Saraswati's Way by Monika Schroder

A young boy named Akash loses his Bapu (father). Then,


Akash's Daddima (grandmother, father's side) orders him to

go work for the land owner to pay off his family's debts,

but Akash realizes that the amount of work he does is

unimportant, because he will never be able to earn enough

money. Akash escapes to Delphi to seek an education.

There, he learns to live as an orphan at the train

station. Through a series of lucky events, Akash finds

that soon, he will be living out his dream- attending a

city boy's school


I did not really like this book because although it did

have an adventurous plot, it just did not seem like my

kind of plot. It was a common 12-year old, living out

ordinary events, such as sleeping on rooftops, selling

drugs, ect. Also, although I understood how the end was -

well, an end, it just sort of dropped off suddenly. I

think if there were an epilogue it would be better, but

this book would do best in a three or four book series.


Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country:

Santa Fe, TX USA

Threads and Flames by Esther Friesner

Threads and Flames was a book about a girl named Raisa, who had been hunted by disease in her hometown, or shtetl. Raisa arrives in America with a cousin named Brina and 2 friends, Zusa and Luciana, in tow to find that her sister is gone. She scouts the whole neighborhood for a place to board, and eventually runs into Gavrel, a boy who takes her to his home. His mom, Mrs. Kamenski, welcomes Raisa and 5-year-old Brina into her home. When Raisa finds a job at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory and is convinced by Gavrel to follow her dreams and learn English, life settles into a routine. Until a certain New Year’s Eve, Raisa works, learns and hangs out with friends. On that day, she discovers her romantic side, which changes her life. On a memorable Saturday she settles in to work when a shout echoes throughout the workroom: Fire! A tragedy occurs that day, and forever in Raisa’s mind. When she struggles to uncover the mysteries of Zusa, Luciana and Gavrel, friends who have missing since the fire, she learns a new story. Enjoy this book of heart-throbbing tragedy, families found, a bond of friendship, eternal struggles and a touch of romance.


After finishing the last sentence on the last page, I felt satisfied. The plot of the book had power and twists, the characters had personality, and the author’s voice was captivating. I disappeared into the pages of this book; I was Raisa and then Gavrel and then Zusa. Gavrel did annoy me, but when he vanished I missed him. It was completely realistic. Esther Friesner gripped you and held you tight until the end, when she released you gently. I would never put this book down, but the beginning was a little slow. I would recommend this book to anyone who loved a page-turner and Historical Fiction.

Rating: 9
Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Ellicott City, MD USA

Fate of Thorik by Anthony G. Wedgeworth

From the first sentence, this book grabs you and doesn't let you go. The action moves at a breathtaking pace from the quiet, charming village of Shorview where the Nums spend their days hunting, fishing, and caring for their families, to the awe-inspiring, divine city of Kingsfoot, to the city of Weirfortus where the climax between Darkmere and Ambrosius takes place, you hardly get a moment to catch your breath. Locations are described in minute detail so that you actually feel as if you are walking next to Thorik and his band. The cast of characters that Thorik meets along his journey add friendship, understanding; of himself and others; and of course just a bit of animosity to keep you on your toes. One thing is for certain, this band of travelers will accomplish the taks set before them, and I for one, can't wait to continue on with them through their journey.




I enjoyed this book, and look forward to further installments of this series. Those of us who enjoy fantasy literature always are looking for new worlds and characters to explore, but were often disappointed. Too often its more of the same, and Piers Anthony and J.R.R. Tolkien did it better. Wedgeworth may not be in their league yet, but he has created characters with depth and believability that we can care about, and the action keeps moving. The descriptions of Thoriks world are vivid in detail, yet they do not overwhelm the narrative. Plot turns and twists are reasonable, but not ridiculous. The story stands on its own, yet leaves the reader with an interesting cliffhanger to bring him or her back. A fine first offering."


Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Hearne, Texas US

Falling Under by Gwen Hayes

'Falling under' is about Theia Alderson, an exceptionally overprotected girl who has never really had any interest in the male gender. Theia s disinterest appears that it will continue forever, or at least till she is out of the grips of her father. However, a new, utterly beautiful and utterly mysterious new student threatens to change all that. His dark past and allure is only magnified by the fact that he has been slipping through her dreams for weeks, before she had ever laid eyes on him. He sends her mixed signals, flirting with her through her subconscious, touching her with his mind, kissing her so she can feel it somehow, when he is yards away. What is he? Who is he really? Is this book just 'Twilight' down to the letter? All important questions, all of which are answered in Falling Under.

At first glance, 'Falling under' IS 'Twilight'. For the first 100 pages, there is not really a difference to be found. This had the potential to be annoying, and the author realized this. She managed to make the book poke fun at itself and its similarities to the saga within the dialogue. The best example of this is in the book, during one scene, (which is the 'Falling Under' equivalent of the famous Say it. Out loud. scene from 'Twilight'), it shamelessly points out the glaringly obvious and slightly humorous similarities to the saga. Theia actually says 'You aren' t going to tell me that you are a vampire who sparkles in the sunlight, ARE YOU?' Luckily, Haden is a demon, not a vampire, and about 50 times more believable and WAY more attractive than Edward can ever dream of being. In my opinion, this is a much better book, written with MUCH better technique, and the audience quickly forgets the saga altogether as the plotline gets more intense. The hilarious, dark cast of minor characters (including a drag-queen psychic, a man-eating, gorgeous goth girl, a terrifying demon queen and a beautiful, but naive best friend) make this book edgy, enjoyable and funny. A lesser author with the same plot would have found it impossible to make this story not be depressing, due to the incredibly sad and dark subject matter, but there is never a point where our hearts remain broken for too long, which is a very, very selling quality. A gripping, uplifting tale of growing up and teenage rebellion, 'Falling Under' is to be one of the best books of the year.


Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Exeter, NH USA

The Ugly Tree by Tamara Lyon

In The Ugly Tree, by Tamara Lyon, the protagonist’s world is ripped apart the day she is born. Cane Kallevik is the sole survivor of a car crash that killed her father, mother, and her unborn twin. On one of the early summer days before she turns sixteen, she meets Justice Schaeffer who unknowingly saves her life that night. When the worst twister in history rips through Cane’s small town, it threatens to take away the rest of her world. Her only living relative, and her sole caregiver, Grandma Betty, is knocked unconscious and remains in a coma for months. When Cane’s only option is to move into the Schaeffer house, she learns hard lessons about life and love that help her grow as a person.

The Ugly Tree is one of the most interesting books I have read in a long time. It has an intriguing and original plot line. A reader will easily relate to Cane’s feelings for Justice. It perfectly describes a teenage girl meeting her first love. Her questions about life and why she was the only survivor of the car crash gets the reader thinking about why things happen for any particular reason. Cane’s character seems to be a little advanced for her age in the way she thinks, but most of the time she seems like any other ordinary teen age girl.

I rated this book a “3” because it does have some intense sections involving Cane and Justice together, and there is also some language that should be for older people only. The other reason is because there is some faith in it, but it isn't completely based on faith.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Makanda, Illinois USA

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Rhine lives in a world seemingly devoid of hope -- men now die at the age of twenty-five and females at a meager twenty. When she is kidnapped and sold into a marriage like countless others, Rhine is determined to revolt against the bonds that secure her to this new husband and somehow reunite with the twin brother who was torn away from her. Even in a world like this, opinions and relationships shift and change. But escape -- escape is always on her mind.

