Young Adult Books

Have you ever had telekinetic powers and want to get rid of them? Well, a girl named, Felicia, in Runaway by R.L.Stine did. Before her telekinetic powers start up again, she wanted to run away. However, everyone knew she had these powers and that her two best friends were dead as a door nail because of them. Rather than staying where she was, Felicia ran away from her family and friends to a small town called Shadeyside. There she meet two new wonderful friends. Their names were Zan and Nick. They got her a job cooking hamburgers at a local resturant, and seemed pretty nice. Zan Nick and Felicia stayed friends for quite a long time. One day, Felicia, overheard two boys talking about how they can't watch a man's cat while he was on a vacation anymore. She needed the money and a place to sleep at night, so she asked them if she could watch the cat. They said sure,why not. The next day at work, Zan told her to change the light bulb in the storage room. When she got there, the room was flooded with water like an indoor pool. When she took the light bulb out of it's socket, it started a fire. No one was hurt and everyone got out safly. That night, when Felicia entered the den area of the man's home, it looked like a hurricane had hit. There were papers off the desk and on the floor. Just a she was about to clean up the papers, she noticed there was blood on the walls, too. When Felicia went to wipe the blood off the walls, she realized it was only red paint. The thought that someone knows who I really am scared her silly. When Felicia is about to runaway agian, someone finds out who she really is. Who could it be? Ladies and gentlemen, I invite and encourage you to read this fabulous book, Runaway, by R.L. Stine.

i love it!r.l stine did a great job on this but isnt for childeren uder at least 13 because how the gresome detail about "oh kristy!"felicia cried.one of the support beams had cut off kristys arm.felicia could see the white bone and the ragged layers of muscle."bricks had cruched anys face his nose and lips and eyelids scraped raw" so i warn u this is not for young childeren if you are in to gruesomw stuff like me you should reaf this but i just wanna warn you the details are pretty gruesome if you love r.l. stine read this during the day cause at night when kristy and andy are found you may see visions of them beware!

This book diserves a 5 because the way that he puts out the story just blows your mind... I like the way he put a little bit of drama, suspence, and a tiny bit of romance. Don't forget the crazy people. He is one of my favorite authors. Next to Stephen King that is.

I realy enjoyed the runaway. last sunday i was coming home from florida and read 8 chapters. I would of read all of it but i slept instead. Then the next morning i read the book in 2 hours which is the fastest ive ever read a fear street. I have a hard time reading books usualy but this one realy interested me so it was alot easier. This was with out a doubht one of rl's finest.

Have you ever heard of a girl with telekinetic powers? Well in the book Runaway a girl named Felicia has powers to move things with her mind. One problem, she couldn't control her powers. So she became a runaway. After he escaped all the tests people were doing on her she went to a town called Shadyside. There she met a boy called Nick and his girlfriend Zan, short for Alexandria. Felicia became runaway because at her old town she killed two people. Zan found out about her secret and tried to kill her. Next her friend Debbie tried to kill her. Do you think she think survived?
While I was reading the book, I was on the edge of my seat. Everyday I read two to four chapters. When I was reading the book I pictured I was in the book watching everything. Everyday when I was in school I couldn't wait until my study hall so I could read the book. One weekend I stayed up from 9:00pm to 1:00am finishing the book. I absolutely could not put the book down. The book had so much action and excitement. That is what I look for in a book.
Felicia, the protagonist, is tall, slender, brown eyes, and long brown hair. Her personality traits are nice, caring, helpful, concerned, generous and courageous. She showed she was helpful by helping out at the Burger Basket. She showed she was courageous when the Burger Basket started on fire and people were still trapped inside the building. She went inside and cleared the fire with her telekinetic powers. She has a couple of strengths and weaknesses. Her strengths are that she has telekinetic powers. Her weaknesses are that she cannot control them. They just go off when ever they feel like it. An example is when she was in school, she felt the powers swell inside of her, then they just burst out and a row of lockers began to tremble and books began to slam against the lockers.
Felicia seems like a nice girl. She seems she would help out no matter what the situation. She acted strange a few times but people got used to it, except for Zan. It seems like she had a lot of adventures. This was a good book, I hope you read it.

I imagine that if you are reading a review for the fifth volume of Saiyuki, then you are already aware of the amount of violence and social taboos the series contains, and don't need to be told again. If not, you have been duly warned.

