edition are quite versatile. The ages range from early teens to early eighties. The vast amount of delicately selected monologues allows the reader to find a commendable amount of speeches that can relate to. I would recommend this book to women who are pursuing stage acting or to anyone who wants to read a few excerpts in order to find an excellent script to read.

This book contains some sexual content

Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Raleigh, NC United States

Living Hell by Catherine Jinks

The young inhabitants of the spaceship Plexus (please italicize) have never set foot on Earth. A few of their parents might be a little homesick once in a while, but without any contact with the planet, their species's home is rarely on their minds. The ship, safe and reliable, harbors them through the vacuum of space as two crews switch between four-year-long bouts in suspended animation. Their mission: to find an inhabitable planet where they can start a new life. But when the ship is forced to pass through an unidentifiable and mysterious energy field, the humans' dependency on their beloved Plexus (please italicize) threatens to doom them all as the ship, quite literally, comes alive.

This is one of the best young adult books I have read in years -- when I started it, I couldn't bring myself to stop until I'd finished it at the end of the day. The pacing is just right and there is just enough tension (and cliffhanger chapter endings) to keep any adventure-loving reader's nose in "Living Hell." Science fiction fans will automatically love this story, especially the vast amount of detail incorporated into the concept of a living spaceship. To anyone not as open to the genre, the "life force" idea may sound preposterous, and there is one other, minor preposterous occurrence near the end of the story. Yet nothing seems very strange in the context of the book, since every aspect of it is strange. The author's descriptive and convincing voice makes almost anything possible in the ship Plexus. Any reader will notice there are also a great number of technical terms and acronyms pertaining to the ship's operating system, but most can be remembered easily enough if the reader has the will. Ultimately, the most unfortunate aspect of this book is that the title is frustratingly vague, and without the cover illustration and the synopsis, I would never have guessed its contents and probably would not have wanted to read it.

Rated 3 for frightening descriptions, especially disturbing and gruesome deaths,young children in peril, and some language.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: San Jacinto, California USA

Sky Girl by Joe Sergi

DeeDee Dandrudge is your average teenager. She wants to win the National Gymnastic Tournament and beat her enemy Nicole who is also dating her crush, the high school quarterback. She has a best friend named Jason who is the ultimate comic book nerd and has a single mom. But when she realizes she has strange powers similar to a comic book superhero named SkyBoy her world turns upside down. She is introduced to villains of SkyBoy who for some reason want to steal her gymnastics trophy and to find SkyBoy. DeeDee must somehow live two lives as DeeDee the gymnast and regular girl and SkyGirl.

Reading this book was hilarious. Considering this book was probably made for kids younger than me I loved it. Some of the villains' conversations with each other in the beginning were great because it sounds just like if it was an actual television show or was actually happening. Even if some of the conversations were just he said she said type of stuff it was still a page turner where you wanted to know what was happening in the next chapter. One of the more annoying things was that the character of Jason doesn't like to use contractions so instead of saying could've or can't he would say could have or cannot. Otherwise it was great to read and I can't wait for the sequel and I would most definitely recommend it to anyone.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Loves Park, Illinois United States

The Midnight Curse by L. M. Falcone

Lacey and her brother Charlie are used to a life of being
poor. They never had the money to go on trips, until their
Uncle Jonathan dies, sending them to England for the
reading of the will. Once in England, they reach Blaxton
Manor, the home where Uncle Jonathan locked himself away.
While their mother is out, Charlie and Lacey go exploring
in the house. They didn't know what they were getting
into. Charlie gets cursed, they meet two spooky ghosts, a
creepy butler, and a woman with a head in her fridge! This
book is full of mystic twists that keep you up all
night.

I could not have read a better book! L.M Falcone
writes about mystery, terror, and going to the extreme to
help your family. I was up all night, both because I was
scared and because I couldn't rest until I finished the
book! If you dream of horror, love Edger Allen Poe works
and other strange books, You'll love "The Midnight Curse".
I know I did.

Although there is no vulgar language,
younger children might find it scary.

Reviewer Age:12

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