Thou Shalt Not Road Trip by Antony John

When 16-year old Luke Dorsey's book, Hallelujah, becomes a bestseller, his publisher decides to send him out on a book tour. Sounds good, right? Well, come to find out his chauffeur is going to be his crazy, unpredictable, older brother Matt. When Matt decides to liven up the trip, things start to go downhill. Without Luke knowing, Matt makes a few tweaks to the driving plan, so that they're driving on the legendary Route 66, and he decides to add a few companions: his girlfriend Alex and her sister Fran, who happens to be Luke's ex-crush/crush (he hasn't quite decided) . Soon this book tour turns into a journey about finding yourself and then staying true to yourself. Add a little site-seeing, a little faith, and a lot of humor, and you get Thou Shalt Not Road Trip.

Ok... I had VERY high expectations for this book since I loved Five Flavors of Dumb, by Antony John, and I have to say I don't think it lived up to all of my expectations. First, let me say the road trip didn't go so smoothly. The first 136 pages were quite bad, so much so that I didn't know if I wanted to finish the book. Now saying that, I'm glad I did because it got a lot better,but only because Fran became more of a prominent character. That's what really saved the book for me. Let's just get the first 136 pages out of the way. In those pages it was quite boring and you start to wonder if there's really a plot. The characters aren't well developed and don't have enough depth. That does change after page 137 but Fran really is the most well put together character and I have to wonder if the book should have been from her perspective. Now this might be because she reminds me of Piper from Five Flavors of Dumb, but still...


Also, there is a lot of language throughout the book (look in warnings for full description) and a vivid scene of self abuse on page 92 (also in the warnings). For the next warning I'm going to be very, shall we say vague, in how I say this, but it definitely needs to be addressed. So here goes. On pages 133 through 135 there's an interview hijacking. The interviewer is a local frat guy. It starts by slamming abstinence and ends with an inappropriate discussion about masturbation. Overall it was very crude, disgusting, and thoroughly disappointing. This is the worst part of the book in my view, and as I said before I am seriously disappointed in Antony John because that did not have to be in the book.


On to the second part of the book, pages 137 and on. I definitely think that the characters got stronger and the plot got rolling. There were a lot of good things, especially the realization that Luke made about himself, others, and his book. Luke grows and learns that disappointing people is part of life if you want to stay true to yourself and your beliefs. Now for the bad part. There's a lot of lying and Luke does dig his own grave a few times by lying. Even though the lying is wrong, I think it made the book more realistic. In the end when everything came to light Luke had to deal with it and learned that telling the truth would have been a lot easier and he would have hurt a lot less people. It also showed how much freer he felt when he told the truth. The end was not a fairy tale ending. It ended with him on the road to forgiveness, not at the end of the road. So, I felt that it was much more realistic.


Overall though I have to give it a 5 because it's right in the middle for me. The first part is not worth your time and had some negative things in it, but the second part was funny and pretty good, still having some negative things in it but to a lesser degree. Therefore, right down the middle.

1 goddamned
8 crap
4 Damned
13 hell
10 freakin'
1 for Christ's sake
12 screw
10 heck
1 son of a bitch
2 God
2 oh my God
1 oh God
1 dick
2 pissed
1 ass
1 dang

WARNINGS: There are several scenes with underage drinking and talks about sex. In one scene Fran is drunk and sticks a needle through her ear (there's a lot of blood). I already told you about the radio interview in the review. Oh and a possum gets run over.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Sharpsville, IN USA

Here (eBooks) by Ella James

Strange, mysterious and captivating are all words I would use to describe the story Here. In Here Milo is like any other girl with good friends and nice clothes. Milo lives on a large wind farm in Colorado and has just recently taken over her dead father s deer tracking project. All alone in her cold tree stand is when she met him. Within a matter of minutes he turns Milo s world upside down. And when Milo s life has been spun a complete 360, others around her get spun out of control too. In the middle of it all though, Milo still carries that feeling that there' s something that he isn' t telling her and that there 's something she ought to tell him.

