Alice-Miranda at School by Jacqueline Harvey

Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones is a very peppy girl who turns Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale Acadamy upside down! When Alice-Miranda first arrives at Winchester-Downsfordvale she finds a sad cook, and a sad gardener. Can she make them happy with the help of her parents? And when Ms.Grimm makes her take an awful test can she pass it? Maybe with the help of the people she helped she can!

I chose this book thinking it was written for kids my age, but after reading the book I realized it was written for kids 7-10. It was based on a 7 year old, but even if you are over that age range you will still like the book. I did. It's just written for kids younger than me.

I liked the plot of the book. It was written very well, but what I didn t like about it were all the long confusing names such as- Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones, and Winchester-Downsfordvale. I found it hard to keep everything together since everyone had long name like that.

Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Skokie, Illinois U.S. of A.

The Charmed Return by Frewin Jones

Charmed Return is the next book in Frewin Jones' Faerie Path books. The book picks up where the last left off. It starts out with Anita/Tania back at her human home and she had no memory of Faerie or her other half: Edric and her sister. The first part of the book revolves around uniting with her past selves and defeating her evil uncle. The second part talks about her adventures relearning herself again.

Frewin Jones shot high and missed. This book left more questions than answers. The ending left quite a bit to be desired. It lacked the flair that Frewin Jones normally had for her endings. She leaves the ending open and shut. She could have ended and moved on from this mess, or she could try and save this series. The book was rushed and Anita/Tania did a 180 from the previous books. It wasn't one of Ms. Jone's nicer pieces.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Carbondale, Illinois USA

C I N by Christina Leigh Pritchard

Lisa Brown's life has just taken a turn for the worst. Her mother has decided to commit herself to a psychiatric ward, and leave Lisa with her aunt in Lynn, Massachusetts. As if that isn't enough, this city is bizarre. The locals have a saying "Lynn, Lynn, the city of sin. You never come out the way you went in." Lisa must live in the local boarding school for geniuses, which her Aunt owns. There, she meets a dog named Pig, and a cat named Rat. "Mind the cat" everyone says. She also meets Ally and Alex Moody, who are both anti-social and very rude, and she learns that she has to share the house with them. Things just keep getting worse, and then she's hit by lightning...Things begin to get very strange, very quickly as Lisa unravels the mystery of Lynn.

C I N was an amazing read. From the first page to the very last, the tone and writing style captured me as the plot thickened with each turn of the page. The characters were rich and strange, the setting was perfect, and the plot was original. Christina Leigh Pritchard has obvious talent and deserves to go far. There is one problem that permeates this book, however. Since C I N appears self-published, I assumed that the author had no editor. I may be wrong, but if so, I feel that Ms.Pritchard needs a new editor. Her book, while wonderfully written, is full of punctuation errors. I found myself going through with a red pen and correcting every one. It also had several typos, and there were a few paragraphs that needed to be re-written entirely in order to make better sense. Some sentences were very oddly written, and I had to edit in my head to get around them. This book has great potential, but these mistakes really got in the way when I was reading. I give this book an 8/10, but it definitely has the potential to be a 9 if the errors are fixed.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Sykesville, MD United States

Infinity: Chronicles of Nick by Sherrilyn Kenyon

This is a fantasy novel about a boy named Nick Gautier. He lives a normal life in New Orleans with his mom and they both struggle just to get by. That all changes when he learns of a whole new side of the world he lives in. He learns that his world is just a mask for all the creatures he once believed to be a myth. Nick has to try to survive in a realm of vampire hunters, werewolves, demons, and zombies and hopefully not get eaten on the way.

Zombies, Werewolves, Vampires, Oh my. Infinity is a fantasy/supernatural novel that will keep you wanting more. I personally am not a fan of zombie books, but this book kept my interest the whole time. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes supernatural books with a few different creatures thrown in. Kenyon did an amazing job with this book and I can't wait to read more.

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

The Jewel and the Key by Louise Spiegler

It was definitely the mirror and the earthquake that started it all. One moment, Addie is strolling through the crumbling streets and frantic crowds of Seattle; and the next, she is amongst weirdly dressed people who apparently make a habit of injuring each other with bricks. It is in this parallel world that Addie meets Reg and discovers the Jewel, a professional theater and any budding actress s dream. When she is offered a job as assistant director, Addie makes every effort to return to this old version of Seattle as frequently as possible. When events in each world seem to almost mirror each other, Addie realizes that there is a lot more at stake than her own desires.

I am often weary of time travel books, as it is very easy to butcher them. However, I enjoyed The Jewel and the Key immensely. The fact that I had never heard of the Industrial Workers of the World, an organization central to the novel s plot, was very surprising considering the long hours I ve spent in various high school U.S. history classes. The author s incorporation of history and theatrical arts sets up a great background for the novel.

Also like every other YA story, there is lurrrve. What seems like a love triangle at first quickly becomes more of a line segment or a diatomic covalent molecule (if you are in a particularly chemistry-oriented mood like yours truly). The object of Addie s affections is young Reg, a flamboyant actor with quite a dramatic personality. Their relationship was adorable, and the conclusion succeeded in stealing a few tears from me. I actually went back and reread the ending a few times after finishing the novel. I guess it can be described as bittersweet without going overboard with cheesiness. Mostly, it was just heartbreaking.

