Review Key:  Classics, Contemporary Realistic, Horror, Romance, Sci-fi and Fantasy, Adventure, Mystery, Historical and Westerns, Graphic Novel, Non-fiction *= movie, TV or music

 

Have you read a book, seen a movie, or heard a CD that you think everyone should experience?  Have you run into something that you want to spare anyone else from reading?  Let us hear about it.  Just send in a review to me and I'll be sure to post it.  You can either drop by the Young Adult room and give it to me in person, or you can e-mail it to hendersonville_library_youth@yahoo.com 

 

 

 Here are the reviews from the 2010 Summer Reading Program.  These reviews are the opinion of the teens who wrote them and are in no way meant to reflect the opinions of the library staff or management.  For last year's reviews, click here.

 

Twilight

by Stephanie Meyer

YF Mey

Reviewed by Rachael L.

 

4 out of 5 bottles

It's awesome.  I love all the detail, drama, romance, and action.  I could read this book again.

 

 

The Lightning Thief

by Rick Riordan

YF Rio

Reviewed by Amanda C.

 

5 out of 5 bottles

The book was full of adventure!!!  I loved it!  I love Greek mythology.

 

Also reviewed by Allie W.

 

5 out of 5 bottles

The book talks to the reader and it has humor and it has Greek myths in it too.  And there is a love story in the story between Percy and Annabeth.  It is an action packed book that you will not want to put down.

 

 

 

Percy Jackson and the Olympians audiobooks

by Rick Riordan

(The Titan's Curse available at the library -- YCD 711)

Reviewed by Allie W.

 

The best audiobook is Percy Jackson and the Olympians the first through the 5th.  It is fun to hear how different it is to what you heard.  It is about Percy and about the many quests he was to go through.  I also fell in love with someone.  This is a great audiobook.  And all teens will love it.

 

 

 

*Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

directed by Christopher Columbus

Starring Logan Lerman, Uma Thurman, Sean Bean, and Pierce Brosnan

Rated PG

Reviewed by Allie W.

 

0 out of 5 bottles

It messed up on everything.  Annabeth is supposed to have curly blond hair, not straight brunette hair.  they didn't even show the water park scene.  They  made Grover black.  It was the worst movie ever.  Don't see it.

 

 

 

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

by Brian Selznick

JF Sel

Reviewed by Allie W.

 

5 out of 5 bottles

It has a good mixture of words and pictures.  It has a great story line.  It is about a boy who loses his father and starts inventing machines on his own time.  He lives with his uncle in a clock motor at the train station.  This has mystery and laughter too.  Teens will love it.

 

 

 

 

The Twenty-One Balloons

by William Pene DuBois

JF DuB

Reviewed by Allie W.

 

5 out of 5 bottles

It has inventions that no one would think of.  It makes you feel five again -- you find your inner five-year-old.  You go back to the days you thought you were a pirate or a spy or a monster with gnarlling teeth.  So be prepared to find your inner five-year old.

 

 

 

 

Blue Bloods

by Melissa de la Cruz

YF Del

Reviewed by Shoni C.

 

4 out of 5 bottles

I loved how the author put a new twist on vampires ("blue bloods") without seeming that drastic or unrealistic.  The book also had a pretty up-beat plot with clues thrown in to what's happening so you can connect the dots on your own.  It was also cool that the chapters switched around to different characters' views.  Now I can't wait to read the sequel!

 

 

 

Catching Fire

by Suzanne Collins

YF Col

Reviewed by Elizabeth G.

 

5 out of 5 bottles

The way she phrased everything was so cleverly thought out.  This is by far the best romaction I've every read.  This sequel [to The Hunger Games] is as compelling as the first.  She didn't let me down.

 

 

 

*Ever After

directed by Andy Tennant

starring Drew Barrymore, Angelica Huston, and Dougray Scott

Rated PG

Reviewed by Elizabeth G.

 

4 out of 5 bottles

This movie captured the classic story of Cinderella in such a way that makes it enjoyable for all ages.  Although I was apalled at the choice of language for a PG movie, it will remain a family movie in our household.  It is as timeless and as classic as it is funny and romantic.  A classic.

 

 

 

 

Master of Tae Kwon Do

by Richard Brightfield

JF Bri

Reviewed by Samantha G.

 

5 out of 5 bottles

It has many twists, turns, and exciting adventures when you go to Korea to try to find your friend.  You have to be careful not to join a plot to take over the world, while avoiding bounty hunters and trying to save your own life.

 

 

 

 

*Alice in Wonderland

directed by Tim Burton

starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham-Carter, and Mia Wasikowska

Rated PG

Reviewed by Shoni C.

