Thick As Thieves

This novel is an autobiography of Steve Geng. Its purpose
is to entertain, to explain Steve's and his sister's life,
and to persuade the readers to take care of themselves.
This book is the story of Steve and Victoria Geng's life and
relationship as siblings. Steve has been an actor, a thief,
an alcoholic, and a drug addict throughout his life. His
sister was a writer. Throughout the story, they share a
close bond as they grow up and face the challenges of their
lives. The book grows darker and more desperate as the time
passes in Steve's life. This novel portrays a scarily
honest view of life's pain, sickness, and tragedy.

This book is truthful and deep. It deals with illness,
death, and other serious issues. I sometimes found it
depressing. Also, the author does not gloss over his or his
sister's faults, so it is not always easy to like them and
be sympathetic. The end of the book occasionally sounds
wishful, and there is not a standard happy ending. I
recommend reading it only if you are looking for a serious
and sober read.

This novel has sexual content, violence, and drugs. It
also deals with HIV and cancer. It should only be read by
extremely mature readers.
his novel has sexual content, violence, and drugs. It also deals with HIV and cancer. It should only be read by extremely mature readers.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age:14

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

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

The book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by
Sherman Alexie is about Arnold Spirit, also known as Junior.
He lives on the Spokane Reservation. Junior lives with his
kind but alcoholic father, mother, tolerant grandmother, and
his hermit sister, Mary Runaway. Junior was born with too
much cerebral spinal fluid in his skull. The doctors had to
drain the fluid out of his skull. This surgery led him to
have seizures and other medical problems. Junior cries
easily so he is bullied often on the reservation. His
friend, Rowdy, who is mean and tough but protects Junior, is
the most important person in Junior's life. Another
important person in Junior's life is his father's best
friend, Eugene, who is an optimistic alcoholic. On the first
day of geometry class in his freshmen year of high school,
he notices that his geometry book had been used by his
mother at least thirty years before. Junior becomes angry
and throws the book at his geometry teacher, Mr. P. While
Junior was on suspension, Mr. P. stops by his house. Mr. P.
asks Junior to forgive him because Mr. P feels that when he
was a young teacher, he tried to take away the Indian way of
life. Mr. P. tells Junior that Mary Runaway had wanted to be
a Native American Romance Novelist, but lost her dream after
she left high school. Mr. P. tells Junior that he has to
leave the Reservation in order to find hope. That night,
Junior asks his parents if he can go to Reardan High School.
Reardan High School is a white school where fifty percent of
the school goes on to college. Rowdy beats Junior up when
Junior tells him that he is going to Reardan High School. On
his first day at the new school, Junior punches Roger, the
lead jock at Reardan High School, after Roger makes a racist
joke. Junior earns Roger's respect after that. As time goes
on, Junior begins to adapt to his new life at Readan High
School. He makes some surprising new friends, and even has a
chance to become a superstar. But, in the process, he will
loose his old friend Rowdy even more. When tragedy touches
his family, Junior will have to reconcile with his own
choices in life, and come to terms with the people closest
to him.

I give this book a three. The ideas were all there to
make a good book, but the author did not write it properly.
The author tried too hard to be funny. For example, he told
several jokes about seizures that just fell flat. He also
tried to write as he imagined a teenager would write, even
though he was not a teenager, which didn't really work. A
cartoonist drew cartoons for the book, but they also lacked
humor. I would suggest reading other books on this subject
rather than this one.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 3

Reviewer Age:17

Reviewer City, State and Country:

First Light

Peter is going on an expedition to Greenland with his
scientific father, mother, and a young man named Jonas. He
is really excited to go, but lately has been feeling weird
when he sees random visions. They also lead to headaches.
Peter tries to figure out what they mean while sharing his
dad's adventures and playing with the sled dogs, especially
Sasha.

Meanwhile, on another side of First Light, Thea tries to
convince her people to move back to the surface of the
actual Earth. She is the seventh in a generation of people
that have lived in a secret place inside the arctic ice. Her
grandmother, Rowen, definitely disagrees with Thea's plan,
but when Thea gets a mysterious map she comes up with an
even better plan to move back to the surface and see the sun
for the first time.

