Anjenai, Kierra, and Tyler have been BFFs for what feels like eternity now; they always have each other's back. So on the first day of school when trouble brewing at the bus stop lands the girls in the principle's office, they're there for each other. That's where it all begins; in the principle's office where they meet the Redbones, the most popular girl trio group in the entire school, and where they first catch sight of Romeo Blackwell, the boy of all of their dreams. They never could've guessed what getting involved with the in-crowd would lead to. Fights with the Redbones over everything from winning Romeo's heart to getting a certain lunch table has their friendship in distress. Is their bond strong enough to get through this together, or will the drama get the best of them?
I thought Chasing Romeo was definitely a well thought-out book and the author, A. J. Byrd, did a nice job of writing it. The story got better and more intense with the turning of every page. I was looking forward to the conclusion to put the curiosity of what would happen next to rest. This was definitely a tough-girl novel and for the most part enjoyable, but one thing I honestly didn't enjoy or approve of was the characters' nasty and vile behaviors or the constant and unnecessary cussing, swearing, and foul language that was spewed throughout almost every page. Overall, though, the story kept my interest fairly well and didn't take excessively long to read. The word choice was definitely appropriate for young adult readers and easy enough to understand. The author chose a good plotline and created a very dramatic story that I'm sure will please many. Be sure to look for the continuation of the BFFs' story in the upcoming sequel to Chasing Romeo.
There was a lot of swearing, cussing, and foul language. As well as sexual suggestions, alcohol/drinking, and a lot of fighting.
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg, PA USA
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Cycler by Lauren McLaughlin
The book "Cycler" is about a teenage girl named Jill. At the end of each month for a period of four days Jill morphs into a boy named Jack. His body replaces hers, and yet at the end of the period of four days her body transforms back to normal. Doctors have no cure or explanation for the oddities of Jill's body. Despite all of these complications Jill tries her hardest to lead a normal teenage life, whatever that may be. Jill is trying to juggle the perfect plan to win herself a prom date, a best friend that's fashion-crazy, and in all effort to stay normal Jill tries to hide Jack's existence from the world. Although soon she finds that Jack is crossing not only into her life physically for those four days, but now his desires and thoughts are streaming into her regular life. Jill finds her perfectly planned life to have flaws she never saw coming, and she holds a truth that could make or break her future. The question is, with another person ruling her body can she try to suffocate the truth before it materializes?
The whole concept of Cycler intrigued me from the very beginning. I feel like the concept is one that will draw many wandering eyes into the book. The highlight for me had to be seeing all of the realistic relationships forming and breaking, all around the surreal idea that one body can be shared by two people. That being said, I feel like there were two disconnects in this book one being that it always revolved around sex or sexual intentions. Teenagers read books with sex in the them all the time, however this book had a sexual reference on every page if not taking up the page. The second downside to this book for me was that I didn't fully understand the transformations between Jack and Jill until close to the very end. Almost the whole book I'd misled myself to believing that the transformations were taking place in two separate bodies; when close to the end of the book the details made themselves more apparent, all the same the book hadn't corrected my wrong thinking until later on. Overall, the book had a great idea propelling it and I'd be interested in checking out the sequel to see what happens to a few of the loose ends I've been pondering over.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Libertyville, IL US
The whole concept of Cycler intrigued me from the very beginning. I feel like the concept is one that will draw many wandering eyes into the book. The highlight for me had to be seeing all of the realistic relationships forming and breaking, all around the surreal idea that one body can be shared by two people. That being said, I feel like there were two disconnects in this book one being that it always revolved around sex or sexual intentions. Teenagers read books with sex in the them all the time, however this book had a sexual reference on every page if not taking up the page. The second downside to this book for me was that I didn't fully understand the transformations between Jack and Jill until close to the very end. Almost the whole book I'd misled myself to believing that the transformations were taking place in two separate bodies; when close to the end of the book the details made themselves more apparent, all the same the book hadn't corrected my wrong thinking until later on. Overall, the book had a great idea propelling it and I'd be interested in checking out the sequel to see what happens to a few of the loose ends I've been pondering over.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Libertyville, IL US
Your Life, But Cooler by Crystal Velasquez
The book I just read was Your life, But Cooler by Crystal Velasquez. This book was about YOU. Have you ever wondered what you might do in certain scenarios? Have you wondered if those choices made you a bad person? In Your life, Only Cooler, you are the main character and you get to decide how the story ends. At the end of each chapter, there will be a personality quiz in which you decide what you would do in certain scenarios. This book fits into a realistic fiction genre. Interested? Read Your life, Only Cooler by Crystal Velasquez.
