Invisible Threads by Annie and Marie Dalton

Invisible Threads, by Annie and Maria Dalton, is the story of a mother and daughter dealing with all the trials and tribulations that they went through when they were 16. Carrie-Anne is having trouble at home trying to get along with her adopted parents, and trying to find her place in the world. She thinks that if she has a chance to find her biological mother, she could get a better sense of who she is and where she's from. Meanwhile, Naomi, Carrie-Anne's biological mother, tells us the story of when she was 15. She lived with her unsteady mother, trying to keep a grasp on reality, trying to be a normal teenager, but always having to comfort her mother after her mother had a sort of mental breakdown. After Naomi's mother found an on again-off again boyfriend, Naomi decided that she shouldn't have to be her mother's babysitter. She chose to go have some fun at a party with some of her friends, and did something she knew she shouldn't have done. So Invisible Threads takes us on through their separate journeys, reminding not only Carrie-Anne and Naomi, but also the reader that even if we may not want to acknowledge it (as in Naomi's case), we are all connected by invisible threads that make up our family tree and our history.

This was a very good book. It really took you through all the controversy and all of the emotions that Carrie-Anne and Naomi went through at specific moments in the book. I thought that Invisible Threads very well written, and anyone who's ever been seeking answers to who they are and where they came from, should read it. I recommend, though, to be about 13 or 14 before reading this book.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Celestine, Indiana USA

I Am The Wallpaper by Mark Peter Hughes

When Floey Packer writes something in her diary, you know it's the truth. (In her diary, she writes about everything from her crush on her friend Wen to her plans for the future, supercool, noticeable Floey Packer.) That is, until her two gross cousins come over to her house to stay for a month! Within days, the contents of her diary are on the Internet for the world to read. Within hours, www.floeysprivatelife.com has gathered thousands of readers from all over the country. Floey must not only deal with the results of these disastrous web postings, but also decide whether or not the new and improved Floey is better than the old, wallpaper Floey. Along the way to enlightenment Zen-style, she finds humor in many situations, uses a jar of Deep Wild Violet hairdye, and even gets a bit of romance!

I enjoyed reading I Am the Wallpaper because it was a fun and lighthearted book that nevertheless had a solid storyline that kept me wondering how on earth Floey would overcome her latest batch of problems. I would recommend this book to almost anyone looking for a sweet story, though it may be a bit mature for the younger readers. I could not change anything about this book to make it better! Mark Peter Hughes has really mastered the "13-year-old-girl's-diary" style...I found myself drawn into the trials of Floey's life from page one.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Ellicott City, Maryland USA

Upstream by Melissa Lion

Melissa Lion tells a very real story about an Alaskan girl named Marty in her senior year of high school whose joie de vivre is somewhat diminished by a summertime tragedy that has made the rest of her town uneasy and awkward around her. Marty feels trapped in her current life and unable to escape the judgments of her fellow villagers until she meets Catherine, a new arrival from California. Catherine encourages Marty to apply to college, to gather up her life, to start living again. Now all that remains to be seen is...will Marty allow herself to move on?

I thought that Upstream was an interesting read because it gave me a look into the daily life in a place I've never been. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to try out a book that, while not challenging, moves past what one normally would read in a book. Melissa Lion gives readers the essential details that allow them to connect somewhat to the characters. Although the ending was the best possible for this book, I was still left "hanging" because all characters, save for one that the book closes on, were introduced in the final chapter of the book. Other than this, the ending fit the book very well.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Ellicott City, Maryland USA

The Power of One by Bryce Courtney

In this book we are introduced to a little boy, who is sent to boarding school when his mother has a mental breakdown. On the first night of boarding school, the little boy is woken up in the middle of the night and urinated on by the Judge and the jury(this is how the little boy refers to them) because he is a Rooinek and all of the other students are Boers and hate Rooineks. In the morning, he wakens to find that he urinated in his bed, and when he washes off the Judge and jury discover his hatless "snake", and from that moment on the little boy's name becomes "Pisskop." Pisskop eventually overcomes his bed wetting, but with news of Hitler's doings, the Judge and jury decide they want to become Nazis, and their first prisoner is Pisskop. Pisskop undergoes many torture sessions, and discovers ways to lesson them by helping the Judge with school. When the end of the year comes, all is not well, the chickens on his grandpa's field are disease ridden and his grandpa has to sell the farm and move to a town. On Pisskop's journey to the new town he is given a new name, Peekay, and discovers his dream of becoming the welterweight champion. But when he gets to town, he learns of a drastic change in lifestyle, and he must learn to adapt.