 

5 out of 5 bottles

The way that Tim Burton put a spin on Through the Looking Glass and used Harry Potter cast in the process was amazing!  The movie was up-beat, funny and charming (hence Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter).  All the vivid colors and creatures in this twisted story make you want to watch it again and again!

 

 

 

Fablehaven

by Brandon Mull

JPB Mul

Reviewed by Shoni C.

 

4 out of 5 bottles

Mull did a good job taking the average fantasy story and twisting it to make it more interesting and suspense filled.  The book had everything from witches to fairies and still had room for a great plot.  I picked this book at random but now I can't wait to get and read the sequel.

 

 

 

Masquerade

by Melissa de la Cruz

YF Del

Reviewed by Shoni C.

 

5 out of 5 bottles

This book was as good as the 1st one (Blue Bloods), if not better!  The plot is getting more intense and has more twists now.  The author is beginning to show the invisible ties between all of the characters and throwing others in peril.  As always it had a great cliff-hanger ending and I am ready to read the 3rd!

 

 

 

Maximum Ride: Fang

by James Patterson

Not yet at the library

Reviewed by Natasha T.

 

4 out of 5 bottles

So far it is the most exciting book in the series with an interesting twist at the end that makes you wonder about what happens next.

 

 

 

Alice In-Between

by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

JPB Nay

Reviewed by Anne S.

 

5 out of 5 bottles

It really speaks to girls everywhere about friends, relationships, trust, and feeling confused about who you are and what to do about it and why it is ok to feel in-between.

 

 

 

 

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

by J. K. Rowling

YF Row

Reviewed by Anne S.

 

5 out of 5 bottles

This was a book I could not put down because it was thrilling, sad, mysterious, and hilarious.  It spoke to me about friends, enemies, and how everyone is not what they seem (Sirius was nice, not evil) and most of all, I fell in love with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

 

 

 

 

Midnight for Charlie Bone

by Jenny Nimmo

JF Nim

Reviewed by Anne S.

 

4 out of 5 bottles

It is very exciting and the characters are really fun.  I also liked the characters' trust in the story.  However, I feel that the story had been done before.  E.g. -- Harry Potter series were VERY similar to the setting of the story.

 

 

 

 

*Prince of Persia

directed by Mike Newell

starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, and Alfred Molina

Rated PG-13

 

5 out of 5 bottles

It expresses that even a peasant on the street can become a king.  It also gives great examples of magic, and time travel and why it can be dangerous and even change the world.  I loved the characters and Dastan's persistance and dry humor.

 

 

 

 

The Worst Day of Your Life

by Edward Packard

JF Pac

Reviewed by Samantha G.

 

5 out of 5 bottles

It's an exciting story where you have to do everything just to stay alive!  It is a book you must read!

 

 

 

 

The Phantom Submarine

by Richard Brightfield

JF Bri

Reviewed by Samantha G.

 

5 out of 5 bottles

It was awesome!  You're trying to find where the other ships disappear to.  Depending on what you choose, you might go there, too!

 

 

 

 

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey

by Trenton Lee Stewart

YF Ste

Reviewed by Drew

 

5 out of 5 bottles

I loved this book...gripping suspense every page!  I like how it was a hunted treasure.  I like how the characters develop.

 

 

 

 

Holes

by Louis Sachar

YF Ste

Reviewed by Drew

 

4.5 out of 5 bottles

It was an amazing read.  I liked how everything was somehow related in the end.  The only part I don't like is the slow start.

 

 

 

 

Hunger Games

by Suzanne Collins

YF Col

Reviewed by Elizabeth G.

 

5 out of 5 bottles

This book kept me on the edge of my seat.  I stayed up until midnight finishing it.  There is no such thing as boring in Suzanne Collins's eyes.

 

 

 

 

Hattie Big Sky

by Kirby Larson

YCD 1513

Reviewed by Elizabeth G.

 

3 out of 5 bottles

I have never been interested in listening to books, but the plot was enjoyable. :)

 

 

 

 

The Missing Heiress

by Julie Campbell

Interlibrary Loan

Reviewed by Elizabeth G.

 

5 out of 5 bottles

The twists and turns make the reader on edge as they get deeper in the mystery.  Her wits and brains come in handy as they face the unexpected.  2 thumbs up. :)

 

 

 

 

Hoot

by Carl Hiaasen

YF Hia

Reviewed by Drew

 

5 out of 5 bottles

It is a great book filled with adventure.  It is also a charming tale filled with love and passion for animals.

 

 

 

 

*Despicable Me

Starring Steve Carrell

Rated PG

Reviewed by Drew

 

4.5 out of 5 bottles

It is cool because teh evil villain is being all bad and adopts kids for an evil scheme, but likes them in the end.  It is very cute.