by Isabel G., guest reviewer

Title: The Undertakers: Rise of the Corpses
Author: TY Drago
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 465 pages
Grade Reading Level: Ages 13+

Summary: Twelve year old Will Ritter is just an average boy...well, that’s how he was at the beginning of this story anyway. His life was only boring until he began seeing walking, talking corpses that are trying to kill him. Fortunately, it turns out he’s not crazy but the only other ones that believe him are also kids. A special group of kids who not only see the Corpses, but are also building a resistance against them. This group goes by the name of the Undertakers. Will reluctantly joins this movement but soon realizes he’s an important piece in a war that’s about to begin.

Why I started this book:
I was given a review copy.

Review: The story is very reminiscent of a movie I saw in my youth. It’s as though the author blended the idea of the film and changed the main characters to children. The idea worked beautifully and really helps the reader sympathize with the characters because they miss their families and are forced into growing up sooner than others kids their age.

The author peaks the reader’s curiosity and keeps them wanting more. He gives information as the plot develops instead of spoon feeding it to the reader all at once. This is the main reason it’s a great book for kids and adults to read because it keeps us guessing what comes next. Also, although there’s violence in this story, it’s still fiction. The fact that the author uses Corpses as bad guys makes it easier for young readers to learn about the horrible things happening and still keep them somewhat emotionally detached. In other words, kids who read the book might deal with the harsh realities in the story without feeling negatively impacted.

A word of caution: Once you begin reading you won’t want to put this book down! I recommend it to teen readers who like horror and sci-fi novels.

Buy: The Undertakers: Rise of the Corpses

Rating: 4 Corpses

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc.
ISBN-13: 978-1-4022-4785-9
Copyright: 2011
Genre: Juvenile Fiction/Independent Reader

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Reviewed by First Mate Keira

Title: Open Minds
Author: Susan Kaye Quinn
Format: Digital ebook
Page Count: 338 pages
Grade Reading Level: Grade 7+

Summary: Kira Moore is an outcast in a future where mind-reading and telepathy are traits everyone can do... everyone except her. This makes her a zero and zeroes can’t be trusted. She hopes her mind-reading skills haven’t developed yet because she’s a late bloomer, but it’s not looking so good for her. If she stays a zero, Kira can’t be with her best friend, Raf. And even though he’s willing to risk it for a chance between the two of them, she’s not. When Kira—without meaning to do so—mindjacks Raf and controls him for a few moments and nearly kills him, she discovers being a zero is the least of her worries. In fact, Kira is not a zero at all, but a mindjacker, a hidden mutation in the gene pool, and for good reason. If anybody found out mindjackers existed they’d be sent to camps designed to keep them separated from the general populace, just like how the first readers were rounded up.

Why I started this book:

I started this book because I was offered a free copy for review.

Likes:

• The worldbuilding on this is excellent! It’s a little creepy, a lot interesting, and always moving. It doesn’t slow down for a minute.
• Can you imagine teachers passing lessons to you directly into your mind? Or that they’d know if you weren’t paying attention because they could read your thoughts? Wow!
• If you could control people’s minds and actions by manipulating their thoughts, would you? How would you protect yourself from being controlled in return?
• Kira is a strong heroine, willing to stick her neck out for the right reasons and to protect the innocent.

Dislikes:

• That a key character of the story died. In doing so they were redeemed, but it’s still sad.
• There wasn’t more Raf! A relationship is hinted at, but it’s not there yet. Maybe the next book?

Buy: Open Minds (Mindjack #1)

Rating: 4 Treasure Chests

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Reviewed by First Mate Keira

Title: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making
Author: Catherynne M. Valente
Format: Audio Book
Narrator: Catherynne M. Valente
Listening Length: 7 hours and 17 minutes
Grade Reading Level: Ages 10+

Summary: September is twelve years old when she is whisked off to Fairyland on the back of a spotted leopard. Her adventures there reflect tales like The Phantom Tollboth and Alice in Wonderland. Will she make it out in one piece or will she lose herself there?

Why I started this book:

I saw much being made of it in the blogosphere and had to check it out from my library. Cool idea!

