Forest Born by Shannon Hale

Rin thinks there's something incredibly wrong with her, something that makes her bad. She's felt this way ever since she compelled two people to do things they didn't want to. When her brother Razo visits from the city, she travels back with him, hoping to find peace. She becomes a lady-in-waiting to the queen and sometimes tends her son, Tusken. However, a possible war causes her to help Queen Isi of Bayern, Dasha, and Enna, the Fire Sisters, when they journey to the country of Kel, which seems to be the source of the war.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought that the tree-speaking ability seemed quite interesting and the plot was pretty good. I still think that I enjoyed Shannon Hale's The Goose Girl a bit more, but Forest Born was still excellent. The characters were believable and real, as were the issues they faced. There are unexpected plot twists that make the book quite suspenseful. I would definitely recommend this book to any fans of Shannon Hale. I can't wait for her next book

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Charleston, SC US

Flags of the World by Sylvie Bednar

Flags of the world are more than just colorful displays. They show pride for their nations and have history and backgrounds to them. Independence is shown through the flag as a symbol; the colors of many flags relate to their freedom and beliefs. Common traits are found in many flags because of similar histories of the countries. Why do the flags of the Northern European countries have crosses on them? Why are the flags of North and South Korea so different? By learning the backgrounds of the flags of the world, one will find that many of the countries' traits are displayed with pride.

Flags of the World is nicely bound and put together. The quality of the appearance of the book along with its illustrations and information make it wonderful. Each country, for the most part, has information accompanying its flag. Some of the flags are rather dull, but I learned a lot about world history by reading this book. I could connect some details of the history with classes in school, and it enhanced my studies. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in cultures, travel, or is taking any history class.

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

Qualities of Light by Mary Carroll Moore

Molly Fisher and her brother, Sammy, take a ride out on a boat one morning. An incident occurs which puts Sammy into a coma. After this, Molly's life spirals out of control. She reaches out to her parents for help, but they keep their own grief from hers. Now, Molly spends most her time in the hospital, waiting for her brother to wake up. When she goes out one night she meets Zoe. Zoe is fun, beautiful, and has taken an interest in Molly. As Molly and Zoe spend more and more time together Molly has to wonder if Zoe is just looking for friendship...or maybe something more.

Qualities of Light will keep you wondering what's going to happen next. I think that the author, Mary Carroll Moore, did a wonderful job expressing her ideas in the plot. She used great detail and her descriptions helped me picture the setting very well. Qualities of Light was filled with many emotions. It made me feel as if I were a one of the characters. It is a wonderful novel and I recommend it to any young-adult reader who enjoys romance novels.

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

Deep in the Heart of High School by Veronica Goldbach

The book Deep in the Heart of High School is about a girl named Vanna, who just moved to Sam Antonio, from Plano. Back in Plano she was popular and had a popular boyfriend. Then her Mom left her Dad and everything changed. Vanna meets two girls named Fatima Garcia and Oliva Silverstein. They become friends right away. And together they help each other through the hardships of being freshmen in high school.

In the beginning, the transition between characters can be a little confusing. But keep with it because it works itself out as u get to know them. I like this book because I can relate to it in many ways. I relate because the main characters Fatima, Vanna, and Oliva are in band, as am I. I enjoyed the way of thinking about the hierarchy of the band sections. I also related because I am a freshman this year as well. I think this is a very good book and I recommend it.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Mishawaka, Indiana USA

Seeing Red by Anne Louise MacDonald

Frankie Uccello is an average kid, in fact, in his opinion, he is a little too average. Until the night when Frankie has a dream, a red dream. Frankie dreams of a red rider falling off of a horse, it may be his best friend Tim. Frankie has been having these "color dreams" since he was young. These dreams are always of something that happens to occur in the next few days. At first, he refuses to believe that he can dream the future, that would be crazy, right? But after the events of the red dream, he can no longer deny that he can in fact dream the future. Although he doesn't believe in these dreams at first, Frankie knows he had to protect Tim, so he asks when his next horse show is. Tim tells him the season has already ended, and Frankie is relieved, but later that night Frankie finds out his father has signed him up to help an autistic kid that he baby-sits, ride horses. There is one small problem with this, Frankie is terrified of horses. For the sake of his friend, he agrees to go to the riding lesson. Here he encounters Weird Maura-Lee, an odd girl from his class that he avoids at all costs. After a few encounters at the barn with Maura-Lee, and the few times Maura-Lee helped Frankie out with an injured bird that he finds, they find that they may actually have something in common. Sure there are rumors that Maura-Lee can read minds, but until now Frankie hasn't believed them. Maura-Lee has a special talent just like Frankie. Soon they find out that Frankie once dreamed of Maura-Lee's house burning down when they were both young. Frankie had tried to do something to stop this, but no one would listen. Maura-Lee is very upset at first, but their friendship makes it through this. Frankie stands up for his friendship with Maura-Lee, despite what others have labeled her. In the end, Frankie and Maura-Lee remain friends, Maura-Lee make some friends of her own, while also strengthening her relationship with her father.

This book is a great example of how two of the most different people can become friends. I would definitely recommend this book to children of the ages 9-13. It is a great book that can teach young readers a lot.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Charleston, West Virginia United States of America

Elissa's Odyssey by Erica Verrillo

After defeating the wretched Khan, Elissa sets out on an unforgettable journey, which will take her from Alhamazar to Gravesport by way of a swamp to find her father and her lost friends Maya and Gertrude. Elissa boards the Swamp Maiden where she meets a lively crew of jolly sailors. Along the way she encounters many unique experiences and even rescues a Count with a dark past from the brink of death. Throughout her journey, Elissa ponders a few important questions such as: will she be reunited with her father and her two best friends, and will she figure out who the other four Gifted ones are that Om Chai entrusted her with locating? Elissa will have to learn to control her strength-gaining powers before they control her if she wants to complete her daunting mission and set things right in the world.

I really enjoyed Elissa's Odyssey by the aspiring author Erica Verrillo. This was definitely much better than the first novel in the trilogy and it really set this trilogy in flight. It was really interesting and had good humor. The plot was really well written and kept my attention astonishingly. There was a good use of words and foreshadowing. The action was plentiful and well played. This trilogy was continued very well and it got better as the story went on. It was very suspenseful and had me wanting more. I am greatly looking forward to reading the next book called World's End to see how Elissa's story will end. The new characters that were introduced were very interesting and unique from one another. They were fairly well described but I would've like a little more description of the characters though because at times they were hard to picture. There were a lot of surprises scattered all across the pages throughout the novel. The ending was spectacular and had me guessing about what was yet to come. The beginning started off a little slow and was slightly boring but once more of the plot and the events started to unfold the story was very intriguing and captivating. The author definitely impressed me with this novel and highly surpassed my expectations. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author and I definitely recommend Elissa's Odyssey, which is book two of the Phoenix Rising Trilogy.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg, PA USA

Shadowfae by Erica Hayes

Jade is a succubus owned by a demon named Kane. She spends her nights sucking the souls his enemies and whatever else he has in mind for her. When Jade tries to find her freedom, she finds herself working with Rajah, an incubus who is also owned by Kane. Rajah is also looking for his freedom, making him an enemy to Jade as well as and enchanting lover. When Jade realizes that they both need the same thing to reach their freedom, she must make a choice: gain her freedom or stay in hell so Rajah can be free.

