The Hard Kind of Promise by Gina Willner-Pardo

The Hard Kind of Promise by Gina Willner-Pardo is about a girl, Sarah, who promises to be best friends forever with Marjorie. The only problem is that she promised this when they were young and now Sarah and Marjorie like different things. Sarah tries her best to be friends with Marjorie, but they are just too different. It would be very hard for Sarah to keep this promise. This is a story about friendship and how hard it can be.

The Hard Kind of Promise by Gina Willner-Pardo was not one of the best books I have read. I found it hard to keep reading because there was nothing to draw you into the mood of the book. The plot was not very good. Willner-Pardo's writing style did not draw the reader in or make you feel a strong connection with how the characters felt. This is a book I would definitely not recommend to anyone.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Braintree, Ma USA

A Legacy of Daemons by Camille Bacon-Smith

Evan Davis and his partners, Kevin Bradley and Lily Ryan, handle dangerous and otherworldly cases in Philadelphia. Lily and Kevin (Brad) are daemons that belong to the second celestial sphere under the lord Ariton. When Matt Shields hires Evan to retrieve a box from the house of the recently deceased Grayson Donne, Evan is trapped in the middle of a battle between daemons and a group of wealthy people with a dangerous interest in the dark arts. During the investigation, Evan is captured by those people. After he escapes, the police search the grounds of the manor where he had been held, only to find a graveyard full of tortured mortals. The police interrogate Carlos Sanchez, whose daughter Alba is missing and who worked for Grayson Donne. Then, Sanchez goes missing and Evan has to find him and an heir of Grayson Donne to unlock the box and release the demented daemon, Kady (Kady and Matt Shields were bound by Grayson Donne to the box). As Grayson’s plot unfolds, a new angle of the problem comes to light; a half-daemon child named Katy(not to be confused with Kady), the sole heir of the Donne fortune and the only one who can release Kady from the box. Evan and Kady must summon daemon lords to release Matt Shields and Kady from the binding put on them by Grayson Donne to prevent a war between the lords of the second-celestial sphere.

The book itself was difficult to understand and connect to. I often reread a paragraph or chapter to get a better understanding of what the characters were doing. The story line was a follow-up from two previous books, which I was not able to find in my public library, making it hard to connect to the characters’ references of pain. The author was very descriptive of some of the settings from the main character’s point of view, such as Evan when he was kidnapped at the manor house. The storyline was moving and the book had a great ending with the introduction of Katy, but left me wondering if they found Alba Sanchez and why Lily left Evan. I might recommend the book, but only after reading the first two books. It also contained mature content I didn't think was suitable for a young teenager.

Content: 1
Rating: 4
Reviewer Age:
Reviewer City, State and Country: Garden Ridge, Texas USA

Amazon Queen by Lori Devoti

Zery has only ever known the tribe, her family of Amazons. After living for over a hundred years Zery is a queen; the top of the heap. When a new priestess comes to her safe camp and starts to challenge Zery s authority things start to go from bad to worse. The tribe is falling apart and Zery is on the outside, it doesn t help that she seems to be falling for a son, the sworn enemy of the Amazons. In this stunning sequel to Amazon Ink; Zery s life falls apart as she finds old friends, new friends and her voice.

In Amazon Queen by Lori Devoti, Zery the queen of the Amazons finds her world falling apart. The book starts out strong with a fast paced action scene and the tone is continued throughout the book. With multiple twists and turns that keep you on your toes this quickly moving book keeps a reader entertained till the early hours of the morning. On top of the constantly changing alliances and friendships there is an underlying element of romance that although present does not over power a book based on powerful women. Over all this book was and exciting and entertaining read that I certainly recommend.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Greenwood Village, Co USA

Ernest Hemingway: A Writer's Life by Catherine Reef

Ernest Hemingway was not only one of the most influential American writers of all time - he also had a fascinating life. He was born in 1899 to a wealthy Chicago family. He began writing in school, where his teachers encouraged his talents. When World War I broke out, he went to Italy to fight. His experiences in the army influenced one of his most famous books, A Farewell to Arms. Throughout his life, Ernest Hemingway enjoyed doing the unusual - he was fond of bull fights and safaris. He joined with Spanish forces in the Spanish Civil War. However, despite his exciting life, Hemingway struggled with depression over his writing and life. In 1961, he took his own life. But his writing lives on - his books have become classics of American literature.

