Joy Writing by Kenn Amdahl

A little like reading Elements of Style on amphetamines, Joy Writing by Kenn Amdahl, cascades over its pages with enthusiasm for writing. I wanted to take up my pen and buy a box of yellow tablets before I finished reading it. Yellow highlights throughout my copy remind me that there are other writers that I want to read. The examples he chooses are engaging and witty. Much of his advice is common sense: “Revising means making choices.” Some of his advice is surprising, “Let yourself write badly when you create first drafts…” And some of his advice is phrased in a silly way, “…the poet must distract the Colonel Klink/editor within himself. Simply telling him to wait in the closet isn’t enough, we need him in a different time zone.” Most of it is practical; join a writing group. And all of it is written in an intimate, conversational tone as if Kenn were talking directly to the reader. Joy Writing is 160 pages of inspiration for budding writers.

Alice O’Grady, English Teacher, Wilson HS, Long Beach, CA

Now Starring Vivien Leigh Reid: Diva in Training by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout

After visiting, Annika Anderson, on the set of her movie Danny Boy, Leigh doesn't think she'll ever be like her overdramatic diva mother. As she enters Hollywood for the first time, she doesn't know what to expect. Her first acting class turns out to be a disaster and she makes friends with Karis, the strange girl in the class. But Leigh wants more than that, and soon she's offered a role on a popular soap, Diamond Heights. Acing isn't as easy as it looks, and as Leigh gets into the rythm of things on set, she also begins to develop diva like tendencies. Her behavior tends to be the downfall of her relationship with her boyfriend, her friendship with Karis, and her newfound acting career. And Leigh has to do something to fix everything before leaving Hollywood.

This book was a great continuation to Introducing Vivien Leigh Reid. It's not often that a sequel is as good or even better than the original. Vivien again offered enough laughs and adventures throughout the book. I love the way the story is written and it's really fun to read. It goes by so fast, and once you start it, you can't put it down. I know that I'm looking forward to reading the third book about Leigh when it comes out.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10
Reviewer Age: 19
Reviewer City, State and Country: Philadelphia, PA USA

Plenty Porter by Brandon Noonan

As Plenty Porter enters her teenage years in Galesburg, Illinois, she realizes that her large family does not actually know one another. Being the youngest of eleven, no one expects much of her yet she is usually aware of everything that goes on around her. When she befriends the motherless Ed Prindergast, the young son of their wealthy neighbor, she does not realize that she needs his friendship as much as he needs hers. Although Plenty narrates, the story actually revolves around her older sister Marcie and her problems. Plenty knows there is something going on but doesn't know if she can find out what's going on with, Mr. Darcey, her estranged grandfather, Mr. Prindergast, her parents, and her sibligs who each have interwoven lives that seem to leave Plenty, who was plenty, out.

Brandon Noonan relates a novel in which the reader really does not see the end coming. Although the story is narrated by Plenty, the reader wants to know what is going on with Marcie, why her hair falls out. I enjoyed the structure of this novel, which is told in two parts, as well as many chapters. Because the ending was a complete surprise to me, I enjoyed it and it made the novel worth reading. I don't think Plenty Porter is bound to recieive high acclaim, but it is definitely a good read for history lovers and those interested in personal growth in a character or multiple characters.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Kansas City, MO USA

Riding Out The Storm by Claudia Jones

Thirteen year old Emily Clark loves books and horses. She rides her horse, Moonbeam every day to calm her down. For the fourth Quarter of P. E. at Garven Junior High school in Woodbridge, Missouri the class is going to swim, Yes! Untill Emily almost drowns on the first day. What is wrong with her? She loves swimming. She spent all last summer with her best friend Jane's house swimming in her pool. She goes to Mr. Turner the psychaitrist who says she is a reincarnated Micheal who drowned at 21. This sets her off to find her other family. She finds them, visits them and puts their guilt and sorrow to rest.

This is a very good book. The Author creates good empathy, the horse thing was a nice touch. Emily sounds like a little Daddy's (and Mommy's) girl. She spends a little too much time explaining every single person Emily meets in page long detail. That makes it a little stop-and-go but it's okay.

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

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

Breaking out of their summer routine, the Penderwick sisters, along with their dad, stay at Arundel Cottage for a few weeks. With beautiful gardens and new friends, the girls' excitement builds as the days progress. Until, of course, trouble arises - mainly in the form of Mrs. Tifton and her creep of a boyfriend, Dreadful Dopey Dexter Dupree. Each girl must experience some personal sorrow, in addition to collective worry over the fate of their new friend, Jeffrey. As the plot develops, so too does the girls' knowledge of themselves and what it means to be "family."

