MMM (ebook) by J.E. Shoup

Matt Matthews is a 16 year old genius, who has no friends and is addicted to a computer game that is set on a planet called Ruan3. The game is a war between the government (also known as the Foundation) and the rebels, set in the year 2813. One morning, Matt learns that there has been a third murder of a teenage girl that school year. That night, Matt hypnotizes himself into a trance, where he sees a girl from the game, the three real murder victims, and a little girl in trouble. The next time Matt attempts self-hypnosis, he finds himself on Ruan3. When he returns, Matt becomes a huge part of the murder cases. Graylin, a school friend with a secret identity, and Matt experience a roller coaster of clues and hunches as they search for the murderer and the murderer’s posse. During the search for the murderer, catastrophe occurs at school and there is a shooting. When Matt is shot, he is transported to Ruan3 where more chaos is in progress. As Matt risks his life for his friends in the future, he must stay strong for his friends in his time while he fights for his life in two dimensions.

MMM by J.E. Shoup, was a page-turning novel with both modern and futuristic settings, which essentially created two completely different plots for the book.  It was interesting as to how the author made the transition between the year 2008 and the year 2813 and how he was able to connect two completely different time periods. I also liked the way that he chose to introduce new information or characters at specific places in the book. This made the book flow nicely and made me want to keep reading. I didn’t especially like that in the middle of the book he only actively focused on one part of the story and you had no idea what was going on in the other part of the story. I think that this book gives a realistic outtake of what it is like to live in a lower income family while also balancing the life of a highschooler. This book gave a new take on what the future might be like and indirectly encourages us to take care of our planet. I was unhappy with the excessive profanity that the author used but it did help make the story more realistic. I think that this story was a riveting page-turner that kept the reader on their toes. I would recommend this book to fourteen or fifteen year olds looking for a science fiction story that they can relate and connect to. 

I gave this book a three because of several components. There was a ton of language i.e. cuss words and also a lot of gruesome violence and murder.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Parker, CO USA

Embers by Laura Bickle

Anna Kalinczyk is not your average arson investigator. Ever since she was a child, paranormal Lantern Anya and her salamander familiar Sparky have been followed by spirits and other beings. She has the power in inhale ghosts like a giant vacuum, but refrains from doing so unless it is absolutely necessary to revive a human being. Being a Lantern has never really affected their lifestyles--until now. An arsonist is on the loose, dropping cryptic clues and devouring spirits, leaving the city of Detroit in flames. His motive? To awaken a fiery entity that will destroy the city and Anya. With the help of her team of Detroit ghosthunters, she embarks on a quest to stop this dangerous Lantern who uses his powers for evil from destroying all that Anya holds dear, including a man who sees her for what she truly is. To take on this task requires an immense amount of skill and power, but Anya Kalinczyk is up for the challenge to save all that she knows.
This book was painful to finish. If it were not for my obligation to Flamingnet, I would have chucked this book in the back of my closet after reading halfway through the novel, never to return to it. The major problem I had with this book is the terrible characterization. Anya's character is left undeveloped, and I really don't feel compelled to read more about her crime-fighting antics. The other characters have even less of a story behind them; the supporting characters are just names written on a page. The other big issue with this book is that it's actually marketed for adults. There are some romantic scenes that teens really wouldn't relate to at all; they're not like the paranormal romances teens read today. The action, or lack thereof, might be what adults like rather than what is popular in teen fiction. The final reason why this book didn't work for me is the farfetched plot. The story of magical people who eat spirits didn't really appeal to me, and it probably won't appeal to you unless you like plots that are really different from other books. I would recommend Embers to adult women who want to read about a crime-fighting woman and her endeavors with her lover and her fight against evil.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Torrington, CT United States

Waiting by Carol Lynch Williams

Zach was London’s best friend and she was closer with him than she was with anyone. They were the ideal brother and sister duo. Zach was only sixteen when he died. Now, London must face her broken family and world on her own. Her mom hasn’t said a word to her since his death, and her friends have all distanced themselves from her. Trying to build herself back up, London struggles with the two boys in her life: her brother’s best friend and the new boy in town.

I really enjoyed this book. Everyone can relate to the idea of coping with loss, and that is a major theme

represented in this book. This book is stylistically different from other realistic-fiction novels; it does not

have chapters. The text is broken into pieces, the longest being four pages, and the shortest being a sentence. This

makes the book different from others because the pieces are just short thoughts or events from her point of view. It

makes you feel closer to London as a reader.

