Ask Amy Green: Summer Secrets by Sarah Webb

Amy Green's life had just gotten perfect, and then her family had to go and ruin it. Her parents decided to go on a family trip; with her mom's ex-husband and his wife and kids. Meanwhile, her new boyfriend is going to be spending the summer in Rome, without her. Thankfully her cousin Clover is going too, so Amy won't go nuts while on vacation. Just as Amy's summer started to take a turn for the worse, Clover's magazine company decides to send her to the U.S. to interview America's new teen movie star and uncover his secrets. The best part is: Amy gets to go with her! Will Amy's summer finally get better, or will it only get worse?



Sarah Webb has put together a wonderful book for teens. This book takes place mainly in Ireland, and it uses just the right amount of the Gaelic language to make the setting authentic. The only thing I would have added would be a glossary at the end of the book to tell the readers what the different phrases of Gaelic mean. I would recommend this book to younger teens, and girls in-between the ages of twelve and fourteen.

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

You Killed Wesley Payne by Sean Beaudoin

You Killed Wesley Payne is a neo-noir, murder mystery novel set in the town of Salt River. Dalton Rev, the protagonist, is a Private Dick, or detective for hire, who transfers to numerous high schools to solve cases. Dalton is hired to investigate the suspicious death of Wesley Payne, a focal figure in the Salt River High School caste system. Thrust into a school divided by profit-driven cliques and a corrupt administration, Dalton must search through the bloshite and learn who to trust in order to discover who killed Wesley Payne. However, as Dalton digs deeper into the story, he realizes Wesley's death is only the tip of the iceberg.

This novel reminded me of the 2005 film Brick starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. What I loved about You Killed Wesley Payne is the element of noir that gives the book a vibrant setting. This adds an additional layer to the book which separates itself from other school mysteries. The author is very ambitious in the storylines with complex issues surrounding Dalton and the students at Salt River High School. However, some of these storylines were not necessary. I could not determine what the subplot of Dalton being courted by a Harvard admissions representative added to the story. Also, the chapters devoted to Dalton's past could have been integrated more seamlessly into the pace of the story. Nevertheless, You Killed Wesley Payne is an entertaining and enjoyable read. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy mysteries with a teenage backdrop.

Reviewer Age:21
Reviewer City, State and Country: Eden Prairie, Minnesota United States

Four Seasons by Jane Breskin Zalben

Allegra Katz has been playing the piano ever since she was four years old. And ever since she was ten, she has been attending the Pre-College Program at The Julliard School. Now Allegra is feeling the pressure of being perfect. She has some choices to make; Piano or math? Let her parents down or Let herself down? And what about Brad or should she choose Alex? What on Earth is Alley going to choose?

I thought that Four Seasons was a very good "coming of age" type book. The characters were very engaging to follow throughout the story. I also thought the themes in the book were very similar to life even if you aren't a musical prodigy. The plot was a little slow since you followed Alley throughout an entire year, but it was ok overall. Four Seasons is a very good book if you are interested in music or if you just want a good book to curl up and read with. I would recommend this book to a friend.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Hopkins, Michigan United States of America

Baby Grape and Huskey by Thom Rogers

Baby Grape and Huskey is the story of an adventurous boy named Toby who finds himself in trouble with the law after he injures another boy while defending himself. Feeling the need to dissapear for awhile, he accepts a job delivering a still from Pittsburgh to Sligo, Pennsylvania. He is accompanied by a man, Lew, who Toby's late father had once described as mean spirited. Lew proves Toby's father correct, and soon Toby is forced to take responsibility beyond what he had imagined the delivery would require. On the journey, Toby discovers a plot to steal the still, befriends a servant girl named Gina, and continues on the hard road to delivery, meeting many interesting people and visiting unforgettable places along the way.

Baby Grape and Huskey was a great adventure story with realistic characters and an interesting plot. Toby was very believable as a person, and the detailed writing made it easy for me to picture him and the other characters throughout the story. It was also easy to imagine the landscape, weather and general atmosphere around the characters thanks to the wonderful descriptions. The story was somewhat episodic, with many sets of characters that appeared in the story with their own mini-plots. I enjoyed this, because it kept the story moving while still coming together to tell a larger story. While reading this story, I got a feel for what it would feel like to live in the mid-1800's, and what Pennsylvania looked like at that time. I would recommend the book to anyone who likes historical fiction and adventure stories, along with a smidge of romance. I would not recommend it to those who don't like historical fiction, because the book takes place in 1845.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: , Pennsylvania USA

Once in a Full Moon by Ellen Schreiber

Celeste Parker has everything; she has the perfect boyfriend, amazing friends, and lives on the Eastside or right side of Legend's Run. All that changes when Brandon moves to Legend's Run. Celeste is instantly drawn to him, but her friends would never forgive her if she dumped her perfect boyfriend for him. When Celeste gets lost in the woods everything changes. But for a girl who tries to see the good in everyone, she may lose her faith in someone.

