Alice Macleod, Realist at Last by Susan Juby

"Alice Macleod, Realist at Last," Susan Juby's latest novel, continues the adventures of Alice Macleod, a self-proclaimed outcast who was home schooled for ten years before attending a public school. This is the third installment in a highly successful series which also includes the
books "Alice, I Think" and "Miss Smithers."

The book begins during the summer before seventeen-year-old Alice's senior year and her world seems to be falling apart. Her mother has been jailed for protesting the building of a toxic plant. Her boyfriend has recently moved to Scotland with his parents. Her empathetic counselor Bob has been temporarily replaced by the detached Ms. Deitrich. To top it all off the family's home-based candle making business has been snuffed out leaving Alice and her father in need of some fast employment.

And that's just the start of Alice's troubles.

This engaging story is told in the first person through pieces of Alice's diary and snippets of her tentatively titled screenplay "Of Moose and Men" where she has cast herself in the lead. The narrative devices skillfully convey Alice's unique outlook on life, but it might take several pages for new readers to warm up to her voice. Her sense of humor is quirky and often times quite dark. Alice's previous exploits are occasionally alluded to during the course of this novel, but reading the first two books isn't mandatory in order to thoroughly enjoy this one.

Alice is the kind of character that readers will find charming. Potentially sensitive topics (such as Alice's mother's incarceration) are dealt with in a non-offensive and light-hearted manner. However, the book contains sexual content that may not be suitable for younger readers. This is a funny and entertaining book for ages twelve and up.

Reviewed by Amy Vance for Flamingnet Book Reviews
www.flamingnet.com
Preteen and young adult book reviews and recommendations

Ariel by: Grace Tiffany

"Ariel" by Grace Tiffany is a re-creation of William Shakespeare’s "The Tempest". Ariel is a powerful spirit who does not possess a physical body. However, she can shift shape, control people’s minds, create other spirits, and show images in the air. In the beginning of the book, Ariel starts out as a dream that belongs to a sailor named Jasper. A storm has swept Jasper onto an island. Over time, Jasper starts to go mad. He starts praying to his dreams and calls the spirit Ariel out of them. Jasper finally dies of his madness, but Ariel lives on. One day, a pregnant woman named Sycorax washes up onto the island. She and Ariel help each other to survive. Finally, Sycorax is about to give birth to her baby. She asks Ariel to help her, but Ariel cannot because she is only a spirit. Angry, Sycorax prays to her god, Setebos, to trap Ariel. Setebos turns Ariel into an ant and sticks her inside a tree! To find out what happens to Ariel, and Sycorax, read on for yourself!

"Ariel" is an enchanting book. Many interesting characters show up on Ariel’s island, including Sycorax’s “monster” son, Caliban; Prospero the farmer and his young daughter, Miranda; Alonso the king of Naples and his son, Ferdinand; Prospero’s “evil” brother Antonio; and Ariel’s three spirit minions—Acrazia, Nous, and Fantasia. At some points Ariel is a little slow, but other parts are exciting and read quickly. Readers who like "Treasure Island" and those who like Shakespeare’s stories would like Ariel.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age: 11

Reviewed by: GS

Tackling Dad by: Elizabeth Levy

Cassie was the star of the pee-wee football team a few years ago. Many things have changed since then, such as her parents getting divorced. Now she only visits her dad on weekends. When she and her best friend Molly make the new football team, will Cassie ever get her parents to sign the form to allow her to play in the games? If they do let Cassie play, will she ever get the respect she wants from the boys on the team? How much longer will Cassie be able to stand Serena, her new step-mom(Mrs. Tofu Queen), who gets worked up over almost everything? You can find out in this terrific book called "Tackling Dad".