Following up on the Hakkai's past arc that took up most of volume four, volume five is about 3/4ths flashback on how everyone's favourite quartet of hellions met in the first place. Following Hakkai's - then Cho Gonou - murder of the demons who took his sister, Gojyo comes across Hakkai, near-death, and takes him home to recuperate. Sanzo, on the other hand, is in Chang'an, where the Three Aspects of Buddha charge him with the misson of capturing Hakkai and bring him to the temple for trial. Reluctantly, Sanzo and Goku track him down to Gojyo's apartment. Needless to say, the hot-headeds get into a fight, but Sanzo manages to complete his misson without too much blood being spilled. The rest of the volume picks back up in the present, where the four are traveling through the desert. On the way, they hear that a local demon possesses one of Tenchi Kaigen Sutras and the group goes off in search. To make a long story short, they are captured, Sanzo is injured, and Hakkai, Gojyo, and Goku must get out of the demon's lair before it collapses and the desert falls on them. Oh, and Kougaji and Dokugakuji show up too.

I can't say I like this volume as much as I like the volumes that come immediately before and after. Volume four dealt with Hakkai's past, which is so twisted one wonders how many nights Minekura-san spent thinking it up. Volume six has Demon Goku in it, which is always very cool to see. And seeing how much of the series' appeal comes from the characters and their interactions with each other, volume 5's mainly plot-based story isn't as good as when Minekura-san just lets the four guys run wild with a situation. Still, Saiyuki is probably one of the best series out there, and if you're just getting into the series this volume is a must-have to understand what bonds the four main characters together.

From Saiyuki, Vol. 1 to Saiyuki Reload 4, the amazing detail on this amazing writing on this amazing author and illustrator is... well... amazing. Their adventures throughout the Yukai Demon world is tough, and their adventure through trying to get Goku some food is... very tough, but they make it through with the understandable, unnaceptable written works, that I believe should someday become a legend.

This is based on either a book-book or a REALLY old Japanese tale (that part I can't remember specifically) but I DO know that the mangaka DID intend it to be slashy! She's a BL author, in fact, everything I've found under her name is a "Boys Love" novel. I was happy to learn this; it met that Gojyo tease-flirting Goku like the pair in Legal Drug wasn't just all-in-my-head wishfull thinking. I think girls in Japan like "uke" Sanzo because he reminds them of Takuto Izumi from Zetsuai, or Eiri Yuki from Remix Gravitation.

Aside from the yaoi-factor, the story itself is excellent with a pepped up humorous take on the story it's inspired/based on. Don't think that the entire manga is the anime word-for-word, picture-for-picture....it only starts that way & takes a different turn at some point.

I started reading this purely because my friend had it...Just wish I'd got to it sooner is all I can say!
Saiyuki has to be one of my favourite mangas, and I'm still only halfway through the series so far. The plot is great; with the exact balance between humour, action and hotness (oh yeah!). And, to add to this, the artwork is truly amazing....and hot...
I'd recommend this to anyone into manga: though it does have certain side effects....priest fetish, anyone??

I was introduced to this manga by one of my friends who knew what appealed to me and said I would love Saiyuki. She didn't tell me anything about it, didn't say how I would soon fall in love. This is a story loosely (very, very loosely) based on the Chinese tale The Journey to the West, and in Japanese, this tale is called Saiyuki. In Shangri-La, demons and humans have been living peacefully. One day, the demons suddenly start ripping the humans apart. This is what leads to Sanzo, a gun toting, chain-smoking "priest", Goku, a 500 year old gluttonous monkey demon, Gojyo, a drinking, gambling, half demon ladies man, and Hakkaku, a kind hearted, soft-spoken demon to become the saviors of their homeland by finding out just what's going down inm their journey to the west. This one hell of a good shojo/shonen manga read, but I think that the art stlye will appear mostly to girls. I know it did to me.

I love the Sammy Keys books, Sammy manages to deal with the problems of being a modern adolecent, and solve mysteries too! And while she does it she she manages to stay true to her friends, her family and basic good ideals.

In this exotic story a girl named Sammy Keyes and her friends must solve the mystery of who tried to kill Chauncy LeBard and who stole his 500,000 dollar books!!!!!! Along the way Sammy pulls a prank on her worst enemy Heather Acosta. With the help of Officer Borsch and "Muscles", Sammy finds out who the almost - murderer is!!!!!!!! But if I told you who, it wouldn't be much of a mystery, now would it ???????

Sammy soon discovers that revenge isn't always so sweet, for once she pulls her prank on Heather she ends up with 20 hours of detention!!!!!!! In this particular book it's rather hard to spot the themes and messages, but sometimes that's what makes a mystery so well, mysterious!!! You may think that this book is scary because there is an attempted murder but it's not, it's an awesome book with a couple of funny bits here and there.

This book is an exciting mystery that will take you into it's pages so your standing right there next to Sammy as she unravels the mystery just like a mini Nancy Drew. So since this is such a good book I recommend it to you immensely. Put it on your "Books to read" list or something. I'm serious, read it.
PLEASE??????