Rating: 8

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Leawood, Kansas United States

My Awesome/Awful Popularity Plan by Seth Rudetsky

My Awesome/Awful Popularity Plan was a very different approach to normal YA literature. The protagonist is a young (and gay) Broadway fan. He is dying to go out with the quarterback of the football team. Unpopular Justin soon gets tangled up into pretending to be going out with Becky, a good friend of his...so she can cover up going out with the quarterback of the football team. A book that will make you laugh out loud and cry, in hopes that Justin will finally get what he wants.

To be very honest with you, I wasn't very sure about this book at first. But Justin is such a lovable character that you end up rooting for him. The ending was very cliche, but it almost made the book even better. As you delve into this novel, I highly suggest getting comfortable; this is a read-in-one-sitting book.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Silver Spring, MD USA

Fated (Soul Seekers Series) by Alyson Noel

Fate has brought together a pure soul and a dark soul in a girl who will change everything. Daire Santos, a daughter of a makeup artist, sees strange things and time stops around her. She feels like she is going insane with all the visions and ends up in Enchantment, New Mexico with her peculiar grandmother she has never met before. In Enchantment, she finds herself surrounded in magic and meets the beautiful boy of her dreams. She also encounters an enemy she is destined to destroy. Does Daire have what it takes to be a Seeker and save her people, or will she run away and leave those she loves perish?
Fated by Alyson Noel takes place in New Mexico with dirt roads and dusky, brown colors that are almost like a desert. I can picture the setting in my head with the mood of lonely and deserted feelings. Yet peace and happiness are there too. As for the main character, Daire Santos, she is a very strong girl with characteristics I wish I had. The author makes me believe Daire is a real person in high school. She argues a lot with people but it is appropriate. I liked the book and after a couple of chapters, I couldn t wait to keep reading. The writing was clear and had emotions that made me feel like I was there in that particular place and time. The end of the book was unsettling and it made me wonder: this is the end? This isn 't bad though since the book will continue as a series. When I finished Fated, I didn't feel the same as when I finished The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Towards the end of Fated, it seemed like everyone was in a hurry to end the scene to go to the next one, and I hoped the author would slow down to fill in all of the details. From the book, I learned to take care of nature and to help those who need it. It also made me think about what home and friends really mean to me in life. I would recommend the book to everyone because it makes people stop and pay attention, wonder what it 's like to find a home, and think about how people are all meant to live with purpose and destiny.

The Life in the Angel Carving by J S Warren

Miranda was carved out of stone long, long ago. For some unknown reason, she has a living soul and a mind that can think. But for many, many years she is trapped inside of the stone carving of an angel. She can only look and think, movement is impossible. The world passes her by. In the middle of a terrible war, Miranda falls from her high perch on the church into a pond down below. Much to her surprise, Miranda falls through a gateway into another world.  And she becomes human.

The story is about Miranda's life on Arbarron, the strange world she came to, and her quest to save the world from an unknown evil.

I thought 'The Life in the Angel Carving' was a good plot idea. It had great potential and I was curious from the beginning. But it took too long to get going. The story was very slow and it seemed as if there was too much unnecessary information, or information that just wasn't brought to life. My attention wasn't caught until the last few pages of the book. I thought the characters were nice, but nothing special. Also, some of the characters weren't described as well as I would have liked. I thought the King was an older man but in truth he wasn't as old as he looked. I thought that was a bit confusing because he spoke of how old he was and yet he didn't appear old.

In the story, there is a massive gateway in space connecting the Artex Galaxy with the Milky Way Galaxy. Earth is in shambles and is falling apart with every horrible thing imaginable. Disease, war, famine, drought, death, greed - the list goes on and on and it was very depressing. It was too much like someone was giving me a lecture on how bad Earth could become if we don't do something. The author portrayed humans as if they were the most detestable creatures alive and it was all their fault. Personally, I don't enjoy being "yelled at” when I'm trying to read an enjoyable book. It was much too heavy and gloomy to drag into the book. If the description had been shorter and not so terribly uncomfortable and preach-y, that would have been fine. But I'm so tired of everyone shouting to save the world while we can, to recycle and save Mother Earth! I find it tedious and not enjoyable to read about.

