Promise of the Wolves

In this thrilling first book by Dorothy Hearst, the reader is immediately drawn into the adventures and misadventures of Kaala, a wolf whose very existence throws her pack into a gripping uneasiness. The trouble begins right away. It is clear from the start that Kaala will be an outcast. The pup's father is from another pack, and, as a result, Kaala's mother is exiled. Motherless, Kaala is forced to struggle through daily discords with the assistance of her two close companions. Through her explorations, the young wolf discovers a troubling secret that will not only alter her life, but the life of every wolf in the valley! Kaala's strong will and determination will win over readers of all kinds. Promise of the Wolves is a breathtaking beginning to a promising up-and-coming trilogy.

I loved Promise of the Wolves, and am beyond eager for its sequel. There was never a dull moment while reading, and I was captivated by the author's compelling voice. There was just enough description that I could easily picture the environment, though not so much that reading became monotonous. Characters were incredibly realistic and believable, something that took me by surprise, as the characters are wolves. The book was beautifully written, and I'd recommend it to everyone, especially lovers of Eragon or Twilight.

Reviewer Age: 14

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

Operation Typhoon Shore

Doug and Becca MacKenzie are traveling on a ship to a remote island with their uncle on one of his missions. Their uncle, the captain of the ship, is involved in a special organization called the Guild of Specialists and right now his mission is to gather four missing artifacts whose purposes are unknown to the young MacKenzies. Doug, eager to join in the action, swears into his uncle's Guild, but Becca declines. Their parents are still missing, supposedly dying doing the Guild's work, and until she can find out exactly why they died and what they were doing when they died, she refuses to trust the Guild. This separation is very unsettling to the siblings, but when an unexpected danger strikes the island and true identities are revealed, Becca and Doug wonder where their alliances really stand: with their uncle's adventures or their parents' mysterious disappearance.

Joshua Mowll brings all his characters back for a second appearance in Operation Typhoon Shore. While everything would be crystal clear if the first book was read, his second book can stand by itself. Mowll draws the readers in at the very start with intrigue and curiosity. His writing is very good, but what really makes the book amazing is all the maps, pictures, sketches, and confidential material included through out the book that makes you feel like a real adventurer. I would highly recommend embarking on this exciting adventure and finding out for yourself what really happened the day of the Typhoon.

Brief language and possible disturbing moments.

Rating:7

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Durham, NC USA

Chosen

In Chosen, by Kristin and P.C. Cast, Zoey Redbird’s life at the House of Night takes an unexpected turn. Zoey starts to question everything that she treasures, including the trust in her friends and the feelings of hate towards her enemies. She has to deal with betrayal, uncertainty, and three boyfriends as well as keeping her undead best friend a secret. Zoey’s life has started to come crashing down. Will she have enough strength to keep fighting?
The third installment in the House of Night Series harbors the most truth and uncertainty. It kept me reading without pause. The depth and honesty in each character rang true in this book showing both their virtues and their flaws. This book also showed me how life is unpredictable and illuminated the need to value friends more than anything in the world. Chosen, though from the genre of fantasy, highlights some real topics that are dealt with by most average teenagers. This book is beautifully written, and I will definitely read it again.
Involves actions and topics unsuitable for all readers.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Midlothian, Virginia, United States of America
Rating: 8
Content: 2

Perfect You

Kate Brown is having a tough sophomore year. Her best friend Anna left her for the popular crowd, so Kate is virtually friendless. Her dad also quit his job to sell Perfect You vitamins at a small kiosk in the mall. Since this is a "family" business, Kate is forced to work after school and on weekends. Now lonely and stuck with an unwanted job, Kate finds comfort in her small encounters with obnoxious Will, a boy she pretends to hate. Suddenly, these small encounters lead to the two kissing in a back alleyway. Kate really likes Will, but is afraid that he thinks of her as just another girl.

Perfect You was really a spectacular read. Elizabeth Scott does a great job of adding humor to Kate's bleak and dismal life. Kate is very witty and she says and thinks things that make you laugh out loud. Everyone goes through tough times, so they can easily relate to her character. Even so, Kate carries herself with a certain grace that most people never see. The book is also funny and poignant and everything that a good book should be. It even teaches you a life lesson about happiness: you have to try to be happy in order to actually be happy.

This book may be unsuitable for younger readers because it contains mild language and adult themes.

Rating:9

Reviewer Age:16

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

Financially Free By 30 by Vince Shorb

Financially Free by 30 teaches people how to lay the groundwork for a successful financial future. This book provides step-by-step details on how to create a successful plan for the future. With this kind of plan, it is possible to make over a million dollars in less than five years. Setting goals is the foremost important aspect of the plan, and acts as a guide down the path to success. However, just setting goals is not enough. One will also learn how to recognize the limits of money: when to spend it, and when to save it. Afterwards, one will learn about being independent in this vast dog-eat-dog world. Jobs, credit cards, banks, debts, investment, the stock market, entrepreneurship, real estate, the internet business - they are all discussed in this book. Finally, the book offers several plans on becoming a millionaire in a short period of time, and a few last tips. This book helps the reader to become independent, and achieve dreams.

This book does bring young readers into the world of economics. In this world, everything is not so straightforward, and requires a lot of hard work and dedication. Financially Free by 30 teaches you how to set realistic goals and actually accomplish them. However, after reading this book, I feel that it is not hard to be able to earn $1 million dollars and become financially free by age 30. I get the feeling that if I follow everything in this book, I will be able to achieve the dream of no longer having to work by the time I'm 30. I know that this is not possible, because if everyone in our society can earn millions of dollars just by reading this book, our world will not be able to sustain itself and collapse. Nevertheless, I learned a lot of information about the world of economics, including the stock market and the real estate business. This book does not automatically get me to the top, but it helps guide me there.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Urbana, IL USA

Chill

When you have school, sports activities, youth group, and family you can be stressed. Deborah Reber talks you through it with her book, Chill. There are tips on organization, time management, and journaling. There are real letters from real people struggling like you. There are also quizzes to help you through the tough times. Chill is a very informative book for everyone out there who is stressed and doesn’t know what to do.

This book was no help to me because I’m not stressed, but this information could be helpful in the near future. Even though I am not stressed, this book was enjoyable to read because I got to see what other people are feeling. I like that Reber has quizzes and letters from real people to help you through your most stressful times. After reading this book, I think you will have time for yourself, your family, your school work and anything else you are interested in. Reber did a good job of organizing the book, so that it is easy to find out what you need to know.

Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Oakmont, Pennsylvania, United States
Rating: 8
Content Rating: 1

The Patron Saint of Butterflies

Meet Agnes and Honey, two very different teenage best friends with very different outlooks on life and religion. Agnes wants nothing more than living the clean, pure life of a saint, and, of course, become a saint when she dies. Honey, on the other hand, is desperate to get away from their religious commune called Mount Blessing. As far as Honey's concerned, it's not a blessing, it's a curse. Honey is the only orphan in Mount Blessing. As a result, Emmanuel, the cruel and manipulative leader, doesn't appear to have as much power over Honey as he does over everyone else. Agnes and Honey can't understand each other at all. Agnes is convinced Honey will become a heathen, while Honey thinks Agnes is ruining her life. When a horrible accident throws Agnes's brother, Benny, into danger, Agnes has to choose between the outside world and safety, or the only world she's ever known, not to mention her dream of becoming a saint. Join Agnes and Honey as they go on an adventure teeming with love, family, and self-discovery.

"The Patron Saint of Butterflies," by Cecilia Galante, is a truly amazing book - I don't think I've ever read a book quite like this one. The writing has a wonderful style and quality, shifting between two teenage best friends - Agnes and Honey - with very different outlooks on life, religion and almost everything. Agnes and Honey's voices, or points of views, will positively throw you right into their drastically different lifestyle and self-discovery. The vocabulary was age appropriate and easy for most people to understand. Though I felt the ending could have been done a bit better, perhaps by going a bit slower there, Galante did a wonderful job and I found the book very moving. You could almost picture certain scenes and the mood flowed perfectly. I have to say, I wouldn't be surprised if this book ends up winning some awards. I know, personally, that Galante's book has fought its way to the top of my favorites, shoving down even Harry Potter and Twilight. The theme of family, love, self-discovery, friendship and adventure is evident throughout, "The Patron Saint of Butterflies." I would DEFINITELY recommend, "The Patron Saint of Butterflies," to other people, as it happens to be the next BIG book - a total MUST read type.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Canton, Michigan United States of America

Disguised

Rita la Fontaine a 12 year old Dutch-Indonesian resident
living in the Dutch Indies had an incredible life. She
writes her own true, breathtaking story. When the Japanese
invaded their island, she and her family were informed that
they had to leave their home and move to a prisoner of war
camp. For fear of what the Japanese soldiers would do to a
young girl for fun, Rita's father guided her to cut her
hair and pretend to be a boy for the rest of the war. Rita
transformed herself into Rick. One of the most dangerous
things Rita did during that time was work closely with the
Japanese soldiers and leaders. It was very risky because
the Japanese culture shunned women and didn't allow them to
be equal to men, which was exactly what Rita was doing. At
the start of her book, Rita says, "It's easy to give up;
it's a challenge to persevere and to conquer." What would
you do if you were put in this situation? Give up or
Conquer?

Rita's true story entertains, offers historical
information, scares the nerve out of you, and inspires.
Rita shows strength and bravery as she fights for what she
wanted, what was right, and what was best for her family.
This story really helped me out with some things I have
been dealing with and I think it will help and inspire
others, as well. This book was a very fast read and had me
hooked the entire way through!

