Annexed by Sharon Dogar

Annexed by Sharon Dogar is the eye opening tale of one Peter Van Pels, the young man who spent two and a half years in the annex of a building with the Frank family during WWII. Also known as the boy who loved Anne Frank, Peter is a teenager who must go into hiding due to the annihilation of Jewish people in Europe in the 1940s. Although it is historical fiction, it tells a powerful story from a new perspective. This book outlines the years in the annex, how the Holocaust altered life and how Peter changed throughout those fateful years. It looks through the eyes of a teenage boy who loses everything he has ever known, and becomes someone else entirely. It is a novel that illustrations how people, emotion, and life vanished from many places during WWII. It is the world through Peter s eyes, ready to tell a moving story of a self-destructing world.

This book was phenomenal. Dogar takes you on a journey to a place few people can imagine - the annex of Anne Frank. For once it was not through the eyes of Anne herself, instead you see the world of Peter Van Pels. Dogar did an amazing job of creating these people that you want to reach out to and hold forever. You feel the emotions of the characters, you cry with them, laugh with them, fear with them. And while most people know how life ended for the Franks and Van Pels, readers cannot help but hope and believe that these people will make it. This novel really makes people step back and examine the world they have, the simple daily things that seem so basic and unimportant, and how they can end up being the things people wish for the most. Dogar's narrative voice is strong and enticing, as a reader I did not want to put the book down. It felt so real that it brought tears to my eyes, and made me want to step into their world and be with them. It is a truly amazing book, and I look forward to seeing more of Dogar in the literary world.


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

Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner

The Museum of Thieves is about a girl named Goldie. She lives in the terrible city of Jewel that is ruled by the terrible Blessed Guardians. In Jewel, being bold means punishment chains, and impatience is a sin. Each child is bonded to a Blessed Guardian or parent by a guardchain. On Separation Day, the chains are removed and the children are free. Sadly, for Goldie, right before she was going to be separated a bomb exploded. Suddenly, the Fugelman (the leader of the Blessed Guardians) comes in running and screaming. The ceremony ends abruptly. Goldie runs away from the grand hall and eventually finds herself at the marvelous Museum of Dunt. The museum keepers protect her from the Blesseed Guardians. She becomes the fifth keeper. At the museum there are two nearly extinct animals, Morg the slaughter bird and the Broo the brizzle hound. Morg is the pet of Toadspit, one of the keepers and Broo helps the keepers with their daily tasks. Among the many rooms at the museum are the war rooms. The "Dirty Gate" guards the war rooms and protects everyone from what is in them. The Fugelman comes to the museum to open the Dirty Gate. Goldie works with the keepers to protect the museum.



The author provides a good and interesting story. The Museum of Dunt has a vivid setting. It is easy to see the buildings in your mind as you read the book. This book is dark and scary in some parts, but most of the time it is light and adventurous. The author closes the story very well. There are some open items that could be used in a sequel. The novel is written in third person narrative. This book is appropriate for 10-14 year old readers.

This book is very good and would make my "top ten" list. There is nothing obvious that could be added to make it better. I would recommend this to others who are looking for an exciting page-turner. The Keeper series could easily match up to the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson series.

Reviewer Age:10    Uxbridge, MA USA

Lucky Luciano by Tim Newark

Lucky Luciano: the Real and Fake Gangster is a biography of the mobster who most people believe was the most notorious mafia boss of all time. But this book reveals that most of the stories of Luciano's great endeavors were just that: stories. Tim Newark takes the urban legends and pulls them apart to reveal the simple truth: that Luciano was a good mobster, but not the legend he is usually thought to be. He mainly attacks The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano, the biography said to be taken straight from Luciano's own words. He tells us that The Last Testament was a display of the one thing that Luciano was truly notorious for: lying. So he exposes the truth of many of the legends created by the mob, Italian folklore, and even the U.S. government.
The thing about this book is that I found it somewhat hard to reach. I think this was mostly because I hadn't heard of Luciano before then. If I had heard any of the things the author was disproving, maybe I would have found it more interesting. In fact, the one part that I had some familiarity with, namely the murder of Thelma Todd, was the most interesting to me because I had seen a few movies of hers. So I would recommend this book to someone older who had heard more of the myths and legends of Luciano, but probably not to someone my age.

see opinion section of review.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Fairfax, Virginia USA

Glimmerglass by Jenna Black

What do you do when you're fed up with your mother's drinking problems? Run to your dear old dad. At least that's what 16-year-old Dana Hathaway does. When her mother shows up drunk to her voice recital, Dana decides that it's the last straw and decides to pack her bags and run away to the faraway and enchanted land of Avalon in search of the father she s never known. Her mother had been deliberately moving and hiding her from him for fear of what could happen if Dana got caught up in the intense political affairs of Avalon. Her mom had all the right to worry after many perilous and confusing events start occurring at a breakneck pace once Dana arrives there. From kidnappings to finding out about her sacred position as a Fairiewalker to hot Fae playing tug-of-war for her loyalties to attempts on her life, Dana certainly can't complain about being bored. Maybe running away wasn't the best idea after all.