Together, Peter and Thea search for answers and try to live
their dreams with help from maybe only one or two others.
What would happen if they broke their world barriers and met?

First Light had an excellent description of the setting
the entire time. I loved how the story kept switching from
character to character and that I could follow each side
very easily. Both main characters, Peter and Thea, were well
described and I loved their personalities because both were
determined to succeed. Because of the switching of the two
characters, I loved how it was written in third person. If
it was written in first person, I may have gotten lost or
forgotten which character it was. For my age group, the
writing and vocabulary was perfect. It wasn't so easy that I
knew every single word, but I didn't need a dictionary
beside me while reading it either. The whole time I was
reading the book,I loved each plot and how each side
advanced equally. Even though they were separate plots. I
also liked how the plots combined together so well. First
Light is definitely a book I would recommend to others if
they like adventure and mystery.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country:
Carlisle, Pennsylvani

The Highwayman

The Highwayman is a book set in three different sections,
each ten years apart. The first third is about Bran Dynard,
a monk of Abelle. He is married to a native of the southern
land of Behr. Her beliefs are similar but not identical to
his own, so the church of Abelle refuses her as his wife.
He won't make her leave, however. Sen Wi, his wife, is
pregnant with a child, but she must hide to avoid being
killed. When she gives birth, she dies during childbirth.
Her book of teachings, the book of Jhest, is thought to be
destroyed, so the church believes it is safe. Bran then
makes a pilgrimage to the northern Chapel of Abelle, but is
killed along the way. Their son, Bransen, is raised by his
friend Garibon Womak. Ten years later, the story is about
Bransen, a cripple since birth, who is taken care of by
Garibond. After a while, however, Bransen is given to the
church, who are paid with a sword crafted by Sen Wi.
Bransen had taught himself to read and had read the Book of
Jhest before he went to the chapel. He copied it onto the
walls, but the monks recognized it. They went to Garibond's
house and found the book. It was destroyed, and Garibond
burned for heresy. The politics at this point are unstable.
The Laird of Pryd, where the story takes place, is forced
to align himself with a greater holding in the coming war.
As he cannot continue his line due to a wound from battle, a
choice is forced upon him. Also, the two major religions,
the Blessed of Abelle and the Samhaists, are vying for
supremacy. Ten years later, Bransen learns of his mother's
sword in the possession of the Laird and of the death of
Garibond. He adopts the name "The Highwayman" and uses a
sacred soul stone stolen from the monks to heal his crippled
body. But will Bransen use his newfound freedom for just
vengeance, or to his own gain? Read The Highwayman to find out.

At some points, The Highwayman was great, at others slow.
Once you're into the book, however, it's hard to put down.
The advancement of the story over ten years is a bit
confusing at first, but it all adds to the overall quality.
This was a great book that I would advise to any and all
fantasy readers.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Violence, sexual references

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambers

The Year My Sister Got Lucky

Katie, a New York City fashionista and dancer at the
Anna Pavlova Academy, the finest and most competitive of all
ballet schools, has just hit a brick wall. Her family is
leaving the city for, yes, Fir Lake, population: 2,100. All
of a sudden her bags are packed and her friends, ballet, and
the bright city lights, are gone and replaced with Ms. Mabel
Thorpe's School for Dance and Movement, people who climb
mountains and milk cows for fun, and neighbors who know you
too well. When school starts Katie sticks out like a sore
thumb, but somehow her sister Michaela seems to fit right
in, quickly befriending the popular girls, getting the
attention of all the boys, and, worst of all, forgetting all
about ballet. And when one day Katie stumbles upon a great
secret that her sister, her best friend, hasn't told her
about, she suddenly realizes that she needs to stand on her
own two feet from now on if she ever wants to fit in.

