Amen, L.A. by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld

Natalie Shelton is in for the ride of her life. She lives in a tiny Minnesota town where her mom is the pastor at their local church. Then out of the blue her mom landed a fantastic job as the new pastor in the Church of Beverly Hills. Natalie is dragged along to California leaving her boyfriend, Sean, behind. Soon Natalie forgets all about her old town and old boyfriend. She's living in a huge mansion, making friends with celebrities, and going to real L.A. parties. But is Natalie adjusting to the Hollywood life too fast? Do her morals even exist anymore?

I thought Amen L.A. was a pretty cute story. I requested it because I just needed a light, fun, book and that's exactly what I got. The characters were very interesting and easy to relate to, especially Natalie. Coming from a small town and being in a long distance relationship myself, her story was very appealing. The plot also kept getting better as new characters kept being introduced. The ending wrapped itself up pretty well, but the authors left plenty of room for a sequel. I really enjoyed reading this book and I am definitely going to recommend it to some of my friends.

Sexual Content, Explicit language, and Use of illegal drugs and alcohol. 

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Hopkins, Michigan United States

Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton

Silla Kennicott had a pretty good life - doting parents, a loving brother, a shot at becoming an actress - until the horrific murder-suicide committed by her father. Silla refuses to believe her father would commit such an atrocious act, and when she receives a book in the mail containing magic spells, she's certain something else is going on. All the spells require blood, but Silla's willing to do anything to find out more about her father's past. That's when she meets Nick Pardee, a transplant from Chicago, and the two might have more in common than they think. This isn't Nick's first experience with Blood Magic, and their shared powers might be needed to defeat evil that's lurking in the shadows of their small town.

I enjoyed Blood Magic and thought it was a decent addition to the Paranormal/Fantasy genre. I haven't read that many books about witches (excluding Harry Potter, of course), so I was intrigued by Blood Magic. Blood Magic was different in that you needed blood to complete any spells, which is a little gruesome but plays into the atmosphere well. The plot was very suspenseful even though it wasn't too hard to guess who the villain was. I thought that Silla was a resilient character because she was able to keep going after her parents died and didn't completely break down. Nick was an okay character; even though part of the book is his point-of-view, I still don't feel like I know that much about him. I'm starting to think that the love-at-first-sight thing is getting overdone, which is what happened in Blood Magic. Silla and Nick have an "instant attraction" but I don't think it was as well-written as it could have been. Besides that, I liked Blood Magic and look forward to the sequel.

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

Hatshepsut of Egypt by Shirin Yim Bridges

HATSHEPSUT OF EGYPT

Ever since they broke through the walls in Hatshepsut's tomb, people have been wondering about her, and how there could have ever been a female pharaoh. Because weren't pharaohs always males? This story is about a woman who bravely declared herself pharaoh. Why don't we learn more about her in school? You will find out about all of this in this interesting and informative book.


HATSHEPSUT OF EGYPT

Hatshepsut of Egypt is a very good book that I would recommend to GIRLS from the ages of 9-13. The illustrations are well done, and help readers to picture Hatshepsut's times. I thought it was good to learn how she ruled and increased Egypt's treasury. One of the reasons I liked this book is because it shows that women are fit to be rulers. Hatshepsut made plenty of money for Egypt and made peace with others instead of fighting them.

It was fun to read HATSHEPSUT OF EGYPT. It is perfect sized at about 20 pages.



Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Rockford, MI USA

Bargains and Betrayals

Bargains and Betrayals continues Jessica's and Pieter's story of love, lies, sacrifices, daring rescues and werewolves. Jessica, Jess, has just been unwillingly torn from her true love and checked into an asylum. Now she has to find a way out in order to save Pieter's mother from a life cut short due to their werewolf genetics. Like any sickness there is a cure but one only Jess can provide. In the third book of the 13 to Life series, Jess and Pieter make drastic sacrifices to keep all they love alive.
I loved the first two 13 to Life books and the third installment to the series kept me just as interested. I tore through the book in less then a day with eagerness that was not at any point disappointed. It was a great page turner but took a little thinking and rereading to understand at times. In this book Shannon Delany skipped in between characters demanding that you pay attention to who is telling the story. I can't wait to see what the next book has to offer.
I rated the content a 3 because it made numerous references to sex and at one point vaguely described it.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Glendale, AZ United States

Reel Life Starring Us by Lisa Greenwald

In Lisa Greenwald’s book Reel Life Starring Us, Dina is the new girl at Rockwood Hills Middle School. Rockwood Hills is known for its cliques and for Sasha Preston, the now famous movie star that used to attend the middle school. Dina soon learns that Rockwood Hills is not like her old school and that in this school you’re either in the in-crowd or, in Dina’s case, you’re not. When Dina gets assigned to work on a video project with Chelsea, the most popular girl in school, Dina can’t help but think that she will finally fit in. However, Dina soon realizes that Chelsea’s home life isn’t what you would expect for such a popular individual. Will the video project help these two become friends? Will Dina ever fit in? And most importantly, will anyone ever really be in the in crowd at Rockwood Hills Middle School? 

As I read this book, I felt compassion for Dina as she entered Rockwood Hills. People weren’t very nice to her, and being a new student didn’t help her case. I also felt compassion for Chelsea, due to the situation in her home life and the struggle she goes through in order to keep it a secret. The setting played a major role in this book because Rockwood Hills is a very wealthy community and Dina and Chelsea are very different when it comes down to money. The plot in this book was slow at some points and made it hard to read through some of the pages. I felt like this book took awhile to get to the climax of the story, but the climax and the rising action left led to a well thought out ending. If you are looking for an easy read and a book about true friendship, Reel Life Starring Us would be the right choice. 

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Springfield, Ohio USA

Sass and Serendipity by Jennifer Ziegler

A tribute to Sense and Sensibility, Sass and Serendipity is a tale of two sisters. Gabby, the older responsible sister, always sees the glass as half empty. She only has one friend, and spends all of her time either studying or at her job trying to support their single mom. Daphne is a junior varsity cheerleader with high hopes and tons of friends. She is always super positive and loves to kick back and enjoy life. The two sisters never see eye to eye on anything. Gabby always wishes Daphne would get her head out of the clouds and come back to reality. Daphne wants Gabby to get off her back and live a little. When some extreme changes enter these two sisters lives, their lives get turned upside down and the girls start questioning their perspectives.
I loved this book. I wasnt sure how difficult it might be, considering one out of the three words in the title I hadnt seen before, but it was an easy read. (Serendipity means good luck, or events playing out in a good way.) Some realistic fiction books dont seem very realistic. This book applies to any two sisters, and is as real as can be. An engaging mix of realistic fiction and romance, I would recommend this book to any girl over 12, especially ones with sisters.  

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Leawood, KS United States

Brooklyn, Burning by Steve Brezenoff

Brooklyn, Burning is about a street kid trying to fit in and create an identity for him/herself. Kid is just a teenager who has a love of the music and the soul of Brooklyn, but that is what seems to separate his/her father from him/her. When his/her father kicks his out of his home, Kid sleeps, hopes, and plays the drums anywhere he can find a friend. Another plot comes twisting into the story when Kid is found a likely suspect of burning down the historic warehouse, where he has been living for the past few weeks. In this story of survival, forgiveness, punk rock and love, the city of Brooklyn will be calling you home by the end.

In this book about a street kid trying to find his/her own life, it shows the power and force of dreams and love. Brezenoffs book reveals some harsher city moments, but also the hope that is sparked deep within those times. This book truly transforms the image of Brooklyn and its streets. I was a little confused with who Kid actually was, because it never completely said whether kid was a boy or girl. I understand that this may be intentional, but it bothered me because I couldn't fully relate to the character without completely knowing Kid. I thought that this was a great book, and it had a good fictional twist to the truth of the warehouse burning.


Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Lederach, PA USA

Wild @ Heart by Natsumi Ando

Like most teenage girls, Chino only wants one thing: to fall in love.  But when she finally does, it's nothing like she expected.  She ends up falling head over heals for Hyo, a jungle-raised boy who was found by her father on an exploration.  Hyo is completely uncivilized and has absolutely no idea of how to behave.  Nonetheless, when Hyo starts living with Chino's family and attending the same school, sparks begin to fly. 
A good manga has beautiful artwork and a more substantial storyline to match it.  A great manga has those two things, plus the ability to completely hold the reader's attention.  This manga is not good - it's great.  The artwork is beautiful, but clear, so it is easy to see what is going on in each illustration.  The storyline actually has depth and is not just an after-thought added to the pictures.  Everything about this manga works together and creates an overall great reading experience.  And since it is a three volume set, there is more of the story in one book, which is something that I look for.  I would recommend this manga if you've enjoyed mangas by Matsuri Hino or Bisco Hatori. 

Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, USA

Messiah: Apotheosis by S Andrew Swann

This book is an exciting action adventure. It is about a alien AI (artificial intelligence) who is trying to become God. He has many bodies of himself and grows stronger by making people join his cause. This book takes place on a world called Bakunin and its surrounding space. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read sci-fi books.

  I liked this book. It had a ring of Star Wars about it but was totally different. It was written so that you cannot wait to read the next chapter. I could not put down this book until I finished it. The author did a great job of describing different parts of the settings and characters. I would definitely recommend this book to people who love science fiction.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Hunting Valley, OH USA

Starstruck by Cyn Balog

When Gwendolyn Dough Reillys best friend in New Jersey moves away from her all the way to California, the only real way to cope with this is to start eating more items from her mothers bakery. As time passes by she her friend, Wish finally asks her out to be her boyfriend. Dough accepts, but does not realize that he will be coming back to the east coast. As Wish transforms into a bronze goddess, dough has packed on a few pounds. Dough is just waiting for her boyfriend to break up with her once he sets her eyes on her. When they first meet at school, the pictures on facebook do not do him justice at all. Wish is acting really weird around Dough. Not only is he more in love with her then ever, but he is obsessed with the sun and is afraid from the rain.  The only thing is how did wish change from a lanky kid into a Hollywood rock-star? Will he still stay with her once he sees what Dough has turned into? Find out in this romantic, Sci-fi/fantasy mystery! The setting of this book definitely comes easily into the mind. I can totally picture the crappy bakery on the island that Dough lives in. I feel as if I was a fly following Dough around the whole book. The characters take a life of their own. Dough materializes so easy within my head, and all her actions I could see could be easily done. Balog writes her in the book in which her actions are easily seen. Barlog contrasts the character of Evie, Doughs sister, who is so pretty and skinny. Wish is also easily seen and just thinking about him could make anyone drool. Dough is the narrator of the book and she is so funny. Not because she jokes around, but I always start to laugh when she describes how bad she looks. The only thing is she does get a little annoying in the beginning when she talks about how fat she is.
The Author defiantly achieved her purpose, which was that looks are not everything. The writing is age appropriate, which is young adult. The vocabulary was alright for young adult, but definitely could have been a little more difficult. The strengths of the book are the characters and how they come to life, and the setting. The major weakness of the book is how the book develops. In the beginning of the book I barely read a few chapters. Dough was whining to much, but near the end I could not put down the book. I found this book refreshing and very moving. I find this refreshing because most of the books now-a-days in the teen genre are about vampires or werewolves in the sci-fi/ fantasy genre. It was nice to see something new and fresh. It was also interesting to see how the book developed till the end. Which I loved the ending! This book just reinforced that looks are not everything, and that exteriors are not everything. I would definitely recommend this book to others because it was funny and interesting to find out what happens between Dough and wish.
Some talk about sex and drinking alcohol.
Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Northport, NY USA