Nonetheless, it is not the plot which makes this book wonderful - although it is both exciting and suspenseful. Nor is it the characters themselves who made me love reading it - though they are colorful, unique, lovable, realistic. No, it is the amusing dialogue and swift, spirited interplay between the characters, especially the sisters, which made Birdsall's story well worth reading. Few authors can capture everyday language and make it into something enthralling. Birdsall can. She wrote an excellent book, which I highly recommend to readers of all ages.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10
Reviewer Age: 21
Reviewer City, State and Country: Logan, Utah USA

Secrets Of My Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita

Kaitlin Burke has everything many American teens dream about. A successful career as an actress, a hit TV show and on top of it all a jealous costar. After her daily routine of make-up, taping, interviews, and photo shoots Kailtiln is ready for a vacation unfortunately her parents publicist and manager don't believe in vacations. She does the next best thing; Kaitlin understands that if she wants to feel like a real teenager she needs to have the same responsibilities as one. She enrolls in a local High School and Goes undercover as an average teenager. What will Kaitlin learn from this experience? Will it be everything she expected it to be?

I have always loved an adventure. Jen Calonita has given a great view to the life of a teen star. I love the fact that teenager around the world will be able to relate to Kaitlin's character, a funny down to earth girl despite her great success. Although this book reminded me of Teen Idol I can honestly say it's nothing like it and you will be pleased with it. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good read.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 21
Reviewer City, State and Country: N. Hollywood, California USA

Nobody's Fault by Jonathan Pearce

What do you do when your mom's been dead for seven years, your dad has a new wife, it's summer and you have nothing to do? If you are twelve-year-old Tery, you allow yourself to be coerced into working for the summer school edition of the Korndogger with Sheba, the queen herself, as your editor. What you don't do is tell people that you still have visions of your mother who gives advice and encouragement. Tery, whose name comes from Teru, a Japanese name meaning sunshine, in honor of Obahchan, her Japanese grandmother, thinks she is alone in her vision-seeing abilities until she interviews 106 year old Julius Caesar Kuhl, Junior for the newspaper. What began as a forced task to please her father and Sheba turns into a heart felt exploration of life in San Francisco during the 1906 earthquake. Mr. Kuhl, the oldest man in town, just happens to be kin to Ritchie, vandal and prankster extraordinaire. Ritchie's appearances deftly coincide with disappearances of his grandfather's prized possessions. Is something more sinister going on? Readers will quickly turn pages to learn the conclusion.

The backdrop of earthquake and the unsettling transition from middle school to high school make this a book with historical focus and contemporary lessons. The author has created a history/mystery/coming of age stroy that works. I liked Tery's spunkiness and compassion. This would work well as background ofr San Francisco earthquake and lessons on preparedness.

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

The Wreath by Chris and Chloe Howard

There are creatures under the sea who are part fish, part human known in storybooks as mermaids and mermen. However, in reality, these creatures look almost exactly like normal people. The only differences are that they have a thin layer of skin between their fingers and toes and the fact that they can breath underwater. They are divided into royal houses, they have a king, and there are traitors, enemies, and an evil army. Kassandra is a Telkhines (never call them mermaids and mermen) who is a descendent of the king. Unfortunately, the king is out to get her. She wears the wreath, an object that is passed down from mother to daughter, or sister, or some distant female relation who can be trusted to use it properly. The wearer, once she reaches the age of thirteen begins to gain extraordinary powers, and the king knows Kassandra is not on his side. Kassandra just turned thirteen. She knows absolutely nothing about the Telkhines, or the wreath, because she was sent as an infant to central Nebraska, with the skin between her fingers and toes removed, by the king (who didn't know she had the wreath at the time) so that she would be out of the way and not cause any problems, or so he thought.

Surprises are unlimited, problems abundant, and new friends and enemies are constantly turning up. Chris and Chloe Howard have written an amazing fantasy about a girl with more problems than anyone can imagine. Readers will discover an undersea world very different from the Little Mermaid. Teen fantasy readers will excitedly follow Kassandra's every step as she discovers who she really is, and her important role in saving her newly discovered family.

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

British Born, Amrican Bred by Valorie Beardsley

British Born, American Bred is a fanfiction of Prince William's life from when we meet him at St.Andrews University right up until he dies as an old man or rather an old, and much loved, King. To say this book is about Prince William and the narrator, fictional Emily Harrison who was born in Britain but brought up in America (hence the title), falling in love would be an understatement. William and Emily fall in love and get engaged within a year of meeting each other and in the first 50 pages of book. This book is more about their life together, troubles with the press and royal relatives as well as the trials of married life, being King and Queen, dealing with illness and parenthood.