I read a pretty cool book called Sammy Keys and the Skeleton Man. The book is about a girl who finds out that a guy dressed up like a skeleton stole stuff from a person named Mr. Frankenstein. The reason why they call him Mr. Frankenstin is because he where's a mask that helps him breath. The skeleton man who stole from his house then sold it to the market. She tries to stop the skeleton man from doing it again, so when she finds out where the skeleton man stole, she goes to his house and talks to Mr. Frankenstein and sees if he remembers anything that happened. When she talks to him he barley remembers anything so she tries to trace the clues to see who did it. It brings her to a store when she finds who did it. She gets him trapped then calls the police. Then the skeleton man goes to jail, and then Mr. Frankenstein gets his stuff back and everything is over.

I think the book's message is when you're trying to look for something and you cant find it you should always try to find clues. I also think that when you're about to give up, don't, because there will be always another way to solve it. Sometimes it will be good to ask someone for advice to help you in some ways. The last thing is you should never steal from anyone or a friend you know might tell on you.

I recommend this book to you because it's a pretty cool book. You will always want to see what happens next. I liked it because it was always brings a questions to the book. I also liked how they always add clues to the book and how they put more characters in the book that's why I like this book.

Sammy doesn't look for trouble, but it usually finds her. In this case, it's on Halloween, when she gets run over by a skeleton with a bag of stolen goodies, who sets a fire in a spooky house. And that's just the beginning. Sammy is right-on, as are her friends, Marissa and Dot. But she doesn't sound nearly as convincing with her adult voices, especially Grams, who sounds like she's 30, rather than 55-plus. Overall, a good mystery, in a great series. This book is Awsome!

7th grader Sammy Keys has got a lot of troubles on her hands. It all started on Halloween at the bush house with her friends. At the bush house no one answered and Sammy saw a fire. After Sammy put it out with a sweater they found Chancey Lebard (the owner of the house, who they call the bush man)tied to a chair. It turns out he was robbed, and sammy was interested an started investigating. The sweater she put the fire out withturned out to be [expensive]. If it got all burn't up, she'd be in trouble.

those are not the only problems Sammy beholds. Her worst enemy Heather wasmaking a fool of her but every one thinks it is really Sammy. as far as Sammy is concerend it is payback time for Heather.

I like every thing about this book. I really like howit has a lot of problems at one time, it makes it more interesting. It also usesgood detail and description. Sammy Keys and the Skeleton Man is full of suspenceand i couldn't put it down. I can't think of anything ididn't like about this book except it had to end.

MY DAUGHTER IS STARTING TO COLLECT THESE BOOKS. I WISH I HAD KEPT MINE FROM YEARS AGO. BOOK 21 DOES NOT MATCH THE FIRST 20 NOT SURE IF IT CHANGED THEN OR WHAT. BUT STILL GOOD

A deceased composer's music has gone missing, and his elderly father, Mr. March, approaches America's favorite spunky girl detective, Nancy Drew for help. Mr. March really needs that money now to support his granddaughter, Susan.

There's a lot of twists and turns to this story, but what really shines is Nancy. She's not only on the case, she will stop at nothing to help out people in need.

I recommend The Secret in the Old Attic as one of the best of the Carolyn Keene novels.

The book arrived quickly and in perfect condition. It was great to see such an old story so well preserved.

I read this in about one day, it may not have been exactly the most action-filled book, but it just somehow keeps me excited. It is hard to get up and use the bathroom, when you are reading this. I do think that anyone who likes Nancy Drew and Mystery should read this, it's one of the best so far that I have read.

This review concerns the original 1944 edition and the revised 1970 edition which closely follows the plot of the original, with a few small changes. Elderly Mr. March approachs Nancy seeking her help to find his deceased son's unpublished sheet music. Mr. March desperately needs the money to care for his granddaughter, Susan. Unfortunately, a thief has been secretly entering the March house and stealing whatever songs that he can find and publishing them himself. I really enjoyed this book. In my opinion, it is the second or third best of the series (I can't decide between it and The Bungalow Mystery; The Hidden Staircase is my #1). I found it to be well-written, highly descriptive, and had quite a bit of action. The climax of the book, when Nancy finally finds the music and is confronted by the thief, is perhaps the best scene of the series for its originality, excitement and suspense. The only thing that I did not like about this book, was how the thief was caught because Nancy had pretty much nothing to do with actually capturing him.

THE SEEMS: THE GLITCH IN SLEEP by John Hulme and Michael Wexler introduce us to Becker Drane, a seemingly average 12-year-old with a wholly unaverage job: he gets to fix the World. As one of the youngest Fixers in a parallel world known as The Seems, Becker is responsible for repairing everyday problems that go wrong in the World as you and I know it. Faulty rainstorms, bad dreams... If something goes wonky, you can bet there's a team in The Seems who's on it to make things right again.