Reef's biography of Ernest Hemingway was a fascinating account of Hemingway's life. She aptly used quotes from Hemingway's friends and family to describe his life from his childhood to his death. She provided numerous antidotes that enabled the reader to glimpse into the life of Hemingway in an engaging way. Also, the book had lovely photographs chronically Hemingway's life. However, what I particularly enjoyed in the book was Reef's careful analysis of the factors that influenced Hemingway's writing. Having read some of the Hemingway's works, I found it fascinating to read about the experiences that led Hemingway to write his books. Even for those who have never read a Hemingway novel, this biography gives you a extraordinary glimpse into the life of one of the most influential Americans of the twentieth century.

Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Urbana, IL USA

Boys, Bears, and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boot

Jenna is just a girl living in the New Jersey suburbs and has a life revolved around environmentalism. From recycling to protesting out on the streets, her and the Green Teens, a group of fellow environmentalists, do everything possible to help the planet. Then, Jenna
decides to fly to Canada to visit her godmother, Susie, during the summer. After some crazy encounters with the locals and wildlife (a stray moose on Main Street, a group of cute, nature-loving boys, and Susie's stepdaughter, Fiona), Jenna soon realizes that her eco-friendly ideas
don't appeal to the residents of Stillwater. As Jenna arms herself with a nature survival guide, she sets out to learn how to live in the wilderness the locals call home.

Boys, Bears, and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots is about a girl trying to fit in and survive that wildlife that she's always heard about. Boys, Bears, and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots is a fun and fast paced novel that contains humor, romance, and a group of fun-loving, characters that readers can relate to. The relationships between the characters that Abby McDonald established were very realistic. They have traits that readers could compare themselves to. Jenna is a eco-friendly girl that supports nature, but doesn't really know much about
living, or surviving, in it. The boys she meets, Ethan, Grady, and Reeve, are a group of boys that love having fun and can do that in nature. The characters have obstacles that they have to learn how to overcome. I think that these traits will let the readers to actually imagine the
characters as real people. This book was a very enjoyable read and kept me hooked to it until the end. I think that many young adult readers will enjoy reading this.

Unfamiliar Magic by R. C. Alexander

Unfamiliar Magic is about a young witch named Desi, whose mom is also a witch and she refuses to teach Desi any spells or tell Desi anything about her father who has been absent Desi's whole life. Desi has a cat named Devil which is a familiar. (Devil can travel to different worlds- the witch or the demon world) Desi's mom, Desi, and their cat have moved all over the world for an unknown reason to Desi. They have just moved to the suburbs when her mother leaves without any notice right after turning their cat Devil into a teenage girl. After Desi's mother leaves unexplainably Desi is lost. She makes friends with the boy next door, Jarrett. Devil, who is now called Cat, starts dating Jarrett's older brother, Bob. Unfortunately Cat is just a person on the outside and still thinks like a cat, which causes problems for Desi. When the foursome goes to the mall Desi meets a magician willing to teach Desi some magic. Bad things happen after that include battling demons, learning magic, getting stuck in portals, and her mother and father fighting over what is best for Desi.

I think that the book Unfamiliar Magic is a great book and a must read for all who like fantasy. I really liked Desi she was full of energy and never gave up. I also liked Cat because she would do anything to save Desi. This book was very well written, very exiting, and a real page turner.