This book's setting took place in South Africa when Hilter was in power in Germany. The book was really good because it showed you how all the different races and cultures were being treated. It showed you that people would hate someone because they were a kaffir(a black tribesperson), and even at times just kill them because of it. The book also was really good because it showed how people would work together during tough times, and harsh conditions, and put away their differences for a common goal. I liked the book because it had someone winning boxing matches against a person twice their size, showing that small can triumph over big, and also the fact that not everyone would only befriend someone from their own culture, race, and religion, but because they liked the person inside. This book showed that to win you couldn't rely on strength alone, you needed to fight first with the head then with the heart.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Tucson, Arizona, United States of America

Becoming Chloe by Catherine Ryan Hyde

The world is an ugly place to Chloe, originally named Wanda Johnson. Chloe has seen and lived through painful events that she will not even tell Jordy, her best friend. Jordy can't decide what to make of Chloe. Jordy first meets Chloe when she was getting raped and he saved her from the rapist, and ever since he has taken care of her. Jordy has had a painful past, where he ended up abandoning his family, and trying to make it on his own. Money supply is bad for Jordy, for he can't work for fear Chloe may harm herself. When times get real tuff for Jordy and Chloe, Chloe brings up the idea of killing herself because there is no beauty in the world. Jordy, who doesn't want Chloe to kill herself, decides to try and convince her there is beaty in the world. So off they go to find the beautiful things in the world, but in the end will the beauty be enough to stop Chloe from killing herself?

The story is very heart moving when we learn of the bond of friendship, and how we will do anything to protect the things and people we love. In this book we learn that beauty isn't just the big things like Niagra Falls, but also the small things like rain and fire. But as Chloe points out there is beauty in the ugly things and ugliness in the beautiful things. I liked this book because of the way it not only showed the world as this beautiful place but because the book showed you the ugly things, like how people can beat you up for no reason at all. In this book we learn of how people will do nice things for no apparent, and also how the small things hurt us the most. This book was really awesome because it showed you how almost everyone is willing to do something to help each other, and because it was about never backing down from the things that happen to you, you just need to keep on trucking.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10
Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Tucson, Arizona United States(USA)

The Cure for Crushes by Karen Rivers

In the continuation of the greatest year of Haley Harmony’s life, she suffers through a series of traumatic events, the first of which is when she encounters her long lost mom who has since converted to a nun. Her jobless father now has to find a job, and along the way meets Melody, the much younger girlfriend (MYG). Her best friend, Jules, is dating the boy she’s had a crush on since 9th grade and is also a contestant on the tv show, Who’s the Prettiest of the All? while her other friend, Kiki, is mysteriously absent. Also, Haley has a boyfriend, but she cannot stop herself from crushing on every unavailable guy she meets. To top things off, hypochondriac Haley seems to have every disease possible and no way to cure them.

Haley learns a lot about herself throughout the second half of her senior year. I thought that this book, while slightly unrealistic, was a fun read. Haley is a character that we can all relate to. Once I started reading The Cure for Crushes, I couldn’t put it down. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who needs a laugh.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA

Talisman of Zandria by Christine Norris

The very first time Ivy Peterson disobeys her parents by going into the woods alone to search for what she thinks is a fairy, her life turns upside down. She is chased by bullies into the unknown part of the forest and gets lost. When Ivy wakes up from tripping, rolling down a hill, and hitting her head (which causes her to faint), she doesn’t know where she is. Ivy was in a whole other world named Zandria. Then this boy named Connor comes along and says he will help her find her way home, but when he asks where she lives he finds out she lives in the Otherside. They go to Arden’s house to get him to help, but the gate leading back to Otherside doesn’t open. Ivy, Conner (an apprentice), and Arden (a wizard) set out in search of finding the Talisman that opens the five gates leading to and from Zandria.