Shadowfae, by Erica Hayes, was an okay book. I didn't think there was much a story line really. It was more of a book of seduction than the adventure/romance I thought it would be. I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone.

This book was rated as a young adult book but it should definately have adult guidance or be only for mature readers. There is a lot of sex in the book, which I guess is necessary since it's a book about a succubus, but it is also very detailed. Young adults who are under 15 or 16 don't really need to know that much adult content yet.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Brownsburg, Indiana United States of America

Switch

Claire Martin isn’t a normal teenager. She might appear to be one with her overworked mom, awkward body, and secret crush, but every time Claire gets near an electrical storm, her soul switches bodies. This is already bad, but to make matters worse, she’s now stuck in the body of the tall, thin, and blonde Larissa, who just happens to be the guy her crush, Nathan, likes. Now Claire has to try to get her body back, and more importantly convince herself she wants to.

I really enjoyed reading Switch. I loved the main character, Claire, and I constantly found myself laughing aloud at her sarcastic comments, and annoyed-no-matter-what nature. The author did a great job of giving the reader an understanding of the main character and who she was. The book seemed to be about a regular teenage girl with a problem, and, mistake and all, this was how she dealt with it. Although it was a good book, I didn’t feel like the ending wrapped the whole story up, and I really wished she would have spent more time with her crush and her peers in her own body. I also didn’t really think some of the language was important for the flow of the book, but overall I think it was an interesting book with a lot of really good moments.

The book had some mature language, and sexual content.

Content: 2
Rating: 6
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Springtown, Texas United States

The World's Easiest Astronomy Book by Hitoshi Nakagawa

"The World's Easiest Astronomy Book" by Hitoshi Nakagawa is an informative science book. It covers many popular topics that range from orbits to temperature to heat to stars to light to flight to exploration and more. Each topic is a couple of pages and ends with a sentence or two in red that sums everything up. The style of writing is easy to understand. Whenever science terms come up, the author explains them in modern colloqualism.

This book is ideal for children interested in the world beyond the sky. The informal speech makes it feel as if the author is speaking directly to the reader. From a scientific perspective, all the facts stated are true. They are a bit watered down, but they are all valid. This book will excite kids but will put the more experienced or older reader to sleep. Like the title suggests, this book is easy.

Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Troy, NY 12180

The Day of the Pelican by Katherine Paterson

Meli Leshli lives in Kosovo with her Baba, Mamma, and siblings. Her life is going well; she has a best friend in school, a soft bed to sleep in, and does well in school. Kosovo is under attack from the Serbians, but all the fighting seems so far away from Meli and her family.

Suddenly, Meli's easy life isn't so great anymore. Her family must band together to go on a difficult journey to escape the Serbians. Meli and her family face many hardships and are soon living in a camp with other refugees. When Meli is fearing for the worst, her Baba gives the news that just might change her life forever...

The Day of the Pelican was an excellent book. Paterson's word choice was great and the pages flowed from one to the next. I enjoyed reading about a time and place I never have before, and although it was very sad at times, I felt that there was always a spark of hope in every inch of this novel. Meli was a character I wanted to know and her family was one I would love to be a part of. The writing was powerful in a way that made me want to help the Leshi's and other people like them. It's scary to read about how horrible life is for some people, while my life seems so perfect in comparison. All in all I would highly recommend The Day of the Pelican, Meli's story will stick with me for years to come.


Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Hightstown, New Jersey USA

Chelsey by Chelsey Shannon

Chelsey, by Chelsey Shannon, is part of a series called Louder than Words, a collection of autobiographies by teenage girls. In her story, Chelsey tells about her life experiences of coping with the death of loved ones, grief, and finding her true self. Her life starts out more complicated than most, as at a young age she loses her mother to cancer. However, through that tragic experience she is able to build a special relationship with her father, even though he is often traveling with work. Chelsey thinks that nothing can ever separate them. Then comes the tragic news that changes her life forever- her father has been murdered. After recovering from the immediate shock, Chelsey is bombarded with crucial, difficult questions. Who will she live with? Where will she go to school? Who can she confide in? Even amidst all of this confusion, Chelsey is able to learn to express herself in healthy ways through writing and music. Religion and finding her true self also becomes important, and somewhere along the way she begins to find the path that is right for her.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Chelsey Shannon has a beautiful, descriptive way of writing that really makes you feel connected to the story. The fact that she is close to my age also makes it easy to relate to her and her experiences. Periodically throughout the book she also gives samples of her own poetry, which adds a neat element. It is truly remarkable to see her strength in the way that she pulls through life's struggles. Towards the end of the story, I do not agree with some of the decisions she makes, specifically when it comes to religion. Despite that fact, this book would be appreciated by teens that have ever had to deal with the loss of someone close to them.

Some language.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, Pennsylvania United States

The Humongous Book of Cartooning by Christopher Hart

Hey kids! Do you love cartoons? Then this book is right for you. With cartooning tips and tricks, you’ll be drawing like a pro in no time. So grab a pencil and get the book that’s so big it’s humongous.

The Humongous Book of Cartooning has really helped me. I used to only be able to draw stick figures, but now I can draw stuff I never dreamed I could. It was so easy to learn and it was fun too. I recommend this book to anyone who has a dream of drawing cartoons. So grab your pencils and get started.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Mineola, Texas America

Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran

After Queen Cleopatra and Marc Antony die, their three kids - Selene, Alexander, and Ptolemy are sent to Rome as the prize. The children will do anything to please their captor, Octavian, in hopes that he will send them back to Alexandria. Even if it involves total embarrassment. This true story is told in the eyes of Selene as she lives in a dangerous time with death, love, friendship, and sorrow. Will they ever get back home?

I love history. I especially love that 99% of this story is true. Michelle Moran does a really good job of including tons of facts, lots of imagery, and true characters. She italicizes some foreign words where you can find them in the glossary in the back of the book. My one and only problem in this book is that she does not include all the foreign words in the glossary so you had to guess as to what the word meant. Besides that, this book was amazing in every other way! I wish school textbooks could be as entertaining as this story, yet still have all the facts she included!

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Gearhart, Oregon United States

Roland Wright

In Roland Wright, Future Knight you take a ten-year old armorer`s son and tell him he has the chance to become a knight. Well this would make anyone happy, but especially this boy for he has dreamed about it his entire life. But he must battle his older brother for the title in a contest he doesn`t know the rules of. As Roland Wright would say, Flaming catapults, this is a good book.

This may be because of me being 5 years above this books recommended age level but this book is boring. With all of its 126 pages, I feel it doesn`t correctly portray medieval times and since it uses pictures, it fails to capture how the character looks through its words. Combined with all this it also overuses the phrase "Flaming catapults." Still, it shows the viewpoint quite efficiently and I like it when it shows what happens through the white mouse`s eyes. The details aren`t very descriptive but it gets the point across. All-around a short book good for a very short read and little else.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Mineola, Texas United States

The Fatal Child by John Dickinson

Oh Angels! Life just seems to be falling apart. For Thomas Padry, it's discovering a secret that makes him cringe with shame every time he glances at Atti. For Melissa, it's the jealousy that courses through her body every time she sees Atti walking and conversing with Ambrose. For Ambrose, it's knowing that he can never make Atti truly happy. Atti. How could one girl cause so many people grief? Is it true that one day thousands of people will die and a country will struggle to stay together because of her actions? Watch the politics, battles, and spirited events unfold in THE FATAL CHILD.