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country:
Durham, North Carolina USA

Turn Up the Heat

Chloe’s boyfriend, Josh, works at the hot restaurant, Simmer. Simmer is five months old and Josh is working hard to get it past month six. Chloe is finishing up her master’s degree in social work, but missing her chef boyfriend who is working so hard and long he has permanent bags under his eyes. Then strange things start happening at Simmer. Knives go missing, people are stealing, and one of the waitresses has been killed. Chloe tries to use her social work skills to discover the killer. Is it Adrianna, Chloe’s best friend, or Adrianna’s fiancé, Owen? Maybe it’s someone in the restaurant itself! Will Chloe discover the killer, or will she be killed too?

This book was amazing. It was a page turner until the end. The ending was smooth and left you feeling satisfied. The characters were well developed. They seemed so real I felt as if I could travel to Boston and find them all there waiting for me. There was a little too much sexual content and bad language, but overall this book is on my list of top twenty books that I have ever read. I recommend this book to people who like mystery and romance in the same book.

This book has a lot of sexual content. There is also a lot of bad language, especially on the first page.

Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Colleyville, Texas, United States of America
Rating: 8
Content: 2

Spud

John Milton soon finds a new world through his scholarship to boarding school. He spends his five workdays away from home, and returns to his psychotic parents on the weekends. As a fourteen year-old boy, "Spud" Milton acquires friends and enemies alike, including several simultaneous girlfriends. Spud deals with birthday punishments and death threats each day, new ways to life's challenges appearing right after he needs them. His particular journey through South Africa's political dilemma complicates his troubles, and his miraculous adventure through adolescence begins and continues throughout the novel.

The beginning of Spud landed me in the very middle of the plot, sucking my attention into the first of many chapters. Finding the humor in an adolescent's struggle can be challenging, but John Van De Ruit did a fantastic job of doing so. By finding the root of Spud's problems and twisting them into a comfortable tale, any reader would find new boundaries for a comedy. Enjoying the language of the British was different, and I learned a good deal of foreign terminology.

Language and sexual themes.

Rating: 8

Reviewer Age: 13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Eagle Creek, OR USA

The Corps of the Bare-Boned Plane

When Meline and Jocelyn are left orphaned in a train accident, they are both shipped off to live with their genius uncle on an island famous for its morbid history of airplane crashes. The two girls have completely conflicting personalities, and their uncle only exacerbates matters by ignoring them entirely. Life on the island is miserable for all involved-- that is, until one fateful day when a revelation occurs to Meline: "I know how to build a plane."

When you start this book, it may seem familiar, as if it were an odd mix of Lemony Snicket's "Series of Unfortunate Events," MT Anderson's "Game of Sunken Places," and Laura Numeroff's "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie." This observation would be entirely logical, because Polly Horvath's plot takes elements from all three of these stories, whether deliberately or not, creating a final work that is unsettlingly recognizable. Horvath's tone is great, easy to read and at times intriguing, but her use of multiple points of view means that even the characters cannot be interesting to the reader, because all are over-explained and become redundant by the end of the novel. The children's uncle is perhaps the best example of where Horvath has missed the mark with her characters-- he is known as an extraordinary genius, but in his eyes and the view of others, he comes across as, at best, eccentric and socially inept. These flaws are even more disappointing when one looks at the potential that the book held-- but it can't be denied that as talented as Horvath is, she has finally created a book that is just plain long.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Maryland, United States

Fancy White Trash by Marjetta Geerling

Abby Savage lives in a one bathroom house with her sister, her niece, her other pregnant sister, her mom, and her moms boyfriend (who, by the way, might be the father of her sister's child). As you can imagine, life is not so pretty. Abby is left babysitting and cleaning up after her unruly family while they go along fighting and creating an embarrassing scene wherever they go. The only sensible people in sight are her best friend Cody and his brother Jackson, and lately Jackson's been away saving kids in another country. Abby struggles through her troubles at home and at school trying to discover herself and hoping that she is not going to turn out like the rest of her family.

Fancy White Trash is a wonderful book that will keep anyone turning pages to find out what Abby Savages quirky family will do next. It brings you into a world of a teenage girl being held back from who she wants to be by her family. The book explores common topics of teenage life such as family troubles, teenage pregnancy, relationships, and exploring ones sexual orientation. It was filled with vivid descriptions, hilarious content, and characters that were easy to relate to. Overall it was a lot of fun to read and I would recommend it for girls ages 12 and up.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Marblehead, Massachusetts USA

Looks

Meet Meghan, that is, if you can spot her. Even though she's enormously overweight, Meghan is practically invisible to everyone around her. Everyone except for J-Bar, who has been relentlessly tormenting her since junior high. Now meet Aimee Zorn. She has the opposite problem as Meghan, anorexia having made her rail thin. Despite her size, (or maybe because of it) poet Aimee is seen by perfectly peppy Cara Roy, who convinces Aimee to join the literature club. Meghan wants nothing more than to befriend Aimee, and a hate for one particular girl brings them together.

This beautifully written book is very true to life. While reading it, I could easily pick out the Aimee, Meghan, Cara, and J-Bar at my school. Madeleine George did an amazing job making all of the characters seem alive and I often had to remind myself that I'm not Aimee or Meghan. Although this book was slightly predictable, the poetic style in which Looks was written makes up for the plot. This book was fun to read and I will definitely read Looks again.

Rating: 10/10

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Phoenixville, PA

Jack: Secret Histories by F. Paul Wilson

When 14 year old Jack and his friends, Weezy and Eddy, venture out into the forbidden pine barrens of New Jersey, they find a mysterious sight. Weezy leads her brother Eddy, and Jack to a long mound of crusted sand. Soon rain comes, and the threesome find shelter under a nearby tree, and erosion takes its toll on the eerie mound. After the storm, Weezy comes along a black artifact that can't be opened. Jack looks for one for himself, but doesn't necessarily come up empty handed; he finds the head of a deceased body relaxing in the palm of his hand. They run home as fast as they can, contact the police, but don't realize the mysterious friends, deaths, or suspects, right around the corner, waiting for them in Jack: Secret Histories, by F. Paul Wilson. Jack is confused by the Lodge, a building that contains many secrets. Is the Lodge linked to the corpse? Or what about the so-called old wives' tale, about a misty monster, the Klazen? He also remembered seeing Mrs. Clevenger, the town witch, but what do these links lead to?

I was amazed by the details and descriptions in Jack: Secret Histories, by F. Paul Wilson! It was a mysterious, fiction/legend that was on-the-edge-of-your-seat thrilling! It's one of the best books I've read since joining FlamingNet. I really enjoyed reading about the characters and their different personalities. I recommend this book to anyone who isn't scared of a lot of things! I hope you will experience the same feelings I had when I read this miraculous book.

Reviewer Age:11

Reviewer City, State and Country: Osseo, Wisconsin United States

A Walk Through

This book contains various poems covering a wide scope of
different topics. The author depicts topics such as growing
up, making choices, self-confidence, and how small things
can affect one's day. Many of the subjects of this book's
poems are important for adolescents and young adults.
Carefully chosen words and phrases come together to
illustrate essential messages. It is easy to understand the
point the author wishes to make in each of his sixty poems.
Adolescents and young adults will be able to identify with
many poems and find inspiration in this book.

While I appreciated the messages that A Walk Through
Life attempted to convey, I felt that these messages were
overpowered with the way in which they were presented.
Every poem had precisely the same construction: a rhyme
pattern of AABBCC and so on throughout the poem. This would
not pose a problem if it were not for the rhymes
themselves. Each rhyme was laboriously chosen, resulting in
the fact that the rhythm of each poem was lost in the
effort. It was common in this book for two lines to be of
completely different lengths and simply rhyme at the end.
Despite this, I enjoyed the author's attempt, though the
aforementioned criticism keeps the book from being what it
could be. Hidden within the book are the promises of what
it could be with a bit more effort; there were several
lines that fit perfectly and seemed to light the poems. If
one wishes to seek perspective and better understanding in
their life, I would recommend this book, but not for the
poetry itself.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State
and Country: Melrose, MA United States

Not A Happy Camper by Mindy Schneider

Mindy Schneider is going to camp. In the past, she has gone to the strict and oppressive Camp Cicada. This year is going to be different. Mindy is headed to Camp Kin-A-Hurra where she hopes to find friends, fun, and possibly, her first kiss. While at camp Mindy stays with the picture perfect Dana (who's got looks, sings, and plays guitar), Autumn Evening (who can talk to the dead, and has had many boyfriends in her past life) and many other different girls who will form a bond that can only be made at camp.

In the beginning of the book, I wasn't sure if I would get hooked on it. I kept reading and soon fell in love with the characters and the camp. Since this book is a memoir, it made it all that much better. Knowing that all the things that happened in the book actually happened to the author was amazing. Anyone who has gone to a summer camp before will be able to find a little piece of their own camp in Not a Happy Camper.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Seaside, OR. US.

The Law of Three by Caroline Rennie Pattison

Is it possible to be cursed? Sarah Martin doesn't think so, but apparently Garnet Hopper does. After a misunderstanding, new student Sarah Martin finds herself on the bad list of Garnet Hopper, a notorious delinquent. Garnet, a rumored devil worshiper, curses Sarah. Sarah is determined to find out the truth behind the curse, so she befriends Bryon, Garnet's brother. Not even the rumors about the Hopper family could have prepared her for the mystery that she begins to unravel as she grows closer with Bryon and discovers that his sister may be a murderer.