This book wasn't what I expected at all and was really a disappointment; instead of being a fun and easy read that was great for relaxing, I found myself having to force myself to read a book I didn't enjoy. The writing was poor to say the least and rather than feeling the relationship between Prince William and the fictional Emily Harrison as it happened, I felt I, as the reader, was told what was happening as if it were some kind of report. Instead of falling in love as Emily did and experiencing the events as they unfolded, I felt cut-off from the story, while the large time-scale it was set in seemed over-ambitious. I really wanted a story of love, not a whole life's journey that was hard to comprehend; as a 15 year-old I can't really relate to having children, grandchildren and dying at eighty. The way Prince William spoke was cringy, scary and odd all at the same time, and as a British teenager I can certainly say that I don't know many people who talk like that (and those who do are rather un-flatteringly called chavs). Can you really imagine Prince William calling the girl he loved "Luv" or Prince Charles "pops"? - Scary. However if you are planning on reading the book, and do get beyond the first couple of pages, I wouldn't reccomend it to anyone under 15 as the author attempts to write a rather explicit love scene early on.


Rating (0 - 10 scale): 3
Reviewer Age: 15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Bristol, England

Ball Don't Lie by Matt de la Pena

Sticky lives with his foster mom, foster brothers, and foster sisters. Sticky is a tough, beat around kid who has no life except for basketball. Sticky is very competitive and once he tried basketball, he got hooked on it and practiced nonstop. Sticky has no future in school or anything else except for basketball. Sticky practices at a local gym, with some regulars who act like his family that he never had. Sticky also plays for JV on his high school team. However during the Varsity playoffs Sticky gets asked to play for them. Sticky puts on a great show and he gets a notice to tryout for some of the best colleges. This might be Sticky's only way out of his hard life that he lives.

This was one of my favorite books. The book was written so well, and the flow was great. I read this whole book in one sitting. I could relate to what Sticky was feeling at certain times, like when he was in a sticky situation, or if things were turning out perfectly. I would feel joy and sadness when he felt it. I felt like I knew Sticky so well and that he was real, because the author went into depth to explain his life.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10
Reviewer Age: 11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Lutherville, MD United States

Stay With Me by Garret Freymann-Weyr

The Book I reviewed was Stay With Me. It's about a 16 year old girl named Leila. Leila's older sister commits suicide, and Leila goes on a mission to find out why her sister would do this horrible thing. While Leila is trying to figure out information about her sister. She ends up finding out information about herself. She also ends up finding a man that she likes, but he happens to be 31 years old. Leila doesn't care though. Age means nothing to her. Eamon clearly states that he doesn't want to date a teenager, but Leila is determind to find a way to change his mind.

I liked the general idea of the book. I just didn't like how Leila fell in love with a 31 year old man. I kinda found that disturbing. If the author hadn't made him so old it wouldn't have been bad, but a 31 year old dating a 17 year old that's kinda wacked and against the law.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Dundee, Oregon USA

The Skyborn by Paul Collins

Welkin Quinn was a fourteen year old ensign on the spaceship city 'Colony' until it crashed on planet Earth. There, Welkin, his sister, and some of his other friends were "specially" selected as a team to scout the land. Outside of 'Colony' Welkin and the others discover many things about Earth; the sparse vegetation, desolate landscape, and a devolved race of humans called the Earthborn. The most frightening discovery about Welkin's assignment is the realization that this is one task he isn't supposed to return from. Welkin and his fellow abandoned Skyborn trek the Earth in search of hospitality, which they find when they meet Sarah, an Earthborn approximatly Welkin's age, who leads her own "family". Together they combine their families' talent, knowledge, and technology into one for the sole purpose of survival. A chance encounter with a fellow abandoned Skyborn alerts Welkin to a plot hatched by the Elders of the Skyborn that is to rid the Earth of the Earthborn. Fuelled by his watch-dog instincts and a desire for revenge, Welkin steps in to defuse the threat. In spite of dangerous situations and the risk of certain death if caught, Welkin braves it all, honoring his sense of duty. Unfortunately he has no idea what fate may await him upon re-entering Colony!