While I did somewhat enjoy this novel, I must let you know that this book is a sequel and I had not read its prequel. I found much of the book very confusing, including the references to the religion found in the book and the history of the land found in the book. Very few of the references were explained for those who have not read the prequel. However, despite that, it was a well written piece of literature. The battle scenes were described so that you could see inside the minds of the warriors; and, politics was stripped down to its basic nature to describe a frustrated king. I liked all the emotional drama that occurred in this novel. Because of gory battle scenes and descriptions, I would probably recommend this book to mature teenage boys. Don't forget....if you want the story to not be confusing, please read its prequels.

Adult guidance is recommended due to many sexual references made throughout the novel.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Mineola, TX U.S.A.

The Shadow Queen by Anne Bishop

Dena Nahele and its people have suffered for years because of the corruption of the Queens. Now, the Queens are dead, wiped out by a massive surge of power, and Dena Nahele is left unprotected. Theran Grayhaven is the last heir of the Grayhaven line. He searches for a Queen who could lead his people back to the glory of the old days. Cassidy could be that Queen. She lives in the Shadow Realm and is chosen by her friend, Jaenelle, to rule Dena Nahele. She doesn't believe she is strong enough to restore Dena Nahele to its former glory. She is racked with insecurity due to her earlier failures in being a Queen. But somehow she manages to bring a broken man back from the brink and awaken in harden Warlords the desire to serve and protect. Is this enough to save Dena Nahele from the past?

THE SHADOW QUEEN by Anne Bishop is a novel from the BLACK JEWELS series. It immediately drew me in and I could hardly put it down. There is a lot of mature language and references so the reader should proceed with caution. Even with these little things, it's still a great read. There are some characters that I immediately liked or hated, but my feelings changed as the story progresses. The author has done an excellant job of making these characters leap off the page and they are very realistic. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I will definitely be looking for more of this author.

There are several references to mature topics and there is a lot of strong language. It's a wonderful book and I enjoyed it, but these references could deter others.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Braintree, Massachusetts United States

The Tear Collector by Patrick Jones

With all of the broken hearts and tears at Lapeer High School, the town is the perfect place for Cassandra Gray and her family. Cassandra and her family are vampires, but not those who crave human blood. They crave human sorrow and tears. The energy from an emotional crying spree can keep them energized for days at time. This is how her life has always been. She does whatever she can to collect tears for her family. Cass is always there when a friend is crying or when someone is upset. She is a peer counselor at school, she volunteers at the local hospital, and when a guy falls in love with her, she breaks his heart. It is a never-ending cycle. She always has the perfect supply of tears for her family, but she is getting sick of the lies. Now that she is falling for a human, she starts to feel even worse about everything. She knows the only way to live a human life filled with happiness is to betray her family, but can she bear to?

The Tear Collector is not your average novel. It was the perfect combination of romance, supernatural, and a little bit of mystery. Patrick Jones used a very creative and clever plot for this story. Words can't describe how fascinating this novel was. I was hooked from the start. It was absolutely wonderful and I reccommend it to all young- adult readers.

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

Ginger High by Melissa Burmester

What if there was a school for the supernatural? Ginger High by Melissa Burmester is just that. Former Ginger High students Matthias and Amanta are called back to this mysterious school (from a parallel dimension called Animist) to find a killer at the school. However, the mysterious deaths happening at Ginger High don't concern new student Daisy Fisher who is more worried about discovering what her supernatural powers are. If Daisy doesn't find out her powers soon, the principal says he will kill her. Will Daisy find out her powers, and will Matthias and Amanta find out the killer's identity? The world of Animist is also at war, but what does all this have to do with Ginger High? Read to find out. . . .

Ginger High by Melissa Burmester is not the most well-written book, but it has an enormous amount of potential. For a book written by a 14-year-old, it was pretty good. Burmester's creativity and plot twists were some of the most interesting parts of Ginger High, but I'm sad to say that her writing was sort of choppy and unfinished. She'd start with one really good plot twist, but then she would end the chapter and leave the twist just hanging there, not bringing it to conclusion of any sort in the next. She would also begin describing a character's flashback and then suddenly interrupt it with the character's present thoughts and actions. I've seen this technique used well in other books, but Burmester's skills just seemed to lack the maturity needed to pull this off without confusing readers. Also, in the first part of the book, Burmester writes about a little girl getting attacked, and then she goes straight to Amanta and Matthias in school at Ginger High. The little girl was mentioned at the end of the story, but she really didn't have a significant role in the plot. Burmester presented many good ideas, but she just did not know how to incorporate them completely into her novel. Another downfall was her characters were really hard to imagine. She didn't describe their physical appearances very well. Instead she described her characters' actions and how they interacted with the other characters, but this just didn't seem as in-depth as readers might like. Describing the school is another thing that could have used more work. Burmester talked about the rooms and the decor somewhat but never described where everything was located to help the readers really SEE the school. Melissa Burmester can definitely become a very accomplished fantasy writer; she just needs more practice at finishing the ideas she presents to the readers. With such improvements, the sequel to Ginger could be great.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Paynesville, MN USA

The Embers by Hyatt Bass

After the death of her brother Thomas twelve years ago, young lawyer Emily and her estranged playwright father are finally starting to feel as if they are picking up the pieces. However, when Emily decides to host her wedding on the very spot where her brother died, scenes from the past burst forth into both her and her father's heads as they try to accept Thomas's death. We travel with them through the last years of Thomas's life: through adultery and other nefarious acts, as both of them begin to acknowledge what had really happened that cold October night. This novel brings about a strong sense of the power of family, and shows that, though we sometimes would like to, we can never be completely forget the past.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Its otherworldly tone, along with realistic dialogue, allowed me to throw myself completely into the novel, and I felt at times like I was Emily. The Embers was both inspirational and informative as to the lives of those who have been shaken by death, and how they recover from the emotional trauma. I recommend this novel to anyone who wishes to be entranced by Hyatt Bass's strong words. This book has the potential to become a New York Times Best Seller.

This book contains mature adult sexual civilizations along with moderate language.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Elkview, West Virginia United States

Whether he is known by the name Logan, or Runt, or quite simply Wolverine, Wolverine is quite an impressive and fascinating character. And throughout the comic book series, Wolverine developed from a young Canadian soldier to the ultimate soldier who fought evil at every step. Yet the life and times of Wolverine is more complicated than that due to the women in his life, his enemies, his beginnings, and his allies. This makes Wolverine's life not just story, but rather an adventure.