This engaging tale not only entertains but also informs the reader about the stereotypes about Wicca. Sarah (the character from whose point of view the story is told) talks to the reader in a humorous and casual way. The only reason I gave it an eight was out of personal preference. I expected it to be more of a mystery but was slightly disappointed. However, it provided a good portrayal of both teenage life and the deeper problems that can tear apart families. I thoroughly enjoyed it, right down to the surprising ending.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, PA United States

King of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan

Shah Rukh Khan is a middle class Muslim boy from Delhi, India who has always dreamed of being a star. This is the story of how he is thrown out of his fatherless, friendless world into the enthralling and enticing land of Bollywood. He soon learns that not all that glitters is gold- from failing movies to violent mafia members, Bollywood is not for the weak of heart. The book gives the story of Shah Rukh Khan's life, from his birth to the present. It is a biography about Bollywood's number one star.

The first time that I started to read King of Bollywood, it bored me until around page 30 or so. The narrator's voice is purely factual, nothing more, so the book was a bit monotonous at times. It was gripping in a few spots, but dull the rest of the way. I haven't read many other biographies like this and therefore cannot compare it to others. From a reader's point of view, the main character was really full of himself. From this book, I learned that what we read in the papers and magazines is a smokescreen of what Holly/Bollywood really is. This book is perfect for Hindi movie fans and Bollywood fans. I would only recommend this book to people who are interested in filmmaking and the history of it.

Mild depictions of adult situations, violence, and explicit threats by the mafia.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Coleyville, Texas USA

Two Moon Princess

This book is the story of a princess named Andrea who does not want to be a lady. Andrea mistakenly discovers a way to travel into our modern world. She loves life in California, but she accidentally returns to her world with a friend from California. The outsider is a threat to her secret world. Before Andrea can return her friend to our world, a war breaks out in her world. She must attempt to stop the war and save her friend. This story blends the modern world with a fairy tale. Its sole purpose is to entertain.

The ideas behind this book were unique. It mixes two opposite worlds in one story focusing on a princess's desire to fit in and find happiness. At times, the story got a bit too sappy for me. At the end, there is lots of confusion over who loves whom. It gets a little absurd. However, I am not into romantic novels of any type, so I am not the best judge. All in all, I liked the book and its unique setting.

Rating: 7

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Royersford, PA

Magic in the Mirrorstone

From Mirrorstone Publishers comes an anthology for young adult readers entitled Magic In the Mirrorstone. A collection of authors including Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, and Gregory Frost shape this entrancing new book of modern fairy-tales. From unicorns and water-spirits, to enchanted frogs and goblins, this book will keep readers on the edge of their seats. In all it's magic, slight hilarity, and pure ingenuity, this blend of authors creates a fresh, new look at the old-fashioned bedtime story. With editing by Steve Berman, Magic in the Mirrorstone is a surefire hit!
I highly enjoy modern fairy-tales, and this book is one of the reasons why. My favorite story, 'Princess Bufo Marinus, also known as Amy' puts a spin on the tale of the frog prince, as do many of the stories. I found it a refreshing read, and would reccomend it to any and all teen readers.
Some of the stories in this book, especially 'Virgin' by Holly Black, are for mature readers.

Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Boothwyn, PA USA
Rating: 10
Content Rating: 3

The Finnish Line by Linda Gerber

Maureen Clark, otherwise known as Mo, stepped foot in
Finland with two thoughts in mind: making a name for
herself instead of living in her family's shadow, and
jumping in the world-famous Lahti Ski Games. Between
studying for her classes and her ski practices, Mo realizes
that she isn't going to have as much free time to explore
Finland as she thought. After jumping during practice and
landing short of all of the others' distances, Maureen
decides that she needs extra practice. So therefore, when
her hot tough-guy teammate asks if she wants his help in
return for some recognition by the press, Maureen can't
decline his help. While at the ski trip to Kemi, Mo and
Leevi really hit it off, but how can she possibly date him
when he's her competitive teammate and an untrustworthy
Gypsy? What if she isn't ready in time for the televised
Lahti Ski Games and she can't live up to her family's
famous name? And if she doesn't, will she have to continue
living her life forevermore being called Mr. Clark's
daughter?

I really enjoyed how The Finnish Line was full
of adventure and had just the right amount of romance.
This is a fantastic, action-packed novel with very
interesting scenes and characters. My favorite character
is Leevi because he had the best personality and he was
very unique from the rest of the people in this book. There
were a lot of surprises that kept me guessing until the
very end. I think that this would be a terrific story to
make a sequel to since there were still quite a few
questions about their futures left unanswered when the
story came to an end. This is just one of the many
fabulous novels in the S.A.S.S. Series written by various
authors. Each one is a young adult romance and I hope to
be able to collect them all.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country:
Upper Strasburg, PA United States

Yozakura Quartet

Hime, the mayor of Sakurashin, is a superheroine. Kotocha can conjure up anything with the right word(s). Ao is able to read minds. They fight evil in the town to make it a better place. However, this is not done without Akina. He is just a regular guy that lives with the three supergirls. Together, they face a dangerous shooter, a demon dog, and other threats as well. Read Yozakura Quartet to find out how each individual helps keep the town safe.

I loved this book! To start off, it is a Japanese manga. However, it is translated into English. I loved how it was authentic to the way a traditional manga would be written; it is read from right to left. Also, the pictures are absolutely wonderfully drawn. This particular volume had five different sections, and each section contained a different evil they fought against. I really liked how the different characters were worked into the story. Although I was confused about the characters in the beginning I learned who each one was pretty quickly. The storyline is very unique, and it was a pleasure to read. I recommend this book to anyone seeking humor and action.

There is mild swearing and violence.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Carlisle, Pennsylvania United States of America

Keeper by Mal Peet

Paul Faustino was to get an exclusive interview with the top goalie in the world, but instead of a soccer story he got a ghost story. El Gato recants more than just his childhood, he tells about an apparition that trains him to be one of the most wanted players in the game of soccer.


It is a spooky story that has real human emotions and actions. I did find it intriguing, even though at times it was a bit slow, and I wanted to read to the end to see how the mystery would unfold. It was easy to visualize the small logging town that he grew up in and his travels to the bigger cities. I liked the book, not because of the sports angle, but because of the ghost mystery.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Baldwin, Maryland USA

Quo Vadis Israel? by H. Peter Nennhaus

Peter Nennhaus addresses a controversial subject when he talks about moving Israel to a different, possibly better, place in Europe. It would be a permanent place for Jews to settle, and where they would be able to live in peace. While such a radical move seems unrealistic, when you hear the arguments in its favor you will be forced to consider them and admit they are not as far-fetched as they seemed at the beginning. And if Israel were to move, would we finally have the peace in the Middle East that we have been wanting for so long?

Sorry Mr. Nennhaus, but to me your book was a total and complete YAWN! It was confusing and half the time I didn't know what you were talking about. Granted I am a thirteen-year-old girl, so it is possible if an adult read it they would enjoy it. But if you are under the age of eighteen, this book is sooooo not the book for you. And though I had trouble not sleeping while I read this book, you did have some good points and presented them really well. But seriously. If you are not an adult, stay away. This is NOT the book for you.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Casa Grande, Arizona United States

Henry VIII's Last Victim

Henry Howard was born in 1517 to a noble, wealthy
family. He had a very privileged, yet difficult childhood.
At a young age he inherited the title of the Earl of
Surrey and soon became accustomed to the life of someone
of his stature. When he joined the King's court, he
developed a good reputation with his peers and was dubbed
Knight of the Order of the Garter. However, Surrey was a
very reckless, overconfident individual and through one
mistake after another, slowly lost his favor with the
King. After much plotting of his enemies, Surrey became
Henry VIII's very last victim.
I found this biography by Jessie Childs very hard to
read for someone my age. With all the Old English and
academic language it was, at times, difficult to
understand. However, it was incredibly researched down to
every last detail of Henry Howard's life. The author was
obviously very dedicated and well educated. I would
recommend this biography to young adults and up who really
enjoy history.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg,
Pennsylvania United States
Rating: 8

Posh by Lucy Jackson

"Posh" centers around a high school girl named Julianne and her circle of friends, and their families. Julianne falls in love with Michael, who has his own struggles with his family and with bipolar disorder. The teens all attend an elite Manhattan private school where money equals status. The students need to decide what or who really matters to them. They all are figuring out how much they will take in the name of love.

This book has a lot of character development. You really feel like you are experiencing the characters joys and hardships and like you could be one of the gang. You get to know them like friends. "Posh" teaches the reader about bipolar disorder, and also how hard it would be to love someone who has it. This book has a fair share of sex, infidelity and violence and might be better suited for older teens.
Content:
Sexual Content, Drugs, Violence, Adultery, and Language

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Renton, Washington US

You Know Where to Find Me

Miles always felt second best to her cousin, Laura.
Laura's the skinny, pretty one, the popular girl with a
doting father and more wealth than she can ask for, while
Miles is the failure, overweight and underachieving. The
two may not be as close as they were in their childhood,
but Miles thought that she knew Laura, at least well enough
to predict and prevent her cousin's suicide. Now, with her
best friend gone, Miles is left alone, stranded on earth to
deal with the consequences of Laura's death. As her life
spirals out of control, Miles has to come to terms with the
fact that she isn't the only one who lost Laura, and that
life will go on regardless of who has left it.

Rachel Cohn strikes again with the beautiful prose and
risque topics that her readers know so well. Miles is the
perfect protagonist for this story, because she is well
aware of her problems. Thus, sympathizing with her is
incredibly easy. The entire novel is a masterpiece, a
perfect mix of different writing styles that keep the
reader intrigued and in awe. Cohn deals with an array of
difficult topics, but does so powerfully and clearly shows
the consequences of every action without being morally
superior. None of the characters are perfect, but they
aren't cliches, either. They're entirely believable and
wonderfully flawed. Overall, "You Know Where To Find Me" is
an incredibly moving book, worth devouring from beginning
to end.

