Spinning Out by David Stahler Jr.

Gerry, a.k.a. Frenchy, is a loner. Besides his best friend Stewart, he has nobody. That is until Stewart signs them up for the school play together. But as soon as play practice starts Stewart isn't himself. His grades start slipping, he never talks to his parent anymore and he s working on a suspicious project titled The Don Quixote Project . Frenchy tries helping Stewart, but Stewart just says it's the wind towers that are getting to him. As Frenchy prepares for opening night him tries to keep his one and only friendship.

I loved this book. I especially enjoyed that the author captured the true perspective of wind turbines. I knew exactly what Stewart's family was going through. I enjoyed the plot very much and all of the other crazy characters in the story. I think the author did a wonderful job with this story. I highly recommend this to somebody who is looking for a good realistic fiction read.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Hopkins, Michigan United States of America

Jake by Audrey Couloumbis

Jake is a ten-year-old boy that has a mom and no dad. One

day his life changes; a few days before Christmas his mom

slips and breaks her leg on ice. Jake has no one to look

after him for Christmas beside his granddad in North

Carolina. He comes with a dog that has an attitude. In

the end Jake realizes that his friends and neighbors are

his family.

The writing is friendly and will sweep you away into

the story. You will read into the night trying to finish

it, you'll want to because of how good it is. I

guarantee that you will love it! I did too.

Reviewer Age:12
Uxbridge, MA usa

Other Words For Love, by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal

Ari Mitchell feels she is extraordinarily average - especially in comparison to her beautiful friend Summer who attends a prestigious private school in Manhattan. But when Ari receives an unexpected inheritance that allows her to attend Hollister Prep, it gives her hope that she will someday get into Parsons School of Design and become an artist. While at Hollister, Ari becomes friends with Leigh, who introduces her to her cousin Blake. Blake is older, attractive and wealthy - and Ari has never had a boyfriend before. Soon enough, Ari and Blake's relationship becomes serious. But when tragedy befalls Blake's family and he becomes distant, Ari has to deal with the subsequent break-up and the hard feelings that come after losing your first love.

I really enjoyed Other Words For Love. I loved that it was an historical novel in that in took place in 1985, however, it just seemed like a simpler twenty-first century. Everything was pretty much the same as now, except there were no computers, cell phones or iPods. It made the love story simpler in that there wasn't facebook or text messages complicating everything. It was fun reading about a time period that I missed living in by only a few years. Besides the setting, the characters in Other Words for Love were really strong. Ari is the responsible one, the daughter who will get a good education and have a career before she gets caught up in boy drama. But when she meets and falls in love with Blake, everything changes. Even though Ari's life starts going downhill, she still manages to fix everything in the end. I also loved reading the romance between Ari and Blake because they seemed like a real couple. Overall, Other Words for Love was a very well-written and sincere love story that girls of all ages will enjoy.

Reviewer Age:19
Reviewer City, State and Country: Aston, Pennsylvania United States

Fallen Angel by Heather Terrell

Ellie, a seemingly normal girl, is anything but ordinary. Her first day back to school and a mysterious boy catches her attention; Michael.  Like Ellie he is anything but ordinary. Upon their next meeting they instantly connect and feel that they are made for each other. Every night Ellie dreams of flying and Michael shows her this is no dream--she can fly and also read people's minds by touching them and by tasting their blood.  This leads to the conclusion that Michael and she are vampires. One night when she is supposed to meet Michael, her parents catch her and tell her the truth; well half of the truth anyway.  While Ellie learns the truth Michael does as well from a different source; Ezekiel. Though grounded Ellie manages to sneak a quick visit with Michael, but to her surprise Michael has joined forces with Ezekiel and now plans for her to join them as well.  With no other choice Ellie decides to leave her home and search for answers on her own all the while avoiding being captured by Ezekiel.

