Heir to Power: Book 1 by Michele Poague

Kairma lives in the colony of Survin. She is to be the next holder of the Crystal and will be in charge of healing her fellow colonists. Naturi will be her mate, and other girls, including her sister, wish that the handsome man could be their own mate. Kairma has different interests, however. She enjoys spending time with her brother and his friend Collin. Together, they explore an area in the mountain and come across a room filled with treasures left by the Ancient Ones. The gene pool of Survin is failing, and the colony will fall soon if people from outside cannot join. Will Kairma become the colony's next leader, or will her lack of interest promote her younger sister Kinter to the task of restoration?

I have always like fantasy novels, and this book does the genre justice. I like how modern technology, such as keyboards, is incorporated into the treasures of the Ancient Ones. Kairma's dilemmas grasp my attention as I turn from page to page and wonder if she will spend time with Collin and her brother or go study with her grandmother. I enjoyed reading her internal conflicts about the men in her life and who she really wants to mate with. The book is well written, and the imagery is fabulous. It makes it very easy for me to watch the novel in my head like a movie. I cannot wait to read the second book in the series, and I recommend it to others who enjoy fantasy novels.

Rating: 9

Reviewer Age:17

Reviewer City, State and Country: Carlisle, Pennsylvania United States of America

Young Fredle

In Young Fredle, by Cynthia Voigt, a young mouse named Fredle has been pushed out of his pantry home in the house kitchen and brought outside by a human. Once outside, he has to figure out a way to get back inside. Fredle goes on many adventures and learns a lot of new words he did not even know existed like porch, barn and snake. Outside, he finds out about good things like the compost pile that is a constant food supply, the bright stars and the wonderful flowers. There are also dangerous and scary things outside like snakes, raccoons, foxes and more cats! Fredle also visits the house cellar where he finds nice mice with an always filled food basket. So now that Fredle has seen the inside and outside worlds and the house cellar, and has friends in all of these locations, where will he choose to live?

I would recommend this book to any animal lover between the ages of 9-11. The story itself is not overly complicated and the vocabulary is fairly simple. This book was funny, entertaining and will keep you reading!

Reviewer Age:10

Reviewer City, State and Country: Rochester, New York USA

THE GIRL IN THE STEEL CORSET

The Girl in the Steel Corset, by Kady Cross, is a book set in late 19th century England. Finley Jayne is sure that there is something wrong with her. Whenever she feels threatened, the thing inside her comes out and makes her more powerful and strong than the average man.  She has lost too many jobs due to her strange power, and she is tired of always running away. But after a chance encounter with Griffin King, Duke of Greythorne, she begins to learn more about the thing inside her. At his immense home, she meets others with strange gifts like hers, and she begins to see for the first time that her curse may not be such a bad thing.

I thought this was a very good book. The plot was interesting and kept me turning the pages. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen to the characters next. I quickly grew attached to them, and throughout the entire story, I was holding my breath in anticipation of what was to come. I couldn’t help but love Finley and the whole gang of misfits. I really like the style the story was written in, third person with a shifting focus on each of the characters. It made the plot that much more interesting, and the characters that much more lovable and real, being able to see them from multiple angles. Kady Cross uses words that are very descriptive and this helps me to imagine the streets of London in the steampunk era she has created.  The beginning of the book was a bit slow, and at times the ideas presented in the book were difficult to understand. Once I got into the book and got used to the strange inventions created within the pages, it was hard to stop reading. This was my first book of the steampunk genre. It took a bit of getting used to, imagining the nineteenth century world with modern-day gadgets. Cross did a wonderful job of explaining how those gadgets worked, and she made the world seem very believable.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Otsego, MN USA

The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens

Kate, Michael and Emma are orphans that get expelled from every orphanage that they stay at. That is until the next orphanage in Cambridge Falls, which is run by a wizard called Dr. Pym. They absentmindedly put a photo into a blank green book that they find. They suddenly get sent back to an older Cambridge Falls. They find out that the town is run by the countess and an army of screechers-after the same book that they found. They meet a man named Gabriel who helps them escape from the countess' grasp. They meet up with Dr. Pym who tells them that they have to thwart the countess' plans before it is too late.
     The Emerald Atlas is an awesome book. It starts off with hair-pulling suspense and ends with more. John
creates a book sure to leave fans wanting for a sequel. My favorite thing about the book is the writing style,
which is similar to Lemony Snickett's. I recommend this magic book to anyone.
Reviewer Age:12 Uxbridge, Ma USA

The Charlatan's Boy by Jonathan Rogers

    This adventure book starts off when Grady and Floyd are running a He-Feechie (swamp person) act. They soon have to stop due to the crowds disapproval. For about a year they do various acts to make a living. Finally Floyd hits up on a big idea to make a lot of money. He calls it the Great Feechie Scare. They are going to get the people of Corenwald scared of Feechies. After that Grady is going to act as a feechie and put on a show for money.

     The Charlatan’s boy is a book sure to please readers. It is packed with adventure and surprises. The characters seem to leap out at you from the pages. The one thing I didn’t like was the ending: it was a cliff hanger. I'm looking forward to the next so I know what happens to Grady. I recommend this book to anyone 10 and up.

