Amy Kathleen Ryan's Vibes: A Review by Alexis M.

Kristi is basically just an average sophomore… except for the fact that she can read minds. Dealing with this power results in her hearing everyone’s thoughts whether they’re positive or negative. Most aren’t exactly pleasant. Two years ago, her dad left and went to Africa to fight disease. Since then, Kristi and her mom have grown farther apart, her best friend Hildie has stopped talking to her, she’s hid a cat in her bedroom, and she’s gotten some very… unique… fashion tastes. When her dad decides to come back… maybe for good or just temporarily, she learns secrets that she had no clue about. It also doesn’t help that she’s been paired with Hildie’s gorgeous older brother (that she’s had a crush on for years) to do a character project, the new guy Mallory is constantly thinking romantic thoughts about her, and Jason… who’s been the closest thing to a friend since Mallory… is picturing her “ginormous gazungas” in ways that totally disturb her.

This book, while it had very cliché characters, was full of twists and turns in an extraordinary story line. If I were given a super power, I normally would have wanted to be psychic. After reading this though, I saw all the downfalls of this ability and would hate to have to deal with it. An extremely big part of this novel is, things aren’t always as they appear... or sound. There were some things that had terrible conclusions to it, but they were probably more realistic. Overall, Vibes was a pretty good read.

Antonia Michaelis's Tiger Moon a review by Liesl P.

The first thing that I have to say about this book is the fact that it draws you in and makes you feel like you are living in that time period. This is a story within a story. It can get confusing if you are not a type of reader who concentrates fully on the story.

This book is about a girl who is taken by an evil man to be his bride. While waiting for her wedding night she begins to spin a story about a man coming to rescue her. This book is filled with adventure, courage, and a little bit of romance. If you like other stories based in India, such as Shiva’s Fire, you will love the book. I know I did.

Stephenie Meyer's The Host a review by Emily I.

The Host starts with, in my opinion, a very confusing and surreal account of when the main character is being transmitted into her host. In the next few pages you start to get the gist of what is happening. The "parasite" named Wanderer is a soul that goes to various planets and by an incision is placed in different creatures. She is put into a human body, and something strange happens that is very uncommon. She can hear and see memories of her host, whose name she discovers is Melanie. Sometimes the Host can even control her actions and words. Most of the memories that Wanderer can see are the ones about Jared, Melanie's boyfriend whom she loved dearly, and Jaime, the Melanie's brother. As the story progresses Wanderer meets her Seeker who suggests that Wanderer goes to Melanie's homeland in the desert. Wanderer does and as she travels she sees more of Melanie's memories and frequently talks to Melanie. The Seeker is always behind them on their journey and Melanie convinces Wanderer to go another way to a place she knows. The two travel through the desert where they eventually loose consciousness and a human named Jeb finds them.

A group of humans live in the caves with him where they hide from the "aliens" that are the parasitic humans. In an odd twist of fate Jared and Jaime are living the the caves. Jared is the person appointed to make the decision of where they should kill Wanderer. Wanderer becomes very accustomed to living with the humans and they welcome her with time. Love also springs between Wanderer and Ian, even though Wanderer doesn't believe it. While living in the caves Wanderer teaches everyone about the 8 other planets she has lived on. She also is almost killed, learns how to cope when people close to you die, and love. I really enjoyed this book. It was different from other things that I have read before and was original. I was already a big fan of Meyer before this book from the popular series Twilight and this book showed me she can write other things, too. It was sometimes slow-paced but a very easy book to read. I got very involved with all of Wanderer's fears and her trials. By the end of the book I found myself on her side, and you have to read The Host to find out why.
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Holly Lisle’s The Ruby Key a Review By Rebecca L.

I’ll admit, as soon as I saw that Holly Lisle’s The Ruby Key was recommended for ages 9-14, I wanted to put it right back. I anticipated some predictable variation on the secretly-magical-children-save-the-world plot. Anyone who has ever read a fantasy book should be very familiar with it. I did not anticipate this darkly delightful take on the faerie/human dynamic. The story twisted with every page, weaving a masterful tale that has left me begging for the next installment. I particularly like the use of the sun and the moon as symbols for humans and nightlings.

The idea that neither element is purely good or evil is not often used in children’s books. A truly stunning cast of characters raises a good read to perfection. A girl who would do anything to save her mother, a young boy literally followed by the ghost of his past, a faerie who is just as human as you and I, and another who is as far from us as is possible. All these characters have been used again and again, but Lisle breathes new life into their molds. I cannot remember the last time any book gripped me so tightly that I could barely pull myself free to sleep. I would urge any person of any age to purchase The Ruby Key posthaste. I say purchase because there is no doubt in my mind that you will read it again and again. Here is proof that a traditional faery tale is just as captivating as the modern ones.

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Ann Dee Ellis's Everything is fine a Review by Alexis M.

Mazzy is stuck at home all summer taking care of her highly depressed mother. Her father, who works for ESPN, is off at a business trip that was only supposed to last about a week… as of now, he’s basically abandoned them. Mazzy has no one to turn to except her neighbors and her mother’s old art studio.

This book was really different. The way it’s written, made things jump around a lot and majority of it didn’t make sense. It wasn’t till the end of the book that everything started to click together and explain why things were the way they were. Everything Is Fine did have very serious topics like depression, diabetes, and death but it also put humor into Mazzy and the way she thought as she was going through this. The book overall was okay.

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Julie Schumacher's Black box a review by Alexis M.

Elena and Dora are sisters, best friends, and complete opposites. Dora is loud, fun, and unpredictable while Elena is more quiet and calm. After Dora is diagnosed with depression and has to stay in the hospital, Elena isn’t sure who her sister, or herself, is anymore. Elena doesn’t really have any friends since she went to a private school until high school so the only people that really acknowledge her are friends of Dora and Jimmy Zenk. Jimmy supposedly has failed at least one grade and wears black every single day. He has his own secrets and advice for Elena. Dora and Elena’s parents have started to fight in the kitchen every night after the think Elena is in bed. Once Dora is discharged, Elena has even more responsibility and has to figure out what secrets she needs to keep and which she needs to tell.

Black Box was addicting. It was full of surprises I wasn’t expecting and was impossible to put down. Not only did it deal with depression, but it also had a lot of moments about trust. How far should you keep secrets and that not everything is it seems. It also shows that sometimes knowing the truth is better but sometimes it’s worse. Elena’s thoughts about everything added humor and drama to the novel. Overall, it was an amazing book.
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Jacqueline Carey's Banewreaker a review by Jesse B.

In a world torn asunder by the very gods who shaped it, the line between good and evil is difficult to discern; such is the world, Urulat, in Jacqueline Carey's novel Banewreaker. Haomane, the first-born Shaper, has deceived the majority of the populous into believing that only one of Haomane's younger brothers, Satoris, is to blame for the Sundering. The truth of the matter is that Haomane is jealous of the gift Satoris possesses – desire.

In an attempt to obtain the gift of desire for his Children, the Ellylon, Haomane sparks a war among the Shapers' Children that spans millennia. The irony is that at the Ellylon's creation, Satoris offered his gift to Haomane's Children freely only to have it rejected by Haomane out of pride. Still it would be offered, had Haomane not in his wrath wounded Satoris in such a way that his gift could no longer be given.

Banewreaker, book one of two of The Sundering duology, chronicles a key portion of the war waged by the races of Urulat due to Haomane's deception. The key question asked by Carey in her novel is whether desire is as valuable as intelligence. A deeply philosophical text, Banewreaker forces the reader to reconsider what it means to be human.
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