Reader Views

Ginger High

Daisy Fisher is a normal teenager until the day her school is burned down by one of her own friends. Luckily, one of her parent’s friends is the principal of Ginger High.

Ginger High is not like most high schools. For one thing, gym class consists of Daisy getting beaten up by another student. Not only that, but everyone keeps talking about "powers." What powers? And what will they do to Daisy when they find out that she doesn't have any? Or does she?

At the same time the book follows Matthias and Amanta as they reunite after years apart. But as soon as they meet they are called to heal the king’s daughter, murdered in her bed. Both of the friends then set after the killer who they believe is somewhere on Earth. The two end up at Ginger High, where the murders continue. Can they catch the murderer before it’s too late?

I’ve never read a book like "Ginger High" before. But I wish that some things in the book were explained better - like the concept of the tribes, which was very fascinating to me.

"Ginger High" is an interesting and attention-grabbing book and if it has a sequel I am definitely picking it up. Melissa Burmester, who is 14 years old, is an accomplished writer.

Ginger High
Melissa Burmester
Infinity Publishing (2009)
ISBN 9780741453631
Reviewed by Neha N. Kashmiri (age 14) for Reader Views (3/09)

Awakening

"Awakening" begins when Emilia, Mia to her friends and family, is attacked by a horrific demon called Craze. When she returns home nothing is the same as she left it. A Kistune demon disguised as a human will not leave her alone, wanting something more than to just steal her soul. She finds out that she is the successor to her grandfather’s position as a death angel. A death angel is a human appointed by either God or Lucifer to collect souls for them. In Mia’s case, though, things get complicated because both powers are working together.

But at the same time she is pursued by Markus, a dangerous being who wants to destroy every death angel in the world so that he may become a god. Mia cannot let that happen, but first she has to learn how to use her powers. And then the stakes rise higher when she finds out that her blood is toxic to everything it touches -- including herself. There is only one way to slow its venom, but that would require turning someone she loves into something he hates.

"Awakening" is part romance, part supernatural adventure, and part mystery with an end that leaves you wanting more.

I really enjoyed the plot of "Awakening" though to be honest the writing wasn’t the best. Mia is a stubborn, sarcastic and funny heroine. I loved learning about Japanese creatures and even the mythology in the book is interesting. I recommend "Awakening" by K. Lippi to anyone who likes Japanese culture or someone who loves supernatural romances.

Awakening
K. Lippi
Mirror Publishing (2009)
ISBN 9781936046140
Reviewed by Neha N. Kashmiri (age 14) for Reader Views (6/09)

If I Were a Farmer: Nancy's Adventure

Sophia: This is a story about a girl who wants to be a farmer and her cat named Dusty. I liked learning about life on a farm. I think it would be fun to live on a farm. I would like to learn how to milk a cow, but only if I could wear gloves! My favorite picture in the story is when the cow is licking the kitty. I like all the farm animals the best. This was an easy book to read.

Madeline: This is a story about a girl named Nancy and her yellow cat Dusty. I like this book because it can teach children what farms are like and if they ever wanted to be a farmer when they grow up. My favorite part was when Nancy squirted milk into Dusty’s mouth. I think it would be really fun to live on a farm because I could care for hens and pigs and milk all the cows, my favorite part what be to take care of all the calves and feed them. I would give this book one hundred stars if I could. I think I would read this book again and again and again. I think this book is really easy to read. My favorite picture is when Nancy’s two neighbors were up in a tree. I think the cover looks nice as well. I think maybe I would like to be a farmer when I grow up.

Both of us highly recommend "If I Were a Farmer: Nancy’s Adventure" by Gordon W. Fredrickson.

If I Were a Farmer: Nancy's Adventure
Gordon W. Fredrickson
Beaver’s Pond Press (2009)
ISBN 9781592982769
Reviewed by Sophia (age 6) and Madeline (age 7) McElroy for Reader Views (4/09)

Little Raindrop

"Little Raindrop" by Nan Gartrell tells the story of what happens when Little Raindrop leans over to look at a rainbow and falls off the edge of a cloud.

