The Freak Observer by Blythe Woolston

Loa Lindgren's life was ALWAYS centered around her little
sister, Asta. That's how life was, that's how the days
went. Asta suffered from a disorder that kept her a
baby...forever. But, with Asta dead, Loa is struggling.
Her best friend has also died. How can 16-year old Loa
carry out a normal life? The answer is, she can't. She is
suffering with flashbacks and bad dreams. Chaos, hardship,
and death best describe Loa's life. No wonder she is a
freak observer.

Two Hundred One pages of astounding literature. The book was a page turner, a new tableau at every paragraph. From the moment I was two words into the book, I could hear myself saying Instant Classic. This
horrific and stunning novel is perfect for the mysterious teenager! I grew up with Nancy Drew and Encyclopedia Brown as my best friends. I've always been drawn to dark, depressing, mysterious things. That is probably why the book was such a hit with me. Although this is an amazing book, I recommend ages 12 and up, because it is creepy and spine tingling!

For the creepiness, deaths, and sadness.

Reviewer Age:12

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

Web of Lies by Jennifer Estep

Gin Blanco ( A.K.A The Spider) is one of the most
deadliest assassins in the world. She owns a restaurant
called the Pork Pit, which was given to her when her
beloved mentor Fletcher was killed. In giving her the
porkpit Fletcher also left behind a file. The file
contained information on Gin before her assassin days. In
finding more about the file and agreeing to help out
Violet Fox, Gin finds herself caught up once again in the
trouble she used to encounter. With the help of her
friends, Sophia, Finn, and Donovan Caine, Gin sets out to
kill a very famous dwarf.

This is the second book in the Elemental Assassin series. It was a page turner and had me up late each night, and early each morning reading
the words that drew me in. I was like a bug, and my book a light. Everywhere I went my nose was hidden between the two covers and they stayed there through out the day. I didn't want to put it down and miss the excitement of whatever trouble Gin got into. Each page had me attached
and I kept finding myself telling my mother time after time, not yet I am at the good part, or Five more minutes please! You can bet that when the third book Venom comes out I will be the first in line to buy it.

It had a lot of mature content and killing

Reviewer Age:12

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

The Limit by Kristen Landon

The Limit. It's a simple system, really. All you and your family have to do is not exceed your limit. Don't spend more than you limit, don't spend more than you make. For Matt Dunston, it seems as if his family has all the money in the world. They don't even have to worry about exceeding their limit, right? Wrong. When Matt's family suddenly and unexpectedly goes over their limit, something has to be done to get them out of their debt. In this case, the Dunston's oldest child, who happens to be Matt, gets taken away to a workhouse. He never knew anyone who was taken away and doesn't know what to expect. When he arrives at the workplace everything seems perfect! But Matt has his suspicions. Is it all too good to be true?

The Limit by Kristen Landon was a good book! The eeriness of the world Matt lives in keeps you interested and hooked through every chapter. What was happening in this alternate world was enough to keep me captivated and turning page after page. This book was filled with surprises and deception. It kept me wondering who was wrong and who was right. It also made me question whose actions were wrong and whose were right. The Limit by Kristen Landon was a great read!

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Harleysville, PA USA

November Blues by Sharon M. Draper

When teen November Nelson finds out she is pregnant with her dead boyfriend's baby, everything she knows changes. Her mother is disappointed,her college dream crushed,her schoolmates judging her. In the struggle she discovers what it's like to have real friends, supporters through hardships. And what is like to be sad and scared. In this story of ups and downs, Sharon Draper shows how things can change in a blink of an eye.

November Blues explores the truth of becoming a pregnant teen or even pregnant at all. Before I read this book I thought pregnancy looked a lot easier than it seemed in movies or books. But this book didn't cover up all the negatives of being pregnant, it showed what it was like to struggle with money, with peers, with eating the right food, and deciding on what to do with your future. Overall I think this book gives a truth and reality to becoming pregnant, losing what could have been, but finding something golden in the end.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Richmond, VA USA

The Education of Bet by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Bet Smith is just a girl who grew up with tragedy and just wants one thing in her life, an education. Unlike her foster brother Will, who will do anything but go back to school. When Bet comes up with the intriguing idea to switch places with Will, Will thinks she is insane and could never do it. As Bet starts to convince Will that she can do everything that he does, he starts looking at this as his way out to the military, where he really wants to be. Will and Bet make an interesting meaning to switching places as there lives switch because they fool everyone. Bet finally got her way to what she really wants but maybe at the cost of losing her foster father and brother.

This book wasn't really one of my favorites. It was well written however, very predictable and not an original idea. While reading it, it will seem as you have already read this story before.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Naugatuck, CT United States

Draw the Dark by Lisa J. Bick

Christian Cage is a very...different 17 year-old. He has lived with his uncle ever since his parents disappeared when he was a baby. When Christian grew older he realized he hears voices from a place he calls the sideways place where he believes his mother and father are trapped. Christian obsessively draws his mothers eyes hoping he can somehow get to where they are and save them. While Christian is trying to figure out what to do he stumbles upon a mystery in the small town he lives in, Winter, Wisconsin. A dead baby is found in a house that has been abandoned for years and know one knows how it got there. Christian also starts seeing visions of a boy from the same town only from years ago in the past. As he learns more about the secret past of Winter and the little boy, Christian knows that these events are connected somehow and that by figuring out about the buried secrets of the small town of Winter things will be unearthed and shaken that some people have kept secret since WWII.

