Tofu and T. Rex by Greg Leitich Smith

A present-day Texas school district has a troublemaker on its hands. Fredrika Murchison-Kowalski, or Freddie for short, is a vegan and believes strongly in liberating animals, but she goes too far when she nearly burns down the school’s football stadium trying to liberate the bull mascot. She is quickly shipped back to her native Chicago where she must live with her grandfather and her cousin Hans-Peter. They live in a traditional Eastern European neighborhood with lots of sausage, pets, and fur. On top of that her grandfather, or Opa, owns a deli/butcher shop where Freddie is forced to work. She is re-admitted into the prestigious Peshtigo School of Chicago. Her cousin desperately wants to get into the school because of its wonderful paleontology program. The vegan and the carnivore must learn to live in harmony to achieve both their goals.

The book was good and it presented two good arguments. I couldn’t decide which I agreed with since I am a vegetarian but I am not a vegan. I also saw the culture involved with the meats eaten by the Polish. The book was written in a light, moving style and it did not dwell on any one thing for too long. I enjoyed the two points of view of both characters and some of the hilarity of Freddie’s activism. It was a bit simple and not really too developed but it contained some really funny parts and some very true arguments. If you enjoy both giggles and gasping, you’ll like this book. From being chased by bees to the emancipation of frogs to an accidental severing, this book certainly earns a ‘funny mark’.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Greencastle, PA USA

The World of Eldaterra, The Dragon Conspiracy by P. R. Moredun

The time is 1895. Chief Professor Corrik is working on a case that involves the murders of pregnant women. Can he handle the truth, and is he brave enough to stop the culprit? The time is 1910. Eldaterra is in trouble. Portals between the Old World and the New World only open on rare occasions, and even then, few people can see them. While James is walking on the beach, he sees a strange arch; one that he is sure wasn’t there before. When he steps through, he is taken to another world- the Old World, Eldaterra. As James soon finds out, he is the only one capable of saving Eldaterra- if he chooses to help, he could save a world, which would involve extreme danger. If he chooses to return home, the enemy will almost certainly kill him just because they know that he can see the portal. With the help of a brave dog that can talk, a large bear that can also talk, and two dwarf brothers whose goal in life is to either die in their attempt to help James and become legends, or live in the attempt to help James and become heroes. Can James stop the evil that began 15 years ago and prevent the destruction of Eldaterra, before time runs out?

The World of Eldaterra, The Dragon Conspiracy is amazing. While the reader is trying to figure out one mystery that occurred in 1895, another adventure is unfolding in 1910. Are there links between the two? Page after page, The Dragon Conspiracy reveals new facts and new problems, new lies and new dangers. P. R. Moredun has created a fantasy world that is enveloped in mystery.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, PA USA

The World of Eldaterra, The Dragon Conspiracy by P. R. Moredun

The time is 1895. Chief Professor Corrik is working on a case that involves the murders of pregnant women. Can he handle the truth, and is he brave enough to stop the culprit? The time is 1910. Eldaterra is in trouble. Portals between the Old World and the New World only open on rare occasions, and even then, few people can see them. While James is walking on the beach, he sees a strange arch; one that he is sure wasn’t there before. When he steps through, he is taken to another world- the Old World, Eldaterra. As James soon finds out, he is the only one capable of saving Eldaterra- if he chooses to help, he could save a world, which would involve extreme danger. If he chooses to return home, the enemy will almost certainly kill him just because they know that he can see the portal. With the help of a brave dog that can talk, a large bear that can also talk, and two dwarf brothers whose goal in life is to either die in their attempt to help James and become legends, or live in the attempt to help James and become heroes. Can James stop the evil that began 15 years ago and prevent the destruction of Eldaterra, before time runs out?

The World of Eldaterra, The Dragon Conspiracy is amazing. While the reader is trying to figure out one mystery that occurred in 1895, another adventure is unfolding in 1910. Are there links between the two? Page after page, The Dragon Conspiracy reveals new facts and new problems, new lies, and new dangers. P. R. Moredun has created a fantasy world that is enveloped in mystery.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, PA USA

Exile by Grace Garendish

Banoo Yasmine was exiled from her homeland and is now needing a loan from Grace's queen, so she can try to rebuild her wealth. In return for the loan Banoo gave the queen the most precious treasure of all, The Heart of Kings. When people find out that that jewel is the fake one, people go every trying find it. The next day it is found in Grace's good friends laundry bins, Ellie the laundry maid. Now Ellie must go and find the true thief.

