Kid's Advisory Board Reviews
This was a really great book and a fast read. The story switches back and forth between "now" and a few days before "now". As the book opens, the main character, Maisie, wakes up on her 10th birthday, in the present as she experiences it. The doorbell rings and she goes to open it and all she sees is a consuming blackness. No one is out there. Yet when she closes the door, she can still see light streaming in the windows. An academically gifted kid with an enthusiasm for obscure scientific facts and concepts, she's confused, scared and creeped out. The book follows her as she tries to escape the blackness. Meanwhile, weird things are turning up in the house, like a black hole in the bathroom and an infinite stair, like in art by M.C. Escher. The book is full of interesting scientific concepts. The plot is action-packed and it's full of emotion. Some moments are very moving. However, it's complicated and could be confusing for young readers. I would recommend it to readers 10-13 who enjoy books like The Jamie Drake Equation, Time Traveling with the Hamster, and The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole.
-Review by Michael, age 10
I really liked this book - it was very interactive and fun. It's set up like you are a master escapologist apprentice and you're training by escaping from the Titanic in three different ways. In one scenario you are a stowaway. That brings many dangers but it's interesting to see things from that viewpoint. In the second scenario you are a crewmember, running errands for a rich family. And in the third you're a passenger, wandering freely - but you have to be careful where you go. To use this book, have a pencil ready. Along with the reading, you'll do small challenges, solve puzzles, create stuff, draw and play games as you work toward escape. I recommend this book to fans of Choose-Your-Own Adventures, people who liked the "Time Traveler's Guides" to history and anyone interested in learning about history in a fun way.
- Review by Michael, age 10
This was a good story for kids a little younger than me, but I still enjoyed it. In the story, a space camera which is sent to the edge of the universe and it discovers a planet inhabited completely by robots. The story shows the life of two kid robots who like to joke around. I'd recommend it for young elementary schoolers, especially boys, people who like things like Super Rabbit Boy: Press Start.
Review by Michael, age 10
This was a really great book, suspenseful, action-packed and very touching. It's set in a dystopian England in the near future. The main character, Jake, is sent to a Home Academy after his parents die. That's supposed to be a boarding school for kids the state takes care of. Except it's really more of a workhouse, making them into indentured servants, or essentially, slaves of the state. He manages to escape the Academy and heads to the home of some neighbors who were supposed to be taking care of his dog, Jet. Except his dog is locked up and the neighbors try to turn him in. So Jake takes the dog and runs. While being hunted by the "Hub Police," eventually he meets up with a gang of escaped children, or "Outwalkers," who are trying to make their way to Scotland, as England has been walled off from all other countries. The book is full of action, danger and emotion as the main character learns some disturbing things about his society and even his past. It's like Unwind for kids who aren't yet teens, and other fans of action and dystopian fiction.
- Review by Michael, age 10.
This was a really compelling book. The main character, Elodee, is moving because her family had some bad experiences where they used to live. They are headed to Eventown, where everything is perfect - to an absurd degree. Like, ice cream doesn't melt, and it never rains. When they get there, it seems amazing, but the weird thing is that they have to go to a "welcoming committee" to tell stories of how their lives were. Naomi, Elodee's sister, forgets her old life right after this, but Elodee gets interrupted halfway through by someone having an argument, and after that, she doesn't fit in. With the help of Veena, her new friend, Elodee tries to figure out what's going on. Meanwhile, the rosebush on their house, which had been like all the other houses, starts growing like crazy. There are weeds in their yard, and nowhere else. It starts to rain. It's a race against time until she forgets everything and it all goes back to "Eventown standard." I would recommend this to readers age 10 and up, especially girls.
- Review by Michael, age 10.
I read this book 3 times in a row it was so good. The characters are all animals, which I really loved, and there are no humans around. I would like to put this book in my own personal collection right next to the first book in the series. I learned a lesson about revenge- that is stinks.
review by Elli, age 10
This graphic novel was really good and really funny, with lots of true-to-life insights. It places in the ranks of the "Wimpy Kid" books in terms of relate-ability. The main character, Jordan, lives in the inner city in New York and he transfers to a private school in a really rich area. The school is predominantly white, with maybe three black kids, and he runs into all kinds of subtle racism, even from one of the teachers.Like for example, one teacher keeps calling him by the name of another black kid from the previous year who was a "real problem." At the same time, he's trying to adapt to a new school, new classes and deal with all of the normal adjustments of teenage years. The book is really great and I think there's something in it that everyone could appreciate, from readers in the upper elementary grades on up.