Likes:

• I like that September chooses the path through fairyland that causes her to lose her heart, but in fact gains one along the way as she comes to care for different members of the world.
• I like the Wyverary – a creature that’s part wvyern and part library. His mother was a wvyern and his father the library. The Wyverary’s name is AL (short for A to L... which incidentally is all the Wyverary knows, anything that doesn’t start with a letter between A and L is lost to him.)
• I really like the Marquess and how that plays out. I was expecting the Marquess to be September or something crazy for 90% of the novel, but right before the big reveal I caught on to what was really going on behind the scenes. Good job!
• The bicycles!!!

Dislikes:

• I’m not big on the repetitive phrasing that children are heartless, I do get why it’s in the novel over and over, but it still grated me every time I heard it.
• Also there are one or two things that I felt were a little too too out there – in particular and most notably the reference to September eating the fish she catches – raw, bloody, gory... and also the part where September faces death (creepy much?) to get a weapon unlike any other in fairyland.

Last Minute Thoughts: It ends with the idea that there could be sequels in the works which should be interesting. If you like Victorian (Gothic!!) fantasy you will like this book. I highly recommend it as an audio book. The author made a great narrator.

Buy: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

Rating: 3 Treasure Chests

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by Second Mate Embry, guest reviewer

Title: Freeze Tag (Point Series)
Author: Caroline B. Cooney
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 176
Grade Reading Level: Grade 7+

Summary: When Meghan, Lannie, and West were kids they played freeze tag. When Lannie was it and tagged somebody they actually froze! She didn't want to un-tag Meghan because she absolutely hated her! She would unfreeze Meghan only if West promised to ALWAYS like her more! West struck the deal with Lannie, making the promise Lannie demanded. That was a couple years ago, and now West and Meghan are in love. West has forgotten the promise he made that night, but Lannie didn't. And she will anything to get West back, even if it means killing Meghan.

Why I Started the Book:

I started this book because I had looked up a list of books by Caroline B. Cooney at the library and this one sounded really interesting, so I put this book on hold and got it!

Likes:

• I Love how Caroline B. Cooney always leaves you hanging. You want to know what happens next and end up devouring a book. It took me about an afternoon to start and finish this book!
• I so glad that Meghan ended up doing to right thing in the end.
• Kind of like in Dreadlocks by Neal Shusterman, West and Parker both end up getting the antagonists' evil power. (Lannie and Tara.)

Dislikes:

• Lannie is too creepy for me! For example: Meghan and West are waiting in the parking lot at school and Lannie just appears out of thin air from behind them and freezes Meghan and reminds West of his broken promise. Whoa!!! A little psycho there!

Buy: Freeze Tag (Point)

Book Rating: I give this book … 4.5 Treasure Chests! What a great book!

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by First Mate Keira

Title: Malice
Author: Chris Wooding
Illustrator: Dan Chernett
Format: Hardback
Pages: 379
Grade Reading Level: 7th-9th Grade

Summary: In Britain all the children know the rumors of a comic book called
Malice. They also know that if a ritual is done and a chant said six times they could be taken into the world of that comic. Some do so on a dare. Others because they’re missing adventure. Others to prove it doesn’t exist. More still because they believed Malice was better than their normal lives. It doesn’t matter why you do it – you’re Tall Jake’s as soon as you invite him into your life. It’s only a matter of time before he comes to collect. There’s no going back and certain doom awaits you on the other side.

Why I started this book:

My librarian recommended it to me because I liked fantasy book series. This is the first book and the story is continued in Havoc.

Likes:

• Malice is divided into several zones and this book takes you through two. The Clock Tower and the Oubliette. In the Clock Tower they face the Clockmaker and his metal inventions. In the Oubliette they face a hungry impenetrable darkness and blind ravenous gnawls.
• Seth – he’s pretty foolhardy and he thrives on Malice which makes him feel a little guilty.
• Justin – he’s the knowledgeable guide to the world, having actually read the comics before doing the ritual. He’s also a good friend despite what his life has taught him about how friends never stick around when trouble’s afoot.
• Kady – she’s not a bad character either, I just don’t like the fact that she practices hypnosis. Of the three she’s the most practical and comes as prepared as one can be for a place like Malice.