Cayden: "We just learned about this in school! I liked when Little Raindrop fell off the cloud down to the Earth. I liked when he went down the creek to the ocean. It was fun watching all of the places that a raindrop can go. I think my teachers would like this book because they just taught us about raindrops! I liked how the pictures were all swirly!"

Max: "I liked the raindrop families. There were lots of them! I liked when they were by the fish!"

Parent’s comments:

We couldn’t have read this book at a better time. Cayden had just learned about the cycle of rain at school and they had even made a necklace with different colored beads representing each part in the cycle. The book "Little Raindrop" completely reinforced what he had learned in class, except it was unique in the fact that the story focused on the life of one specific little raindrop. I enjoyed the abstract illustrations and thought that the text was cleverly written. Not only is "Little Raindrop" by Nan Gartrell a cute story, but it is a wonderful educational experience as well.

Little Raindrop
Nan Gartrell
Llumina Kids (2008)
ISBN 9781933626260
Reviewed by Cayden (age 4 ½) and Max (age 2 ½) Aures and Mom for Reader Views (4/09)

Girl in the Mirror

Kate Farrell tells a story of a freshman in college, Sylvie Dawson, who finds herself in an abusive relationship with Eric. She keeps her secret from her friends and family, covering up her bruises with makeup. When the semester is over, she moves back home for the summer and tells her parents of the abuse. In the meantime Eric stalks her, causing much anguish. Sylvie’s parents make arrangements for her to stay with her godmother for the summer at her country home. Eric continues to stalk her parent’s home and his mother hires a private investigator to find Sylvie.

Sylvie, while with her godmother, gets motivated to take art lessons from a neighbor. She discovers a hidden talent and her self-discovery journey begins. At times I found the storyline a bit slow and was wishing for more excitement. However, the character development and story line was very good and I felt like I was right there with Sylvie.

"Girl in the Mirror" by Kate Farrell is a good book for young girls to read and learn that they too can find the strength to leave abusive relationships and find their own identity. I would recommend it to girls that are starting to date.

Girl in the Mirror
Kate Farrell
Unlimited Publishing (2008)
ISBN 9781588329950
Reviewed by Natalie Goldenberg (age 16) for Reader Views (4/09)

Tonga: The African Elephant Story

"Tonga: The African Elephant Story" is about a group of three elephants - Tonga, Zahara and Kora - who set out on a journey "to explore the open plains of Africa." On their walk they see a horse, a red wolf, and a white-tailed-deer, among other animals. These do not seem to be animals native to Africa! Where are the hyenas, zebras, and lions?

Cayden: "I liked when they went on their adventure to find the animals but couldn’t find any of the ones that they were looking for. My favorite picture in the book was the one where they saw the bear catching a fish in the pond. It was fun to march around like elephants saying, "Ba-boom, boom, boom! It was really cool when we went on the computer and saw the elephant painting with his trunk!"

Max: "I liked being an elephant like in the book. We stomped our feet and marched! I liked seeing animals."

Parent’s comments:

"Tonga: The African Elephant Story" is a cute story that my children truly enjoyed. As they stated, they loved to pretend they were the elephants searching for the animals and marched around the house saying "Ba-boom, boom, boom" like in the book. On the back cover it is written, "The details of this story were inspired by several non-profit sanctuaries that have provided home and protection to elephants rescued from zoos and circuses." I thought it was very unique to see a children’s book told from this point of view.

We also enjoyed visiting the book’s corresponding website and learning different facts about elephants. The most fascinating feature on the website though was the link to rescued elephants painting self-portraits! Reading "Tonga: The African Elephant Story" was a very enjoyable and educational experience for my children and we look forward to future books from Debbie Buttar!

