King Lear by Gareth Hinds

King Lear is a tale about a king who is slowly descending into madness. The King decides to divide his kingdom between his three daughters, but instead of splitting the kingdom equally, Lear uses a more unique way. Lear tells his daughters whoever loves him the most will get the largest part of the kingdom. Goneril and Regan both tell their father that they love him more than anything in the world, while Cordelia answers the question honestly, enraging her father. The stage is now set for the schemes and plotting for old King Lear's throne.

Shakespeare's plays are hard to read as normal plays. Reading King Lear in graphic novel format was much easier. Even though some of the speeches were shortened in the novel, it still had the Shakespearen feel. The artwork in King Lear is rather stunning. It shows the setting and reflects King Lear's state of mind. It is also easy to identify characters by the colors given to them in their clothing. I feel that reading King Lear is much easier to read in this format than reading it from a book.

Reviewer Age:14
Brownsburg, Indiana USA

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger is a new and unique twist on a typical ghost story. The story begins with the death of Elspeth, who is involved with Robert, a graduate student living in the apartment downstairs from her. Elspeth is estranged from her sister, Edie. Edie has two twin daughters, Julia and Valentina, who have been left Elspeth's apartment in London; but only on the condition that they live in it for one year before they sell it and they must not let their parents enter the premises. When the girls arrive in London they meet a colourful cast of characters: Martin who suffers from OCD and whose wife has recently left him, and Robert, Elspeth's former lover who works in the cemetery across the street. As the story unfolds, Elspeth returns to her apartment as a ghost and the lives of those living in the apartment become deeply entangled.

I found this book extraordinarily interesting and readable. The novel changes points of view to include most of the major characters. Each character had a distinct voice and poignant emotions that pulled the reader deep into the story. The reader always feels connected to each character and sympathetic to their problems. There are several big twists in the story, always shocking and unexpected. Niffenegger writes stunningly as she did in The Time Traveller's Wife. Fans of that novel will most certainly enjoy this one as, while the plot is very different (although just as unique), has the same feel to the writing. The reader feels as if they happen to live in the same apartment building as the cast of the story and are right there in London, experiencing everything. The London that Niffenegger describes is vivid and real. I highly recommend this novel to both lovers of realistic fiction and fantasy. It is excellently written and thoroughly enjoyable. A must read for any reader.

While there is no explicit content, the novel deals with some mature topics.

Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: San Diego, California USA

Free Fall

Basically, FREE FALL is about a high school boy named Luke. He's a fencer, not the best student, and is looking for a college that will accept him. A new boy shows up and isn't being very nice to Luke's best friend, Hayden. (He's a fencer too). But it turns out he's does fencing as well. At this school, there is an unofficial initiation ceremony. The new fencers have to jump of a cliff into the lake. Luke and Hayden take Russell to the cliff. When Russell chickens out, he and Hayden get in an argument and Hayden ends up pushing Russell OFF THE CLIFF! So now Luke has to figure out what to say at the impending court trial. What's the right thing to say? What about Hayden? Can Luke stay true to himself?

It was an interesting read, but it was hard to tell who was telling the story. Sometimes it sounded like the character was talking and sometimes it sounded like someone else was telling the story. I think it should have been in the main character's point of view. All in all, I wasn't that fond of this book. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. It would have been better if the main character wasn't such a whiner.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Sandy, Oregon US of A

Runaway Storm by D. E. Knobbe

Nathan is a runaway even though life isn’t too terrible for him. He has parents who care, but when their separation drives Nathan’s heart apart, he decides to steal his father’s kayak to fulfill his life dream. He kayaks day and night, battling rough storms and violent drug smugglers; meeting runaway friends along the way. Danger lurks in every corner in the uncharted string of islands off of San Juan, and the need for food, water, and safety is vital at this desperate point in Nathan’s life. Can he save himself and the Goth girl who saved his life? Or will he die trying?

I was very enthralled with Runaway Storm by D.E. Knobbe. It was very good, an easy read, although it was more of a leisurely read than an edge-of-your-seat thriller. I would recommend this book to any teenager who would like an informative and highly likable plot. Runaway Storm includes very good detail and action scenes that portray very believable scenarios. At the end of the book I was gripped with suspense and worry; tensions ran high I loved the elaborate detail, and was pleasantly surprised.

large amounts of swearing and graphic situations
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Osseo, Wisconsin United States

I So Don't Do Spooky by Barrie Summy

The book I So Don't Do Spooky by Barrie Summy is about a girl named Sherry who has a ghost for a mom. Sherry's mom died a couple of years ago and came back as a ghost, and Sherry's stepmom is a teacher at Sherry's school. When Sherry went to a meeting with her real mom and the head ghost, the head ghost told her that her stepmom has a stalker. In order for her to be able to keep in contact with her mom and feel safe again, Sherry must find and turn in the stalker . On the same day she got roses from somebody . . . who wasn't her boyfriend (and she needs to find out who the flowers are from). Can Sherry do it all and stay alive to tell the tale? Read this enchanting mystery to find out!

