The Charlatan's Boy by Jonathan Rogers

   Imagine what it would be like to have no memory of your family, to have never had a home, or even a single person that loves you. It has been like this for as long as Grady can remember. Every time they reach a new village it s the same routine. The small boy dresses in his old opossum hides, muffs his hair, dirties his face, and then crawls into the old wooden crate. He shocks the frightened villagers so badly when he bursts out of the crate that they feel privileged to have paid their few coins to get a closer look at a real Feechie, the mysterious swamp people from the wilds.

  Floyd, the greedy mastermind of the Feechie act, is the closest thing to family that Grady has ever known. Grady understands that Floyd only keeps him because the scam brings in money, but when the villagers begin to doubt the existence of the Feechie, the future opens up new possibilities for the charlatan s boy.
 
I loved this book and will definitely be reading it again! It was an adventure following Floyd and Grady as one searched for riches and the other for belonging. If you are going to read this, be prepared to feel something. The author puts you right in Grady' s position. I could actually feel his loneliness, his longing for a family, and his desperate need to belong. There were some good messages in this book. The relationship between Floyd and Grady showed how important it is to be able to depend on somebody. The villager s prejudice against the Feechie and the fact that a person' s character is more important than their physical appearance were also strong themes as well.
   When I first read the description I was afraid it was just going to be a feel good kind of story but it really was exciting. Once I started, I was hooked. I could hardly put it down. This is definitely one of my favorite books!


Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Alton, MO US

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

13 year old Alex is an Unwanted. Therefore he is doomed to die.  Or so he and the rest of the country of Quill think. But the Unwanteds are taken to the magical world of Artime, home to decades of Unwanteds. There they learn to use art magic, as a harmless tool and as a deadly weapon. When Alex makes the mistake of contacting someone in Quill, he puts Artime in grave danger. Can Alex save his newfound home and friends? He has one chance to try, or they ll be gone, forever.

I ll admit this book was quite original. Its characters were deep and relatable. It s plot was new and like nothing I d ever seen before. However, it didn' t really enrapture me.  I mean it was far from boring, but it didn' t really make me want to sit down and read it the moment I had time to. I figured out most of the plot partway through the book and spent the most of the rest of the book waiting for the main character to figure it out. I recommend this to almost any reader who loves art, magic, giant flying tortoises, and giant flying cheetahs. (Who wouldn 't, right?)


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

The Always War by Margaret Peterson Haddix

War, war, war. To Tessa war has always been a part of her life. Her parents work and give most of the money they make to the war. Tessa goes to school and learns how to help with the war. People dedicate their life to this war.
 Then one day Tessa meets up with her used to be childhood friend, Gideon, a now traumatized war hero.  In a split-second decision Tessa decides to follow Gideon when he runs away.  This is when the real adventure begins.  Tessa and Gideon discover many mysteries, while escaping near death situations and making life altering. So, the question is will you join them on their quest to discover freedom, excitement, and most of all-the truth.

The always war is an exciting and surprising book. Try as I might, I could not figure out the twisted ending to this book. I like that in a book.  This book was definitely a page turner. I loved everything about this book except that it was a little hard to get into. But once you' re into it, you' re into it. I stayed up past my bedtime to finish this book. Overall, the Always War is a great book, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes to read fast paced, action packed books.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Rapid City, SD US

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