The Year My Sister Got Lucky has all the components
of a fun and believable book, you feel as if you are
experiencing this, and feel the characters sadness and
excitement. The characters are well built up with background
information, so they are very realistic and a picture comes
easily to mind. The plot is very fun, but occasionally in
areas it is either too drawn out or leaves you wishing there
was more. For me, the book ended abruptly and I was very
frustrated, and wanted to know what happened next. Overall,
I would say this book is nothing particularly special, it
lacks the power and strength of many books, but I would
recommend it to girls looking for a quick, fun, and
leisurely read.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country:
Marblehead, MA USA

Choices (Burchett)

Summary: In Katrina L. Burchett's Choices, a group of
African American high school students from York, PA face
questions about relationships, peer pressure, and religion.
The main friendship group includes La Keeta, pregnant out of
wedlock with no contact with the baby's father, Angel whose
workaholic mother ignores her, Shauntice whose father abuses
her mother, and Hope and Bridgette, Christian girls hoping
to influence their friends. High school boys circle around
these girls as relationships emerge and dissolve with
painful consequences. Stay tuned because this is the first
novel in a trilogy.

Burchett envisions a world where Christian praise
services and Bible quoting teenagers can serve as an
antidote to invasive popular culture. At times the dialogue
seems forced and I wonder if teen agers really cite chapter
and verse when talking about the Bible. The problems the
adolescents face are, however, quite real and some of their
solutions ring true. This book could begin to bridge the gap
between popular culture and Christian values and open
conversation between teens and parents about the
consequences of choices.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age:60

Reviewer City, State a

68 Knots

68 Knots by Michael Robert Evans is a novel about eight
teenagers who spend their summer sailing off the coast of
Maine. Arthur, Dawn, Jesse, Joy, Crystal, BillFi, Marietta,
and Logan begin a summer of sailing aboard a beautiful
schooner with Captain McKinley and his crew. In a series of
seemingly disastrous and quick-moving events, McKinley shows
his true colors as a pompous jerk aboard the ship; the
counselors desert the crew and sail home; and McKinley
commits suicide. The eight teenagers are left, stranded on a
sailboat with little sailing experience. After several
panicked hours, the crew decides not to abandon ship but to
continue the adventure they came to camp for. In the 68 days
ahead, each young man and woman learns the experience of
sailing a ship, making friends, saving lives, finding
romance, and discovering themselves.

68 Knots is an exciting adventure novel, but not from
page one. At the beginning, the story moves too fast, the
characters are barely introduced before McKinley dies and
they are left alone. However, Michael Robert Evans writes in
a cyclical way, the story comes full-center at the middle,
where action-packed adventure has you turning every page.
Each character has his/her own story and mysterious past;
some are more likable than others. Arthur is reliable,
consistent, the leader of the crew; Dawn is spiritual, her
willingness to find a common-ground in every argument is a
great asset to the team; Jesse is physically strong but
emotionally torn by a devastating past, he hides behind a
mask of colors in the novel. Joy is incredibly religious and
desperately trying to spread God's will among her cabin
mates, but realizes that God may be found in different ways;
Crystal is strong willed and slightly standoffish but is
softened by her fellow peers; BillFi is an orphan with a
special gift that leads the group to many victories;
Marietta is a dark presence on the ship; and Logan's,
well, Logan's unique story will have you loving him by the
end.Reading 68 Knots is an experience that will have you
waiting impatiently for a summer experience of your own.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

There is drinking and swearing throughout the novel.

Reviewer Age:15

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

Sweep:The Coven

Morgan Rowlands was just a typical Catholic girl, until her
world got turned upside down by Cal, the hot, new boy. He
showed Morgan and her friends the amazing art of Wiccan
Witchcraft. It has been just a few weeks since their first
circle (in book one). Now, she has found out she is one of
the most powerful blood witches. (a witch whose parents were
both witches) She has also found her muirn beatha dan
(predestined soul mate) and lost her best friend, Bree,
over all of this. Bree and Raven, one of Bree's friends,
begin their own coven and are planning to get revenge on
Morgan. The very next day, Morgan finds out she was
adopted!! Morgan is devastated and it takes her a while to
get over it. One day, Morgan and Cal, her current boyfriend
and muirn beatha dan, are planning to go to the movies.
Morgan accidentally walks into her mother's study.
Inside, she finds her mother's Book of Shadows, a book
witches used to write down new spells and things about
themselves. Morgan's discovery of the book leads her into
the past.