This book was very interesting, and it gave me lots of details. I like books that I can picture in my head and feel like I'm in it, and this book let me do that. As a character, Sherry was very realistic(except for the fact she can speak to her ghost mom) and she was almost always worried about something. Compared with other mysteries I have read before, like Sherlock Holmes or Nancy Drew, this one wasn't as intriguing as the others. I learned from this book nothing is ever as it seems, and I believe this statement with all of my heart. Overall, I recommend this book to teens and young adults for entertainment reading, for it will fill you with laughter and sadness, like any good book should.

Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Fresno, California USA

X-Men: Misfits by Raina Telgemeier

This book is about a girl named Kitty Pryde who has been tying to keep the fact that she's a mutant. She eventually finds out about and attends a school for other kids like her called Xavier. She thought that attending a school where the kids are like her would make her feel like less of an outcast. She turns out to be wrong. She soon finds out that she's the only girl attending school there. This causes many complications through out the book.

I was disappointed in this book because of a few reasons. The first reason is that it's a graphic novel. Another reason is that it's completely different from the x-men origins movies, which I really like. The characters aren't even in the movie. It also doesn't have a lot of reading to it. It's mostly pictures. I also found the way it was written confusing. It seemed like you had to look at the pictures to understand what was going on, but it still didn't always make sense.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Cedar Grove, IN U.S.

The Singing by Alison Croggon

As the final installment to Alison Croggon's Pellinor series The Singing finishes up Maerad's story. Maerad and Hem must find each other after many troubles and a long separation. For this last book Maerads must finally understand her feelings towards her trustworthy man. Also, she has now to defeat the Nameless One, the only problem being she only has one part of the Treesong; which will aid her to victory. All this blended into an exciting adventure and romance tale.


This book, The Singing was hard to read because each book was published with a long period of time in-between. Therefore, readers should start from the beginning of the series in order to fully comprehend what is going on. I think that in this last book there were many exciting parts. There were well written sections, which was one of the reasons I loved this series, with strong description. Overall I felt like they were mashed together and the whole story didn't come together until the epilogue. Although I loved the first book (The Naming), this last one made me feel like the story was lost in a tumble of words.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Brewster, N.Y U.S

Sisteric92 (Meg) by Cheryl Dellasega

When Cara's eating disorders get out of hand her adoptive family gets upset.
Meg, Cara's half sister, thinks Cara's T2P2 (The Totally Perfect Person) that is until Cara's losing weight and is hiding something. Meg realizes Cara's not the fastest swimmer on the swim team; in fact she's the slowest. Soon Cara's skinny as a skeleton and is never herself. She's taken to the doctors and then quickly admitted to the hospital. While in the hospital she starts eating again but as soon as she gets home she doesn't eat a thing. Cara then goes out to Arizona to a nice faculty where she meets new friends, but returns bulimic. Meg tries to help but nothing works and even worse she finds figures out something that changes her life.

Sistrsic92 is a good book because it faces you with reality. It describes a girl's life as she watches her older half sister starve herself. This book is written in a blog enteries. I would reccommend this book to middle-age girls who like reality and a well written novel. This book has many great, enjoyable real life happenings.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Fairborn, Ohio USA

Hourglass by Claudia Gray

When Bianca and Lucas escape the vampire school known as Evernight, they hide out with the vampire hunters of Black Cross. When Bianca joins Black Cross she has to keep her vampire bloodline a secret. While in New York, a Black Cross headquarters is attacked by the vampires of Evernight, and her vampire friend, Balthazar, is captured and taken prisoner. Lucas and Bianca try to help Balthazar and soon Bianca’s secret is discovered, which forces Lucas and Bianca to escape from Black Cross. Soon, Bianca starts becoming weaker and weaker and she has to make a decision that will change her life forever.

Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down for a minute. I found the plot very interesting. I was always guessing about what would happen next. Hourglass, by Claudia Gray, is full of drama, romance, and suspense that make the book spectacular. This book will leave readers craving for a sequel. I recommend it to all vampire fans.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Enon, Ohio, United States

Werewolf Dreams by Maria Anderson

Werewolf Dreams is a book about a teenage werewolf, named Seamus Sullivan, who spends his life dedicated to the New City police force. Seamus takes many risks as a police officer, seeing as he's really a werewolf and not just your every day cop. But all is not well, Someone is onto Seamus and his furry little secret. Lyman Newlin a previously famous reporter for the New City Chronicle has written an article about Seamus questioning how he can time and time again escape from danger unharmed. This leads Seamus's Captain to put him on the night shift, just until things cool down and this reporter forgets about everthing, that is. Little does the Captain know that by doing this he may have set Seamus up for his...well shall we just say that Seamus is going to have a little run in with destiny and it might just bite back.

Werewolf Dreams stands well against the many supernatural books that are out there to be read. I have read many werewolf themed books but this one gave new life to the Genre, there is pretty much everything in Werewolf dreams; action, romance, comedy and just a little bit of the unknown.
While reading this book I became drawn into the world that Maria Anderson has created, she not only gave life to unique characters, but she created a whole new world in which they live in.

This book is fairly easy to read, and you will have no trouble fallowing the plot. Although there is action and a touch a violence in this book, it is all written very well and there was never a point where I found it to be overwelming.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about werewolves, finding romance, destiny, and of course some fighting scenes.

Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: North Oaks, Minnesota USA

Saved by the Music by Selene Castrovilla

Saved by the music was about a fifteen year old girl named
Willow. Her mom kicks her out of the house for the summer,
so she has to go live with her aunt. Her aunt is making an
ugly coffee boat into a chamber music concert hall. And so
it begins. Willows struggle to lose weight, to find
friends, to live. She thinks it's impossible. The only
good thing about this place is Axel, the tall, sad
Shakespeare loving (and dare I say very very handsome) boy
who lives in a boat near Willow's. She tries to flirt
with him in her straight forward way on the first day she
meets him. When it doesn't work out with him, however, she
turns to Craig, the leery, stupid, piggy construction
worker whom her aunt hired to help her on the boat. As her
and Axel's relationship grows, so does her need for a
friend. When something awful happens to Willow, will Axel
stand by her? Find this out and more in Saved By The
Music.

I loved this book. It was the kind of read that
makes you laugh and cry out loud. I felt as though I was
part of the story as I read this 280 page book in one
sitting. Towards the end of the book, Axel does something
really stupid and I sobbed my heart out. When Willow
finally becomes happy I felt touched in the soul. This
book made all the emotions of the characters flow to you,
and I guarantee you won't be able to put it down.

Sexual Content, including rape
Crude Language

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State
and Country: Exeter, NH USA

Eragon's Guide to Alagaesia by Christopher Paolini

Eragon's Guide to Alagaesia is difficult to summarize, proving not so much a novel with a distinct storyline as a compilation of information on Alagaesia, catalogued by Christopher Paolini through the nom de plume of Eragon Shadeslayer. The encyclopedia is divided into several main parts, each of which is further subdivided. For example, Alagaesia is divided into Landscape, Natural History, and History. Excluding these, an abundance of pages is devoted to the predominant and exclusive races of the continent, namely the Dragons, Elves, Humans, and Dwarves. The most important cities of each race are also highlighted, detailed, and pictured through beautifully penciled maps and vistas. The author also includes a variety of interesting, divergent information, such as notable plants and cultural characteristics, all presented through the same flowing script and excellent illustrations.

As Eragon's Guide to Alagaesia proves not a distinct, plot-driven addition to the Eragon compendium, but rather an anthology of its various characteristics, the preponderance of this review will focus on the quality of the medium, and the multiplicity of the information provided. Unforunately, much of the information provided in the collection has already been represented in the Eragon novels, and there is very little information to discern for an experienced reader. However, for a reader who chanced upon the novels, found their lengthy prefaces insufficient in intricacy, and thirsted for the finer minutiae of the Eragon universe, Eragon's Guide to Alaga￫sia would serve as an excellent tool of reference. Furthermore, for all but the most hard-core of Paolini followers, Eragon's Guide to Alagaesia is an excellent compression of the cultural and historical frameworks of the previous novels between two covers, a useful volume to refresh one's memory while awaiting a new book, and an interesting reserve of wordage upon which to salivate while eyeing the main course. The quality of the presentation is, if possible, of even higher standards than Paolini's writing, consisting of a hardcover, textured manuscript and a plethora of subtle touches that together comprise an excellent addition to Paolini's authorial catalogue. Clearly, Paolini had no expense spared, as gorgeous ink illustrations, three-dimensional projections, and well-crafted commentary coalesce to flesh out the world of Alagaesia with all of its vivid, glorious perturbations and points of inflection. Indeed, after extensive perusal only one minor area of improvement could be identified, and concerned the rendering of a single map of Alagaesia, in which areas of blotchiness were identified. However, this might have been a deliberate technique by the artist to contrast draw distances and emphasize the height and size of various monuments. Overall, Eragon's Guide to Alagaesia serves as an excellent archetype of the key constituents necessary in molding a well-crafted, high quality supplement to a series while retaining its edge of interest and appeal.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Shrewsbury, MA USA