This book was good, but the beginning was not very good. It droned on and on, but it did get better. I was instantly drawn to Celeste and Brandon. I do not think this was as good as Vampire Kisses but it was interesting. I recommend this book to people who like Vampire Kisses, Shiver, and Need.


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

Flamingnet.com ‎$500 Scholarship Essay Contest - THE IMMORTAL LOST

Flamingnet.com ‎$500 Scholarship Essay Contest - THE IMMORTAL LOST

Flamingnet Teen Book Reviews April Giveaway Book
Book reviews and reading lists for preteens and young adults, including advance literature reviews.

Ranger's Apprentice - The Emperor of Nihon-Ja by John Flanagan

In the beginning of the book, The Emperor of Nihon-Ja, you find yourself in Nihon-Ja with Horace.  Horace ends up being in a revolt against Emperor Shigeru, who is the Emperor of Nihon-Ja.  Will, Halt, Alyss, and Evanlyn have to come to his aide.  They end up having to train the Kikori as soldiers against an almost invisible force known as the Senshi.  The odds are against them but will they still win?  Read this truly  amazing book to find out.
In the beginning you know that you are reading a book like no other.  John Flanangan's writings take you away to a world that you can only dream about.  He closes the series with a book sure to be read over and over again.  Any 12-100 year old will instantly fall in love with it.  His writing is going to leave you wanting for more.  I have read all of his books and although they are all great, this one is
by far, the best!   
Reviewer Age:12: Uxbridge, Ma USA

How to be a Werewolf by Serena Valentino

What type of werewolf would you be? Find all types of facts about werewolves in the book, 'How to be a Werewolf' by Serena Valentino. One interesting fact was that there is more than one type of werewolf. I would like to turn into an arctic wolf.

The book was informative about the topic. It was, however, a disappointment. I found that it was quite repetitive in means of content. It seemed as if my mother was nagging me to clean my room, over and over. The book was also quite a short read. The pictures were captivating, but the words did not bring them to life.
Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Coconutcreek, Florida U.S.A

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Ellie is a reincarnated warrior with her guardian Will by her side. She fights the reapers; creatures that take souls to directly Hell. The difference is this time her memories are coming back too slow and she had 40 years between her and her last reincarnation, when it is only suppose to be 18. When the memories refuse to come back, Will intervenes and tries to help but it is no good. The reapers continue to fight and Ellie's power becomes stronger and stronger until she faces the reapers that haunt her dreams and memories.

Angelfire was fantastic. It was written perfectly for young adults with the setting and characters jumping out of the page. I thought it jumped into the story a little too fast but after that it was amazing. Because it was told in first person, I really felt Ellie's emotions and pain. I can't wait for a sequel to come out. I recommend this book to people who like Shadow Chase, I am Number Four, and Invasion.

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

Fallen Grace

Two sisters, orphaned in London, must seek a way to survive another winter. Grace, our protagonist, had been raped nine months ago. Just as she begins to cope with the fact that she is pregnant, she is told she gave birth to a stillborn. With this terrible event in her life she decides that she is going to begin a new life for herself and her sister, Lily. Unfortunately things take a wrong turn when she and Lily end up homeless. With nowhere else to turn she becomes employed as a servant for the Unwins. All the while, the Unwins have made an astounding discovery—Grace and Lily are the heiresses to their father's fortune. The Unwins then attempt to steal the fortune from the unenlightened girls. Soon after the Unwins' plotting begins, Lily disappears and Grace finds out the truth about her fortune. Now it is up to her to reclaim her father's fortune and find her sister before it is too late.


I adored this book. I knew little about the 1800's in London but I was able to grasp every bit of detail and piece together pictures of life for the poor versus the life of the rich. The only problem I really had was that I knew nothing about this time period, so I had to look up a lot of terms used in the book. Other than that I couldn't put the book down. I recommend it to everyone. Even if you do not have an interest is this sort of book, you will definitely like it. This book, although it does not use the term, is referring to rape.

Reviewer Age: 20

Reviewer City, State and Country: Az city, Arizona USA