This book contains mature topics such as
suicide, prescription drug abuse, and depression, as well
as mild sexual content.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer
State and Country: Maryland United States

The Silver Donkey

The Silver Donkey is a young adult fiction book written by Sonya Hartnett, and it takes place during World War I. The story starts one day when two sisters, Marcelle and Coco, find a runaway solider in the woods. The solider, Lieutenant Shepard, is blind and is trying to get back home to his dying brother. Marcelle, the oldest sister, realizes they can't get the solider home without help, so they tell their older brother, Pascal. Pascal creates a plan to help get the solider home. In return, the solider tells the children four stories about his good luck charm, a silver donkey.

The Silver Donkey is a great book. It is interesting and enjoyable. This book has a lot of strengths, but there is one that stands out the most. That strength is the fact that the author's writing draws the reader farther into the book, making it impossible to put down. The ending was okay, but I thought it left a lot of questions unanswered. The author could have put more detail into the ending of the story. Overall, The Silver Donkey is the best children's book I have read in a long time, and I recommend this book to anyone who loves to read.

Rating:9
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Sandy, Oregon United States

The Dragons of Babel

The Dragons of Babel is about Will, a young boy with responsibilities thrust upon him. Adopted by his Aunt as a young child, Will never knew his true identity. He was disowned by his village for events beyond his control, and thrown out into a world in which war is raging. Along the way, he encounters Esme, a girl with knowledge beyond her years, and Nat, a trickster who knows more about Will than Will does himself. Taken to Babel as a refugee from the war, Will will discover more and more about himself, fighting imaginary wars and dealing with bureaucrats, while the city's people await a new king to fill the throne. Will deals with staying alive and free, but all the while events are being put into motion behind his back. Falling in love with bureaucrats and making enemies with others, will Will be able to save himself from his fate? Will he find his true identity, and if he does, will he accept it? Read The Dragons of Babel to find out.

The Dragons of Babel is a fascinating story of adventure and romance. With dynamic characters and unique (if not strange) beings, it is a great read cover to cover. From the hardened soldiers down to sweet Esme, and from the trickster Nat to the bureaucrats of Babel, each character is unique. I would recommend this book to any fan of fantasy or adventure stories. The Dragons of Babel receives a nine out of ten from me.

Some sexual references, language

Rating: 9

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, PA USA

PBS.org Pride and Prejudice - Seth's Comments

Hi Seth and Gary,

Just wanted to let you know that your wonderful post is live on Remotely Connected. We’ll be promoting on the homepage of pbs.org on Sunday evening and Monday.

Thanks so much for being a part of the project.
Best wishes,

Jeannine

Seth's Post on PBS.org

Geek Magnet by Kieran Scott

Everyone loves KJ Miller. Especially the geeks. See, KJ is super nice, smart, pretty, the stage manager of her high school's Grease...and a total geek magnet. She's like the geek pied piper of Washington High, drawing every socially clueless guy in a five-mile radius. If only Cameron Richardson, star of the basketball team and hottest guy in school, would follow her around and worship her the way her entourage of dorks do. Enter Tama Gold, queen of the popular crowd, star of Grease, and solution to all of KJ's problems. She insists that KJ is too nice, and the nice girl never gets the guy. Tama's ready to help KJ get cruel, ditch the dorks, and win Cameron's heart. But is KJ?

Geek Magnet was a hilarious page-turner about love and friendship. I really enjoyed reading this book because the characters and the plot were very unqiue and interesting. From page one, I was immediately drawn into the book and felt as if I were actually there, especially because the characters seemed really realistic and easy to relate to. The only thing I didn't like about this book was that it seemed very predictable. Overall, I loved reading Geek Magnet and would definitely recommend it.

This book contained some profanity, sexual comments, and teenage drinking.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Leopold, MO USA

Savvy

Thirteenth birthdays in the Beaumont household are very exciting and Mibs is having hers very soon. Her family gets more than presents for birthdays. They get a special savvy, and that means that they get a special power. One of her brothers can cause hurricanes, another creates electricity, and Mibs knows hers will be exciting, too. However, the day before her birthday, her father is in a bad accident and goes to the hospital. The preacher's wife comes over with her children to watch the Beaumonts while their mother is in the hospital with their dad. Mibs doesn't wish for just any savvy. She wants a savvy that will save her Poppa and Mibs is certain that that will happen. She decides to secretly climb aboard a bus, with her siblings and the preacher's kids, to go to the hospital. However, the bus starts heading in the wrong direction. No one on it will ever be the same! What is Mibs' savvy? What will happen to the characters involved on the bus? You've got to read this book!

Savvy was a really interesting book to read. I loved how creative and original it was with the savvies. The vocabulary is just right for the ages of 10-15 because it is not too hard, but it does use some bigger words. My favorite thing about the entire book was the imagery. It was amazing that every paragraph would paint a picture inside my head! There was a great amount of detail in describing the setting and the characters' moods. Unlike some other books with 'magical powers', this one uses magic in a new and neat way. This book is probably best for younger teenagers in grades 5-8 because the writing seems to be designed for that age group. I do recommend it for tweens and early teens if they like reading something fresh and unique.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Carlisle, Pennsylvania United States of America

Mystery at Shildii Rock by Robert Feagan

When Robin Harris, a twelve year old boy, claims to have seen someone on the top of Shildii Rock, no one believes him. Not even his father will listen to him. Robin is determined to prove that someone is up there. He convinces his friends to help him discover who it is and what they want. This person is not friendly though. The person threatens their lives. The friends run into bigger problems then they had expected. Once they reach the top there is no turning back. Will the children live to prove that someone is up there or will the unknown stranger kill them first?

Mystery at Shildii Rock by Robert Feagan is an excellent mystery for a young reader. I think more advanced readers may find this story slightly predictable. Overall, it was an exciting story that was full of suspense. It keeps you guessing from beginning to end. I think that younger readers will really enjoy this book.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Lemoore, California US

How Not to be Popular by Jennifer Ziegler

Young Sugar had been a rolling stone all of her life, and never was stationary for more than a few months. She's always loved this way of life because the excitement of meeting new people was such an adventure. This time, it's not the same. Her free-bird parents uproot her life and move it from her beautiful home on the California coast, all the way to Austin, Texas. She leaves behind the only boy she has ever loved, Trevor and her beautiful set of A-list friends. Home sick and out of place, Sugar-Mags devises a plan to be an outcast. She doesn't want to have a reason to cry when she leaves her school this time so an anti-social life seems the way to go. When she finally arrives at school, she finds that her plan doesn't work so well against hot jocks or A-list gossip girls. Her plan gets harder and harder to maintain, and although her wacky outfits and carrying around shrubberies have worked mildly before, she's running out of ways to keep herself from caving in.

This book was well-written, and although Sugar-Mags's life was very different from mine, Ziegler made sure not to alienate her audience, and I must applaud her for that. I, more often than not, found myself laughing out loud and enjoyed this book VERY much. I loved the character Penny because she was so innocent and had her own little quirks that made you sick and love her at the same time. I can tell that the thought on each of these characters was in-depth and Ziegler did a fantastic job relating the characters and events to everyday teenage life. I love this book!

Brief language and/or mention of adult subjects or nudity.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: , PA USA

Sachiko by Shizue Tomoda

Sachiko always dreamed of going to America. Enthralled by the sophistication and boundless opportunities offered by the western world, she devoted herself to making the dream come true. The challenge is more than she bargained for, though. Her parents do not support her ambitious aspiration, and refuse to let her go. In this story, the reader follows a young Japanese girl as she struggles to find herself and make her hopes realities.

I did not love this book. I was always waiting for the actual plot to start; I felt like I was reading a summary, not a story. There was very little dialogue to break up long, non-descriptive paragraphs. There was no emotion conveyed until the very end. Even Sachiko, the main character, was not developed very well. By the end of the book, I felt like I barely knew her. The author states the obvious too often, and she hints at future events in an all-too inconspicuous manner. I have to admit that the ending caught me off guard. I almost wish that there had been more. Overall, the book wasn't terrible; it simply needs more sensory details and some minor editing.

Reviewer Age:14

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

A Rumor of Dragons by Michael A. Heald

A dragon that swims instead of flying. A prince with no hands. A wizard with a sword. A girl with a strange ability to talk to animals, or "senses" their feelings. They all work together to try to foil the evil plans of a great dark dragon, using their abilities to help themselves and each other. An adventure, a romance, a mystery... a classic page turner that even adds on as a cliff hanger, as it is a series

I loved how Micheal A. Heald kept the book going. It was very hard to put down, but its volume of pages often forced me to. His introduction is wonderful, a party for the youngest prince coming of age. That immediately told me the prince was not a normal one. The protagonist's nature is to go looking for trouble, so it was easy to slide from a castle to a slime-dripping cave. Heald's descriptions of the land and the characters were wonderful, only revealing certain things about the characters' appearances when the information was related to something in the plot. His writing style shows an adventure with plenty of description, which I was pleased to find. I cannot wait for the next book in his series!

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Eagle Creek, OR USA

The Year of the Rat by Grace Lin

The Year of the Rat signifies change. And Grace has plenty
of changes in her life, including her best friend Melody
moving across the country. Plus, she's beginning to
question her dream of becoming a writer and illustrator.
What if she should be something else? But what other
talents does she have?

