Nuts by Kacy Cook

When Nell and her brothers, Jack and Charley, find two baby squirrels, which they name Mantha and Jess, in their backyard, they really want to help them. When their parents say yes, Nell finds a person who has raised squirrels named Libby on her website. Nell is not happy when she finds out she should take the squirrels to a wildlife rehabilitator. She wants to keep the squirrels so badly, she ends up lying to Libby about her age and where she lives. Nell also lies to her parents about taking the squirrels to a wildlife rehabilitator. Will Nell and her family be able to raise and release the squirrels with the help of Libby's advice?

I think this is my favorite book I have reviewed. I felt like I could relate to all of the characters in some way. The vocabulary was also age appropriate. I also thought this book was very interesting. I also learned some things about squirrels from this book. I would recommend this book to people who like animals.

Reviewer Age:13
eviewer City, State and Country: Enon, OH USA

Lamplighter by D.M. Cornish

D. M. Cornish starts his latest novel in the Monster Blood Tattoo series (a planned trilogy), Lamplighter, where his first book, Monster Blood Tattoo, left off. Lamplighter follows a Foundling (orphan) boy, Rossamund, who has been summoned to train under the military branch of the Lamplighters, soldiers who walk the Empire's monster-plagued streets and light the Great Lamps for the safety of travelers. Rossamund arrives at the Lamplighters' barracks, Winstermill Manse, and begins his training as a prentice. Not extremely long after his beginning at Winstermill, Rossamund's military prentice quarto (that is, the group he is assigned to) heads out on a prentice-watch to light and dowse the Great Lamps from Winstermill to the Wellnigh House, along the Wormway, but after the overnight stay at the Wellnigh House, on the way back to Winstermill, a carriage comes racing headlong down the Wormway -- a carriage with vicious horn-ed nickers attacking it! Will Rossamund survive his first theroscade, or monster encounter, as a Lamplighter? Who is in the carriage? Read Lamplighter by D. M. Cornish to find out!
I absolutely loved Lamplighter. I was excited when I saw that D. M. Cornish had come out with a sequel to
Monster Blood Tattoo. The book matches, if not outmatches, the creativeness of its predecessor. I thought that the characters all showed their personality well, and you could see Rossamund transform from a weak
Foundling boy into a courageous adventurer. Like the first book in this series, the text is filled with words that
you would never find in Mr. Webster's dictionary : terms like "gretchen-globe," "enkle," and "slot and drag." But not to fear, both books include their own glossary, and it's a whopper at nearly 100 pages. (By the way, you'll also find a few of Mr. Webster's odder words in there too: "pledgets" and "sillibub" make an appearance.)

I recommend this book to readers who liked Monster Blood Tattoo as well as anyone who enjoys intricate plots and detailed descriptions of the fictional world that a story is set in.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country:  Saugerties, NY USA

Amigas, Fifteen Candles, by Veronica Chambers

Alicia Cruz lives in Miami, Florida with her 3 amazing friends. There is Jaime, the fashionista. She loves hip hop and is the fashion know-it-all. Then there is Carmen, the designer of the year. Carmen could totally be a model, but instead she chooses to make the most amazing clothes anyone has ever seen. Last Alicia is friends with Gaz, but lately she has developed feelings for him and she isn't sure if she should go for her feelings or hide them in case it ruins their friendship. On top of the big issue, Alicia has decided to start a quince-planning business. To her seems like everyone is perfect for the job, Jaime with her fashion, Carmen with her sewing, Gaz with his band, and Alicia with her dancing. It is all great until Alicia falls under pressure with the time crunch, and with her new internship. Will she and her friends be able to pull it all off?

Amigas, Fifteen Candles was a pretty good book. I thought that there was a good setting and part of the ending was unpredictable. I loved the characters in the book; they are what kept it interesting. The only thing I didn't like about the book was that it was pretty predictable.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Enon, OH USA

Sea by Heidi R. Kling

On Sienna's 15th birthday she receives a plane ticket to Indonesia. Something she didn't want after her mom died in a plane crash over the Indian Ocean. Sienna reluctantly accepts and agrees to help children recover from their losses during the tsunami.


While in Indonesia Sienna meets Deni, the most handsome man she's ever met. Sienna and Deni fall in love too quick and soon Sienna would be going home. While with Deni they travel back to Aceh, Deni's hometown. There Sienna sees the damage from the tsunami clearly with mass graves and the death wall. Also Sienna is caught by surprise from someone unexpected looking for Deni. Sienna had to leave for home not only without Deni but also with a broken heart.

Sea was a very good book. It was a love story woven with suspense. I would recommend this book to teen readers looking for a romantic novel. Heidi Kling was very good with bringing everything to life with so many details. She also made the book seem like it could really happen.
 
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Fairborn, Ohio USA

Is Anybody Out There by, Nick Gevers

Have you ever wondered if other kinds of life existed somewhere out in space? Fuel your imagination with fifteen original stories about aliens. Gaze up at the stars and think about the possibilities that aliens might exist. Could it be that these stories are not just fiction? Ask yourself, is anybody out there?

"Is Anybody Out There" was many things. It was comical, suspenseful, horrifying, and many others. I enjoyed this book because of its variety of views on alien life. Anyone who reads will find something they like in this book. Some of the stories really make you wonder, is anybody out there.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Mineola, Texas America

Tomorrow's Guardian by Richard Denning

Tomorrow's Guardian, by Richard Denning, is the story of a boy named Tom Oakley who discovers that he can "walk" through time. His job as a Walker allows him to go back in time and save other Walkers. A conflict arises because a dimension parallel to ours, where the Nazis rule, wants to control Tom's world. The story takes the reader from a sinking U-boat to the Great Fire of London, from a Nazi-controlled England to a Zulu vs. English battle. With Tom's ability to walk through time comes hard choices that need to be made, enemies to recognize, and worlds to keep apart.

