Hemingway Man by Jim Maher

In the book the Hemingway Man, a sixteen year old Will has
just lost his father. At his father s funeral, one of his
dad s friends approaches him, and tells him that he will now
have to be the man in the family. Will is very lost on this
subject because he has no one to guide him into manhood.
Will searches for guidance, and finds a role model in Ernest
Hemingway, an American writer. Hemingway had four steps to
become a man-- 1. Plant a tree  2. Fight a bull  3. Write a
book  4. Have a son. When Will first finds this counsel, he
is delighted at such an easy answer, but as he sets out on
his mission, not everything is as easy as it seems. Will s
journey takes him through the pain, mental and physical, of
growing up. Although Will may not complete Hemingway s list,
he uncovers the true man in himself even if it might not be
Hemmingway s man.

I really enjoyed reading this book a
lot. It was a realistic example of a teenager growing up
with all of the external and internal pressures of modern
times, while still being comical. I would put this book
under realistic fiction because it realistically told the
story of Will growing into a man, even with his failures. If
I could change three things in this book, it would be that I
would add more emotion, other than just laying in his bed,
of losing his father in the beginning. I would also explain
what the italicized parts of the story were. Lastly,
sometimes the book wandered off into areas that were not
really related to the story, but then the important details
were just briefed over. I relay enjoyed reading this book,
and I was laughing in a lot of parts. It s great!

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country:
Lederach, PA United States

Vampire Kisses 8

Our story takes place after Alexander's party. We find our two protagonists on a romantic date but this is soon ruined when they spot Jagger's hearse in front of the old factory. Upon examining the factory they find Jagger and Sebastian discussing the opening of a new club here. With this discovery two emotions start to flood Raven; fear and happiness. A club would be great for the town but if it were open to vampires Alexander could be in danger of being found out. Now it is up to Raven to convince Jagger to open the club only to humans. Although there could be even more trouble if Raven's best friend Becky finds out the truth.

I am always amazed by Ellen Schreiber. She writes beautifully always achieves her purpose. Her characters are easy to picture and her descriptions are so good I can almost draw them. I am absolutely in love with Vampire Kisses. I can't wait for the next book.

Reviewer Age:20
Reviewer City, State and Country: Az city, Arizona USA

he Last Apprentice: Rage of the Fallen by Joseph Delaney

In this book a boy named Tom Ward is headed to Ireland, but for an odd reason. Tom is a spook's apprentice- he deals with the dark everyday-which gives him an upper hand. His master and him are  in a pickle. They have to either stall the devil from tormenting Tom's soul, or stop the the wizards from stealing power from the old god Pan. Well, I'll let you find out the rest.

I'd say, it's a good stand alone book. I read it with out even reading book 1 in the series! I think the author really hit the spot with this book. He also had developed character like i've never seen before. I mean, he created a whole new career with this series! If you like a book with magic a bit of gore, and gods getting their butts kicked, this is your kind of book.

Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Merced, CA United States

Angel In My Pocket by Ilene Cooper

Angel in my Pocket is about a girl named Bette, who finds a coin with an angel on it in a pile of money her sister earned in a car wash, for charity. It s like a good luck charm for her. A person named Gabby moves in downstairs and looks like an angel to Bette. After Gabby moves away Joe steals Bette s angel coin. She was so upset at first, but soon forgets about it.  Joe soon starts having good luck too. He gives it to Andy whom Joe takes money from, like a bully. He gives the coin to Andy who has a sister named Vivian who has bad asthma. They all become friends. Andy and Vivian are going on a trip to Florida and hope to bring Bette. Let s just say& both Bette and Vivi find a special someone.
                 More to come read the book!

I really liked Angel in my Pocket. The format was great for my reading style and the story itself was awesome. It's the kind of story  that kids ages 10 to 13 or 14would like if they are into stuff like angels. It's not really that much about angels. So, Angel in my Pocket is appropriate for the recommended age group... and it's a REALLY GREAT BOOK!

Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Claremont, New Hampshire United States

Gladius and the Bartlett Trial by, J.A. Paul

In the Wiggin culture, once a child has reached the age of fifteen they must embark on a journey call the Bartlett Trial. They must prove their worth by surviving in the wilderness for one month before returning home and collecting some money. Sounds like you just have to camp for a month to get some serious cash right? That is what Gladius Oldmont thought for a while. But after hearing of his family's experiences he is determined to have an adventure greater than his siblings. And so that adventure was began the moment that he enters the wild. After being attacked by a great cat he meets a man named Flint. Together they work to help reclaim to home of the Lake people. Can they succeed against a hoard of death bats? Find out in Gladius and the Bartlett Trial.