The book Your Life but Cooler, was a very interesting and was written in an unique style. What I mean is that the book's main character was&.. you! I was able to imagine what the characters looked like because I was the main character and there were vivid descriptions of the other characters that play my friends. I could also envision the setting because it takes place in a middle school and I know what a middle school looks like. However, even based on my knowledge as a middle-school student, the setting was still a little blurry in my head. The book does not really have a specific tone, but that is what is nice about the book. As for the main character, you can believe that they would be a real person because YOU are the main character! The narrator's voice was kid friendly and was serious at sometimes and funny at other times. The narrative was about you, but you were not narrating the story. The author achieved her purpose by making this a fun and unique book. The writing was, again, kid friendly and the vocabulary was definitely age appropriate. The strengths of this book are that it was a funny book and that kids everywhere will enjoy this book. There are no major weaknesses that I thought made the book less enjoyable. However, I would have liked the book to be a little longer. To be honest, I have read no other book like this before from a realistic fiction genre, but that makes it all the more interesting. The whole book was a thrill, and I was on my toes the entire time. As far as I'm concerned, there is nothing that needs to be changed about this book. I did not learn much from this book. I would definitely recommend this book because I'm sure children from all over would love to read this book where they make up a story. In conclusion, I liked the book Your Life but Cooler.
Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Braintree, Massachusetts United States of America
The book Your Life but Cooler, was a very interesting and was written in an unique style. What I mean is that the book's main character was&.. you! I was able to imagine what the characters looked like because I was the main character and there were vivid descriptions of the other characters that play my friends. I could also envision the setting because it takes place in a middle school and I know what a middle school looks like. However, even based on my knowledge as a middle-school student, the setting was still a little blurry in my head. The book does not really have a specific tone, but that is what is nice about the book. As for the main character, you can believe that they would be a real person because YOU are the main character! The narrator's voice was kid friendly and was serious at sometimes and funny at other times. The narrative was about you, but you were not narrating the story. The author achieved her purpose by making this a fun and unique book. The writing was, again, kid friendly and the vocabulary was definitely age appropriate. The strengths of this book are that it was a funny book and that kids everywhere will enjoy this book. There are no major weaknesses that I thought made the book less enjoyable. However, I would have liked the book to be a little longer. To be honest, I have read no other book like this before from a realistic fiction genre, but that makes it all the more interesting. The whole book was a thrill, and I was on my toes the entire time. As far as I'm concerned, there is nothing that needs to be changed about this book. I did not learn much from this book. I would definitely recommend this book because I'm sure children from all over would love to read this book where they make up a story. In conclusion, I liked the book Your Life but Cooler.
Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Braintree, Massachusetts United States of America
The Necromancer by Michael Scott
Twins Josh and Sophie Newman have arrived back home from their magical trip in Europe with the immortal alchemyst, Nicholas Flamel, and his sorceress wife, Perenelle. Upon coming home, Sophie is kidnapped by Aoife of the Shadows, the sister of a close friend of the Newmans. In order to get Sophie back from Aoife, Josh needs to find the Flamels and track Aoife. Meanwhile, in England, Dr. Dee hasn't been able to get the final two pages of the Codex. Having failed in this mission, Dr. Dee is made an outcast by his master Elder and has a bounty on his head. But Dee has a plan. With the Help of Virginia Dare, a friend of his, he will release the monsters trapped on Alcatraz and take over the world. But he needs the help of a powerful Archon named the Mother of the Gods. In order to summon her, Dee needs to train a necromancer to raise the Mother of the Gods back from the dead. But she is always hungry...