Melonhead by Katy Kelly

Melonhead is a story about a ten year old boy named Adam Melon, who can't help himself from getting into mischief. It is a book full of adventures with Adam and his best friend Sam. The two friends decide to enter the Challenge America invention contest together at school. While they are trying to create the best invention, they manage to get into a little trouble along the way.

Adam and Sam learned a very important lesson in Melonhead. They learned you should not keep secrets from your parents because it just leads to trouble, like when Adam hid a pet snake in his bedroom and it got loose in the house!

Melonhead was funny. I laughed outloud when I was reading it. If you want a good laugh, read Melonhead, for sure.


I liked Melonhead. I thought it was funny, but not the funniest book I have ever read. Alvin Ho was the funniest.

It did remind me that keeping secrets from your parents is not a good thing. And you should always ask before bringing pets into the house.

I liked reading about all of the inventions. I learned that I could reinvent things also.

I liked the ending because after all their hard work and ideas, they made something really useful and won the contest.

Reviewer Age:7
Reviewer City, State and Country: Phoenix, MD United States

A Real Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

Science, to many school-aged children, seems boring and difficult. Most do not realize how extremely important and amazing it really is. Bryson explored many different topics ranging from the birth of the universe to dinosaurs and many others. From his point of view, the Big Bang was the start of the universe, and it only took one ten-millionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second to happen. Another explored topic was Newton and his laws of motion. Incorporating silly cartoon pictures and stories, Bill Bryson gives a rather detailed but short history of the science of the world.

My favorite subject to study is science. I am always asking "why" and "how." For any science lover, A Really Short History of Nearly Everything is perfect. Bryson writes in a humorous manner, but he is extremely informative. I love the book's organization and how there are countless pictures and extra pieces of information on the sides of pages. The vocabulary fits perfectly with the subject matter, and unfamiliar terms are defined finely. The book covers many different aspects of science and does so fluently. The only thing that I would improve about the book is making it longer or having "part-two"!

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Carlisle, Pennsylvania United States of America

Band of Acadians by John Skelton

Nola is about to embark on a journey along with about fifty other boys and girls. The young teenagers and children were given a plan to follow from their parents; they must escape Grand Pr￩ and make their way to Fort Louisbourg. The British are invading Acadia during the Seven Years' War and are determined to bring down any Acadians who support the French. Nola and the others must face hostile weather and conditions while trying to survive. Is the group going to succeed in escaping from the British and ensuring the survival of Grand Pr￩ Acadians?

I have just taken AP European History, and the course made me interested in the plot of Band of Acadians. I already knew the history of the Seven Years' War, and this book expanded my knowledge. Though the story is fictional, the behaviors of the British and Acadians are accurate. As soon as I began the book, however, I noticed that the dialogue was unrealistic. People don't speak the way that the dialogue was written, but that was the books only drawback. It was a quick and decent book to read. I recommend Band of Acadians to any reader interested in European or Canadian history.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Carlisle, Pennsylvania United States of America

Demon Inside by Stacia Kane

Ever hear a voice whispering in your ear, telling you to do something that you know is wrong? The little voice is a demon, something that everyone has; everyone but psychologist Megan Chase: she killed hers when she was 16. Years later, Megan is now in charge of her own group of demons, though things start becoming horribly wrong when her demons start to explode, along with demons from other families. Megan also discovers a horrifying secret that links her present to a problem in the past. To top it all off, Megan's demon boyfriend, Greyson Dante, is driving her wild, but will not share what he knows about the issue with Megan's past. Can Megan sort everything out and still emerge from the ordeal unscathed?

