With the rage over the TWILIGHT series by Stephenie Meyer, many people started liking Vampire stories. Of course this year has a vampire book on the Texas Lone Star Reading List called ALEX VAN HELSING: VAMPIRE RISING by Jason Henderson. With the last name, VAN HELSING, how can Alex NOT KNOW that he has something [...]

Ok, I really liked THE GIVER by Lowis Lowry. A utopian society where life is perfect, because there is no crime, or hunger, no war, nothing “bad.” Of course this comes at a price. Government control! So in MATCHED by Ally Condie we see a similar premise. The government is in control of the people’s lives. It [...]

Jordan Sonnenblick’s AFTER EVER AFTER can certainly be read as a stand alone read, however, to enjoy this story fully it is recommended that you read DRUMS, GIRLS and DANGEROUS PIE first. Little Jeffery is now an eighth grader. His older brother Steven has abandoned him to go to Africa. Jeff  has a girlfriend, and his [...]

If you liked UNWIND, FULL TILT or many other books by Neal Shusterman, you will probably like BRUISER.  When Tennyson finds out his sister is dating, Brewster, AKA Bruiser, he shows his brotherly concern. He stalks him, and sees a side of Bruiser that others don’t know about.  He has bruises, scars and welts all over [...]

That is an annoying phrase repeated, in Rick Yancey’s THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST, which conveys the impatience of Dr. Warthrop. After young Will Henry hears that all the time, one would think he would not want to serve the doctor any longer. Yet he has a devotion to the heartless man, who only loves one thing. . . monsters.  [...]

Well, I personally don’t think so, but this is how David Greenberg sums up his experience with middle school in the book, HOW TO SURVIVE MIDDLE SCHOOL by Donna Gephart. David lives with his dad, older sister and Hammy (his hamster).  He has a best friend, Elliott, that back stabs him, a new friend (girl), [...]

Ok , so Cat does make a few exceptions.  In Robin Brande’s book, FAT CAT, the main character, Cat,  does her best to live like a hominid (prehistoric person) all in the name of a science fair experiment.  While doing so, she must eat right, and walk everywhere, and find her natural beauty. In doing so, [...]

Well, in the case of THE ROAR by Emma Clayton, it is not Kool Aid, it is Fit Mix.  Mika has a bad feeling about drinking it, but he is living underground, and is unhealthy, due to no sunlight or food. But what is the REAL reason the government wants the teenagers to be healthy? [...]

All the broken pieces is about a little boy who was born in Vietnam but must flee to America because of the war. He is adopted by an American family, and is treated very well. But he still has nightmares about Vietnam at night, and still wants to be with his real mother. At his [...]

I love a good historical fiction book and this one did not disappoint.  Randi Barrow captures the reader’s attention in the first pages of SAVING ZASHA, a story set in rural Russia at the end of WWII.  Thirteen-year-old Mikhail finds a dying soldier and his German shepherd, Zasha.  He promises the man that he will take care of Zasha [...]