- Review by Colleen, age 13
This book was so incredibly good that I picked it up and read it, put it down and then picked it back up again. I prefer a traditional happy ending but still wished it would never end. I loved the space and time, the gadgets and the fantasy.
Review by Elli, age 10
This book is great! It is about a girl who lost her Mom and two sisters in a car crash and lives with her Dad, Rodeo in an old school bus. Her Dad calls her Coyote (even though that is not her real name). Coyote and her Dad travel all around the country in that school bus, but Coyote wants to go back to her hometown that they left when her mom and sisters died. She heard that the park that they went to before they died was going to be torn down, and they buried a little chest full of pictures and memories there. She and her dad took a long journey back to something that was hard to go back to. I never wanted to set this book down! It made me want to cry at times but I loved it so much. I think this is probably my favorite book now.
-Review by Sophia, age 11
I really liked this graphic novel even though it is a little girly. I definitely want to read the second book as soon as it comes out. The main character is a girl who seems to get along with everyone. Then a talent show comes up and she finds that everyone has picked their groups and she is left on her own. A lot of things come in to play to help her find her place in the world. She gets help from her aunt, for example, and learns that she has learn to think about herself. I would recommend the story for fourth- and fifth-grade girls, and open-minded boys who don't mind girls as the main characters.
- Review by Michael, age 10
This was a really good, hilarious book by the author of Big Nate, so it's sure to find a lot of fans. Actually, the author takes the fictional book that was from the Big Nate series, one that Nate did a book report on, and turns it into a real story. The main character is a troubadour, a traveling entertainer. Max travels to a kingdom where Max's uncle used to live. There used to be a nice, humble king there, but the old king has been replaced by his evil brother. Max decides to stop the evil king from ruling any longer and gets together a band of misfit knights to do that. Fans of the Big Nate and Wimpy Kid books should like this one, along with people who like humorous knightly adventures.
- Review by Michael, age 10
Better You Than Me is a great book! I totally recommend it. It has drama, so if you don't like drama I wouldn't read this. However, if you like reading books about middle school and Hollywood then you should TOTALLY READ IT! It is about a girl named Ruby Rivera and a girl named Skyler Welshman. Ruby stars in her own TV show and Skyler is a normal girl who goes to middle school. The two girls meet on the set of Ruby's show while Skyler was running away from school. They wish to switch bodies and it happens! You will have to read it to figure out how everything goes when Ruby is Skyler and Skyler is Ruby.
-Review by Sophia, age 11
It Wasn’t Me by Dana Alison Levy goes deeper than the ocean with lots of emotion. Not everyone is what they seem. You will find out through a week-long effort who vandalized Theo’s (the victim’s) self-portraits hung in the student gallery and long exposure photos in the dark room. Was it just an accident or does someone truly hate Theo enough to do all of this to him? Join Theo through this “justice circle.” Who is it? the princess- Molly Claremont? the nerd- Andre Hall? the jock- Eric Estrale? the weirdo- Alice Shu? or the screw-up- Jax Fletcher?
-Review by Charlotte
The second in a series, this was almost as good as Caveboy Dave #1, except it seems a little shorter. It starts with Caveboy Dave having invented a bunch of stuff, including watchtowers for their city. Using these watchtowers, they discover a giant flying bird they call "rippybeak" who caught a "pokeyhorn." They go to tell this news to their shaman, and discover the shaman is missing. It's up to Dave to come up with more new ideas. The story is funny, fast and humorously drawn, kind of in the style of Captain Underpants, except prehistoric. I would recommend it to fans of those kinds of silly illustrated books and graphic novel fans age 6 and up.- Review by Michael, age 10
Monstrous Devices is a futuristic, sci-fi adventure story. It’s about a boy whose grandpa is always buying him toy robots. But this one is special. The boy falls asleep while doing homework, then wakes up to find the homework finished and ready. The grandpa immediately realized that the boy must come with him on his mission out of town. They end up having a creepy adventure.