Having worked his way up in the ranks, Becker finds himself on his first Mission as a Fixer --- and it's a doozy. A Glitch, one of the worst types of problems to crop up, runs rampant in the Department of Sleep, keeping the World from catching any shut-eye. Despite his junior status, Becker throws himself into the Mission and soon finds himself with more trouble than he bargained for. A rash decision leads to his suspension, forcing Becker to try to redeem himself and (hopefully) determine how (or even if) this recent run of problems is linked to The Tide, a shady organization dedicated to undoing everything The Seems attempts to uphold.

With an imagination hopped up on a dozen cans of Red Bull, Hulme and Wexler take no prisoners in creating Becker's unique world and its clockwork cousin, the realm of The Seems. Reminiscent of the works of Jonathan Stroud and Jasper Fforde, this book makes use of amusing footnotes, a jargon-laden glossary and a guide to the unique tools wielded by the Fixers in their day-to-day routine.

THE GLITCH IN SLEEP has the toughest job as the first book in the series: it needs to set up the world and make it believable and fun. The authors take that challenge and create an infinitely memorable environment that will set the stage for Becker's further adventures. Although most every dilemma gets resolved by book's end, we can only hope that future installments will add more dimension to the characters and provide details about the mysterious Tide.

For fans of adventure and imagination that barrel along at a breakneck pace, THE SEEMS: THE GLITCH IN SLEEP opens the door to the next book series you'll become addicted to.

--- Reviewed by Brian Farrey (Emohawk9000@gmail.com)

This book is funny, exciting, and tenderhearted. Becker Drane is a great hero and the wordplay and characterizations are terrific. Don't miss it.

Written by childhood friends, John Hulme and Michael Wexler, The Seems: The Glitch in Sleep (Bloomsbury, 2007), is a Matrix look at the The Truman Show for middle school boys. In fact, both times I tried to read it one of my boys stole it and read it before I could. Main character Becker Drane applies for a job at the age of nine, and is selected for a top secret position in the world behind our world, called The Seems. He joins a cadre of chosen applicants callled The Fixers, whose job is to fix problems in our world. I love it that the team includes an eighty-plus year old woman, a middle age man, a teen surfer...a real mixed bag of characters who rely on one another at some point in the story.

The book uses double entendres, cliches, puns and well-chosen names that will produce groans and rolled eyes in some readers and guffaws in others. It's a great read for kids who love word play and imaginative fantasy+adventure stories.

My children loved the non-sequential nature of the book, but it took me by surprise.

THE SEEMS

As a grandparent thinking of books to fascinate the hearts and minds of grandchildren, "The Seems" is high on my list. Like Winnie-the-Pooh sixty or so years ago (I hate to admit it), this book has the capacity to feed the imagination of an entire generation of young people. And like Winnie the Pooh, behind the wondrous child's tale lies an adult perspective that is full of tender humor, irony, and an appealing philosophy of life.
Becker Drane is a twelve year old boy from Highland Park, New Jersey who, having applied for the "Best Job in the World," finds himself a "Fixer" in the "Seems," the invisible world behind our own that keeps things here on earth running according to the "Plan." When a Glitch occurs in the Department of Sleep, and no one on earth is getting the shut-eye they need, Becker gets the call to "Fix" the situation. In the highly competent company of senior Fixer Cassiopia Lake, an engaging and gutsy twenty-some year old girl, he sets out to save the world. The adventure is fast paced and taut enough to keep young readers on the edge of their chairs. Adults will love the sophisticated humor, word play, and above all the deeper human values which, for a reader like me, are the book's strongest selling point.

Tony Gaenslen

I had to sign some kind of form at the front of this book before reading it, so I'm not sure if I'm allowed to tell you any of this...but here goes.

Imagine that The World we know is constructed somewhere else. The sunset is painted daily, the world's rain is regulated through a huge water tank, and a Good Night's Sleep is packaged, processed, and sent to you nightly, with a specially built dream enclosed just for you. Beyond the In-Between, every detail of the world is carefully fashioned by workers in The Seems.

When Becker Drane was nine years old, he filled out an application for "The Best Job in the World" on a lark. Three years later, he's a newly promoted Fixer for The Seems eagerly awaiting his first mission. However, the one he receives is tougher than most--to fix a Glitch that is ravaging the Department of Sleep.

The World is in peril as The Chain of Events that depends on the delivery of the night's dreams grows in danger of slipping. Becker must use all of his skills and training to find the Glitch before a Ripple Effect occurs, undoing all of the careful work of The Seems and ripping the very Fabric of Reality away.

Humorous and exciting, this first book left me eager for more from this new series, and you can be sure I'll be reading the rest.

As long as I can get past the red tape next time...

Reviewed by: Allison Fraclose

Here's a review from one of our kids:

I think it is interesting to make the story about magical cloned kids.Yet in the end, the main character was one himself. It was a fantastic book and I enjoyed it.The cover isn't special, but that proves you can't judge a book by it's cover.Sender Unknown isn't a book you want to skip to the end. I would recommend it.

