A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley

Have you ever wanted to enter a world where history and fact intertwine and intrigue lurks around every corner? Welcome to the world of Thacker s farm. Populated by the Thackers family of Devonshire, the ancestral family farm is also home to some unusual and unnoticed guests the family and servants that lived on the farm during the Elizabethan times. The older inhabitants of Thackers are avid supporters of the young princess Mary, known more commonly as Mary Queen of Scots, and will do anything to aide her in usurping England s throne. When a young girl named Penelope is transported from her present day to the Elizabethan era Thackers, she is immediately caught in a twisted web of plotting and deception. She has the knowledge that has the potential to doom or aide the original Thackers family, but will she be able to convince them of her origins in time to save them?
I liked A Traveler In Time by Alison Uttley because of its intricacy and incredible attention to detail. However, the book seems to ramble unnecessarily in places and is difficult to get into. Still, if you are a fan of historical fiction this book is a great read!!

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Virginia Beach, VA USA

Ice Shock by M.G. Harris

Ice Shock is about 14 year old Josh, an adventurous youth with both Mayan and European ancestry. In his quest to answer many questions about his father s mysterious death, Josh learns of a secret Mayan society called Ek Naab. Ek Naab is an underground Mayan city where Mayans are trying to discover the way to stop the feared 2012 prophecy. Josh soon discovers that his ancestry plays a major role in the future for both the Mayans and the entire planet. Ice Shock is packed with action, major discoveries, betrayals, and a surprise ending.
Harris first book, Invisible City, was given to me as a gift. I started reading it and was instantly intrigued. I knew that I wanted more when it was over and that was exactly how I felt at the end of the second book, Ice Shock. When I finished reading, I felt like I read a really good book, but not like I read something that makes me feel like I could be a part of it. When I read a book, I want to feel as though I can create another character to be me in the story. And as much as I liked this book, I didn t feel as though I could be a part of it. Other than that detail, the story is phenomenal. I also loved the cliff hanger at the end of the story, the suspense of wanting to know more will get M. G. Harris readers lapping at his feet for another release in the series. I would definitely recommend Ice Shock and The Joshua Files to any readers aging from preteen to an easy read for any adult.

Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Charlotte, North Carlina United States of America

Unwelcome by Michael Griffo

Michael and Ronan are now living with each other in Archangel Academy. Michael finally faced the fact that he is gay. It was only the beginning of their problems when they find out someone near them is evil and wants to destroy their types of vampires, water type. That's not the only problem Ronan and Michael face. They both are dealing with jealousy and realize that they haven't been completely honest with each other. This is a thought- provoking novel that will leave you wanting more.
This is a very different novel than we may be used to. It's different, but it could be a good different. There may be some parts that may be confusing because the points view kept changing and the author didn't specify who the narrator was. Other than that the author has great descriptions of the protagonist's personality which makes it easy to relate to them.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Killington, Vermont United States

Private Cathay's Secret by Rebecca O. Hayes

The historical fiction book Private Cathay s Secret by Rebecca O. Hayes, is a
mind-blowing novel that you will love. In the novel, soldiers took a slave girl, Cathay, to be their cook. She traveled many places with her cousin, Jasper, who was also a slave, and the soldiers, and along the way, she learned how to cook better. When she was able to finally be free, and not a slave, she was lonely and didn t know what to do with herself. She then decided to join the army as a man. It was a hard task not being caught, but she pulled it off. In this novel, you will read of all the different places she went and what she went through on the way. Private Cathay s Secret is a fast, easy read that you will enjoy.

I thought the book was an amazing book because seriously, how would you be able to join an army as a man and not get caught. It also taught me that you can accomplish anything in life, even if it s from joining the army, to working at Walmart. I think Rebecca O. Hayes did a really nice job with writing this book, and getting the right idea of it. She stepped into Cathay s shoes and expressed what Cathay would feel, think, and even say. Private Cathay s Secret was a really good novel.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chittenden, Vermont United States

Switched by Amanda Hocking

Life is confusing for Wendy Everly. She doesn’t know why, but she feels as if she doesn’t belong --- not just at school, but at home, too. When her mother accuses her of being a monster, Wendy believes her to be insane. The police agree with her, and her mother is shipped off to an asylum. Ten years later, Wendy finds out a startling discovery: Her mother was right. Wendy isn’t human at all; she’s a monster.

A good author will make the reader feel something, ANYTHING, for the main character of the book. I felt nothing for Wendy. The only time I felt anything for her was in the Prologue! By the end of the book, I didn’t care if she ever saw the light of day again. Why? Because I couldn’t relate to Wendy. She would obsess over stupid things, blowing them way out of proportion. Her obsession with Finn was downright ridiculous. She complained about every little thing that happened to her. Overall, I found her to be very bland, obsessive, and depressing. She was a disappointing main character.

Though the back cover of this book promises excitement, magic, and new worlds; the only thing this book produces are long, boring, and drama-filled events with hardly any magic in them at all. There is no new world, it’s an exact replica of our world.

The only reason I rated this book so high was because of the amazing short story in the back of the book. I adored it. The characters were three-dimensional, believable, and realistic. In these 5 short chapters, the characters came to life. I was sucked into this short story, feeling compassion, heartbreak, and sorrow along with the characters. I was hoping and praying they’d survive to see another day. Too bad the main book wasn’t as enjoyable.

There are multiple scenes with cursing (including a couple f-bombs) and a bit of innuendo. There are quite a few scenes with sexual and suggestive elements as well.

Content: 2
Rating: 3
Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Yucaipa, California USA

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