A Crack in the Sky by Mark Peter Hughes

In A Crack in the Sky, global warming has destroyed the earth. The seas have risen and acidified, and a Great Sickness has wiped out a huge amount of the earth's population. Humankind survives, however, in clean, perfect dome cities run by InfiniCorp. Eli Papadopoulos is the grandson of the owner of the powerful company and is expected to follow in his family's management tracks. Everything changes when Eli is contacted by the Foggers, a group of people who live outside of the domes and claim that the earth is ending, and InfiniCorp knows it. The story follows Eli, his pet mongoose Marilyn, and star employee Tabitha as they struggle against the powerful company to figure out what is really happening to their world, inside the domes and out.

Fans of the Hunger Games will love this fast-paced adventure that explores controlling governments and the pollution in our world today. Hughes' characters were believable and interesting, and the situations they were put in made sense. Marilyn, Eli's mutant pet mongoose, Tabitha, the star employee turned traitor, and Spider, the creepy, powerful cousin, made me laugh, cry and shiver with everything they did. The setting was well done as well. I could easily visualize the clean, controlled domes, and the hot, dry and dusty Outside, with help from a perfect amount of detail. The journal entries at the beginning and end of the story added anticipation for, hopefully, a sequel. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure, humor, suspense and the occasional "What if?"

Rating: 9

Content Rating: 1

Reviewer Age: 15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Lederach, Pennsylvania USA

Modern Fairies,Dwarves, Goblins and Other Nasties by Edythe McFate

Fairies, goblins, and dwarves are a myth, right? Wrong.
Fairies are as real as you and I. But have you ever
wondered how can you tell where a fairy is hiding, or if
they are good or bad, or even if you should trust your
fairy godmother? That is where this book comes in! Miss
Edythe McFate will guide you through life, teaching you
handy skills, such as how to deal with a fairy, how to
know if a dwarf is ready to attack, and when to avoid
goblins. As the story progresses, you will learn how to
tell the difference between dwarves and trolls, where
fairy habitats are located, and the link between fairies
and diamonds. This information will help you when you need
it most. For all you know, fairies, goblins, and dwarves
aren t that far away.

This book is enchanting! I found
myself believing in fairies, goblins, dwarves, and other
mystical creatures! I was recommending this book to
friends from chapter one! If you enjoy fantasy, or even
love getting whisked away in a book, this one is for you!
Miss Edythe McFate has got some valuable information to
share, and I think it may come in handy one day. So go
ahead, believe in your wildest dreams, because this book
will give you faith!

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Panama City, Florida United States

Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers

Frannie has always been a bit of a loner, but when Luc Cain enrolls in her school Frannie can't stay away. But as tempting as Luc seems he is still unattainable, because he is on a mission for the king of Hell. Unfortunately, for Luc Heaven won't let Frannie go that easily when they send the angel Gabriel to save her soul. In the battle for Frannie's soul, everything could be on the line.

This book was absolutely amazing. I loved it. The author made the characters and setting come to life throughout the whole book. I would recommend this book to people who liked Fallen, Hush, Hush, Evermore and anyone who loves romance, angels, and demons.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Northglenn, CO United States

Heaven's Superhero by Jason Krumbine

Heaven's Superhero takes place on the third of seven parallel worlds created at the beginning of time. These worlds, or creations, are monitored and protected by Heaven's police force of angels. Daniel, one of Heaven's angels, is sent to the third creation after increased demonic activity is detected surrounding the multinational corporation, Halo Inc. When Daniel starts piecing clues together, he uncovers a sinister plot aimed at starting a war between Heaven and Hell. Along with the help of Sara Linfield, a company executive in the middle of a corporate war with Halo Inc., Daniel is in a race against time to stop those trying to take complete control of the third creation while avoiding government execution robots and bloodthirsty demons.
One of the greatest strengths of this book is its pace. Despite Daniel and Sara being on the run for decent amount of the story, clues and action scenes are spaced perfectly in this interval to keep the reader hooked. I was really intrigued by the author's vision and description of the angelic and demonic characters. Jason Krumbine's depiction of the Heaven vs. Hell theme allows readers to relate to the characters in a very human way while also recognizing that they are higher beings. One aspect that could be improved is the strands of plot. I felt that these different avenues could have been woven together in a tighter way. Nevertheless, Heaven's Superhero is a great book for action and fantasy readers who enjoy a fast pace.

Reviewer Age:20
Reviewer City, State and Country: Eden Prairie, Minnesota United States

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The Graveyard Book is the story of Nobody Owens' upbringing in a cemetery after the tragic murder of his family. Bod--short for Nobody--is welcomed by the inhabitants of the graveyard (who are ghosts), after an attempt to protect Bod from the man Jack, the assassin who killed his family. Bod' s new guardians show him the ways of the graveyard, along with the many secrets and legends it holds. Bod encounters ghouls, witches, and other creatures of the graveyard throughout his bizarre upbringing. Ultimately, these experiences help him face his family' s killer with the hopes of seeing the world beyond the gates of the graveyard.

Neil Gaiman lives in a world that science fiction enthusiasts would do anything to explore. The number of creatures and worlds presented in this book are tightly woven together and creates endless possibilities to the reader' s imagination. Gaiman has written a book that mesmerizes readers while taking them on a journey of a boy' s coming of age. Gaiman effortlessly combines the fantasy world he created along with a tale of childhood that everyone can relate to. The Graveyard Book is a masterful story that I highly recommend.

