Kid's Advisory Board Reviews
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These are reviews written by members of the Kids Advisory Board.
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This book stars three young vampires. By young, I mean, they're still children, even though they've been children for hundreds or even thousands of years. The main character, a non-binary vampire named Dragoslava, was born in 1460. They are drawn weirdly, like a cross between the stereotypical caped Dracula and Charlie Brown. Their friends, drawn much more realistically, are Eztli, born in 1597, and Quintus, the son of the (black) vampire queen, born 129 BCE. Centuries ago, Dragoslava was cursed by a witch and now has to do anything the witch asks. This time, the witch asks Dragoslava to retrieve a grimoire that was allegedly stolen from her a long time ago. Eztli and Quintus don't have to go along on this quest, but they want to help. Along the way, they learn more about this witch they've known for so many centuries, and find a way to change their destinies. I would recommend this book to fans of diverse, supernatural graphic novels like The Witch Boy.
-Review by Michael, age 12
This story was very creative - I haven't read a book like this before. It takes a lot of elements that I have liked from other stories, like graveyards, underground cities and multiple races barely at peace with one another, and puts them together in a new way.
the story starts when the main character, Grey, picks up a 1919 penny which his friend says is unlucky. Grey decides to take a shortcut through the graveyard to get his diorama to school on time. But he drops the diorama into what appears to be an open grave, and a hand reaches out and grabs it.
At school, he can't say what really happened, so he says he left his project at home. He stays up all night to remake it and it's stolen again - then he finds at his doorstep an amazingly complete model of the graveyard, which he turns in. The weird gifts don't stop there, though. Suddenly he's finding bone necklaces, tied-together bone keys, a doll that looks like him with real teeth sewn on.... Someone is apparently trying to be nice, but it creeps Grey out. Then he meets the gift-giver, Lavinia, who's a child ghoul. She explains her culture and why they're not supposed to reveal their presence to humans. Of course Grey winds up getting caught up in their culture nonetheless, and eventually embarks on an adventure in their underground realms that's equal parts fascinating and terrifying. The ghoul character is really fun - sincere and naive in terms of our culture, yet the holder of arcane secrets. Hideous, yet appealing. The other characters were well depicted too, rounded, realistic and believable.
-Review by Michael, age 12
This graphic novel was not your typical "person goes to camp and makes friends" story. As the book opens "Long Distance" seems to refer to the separation the main character, Vega, is experiencing from her best friend after moving to Seattle. Then her dad sends Vega to the "Very Best Friends" camp. Vega doesn't initially want to open up one bit and make new friends. She's fine with staying in contact with her old friend by phone - but she learns her cell doesn't get a signal way out here. Then Vega starts discovering weird staff at the camp. For one, the camp counselors are really weird, annoying and snoopy, and there's this kid at the camp whose parents supposedly run it. He keeps changing his personality to get people to like him more. It turns out there's a lot more going on than just summer camping activities. Vega has to work with others to figure out what's going on and possibly make new connections, learning that despite vastly different backgrounds, she and those she meets aren't that different after all. The story is very original, with diverse and realistic characters. I would recommend it for fans of sci-fi, adventures and graphic novels.
-Review by Michael, age 12
12 year old Lark is living at Mrs. Starvengers boarding house for girls. She is determined to leave but she needs coin to pay off her debt to Mrs. Starvenger first. Her scheme is to steal gold from the royal museum. Unfortunately her heist goes wrong and she ends up with a magic sword that she soon discovers, has a mind of its own and also can make her fly. The sword has picked her to be the next nightingale. A nightingale is a hero who has to fight a great evil that is finally waking up after centuries, and Lark doesn’t think she can do it. But she learns that by working together with the help of her roomates anything is possible. This is a fantasy adventure book that I recommend about a girl all alone who comes to learn the importance of others.
-Review by Maddie
Barclay Thorne lives in a town that's basically made of thousands of rules that dictate residents' whole lives. The town also hates Lorekeepers, who bond with dangerous Beasts to do magic, as years before, the town was damaged by a giant beast. Barclay is an orphan and no one wants to take him on as an apprentice, but finally, he finds a position as a mushroom hunter. He's sent on a mission to find a rare mushroom which grows close to the forbidden woods. Barclay is working with another apprentice, who's not that good at the job and doesn't even like mushrooms. Scared by something, they run into the woods. There, they meet Viola, a girl who is trying to bond with the very Beast that destroyed Barclay's town. However, it turns out she didn't summon the Beast. The Beast is the one who did the summoning, and he didn't bond with Viola, but with Barclay. The story is full of action and plot twists, with interesting characters, even better than I thought it would be. I would recommend it to fans of creative books about magic.