Two weeks ago, we had library class and were told to pick a book that looked interesting to us. I started my hunt around our library. At first, I started reading Missing Girls, but it failed to keep my attention. So I found this book, Sender Unknown, by Sallie Lowenstein.
As soon as my eyes hit the page, I was immediately sucked into the fiction of this book. I could totally relate, even though it is a fiction book. The main character is a boy named Mark. He is fourteen and LOVES computers. His first job is a computer repair guy, but he soon realizes this is not the job for him. Once he assumes a new occupation, which included wearing suites and dress shoes, he purchased an old home. Before he knows it, he starts to receive catalogs with numerous toys in them. Out of the blue, he decided to purchase an action figure. There are no refunds or returns... Mark is in a PICKLE!!
I really liked this book. I could relate to Mark because you don't always know something's going to turn out rottenly until you've done it. I would definitely recommend this book to all ages. It teaches a great lesson in life.

If you are looking for a great book, look no further. Sender Unknown by Sallie Lowenstein is sure to entertain anybody that reads it.This book is about a guy who buys an old house in a small town with old toy catalogs dropping from the mail slot everyday. He gets tired of so many catalogs, that he decides to order something from them, but when the first packages arrive, he finds something he didnt expect. Even more trouble awaits him when he hosts a business party in the middle of winter. After the packages, anything can happen. Lucky for him he has his friend Lady A., and taxi driver Pete to help him out.
My favorite part of the book is definitely when he orders ten dolls from some of the catalogs, and gets pretty surprised when the big packages get pushed into his doorway. Not only do I like this part because the author really paints an image of what is happening in this scene, but also because this is the twist of the story and if what happens in this scene hadn't happened, then the whole book would have been pretty boring.
I would really recommend this book to anybody that likes mystery with some but not alot of fantasy. You can't guess and get right of what will happen next; it is all up to the author to decide. Oh and one more thing, next time you see a tag that reads "no refunds" you better make sure you will get what you expect before ordering anything!

My book is called Sender Unknown. It's by Sallie Lowenstein. A man named Mark buys action figures, and when he gets them they turn out in a whole different way than what he expected. He adopted three orphans so he would not be lonely, but when he ordered action figures for the kids from the catalogs the action figures ended up being real people. These action figures came from catalogs as cloned children with super powers. For example, one could fly and another could hold things that weighed more than most little kids could carry. In addition to the three orphans, Mark ended up with six or seven more cloned children from the catalogs. These children were non-refundable. The catalogs stopped printing a long while back, but they still kept coming to Mark's house. Mark wanted to figure out why the catalogs kept coming. So he hired a man named Pete to figure out who was sending the catalogs and how these kids with super powers got there. Mark wants to send the kids to school, but everyone thinks they are not normal enough and people will make fun of them. So he doesn't send them to school. He sends snail mail asking if any other children were bought from the catalogs and did not turn out as they thought they would. He found out that other people had bought from the catalogs, and they had the same experience.

Yes I thought the book was exciting because it keeps you wanting to read until the end of the book. One thing I wanted to know is where the kids were from. Sometimes I thought I was in the book because I felt it was really going to happen. One of the reasons why is some of the things could really happen like cloning, but other times it made me know it really couldn't happen. For instance they can't clone Humpty Dumpty a cartoon character. So I know I couldn't really buy a real character. Yes the story interested me because I never read a book about cloning people and story characters it was interesting to read about something new and different. I thought these were people who sounded realistic. One person was Mark, who works and still acts like a kid since he graduated school when 14. Another character is Eliot. He's annoying he thinks if you have lots of money don't save it use it. And he thinks Mark's weird when he says his kids have powers and he got them from a catalog. Four other people are Kate, the sister Lady A, Mr. Cannady and Pete. Pete, Lady A, Mr. Cannady, and Kate are smart, didn't just believe you, and stubborn. I thought the ending of the book was disappointing and good cause they never told me how the catalogs got to the house without him seeing. But they did tell me where the kids came from.

There is a lot of dialog, conversations, and it's very descriptive, and the narrator talks a lot. `This house has been unoccupied more years than it's been occupied said the seller." "What's wrong with it?" That's an example of conversation. The author's vocabulary is interesting cause she uses a lot of old words and words I've never heard of. I think it's interesting that she goes from Narrator to dialog and more. One example is "I've got a client meeting me at the shop to pick up things." "I'll be home." Promise." "He hung up." That's one thing I think is interesting about her writing. Instead of just writing, "Mark said," the author writes, "Mark said wearily." Another example is instead of writing, "Pete said" the author wrote, "Pete grumbled." The author does a lot of descriptive words to show the tone of people talking. For example Panic was crawling out of his stomach into his throat. The author writes in a very futuristic style. For example people have powers, people, also they don't read books any more they play on computers. Also they don't play with toys that's old fashion. An example is "Mark said" he was going to buy something from the catalog for his sister's daughter. "Kate said" no I don't want her wasting her time playing when she can be on the computer getting smarter." I thought the falling action was good because it led you to the conclusion you didn't expect. At the ending they told where these weird kids were from. They were cloned. That's why they said before they came here it was cold and damp.