"The Wolverine Files" was a very detailed yet interesting book about the adventures of wolverine. I found the setting to be complete every time the book mentioned a particular scene about Wolverine. However, I find it important to note that this novel is not a compilation of comics, nor is it the usual story. Instead it is divided into sections such as "Origins", "Enemies", and "The Women in His Life". This kept these files very straight forward and easy to understand, even if you knew nothing about Wolverine. This also allows Wolverine's character to come out in earnest and help you understand him better. So this is a very helpful method if you indeed do not know anything about Wolverine, as was my case.The author, Mike W. Barr, created an ultimate guide to Wolverine's adventures, allies, enemies, and everything else about him. Even if you think that Wolverine would be a boring character, this book turns him into a real person, and will at least will grab your attention at some of the more exciting parts. However, I do not reccomend reading the entire book through in one, two, or even three sittings, for this would become tedious and you start to lose interest. None-the-less, "The Wolverine Files" is a very entertaining book with 1 major problem- the beginning. The beginning I found to be somewhat confusing, probably because I knew nothing about Wolverine. However I believe that a book should have a descriptive beginning that gives a detailed description of the main character. And I believe that "The Wolverine Files" did not do this, but rather started the story almost immediately, which made the novel somewhat overwhelming at the beginning of the story. Other than this flaw, "The Wolverine Files" is a very good book, and I would reccomend it to anyone who is just a little curious about Wolverine and the X-men.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Baltimore, Maryland USA

Carpe Corpus by Rachel Caine

Something terrible has happened in Morganville. The relationship between vampires and humans has been tampered with. The evil vampire Bishop has taken all of Morganville hostage and he is in sole control of everything... and everyone. Claire Danvers, one of Bishop's servants, has joined an underground resistance group composed of people in the town, both vamp and human alike. Can this resistance be enough to overthrow Bishop, or will the town of Morganville never be the same again?

Considering the fact that Carpe Corpus is that sixth book in the Morganville Vampires series, it was a tad hard at first to try to figure out who everyone was and what was going on. Yet, the author basically summarized what had happened in the first chapter so the reader was able to understand. The characters were extremely easy to understand and relate to. The emotions and issues that the characters are facing are real to life; from the trouble of keeping a romance alive to trying to rebel against suppression. This series may become as popular as Twilight, it is that good.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Pottstown, PA United States

Anatomy of Wings by Karen Foxlee

"It was Angela's idea to look in the box. She said we needed to look inside to find my singing voice." Jennifer Day lost her voice the day her sister Beth committed suicide. No one knows why, just that after the day she fainted on the beach she was different. Jennifer is determined to piece the puzzle that was her sister's life together to find out why. Jennifer and her best friend Angela discover a cardboard box full of the last things her sister had with her. Did Beth really see angels that day at the beach like their Nana claims? Why could none of them, not even Jennifer, save Beth?
The Anatomy of Wings caught my attention as soon as I started. Jennifer Day is easy to identify with. Her journey to find her voice is endearing and I felt myself rooting for her along the way hoping she would find her voice. The story flips back and forth between the past and present which gives Beth a personality and lets readers get to know her and care about her. This book is a fast read that will be enjoyed by middle school readers who want a real life story.

Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Westerville, OH USA

Leigh Ann's Civil War by Ann Rinaldi

Eleven year old Leigh Ann Conners grew up her whole life in the peaceful town of Roswell, Georgia; it may have not been the best but it was a whole lot better than it was about to get. In spring of 1861 the Yankees start to invade Roswell, Georgia, slowly taking over the town, but the question is will Leigh Ann's family mill be included? In the mean time her father is slowly losing his memory, and her two older brothers are getting ready to go off and join the war. When the mill is in danger of being burned down by the Yankees, Leigh climbs to the top of the roof and replaces it with a French flag , hoping that they will leave the mill alone. Leigh Ann is then arrested for this simple act of love and compassion for her family. She will have to go to Marietta, Georgia where all the Confederate prisoners are being held and possibly live there until the war is over. She leaves with the fear of maybe never seeing her family again, but what she doesn't know is that this journey makes her grow up faster than she ever imagined.

I thought over all this was a very good book. I usually become very board during Historical Fiction books, but this one was a real page turner. Leigh Ann's Conners seems to be a very realistic character, which is one of the reasons I liked the book. This book didn't have any bad content so I would recommend it for ages 13 and up.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: , New Mexico USA

Slumgirl Dreaming by Rubina Ali

Rubina Ali has always wanted to be an actress. She loved watching the beautiful actresses on television in her little slum. Then one day her father met someone who wanted her to audition for an American movie call Slumdog Millionaire. When she auditioned she had to compete against 500 other slum girls. Will she make the cut against all those other people? Will her dreams of become famous come true?

I thought this book was a little boring, and hard to follow at first. It was confusing because of all the foreign words for father, brother, mother, and so on. Eventually I could figure it out, but it took a few pages. The ending was surprising though. It was beautifully written. I really enjoyed reading Slumgirl Dreaming, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading non-fiction.

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

Wild Girl by Patricia Reilly Giff

Lidie is a 12-year-old immigrant from Brazil who likes to ride horses and has to move to a ranch in New York. School and life are hard but she soon adjusts to her new circumstances as well as a new horse named Wild Girl. The two of them have something very special in common. Both Wild Girl and Lidie must live without their mothers. They also both have a bad case of homesickness, and they are heavyhearted because of it.

I loved this book because it was very well written and comprehensive. For example, this book has many interesting details about Wild Girl's life as a foal. This book is different from books like Black Beauty because Black Beauty is more of a horse's life story where as this was more about the girl than the horse. Young readers would like this book because it is both a challenge to read and a wonderful story. I recommend this book to all young readers who love anything and everything about horses.

Reviewer Age: 10

Reviewer City, State and Country: Mondovi, WI USA

Beating Heart by A. M. Jenkins

Evan has just moved into a Victorian Era house that his mother adores. The relationship with his girlfriend seems to be going downhill. Besides, in his dreams, Evan has been having intimate and passionate relations with an unknown girl. He finds papers that had been left in the house from decades past; one of the pictures in the pile is of the same girl that he sees every night in his sleep. Both Evan and the "ghost" of the house are discovering what they really want and need by their interactions. How do their "visits" help each other?

Beating Heart is a mixed book of prose and poetry. Evan's story is told in prose while the ghost's story is told in first-person poetry. The book was a very quick read because of the constant switch between the two characters. Sometimes I would reread the poetry for comprehension, but I would always look over the poetry again because of how beautiful it was. The way the words were laid out on the page matched the tone of the poems and kept me wanted to read more. I recommend this book to readers of poetry or books on teenage self-discovery.

The book is primarily of a sexual theme.

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

Circle of Friends: Book III by L. Diane Wolfe

Circle of Friends: James is about, Surprise surprise, James, and his complicated life with his girlfriend, Maria. James is a tragic character, whose life has been pretty much all around awful up until the book starts. He has some loyal friends, and has had some girlfriends, but his father is abusive and his mom walked out on him when he was young. At the start of the book James is reuniting with an old flame. She has a history of cheating on him, and she does again. James is devastated, so his friend Lori sets him up with Maria, a sweet, pretty, and shy girl. Their relationship is serious and soon grows into love. When a serious bump in the road is met, what will happen to them? Find out by reading the book.