I think Talisman of Zandria is an awesome book that is filled with lots of adventure. I like that as soon as the characters think they have one problem solved the author throws in another one. The characters were kind of different compared to the ones in other books I have read. I enjoyed reading this book and I hope everyone who reads this book will enjoy it as much as I did. I recommend Talisman of Zandria to kids 9-12 years of age who enjoy reading fantasies and fairy tales, and I hope to be able to read the sequel when it comes out.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg, PA US

Exile by Grace Cavendish

The time is the Elizabethan age. The setting is the Queen’s Palace. The plot? A stolen ruby. Lady Grace Cavendish is one of Queen Elizabeth’s maids of honor. She is also, secretly, the Lady Pursuivant, or detective. The newcomer at the palace, Banoo Yasmine- a noble whose kingdom has been taken by a murderer, carries the Heart of Kings. This precious ruby marks the ruler of her kingdom, Sharakand, and the Banoo fled with it following her father’s death. When the Heart of Kings is stolen, it is recovered in a laundry maid’s basket and she is taken to the dungeon. However, the laundry maid is also Lady Grace’s best friend Ellie, and Grace is determined to prove her friend’s innocence. Can she find the true thief in time to save Ellie, or is Ellie not the innocent laundry-maid Grace thought her to be?

Exile is a marvelous blend of history and mystery. The reader is constantly trying to figure out who the true thief is, first one person, then another is considered and rejected. Lady Grace’s diary reveals clues throughout the novel, and the reader is always trying to piece them together. Page after page, Grace Cavendish’s spellbinding story allows the reader to enjoy a fictional, but slightly historical lesson as they try to unravel the mystery. Upper-elementary students will especially love Exile; the fifth book in the Lady Grace Mysteries.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, PA USA

Chloe Leiberman (Sometimes Wong): A Novel by Carrie Rosten

Chloe Says: DO: Read this book if you, like me, love any and all things related to clothing, shopping, designing, and accessorizing, and believe that everything should always go together but never be too matchy-matchy. DON'T: Spend all your money on clothes! Leave some for my book! Chloe Leiberman (Sometimes Wong), A Novel by Carrie Rosten, is full of fun and quirky do's and don'ts like the one above, and has an hilarious fashion-obsessed-enhanced air to it. Chloe (self-described as “Chinese-Jewish WASP with tons of style) is in the middle of her senior year with no post-grad plan. She lied to her parents about applying to academic colleges and taking the SATs, something that is a no-no in the Wong-Leiberman household. She has a dream of going to Central Saint Martin's, a designing school in London, but her dreams stop short because, not only is her self-esteem low, her parents do not agree at all with Chloe that fashion is a reasonable and respectable career. So when Chloe drops the bomb to her parents about not applying to any colleges and not taking the SATs and such, she decides that it's for the better right not to keep her fashion dreams to herself. So, on through the book, Chloe takes us along with her on her journey (her very, uh, let's say, unique journey) to finding herself and to fulfill her dream.

Although it was written in third-person narrative, it felt as if Chloe herself was talking, because the dialogue was so funny! I thought the beginning was kind of slow, because it takes you a little while to get used to Chloe's hyper fashion-obsessed behavior. If you are looking for a different type of book than the usual, this is for you! Don't read this, though, if you aren't into fashion, 'cause that's what the book's all about!

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Celestine, Indiana USA

Up And Running: The Inspiring True Story of a Boy's Struggle to Survive and Triumph by Mark Patinkin

There's nothing more refreshing than reading a true story told well.

That's exactly what you get when you read "Up and Running."
Andrew was only six years old when he came down with the disease - setting in within twelve hours, shutting down his vital organs, covering him with purple and black boils and sores, and eventually causing both of his legs to be amputated. The astounding part is not just that he survived, but that he never stopped fighting.

I never thought I could imagine a fraction of what it would be like to see someone you love suddenly fall ill with a life-threatening disease like bacterial meningitis, and fight to recover and begin a new life. But after reading Mark Patinkin's telling of that very story, I feel like I was there every step of the way: standing over young Andrew's hospital bed with the doctors, worrying and fretting next to his parents Rebecca and Scott, praying alongside his family members and friends.

The book is told simply and honestly. It doesn't heroify Andrew - more than he deserves - or his family: at times they do lose faith, get angry, and want to quit. And the book doesn't sugar-coat the seriousness of the illness. At times I was more than disgusted to be reading some of the descriptions of his condition, surguries, or painful physical therapy sessions. And many times I laughed out loud at the pure kid-ness of Andrew's personality and some of the things he said. This was the truth of the situation. This was real, and it feels like it happened not to a distant person in a far-off place, but to your neighbor, your playmate, your friend.