I really enjoyed Here a lot more than I thought I would. As soon as I started it I got sucked in and didn 't want to put it down. The mystery was excellent and kept me entertained the entire way through. In my opinion the ending was a little disappointing but satisfied me enough to be done with the book. I think the characters were very realistic and well-developed along with the plot. Overall, I was very happy with my choice and would like to see more published works from this author in the future.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Hopkins, Michigan United States

See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles

Fern lives in a family of five. She is 12 years old and feels like no one cares. Her mom is always off meditating and her dad is always making new commercials for the family restaurant, Harry's. When a tragic accident rips Fern's family apart, Fern blames herself. Can she help get her family back together?

Personally I did not like See You At Harry's. As I read it I thought boring all the way. I am a big fan of adventure books so See You At Harry's was not my style. It was a serious book with no humor. There was not a vertex in the plot and the book never urged me to pick it up and read it. I did like how the author wrapped up the book though. People who like drama books would enjoy See You At Harry's. It's definitely a tear-jerker. I would not recommend this book to any of my friends although I like how the author describes the characters.

I gave it a 2 because it talks about being gay,so you should be able to ask if you don't know what that is.

Reviewer Age:11

Reviewer City, State and Country: Uniontown, OH USA

Scandalous! by Hallie Fryd

Have you ever been at party and heard a group discussing a shocking new event, but were unable to join in because you were fuzzy on the details? This book is your cure. Scandalous! is a comprehensive guide by Hallie Fryd which explores the particulars of a century of outrageous scandals. It includes fifty events, which are broken down into an easily digestible format. Scandalous! is basically all you need to sound intelligent at your next party.

I m usually not one for nonfiction, but I really liked Scandalous! The format, which breaks each scandal into an easily read format, is very conducive to actually remembering the events. For each incident there are well placed boxes with the major people involved, quotes, a picture, related events, and other helpful additions. I really liked that each event ended with an insightful section called Why We Still Care, which I found to be very helpful in seeing the cultural impact of the incident. The book covers a lot of ground, starting with a 1906 murder and ending with the 2000 Gore-Bush election. I can honestly say I walked away with a ton more knowledge, even about familiar events.


For reviewing purposes I read it in long blocks, but I think the best way to enjoy it would to be to read a scandal or two here and there, because reading it for an hour like a novel can get a bit tedious. I think it would be a good book for the coffee table or bathroom, because of the simply divided sections. Overall, if you want to become more informed on the most infamous scandals of the last century, this book is a great choice

This book is recommend for 14+ but some may find some of the stories about kidnapping, crimes against children, or murder a bit unsettling.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Tigard, Oregon United States

Dark Inside by Jeyn Robert

An ever-growing disease has plagued the world. Friends turning on friends, parents killing children. For those who have survived the brutal earthquakes and the killings, the world is a different, more dangerous place. Four teens, Mason, Michael, Clementine, and Aries, attempt to stay alive in this new place they call Earth, surviving random attacks by Baggers and trying to find shelter while asking themselves the most important question, who can you trust?

I personally loved this book. My favorite character would have to be either Clementine, who fought to seek out her brother, or Aries, whom I can relate to greatly. The only part I found confusing was the very end. I found it to be rushed. I really loved the danger of all the situations, not knowing who to trust. And I really liked the scene with Twiggy and Michael. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loved a good scary story.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Inman, SC USA

Midnight City by J. Barton Mitchell

It's been eight years since the Assembly (an alien race) took over Earth and captured all the adult population. Eight years that Holt Hawkins has spent as a bounty hunter in a world ruled by rebel youths. Holt is transporting his latest prisoner, Mira, to the Midnight City to collect his reward when the two come across a crashed Assembly ship with a young girl named Zoey trapped inside. Together, they rescue Zoey and soon discover her magical abilities that could stop the Assembly for good. The three embark on a treacherous journey across the barren wasteland they once called home, fighting for their own lives as well as each others'.

Midnight City is an amazing book. In the beginning, you don't really know how Earth was captured, but you know enough to be able to read and enjoy the book and learn more as the book goes on. The author reveals the right amount of information throughout the book, otherwise there would be a whole history section that wasn't needed. The book is fast-paced and never boring. Once I started reading the book, I couldn't put it down. The characters were original and intriguing because each had their own mysteries and backgrounds that you had to read to find out about. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes action/sci-fi books with a little romance thrown in.

Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Brownsburg, Indiana United States of America

Spark-The Elemental Series by Brigid Kemmerer

"With a spark and a flicker, it flared to life" (305). Gabriel Merrick plays with fire, but that does not mean that he is able to control it completely. Gabriel is accused of an arson attack and even his family does no t believe that he i s innocent. Only the shy, intelligent girl named Layne Forrest believes in his innocence. Gabriel' s power is something that he has to hide, but when Layne is in trouble, he is forced to reveal his true identity.