This was a mildly disappointing read. I felt that the characters were not real enough seeming. I think that if the book had been written in 1st rather than 3rd person, most, if not all of the barrier I felt between me and the story would have been minimized. The plot was fascinating, but jarring. I felt that there was a lot of unnecessary drama that took the focus away from the main story. I had trouble trying to find a connection between some of the authors deep points and the actual story. I would have much preferred that there were fewer characters with more insight about each one. As I said, some what disappointing.

some muted sexuality

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

Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr

Aislinn and Seth are finally together, she's started to accept her immortality, she and Keenan are just friends and everything seems perfect. There's only one main problem: Seth's mortality and Aislinn's immortality don't add up. Time is running out and they don't know how long they have left together. In addition to this, summer is growing closer and with that so are Keenan and Aislinn. This conflict within the Summer Court has drawn the attention of all the faery courts. Discord pushes the faery courts to an outcome that won't be entirely peaceful.

Melissa Marr weaves a fantastic tale of faeries, courts, immortality and chaos throughout the newest installation of this series. This novel was captivating initially but the pace and plot twists do not hold my attention throughout the book. It is a perfect way to pass the time but I do not suggest it for someone who wants to read a thought-provoking book. Melissa Marr instills great character depth and development in this novel. A character who demonstrates these qualities is the main character Aislinn who is easy to relate to because she faces the indecision that an average teenager deals with. This book also relies heavily on the information given in the preceding books, Wicked Lovely and Ink Exchange. I would suggest this book to anyone looking for an interesting read who has read both of the previous novels.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Richmond, Virginia United States of America

House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds

House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds is a riveting sci-fi novel about two clones called shatterlings, Purslane and Campion. Formed from a single human named Abigail Gentian, the pair explores and observes civilizations while returning every two hundred thousand years to a reunion with the nine hundred ninety-eight other male and female clones Abigail created. They dread going back for they are in love and have traveled together, a practice which is forbidden of shatterlings. They drag on the way to the reunion, fearful for what might happen to them. As a result, they miss the attack that nearly kills all of the Gentian line. Now they must search those who remain and try to find who or what is responsible for the massacre, before there no longer is a Gentian Line.

This book was incredible! I am hoping that there will be a sequel to this novel because although many questions were answered, a lot weren't, and I never have read a book with a more gripping cliffhanger. The descriptions of the setting were very detailed, right on the fine line between just right and a bit too much. However, the characters were shallow and I did not feel as if they were real. More character description would have been nice. This book is very captivating and nothing, nothing gives away the astonishing twist right when you think you know the ending. I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes sci-fi. If you don't, stay away, but if you do, this one is a great find.

Some of the content in this novel may be to mature for younger readers.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Northport, New York United States

Journey of Dreams by Marge Pellegrino

This book is a fictional account of a refugee from Guatemala. Tomasa, a young girl, and her family live in a small village in Guatemala. Their peaceful lives changes when soldiers occupy their town, supposedly protecting them form raids by guerrilla soldiers. First, Tomasa's mother and brother, Carlos, must flee to prevent him from being conscripted into the army. Tomasa, her father, and her two younger siblings follow when their village is destroyed by the army. The story describes the hardships they face while trying to meet up with Tomasa's mother and brother in the United States. They must smuggle themselves into both Mexico and the United States and avoid Guatemalan, Mexican, and American authorities. Along the way, they meet many helpful people who guide them on their way. The best categorization of this book is historical fiction because it is based off real events and places.

This book was interesting because it was realistic. Many of the experiences of Tomasa's family seem like experiences any refugee could have. This realism is probably partially because the author has worked with immigrants before. However, in most chapters of the book, Tomasa describes her dreams. These are often confusing and hard to interpret. They do not detract from the story, but they do not add much either. All in all, the book was an short but worthwhile read. I recommend it for teenagers curious about the plight of refugees.

There is some violence and war that, while not explicit, is probably suitable only for high school students or mature middle school students.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Royersford, PA United States

Beyond the Shadows of Summer by Jonathan Zemsky

Beyond the Shadows of Summer a novel by Jonathan Zemsky, is a story told by protagonist James Sayer, of his quaint Midwest town, in America during the 1950's. A year before the summer of '55 James loses his younger brother, Brand, to a rare blood disease. This death emotionally tears the Sayer family apart and creates a distance between James and many of his closest friends. It also restrains James from doing the things that he loves; drawing and baseball. Beyond the Shadows of Summer is a coming of age novel, set for most of the story in a showground, in which the main character must learn to appreciate the difficulties of growing up in a racist society, the importance of friends both young and old and the extraordinary emotions that first love can bring. During the summer of '55, when James has only experienced 14 short years of life, he is able to discover what is really important to him. While defeating a bully, standing up for what he believes in and accepting new friends, James is able to retrieve his life back. Once James gains the perspective and the strength to accept his brothers death, he is capable of properly treasuring and celebrating Brands life, by journeying through his own and repairing all that was broken.

After reading Beyond the Shadows of Summer I was quite pleased and impressed. Overall I really liked the book. I liked the depth of the plot and the entwined character relationships. I enjoyed the style of the writing as well as the intelligent and thorough description that the protagonist uses in speech and thought. I did think however, that this was slightly advanced vocabulary and sentence structure for 14 year old boys, even in the 1950s. I found this book slightly slow to start as I struggled to find a way to relate to the characters and their situation. But as I read on I became enthralled with the story line and found myself turning pages quickly to uncover the resolutions. I think that the author was able to evoke substantial emotion through his writing of especially scenes where James reflects on his brother's death. I found myself at times comparing aspects of this book to Harper Lee's classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird, I believe this would be due to the time both novels are set and the leading black male influences on the main characters. I liked the way that the show ground setting for this book was so much fun and so easily visualized. Zemsky made it easy for the reader to feel as if they were in the very same place as the characters. By large this was a book I really enjoyed. At times I felt that it was more inclined to males and for that reason I would recommend it to teenage boys from age 13, whom would relate and understand the more masculine emotions expressed by the characters. That said ,this was a very worthwhile read whose story truly intrigued me. I will look forward to any more of Zemsky's insightful and captivating work.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Melbourne, Victoria Australia

The Debs by Susan McBride

This book is about these girls who work hard to get what they want. Their names are Laura Bell, Mac Mackenzie, and Ginger Fore, who have dreamed of becoming a deb ever since they were little girls. Laura is a little overweight, but that doesn't stop her from attracting a hot jock named Avery, making her rivals fiery with jealously. Ginger falls in love with this older, college guy named Javier, which almost lands her in jail. Mac on the other hand, is the calmest out of the three. She doesn't really want to be a deb, but will do whatever it takes to make her friends happy. But the three girls have some competition on their hands, Jo-Lynn Bidwell and her posse, Camie and Trisha, who will do anything- I mean anything- to keep Laura and her friends out of the Class Slipper Club. Scandal, Lies, Secrets and much more lies ahead...

The book was very interesting and made me want to know what happened next. It gives great detail about the characters and makes me feel as if I knew them in person. One thing I had to get used to at first was that each chapter was about a different character and their actions, but it all blended well together. I would recommend this book to any girl in high school, because this book contains what most girls go through in high school, such as making the wrong friends, boys, backstabbing and heartache. I would definitely like to see a Part 2 of this book, and she what else Jo-Lynn has in store for the girls.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Cumming, Georgia United States

The Gods of Amyrantha by Jennifer Fallon

The Tide Lords, long time legends, have been thought of only as that. All of the world, their immortality and power have been brought up as myths and nothing more; but little do the humans know that the Lords have been secretly hiding out, waiting for the Tide to return so that they can rule once again. One Tide lord, Cayal, also known as the Immortal Prince, loathes his immortality and has been searching for millenniums of a way to end his life. The only thing standing in his way are his other fellow Tide Lords and Arkady Desean, the human Duchess of Lebec and expert on the Tide Lords, who has discovered his true nature and has captured his heart. In this tale of romance and suspense, one Lord must make a choice. Is Cayal's love for Arkady worth his continuing existence, or is his dismal immortality to much to bear and he's willing to give it all up even if it means destroying the world?

