Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Planet Earth has been ravaged by disease, war, and pollution, and the only hope for humankind is to travel into space and inhabit a new planet. The passengers on the Empyrean and the New Horizon are anxiously awaiting arrival, and forty-some years they will be the first humans to set foot on another planet. Waverly likes her existence on the Empyrean: she has a loving mother and a great boyfriend, Kieran, who is expected to be the ship's next captain. That all changes when the crew from the New Horizon attacks the Empryean and kidnaps all the girls. Why are they doing this? And how will Waverly help the girls escape and get back to their home?

I really enjoyed Glow. I'm not big on science fiction, but the synopsis sounded so interesting, so I thought I would give it a shot. I'm really glad I did because I thought Glow was a great novel. The beginning is a little boring, but after the girls have been kidnapped, Glow becomes a lot more fast-paced. The book has split narration between Waverly and her boyfriend Kieran, who is still on the Empyrean. I liked reading both points of view because different things are happening on the ships. Waverly is trying to escape, and Kieran is involved in a power struggle for control of the ship with another boy his age, Seth. I liked the twists and turns that occurred throughout the plot, especially as Waverly uncovered secrets on the New Horizon. I think fans of adventure or science fiction will enjoy Glow.

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

Z.Raptor by Steve Cole

In Z. Raptor by Steve Cole, Adam Adlar has just gotten used to normal life. He presumes that he is done with Geneflow, their leader Samantha Josephs, and their evil ways. Josephs has stolen secrets from his dad's virtual reality simulator. They have then taken this and turned it in to something very evil. Adam is walking to his dad's office when he notices that someone is following him. This turns into  a high-action chase scene. When he finally does get caught these people reveal themselves to be FBI agents. They show him and his dad, whom they also caught, a video from a girl who is calling for help. Although, that is not the only thing unusual about the video. It also has a raptor in it. It is a living breathing prehistoric raptor. It looks as if Adam is going to get caught up in Geneflow's schemes again.

The author paints a vivid picture of the setting and characters in your head. He makes both seem real, and he lets you "feel" if the characters and settings are good or evil. He gives them a sort of vibe that you would like in a story. The author puts his adventureous and suspenceful voice into the writing. I found the book very interesting and very effective. It is informative and is a real science fiction novel. It had some parts that could be improved,and it felt like he was trying to force some parts of the book into action scenes. Despite this I would recommend it to others because it is a very interesting and well written book. It also sets the scene for the trilogy, and I would definately read it if I could.

I gave it this rating because of the violence and gore factor. It has gruesome descriptions of fights with blood and death.

Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Overland Park, Kansas United States

KenKarta: Battle of the Onoxmon by Alison Kartevold

This book revolves around two different plots:  that of the captured princess, Sophia, and the rescue efforts of her sister Veronica, the stable boy Zane, and her Equitier (horse) Dalminyo. This trio has to rescue Sophia from the evil dark lord Leamoldae and his rather grumpy dragon. They also have to find the Onoxmon, the most powerful piece in the universe, and return it to their father, who is one of the only people on the teir who can control its power. While this rescue effort is taking place, Princess Sophia is busy exploring the dragon's cave, finding fairies, and making friends with the dragon himself, Daelkay. So, how do you think this story will play out? Will Veronica be able to rescue Sophia, and will they be able to return the Onoxmon to their father in time to win the war? You ll have to read the book to find out, and while you’re reading, watch out for the vicious habyahs!


I liked the book Ken Karta Battle of the Onoxmon. It has a good story line and vivid characters with real emotions. I think it’s interesting how the plot splits into two separate yet connected plots. As soon as you understand the different terms in the book like teirs and pieces, the story makes perfect sense. Even though the whole princess captured by a dragon story has been told many times, the author finds ways to make it fresh and exciting. The only critique I have of the story is that the beginning is sort of confusing, but it is a great story overall. I would recommend this book to people who like fantasy.

Rating: 8

Content rating: 1

Reviewer Age: 12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Rockford, Michigan U.S.A

Being Frank with Anne by Phyllis Johnson

Anne Frank led a normal life before the Holocaust. She enjoyed parties and friends and boyfriends... pretty much the life of a teenager. Her perfect life was turned upside down when her family and a few others were constricted to the Secret Annexe during the Holocaust. The one thing that Anne found joy and hope in was her diary, "Kitty." 'Being Frank With Anne' is a poetic form of Anne's diary. It shows her emotions, her thoughts and her heart. This presentation of the diary will bring the world more understanding of Anne's world during the Holocaust.
When I first flipped through 'Being Frank With Anne', I was somewhat disappointed to find that it was poems. I started it reluctantly and then found myself getting drawn into Anne's world. By the end of the book, I was writing down my favorite poems. Most of the poems make you really think about the play of words and the message the author is trying to get across. Phyllis Johnson did an excellent job of portraying Anne's thoughts and feelings during the Holocaust. You will find yourself smiling and feeling sad as if you were there with Anne.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Tatamy, PA USA

Intrigues by Mercedes Lackey

In Intrigues, the second volume of the Collegium Chronicles, Mags has grown a little older. But the events of winter still haunt him, and when a foreigner is seen with blood on his hands in the king's chambers, his life becomes a misery. While his friends are trying to clear his name, he begins to believe that there is some darkness within him, especially when he and Dallen are riding at night and something attacks him, causing a horrible accident. Dallen is severely injured, and could be permanently crippled. Mags very nearly kills himself and decides to run away so that Dallen can heal and choose again. Will Mags be reunited with Dallen, will the mystery of the foreigner be solved, and who or what is this mysterious force that attacks Mag's mind?
A very good book. A nice sequel with very well written characters. Other than the magic, the characters seem very real, and the emotions of the characters are very easy to feel. The book had a nice plot, and the transitions between characters weren't abrupt. I do wish that the book had been a bit longer, though. It seemed like it ended a little early to me. The book as a whole was very interesting, just like all of the Heralds of Valdemar books. Intrigues fits perfectly into the series, and I can't wait to read the sequel.

Michael Bart

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