Wooden Bones by Scott William Carter

This book is about a boy named Pino.  He carved a lady puppet and it turned alive.  Angry neighbors all wanted their deceased ones back.  Pino ran away with his father, Geppetto.  They had many adventures that had good and bad consequences.  But every time Pino used his magic to create something from wood, his hand turned into wood.  What will Pino and his father do?Pinocchio s story is back, except this time, he can create wooden people.  I liked this book because of the characters.  They were trusted and realistic.  I find the book has strong words and plenty of excitement.  If you like to have an adventure in a book, this is the book for you.  I don t recommend it for people under 10.Reviewer Age:12Reviewer City, State and Country: Leesburg, Virginia USA

The Adventures of Benjamin Skyhammer (eBook) by Nicole Sheldrake

Benjamin Skyhammer goes relic hunting for a relic collector on his home planet Pingala. While he relic hunting he meets creatures that also want this relic for its magic powers. When he gets back home he is thought to be a Retrograph Sorcerer . He goes to find the real Retrograph Sorcerer but learns that she was killed. He goes back to Quansity to find the ceremony is sabotaged because all magic is replaced with technology.


This book was excellent. I wish the author would write another book in the series so he could expand on the story. It was too good for just one book.  I loved the relic hunting parts, they remind me of searching for treasures in ancient Egypt ,one of my favorite time periods.
Reviewer Age:11Reviewer City, State and Country: Glen Burnie, MD USA

Mary of the Aether (eBook) by Jeffrey Aaron Miller

Mary of the Aether is a thrilling book, centered around a teenage girl who discovers that she' s not as normal as she thought. Before turning 14, Mary had lived a completely boring life, with some unexplained moves between states and houses, along with not knowing anything about her mother. But when she discovers Aether, and the magic she has within her, everything changes, and she finds out more of her past than she ever hoped to know. Sadly, after discovering the power of Aether, or magic, Mary also finds out that there are magic-craving demons after her, willing to kill her to get what they want. Using all her strength and courage, Mary will have to either destroy the demons or have the last remains of Aether leave the Earth. Join Mary on an exciting adventure as she works to save the remains of magic in this adventure and action-packed book!

I found this book to be absolutely brilliant! After the first couple of pages it really picked up, and I could hardly put the book down as I felt like I, myself, was in the book alongside Mary! Mary of the Aether carries a tone of mystery, as the puzzle is never quite finished, but it does include all the right details at the same time. The book is perfect for the selected age group, but also has some brilliant words and dialect. Mary of the Aether may not be the next Harry Potter, but it is very good! This book uplifted me as I found that it portrayed the message that if you believe in yourself and work hard, nothing is impossible. I would most definitely recommend this book to others, and I found it to be a pleasure to read!

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Middlebury, CT United States

My Beginning (eBook) by Melissa Kline

In the book My Beginning by Melissa Kline, the world has changed as we know it. The main character, Ivory, has been raised in an institution for children after the world was plagued by a deadly virus. The children are taught their entire life that they must remain inside institution walls at all times or risk catching the virus and dying. Inside, one of the most important rules is that boys and girls must no t mingle. For Ivory, that has never been a challenge, until Aiden the mysterious new boy who catches her eye, is transferred to her institution after his was overrun by the plague. They soon begin to fall for each other and meet in secrecy, but when they are discovered lurking in the broom closet they are both severely punished. Their options suddenly become clear: stay away from each other forever or run away. They choose love and run from the institution, soon discovering not everything is as they were told. Over the course of the story, we follow Ivory and Aidan as they fight to find a way in the world for love, and fight off the all controlling evil. They prove love really does trump all.

In the book My Beginning, Melissa Kline tells an inspiring story where love can defeat all evil. It is a long story, with a twist in the middle you would never guess. I thoroughly enjoyed it and believe that any teenage girl interested in Sci-Fi will instantly fall in love with it. Ms. Kline keeps you on the edge of your seat with little interludes throughout. I couldn't wait to reach the ending of Ms. Kline's story, since I was anxious to figure out how Ivory and Aidan overcame to mounting obstacles laid in their path. It comes to an overall pleasing ending that you may not have expected from the beginning. I can't wait to recommend this book to my friends the moment the opportunity arises, and I would recommend this book to every teenage girl, even those hesitant to dive into Science Fiction.
The book made a few references to sex and violence.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Glendale, Arizona United States

The Pack by L.M Preston

A century in the future, scientists on Earth decide to launch a project where they observe criminals and others for 5 years and if they approve of them, they are sent to Mars as a 2nd chance or to be groomed for the upscale police force, or the Security Force Elite. Shamira, the daughter of two members, becomes blind at a young age due to an unfortunate accident. Despite her setbacks, she tracks down villains and make them pay, while still being a good sister to David, her younger brother. She goes to Earth to regain her eyesight and when she comes back, it is worse than she imagined. Shamira must solve the case of why Monev, an evil organization, is kidnapping kids and she can't do it alone.

I've always liked mystery books, TV shows, and movies. I mean, my favorite TV show is Psych! Add a little sci-fi and suddenly, it is unique. The casual way LM Preston slipped in things like," she lived in the dark most of her life", or "since they were part of the Elite team", almost like she was explaining something to a friend and wrote down the conversation. Even the cool technology found its way into the rhythm of the book. It was a fairly interesting and fun to read, in fact,my only problem with the book was the way some of the names were cliche. Why was it called the Pack, anyway?

Reviewer Age:13

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

Thou Shalt Not Road Trip by Antony John

When 16-year old Luke Dorsey's book, Hallelujah, becomes a bestseller, his publisher decides to send him out on a book tour. Sounds good, right? Well, come to find out his chauffeur is going to be his crazy, unpredictable, older brother Matt. When Matt decides to liven up the trip, things start to go downhill. Without Luke knowing, Matt makes a few tweaks to the driving plan, so that they're driving on the legendary Route 66, and he decides to add a few companions: his girlfriend Alex and her sister Fran, who happens to be Luke's ex-crush/crush (he hasn't quite decided) . Soon this book tour turns into a journey about finding yourself and then staying true to yourself. Add a little site-seeing, a little faith, and a lot of humor, and you get Thou Shalt Not Road Trip.

Ok... I had VERY high expectations for this book since I loved Five Flavors of Dumb, by Antony John, and I have to say I don't think it lived up to all of my expectations. First, let me say the road trip didn't go so smoothly. The first 136 pages were quite bad, so much so that I didn't know if I wanted to finish the book. Now saying that, I'm glad I did because it got a lot better,but only because Fran became more of a prominent character. That's what really saved the book for me. Let's just get the first 136 pages out of the way. In those pages it was quite boring and you start to wonder if there's really a plot. The characters aren't well developed and don't have enough depth. That does change after page 137 but Fran really is the most well put together character and I have to wonder if the book should have been from her perspective. Now this might be because she reminds me of Piper from Five Flavors of Dumb, but still...


