Treason's Shore by, Sherwood Smith

After being exiled for ten excruciating years, Inda finally returns home. He finds that his old classmate, Evred, has become the ruler of his homeland and is overjoyed to see his friend again. However, the kingdom he knew has changed. Evred wanted Inda to be his Royal Shield Arm-leader of the military-so that his now famous skills can be put towards defending the kingdom. Inda is a military genius, but his skills lay where the ocean is and is not suited for land. During this, the ancient kingdom of Venn is planning the largest invasion the world has ever known. Can Inda defend his homeland while gaining new responsibilities? Find out in Sherwood Smith's, Treason's Shore.

Treason's Shore was definitely a great, action-packed book. Treason's Shore is bursting at the seams with characters, events, and magic. This story of blocking an invasion kept me riveted to the page as though I were made of iron and it, the magnet. The book was a little slow in the beginning, however. I recommend this book to all those who search for adventure as they enter a library.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Mineola, Texas America

Attack of the Killer Video: Take 2

Attack of the Killer Video Book: Take 2 is for kids who want to make a movie. It has tips on brainstorming ideas, casting characters, and writing a script. It also has technical tips including lighting, cameras, and sound. It shows different types of camera shots and when to use each of them.  Lastly, it gives ideas to make the movie happen: costumes, props, and special effects. It even shows how to edit your video. It helps people plan a video, and then do it.
This book contains all the information anyone would ever need to know to make a stellar movie. Its humor and easy reading give a light tone; it is good for all ages. It is well organized and gets to the point. It has many variations and possibilities to use depending on the number of people, type of video, and other factors. No one who reads this book will need any other references; it covers the whole process, from the planning to the editing. It is filled with Great Idea boxes with tips for keeping organized, shooting smoothly, and more. It also has several Bloopers telling how to solve or prevent problems you might have. I could not find anything the author could have improved.



Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and Country: calhoun, georgia USA

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

A Princess of Mars is the first epic tale of John Carter and his adventures on the planet Mars, or as the natives call it, Barsoom.  The story begins with Carter, a former captain in the Confederate army, searching for gold in the deserts of Arizona.  A dangerous encounter with a band of Apaches leads Carter to a mysterious cave that transports him to Mars.  As John Carter becomes assimilated with one of the warring tribes on Mars, he learns of a great threat that could jeopardize all life on the planet.  All the while he is infatuated by a lovely princess, knowing each decision he makes may determine the fate of their romance.  A Princess of Mars is a true science fiction epic combining action, romance, and many other elements that make it an essential part of the science fiction canon.

A Princess of Mars was written nearly 100 years ago, yet it still influences the most prominent science fiction writers and film directors of our era.  Edgar Rice Burroughs has written an epic story with many elements that add to the size and scale of the story.  Readers will become attached to many of the main characters despite their alien origins, and the character studies (especially the romance) is interwoven flawlessly with dramatic scenes of action and adventure.  However, the most intriguing aspect to the story is the personal journey of the protagonist, John Carter.  His combat experience prepares him well for the war-torn planet of Barsoom, but amongst the death and destruction, he finds true love.  Like many stories we know today, he must juggle the roles of soldier and lover as the inhabitants of Mars fight for survival.  Science fiction readers must read A Princess of Mars to truly understand the standard Edgar Rice Burroughs has set for the science fiction genre.  

Reviewer Age:22
Reviewer City, State and Country: Eden Prairie, Minnesota United States

The Age of Amy: Bonehead Bootcamp by Bruce Edwards

When Amy' s family is relocated from her beloved city apartment to a large house in Skankstonville, to say she is upset would be a major understatement. She is constantly fighting with her family, and when her parents are just done with her, they send her off to Bonehead Bootcamp. Greeted by Sergeant Sheep, the ruler of camp with a head of a sheep, she and the other campers, Devon, Jake, and Lydia, begin an obstacle course. After scaling a wall, they all drop into a new universe with their ultimate challenge being to escape. Each camper faces specific challenges engineered to their person, and they must all work together to go back home.