I thought the novel was enjoyable. Even though most of the main characters were demons, they were still easy to relate with. Also, the author describes the settings as scenarios throughout the novel in great detail, which makes it easier for the reader to understand what is going on and to "see" what is going on in their head. The main plot line is original, and the added touch of romance between Megan and Greyson adds depth to the novel. The story was somewhat confusing at the beginning because it is a sequel; however, within the first 1 or 2 chapters, the author explains what happened in the first novel, which makes the novel much easier to understand and to follow.

Violent scenes and sexual situations.

Reviewer Age: 16

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

Digital Revolutionaries by Steve Lohr

"Digital Revolutionaries: The Men and Women who Brought
Computing To Life" by Steve Lohr is an informative book
about computers for children. It chronicles the history
of computers, from the very large to the very small. Many
facts are given; timelines and newspaper articles are
pasted into the book, too. Biographies of the so-called
revolutionaries are given briefly. Most of the
information is on well-known computer companies and
devices that readers should be somewhat familiar with.


This book reads like a documentary narration, and it is
very simple. Young readers may get excited by it, but
older readers will feel the book is a bit too slow-paced.
Some science behind computers is given, but it is watered-
down to some degree. Overall, this New York Times book
does its job of giving an introduction to the faces behind
the computer revolution. This book would be best suited
for youngsters with no knowledge of computers
whatsoever.

Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State
and Country: Staten Island, NY USA

Amelia Earhart by Lori Van Pelt

"Amelia Earhart: The Sky's No Limit" by Lori Van Pelt is a
biography in the American Heroes series. It chronicles
about ten years of Amelia Earhart's life; other facts
about her life are there, but the majority focuses on her
flying years. The book expounds on Earhart's journey into
the world of flight, her obstacles, her family, her drama,
and, ultimately, her fame. It sheds light on the woman
behind the cockpit that many are so familiar with, and
offers a glimpse into her world. Many quotations are
given directly from primary sources, as well as strikingly
accurate descriptions.

Apart from most biographies, this
book is written in a novel form, reading like a story.
There isn't any dialog or twisting of information to make
it historical fiction. There are just the facts on the
pages that flow with an ease one would not expect.
Additionally, every now and then, there are timelines
inserted to recap flight history. As for the descriptions
of the planes and flight mechanics, Pelt writes these in a
very perfunctory manner without boring the reader, which
is a feat in itself. This historical book will make
readers get lost in the pages, especially those partial to
aeronautics.

Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Staten Island, NY USA

Kitchen Princess: Search for the Angel Cake by Miyuki Kobayashi

Najika is a teenage girl with an extraordinary talent for baking. While catering for a party for a fellow classmate, she discovers her friend's grandmother was a friend of her deceased parents. Najika's parents, before their tragic accident, promised the grandmother that they would recreate a cake that the woman had tasted in her childhood in another country. Now that Najika's parents are gone, she is determined to find the mysterious cake recipe for the old woman. The only problem is she is left with so little clues.

Kitchen Princess: Search for the Angel Cake is a companion novel to the Manga, Kitchen Princess, so therefore if a person has not read the series, it could be quite hard to understand the story plot. The story is also Japanese, so readers must keep in mind the cultural differences that differ between the East and the West. Getting past that, this was a lighthearted, absorbing read that made me want to jump up onto my feet and start baking. In between chapters, there were easy instructional visual directions on how to make desserts that were prepared in the book, including a scrumptious Angel Food Cake that I made myself! This book would be for a younger age group (9-11) and does not have complicated vocabulary, but it kept me thoroughly interested.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Lake Bluff, Il The United States of America

Timelock by David Klass

Timelock by David Klass, is a book that fuses both the future and the past together. A boy named Jack is the Prince of Dann in a future world. His parents sent him back in time to our present-day with a set of legal guardians, in hopes that he will save the future world. There are many sacrifices that the royal family made to save the grim future. But will they be enough?

Timelock is the third book of the Caretaker Trilogy. If you ask me it was fairly easy to follow, but they did refer to the previous written books on numerous occasions. If you plan on reading this book, I'd suggest reading the first two books to get the full emotional impact.

Since the book was written in past and present tense the author did divide the book into different parts. Personally I found the reading too choppy in the present tense, which was how the majority of the book was written. Also, certain parts were a little too cheesy for me. It was definitely not my favorite book. That being said I have to commend the author for the wonderful fight scenes. These scenes were the only ones that I liked in present tense. The fights had a perfect balance--weren't too bloody-gory, and yet I felt involved. The scenes were also vividly captured and to the point.

This book took me over three weeks to read, because I kept putting it down and didn't want to pick it up again. It needed suspense to propel the book forward.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Libertyville, IL United States