This book is a sequel to The Year
of the Dog, but it can be read independently. One of my
favorite things about both books is all the tidbits of
Chinese Culture I learned about. It boasts a very
believable voice of a young girl as its narrator. The
writing is sparse, yet flowing. It's a sweet, comfortable
little tale that I enjoyed a lot.

Reviewer Age:17

Reviewer City, State and Country: Moscow, ID USA

The Bone Race

This book is historical fiction. Some of the characters
and events are loosely based on real people and events
that occurred in the 1800's and 1900's. This book is
about the contest of an eccentric millionaire named J.
Andrew Nagle. He is hosting a race for the first
contestant to bring back a complete dinosaur skeleton to
his new museum. The story takes place across the United
States as the contestants attempt to quickly retrieve
dinosaur bones. The contestants develop complex
relationships based on love, rivalry, and greed. In sum,
the book is an adventure novel with a focus on dinosaur
bones.

I enjoyed this book. It is not a very long read,
and the book idea is unique. The novel is exciting, and
the characters are fairly satisfying. However, the plot
seems underdeveloped at times. The story jumps between
settings in order to tell each character's story, so the
action feels rushed. I also wished the interesting
setting and corrupt government were described in more
detail. Despite these shortcomings, the book was still
pleasant. This book would probably be a good, fairly
quick read for anybody, especially if they have an
interest in dinosaurs or history.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Royersford, PA
USA

Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty

Geena Sloane starts her summer off with the perfect plan: working at Triple Shot Betty's by day and giggling and painting toenails by night at sleepovers with her best friend, Amber, and her cousin, Hero. Amber and Hero are finally going to meet and Geena knows they will hit it off. There's just one problem, once they do meet, Geena realizes that she was very wrong. Hero and Amber hate each other and Geena is caught in the middle, needing to be loyal to both, but not knowing how. Geena works hard trying to make them like each other, but it just isn't working.

Then there are the cute boys of the summer - PJ Jamieson, the unstoppable flirt who is way to loyal to his girlfriend to ever cheat on her, John "the Man" Jamieson, his older valedictorian brother who wants Hero, Claudio, the Italian intern with whom Hero is obsessed, and Ben Bataglia, Geena's archenemy and the one who has caused her to be called a "guy-basher." The summer progresses roughly, but by the end, it all works out for the girls, and Geena Sloane gets her perfect summer after all.

Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty by Jody Gerhman was an excellent book about friendship, trust, and love. It is the perfect book for a teenage girl. I couldn't put it down and read it all in one day. The fact that the novel was written in the form of a journal made it even more interesting. The characters are all very easy to relate to and there is a character that could fit any person who reads it. It felt as if I was the main character writing in the journal myself. As Geena Sloane might put it, this was truly a "fabu" book.

Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty contains material including sexual references and teen drinking and partying.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: East Islip, New York United States of America

The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World by E.L. Konigsburg

The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World by E.L. Konigsburg is about Amedeo Kaplan. He had moved from New York City to Malo, Florida with his mother. His parents are divorced and his father is an artist, so Amedeo knows a great deal about art and its history. Amedeo meets William Wilcox and his mother, who are the liquidators for Amedeo's neighbor, Mrs. Zender. Mrs. Zender is a colorful character. She is the last heir of the Tull family. The Tulls owned hundreds of acres of timberland in northern Florida and southern Georgia. Mrs. Zender's mother was an Italian and highly controlling of her daughter. She organized most of Mrs. Zender's life. Mrs. Zender was a minor opera star in Europe and local celebrity in the 1940s and 1950s. She knew Alexander Calder, Simone de Beauvoir, James Jones, Karl Eisenhuth, and Harper Lee. She is vain, smart, funny, demanding, and generous. She believes in the old class structure. She dresses up in costumes every day and she is used to having servants. She informs Amedeo that a person must remain ninety percent secret to even their friends. William Wilcox is aloof, quiet, smart, and nice. Amedeo tells William that he would love to discover something that has been lost for a long time. While cleaning the library, Amedeo discovers a drawing of a nude called The Moon Lady by a dead Jewish Italian artist named Modigliani. Mrs. Zender informs Amedeo that it was a wedding present from her Austrian husband. She keeps the drawing hidden and shows no interest in keeping it. He takes the drawing to his house and researches it. Amedeo's godfather, Peter Vanderwaal, is the Director of the Sheboygan Art Center. The art center is hosting an exhibition of art banned by the Nazis. Adolf Hitler wanted to be an artist but was not admitted into art school because his art was not modern enough. Hitler developed a strong dislike of modern art. When Hitler became the leader of Germany, he banned Modern and African Art. He banned art by Jewish, homosexual, and insane artists. Hitler banned Henri Matisse, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Marc Chagall, and Georges Braque. At the opening of the exhibit that Amedeo is attending, Peter's mother shows them Peter's father's autobiography. Peter's father, John Vanderwaal, grew up in Amsterdam, Holland and was raised by his older homosexual brother and his partner at their art store. One day, a Nazi officer arrived at John's brother's art shop; the next day John's brother was sent to a work labor camp. In a photo that Mrs. Vanderwaal shows them, Amedeo sees the The Moon Lady. What is Mrs. Zender's connection to John Vanderwaal's story?

I give The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World a nine. E.L. Konigsburg has the talent to make unexciting events fascinating. This is a rare skill. If a reader has enjoyed E.L. Konigsberg's other books, then the reader will truly enjoy this book. Konigsburg has a very similar writing style in this book to her other works. When I was in the eighth grade at school, I wrote a report on Konigsburg. Since then, I have felt that she is one of the best young adult realist novelists alive today. I found this book particularly interesting because I had just visited the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and I saw art by Vincent van Gogh, Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, and Henri Matisse, who are all named in this novel.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Urbana, Illinois United States of America

Perilous Passage

OK... heres a basic summary of A Perilous Passage, by B. J.
Bayle.
This book is set in the New World between the years of
1810-1811. The main character ia a boy named Peter. He
suffers from a case of amnesia, and as a result, no one
knows him. He meets a man named Boulard. Boulard is an
explorer who works for David Thomson. Boulard takes him on a
journey to meet his boss, David Thompson, and Peter quickly
gets involved with an expedition to find the Columbia
River, headed by David Thompson himself. He meets many
different Native American tribes and animals as he travels
across the continent of America.

This book is a wonderful example of a good adventure
book. I felt immersed in the setting, and felt like I was
with the characters as they adventured throughout America.
The main character is Peter, an understanding boy of 15, who
has lost him memory to amneseia. I found this a good weekend
read. I would recommend this book to history buffs, and
people who enjoy adventure stories.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: , Texas United States

Slippery Slopes

Slippery Slopes is about a group of friends who are
working at the Les Trois, the fabulous ski resort in Europe,
where the rich and famous people come to ski and socialize.
The main characters, Melissa and Dove, are covering for
another friend, Harley, who is on vacation in the Tropics.
Melissa is working as the host, greeting and meeting all the
famous people that come and stay at the resort. Dove, on
the other hand, is working in the kitchen as a chef,
preparing all the food at the resort. The biggest party of
the year is coming up soon and Melissa is in charge of
overseeing all the planning and events for the ball. Dove
is in charge with planning a spectacular menu that will live
up the other parties in the past. With all the pressure of
planning and throwing an equally spectacular ball, as in the
past, the girls must somehow find time for their own social
life. While working at the resort they meet plenty of
people and have many invitations to a lot of the parties,
dances and skiing events. To complicate the planning,
Melissa has a lot of the ski bums after her, and Dove is
trying hard to stay loyal to her boyfriend back home.

I thought the book was so-so. It was hard to stay
focused, it skipped around a lot. The author, Emily
Franklin, did describe the characters fairly well as she
made you feel like you were at the resort with the
characters in the story. I felt that the characters
sometimes over reacted in some situations that they had to
deal with in the story. Overall, the book pretty much held
my interest. I would recommend this book to others because
it did have a good story line.

This book has relational scenes and profane language.
The underwriter of this book was Liz Bloom.
Rating (1-10) 7

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Minooka, Il United States

Operation Red Jericho

Doug and Becca MacKenzie, two teenage orphans, are forced to
live with their uncle after their parents mysteriously
disappear. Their uncle, Fitzroy MacKenzie, is the sea
captain of a research ship named Expedient. Doug and Becca
over hear Fitzroy talk to an unusual passenger, and decide
to do some snooping about. As they learn, Expedient is not a
research ship at all. It is a World War II Q ship. As a Q
ship, the Expedient is disguised as a defenseless cargo
ship, but once an enemy ship comes within firing range,
cleverly hidden guns rise above the deck and open fire. Doug
and Becca are caught, but Fitzroy offers no explanation for
the guns. Soon after, he effectively removes Doug and Becca
from his ship. Doug and Becca, back on dry land, are
determined to find out if their parents are still alive.
They follow a mystifying set of clues that leads them on an
extraordinary journey.

Operation Red Jericho is an extremely well written book
with teenagers as the main character. Joshua Mowll, the
author, puts you in the character's head with incredible
detail. You can see the gears in Doug's head as he ponders
every new challenge. It is always comical when Doug or Becca
outfox the captain and other characters.
Rating (1-10) 8

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Hamilton, OH USA

The Dragon's Eye

When young Daniel and his sister Beatrice leave boarding school to go visit their parents, the siblings learn that their parents have gone to India. The siblings must travel to see Earnest Drake, one of their parents’ good friends. Upon arriving at Ernest’s castle, Beatrice and Daniel learn that they will be attending a new school where Ernest is the teacher. The main subject of study at this new school is Dragonology. While Daniel and Beatrice learn more about new dangers, the evil Ignatious Cook tries to steal the most important possession of the dragons and the dragonologists: the Dragon’s Eye. Can Beatrice, Daniel, and Ernest Drake defeat Ignatius Cook?