The Skyborn, by Paul Collins is a futuristic thriller that keeps the reader involved with a suspense-filled plot that always leaves you guessing. The Skyborn is Collins' follow-up to The Earthborn, a book published in 2003. Because of the intense character drama and detailed backstory, I wouldn't recommend diving into The Skyborn without first reading The Earthborn, as I did. It takes too much time sorting through the character's personalities and figuring out who the characters are, that it distracts from the plot of The Skyborn. Collins does an excellent job making the individual characters in The Skyborn believable. You find yourself caught up in their journey and rooting for them to not only survive, but succeed. Unfortunately his details of the setting is less descriptive so it was hard to imagine clearly what Collins pictured as a post-disaster Earth. Despite the difficult level of reading, I really enjoyed The Skyborn. So much so I purchased The Earthborn (better late than never)and hope there is a The Hiveborn in the works.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10
Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, Pennsylvania USA

Seeing Emily by Joyce Lee Wong

Emily Wu is Chinese-American, working with her immigrant parents in their Chinese restaurant in Richmond. Like her mother, she has a great love of art and is entranced while drawing. A new boy at school, Alex (also the son of family friends of the Wu's), moves to Richmond with his aunt and uncle while his parents continue working in Taiwan. He has a great love of art also, and he and Emily are both picked to paint a mural for the school's hallway. At first Emily is weary of the idea, but soon becomes friends with Alex. Emily tells us, while consumed in sketching and painting the mural, how sometimes her life is kind of like the various animals she paints. She feels insecure, wanting to fly and truly become herself, but not knowing how. Even after she gets her first boyfriend, she feels incomplete. Then her parents tell her they are going to send her to their native Taiwan, to become better at speaking Chinese. Only then do the pieces of her life and heritage finally start fitting together, and she can start seeing and becoming herself, Emily.

This book gave a very poetic, vivid picture of Emily's life. It felt like you were experiencing the same emotions she was when they were happening. Written in free verse, Seeing Emily is a wonderful, fast read for anyone on the journey to finding and truly becoming themselves. A great book for young adults ages 13-20.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Celestine,Indiana USA

Souls of the North Wind by Chrissy K. Mcvay

After Iksik angers a prehistoric demon wolf by killing his mate, two cousins have to go on the journey of a lifetime. Iksik and Kiviok, have to travel all the way to the sea to consult the wise shaman, Pukak, about the demon wolf who is stalking them. However, the journey will not be easy. With the demon wolf waiting at every turn for them to make a mistake and white men interfering. WIll they ever get to the sea and lift the curse?

I think that this book was relatively good. It had a lot of good word choices. For example: "A light breeze brought the overwhelming stench of its body. It was the smell of a beast that slept in its own filth. The long shaggy hair covering its massive chest was layered with the dried blood of old kills ....." The ending is kind of interesting because it is both what you expected to happen and you didn't expect to happen. A pretty good read and appropriate for all ages.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Tucson, Arizona USA

Maureen the Detective by Veda Boyd Jones

After Maureen and Mark take the job offer that Mrs. Hoag gave them for finding her purse and returning it to her, they start cataloging every item she has in each very large room in her mansion. In the western room Maureen just absolutely loves one piece of artwork called the Wicked Pony. She loves it so much that she asks if she can take a picture of it. When they get the film developed Maureen asks Mrs. Hoag if she can compare the picture to the statue, but when she goes to find the statue another statue is in its place instead. Mrs. Hoag said she didn’t move it, but if she didn’t move it, who did? So begins the mystery of the missing artwork, and who but Maureen and Mark to solve the case?

This book called Maureen the Detective was awesome. I loved the book because it was well written and was interesting to find out who was stealing Mrs. Hoag’s artwork. Maureen the Detective is mostly a mystery book. I thought it was cool how each character had a very different personality compared to the other. This book is for ages 8-12 and is one of many in the Sisters in Time series. I hope everyone who reads Maureen the Detective will enjoy it as much as I did.

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

The Telling Pool by David Clement-Davies

Rhodri Falcon has lived his 11 years in happiness with his mother and father, a master falconer. But as unrest in the lands sends his father, Owen, to fight in the wars, Rhodri has to take up the responsiblities of the man of the house, much to his disappointment. Over the next few years, Rhodri is haunted by a fourtune he heard at a fair and one day, he ventures into the forest against his parents wishes, where he comes upon a blind hermit named Tantallon. Tantallon guides him in the ways of magic and shows him the Telling Pool, a place where Rhodri sees what's happening to his father. When Rhodri discovers that his father has been enchanted by a witch namd Homeira, it's up to him to find the fabled sword Excalibur, the sword once held by King Arthur himself, to break the curse. On his journey, Rhodri discovers secrets about his family history. It's up to Rhodri to use his wits carefully before he gets enchanted too.

