Flat Broke by Gary Paulsen

In the book "Flat Broke" the main characters are Kevin and John Paul. Kevin has lost his allowance due to lying. He is constantly thinking of ways to make money. His Aunt Buzz is refusing to pay him for working for her, because he lied to her too. Kevin baby sits a little boy named Markie to earn some money for his drivers' test. Kevin is always thinking of ways to get a girl named Tina to like him. He tries to earn money for two tickets to the school dance, and so he sets up poker games in his basement. I enjoyed reading this book, and hope Mr. Paulsen writes another book to keep the series alive!

In my opinion, "Flat Broke" was very fun to read. I think that Mr. Paulsen achieved his writing purpose very well. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends to read. I enjoyed this book because I got to enjoy a funny book. I liked the ending because it left it open for another book. I hope there is going to be another book in this series to continue the adventure and humor.

Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Glenwood, Arkansas United States

Torn by Erica O'Rourke

Torn by Erica O’Rourke was a wonderful mystery with a touch of magic and deception. In the beginning of the book, Maura’s best friend, Verity is murdered one night while they are out together. Maura gets away, but her best friend wasn’t so lucky. Maura wakes up in the hospital and for the first time she meets the mysterious Luc. When she gets out of the hospital, she goes to Verity’s funeral and sees some very strange things. Maura also finds an object that could help her find Verity’s killer. The police are still looking for the murderer, so Maura’s mother is worried about her and hires a bodyguard named Collin to keep her safe. She soon meets a friend of Luc’s named Evangeline who tells her information that will change everything. Maura and Luc soon start to piece together the murder and discover a magical world. I think that this book fits into two categories, mystery and romance. It is a mystery to find Verity's killer and stop the Torrent, but it is also a romantic book because she has to choose between two guys.

While reading this book, I felt like I was right there with the characters because the setting was so good. The mood of the book is deceiving because you feel like there is always something more than what meets the eye. I think that the characters in this book are very real because I can imagine them as real people. I think they seem this way because they don't seem phony or fake. They have traits that real people would have. The voice of the author is serious, sometimes sarcastic, and at some times funny. I think it was appropriate that the story was told in first person because it was easier to follow the story that way. The author left me wondering what happened to some characters and part of the plot at the end because it isn't a satisfactory ending. She also leaves you hanging, so there could definitely be a sequel. I definitely think that the author achieved their purpose to entertain because I was very entertained by this story and I really enjoyed reading it. I think that this piece was very well written because it was very descriptive and I made really good mental pictures in my head. It was also easy to understand. One of the strengths in this book is the many twists and turns that this mystery has. Other books in this genre have been a little slower than this book, so I like this book because it has a faster pace. I found this book very interesting because of how well this book was written and how the plot was laid out. One thing that I did not like is that the ending of this book isn't very satisfactory; it still leaves a couple things not completely resolved. I definitely think that this book could have a sequel. I would recommend this book to others because I really enjoyed it. I think that it is a book that everyone can enjoy because it is such a great mystery and a little bit of magic.

When Life Gives You O.J. by Erica S. Perl

A girl named Zelly really wants a dog. Her parents, on the other hand, aren't so willing to give in. They don't think she's quite ready for the responsibility. But when Zelly's grandpa, Ace (as everyone calls him) comes up with an idea involving an orange juice jug and some extra imagination, things change. You'll need to read the book to find out the rest!!

I was a HUGE fan of this book! I thought the author used a lot of imagination, and was thoughtful and amusing. I also really enjoyed how the author maintained the very humorous spirit of the character of Ace throughout the book. Of course, the other characters' spirits were maintained, too, but there was something in the way the author created Ace that was very entertaining. If you read the book, I have a feeling you'll know exactly what I mean...I don't want to spoil YOUR experience of reading it! The only problem I found was that I wanted the author to write more, like a series or something! I would most definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a little fun!!!

Reviewer Age:10

Reviewer City, State and Country: Evanston, IL USA

Castlebots by Terry Goudy

Scott Freeman is a fifteen year old who has successfully completed a game in Star Park, a virtual gaming world in which he is employed. He is planning to do another test run to make sure it will be safe for costumers. Scott also hopes to use the second test to search for a cure for his sister's illness. Unfortunately, after a failed kidnap attempt to capture Scott, a military official, General Z, sends him back into the virtual world taking away Scott's ability to control the game. This time the scenario is set around a disaster where the Earth may be destroyed. While Scott must hurry to save Earth, someone else secretly entered the game with him. This mysterious person has it in for Scott. Is there any hope left for the Earth or Scott? And is Scott the hero everyone thinks he is?

This book was strong and well written. A few times Goudy seemed to be leading to something that could have branched off in numerous ways but he ended the thought before it could really take off. I thought the plot and characters were really complex and enthralling. At times it seemed that more information from the back story should have been included. His ideas for the setting of the virtual world were extraordinarily creative and unusual. I am excited to continue the adventure in the second book.