- Review by Nidhi, age 10
With well-developed, realistic characters, a solid plot and good art, this graphic novel will appeal to a wide range of readers. The two main characters, best friends, bioengineer a three-headed cat. One day it gets loose from the lab on the spaceship where they live, and soon mysterious things start happening. The cat is blamed for the problems, but the girls suspect it's something else and begin investigating to clear their cat's name and save it from a possible death sentence. I'd recommend this book for readers age 7 and up, especially science fiction fans. It's particularly good for girls, but anyone should be able to enjoy it.
- Review by Michael, age 10
This book provoked lots of emotion, but it was also full of action as you piece together the story. Instead of providing a black vs. white, good vs. bad view of the world, you go back and forth several times trying to figure out who they "good guys" are. The story starts with the main character Kobi's dad being infected with a virus that had spread across the whole world. Basically, it's the apocalyse. It's called "The Waste" and it started 13 years ago.In this world, people have to stay away from The Waste, which has infected things and caused oddly mutated animals and rapidly growing poisonous plants. To save his dad, he decides to go out into the waste and do scientific research. There, he finds three kids, who tell him of a safe place called "Heal Home" and he finds he's not as alone as he seemed. But there's a lot of other things he finds out along the way. I would recommend this book to fast action fans age 8-12.- Review by Michael, age 10
This book is a great addition to the series that also includes Kid Artists, Kid Authors, Kid Athletes, and Kid Presidents. It includes short little stories on the early lives of scientists throughout the ages, with some information on what they did later in life. I found it really interesting, especially the stories of Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Ben Franklin and Temple Grandin. I already knew some about these people, but there were lots of little details I didn't know. A lot of them had rocky starts and weren't always the best students until they found what they were good at. Or they had rare illnesses or difficult childhoods. I did want to know more about Vera Rubin, who discovered dark matter. This book should be of interest to all kids interested in science, as well as fans of the other books in this series.
- Review by Michael, age 10
For fans of REFUGEE comes the action packed GRENADE. This story is about two young men and their perspectives of involvement in World War ll; one is a Japanese student drafted into the military and the other is an American marine. This takes place on the small island of Okinawa off the coast of Japan. Many people are killed, and bombs are dropped, but the two sides fight valiantly against each other. I would recommend this book to 6th grade and up, because of the language, and the brutal acts both sides preform.
-Review by River age 11
An adventure story with a quality danger aspect. The pressure of each very specific task being done perfectly was too high. In my opinion, the amount of fancy manners in this story is a little too high because I am a casual girl.
Review by Elli, age 10
I loved Ross Welford's Time Traveling with a Hamster and couldn't wait for his next book. What Not to Do If You Turn Invisible was just as good as the previous book. It was really interesting and deep: it made you think. It starts with Ethel waking up invisible, then goes back to explain all of the events that led up to it. Ethel had really bad acne and was teased about it at school, so she bought this weird "Skin So Clear" medicine online and took it every day. It has an unexpected side effect, though - not only does her acne disappear, but so does she! Her clothes remain visible, so if she wants to sneak around, she has to take them off. The effect is only temporary - until one day it's not. Ethel's mom is dead and she has to deal with that, and her dad is somewhere far away, like New Zealand. Meanwhile, Ethel meets this guy Elliot Boyd. He's loud and bumptious and big and he gets teased at school too. His nickname is "Smelliot." He gets involved in the story too, but I probably shouldn't give away too much of the plot. I would recommend this to readers age 9 and up, not just science fiction fans but general fiction fans as well.
- Review by Michael, age 10.
