A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner

A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner is a story of unconventional love and the pain of death. Cass is a high school student whose best friend, Julia, is a theater star. Cass always felt she didn't belong and when Julia dies she feels more isolated then ever before. So she plans a trip. Something Julia had proposed months before, bike from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California. The story continues with the personal journey that ensues when she returns home. In alternating chapters of "now" and "then" readers travel with Cass as she across the country, falls in love, and putts on a play written by none other than her dead best friend.

I found it very difficult to become "hooked" on the book. Although I loved the story I found it difficult to come back to it. Losing a friend is difficult, and I enjoyed how the author portrayed a group of teens coping with it. Hanging on to their friend in any way they could. What I disliked was the love story aspect. It did not seem to fit with the other parts of the plot. It was awkward and it didn't seem right to have such a basic plot with such an original one. Until the end, I did not like reading about the developing love, because it seemed so misplaced. In all honesty though the author did an amazing job of portraying human nature. Particularly human nature of teenagers. Few adult authors are capable of this. She also wrote about the reactions people have to death with great accuracy. I just wish some of the plot had not been as basic.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Minnetonka, Minnesota United States

Kid vs. Squid by Greg Van Eekhout

Kid Vs. Squid is a book about a kid named Thatcher Hill who was spending the summer at his Uncle Griswald's museum house close to the beach in Los Huesos. At the museum, Thatcher has to dust, polish, and clean things for a job. Everyday Thatcher gets a new to-do list of what to clean and polish. When an object called the What-is-it??? is stolen, Thatcher and his new friends Trudy and Shoal need to retrieve it. Then all three of them have to go on a dangerous quest to recover the What-is-it??? and learn what the What-is-it??? is. Their journey becomes a whole adventure all over Los Huesos where Thatcher and Trudy discover the Atlanteans, figure out about their curse and have to save them. The three friends have to to fight monsters, solve mysteries, meet the King of Atlantis, defeat the witch Skalla, and finally fight a squid.

Kid Vs. Squid is a well written book that is easy to follow with no bad language, a bit of suspense, and a lot of funny parts. It also has a hint of mythology. It's a great action adventure book that is appropriate for ages 9-13. Greg Van Eekhout also did such a good job of the details that I could clearly see everything in my mind. The author's voice seemed real, like Thatcher could be my friend, in sort of the same style that Percy Jackson was written. If someone were to ask me if I were to recommend the book I would say yes because the book was really a great book that I greatly enjoyed.

Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Dickinson, Texas U.S.A.

Thomas and the Dragon Queen by Shutta Crum

Thomas and the Dragon Queen is an adventure-fantasy story. Thomas is an extraordinary boy in two ways: he is much shorter than most boys his age, and has a higher rank. You see, Thomas is a knight, though he is only twelve, and most boys are not even made squires until they are fourteen. After the king knights him, Sir Thomas sets off to rescue Princess Eleanor from the Queen Bridgoltha of the dragons with no more than a donkey, his sword, Starfast, and a padded vest. Halfway to his destination Sir Thomas runs into the monster of the lake. When he shoves his sword into the monster's mouth, the sword breaks and the monster dies, but not before it kills a legion of the king's knights and the king's stallion, Heartwind. Thomas lends his donkey so the king may be taken to safety and continues on his journey. He finally reaches the Barren Isle, finds Princess Eleanor, and learns she is not a captive, but a nursemaid for Bridgoltha's dragonlets. Once when Thomas is in the cavern alone, Bridgoltha wakes up in a bad mood. How will he keep her from burning him to a crisp? And even if he does, how will he and Eleanor get back home?

Thomas and the Dragon Queen was an amazing story. The setting was quite warm and cheerful throughout the book, and it was easy to imagine fighting the lake monster, playing with the dragonlets, and even cowering before Bridgoltha. I especially loved the way the dragons ended their storys As was the way, it was done. I enjoyed how behind her fierceness Bridgoltha was really very kind. I thought it amazing how a fierce dragon queen and a knight set out to kill her could become friends in such a short time. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes dragons, knights, princesses, adventure, and swords with hilts made out of the teeth of ancient monsters!

Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Lake City, IA USA

Deception by Lee Nichols

Deception, by Lee Nichols, follows the far-from-ordinary life of Emma Vaile, the daughter of two artifact-collectors prone to leaving her by herself while away on important business trips. On one such visit, Emma plans to have a massive amount of fun, especially after her newfound friends volunteer her to have a party. Unfortunately, someone calls the police. It’s found out that Emma’s been living alone for a while and she ends up in the care of Bennett Stern. Emma is enrolled in an elite boarding school, Thatcher Academy, and begins to experience odd visions. She learns that she can see ghosts and that she’s the second Emma Vaile... the first died decades ago. There are of course secrets that she uncovers and it turns out that she’s incredibly powerful, at least in terms of controlling ghosts.

Deception was an unusually decent book. It was written well enough to keep me reading and I was overjoyed by the fact that there were absolutely no vampires. While fairly predictable, the plot was still pretty original, a welcome change from other paranormal books. Though not a masterpiece, Deception was a nice light read and had enough suspense to keep the reader occupied. Emma and her feelings of confusion concerning her ghostly capabilities were well-described and plausible. I’d recommend this book to readers looking for a quick read with substance.

Reviewer Age:17

Reviewer City, State and Country: Charleston, SC USA

Halloween Night Fever: End of the Long Walk by Dan Graffeo

Willy Hynes has a strange dream one night, in which he is given a patch of caribou skin. The following day, he meets a strange group who call themselves the Pniese, who are in charge of keeping the supernatural in control on Halloween. All have pulled a caribou skin out of the dream, and Willy finds he has one too. He trains until the big night, when his skills are put to the test. Can he find a missing gorgon child and a leprechaun’s gold? All in a night’s work; but an uninvited guest make their troubles multiply.

Halloween Night Fever: End of the Long Walk was a good book, although it did not live up to my expectations. The first half is not very exciting and slightly repetitive; Willy is just training and he learns a bunch of necessary skills. The rest of the book has more action and overall has an interesting plot. Except for the last three chapters, which seemed like a drawn-out epilogue, the book leads up to a good ending. If you choose to read this book, don’t stop mid-way; read it all the way through.

Content: 1
Rating: 6
Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Santa Fe, TX USA

Poser by Sue Wyshynski

Poser by Sue Wyshynski is a realistic fiction book about a teenage girl named Talluah. Talluah is used to moving, but she is still anxious to make friends. She wants friends so badly that she could even lie to become popular. Throughout the book her tendency to say just the wrong thing at the wrong time, especially around certain people, can make her life miserable. Somehow, Talluah always ends up making it through the trouble and learning lessons about friendship on the way. She may even make a few friends in the process!

Overall, I thought Poser was well-written. There was just the right amount of description; enough to visualize the setting but not become bored reading it. The author creates a loveable personality for Talluah that everyone can sympathize with. Although there was a small lull in the action toward the beginning of the book, I could hardly put the book down. Some situations seemed unrealistic, but the majority of the book was believable. I especially liked how Talluah always would learn important rules of friendship, even if she had to learn them the hard way.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Milwaukee, WI USA

Behind Green Glass by Amanda Von Hoffman

When Isolde moves to a new town, she’s hoping for a new start, or just to be invisible. What she doesn’t know, until a run-in with some of the townspeople, is that the house she moved into is haunted. One day while cleaning, she finds a secret compartment with a green glass inside. Looking through her new find, she meets Lyric and his family, and mistakes them for ghosts. Along the way she finds love in her magical friend and a nobody from town, Matt. Can she solve the mystery enveloping her newfound friends? Will she be able to choose whom she belongs with before it’s too late?

