Lunch-Box Dream by Tony Abbott

In the Lunch-box Dream by Tony Abbott, the character Bobby and his brother Ricky go on a road trip with their family to visit Civil War battlefields.  The year is 1959, the era of the Civil Rights movement, and Bobby does not like black people. He calls them chocolates and does not want to have anything to do with them. When an accident cuts their trip short the family ends up taking the bus back to their hometown of Cleveland. Bobby and his family come face-to-face with racial discrimination that may jeopardize a black family' s seats on the bus.  The reason the family has to be on the bus though is because their child is missing in a different town.
This book was not one of my favorites. I did not really like the structure of the book. This book was not a back-and-forward book. It was a back-and-back-and-forward-and-other-and-another-and-other again book. The book was also very confusing since it contained many characters which made it hard to try to keep track of who was who.  Most of the book was building up to the end which wrapped up in two chapters.   If there were fewer characters telling that story it may have been better.

Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Rochester, New York USA

Sorghaghtani of Mongolia

        I read the book Sorghaghtani of Mongolia by Shrin Yim Bridges. It is a nonfiction book about a princess named Sorghaghtani. About the age of twelve Sorghaghtani married Prince Touli who was the son of Genghis Khan. While still a teenager she gives birth to their first son. Later she had three more sons. Touli spent most of his time away fighting while Sorghaghtani stayed home to care for their children. She also had to deal with government business if her husband was away. When she was only forty her husband died after a night of drinking alcoholic mare's milk . After her husband's death her brother in law gave her all authority over her husband's land . Later when this same brother in law tried to take control of most of China Sorghaghtani had to be wise and brave to keep him from taking all the land. In the end Sorghaghtani's son was elected the supreme ruler. Sorghaghtani was respected for her wisdom and for teaching her sons to be kind leaders that hel their people.


       This book is more than a story about Sorghaghtani life. It is also about the culture of the Mongol tribes who lived north of China. The book shows pictures of some many everyday things Sorghaghtani would have used. Princesses wore a dress with trousers tucked into boots. When they got married they wore a Baqta which was a hat that showed they were married. I was surprised to learn that the women did all the hard work of loading the wagons and getting the horses ready when the tribe decided to move to a different area. This book was very interesting and fun to read.

Destiny and Deception by Shannon Delany

The Rusakova family has just begun a normal life, as they have taken the cure to extend their lives and cease being werewolves. However, normal seems to be a let down after the previous adventures Jess has had with her boyfriend, Pietr Rusakova. Upset that his attentions seem to now be lying elsewhere, but determined to support him through anything, Jess finds herself caught between her wants and her promises. Then danger comes to the town in the form of a new werewolf pack. Will the Rusakovas be able to overcome past grievances to save the town? Or will their attempts simply crash and burn?

Destiny and Deception was an engaging read with interesting plot twists. However, the way the author connected the two interwoven plots of the story was oftentimes confusing. The plot seemed to rely more on the romantic interests of the characters than the dangers occurring in the town, a disappointment, as these conflicts were interesting and engaging. Nonetheless, Destiny and Deception was well written and the chapters written from each perspective gave the reader an understanding into every character s feelings and purpose. I would recommend Destiny and Deception for those who are fans of mysteries and fantasies, as well as those who have read the books in the 13 to Life series preceding this one.


Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Colleyville, Texas US

Stolen Away by Alyxandra Harvey

Eloise has lived a normal life with her funky single mom, Jaz, and her two best friends, Devin and Jo. She also had no idea that faeries existed; that is, until she was abducted by Strahan, the king of Faery. Strahan wants to use Eloise as a bargaining chip to get Eloise's Aunt Antonia back to the Faery court. Antonia is the only one who can stop Strahan, who has yet to give up his crown after the maximum seven years of ruling. Eloise must figure out a way to escape and help Antonia defeat Strahan, before the conflict of the Faery world trickles into the human world.
I wanted to read Stolen Away because I previously loved Hearts at Stake, another book by Alyxandra Harvey. Unfortunately, I didn't think that Stolen Away was as good as the author's other series. I liked the premise of Stolen Away, especially because I don't read that many books about fairies. However, I wish the book was a little bit longer so there was more development about the Faery court and politics. That seemed very interesting but was just glossed over. I also wish the characters were developed a little more beyond some superficial characteristics. Other than that, I really enjoyed the action at the end, and the romance between Eloise and Lucas and Jo and Eldric added something extra to the novel. Overall, even though Stolen Away wasn't as good as I was hoping, it was still an enjoyable novel.