The start of a new series of adventurous graphic novels, this story starts with the main character as a young boy on the last day he saw his dad. The boy was afraid of the dark and the dad gave him his flashlight, saying it would protect him from the monsters. Four years later, Edison's sister calls for him to help find her hamster because he's really good at finding things. Then they get sent to spend time with their uncle, who works in pest control. They discover the pests he controls are not, like, bugs, but strange creatures who are mostly supposed to stay locked behind a magical gate. The gate is supposed to stay shut, but now it's open. The hamster escapes again, and in chasing it, they leave the safe van and venture through the gate into a different realm filled with spooky things. I would recommend this to fans of adventure and magic and graphic novels like "Amulet" or "Cleopatra in Space." I immediately want to read the second book in the series!Review by Michael, age 10
This book was very interesting. It’s about a girl named Marinka who is destined to follow in her Grandma’s footsteps and become a “Yaga” and guide the dead up to the stars. However, she doesn’t want to guide the dead, and dreams of living an average teenage life. Her “house with chicken legs” interacts with her; she meets new people and plays with her bird, Jack. Her house also has the ability to get up and run to a new location, making it almost impossible for Marinka to have any friends whatsoever. Read about Marinka and her troubles, adventures, and attempts to escape her destiny--being a yaga. Recommended for ages 9-14.
-Review by Kendall age 11
This book was really well-written, right in line with all of the other books by Carl Hiaasen that I have read. The plot was enjoyable, and even if the story did get a bit far-fetched, the characters were totally realistic and believable. The main character, Billy, lives with his mom. His dad left his family when he was young. One day, he finds his dad's address on a check with a return address in Montana. He decides to go there and figure out the whole deal. In Montana, he successfully finds the address, and discovers his dad has a whole new family, including a new "stepmom" and "stepsister" who are actually really nice. But his dad turns out to have gone missing. As he investigates, Billy and his stepsister finds out about the dangerous, mysterious work that his dad does and starts to get wrapped up in it himself as he tries to figure out what the right thing is to do. This is a great book for fans of Hoot, Scat, Chomp, and Flush and for readers who love nature and slightly crazy humor, ages 10 and up.
- Review by Michael, age 10
This sampler-book (just part of the full story that will be released in the fall) creates a fascinating, if very weird world, and intriguing possibilities for the rest of the story. I'm really interested in what will happen to the characters. The book actually opens with a series of illustrations, in an old-fashioned style like might have been done in the Middle Ages. Then later, we get chapters from the points of view of the two main characters. Brangwain Spurge, an elf historian, has the responsibility of bringing a valuable gift to the goblins, which the elves have been at war with. No elf has returned alive from the goblin country in 100 years, so Brangwain doesn't know what to expect: violence? death? Actually, his host, a goblin archivist, is really welcoming and excited to have a foreign visitor. However, due to the difference in cultures, things begin to go wrong.The story drops you right into this really different world and gets right into the action. I want to read the rest when the actual book comes out. I'd recommend this to fantasy fans age 10 and up.Review by Michael, age 10.
This book was funny and exciting at the same time, with all kinds of facts about history. It made it fun to read about history. It's written from the perspective of a future time traveler voyaging to Ancient Greece, as if he had accidentally dropped his guide book during a side trip to 2018. There's lots of cool stuff included, like what famous people to have lunch with, and some of the top tourist spots. It's also full of general history and amazing facts about the people, customs and life back then. It was hilarious. I particularly liked the section on the Spartans and what it was like to grow up in that culture.I would recommend this book for readers age 11 and up who enjoy history and humor.
Review by Michael, age 10.
Izzy is a 12 yr old girl having a harder life than she expected. Her aunt just commited suicide, and now her Uncle Henderson and his son, Oliver, are staying at their house, causing Izzy’s divorced mother to basically forget about Izzy. To top it off, Izzy’s mother is dating Izzy’s dentist, whose son, Ben, is on of the most feared kids at school, and her stepmother is having a baby. But, when Uncle Henderson goes missing, Izzy, Ben, and Oliver all join forces to go on a dangerous mission to save him. This book is told from Izzy’s perspective, in a way that you know how she is feeling, what she is going through, and what she does to solve her problems. There were times during this book where I wanted to laugh, some that I wanted to cry, and others where I just smiled. Everything turns out okay in the end, and Izzy knows that. I give this book a 5 star!
