Rex Zero by Tim Wynne-Jones

Rex Zero, The Great Pretender is the last book in the Rex


Zero series. Rex is a 7th grade boy whose family is moving

to a new school district. He is not happy about having to

make all new friends at his new school and about 3 big high

school bullies. He is also very concerned about losing his

old life and his old friends. The book is about how he

deals with these problems. One thing he does is develop a

plan to pretend to his parents that he is attending the new

school, but take the bus back to his old school. Another

thing he does is he tries to outsmart the bullies.




My opinion of this book is that any boy my age would like

it a lot. I really enjoyed it because Rex deals with the same

kinds of problems we all deal with, such as how to stay close

with our friends despite obstacles in our way and how to deal

with bullies. The fact that Rex is the narrator helps make it

easy to understand what he is feeling and where he is coming

from. I liked the book as much as crispy turkey bacon in the

morning. My favorite part is when Rex and his class at his

new school write a story together. The description of how they

do this is really funny. The fun he has doing this helps the reader

see that he is adjusting to his new social situation while remaining

connected to his old friends.

Always a Witch

Always a Witch, the sequel to the acclaimed novel, Once a Witch, depicts a young witch named Tamsin, her witchy family, and the antics a magical teenager can get herself into. The basic plot is mostly about the rivalry between Tasmin’s family (the Greenes) and the other evil witch family living in New York City at the time. Tasmin must go back in time to make sure that history doesn’t get all screwy, the way her family predicts it will. She employs herself in the evil household and makes nice with the 1800’s version of the family she hates, all to save her modern-day family. And it turns out that this long standing family rivalry is well deserved. The evil family has even more secrets than we know. Tasmin must stand victorious or else the fabric of time will be unravelled and all will be lost.


This book was pretty good, but took a long while to get into. I would have enjoyed it more if the author hadn’t put in so many sensory details. The plot was embedded so far into the overabundance of details and side stories that it was difficult to remember all the main points. This did enhance the picture in my head but made the book far too wordy. I had to reread paragraphs several times to get back into it at some parts. This book was enjoyable up to a point, but after reading for so long, I stopped being interested. It read like a good Fanfiction, which is by no means a bad thing, but gives you an idea of how incredibly detailed it was. I would only recommend this book to avid fantasy readers, and I do think that most of the people that enjoy fantasy would enjoy it. I read MacCullough’s two “Witch” books out of order, so I think it works well as a standalone book.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Exeter, NH USA

The Shadow Project by Herbie Brennan

Danny Lipman is just your average thief, or so it seems. One day, while attempting to rob an ordinary looking country house, he stumbles upon something greater than a few expensive paintings. Young Lipman has actually discovered the headquarters of one of the biggest MI6/CIA secret organizations, the Shadow Project. Inside the walls of the Project's underground fortress, teenagers learn to leave their bodies behind and travel in an invisible, immaterial, seemingly unstoppable energy body. Using this new technology the MI6 is able to find out vital information and track the terrorist group, the Sword of Wrath, which is becoming more powerful every day. But when one of the agents gets trapped in her energy body, the leaders of the Project are unsure what to do. They realize that Danny has a special talent that may be able to help the Project more than they had thought.
The Shadow Project by Herbie Brennan is a good, entertaining book! I found myself turning page after page and just couldn't put it down. Throughout the whole book there are scientific descriptions behind everything, MI6 and CIA spy action, and a bit of magic! The way Brennan mixes sci-fi with action and fantasy is enough to keep readers fascinated. I found this book enjoyable and interesting!

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Harleysville, PA USA

Deadly by Julie Chibbaro

Imagine living in a time period when no one knew how infectious were spread. Prudence Galewski, the main character of Deadly, by Julie Chibbaro, sees people around her becoming ill with typhoid, a deadly disease that once plagued many. Prudence is a budding female scientist who quits school to work as an assistant in a laboratory. She and her supervisor discover what they think is the key to the spread of typhoid - human carriers. Prudence must learn to balance her own doubts with scientific facts in order to stop the spread of typhoid and establish a successful career for herself. Part mystery, part historical fiction, this book is an exciting, fast paced read.