Reviewer Age:20
Reviewer City, State and Country: Aston, Pennsylvania United States

The Phantom Limb

Summary: I read The Phantom Limb by William Sleator and Ann Monticone. I greatly enjoyed this book. It had an interesting plot and was unlike any other book that I have ever read. It is the story of Issac, a boy with a dead father and a mother in the hospital. Friends reccomend a hospital for Issac's mom, so the family moves to a new house with Issac's grandfather who hasn't been himself in years. Issac feels neglected and alone until he finds a mirror box in his new bedroom. When he tries out the mirror box, he realizes that it not only reflects his other limb...it reflects the limb of another boy. With Issac's mom getting worse, Issac turns to the phantom limb for help. Doing a little poking around, Issac soon learns that the phantom limb belongs to a boy murdered by the same doctor operating on his mother now. The phantom limb directs Issac on how to save his mother. But can Issac trust the phantom limb?


Opinion: I really enjoyed The Phantom Limb. It was extremely original, I doubt you could find anything else like it. William Sleator and Ann Monticone really made you feel for the main character. The boy who has been through so much, you really get a sense of who he is. However, my only problem was that the book was a little bit predictable. I didn't really see the ending coming, but I saw the rest of the book coming within the first half. The end wasn't one of those books that makes you want to throw it across the room, it ties up all loose ends which I liked. It's a short read, but each chapter leaves you wanting more. All in all, I would highly recommend The Phantom Limb.


Content:1

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age: 13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Tipp City, Ohio USA

Horse Diaries: Black Cloud by Patricia Hermes

Horse Diaries is about a horse named Black Cloud.  The story begins when he is born.  He explores around the meadow as his mother keeps them from harm.  After discovering many things throughout the meadow, they go back to the herd of horses.  He meets his father and some other colts and fillies.  After many days of playing, grazing, drinking, and sleeping with the other foals, a strange machine flies above their herd.  When all the other horses go running, Black Cloud follows.  He runs from the machine, which his mom calls a helicopter, for hours on end.  Soon, many of the horses begin to fall and never get back up.  When the machine leaves, the horses stop near a foul-tasting creek.  Many horses are captured by humans.  What will happen to Black Cloud?

The story wasn't as long as it could have been.  It was a nice story someone could read to a little brother or sister.  If it had more chapters, it could have been more interesting.  It had a lot of repeat sentences in the first two chapters.  The story didn't get me attached to the characters in the book.  Horse Diaries didn't have a lot of details about most of the things that happened to the horses.  I wouldn't recommend this book for people over the age of 9.

Reviewer Age:11

Reviewer City, State and Country: Leesburg, Virginia U.S.A

 

Battle of the Onoxmon by Alison Kartevold

Princesses Sophie and Veronica live in the castle in KenKarta, located on Virtier. Above Virtier are the Upper Tiers, where magical creatures live. In the Lower Tiers, the evil creatures are imprisoned. In KenKarta Veronica and Sophie spend their time playing, studying, and learning to use their Gifts. (Gifts are a little like magic powers but not quite the same.) Sophie, Veronica, Queen Alison, and King Dale make up a very happy family. But all that changes when Alison is stuck on an entirely different tier, Dale is being held and tortured who knows where, and Sophie is kidnapped! Veronica sets out to save her little sister, but ends up with the task of saving her entire world. She has some help from old friends, Julia and Dalminyo, and the help of a new friend, a stable boy named Zane. Even so, is she up to the challenge?
This book was one of the best books I have reviewed! The plot was complicated and kept changing, so you never got bored, but you didn't become really confused either. The characters were really relatable (for me at least) and had a lot of the impulses I do. I love how one of the bad guys isn't completely bad and Sophie is the only one who can see the good in him. I would suggest this to fantasy readers ages 10-14 (especially those with younger siblings) because it's one of the better books around with main characters close to that age.

Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Rockwell City, IA USA

R and the Sabre of Slaytr (eBook) by Summer Lockhart

This book is about a young orphan who goes on a quest to find out who his parents are. It starts out with him on a beach not knowing anything about himself. He then sees terrifying dreams. Except the dreams he sees are real events that happened. He is then taken to an orphanage by a man called Right Virgil. After a few years Right Virgil dies and on his deathbed tells him to read from the Sabre of Saltyr.
I loved this book. It was really well written and had me guessing what came next. In the end there is a twist so huge not even a magician could have predicted it.  The vocabulary was a little interesting and I had to look up some words but not to many. This book compares to Eragon but is more amazingly written. This is a beautifully written book with a beautiful ending.
I would recommend this book to anybody who liked Eragon but can handle a more twisted plot.





Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Hunting Valley, OH USA

The Knife and the Butterfly by Ashley Hope Perez

After a huge gang fight between Azael's MS-13, and a rival gang, 16-year-old Azael wakes up to a familiar sight--juvie.  Or is it?  No lawyer, no phone call, and no news about his brother. The only thing they make him do is watch some white girl he doesn't know and remember what happened.

Lexi Allen has no trouble remembering the fight, but her family and lawyers would love it if she could choose to forget it once it's time to testify.  She may be the key to Azael's understanding of what happened. There's a connection intertwined between them that goes deeper than they could both imagine.  Will Azael be able to figure out what happened before it's too late?  Can Lexi sort through what's right and what's wrong?
At first, I was a bit apprehensive about this book because of the language. Azael uses a lot of swear words and likes to describe girls in a rough manner. Not to mention that there were a lot of Spanish phrases that I did not understand, having never taken Spanish before. Then I realized that it was all part of the character. Perez does a beautiful job getting into Azael's head, and had she not used this language, Azael would not be believable.
The whole book is rather like a mystery trying to figure out what happened during the gang fight, and once I finished, I read it again and was able to pick up clues. The ending was absolutely beautiful, and immediately I gave the book to my English teacher to read because I really think she will like it. The chapters switch between then and now, so the reader finds out more of Azael's past along the way and what caused his tough life. Through his past, the reader is able to find Azael's lovable side of the boy who's just trying to survive. Even the disrespectful Lexi has a heart, and I came to love her, too.

I loved this book so much. If it were a movie, it would probably be rated R because of the profanity and gang violence, but it would be powerful enough to get nominated for an Academy Award. I would recommend this book to anyone, and think it should be read in school. And I will say it again, the ending is beautiful!
There was a lot of swearing and some slang descriptions of girls that would be a little disrespectful to someone who may not be OK with that. 

Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Gearhart, Oregon United States

Narrative Loserdom by Ryan Collins

     Narrative Loserdom, by Ryan Collins, is a classic tale of two teenage boys.  This book is written in the journalistic style by Justin Taggart; he writes about all the interesting things he and his friend Adam do.  From video games and girls to money, they're always doing something different.  Justin's fear of being rejected makes his dating life very miserable.    Find out if Adam and Justin make it through high school, in Narrative Loserdom.

     The plot to this book was very interesting, yet confusing.  Justin would often have flash backs or change the scene.  The author did a nice job at making you feel like you're part of the book.  You could feel Justin's voice the whole time.  This book is not meant for younger kids, although it's short.  It involves stealing and some pornographic references.

I gave this a 3 because there is references to Adam watching pornography, and stealing.

Reviewer Age:12