I devoured and simply adored this new YA dystopian novel. There are moments when I found myself engrossed, grasping the little paperback and yelling No at the words squiggling across the pages as the story unfolded around me. The plot is captivating and the writing artfully done. The characters were authentic and contained a certain depth that made me love the book just that much more, as I could relate to the pain they experience throughout the book. There is a slight Hunger Games feel to the it, which I do not object to at all. This is definitely one of the books I've read in 2010, and I cannot wait for the next installment of this trilogy.

mild sexual references

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Los Altos, CA US

The Storm Witch by Violette Malan

The Storm Witch starts out with a bang. Parno Lionsmane and Dhulyn Wolfshead board a ship to sail away to save their friends when they found out that the ship is infested with Nomads in need of their services. They will kill their captive friends if they don't agree to sail with them. They agree to, and all is good. But something haunts Dhulyn throughout their trip; a foreboding vision could separate Parno and Dhulyn? And Parno is growing closer and closer to their captives. In a freak thunderstorm who knows what will happen.

This book was not very well-written. It took me a long time to understand what was going on, and then it was so boring I could barely finish it. It had a good plot. It was just not written out very well

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Dorr, Michigan United States

The Haunting of Charles Dickens by Lewis Buzbee

Meg lost her older brother, Orion, 6 months ago. She and
Mr. Dickens, after believing that they saw him one night,
renew their search for him. The clues lead to a mysterious
triangle names. Though, this triangle of names is even
more important when, underground, they found children,
half-dead, half-alive, and press-ganged into work, forging
bolts. Finally, they learn the location of Orion, but can
they rescue him in time?

I thought that, although a good
plot and extremely descriptive detail, there was a little
too much detail. It seemed like there was too much slow
parts in between the exciting. There was not a good
balance between dull and exciting. Otherwise, it was a
good book, as I said before, I liked the plot, and how you
just might be able to figure out the ending, just before
it actually happened.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Santa Fe, TX USA

They Call Themselves The K.K.K. by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Lynch, betray, murder -- this is what several shameless people decided to do to harmless civilians of a different race. They Called Themselves the K.K.K. provides hefty amounts of information about how the Ku Klux Klan was created and about the people they affected. Surprisingly enough, the basis of the KKK wasn't formed to destroy African Americans and most other races or religions. It was created as a clan that would joke around and crash parties at night. This is just tidbit that readers will find surprising in this book. This book offers glimpses idea of what was going on inside KKK members' heads. The amount of information that is held within They Called Themselves the KKK is immeasurable, and is filled with facts that readers can use for the rest of their lives.

I was disgusted while I read this book, not in a bad way though. I learned so much about the KKK and have been able to use information from the book on several school papers. Normally, when someone writes nonfiction, especially history, the reader is bored as soon as the first page is finished. This book did not do that for me because it was written with such superiority and efficiency that there wasn't a dull moment. I would recommend this book to any history or literature teacher; any student who needs to work on a research paper, or anyone who is interested in the history of the KKK. This is an amazing resource, with easy to understand explanations, so this would be my number one choice for research.

This is nonfiction, therefore original quotes have not been altered; graphic language is used. There is also some graphic material that might concern parents of younger children.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Osseo, Wisconsin United States

The Properties of Water by Hannah Roberts McKinnon

The Properties of Water is a book about a girl
named Lace who's sister Marni has a medical condition. She
almost drowns underwater after she jumps off Turtle Rock .
Lace's mom and sister are at a far away hospital for
people like Marni. Lace and her dad are home by themselves
and her dad can't handle it, so he hires a helper named
Willa Dodge. Lace thinks that Willa Dodge is a thief, so
she keeps a close eye on her. But Lace finds out something
about Willa besides stolen goods.

At first reading The Properties of Water I didn't
really like it. I thought it was a little unorganized.
But after I found out why Marni and her mom were so far
away I started understanding it and liking it. I
recommend this book for people who like finding things out
later in the story rather than all in the beginning. I
think that The Properties of Water is kind of a mysterious
book.


Reviewer Age:10
Reviewer City, State and Country:
Claremont, N.H U.S.A