101 Ways to Become a Superhero by Richard Horne and Helen Szirtes

101 Ways to Become a Superhero is the definitive guide for anyone who wants to don a cape, fight super-villains, or leap tall buildings. The book has 101 "ways," or tasks, to become the ultimate superhero. However, you can also use these ways to become an evil genius. Each "way" outlines items you will need as well as objective to complete to master that "way" to becoming a superhero. It is a book that is meant to be written in, and there are spaces for you to place photos and stickers to track your progress. 101 Ways to Become a Superhero is the ultimate interactive journey to becoming your own hero. Warning: The book won't actually make you fly.

101 Ways to Become a Superhero is another book in the authors' "101 Ways" series. However, the subject of superheroes and super-villains is quite different from the other topics they have examined. The authors deliver a fun, enjoyable experience through this book. Each page has items to fill out as well as places for pictures and stickers (stickers are provided in the back of the book). Younger readers will get more value as they are more likely to do some of the tasks outlined in the book. They are advised to get some help from their parents in gathering materials and inserting pages and photos in the book. Although this book's main use is geared towards its interactive use, the book can also provide value for older readers who may be interested in writing their own superhero stories. The 101 ways give an aspiring author plenty of questions to mold an origin story for a new hero or villain. Overall, I think this book will give readers a very unique experience, and it is a great choice for younger children who want to have fun becoming their very own superhero.

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

Into the Unknown by Stewart Ross

Into the Unknown by Stewart Ross is a great teacher recourse. Not only are the maps big, detailed, and easy to follow and read, but the book is actually hard to put down! While some of the explorers you learn about most students already heard about, this book puts these explorers in a whole new perspective.  As I was reading this book, I also didn't realize how much inventions from other countries affected the explorers. I recommend this book to any student who has to learn about explorers, any teacher who needs a book on explorers, or any kid who is just interested in learning about explorers
In my opinion, this book was actually kind of interesting. It is not a book I would read if I had a novel with me, but if that was the only book I had I would read it. I was afraid this book would be a snore, but it wasn't. In a way, it was interesting to read because it was factual. I learned things I had not known about explorers and odd things, such as how silk is made. This book has improved my mind, and how things we take for granted, such as a compass, really have improved our world

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Nappannee, Indiana United States of America

The A Circuit by Georgina Bloomberg and Catherine Hapka

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The A Circuit has an unusual toleration/friendship that seems to work: Tommi, a billionaire heiress; Kate, a true working student; and Zara, the daughter of a famous rock star. However, Kate and especially Tommi don t want Zara around, which may have been because she was acting superior and expecting everyone to serve her. These girls do work through their differences, and eventually tolerate each other. The A Circuit is a fast-paced book and will keep any reader on their toes.


I enjoyed this book, however I would have enjoyed the book more if the language would have been appropriate. This book may not be a best seller, but the author has a lot of talent and could have some best sellers. This book is all about horses, so it will appeal to any girl who loves horses or thinks she does. However, parents would be advised to read this book before there child, especially if she is younger. If any young girl enjoys this book but would like a horse series with cleaner language, I would recommend the series Canterwood Crest.  
some bad language I would have made it a 1.5 but that was not available so I just put two.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Nappannee, Indiana United States of America

Departures by Christy Miller

   While heading out for summer vacations, Christy Miller and Sierra Jensen cross paths. They will soon realize the true meaning of friendship.


   After a high school graduation and a breakup from Todd, Christy Miller sets out with her family to Wisconsin for her grandparents 50th Wedding Anniversary. While in her hometown, Christy reconnects with Matthew Kingsley, her old crush from junior high. As the two bond, Matthew shows a romantic interest in Christy. Christy will soon realize that this summer vacation will have a big impact on her future.


   Sierra Jensen's summer vacation is starting off great. Sierra is going to a lake cabin with her best friend Jana and Jana's family. As they arrive in Montana, Sierra soon realizes that Jana is set on getting a boyfriend and will do whatever it takes to get one. Sierra just wants to enjoy the vacation with Jana and hang out with the guys as friends. Sierra will need to discover her true feelings and realize that she is growing up.