The Dragon’s Eye was pretty appealing, but I think the descriptions could have been more thorough. It was a particularly easy read, and I would have liked it more if it was a little more modern or realistic. If I was younger I may have liked it more, but it wasn’t too bad. This was a definite page turner, but it wasn’t the best book I’ve ever read. I recommend this book to anyone who has a great imagination and would like an upper elementary leveled book. I wouldn’t recommend this for first through third graders, because it was pretty graphic. I think this book would appeal most to readers aged 8-10.
Rating: 7
Content Rating: 1

Reviewer Age:11

Reviewer City, State and Country: Osseo, Wisconsin United States

Return to Zandria by Christine Norris

It’s been three long years since Ivy Peterson last saved the world of Zandria from total destruction by the evil witch queen, Zahara. Ivy is once again faced with the challenge of saving the Talisman and the future of Zandria, but this time it’s with a new twist. She has her best friend Lori with her and the empress’s fairly newborn daughter’s life is at stake. Without very much hesitation, Ivy and Lori, both agree to embark on the life-threatening adventure. A few days after setting out on their dangerous journey, they realize that they are being followed. As they prepare to attack the oncoming stalkers, they recognize the one person as Queen Siobhan and her guards. Queen Siobhan leads them to the Water Gate and from there they cross over into Otherside, where they have reason to suspect it as being the place that the Princess is being held captive by Duke Drake (the empress’s cousin.) After coming through the portal, they exit the cave that they were transported into, and waited for the cover of night to explore. They headed into the small village within a few days of being there, and asked a supermarket owner a few questions, and found out that Drake is somewhere in the premises of the “haunted” and abandoned beach house offshore. They leave the store and head back to the cave. On their way there, Ivy decides to wash-up in the restroom, and tells her friends to wait for her outside. When she comes out, no one is around and it is uncomfortably too quiet. Without warning, a man she doesn’t recognize comes around the corner of the building and chases her through the woods. She trips over a log, and falls to her destiny, which is being captured, tied up, blindfolded, and carried through the woods to his master’s secret lair. She doesn’t know where she or her friends are, who took her, or what the fate of her and her friends, the princess, and the whole world of Zandria will be. Everything rests in the very evil hands of her wicked captor and his psycho master; and whatsoever they choose to do with her is entirely up to them, no matter what it may be.

The Return to Zandria by Christine Norris is a wonderful story and it’s the sequel to The Talisman of Zandria, which also was a fabulous book. I think that this is about as awesome as the first one, but it doesn’t have quite as much adventure and action as the first one did. It was still an exciting read though, and it kept me guessing as to what would happen next the whole time. The plot was very interesting and the author chose a good conflict to write about. The climax was pretty intense and I wasn’t sure what was to become of the characters. I enjoyed how the author had Ivy’s friend go along on the adventure because it made it all the more interesting, definitely since she was a girlie-girl. Overall this novel is a remarkable and outstanding book and a great pick, if you want to add some excitement to your life.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg, PA United States

Prey

Ryan Piccoli, a good-looking freshman, knows that a teacher is supposed to impart a love of learning--a thirst for knowledge. But it's different with Ms. Lori Settles. All the kids are talking about how hot she is. When she starts giving Ryan extra attention, he feels more than happy--at first. Ryan is used to being the class clown, but he's actually a loner. And then one day after school, the friendship with Lori Settles goes farther than Ryan ever expected. She's his history teacher. She's twice his age, yet it feels so good to have this special relationship. When Lori begins to make demands, Ryan feels overwhelmed. His attempts to deal with his situation also bring to the surface long-repressed emotions about his mother's suicide. Ryan's friend, Honey, can tell something is wrong, but Ryan refuses to admit that anything is going on. Even his busy father sees a difference in Ryan's behavior. In some ways, Lori Settles is more that Ryan bargained for, but the thought of not having her is almost unbearable. In this complex relationship, who is the predator and who is the prey?

Prey was a very well-written novel that demonstrated the dangers of romantic relationships between a teacher and a student. It also proved that the choices we make today can change our lives forever. Although this book was different than Lurlene McDaniel's other books, it still showed the challenges that today's teenagers face. I thought Prey was very insightful and informative, but the whole idea seemed a bit disturbing. Although the relationship between Ryan and Ms. Settles was startling, I thought Prey was very good and well thought out. I liked all of the characters and thought the plot was great. This book contained everything from romance, to comedy, to deceit, a little something for everybody. Prey was a great page-turner that I would recommend to everyone.

This book contained sexual content.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Leopold, MO USA

Do The Math: Secrets, Lies, and Algebra

In the book, "Do the Math: Secrets, Lies, and Algebra,
the main character is a girl named Tess. Tess' mother
works as an artist for a man named Rob whose wife, Nina,
has just died. Tess' mother lets Tess in on her secret
that she thinks Rob killed Nina. Tess' mother had heard
Rob's story but it wasn't convincing at all. However, Tess
is not to tell anyone of her mother's suspicion. Having a
secret is not easy for Tess and she ends up telling her two
best friends, Sammy and Miranda. Sammy lets it slip to
Lynn, the loud mouth at school, so the rumor is spread to
everyone! Tess realizes she can't trust Sammy with secrets
anymore. Tess' mom finds out that Tess told as well and
gets really mad. After many twists and turns, Tess leans
some valuable lessons. I guess you'll have to read the
book to find out what those lessons are and what really
happened to Nina!

I loved the book. The book was not a book that I
wanted to put down because something exciting happened with
each turn of the page. It was nice knowing that other
girls go through the same things I do at times. It also
reinforces the fact that people should not spread rumors,
especially when they don't have all the facts. This kind
of book is the kind that makes me happy and sad at the same
time. I felt sad that people were hurt for saying things
that weren't true, but at the same time, friendships were
made stronger. These are just some of the reasons why I
loved the book. I know if you are a girl like me, you will
love "Do the Math: Secrets, Lies, and Algebra
too.

Rating: 10

Content: 1

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and
Country: Newville, Pennsylvaina United States

When The Cat's Away

Jake Novak doesn't like cats, but the co-heir of the beach
house where he lives, Mary Katherine "Kate" Forrest, has
two, Jacques and Cleo. Jacques is a special cat and has
helped solve two mysteries. When White Sands, Alabama,
their hometown, is chosen for the location of an
international cat show, their owner, Kate, enters the
beautiful Cleo in the show. Then when a couple of the
favorite contenders disappear, one of them being Cleo, Jake
is hired to find out who is catnapping them. Later when a
murder takes place, things get serious and Jacques knows he
needs to investigate on his own so the case can get solved.

When the Cat's Away is the third book in the Jacques &
Cleo, Cat Detectives series by Gilbert Morris. I didn't
think this book had very much action even though it was a
mystery, so it was somewhat boring. I also found that since
this is the third book in the series, and I was already
familiar with the characters and their development that the
continued repetition of details drove me crazy. The book was
really more for adults but older teens might also enjoy it.
I didn't like the character of Jake very much because he
acted like a jerk a lot of the time, but once in awhile he
would do something nice for someone. Of the three books in
this series, I think this one is my favorite because Ocie
finally accepted Christ and Rhiannon met a new friend.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country:
Upper Strasburg, PA United States

The Astonishing Life Of Octavian Nothing

Octavian is a young boy that has been raised by a group of
philosophers. He has to learn about science, math, language,
and many other things like music. The rest of the people
living there are given numbers as their names have certain
meanings for each number. He is not sure why he and his
mother have actual names. Outside life is a mystery to
Octavian because he can not leave this place. There is even
a door within his house that he is forbidden to enter.
However, he enters it anyway and discovers that the
philosophers have been experimenting with a bad nature and
he has a bad role with them.

I liked this book even though it was really different.
The language is written in somewhat of an older English. It
makes it interesting when you are reading conversations
between people, so it is pretty cool. The beginning chapters
really introduces the story to you and gives the reader
enough background to support the plot. One of my favorite
things were the maps and graphs that were randomly placed
throughout the book. I was pleased to see that there were
several newspaper articles and letters in this story. They
brought a new look on the events that were taking place.
Overall, the ending pulled the whole story together and
finished it off with what it deserved. I recommend this book
to anyone interesting in reading something different because
it was really unique.
Rating: 7

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Carlisle, Pennsylvania
United States of America

July 5

Jerome Banneker lives in the projects, but doesn't see the
reason for the "commmunity pride" of its other black
members. Josh Stanton has always been told that his life is
great, but doesn't understand the "morality" that everyone
tells him he lacks. And Rob Flaherty lives in an
impoverished town full of racist Irishmen, but thinks of
himself as a rebel. The boys' three communities are in a
heated debate over the fate of a nearby shoe factory, and
according to the adults around them, the three should avoid
each other at all costs. But a mysterious businesswoman
brings them together, and the boys can't help but see each
other, not as rivals, but as friends.

This book is the worst I've read in a long time. The
author took a mediocre plot line, added three almost
identical characters, and called his book finished. Perhaps
if it had been written well, it would have still been an
enjoyable book, but Mr.McHugh's novel is littered with comma
errors and awful dialect. All of the characters are one
dimensional-- the children overly perfect clones of one
another who enjoy breaking into monologues and the adults
irrational bigots. Only one character has any intrigue at
all, and McHugh seems to expect her interactions to make up
for the blandness of her companions by including her
everywhere. The three protagonists cause the book to be
redundant, as McHugh's attempts to make them similar to each
other only mean that whenever something happens to one, a
similar thing must happen to the rest, and instead of using
foreshadowing, he simply includes random unrelated events to
explain others. The book's condescending tone makes it a
truly unpleasant read, and unless you suffer from insomnia,
you should certainly look elsewhere for a way to spend your
time.

