The Fire Opal by Regina McBride follows the life of Maeve O'Tullagh, who seems to take after her mother, Nuala, in hearing voices in the secluded Ard Macha, Ireland. When Maeve's sister Isheleen is born, Maeve is overjoyed. It took a while because she had to be reincarnated twice. However, Ishleen and her mother fall under a strange spell that renders them unconscious. Maeve suspects that the handsome yet dark-spirited Tom Cavan has had something to do with this. She discovers that he's made a pact with an ancient goddess to gain control of Ireland. Also, he wants to marry her and finds it hilarious to see her angry after seeing him chuck baby seagulls off a cliff. The goddess lives on a slightly weird ice barge and keeps girls as slaves. Those girls must care for their mothers, who have been frozen by the spiteful goddess. In the midst of all this, Queen Elizabeth of England is fighting the Spanish Armada, but not by herself.
I really didn't like The Fire Opal. The plot didn't seem very original, or just entirely too bizarre. It might have worked with better explanations. For example, the entire idea of cursed goddesses wasn't very well explained and so left the reader hanging. I had absolutely no idea what the goddess was doing on a stationary ice barge in the middle of the ocean, of course guarded by fierce mermaids. Maeve was slightly strange and underdeveloped. While it was nice that she rescued a Spanish soldier, he disappeared and nothing more was heard of him. Also, I wasn't sure how she discovered all these conspiracies or why she kept seeing the nice ancient goddess. Overall, The Fire Opal was pretty terrible. It had some decent ideas, like covering Irish disputes with Queen Elizabeth, but lacked something extra, like depth.
Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Charleston, SC USA
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Whaling Season by Peter Lourie
Whaling Season is a journey through a spring season in the
Arctic Circle in Alaska with bowhead whale scientist, John
Craighead George, or "Craig." As you follow Craig, vivid
pictures help describe the process of a thorough examination
of a bowhead whale. The tribe that ensures that the whaling
is purely for tradition and culture are the American Indian
tribe, the Inuiat. Once the whales are harvested, Craig
studies them to see what effects pollution is having on the
environment. In the midst of the season, Craig and his
fellow scientists have a contest to see who can get the most
data. Craig and his scientists also study the DNA of the
whales to see if the whales are evolving or adapting to
pollution in any way. Overall, Whaling Season is a very
interesting and factual book.
Whaling Season is a
nonfiction book that lets you feel like you are there in
Alaska. I loved the book because of the interesting facts
in all of the amazingly written detail. As you go through
the season, you learn more about Craig and his team, and
that they are all very smart, willing, and committed people.
The author, Peter Lourie, grabs you into the season while
Craig and his scientists study the whales in the Arctic. I
would definitely recommend this book to people of all ages
because it is interesting has great imagery.
Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Pepper Pike, Ohio USA
Arctic Circle in Alaska with bowhead whale scientist, John
Craighead George, or "Craig." As you follow Craig, vivid
pictures help describe the process of a thorough examination
of a bowhead whale. The tribe that ensures that the whaling
is purely for tradition and culture are the American Indian
tribe, the Inuiat. Once the whales are harvested, Craig
studies them to see what effects pollution is having on the
environment. In the midst of the season, Craig and his
fellow scientists have a contest to see who can get the most
data. Craig and his scientists also study the DNA of the
whales to see if the whales are evolving or adapting to
pollution in any way. Overall, Whaling Season is a very
interesting and factual book.
Whaling Season is a
nonfiction book that lets you feel like you are there in
Alaska. I loved the book because of the interesting facts
in all of the amazingly written detail. As you go through
the season, you learn more about Craig and his team, and
that they are all very smart, willing, and committed people.
The author, Peter Lourie, grabs you into the season while
Craig and his scientists study the whales in the Arctic. I
would definitely recommend this book to people of all ages
because it is interesting has great imagery.
Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Pepper Pike, Ohio USA
Keyholders 4: The Wrong Side of Magic by Debbie Dadey
Keyholders # 4
The Wrong Side of Magic
This story is about a magical world on the other side of a border where evil creatures live, including trolls and shape shifters.
The main characters are friends, Natalie, Luke and Penny. They are apprentice key holders. A key holder is someone who holds the keys to the border and protects the border from being breached by the evil doers.
The story begins when a troll crosses the border and the adventures continue as some of the other evil creatures try to take over the town and the human's bodies. Natalie, Luke and Penny work to save the world from them.
This book was interesting and entertaining. It kept me excited and wanting to know what would happen next. Anyone who likes books about adventure, will love The Keyholders four.