The Necromancer, by Michael Scott, is a wonderful addition to the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series. Scott has created a fantastic fantasy that could possibly exist in mainstream society. Josh and Sophie Newman are perfect main characters. Their separate personalities and loyalty to each other make them the perfect hero/heroine combination. I also like that he makes his minor characters famous people from history, like Shakespeare, and mythological gods, like Mars, the Roman god of war. Also, Scott's interpretation of magic is phenomenal! I love how he includes "auras" and elemental magic together. The auras are a kind of mystical plasma that can be formed and shaped into pretty much anything. This book is a great continuation of the series and doesn't disappoint in anyway possible. This book and its series are a must have for any library. I would recommend this book to teens who have a love of the fantasy genre and to people who loved the Eragon and Harry Potter series. This book doesn't disappoint in any way. There is action from start to finish to create an exciting thrill ride throughout the entire book. You will not want to put this book down when you pick it up! Michael Scott is a talented writer with a knack for writing fantasy. Personally, I can't wait to read the next book!
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Paynesville, MN USA
The Necromancer, by Michael Scott, is a wonderful addition to the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series. Scott has created a fantastic fantasy that could possibly exist in mainstream society. Josh and Sophie Newman are perfect main characters. Their separate personalities and loyalty to each other make them the perfect hero/heroine combination. I also like that he makes his minor characters famous people from history, like Shakespeare, and mythological gods, like Mars, the Roman god of war. Also, Scott's interpretation of magic is phenomenal! I love how he includes "auras" and elemental magic together. The auras are a kind of mystical plasma that can be formed and shaped into pretty much anything. This book is a great continuation of the series and doesn't disappoint in anyway possible. This book and its series are a must have for any library. I would recommend this book to teens who have a love of the fantasy genre and to people who loved the Eragon and Harry Potter series. This book doesn't disappoint in any way. There is action from start to finish to create an exciting thrill ride throughout the entire book. You will not want to put this book down when you pick it up! Michael Scott is a talented writer with a knack for writing fantasy. Personally, I can't wait to read the next book!
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Paynesville, MN USA
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Out of the Woods by Lyn Gardner
"Out of the Woods" is a classic good vs. evil story that has numerous references to Greek myths and common fairy tales. Underneath all of the magic and action the theme of the story is really about family. Three sisters, who all have their own differences, all miss their mother and wish their father would be home more often than not. When one of the sisters faces several problematic encounters with a magic pipe the family begins to live in fear. They all look for something to make them feel safe so when a mysterious stepmother walks into their lives they cling to her. Only after many long quests does the family realize that they have each other and that's all that matters.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The characters were very relatable and the imagery was wonderful. At many times I felt like I was in the book with them. The book can make you laugh or cry. It was fun finding all of the connections and predicting what would happen next. Unlike some stories it was highly unpredictable and the entire time I was "on the edge of my seat" so to speak. I was moved by the love of the family members at some points in the book. I would classify this book as a preteen to early young adult level. It was a fantasy story teeming with magic. The book had very clean content and little to no disturbing scenes. I would recommend "Out of the Woods" to all of my friends.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Braintree, Massachusetts United States of America
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The characters were very relatable and the imagery was wonderful. At many times I felt like I was in the book with them. The book can make you laugh or cry. It was fun finding all of the connections and predicting what would happen next. Unlike some stories it was highly unpredictable and the entire time I was "on the edge of my seat" so to speak. I was moved by the love of the family members at some points in the book. I would classify this book as a preteen to early young adult level. It was a fantasy story teeming with magic. The book had very clean content and little to no disturbing scenes. I would recommend "Out of the Woods" to all of my friends.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Braintree, Massachusetts United States of America
Glimmerglass by Jenna Black
Dana is fed up with her mother's alcoholism; so much that she decides to run away and live with her father. Dana has grown up knowing that she's part fae and that her father is a faerie, but she doesn't realize how much of a problem that will be when she enters the magical world of Avalon and is subsequently kidnapped by her aunt Grace. As Dana learns more about her heritage and the dangers of fae politics, she finds herself the target of both assassins and abductors. Between her father, her aunt, and her new friends Ethan and Kimber, Dana doesn't know who to trust and how to make her life return to normal.
At first, I did not like Glimmerglass. One of the reasons that I didn't like it was that I couldn't get used to a magical world that everyone knows about. In many fantasy novels, the mythical world is kept hidden from ordinary humans. But not in Glimmerglass. In this book, everyone knows about Avalon and fairies and a whole host of other things. It kind of threw me off, but soon I started really enjoying Glimmerglass. I especially liked Jenna Black's writing and Dana's voice. It sounded just like a teenager, complete with witty comments and funny thoughts. I think I laughed out loud a few times. Throughout the book there were a lot of twists and turns that made me want to keep reading. There is a sequel that I can't wait to get my hands on. Glimmerglass is a great novel for fans of fantasy.