Cate Tiernan has written another masterpiece,
even better than the first. Morgan is cast into a world,
painted to the fullest detail, where she has to figure
things out for herself. Tiernan described her characters'
emotions so well that they seemed real. Also, the
love between Cal and Morgan is so believable; some authors
will put the most unlikely people together. You knew right
away Cal and Morgan were perfect for each other. Although
short and an easy read, I got lost in the story and could
not put the book down, even if I wanted to. All together, a
great read!

sex and witchcraft
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer
City, State and Country: Shippensburg, USA

Candyfloss

Floss, lives a fabulous life, she resides with her mother,
step father and half brother Tiger. She enjoys visiting her
real dad at his run-down restaurant every weekend. Her only
concerns are at school. She has some problems with her
peers. Floss wants to impress the popular, snotty girls, in
order to feel accepted. Subsequently, she realizes that
there are more important things to think about. For example,
she might not see her dad for another year, because her step
father accepted a promotion in Australia! (That's half way
across the world from her home.) Floss doesn't want to
leave behind her friends and memories. (How is she going to
break the news to her dad?)

I thought that Candyfloss was a fun and easy read. I
think Jacqueline Wilson is a witty author. I thought that it
was clever the way she incorporated American and English
slang sayings into the book. (Some people say slow poke, and
others say slow coach.) A few things that I wasn't too fond
of were the attitudes of the characters, some of the plot
was lacking, and sometimes the book was not very realistic.
Other than that, I loved Candyfloss.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Renton, WA USA

Beings in a Dream---Friends and Enemies Part II

After the recent "Fruit Salad Mass," at which the evil
priest Drogo was exposed as the villain who had killed
Eleanora de Narbonne more than a decade ago, Eloise and
Tommy are forced to flee the sixteenth century and the
clutches of Drogo's brother, the Bishop of Toulouse. They
escape back to Tommy's time through the etching that had
originally taken him into the past, and instantly Eloise is
shocked by the culture change. She cannot understand a world
where all people are equal, capital punishment is illegal,
and girls wear almost nothing. But it isn't as if she has
time to appreciate the good things about modern life, for
Drogo has chased them through time and will stop at nothing
to see Tommy and Eloise murdered. When Eloise is sucked back
through time by Drogo's tricks and imprisoned in a nunnery
by her own relatives, Tommy must also find a way back to
rescue his love and capture Drogo. Knowing Tommy and Eloise,
though, it shouldn't be too hard-- after all, they still
have Tommy's beloved mobile phone for contact with the
future, along with all of the friends that they had made on
Tommy's first trip to the past.

David Field's second book in the "Friends and Enemies"
series, while worlds improved over the first, still leaves
much to be desired. His characters, Eloise especially, are
incredibly clinched, too perfect to be at all believable or
even likable, and the setting, certainly in one of history's
more interesting periods, is not in fact entirely
historically accurate. All of the characters speak in the
same voices, complete with twentieth century slang, and the
varying castes can only be differed from one another in
terms of dialect. These weaknesses cause the plot, which, if
pulled off accurately, could have been incredibly
intriguing, to fall flat and become not only predictable but
also uneventful, because as a reader I could not sympathize
at all with the characters. This book's only true strength
was in its writing style, which pulls off a third person
omniscient point of view better than any book I've read in
the past. In fact, at times it was only reading from inside
the minds of certain lesser characters that kept me set on
finishing this book, along with Field's beautiful
descriptions from time to time. Indeed, once the author
masters dialogue and characterization, his books will
certainly rank with some of the better in young adult
literature. Until then, though, the "Friends and Enemies"
series might be better left unread, for fear of discouraging
Field's potential readers.

Almost all characters commit murder or believe themselves
to have done so, and there are many small sexual references.
Christianity is also portrayed in a negative light.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 5

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: , Maryland United States

Sweep:Blood Witch

When we last left Morgan Rowlands, she had just been caught
by Cal, her boyfriend, and Selena, his mother. Selena gave
Morgan her mother's Book of Shadows, a book witches use to
write down spells and things about themselves. Bree,
Morgan's ex-best friend, and Raven, Bree's new best friend,
are still planning their revenge on Morgan for taking Cal.
This time, Hunter, Cal's brother, and Sky, a woman from
Selena's coven, join them. Hunter claims to want to save
Morgan from Cal. Morgan gets some lessons on witchcraft
from her friends in Practikal Magick, a Wiccan store. Alyce
and David, clerks at the store, help Morgan along. Morgan
discovers in a vision where her mother's ceremonial tools
are and goes to find them. Morgan takes them over to show
Cal and Hunter shows up. He aggravates Cal so much that Cal
kills him. Will Morgan be able to see Cal the way she used to?