This book was filled with information, but was presented in an engaging, interesting way. I enjoyed that the book was written in a journal format because it made me feel more connected with the main character. I did find some elements in the book to be slightly unbelievable, such as when one of her father's old friends found a way to contact Prudence after her name is printed in the paper. I enjoyed reading from Prudence's perspective, however, because I found her to be a fresh, engaging narrator. This is the first book I have read about the history of a disease, and I found it quite enjoyable. I would recommend it to teenage girls interested in the history of medicine.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Bayside , WI U.S.A.

Darius Bell and the Glitter Pool by Odo Hirsch

Darius Bell and the Glitter Pool is a wonderful novel by Odo Hirsch. It takes place at Darius' house. To sum it up, it's about a young boy named Darius who is trying to help his parents find or get something great for the Bell gift. You see they are poor and the Bell gift is always something spectacular. They are afraid that 1) they won't be able to give a great gift which would mean the Bell name will no longer mean anything or 2) they will lose their house. The deal is they present a gift every twenty years and they get the house. After an earthquake, Darius finds what he names the "glitter pool" and hopes that they can use it as the Bell gift. Will it all work out? You'll have to read Darius Bell and the Glitter Pool to find out.



I enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to others. It was easy to read and follow. I think that an age group of nine to twelve is good for this book. It was interesting to see what poverty is like and what they would do in that kind of situation. I didn't find this book as entertaining as other books but I still liked it.
 
Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Sandy, Oregon U.S.A

History of the United States by Erik Sass

I recently finished the book History of the United States by Erik Sass. This book was about the entire history of the United States, and it covered everything from the Pilgrims coming over to the Americas on the Mayflower until the NASA space rocket missions. Although the word History may make your eyes glaze over in boredom, the mix of fun facts that are mostly unknown among the common population in the book make the book seem more fun than reading a history textbook. In the mix are lies turned truth, fun facts, and sidebars about useless information that will boost your trivia knowledge. I hope you will consider reading this book. Read the book History of the United States by Erik Sass and prove your history teacher wrong when they are giving yet another false lesson. With this book, you won t be that clueless again.

The book History of the United States by Erik Sass is a very unique one, a history book with very unusual and strange facts tied into the mix. It was a easy book to digest, however, I found that at some points I found myself being averted from the book because sometimes, the book phrased things just like my history textbook does. Then, I would suddenly read a fun fact and I would have all my attention on the book once more. This book goes through almost every event in US , including the ones that I would rather not mention. There were a lot of details, which I learned from, but at the same time I found myself skipping over some. I suggest that Erik Sass go through the book and just cut the details down just a little bit. If this is done, he will have a very successful book on his hands. I would recommend this book to others because it made history fun for me. So for all you history buffs out there, here is some more history to drink in. And for those not so keen about history, give this book a try, because this is the book for you.

his book receives a 2 because there are some topics that adults should screen before letting their child read it. Examples are references to alchohol, intimacy, drugs, etc.
Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Braintree, Massachusetts United States of America

The main character gets caught at a party were drugs and alcohol are discovered. Her parents send her to a summer camp for "troubled teens," where she discovers that nothing is as it seems. She falls for two boys both misterious in their own ways. One linked to her past the other trying to hide his away. She grudgingly stays at camp trying to leave, not beleiving she's just as different as the rest. All the while her ghostly stalker fallows her trying to tell her the truth.

I thought this book was very exciting, taking twists and turns I never expected. The main character grows very well throughout the story, overcoming obsticles and realizing things she never thought possible. I liked how she made friends with the people she was forced to stay with, and kept peace between them as well. I think that this is one of those books that you can only like if it ends a certain way, and the author masterfully ended it just right. Leaving an opening for a second or even third installment. I can't wait.