I really enjoyed reading Glimmerglass and it's a wonderful start to what is bound to be an enchanting series. I constantly caught myself cracking up because of the large amount of humor and the comical personalities of the characters and situations they found themselves in. The scenes that included Ethan were very cute and had the perfect touch of romance and intrigue that would make any teen girl fall head-over-heels for the dreamy hunkmuffin; he really helped to brighten and create liveliness within the novel. l think the story overall was very well-written and thought-out, but I also think that the world of Avalon could use some more depth, and some more description through-out the entirety of the novel would be nice. The characters were fairly easy to relate to since they were around late teenage years and Dana had a lot of problems that many normal teens face in reality today, such as starting into the whole dating business and also possibly having a family member that drinks too much. If nothing else, the enticing cover art alone will make you want to buy this novel; it is beautifully created.

There is alcohol and talk of sex.

Content:3
Rating: 8
Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg, PA USA

Glimmerglass by Jenna Black

Dana is fed up with her mother's alcoholism; so much that she decides to run away and live with her father. Dana has grown up knowing that she's part fae and that her father is a faerie, but she doesn't realize how much of a problem that will be when she enters the magical world of Avalon and is subsequently kidnapped by her aunt Grace. As Dana learns more about her heritage and the dangers of fae politics, she finds herself the target of both assasins and abductors. Between her father, her aunt, and her new friends Ethan and Kimber, Dana doesn't know who to trust and how to make her life return to normal.

At first, I did not like Glimmerglass. One of the reasons that I didn't like it was that I couldn't get used to a magical world that everyone knows about. In many fantasy novels, the mythical world is kept hidden from ordinary humans. But not in Glimmerglass. In this book, everyone knows about Avalon and fairies and a whole host of other things. It kind of threw me off, but soon I started really enjoying Glimmerglass. I especially liked Jenna Black's writing and Dana's voice. It sounded just like a teenager: complete with witty comments and funny thoughts. I think I laughed out loud a few times. Throughout the book there were a lot of twists and turns that made me want to keep reading. There is a sequel that I can't wait to get my hands on. Glimmerglass is a great novel for fans of fantasy.

Rating: 8
Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Aston, Pennsylvania United States

Across The Universe by Beth Revis

In Across the Universe, by Beth Revis, Amy decides to freeze herself
cryogenically in order to remain with her parents as they travel to another planet
300 years away from Earth. However, 250 years into the journey, she becomes
unplugged, and nearly dies. Onboard the strange ship named Godspeed, Eldest
rules every single person. Elder, the only teenage boy aboard the ship, is in line
to becoming Eldest. Upon discovering that she cannot be refrozen, Amy has
trouble adjusting to life on the massive ship. She teams up with Elder and they
together attempt to uncover some of the secrets aboard the ship, such as what
really happened during the Plague. Suspense increases when more cryogenically
frozen passengers are unplugged, sometimes resulting in death.

cross the Universe was an extremely original novel with interesting characters and plot.
Amy' s surprise upon discovering the artificial sun, the genetically altered cows,
and the modified history records is tangible and realistic. I very much enjoyed
this book and the, for once, surprise twists. It was also interesting to read of the
technological advances, such as the communication implants. Overall, Across the
Universe was a unique book with strong characters and is definitely
recommended.


Reviewer Age:18

Reviewer City, State and Country: Charleston , SC

Vampire Crush by A.M. Robinson

Sophie McGee's junior year starts off like normal. She's fighting for the position of editor-in-chief of her school newspaper, has an annoying family, and is living a boy-free life. Then, these new kids show up who talk like they are from the 19th century and are always staying at school as late as possible. And to add to her list of problems, James Hallowell is back. The James that used to be her best friend until he moved in elementary school. The James that now makes Sophie's heart melt whenever she sees him. Sophie's investigating skills kick in when she realizes that James is more reclusive than he used to be, is stronger than normal, and is harboring the same secret as the rest of the new kids at school.