- Review by Nidhi, age 11
Felix Knutsson has a secret: he and his mom, Astrid, live in a van. And they have been for 6 months. Astrid promises it’s only temporary, and pleads Felix not to tell anyone. Felix feels the urge to tell his best friends, Winnie and Dylan, but doesn’t out of loyalty. Suddenly, there is an opportunity for Felix to be on a junior version of his favorite show, Who, What, Where, When, and a plan sparks for Felix to help himself and Astrid have a normal life. Nielsin ties together a lot of feelings throughout the book, making you laugh and cry along with Felix. Happy moments, sad moments, and surprising moments are all mixed in to the most important part of Felix’s life. I loved this book!
- Review by Nidhi, age 10
Lopside, the main character, is a Barkonaut aboard his spaceship, the Laika. He helps his fellow keepers and friends by sniffing around for no-good smells. One day, he and the other 4 Barkonauts aboard the Laika wake up from hibernation and realize the lifepod from the ship is missing, and the human astronauts with it! Lopside’s and his friend’s quick thinking might be able to save the lifepod and their beloved keepers. This was an amazing story! It had the perfect mix of humor, intensity, and calmness. I read this book in one sitting. I was intrigued! I would definitely give this book 5 stars!
-Review by Nidhi, age 10
This is advertised as a "comic book you can play," and I have to say it pretty much lived up to its name. It's a really cool idea, especially for kids who don't really pick up books on their own. It reads like a choose-your-own adventure, except with some added game elements. The situation is that there are these three kids who are bored with gardening and living with their parents. They're going to try to go to knight school, so they have to venture through the lands in search of bravery bracelets. Whoever gets the most wins. You play "yourself" in the book, so there's not as much of a story as with traditional books or graphic novels. It was still fun though, even though it could be a little confusing as you switched back and forth between pages. Some places are really easy to get lost in, too, like the maze and the swamp, and I kept getting stuck in these. I would recommend this for readers in third-grade and up, especially fans of Hocus and Pocus.- Review by Michael, age 10
This graphic novel was written like a "choose-your-own adventure" book. It's great for younger readers and people who want to choose what happens in a story. I personally like to check out all of the storylines and see what would have happened if I'd chosen differently. The plot starts like this: two kids attend a school that teaches kids how to understand animals with special abilities. The boy and girl are told they have to help unravel a kidnapping in a dark forest. The various storylines include lots of fairy tale elements. I found this a little simple, but reluctant readers and beginning readers would probably like this a lot. I think it's ideal for kids in the second- and third-grade.
-Review by Michael, age 10
Mavis just moved into a “rich person neighborhood.” The problem is she’s not rich. Her mother is trying yet another new job working for the Tully’s. Rose Tully feels like an outsider. She doesn’t enjoy shopping sprees or sleepovers like the other girls. But when her closest friend, Mr. Duffy, is sad because his dog died, she knows she needs to help. That’s where Mavis comes in. Written by the author of Wish, Wonderland tells how two girl bond over a dog named Henry. This book is an amazing story of friendship, and I recommend it to anyone who wants a happy ending. This book is great!
- Review by Nidhi, age 11
This story had a good plotline but it was a bit simplistic for me, as it's aimed at younger readers. The main characters are a brother and sister. They run across an old suitcase at a flea market and feel an odd tingle. They wind up being given the case for free, but they don't know there's a strange man trying to track it down. The suitcase accidentally opens and transports them back in time. I think this is a good book for second- and third-graders who like fantasy and science fiction but are at a lower level in reading.Review by Michael, age 10
This book is related to the author's previous graphic novel, Cosmic Commandos, because it has the same ring that grants powers - but you don't have to have read the first book to enjoy this one. The main character is a girl named Zoe who loves building robots and watching movies about robots and monsters. She's shy and has bad experiences with "friends" who hurt her feelings so she turned away. Now she tries to act like she doesn't need friends. One day, she finds a ring lying in the grass. A burst of light explodes from it when she tries it on. That night, she finds herself face-to-face with a monster like those from the movies she watches - and the monster wants to be her friend. But it turns out there's not just one monster. There's a lot of them, and they're not all friendly. I'd recommend this book for fans of Cosmic Commandos and other graphic novel adventures. It's for kids who like science fiction and action, probably ages 8-12.- Review by Michael, age 10
I enjoyed this story a lot. Set in the 1920s, it's about a girl, Viviani, who lives in the library and has a lot of fun on her own. Later, at school she meets a new girl, Merit, who's very sure of her facts. Viviani wants to be friends with this girl. After a humiliation at recess, Viviani promises she'll show Merit a ghost. If all goes perfectly, they'll be friends. If her plan doesn't work, she may never have friends. So they start exploring and even though Viviani thinks she knows every there is to know about the library, there are still surprises in store. I'd recommend this for mystery lovers ages 10-12.- Review by Michael, age 10.