If I was to rate this book I would give it an 8 because it was an awesome book but the ending wasn't what I hoped for. I thought they were going to tell how the catalogs were coming without him seeing. Also I thought he was going to get to read the note to hear about his big job in the experiment. I definitely recommend this book. There are a lot of great things to it like there's a lot of great new words for me, and she was very descriptive.

Another thing I didn't talk about is the kids had super powers like the characters in the catalogs. That's who their identities are. People from catalogs. Finally to sum it up I thought it was a fantastic book even though the ending was a little disappointing. If I were to change the ending I would put how the catalogs were coming without Mark seeing. Also I would tell who made the kids if it was the scientists who just disappeared made them or dome Rascals did it. And that the pages wouldn't be ripped out so he could find out a lot about the big experience. Last of all I think should read this book.

This book will create a magical journey for people big and small. The storyline is wonderful, and is very creative. The story is about a misfit genius, that moves into an old house. he orders from the catalogs, to buy gifts for his relatives and friends, only to find that the toys he took for "dolls" and "action figures" turn out to be real, living,breathing yet magical creatures.The misfit genius ends up taking care of all 12, and this story tells you what happened, how, and the adventures they go through. This book is truly amazing, and will make anyone, big or small smile. I loved this book very, VERY much.

Another great Forbidden Realms trilogy.

Hard to believe that all this can occur though without the attention of Mystra's Chosen One's. I would have thought Elminster would have been all over these Shadovar like a rash.

And at the same time the Spider Queen Lady Penitent trilogy is happening simultaneously.

Can't wait for the final installment!

Shadowstorm reveals why Paul S. Kemp's name is synonymous with the Forgotten Realms. His characters have motivations that any reader can relate to and have shown that shared world fiction is just as poignant and valuable as the latest New York Times Bestseller. His exploration of the anti-hero is something our culture is deeply fascinated with, and Kemp does it well. Erevis Cale is the dark knight of our dreams, powerful and mysterious. Each character's suffering humanizes the sword and sorcery of the setting, and makes the Forgotten Realms a very real place. I highly recommend you read Shadowbred and Shadowstorm, as well as the final book in the series, Shadowrealm.

Its just an awesome book.
You can't put it down, the pace and the action drag you along. And if your a DnD fan its even better.
Order it now!
If you havn't read the other Ervis Cale books. I'd go and read the previous ones first.

Mr. Kemp has done another terrific job of providing a read that draws one in immediately and doesn't let go till the book ends. The characterization, as always with Kemp's books, is top notch and the action doesn't allow you to put the book down. It is easy to see why Mr. Kemp is being heralded as one of the best writers in the business.

Each of Mr. Kemp's books is better than the last, and this is no exception. Shadowstorm is a must read for people who know the characters from Paul's other books from Midnight's Mask through Shadowbred. Even if Shadowstorm is the first book you've pick up in the story arc, it is written so that previous knowledge is not necessary and you will be pleased and entertained. One and all will be left waiting anxiously for the next book in the series. Bravo on another work well done.

I was eagerly waiting for the second part of Kemp's new trilogy, and I was not disappointed.

Not only is the whole story incredibly fascinating, but the characters themselves are everything I like. Their motivations feel real, so do their internal struggles. The Shadevars have always been my favourite villains, and to witness their cunning and manipulative abilities is already worth reading this book.

I haven't read Evervis Cale's first trilogy, and I'm afraid that now I know too much about him and his past to truly appreciate his previous adventures, buf if anyone thinks I still should, let me know. Anyway, he's become my favourite character of the Realm because he shatters most of the rules that were set about priests and worshippers of evil gods.

To sum it up, Shadowstorm, and Shadowbred, have been the two Realms books I've read with the most pleasure and waited with the most anticipation.

Again, we have been hit. All of us. Another school, this time San Diego. And another boy who was mocked and abused and taunted until he even told people what he was going to do. All the tenets we need to have to understand the inner world of THIS boy are in Shooter. The book is a handbook on a sad and lonely psyche in a boy unafraid of finally lashing out. If school boards won't get this in the schools for discussion, let the parents chip in and get it in in truck loads! I wonder where the author is tonight - and if she wishes we would listen? Bless the children as we sit idly by when there is this first, pioneering, and excellent book on WHY!