Behind Green Glass is a book that will forever keep you on your toes; there was never a moment when I wanted to put it down. Even though other YA books have used faeries in their stories, Von Hoffman has added a twist to the basics of fay lore, the Forgotten Ones. This book has definitely made it to the top of my list for fantasy novels. The story was wonderful, but it lacked an appropriate ending for a novel. It kept me hanging, wanting more, something I personally loathe in a novel. Other than that, I can’t wait to read it again.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Fresno, California USA

Blood Prophecy by Stefan Petrucha

Blood Prophecy by Stefan Petrucha tells the story of Jeremiah Fall, a Puritan living in early America. His world is turned upside down when his father is attacked by a monster while farming. When his father returns to Fall's house after being presumed dead, he only looks like his former self and has actually been transformed into a terrifying creature. He transforms Jeremiah into a beast like himself and kills Jeremiah's mother before being murdered by his own father. From this point, Jeremiah is plagued by a blood thirst that is nearly impossible to fight and must battle against his nature while he searches for a mythical stone that possesses the power to restore his humanity. After more than a century of his immortal life, he finds the Rosetta stone: the key to translating historical documents written in ancient languages and the only known way for Jeremiah to become human once more. From here, the war to obtain the stone begins against armies of great empires and followers of a buried and dangerous religion.

Blood Prophecy is a unique take on the traditional fantasy story that involves exciting glimpses of history and is told from a monster's perspective. Petrucha manages to make the reader feel like he is part of the story and really witnessing history along with Jeremiah. The novel is clearly well researched and is fast-paced to read. I felt very engaged in the story the whole time, although the beginning of the novel was slower and did not lead the reader to expect the fantastic story that followed the introduction. I thought Jeremiah was a realistic seeming character and the reader could relate to him, even if he is a monster. Also, that the protagonist was a monster gave the novel an interesting twist. I did not really dislike any aspect of this novel although the romance plotline did feel weak at times. I thought the Petrucha's descriptions were always well incorporated into the story and created vivid images for the reader without dragging on or taking away from the story. I would highly recommend it to others as a distinctive read that stands out from many other fantasy novels I have read.

Reviewer Age:18

Reviewer City, State and Country: San Diego, CA USA

The Fairy Godmother Academy by Jan Bozarth

Kerka’s little sister, seven year old Biba has never spoken and her older sister Rona has used dance as a hideout since their mother died. When Kerka lands in the dream world of Adventurine once again, she is sent on a quest to find Biba’s voice. Braving glass fish, a wolf, slick ice, and a trio of cranky elves (If any elves read this I’m very sorry) Kerka sets out on her journey. Along the way Kerka finds the missing pieces to herself and Rona. Kerka learns Biba’s voice may be a little closer than she thought.

This book is action-packed and exciting. As Kerka is a Fairy-Godmother-In-The-Making everything is explained well for someone who hasn’t read the first book (I would know). The author did a great job describing this book. I can feel the ice slide beneath my feet and see the ribbon of wind that carried Kerka. I would recommend this to any fantasy lover looking for an original book.

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

Blank Confession

Blank Confession by Pete Hautman is a cross between a mystery and an adventure about a mysterious boy named Shayne Blank who walks into a police department and confesses he committed a crime. His story is that he is new in town and attends a new high school. The first friend he meets apparently owes 500 dollars that he doesn't have and doesn't, in fact, owe to a high school drug lord. Shayne and Mikey must try to mend the situation and bring down the drug lord's drug operation in the process. They do this by using the crazy fighting skills that Shayne has. What crime does Shayne commit?

This book is an insightful, witty, gripping look into a drug riddled high school and two boy's fight to stop the drugs from flowing through the high school. Hautman uses authentic voices to tell his story, and the narration is clear and focused. Mikey's voice is witty, and Shayne's voice is dark and serious. I could always picture the setting, and I was always right there with the characters. This book is very moving, with a great twist at the end, and I always wanted to read just one more chapter. I learned about integrity from this book, and so will you. I would only recommend it to mature readers because there is some violence and drug usage. I give this book a complete A+.

This book includes drug use.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Evansville, Indiana USA