-Review by Michael, age 12
This is a review of a new book titled Houdini and Me. Its about a kid named Harry who lives in the old house of Harry Houdini on West 113 Street in New York City. One day he gets contacted by the ghost of Houdini and his ghost tells him the secrets of his tricks. By secrets, I mean how he did them. And Harry doesn’t believe him. But he goes back in time, switches places with Houdini and he does these tricks in the year 1921!?
This is a really good book! I find Houdini very cool! For those who don’t know, Houdini is a real person who was a famous illusionist. (or magician if you are confused) and he died in 1929. My favorite part of the book is when Harry tells Houdini about the history that has happened after his death and Houdini’s reactions to that. Now, I recommend this book to all ages so they can learn about the great Harry Houdini!
-Review by Jack
This was a good, fast read in an accessible graphic novel format. The main character Maggie was looking forward to getting a dog for her birthday, but when the animal arrives, she immediately begins having the worst allergic reaction, sneezing and breaking out in hives. She goes to an allergist for a series of very unpleasant tests, in which she's poked with lots of needles filled with substances she might be allergic to. It turns out she's allergic to everything with fur or feathers, so she resigns herself to getting a different kind of. The fish dies. The lizard is stolen by her brothers and she's disappointed to find out turtles spend half the year hibernating. And no, she doesn't want a tarantula. Meanwhile, she starts attending a new school and makes a good friend. Then that girl gets a dog, knowing Maggie has severe allergies, and Maggie feels betrayed. Maggie's still waiting for allergy shots to take effect, a several month process. Then Maggie wonders, what if she just got a little pet - like a mouse? Would that amount of fur be enough to bother her? And she sneaks the little animal into her room unbeknownst to her parents....
-Review by Michael, age 13
This exciting, fast-paced book/graphic novel tells the true story of a guy who hijacked a plane in 1971 and asked for a lot of money ($200,000)and four parachutes to escape with, then disappeared. It's really interesting, and for me it was a window on a whole different era when there wasn't as much security as there is now on planes. You could just carry a bomb right in and no one would know. The book walks readers through how the guy did it, the possible suspects - as law enforcement never learned who did it - and how he might have pulled it off. The story is told in a combination of comics, real documents, and photos from the scene. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy true crime and mystery.
-Review by Michael, age 12
This was a really great book, with believable, complex characters and an intriguing setting and plot. It opens in the perspective of Simon Frost, a boy who is not great at magic - which in his world is called animism. He works sorting mail for a big government foundation which regulates the known world. The foundation has been in place since a powerful magic user in the past made a big crater. This led people to lay down rules for magic. At least that's what people are taught. Simon keeps encountering differing information, however, first in newspapers that claim their queen is a giant lizard and other "questionable" news. Then, one day while he's working, a bird carries him a message with a cry for help from a far-off place. He has to decide whether to go or not. Along the way, he meets Alice, a human with tentacles who can change into a tentacled creature. At first they don't trust each other but later they learn to rely on each-other. Alice, meanwhile, only has memories of her last few months, and the duo has to unravel her history along with what;s going on in their world. One lesson that comes out of their adventures is not to take anything at face value.
-Review by Michael, age 12
I liked that this book had a lot of potions, magic, and action. There was a sneaky dragon, but none of the other dragons knew who it was. Two of the dragons had to save Crestwood from a curse. I really liked this exciting book!
- Review by Ani, age 9
Super Turbo Saves the Day is a graphic novel about a hamster named Turbo, that is also a superhero living in a cage In classroom c (or as he calls it, his palace). Among the other classrooms are other super hero pets who band together on a snow day to keep the school safe. This is the first in a series of books. I recommend this book to younger readers who like excitement and humor. The art in the book is simple but colorful and overall the book is enjoyable.
-Review by Jack
The Year I Flew Away is an incredible story, It is filled with passion. This book is fantasy but some spots are realistic fiction but mostly fantasy. The main character's name is Gabrielle. Gabrielle really wants to be an american, but something comes her way so she regrets it.
-Review by Lyv
The book was good because it showed how you can explore but you can always have someone by your side. I think the author did a good job because she showed that everyone can have empathy and that sometimes ideas are not great! This book was a fast and easy read.
-review by Lyv
Red, White and whole Is full of hope and passion, but also sadness.. It is about a girl named Reha and she realizes that her mom is Really sick. She wants to make sure that her mom is better. Her mom is named Rasam and that means moon, Rehas name means star. At the end "what would happen if the moon was missing from the sky".
-Review by Lyv
In this book Jeanie loves school and becomes freinds with Willow, but Willow has a secret. There are clues throughout the book that help the reader figure out Willow’s secret. This book is about friendships and trusting in one another. I really liked this book and I would recommend this to anyone who likes books about friendships and reading for clues.
-Review by Payson age 7