Mattie Kleinfeld had a typical life. He went to school and had friends, but his parents would constantly fight. Their fighting results in their sending Mattie away to summer camp so they can work out their problems. At camp, Mattie's only bragging right comes from his name, which he inherited from his relative, a famous baseball player...too bad no one believes him! Mattie hates it at camp. He doesn't know anyone and things just aren't going right. But then, he makes friends, falls in love, and finds clues that send him on a wild search through the remnants of the old decaying camp. Could this dreaded summer turn in his favor?
I think that Summer Sleep-Away has a good plot. It starts slow but gets better. The characters are unique and well developed. The writing style is a little different; the author includes side notes, but they don't add anything to the story and make it seem a bit scattered.
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Oakville, Pennsylvania United States
Friday, November 05, 2010
Thursday, November 04, 2010
The Absolute Valve of-1 by Steve Brezenoff
Remember the days of simple math. Remember the term "absolute value?" Those straight and serious bars meant the distance between the number and zero on the number line. Three kids start on different places in the number line. Lily starts on zero. Lily has an ok life. Her mother is going out with a proctologist who Lily doesn't particularly like, but on the plus side, Lily excels in higher placement math. Lily has two best friends, Noah and Simon. Lily's life revolves around Simon. Lily flirts and eventually she and Simon have a positive relationship. Like math though, Lily sees the positives and negatives of life and wonders how far she really is away from going to back to zero on the number line.
Lily's friend, Noah, starts on negative two on the number line. Noah has loved Lily. He sees Lily go after Simon and just wants to be sick. Simon tries all he can to get Lily to like him, but sees that maybe even the absolute values of his success will always stay negative.
Simon starts his story on positive three on the number line of life. Simon has a good relationship with his parents and the only bad thing about them is they nag about him smoking, but he can quit if he wants to. Simon loves his sister. His sister means the world to him. Simon even has a great relationship with Lily. All of a sudden, shocking news come out about his father. Simon learns that the absolute value to friendship and love isn't always set in stone by those bars. He learns that the distance can change for the better of for the worse in a matter of seconds.
The Absolute value of -1 is a book like no other because of the writing style. The book is broken down into three main kid's point of view. The points of view are usually short except for Simon's point of view is the longest and what the book is mostly about. Also, Simon's view is the very end point of view so it does leave you with some questions as to why he was acting so strange in the other kid's points of view. Although, the good thing about having his end is that all questions are answered. This type of writing style really brings out the characters and helps you understand them much more. Most all of the characters talk about the same events, so it helps to understand why one character did something and how it affected the other character. I would recommend this book only to mature readers because of language and the use of drugs. The characters often smoking and there are a few sex scenes.
Language, use of drugs, and sex
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Brownsburg, Indiana United States
Lily's friend, Noah, starts on negative two on the number line. Noah has loved Lily. He sees Lily go after Simon and just wants to be sick. Simon tries all he can to get Lily to like him, but sees that maybe even the absolute values of his success will always stay negative.
Simon starts his story on positive three on the number line of life. Simon has a good relationship with his parents and the only bad thing about them is they nag about him smoking, but he can quit if he wants to. Simon loves his sister. His sister means the world to him. Simon even has a great relationship with Lily. All of a sudden, shocking news come out about his father. Simon learns that the absolute value to friendship and love isn't always set in stone by those bars. He learns that the distance can change for the better of for the worse in a matter of seconds.
The Absolute value of -1 is a book like no other because of the writing style. The book is broken down into three main kid's point of view. The points of view are usually short except for Simon's point of view is the longest and what the book is mostly about. Also, Simon's view is the very end point of view so it does leave you with some questions as to why he was acting so strange in the other kid's points of view. Although, the good thing about having his end is that all questions are answered. This type of writing style really brings out the characters and helps you understand them much more. Most all of the characters talk about the same events, so it helps to understand why one character did something and how it affected the other character. I would recommend this book only to mature readers because of language and the use of drugs. The characters often smoking and there are a few sex scenes.
