The Mirror of N'de by L.K. Malone

Hadlay Mivana and her people, the Ramash, have lived their entire lives as slaves or beggars, unlike the haughty Oresed. Hadlay wants nothing more than to help her people. When Hadlay becomes an Initiate at 13, the long lost Emperor and his son return to the city of Turris. Hadlay is hired as a servant in the Tower, the residence of the Emperor. Things are looking up for Hadlay until she finds that the Emperor is not what he seems. Hadlay then finds herself in the middle of a plot to destroy her people. Fortunately for the Ramash, Hadlay isn't about to let that happen.

This book was a bit like a roller coaster ride. It kept changing the way it felt. It started out rather slow, not exactly boring, just slow. Then it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when Hadlay's living conditions improved. Awhile after that it got a little creepy when the danger increased. It certainly kept me enthralled, though. Hadlay is very easy to relate to, so you really feel the emotions of her character. The plot was complicated enough that you didn't see everything coming, but not so complicated that you got confused. If you look for them, you (at least I) can find some parallels to the Bible. I feel glad I got to review it, and recommend it to any teen fantasy reader.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Rockwell, IA USA

Butterflies (eBook)

Author: Susanne Gervay

Summary: Katherine has always wished to look normal. When she was very young she was severely burned. She wishes she could wear her hair up and be a competitive swimmer. While struggling to look normal, Katherine falls for William, a boy from her school, who she hopes will look past her scars and love her the way she is. With help from her mother, her best friend Jessie, and her sister Rachel, she might just get what she wants.
Opinion: I thought this was an excellent book about knowing who you are, and that people will always love you. I really felt the emotion in this book that Katherine felt. When she burned, I burned. When she cried, I cried. When she was happy, I was happy. Butterflies has taught me an amazing lesson about always staying true to who you are.

Content:1


Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Enon, Ohio United States

The Sleepwalkers

Summary: The Sleepwalkers, by J. Gabriel Gates, is about rich, popular, Caleb Mason. Born in Hudsonville, Florida, he moved to Malibu at the age of 7 after his parent's divorce. On the night of his graduation, Caleb gets a strange letter in the mail. Christine, his childhood friend from Florida, had sent him a plea for help. Their old home town has been plagued by disappearances of children and the old insane asylum has been re-opened. Christine has been trapped in the building. Caleb and his best friend, Bean, set off to save her.
Opinion: Sleepwalkers was an overall captivating book and is a very quick read. The author uses choice language to instill a sense of horror into the whole book, making the pages seem to fly by. It was scary, but not in the usual sense. Instead of just continuous events, the author adds some mystery to the book by leaving you wondering about what is happening. The characters are believable, likable, and easy to relate to. I liked this book a lot and would recommend it to older teens because of some mature themes.

Content:3
Mature themes

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Tipp City, OH United States

Off Track

Book Title: Off Track
Author: Michael J. Hultquist
ISBN: 192691225X
Summary: Off Track By: Michael Hultquist The whole storyline for this book revolved around one child, one abused child with a drunken mess of a father and a mother who can’t stand up to her husband. The boy, Gary Sanderson, decides to stand up for her by taking him out permanently. He is then is quickly carted off to Radcliffe, a juvenile delinquent facility for boys. He had been there since he was twelve years old, now at age sixteen, he has a choice: to start over with foster parent, or to wait another two years in that horrid place and leave on his own. He chooses the easy way out. So now he is in Winsbury, Illinois, and for a while everything is starting to look better, he has his own job, has no problems with schoolwork, and only some minor setbacks with his foster dad. Most is well and when something bad happens, it always ends up getting better. But one day his world spins out of control when his love tells him something no one ever wants to hear and wants him to stop it, forever. All of this could have been avoided if he just stayed in Radcliffe but now he has gone and made the choice to come to Winsbury and he’s going to follow through with his choices whether good or bad, even if he goes Off Track.
Opinion: This story in particular may not look like the average read. But once you open it up, Off Track unleashes a world of excitement and fear. This book had me in a trance. When I put the book down to eat, or do something else for that matter, I found something in the back of my mind tugging at me to read more. This book is definitely worth a reread. It relates to the problems of a teenager with parties, friends, fights, and the worst of them all, romance.

