Blood Wounds by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Willa knows she is fortunate. She lives in an almost perfect family. Though she doesn' t get everything she wants like her sisters, she is happy. But when Willa 's father, that she hardly remembers, kills his wife and children and is on his way for her, her life spirals out of control. With everything that happened, Willa uncovers secrets that her mother hid from her and a family. Will Willa make everything better or will Willa destroy everything she loves?
This book was okay. I felt that it was very rushed throughout the whole book. Since this book was written in first person, it helped me to see how Willa really felt about everything. This book showed to me that a perfect family really isn' t perfect. I recommend this book to people who liked Identical and Thirteen Reasons Why,
Willa cuts several times throughtout the book
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Northglenn, CO United States

Between by Jessica Warman

A little after 2:00 a.m. on her eighteenth birthday Elizabeth Valchar wakes up to a thudding on the side of her parents' boat. She tries to awake her friends, but to no avail. Liz decides to venture out by herself. What she finds is shocking. Lodged between the boat and dock is her own body laying facedown in the water, dead. She tries to find an explanation for what is happening and why she can't remember anything. Suddenly there is a boy with her, a boy who can see her. He was a boy from her school who was killed in a hit-and-run the year before, his name was Alex Berg. He tries to help explain what is happening to her. He says it is a puzzle she must piece together. With that this journey of romance, guilt, secrets, and mystery begins.
"Between" by Jessica Warman is a suspenseful and mysterious story with hints of darkness underlying it. There are many memorable characters, who are usually not what they first appear.  It's a high school story of a popular girl after she dies that keeps you guessing what happened, who the characters really are, and where she will end up next until the very end. I enjoyed this book very much. I actually had trouble putting it down. I would recommend this book to girls ages 13 and up because there is some mature content, but while telling a good story it touches on some issues girls of today face.
There is mature content in this book.
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Makanda, Illinois USA

My Unfair Godmother by Janette Rallison

Tansy is just a regular teenage girl, her parents are divorced, and she feels her father doesn't pay any attention to her anymore. In a desperate attempt to get some attention she dates the bad boy in school, but getting caught vandalizing a building on a date wasn't the kind of attention she was looking for. Her pathetic meter has reached an all time low, so along comes Chrissy, a fair godmother that comes to rescue her by granting her three wishes. Those three wishes don't go as planned though, bringing Robin Hood to the twenty-first century was pretty bad, but being transported back to the Middle Ages to recreate the story of Rumplstiltskin was worse. Luckily, she has the help of her family and the cute police chief's son, Hudson to help.
My Unfair Godmother is funny, entertaining, and romantic. It is a unique story, which makes it unpredictable. The characters were very charming and original. The main character Tansy was relatable and likeable. The relationship with her and Hudson wasn't too over the top. I liked that she didn't make the two immediately fall in love, instead she made the relationship develop over time, and had them actually not like each other very much in the beginning. The fairy Chrissy made me want to read on in the book. Her quirky personality and funny banter with the leprechaun got me laughing. Overall I enjoyed reading this book because it was something fresh, new, and entertaining.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Enon, OH USA

Art Geeks and Prom Queens by Alyson Noel

Rio Jones is the new girl in California and has just left her whole life behind back in New York. To add onto all that, she has to find a way to fit into her fansy private school. Then she meets Jas and Mason. Two art geeks who welcome her in. But Kristi decides to do the same. Rich, a cheerleader, and everyone's worst nightmare. Rio accepts Kristi's offer and joins Kristi and her pack. But being popular comes with a few rules. Rio, at first, is having a great time being popular, but as she becomes closer to Kristi and her crowd, she learns living in the fab lane isn't as fun as it seems.
Art Geeks and Prom Queens got my heart racing with every page. The moment I read the first chapter I was hooked. I couldn' t stop reading until I was done, and then I still wanted more. Readers will not know what surprise is waiting on the next page. Questions will swirl inside your head. Will Rio accept to join Kristi and her friends? What does Kristi have in store for Rio? A brilliant book that captures the highs and lows of being a teenage girl. You won' t be able to stop.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Laurel, Maryland U.S.A