I'm a kid, but I'm 17 and I know exactly what Harold felt. Most of my friends either still feel or have felt the same way. How come Dr. Woodhouse knew this? The book made me cry so I won't put my name here but my counsellor said that was good and wants to read Shooter in The Skie with me, in parts. But I want to save it because there are certain pages I have saved so that I can read them when I feel alone. I thought I was crazy. I think a lot of kids do. I wish we had this book as an assignment in, may be, grade 9 and we could write our answers. I gace it to my sister and my mom read it. I just wonder if the writer, who seems really smart and honest, had to make an okay ending or parents and teachers would freak! I think Harold would have gone, but gone peacefully. Maybe not. Thanks for giving this to me, Mrs. Woodhouse. I wish I could talk to you. R.T. (student)

I am close to retiring as a scondary school principal and I was as impressed when I read this fine book the second time as I was the first time through. As a once English teacher, I presume to say that this author is an important writer, and an invaluable social critic as well. The detail she provided of this boy's psyche are invaluable to us and, when we think about it, we should have inferred some aspects of "his" psychological pain from various behaviors. But the author has handed us the boy's pain and his wishes on a silver platter. The questions she has included are perfectly pertinent and, I might add indicative of her thoughtfulness. The questions have been clearly thought out so as to be useful, not inciting.

I will be recommending that this book become part of a social studies curriculum. However, were I younger, and my career in mid gear, I would insist on it. What is the saying? "God, save the children"? This exzcellent book could help us to save at least a few. Mrs. H. Mason

As a criminal lawyer I was intrigued to read Shooter on a cross-country flight. As the author would know, most of these kids are first-time offenders, going straight to murder. Dr. Woodhouse captures the torment and confusion that set in when they realise what they have done. Most of them have never seen the inside of a police station, let alone a prison, let alone a maximum security prison. Among the other extremely important issues that this book deals with in such a fine, readable story, is the mess we have made of dealing with our youthful offenders. The boy in this book is not unusual. He should not have been where he was, but this is what we are doing with 13 to 15 year olds who snap. I wish everyone involved with family court, youth offenders, and the related legislation and sentencing would read this pioneering book. The author is a hard-nosed criminologist taking us through this story and process with the artistry and care of a poet. Congratulations to the author, but also to the publisher for being smart, brave and sufficiently prescient to publish this fundamentally informative book. WE NEED MORE OF THE SAME!!

The book is so revealing. "Shooter" opens the door to a subject we have been discussing from behind many, many doors, both socially and institutionally. The author, Dr. Woodhouse, obviously possesses the very rare ability to feel, understand, and to explain the complex emotional and mental make up of her fellow human beings. I have seen her do it in person, as a presenter. Now, I have experienced her curious acumen in her writing. I bought HARD LESSONS for my family to increase the chances of staying in touch with our children - my nephews and nieces included. I bought SHOOTER IN THE SKY to take us all a step further toward sensing and feeling their pain before they become either a potential victim or just another kid in serious pain and isolation. Thank you again, Dr. Lauren.

Silver Days takes place in America. It's about a Jewish family who leaves Germany to get away from the Nazis. It focases mainly on Lisa Platt, a 13 year old girl wanting to live a normal life and fit in and be popular, but is overshadowed by the family's poverty. She has a dream to become a famous dancer.
It's a good book. It's interesting, but it kind of leaves you hanging at the end. I think she should have went on a little more and explained things a little better. I would recommend it. If you liked Anne Frank, then you would like this. I also think that girls would probably enjoy it more since its mainly about a girl's life.

At first I picked Silver Days as an accelerated reader book for school. After i got done i was amazed! This was by far the best book I have ever read. It shows alot of feelings and emotions, it also shows you how hard the Jewish people had it back then. I think people can learn alot from this book. It was interesting and educational. I think this book desrves 5 stars

I think Silver Days by Sonia Levitin was a great book. It deserves five stars. I think it really shows how hard it was for Jewish people to get a decent living when they fled from Nazi Germany. This great novel is a sequel to Journey to America. This story starts out where Journey to America left off. Lisa Platt and her family were awaiting tickets for a boat to America from their father, who already was in America. They had to wait one year in Switzerland for the tickets. They reached America just as World War II was beginning in Europe. When they saw their apartment, all they had for furniture were orange crates and beds. During this period, they endure racial discrimination. They feel that in order to get away from this is to move to California. When they get a house there, their treatment is about the same, but they believe it is much better than New York. At school, Lisa gets back to dancing after five years, but her teacher, who people call "The Nazi", does not allow her to take the classes until she practices. After her teacher accepts her into her class, she becomes one of the best dancers in the school. Along the way, she and her older sister Ruth fall in love. When they receive a letter from their old maid, they find out that what they have been missing is faith. In the end they go back to their roots, beliefs, rituals and everything they did in Germany, even though they wanted to be as American as possible.

Silver Days, by Sonia Levitin is a story about a family that comes from Germany to the United States. Their Family moves to the United States because there is a war going on in Germany and they run from the Nazis. Everyone tries to adjust to the United States. The family tries to adjust to the United Sates. The family suffers with little money. However when the family starts helping everything gets better.