 I really enjoyed this book. I liked both characters in the story. Christy's story line was a great way to show how two people can reconnect after such a long period apart. Sierra's story line was an effective way to show how girls grow up and what they will do to get guys to notice them. The plots and settings of these stories were used appropriately. The settings made sense in the story lines and the plot kept me turning pages in the book. 

  I would recommend this book to girls who love romance and friendship.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Springfield, Ohio US

Start It Up by Kenrya Rankin

Start It Up is a complete guide that helps budding entrepreneurs realize their dream and expand their horizons. It covers the entire process of starting a business, from the initial planning to official paperwork filings to customer service. In each step, Rankin presents factual information required to accomplish the step, tips that will facilitate and enhance the process, and anecdotes from successful teen entrepreneurs. For example, this book describes the pros and cons of each of the three type of legal structures for a business: sole proprietorship/partnership, limited liability company, and corporation. It also provides several arguments for whether or not to form a partnership or go solo. Lastly, stories of teen entrepreneurs on their experiences throughout the process reinforce the themes described in the book. Founders of Free Mania and Milo.com, among many others, describe what they learned since starting their businesses as teenagers. There are also web resources at the end of every chapter that provide useful information to supplement the material presented. Overall, this is a very thorough manual to starting a business and should be an interesting read to anyone with a desire to become an entrepreneur.

Like I said before, the book is fairly thorough and covers pretty much every aspect of starting a business. Being an introductory book, it serves as a beginning guide for people (especially teenagers) who are interested in entering the entrepreneurship field. But it is certainly not detailed enough at every single step to be the sole consultant of a starting business. One of the most helpful features is the personal anecdotes by people who have gone through the same process and excelled. Reading their stories put things in perspective and helps us learn from their experiences.

Personally, I believe that the hardest part of starting a business is finding that Next Big Idea . The obstacle for an entrepreneur is not necessarily whether or not a company name is trademarked, but what product/service to provide in the first place. It often seems like every conceivable idea out there has already been thought of. In terms of finding that lightbulb moment, Start It Up offers little advice other than pursue something you are good at . While the stories do offer how other teen entrepreneurs first came up with their ideas, I'd prefer if more tips are given on how to come up with a unique idea that combines both a person's strength and a necessity in society. Other than that, the rest of the book will be of significant help to the beginning entrepreneur.

Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Palo Alto, CA USA

Nerd Camp by Elissa Brent Weissman

     In the book, Nerd Camp, by Elissa Brent Weissman, the main character Gabe, is invited to camp at the Summer Center for Gifted Enrichment, or as some of the kids call it, the Summer Center for Geeks and Eggheads. Gabe is really excited for camp until he meets his soon to be step brother Zack. Zack is cool, handsome and grammatically incorrect, everything Gabe isn t. Gabe really wants his brother to like him, so he hides his intelligence, for the most part. At camp Gabe has more fun than ever! He loves his classes and his two bunk mates, Wesley, who talks in his sleep, and Nikhil, who always plays it safe. The only person he doesn t get along with is a girl named Amanda who claims that they were meant to be! . But life in camp turns upside down by a lice epidemic, which may cause the camp to cancel the camper s favorite event, Color War. Will Color War be cancelled? Will Gabe be brought down by lice and a girl? Or will he forever be labeled a nerd by his step brother? Read the book Nerd Camp and find out.

