Sammy Keyes and the Night of Skulls by Wendelin Van Draanen

Sammey Keyes and the Night of the Living dead is the fourteenth book in the Sammey Keyes mystery series. Sammy is an eighth grade girl who, along with having the regular problems of a teenager, is constantly getting caught up in crimes. This time, she and her friends bump into a man in a graveyard on Halloween, and accidentally end up with the sack he was carrying. The discovery of two skulls inside, and more suspicious activity around the graveyard, leads Sammy to think she can find out why people in Santa Monica have been going missing. Hopefully she can figure out what is going on... before someone else disappears!
Sammey Keyes and the Night of the Living Dead was an excellent addition to the Sammy Keyes series. The main characters were every bit as interesting as in the previous books, and the new ones were unique and well-described. The inclusion of Sammy's family and school problems, as well as the interesting relationships she has with the Acosta family, gives Sammy many different sides and makes her easy to like. The book being told in Sammy's casual, down to earth tone really involves the reader in the story, with plenty of clues to be found in Sammy's sharp thinking. The plot is fast and creative, with many twists and sub-plots that are fun and easy to follow.  I would recommend this book to any child or young teenager that likes mystery, humor and adventure.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Harleysville, Pennsylvania USA

Lexie by Audrey Couloumbis

In the novel Lexie, by Newberry Honor Winning Author, Audrey Couloumbis, Lexie is going through some tough times.  Daddy and Mommy just went through a divorce, so this summer, Lexie is going to the shore with only Daddy; sort of.  Daddy invited his girlfriend, Vicky, without telling Lexie.  Lexie doesn t like Vicky s children at first.  It s obvious why.  Ben is a moody teenager, and Harris is a three year old that thinks he is a truck.  In this novel, Audrey Couloumbis  is trying to say that if you really get to know someone, you ll end up liking them.  First impressions are important, but you need to give them a chance.
 In my opinion, this novel was pretty good.  There were some spots where I got bored though.  The descriptions that the author adds are enough to give you the picture, without overwhelming you.   The setting was well planned out; at points I felt like I was actually there.  Also, the characters in this story were good people.  At times they were a little boring, but sometimes the things that they did made me giggle. I really do  believe in them as people; I think that if the characters were different, I wouldn't enjoy the book as much.  The authors voice is of the main character; a ten year old girl.  I feel like that's a thoughtful way to write.  One thing that bugged me though, was that Lexie kept calling her parents Mommy and Daddy.  Also, the details that the author needed to add, didn't make any sense for a kid to be saying, or thinking about.  The story ended well, but I wanted just a chapter more.  Over all, this book was a great easy read.  I recommend it to many other young teens.  Audrey Couloumbis is a fantastic author.

Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Mendon, Vemont USA

http://www.flamingnet.com/bookreviews/newreviews/newbookreview.cfm?title=Rumors%20From%20The%20Boys'%20Room

  Rumors From the Boys' Room, by Rose Cooper, is about Sofia Becker and her blog. This year, though, she isn't just blogging about what she hears in the Girls' Bathroom, she is also blogging about what she sees and/or hears near the Boys' Bathroom. She also reports on conversations overheard in the hallways. The big news of the story is that there is an exchange student coming to their school. Sofia hears to teachers talking about it, so she blogs about it to tell the whole world (well, at least, the whole middle school). Unfortunately, though, Sofia states the wrong country from which the exchange student is coming from. Sofia and her best friend, Nona, are trying to get Nona and Lukas, the exchange student, together, and they are also trying to fend off the popular crowd, but it is not working so well. Mia, Sofia's bow-wearing archenemy, has attempted to steal Nona away from her. And during all this, things at Sofia's house aren't going that well, either. Her mom is always sleeping or complaining because she is pregnant, but Sofia states that her mom isn't the only one getting the heat from the mood swings. Will Sofia get Nona and Lukas together? Will the popular crowd back down? Will Sofia's mom ever have this baby so she stops having so many mood swings? You'll have to read and find out
I thought this book was pretty good! It was a short but entertaining read. It was also funny, and provided lots of interesting illustrations to go along with the Journal and Blog entries. This is a cute book, and if you're looking for a quick and easy read, this is the perfect book for you. I definitely would recommend this book to girls, because it is more of a girly book, so to speak. All in all, this was a good book!

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Hopkins, Michigan USA

Angel In My Pocket by Ilene Cooper

The book Angel In My Pocket was a fun tale about a girl named Bette who lives with her father and older sister Barbra. Bette goes to a magnet school that studies preforming art. Before Bette's mother died, she would always sing but now she is too depressed to sing any more. One day she and her sister find a rare angel coin and soon Bette's life changes. She meets new friends and finds the courage to sing again. Soon the angel coin ends up in the hands of some of Bette's close friends and their lives change for the better as well. Is there really magic in this one angel coin?
I found the book to start out slow but become more interesting as is progessed. The first chapter was a bit wordy when discribing Bette's past and family, but it turned into an adventure after a couple of chapters. It wasn't one of my favorite books to read and took some time to get into but it turned out to be my kind of book in the end. I recommend to book to people who can get into any reading and people who enjoy realistic fiction. After reading this, I started to belive in angels too.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Laurel, Maryland United States

Snakes and other Reptiles by Mary Pope Osborne

Dear readers, Snakes and Other Reptiles is a nice little book
and was just what I was looking for! It's purpose is to inform
and educate the reader on reptiles. I learned lots of things
about reptiles such as the skin of a snake being made of
keratin, just like our fingernails. In addition, although you
may have heard of the Black Mamba, but did you know it has
enough venom do kill twenty people or even a cow? Another
snake is the Mozambique snake. This snake can spit venom and
even cause blindness. Snakes and Other Reptiles is my favorite
book yet!
I have a very high opinion of this book. This
book is all about reptiles, and I had fun learning about them.
I would recommend this book to whoever likes learning about
reptiles and I really got a kick out of the book. I even read
how the roadrunner kills snakes by hitting them against the
sand. So if you like learning about reptiles I would recommend
you read the book.

Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State
and Country: Sterling, virginia USA

Sylvia And Aki by Winifred Conkling

Sylvia and Aki is about two girls who fight their ways through their troubles. Aki's family was Japanese, so they had to go to a Japanese camp in Arizona when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Aki's brother was forced to take a test that asked him to either fight against his family in Japan or be a traitor of the U.S. Sylvia was with her family at Aki's family's farm in California. She found Aki's hidden doll and school picture as she looked through her room. Sylvia wasn't allowed to enroll in good school because she was Mexican. She had to walk a long way to Hoover School, which had used desks, old books, and tired teachers. Her dad got furious at the school district, so he filed a lawsuit stating Mexican students should be admitted to Westminster School. Which girl made it through their obstacles?


The book wasn't as fun as it could have been. It lacked suspense throughout the book. It was an unpleasant experience for both of them, but it wasn't presented as a huge crisis. It could have used more details. The story makes a good book, but it isn't very exciting. I would recommend it for 7-10 year-olds.

Rating: 6
Content: 1
Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Leesburg, VA USA

The Midnight Gate

Flamingnet Student Book Reviewer LH1111_lcps

Belladonna Johnson is still very nervous on the whole idea of her being a Spellbinder. Her Paladin Steve, who is her assigned protector, goes to Belladonna's school with her. When they go on a field trip to a monastery, Steve meets the last Paladin. He gives Steve a riddle to find nine objects that need to be hidden again in order to stop the Empress of the Dark Spaces from coming back from the darkness to take over the world. Elise, a ghost that Spellbinder Belladonna can see, goes with them back to the monastery to find the nine objects. Only a ghost is capable of seeing them. They find eight out of the nine objects and discover that the objects are coins. The last coin is in the Land of the Dead in the palace which belongs to the Queen of the Dead. Once in the Land of the Dead, they reach the seven gates they have to go through in order to reach the Queen of the Dead. Dothey meet the Queen and if so, is she who they thought she would be? When the Empress of the Dark Spaces tries to escape, will Belladonna and Steve be able to save the world from entering a time of darkness, or will the Earth be plunged into darkness forever?

The Midnight Gate by Helen Stringer was a great read. This book had a lot of twists and surprises in it. I did not read the first book in the Spellbinder series so at times, I felt that this book went a little too quickly for me. A lot of time was spent explaining little details. Not enough time was spent on explaining the important events like Belladonna and Steve's encounter with the Queen of Death.Unfortunately, I didn't know that there was a first book in this series or I definitely would have read it first. This was a good book that had a cliff-hanger ending that left me wanting to read more. I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in fantasy or mystery type books, but read the first book of the series beforehand.





Reviewer Age:12



Reviewer City, State and Country: Sterling, Virginia United States

The Amanda Project Shattered by Amanda Valentino and Laurie Faria Stolarz

This story is about a girl and her two friends who are trying to find their friend who disappeared, Amanda. Along the way, they discover that her vanishing is a bigger conspiracy than they thought. Also, Amanda leaves cryptic clues to help them understand her past and help track her down. They have all heard different stories about her past, and in order to find her, they must discover the truth. You learn about Amanda's dark past and get to explore the mystery of why it IS a mystery.

This book is absolutely fantastic! I could really relate to characters, and I could depict the setting. I pictured the old shack with overgrown grass, and I could see the dirt roads and cabins as they rode their bikes. I became apart of the story. One bad thing about the book was that at the very end I would liked more closure. I was left a little confused and had to re-read the last couple sentences again to understand what I think just happened. Other than that, it was a great book.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Enon, Ohio USA

Joining Up by John Jack McGuire

Best friends Will and Bobby have always dreamed of escaping
from the orphanage to join the 14th Regiment. One day, the
opportunity presents itself and they take it. On their
adventure, they meet many people including Dinky Dolan, the
devious merchant, and Daniel, a young African American
teenager who is wise beyond his years. A story of survival,
war, and adventure, 'Joining Up' will keep you on the edge
of your seat!
I did not enjoy  reading 'Joining Up'. The
storyline was very sporadic and it was very hard to follow.
There were also many punctuation and grammatical errors that
were difficult to ignore. The author also had difficulty
bringing harmony into the story.


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

Grey by Rachel Karns

After being left alone in the family jewelry shop for her 18th birthday, Maggie becomes intertwined in a mystery she never saw coming. When she reads a newspaper article on the mysterious unnamed "John Doe", she becomes too curious to help herself. After many days, she's too far in to back out. Will her mistakes effect everyone? Who is this man? Is Maggie not ready for the challenges ahead? All of this is answered throughout the mystery of Gray, a novel by Rachel Karns.
I wouldn't put this book in the genre of mystery, but the suspense at times definitely keeps the pages turning. The problem was there are also some parts that were on the boring side. If you're into some mushy romance, this is partly that. But it is also an intense book on how a teenager goes through difficult decisions, and through this finds herself. In that aspect it is a good book, but this still doesn't make it one of my top choices. I did like the way that it was narrarated through the main characters point of view though. It gave a new prospect on the way she saw people and places instead of descriptions where you could interpret your own views. It was a fresh read and there were parts that I did enjoy.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Hermantown, Minnesota USA