Gladius and the Bartlett Trial was a fairly good book. It supplied plenty of action and suspense along with enough of a plot to keep the readers hooked. Though it maintained a steady tempo throughout most of the book it faltered in some places. It was a great renaissance themed book and was enjoyable from cover to cover. I would recommend this book to just about everyone looking for a thrilling action-adventure book.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: P. Hurley, Mineola, Texas,  America

Trying to Figure Out Some Great Reads For Teen Boys This Summer?

Check out this excellent list by Don Calame (author of Swim The Fly) on some of the books that helped him turn reading from a chore to a pleasure. The list contains books specifically designed for the teenage boy who wants something humerous, insightful, and true to life. 

The Galapagos Islands by Terry Ross

The Galapagos Islands, the first of the Steve Trek Adventures, is a novel written by a first time author, Terry Ross. The author has always loved the sea and he shows it in his book. He writes about a young, charming divemaster, Steve Trek, his love interest, Jenny, and his friends, Doc and Jeff. Steve and his crew encounter iniquitous drug lords. Together the gang defends the peace of the Galapagos Islands, a beautiful and exotic landscape surrounded by pristine waters, and later confront and defeat the merciless leader of the drug lords, Hiro.
For a first time author, Terry Ross has written a creative piece. His idea to write about divemasters is unique. His sentences and descriptions are clear. His choice of setting, the Galapagos Islands where Charles Darwin discovered the variety of species and started to develop his theory of evolution, is very appropriate.
However, I must admit there are some flaws. The story seems to be in a hurry, for one. For example, the love line was introduced in the very start of the plot. Regardless of the hasty plot, the story seemed to make pauses whenever introducing new material, sometimes abrupt ones. While reading, I was confused by the tense in which the author was speaking on numerous occasions. Also, the book would be more enjoyable if the outline were subtler; many times I thought that the scenario seemed obvious.
All in all, The Galapagos Islands is a good book, but not a great one.
The love interest of the book might be considered suggestive and portions contain violence.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Washington Depot (Seochogu), Connecticut (Seoul) USA (Korea)

Almost Final Curtain by Tate Halloway

Wow! High school really sucks! Ever since Anastasija Parker found out she was half vampire and half witch, her life has been spiraling out of control. Between boyfriend troubles, spring musical tryouts, and trying to please her parents, Ana almost doesn’t have time to breathe. To make matters worse, an ancient talisman that allows witches to turn vamps into slaves has just been stolen from its safe house. Ana needs to track it down fast, or else this year’s performance may just be her last.




Tate Hallaway has made a masterpiece! Her thrilling sequel to Almost to Die For has forbidden love, mythical creatures, and an awesome battle scene. She really pulled me into the story, especially in the more intense scenes. There were a few parts though where the writing didn’t seem to flow; I wish she could’ve made those scenes fit a little better into each other. Otherwise, it was a wonderful book that I’d be happy to read again. I’d recommend this book to 13-15 year olds. It’s not entirely for little kids, but it might not be what an older teen is looking for in a good read.

Reviewer Age: 14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Fresno, California USA

Passion by Lauren Kate

This book starts off right were the Torment left off, after Luce jumps into the Announcer. As Luce travels through her past reincarnations, she discovers what really happened between herself and Daniel. With some help from a little gargoyle friend, she discovers what Daniel was hiding from her. But soon Luce starts to doubt whether he loves her or just her soul. Will their relationship survive the journey?

This book was great. I loved how descriptive the setting and characters were. I did not like that the story had no background to it. I recommend this book to people who liked Hush, hush, Banished, Delirium, and Nightshade

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Northglenn, CO United States

Paradise Island by J.L. Manning

Paradise Island Summery

By: Ellie Johandes

This book starts when Josh and Anna win an island through a credit card company contest. They then proceed to build a small resort with huts, a sauna, and a pool at the top of the volcano. Most of the workers they hire are scared off by strange events that occur around the trees.  The first guests arrive and encounter tree spirits.  WARNING: I HAD TO FORCE MYSELF TO READ THIS BOOK! It was that boring.

Paradise Island Book Review

By: Ellie Johandes

This book was like a bad apple: full of promise on the outside, but when you cut it open, it was squirming with  worms.  I was excited in the beginning, because Josh and Anna won a small island through a credit card company's contest. But as they were building on it, weird things start to happen with the trees. I personally think that the author spent too much time building the resort. By the middle of the book, I couldnt tell you more than three sentences on the characters' personalities. It gets a bit more interesting when the guests finally arrive, with a girl who sees the paranormal. But when the guests leave, it goes back to being unbearably dull. It ends with a bad, drop off ending that does not finish the book properly.  The author has a choppy writing style that makes it difficult to read, and the book contains many grammatical errors to boot (example, page 118 the last sentence in the first paragraph, it should be their instead of there). I would not recommend this book to anyone, and am surprised it even was published. I hope I get a better book next time. 

Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Rockford, Michigan United States of America