Nerd Camp is the perfect summer read for someone who wants to relax and have a few laughs. I thought that this book flowed very smoothly. It was also a very content and light read. The characters in this book are very agreeable and are the kind of people you d love to get to know. My only complaint would be that there wasn t a lot suspense or drama throughout the story. Overall I though this book was well written and a very fun read.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Leawood, Kansas United States of America

The Silver Mage by Katharine Kerr

The dragon Rori, formerly known as the man Rhodorix, is closer than ever before to getting his human form back. However, the one thing that holds the secret to his restoration is in the wild northlands, in the hands of a slave. An army of Horsekin is marching, and only with the help of Dallandra, Valandario, and Salamander can they be stopped, and Rori restored. With Haen Marn, the Island of Healing, having vanished, the heros' fear of losing the war grows.
I loved this book. It could have done better on the descriptions, but the characters were, in my opinion, very well written. One thing I liked was how the author left some of the characters hanging, but left just enough of a guide line for you to imagine their end. It is like many fantasy books but has its own uniqueness. I liked the ending, since it seems to have resolved the main conflict of the whole series: Rori, a man, being turned into a dragon. I would recommend this book to anyone that reads books about magic and mythical creatures.
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Ardmore, Oklahoma United States

Instinct by Jeremy Robinson

This novel is the second in a continuing series about the Chess Team. The genre is military science fiction and fantasy. When a weaponized disease stops the president's heart, he is revived only because of the actions of the Secret Service. However, the deadly disease threatens the human race with extinction. The Chess Team, a group of five highly trained members of the United States military, is secretly sent to the disease's point of origin in Vietnam. Its mission is to escort a CDC scientist as she searches for a cure, but many dangers, such as Vietnamese soldiers, a bizarre humanoid species, and the disease itself, complicate the task.
I have read and enjoyed the previous book in the series, Pulse, and I also enjoyed this novel. It mixes modern military tactics and weaponry with fantasy and science fiction. The result is a story which is impossible but is still grounded in fact. As a result, I recommend this book mainly to people who enjoy both adventure, especially military adventure, and fantasy. As the story progresses, it becomes less realistic but remains entertaining. This book can be understood without reading the previous one in the series, and the main story concludes by the end of the novel. However, a new complication relating to the earlier book is introduced in the epilogue. I would recommend reading the previous novel first, if only because it is a great read that introduces the characters.
This book has lots of violence and some sexual references. Its target audience is high school students and adults.
Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Royersford, PA United States

Killer Pizza: The Slice by Greg Taylor

Killer Pizza, the Slice by Greg Tayler includes the same characters we love from the first book plus some new people and monsters. Toby, Annabelle, Strobe, Harvey and Steve continue to protect the world from monsters. There is a new type of monster in this book that the pizza shop front knows nothing about. There is an almost invincible, invisible demon plus more "fun" as you turn the pages of this book . As Toby, Annabelle and Strobe protect Calanthe from her abandoned tribe and from the dangers of High School, this fun filled horror continues.
This book had me hanging on the edge for the entire thing as I was wondering what was going to happen next. Killer Pizza, the Slice was a huge page turner with its great description and suspense. I recommend this book to anyone over 8 yrs old because it is a little scary.
Reviewer Age:11 Uxbridge, MA USA

The Fallen: Raziel by Kristina Douglas

The fallen Raziel by Kristina Douglas is about a fallen angel named Raziel whose job is to bring the souls of the dead to their destination in the other world, whether it be heaven or hell. Raziel has been empty for a very long time and he doesn't care about anyone or anything except annoying the angel who condemned him and the other fallen, Uriel. When he is sent to take a writer, Allie Watson, to heaven he does so without thinking twice about it, but when he realizes he is taking her to hell he changes his mind and decides to take her home, but why? Throughout the story Allie and Raziel begin to fall for each other and they must face the consequences that follow. Raziel and the other angels on earth are not the only ones who fell from heaven; blood thirsty hideous creatures fell as well with only one task: to kill the fallen angels and their mates. Allie has to learn to survive in a world just minutes away from breaking out into a war between angels.

I absolutely loved this book, I couldn't put it down! I was anxious and excited to see what would happen on the next page, and there would be a surprise in each page! I can not wait to read the next book in this awesome series!

Some sexual content in book.
Reviewer Age:14  Uxbridge, MA USA