I really liked the Telling Pool. I took a while to get into the story; the beginning was a bit slow, but necessary to tie into the story. I'm fascinated with stories relating to King Arthur and Guenviere, so I enjoyed that aspect of the novel. The story was also cleverly set during the Third Crusade, and it's hard to find novels set at the time period. Being a fan of historical fiction, I really liked this new time. The magical element of the novel was fun as well. Clement-Davies did a good job of mixing history, old legends, magic, and even a bit of romance. I'd recommend this novel to anyone.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7
Reviewer Age: 19
Reviewer City, State and Country: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA

ttfn by Lauren Myracle

TTFN is a sequel to TTYL. Both books are completely written in instant messages between three girls: Maddie, Zoe, and Angela. The story is progressed through the conversations of the 11th grade girls. One of the threesome is moving to California, will they be able to become long-distance friends?

You must have to be a young girl to like this book. All of the chatting seems insignificant even though the girls are tackling some hard issues of growing up. The book has a pretty straightforward plot but it becomes a novelty book because all the writing is done through instant messages. I would say that this is a good pick for pre-teen girls and no one else.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 5
Reviewer Age: 19
Reviewer City, State and Country: cheverly, maryland USA

Bass Ackwards and Belly Up by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain

Four best friends, Harper, Kate, Sophie and Becca are all looking forward to starting college. At least, 3 of them are. Harper has decided to follow her "dream" and stay behind to write the next famous American novel. As she convinces her 3 angry friends to see things from her point of view, they begin to realize that maybe they aren't ready for college yet either. Sophie decides to put her college career on hold to travel to Los Angeles in hopes of pursuing a career in acting. Harverd bound Kate, the one person who always does what's right, decides to take the year off and travel to Europe, which leaves Becca alone. Becca is the one person going to college, Middlebury, to ski for the best coach and find love. As the months go by, the four girls learn a lot about their families, life and love. They lose people who were important to them, but they also find new people who truely care.

When I first saw the title and cover of the book, I honestly didn't know what to expect. But I started the book and really got into the story. Being a college student, I could relate to what some of the girls were going through. It was great to read a story from the view of college students, as not many books out there feature main characters around that age. This book reminds me a lot of The Traveling Pants books by Ann Brashares. Yet it's a refreshing twist on not doing what everyone expects you to do and finding out your true personality. I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend this.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 19
Reviewer City, State and Country: Philadelphia, PA USA

Thou Shalt Not Dump the Skater Dude by Rosemary Graham

Kelsey has just been forced to move all the way from Boston to California during the worst time in her life, the beginning of 8th grade. She completes her year at a prestigious private all-girls school and realizes that she doesn't want to deal with snotty girls anymore. She decides to go to the public school, where she instantly gets recognized by the school celebrity, skateboarder C.J. Logan. Not long after, she becomes his girlfriend and gets to experience the perks of being popular. When Kelsey realizes that C.J. isn't putting in enough effort to be a good boyfriend, she dumps him after a year. But there's only one problem, C.J. has never been dumped before. So he spreads rumors about Kelsey around school and makes her miserable. But Kelsey tries to ignore them and becomes interested in the famed school newspaper, the Bee, and puts all her effort into making it as a journalist. When the rumors still affect her life one year later, Kelsey has to do something to stand up for herself before it's too late.

I was surprised at how much I liked this book. While I feel that younger teens would enjoy this book more, it was still entertaining to read. It was refreshing to read about a character like Kelsey. The story was really interesting too, even though the concept of a high school romance is common in many young adult books these days. I'd recommend this book as a fun, easy read to take your mind off things. The ending of the story made me want to know more. I don't know if the author is planning to write a sequel, but I know that I will probably pick up any other book that she writes.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 19
Reviewer City, State and Country: Philadelphia, PA USA

Forest of the Pygmies by Isabel Allende

The finale of the acclaimed trilogy, that began with Kingdom of the Golden Dragon, has had a lot to live up to. Alex, now 18, along with his grandmother and friend, Nadia, travel to Kenya on an elephant safari. Like the previous two books, things do not exactly happen simply, and the trio encounter a whole host of problems such as after a plane crash, they end up trying to help save primitive Pygmies from slavery. A mixture of magic, adventure, and a sensous surrounding gives this book an edge that many children's books do not have.

Having read a few of Isabel Allende's books I was certainly looking forward to this one, as I thoroughly enjoyed reading the first two. However, by the time I got around to reading this one, I realized something was missing; it may have been that I was older and a more experienced reader, for it has been a while since I have read the first two. The character's still amused me, and the magic they possesed created something far more interesting than the trilogy would have been had they not had it. However, I found myself bored with a long drawn out plotline that, although had twists, followed the same basic outline as the first two. Despite my problems with it, and my need for a change, I feel that many people will enjoy it, and I am certainly going to reread the first two books. The blend of magic and fantasy with realism, and an amazing setting, certainly gives this book a head start to many children's books.

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