This was a really great book, more complicated than I expected. It's like an old-fashioned choose-your-own adventure, with added clues, puzzles and riddles to figure out as you try to solve the mystery. It's fun to go through all of the different paths and see what happened in all the different scenarios. The plot starts out with the main character, Carlos, living in kind of bad conditions with his mom, who runs a failing detective agency. They're not getting any cases and not getting any money coming in. They finally get a case, but his mom is sick and her partner is out on a different case, so Carlos takes over. The reader gets to choose the path that you take. Sometimes it leads to a dead end, so it's smart to mark your place so you can go back to where you were and figure it out from there. I would recommend this to mystery fans age 9 and up and people who like choose-your-own adventures.- Review by Michael, age 10
This was a really great graphic novel with a fast-paced story and great art. It's about two changelings. The human was stolen by the fay and taken to live in their underground realm. The fay changeling is growing up in the regular human world. Both wind up wrapped up in an adventure in the fay world, along with their human sister, who learns the truth about her family and is willing to accept both of them as her brothers. It's a really good story and I would recommend it to people who like adventure graphic novels and books like The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black.- Review by Michael, age 10.
As an animal lover it was a wonderful adventure story from the squirrels’ point of view. Very interesting descriptions. I also thought that it was cool how the different groups of squirrels had different beliefs in what protected them.
By Elli, 10 years old
COURAGE by Barbara Binns is an inspiring book. It teaches you that most people, even those with a criminal record, deserve a second chance in life. This sounds quite easy, but for T’Shawn Rodgers this might just be the hardest thing he has ever done. T’Shawn must forgive Lamont Rodgers, his long-lost brother who had quite a rough past. He was sucked into the “Gang Life”, and you'll understand that this is not a very good way to live life. COURAGE is a very emotional and heartwarming book, I would recommend it to anyone!!!
-Review by Charlotte
Courage is a realistic fiction novel by Barbara Binns. T’Shawn, the main character, is shocked when his mother decides that his older brother, Lamont, who has been in jail for the past 3 years, should come home again. After his father’s death, Lamont ran away from the homeless shelter that he and his family lived in. T’Shawn was heartbroken, but knew it wasn’t right. Now, he’s a part of a worshipped diving team where everyone is scared of his brother. Now, he’s wondering whether or not he should trust the boy who he once looked up to. Readers of The Crossover and Wonder will love this spectacular story of love and family. Courage is a MUST READ!
- Review by Nidhi, age 10
This was a very interesting book. The main character keeps getting bad grades and his mom is threatening to pull him out of baseball. If he gets a good grade on his science project, though, he can stay in baseball. So he tries very hard, but it isn't going well. Then he visits the school's "lucky wishing well." It's known if you give it your most prized possession, you'll get a wish. The main character gives up something - not his most prized possession but something special nonetheless - his aunt's present to him: Heroes of History action figures. He wishes for better grades, and everything goes haywire. He ends up with "Pocket Geniuses" instead. It was an easy, fast read. I'd recommend it to readers 7-10.Review by Michael, age 10
This book had a lot of informational on an interesting topic: the spacecraft that's going to travel to Pluto and on out of our solar system. There are lots of people who want to know about outer space, so this should be interesting to many readers. The book includes information on the spacecraft itself, the people who made it and how it was made, and then it also includes information on Pluto itself. I thought it was pretty cool.I would recommend it to fans of space, future astronauts and people who want to know the latest news about space exploration, ages 9 and up.Review by Michael, age 10.
This book was totally wicked! I loved it because I really enjoy stories centered around magic and this was a really wonderful one. What else can I say. This is just a wonderful book.
Review by Elli, 10 years old
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