Pregnant Pause by Han Nolan

Eleanor Crowe hates being told what to do. But when she gets pregnant with her boyfriend and is forced to choose between either marrying him and working at his parents fat camp or moving back to Kenya with her missionary parents but without her baby, she wishes someone would tell her what to do. Unsurprisingly, Eleanor hates the idea of working at the camp. But once she begins working there, she finds that she likes working with kids and can finally imagine herself being a mom. Then something terrible happens on the day the baby is to be born, and Eleanor is in turmoil once again-what should she do about her baby and her husband?
This book is a welcome change from the the tired stories in which a young girl has a baby but her parents accept her for what she is because that's not what real life is always like. This book is real and at times a little depressing, but for me it is a great story. I love the character Eleanor because she seems so strong. Since Pregnant Pause is from her point of view you can see all of her problems and feelings. I also like the change of scenery and I think the camp for overweight kids is a great setting. I would have liked if there were a little less focus on Eleanor's husband and a little more on flashbacks from when she was younger. All in all, the book is a great read for mature readers and especially for girls to see what one mistake can do to them and their futures.
Sexual references and death.
Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Holland, Michigan USA

My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland

Rebel Angel Crawford thinks her messed up life in Alabama can’t get any worse. Then after a mysterious accident and a run in with detectives who want to ask some questions about a missing person, she gets a job offer at a morgue. Angel experiences cravings for human remains instead of cigarettes and blood rather than alcohol.  Angel Crawford had a tough life just living as white trash. And now she's a white trash zombie.

This book was very hard to get into and boring to read. After a very slow beginning, I began to think the book was dull. Then the middle spiced things up a little body-wise, but the ending was too fast paced and the whole book was a blur of events that just seemed to repel readers; not attract them. There were many points in the book that fooled the reader at the climax of the story, but good tricks are always revealed. My Life As A White Trash Zombie also had some colorful language not suitable for younger children. Overall this book was okay, but not recommended for readers who hate sappy stories about tough life.
This book had many references to drugs and alcohol with a lavish amount of curse words in the mix too.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Addison, IL United States

One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire

October Daye is finally getting back to normal. She is now Countess of Goldengreen, she's taken on a squire, and life is good. But, when life is good, that means it's about to get real bad, real soon. Someone has taken the sons of Duchess Dianda Lorden, leader of the Undersea Duchy of Saltmist, captive. That means that a war between land and sea is going to happen in the near future. To prevent this disaster from happening, Toby has to find the kidnapped boys and prove that the Queen of the Mists isn't the kidnapper. She's going to need all the help and luck she can get! Toby's quest is taking her from San Francisco to the underwater land and she has a deadline: three days. She has to find the boys and solve the mystery of the kidnapper before three days are up, or the whole land is going to pay. But someone is against her, and whoever it is isn't playing fair. As the battle gets closer and closer to Toby's personal life, one thing is obvious: everyone is not going to survive this war.


'One Salt Sea' is the 5th installment in the October Daye series. Having only read this book out of the five in the series, the plot was very confusing, and I would definitely recommend reading the first four before reading this one. But what I did understand had me hooked. The main character, Toby, was very stubborn and hardheaded and that made the book even more exciting - it was never boring! The author did a good job of writing descriptively, although the language was a bit excessive, and some scenes were inappropriate. Overall, it was an excellent book.


There was a lot of bad language and a couple inappropriate scenes.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Tatamy, PA USA

Shadow Fall by Seressia Glass

Shadow Fall, by Seressia Glass is the third book in the Shadow Chasers series. Kira works as a freelance antiquity expert, but doubles as a Shadowchaser, trying to keep the balance between Light and Shadow. She serves the Egyptian goddess Ma'at, and is romantically involved with an ancient Nubian warrior named Khefar. Kira's magic has sudddenly become unpredictable. An Atlanta exhibit about the Egyptian Book of the Dead goes horribly wrong. Her old friends are starting to turn on her. But while trying to fight the Shadow, she may finally find out the truth about her mother.
Though I had never read any of the Shadowchaser books before this, I more or less understood everything. Seressia Glass's writing immediately pulled me in. There was just enough amount of action, balanced out with a bit of romance. Glass weaves Egyptian mythology into the story, giving it an added depth. Kira's struggle throughout the book felt very real, and I couldn't help but hope things would work out for her in the end. There were plenty of twists to keep me turning the pages. This book has made me fall in love with Glass's writing. She knows how to write captivating books that will leave people wanting more.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Otsego, MN USA

Omnitopia Dawn by Diane Duane

Sometimes its nice to read about an impossibly Utopian workplace. Sometimes it feels comforting and familiar when stereotypical characters invade a corporate thriller. Sometimes it works when a novel tries to superimpose the concepts of Absolute Good and Absolute Evil onto Corporate America.

This is not one of those times.

Omnitopia Dawn, authored by Diane Duane is set in 2015, a scarily imminent time in which a Good CEO and a Bad CEO battle in the MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) field. Corporate America obviously can't have the Good CEO and the Bad CEO  directly interact and so these roles are overly stereotyped and clichéd.

The Good and Bad CEOs, and the Good CEO's online game, are actually playing pieces in an ongoing conflict between the "Forces Of Good" and the "Forces Of Evil". This explains why they're so painfully typical.

Omnitopia has to deal with  obstacles of a massive rolling out that their transformational update carries. They also have to deal with a massive attack by an organized group of hackers that plan to steal hundreds of millions of dollars from them.

Pretty awkward, as you might expect from a world of corporate thrill trying to resolve a greater conflict than it could or should handle. The charachers are cliched and the plot is typical. However credit is due, for the world of Omnitopia that the author builds around you is .........beautiful. It really is.

Content: 1

Rating: 6

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Monsey, NY USA

Dungeon Crawlers Ep. 1 and Ep. 2 by Stefan U. G. Leblanc

This series is about the adventures of two brothers from a urban town into a technologically advanced world.  They find a map to a crystal of immortality and embark on an adventure to find it. They overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to  get what they needed in order to find the crystal. This book fits into the category of fiction. It is also kind of an adventure.

This book was a very interesting read. I found it both riveting and page-turning. The language used in the book was fine for any age group. The author did a great job of using words to bring you into the story. I felt like I was really there. I would recommend this to anybody who likes fantasy/fiction.

Reviewer Age:13

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