This was a great book. The author had a great style of writing that moved fast. The book kept me reading and was a great mystery. Every time I thought I knew who did it, it turned out I was wrong. The book had every part of a good story in it.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Lutherville, Maryland USA

Mocassin Thunder

Joy Harjo, Sherman Alexie, Cynthia Leitich, Richard Van Camp, Linda Hogan, Joseph Bruchac, Louise Erdich, Greg Sarris, Lee Francis, and Susan Powers invite readers to understand today’s Indian through these intriguing stories. Middle and high school students will recognize the experiences of growing up, facing peer pressure, and coming to terms with individual identity. In “How to Get to the Planet Venus” Joy Harjo’s heroine travels from the safe arms of the man in the moon as a child to reaching Planet Venus as an almost responsible young woman. Alexie Sherman shows how a family’s stories can change to fit history. “A Real-Live Blond Cherokee and His Equally Annoyed Soul Mate” wins a prize for a title that tells almost all of the story while encouraging readers to examine stereotypes of appearance. Kevin Garner in “The Last Snow of the Virgin Mary” walks a thin line between his ambition to become a teacher and his drug addiction until one side wins. The grandma in “Crow” exhibits far more generosity of spirit than the well-dressed, limo-riding woman who tries to coerce the sell of the house and everything else. Maybe money isn’t the answer to life’s troubles. For the heroine of Susan Power’s “Drum Kiss” the leap from wishing for C.S. Lewis’s kingdom of Narnia in the back of a wardrobe to an understanding of her tribe’s animal stories brings real friends and reemergence of self-acceptance. Together these stories give life to memorable characters.

Moccasin Thunder is a welcomed addition to short story collections and offers an introduction to respected writers whose other works will be equally inviting. I hardily recommend this book for middle and high school students who want to read of other adolescents’ travels toward adulthood.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 58
Reviewer City, State and Country: Timonium, MD US

Confessions of a Boyfriend Stealer

Confessions Of A Boyfreind Stealer is the online diary of Genesis Bell, sixteen and half year-old ex-best friend to CJ Thompson and Tasha Dombrowski and aspiring television producer. Normally known as one of The Terribles, when caught 'stealing' her best friend's boyfriends, things change. No longer a Terrible, Genesis sets about setting the record straight, in the form of an online blog. Genesis, the more reserved, less fiery and in-your-face friend of the three, was always the one how kept things in control; she kept secrets, mended broken hearts (the hearts of the boys her friends so heartlessly dumped, not her friends who didn't need or want any sympathy) and was the nice one. In this book she learns more about herself and comes several steps closer to her dream of producing documentries and reality shows; when she films the party of the year.

This book, although aimed for an older audience; the scenes being a little unsuitable for anyone under 13, is likely to entertain the younger more. The plot is very ambitous and hard to believe at times, while the writing can be patching is some places and the characters pretty shallow; never the less this book was enjoyable and easy to read into spare moment. While the book screams of a sequal (the blog of Genesis's ex best friend CJ, which is mentioned on the first page), I believe that when the time comes I will read it. If you feel like an easy read, something that isn't serious and won't have you pondering about the meaning of life, then this is the book for you - sweet, spunky, you can not help cheering Genesis on, nor cringing at her stupidity at times.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6
Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Bristol, England

The Fire Thief by Terry Deary

This book begins with Prometheus (yes the Greek Titan) escaping his bonds of captivity. Then he flies two million years into the future (around 1858) trying to escape the fury of the gods. In this future he meets a boy and his uncle. Jim, the boy, is an orphan that Edward, the uncle, adopted. They are actors (and thieves) whom befriend Prometheus. Will Prometheus be able to escape the wrath of the gods? Will Jim and Edward be able to help him? Find out by reading Fire Thief.

I found this book highly entertaining. It had many, many funny parts in it. The footnotes at the bottom of the pages made it even more hilarious*. I also enjoyed how the two stories (Ancient Greece and Eden City 1858) were combined together. It was a fairly easy-to-read book and isn’t very big, so I think you should take a few hours and read Fire Thief. Anyone who needs a good laugh should read this book.

*Things like this would be at the bottom of the pages, except that they would have something funny written on them.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Denair, California United States

I am Alive and You are Dead A Journey into the Mind of Philip K. Dick

This book was a fascinating read about an author named Philip K. Dick who was a very uncommon breed. Carrere takes the reader through the journey of this man’s life from the infant death of his twin sister, to the multiple marriages he experienced, to his upsetting lonely death. Throughout all of this, the reader learns of how involved the human brain can truly be, especially in the case of Philip K. Dick.