This book didn' t go over very well with me. The flow wasn't great, with an extra-long exposition and rising action, and a tiny climax and falling action crammed at the end. I didn 't understand parts of the book, such as the Sergeant and campers possessing heads of animals. The animal head relates to the personality of the specific person; for example, the wealthy business tycoon changes to the head of a weasel. However, that element just seemed really odd to me. The concept behind the book was a unique and interesting one, but I feel like it really needs some more work.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Leawood, Kansas United States

Moon Pie by Simon Mason

Moon Pie is about a girl named Martha caring for her little brother and drunken father.  Martha loves on Tug and mothers him.  She gives him baths and makes his favorite pie for him.  But when Martha s father starts acting strange, like taking them out on a picnic in the middle of the night, she starts getting worried.  When a lady tells Martha that her father could be drinking, she doesn 't waste time to find out.  Martha learns that the Social Services might take her and her little brother away because their father is drinking.  Read this book to find out what Martha does to help her father and little brother.
I think that this story has a few bad ideas for many children.  I would be cautious before giving it to any kid.  It has parts such as drinking parents and being driven by someone drunk.  It is a great book other than the parts that aren' t very nice to think about.  I don' t recommend it for children under 11.
There is drinking to the point of being drunk involved.
Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Leesburg, Virginia USA

Amos Daragon No. 2 The Key of Braha by Bryan Perro

Amos feels secure in his place as mask wearer in the castle in Berrion.  That is, he feels secure until a mysterious girl and several black panthers arrive and the girl demands he undergo a quest to the land of the dead.  She performs a ceremony that ends the mask wearer's life.  Amos travels to the City of Braha and finds the doors to heaven and hell have been shut, and the city is overflowing with spirits waiting to be judged so they can continue on into the afterlife.  Amos must find the Key of Braha to open the doors, but to do so he must come back to life.  Can he manage it?  And even if he does, what exactly is the Key of Braha?

This book is a great follow-up to the first Amos Daragon, which I also reviewed.  I liked Amos' clever wits when he outsmarted Charon, ferryman of the dead, by promising him double nothing and giving him exactly that - two times nothing!  I enjoyed the intricacies of Braha, how it was the same as an ordinary city; judges, ordinary people, thieves, etc., and how it was different because of the giant pyramid in the center.  I certainly did not expect the Key of Braha to be edible!  Amos is definitely the most clever twelve-year-old I have ever heard of.  Anyone who has read the first Amos Daragon - The Mask Wearer - needs to get ahold of book two - it's spectacular!

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Lake City, IA USA

Beneath the Heavens

Beneath the Heavens


On a train bound for the Everlands, a fabled island that is said to remedy all ailments, many who are said to have incurable diseases wait as they speed toward their salvation in Beneath the Heavens by Christine O Nell. Some are bedridden, some barely conscious, some just slowly wasting away. Saying they are relived when they get there is an understatement barely surviving a vulpiodon attack (the Everland’s only real threat ) was heart-stopping enough. They find their niches quite quickly, and start to settle down into the Everland’s peaceful beauty until something goes horribly wrong. Two murders taking the life of the train’s conductor and a shady magician wreak havoc among the residents of the Everlands. From there, it only gets worse. Another passenger from the Miracle Line goes missing. Pair of natives are found mutilated by vulpiodons,vulpiodons that were supposed to be kept out by the Everland’s protective bulwark until somebody dropped it in the middle of the night. The town’s guiding light, Lazarus, is slowly wasting away. Two men are wrongly condemned for murder only to later escape and find a secret no one was supposed to discover.

Quence heard rapid footsteps behind him. Shifting as best as he could manage, body prickling with fear, he struggled to look behind him while reaching for the knife in his pants.

I really did enjoy this book. The many viewpoints in this novel kept it edgy and interesting,you could connect with at least one character. O’Nell explored the very tip of fantasy, but gave it a suspense-filled vibe, and then added a dollop of romance to create one dynamic manuscript. The only downside I noticed is that I got a little confused at the beginning,there were so many different characters and the setting was a little hard to distinguish,but once you got the hang of all the personalities names, you were set free to kick back and enjoy. O’Nell provided such diversity in this book, from an annoying insomniac to a sweet paralysis patient. Some of the scenes felt like they came right out of CSI; the mystery, the shady suspect, the surprise ending. There was definitely a creative story plot, and the imagination of O’Nell is certainly expansive. In the end, I would give this book a five star review! (Even if it hasn’t been made into a movie--yet.)

Otto stopped to look at Tienan. Before the Everlands was all this, it was a volcano. This is the nowhere that these tunnels don’t lead.

I would recommend this book for ages ten and up, for some of the profanity and sexual references. There was nothing too obscene in the novel, though. I was really impressed with the language for a teens book, it only had one or two real-world curses in it.

So, who is the soul that is slowly killing off the people of the Everlands? What is the mysterious secret that no one was meant to see? Beneath the Heavens has all the answers!



Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Leopold, Missouri U.S.A.