I enjoyed reading Vampire Crush. I found the story interesting, even if it was a little repetitive. I found many similarities between this book and Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, and I wish A.M. Robinson had thought of some other ideas for her story. I really liked the ending of the story because it was unexpected and different. I would recommend this book to people who like vampire and romance novels.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Brownsburg, Indiana United States of America

Taking off

Annie is a high school senior cursed with apathy. She has her boyfriend Markand her hometown of Houston where NASA engineers live and half the population never goes anywhere. After her friend Lea introduces her to Christa McAuliffe, Annie finds herself a role model. Christa is the woman from the famous 'Teacher in Space program'. As basic American history dictates, the spaceship explodes before leaving earth. Faced with sadness, Annie is confused about everything and--quite frankly--a hot mess. On her trip, she comes to know a boy named Tommy and must choose between him and Mark. A page-turner for sure.
Truth be told, as an engineer, I was excited to read this book.  However, I had been disappointed in the past when reading about The Challenger in other teen books.  Fortunately, this book did not let me down.
There were no creepy romance scenes, and I actually wanted to keep reading.  Emotion leaks off the pages, and readers find themselves identifying with the characters.  Moss also keeps her book real and does not end with Annie becoming an engineer.  While I'd have liked for Annie to study math and science, I found myself smiling for her when she finally started to make her own decisions and do what she wanted.

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

Entice by Carrie Jones

Various predicaments have presented themselves to Zara since the death of her stepfather and the unwilling move to Bedford, Maine that followed. There is, of course, the whole pixie situation, but now Nick, her boyfriend and warrior werewolf, is gone, too. Zara, heartbroken and determined, allows the pixie king Astley to transform her into a pixie herself as a last resort to aid in the quest to retrieve Nick. The problem is: the only leads they have are the words of a disdainful Valkyrie and the existence of a mythical place, Valhalla, said to be the ruling place of the Norse god, Odin. As Zara and the crew continue to search for more clues, evil pixies led by the newly appearing king, Frank, are kidnapping boys left and right. Zara, now the Queen of King Astley, also faces entirely new problems as her relationship with Astley and the trust of her friends are brought into jeopardy by these recent turn of events. However, Zara is nothing if not stubborn, and she will not rest until Nick is safely returned to Bedford.

As I read each of the NEED books one after the other, the growth of the author was especially evident. Descriptions of the background and setup of each place, which were lacking in the first two books of this series, are found embedded throughout ENTICE, creating an even more realistic world for the reader. I adore the steadily increasing plot complications, too. A series that started out with a relatively simple concept - eliminate the evil pixies and their violent ways - has successfully morphed into an intense story involving mythical places and the existence of benevolence in an initially evil species.

Young adult books nowadays all seem to contain the classic love triangle scenario, and this book is not an exception. There does seem to be an almost two-dimensional quality to Zara and Nick's relationship, though. Why are they even in love? I suppose there was a time limit on the development of their relationship since Nick was whisked away to Valhalla so soon after the series started. On the other hand, the author did a great job with Zara and Astley, whose relationship is multi-faceted and angst-filled enough to keep me interested. It also seems obvious who Zara will choose at the end, if one were to observe the popular trend followed by other YA novels. But who knows? Maybe Carrie Jones will spring out a surprise for us at the end of the series.

ENTICE is packed with action and is easily my favorite book out of the NEED series so far. I will be looking forward to the next installment of the series.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Palo Alto, CA US

Wish by Joseph Monninger

The book Wish by Joseph Monninger is the story about a girl named Bee and her brother, Tommy. Tommy is fascinated by sharks but, he has a cystic fibrosis. He will not live for a long time, so the Make-a-Wish foundation tries to fulfill Tommy's wish, to go diving with Great White sharks. Tommy is disappointed when they do not let him dive into the water, so his sister takes him to his role model, Ty, who had survived a shark attack, unscathed. Bee falls in love with Ty's younger brother, Little Brew. They try to teach Tommy how to surfboard, but he falls into the water. Because he has a breathing disorder, there is a very slim chance he will live. I liked how there were little facts about sharks scattered throughout the whole book. The book was well-written and captivating. Although Tommy knows that sharks can sometimes attack people, he says it is because people spend too much time in the shark's territory. Tommy always has a positive attitude. He never complains and always has a way of touching one's heart. Tommy's personality is one of the greatest things about the book.
Reviewer Age:13 Uxbridge, MA USA