Also, there is a lot of language throughout the book (look in warnings for full description) and a vivid scene of self abuse on page 92 (also in the warnings). For the next warning I'm going to be very, shall we say vague, in how I say this, but it definitely needs to be addressed. So here goes. On pages 133 through 135 there's an interview hijacking. The interviewer is a local frat guy. It starts by slamming abstinence and ends with an inappropriate discussion about masturbation. Overall it was very crude, disgusting, and thoroughly disappointing. This is the worst part of the book in my view, and as I said before I am seriously disappointed in Antony John because that did not have to be in the book.


On to the second part of the book, pages 137 and on. I definitely think that the characters got stronger and the plot got rolling. There were a lot of good things, especially the realization that Luke made about himself, others, and his book. Luke grows and learns that disappointing people is part of life if you want to stay true to yourself and your beliefs. Now for the bad part. There's a lot of lying and Luke does dig his own grave a few times by lying. Even though the lying is wrong, I think it made the book more realistic. In the end when everything came to light Luke had to deal with it and learned that telling the truth would have been a lot easier and he would have hurt a lot less people. It also showed how much freer he felt when he told the truth. The end was not a fairy tale ending. It ended with him on the road to forgiveness, not at the end of the road. So, I felt that it was much more realistic.


Overall though I have to give it a 5 because it's right in the middle for me. The first part is not worth your time and had some negative things in it, but the second part was funny and pretty good, still having some negative things in it but to a lesser degree. Therefore, right down the middle.

1 goddamned
8 crap
4 Damned
13 hell
10 freakin'
1 for Christ's sake
12 screw
10 heck
1 son of a bitch
2 God
2 oh my God
1 oh God
1 dick
2 pissed
1 ass
1 dang

WARNINGS: There are several scenes with underage drinking and talks about sex. In one scene Fran is drunk and sticks a needle through her ear (there's a lot of blood). I already told you about the radio interview in the review. Oh and a possum gets run over.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Sharpsville, IN USA

Here (eBooks) by Ella James

Strange, mysterious and captivating are all words I would use to describe the story Here. In Here Milo is like any other girl with good friends and nice clothes. Milo lives on a large wind farm in Colorado and has just recently taken over her dead father s deer tracking project. All alone in her cold tree stand is when she met him. Within a matter of minutes he turns Milo s world upside down. And when Milo s life has been spun a complete 360, others around her get spun out of control too. In the middle of it all though, Milo still carries that feeling that there' s something that he isn' t telling her and that there 's something she ought to tell him.

I really enjoyed Here a lot more than I thought I would. As soon as I started it I got sucked in and didn 't want to put it down. The mystery was excellent and kept me entertained the entire way through. In my opinion the ending was a little disappointing but satisfied me enough to be done with the book. I think the characters were very realistic and well-developed along with the plot. Overall, I was very happy with my choice and would like to see more published works from this author in the future.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Hopkins, Michigan United States

See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles

Fern lives in a family of five. She is 12 years old and feels like no one cares. Her mom is always off meditating and her dad is always making new commercials for the family restaurant, Harry's. When a tragic accident rips Fern's family apart, Fern blames herself. Can she help get her family back together?

Personally I did not like See You At Harry's. As I read it I thought boring all the way. I am a big fan of adventure books so See You At Harry's was not my style. It was a serious book with no humor. There was not a vertex in the plot and the book never urged me to pick it up and read it. I did like how the author wrapped up the book though. People who like drama books would enjoy See You At Harry's. It's definitely a tear-jerker. I would not recommend this book to any of my friends although I like how the author describes the characters.

I gave it a 2 because it talks about being gay,so you should be able to ask if you don't know what that is.

Reviewer Age:11

Reviewer City, State and Country: Uniontown, OH USA

Scandalous! by Hallie Fryd

Have you ever been at party and heard a group discussing a shocking new event, but were unable to join in because you were fuzzy on the details? This book is your cure. Scandalous! is a comprehensive guide by Hallie Fryd which explores the particulars of a century of outrageous scandals. It includes fifty events, which are broken down into an easily digestible format. Scandalous! is basically all you need to sound intelligent at your next party.

I m usually not one for nonfiction, but I really liked Scandalous! The format, which breaks each scandal into an easily read format, is very conducive to actually remembering the events. For each incident there are well placed boxes with the major people involved, quotes, a picture, related events, and other helpful additions. I really liked that each event ended with an insightful section called Why We Still Care, which I found to be very helpful in seeing the cultural impact of the incident. The book covers a lot of ground, starting with a 1906 murder and ending with the 2000 Gore-Bush election. I can honestly say I walked away with a ton more knowledge, even about familiar events.


For reviewing purposes I read it in long blocks, but I think the best way to enjoy it would to be to read a scandal or two here and there, because reading it for an hour like a novel can get a bit tedious. I think it would be a good book for the coffee table or bathroom, because of the simply divided sections. Overall, if you want to become more informed on the most infamous scandals of the last century, this book is a great choice

This book is recommend for 14+ but some may find some of the stories about kidnapping, crimes against children, or murder a bit unsettling.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Tigard, Oregon United States

Dark Inside by Jeyn Robert

An ever-growing disease has plagued the world. Friends turning on friends, parents killing children. For those who have survived the brutal earthquakes and the killings, the world is a different, more dangerous place. Four teens, Mason, Michael, Clementine, and Aries, attempt to stay alive in this new place they call Earth, surviving random attacks by Baggers and trying to find shelter while asking themselves the most important question, who can you trust?

I personally loved this book. My favorite character would have to be either Clementine, who fought to seek out her brother, or Aries, whom I can relate to greatly. The only part I found confusing was the very end. I found it to be rushed. I really loved the danger of all the situations, not knowing who to trust. And I really liked the scene with Twiggy and Michael. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loved a good scary story.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Inman, SC USA

Midnight City by J. Barton Mitchell

It's been eight years since the Assembly (an alien race) took over Earth and captured all the adult population. Eight years that Holt Hawkins has spent as a bounty hunter in a world ruled by rebel youths. Holt is transporting his latest prisoner, Mira, to the Midnight City to collect his reward when the two come across a crashed Assembly ship with a young girl named Zoey trapped inside. Together, they rescue Zoey and soon discover her magical abilities that could stop the Assembly for good. The three embark on a treacherous journey across the barren wasteland they once called home, fighting for their own lives as well as each others'.

Midnight City is an amazing book. In the beginning, you don't really know how Earth was captured, but you know enough to be able to read and enjoy the book and learn more as the book goes on. The author reveals the right amount of information throughout the book, otherwise there would be a whole history section that wasn't needed. The book is fast-paced and never boring. Once I started reading the book, I couldn't put it down. The characters were original and intriguing because each had their own mysteries and backgrounds that you had to read to find out about. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes action/sci-fi books with a little romance thrown in.

Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Brownsburg, Indiana United States of America

Spark-The Elemental Series by Brigid Kemmerer

"With a spark and a flicker, it flared to life" (305). Gabriel Merrick plays with fire, but that does not mean that he is able to control it completely. Gabriel is accused of an arson attack and even his family does no t believe that he i s innocent. Only the shy, intelligent girl named Layne Forrest believes in his innocence. Gabriel' s power is something that he has to hide, but when Layne is in trouble, he is forced to reveal his true identity.

This book is very engaging. The characters ' powers are amazing, and their actions are real. I could imagine these characters in real life and could see them experiencing all sorts of trouble. The book is also funny and romantic, with a main character that has an interesting aura, both intense and exciting. Gabriel is strong, but he keeps his feelings to himself and keeps secrets from his family. I sometimes pitied him. After a couple of chapters, I could barely put down the book. I learned that you do no t have to be perfect to be a hero, and if you are determined, you can do anything. Since the book contains many swears, it is for those who are at least in high school.

Citadels of the Lost by Tracy Hickman

Drakis and his friends narrowly escape from a skirmish with dragons (which aren't supposed to exist) to find themselves in a land they know nothing about.  They met the dragons when running away from an elven estate whose Aether Well (a source of powerful magic) they destroyed.  The group discovers underground caverns, abandoned cities, drakoneti (devilish half-human, half-dragon beasts),and startling secrets about each other.  Eventually, they meet a tribe living in this strange wilderness, and learn they must travel to the Citaldels in the lost city of Chelesta.  There they must reverse a Font (another name for an Aether Well) so the magic can flow out into the surrounding lands by completing the Font with a hidden Key.  The magic will repair the ruins of the civilizations of those who lived in the wilderness.  However, a conniving dragon seeks to keep the Aether trapped within the Font.  Drakis must fight through his troubled emotions to prevail against the rebel dragon and accept terrible truths.

This book was quite interesting.  The beginning was slow, as I have not read the first book in the series, but after a few chapters, I grew accustomed to the characters personalities, and found the book much more enjoyable.  At that point, I found it hard to put down. My favorite characters were the Lyric, who has the ability to become any character from their world's folktales.  She was also funny because the other characters would often get confused trying to figure out who she was at a certain time.  The two varieties of magic, Aether and Aer, were unique and intriguing, since Aether is a simply very condensed version of Aer.  This is a good book for people experienced in unraveling intricate plots and comprehending complex ideas.

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

May Magic

Whose mom just visited the hypnotist and is now acting


like a duck? It is Bradley and Brian's mom in the book,

May Magic, by Ron Roy. This book is one of the Calendar

Mystery books. Bradley and Brian took their mom to see

Hypo the Hypnotist and now they think she has been

hypnotized into thinking she is a duck. She is quacking

like a duck, splashing in her bathtub, poured corn around

the house, and wanted to play in the rain. More than

anything the boys wanted their real mom back and wanted to

get rid of the duck silliness.


I really liked this book. It was interesting and funny

at the same time. It was a fun mystery to read. I wanted

to know what was going on with their mom as much as the

boys did. The ending really did surprise me. I would

recommend this book to students in second and third grade.

It is a good book for kids just starting to read chapter

books.

 Age:9

Jackson, MO USA

Oreo by Valerique Williams

Jayenia, a fourteen year old African American girl, is confused about who she is and who she thinks she is expected to be. She feels alone and and struggles with race issues internally and externally. Through the stress of starting high school and not being excepted by peers, Oreo shares what many African Americans go through in fitting in racially and socially, and the mental struggles they face about themselves.
In the beginning, Jayenia annoyed me. Her story felt slightly gloomy, and she is always in a bad mood. I kept reading, mostly because I could easily relate to her character, and that made the story worthwhile. Jayenia is shy, stubborn, and easily irritated. She doesn 't like loud, crazy parties, and worries constantly that people think she is stuck up, because of her personality, to which I can relate immensely!
She questions who her friends are, who she is, and if her family understands her.
The writing was like a first draft, peppered with grammatical errors.  It read okay, but was a bit distracting. The character kept me reading.
The subject matter was really interesting to read because of how Jayenia struggles with being called an Oreo (too black on the outside to be white,and too white on the inside to be black) and who she thinks she is supposed to be. She wants to be accepted for who she is, the only problem is that she s not always sure who that may be.
The ending was frustrating, as it didn t seem to wrap it all up.. but was also appealing because that is how life is. I would be anxious and happy to hear of a sequel!
There was some mild rude humor, and mild sexual references.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Sandy, Oregon United States

2108: Eyes Open (eBook) by K.L. Glanville

When Jewel Peara met Forge, an alien bionic, she knew there would be trouble.  In the year 2108, the world is under the control of alien overseers, and their bionic followers.  Only in New Zealand, where Jewel and the other naturals live, are they safe from the alien influence.  However, as Jewel gets to know and falls for Forge, the threat of war keeps their relationship at a futuristic Romeo and Juliet scenario.  With the bionics spying from the bay, and their withholding of plastic (a necessary material to the naturals), Jewel and Forge must keep their relationship a secret, while knowing the other could betray them at any time.
After reading the first few pages of this book, I expected it to be a science fiction dystopian society book, such as 1984 or Fahrenheit 451.  Instead, I was surprised with a futuristic alien version of Romeo and Juliet, where Jewel and Forge are kept apart by their species/governments.  I thought this book had a good basic plot line, with many random twists, but overall this book was not what I expected.  The ending as well felt quite sudden and did not seem to solve most of the problems, probably leaving room for a sequel.  Overall this book would probably be enjoyed by any tween girl who would like a new spin on an old idea, however, this will not be one of my favorite books.
Slight suggestive themes.
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Cypress, California USA

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is a suspenseful Sci-fi novel. In the future people will do anything to escape to a virtual game world,OASIS, where everyone is who they aren't. One young teenager, Wade Watts, is an ordinary lower class boy. All he is trying to do is get through life. When he discovers the first gate in a contest in OASIS everyone suddenly knows who he is, some even want him dead. A big corporation by the name of IOI wants to get the prize that comes after the three gates and challenges are completed, of course they cheat and lie to do so. But in the end good prevails, and Wade even gets people to begin realizing the problems in the world, as well as getting them to begin to fix them.
Ready Player One was such a great book. It's plot was amazing and action packed. From death threats to intense gaming scenes, this book had almost anything you could think of, even love and friendship. The way the author makes you believe these characters are real is how he gives them real world conflicts and choices. Also this book throws the 80s era in there, such as things that were popular then, it makes you more aware of how our culture has changed and stayed the same. This book overall is too amazing to not read.
Contains sexual situations: masturbation.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Nampa, Idaho United States

Signed by Zelda by Kate Feiffer

Young Lucy has moved to a new apartment. Signed by Zelda is about how Lucy 's life becomes intertwined with that of her upstairs neighbor as they try to find Nicky 's missing grandmother, Zelda. The only thing they have in common is their bird friend, Pigeon. Lucy is struggling to be accepted and taken seriously as a handwriting analyst. Nicky is trying to be accepted at home. He wants to have a good relationship with his insensitive father. When Nicky goes on a routine visit to Zelda 's, she is not there! The only clue is a handwritten note. Nicky, Lucy, and Pigeon must join forces to find Zelda. As they search and spy, Lucy and Nicky learn to understand each other as they each learn to deal with their lives and make difficult decisions.