When I first picked up this book, I could not set it down. It hooked me from the very first page and never let go. The end had me begging for more. Fallon's characters were well-crafted and I felt like I was actually with them. I especially loved how each chapter was in someone elses' perspective. It really gave me an idea of how they were feeling and what they were witnessing through-out the story so I could actually follow everything that was happening. It was thrilling and romantic and i would definitely recommended it to any of my friends. It's a wonderful story and i can't wait for the next!

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Sacramento, California USA

City of Screams by John Brindley

The book is a mystery, romance, and an adventure. There is a twist in this adventure as death is brought to their home by raving Raptors. The Air Angels and Ground Angels are limited in their abilities, but one special Ground Angel is able to change everything.

I think CITY OF SCREAMS was a very nice book. This book reminds me of one of my favorite author, James Patterson. I like CITY OF SCREAMS a lot, and I feel that anyone who enjoys a book with interesting characters should read it.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: mineola, texas mineola

Full Moon by Rachel Hawthorne

Lindsey is the main character of the second book in the Dark Guardian series. Her parents are among the most powerful of the Dark Guardians, which is an acient tribe of shape-shifters. They are able to change their shape into a wolf. Lindsey's parents laid out Lindsey's life for her before she was even born. Her 17th birthday has passed and she will change into a werewolf on the next full moon as her mate helps her through it. The question is, who is her mate? Her parents set her up with Connor and when the full Moon comes, their life together will be final. Her parents couldn't be happier, but why can't Lindsey stop thinking about Rafe? Rafe has never been so interesting to Lindsey. When a dangerous threat is pushed on the tribe, Lindsey must also deal with the fact that she can't stop thinking about Rafe, when she should be thinking about Connor. Rafe and Connor make it hard on Lindsey. She must deal with their threats on each other. When they fight for her, it isn't a human fight. It is a fight to death. Lindsey must find some way to stop them, but how? Who will she choose?

Full Moon is an amazing add-on to Moonlight, the first book in the Dark Guardian series. It is very creative and Rachel Hawthorne did a wonderful job. As I read it, the pictures in my mind were so vivid and detailed that it felt real. It was as if I was Lindsey and everything that happened was happening to me. I enjoy all books that have supernatural beings in them. Any young adult readers that enjoy them as well would fall deeply into the spell of this book. I recommend this book to those who do enjoy fiction novels.

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

Dirty Jersey (Kimani Tru) by Phillip Thomas Duck

Dirty Jersey by Philip Thomas Duck is a thrilling adventure about a high school boy named Eric Posey. Eric has no friends in high school and everyone makes fun of him. His sister, Kenya, is one of the popular girls in school. After Eric meets Fiasco, one of the coolest rappers, and becomes friends. Soon, he ends up joining Fiasco's crew and suddenly, he is the coolest kid in school and everyone wants to be his friend. But, Fiasco isn't exactly a good guy and what if he wants something in return for his friendship?

I really liked this book, it was both interesting and exciting. I had a really hard time putting it down to do my homework! But the book is not just about The story really made me think of my own life and how I treated other people and what the effects of that were. This book really gets you to think about your actions and choices and also the effects of peer pressure. Eric would never have gotten involved in Fiasco's group if the kids at school had been nice to him and he didn't have the pressure to fit in. Overall, I would say that this book is really well written and it makes you think about your life.

There are some themes of sexual abuse that might be hard for younger readers to read.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Champaign, Illinois USA

The Jewel Keepers by E. J. Bousfield

The Jewel Keepers Book One: Albion is set in two time periods, 2008 and in the first century A.D. In 2008 Katie is dealing with her judgemental and tough to live with mother, her move to Manchester and her mentally ill Nana. She also thinks she can talk to animals, making it hard to find friends and to get along with her mother, who fears Katie might be headed down the path of insanity like Nana. When they visit Nana and she reveals to Katie that she comes from a long line of spiritually gifted individuals and is a Keeper of a long-lost jewel, Katie is shocked. The Jewel has the power to open the gateway from her world to that of the supernatural. She is supposed to find it and protect it (which is easier said than done). In the first century A.D. Mortunda, a Celtic princess finds she can communicate with the gods. However, her father has chosen her to be his successor and refuses to accept that his daughter may have another calling. Joining a society called the Seronydd, an order of others who are supernaturally gifted, would mean surrendering her right to the throne and devastating her father. Also, the Romans are about to sail over the English Channel and conquer her tribe, the Brigante. Mortunda is torn between her duty and her destiny, also linked to the mysterious Jewel in Katie's world.

While the plot summary of this book sounded promising, the book was, overall, a letdown. My biggest problem was that the writing was very flat, simplistic and not engaging. There were also plenty of noticeable grammar mistakes that were very distracting. I didn't look forward to picking this up again nor did I fight to keep my eyes open so I could find out what happened. Katie is quite one-dimensional, as is her mother and most of the 2008 storyline. In the 2008 portion, much of the formal language used is not believable, as most teenage girls don't speak like Katie does. This makes her hard to relate to and I also found her just plain uninteresting. The Celtic portion of the story was somewhat more enjoyable to read, though still not great, and Mortunda is, while not always entirely believable, an appealing person to read about with complexities and a unique and exciting connection to the supernatural. Also, the spiritual leaders are unusual with a few skeletons in the closet, just waiting to be unearthed, and this adds uniqueness to the overall plot. A strong point of the book, in the midst of very weak points, is the historical connection between present day and ancient times. The description of the tribal way of life is realistic sounding and the overlap of the geographical location is a very cool tie-in. Unfortunately, these are the best things that can be said for The Jewel Keepers, as it was ultimately written with mediocrity and a plot with potential that wasn't recognized. I will probably not recommend this to others and I will not read the sequel.

The writing was very insubstantial and the story itself was mostly unexciting. It was at times difficult to read because I didn't care about the characters and didn't feel involved in the events of the story.

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

Marni Bates, an aspiring 19 year-old author, writes of her battle with trichotillomania in her autobiography, Marni. Trichotillomania, a disorder in which the person has urges to pull out their hair, plagues Marni throughout her entire high school experience. Marni begins her story in elementary school, describing herself as the favorite of her father in her dysfunctional family. As she grows older she begins to realize that the favoritism her father shows towards her is no more than him fulfilling his job as a father and nothing more. Though she is in good graces with her father, her relationship with her siblings falters. As Marni starts high school the pressures she mentally faces between her dysfunctional family, her lack of social skills, and starting at a new school finally catches up with her, and so begins that long and painful compulsion of trichotillomania. When people begin to notice her growing lack of hair, Marni knows that she has let her habit, go too far. As Marni struggles to overcome her disorder she learns that facing a beast is much easier with a friend by your side.