Shadowspell by Jenna Black

After it's discovered that Dana is a Faeriewalker, one who can bring magic into the human world and human technology into the Faerie world, she is the target of both assasins and abductors. Her father, an important Fae politician, keeps her under lock and key, and she can't go anywhere without a bodyguard. Naturally, however, Dana still manages to get into trouble, which culminates when she meets the Erlking and his Huntsmen. The Erlking, whose pleasure in life is to hunt mortals and Faeries, wants Dana's powers and will do anything to get them. Will Dana be able to outwit the Erlking, or is she just another pawn in this game of politics and court intrigue?

I was so excited to get my hands on Shadowspell because I absolutely adored its predecessor, Glimmerglass. I'm not a big fan of fantasy, but this series is really good. Dana, the main character, is only part Faerie, so she acts like a normal human teenager and thinks like my friends and I do. Regardless of her human characteristics, she is still a very strong and courageous character, and even when she gets herself into sticky situations, she is still willing to figure out how to save the day. A lot of the mayhem involves a new character, the Erlking. I really liked the parts with him because he is evil but actually seems pretty nice sometimes. It is an interesting dichotomy. All in all, I really enjoyed Shadowspell and I think all fans of fantasy will agree. I'm also excited to see what happens to Dana in the next book, Sirensong.

Reviewer Age:19

Reviewer City, State and Country: Aston, Pennsylvania United States

Baby Grape and The River Folk by Thom Rogers

When Toby and Jaynee are separated from the others, they try to find their way back. When they do, they continue to the city. But when they arrive, they discover it has burned down. So they continue on. They come upon and old house in the woods and get sick. Deathly sick. But the others find them, and they recover. Toby prospers in the trading business, and yet again make many new friends.

To me this was the least exciting out of the 3 books. I can hardly remember it, although I've read it recently. I can remember the events, but not the order they happened in. But anyway, it had an interesting plot that I feel was more complex then in the other books, which is something I like.Toby seems so overburdened in this book that it is unfair, but with a great start in a big business, it seems his luck is changed, something surprising I didn't expect. So the events balance each other out and it turned out to be a good book.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Santa Fe, TX USA

Baby Grape and Southern Exposure by Thom Rogers

The trading business is going good, so Toby and Jaynee take a vacation. On vacation, they visit Toby's parents but are interupted by a man named Wrestin. Taking shipments for Wrestin and another man, Mr.Connelly, they find themselves in court, accused of stealing both slaves and money. After all this trouble, when it seems things couldn't get much worse, Toby falls deathly ill, and Jaynee's Indian tribe is hunted by murderous men. As always, Toby and his new crew barely pull through, but new problems are sure to lie ahead.

This book was more exciting than the second, Baby Grape and the River Folk, but seemed like all the excitement and adventure was in one or two places. That left the rest of the book less exciting and more like building blocks for the exciting parts. Either building blocks for the plot, or building blocks for suspense! Don't get me wrong, suspense is brilliant in any plot, but you can have too much of a good thing. It was too drawn out, eventually leading to disinterest. But, the good parts were excellent,and that is why I liked the book.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Santa Fe, TX USA

Baby Grape and Huskey by Thom Rogers

Toby is wanted by the police for whipping a boy. When his employer gives him a chance to escape by delivering a still far north, he takes it. Going with a greedy and cold-hearted man named Lew, he sets off north, but the farther he gets, the more he suspects Lew. When Toby discovers Lew's plan to keep the still and delivery money, he and an abused girl Gina take the still and run. Trekking through the wilderness and avoiding danger, they make friends along the way, who help them deliver the still. When that is done, Toby and Gina head back to the city.

This is my favorite of the 3 books in the series. I've always liked books about surviving in the wilderness, (my favorite being Hatchet) becuase they almost always have great storylines and adventure. This book has both of those qualities, plus the detailed settings and well-planned characters that also frequently appear in books like this. Like I said before hand, great plot, and in a nice sized book. Not too long and boring or too short and choppy. A great read for testing day if you know what I mean, should last you a good 5 or 6 hours.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Santa Fe, TX USA

Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Dertin

Violet has never been ordinary. She can sense the echoes of the missing dead, those who’ve been murdered. They call to her, wanting to be found so that they can rest in peace. She has only told a couple of her closet family members and friends about her special power. But, when she finds a dead boy and the FBI gets involved, many things could change. She doesn’t want her secret to get out for just anyone to know. She’s starting to feel as if there aren’t many people she can trust. She wants to talk to her best friend Jay, but now that they are in a relationship, she feels as if the rules have changed. And she is afraid talking to him will only make him more protective of her. Plus he has been spending a lot more time with his new friend Mike. Violet is beginning to wonder about Mike as he becomes closer with Jay. As she digs through his family history, she finds tragedy and a dark past. She isn’t sure anyone should trust Mike or his family. Is Mike really who he seems? Will Violet put everyone in danger if she keeps these dark secrets about Mike?

 Desires of the Dead is a very creative novel. This sequel to The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting is fantastic. Many times you will find yourself liking the first book in a series more than the second, but that was not the case in this series. I loved the first novel but I felt that Desires of the Dead was more focused and powerful with more emphasis on Violet’s powers than on the love story with Jay. It was a very exciting novel and I absolutely loved and enjoyed reading it. It was definitely one of those novels where you are kind of angry when it ends. I really hope that the story continues with a third book because Derting has a wonderful plots and ideas in this series. The romance, humor, action, and much more make it a perfect novel for any young adult reader.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Fairborn, Ohio USA