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

Trickster's Girl by Hilari Bell

Trickster's Girl is about two main characters and their hopes of saving the planet. This book is set in the future where trees are in grave danger. Without trees the earth can't survive. A shape shifter named Raven comes to find Kelsa (our main character) in hopes that she will be able to believe in magic to help him save the planet. Kelsa has just lost her father and is still grieving but when Raven shows up it gives her some kind of purpose so she can go on. Throughout the book they go on a journey to Alaska but meet obstacles along the way.

Trickster's Girl fits into the genre fantasy and adventure. I was very interested in the plot the author had set up. The whole magic aspect of the story makes me very excited because I love magic. I loved this book but I am sad to say that I felt a little old reading it. I think teens and preteens who love magic and a good adventure would love this book. It has everything you need: some magic, a little bit of mystery and a lot of adventure.

Reviewer Age:19
Reviewer City, State and Country: Mantua, NJ USA

Secrets of the Demon by Diana Rowland

Kara Gillian is a homicide detective with the Beaulac, Louisiana Police Department. She also happens to have a special talent for detecting anything "arcane" in our world. Not to mention she can summon demons in her basement.


Kara is currently assigned to a special task force along with FBI agents Ryan Krystoff and Zack Garner. Right now they are assigned to investigate murders linked to a rock band. But these murders are definitely looking like the work of someone or something "otherworldly".

Readers of books one and two in Diana Rowland's series will definitely not be disappointed by this third installment. Rowland once again writes the perfect blend of police procedural and paranormal fantasy. So whether you are a fan of either genre or both, you will be sure to enjoy this riveting novel.

I really liked how Ms. Rowland gave some more info (although just a few hints) into the background of agents Garner and Krystoff. And speaking about the sexy Agent Ryan Krystoff (in my mind he is sexy) I am dying to know where his and Kara's relationship will go. Does he want friendship-or something more?

Also explored is the relationship between Kara and the demon Lord , Rhyzkahl, who she is now bound to and must summon once a month so he can "explore" our world. Sure Kara gets to ask him three questions, but asking questions of a demon lord must have a price, right?

Diana Rowland has worn many hats in her life including a street cop, detective, crime scene investigator, computer forensics expert and morgue assistant (among many others) and I can see where she uses her expertise in these fields to add to her research for the Kara Gillian series.

I really enjoyed Secrets of The Demon and highly anticipate book four from Ms. Rowland.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: hearne, Texas USA

The Immortals by Paul Stewart

Nate Quarter is a lamplighter for a phraxmine in the Deepwoods in the third age of flight.  His only possesions are a small lufwood box and a portrait of a sky pirate from the first age of flight.  When the mine sergeant threatens to kill him, Nate escapes from the mine with a goblin named Slip.  The two friends go to Great Glade, one of two great cities.  There they meet a man known as the Professor, a banderbear named Weelum, and a mineowner’s daughter, Eudoxia Prade.  They soon learn that Eudoxia’s father has been kidnapped by gyle goblins from Hive, the other great city.  They leave for Hive at once. They find that the only way to rescue Eudoxia’s father is to pretend they are soldiers from the Hive Militia.  Eudoxia’s father, Falston, is rescued, but Eudoxia and Nate, upon leaving the gyle goblin palace, are caught by the real Hive Militia, and forced to march.   When they reach the Midwood Docks there is a battle between the people of Hive and Great Glade.  During the battle, an ironwood bullet lodges itself deep in Eudoxia’s ear.  Will Nate be able to get Eudoxia to Riverrise in time?  And what will happen to the rest of the Edge with a mysterious storm brewing overhead?

The Immortals was an astounding book.  It has the same qualities as the other Edge Chronicles books: adventure, fantastic creatures, flight, fussy academics, and a little romance.  I have read all nine of the other books and I have to say this one is my favorite. The first nine books were actually three trilogies, each about one character, but this book is as good as any trilogy.  I found it amazing that because they were storm-touched, Quint, Twig, and Rook could never really die until Nate got rid of Golderayce One-Eye so Twig and Rook could be united with Quint. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a change from his or her normal read.  The Edge Chronicles are wonderful, and I am sad that they had to come to an end.

Reviewer Age:12

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