The subject of Marni, by Marni Bates, is very atypical compared to most young adult books. Despite its subject, the book fell flat and was very boring to read. The first page of the book is Marni's introduction to her readers, and as she states in the second sentence, "The general consensus was that I hadn't done enough, experienced enough, to be worthy of ink." In my opinion this statement is very true. While her life has its interesting moments, she is only 19 years old. Though her battle with trichotillomania is interesting it is not worth the topic of a book, particularly since when the book ends she still has yet to over come it. I would not recommend this book.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Potomac, Maryland United States of America

Leviathan by David L. Goldmon

A top-secret government organization know as the Event Group faces its biggest challenge yet as attacks on major oil drilling sites - including Texas City and a new facility in Cuba - continue. With advanced technology beyond anything before, the Group sets out to find the culprit. However, a strike on the Event Base in Nevada separates the Group, half kidnapped by the terrorists and half left to find the other half. Full of action, some character development, plenty of swear words and plot twists, Leviathan leaves me wishing I had read the first three books.

This is no book for kids, I'll say that. Leviathan reminds me of a James Patterson novel - the adult kind. It's full of unnecessary swear words (even the infamous F-Word) that drags it down a point for me. The dialogue doesn't fair much better, being rather bland, though Senator Lee is usually quite funny. There is little in the way of character development, Captain Heirthall and Colonel Collins being the exceptions. That aside, the book is rather well-written and quite powerful at certain points. The ending was rather suspenseful, as was the cliffhanger endings. The Leviathan is well-described and the background behind its captain and crew was interesting. However, the author seems to assume that everyone knows every little piece of a boat, and I most certainly didn't. "Uh, where's the stern again?" Most characters were rather bland to me, the aforementioned Collins and Heithall, as well as Virginia, Lee, and Farbeaux, being exceptions, as they had personalities. The use of names was rather confusing as Colonel Jack Collins could be Colonel one minute, Jack the next, and so on. I really enjoyed reading this book despite its many faults. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys suspenseful novels, fictional books about ships, or people who read the previous three books in the series.

Major adult language, minor violence

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Denton, Texas United States

Swimmer by Nicola Keegan

Philomena Ash has been always known she would be a
swimmmer, even at a young age. Ever since her parents
brought her to an infant swim class, Pip has spent as much
time in the pool as she can. The hard work and long hours
in the water pay off when Pip begins attending state meets
and training with the best coaches in the country. But
even winning Olympic gold medals can't fix Pip's life.
With a completely dysfunctional family, Pip has been
trying to stay afloat in more ways than one. What seems to
be a story of success turns out to be a coming of age
story as Pip loses and finds herself in this debut novel
by Nicola Keegan.

I have been swimming competitively for almost ten
years, so reading a book about an Olympic swimmer is right
up my alley. Although I am nowhere as good as Pip, I could
definitely relate to her love of the water. I originally
picked up this book because I wanted to see how the author
would approach the topic of swimming. Everything I saw
seemed correct, but I actually wish there were more
references to swimming. The author probably wanted to make
this book accessible to people who have no knowledge of
swimming, but I would have liked to see this book be a
little more authentic. Even so, I enjoyed reading this
book and liked getting to know Pip, since she was an
interesting character. All in all, I thought the author
did a very good job for her first novel.

Reviewer
Age:17

Reviewer City, State and Country: Aston,
Pennsylvania United States

Night Runner by Max Turner

At the age of fifteen, Zack lives in a special ward of an asylum not due to insanity but to allergies that make a normal existence impossible, originally misdiagnosed as psychosomatic trauma following the death of his parents. He is allergic to sunlight, and able to drink only a special mix that he believes to be a strawberry smoothie. Though he accepts this life, enjoying endless television access and the company of his troublemaking friend Charlie, a mysterious stranger in a motorcycle shatters his strange existence and catapults him into an even stranger one. Zach must flee, accompanied only by Charlie and a mysterious beauty named Luna. It is on this journey that Zach learns the truth: he's a vampire, being hunted by one far more powerful and sinister than himself.

The field of vampire stories for young adults is flooded, with almost every possible storyline used in one form or another. Coming up with a book that contains all the essential elements of a vampire story while steering clear of cliche is a daunting task, which Turner achieves admirably. From start to finish, Night Runner is rivetingly original, taking the expected components of vampire novels and turning them on their heads. Though much of the story is predictable, such as the revelation of Zach's past, there are enough twists to keep the reader interested. The major flaw of the story is pacing; it tries too hard to maintain momentum and ends up being jarringly fast, not stopping to develop characters or explore emotions. For example, Zach's easy acceptance that he is a vampire strikes as unrealistic, and his life prior to the beginning of the story is merely summarized. Scenes which should have been extended are merely skipped over, and character traits are often explained rather than demonstrated. Fans of character-driven novels will be dissappointed. However, for those seeking a thriller that will keep their attention, Night Runner serves its purpose.

Some violent content, but no more than would be expected for the genre.

Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Bellevue, WA 98006

The Trouble with Demons by Lisa Shearin

The Trouble with Demons is about Raine Benares whose family is known for stealing, black mailing, double crossing, etc... and she is connected to the most powerful source on the face of the Earth, the Saghred. After Raine spends a year or two with the Saghred, she experiences power that boosts her magic levels. She goes to the Island of Mid, a very wrong choice, since all of the dark mages, or the bad guys, dwell there. One in particular wants the Saghred so much that he will do anything to get it, including opening a Hellgate. A Hellgate is a gate that leads to Hell, and when opened, all sorts of demons come spurting out. When the Hellgate is formed, Rudra, the most evil and powerful dark mage, wants the Saghred. The Queen of Demons also wants it to to save her husband from the rock's depths. As Raine fights her way through this mess, she encounters new friends and a weird relationship.

The Trouble with Demons is an excrutiating book with a ton of details. One of the details that suprised me was Raine's relationship with a male character in the book. There are two pages about them making out in his bedroom! Other than that detail, it was a superb book. The author got her point across and the direction of the story right out. Even though the book is sort of predictable, I enjoyed it!

It is not recommended for kids 11 and younger.

Reviewer Age:13
Brownsburg, Indiana US

City of Fire by Laurence Yep

The book, the City of Fire is an action-packed tale of magic and adventure. It is based in the year 1941, except it's changed. For this book, earth is a place where fantasy is reality. However, when Mr. Roland, a rich businessman, decides he wants to find 5 magical objects that give him unimaginable power, it up to an unusual band to stop him. For if they don't, the universe itself could be under Mr. Roland's control. The City of Fire will take you on a winding path that keeps you on the edge of your seat at all times.

In my opinion, the City of Fire was an exciting book that created enormous amounts of suspense in between chapters. One negative to this, is that it was confusing at many times. In many instances, I found myself lost in the story, and I had to read it over again to fully understand it. This book contains many qualities of a great book, but its writing is a little rough, and it's hard to get absorbed into the book. I do like the main plot of the book, though. I enjoyed the changes of 1941, and the adventure the band goes on. I would recommend this book to most kids who are good at reading, but to a beginner I would definitely not.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Towson, MD USA

Rosie and Skate by Beth Ann Bauman

Rosie and Skate are two sisters with not much in common but enough to be their when they know something is wrong. With an alcoholic jailbird father, and no mother in the picture, these sisters must learn to cope with the problems and the feelings they're having on their own. Growing up fast had never been an option for these girls, it had to be done. Rosie just wants a normal father and won't give up hope on him, but Skate already has and ignores the troubles they have with him.