I really enjoyed reading Tomorrow's Guardian. Richard Denning put a lot of ideas and problems into the book, but the combination worked well and made sense. His descriptions were good, not too general but without the fluff you sometimes encounter. His characters were also very believable. Mary, the Walker rescued in the Great Fire of London, was one of my favorite characters because it made sense that she would be scared and worried at her sudden time change. Her worries and failure to call Tom anything but "Master" were details that made her very real to me. Overall, I think the book was well written, with a believable plot and characters. The book made good use of history, fiction, and science, and I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes science fiction books, adventure, or an enjoyable read.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Lederach , PA USA

The Skinny On Success by Jim Randel

The Skinny on Success is not your normal novel. This book is written in stick figures, word bubbles and quotes. It tells a story about Beth and Billy, a couple who both have ambitions, but just can't reach the goal of success. Jim helps them realize what it actually takes to succeed and that it's not just a walk in the park. Throughout the book it gives you all the tips you need to reach the final goal: success.

The Skinny on Success was a very different book to read; I've never really read a self help book before but I liked it. I am graduating high school and I have so many goals to which I want to succeed at. This book was a tremendous help to show me what I need to do to succeed. I recommend this book to teenagers and young adults who are looking for some help in reaching their goals. I'm very glad I read this. It's helped me want to preservere on my current goals. It only took me about a day to read and is definitely worth it. Please Read!

Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Mantua, NJ USA

Dark Oracle

Tara is a criminal profiler. Her ways of doing things are a little different than those of her coworkers, however. Tara uses Tarot cards and her own powerful magic abilities to learn things about people. Before her untimely death, Tara's mother belonged to a group of women, called the Daughters of Delphi, all of whom had extraordinary powers. By birth, Tara belongs to this group, too, but doesn’t want anything to do with them. After receiving scars all over her body in a previous mission, Tara decides to abandon the profession of profiling so that she can recover from the trauma of her injuries. Her wish, however, is not to be. Tara is recruited by one of the Daughters of Delphi to find a missing scientist whose mind and research may hold enough information that, in the wrong hands, could lead to the destruction of the earth.

This is a book for the person who wants a strong heroine. Tara has to work hard to overcome her fears, and she has plenty of them from having been captured and scarred by a serial killer. Williams, the author, spends too much time explaining the meanings of each Tarot card for the casual reader. It can get a little wearisome when the meanings go on for pages. She could have spent more time, however, explaining the power and the details of the Daughter’s of Delphi, so that the reader better understands their community and its meaning. Overall, Dark Oracle is a little tedious because of the way it is broken up by long definitions and the detailed backgrounds of Tara’s readings. The concept of the story is a good idea, but the finished product could use a little work.

There is one sex scene in this book that may not be appropriate for younger readers. Many of the murders and tortures in the book are described in detail, which may be uncomfortable for readers with a more sensitive nature.

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

Conspirator by C.J. Cherryh

The book Conspirator is based on an alien planet dominated by a species called the atevi. There are events already in motion when the book opens, events like political intrigue, attempted coups, and attacks on the atevi seat of government, the Bujavid. Tabini-aiji, and his son Cajeiri and paidhi, Bren Cameron, have survived the coup and have returned to the Bujavid. But regaining control after rebellion is no easy task, and this coupled with the escape of Tabini's son provides a tense opening for the book.

I found this particular book to be rather confusing, especially since I did not read the previous series of books. The names and places were a little overwhelming, and the action was rather confusing. I lost my place in the story a couple times, and I had to read it bit by bit, rereading every so often to make sure I understood where the story was going. I would recommend this book only to fans of the series, or fans of the genre. Personally, it's just not my genre, but it was a little halting anyway.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Loves Park, Illinois U.S.A

The Last Seal

In the year 1380, Stephen Blake of the Liberati released the demon Dantalion. The demon was stopped by the sorcerer Cornelius Silver who trapped Dantalion in a new prison. For 286 years, the demon was trapped beneath London. Now, in 1666, Artemas and the evil Liberati are working to bring the demon back to wreak havoc on the unknowing people of London and the rest of the world. It is up to Benjamin, a school-skipping schoolboy; Freya, a thief; Dr. Tobias Janssen, a Dutch doctor on the run from the King s personal spy; and Gabriel, the only one left of the Praesidium, the group that works against the evil Liberati. Artemas is gathering the supplies and knowledge needed to raise the demon. He also needs
Ben, who is the flesh and bone and blood of the man who imprisoned the demon, Cornelius Silver.
Ben and his friends must stop Artemas. The world is at stake. The Liberati and the Praesidium must fight.  It will be the battle that causes the Great Fire of London and destroys 13,000 homes and leaves 70,000 out of London's population of 80,000 homeless. Will Ben, Freya, Tobias, and Gabriel be able to stop the demon from rising and save their precious London?
The Last Seal by Richard Denning was an interesting book. It is a fantasy book with a hint of historical fiction. One of the main events this book talks about is the Great Fire of London. I found this book more enjoyable after I looked it up and learned a little about what the Great Fire of London actually was.
There were times in this book where I felt nervous and couldn't wait to see what was going to happen. At other times, the book didn t seem to be going anywhere. Overall though it was a pretty good book.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country:
Harleysville, PA USA