Wonderland by Joanna Nadin

Grabbing the envelope containing the precious application for drama school, Jude knows that once again her self-doubt will get in the way of her mailing it.  So when she brings the letter back home and places it back in her drawer, her mind begins to wander back to earlier days; back to the outgoing childhood friend, named Stella, that she used to have. Stella had come during those sorrow-filled days after her mother had passed away when she was only eight, and had encouraged Jude and was there for her when her mother no longer could be. She realizes that if Stella were still here then she would mail the letter for her, because Stella was always the brave one, the one who was never afraid of anything.  Not long after that, to Jude’s surprise and overjoyed happiness, Stella arrives, the picture of perfection and ready and willing to turn Jude into that glowing, standout actress that she longs to be.  Jude has always dreamed of moving to London and getting away from her boring, lonely, unremarkable Churchtown life where she lives unhappily with her pathetic dad and younger brother above the local post office owned by her father.  She sees drama school and Stella as that glimmer of hope for her life; but when Stella begins to take things too far, will Jude embrace her new identity or take back what is rightfully hers: herself?

I enjoyed Wonderland, by Joanna Nadin, and I think that she did a very good job at writing and planning the plotline for this story.  She wrote in short fragments a lot of the time, which kind of represented how people sometimes think, and I thought that was pretty unique and made the pages fly by quicker.  I enjoyed the characters; Ed seemed like he would be the perfect boyfriend, Jude was extremely easy to relate to, and Stella’s outgoing personality made for an interesting read. The conclusion definitely was surprising. I was not expecting what had happened at all; I would have never guessed that it would, but in a way, it definitely did make sense, and I enjoyed how the story came together in the end.  Wonderland is a great, quick summer read and I am looking forward to seeing what else Joanna Nadin writes in the future.

There was a lot of alcohol substance, sex and sexual suggestions and such, foul language, smoking, illegal drugs, and unruly behavior, rebellion, and disobedience.

Reviewer Age:17

Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg, PA USA

I So Don't Do Famous by Barrie Summy

Since seventh-grade Sherry (short for Sherlock) Holmes Baldwin has an eighth-grade boyfriend, she is sort of a celebrity at her middle school. On top of that, she is a very well-known detective in the spirit world for solving mysteries with her spirit mother. In "I So Don't Do Famous," Sherry gets to work on her biggest case yet-in Hollywood, California! People have been committing burglaries in the houses of young celebrities, and it's up to Sherry to discover who's hosting the heists. Also, she's got to convince the Beverly Hills Police Department that she can solve this mystery.

I thought this book was GREAT! I also reviewed the third book in this series, "I So Don't Do Makeup," and I liked both books. I could easily picture the setting of the book, since Ms. Summy described it so well. The author's voice was that of a 13-year-old, as it was in first-person narration. I could picture Sherry as a real person because the author did such a good job of sounding like a thirteen-year-old girl. Again, this was a great book, and I would DEFINITELY recommend it to someone who likes mysteries.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Hopkins, Michigan USA

The Immortal Lost by H.R. Phillips

The Immortal Lost is about a twenty-three year old girl, home to visit after graduating collage, who has always been slightly different. Dylan Black has the ability to see into others minds. What her mother calls a gift, she has learned from a young age to be a curse. A fun pass time that now she tries to avoid, thanks to a strange man who gave her horrible thoughts it seems on purpose. Now he's back to haunt her dreams and her conscious mind. Along with too very real people, one of which is a very good looking younger man, who try to answer her questions, but their answers only lead to more questions.
I thought H.R Phillips book was a bit jumbled. Instead of starting in Dylan and the main male character's past, and jumping forward, it seemed most of the book was made up of flash backs. It made it confusing and hard to understand. He was really descriptive and I could easily picture the environment the characters were in. The tightness of Dylan s family and few friends made me envious. I didn't quite understand the plot but it was an ok, fast read.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Glendale, AZ United States

The Map of Me by Tami Lewis Brown

In The Map of Me by Tami Lewis Brown, Margie goes on a mission to find her Mama who disappeared and left a note on the fridge saying, I HAVE TO GO , but where? She tries to find out and ends up on a HUGE adventure. Margie makes herself promise to find Mama and save the day and to live up to her sister, Peep, who is a genius and is always getting money for good grades. Margie soon finds herself kidnapping her sister while trying to get to a chicken museum in the car they stole from her Dad.  Since Mama is obsessed with chickens and needs only one more to complete her collection, the chicken museum is a reasonable place to search for her.  The whole time Margie wonders, Should I have done this? Can I turn the car around and give up? But she always answers, no , and the search continues.
This book is a little young for me, so that may be why I do not give it such good reviews but to younger people (ages 7-9) it would be perfect. The one thing I did not like about the book is that the ending did not wrap up the story for me like it could have.  It seemed like a sequel may be in the works (if there is that would be great!)