Language, use of drugs, and sex
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Brownsburg, Indiana United States
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
They Carry Their Own Water by Nancy Milakovic McGann
The author, Nancy Milakovic McGann, reveals her experience in Ecuador, a country in South America that borders Peru and Colombia. In particular, she writes about her one-hundred-mile journey to Quito, the capital of Ecuador. What was supposed to be a smooth two-hour car ride turned into hours of hitchhiking and walking; the people of Ecuador have placed multiple roadblocks throughout the main highway, preventing any vehicles from passing through, protesting the country’s free trade talks with the United States. As a result, Nancy and her friend must travel through the Ecuadorian countryside on foot, receiving rides between roadblocks from strangers. The book is told through a narrative and a series of full-page photos.
I have to say that this story definitely captivated me. Before reading this book, I did not have much of an idea of life in Ecuador, let alone the issues facing the country. Through this book, the author is able to give us a glimpse into the country’s daily routine, while informing us of an important national issue. The author tells the story in an informal fashion, letting the readers know exactly what she is thinking. Furthermore, I really enjoyed the vivid pictures, which gave me the opportunity to experience this journey through the author’s eyes. I can see exactly what is happening, and this is not something that an average book can claim. That being said, I believe that the book could be improved by giving a more detailed background regarding the issue of free trade. Throughout the whole story, I wondered why the people of Ecuador are blocking their own highway as a sign of protest. Although I later found out the reason to be the US free trade talks, I am still unsure of whom the road blockade is addressed towards, and was left with many unanswered questions. Throughout the whole book, I saw the story from only one viewpoint: the author’s. The story would be much more complete had the author interviewed some of the local people to give us an idea of some of the prevailing opinions in the region. Although this book describes a genuine experience in a remote country, it does not provoke any deep thoughts or answer some fundamental questions. I feel that if a deeper issue is addressed, then this book would be a much more interesting read.
Content: 1
Rating: 6
Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Palo Alto, CA USA
I have to say that this story definitely captivated me. Before reading this book, I did not have much of an idea of life in Ecuador, let alone the issues facing the country. Through this book, the author is able to give us a glimpse into the country’s daily routine, while informing us of an important national issue. The author tells the story in an informal fashion, letting the readers know exactly what she is thinking. Furthermore, I really enjoyed the vivid pictures, which gave me the opportunity to experience this journey through the author’s eyes. I can see exactly what is happening, and this is not something that an average book can claim. That being said, I believe that the book could be improved by giving a more detailed background regarding the issue of free trade. Throughout the whole story, I wondered why the people of Ecuador are blocking their own highway as a sign of protest. Although I later found out the reason to be the US free trade talks, I am still unsure of whom the road blockade is addressed towards, and was left with many unanswered questions. Throughout the whole book, I saw the story from only one viewpoint: the author’s. The story would be much more complete had the author interviewed some of the local people to give us an idea of some of the prevailing opinions in the region. Although this book describes a genuine experience in a remote country, it does not provoke any deep thoughts or answer some fundamental questions. I feel that if a deeper issue is addressed, then this book would be a much more interesting read.
Content: 1
Rating: 6
Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Palo Alto, CA USA
Monday, November 01, 2010
What Momma Left Me by Renee Watson
"What Momma Left Me" by Renee Watson is about a girl named Serenity and her brother Danny, who witnessed the death of their mother. In their father's sure absence after the incident, the kids go to live with their grandparents that orbit around the church and cooking. Serenity's grandma loves to cook, just like her momma. She avoids the kitchen in hopes of avoiding not only the memories, but the could have beens. Despite all the new found love in her life, Serenity finds herself still emotionally disturbed because she still feels she must keep her mother's secrets. Although this is a continuous thought in the back of her head, Serenity manages to make a good friend named Maria. Both girls are brilliant, but when they start opening up to each other they realize that they both carry secrets from their home life. Throughout the book there are poems included at the beginning of every chapter, coming from Serenity's English class. Each poem gives a deeper insight to her heart. The very heart that is going to have to make a potentially life-threatening decision, what secrets are really meant to be kept?