 

Invasion by Jon S. Lewis

Colt McAlister’s parents have just died, and he is forced to go live with his grandfather in Arizona. Things seem okay when he meets up with his childhood friend, Dani, and meets a new and mysterious person, Oz. After a few phone calls and meeting an odd person, Colt begins to suspect that his parents’ murder wasn’t an accident. His mother was about to publish an article revealing secrets about Trident Industries, one of the biggest industries in the world. Colt soon realizes that it is his job to avenge his parents’ deaths and stop Trident Industries.


This book was okay. The idea of other worlds and advanced technology were some of the things that intrigued me but it could have been better. Colt seemed a bit real but not enough. I would have enjoyed the book even more if it was written in first person. I would recommend it to people who liked The Compound or The Gardener by S.A. Bodeen, or most si-fi fans.

Rating: 6


Content Rating: 1

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Northglenn, Colorado, United States

CLOSE TO FAMOUS by Joan Bauer

CLOSE TO FAMOUS, written by Joan Bauer, is a story about Foster McFee, a young girl who lives with her single mother.  After being forced to leave Memphis, the Mcfee family ends up in a small town in West Virginia named Culpepper.  There they meet many interesting people, each with a dream of their own.  Foster’s mother dreams for a day when she can be the lead singer instead of always being the back up singer, while another woman dreams of helping the community church.  As for Foster, she dreams to one day have a cooking show on Food Network.  Even through all the obstacles she must overcome, Foster continues baking and touching hearts.

Similar to many books written by Joan Bauer, I found this one quite enjoyable.  It was both inspiring and sweet, filled with unique and lovable characters.  The setting—a very, very small town—was the perfect place for this book to take place and it was very realistic; I could easily imagine it.  The main character, Foster, used cooking to help her conquer fears and obstacles, which I found to be very interesting and relatable.  Some portions of the book required more description and it was not a book for action lovers, as it was very slow moving.   As the story wrapped up, the main themes of following your dreams and overcoming obstacles became very clear.  They gave a motivating message to the story: anyone can change their world.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Needham, Massachusetts U.S.

Annexed by Sharon Dogar

Annexed by Sharon Dogar is the eye opening tale of one Peter Van Pels, the young man who spent two and a half years in the annex of a building with the Frank family during WWII. Also known as the boy who loved Anne Frank, Peter is a teenager who must go into hiding due to the annihilation of Jewish people in Europe in the 1940s. Although it is historical fiction, it tells a powerful story from a new perspective. This book outlines the years in the annex, how the Holocaust altered life and how Peter changed throughout those fateful years. It looks through the eyes of a teenage boy who loses everything he has ever known, and becomes someone else entirely. It is a novel that illustrations how people, emotion, and life vanished from many places during WWII. It is the world through Peter s eyes, ready to tell a moving story of a self-destructing world.

This book was phenomenal. Dogar takes you on a journey to a place few people can imagine - the annex of Anne Frank. For once it was not through the eyes of Anne herself, instead you see the world of Peter Van Pels. Dogar did an amazing job of creating these people that you want to reach out to and hold forever. You feel the emotions of the characters, you cry with them, laugh with them, fear with them. And while most people know how life ended for the Franks and Van Pels, readers cannot help but hope and believe that these people will make it. This novel really makes people step back and examine the world they have, the simple daily things that seem so basic and unimportant, and how they can end up being the things people wish for the most. Dogar's narrative voice is strong and enticing, as a reader I did not want to put the book down. It felt so real that it brought tears to my eyes, and made me want to step into their world and be with them. It is a truly amazing book, and I look forward to seeing more of Dogar in the literary world.