The Jewel and the Key is a quaint historical novel that packs quite a punch. It also contributed to my lack of sleep, as I couldn 't stop myself from reading late into the night instead of sleeping like the rest of the normal human beings in my time zone.

Reviewer Age:16

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

The Fallen: Demon by Kristina Douglas

Kristina Douglas's book The Fallen: Demon tells an exciting story of hatred, love and prophecy. Former ruler of the Fallen, Azazel, regrets not vanquishing the noxious Lilith when he had the chance to do so. With fear of a prophecy that threatens to wed him to the evil seductress fresh in his mind, he ventures out once again in an attempt to destroy her. There is a problem though, Lilith no longer has any memory of her time spent as a seductress. Now Azazel must construct a plan to end Uriel's murderous wrath that involves keeping both he and his mate alive.

The Fallen: Demon is the perfect combination of mystery, romance and suspense. It captured my attention right away and kept it throughout the entire book. The writing was phenomenal. Very well thought out. The point of view involving the Bible was strange for me but otherwise I loved it. My only criticism is that there are a few spelling errors here and there. I would definitely recommend this book.

This book should only be read by mature readers because it has swearing and sexual content.

Rating:9
Content Rating: 3
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chico, CA USA

Etched in Bone by Adrian Phoenix

This is the fourth book in "The Maker's Song" series. The
main character is a human female named Heather who has
bonded to a half vampire, half fallen angel named Dante.
The plot is centered around Dante's struggle with his
things from his past coming back to haunt him as well as
the different groups in the magical community pulling him
in multiple directions. He also has to deal with his own
mind betraying him as he was, perhaps irrevocably,
tortured while growing up as part of a covert
assassination group.

Overall, the book had a good plot
the keep the reader attentive wanting  to know what was
going to happen next. The author's use of multiple points
of view allows the reader to really get into the different
character's skin and to experience what they are
experiencing. The book combines both the idea of vampires
and fallen angels together to create a hidden world that
coexists with the world as we know it. This gives the book
depth and frees both the author and reader to use
their imaginations. The frequent sex scenes however, were
a definite turnoff and readers should exercise caution
according to their own standards and moral values.

This
book contains frequent graphic scenes involving detailed
descriptions of sexual intercourse. These justify
a "mature readers only" rating.

Reviewer
Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Berwyn Heights,
Maryland United States

Hemingway Man by Jim Maher

In the book the Hemingway Man, a sixteen year old Will has
just lost his father. At his father s funeral, one of his
dad s friends approaches him, and tells him that he will now
have to be the man in the family. Will is very lost on this
subject because he has no one to guide him into manhood.
Will searches for guidance, and finds a role model in Ernest
Hemingway, an American writer. Hemingway had four steps to
become a man-- 1. Plant a tree  2. Fight a bull  3. Write a
book  4. Have a son. When Will first finds this counsel, he
is delighted at such an easy answer, but as he sets out on
his mission, not everything is as easy as it seems. Will s
journey takes him through the pain, mental and physical, of
growing up. Although Will may not complete Hemingway s list,
he uncovers the true man in himself even if it might not be
Hemmingway s man.

I really enjoyed reading this book a
lot. It was a realistic example of a teenager growing up
with all of the external and internal pressures of modern
times, while still being comical. I would put this book
under realistic fiction because it realistically told the
story of Will growing into a man, even with his failures. If
I could change three things in this book, it would be that I
would add more emotion, other than just laying in his bed,
of losing his father in the beginning. I would also explain
what the italicized parts of the story were. Lastly,
sometimes the book wandered off into areas that were not
really related to the story, but then the important details
were just briefed over. I relay enjoyed reading this book,
and I was laughing in a lot of parts. It s great!

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country:
Lederach, PA United States

Vampire Kisses 8

Our story takes place after Alexander's party. We find our two protagonists on a romantic date but this is soon ruined when they spot Jagger's hearse in front of the old factory. Upon examining the factory they find Jagger and Sebastian discussing the opening of a new club here. With this discovery two emotions start to flood Raven; fear and happiness. A club would be great for the town but if it were open to vampires Alexander could be in danger of being found out. Now it is up to Raven to convince Jagger to open the club only to humans. Although there could be even more trouble if Raven's best friend Becky finds out the truth.

I am always amazed by Ellen Schreiber. She writes beautifully always achieves her purpose. Her characters are easy to picture and her descriptions are so good I can almost draw them. I am absolutely in love with Vampire Kisses. I can't wait for the next book.

Reviewer Age:20
Reviewer City, State and Country: Az city, Arizona USA

he Last Apprentice: Rage of the Fallen by Joseph Delaney

In this book a boy named Tom Ward is headed to Ireland, but for an odd reason. Tom is a spook's apprentice- he deals with the dark everyday-which gives him an upper hand. His master and him are  in a pickle. They have to either stall the devil from tormenting Tom's soul, or stop the the wizards from stealing power from the old god Pan. Well, I'll let you find out the rest.

I'd say, it's a good stand alone book. I read it with out even reading book 1 in the series! I think the author really hit the spot with this book. He also had developed character like i've never seen before. I mean, he created a whole new career with this series! If you like a book with magic a bit of gore, and gods getting their butts kicked, this is your kind of book.

Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Merced, CA United States