Loving to bake myself, this books was a full cup of enjoyment. There was always something that kept me wanting to read more. The excitement of Serenity's life, Danny making hard choices, or looking to see if their father would come back and whether or not he was guilty. When I remember this book, hands down, I will always remember the poetry first. Crafted through Serenity came the sweetest most honest poems, where when you read them it felt like looking straight into her heart. The poems were unbelievably well written and truly a joy to read. In all, the book was amazing. The one thing I would change is that it came across a little play-by-play sometimes. A quality that a lot of authors take on when writing children's books. Other than that, there is nothing I would change. The book's cover is one of my favorite book covers. It's inviting and really takes on the theme of the story as a whole. From "What Momma Left Me" I've learned an important lesson: just because you share your family's flesh and blood doesn't mean you become them.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Libertyville, Illinois US
Loving to bake myself, this books was a full cup of enjoyment. There was always something that kept me wanting to read more. The excitement of Serenity's life, Danny making hard choices, or looking to see if their father would come back and whether or not he was guilty. When I remember this book, hands down, I will always remember the poetry first. Crafted through Serenity came the sweetest most honest poems, where when you read them it felt like looking straight into her heart. The poems were unbelievably well written and truly a joy to read. In all, the book was amazing. The one thing I would change is that it came across a little play-by-play sometimes. A quality that a lot of authors take on when writing children's books. Other than that, there is nothing I would change. The book's cover is one of my favorite book covers. It's inviting and really takes on the theme of the story as a whole. From "What Momma Left Me" I've learned an important lesson: just because you share your family's flesh and blood doesn't mean you become them.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Libertyville, Illinois US
Conspiracy 365: June by Gabrielle Lord
Conspiracy 365: June is about a boy named Cal Ormond. Cal was a normal boy until his dad got sick and died. He found that if he wants to survive the next 365 days he has to lay low, and stay out of sight. But Cal wants to avenge his father, he discovered that he needs solve a double puzzle the Ormond riddle, and the Ormond jewel. The Ormond jewel was stolen and he has to find it, and his time is half way up.
This is an extraordinary book, on a scale from 1-10, I give it a 20. Gabrielle Lord is a great author, and I hope to read more of his books in the future. This book is one of my favorite. Cal is a teen and he's being blamed for crimes he didn't commit. The plot and story line are easy to follow.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: sandy, OR USA
This is an extraordinary book, on a scale from 1-10, I give it a 20. Gabrielle Lord is a great author, and I hope to read more of his books in the future. This book is one of my favorite. Cal is a teen and he's being blamed for crimes he didn't commit. The plot and story line are easy to follow.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: sandy, OR USA
Tuesday's Child by Carolyn Gibbs
The story begins with Lane Harris, a young girl, who lives
in Washington with her parents, Morgan and Jenna. The
story flashes back and forth at first, recapping Lane's
abusive childhood and showing her now, teenaged self.
Father Ray Keates is Lane's only friend, a sort of father
figure in her life. His brother, Richard, takes his anger
against Morgan out on Lane, threatening trouble for her.
After being attacked, Lane is left alone in Seattle and
has to fight to survive. After six months, she is the
witness to a murder and decides she must return home.
Determined to discover the identity of her attacker, she
must fight against not only nature, but herself in order
to survive.
This book was very well-written. I enjoyed the author's
writing style. She made me hate certain characters (namely
Jenna and Morgan) and love others (such as Ray and Lane).
The plot did not always move fast, but her writing kept me
interested long enough to get to the next event. The
author also does a good job of throwing in a twist or two
along the way, leading to a satisfying and slightly
unexpected ending. I would definitely recommend this book
to those who like a character-driven story.
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Westerville, OH United States
in Washington with her parents, Morgan and Jenna. The
story flashes back and forth at first, recapping Lane's
abusive childhood and showing her now, teenaged self.
Father Ray Keates is Lane's only friend, a sort of father
figure in her life. His brother, Richard, takes his anger
against Morgan out on Lane, threatening trouble for her.
After being attacked, Lane is left alone in Seattle and
has to fight to survive. After six months, she is the
witness to a murder and decides she must return home.
Determined to discover the identity of her attacker, she
must fight against not only nature, but herself in order
to survive.
This book was very well-written. I enjoyed the author's
writing style. She made me hate certain characters (namely
Jenna and Morgan) and love others (such as Ray and Lane).