Rating: 8
Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Aston, Pennsylvania United States
At first, I did not like Glimmerglass. One of the reasons that I didn't like it was that I couldn't get used to a magical world that everyone knows about. In many fantasy novels, the mythical world is kept hidden from ordinary humans. But not in Glimmerglass. In this book, everyone knows about Avalon and fairies and a whole host of other things. It kind of threw me off, but soon I started really enjoying Glimmerglass. I especially liked Jenna Black's writing and Dana's voice. It sounded just like a teenager, complete with witty comments and funny thoughts. I think I laughed out loud a few times. Throughout the book there were a lot of twists and turns that made me want to keep reading. There is a sequel that I can't wait to get my hands on. Glimmerglass is a great novel for fans of fantasy.
Rating: 8
Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Aston, Pennsylvania United States
Monday, June 28, 2010
The Secret to Lying by Todd Mitchell
James Turner was the invisible kid in his dreary, small-town school, until he got accepted into America Math and Science Academy. There, he resolved to create a new image for himself, and the new James is a purple-and-orange-haired rebellious street fighter. At first, James does crazy things and tells outrageous lies to seem interesting and exciting. While he is fabricating his pyromaniac tendencies and hooking up with eccentric but beautiful Jessica Keen, James is slowly losing himself. He begins to dream about fighting demons, and at the same time, begins to cut himself, just to stop the numbness he's feeling. As his life slowly spirals downwards, a human ghost is trying to bring him back up and help him realize what he's losing.
Reading this book was like reading something of John Green's, with a slight twist of fantasy. Like John Green, this book captures the teenage voice really well with its smart, witty dialogue and candid descriptions. Also, it deals with similar themes of self identification. Todd Mitchell, the author of this book, writes about the issues of anorexia and self mutilation in a subtle, potent and believable way. The author really gets the reader to understand how the events in the character's life build up to this point in his life. I love the way the author incorporates classical literature into a contemporary book. Along with the characters alluding to classics, the author includes a Shakespeare quote before each part of the book, which provides in interesting clash of style and tone. The pacing of this book, however, could be a little better; I felt that the ending was a little underdeveloped. Also, I'm not sure I like the fantasy meets reality aspect of this book because I felt that it wasn't necessary and makes the book a bit cheesy. The author writes the fantasy part so that it seems pivotal to the plot, but I felt like it could have been easily omitted. However, it did add an interesting dimension and metaphor. This book's characters are very unique and realistic. The formatting and writing of this book was fascinating. The author's voice captures the reader's attention immediately and the plot sucks you in even more. All in all, it was a one-of-a-kind book. Even after you finish it, you want to linger on the ending and think about the characters.
This IS young adult content meaning language, sensuality, violence and dark themes.
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Hinsdale, IL USA
Reading this book was like reading something of John Green's, with a slight twist of fantasy. Like John Green, this book captures the teenage voice really well with its smart, witty dialogue and candid descriptions. Also, it deals with similar themes of self identification. Todd Mitchell, the author of this book, writes about the issues of anorexia and self mutilation in a subtle, potent and believable way. The author really gets the reader to understand how the events in the character's life build up to this point in his life. I love the way the author incorporates classical literature into a contemporary book. Along with the characters alluding to classics, the author includes a Shakespeare quote before each part of the book, which provides in interesting clash of style and tone. The pacing of this book, however, could be a little better; I felt that the ending was a little underdeveloped. Also, I'm not sure I like the fantasy meets reality aspect of this book because I felt that it wasn't necessary and makes the book a bit cheesy. The author writes the fantasy part so that it seems pivotal to the plot, but I felt like it could have been easily omitted. However, it did add an interesting dimension and metaphor. This book's characters are very unique and realistic. The formatting and writing of this book was fascinating. The author's voice captures the reader's attention immediately and the plot sucks you in even more. All in all, it was a one-of-a-kind book. Even after you finish it, you want to linger on the ending and think about the characters.
This IS young adult content meaning language, sensuality, violence and dark themes.
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Hinsdale, IL USA
The Singing by Alison Croggon
The Singing by Alison Croggon is the fourth and final book in the Books of Pelinor series. It begins were the last book in the series left off. Maerad and Hem are traveling to Edil-Amarandh in search of one another. Maerad and her companion first go to the boarding school of Innail, while Hem and his companion Saliman journey north, attempting to flee the Black Army. A prophecy has been spoken over them which says they will release the Treesong, which is the only way to conquer the Nameless One and defeat the forces of darkness.