This is a quirky book that is anything but predictable. I love the character of Pigeon. She is not treated as magical and amazing; she is just a normal character, and very believable.  She gives them an outlet for their problems, though she has problems of her own.  All the characters have distinct personalities and are far from perfect. Nicky 's father is also interesting. He is so caught up in himself that he forgets about everyone else. The book has many side plots, but it is fairly easy to read and flows well. The author writes about some serious things, but the story has many fun and funny parts. Signed by Zelda is moving, interesting, and unique.  I highly recommend it.

Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Calhoun, GA USA

The New Kid

The New Kid by Mavis Jukes was not the book I thought it would be. The New Kid is about a boy named Carson. He is a new kid at a school named Valley Oak Elementary. It was different from his old school of Rainbow Ridge. For one thing Valley Oak Elementary was a large public school that required students to wear uniforms. His old school was a very small private school that allowed students to wear jeans and T shirts. One interesting thing to Carson was that his new school had a pet rat named, Mr. Nibblenose. At one point in this book Carson loses his beloved stuffed animal Moose at school. Another time he and his classmates plan a camp out but end up having to go inside because of the rain. Another time Carson sets a bird free with a girl from his class and her mom.
If you are looking for adventure or suspense this is not the book for you. This book talks about Carson's relationships with family and friends. This book had no real conflict or problems that needed the character's attention. It had no mysteries that needed to be solved. A lost stuffed animal doesn't count as a mystery. The only part I thought was interesting was when Carson took home the class pet and found out that Mr. Nibblenose really should be named Mrs. Nibblenose. She had pups while Carson had the rat at his home. This book is written for students younger than third grade but it looks like it is for older students because it is a thick book. Students who are just learning to read may not like such a long book. Students who can handle the amount of text won't like the story very much. The only thing that kept me reading was that I thought the book might get better. I was disappointed.
Age 9  Jackson, MO USA

The Power of Powers:Volume One of the Huaxia Journals(eBook) by Lon Dee

A boy named Monkey and his sister Orchid come to Dunhuang, China. While Orchid is exploring she finds a tunnel .The siblings go into the tunnel and are transported back three thousand years to a place called Huanbei .They meet a little girl named Sparrow whose parents got killed by King Di Xin . Sparrow finds a shard that can make whoever is holding it obtain the five powers of wind,  rain, fire, mountain, and river. The powers can stop a war.

This book was a very slow read. It took me a long time to finish. The book picked up but the story didn’t seem to get any better. I didn’t like this book because it jumped around a lot and was hard to follow. I don’t recommend this book.

Rating: 5

Content Rating: 1

Reviewer Age:11

Reviewer City, State and Country: Glen Burnie, MD USA

Double or Nothing by Dennis Foon

In the book "Double or Nothing" by Dennis Foon, Kip is a clever seventeen year old in high school who enjoys casual gambling. He bets on small, everyday activities like whether or not his teacher, Mr. Cheeseman, will belch within 20 seconds after making the bet. He uses his talents in gambling to get money to save for college. One day, he meets the girl of his dreams whose father happens to be a famous magician. He and King, the magician, go to large venues such as casinos and horse races to bet large amounts of money. Though Kip gets caught up in the excitement and glamor of betting large amounts of money, he starts becoming addicted, later leading to dipping into his college fund for more money to gamble on. Will Kip learn his lesson or will he become absorbed by his addiction to gambling?
This book had a clear message, that dishonesty won't get anyone anywhere.
When we are first introduced to Kip, he appears as a clever young man who bet on things for fun with a small amount of money at stake. He was not addicted to gambling, nor had he ever planned on being addicted. What little money he did make from gambling, he put straight into his college fund. He had plans to go to college and be well off once he grew up. When Kip first begins to lose money on larger bets, he started lying to his girlfriend, friends, and mom about gambling. It soon became all he thought about and it got so bad that he nearly cleaned himself out, and has to work his way back up. His girlfriend broke up with him, he lost the majority of his friends, and his family was not happy with how his grade slipped from skipping school to go to casinos.
I found the writing style somewhat average, it was a simple, quick, and easy read.
I personally thought the book had a nice message, but I didn't connect with the story or the characters. This is a good book for anyone looking for a quick read.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Spring City, PA United States of America

The Seer and The Scribe by G.M. Dyrek

The book I read was The Seer and The Scribe by G.M. Dyrek.  This book was the tale of Volmar and Hildegard.  The book takes place in the Middle Ages in a monastery.  Volmar, a young monk, meets Hildegard there when he sees her dancing with someone who is not there.  Curious, Volmar approaches the girl to inquire what it is that she is doing.  We soon learn that Hildegard has the ability to see deceased people and communicate with them.  When a murder happens at the monastery, Volmar discovers a plan to steal the Spear of Destiny.  The spear is rumored to haunt anyone who takes its power for their own. 
I did not enjoy this book.  The main reason is just that I didn't understand a lot of what was going on.  It took me two months to read it and I went as fast as I could.  Because the book took place so long ago, I felt like I wasn't really understanding what was going on.  I probably should have become more familiar with the Middle Ages before reading this book.  I was highly disappointed with this book and would not recommend it.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Tipp City, Ohio United States

Delta Legend (eBook) by Kelan O'Connell

In Delta Legends by Kellan O 'Connell, Oakland teen Calvin gets into some trouble so his mom sends him to northern California to live with his great uncle.  When he gets there, his uncle puts him to work fixing up boats to keep him busy. The place he s at is a small riverside fishing town. Calvin 's experience gives him some better friends than he had previously; he also learns to make better life decisions.
As a  new reviewer, this was a great first read and I really enjoyed the process of reading and reviewing Delta Legends. It was an electrifying read and a struggle to put down. Calvin' s experience in the small town teaches him such a good lesson that I believe that many youth could use this lesson to better improve their behavior, and as a reader I enjoyed learning about the environmental problems such as the river systems in California. The book's themes are timeless; I would recommend this book to readers ten generations from now. Kellan O 'Connell did a fantastic job researching the background information as well reaching out to teens.

Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Columbus, Indiana USA

Tesania (eBook) by Grant E Brazell

   Tesania is just the teenage daughter of a blacksmith in her small village. All that changes when a troop of beasts massacre her village and kill her parents. Now she's a teen with a mission: to kill Tyrannth, the evil mage in charge of the beasts. Along the way Tesania meets Deavon, a ranger who is willing to help her get revenge. Together they assemble a band consisting of the ranger Aldan, The soldiers Giddy and Raim, The mages Nasha and Elddyn, Tean the monk, and Kailyn the maid. All of them make the hard journey through the mountains to Tyrannth's keep. But will it be worth the struggle? Or will it all end in the keep before they even have a chance?
    This book is among the best I have ever read. Tesania is so normal it's really easy to see yourself as her. She 's just like you and me (except for, you know, living in a medieval time period) only she's in extreme circumstances. Later in the book you find out she's not as normal as she seems, but it doesn't matter anymore because you're already seeing from her point of view, feeling her pain. As for Tyrannth and his keep, at first he seems so unreachable, completely invincible. But as the group gets closer they begin to see the cracks and the holes in Tyrannth's keep, his plan for taking over, and Tyrannth himself. It really shows how nothing is invincible and nothing lasts forever. My favorite thing about this book though, is that the good side is far from perfect as well. The people in the capital city are petty, the heads of the rangers, the soldiers, the mages, and the monks fight among themselves and the King lets over half the people in Rilmir City starve. It s not just the classic battle of good versus evil. I'd recommend this book to fantasy lovers of all ages.

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

Storm by Brigid Kemmerer

After Becca Chandler saves Chris Merrick from getting beat up, she is thrown into a world that she would have never expected. Becca soon finds out that Chris and his three brothers can control each of the elements(fire, earth, water, and air). But the horrible part is that Chris and his brothers are targeted to be killed by a special group called Guides. When Hunter shows up in school everything starts to feel normal again until Hunter starts to show his own dangerous side. Now Becca does not know who to trust in this crazy world she has been thrust into.
I did not enjoy this book. The beginning felt very repetitive and boring. Also, at some parts I could not tell whose feelings were being shown because it was written in third person. I thought this book would be like Carrier of the Mark but I was wrong. This book also felt very jumpy. One minute it would be action and the next it felt like fake romance.
There are lots of cuss words and an almost sex scene
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Denver, Colorado United States

The Cage (eBook) by Jacci Turner

Summer school collects a diverse set of teenagers, some getting a head and others trying to pass. Grouped together for the entire class, four students of different backgrounds Tyrell, Tiffany, Orlando, and Samantha learn more than English from their assignments. The Blue Group quickly discovers they have more in common than appearances suggest. Tyrell 's dreams and Sam 's drawings are more than coincidence. But who is the girl that appears in both? And what does she want from them?
At first I was not impressed with where the story was going and how it was written. But after the third or fourth (short) chapters, I started to feel a part of the Blue Group as if I was a character myself. I could predict some of the outcomes; I was pleasantly surprised by some of the twists. Jacci Turner did such a great job with this book that I' m excited to see what comes in the rest of the series. A fairly light read and not too complex, The Cage makes a great pick for reluctant readers.

Reviewer Age:23
Reviewer City, State and Country: Bay City, Texas US

The Mirror of Yu-Huang by Christine Norris

Megan Montgomery has a secret -- she is the Librarian of the Library of Athena, a place with magical powers. It is her duty to protect the library, and to make sure that it is kept safe. But when a suspicious Chinese family enters her home, she has to wonder, will the Library be safe?
I absolutely loved this book! It was exciting, fun, and the characters seemed real. I did find a few spelling and capitalization errors (as well as some confusing parts), but other than that it was a good book. I felt like I was there with the characters the whole time, and I loved the ending of the book. Although there are other books in the series before this one, this was the first one I had read and it didn't give away much of the other books, but explained everything that had happened at the same time! All in all, this book was amazing and I recommend it for anyone who loves mystery and adventure.

Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Yucaipa, CA USA

Perfected By Girls (eBook) by Alfred C. Martino

      Perfected By Girls is about a sophomore named Melinda who is on the wrestling team. Some people judge her for being the only girl on the team, but she doesn' t care, she just wants to wrestle. Soon the papers, starting with the school paper all the way up to the local paper, have articles that piss Melinda off by misquoting her. Melinda has ups and downs with her brother, boyfriend, and best friend, put pulls through. Her grandmother wants her to work in her office for the summer, but Melinda and her best friend want differently. Melinda has a lot of obstacles throughout the story but learns to cope with the help of love, support, and the passion to wrestle.
When I read Perfected By Girls, I felt like I was a person in the corner of the room, just watching the story play out. I could picture all the locations of the story in my mind fairly easily, but the characters were a little harder, the author didn' t give much detail on the character s features, but their outfits were very well described. The voice in which the story is told has a good sense off humor, and can make you smile if not laugh. There is some bad language and sexual content, nothing for kids under 13 or 14.  I liked Perfected By Girls a lot, I would recommend it to people I thought it is age appropriate for.
I rated Perfected By Girls 3 because there is a fair amount of strong language and sexual content.
Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Ukiah, CA United States

Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker

Small Town Sinners is a very faith-based book. The main character is Lacey, who's dream has always been to be the  Abortion Girl for her church's Hell House. Then she meets Ty Davis who used to live in Stile Water with Lacey but, he moved away. Now he is back and Lacey is falling for him. Ty starts asking Lacey questions that make Lacey think about her own faith. And Lacey's father, one of the church's Pastors, is not okay with Lacey hanging out with Ty anymore. Lacey has always listened to her father but now she feels he is making the wrong choice by not letting Lacey be with any of her friends. She thinks she is no longer in the line with God and needs her friends (Starla Joy - Lacey's best friend, Dean - Lacey's best friend who she thinks might be gay, and Ty - Lacey's new boyfriend) help finding her path again.
Small Town Sinners should only be read if you don't mind very strong Christian morals and beliefs. It quotes the Bible a lot. I liked the book because it had a strong lesson that if you have your friends and an open mind you can go through anything together. This book over all was very moving and I have recommend it to all of my Christian friends, and they love it! My only suggestion would be to make the boy characters more manly. I did fall in love with all of the people in the book. Some of the questions that Lacey and her friends are put up against are the very same questions I ask myself. I have found this book very well written and would recommend it to any Christian.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Sandy, Oregon U.S.A

Jen Nadol's The Vision

What if you could tell when someone was going to die?  What if you could change their fate in exchange of another perishing? Cassie Renfield doesn t have to wonder; the mark appears over.  She ha s inherited the power of the Fates, and with no family left, she is out searching for those who share the same power as her. Cassie meets Demetria, who seems to show all the traits of being one of the Fates, but nothing is ever as it seems. Then, of course, there i s Zander Dasios, who is infinitely as dangerous as the rumors that follow him.  Cassie falls hard for Zander, but dating him has deadly consequences, which forces Cassie to question everything that she has ever believed in, including herself.