The plot did not always move fast, but her writing kept me
interested long enough to get to the next event. The
author also does a good job of throwing in a twist or two
along the way, leading to a satisfying and slightly
unexpected ending. I would definitely recommend this book
to those who like a character-driven story.
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Westerville, OH United States
The Black Pearl by Scott O'Dell
Ramon Salazar, a sixteen year old living in La Paz, a town next to the Vermillion Sea, has been in volved with the sea ever since he was born. His father, Blas Salzar who is owns one of the most famous pearling companies in the area and he plans to make Ramon one of the chairmen. When Ramon goes on his first dive he soon figures out that he won't be given any of the real jobs due to everyone's fear of the Manta Diablo, a mythical manta ray that is huge. Ramon longs to actually dive for pearls so he sneaks away to learn how to dive from a teacher who allows him to dive. As he learns to dive he begins to venture towards the cave of Manta Diablo where he finds the Pearl of Heaven, a black pearl so large that it is normally thought to just be a lie, but his teacher warns him to give it back or else the Diablo will get you and take the pearl by force. As he takes this a joke and goes home strange things begin to happen, then as his father goes out to sea his whole fleet is destroyed by a storm and no one besides a man named Gasper Ruiz survives. Now Ramon realizes his grave mistake and how his teacher was correct. How will Ramon set things right and will he have the strength to do what's right?
I really thought that this book was suspenseful, interesting, and action filled. It was a fast paced book that really brought you into the situation that Ramon was facing. Every step of the way you could feel the danger and emotion, it really made it hard to put this book down. I especially enjoyed the setting of this as it takes place at the high seas where nothing is predictable and the description of it is very beautiful. When his father dies the reader can easily see the grief and confusion going through Ramon's head. Ramon is a genuine character, the way that he acts and talks is very real and likable, he seems just like a regular teenager. The books main strength was the detailed action sequences that really kept the book flowing, they liven up the atmosphere and left the reader craving for more. This book is one the best that I have read in a long time.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Kansas City, KS USA
I really thought that this book was suspenseful, interesting, and action filled. It was a fast paced book that really brought you into the situation that Ramon was facing. Every step of the way you could feel the danger and emotion, it really made it hard to put this book down. I especially enjoyed the setting of this as it takes place at the high seas where nothing is predictable and the description of it is very beautiful. When his father dies the reader can easily see the grief and confusion going through Ramon's head. Ramon is a genuine character, the way that he acts and talks is very real and likable, he seems just like a regular teenager. The books main strength was the detailed action sequences that really kept the book flowing, they liven up the atmosphere and left the reader craving for more. This book is one the best that I have read in a long time.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Kansas City, KS USA
An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire
An Artificial Night is a fantasy novel about a changeling named October Daye (or Toby as she prefers to be called) She is a half human and half fairy. She has been through a lot, including having lost her child. She is trying to get her life back after being turned back into a human from being a fish for 10 years, when her best friend s children are kidnapped, as well as all the children from her old flames court. As she investigates, she discovers that many, many children, both human and fae have been kidnapped, leaving hot window panes, and bad smells in the air. This makes her think that the evil Blind Michael has snatched the children for his hunt, as he does every 100 years. The only way she can possibly save them all is striking up a bargain, which is dangerous in any case, but making a deal with a dastardly villain like Blind Michael cannot possibly end well. This fantasy, mystery novel is a fascinating read about finding yourself and discovering the hidden hero in you.