The Singing is full of plot twists, battles, betrayals, and even visions, all with the underlying theme of brother and sisterhood, of a bond which can never be broken. While this novel contains the typical structure of the average fantasy story, it has much more depth than most books. The story is influenced by the power of music, and the author obviously has skills in both prose and poetry. The author's writing is graceful and flows in a way which makes its 454 pages speed by. It is, however, not overly flowery and is composed in a way that makes it an accessible read to most older teens. The author's characters are memorable and her writing is effortless. All of these things combined make The Singing an enjoyable novel.
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Cary, NC USA
The Singing is full of plot twists, battles, betrayals, and even visions, all with the underlying theme of brother and sisterhood, of a bond which can never be broken. While this novel contains the typical structure of the average fantasy story, it has much more depth than most books. The story is influenced by the power of music, and the author obviously has skills in both prose and poetry. The author's writing is graceful and flows in a way which makes its 454 pages speed by. It is, however, not overly flowery and is composed in a way that makes it an accessible read to most older teens. The author's characters are memorable and her writing is effortless. All of these things combined make The Singing an enjoyable novel.
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Cary, NC USA
Sunday, June 27, 2010
The Season of Second Chances by Diane Meier
Joy Harkness is a college professor and she doesn't have a very carefree personality. One day, she makes a decision that is opposite of what she would normally do. She's decided to move from the big city to a small college town, leaving behind what she's so used to. She's giving up her usual life to renovate a dilapidated Victorian house. As she works on te house with the town handyman, Teddy Hennessy, she realizes that there is nothing wrong with a little risk or challenges. Do second chances really come to everybody?
The Season of Second Chances is a humorous, touching novel. Diane Meier did a wonderful job expressing the emotions of her characters. She not only created a wonderful novel about the renovation of a house, but of the main character's life. Going into the book, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but now that I've read it, it was actually one of the better books I've read in a while. It was a very interesting story that I recommend to all young adult readers.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Fairborn, Ohio United States
The Season of Second Chances is a humorous, touching novel. Diane Meier did a wonderful job expressing the emotions of her characters. She not only created a wonderful novel about the renovation of a house, but of the main character's life. Going into the book, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but now that I've read it, it was actually one of the better books I've read in a while. It was a very interesting story that I recommend to all young adult readers.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Fairborn, Ohio United States
Gimme A Call by Sarah Mlynowski
Devi's life has just been turned upside down. Her boyfriend of four years, Bryan, dumped her and now she has no date to the senior prom. But more importantly, Devi feels like she wasted four years on Bryan because she has no friends and slacked off at school, so now she's attending a third-tier college. But when Devi's cell phone falls in fountain after she wishes that she could change her past, she's only able to make one call: to her freshmen self. Devi is determined to tell herself what to change, so she can keep her friends and get into a better college, but she doesn't realize how much these changes will affect her present.
I loved Gimme A Call. It was so cute and surprisingly, hilarious. I actually laughed out loud a few times while I was reading. The antics that the two girls (or should I say: one girl?) get themselves into is priceless. I loved that Devi was able to talk to herself, because everyone wonders what they would tell their young self. And now Devi actually has a chance to do that. I thought at times Devi was a little hard on her younger counterpart; she made her take really hard classes and join a bunch of extracurricular activities. It was a little annoying to see how bossy Old Devi could get, but it just added to the overall funniness of the novel. I would recommend Gimme a Call to fans of humor or fans of time travel.
Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Aston, Pennsylvania United States
I loved Gimme A Call. It was so cute and surprisingly, hilarious. I actually laughed out loud a few times while I was reading. The antics that the two girls (or should I say: one girl?) get themselves into is priceless. I loved that Devi was able to talk to herself, because everyone wonders what they would tell their young self. And now Devi actually has a chance to do that. I thought at times Devi was a little hard on her younger counterpart; she made her take really hard classes and join a bunch of extracurricular activities. It was a little annoying to see how bossy Old Devi could get, but it just added to the overall funniness of the novel. I would recommend Gimme a Call to fans of humor or fans of time travel.
Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Aston, Pennsylvania United States
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