I would recommend this book even if you think you're not the biggest fan of non-fiction. "Up and Running" reads like a story; but it's even more powerful because it's a true one.

Reviewed by Beckie Sheffield for Flamingnet Book Reviews

Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe by James M. Ward

In Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe, the sixteen-year-old protagonist, Halcyon, is a tall, white-haired Arcanian midshipwizard on his marine tour of duty. Before he enters his touring sea dragon ship, the Sanguine, Halcyon Blithe places a good-weather spell on himself to ensure that good weather will smile upon him on his first tour. As expected, the weather is beautiful and the seas are calm. But Halcyon can’t hold the bad weather off forever. It seems that a storm has been building up behind Halcyon’s spell. When it finally breaks through the spell, the seas and the weather rage. Halcyon’s living sea dragon ship is tossed and thrown about on the rough waves. Captain Olden asks Halcyon to check the dragon’s heart chamber, to make sure no seawater has touched the heart. Just as Halcyon enters the heart chamber, he sees an officer run out of the other entrance. Halcyon studies the dragon’s heart and finds that blast-gel—a gel that is used as gunpowder—has been rubbed all over the dragon’s hot, beating heart. He knows that the heart could explode in seconds, killing the dragon that keeps the ship afloat! What should Halcyon do? Who is the saboteur of the ship? Will Halcyon be punished for his well-meaning fair-weather spell that has brought such woe and pain to the sea dragon and its crew? Read Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe to find out!

I really liked Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe. I think that it could have used less profane language, but then again, it is a story with sailors in it! The best part of the book was when Halcyon learned that he could talk to sea dragons, which helps him form a bond with his ship. Since this is a sea-adventure book, I would recommend it to anyone who liked Treasure Island or who enjoys stories of adventure and peril in general and at sea.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Saugerties, NY USA

Tofu and T. Rex by Greg Leitich Smith

A present-day Texas school district has a troublemaker on its hands. Fredrika Murchison-Kowalski, or Freddie for short, is a vegan and believes strongly in liberating animals, but she goes too far when she nearly burns down the school’s football stadium trying to liberate the bull mascot. She is quickly shipped back to her native Chicago where she must live with her grandfather and her cousin Hans-Peter. They live in a traditional Eastern European neighborhood with lots of sausage, pets, and fur. On top of that her grandfather, or Opa, owns a deli/butcher shop where Freddie is forced to work. She is re-admitted into the prestigious Peshtigo School of Chicago. Her cousin desperately wants to get into the school because of its wonderful paleontology program. The vegan and the carnivore must learn to live in harmony to achieve both their goals.

The book was good and it presented two good arguments. I couldn’t decide which I agreed with since I am a vegetarian but I am not a vegan. I also saw the culture involved with the meats eaten by the Polish. The book was written in a light, moving style and it did not dwell on any one thing for too long. I enjoyed the two points of view of both characters and some of the hilarity of Freddie’s activism. It was a bit simple and not really too developed but it contained some really funny parts and some very true arguments. If you enjoy both giggles and gasping, you’ll like this book. From being chased by bees to the emancipation of frogs to an accidental severing, this book certainly earns a ‘funny mark’.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Greencastle, PA USA

The World of Eldaterra, The Dragon Conspiracy by P. R. Moredun

The time is 1895. Chief Professor Corrik is working on a case that involves the murders of pregnant women. Can he handle the truth, and is he brave enough to stop the culprit? The time is 1910. Eldaterra is in trouble. Portals between the Old World and the New World only open on rare occasions, and even then, few people can see them. While James is walking on the beach, he sees a strange arch; one that he is sure wasn’t there before. When he steps through, he is taken to another world- the Old World, Eldaterra. As James soon finds out, he is the only one capable of saving Eldaterra- if he chooses to help, he could save a world, which would involve extreme danger. If he chooses to return home, the enemy will almost certainly kill him just because they know that he can see the portal. With the help of a brave dog that can talk, a large bear that can also talk, and two dwarf brothers whose goal in life is to either die in their attempt to help James and become legends, or live in the attempt to help James and become heroes. Can James stop the evil that began 15 years ago and prevent the destruction of Eldaterra, before time runs out?