The Girl in the Park by Mariah Fredericks

When Rain's once best friend Wendy is discovered dead in Central Park, she is shocked and upset. Though not liked by everyone at their prep school, Wendy was still full of life and fun to be around. But now the newspapers are accusing Wendy of only being a party girl whose actions caused her demise. Rain decides she wants to clear Wendy's name and set the record straight - and the best way she can think of doing that is by exposing her murderer.

I really enjoyed The Girl in the Park. It was short and an extremely quick read, especially for a mystery. However, the book read just like an episode of Law and Order. I was instantly drawn into the murder, and having a great narrator like Rain made the novel that much better. Even though the book is short, the author hits a lot of points and we get backstory on Wendy as well as an array of suspects. Rain realistically looks for clues and questions suspects like Nancy Drew, but it doesn't seem corny or campy. The whole time I was unsure of the culprit, but the ending is very satisfying. All the clues added up, and I was pleased with how everything was resolved. For such a short book, I thought that the author wrote an exciting mystery that everyone can enjoy.

The book portrays the murder of a young girl.

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

Ascend (Trylle Trilogy No. 3) by Amanda Hocking

Wendy Everly is willing to do anything for the well-being of her kingdom. Even if "anything" includes marrying someone she doesn't love. But marriage is the least of Wendy's problems. The Vittra are planning an attack that will leave most of her kingdom dead. Will Wendy figure out how to save her people, or will she be too late?

Unlike its two predecessors, this book is action-packed from the beginning. Normally I would have to read half of the book to get to the action; but with this final installment in the trilogy, the action starts on page one.

Wendy has matured into a smart young woman. She understands her actions have consequences, and is focused on saving her people. I am pleased to see how far she's come from the whining and pathetic little girl she was in the first book. Part of this transformation is due to the fact that she no longer obsesses over Finn. I am extremely pleased about that since I've loathed the obsession from day one. Instead of obsessing over a guy she'll never be with, Wendy turns her attention to the people of her kingdom and how she can protect them. She has finally grown into the responsible young woman I was hoping for from the beginning.

Wendy's relationship with her mother has also changed. In the beginning of the series Wendy loathed everything her mother stood for. In this book, however, she realizes that taking time to understand her mother helps their relationship.

For the most part, the plot is original. While there were a couple parts that were predictable, the storyline kept me on the edge of my seat.

Amanda Hocking has redeemed herself in my eyes. She has finally created the original story and compelling characters that she promised in her first book. She has truly created a whole new world.

Wendy has sex, and this book is written from her perspective. There are multiple instances of mild cursing as well.

Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Yucaipa, CA USA

Glitch by Heather Anastasiu

Glitch takes place in a dystopian future where everyone is connected through controlling computer chips implanted in their brains. Despite the Community's assurance that life is more peaceful and happy while the people are under their control, the "subjects" feel no emotions, and make no decisions. Increasingly frequent, however, are Glitches. Glitches, or Anomalies, are teenagers who develop the ability to escape the Link, and are amazed at the world of color and emotion that surrounds them. Zoel is a 17 year old glitch who also has telekinetic powers, anomalies that she is constantly trying to hide from those that would report her as faulty. Luckily, she soon discovers that she is not alone in her independence when she meets Adrien, part of the Resistance. Adrien, who has the ability to glimpse the future, is positive that Zoe will one day lead this rebellious organization. Telekinetic powers don't make it any easier to figure out who is trustworthy and who is not, however, and Zoe must quickly make the distinction between friend and foe if she ever wants to figure out the secrets from her past, and what she plans to do with her powers in the future.
Glitch was a fast-paced book that I found hard to put down. With a setting that reminded me of the Uglies Series and Revealing Eden, the author twisted the familiar dystopian theme into a new interesting take on freedom and emotion. Zoe was an incredibly likeable character, with well developed thoughts and realistic reactions. Her friends, including the Glitches Adrien and Max, were each unique and added to the intrigue of the plot. Intense action scenes involved high-tech brain control and supernatural powers, and moved the plot smoothly from one idea to the next. The author also played mind games, as allegiances are questioned throughout the book. I enjoyed trying to puzzle my way through the deceit and figuring out what was really going on. The end of the story did not quite tie up all the loose ends, but it is definitely possibilities for a second book. I would recommend Glitch to teenage readers who enjoy futuristic stories and adventure, as well as to those who enjoy Scott Westerfield and Suzanne Collins.
Glitch contained a small amount of cursing and sexual references.
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Harleysville, Pennsylvania USA