Dislikes:

• The use of hypnosis throughout the novel. People simply couldn’t have (partial) amnesia? It’s all false testimony on the senses doing more harm than good.
• I had trouble with about half of the illustrations which were too stylized. I couldn’t make head or tails out of what I was seeing some of the time so I ended up just reading the bubbles. I figure somebody with more background in comics will manage with no problem. It just wasn’t the case with me.
• The real victims are all the parents who have no idea what’s going on and only know that their children go mysteriously missing and if they’re lucky come back… but the kids never come back the way they were before the left and nobody knows why, not even the kids.

Last Minute Thoughts: The beginning is pretty scary (horror like scary), but once the kids make it to Malice is more like a thrilling adventure. I also sincerely hope that despite how it appears Justin is still alive. I can’t wait for the next book about the kid rebels known as Havoc.

Buy: Malice

Rating: 3.5 Treasure Chests

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by Captain Lyaf Yarr

Title: Dread Locks
Author: Neal Shusterman
Format: Paperback
# of pages: 176
Grade Reading Level:

Summary: Parker Baer is spoiled. He has everything he's ever wanted and then some. But the only problem is that he thinks his life is dull and boring. He rethinks this observation after a girl named Tara moves in the house across from them alone. If that wasn't suspicious enough, she has hair that is almost lifelike, as if she has snakes for hair. She always wears sunglasses and claims she has a bad eye condition. Her house is full of beautiful “sculpted” statues… with fingerprints? She stares people down as if they're prey and she changes people with her eyes. All Tara wants is a friend and that friend is going to be Parker, whether he likes it or not. Once Tara (Medusa) takes Parker under her wing and changes him into her kind he becomes immortal. But he realizes that he doesn't want this! Can he escape and change what Tara has done? Will Tara get her friend? Will the people she's changed be turned back to normal?

Why I Started the Book:

I started this book because it was assigned as a school reading book.

Likes:

• I enjoyed the reading this book. I was kept on the edge of my chair in suspense. I'm defiantly going to be reading the sequel and other books by Neal Shusterman!
• On the back of this book it said it was a mix between the three little bears and Medusa. And I love how these different stories joined together.
• This book was both predictable and unpredictable. It was predictable because I knew it was Medusa and she was going to do bad and turn everyone into statues but besides that I had no idea what else would happen. Since we were reading together as a class we weren't allowed to read ahead. It was terrible! The waiting was killing me!

Dislikes:

• I wish the ending was different and that Parker's choice had been something else. I can't say what without giving the ending away.

Buy: Dread Locks #1 (Dark Fusion)

Book Rating: I give this Book 4.5 Stars!

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by Second Mate Embry

Title: May Bird and the Ever After
Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 352 pages
Grade Reading Level: Grades 4-7

Summary: May Ellen Bird is a bullied 10 year old who starts seeing ghosts. Then one day in the woods a water demon drags her into the lake and May looses consciousness. When she wakes up, she is in the Ever After, the world of ghosts. She needs to get out fast not only because she's not supposed to be there but because being alive in Ever After is illegal! If she doesn't get out, she will be turned into nothingness by either Evil Bo Cleevil or the Bogey (Bogeyman). Will she escape Ever After? Will she still see ghosts after her journey?

Why I Started the Book:

I started this book because it was assigned to me as a reading assignment from my teacher.

Likes:

• The story idea is a solid one and possesses some interesting elements (like how Black water from the Dead Sea is used). It has a hint of Alice in Wonderland with a fall down a watery portal to the Ever After world below. I just wish it was written more like Percy Jackson or Harry Potter.

Dislikes:

• This book is the start of a series and therefore leaves some action left unfinished. I kept waiting for certain things to happen that never did.
• The character May is sort of weird and very whiny. It's hard for me to relate to her because the author makes her sound like everyone hates her except her mom and her cat, Somber Kitty. I didn't enjoy this book as much as I would if she weren't such an outcast.
• I'm in middle school, but this book series I feel is for a younger audience. Maybe Grades 3-5. I found it boring.