Natalie, Luke and Penny are the three main characters. Natalie is prissy, Penny is smart and Luke is always up for adventure. I liked them all and it did make me like the book more. Also, it made me want to read the other Keyholder books.
The book was not really funny, it was more of an adventure book. As for the end, I wish I had known for sure that all of the people who had their mind's taken over, were all ok. I know the main characters and their friends were ok, but I wasn't sure about everybody else.
I just finished book Five of Harry Potter. This is the kind of book I can read into between The Harry Potter books when I take a break because it is very short and you can get to the story and the end very quickly.
I would recommend the book because it did keep my attention and I will read the other books in this series now.
Reviewer Age:8
Reviewer City, State and Country: Phoenix, MD USA
The Wrong Side of Magic
This story is about a magical world on the other side of a border where evil creatures live, including trolls and shape shifters.
The main characters are friends, Natalie, Luke and Penny. They are apprentice key holders. A key holder is someone who holds the keys to the border and protects the border from being breached by the evil doers.
The story begins when a troll crosses the border and the adventures continue as some of the other evil creatures try to take over the town and the human's bodies. Natalie, Luke and Penny work to save the world from them.
This book was interesting and entertaining. It kept me excited and wanting to know what would happen next. Anyone who likes books about adventure, will love The Keyholders four.
Natalie, Luke and Penny are the three main characters. Natalie is prissy, Penny is smart and Luke is always up for adventure. I liked them all and it did make me like the book more. Also, it made me want to read the other Keyholder books.
The book was not really funny, it was more of an adventure book. As for the end, I wish I had known for sure that all of the people who had their mind's taken over, were all ok. I know the main characters and their friends were ok, but I wasn't sure about everybody else.
I just finished book Five of Harry Potter. This is the kind of book I can read into between The Harry Potter books when I take a break because it is very short and you can get to the story and the end very quickly.
I would recommend the book because it did keep my attention and I will read the other books in this series now.
Reviewer Age:8
Reviewer City, State and Country: Phoenix, MD USA
The Dream Maker in the Desert by Marie Krushing
Emmet Watts is a lonely teenage kid who has no friends and when he miraculously does make one they are shunned by the rest of the school and leave Emmet who everyone thinks of as a freak. He has been bullied constantly his whole time at school for being a "freak" but Emmet doesn't know why people feel this way since he as always tried to act "normal" to try to fit in. After another day of this sort of torture at school he gets attacked by an evil little man named Braedan. Luckily Emmet is saved by a group of people who say they are part of the Society, that fight people like Braedan who they call the Dark Ones. Emmet is taken by the people of the Society and comes to realize he plays a bigger part in the fight against the Dark Ones that anyone could possibly imagine, while making a new life as part of the Society.
The book was okay. Wasn't the best book I've read but the last half was better. The storyline started slow but once you got to the middle things picked up when the actual battle with Braedan and his minions started. This would be a book that someone should make a movie out of because it has the right amount of different elements like action and romance. The author could have improved the story mostly by making it shorter and maybe chopping a few things in the first half out where nothing that important to the plot was happening. All in all it was a good book to read that I would read again and would most definitely read the sequels to find out what happens to all the characters in their next adventures.
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Loves Park, Illinois, United States
The book was okay. Wasn't the best book I've read but the last half was better. The storyline started slow but once you got to the middle things picked up when the actual battle with Braedan and his minions started. This would be a book that someone should make a movie out of because it has the right amount of different elements like action and romance. The author could have improved the story mostly by making it shorter and maybe chopping a few things in the first half out where nothing that important to the plot was happening. All in all it was a good book to read that I would read again and would most definitely read the sequels to find out what happens to all the characters in their next adventures.
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Loves Park, Illinois, United States
The Cardturner by Louis Sachar
Alton barely knows anything about Uncle Lester, except that he is wealthy, blind and elderly. When Uncle Lester calls asking Alton to be his cardturner, he is very surprised. Alton's mother pressures him to become tightly knit with Uncle Lester, with high hopes that they will inherit a fortune, but there is other competition. In the process of becoming cardturner, Alton learns to enjoy the game of bridge. In the twists and turns of the novel, Alton realizes that he has more in common with Toni, the competition for the fortune then he thought, and discovers the mysterious past of Uncle Lester.
