Tall Story by Candy Gourlay

Summary: Bernardo is tall. And being tall is great: gloating about your height, towering above your friends, and dunking the basketball. But Bernardo is tall. Very tall. Bernardo is 8 feet tall. And when you are 8 feet tall, things become difficult: walking, running, wearing pants, bathing yourself, and pretty much everything in life. And coincidentally, Bernardo lives in the Philippines in a small town where earthquakes are common; legend has it that a giant came to save the town from destruction. Common belief has that Bernardo is their hero. Andi, on the other hand, is short. Being short is great: staying hidden, sneaking around, staying dry (because tall people are the first to get wet). But a basketball player has no place being short; height is a necessity. Andi doesn’t need to be 10 feet tall to make the basketball team; her skills make up for her height (or lack thereof). Of course, as soon as the girls’ team recognizes her talents her family moves. The only thing that Andi can look forward to when moving is the chance of a new basketball team. But her dreams are shot out of the air when it turns out that her new school doesn’t have a girls’ program. Then one day, the phone rings; Bernardo, Andi’s older brother whom she has never met, is coming back to live with them. But Andi is simply told that Bernardo is tall. When they go to pick up Bernardo at the airport, Andi has no problem seeing him whatsoever. With a sibling who is nearly twice her height, she has large shoes to fill (literally); will she be able to fill them? Will Bernardo be able to fit in where people expect too much out of him? Will Andi be able to swallow her pride and let Bernardo into her life? Or will the family be torn apart. In a heartwarming tall tale, a family comes together, dreams will be made, and lessons will be learned.

Opinion: With 3 siblings, family is very important in my personal life. I find it amazing to hear about a fantastic family and their coming together. This book does just that, and does it wonderfully. Told from the point of view from the two main characters, the readers are able to experience both sides of a story. I love the writing style when comparing Andi and Bernardo’s thoughts. Tall Story is a perfect book for ages 10-13, both in vocabulary and content. I believe that readers between these ages will be able to connect perfectly to either Bernardo or Andi. I recommend Tall Story, by Candy Gourlay to any person wishing to read a book that they can actually connect with.

Content: 1
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Oakmont, PA USA

Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire

Toby is a changeling. Her mother is a Fae, and her father is a human. This means that most of Fae hate her. Toby is struggling to survive in a confusing mix of the mortal world and her Fae home. Life doesn’t get better when her fetch shows up. A fetch is an exact copy of the person that will soon be killed. Toby has to deal with her insane mother, an evil sorceress who will stop at nothing to kill her, her fetch (May) living as her roommate, and a bunch of backstabbing betrayals. How will she ever survive? And will she have to make a heart-wrenching choice that she already made, again?

'Late Eclipse' was a fascinating read. It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. I felt like I was watching the story play out through Toby's eyes, and really felt sorrow and anguish as she did. I came to love most of the characters in the book and couldn't have asked for a more complex cast. The detail was incredible and I would recommend this book to anyone. I loved the beginning, middle, and end!

There is mature language and content (profanity and violence). I do not suggest a specific age; just talk to an adult about anything you do not understand.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Coconut Creek, Florida U.S.A

The Day the Fortune Teller Died by Marianna Heusler

The Day the Fortune Teller Died is a book about three best
friends, narrated by one of the three-Isabella. This book
is about Vicky, Isabella, Lauren, and a new girl that
comes to them asking for help, by the name of Eva.

Eva comes to the three girls with a problem. Someone wants
to kill her! So the three girls go off on a mission of
finding who and why they would want to kill Eva.

They end up with a new mystery, though. Who killed the old
fortune teller who predicted Eva would be killed?

This is a great book for whoever is seeking an action-
packed adventure!It had many characters, but instead of
being someone who did nothing, they all had a big part in
the story. The story did have three main characters-Eva,
Isabella, and Vicky. There was some new vocabulary that I picked up.
I thought this book was written very well, especially
toward the end. I don't think it's good enough to be the next Harry
Potter, though.

Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Skokie, Illinois USA

Bloody Times by James L. Swanson

Bloody Times is a historical nonfiction account about
the manhunt for Jefferson Davis and the funeral procession
of Abraham Lincoln. It is about the long funeral train
that carried the 16th President home to Illinois. It is
also about the manhunt for Jefferson Davis. Jefferson
Davis was the first and last president of the Confederate
States of America. He decided to flee to the deep south to
evade capture from the federal troops that were searching
for him. The Funeral trains route was covered in black
crepe at each stop ,to mourn the fallen President of the
United States of America. Each major city hosted a great
arrival for the fallen president.


The book was very informative. It was some of the
best work I've seen by this author. It is a great
historical nonfiction for readers looking for a good book
on this period of American history. It was a great book
and I loved it.

Reviewer Age:11, Uxbridge, MA USA

Invincible by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Nick is a poor fourteen year old boy who has incredible powers that he can not yet control. He survived the zombies and getting shot by a gun, apparently in the previous book. Oh yeah, it appears he also played a big role in getting his mom fired from her job! However, soon enough, his mom got a new job working at a hang-out place named The Sanctuary, where we soon find out a bunch of shape-shifters work there, also.

Nick wakes to find out that he's been surrounded by demons and many more than he thought at first. Not to mention, he has a job helping his boss, who is a super-rich-shadow-hunter-in disguise, named Kyrian. Now, it ain't any better at school, either, with a newly hired football coach. About the same time this coach arrives, a series of thefts at school happen and even murders of some fourteen year old boys in New Orleans. Could the coach have to do any thing with this? The coach is willing to let Nick back on the team only if he helps him with some not-so-pleasant work that he has to have done.

Then there s the football star, Caleb. He also turns out to be a demon, but not quite such an evil one. Nick has demons hunting him because he's part of a prophesy that says he's a Malachai. So now every demon is out to hunt and kill him except his friends, Caleb and Kody, who are demons. Caleb is supposed to be Nick's physical protector. Kody is supposed to be his mental protector. However, when Nick starts to see visions of Caleb choking him, one wonders, is he really his protector, or just a fraud?

When I started this book, I didn't realize it was not the first book in the series of books by this author. This is the first book I have read by Sherrilyn Kenyon. I was a bit confused about the characters near the beginning, but I seem to have gotten it straightened out in the first half of the book. This helped me better figure out the main theme of the story. I love how the author put this book together. It's a fast read. I hope it will keep you on the seat of your pants the whole time you're reading this book, like it did me. I feel this book is just AMAZING! I really look forward to reading more of this series.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Memphis, TN USA

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.