Reviewer Age:10
Reviewer City, State and Country: Rchester, New York U.S.A

Liar, Liar by Gary Paulsen

Fourteen year old Kevin is really good when it comes to getting people to do what he wants. Right now he wants to make a girl like him. To do that, he needs to spend time with her. ﾠ The story takes place mostly at Kevin s school. He tells about having a terrible disease to get Katie to do his school project for him. He gets his teachers to let him out of class. He also convinces his friends to get his class work for him. Everything is going wonderful till people realize he is not telling them the truth. Kevin has to find out some way to turn things around, especially when he is faced with the possibility of losing his family. Can getting a girl to like you be worth it?
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Gary Paulsen gives the reader a lot of different reasons why it is not a good idea to lie. The character Kevin, is faced with many decisions to make.  The book keeps you wondering what will happen next . It is a good book for middle school students.
I had to ask my Mom what was meant on page 17, last sentence of the first paragraph.  She wasn't real happy.
Reviewer Age:10
Reviewer City, State and Country: Glenwood, Arkansas USA

Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren

What would you think if you and your sister touched a handprint in an ancient Tuscan archeological site and suddenly you ended up six hundred years in the past? Well that s what happens to Gabi Betarrini, an American girl who finds herself stuck in fourteenth century Italy. Dressed in medieval gowns, Gabi seems to be having the time of her life, especially when a certain Italian knight is looking her way, but life is not all perfect in the hills of Tuscany. The ongoing battle between the Houses of Forelli and Paratore threaten the safety of both families and it gets extremely personal when Gabi hears that her sister might be a captive of the Paratores. Given a heartbreak ultimatum Gabi must think of how she will save her sister and how she will ever make it back home to her own time.
Gabi Betarrini, the female protagonist, displays a refreshing modern twist to the traditional female lead. Her strong willed personality, obvious intelligence and ability to solve problems without depending on a male counterpart makes her a good role model to young adult readers. The book was well written for the proposed audience and it was obvious that the author put a lot of time into research in order to present historically accurate information. Though the ending was a bit clich￩ and expected I would definitely recommend this novel, the plot twist made it very hard to put down.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Reston, Virginia United States of America

Nightspell by Leah Cypess

When Princess Darriniaka goes to Ghostland with her brother Varis, she has only one thought:  I have to rescue Callie, even if it means staying here!  Darri doesn t even consider the fact that her younger sister Callie might not want to leave.  Soon after Darri arrives at the castle, Callie tells her that Prince Kestin, whom Darri had been planning to marry in order to free Callie, has been murdered.  It is only later that Darri learns Callie is also a ghost.  Darri refuses to leave her sister in Ghostland but how can Callie return home if the touch of sunlight will kill her (for real this time!)?
I never thought I d say I liked a ghost story, but Nightspell was amazing.  This book is called a companion story to Mistwood, which I also reviewed (http://www.flamingnet.com/bookreviews/newreviews/newbookreview.cfm?title=Mistwood), but this story was much easier to follow, and seemed to have nothing in common with Mistwood.  It was interesting that ghosts were the result of murder, a chance for the person to get revenge on their killer.  This is a book that I think anyone would like, unless you don t like really gross-sounding things.


Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Lake City, IA USA

In Trouble by Ellen Levine

    Set in the late 1950 s during the McCarthy Era, Jamie and Elaine are best friends and now they are finally juniors in high school. Elaine has a college boyfriend named Neil and Jamie could have a boyfriend, if only she would open her heart up to Paul. During this time, girls who get in trouble are ignored, made fun of and are sometimes even sent away. So what happens when Elaine gets in trouble . Will she be sent away, leaving Jamie without her best friend? Will Elaine and Neil get married? Jamie s head spins with all of these thoughts. Also at this time, Jamie faces her haunting past of what happened that night and also the reunion with her Dad as he comes home from prison. Who knows what will happen to Elaine, but she is one girl of many facing trouble during this time.
   In Trouble was a book that took me back to the 1950 s and gave me the idea of what happens to girls who are facing teen pregnancy. The setting was really important in this book because teen pregnancy in the 1950 s was very unthinkable. Discrimination and being sent away were very likely if you were a pregnant teenager. Jamie, as the main character, was very dynamic, meaning she changed drastically throughout the book.  Throughout the book I felt sympathy for Elaine because she was a pregnant teenager without much support from her family or her boyfriend Neil. However I loved both of the characters, and I think the author did a great job including them in the plot. Also, I thought the author did a great job of explaining what happens to girls who get in trouble and the consequences they must face. I really liked this book and I would recommend it to girls 13 years and above, due to the talk of pregnancy and abortions.
I would advise adult guidance for this book because it does talk about abortions, pregnancy, and rape.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Springfield, Ohio USA

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Calla Tor is a Guardian, and can shapeshift seamlessly from human to wolf whenever she wants, which is helpful when she and her pack must protect the sacred sites for their masters, the Keepers. As the alpha female, Calla must lead her pack and marry the alpha male of a rival pack, Ren. But when she illicitly saves a human boy, Shay, she feels an undeniable attraction to him. When Shay causes Calla to question the Keepers' rules, her impending marriage, and her whole lifestyle, Calla must make the choice to remain dutiful to her pack or follow her heart.
I loved Nightshade and thought that it was a great addition to the paranormal genre. Now that there is a plethora of vampire novels, authors are shifting their books towards werewolves, which is the mythical creature that takes center stage in Nightshade. I liked that Calla and her pack are non-traditional werewolves: they can shapeshift at will and not just at the full moon, and there is a whole pack heirachy with rules and regulations that makes the novel very interesting. An important part of Nightshade is the love triangle between Calla, Ren, and Shay. In the vein of Twilight, I'm sure these two male leads will spark a lot of debate and cause readers to pick the one they like better. I think both options are realistic for Calla but I just hope that the romance debate won't get in the way of Nightshade's actual plot, which is very interesting. Nothing that Calla has been told about the Keepers and the Guardians (which is what the werewolves are called) is true and she must find out the truth in subsequent novels. Overall, I really enjoyed Nightshade and can't wait for the next book!

Reviewer Age:19
Reviewer City, State and Country: Aston, Pennsylvania United States

RE: Ameca J and the Revenge of Rex-Ultar

The book is now uploaded to our list of available books to review. I look forward to reading the review!

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