Reviewer Age:16'
Reviewer City, State and Country: Minnetonka, Minnesota United States

Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner

The Museum of Thieves is about a girl named Goldie. She lives in the terrible city of Jewel that is ruled by the terrible Blessed Guardians. In Jewel, being bold means punishment chains, and impatience is a sin. Each child is bonded to a Blessed Guardian or parent by a guardchain. On Separation Day, the chains are removed and the children are free. Sadly, for Goldie, right before she was going to be separated a bomb exploded. Suddenly, the Fugelman (the leader of the Blessed Guardians) comes in running and screaming. The ceremony ends abruptly. Goldie runs away from the grand hall and eventually finds herself at the marvelous Museum of Dunt. The museum keepers protect her from the Blesseed Guardians. She becomes the fifth keeper. At the museum there are two nearly extinct animals, Morg the slaughter bird and the Broo the brizzle hound. Morg is the pet of Toadspit, one of the keepers and Broo helps the keepers with their daily tasks. Among the many rooms at the museum are the war rooms. The "Dirty Gate" guards the war rooms and protects everyone from what is in them. The Fugelman comes to the museum to open the Dirty Gate. Goldie works with the keepers to protect the museum.



The author provides a good and interesting story. The Museum of Dunt has a vivid setting. It is easy to see the buildings in your mind as you read the book. This book is dark and scary in some parts, but most of the time it is light and adventurous. The author closes the story very well. There are some open items that could be used in a sequel. The novel is written in third person narrative. This book is appropriate for 10-14 year old readers.

This book is very good and would make my "top ten" list. There is nothing obvious that could be added to make it better. I would recommend this to others who are looking for an exciting page-turner. The Keeper series could easily match up to the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson series.

Reviewer Age:10    Uxbridge, MA USA

Lucky Luciano by Tim Newark

Lucky Luciano: the Real and Fake Gangster is a biography of the mobster who most people believe was the most notorious mafia boss of all time. But this book reveals that most of the stories of Luciano's great endeavors were just that: stories. Tim Newark takes the urban legends and pulls them apart to reveal the simple truth: that Luciano was a good mobster, but not the legend he is usually thought to be. He mainly attacks The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano, the biography said to be taken straight from Luciano's own words. He tells us that The Last Testament was a display of the one thing that Luciano was truly notorious for: lying. So he exposes the truth of many of the legends created by the mob, Italian folklore, and even the U.S. government.
The thing about this book is that I found it somewhat hard to reach. I think this was mostly because I hadn't heard of Luciano before then. If I had heard any of the things the author was disproving, maybe I would have found it more interesting. In fact, the one part that I had some familiarity with, namely the murder of Thelma Todd, was the most interesting to me because I had seen a few movies of hers. So I would recommend this book to someone older who had heard more of the myths and legends of Luciano, but probably not to someone my age.

see opinion section of review.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Fairfax, Virginia USA

Glimmerglass by Jenna Black

What do you do when you're fed up with your mother's drinking problems? Run to your dear old dad. At least that's what 16-year-old Dana Hathaway does. When her mother shows up drunk to her voice recital, Dana decides that it's the last straw and decides to pack her bags and run away to the faraway and enchanted land of Avalon in search of the father she s never known. Her mother had been deliberately moving and hiding her from him for fear of what could happen if Dana got caught up in the intense political affairs of Avalon. Her mom had all the right to worry after many perilous and confusing events start occurring at a breakneck pace once Dana arrives there. From kidnappings to finding out about her sacred position as a Fairiewalker to hot Fae playing tug-of-war for her loyalties to attempts on her life, Dana certainly can't complain about being bored. Maybe running away wasn't the best idea after all.

I really enjoyed reading Glimmerglass and it's a wonderful start to what is bound to be an enchanting series. I constantly caught myself cracking up because of the large amount of humor and the comical personalities of the characters and situations they found themselves in. The scenes that included Ethan were very cute and had the perfect touch of romance and intrigue that would make any teen girl fall head-over-heels for the dreamy hunkmuffin; he really helped to brighten and create liveliness within the novel. l think the story overall was very well-written and thought-out, but I also think that the world of Avalon could use some more depth, and some more description through-out the entirety of the novel would be nice. The characters were fairly easy to relate to since they were around late teenage years and Dana had a lot of problems that many normal teens face in reality today, such as starting into the whole dating business and also possibly having a family member that drinks too much. If nothing else, the enticing cover art alone will make you want to buy this novel; it is beautifully created.

There is alcohol and talk of sex.

Content:3
Rating: 8
Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg, PA USA