Louis Sachar builds the character's knowledge of bridge, the past, and each other in a creative way that hooked me as a reader. One of the main characters, Uncle Lester, had an interesting past that made me want to find more. The main topic of bridge may be thought of as boring, but Mr. Sachar navigated around that in a way that made it interesting. The book's writing style was interesting and funny. I recommend this book to boys and girls from grade 6 to adulthood.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Lake Bluff, IL United States
Louis Sachar builds the character's knowledge of bridge, the past, and each other in a creative way that hooked me as a reader. One of the main characters, Uncle Lester, had an interesting past that made me want to find more. The main topic of bridge may be thought of as boring, but Mr. Sachar navigated around that in a way that made it interesting. The book's writing style was interesting and funny. I recommend this book to boys and girls from grade 6 to adulthood.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Lake Bluff, IL United States
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Chasing Romeo by A. J. Byrd
Anjenai, Kierra, and Tyler have been BFFs for what feels like eternity now; they always have each other's back. So on the first day of school when trouble brewing at the bus stop lands the girls in the principle's office, they're there for each other. That's where it all begins; in the principle's office where they meet the Redbones, the most popular girl trio group in the entire school, and where they first catch sight of Romeo Blackwell, the boy of all of their dreams. They never could've guessed what getting involved with the in-crowd would lead to. Fights with the Redbones over everything from winning Romeo's heart to getting a certain lunch table has their friendship in distress. Is their bond strong enough to get through this together, or will the drama get the best of them?
I thought Chasing Romeo was definitely a well thought-out book and the author, A. J. Byrd, did a nice job of writing it. The story got better and more intense with the turning of every page. I was looking forward to the conclusion to put the curiosity of what would happen next to rest. This was definitely a tough-girl novel and for the most part enjoyable, but one thing I honestly didn't enjoy or approve of was the characters' nasty and vile behaviors or the constant and unnecessary cussing, swearing, and foul language that was spewed throughout almost every page. Overall, though, the story kept my interest fairly well and didn't take excessively long to read. The word choice was definitely appropriate for young adult readers and easy enough to understand. The author chose a good plotline and created a very dramatic story that I'm sure will please many. Be sure to look for the continuation of the BFFs' story in the upcoming sequel to Chasing Romeo.
There was a lot of swearing, cussing, and foul language. As well as sexual suggestions, alcohol/drinking, and a lot of fighting.
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg, PA USA
I thought Chasing Romeo was definitely a well thought-out book and the author, A. J. Byrd, did a nice job of writing it. The story got better and more intense with the turning of every page. I was looking forward to the conclusion to put the curiosity of what would happen next to rest. This was definitely a tough-girl novel and for the most part enjoyable, but one thing I honestly didn't enjoy or approve of was the characters' nasty and vile behaviors or the constant and unnecessary cussing, swearing, and foul language that was spewed throughout almost every page. Overall, though, the story kept my interest fairly well and didn't take excessively long to read. The word choice was definitely appropriate for young adult readers and easy enough to understand. The author chose a good plotline and created a very dramatic story that I'm sure will please many. Be sure to look for the continuation of the BFFs' story in the upcoming sequel to Chasing Romeo.
There was a lot of swearing, cussing, and foul language. As well as sexual suggestions, alcohol/drinking, and a lot of fighting.
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg, PA USA
Cycler by Lauren McLaughlin
The book "Cycler" is about a teenage girl named Jill. At the end of each month for a period of four days Jill morphs into a boy named Jack. His body replaces hers, and yet at the end of the period of four days her body transforms back to normal. Doctors have no cure or explanation for the oddities of Jill's body. Despite all of these complications Jill tries her hardest to lead a normal teenage life, whatever that may be. Jill is trying to juggle the perfect plan to win herself a prom date, a best friend that's fashion-crazy, and in all effort to stay normal Jill tries to hide Jack's existence from the world. Although soon she finds that Jack is crossing not only into her life physically for those four days, but now his desires and thoughts are streaming into her regular life. Jill finds her perfectly planned life to have flaws she never saw coming, and she holds a truth that could make or break her future. The question is, with another person ruling her body can she try to suffocate the truth before it materializes?