Reviewer Age:20
Reviewer City, State and Country: Eden Prairie, Minnesota USA

Arisa by Natsumi Ando

The story begins with a promise between twin sisters, Arisa and Tsubasa. Then we enter the world of Tsubasa. She is 14 and has the nickname 'Demon Princess' due to her aggressive behavior toward people who have committed wrongs. She has been separated from her sister, but now is her first chance in three years to see her again. Arisa has written letters to Tsubasa for years detailing her days apart from her, but there is more to Arisa than just those letters.

Arisa sees how much her sister wishes to be her so she grants her wish and lets her be her for a day. Only after Tsubasa returns with the wonderful news of how that day went Arisa tells her that she doesn't "know their secrets or mine" just before she attempts to commit suicide. Now it is up to Tsubasa to act as Arisa and find out the secret of class 2-B.

I love Arisa. The protagonist, even though she is a twin, is so different from her sister and that's how real twins are. Tsubasa is so into justice that it is her mission to protect others. I love how open-ended the author left the book because now I have to read the next one.

I really relate to Arisa. She has a heavy burden to bear no matter how perfect her life seems. I laughed and cried because I know how the characters must have felt. Imagine people hating you so much you want to commit suicide.

Overall, I found this book very moving and powerful and I would recommend it to anyone.

Reviewer Age:20
Reviewer City, State and Country: Arizona City, Arizona USA

Killer Angel by William Frost

Killer Angel is about a group of friends who start a band, but dream of making it big. Meanwhile, the angel, Benjamin, meets up with his old friend, Levi, who has turned on him to become a dark angel. When Levi shows up in some of the band members dreams, he offers them fame and fortune in exchange for their souls. At this point, choices come in to play to decide what's right and wrong. Will they accept and live with fame and fortune, but no soul, or will they decide to avoid the situation and walk away, knowing they made the right decision?

This book really shows how right and wrong choices can affect your life. It makes me realize how one bad choice can snowball into more bad choices. The ending disappointed me because I was expecting the complete opposite of what really happened. Besides the ending, I really liked the book because it was a fresh idea for a book and I couldn't put it down. This book was very easy to read. I would recommend this book to ages 13+ because I thought the idea of the book was a little hard to process and understand.

Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Leawood, KS, USA

Invisible Things by Jenny Davidson

The second book in this series starts with the main character Sophie catching cats that are used in science experiments at the Institute for Theoretical Physics. From there the book gets even more bizarre. Sophie and her friend Mikael’s family live in flats at this Institute where some of Europe s greatest scientists meet. In this alternate society Germany has taken over much of Europe except for most for the countries near the Baltic and Northern Seas. Sophie learns much about her parents and the tragic explosion that took their lives and, after her great-aunt’s death; she learns even more why their family is so connected to the elusive billionaire, Alfred Nobel. Soon after her great-aunt’s death Sophie’s life begins to unravel as she discovers close kept secrets about the family she never knew about. Along the way she travels to Sweden and inside the Arctic Circle as she discovers herself and what really matters in her life.

In my opinion this book was mediocre at best. Since I didn’t know this book was the second one in the series the parts in this book about the previous book were a little confusing. The author also used many words that I never heard of and the way the characters spoke was different than I was used to. The plot was interesting at times but could get confusing at certain parts. If you were to read this book definitely read the first one first.
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Loves Park, Illinois United States

Revenge of the Geek by Piper Banks

Miranda Bloom, a junior at Geek High, is ready for school, but Miranda must watch her back, because Geek High (the nickname for her prestigious school, Notting Hill) has a new student, Nora. Nora seems to be a nice friend whom she could connect with, but as time goes on, Miranda becomes suspicious about this girl. Nora is copying her clothes, slowly taking her best friends, and it seems like anything she says could be a lie. Miranda sees Nora for who she really is, but her friends accuse her of being paranoid and jealous. Miranda is determined to expose this copycat for who she really is.
I read the whole book in one evening. I could connect to Miranda, because anyone who has had someone take their ideas and imitate them, feels like she does. I also understand how her friends don't believe her at first. This book has interesting characters, an engaging plot, and it touches real-life topics, like imitation and friends being skeptical of you. This book is an enjoyable read for middle and high school students.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Leawood, KS United States

For The Love of Stranger, by Jacqueline Horsfall

Philoxenia- a Greek word meaning "love of strangers." Love is exactly what Philoxenia House- a house for women who need to hide from abusive husbands- shows to the strangers it takes in. Darya and Nikki are two children adopted by Tee-tee, the head of Philoxenia house, from Russia many years ago. Told from the point of view of Darya as she struggles with feelings of abandonment and being an adopted child, this story deals with the mundane as well as the fantastic, for little does Darya know that she is born to fulfill an ancient prophecy. As more and more deer are being culled and hunted, she is destined to protect them. Along with Rawley, a boy from the Virgin Islands, she must face an entire town bent on hunting these deer. Will you heed the call?

Personally, while I felt the book had believable characters and I liked the storyline behind and around Philoxenia House, the anti-hunting propaganda that littered this book was a major turn-off, and I had a hard time looking past it. I also wasn't too pleased with the overly feminist undertones of a horned deer goddess. However, looking past the obvious propaganda, the book wasn't poorly written. It was a simple and quick read that dealt with some heavy stuff, such as adoptive families, domestic violence, and feelings of inferiority. Being told from Darya's point of view, you experience some of the feelings of betrayal and neglect that she feels, and can easily relate to her problems. Overall, I give this book a 5/10 rating, and recommend it for readers ages 12 and up.

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