Although I had never read any of Philip K. Dick’s work before, Emanuel Carrere’s depiction of his life was quite interesting. However, in Carrere’s book, there was some confusion between the descriptions of Dick‘s actual life, and the parts which were only the autobiographical aspects that he had written about in his own novels. The “journey into the mind of Philip K. Dick” was a fascinating journey to take, and without giving too much away, I do not think that any regular person really knows someone of Philip’s character. Perhaps there are some aspects of his enigmatic mind that each one of us holds, but the intricacy that was described in Carrere’s creative way held a hazy difference between the reality and the imaginary. Perhaps these two things can be easily confused, as they seem to have been by Dick, in my opinion. Either way, Carrere wrote an impressive memoir that showed all of the details of Philip K. Dick’s life, when really picked through, and I can assume that the other authors who have written about him could not have done nearly as good of a job.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Towson, Maryland USA

The Seropia Crystal by T. W. Olzinski

When a twelve-year old girl named Riley Benson moves with her family to her grandma’s house for the summer, she soon realizes that it will be the summer of her life. Soon after arrival she finds a chest and a key. Inside she finds a couple of things but the one she likes the most is the seropia crystal necklace. She ventures around her house taking pictures. She goes into the woods and trips on a tree while taking the pictures and to her surprise the butterfly, squirrel, rabbit, fox, and deer she saw in her dreams speak to her and ask her to help them out. They tell her all about how they got there and about why they are there. The animals also tell her that they sent their king to earth to save him and that they need to find him before the evil Tirantus Pirate gets to him or he will be taken prisoner and all the other planets will turn evil. Her necklace glows brighter whenever the king gets closer and she finds out that the king could’ve taken the form of anything. She decides to help the animals and starts her search before she has to go back to her own house at the end of the summer.

This book is awesome! It is very interesting and makes you want to know what happens next. I thought the characters were interesting but kind of like everyday people. I recommend this book to anyone in 3rd-7th grade. I enjoyed reading this book and I hope anyone who reads this will also enjoy it.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Upperstrasburg, PA US

SuperSized Kids by Larimore and Flynt

Obesity in America is of epidemic proportions. This fact is easily affirmed with a quick look on a crowded street. Research shows not only are more people overweight or obese, the overweight keep piling on the pounds. Sadly, this phenomenon is not just an adult problem. In the book SuperSized Kids How To Rescue Your Child From The Obesity Threat, Walt Larimore, M.D., and Sherri Flynt explore the medical consequences of obesity in today's youth and offer their medical experiences, both personal and clinical, as they attempt to tackle this worldwide crisis. Obesity does not discriminate. In fact, as this book so adeptly explains, obesity affects all persons, individually and as a society. The negative health impact is globally catastrophic in addition to financially devastating. Larimore and Flynt, with the use of reality-based case in points, attempt to explain the ravages this disease presents while offering thier medical expertise to assure us this trend can be reversed. With simple medical terminology and easy to follow lifestyle changes, these dedicated professionals make eradicating childhood obesity seem like a real possibility. While exposing probable causes of obesity, the authors are quick to point out modern luxuries and conveniences as the likeliest culprits. Except, instead of assigning blame to society and culture alone, they lay the responsibility and recovery at the feet of the individual. If the purpose of this book is to explain what obesity is, what it does, and how to prevent it, that goal was certainly attained. Larimore and Flynt give the reader every reason to be concerned and become proactive with the weight, current and future health of our next generation.

SuperSized Kids How To Rescue Your Child From The Obesity Threat is one of many books tackling the issue of childhood obesity available today. Written to appeal to parents and caregivers, it sometimes uses over the top scare tactics to get the reader's attention. Although easy to read, the layout is a bit distracting with the pages having sidebars of Recipe For Success, Fifty Ways to SuperSize Your Kids, and/or Food For Thought. Using real life stories to emphasize the subject matter is usually a positive tool used by authors. This book employs too many. Parents who have children struggling with weight want answers and solutions, not necessarily a support group of unknowns. They already know they belong to an ever growing population and if they are reading this book, they are making strides to escape from it. From a clinical viewpoint, this books supplies plenty of facts and figures. What it doesn't do, is make them interesting. With so many other books available with the same subject matter, I suggest looking for another.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 5
Reviewer Age: 36
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, PA USA