The whole concept of Cycler intrigued me from the very beginning. I feel like the concept is one that will draw many wandering eyes into the book. The highlight for me had to be seeing all of the realistic relationships forming and breaking, all around the surreal idea that one body can be shared by two people. That being said, I feel like there were two disconnects in this book one being that it always revolved around sex or sexual intentions. Teenagers read books with sex in the them all the time, however this book had a sexual reference on every page if not taking up the page. The second downside to this book for me was that I didn't fully understand the transformations between Jack and Jill until close to the very end. Almost the whole book I'd misled myself to believing that the transformations were taking place in two separate bodies; when close to the end of the book the details made themselves more apparent, all the same the book hadn't corrected my wrong thinking until later on. Overall, the book had a great idea propelling it and I'd be interested in checking out the sequel to see what happens to a few of the loose ends I've been pondering over.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Libertyville, IL US
The whole concept of Cycler intrigued me from the very beginning. I feel like the concept is one that will draw many wandering eyes into the book. The highlight for me had to be seeing all of the realistic relationships forming and breaking, all around the surreal idea that one body can be shared by two people. That being said, I feel like there were two disconnects in this book one being that it always revolved around sex or sexual intentions. Teenagers read books with sex in the them all the time, however this book had a sexual reference on every page if not taking up the page. The second downside to this book for me was that I didn't fully understand the transformations between Jack and Jill until close to the very end. Almost the whole book I'd misled myself to believing that the transformations were taking place in two separate bodies; when close to the end of the book the details made themselves more apparent, all the same the book hadn't corrected my wrong thinking until later on. Overall, the book had a great idea propelling it and I'd be interested in checking out the sequel to see what happens to a few of the loose ends I've been pondering over.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Libertyville, IL US
Your Life, But Cooler by Crystal Velasquez
The book I just read was Your life, But Cooler by Crystal Velasquez. This book was about YOU. Have you ever wondered what you might do in certain scenarios? Have you wondered if those choices made you a bad person? In Your life, Only Cooler, you are the main character and you get to decide how the story ends. At the end of each chapter, there will be a personality quiz in which you decide what you would do in certain scenarios. This book fits into a realistic fiction genre. Interested? Read Your life, Only Cooler by Crystal Velasquez.
The book Your Life but Cooler, was a very interesting and was written in an unique style. What I mean is that the book's main character was&.. you! I was able to imagine what the characters looked like because I was the main character and there were vivid descriptions of the other characters that play my friends. I could also envision the setting because it takes place in a middle school and I know what a middle school looks like. However, even based on my knowledge as a middle-school student, the setting was still a little blurry in my head. The book does not really have a specific tone, but that is what is nice about the book. As for the main character, you can believe that they would be a real person because YOU are the main character! The narrator's voice was kid friendly and was serious at sometimes and funny at other times. The narrative was about you, but you were not narrating the story. The author achieved her purpose by making this a fun and unique book. The writing was, again, kid friendly and the vocabulary was definitely age appropriate. The strengths of this book are that it was a funny book and that kids everywhere will enjoy this book. There are no major weaknesses that I thought made the book less enjoyable. However, I would have liked the book to be a little longer. To be honest, I have read no other book like this before from a realistic fiction genre, but that makes it all the more interesting. The whole book was a thrill, and I was on my toes the entire time. As far as I'm concerned, there is nothing that needs to be changed about this book. I did not learn much from this book. I would definitely recommend this book because I'm sure children from all over would love to read this book where they make up a story. In conclusion, I liked the book Your Life but Cooler.
Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Braintree, Massachusetts United States of America
The book Your Life but Cooler, was a very interesting and was written in an unique style. What I mean is that the book's main character was&.. you! I was able to imagine what the characters looked like because I was the main character and there were vivid descriptions of the other characters that play my friends. I could also envision the setting because it takes place in a middle school and I know what a middle school looks like. However, even based on my knowledge as a middle-school student, the setting was still a little blurry in my head. The book does not really have a specific tone, but that is what is nice about the book. As for the main character, you can believe that they would be a real person because YOU are the main character! The narrator's voice was kid friendly and was serious at sometimes and funny at other times. The narrative was about you, but you were not narrating the story. The author achieved her purpose by making this a fun and unique book. The writing was, again, kid friendly and the vocabulary was definitely age appropriate. The strengths of this book are that it was a funny book and that kids everywhere will enjoy this book. There are no major weaknesses that I thought made the book less enjoyable. However, I would have liked the book to be a little longer. To be honest, I have read no other book like this before from a realistic fiction genre, but that makes it all the more interesting. The whole book was a thrill, and I was on my toes the entire time. As far as I'm concerned, there is nothing that needs to be changed about this book. I did not learn much from this book. I would definitely recommend this book because I'm sure children from all over would love to read this book where they make up a story. In conclusion, I liked the book Your Life but Cooler.
Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Braintree, Massachusetts United States of America
The Necromancer by Michael Scott
Twins Josh and Sophie Newman have arrived back home from their magical trip in Europe with the immortal alchemyst, Nicholas Flamel, and his sorceress wife, Perenelle. Upon coming home, Sophie is kidnapped by Aoife of the Shadows, the sister of a close friend of the Newmans. In order to get Sophie back from Aoife, Josh needs to find the Flamels and track Aoife. Meanwhile, in England, Dr. Dee hasn't been able to get the final two pages of the Codex. Having failed in this mission, Dr. Dee is made an outcast by his master Elder and has a bounty on his head. But Dee has a plan. With the Help of Virginia Dare, a friend of his, he will release the monsters trapped on Alcatraz and take over the world. But he needs the help of a powerful Archon named the Mother of the Gods. In order to summon her, Dee needs to train a necromancer to raise the Mother of the Gods back from the dead. But she is always hungry...
The Necromancer, by Michael Scott, is a wonderful addition to the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series. Scott has created a fantastic fantasy that could possibly exist in mainstream society. Josh and Sophie Newman are perfect main characters. Their separate personalities and loyalty to each other make them the perfect hero/heroine combination. I also like that he makes his minor characters famous people from history, like Shakespeare, and mythological gods, like Mars, the Roman god of war. Also, Scott's interpretation of magic is phenomenal! I love how he includes "auras" and elemental magic together. The auras are a kind of mystical plasma that can be formed and shaped into pretty much anything. This book is a great continuation of the series and doesn't disappoint in anyway possible. This book and its series are a must have for any library. I would recommend this book to teens who have a love of the fantasy genre and to people who loved the Eragon and Harry Potter series. This book doesn't disappoint in any way. There is action from start to finish to create an exciting thrill ride throughout the entire book. You will not want to put this book down when you pick it up! Michael Scott is a talented writer with a knack for writing fantasy. Personally, I can't wait to read the next book!
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Paynesville, MN USA
The Necromancer, by Michael Scott, is a wonderful addition to the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series. Scott has created a fantastic fantasy that could possibly exist in mainstream society. Josh and Sophie Newman are perfect main characters. Their separate personalities and loyalty to each other make them the perfect hero/heroine combination. I also like that he makes his minor characters famous people from history, like Shakespeare, and mythological gods, like Mars, the Roman god of war. Also, Scott's interpretation of magic is phenomenal! I love how he includes "auras" and elemental magic together. The auras are a kind of mystical plasma that can be formed and shaped into pretty much anything. This book is a great continuation of the series and doesn't disappoint in anyway possible. This book and its series are a must have for any library. I would recommend this book to teens who have a love of the fantasy genre and to people who loved the Eragon and Harry Potter series. This book doesn't disappoint in any way. There is action from start to finish to create an exciting thrill ride throughout the entire book. You will not want to put this book down when you pick it up! Michael Scott is a talented writer with a knack for writing fantasy. Personally, I can't wait to read the next book!
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Paynesville, MN USA
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Out of the Woods by Lyn Gardner
"Out of the Woods" is a classic good vs. evil story that has numerous references to Greek myths and common fairy tales. Underneath all of the magic and action the theme of the story is really about family. Three sisters, who all have their own differences, all miss their mother and wish their father would be home more often than not. When one of the sisters faces several problematic encounters with a magic pipe the family begins to live in fear. They all look for something to make them feel safe so when a mysterious stepmother walks into their lives they cling to her. Only after many long quests does the family realize that they have each other and that's all that matters.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The characters were very relatable and the imagery was wonderful. At many times I felt like I was in the book with them. The book can make you laugh or cry. It was fun finding all of the connections and predicting what would happen next. Unlike some stories it was highly unpredictable and the entire time I was "on the edge of my seat" so to speak. I was moved by the love of the family members at some points in the book. I would classify this book as a preteen to early young adult level. It was a fantasy story teeming with magic. The book had very clean content and little to no disturbing scenes. I would recommend "Out of the Woods" to all of my friends.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Braintree, Massachusetts United States of America
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The characters were very relatable and the imagery was wonderful. At many times I felt like I was in the book with them. The book can make you laugh or cry. It was fun finding all of the connections and predicting what would happen next. Unlike some stories it was highly unpredictable and the entire time I was "on the edge of my seat" so to speak. I was moved by the love of the family members at some points in the book. I would classify this book as a preteen to early young adult level. It was a fantasy story teeming with magic. The book had very clean content and little to no disturbing scenes. I would recommend "Out of the Woods" to all of my friends.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Braintree, Massachusetts United States of America
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