The Vision by Jen Nadol is a riveting novel with excellent qualities. The personalities of the main characters, Cassie and Zander, are portrayed brilliantly. Through sizzling feelings, dark pasts, and blinding curiosity, Nadol takes the reader by the collar, making her turn each page with anticipation until the very last word. The plot that Nadol has created is terrific; it turns at just the right spot, making every word count.  Not only was the novel interesting, it had references to Greek mythology, so I learned facts as I read. With its fascinating plot and enthralling main characters, accompanied by Jen Nadol 's singular writing style, I would strongly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys paranormal stories with romance that takes a rollercoaster ride.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Broxton, Georgia USA

Snivel: The Fifth Circle of Heck by Dale E. Basye

This book was about two kids who die in tragic accidents and, as the title implies, go to heck. They end up at a summer camp called Snivel. Snivel is an unhappy summer camp where the worst of the worst kids go. At Snivel they try to keep the campers as unhappy as possible. But there is a problem.  Campers are disappearing and strange things are lurking in the woods.

I really liked this book, even though it was the fifth book in a series that I had not read. The author did a really good job of explaining the lives of the main characters up to that point. It was a book so good that I could hardly put it down.  It was a perfect mix of fantasy and mystery. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes those two genres.

Reviewer Age: 14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Hunting Valley, Ohio USA

Rating:  8

Content Rating:  1

Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriott

Shadows on the Moon is a twist on the classic Cinderella story. In the beginning, Suzume starts out with a best friend, Aimi, and a happy family. After her father is murdered, she moves in with her mother and melancholy step-father, Lord Terayama. She doesn't trust him. Once Suzume discovers Lord Terayama's role in her father's death, she becomes afraid and eventually runs away. Her skill of shadow-weaving proves to be a big help in her journey from upper class to the lowest of beggars. Set in a feudal Japan-like world, this is one original story.
I very much enjoyed Shadows on the Moon. Zoe Marriott does an excellent job in all aspects of storytelling, especially the details. I also found it interesting that Suzume changed her name, depending on her whereabouts and social status. I also felt that the shadow-weaving wasn't too heavily relied upon. Suzume only first discovered and used it when the same men that killed her father were after her. A well-written and superb book, Shadows on the Moon is definitely a worthwhile read.

Reviewer Age:19
Reviewer City, State and Country: Charleston, SC United States

Deadly Intentions (eBook) by Lisa Kuehne

True to her word, Ava O'Brian is back and ready for action in the second book of the Intentions Trilogy, Deadly Intentions, by Lisa Kuehne.  Just recovering from her near death experience involving a run in with some deadly demons, Ava is hoping for some rest and relaxation, including spending one-on-one time with her boyfriend, the irresistible Sam.  But, alas, as always, therein lies a problem.  It just so happens that her one and only is a dark angel himself.  There goes the recreation Ava was pining for. It also doesn't help matters any that William, one of God's true angels, is also vying (and lying) for her attentions.  Yet Ava's problems aren't finished.  Ava carries a special gift, a gift that helps influence others to do well something her ol'  buddy The Devil isn't exactly fond of.  With a slew of Satan's followers on their tails, Sam and Ava are desperate to end the unrelenting tirade of angelic against demonic. When Ava starts having nightmares that actually come true the very next morning, she doesn't know where to turn.  Is she creating good or evil?  She also discovers her ability to read her enemies thoughts only solidifying her belief that maybe her gift for goodness isn't exactly flowers and unicorns.  But it doesn't end there.  Aiden, Ava twin brother that was killed in a car accident, hands his soul over to Lucifer under one condition.  Satan cannot harm Ava in any way, shape, or form.
The Devil agrees--reluctantly.  As soon as Ava is brought up to date on her brother's situation, she, Sam, William, and a few others set out to save her brothers spirit literally.  Things go downhill from there.  Sam and William are constantly at each other's throats.  Ava is fighting the temptation to end everything and fall to her knees at the devils beck and call.  Aiden is slowly causing disaster around the globe.  Caught between two different sides, who will Ava give her gift--and her heart to?
Her soft brown eyes widen in obvious alarm, and a green pallor takes over her face.  She mouths the words, oh my God-.
This. Book. Was. Absolutely. Brilliant.  There is no other way to describe it.  It had everything action, romance, intrigue, drama all perfectly mixed together better than your Grandma's cookie batter.  There was enough romance to keep me sighing, but it never got to sappy or obsessive.  The story progressed beautifully, always keeping me on edge.  Besides sometimes being dark and terrifying, Ava had a humorous sarcastic wit, along with an independent spirit.  Seriously, this little lady could win the Miss Firecracker Award.  Easily. I recommend you read the first book, True Intentions, beforehand, as it will catch you up on what happened before the chaos.  I loved how this book had such a wide range of characters. I could at least connect to one of them.  The ideas of heaven and the underworld this book portrays are interesting, too,the afterlife, the relationship between angels and demons, the ways mortals are smashed right in between.  I also like how the story is told through Ava's point of view it helped me understand the method behind the madness.  The vocabulary was fresh and definitely drew you into Ava's plight.  After the dynamic ending, I am extremely anxious to read the final book in the series, needless to say.  If you love almost having a heart attack from all the suspense in your books, this novel is for you!

 I keep bouncing up and down in the back of the cargo van but now Stephen and Susan are taking me to face Satan.  Since they killed Rick, I suppose they'll have to find another human to end my life and make me one of his immortal followers.
I would recommend this book for ages thirteen and up, or for mature readers.  The novel did have some mild expletives in it, and casual sexual references.  Even though it does talk about God, it is not a faith based book.
Will Ava and Sam's relationship survive through all trials and tribulations?  Will they be able to save Aiden's soul in time, or will evil rule?  Read Lisa Kuehne's new novel to find out!


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

Rivals by Lauren Kunze with Rina Onur

The Ivy: Rivals by Lauren Kunze is the third book in the Ivy series. It follows freshman Callie Andrews through her second semester at the prestigious Ivy League school, Harvard. This semester, Callie maneuvers the tricky waters of college journalism, parties, and elite organizations. She meets people who are worth knowing and others who she could definitely live without. Callie still has a lot to adjust to at Harvard, but maybe she s finally getting the hang of things.
I thought that Rivals was an average book. Not particularly good, not particularly bad. However, I must admit that I was previously unfamiliar with the Ivy series. I was fairly lost at first because I had no prior knowledge of the events that occurred in the first two books of the series, and Lauren Kunze s writing style did not happen to include a nice summary of said events.



That being said, the book s plot was entertaining after I figured out what was happening. The writing was not profound, but it did not detract from the story either. The plot seemed almost like a television show an overdramatization of real life. Maybe I m wrong, though, and Harvard really is such a crazy place! Personally, I did not particularly like the protagonist, Callie Andrews. I like strong female characters, which she did not come across as.



