Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers

Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers is a teen novel about a 17 year old girl, Eddie Reeves, who loses her father to suicide. He was a semi-famous photographer, he was loved, and had a wonderful family, or so it seems. She is constantly enveloped in the question 'why?' She goes on a wild hunt searching for answers, anything that will help her understand why her dad chose to leave this world. With the help of a former student of her father, Culler Evans, she goes on a journey to discover who her father was, and why he made this decision. Along the way though, she finds love and understanding in many forms.

I was initially very intrigued by this novel. I was curious about a story of a young girl working through the suicide of her father. Soon though, I realized the book hit slightly less than my expectations. I was looking for an emotional and powerful novel of discovery and hope. Instead it focused more on Eddie's best friend Milo and his girlfriend, and how much Eddie hated her mom's best friend, and her father's only student and her small crush on him. I was disappointed that this novel was more of a high school - somewhat unrealistic - drama. It had far less depth and contemplation that usually comes with a story line focused on suicide. I was hurt at how the author seemed to almost completely overlook the suicide. Frankly, I was upset the way the suicide of Eddie's father was casually approached. If you enjoy a slightly clicheteen novel, this book is for you, but don't read it if you expect to find anything much deeper than that.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Minnetonka, Minnesota United States

Vesper by Jeff Sampson

Vespers, that's what they called the creatures that weren't like other humans, and Emily might be one of them. Emily Webb is a quiet nerd who never even thought about trying to fit in. But the night of the other Emily's murder, everything changes. She has become strong, wild, fast, and fearless, and she is scared of what the changes could mean. Has the other Emily's soul inhabited her body? Or could it be something that not even humans can control?

Vesper is a very exciting book. I have to admit that while first reading the book I kept putting it aside to read others, but the ending captured my heart with its romance and my mind with its action. I love how the author showed Emily telling her story; it added suspense and helped me to later on realize why everything played out the way it did. I think everyone should read this story at some point in life. Behind all the fantasy, it gives examples about how everyone at some time in life, especially in school, feel like they don't fit in. I can't wait to read it again.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Fresno, California USA

THE WAR ON DESTINY by J. Sciancalepore

Jenny Martinson, the sixteen-year-old main character in THE WAR ON DESTINY, possesses a very cynical outlook on the world.  After a visit to her oblivious guidance counselor and experiencing strange results on a website, Jenny is suddenly pulled into an adventure she never expected.

  Guided by two mini-soldiers, Jenny journeys into an alternate world with her two best friends.  Once there, she battles evil creatures and learns that she could quite possibly be ruler of this new kingdom.  However, things are more complicated than they seem and there is a twist waiting for Jenny and her companions at every turn.
  I found this book enjoyable, as the characters were all very realistic and there was plenty of action.  Every character had a unique personality, even those that could not talk, and this allowed me to picture them as actual people/creatures more easily.  Also, the author often showed character thoughts, which let me understand each character better.  The story was definitely suspenseful and it proved quite unpredictable.  Jenny, as the narrator, was very sarcastic in the way she acted and what she said.  I found this sarcasm very funny.  At parts, the book was slow and there were other pats that required more detail, but overall I really enjoyed the sardonic humor of the characters and the interesting plotline.  I recommend this book to fans of adventure, fantasy, and sarcasm.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Needham, Massachusetts United States 

Gwenhwyfar by Mercedes Lackey

Gwenhwyfar is a book written about King Arthur's Queen, Gwenivere. It is split into 3 parts; Princess, Warrior, and Queen, each representing a different stage in her life. Gwenhwyfar, Gwen, is the daughter of King Lleud and grows up a princess, but what she really wants is to be a warrior. Her father finally lets her and she begins one of the happiest and most successful times of her life which ends when she is arranged to marry King Arthur whom she has never met. She is unhappy with him, but knows her duties as a king's daughter includes what's best for the people. But it appears her evil sister, Little Gwen, who looks so much like Gwenhwyfar that she could be her twin even though they are a year apart, does not know her duties and will do whatever it takes to get Gwen out of the way.

