Wildcat Fireflies

Meridian is a Fenestra, a half-human, half-angel being who guides souls to heaven.  Together with her soul mate and protector, Tens, she must rescue another Fenestra from an orphanage run by the Aternocti, who want to get rid of the Fenestra.  Along the way, Meridian meets a large cat, is chased by Nocti, learns some very interesting things about fireflies, and struggles with her relationship with Tens.  When they finally find Juliet (the Fenestra) she refuses to believe them.  Can they persuade Juliet to believe them and save her from the Nocti?

Wildcat Fireflies was a very interesting book.  I thought the Spirit Stones were a nice way to know what kind of person someone was, since they lit up when a Fenestra was near and they went dark when a Nocti was in the area.  I liked how when a person died, their window took them to a place they liked, where their family was.  An interesting thing is that Fenestra is the Latin word for window.  I think this book could be comforting for people who have lost family members and wonder what dying is like.

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

Start It Up by Kenrya Rankin

Start It Up is a handbook written specifically for teens that explains all the steps of starting your own business. It leads you through finding possible businesses that fit your passion, trade marking the name of your business, and hiring employees. Start It Up contains much more including: how other teens started their now-huge businesses, quotes from those teens, and suggestions from The Tip Jar. Also, at the end of every chapter there are resources so you can find more information on that particular topic. With only 155 pages, Start It Up is a concise and informative read.

This book's format was spot-on. Author Kenrya Rankin chose a step-by-step format for Start It Up, which is perfect for working on your new business as you read. The major emphasis of the book was getting paid to do something you love, which makes work that much more enjoyable. She speaks our language through her writing, and explains terms and concepts thoroughly. Additionally, the book has you actively reading by having little note-taking breaks where you brainstorm or jot some quick thoughts down. The only major problem I had with the book was the abrupt ending. Directly after she gives the last step to your entrepreneur journey, the book ends. It would  have been improved by a final word or a quick summary at the end. Also, there were a few editing errors, such as a random symbol in the middle of a quotation and a sentence starting on one page and having a new sentence on the next. Besides that, I greatly enjoyed the book. I would suggest it to any teenager who would like to earn money, or who dislikes their current job.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Leawood, KS United States

The Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson

The Fox Inheritance, written by Mary E. Pearson, is a science-fiction story and the second book of The Fox Chronicles. This book begins with a group of friends left disembodied after an accident, yet, through the miracles of science, alive within a digital void where they can still communicate with each other. Eighteen months after their imprisonment, one of the friends, Jenna Fox, disappears. The two remaining friends are clueless as to where she went. Two hundred sixty years later, they are released from their digital prisons. In this book, the characters begin their desperate search to find their lost friend, Jenna Fox, while trying to come to terms with their new bodies and new world.

I think The Fox Inheritance is an amazing story about discovering who you once were and becoming who you were meant to be. I really enjoyed reading it as it was a page turner, and had characters for whom I could cheer . I have already recommended this book to several friends. This book had a darker tone than the last book in the trilogy, but I found it appropriate for the characters situation. It can be pretty dramatic at times, especially as characters learn to deal with their traumatic experience. There were issues that readers can easily relate to, such as isolation, loss, and having a crush on two different people at once. It was also fascinating to witness a boy struggling to become a man in the character of Locke. Besides these more personal themes, the author also presented thought provoking questions regarding the changes in our society and whether or not these changes are actual progress.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Alton, MO US

Fateful by Claudia Gray

Tess finally has the chance to leave the Lisles she has served since childhood. Spoiled, demanding, and utterly obnoxious, the head of the Lisles family has decided to relocate her children, Tess, and two other servants to America via the Titanic. Tess is happy to oblige and plans on resigning the second she sets her foot down on American soil. But there are mysteries aboard the majestic vessel, mysteries that are somehow tied to the unknowing Lisles. It all started with a wolf in a dark alley and a handsome protector. And now, it is so much more.

Fateful s synopsis alone will draw tons of interested potential readers. Werewolves on the Titanic? Now that is something that will either turn out mind-blowing and original or simply a sad little carbon copy of standard PNR. Fateful lands somewhere between these two extremes.

Although the novel did not make me restructure my existence or reevaluate my values or anything, it was addicting. I just can t help but want to know more about what happens to our heroine. Fun and fluffy. If I had to write this book review in three words, they would be fun and fluffy.

However, I shall conclude with three warnings to possible future readers:

1) Fateful is afflicted with an extreme case of unexplainable attraction. Love at first sight, as some would say. I know this bothers a lot of people -- myself included. This portion of the plot made me frown.

2) While Tess is a heroine that fights savagely for her own safety, she basically swoons whenever the love interest is near. Said love interest -- named Alec, if you re curious -- also repeatedly asks Tess to stay away from his for her own safety. Of course, Tess does not heed the warning. D￩j￠ vu? My frown deepened noticeably.

3) Lastly, the Titanic setting felt more like a crutch than an actual component of the story. The ship was mentioned when it was needed, and pretty much ignored when it was not.

Even with all this frowning, the irrational part of my mind enjoyed reading Fateful immensely. The rational part, however, is a lot pickier, as you have hopefully noticed. Anyone looking for a fun and fluffy novel with a slight edge will be more than satisfied with Fateful.

Sexual content

Reviewer Age:16

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

Yoke The Bound Trilogy Book I (eBook) by E.M. Ragland

Sophie never thought she was different. She went through her life as normal as you or I, that is until her mother was killed in a car accident. She meets her angelic father and learns that she is more different than she ever imagined. She moves to California to live with her Aunt Celeste and falls into a new world filled with choices. To top it off, Sophie meets Joseph McCafferty, a boy who is dealing with all kinds of problem himself, and they fall into a forbidden love. Sophie must chose between world that she never knew existed and struggle to be with her new found love.