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door is a novel about the way younger versions of a person influence the way that person lives their life. In Lola's case, she fell in love very early with a boy named Cricket. His sister's budding gymnastics career separated them and created some misconceptions about his and Lola's relationship, breaking Lola's heart in the process. He moves away right after that. This book is written three years down the line from those events, and we see the aftermath of Lola's broken heart. She is doing pretty well for herself though, a budding costume designer dating a 22 year old rocker she's quite eccentric. But when Cricket moves back, what will happen to her life?
This is the companion book to Anna and the French Kiss and (and this is saying something) it is as good or better than its companion. The refreshing language and interesting takes on controversial topics such as gay marriage and marijuana make it eye opening but not to edgy. The main character Lola does many, many things that are not necessarily smart or legal but she is always punished when she does these things and so therefore the book has morals, which is not something you usually see in a book dealing with topics such as these. The best thing about this book is the scenes where Lola is upset. Every bit of raw emotion she feels in these far between moments are felt in our own bodies and it is heart wrenching. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends.
Sexual and drug related content.
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Exeter , NH USA

War and Watermelon by Rich Wallace

War and Watermelon is the story of a 12 year old boy in 1969. He is going through such hardships as the Vietnam War and the threat of his older brother getting drafted. And then there' s the absolute terror of starting Middle School and having to deal with girls. But in the midst of all this, he and his brother go to the legendary Woodstock to see all the acts they have been listening to on the radio for so long. But what they take away from the concert is not the musical experience, but the love and hope they find there.
I thought that this book was a quick, easy read. I would probably recommend this book to someone younger than I.  I liked the topic because you don' t hear very much about Woodstock. I also thought that all the stuff about the best friend and trying to get girls was really funny. Overall, it wasn' t really my type of book, but I still enjoyed it.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Fairfax, VA USA

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Mara is a normal teenage girl with an unfortunate friendship. Her best friend, Rachel has a new friend who seems determined to undermine Mara and Rachel 's friendship. Things turn abnormal however, when Mara and Rachel are pressured into going into a dilapidated building that ends up collapsing and leaving everyone dead, except for Mara. Amongst the post-traumatic stress and new move, Mara' s world is turned upside down. But the secrets of the building collapse keep haunting her. Was it really just an untimely accident or was there more to that night than she can ever uncover?
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is a definite page- turner. It had me hooked from the start. While the references to hallucinations can be challenging to discern as fiction or reality, it adds to the book and makes the ending even more impactful. The interesting characterization as well as the character relationships really set this book apart. Finally, it' s an entertaining read while raising interesting moral questions, a trait difficult to find in most books. This was a fantastic read and a definite suspense thriller that I would recommend to any avid fiction reader.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Colleyville, Texas USA

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Texas Gothic, a novel written in the supernatural genre, was a fun read. What I liked about this book was the setting, which was in Texas, where Amy spends the summer at her Aunt s ranch. Her Aunt decides to go on vacation, so Amy and her sister, Phin, have the responsibility to watch her ranch. There, Amy encounters her goats in a tree, a hot cowboy, and ghosts! Her aunt sells products that are secretly enchanted because Amy s whole family is full of witches!

Amy says, I was the designated grown up in a family that operated in different reality than the rest of the world. It' s funny because Amy considers herself one of the normal people of her family, even more so than her Aunt or Mother, who are supposed to be more mature than she is.

I really enjoyed reading about Amy' s character because of the dimensions she' s given by the author. She considers herself normal in a family of witches, she meets a cowboy cutie, Ben (who s basically like the boy next door), and her opinions of certain characters such as her sister Phin, are hysterical. The adventures Amy and Phin go on are of course entertaining because Phin is a sloppy genius and Amy is a wannabe normal teenager. This book is very original with a supernatural and romantic twist.

Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Locust Valley, NY United States

Awakening Dreams

Becoming the target of countless attacks in the cold

plains of Calgary isn't exactly on everyone's List of

Favourite Things To Do, but for fifteen year old Grace

Severin, this is becoming increasingly normal. In a world

where Greek gods live among mortals and love takes an

unexpected twist, Shawn L Bird's first book in her Grace

Awakening series is bound to have readers begging for the

next book. Packed with suspense, Awakening Dreams is about

tenth grade Grace, who was never really looking for

romance. But after a sudden fainting spell, all of a

sudden one of the school's biggest druggies wants to date

her, a twelfth grade music genius won't leave her alone,

and might her best friend secretly have a crush on her? On

top of this, the druggie keeps on mysteriously

disappearing, and worst of all, a war between the gods to

end all things creative is breaking out. Somehow Grace is

connected to all this. As her erratic life continues to

unravel, Grace finds herself dreaming dreams that link to

another universe. In a world where Greek gods live among

mortals and love takes an unexpected twist, Grace must

discover her true self and destiny before it's too late.


There's no doubt about it,  Awakening Dreams is a

definite page turner. As already mentioned, the book is

packed with unforgettable suspense. Who is trying to kill

Grace? Why is Ben so certain he's been in love with her

forever? What's with all those overheard conversations

that don't seem to make any sense? are just a few

questions that plague readers throughout the entire

reading experience. When I read the book, I felt like I

was Grace herself, and the dialogue only added to this

effect by latching onto your nose and reeling you into

intensely vivid conversations. The characters are all very

unique. They're very fun to read about and fall in love

with. However, one of the things that I didn't like about

the book was how at the end, readers are never aware of

why Grace is the heroine of the story. I am aware that the

author was trying to limit the reader's knowledge on the

whole Greek gods and the war concept (because readers

are only aware of what Grace knows), but it would have

been nice if the author had ended the book allowing

readers to understand why Grace is important to the story.

Another thing I didn't really like was how the structure

was just a bit weak. For example, there was no climax.

Some might argue that the book did in fact have one, but

I'll let you decide when you read it. There is a little

profanity; but overall, the novel is very tame. I would

recommend Awakening Dreams to anyone twelve years of age

and up, who has a passion for romance novels with a blend

of fantasy.



Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and

Country: , Ontario Canada

Variant by Robison Wells

In Variant by Robinson Wells, Benson Fisher is a seventeen year old foster kid looking for a way out of the system. He believes he 's found that way when he s accepted to Maxfield Academy, a snooty rich school in New Mexico, but when he arrives he realizes he totally wrong. There are no adults. Not one. The whole school is run by students. As soon as he gets there Benson is told that he must join a gang. That is he must if he' s going last very long. He has three options: Society- follow all the rules, handle administrative tasks, keep your nose up in the air; Havoc- the schools version of a street gang, handles the kitchens and grounds keeping duties; Variant- everyone else, handles janitorial work. There s only one really important rule at Maxfield, don' t try to escape. The students aren' t allowed to leave, not that they could get out anyway, at least, no one ever has. When Benson discovers what' s really going on at Maxfield he is determined to leave, but how? There s one other thing. He can 't trust anyone.
I loved this book! Robinson Wells did a fantastic job of creating relatable characters. He gave you their stories and mostly allowed you to play out their decisions, whether it was which gang they joined or who they sided with in an argument. The story also carries with it a thin layer of suspense created by the complacency of the other students. You find yourself asking questions like, Why don' t they care? and How can only one of seventy-five see the problem here? The perfect structure the students created in the school is astounding. Everything s worked out so that there s no fighting. Each new student chooses a gang. Each gang has certain chores. The different gangs stay out of each other s way as much as possible, the best way for keeping peace. It' s both fascinating and a little terrifying. Not to mention the story ends on a wonderfully irritating cliff hanger that' ll leave you impatient for the sequel.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Cibolo, Texas United States of America