This book is very engaging. The characters ' powers are amazing, and their actions are real. I could imagine these characters in real life and could see them experiencing all sorts of trouble. The book is also funny and romantic, with a main character that has an interesting aura, both intense and exciting. Gabriel is strong, but he keeps his feelings to himself and keeps secrets from his family. I sometimes pitied him. After a couple of chapters, I could barely put down the book. I learned that you do no t have to be perfect to be a hero, and if you are determined, you can do anything. Since the book contains many swears, it is for those who are at least in high school.

Citadels of the Lost by Tracy Hickman

Drakis and his friends narrowly escape from a skirmish with dragons (which aren't supposed to exist) to find themselves in a land they know nothing about.  They met the dragons when running away from an elven estate whose Aether Well (a source of powerful magic) they destroyed.  The group discovers underground caverns, abandoned cities, drakoneti (devilish half-human, half-dragon beasts),and startling secrets about each other.  Eventually, they meet a tribe living in this strange wilderness, and learn they must travel to the Citaldels in the lost city of Chelesta.  There they must reverse a Font (another name for an Aether Well) so the magic can flow out into the surrounding lands by completing the Font with a hidden Key.  The magic will repair the ruins of the civilizations of those who lived in the wilderness.  However, a conniving dragon seeks to keep the Aether trapped within the Font.  Drakis must fight through his troubled emotions to prevail against the rebel dragon and accept terrible truths.

This book was quite interesting.  The beginning was slow, as I have not read the first book in the series, but after a few chapters, I grew accustomed to the characters personalities, and found the book much more enjoyable.  At that point, I found it hard to put down. My favorite characters were the Lyric, who has the ability to become any character from their world's folktales.  She was also funny because the other characters would often get confused trying to figure out who she was at a certain time.  The two varieties of magic, Aether and Aer, were unique and intriguing, since Aether is a simply very condensed version of Aer.  This is a good book for people experienced in unraveling intricate plots and comprehending complex ideas.

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

May Magic

Whose mom just visited the hypnotist and is now acting


like a duck? It is Bradley and Brian's mom in the book,

May Magic, by Ron Roy. This book is one of the Calendar

Mystery books. Bradley and Brian took their mom to see

Hypo the Hypnotist and now they think she has been

hypnotized into thinking she is a duck. She is quacking

like a duck, splashing in her bathtub, poured corn around

the house, and wanted to play in the rain. More than

anything the boys wanted their real mom back and wanted to

get rid of the duck silliness.


I really liked this book. It was interesting and funny

at the same time. It was a fun mystery to read. I wanted

to know what was going on with their mom as much as the

boys did. The ending really did surprise me. I would

recommend this book to students in second and third grade.

It is a good book for kids just starting to read chapter

books.

 Age:9

Jackson, MO USA

Oreo by Valerique Williams

Jayenia, a fourteen year old African American girl, is confused about who she is and who she thinks she is expected to be. She feels alone and and struggles with race issues internally and externally. Through the stress of starting high school and not being excepted by peers, Oreo shares what many African Americans go through in fitting in racially and socially, and the mental struggles they face about themselves.
In the beginning, Jayenia annoyed me. Her story felt slightly gloomy, and she is always in a bad mood. I kept reading, mostly because I could easily relate to her character, and that made the story worthwhile. Jayenia is shy, stubborn, and easily irritated. She doesn 't like loud, crazy parties, and worries constantly that people think she is stuck up, because of her personality, to which I can relate immensely!
She questions who her friends are, who she is, and if her family understands her.
The writing was like a first draft, peppered with grammatical errors.  It read okay, but was a bit distracting. The character kept me reading.
The subject matter was really interesting to read because of how Jayenia struggles with being called an Oreo (too black on the outside to be white,and too white on the inside to be black) and who she thinks she is supposed to be. She wants to be accepted for who she is, the only problem is that she s not always sure who that may be.
The ending was frustrating, as it didn t seem to wrap it all up.. but was also appealing because that is how life is. I would be anxious and happy to hear of a sequel!
There was some mild rude humor, and mild sexual references.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Sandy, Oregon United States