I didn't enjoy this book very much. I thought the author was not very believable with her characters and this made it hard to relate to Sophie. It reminded me a lot of pretty much every other angel book there is; i saw very little originality. I did enjoy the overall story in the book but I do not thing it was very well written.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Tipp City, OH United States

Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard

Paper Covers Rock is a story of boys at a preparatory school dealing with the death of their close friend. The main character struggles with guilt from witnessing his death, fear of being discovered for some of the things that happened that day, and love that he cannot attain. His friends try to cover the truth as best as possible, but things start to get out of control. This is the story of one boys journey to discovering who he is, and when he needs to stand up for what he believes in. He must align himself to a path that he approves of, and stop living by other peoples standards.

This was an average book, it had some good points and an interesting writing style was used where the author switched to prose, but it was also very confusing. The plot line was choppy, and while the author tried to create suspense, she usually just created a communication error that detracted from the plot. It also seemed somewhat unrealistic, as though the author was writing from an adult perspective,not from the perspective of a teenage boy. It just didn't have a natural flow to it, as you hope novels would. The topic was very interesting though, and I like how the author pursued it so intently. It gave an interesting insight to the reactions of death, which made it intriguing.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Minnetonka, Minnesota United States

You'll Like It Here (Everybody Does) by Ruth White

An ordinary family with ordinary problems. Right? But then the town starts talking and uncovers the truth - this "ordinary" family is a family of aliens! The family narrowly escapes in The Carriage, arriving back on Earth, but in an alternate universe. They find themselves in Fashion City, and the people here - well, they're wacko. "Praise the fathers!" and "You'll like it here, everybody does." fills the family's ears. But as they find out, everybody likes it here and praises the fathers because they've been brainwashed! The family decides to leave, and gets some help from a family who haven't quite lost their marbles yet. But, some unexpected problems turn a simple departure into a full-scale escape.

This book was like a modern version of The Giver, by Lois Lowry. There are many differences, of course, but I believe the overall idea is the same. It was a little odd for my tastes, but was still a good book. Every part was exciting , and there were some very, very sudden crazy twists in the story. Sometimes I even went back to make sure I read it right, then went "Whoa! Okay now, this should be interesting." And the book wasn't too far fetched, which was good, and I can tell that the author did a bit of research, or otherwise already knew some things about the topics in the story before it was written. If nothing else, it was a very interesting read, and although I didn't love it it was good.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Santa Fe, TX USA

Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith

Kimli Aurelia Atelier is on a mission, gallivanting through Europe to find the missing ancestral link that may save her beloved Grandmother. At first it appears to be an utter failure but, after a few strange experiences, things start to get more exciting. The trip soon transforms into an adventure of fast-paced action, dark secrets, and a doomed love. Mistaken for the princess of a distant country, a place that is disconnected in more ways than one, Kim finds herself in an utterly foreign land searching for answers. She is soon unveiling mysteries she never knew existed but will prove vital to her family, her Grandmother, the continued survival of an entire nation, and her own life.

This is a fascinating novel with a very interesting concept providing the basic plotline. Parts seem a little too contrived and the book did not captivate me in the beginning, but as the pace picked up, I found myself enjoying the novel very much. The writing was fairly basic yet the topic so unexpected and entertaining, I didn t mind. The description was consistently clear and I found myself picturing the scenery as I read, which made and book more realistic and helped me disregard the parts I felt were too unbelievable. Kim is a very strong character, who retains her personality throughout the entirety of the novel and has enough self-reflection that I can clearly understand who she is. Her modern perspective on a very strange situation greatly contributed to my liking the book, as I could relate to the words she used and the connections she was making. The ending of the novel is certainly captivating and, I believe, demands a sequel. I would recommend this novel to those that like the correlation of the modern world we live in and a fantastical one that is far removed from our time, as well as those that like mysteries, adventure and romance.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Needham, MA USA

Element Keepers by E.P Marcellin

Rhet is a young man living with his friend Peteal, in the city of Seatra, where where he skins fish for a living. Suddenly, he is grabbed from the docks with his friend Peteal by nine strangers who can bend the wind to their will. They take him to the strange city of the Y dah for a life imprisonment because they think he will eventually destroy the world.

This book is fabulous. It has a way of holding your interest even when there isn't much happening. The plot was perfect for the amount of pages and the characters were super!This book is amazing!!

Reviewer Age:11

Reviewer City, State and Country: philadelphia, Pennsylvania United States

Noah Barleywater Runs Away by John Boyne

This book tells the story of something most children think of at least once in their life-running away. Noah, however, does more then that. He not only runs away, but ends up in an enchanted forest of sorts. There, he meets an old man, who keeps his father's toy shop. The toymaker has some pretty interesting stories, all of which happened in his life. The story goes back and forth from Noah's point of view to the old man's and back again. Eventually, Noah goes home and forgets about the toymaker. When he does come back many years later, the toymaker is not who Noah thought he was.

This book is a combo of fiction and fantasy combined in the best possible way. It is quite easy to relate to this book, as everyone has dreamed of running away at one time, but Noah, the main character, actually does. At first, it is a bit hard to follow the story line, but after the first few chapters it is quite easy to follow along. I enjoyed this book, and the author is able to put a few interesting spins on the story. All in all, I believe readers of all ages will enjoy Noah Barleywater Runs Away.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: n, Indiana United States of America