Heartbreak, first loves, and sex are happening way to fast for these girls to even keep up anymore. Skate's love life will take a turn when she's at home alone, and Perry, her boyfriend, is leaving for college. All these girls have is each other and that's all they're going to know if things in their lives don't start to change.

As I was reading the book, Rosie and Skate did keep their character the whole time. Rosie always seemed like the innocent one who wanted a father. Until almost the end when she decides to give up, that was a good twist that I enjoyed. The mood of the book is usually a sad one, which anyone can understand. The mood seemed to fit in well with the settings, plots, events, and the characters. I think writing this story in first person was the best choice. It feels more real to me when it's written in this way because I feel like the person is talking to me.

The vocabulary was age appropriate for the level of book, but for me, it might have been to easy. This could simply be because I am older and have read a lot of different books. I would recommend this book for other people or even for my school to carry it in the library. It's a very good book for young girls to read or girls with the same problems as Rosie and Skate. I did find the book interesting, but at some points, it did seem a little boring. However, everyone has a different opinion and not everyone likes the same kind of book.

Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Mantua, New Jersey United States

Treason's Shore by Sherwood Smith

Inda has just returned from an extremely difficult battle against the Venn, his people's enemy. He fought beside King Evred and protected him. However, no one seems to know exactly how, or if, the Venn were defeated. True, they left, but did they leave for good? Things are not spectacular even off the battlefield. Inda married Tdor, an aristocrat that loves him deeply, but sadly loves another, Dag Signi, who is being hunted because she's a Venn and has magical abilities. There are also a few political problems. It's all quite complicated.

Treason's Shore was a very enjoyable read. The characters were captivating and seemed real, with real issues to deal with. I liked Nugget, a one-armed member of the Fox's crew quite a bit. I was fond her character and her dialogue with others. It is not at all suggested to read this book before the three others in this series because it gets quite confusing. There are several characters whose stories are told and it does get a little difficult to keep everyone in order. I enjoyed Crown Duel by the same author, Sherwood Smith, a slight amount more, but still had a pleasant time reading Treason's Shore.

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Charleston, SC USA

Flood by Stephen Baxter

Flood, by Stephen Baxter, is a scary wake-up call to what might happen (though not in the near future) to the world, as global climate change worsens. With scientific research and a touch of science fiction, Baxter combines the two into a fascinating whirlwind of information that all leads to the complete flooding of the world. As this catastrophe occurs, Baxter selects a group of ex-hostages and their families to follow. The different stories of at least eight different people all morph as the book documents the flooding. This interesting documentation and science fiction novel provokes critical thinking about the future of the world's generations.

Baxter's novel was astounding to read, and I was fascinated by the very first chapter -- although it took some time to fully understand the depth of the book I was about to read. The sheer amount of research upon global climate change Baxter must have done was humbling. This was a well thought out notion artistically put into book form.Along with research and science fiction content, Baxter was also able to weave human emotion and drama into the flooding world his characters were thrown into. Because Baxter chose both the everyday people (the families of the ex-hostages) and those who have unusual circumstances (the ex-hostages), he covers all the human emotions that could possibly arise.Baxter did an amazing job of fitting science and realistic fiction, drama, romance, humor, horror, and non-fiction all into one intriguing book: Flood.

The vocabulary and scientific references are hard to understand if you don't follow updated research on global climate change, and parts are too graphic for younger readers.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Eagle Creek, Oregon USA

Emily by Emily Smucker

Emily was just your pretty much everyday teenager. She had a great family, everyone in it was very close, they always went on trips together and camped at different places but there is one problem, Emily is constantly sick. She was almost never at school, and she never felt up to doing anything, all because of being sick. Emily thinks that she is sick with what she calls the "Emily Flu" so much because of where she lives, Oregon, but her doctor thinks she has Mono or West Nile. In this book, Emily faces many challenges just trying to do everyday things, like walking without having to use a cane or just going to school, but she has such trouble trying to do those things if she's not feeling up to it. Emily believes that she is allergic to Oregon or something in it and if she were to move she would no longer be sick. Her doctor and her parents think otherwise but Emily is soon to find out if her ideas are correct.

I liked this book, but to be honest, it wasn't one of my favorites. I do love the format of the book and how it is written as if it is a journal, though. I do like the story line of the book, but she seems kind of repetative and says the same things over and over again when she talks about how she feels when she is sick. I also do like the way she describes every little detail that happens in the story, such as the taste of her Snapple after she takes the first drink and the way she described how she felt when she was sick, even though she does tend to repeat herself. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys just reading books about people being sick and the way their lives change throughout the book.

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

Hamlet by John Marsden

Hamlet is a story about the trials and tribulations of a troubled boy after seeing the ghost of his dead father. The story follows Hamlet through his life and how one supernatural sighting drives him almost mad. This story takes place in the time of castles and kings and queens in the country of Denmark. This book fits into the genre of mystery.

To be or not to be? That is a phrase that everyone has heard of at least once, yet it probably had nothing to do with Hamlet.

This newly written version of William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" is wonderfully written so that anybody could pick the book up and read it without being confused by old English words. The plot follows the original play so anyone who loved the play by Shakespeare will love this. I had not read the original and it still held my interest through the entire book.

Hamlet had a few sexual references, so I would recommend that the parents check it out first.

Reviewer Age:17

Reviewer City, State and Country: Mantua, NJ USA

The Sisters Club: Rule of Three by Megan McDonald

"The Sisters Club: Rule of Three" by Megan McDonald is an uproarious book for girls. The middle child Steven does the narration, discussing her intereactions with her yougner sister Joey and her older sister Alex. Alex is the breathtaknig actress, Joey is the "Little Women"-obsessed writer, and Steven is the singing cupcake maker. Tempers flare when Steven wants to try out for the lead role in the school's musical--in direct competition with her sister, who is also auditioning. The ending is happy but anything but predictable.

This book has everything. The cover is eye-catching with glitter, doodles, and cake (judging books by their cover is discouraged, but this one doesn't help the arguement!). The characters are three-dimensional with emotions and feelings that seem plausible. Issues like boys and beauty are confronted while still being age-appropriate and kid-friendly. Also, in between chapters, McDonald inserts lists/drawings by Joey and scripted dialog from Alex (often including her stuffed monkey). This book is a winner.

Reviewer Age:18

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

Goblins! by Royce Buckingham

Two boys, Sam and PJ, meet guardians of the underground while they are tracking escaped goblins. Their curiosity leads them to follow the guardians back underground. Soon Sam and PJ find themselves in an underground world full of strange creatures. On their adventure they meet good goblins, try to escape from bad goblins, and are part of an all out war between good and evil. Sam and PJ are in a lot of trouble as they try to escape from the underworld and make their way back to civilization.

Goblins! was an excellent book. Royce Buckingham wrote the book with a strong plot and it was fun to read. He really made the characters stand out, and the scenes and settings were unlike any other book. It was cool to try and picture the scenes in your mind. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Randolph, NJ United States