Tonga: The African Elephant Story
Debbie Buttar
GMEC Publishing (2008)
ISBN 9780979430206
Reviewed by Cayden (age 4 ½) and Max (age 2 ½) Aures and Mom for Reader Views (4/09)

The Idea Miners: The Lost Lake Dig

"Idea Miners: The Lost Lake Dig" by P. W. Cross is the story of a lonely boy named Joey who, in the year 1750, meets a mysterious man who leads him to a fantasy world filled with new, as of yet unthought-of ideas, which appear in the form of little balls of light. When Joey enters this new world he is delighted to find that his old friend Ben (who had moved away before this book begins) had also found an entrance to this world. But when the high council asks the two friends to go on a dangerous mission to find a "gusher" (an as of yet undiscovered, very important idea) the two are almost forced to go on the mission. If the gusher is not found and saved, it will fall into the hands of the evil trolls and be lost forever. They were excited to find that a long time in the new world was only a little while in their own world because they would need a lot of time to complete the mission. With some dwarves, a seer, and Joey’s dog, will they make it through the troll infested mountains to safety and a job well done?

The world Joey found is very important to his real world because without it there would not be any new ideas. Ideas, both big and little, bubble up from this fantasy world through secret passages to the real world for "harvesting." The little balls of light float around in the real world and will sometimes crash into people and get absorbed (this process is called harvesting). For example, a ball of light containing the idea of matches crashed into someone and poof they had the idea contained in the ball of light (matches have not been invented in Joey’s time, so when he saw them in the fantasy world he was quite shocked).

This strange world has dwarves, trolls, and many other mythical creatures with special powers. For example, the seers can "see" the idea inside the gusher so it can be properly released to a person able to use the idea. Other powers include the special (if uncanny) ability of miners (extra-tall humans) to find gushers and other large important ideas, and that of dwarves which isn’t really a power but more of an instinct that helps them to build tunnels, avoid dangerous tunnels, and help miners find gushers and other important ideas. The trolls are stupid rock monsters that live to terrorize and eat the people and dwarves of this fantasy world. These trolls would also love to snack on Joey and Ben.

I would recommend this book to people who like fantasy and adventure. This book would probably be best for kids aged eight to twelve. For those of you who find yourself loving this book, the author is working on a new series called "The Idea Thieves" and has a website, referenced in the book, which has all sorts of cool information on the author and this book. "Idea Miners: The Lost Lake Dig" by P. W. Cross was a good book and I think that everyone who reads this book will like it as much as I did.

The Idea Miners: The Lost Lake Dig
P. W. Cross
Appalachian House (2009)
ISBN 9780966280081
Reviewed by Ben Weldon (age 11) for Reader Views (4/09)

Billy Had To Move

"Billy Had To Move" by Theresa Ann Fraser is the story of seven-year-old Billy who lives with his grandmother because his mother can’t care for him and now cannot be found. When his grandmother dies, Billy is heartbroken, and there is no one to care for him. Mr. Murphy, the social worker from Child Protection Services, places him in a foster home. Even though Billy likes his foster family, he misses his cat and his grandma and lots of things from his old life. All the sadness and anxiety are causing him to have stomachaches and headaches. Will Billy be able to become a happy child again?

It’s a pretty short book, twenty-five pages including several full-page pictures, but it does give some insight into what it might be like to be a foster child. It also lets kids know what play therapy is. When Mr. Murphy the social worker first introduces Billy to Mrs. Woods, the "feelings doctor," Billy is afraid that he is going to get a shot. He comes to realize that the play therapist is very nice and that she has all kinds of neat things to play with in her office. When Billy left Mrs. Woods’ office he felt a lot better and more relaxed. He even thought that the play therapist might be able to help him get rid of his sick feelings.

I think this book would be useful to foster kids, so they don’t feel so alone and so they know there are people like social workers and foster parents and play therapists who want to help them. This book would also help other kids to understand the hard things that foster children have to endure.