The World of Eldaterra, The Dragon Conspiracy is amazing. While the reader is trying to figure out one mystery that occurred in 1895, another adventure is unfolding in 1910. Are there links between the two? Page after page, The Dragon Conspiracy reveals new facts and new problems, new lies and new dangers. P. R. Moredun has created a fantasy world that is enveloped in mystery.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, PA USA

The World of Eldaterra, The Dragon Conspiracy by P. R. Moredun

The time is 1895. Chief Professor Corrik is working on a case that involves the murders of pregnant women. Can he handle the truth, and is he brave enough to stop the culprit? The time is 1910. Eldaterra is in trouble. Portals between the Old World and the New World only open on rare occasions, and even then, few people can see them. While James is walking on the beach, he sees a strange arch; one that he is sure wasn’t there before. When he steps through, he is taken to another world- the Old World, Eldaterra. As James soon finds out, he is the only one capable of saving Eldaterra- if he chooses to help, he could save a world, which would involve extreme danger. If he chooses to return home, the enemy will almost certainly kill him just because they know that he can see the portal. With the help of a brave dog that can talk, a large bear that can also talk, and two dwarf brothers whose goal in life is to either die in their attempt to help James and become legends, or live in the attempt to help James and become heroes. Can James stop the evil that began 15 years ago and prevent the destruction of Eldaterra, before time runs out?

The World of Eldaterra, The Dragon Conspiracy is amazing. While the reader is trying to figure out one mystery that occurred in 1895, another adventure is unfolding in 1910. Are there links between the two? Page after page, The Dragon Conspiracy reveals new facts and new problems, new lies, and new dangers. P. R. Moredun has created a fantasy world that is enveloped in mystery.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, PA USA

Exile by Grace Garendish

Banoo Yasmine was exiled from her homeland and is now needing a loan from Grace's queen, so she can try to rebuild her wealth. In return for the loan Banoo gave the queen the most precious treasure of all, The Heart of Kings. When people find out that that jewel is the fake one, people go every trying find it. The next day it is found in Grace's good friends laundry bins, Ellie the laundry maid. Now Ellie must go and find the true thief.

This was a great book. The author had a great style of writing that moved fast. The book kept me reading and was a great mystery. Every time I thought I knew who did it, it turned out I was wrong. The book had every part of a good story in it.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Lutherville, Maryland USA

Mocassin Thunder

Joy Harjo, Sherman Alexie, Cynthia Leitich, Richard Van Camp, Linda Hogan, Joseph Bruchac, Louise Erdich, Greg Sarris, Lee Francis, and Susan Powers invite readers to understand today’s Indian through these intriguing stories. Middle and high school students will recognize the experiences of growing up, facing peer pressure, and coming to terms with individual identity. In “How to Get to the Planet Venus” Joy Harjo’s heroine travels from the safe arms of the man in the moon as a child to reaching Planet Venus as an almost responsible young woman. Alexie Sherman shows how a family’s stories can change to fit history. “A Real-Live Blond Cherokee and His Equally Annoyed Soul Mate” wins a prize for a title that tells almost all of the story while encouraging readers to examine stereotypes of appearance. Kevin Garner in “The Last Snow of the Virgin Mary” walks a thin line between his ambition to become a teacher and his drug addiction until one side wins. The grandma in “Crow” exhibits far more generosity of spirit than the well-dressed, limo-riding woman who tries to coerce the sell of the house and everything else. Maybe money isn’t the answer to life’s troubles. For the heroine of Susan Power’s “Drum Kiss” the leap from wishing for C.S. Lewis’s kingdom of Narnia in the back of a wardrobe to an understanding of her tribe’s animal stories brings real friends and reemergence of self-acceptance. Together these stories give life to memorable characters.

Moccasin Thunder is a welcomed addition to short story collections and offers an introduction to respected writers whose other works will be equally inviting. I hardily recommend this book for middle and high school students who want to read of other adolescents’ travels toward adulthood.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 58
Reviewer City, State and Country: Timonium, MD US

Confessions of a Boyfriend Stealer

Confessions Of A Boyfreind Stealer is the online diary of Genesis Bell, sixteen and half year-old ex-best friend to CJ Thompson and Tasha Dombrowski and aspiring television producer. Normally known as one of The Terribles, when caught 'stealing' her best friend's boyfriends, things change. No longer a Terrible, Genesis sets about setting the record straight, in the form of an online blog. Genesis, the more reserved, less fiery and in-your-face friend of the three, was always the one how kept things in control; she kept secrets, mended broken hearts (the hearts of the boys her friends so heartlessly dumped, not her friends who didn't need or want any sympathy) and was the nice one. In this book she learns more about herself and comes several steps closer to her dream of producing documentries and reality shows; when she films the party of the year.