In this continuation of the Sweep series, Cate Tiernan
broadens the story, adding new characters and along with
them, new conflicts. I love how her characters never do
anything you would not expect them to do, and they always do
things that are believable for their character. The love
between Cal and Morgan is so complex that it is hard not to
keep reading, just so you can find out what is currently
going on between them. This series has sparked an interest
in Wicca for me. It made me want to learn more about the
art and religion.

Murder, some talk of sex, and it talks
about witchcraft.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, USA

Borderline

A brilliant coming-of-age story, Borderline portrays an
overwhelmed older brother, an over-ignored son, and a
determined caregiver in the form of Guy Ritter. And a
teacher who has it out for you, a best friend who won't stop
eating, and a temperamental semi-girlfriend isn't enough,
Guy's also been dealing with his "autistic" brother for way
too long. All of the problems Guy's been burdened with has
created quite a bit of stress. What can a thirteen-year-old
kid do when his best friend's father's fast food feasting
becomes perilous? And what will the utterly impulsive Guy do
when he comes across a majestic experiment animal that soon
becomes his best friend? And what about his brother's
controversial treatment? And most of all, can one child
really deal with all that?

I was quite fond of Borderline, especially the
highlighting of controversy- from Austin's autism treatment
to the experiments on wolves. Rozanski's writing style was
masterful with emotion. I could feel Guy's frustration,
excitement, irritation with every word. I found it a
page-turner from the first word; I could hardly put it down.
Although it moved a little slow in some places, it moved at
a relatively good speed. However, I was surprised at the
personality of the mother, Mrs. Ritter. She was almost
unrealistically uncaring and paranoid- although I suppose
that having an autistic son can do that to you. The
character development of some of the secondary characters
could have been more thorough. However, overall, I loved the
book; which was an achievement- because normally, angst
annoys me.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age:13

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

Right Behind You

Right Behind You, by Gail Giles, is a book about a kid named
Kip McFarland. When he was only nine years old he set Bobby
Clarke on fire. Bobby was Kip's neighbor, and it was his
birthday, so Bobby went over to brag about his new baseball
glove. Instead, he started to brag about how he had a mom
and Kip didn't. When Kip was little his mom got very sick
and died. So, instead of just getting pleasure laughing at
Kip, Bobby set him on fire. Three days later Bobby died in
the hospital. Kip was sent to a mental hospital, where he
stayed for four years. When Kip left the hospital, his
shrink told him about a hungry ghost. Kip didn't understand
at the time that the hungry ghost was seeking for the truth.
It was ready to tell his secret at anytime.
So, to keep Kip's secret he changes his name to Wade and
moves to Indiana.
There Kip, now known as Wade, starts a new life. Even though
he is making friends and playing sports, Kip still feels he
has to let his secret loose. Will Kip tell who he really is,
or will he keep it bottled up forever?

Gail Giles, the author of Right Behind You, wrote a book
that has lessons and realistic problems. This book is about
more than a kid who was a murderer, it's about lessons. The
lessons were on guilt, decisions and trust. The author wrote
the book on these three main priorities. That's what makes
this book so interesting and realistic because these are
priorities in life as well.
Right Behind You is a page turner, it makes you feel as if
you were right there watching. The mood seems more like
anger and depression, which is the way the characters felt
most of the time. I really liked this book and thought it
was amazing. I would recommend this book to anyone who is
interested in a book on realistic fiction.

It has a lot of inappropriate language and mentions sex a
couple of times.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Reviewer Age:13

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

Haunted America

Did you know that along with a Bloody Mary, there lived a
real-life Bloody Polly? Did you know that not ALL the
residents at the White House are alive? Did you know that
not all ghosts are mean, but most like to play tricks?
Haunted America is a chilling collection of stories you
wouldn't want to read in the dark. These tales are all from
the 50 states of America and some provinces in Canada.