The way the author wrote this book makes it very confusing until all the pieces are revealed. This book is a very dark book which is good for some parts but sometimes just makes the book eerie and creepy. Good parts about this book are that the author is very descriptive and places you right in the setting of the book. Also that the plot is very thought out and every bit of information you get is placed there for a reason. I think this book would have to be one of those books that you have to read at least another time to fully understand all the parts that you didn't pick up on the first time around. Over all it was an okay book, better than some books I've picked up on Flamingnet and one of the better written ones I've read on this site but not the best book I've ever read.
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Loves Park, Illinios United States

Kakapo Rescue by Sy Montgomery

"Kakapo Rescue" by Sy Montgomery boasts of its saving the world's strangest parrot. Terribly endangered, the bird is flightless and burrows holes in the ground at night. Okay--pretty strange. The science behind the bird is given in some biological detail that is not too hard for younger readers to grasp. Biographies and anecdotes of volunteers are given. Processes like finding / tracking the birds, as well as feeding and nursing from birth are expounded upon.

This book is great for any animal lover. While the main focus is on the kakapo, other creatures in New Zealand are gone over. The pictures are amazing in their clarity. They show both the animals and the science behind the volunteer methods. Suitable for all ages, this book will definitely teach readers something new about a parrot they probably didn't even know existed.

Reviewer Age:19
Reviewer City, State and Country: Staten Island, NY USA

Xilse by Steve Augarde

It's the near, dim future and the earth has sprung into an epidemic of floods. The whole surface is flooded, only the roofs of old abandoned houses are left in the horizon with the exception of vast never ending sea. One island is a beacon of hope for young boys with the right goods. Baz is one of these boys and he is ready to flee from the mainland. Little does he know that the island is no vacation? In fact it is hard work. Preacher John, the cruel island leader, is a whole new level of creeper. He thinks human sacrifice is the answer. Baz and the other boys must band together and stop this crazed man before things go too far. Baz, riding on pure survival instincts and hope, must stop the evil workings of Preacher John.

The setting is almost pirate-like with all the boats and endless water. You definitely feel like you are in the setting, I can see it with vast clarity. The mood was tricky to depicter; I would say it is a dark dystopian feel. Like the world is in a panic state. Everything is gloomy. Even the main character is a downer. Most characters fly off the page but Baz just seemed to be flat. The author just seemed to write the story, perhaps the type of narration is the cause for this, but it doesn't seem exciting. No humor was used in the writing of this story. I love a book that has funny jokes spread throughout it and this one didn't.

I think the author's goal in writing this was achieved because it's a world plagued by destruction it won't be very happy or exciting so my opinion is merging with the facts, thus I must clarify. This book was a decent read, though not entertaining to me and my likes it could captivate another reader beyond their ability to contain it, they may yell from the rooftops proclaiming their love for this book. I just don't feel it. I think the writing was very effective in its purpose, to covey a sorrowful story of a world in peril. Not beautiful but meaningful, it promises light at the end of a dark and damp tunnel.

One strength this book conveyed was its impeccable setting description, you could feel the setting around you, a major plus. One weakness I found was the fact that it didn't hold my attention. Like the Hunger Games and Inside out there is a disrupted leadership, that when the people combined they concur, but again the main character wasn't bold enough to stand with Katniss or Trella.

I must be frank about this book. It wasn't very exciting at all in the beginning. I had to keep kicking myself to read it. And after awhile I got tired of king myself so I skipped pages to get to the end. Perhaps the book was just too slow or I was expecting a faster story none the less it didn't hit the spot for me. I enjoyed the twisted ending and all the surprises thrown in, it was the kind of adventure I was looking for. To improve this book I would say shorten it up and leave some details to the imagination.

What I learned from this book is that despite the looming fog and darkness that there is land looming near, that light at the end of the tunnel will be close. I might recommend this book but it depends on the person really. Most likely I will recommend it to somebody but not now.

Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Peoria, Arizona US

The Unidentified by Rae Mariz

The Unidentified is a story about the Game--a mall converted into a school run by corporate sponsors who watch the students 24/7 on camera and use them for research to create new consumer products marketed directly at them--told from the point of view of fifteen-year-old Katey (AKA Kid) who doesn't fit well into this existence. One day after witnessing a shocking and controversial anti-corporate prank, she tracks down the people behind it and traces it back to a group called the Unidentified, named so because they refuse to be labeled by corporate sponsors. Kid eventually intermingles with them and learns their true purpose. But what happens when the Unidentified and Kid are turned into another corporate marketing fad? They do something even bigger--something that could change the way the Game is played forever.

I rather enjoyed reading this novel and particularly liked the sort of Orwellian Big Brother (see the novel 1984 by George Orwell) theme behind the Game, combined with the notion of popularity being based solely on marketing, and marketing depending on the consumers--people trying to be famous or popular . It is an obvious statement about teenage culture and popularity, and a subtle statement about not only marketing and the consumer, but the government as well. Despite the political connotations, however, it is also told from the point of view of a typical teenage girl with teenage girl problems that those who would not normally read a book like this can relate to and understand, which in turn, can help you understand the book as a whole. Overall, I give this book a 7/10 rating and recommend it for teenagers ages 14 and up.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Sykesville, Maryland, United States

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

When Tessa Gray's brother sends for her, she is excited to start over with her beloved brother in England. After the death of her aunt, her brother is all Tessa has, and upon arriving in England she discovers that he has gotten himself into another sticky situation, thanks to his gambling issues. This throws Tessa into a whole new world complete with not one, but two extremely desirable men.

Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Angel is an amazing prequel to The Mortal Instruments series. Every character has amazing depth and the entire story is full of twists and turns and plenty of romance. If you like the tortured soul type, and who doesn't, you will immediately fall for Jem, the beautiful brooding Shadowhunter. If you like the open book, sweet and quiet type, and who doesn't, Will will pull on every one of your heartstrings. Throw in vampires, demons and Magnus Bane, and you have one amazing book!

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