This book was a page-turner and and I enjoyed spending the time to read it! At first I didn't know how this book would be since it was about football and I don't like football, but this book turned out to be excellent. The things the characters said in "Tackling Dad" were very funny. I recommend "Tackling Dad" to pretty much anybody who likes to read funny books, but especially if you like football.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Reviewer Age: 11

Reviewed by: CMy

Under the Persimmon Tree" by Suzanne Fisher Staples

The year is 2001. Afghanistan is in the middle of a war between the Taliban and the US-backed Northern Alliance. The story follows two extraordinary people: Najmah and Nusrat. Najmah, whose name means ‘star’, has lost almost all of her family to the fighting. Her only remaining relative is an uncle, whose sole aim is to steal the land that her father wanted her so much to protect. Najmah has no choice, but to accompany a family of travelers, as they are the only people, it seems, that care about her. The other main character is a woman by the name of Nusrat, an American living in Peshawar, Pakistan. Her school for refugee children under her persimmon tree keeps her mind away from her husband, who is working in northern Afghanistan as a doctor. Through a perilous journey, Najmah comes to live with Nusrat, and their lives entwine, as Najmah studies under the persimmon tree with other children who have seen more hardship in their young lives than Nusrat has seen in her entire lifetime.

This book was an amazing testament to those who must give up their lifestyle and possessions to warfare and hardship. "Under the Persimmon Tree" gives a face to all those who surrender all individuality to the western media, and are just masses of people in their eyes. I could not put the book down. I received the book on a Friday evening, and was done by Saturday morning. The way Suzanne Fisher Staples writes is both knowledgeable and empathetic. Her firsthand experience of the change of Afghanistan from a cultural center to a barren wasteland translates very clearly into the amazing and true-to-life storyline. Ms. Staples lived in Afghanistan from the time before the Soviet Invasion that changed the country forever to the time of the Taliban takeover. The ending leaves readers to wonder, and yet a sense of closure is within a close grasp. Under the Persimmon Tree is an essential to anyone with family members fighting in Afghanistan, who follow events there, or just want to learn about the war that seems to have disappeared out of our media spotlight.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10

Reviewer Age: 12

Reviewed by: CS

A.D. 62: Pompeii by: Rebecca East

A twenty-first century woman named Miranda is stranded in A.D. 62 Pompeii as a house slave of a wealthy family. True, that's what she came to do, get an up close and personal look into the lives of first century Romans. However, with no way to get back home, it looks like she'll be there forever, or at least until Mt. Vesuvius covers the entire city with 20 feet of lava, mud, and ash. Slowly through the help of storytelling and music she makes her way up the ladder of slaves so instead of scrubbing floors and cleaning chamber pots she is playing her flute for guests at dinner parties. Soon she finds her self attracted to the master of the house, but love between a slave and her master is absolutely unheard of. Truly a different kind of love story.

The beginning was good, the middle was a bit slow, but the end was TERRIFIC! The beginning was packed with detail about her surroundings. The middle was the day to day life of a slave with the same thoughts, ideas, and actions repeated over and over. The end was filled to the brim with action and plot. The book also tends to deal with rather mature ideas. Set some time aside for the end because you won't want to stop until you have finished the last page.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age: 13

Reviewed by: KA

Nasty Book by: Barry Yourgrau

This book is as collection of stories. The stories are comical, creepy, gorey, scary, gross, and nasty. Some of them have a mission to scare you, while others just live up to the name "nasty". They are all good for a sleepless night.

This book was okay. The author did a good job on making up nasty stories. Many of them were too unbeleivable. They weren't that nasty, becuase I know some of the events couldn't happen. However, some of them really sent the hair on my neck rising.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6

Reviewer Age: 12

Reviewed by: RC

Orphans of Chaos by: John C. Wright

"Orphans of Chaos" involves five children, Amelia, Quentin, Victor, Colin, and Vanity, who are living in a British orphanage. As time goes on, the children discover unusual, unbelievable things about themselves. They can do incredible things like walk on air, unlock bolted doors, and reach into the fourth dimension. It becomes evident that they are not humans at all, but rather supernatural beings whose memories and powers have been stripped away from them and who have been trapped within the boundaries of the orphanage. Where are they from? Who has confined them here, and why?