Though the book had some very interesting stories inside,
such as Bloody Polly, I believe the book lacked
spine-tingling tales. Most of the stories were of ghosts
turning on and off lights and scaring people half to death.
The book was a bit slow, especially closer to the middle of
the book. There weren't any main characters in the book, so
if you are looking for a story about a child who finds a
ghost, I would not suggest this book. On the bright side,
this book does have some stories that will keep you
quivering the entire time you read.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 4

This book is a little scary for some children.

Reviewer Age:14

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

Lucky

Jenny Humphrey has attended some crazy parties at Waverly
Academy, but none as hot as the bash at Miller farm, where
the antique red barn went up in flames. Literally. So when
Dean Marymount announces that someone is going to be held
responsible and expelled from Waverly, it's every owl for
himself--and herself. Tensions are rising, rumors are
spreading, and pretty soon everyone is a suspect. Jenny is
worried about her adorable, shaggy-haired new crush, Julian,
whose silver engraved Tiffany lighter was found at the scene
of the crime. Callie is petrified she and Easy will get
kicked out, because they were in the barn--together--when
the blaze began. And Tinsley knows she'll take the heat for
organizing the wild soir￩e in the first place. Luckily
she's come up with a crafty way to keep from getting in
trouble: by blaming Jenny. Of course. After all, Waverly's
girls always fight fire with fire. But watch out,
ladies--in a battle like this, someone's bound to get burned.

Lucky was an awesome book. I loved every minute of it
and couldn't put it down. From page one, I was immediately
drawn in and engrossed in the storyline. I really liked the
plot because it was different from other books I have read
and captured my full attention. The characters, all unique
and interesting in their own ways, were very easy to relate
to, and I honestly felt like I was right there in the book
with them. I loved how each chapter was a different
character's point of view, which allowed me to know what was
really going on and what everyone was thinking and feeling.
I have read all of the other It Girl books, and can say
Lucky was another wonderful book to add to my collection.
The only problem with this book is that if you hadn't
read the other books in the series first, you'd be very lost
reading Lucky, and would have no clue what was going on. I
really, really loved this amazing page turner. If possible,
I'd give it a twelve out of ten!!
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10

This book contained language, sexual material, and
underage drinking.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country:
Leopold, MO USA

Primavera

14-year-old Flora is the last daughter of the Pazzi,
though she is hardly treated like one. While her older
brothers and sister live a life of luxury, she waits on them
like a servant. Determined not having to live at a
convent, Flora devises a plan to win her parents' approval.
But soon she must throw everything away in an attempt to
save her family's and her dear friend Emilio's lives. As
everything she loves is stripped away from her, Flora must
go into hiding to save herself. All she can do is cling on
to the hope that her only family member left, her brother
Andrea, will live long enough for her to see him once again.

Set in the Italian Renaissance, Primavera is a
story of growing up, living out your dreams, and finding
true love. It is written in first person, but unlike some
books I've read in that point of view, I didn't feel like I
was the main character. One thing I did enjoy about the
setup was that most of the book was one big flashback, which
made it much easier to understand. I found the first half of
the book rather boring. The main character was vain and
self-centered which made the tone of the story a little
whiny. However, as the book progressed there was more
action, the main character matured, and the plot became more
meaningful. I absolutely loved the ending! It was totally
unexpected and made me feel like the time I spent reading
the book was worthwhile. I would recommend Primavera to
teens who like historical fiction mixed in with a little bit
of action and romance.


Rating (0 - 10 scale): 7

Reviewer Age:13

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

Time to Smell the Roses

In the little town of Pinchester, a watch making mouse,
Hermux Tantamoq is happily waiting for his wedding to arrive.
When Hermux is in Thorny End he meets Reezor Blossom, a
mouse who is hosting a huge party, to show off his locally
grown roses. In the process, strange bees appear, and a
squirrel shows up dead on a beach. Tucka Merslin, a super
spokes model squirrel, wants to become a huge fashion
diva/squirrel, and tries many ways to succeed, so she can
dominate the makeup and fashion industry. Another mouse,
Androse DeRosenquill is trying to find his long, lost son
for his company, DeRosenquill & Son. All of the characters
fight their battles in what some would call the will to
survive.