Reviewer Age:10
Reviewer City, State and Country: Boothwyn, PA USA

Travelers Market by Maureen Doyle McQuerry

When an evil rat bites Timothy's mom, its up to him, his sister Sarah, and their newly found friend, Jessica to find the cure. An old acquaintance leads them to the Traveler's Market. They don't trust anyone, and an old foe that hides in the dark of the Market makes it dangerous. Timothy and Sarah find two extraodanary talents inside themselves that lay dormant, until now. Even with the help of Timothy and Sarah's new talents, the Dark's warriors are a threat to millions of lives.

This book was awesome! Almost all the characters had a lot of depth. The plot was very well written, and I loved the different things that the characters find deep inside themselves. Although it is the second in the series, you don't have to read the first book to get the story line. For you older kids who still like illustrations, there are illustrations throughout the book and they're very well drawn. Whether you've read the first book or not, I strongly recommend this book and hope you have as much fun reading it as I did.

Reviewer Age:10
Reviewer City, State and Country: Rockwell City, IA USA

The Whispering Sand by Ian Kenworthy

Annabeth a young girl comes to stay with her very down-to-Earth grandpa, Grandpa Bambertide. Grandpa Bambertide lives in an enormous, wacky house called Gull Cove Cottage located on Gull Cove Beach. Living on this property, Grandpa Bambertide feels that it is his job to take care of, and protect Gull Cove Beach.
Something is terribly wrong with the sand on the beach. The sand begins to whisper a song and when the song is over, the sand turns grey and dies. Annabeth and Grandpa Bambertide must get to the bottom of this. Upon going on many adventures, Annabeth figures out that songs are trapped inside the sand, and by being sung, they are keeping the sand alive. Every song in the sand has been sung, and old memories trapped in the sand have faded. Grandpa Bambertide and Annabeth must save the sand and figure out how to cure it.

The Whispering Sand by: Ian Kenworthy was meant to really bring out your imagination. It did not. It was hard to follow and did not keep me intrigued. Written with many details, I wanted the story to come to life in my mind. At parts of the story, I began to loose interest. The main plot was good however, my loss of interest was due to reading about problems in the story that absolutely had nothing to do with the main plot. Overall, The Whispering Sand was a creative book for someone who enjoys fantasy books.

I gave The Whisering Sand a rating of 3 because the book was not mainly focusing on the plot, which would have made the story clearer. The story had smaller more less important problems more focused on, than the entire main plot of the story.

Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Cleveland, Ohio USA

Ghostgirl: Homecoming by Tonya Hurley

Charlotte's world is turned upside down by a
simple gummy bear in the first book of this series,
ghostgirl. She dies and enters the afterlife where she is
forced to work at a hotline for troubled teens.
Charlotte's old friend, Scarlet, desperately needs
her help because her big sister, Petula, is gravely ill.
Charlotte's friend, Maddy, in the neighboring cubical
intercepts the call from Scarlet. She has to find another
way to get to Charlotte. So she enters the afterlife
world herself to find Charlotte. When she finds her,
they go on a search for Petula's holding room . Along the
way Maddy tries to lead them astray. Maddy is trying to
steal Petulas life for herself, in the end Petula is saved
and crowned Homecoming Queen.

I did enjoy this book the author made me feel like I
was there. The characters were great and worked together
well; she really made me feel as if they were best friends
or sister. The authors voice changed thought out the
book to what every mood they were in at the moment (funny,
serious.). She gave great detail and I was never left
wondering what was happening. I found this book to be
entertaining and interesting. I think the ending was great
because I like happy endings. I would recommend this book
to others.

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

Looking for Marco Polo by Alan Armstrong

The book Looking for Marco Polo is about an eleven-year-old boy who travels to Venice. His father traveled with him on the adventurous journey. On the trip Mark had an asthma attack. He went to see one of his father's friends named Dr. Hornaday. He found out that Dr. Hornaday had a big, black dog named Boss. While all the adults were asleep Mark found out that Boss was his dog named Marco Polo.

I thought this book was really adventurous and good. This wasn't my favorite book in the world but it kept me going. I think people who would like to read this book would have to love to read adventurous books. Im more of a person who likes to read mostly mysterious books.

Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Nokomis, Illinois United States