This book is all about King Arthur's times, which I absolutely love, so I was very excited to read it, and was not dissapointed. There was a huge part that confused me however, and this might help clarify it to people: Gwenhwyfar is the main character, and her sister's name is Gwenhwyfach, also known as Little Gwen because of her resemblance to Gwen. This puzzled me for the first few chapters because I did not notice a difference in the names at first so I thought they were the same character. There is also a lot of other people with similar namesﾾGynath, Gwydion, Gwalchmai, Gwalchafed, Gwynfor, and Agrwn to name a few. Also, if you are hoping for Queen Gwenhwyfar, you will not get to her until the last third of the book. And lastly, I want to warn you, in this book she has sexual intercourse and describes it. Despite all that, I found that I enjoyed the book a lot and it kept me very entertained. I could see it as a great movie. Please read this book, I would highly recommend it.
In this book, Gwen has sexual intercourse with two men, while being married to one of them, and most likely a third man, though she is not sure because she was drugged. Also she is described quite a few times by herself and others as being bred. &the only thing that kept it from being rape was my consent& I was breeding. He stayed only long enough to put a child in me and then could not leave me fast enough.


Also, a few characters are seen using black magic to bring men to bed with them and other stuff like that.
 
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Gearhart, Oregon United States

What Can't Wait by Ashley Hope Perez

Marisa (pronounced MarisAH not dropped flat at the end: MarisUH) is stuck between a rock and a hard place. When she is at school, her teachers encourage her to do better. She is a senior in high school, and honor role student, she should be applying to college. And not just U of H, either, Marisa has a chance to get into UT Austin. However, Marisa's home life could not be more different. Her alcoholic father cannot seem to leave his Mexican childhood behind. Marisa does not have to get good grades as long as she graduates from high school. College? Totally unnecessary. All she has to do is work, give him the money, and take care of her young niece when her sister is at work to take care of her permanently injured husband. When does Marisa have time for herself? Also, what can(t) wait?
This book was thoroughly enjoyable. It covers issues that hit close to the youth of today including parental influences and multicultural conflicts. Marisa is a real character who is easy to connect to. Perez wove a wonderful story about an extraordinary girl whom the average teen can sympathize with. It is a fun and engaging read.

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

Vicious Grace by M.L.N. Hanover

Kim starts working at the mysterious Grace Memorial Hospital in Chicago where strange things have been happening. She soon realizes it is too large for her to handle herself and calls Jayn￩ and her group of friends to help. They face many difficulties, including an attack in the hospital, which they barely escaped. The mysteries extend to their house when they find two hidden rooms. In one of the rooms they find Jayn￩'s uncle Eric's private study. Inside they find clues to what is terrorizing the hospital and things that may tear them apart.

￩ to fight the evil spirits of the world and to protect them.  When she is not fighting the forces of evil, she is almost a normal girl who has family problems and fights to keep her new family together.  I think the theme of this story is the importance of teamwork. I would recommend this book to teens who like fantasy, mystery, and action stories.

Vicious Grace is a very unique book with many plot twists. I think M.L.N. Hanover did very well in creating an alternate world where demonic parasites, or riders, plague the world. Luckily for the people of that world, they have the powerful heroine Jayn
I gave it a 2 because it includes some material that may not be suitable for all younger children.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Makanda, Illinois USA

Pegasus by Robin McKinley

Princess Sylviianel is the fourth child of the king of Balsinland. She is bound at the age of twelve to a midnight-black pegasus named Ebon. As soon as they are brought together, the two new friends realize they can alk to each other in their heads. The first night after they are bound, Ebon takes Sylvi flying on his back, even though it is forbidden by law. For Sylvi's sixteenth birthday, Ebon invites her to visit the pegasus kingdom of Rhiandomeer. Sylvi accepts and while she is there, she visits the pegasi Caves and experiences ssshasssha (a type of pegasi recollection), as well as meeting Ebon's little sister. After Sylvi meets Niahi, she is able to silent-speak to the other pegasi as well. When Sylvi returns home, her kingdom is in great danger of falling to magical beasts including three rocs (giant birds, nasty habits) which are extremly hard to defeat. Will the king's army win the war? And how will Sylvi explain to her father what happened in Rhiandomeer

Pegasus by Robin McKinley was a wonderful book. It was extremely hard to put this book down. I loved all the pegasi, but I have to say Niahi, Ebon, and Hibeehea were my favorites. The kingdom of Rhiandomeer was amazing; I could see it as if I were there. I wish I could live in Sylvi's world, despite people like Fthoom, who was very strict about enforcing the rules about pegasi. I thought it was funny that Sylvi always broke the rules: no touching pegasi, no riding pegasi, no flying on pegasi. The rules seemed kind of pointless, because it didn't seem like most of the pegasi would mind being ridden. The author created a great cast of characters; the pegasi were as interesting as the people. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy, adventure, or magical creatures. I hope Robin McKinley will write a sequel to this book.