The book ended with a cliffhanger, obviously leading up to the next sequel, but I do not plan on continuing to read the series. I did not enjoy it enough that I would recommend it to others.



I would remind you, however, to take my opinion with a grain of salt. The fact that I am new to this series definitely changes my views whether it makes them more or less objective is as yet undetermined.
some mature themes such as sex, partying, drinking, and other such college activities
Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Columbus, IN USA

Deadly Descendant (A Nikki Glass Novel) by Jenna Black

This book is about a girl named Nikki Glass, an immortal descendant of the Greek Goddess Artemis. Nikki is on a mission to stop a serial killer descended from a death god. Nikki lives with a group of people like her, called liberi. This family of liberi was led by a god named Anderson. Anderson and his family worked for the good of mortals and other liberi, unlike their enemies, the Olympians. The Olympians trained mortal demigods how to kill enemy liberi so they could steal their immortality. For the only way to become immortal to was to kill another immortal as a mortal descendant. This is about how Nikki, the main character, goes on a hunt to find and destroy a liberi who was given a seed of immortality from a madman. This seed caused this man to go crazy in the head and start a killing streak. It is up to Nikki and her friends to stop him and his wild Jackals.
I really enjoyed this book because it was always an adventure and kept you up late at night, your mind never being able to tell you to shut it. It was suspenseful and you never knew what was going to happen next. It also made you feel like you could almost relate to it in a weird sort of way. It s as though you feel like the characters are alike to you and yourself acting like them in real life. I thought it was exciting and interesting. I would definitely recommend it and pick it up again myself in no time.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: charlotte, North Carolina United States of America

The Deserter by Peadar O. Guilin

Peadar O. Guilin's The Deserter, sequel to The Inferior, follows Stopmouth as he is forced to leave his new tribe and enter the loud, flashy, technologically advanced Roof. The diggers are coming and Stopmouth has to find the love of his life, Indrani, and the weapons she promised if the tribe is to survive. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. The Roof has its own society with it's own problems. A strange virus is destroying the nanotechnology of the roof and angry citizens have started a  rebellion. Stopmouth must navigate this crazy new world and find Indrani, all the while doing his best to avoid the governments nano-enhanced agents.
I'd give this book a solid three out of five stars. It was good, but honestly I felt it could have been better. The setting, the main characters, the whole idea of the story was great, insanely creative, but the actual writing of the tale was kind of disappointing.  The story got predictable after a while. Every plan went wrong no matter how carefully thought out. Even if they won there was no real sense of triumph because something bad or sad had to happen to get there. Even the ending left a bad taste in my mouth. Truthfully  I just wasn't all that impressed with this book.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Cibolo, Texas United States

Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs

In Tarzan of the Apes, a young couple sent on a diplomatic mission end up marooned in the Africa jungle. They build a platform house and live fairly comfortably, until a unfortunate series of events leaves the couple dead and a toddler orphaned. Luckily, a passing ape who just lost a child hears the young boy's screams, finds him, and raises him as her own. She names the child Tarzan, and he soon becomes the most powerful beast in the jungle. The intelligent child, using picture books he finds in his parent's old jungle house, even teaches himself how to read English. When Tarzan grows up, he stumbles upon "white apes" just like him. Jane Porter and her befuddled father, along with Tarzan's cousin, were the unlucky passengers on a ship whose crew mutinied. Tarzan takes it upon himself to protect the strange creatures, and falls in love with Jane. The story follows Tarzan as he figures out in which world he belongs- the jungle, or civilization?
Despite the "classic" feel of the book, Tarzan of the Apes is a fantastic read. The plot is completely unique and believable, with plenty of fun personification and helpful details. Tarzan himself is incredibly interesting- as a man raised by wild animals, one is constantly amazed at his instincts, both human and ape. Jane is a likable heroine, who knows how to shoot a gun and remains brave throughout her adventures. She is not drawn to power and riches, and her down-to-earth thoughts about her situation added greatly to the story. I would recommend this book to teens who enjoy adventure, as well as those who enjoy the "summer reading list" type of book. Don't get scared away because it was written almost 100 years ago- the story is timeless. 

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: , Pennsylvania USA

The Unbearable Book for Unsinkable Girls by Julie Schumacher

When I first picked up The Unbearable Book Club for Unsinkable Girls, I wasn 't at all sure how it would turn out. Some of the topics brought up at the beginning were heavy and I worried it would be a depressing book. This novel, told in first person, and written as an essay for school, is from the perspective of Adrienne Haus, a pretty much average girl (or at least she thinks so) who is stuck in a knee brace and forced to join an unbearable book club for girls.  The book club in question has some of the most mismatched girls in all of West New Hope: CeeCee, the slightly snobby, incredibly blunt and somewhat rude girly girl, Jill, the adopted, responsible and academic one, and Wallis, mysterious and quiet, the one no one knows anything about, the only one who actually wants to be in the book club and, of course, Adrienne.
The one thing that intrigued me the most, was the characters. They are all different, and not friends in the least, yet it s not difficult to read their story, to understand all of the girls feelings, at least once in the novel. I think that Julie Shumacher has created a wonderfully unique book, like nothing I ve ever read! My favorite character is Adrienne, because I can fully relate to her inthe way that she feels about being a part of the books she reads, and feeling like the outsider, the one no one can place. I also liked how Wallis wanted to be part of the book club, how everyone thought she was kind of strange, and I understand the feeling of worry that you are younger than everyone else. I like the mixture of family drama, teen angst, new friendship, and mystery because it added a bittersweet true to life touch.  This was one of those stories where you feel like you are the characters, living their lives with them. The writing style is comfortable to read, one that I enjoyed a lot. Most of all I like how the characters perspectives change. Although they still stay themselves, and maybe even figure out more about who they are, the girls see things through a different stand point, and I like that a lot. They change, but they stay themselves. The ending was a bit rough, but I still think it was a satisfying story through and through.
There are some mild sexual references, along with drug, alcoholic, and smoking references.
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Sandy, Oregon United States

When You were Mine by Rebecca Serle

Everyone knows the story of Romeo and Juliet, but what about Rosaline?  You know, the girl Romeo loves before he falls for Juliet?



Rosaline knows that she and Rob are supposed to be together and when he finally kisses her for the first time, it's perfect.  Rosaline thinks her senior year will go exactly as she dreamed it would be.  Then Juliet, Rose's cousin whom she hasn't seen in almost ten years, moves back to town. The two used to be best friends but now Juliet hates her and even worse...has her heart set on Rob. 