This book had a fantastic plot that had me flipping through the pages. I was engrossed from page one to the end. It has the nice quality of being able to stand alone, even though it is part of a series and also working in very well with the rest of the books in the set. However, it was slightly confusing. Other than Toby, there were an astonishingly large number of characters which made seemingly random appearances throughout the book, sometimes after entire chapters of absence. This meant that unless you were paying very close attention, it seemed like random people were being dropped into the plot. Two of the male characters were very similar and sometimes were almost interchangeable to the story line, making the book more confusing than it had to be. Luckily, the aforementioned fantastic plot saved the book and made it an interesting, thought provoking, and moving book that I would recommend to all of my avid fantasy fanatic friends.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Exeter, NH 03833
This book had a fantastic plot that had me flipping through the pages. I was engrossed from page one to the end. It has the nice quality of being able to stand alone, even though it is part of a series and also working in very well with the rest of the books in the set. However, it was slightly confusing. Other than Toby, there were an astonishingly large number of characters which made seemingly random appearances throughout the book, sometimes after entire chapters of absence. This meant that unless you were paying very close attention, it seemed like random people were being dropped into the plot. Two of the male characters were very similar and sometimes were almost interchangeable to the story line, making the book more confusing than it had to be. Luckily, the aforementioned fantastic plot saved the book and made it an interesting, thought provoking, and moving book that I would recommend to all of my avid fantasy fanatic friends.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Exeter, NH 03833
Secrets: You Tell Me Yours and I'll Tell You Mine.....Maybe by Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein
Filling the pages of her beloved journal, the main character, known as the Girl, chronicles her life as she begins to make the transition into becoming a teenager. Along the way, the Girl encounters numerous life altering events. For example, the Girl writes in her journal how after she moves to a new home in a new town she must cope with becoming the new kid again as she starts at a new school. The Girl also writes about how she learns that growing up means growing apart (both physically and mentally)from former friends as she finds herself missing her friends in her previous town less and less. The Girl also describes in her journal how she now finds herself to be a daughter of three as she learns to deal with having a new baby in the house. As the Girl continues to write in her journal she finds herself becoming older and wiser as she now must face the challenges of dealing with death, boys, and other teenage drama.
Personally, I didn't really enjoy reading this book. Supposedly being a similar age as the main character of this book, I didn't find it as relatable or realistic as I would have hoped. I was also a bit confused at the time period of this book, as the Girl talks about reading Nancy Drew books, goes to Junior High, and rubs oil on herself when going out in the sun all of which seem to have been common in years past and not necessarily now. I also found the repetitive ending of "and that's the truth" at the end of many of the journal entries to become tedious and boring. Although I have not read the first book of Dr. Holstein's Secrets series, it is likely that those who enjoyed reading the first book of this series may want to consider reading this sequel, that said, I did not enjoy this book.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Potomac, Maryland United States of America
Personally, I didn't really enjoy reading this book. Supposedly being a similar age as the main character of this book, I didn't find it as relatable or realistic as I would have hoped. I was also a bit confused at the time period of this book, as the Girl talks about reading Nancy Drew books, goes to Junior High, and rubs oil on herself when going out in the sun all of which seem to have been common in years past and not necessarily now. I also found the repetitive ending of "and that's the truth" at the end of many of the journal entries to become tedious and boring. Although I have not read the first book of Dr. Holstein's Secrets series, it is likely that those who enjoyed reading the first book of this series may want to consider reading this sequel, that said, I did not enjoy this book.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Potomac, Maryland United States of America
The Year's Best Science Fiction by Gardner Dozois
The Years Best Science Fiction is a collection of short stories. They are all about new worlds, future lifestyles, and adventure. Each story has a different idea of the future, and they are all unique. Some stories are about different planets, some are about government, and there is many interesting inventions. The setting is very detailed and you will feel like you have traveled in time.
The Years Best Science Fiction was pretty slow reading. It has some good stories in it, but overall I was not very interested. There is some very good description though, and you can really feel like you are in the future at times. Unfortunately, the plots were pretty confusing, and the stories did not all make sense. I wish this book were a little more exciting or at least interesting enough to keep you turning the pages. I actually had trouble finishing the book, because it was just very dull. I would not recommend this book for teenagers, but some adults might like it.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Broken Arrow, Ok united states
The Years Best Science Fiction was pretty slow reading. It has some good stories in it, but overall I was not very interested. There is some very good description though, and you can really feel like you are in the future at times. Unfortunately, the plots were pretty confusing, and the stories did not all make sense. I wish this book were a little more exciting or at least interesting enough to keep you turning the pages. I actually had trouble finishing the book, because it was just very dull. I would not recommend this book for teenagers, but some adults might like it.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Broken Arrow, Ok united states
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