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

Old Photographs by Sherie Posesorski

In the story Old Photographs Phoebe Hecht finds herself trapped in the high class community of Forest Hill where she doesn’t belong.  Her best friend is back home in Tokyo for the summer and her mother is constantly shutting out their past lives back in Barrie. So Phoebe ends up spending her days reading under a tree or biking, until she meets Mrs. Tomblin. Mrs. Tomblin is a sweet elderly woman who easily befriends Phoebe and Phoebe’s crush, Colin.  Together Phoebe and Colin help Mrs. Tomblin solve the case of her mysterious robbery. 

I thought Old Photographs was a good book. The plot was pretty simple, but still interesting.  The characters were well developed, but at times they seemed to run together. I also found the book a little boring. I’m not the particular mystery type of person, but still I would not have my main character pretend to be a great detective just like the ones in the books she reads; its been done. But if you enjoy mystery stories or want a quick short read this a good book for you.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Hopkins, Michigan United States of America

The Sentinels: Stone of Tymora by, R.A. Salvatore

In the finale book of the the Stone of Tymora series Maimun's story has kept his pirate captors from killing him. But he knows that his story will end soon. He knows that he must at least attempt to escape. When he finally makes his move, though, the pirates are ready to catch him. Maimun has no way of fleeing the island that he is on, but the pirates don't seem to want to kill him. Can he really trust these pirates, or will they kill him as they intended to do in the first place? Find out in the thrilling conclusion to the Stone of Tymora trilogy.

There is no way that any book could get more epic than this one. The Sentinels is the best book I have read, no doubt about that. It was a roller coaster of events. First, it was the slow climb to the first climax, the pressure building and building as it went along. Then you finally get to the top and, bam, every thing goes much faster than before. Events taking place, secrets being reviled, epic battle fought and won. It doesn't stop until the book comes to an end, seemingly too soon. Anyone could read this book and fall into the adventure that is captured in those pages. So read what many have probably read and discover the pure awesomeness that others have experienced.      

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

The Traveler by Jeremy H. Barefoot

John doesn't see the world like everyone else; from the time he was eight, he has had strange dreams and finds bizarre differences with things he's seen a million times before. There are also the letters that pop up unexpectedly at random intervals in his life: CDRS. As he comes to realize that these things are not normal, he digs deeper. He and his friends discover the existence of travelers, people who can journey through time and space and who seem to follow him. When John learns of this, things become even more complicated. John doesn't know why his terrified girlfriend gets shouted at by a traveler, or what the eccentric and beautiful Tabitha, who shows up in the thick of things, is really doing there. He doesn't know if the travelers are meant to help or destroy, but he had better find out soon, before the end of the world is provoked, or prevented, by them.

This book was original and very short, which I liked, but it was also very confusing at times. Sometimes there would be scenes that seemed to serve no purpose to the plot that were just popped into places where they didn't fit. I was also waiting throughout the book for the plot to develop and turn into something, but it didn't happen until the very end, where a development was made and the book ended as a cliffhanger. It was written pretty well, I believe, in the way that I didn't want to stop reading, but it was kind of tense and a little bit awkward at points. This was overall an interesting book, but it had some issues that could be fixed with more development to the plot and a lot more organization. It was also written from the point of view of a sixteen-year-old boy, whose mind wasn't very pleasant to be in at some points. There was frequent crude language and scenes that were inappropriate for young ages, along with references to his activities with his girlfriend that also were unsuitable for younger minds. All things considered, I would recommend this book for someone who is in need of an interesting short read and is doesn't mind language and references to some questionable behavior.

For frequent crude language, a couple times with the f word, underage drinking, and teen sex mentioned and portrayed as okay.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Sandy, OR USA