 Some of the words and phrases the author uses would be too hard for younger children to understand. There were a few curse words here and there that might bother younger children.  Also, the pages and descriptions about a futuristic Earth gone to shambles could be disturbing.

Reviewer Age: 15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Doylestown, PA USA

Faking It by Joseph K. Smith

The Revolutionary War was going on, and Deborah Sampson wanted to fight for her country. Disguised as a man, Deborah became a soldier. Although she experienced many setbacks and close calls, Deborah kept on trying. All through her life, she fought for what she believed in. Deborah gave many speeches and presentations. She inspires many people to be brave and go for their dreams. Deborah is now the official heroine of a state.
Although a wonderful topic, this biography seems to drag. It seems the story could have been more exciting; more of a page-turner. It is more of a narrative about her life than an engaging story. It has no dialog. The timeline was interesting because it showed what was going on in her life during famous historical events. The Introduction, Conclusion, and timeline turned out to be the best parts of the book. Faking It is much shorter than I thought, which could be good or bad depending on the age of the reader. All in all, it is sort of a dull book that I do not highly recommend.

Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Calhoun, GA USA

Singled Out by Sara Griffiths

Taylor Dresden is not so sure she made the right move. After lots of drama many years before over her playing baseball, she is about to play again. However, this time she is playing on scholarship at a boy's private school. For a while, Taylor thinks everything is going along okay, but when one of her fellow scholarship classmates gets blamed for something she didn't do, Taylor is not sure what to do. As she struggles to stay at the school and earn her time on the field, she also struggles with mixed emotions for the guy who is trying to get her thrown out of the school. What will Taylor do? Will she last the year, or will she be singled out?

Singled Out by Sara Griffiths is fantastic book that teaches one to never give up, and to fight for what one believes in. It is also the second installment in a series about Taylor Dresden and her dream to play baseball. This story is very realistic in the fact that its main character is a girl who is told she can't do something because she is not a guy. Many girls today are told they cannot do things because they do not have the abilities guys do. This story is a very motivational one, and I suggest it to both guys and girls who believe anything is possible if you try hard enough.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Fresno, California USA

Spirit's Princess (Princesses of Myth) by Esther Friesner

As the daughter of her clan s chief, Himiko and her family knew she was destined for greatness. However, the greatness that finds her is not one that her clan will readily accept. To prove her family wrong, Himiko goes out behind her family's back to try and live her dream.  As she struggles to find her inner self, everything else in her life starts to crumble around her. Can Himiko make everything all right again? Will her will to live her dream ruin her chances of surviving?

Esther Friesner has done an amazing job on her latest book, Spirit 's Princess. Spirit 's Princess is the fifth book in the Princesses of Myth series, and Himiko is the third princess to be written about in the series. Out of all the books so far, Spirit' s Princess is my favorite because of Himiko' s spirit. She is lively and at times wild, but she has a kind and wise soul. Himiko is a character you' d want to be best friends with, and the book is well written that one thinks it is entirely true. I recommend this book to everyone, and especially to those girls who take a chance to make their dreams come true.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Fresno, California USA

Gilt by Katherine Longshore

Kitty Tylney has always been best friends with Catherine Howard, living in the Duchess of Norfolk's manor with other young girls. Kitty and Cat have dreamed of the opulent court of King Henry VIII, but never expected to go. But when Cat is selected to attend to Queen Anne of Cleves, she leaves Kitty behind and begins her ascent. When Cat catches the eye of the king and soon after marries him, she invites Kitty to join her at court. Kitty is excited for the balls, pretty gowns, and expensive jewels, but she isn't expecting the gossip, secrets and power-seeking enemies. Can she protect Cat from those who wish to bring her down?

The Tudors and King Henry VIII is one of my favorite subjects, so I was very excited to read Gilt. I already had some knowledge about Catherine Howard, but it was interesting to read the story from the point-of-view of her best friend, Kitty. From what I can tell, most of the novel is pretty accurate, which is good for history buffs like me. Some parts of the book were a little boring because Kitty isn't at court as long as Catherine, but once she becomes a lady-in-waiting, the plot picks up. I knew what happened to Catherine, but I was looking forward to see how everything would end for Kitty. Fans of history and the Tudors will definitely enjoy Gilt.

Reviewer Age:20
Reviewer City, State and Country: Aston, PA United States