Content:3
I gave this book a content rating of three because of the sexual content and also because of the violence between the characters.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Enon, Ohio United States of America

R My Name is Rachel

I read R Is For Rachel by Patricia Giff. The book is about a girl named Rachel who has lived in the city all her life . Because of the depression, her dad loses his job. Rachel's mom has died so when her dad finds out about a possible job in the country the whole family has to move so he can try to get the job. The family does not want to move away from their good friend Miss Mitzi . Miss Mitzi spends a lot of time with Rachel teaching her important things about life. The house they move to in the country has holes in the roof and needs repairs. Because of a snow storm Rachel's dad doesn't get the job he thought he would get. The family doesn't have much money and has no way to pay their rent. In order to make money Rachel's dad has to leave his children alone while he takes a job far away. The children have to make many decisions while their father is away. All during this time Rachel continues to write to Miss Mitzi.

R My Name is Rachel is a historical fiction book set during the Great Depression. My favorite part is when Rachel sneaks into the school house and takes some books. Miss Mitzi helps Rachel realize she should return the books and talk to the teacher about what she did. I like the characters because they are realistic. They act like a normal family with the kids fighting with each other but helping each other too. Another part I really liked was when Pop and Miss Mitzi decide to get married. I think anyone who reads this book will love it.

Reviewer Age:8

Reviewer City, State and Country: Jackson, Missouri USA

Hattori Hachi: The Revenge of the Praying Mantis

Hattori Hachi: The Revenge of the Praying Mantis
     Recently, I ve read the action-packed novel,
Hattori Hachi: The Revenge of the Praying Mantis, the
first installment of the Hattori Hachi trilogy and first
novel of its author, Jane Prowse.  Hattie Jackson (also
known as Hattori Hachi) is just a normal fifteen year old
adolescent with a slightly jumpy, cautious mother who
spends her spare time training Hattie to defend herself
against others.  The training?  A secret signal, mock
sparring, and submerging herself under their apartment
complex s lake, for instance.  Hattie, having grown up with
this odd ritual that always unexplainably is kept hidden
from her dad, believes this practice to just be of her
mother s insecurities from her troubled childhood-- until
her mother mysteriously disappears.  Traces of blood and
signs of struggle are found in the area where her mother
was reported to have been last seen.  Grieving and
troubled, Hattie is determined to get to the bottom of her
mother s disappearance.  That is, until her apartment s old
washerwoman (who turns out not to be so old after all)
reveals to Hattie her mother s true story; her role as the
last surviving descendant of the most powerful Ninjustu
family of all Japan that has dated back for thousands of
years.  Quite enough for a fifteen years old s mind to
consume, right?  Not yet.  There s more.  The quiet
laundress, Yazuchi, also informs Hattie that she is the
Golden Child, the heir to all the Hattori Ninjustu pride,
and that the Kataki, (an evil band of Ninjustu warriors
who also abducted her mother) are determined to kill her.
  You must.  You are last in line.  You are Hattori
Hachi: Golden Child.
 With this dreadful responsibility now keeping her
grounded, Hattie and her friend, the notorious juvenile
delinquent, Mad Dog, start training excessively with their
mentor, the washerwoman Yuzuchi.  Learning how to control
their emotions, empty their mind, build their strength,
and break through their invisible barriers are constantly
demanding their attention while time is slowly ticking
away to the time to test their true Ninjustu
instincts&&&..the time where they have to face the Praying
Mantis, the most deadly assassin in the world&..
  You think you can fight the Praying Mantis and win?
He laughed.  It was chilling.
Jane Prowse has completely nailed this novel.  I loved
the descriptions, the action, the heart-stopping moments
where deceit lurks just around the corner.  The story plot
is fabulous, smoothly transitioning from one thing to
another, while almost a hidden profoundness is scattered
in every chapter, from the age-old ways of the ninja, to
the tiny little clues Hattie s mother leaves to aid Hattie
on her mission to save the common good of all people.
A ninja s sprit is as sharp as the edge of a blade&.
 Considering this is Jane Prowse s first book, I
believe the fruits of her efforts definitely turned into
something phenomenal.  I could honestly barely tear myself
away from the novel, from beginning to end!  The only
thing I disliked about this book was the sometimes the
sentences were slightly awkward, kind of distorted.
 I would recommend this book for ages eight and up,
for some of the violence mentioned in this novel.
 Will Hattie Jackson have the courage and the
spirit to become the true Ninjustu princess she was born
to be?  Read this intriguing novel to find out!
Note:  If you are interested, there is a sequel to this
book, which is Hattori Hachi: Stalking the Enemy, and
there is also the last installment in this trilogy coming
up,entitled Hattori Hachi: The Curse of the Diamond Dagger.

Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country:
Leopold, Missouri U.S.A.

Paradise Lost by Steven L. Layne

     The Barrett family is running from an ugly past with memories of a lost mother and a dead father. Life with their eccentric grandmother seems relatively safe in comparison, until Chase, a former geek shows up with a miraculous transformation and secrets beyond comprehension. A series of mysterious events and dangerous close calls leaves Jack, the eldest boy, struggling to protect his family and friends. The reappearance of droids that resemble humans leads to even more danger and desperation. Can Jack overcome his insecurities to save his family and friends, or will he die trying?
     Layne creates a twisted, but disturbingly relatable world in Paradise Lost , the sequel to This Side of Paradise . The advanced technology is disturbing, but human motivations are clearly defined throughout the whole book. One of the things that sets this book apart from many of the others in this genre is the fusion of the main character s flaw with the plot. This makes the book so much more realistic and relatable. The plot line was engaging, and the characters even more so. This was by far one of my favorite sci-fi books in the fact that it combines mystery and romance as well, therefore, I would recommend Paradise Lost to any avid reader who loves mysteries.

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

Second World by R.M.Wagoner

Clare's world is pretty messed up.  Her dad smokes, her grandparents are dead, and the pastor's wife is deathly ill.  A talking dog named Horus, whom she has always considered a friend, is showing an evil side.  Then the pastor's wife, Millie, dies, and Judy - Clare's sister - gets sick!  It's not a great life.  However, at Millie's funeral, Clare meets a man named Change.  After that her life starts to...well, change!  She learns that she is a supernatural link, a person who still has enough imagination to see spirits.  Together, she and Change get rid of Horus and heal Judy, but can they save the pastor too?

I was not expecting this to be a religious book.  It starts kind of slow, but then it gets better.  I like the idea of Change being another name for the Holy Spirit because that's what he does - changes things!  I thought it was funny that Horus the dog shared some characteristics with the Egyptian god Horus from Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles.  Arrogance, greed, selfishness - all shared traits.  This was a really good book.  I think that if an Atheist read this, they would start believing in God.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Lake City, IA USA

Drowning Instinct by Ilsa J. Bick

Drowning Instinct is about the way a girl named Jenna gets in over her head and is also helped out of the water. Jenna's life is awful; her parents are borderline abusive, her mother is a drunk and her father is a private monster. Her teacher, Mr. Anderson, helps her and makes her feel loved. And oh, how he loves her. He loves her more than anyone else ever has. As her family dissolves farther, Jenna relies more and more heavily on his love, but does she know everything? Is she a victim of a teacher, or a star crossed lover?  This novel forces you to look deeper into what constitutes true love, and who is a monster.

This book is all about the way that relationships are not black and white. The relationship between Mr. Anderson (Mitch) and Jenna is confusingly beautiful, but the love between them shines through every secret she finds out about him. Although he is her teacher, and kind of creepy even aside from that, he is not a classic predator and she is most definitely not a victim. Told in the format of a monologue on a police officer's tape recorder, the prose is impeccable and deliberate. The pain leaks from the book and is something palpable that does not only live on the pages. It will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

Student-teacher relationships and sexual content play a large role in the plot line
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Exeter, NH USA

Nightingale (eBook) by David Farland

Nightingale, by David Farland is an exceptionally well written book that is sure to have readers swept away in a world of action, fantasy, romance and of course adventure.  Bron Jones is a foster child. He has taught himself not to get close with any of his foster parents or siblings. Bron must transfer parents after being accused of stealing. He is being sent to a woman who can't have any children of her own. Right off the bat she offers him much; however, Bron believes that she is in a sweet phase and that he will probably only receive one or two of the things she has promised. His new foster mother is different; in addition to upholding her word, she tells him he is a breed of human called Masaak. He doesn't believe her, of course. But who would? Right?

    Farland uses a perfect blend of imagery and mystery to keep his audience turning pages. Teens as well as adults will enjoy Nightingale and want to take part in this thrilling adventure book. I love the story and the detailed plot the author uses for this novel and can't wait until his next book come out. 

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Austin, Texas U.S.A