The book has anti-racism themes throughout, causing it to
create cruel stereotypes about races, and all characters
curse. A teen also uses drugs and is offered alcohol and
drugs by an adult, and the book contains violence, attempted
murder, and attempted suicide.
Rating: 2

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: , Maryland United States

The Sweet Far Thing

The Sweet Far Thing is an enchanting adventure novel that
concludes the tales of Gemma Doyle. Felicity, Ann, and Gemma
are finishing up their last year at Spence Academy. Ann will
go to her cousin's house to be a governess, while Felicity
and Gemma will be presented to society and begin their
seasons. However, matters in real life seem petty to the
problems in the realms. The woodland creatures are fighting
with the Hajin and Circe might still be around. Pippa and
her friends are growing stronger with hate and magic of the
Borderlands while an army appears to be festering in the
Winterlands. Kartik has been avoiding her lately and Gemma
wants to know why. The end to the Great and Terrible Beauty
series is unimaginable and different, completely unexpected.

Libba Bray amazes with her entire series. The Sweet Far
Thing is a beautiful conclusion to a wonderful tale. Readers
who enjoyed Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter will love this
tale of heroism and magic. Gemma is a bright light in such
dark times and being privy to her thoughts is a magical
experience. The Sweet Far Thing brings back characters
beloved in the previous novels, Ann, Felicity, Kartik, and
even those who are not, Miss McCleethy, Mr. Fowlson, and
Cecily. The only bad thing about this novel is that it comes
to an end. The Gemma Doyle trilogy is a series everyone
should read and one that everyone will cherish.

This novel is borderline 3. It has frightening images and
it is also a tale of love.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Concord , Massachusetts
United States

Edward's Eyes

Jake knew, from the very day that his mother, Maeve, brought
Edward home and sat his baby brother on his lap, that he and
Edward would be a team. It was from that very first look
into Edward's eyes. As Edward grew, Jake was always at his
side. Whether it was potty training or learning to read,
Jake helped him. Edward was the best friend and brother that
Jake ever had, until the accident.

This book is very short, most definitely designed for a
younger audience, mostly in grades four through six.
Although the book was short, it made up for lack of pages
with tons of emotion. This was just as good as any
tear-jerking adult novel on the shelves. The character of
Edward is the one we all know and hold close, the child
prodigy that we love and call a sibling. The bond between
Jake and Edward is on a whole new plane. I have never met a
pair of brothers this loving and helpful. The plot was a tad
weak in some areas. At one point the author drops a
metaphorical bomb on the plot, but then doesn't fully
resolve it. She puts off this bomb until the end of the
novel and has no way to tie up the loose ends. It is like an
abrupt stop in the plot. One good characteristic of the book
is how engaging it is. I was into the book from the very
first sentence and read it straight through in one sitting.
I expect to see other great works of fiction coming from
Patricia MacLachlan soon!
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, USA

Choices

_Choices_ is a book that deals with one of the hardest
decisions a girl might have to make in her life. When
Rachael meets Gary, she is forced to decide whether to take
a chance and date him or break her school's tradition of
dating outside their own walls. Pushing her fears aside, she
lets herself fall for his athletic body and talents. Soon
they share a deep and dark secret that will change their
lives forever as Rachael and Gary are forced to make
decisions they are not ready to make. When Gary leaves for
college and stops responding to her emails and texts,
Rachael hops into a taxi with a driver who takes her away
from her problems and offers her the most valuable advice
she has ever had in her life. Read the book to find out what
happens to Rachael and how this amazing, summer of romance
story ends.

This book allows you to realistically live through an
experience and hope that you (and anyone else) will never
really have to face such an ordeal. This journey creates a
page turning book with a meaningful message. The author's
purpose shows how teenage girls should not give up on their
babies. Everyone enters this world with a purpose and could
make a difference in the world. I think this book is really
good and it will help young teenage girls realize what they
are giving up and make them think twice about some of their
choices. The book weaves together Rachael's reality and
dreams which creates suspense for the ending.

This book would be successful if a teen read it and
discussed it with an adult.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Cumming, Georgia United
States

Rich Girl

Okay, raise your hand if you have ever dreamed of living
alone. You can have parties, eat unlimited junk food, not
clean your room... the things are endless. But imagine
living alone in a huge house, your parents halfway across
the world, and you are in a country you've never been in
before. Oh ya, did I mention that you are going to one of
the richest schools in the bay area, and to the oh so bratty
kings and queens of the school, you are nobody but a nerdy,
foreign exchange student. That's Victoria Lee for you, and
since her parents are halfway around the world (in China )
they wouldn't know if she decided to throw a party to get
her dream crush Scott's attention... now would they. But as
the clock strikes midnight, who will be Victoria's prince
charming? Scott, or... someone else!

While Rich Girl is a very good book, I couldn't help but
feel nothing as I continued reading. Total blah. The story line was good but as soon as I started reading, every twist and turn was predictable. No surprises! I knew as soon as Gabe showed up that Victoria would fall for him. I couldn't help it, it was just obvious to me. The odd thing was that even though I knew what would happen, I still enjoyed reading the book. And maybe, to other people who read this book, what happens won't be obvious to them. It will just be a great book.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Casa Grande, AZ United
States of America

The Sacred Sin

Jude Foster is a homicide detective in Los Angeles who is
about to have a mental breakdown. About one year ago, Jude
was left to die by his once close friend and partner,
Morgan Cross. Cross had betrayed him, and now Jude is one
the verge of a mental crash. He is seeing a psychiatrist
whom he strongly dislikes so that he can be reinstated into
the department and all the while, everything around him is
moving just too quickly. His brother, the only family he
has left, is in need of help but does not want it, and Jude
tries his best to give it to him.
A body is found in West Hollywood, and Jude realizes that
this is just the first of many bad things to come. There
are markings on the body which are actually a trail all
leading to a new evil. Jude has to uncover the sacred sin
of a killer who murders his victims without even touching
them, only by stealing their souls. And time goes by all
the while, given Jude only a week to find "the darkness
that lies within all men."

This was a very good book.
The way it was written, I just couldn't put it down.This
book has so many different emotions in it that you can't
see what the author, Estevan Vega, will make you feel
next. Overall, it was a really great book and a definite
page-turner.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

This book may be scary for younger children because it
deals with a murderer and his victims.

Reviewer
Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: East Islip, New
York United States

The Prometheus Project: Trapped by Douglas E. Richards

Ryan and Regan Resnick's parents have just been relocated for their job to rural Pennsylvania. One day, they overhear their parents talking about a secret project called Prometheus. They decide to stake out their parents' workplace and end up breaking and entering. This leads them to solve puzzles of every shape and size. They soon discover that puzzles aren't the only thing they have to solve. When they get into Prometheus, they discover an unknown alien environment. Inside a dwelling are their parents, who are now top-secret scientists. Everything is being explained to them when a huge diamond drill falls and hits their mother on the head. Their father sends them to get help, and fast!! They realize they can't get out of the alien environment. So they go back. Everyone has disappeared! The children are now thrown into a race against time to save their mother!

This is definitely not a book for those in the higher reading levels. This book is meant for a fourth through sixth grade reading class. The problems seemed unchallenging; the way Richards went about solving the problems was a little lame. The children didn't really do a lot. Also, Richards was trying to be witty, but came off all wrong; the wit sounded like a bunch of bad jokes strung together. Then again, the ideas behind the novel are very fascinating. I have honestly never read a book like this ever before in my life. Truly, a unique work of children's literature when you look at the plot line. The idea of an alien race populating our planet is a fascinating one. There wasn't very much change in the characters. Ryan and Regan didn't develop much at all; good dynamic characters change dramatically from the beginning of a book to the end. This book was definitely designed for classroom use.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, USA

What the Cat Dragged In

Jacques the Ripper and Cleopatra have to move with their
humans to White Sands, Alabama, when they inherit a
beach front home. Cleo is a female cat that loves to be
noticed, while the male, Jacques, is a rough, tough monster
of a feline. Their owners, Kate and Jeremy, take them to
the new house on the beach, which they will have to share
with another relative, Jake Novak, who inherited a half
interest in the house. They move in downstairs while he
moves in upstairs. The catch to inheriting everything is
that together they must care for the menagerie of animals
that the old lady owned before she died, but things quickly
get interesting when they learn Jake despises animals. Then
a murder occurs, and Jeremy is the main suspect! Will Cleo
and Jacques help solve this weird mystery and prove Jeremy
isn't the killer?

WHAT THE CAT DRAGGED IN is the first
book in the Jacques & Cleo, Cat Detectives series by Gilbert
Morris. It centers on Jacques and Cleo, two cats who like to
solve mysteries, and the lady who owns them. Since I enjoy
suspense novels and I love cats, I thought this book was
pretty good, even though it is really written more for
adults than teens since it is about two adults falling in
love. The book does include a couple teenage characters to
provide interest for us teens. There wasn't very much
action and the mystery was kind of boring even though I
didn't solve it ahead of time. A few references to drugs,
cheating, and sexual things make this book a more
appropriate choice for adults rather than teens, however.
There are two other books in this series, THE CAT'S PAJAMAS
and WHEN THE CAT"S AWAY, which I will also be
reviewing.

references to drug use, cheating on tests,
sexual references such as porn magazines in teen's
drawer
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country:
Upper Strasburg, PA USA

Not Anything

Susie Shannon seems to be a very depressed girl. She is in
high school and is super intelligent though. Her mother had
died years ago, and Susie never got over that tragedy. Her
father seems to feel the same way, although Susie wouldn't
know that as they barely talk to each other,and when they do
it is very concise. Mr. Murphy is Susie's favorite teacher
and he asked her to tutor one of the hottest guys in school;
Danny Diaz. At first, the tutoring does not work out, but
after a while they start to warm up to each other. However,
problems occur with everyone....Susie's best friend Marisal,
her neighbor Marc, classmates, and even Danny as it gets
closer to Homecoming. This certainly doesn't help Susie at
home either. It is the time of the year when her mother died
and her father might be seeing someone else; Marisal's
mother. How does Susie deal with all of her problems and
does she like Danny more than a friend? Or does he like
someone else?