Like a master chef sprinkling seasoning over a dish, Wright has flavored his fantasy with hints of science, mythology, and mystery. The plot was enthralling, and the characters multi-layered. As the story progresses and questions from previous chapters are answered, new questions arise, keeping you spellbound from cover to cover. There were a few parts in the book, usually pretty short, with scientific concepts that went a little over my head, but they did not detract at all from my enjoyment of the book, and might make it more fun to read through a second time. I thought this book was very well written, and genuinely regreted to set it down once I was finished. I'd love to read the sequel. It is a good read for most young adults who like fantasy.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Reviewer Age: 13

Reviewed by: SV

Dustin Grubbs, One Man Show by: John J. Bonk

In his first novel "Dustin Grubbs, One Man Show", John J. Bonk examines the intersection of dreams and reality in middle school. The hero, Dustin Grubbs, wants to change the world through his stage performances. Unfortunately, Dustin has no acting experience since his mother does not approve of the theater because his father deserted the family three years ago to become a stand-up comic. When sixth grade teacher Miss Honeywell proposes a play, Dustin ignores his mother’s expected disapproval and pursues his goal. Then reality sets in. Calamity becomes the star of The Castle of the Crooked Crowns as a fire drill stops the show. On the day of the rescheduled performance Dustin manages to get locked in the boys’ bathroom. When the janitor finally rescues him, his entire class and new student TV child star Jeremy Jason Wilder watch him appear from the stall. A public bathroom rescue should be the worst event ever, but it isn’t. A broken piano isn’t the worst either. Neither is Principal Futterman’s giving the starring role to Jeremy. The worst part is when Dustin almost let his fascination with Jeremy damage his friendship with Wally Dorkin, Ellen Mennopi aka LMNOP, and the other kids at Buttermilk Falls Middle School. Although few middle school students have TV stars in their school, many have dreamed of the friendship of an unresponsive someone and will identify with Dustin’s attempt to understand friendship, trust, and loyalty. John Bonk has created a believable middle school atmosphere with its puns, alliteration, and bathroom humor. Readers may welcome another visit to Buttermilk Falls when the sequel comes out in 2006.

John Bonk has captured the drama of middle school with its emphasis on friendships and peer pressure. The characters are believable and a little goofy, just like middle schoolers. I liked visiting Buttermilk Falls Middle School and wonder what the kids will be up to in the sequel. I would recommend this book to folks with a sense of humor.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

This book was reviewed by a Graduate Student

The Lace Dowry by: Andrea Cheng

When Juli and her mama go to Halas to order an elegant lace tablecloth for Juli's dowry, she finds a new friend named Roza, otherwise known as the best lacemaker's daughter. They return every two months to the lacemaker's shop to check up on the progress of the tablecloth and to make payments on it. Juli's mama doesn't want her having a friend from the country. So when her mama finds out Juli and Roza have become friends, Juli's mama forces her to go to dance class instead of going to Halas with her. Juli is afraid that Roza might go blind like her (Roza's) mama and she decides to help her. How, you ask? Well, instead of using the money her mama gave her for white dance shoes, Juli uses it to buy something that she thinks will help Roza not to go blind from making lace, but will Juli ever see Roza again to give it to her? Find out in one of the greatest books ever, called "The Lace Dowry".

I loved this book so much that I wished it would never end. The Lace Dowry is set in 1933 in the city in Budapest. This book has magnificent characters that are interesting to read about. I enjoyed reading this book very much because it had a wonderful plot and the setting was unusual. This book also has a moral question: Is it ok to tell lies and steal to help someone else who is in need? Everything about this book is awesome, and I recommend "The Lace Dowry" to everybody.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10

Reviewer Age: 11

Reviewed by CMy

His Oldest Friend by Sonny Kleinfeld

When Elvis started volunteering at the nursing home, it was to keep out of trouble. He was a poor, Hispanic young man living in a not-so safe neighborhood in New York City, and everyday just trying to stay alive. But when Elvis is hired look in on Ms. Oliver, a resident of the home, their weekly check-ups gradually turn into daily visits, and a rare and strong relationship is formed. While Elvis brings light into Ms. Oliver's dull world at the nursing home, she gives him the strength and wisdom to better his life day by day.

His Oldest Friend is not a book that I will pick up again any time soon. Though Kleinfield is a renowned journalist, when it comes to books geared for young adults, his work is not up to expectations. The story itself is a bit cliché, an elderly person enlightening a troubled youth and vice-versa, but also, the use of vocabulary did not seem to fit the age group the book was written for. By the time the book was over, I not only didn't particularly care what became of the characters, but I wasn't able to absorb any points that Kleinfield was trying to make with this story, which left me feeling that I went through the trouble of reading the book for nothing.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 4

Reviewer Age: 15