Time to Smell the Roses, is thrilling and intense, a new
mystery Animal Farm, with less politics. Michael Hoeye has
captured the spirits of animals and heavily stuffed them
into the lives of humans. A murder case, missing person(s),
it could not be better! You need some time to adjust,
because it is a bit confusing with all the characters. This
is a definite page-turner. Join their mystery!
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Some violent murders, and violent situations.

Reviewer Age:11

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

A war of Gifts

This novel is a short science fiction story designed mainly
to entertain. The book is short and an easy read. It was a
fairly serious story, but it has a few touching and sweet
parts. It is set in the Ender series that Orson Scott Card
created, probably in the middle of Ender's Game. In the
book, a boy named Zeck is taken from his abusive
Fundamentalist Christian family into Battle School due to
his amazing memory. War, however, is against his pacifist
views, but religion is against the rules at Battle School.
He still refuses to participate in the mock battles.
Therefore, he is shunned by his fellow students, who are all
being trained to become soldiers. He ends up in Rat Army
with Dink and Ender. When the students rebel by giving
holiday gifts, Zeck is confronted with the truth about his
family and the holidays.

This book is a decent, but not nearly as good as Card's
other Ender novels. To read this book, you need to have
read at least Ender's Game, the first book in the Ender
series. Otherwise, none of the characters or the settings
will make sense. Even if you have read the series as I
have, the book is a disappointment. It is not nearly as
good as any of Card's other novels. I would recommend
reading it only if you are an avid Ender fan and must read
every story about Ender. The plot is only mediocre and the
story is too short to fully develop the few interesting
characters. It is basically a Christmas and holiday story
using the characters in the Ender universe.

This novel has some violence and abuse. Zeke's father
beats him and there is a mildly violent fight between Zeke
and Ender. Also, there are also some anti-Fundamentalist
Christian aspects and pro-Christianity aspects of the story,
so it is partially faith-based.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 5

Reviewer Age:14

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

Dinosaurs

As the title suggests, this book is about dinosaurs - all
kinds of them. From oviraptorosaurs (egg-thieves) to
tyrannosaur's (tyrant dinosaurs), the book provides
interesting facts about numerous categories of dinosaurs.
There are also articles written by expert paleontologists,
and each page is loaded with colorful illustrations. But it
doesn't stop here. There are also chapters about geology,
paleontology, fossilization, and more. Instead of presenting
blunt facts, this book tells interesting stories and is
full of information. This book can amuse people of all
ages.

Not only is this book packed with information, but
it also offers perspectives from many paleontologists. In
fact, over 23 paleontologists contributed toward the book,
and it is really enjoyable to read from them. This is not
one of the regular dinosaur encyclopedias where the book
just lists each dinosaur name and gives its features.
Instead, this book groups some species into one (such as
stegosaurus). And for each chapter, the author presents
colorful information, such as stories, pictures,
interesting behaviors, etc. In addition, there are
information about geology, geography, paleontology, and much
more. You won't be bored with dry, boring facts with this
book!
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and
Country: Urbana, IL USA

Dinosaurs by Thomas R. Holtz Jr.

As the title suggests, this book is about dinosaurs - all kinds of them. From oviraptorosaurs (egg-thieves) to tyrannosauroids (tyrant dinosaurs), the book provides interesting facts about numerous categories of dinosaurs. There are also articles written by expert paleotologists, and each page is loaded with colorful illustrations. But it doesn't stop here. There are also chapters about geology, paleotology, fossilization, and more. Instead of presenting blunt facts, this book tells interesting stories and is full of information. This book can amuse people of all ages.

Not only is this book packed with information, but it also offers perspectives from many paleontologists. In fact, over 23 paleontologists contributed toward the book, and it is really enjoyable to read from them. This is not one of the regular dinosaur encyclopedia where the book just lists each dinosaur name and gives its features. Instead, this book groups some species into one (such as stegosaurs). And for each chapter, the author presents colorful information, such as stories, pictures, interesting behaviors, etc. In addition, there are information about geology, geography, paleotology, and much more. You won't be bored with dry, boring facts with this book!

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

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