Before I started reading Not Anything I expected it to be
an 'okay' book. However, once I started to read it, I could
not stop. The plot picks you up right from the beginning and
keeps building up the entire way to the end. The vocabulary
is very modern and appropriate for young adults. It is an
easy read because a lot of the issues in the story are ones
that actually happen in real life so you can relate to them.
I liked the character Danny because he was interesting to
get to know, and was similar to people I know. I wish the
ending was different because I think Susie should have made
different choices, but the ending was still very strong. I
definitely recommend Not Anything to any female wishing to
read about a high school girl.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Carlisle, Pennsylvania
United States of America

The Sacred Sin by Estevan Vega

Jude Foster is a homicide detective in Los Angeles who is about to have a mental breakdown. About one year ago, Jude was left to die by his once close friend and partner, Morgan Cross. Cross had betrayed him, and now Jude is one the verge of a menta crash. He is seeing a pshychiatrist whom he strongly dislikes so that he can be reinstated into the department and all the while, everything around him is moving just too quickly. His brother, the only family he has left, is in need of help but does not want it, and Jude tries his best to give it to him.

A body is found in West Hollywood, and Jude realizes that this is just the first of many bad things to come. There are markings on the body which are actually a trail all leading to a new evil. Jude has to uncover the sacred sin of a killer who murders his victims without even touching them, only by stealing their souls. And time goes by all the while, given Jude only a week to find "the darkness that lies within all men."

This was a very good book. The way it was written, I just couldn't put it down.This book has so many different emotions in it that you can't see what the author, Estevan Vega, will make you feel next. Overall, it was a really great book and a definite page-turner.

This book may be scary for younger children because it deals with a murderer and his victims.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: East Islip, New York United States

Hell Girl

Hell Girl is a collection of stories told in a manga.
Mangas are Japanese graphic novels that are read from left
to right. Hell Girl contains five chapters that only have
one consistent character, the Hell Girl. Each story's main
character has been wronged by someone. When their life
becomes miserable, they hear about a website that people can
only access at midnight. At the website, the characters
type in the name of the person that they want to send to
hell. The Hell Girl soon appears. She tells them that she
can send their wrongdoer to hell, but they also must come to hell once they die. All of the characters agree and the Hell Girl gets revenge.

This manga was very different than the other mangas that
I have read in the past. The stories were only connected by
the Hell Girl, who does similar things and says similar
lines in each story. Despite this, I still enjoyed the
book. Each story was interesting, and the drawings were
very good. This manga was only the first in the Hell Girl
series. I may continue reading the series to see if the character, Hell Girl, develops or if we learn more about her grandmother, who was mentioned once. All in all, the book was interesting and unique. Manga readers will probably
enjoy it, as well as anyone who enjoys stories of betrayal
and revenge.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

This book is graphic because it is drawn as well as
written. It has some violence, suffering, and sexual content.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Royersford, PA USA

Finding Stinko

From the time Newboy was one week old, he had
been living in the state child care system. He had lived in
11 houses in 12 years, and, to make matters worse, when he
was nine years old he stopped talking. It wasn't his fault,
he just opened his mouth one day and nothing came out. The
school he went to labeled him difficult and stubborn, so no
one wanted to adopt him, or even keep him in their house,
which is how he came to live with the Knoxes. They were the
worst foster parents he'd ever had, so Newboy dedided to
listen to his instincts. One morning, he got out of bed
early and ran away. He had no where in particular to go ,and
with only a few possessions, Newboy was on the run. On his
first day away from the Knoxes, Newboy finds an unexpected
friend. It was an old, beat-up ventriloquist dummy with half
of his face missing that he names Stinko. To his surprise,
when Newboy pulls the string to open Stinko's mouth, his own
voice speaks for the first time in years. Throughout the
book, he uses his newfound voice to deal with life on the
streets.

To be honest, I didn't like this book. It was
a little boring and the plot was very predictable. The
ending leaves you wanting a sequel because it doesn't really
tell you what happens to Newboy. On the other hand, it was
very easy to relate to Newboy. Micheal de Guzman did a good
job making Newboy seem real, so I felt whatever he felt. I
would recommend this book to people who like bitter-sweet
endings and don't mind large sections of reading without
dialogue.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 5

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Phoenixville,
Pennsylvania United States

Eifelheim

Tom Schwoerin is annoyed. He is a historian with a problem.
According to a certain pattern, old cities form a ring
around the cities of today. Following this pattern, he
discovers something wrong: a little town called Eifelheim.
Eifelheim was inhabited, records show, but something
happened around the fourteenth century so that Eifelheim was
never inhabited again. Tom wants to find out what happened,
so he goes on a search.
The book switches to the year 1348; the main character is
named Father Dietrich. He wakes up in his bed and knows that
something bad is going to happen, but he doesn't know what
will take place. Throughout the day, mysterious things occur
in the town. A part of the town catches on fire, and
Dietrich, and some friends find a hurt race of alien beings.
What happens to Eifelheim?

Though the book is very interesting towards the end, it
was not one of my favorites. In the beginning of the book
and towards the middle, the author had the aliens explain
their language. Unfortunately, the aliens use numbers to
talk, so it took a little while for the aliens to explain it
to Dietrich. Furthermore, some of the book was written in
German, especially the conversations between Tom and Sharon,
so I could not understand what they were saying. I did like
how the author explained the setting, but overall, I did not
like the book.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 2

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country:
Pottstown, PA United States

Better Off Famous?

Annie Hoffman is an average, smalltown, teenage girl. After
receiving a letter from her aunt, Annie travels to New York
City for a visit. Annie, who plays the violin, knows of a
well known music school,and goes to an audition with hopes
of getting in. After being rejected, Annie finds something
that may change her life forever. This small town girl just
might turn into a huge star.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was very easy to
read and everything made sense in it. Better Off Famous is a
great story that teenage girls will love. There wasn't any
bad language, or bad content in this book. I enjoyed it even
more for that reason.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Newville, Pennsylvania USA

The Seer of Shadows

When Horace Carpetine, a photographer's apprentice, is
outside sweeping, he meets an eerie black girl named Pegg,
who needs a photograph for her mistress. She schedules an
appointment and disappears into the damp, thick mist. When
they arrive at the mistress's house, Mrs.Von Macht opens the
door and strictly informs them that she needs a picture of
herself in her house to put on her dead daughter's grave.
The photographer and Horace accept and then once outside,
Mr. Middleditch the photographer, has a fantastic idea.
Mrs. Von Macht's daughter died of yellow fever, and Mrs.Von
Macht wants the picture on her grave. Mr. Middleditch
decides to put a hoax on Mrs. Von Macht, by secretly taking
pictures of Eleanora, the dead daughter, and making her look
like a ghost in the finished picture. Horace is finally
allowed to take pictures, and when he is taking secret
pictures of Eleanora, strange sights are happening in the
Von Macht house, and the more pictures he takes, the more he
sees Eleanora. Pegg has become friends with Horace and
together they battle the demonic spirit of Eleanora before
it's too late.

The Seer of the Shadows, by Avi, is a gripping fictional
story of spirits and photography. I was amazed by how well
the book was written, with deep descriptions of not just
Eleanora, but everyone. I could picture all the characters
through their vivid descriptions, and could hear their pleas
when they were affected by Eleanora's wrath . The Seer of
the Shadows is horrific and heart wrenching. The details of
1800s photography, just after it had become popularized,
provide a perfect plot line for the story. This is an
amazing book!
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10

Various situations that some parents may approve
of-(religiously)

Reviewer Age:11

Reviewer City, State and Country: Osseo, Wisconsin United
States

Why Can't My Turtle Be A Ninja?

If you want to laugh, you can read poems such as "The Wreck
of the Ski Bum", "The Family Vacation", "Profit Motive",
"Girl Troubles", or "A Forest of Fungus". If you want to
bone-up on some of life's lessons, you can read poems such
as "Simon Says", "Reginald Dixon Farnsworth, III",
"Darwinian Theory", "The Wright Brothers", "Polly and Kevin"
or "People Are Like Tea Bags". And yet, there are some of
Keith's favorites, such as "Changing Lines", "Keegil's Law
of Laughter", "Why Can't My Turtle Be a Ninja?", "Poker with
Sasquatch", "Electric Eel", "Jersey Traffic", and "Life is
One Big Experiment". Life truly is one big experiment. We
need to laugh, think and live. These are poems that most
people can relate to, identify with, and enjoy.

Why Can't My Turtle Be A Ninja? was a fantastic, funny,
and fast read. Webster's poetry was extremely delightful
and witty. Reading this eBook was quite enjoyable because
it was such a page-scroller. I thought Webster's writing
was very effective because it appealed to all ages and
genders. Some of his poetry often reminded me of Shel
Silverstein, another great poet. I thought this eBook was
very interesting, but a few poems were a bit bland. All in
all, Why Can't My Turtle Be A Ninja? was a really great book
that I would recommend to people of all ages.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Leopold, MO USA