Note from Mother: The preceding review was written by my eleven-year-old son. As a mother, I wanted to add a few additional comments about the book. "Billy Had To Move" is a very thoughtfully-written book that has an uplifting message for children in sad situations. I enjoyed how the author was able to share the genuinely child-like thoughts that were zipping through Billy’s mind. When the social worker pulled Billy out of class to tell him something "really sad," Billy wonders if he is in trouble because "you never knew what grown ups would think is wrong." He looks at the social workers shoes, wonders when he learned to tie his shoes, and compares them to the shiny red shoes of his previous social worker. The book is valuable in reminding adults that a child’s response and questions to a death or a move may be very different from that of an adult.

I also read "Billy Had To Move" to my four- and seven-year-old sons. They thought that Billy had a sad life but were happy at the end of the book because they thought Billy would get better. I suspect they would have been even more attentive to the book had there been a few more illustrations.

Billy Had To Move
Theresa Ann Fraser, CYW, B.A.
Loving Healing Press (2009)
ISBN 9781932690873
Reviewed by Ben Weldon (age 11) for Reader Views (3/09)

My Weird Family Series: My Vampire Cousin

This exceptional novel by J.K Hawkins is both thrilling and humorous. The outstanding storyline, along with the main theme of the story, create a tale that I know many kids will really enjoy reading.

The story’s main character, Alice, is strong, and confident, and smart. This is what all kids look for in a fairy-tale. They can easily imagine themselves as the character, fighting off the vampires, and reacting to finding out that their whole family is made up of mythical creatures. This book is probably for children ages 8-10, but any kid who loves a great adventure story will adore this book.

In the story, Alice finds out that her family is not only dead, but the living dead! As she escapes from all the vampire teeth coming at her, she discovers that no matter what types of creatures your family is made up of, you can still love them. It is a superb work of fiction that any child will find irresistible to put down.

The overall plot of the book is very intriguing, and kept my attention throughout. It did have some parts that went a little too fast, or confused me as to what was happening. No book is perfect though, and it amazes me that the author is only 12-years-old! Her writing is stunning!

The cover of the book looks very spooky, but that famous saying to not judge a book by its cover applies here nicely. The book was very captivating, and J.K. Hawkins is an amazing author.

I am really looking forward to reading the rest of this series, and any of the other books that she has written. I give "My Weird Family Series: My Vampire Cousin" by J.K. Hawkins a 5 out of 5.

My Weird Family Series: My Vampire Cousin
J.K. Hawkins
Lily Ruth Publishing (2008)
ISBN 9780615198484
Reviewed by Brenna Bales (age 11) for Reader Views (3/09)

Keoni’s Big Question

This story is about a little boy named Keoni and his friend ‘Old Fisherman.’ They spend a lot of time fishing together. His friend taught him a lot about fishing and being quiet and patient waiting for the fish to bite. One day a big storm came while they were fishing on the Ohio River. Keoni was really scared of storms, but his friend made him feel safe.

Keoni has a really big question he keeps asking people but nobody gives him the answer he is looking for. After many years of being friends with Old Fisherman he never thought of asking him his big question, until the day of the storm when he saw the rainbow. Keoni couldn’t understand why his friend was looking at the rainbow and crying.

Keoni’s question was a really good one about God. I learned something about God that I didn’t think about before. When Keoni got the answer to his big question from Old Fisherman he was happier than happy! I didn’t really think about seeing God until I go to Heaven. I think other Christian children would enjoy learning about God in this way too. Even some kids that don’t know about God should read this book to understand God more.

My favorite part of "Keoni’s Big Question" by Patti B. Ogden was when Keoni told Old Fisherman he could see God inside of him. This was so sweet. If you can see God in someone they must really be a good person.

Keoni’s Big Question
Patti B. Ogden
Capstone Productions (2008)
ISBN 9780981678368
Reviewed by Madeline McElroy (age 7.75) for Reader Views (2/09)