This book, although aimed for an older audience; the scenes being a little unsuitable for anyone under 13, is likely to entertain the younger more. The plot is very ambitous and hard to believe at times, while the writing can be patching is some places and the characters pretty shallow; never the less this book was enjoyable and easy to read into spare moment. While the book screams of a sequal (the blog of Genesis's ex best friend CJ, which is mentioned on the first page), I believe that when the time comes I will read it. If you feel like an easy read, something that isn't serious and won't have you pondering about the meaning of life, then this is the book for you - sweet, spunky, you can not help cheering Genesis on, nor cringing at her stupidity at times.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6
Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Bristol, England

The Fire Thief by Terry Deary

This book begins with Prometheus (yes the Greek Titan) escaping his bonds of captivity. Then he flies two million years into the future (around 1858) trying to escape the fury of the gods. In this future he meets a boy and his uncle. Jim, the boy, is an orphan that Edward, the uncle, adopted. They are actors (and thieves) whom befriend Prometheus. Will Prometheus be able to escape the wrath of the gods? Will Jim and Edward be able to help him? Find out by reading Fire Thief.

I found this book highly entertaining. It had many, many funny parts in it. The footnotes at the bottom of the pages made it even more hilarious*. I also enjoyed how the two stories (Ancient Greece and Eden City 1858) were combined together. It was a fairly easy-to-read book and isn’t very big, so I think you should take a few hours and read Fire Thief. Anyone who needs a good laugh should read this book.

*Things like this would be at the bottom of the pages, except that they would have something funny written on them.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Denair, California United States

I am Alive and You are Dead A Journey into the Mind of Philip K. Dick

This book was a fascinating read about an author named Philip K. Dick who was a very uncommon breed. Carrere takes the reader through the journey of this man’s life from the infant death of his twin sister, to the multiple marriages he experienced, to his upsetting lonely death. Throughout all of this, the reader learns of how involved the human brain can truly be, especially in the case of Philip K. Dick.

Although I had never read any of Philip K. Dick’s work before, Emanuel Carrere’s depiction of his life was quite interesting. However, in Carrere’s book, there was some confusion between the descriptions of Dick‘s actual life, and the parts which were only the autobiographical aspects that he had written about in his own novels. The “journey into the mind of Philip K. Dick” was a fascinating journey to take, and without giving too much away, I do not think that any regular person really knows someone of Philip’s character. Perhaps there are some aspects of his enigmatic mind that each one of us holds, but the intricacy that was described in Carrere’s creative way held a hazy difference between the reality and the imaginary. Perhaps these two things can be easily confused, as they seem to have been by Dick, in my opinion. Either way, Carrere wrote an impressive memoir that showed all of the details of Philip K. Dick’s life, when really picked through, and I can assume that the other authors who have written about him could not have done nearly as good of a job.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Towson, Maryland USA

The Seropia Crystal by T. W. Olzinski

When a twelve-year old girl named Riley Benson moves with her family to her grandma’s house for the summer, she soon realizes that it will be the summer of her life. Soon after arrival she finds a chest and a key. Inside she finds a couple of things but the one she likes the most is the seropia crystal necklace. She ventures around her house taking pictures. She goes into the woods and trips on a tree while taking the pictures and to her surprise the butterfly, squirrel, rabbit, fox, and deer she saw in her dreams speak to her and ask her to help them out. They tell her all about how they got there and about why they are there. The animals also tell her that they sent their king to earth to save him and that they need to find him before the evil Tirantus Pirate gets to him or he will be taken prisoner and all the other planets will turn evil. Her necklace glows brighter whenever the king gets closer and she finds out that the king could’ve taken the form of anything. She decides to help the animals and starts her search before she has to go back to her own house at the end of the summer.

This book is awesome! It is very interesting and makes you want to know what happens next. I thought the characters were interesting but kind of like everyday people. I recommend this book to anyone in 3rd-7th grade. I enjoyed reading this book and I hope anyone who reads this will also enjoy it.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Upperstrasburg, PA US