Buy: May Bird and the Ever After: Book One

Book Rating: I give this book 1.5 Treasure Chests

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by First Mate Keira

Title: Debugging Tori Redding
Author: Jason Ancona
Format: Digital ebook
Page Count: 282 pages
Grade Reading Level: Ages 14+

Summary: Tori Redding hates how all the girls are dating at her high school and how loose these coupled teens are with each other. On the surface it seems pretty straight forward, but I feel this intense dislike comes from the fact that all Tori wants is to stay how she was before her mother died. She wears the last clothes her mother bought her, even though she's outgrown them all. She keeps her mother's chair from being used by the family... and so on. The dating couples at school remind her of time passing and that she’s suppose to be feeling the same urges. Well she doesn’t! When a visit to the dentist gives Tori a computer like ability to process everything she’s excited to use her gifts to start the Not So Fast Club at her school. The NSF Club is dedicated to keeping kids as kids and not growing up faster than they should. Needless to say this doesn't go over well at Jefferson High. Then Missy, Tori’s nemesis at school, gets abducted and Tori must try to use her ability to help the police find her before its too late.

Why I started this book:

I was offered a copy by the author.

Likes:

• The sibling rivalry portrayed between Tori and her brother, Brad, was a pretty realistic view and while some parts were exaggerated it never got to be too much. It’s also pretty true to life that while she didn’t get on very well with Brad, she got on very well with her eldest brother Steven.
• Griffin (Geo) and Alex were good friends, and both had a crush on Tori. Jason Ancona depicted Tori’s emotional readiness for more or lack thereof with keen understanding of that tumultuous time teens. She knew she was too young and her feelings toward both reflected that, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she changed her mind about boys and dating sometime in the near future when she’s feeling more mature.

Dislikes:

• Not So Fast Club was pretty pompous. I’m surprised Geo allowed himself to be roped into it without causing more of a fuss, even with his semi-crush on Tori. Alex is more understandable for joining because he was looking for friendship in high school which had been pretty devoid of it due to an incident early in his career at Jefferson High.
• Tori’s near-constant negativity. I get it’s a defense/coping mechanism, but it got old fast. As old as NSF Club in action did. Good thing she got some therapy.
• Major Spoiler… ye be warned: I wasn’t happy that Tori and the police failed to save the abducted girl from her school. What’s the point of super powers if you can’t win with them? I really didn’t like this and it ruined the whole book for me. I wasn’t expecting the girl to not be rescued in time, I went into the book believing it would have a happy ending. Had I known, I wouldn’t have requested it because the kidnapping of girls is a little to real to life and to horrible to contemplate.

Last Minute Thoughts: This was my second story by Jason Ancona and it’s clear he has a good grasp of teenagers and their thinking processes. His writing style is fun and loose. I would read more by him. In the end though, this really wasn’t a book for me because of the fallout from the kidnapping plot.

Buy: Debugging Tori Redding

Rating: 1.5 Treasure Chests

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by First Mate Keira

Title: The Jumbee
Author: Pamela Keyes
Format: Trade Paperback
Page Count: 385 pages
Grad Reading Level: Grades 7-9

Summary: In the brief, The Jumbee is a modern retelling of The Phantom of the Opera set in a Caribbean high school on the island of Cariba. Esti Legard has moved there to start over with her mother and to get out from under the shadow of her famous actor father. She wants to be famous on her own talents. Esti longs to star in the role of Juliet in the Manchicay’s school production of the Shakespearian classic, Romeo and Juliet. It’s a part she just might get with the help of a mysterious tutor who directs her from the shadows of the theater.

Why I started this book:

I was offered a review copy.

Likes:

• The love triangle between Alan, Esti, and Rafe. Alan is the mysterious stranger in the dark tutoring Esti for the stage. Rafe is someone from her past and the more time they hang out together as Rafe teaches Esti how to swim the more he doesn’t just want to be friends. When Esti distances herself from Alan, he’s not going to take it lying down.

Toss Up:

• The Caribbean setting was rich and flavorful, but also rife with the superstitions of the culture. (A jumbee is a ghost who walks among the living.)

Dislikes:

• I had a real hard time getting past the first 20 pages of the story because of the opening when Esti wishing a kid would fall off the catwalk (which he does and dies.) This show of animal magnetism in the book really bugged me. I had to put the book down and come back later because of it.
• The mother drinking her grief away over the loss of the father, and Esti’s relationship with her.

Buy: The Jumbee

Rating: 2 Treasure Chests

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