When Rose loses Rob to Juliet, her world crumbles into a million pieces and she can't put the pieces back together...alone.  She gets help from Len, the social outcast of her class, who sees Rose even more clearly than she sees herself.  But can Rose finally get over Rob, even when his life is being threatened?  Just because Shakespeare got some of the characters wrong, doesn't mean his ending is.
I really liked When You Were Mine.  There are several modern-day-takes of Romeo and Juliet but not very many from Rosaline's point of view.  Serle does a good job of weaving in the different elements from Shakespeare's play and making them more modern. The hardest part, I think, would have been coming up with the reason as to why the Caplets and Montegs hate each other.  The only thing I wish would have been different is Rosaline's innocence of the feud between her parents and her aunt and uncle.  But overall this book was good.  I would recommend this book to anyone who likes modern spins of old plays and books, as well as people who like romance.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Brownsburg, Indiana United States of America

Secrets of a Summer Village (eBook) by Saskia Akyil

When 17-year-old Rachel Guo learns of an opportunity to spend the summer abroad in Turkey, the opportunity seems almost too good to pass up. She anxiously wonders if she will like her host family and whether she can assimilate to a completely different religion and culture. When Rachel meets her host family, especially her host sister Aylin, her fears are put to rest and she begins to experience a life very different to her own in Washington. As Rachel grows closer to Aylin, she discovers that despite a few differences in culture, the two teenagers are very much the same. As the summer progresses, Rachel finds new  experiences, especially in her blossoming romance and Turkey s exciting culture.
Secrets of a Summer Village, a novel by Saskia Akyil, is a culturally rich tale that weaves American and Turkish traditions with love and friendship. I found the book to be engaging as well as enlightening, and I learned about Turkish customs, from reading coffee grounds to the many sayings for good luck. The plot held my attention at first, but could have been more engaging and tended to be slightly repetitive as the action progressed. I enjoyed learning about Turkey, and I could also easily relate to the two main characters. Overall, I would recommend this book to teenage girls interested in becoming more culturally aware, as well as anyone looking for a unique summer read.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Bayside, WI USA

Worst-Case Senario Ultimate Adventure: Amazon by David Borgenicht and Henna Khan

This book is about your choices.  You have to choose if you run from a wild cat or you stare at it.  Choose between trading your rain coat and rubbers for candy or keeping them.  There are twenty endings.  But only one ending is the Ultimate Success. 
This book is a one of my favorite books ever!  It is filled with excitement and suspense.  I liked it because the choices are completely your own.  The book is the first of a really great series.  I recommend it for anyone who likes choosing their own endings.

Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Leesburg, VA USA

Legacy Road by Graham Garrison

Wes Watkins is trying to make things right, but it s tough going. As he reads letters from his father, some sent years ago, he knows he needs to mend their relationship, which has just barely begun to improve. Then Wes discovers a deeply unsettling family secret that tests his relationships with all those close to him. He knows he needs to find it in his heart to forgive them, but it s going to be hard. Wes sometimes even turns to God for help and as he struggles to overcome his haunting past, he will need all the strength he can get.
I 'll start off by saying this book was outside the range of book types I usually like to read. I decided to try something new, but it turns out this just really isn 't my thing. This book didn' t capture my attention or interest. The characters were very realistic, but the story needed a little more plot for my taste. I personally wouldn' t recommend it to others my age, but maybe someone else will love it. Overall, this book was just okay.

Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Tigard, OR USA

MMM (ebook) by J.E. Shoup

Matt Matthews is a 16 year old genius, who has no friends and is addicted to a computer game that is set on a planet called Ruan3. The game is a war between the government (also known as the Foundation) and the rebels, set in the year 2813. One morning, Matt learns that there has been a third murder of a teenage girl that school year. That night, Matt hypnotizes himself into a trance, where he sees a girl from the game, the three real murder victims, and a little girl in trouble. The next time Matt attempts self-hypnosis, he finds himself on Ruan3. When he returns, Matt becomes a huge part of the murder cases. Graylin, a school friend with a secret identity, and Matt experience a roller coaster of clues and hunches as they search for the murderer and the murderer’s posse. During the search for the murderer, catastrophe occurs at school and there is a shooting. When Matt is shot, he is transported to Ruan3 where more chaos is in progress. As Matt risks his life for his friends in the future, he must stay strong for his friends in his time while he fights for his life in two dimensions.

MMM by J.E. Shoup, was a page-turning novel with both modern and futuristic settings, which essentially created two completely different plots for the book.  It was interesting as to how the author made the transition between the year 2008 and the year 2813 and how he was able to connect two completely different time periods. I also liked the way that he chose to introduce new information or characters at specific places in the book. This made the book flow nicely and made me want to keep reading. I didn’t especially like that in the middle of the book he only actively focused on one part of the story and you had no idea what was going on in the other part of the story. I think that this book gives a realistic outtake of what it is like to live in a lower income family while also balancing the life of a highschooler. This book gave a new take on what the future might be like and indirectly encourages us to take care of our planet. I was unhappy with the excessive profanity that the author used but it did help make the story more realistic. I think that this story was a riveting page-turner that kept the reader on their toes. I would recommend this book to fourteen or fifteen year olds looking for a science fiction story that they can relate and connect to. 

I gave this book a three because of several components. There was a ton of language i.e. cuss words and also a lot of gruesome violence and murder.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Parker, CO USA

Embers by Laura Bickle

Anna Kalinczyk is not your average arson investigator. Ever since she was a child, paranormal Lantern Anya and her salamander familiar Sparky have been followed by spirits and other beings. She has the power in inhale ghosts like a giant vacuum, but refrains from doing so unless it is absolutely necessary to revive a human being. Being a Lantern has never really affected their lifestyles--until now. An arsonist is on the loose, dropping cryptic clues and devouring spirits, leaving the city of Detroit in flames. His motive? To awaken a fiery entity that will destroy the city and Anya. With the help of her team of Detroit ghosthunters, she embarks on a quest to stop this dangerous Lantern who uses his powers for evil from destroying all that Anya holds dear, including a man who sees her for what she truly is. To take on this task requires an immense amount of skill and power, but Anya Kalinczyk is up for the challenge to save all that she knows.
This book was painful to finish. If it were not for my obligation to Flamingnet, I would have chucked this book in the back of my closet after reading halfway through the novel, never to return to it. The major problem I had with this book is the terrible characterization. Anya's character is left undeveloped, and I really don't feel compelled to read more about her crime-fighting antics. The other characters have even less of a story behind them; the supporting characters are just names written on a page. The other big issue with this book is that it's actually marketed for adults. There are some romantic scenes that teens really wouldn't relate to at all; they're not like the paranormal romances teens read today. The action, or lack thereof, might be what adults like rather than what is popular in teen fiction. The final reason why this book didn't work for me is the farfetched plot. The story of magical people who eat spirits didn't really appeal to me, and it probably won't appeal to you unless you like plots that are really different from other books. I would recommend Embers to adult women who want to read about a crime-fighting woman and her endeavors with her lover and her fight against evil.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Torrington, CT United States