The novel is set in the United States. The theme of the novel would be if you stick together you could go though anything. The characters Ruth and Lisa adjust the most in good in bad ways. Lisa starts doing the things she likes and what she did in Germany. Everyone was very proud of her. Ruth fits in great and everyone likes her. She has a problem and doesn't know how to solve it. My favorite part in the book is when everyone starts getting better. The ending of the book was satisfying...

The author's style was very good. It was like you couldn't put the book down. I think that the author gives to many details. The vocabulary was very easy I either knew or I had already learned it in school. The part of the book I really dislike is when something really bad happens everyone gets under a lot of stress. I would recommend this book from ages 9-15 to read this book. People who like to read books about when we had wars and would like to learn what it would be like being in the middle of the war and people being prejudice would like to read this book. ...[Five stars.]
HLW

The story I have chosen to write a review on is called Siler Days
by Sonia Levitin. It is a historical fiction book about a Jewish girl's life during the Holacost. Lisa Platt has moved to New York
from Germany to be safe from Adolf Hitler. Lisa lives with her mother and father and her two sisters Ruth and Annie. Lisa's family has very little money for food and a nice place to place to live. They struggle everyday to keep up with their very little money and their lives. The Platt's and Lisa never give up though. They have courage, hope and bravery. They're living through hard times but they hope to manage. This was a wonderful book and I hope others will read it. Sonia Levitin is a great writer so I suggest you read the other books she's written. If you decide to read Silver Days, have fun!

Connelly makes his readers fall in love with his characters; in particular, Keegan, who is such an identifiable and likable young man that I was practically begging him for the duration of the story not to carry out the plan he sets in Chapter One. Only by reading it can you find out the power in what happens in the end. Wow...what a story.

I was struck by the Cover art-I longed to check the book out just to study the cover.The opening line of "It's not so bad being dead" Caught my attention right away,having read the summary on the jacket I thought immediatly Oh God he actually kills himself the book is told from a true teenager's point of view.From acting out his wish of reading other people's notes to wondering how far his dream girl has gone with her boyfriend this could be the guy who sat next to you in History.As a student of religion and psychology Keagan's thoughts of what he views as sin and finding loopholes to get good with God made me cry and fall over laughing more then once.I recomend to teen,parent,teacher and anyone who's ever thought of changing destiny.

"Who is supposed to know more about this book--me the author or you the reader?" -Neil Connelly

In talking to Neil about this book (I am a student at McNeese State Univeristy) I began to understand that this book does not deal specifically with guilt, with suicide, or any one specific issue. Neil deals with the idea, in the manifestation of Keegan, that life is hard and different for evryone, and everyone must deal with it in a different way. He developes Keegan, who has to deal with who he is, and Nathan Looby, who is also forced to look at himself for who he is. Nathan refuses to bend, and tries to answer life with one swoop...that it "has to be this way." Keegan is able to bend and overcome this guilt that hangs over his head, and that's the card he plays in the hand he is dealt. Keegan's mother goes insane over her situation; His father becomes very cold and distant; and brother Patrick runs from his family. Neil makes a very profound statement about life: Life cannot be summed up in a profound statement. There is no one mantra to live life by. Life is a series of experiences, and in those experiences meaning is made of a life. Neil gives the reader glimpses into Keegan's life, memories that shaped him, and, ultimately, guided him to try to rekindle the family love. His use of wrestling, a very physical manifestation of the tumult within Keegan's mind. Michael becomes a face for the inner self that Keegan struggles against, and this is climaxed when Keegan believes himself to be wrestling Michael. A powerfully woven self discovery of a human being that will move any reader to, for lack of a better word, grab life by the horns. Neil weaves a message about life in such a way, using the very simple, powerful voice of Keegan, that it has some resonance within us all. Neil Connelly has something to say, so read this book and listen up, but also listen in to yourself as you will begin to come to your own understanding about the meaning of life.

A great story of a troubled teen. Neil Connelly does a great job of drawing the reader into his world at OLPH. I got so drawn in, it is as if I lived some of that life with Keegan. So much can be taken from this book at many different levels. I would recommend this book for high school students and parents of high school students. The book can be used as a tool teach, among many things, the value of communication. I also recommend this book for anyone who is just looking for a fun read. It is a story with which we can learn and a story in which we can just have fun with.

I look forward to his next novel.

I could repeat what all the reviews say about Connelly's work, as they are all true. However, I'll just say that Connelly's book has to be one of the best books that I've read in the past few years, if not many of the past years. The way Connelly writes makes it feel as if you are always right there next to Keegan or perhaps next to Nathan or Angela. You feel as though you are a student at Our Lady of Perpetual Help. You can feel Nicky Carpelli's noogies, punches, and pounds. There's never a dull moment in the book, and even if you don't have the time, you'll want to finish reading the book in one day.