Game Changer by Margaret Peterson Haddix

First off, sorry for the sparodic posts recently. I recently started do rehearsals for a play I'm in and my schedule has become crazy because of it. Now, I give you the review. I would like to start by saying that usually I adore Haddix's books. However, although Game Changer wasn't bad, it definitely wasn't her best. Game Changer is told through the eyes of 8th grader KT Sutton, softball champion and the apple of her parents' eyes. Then  suddenly in the middle of a champion softball game, she is transported to a different world where sports are school and vise versa. So KT suddenly becomes a nerd who is lousy and Acs, the academic competitions replace sports in the crazy world. To top it all off, KT's brother, who used to be nearly ignored by her parents, is fantastic at Acs, so now, she's the 'unimportant' child. The plot does thicken a little bit more, however, I won't tell you anymore for the sake of suspense. Anyway, I didn't particularly love Game Changer. For starters, in order to create drama, Haddix exaggerated the role sports play in the lives of middle schoolers. She made it seem if you were good at sports everyone loved you. You were popular with both your teachers and fellow students if you were good at any sport. However, woe to the smart kid, anyone who was smart pretended not to be if they cared about popularity. Also, the book failed to keep me on the edge of my seat like most Haddix books. In fact, I didn't really even care much about what happened to KT, nor was I totally shocked by the ending of the book. So, because of those reasons, I cannot recommended Game Changer for most people. However very sporty girls ages 9-12 might enjoy this.  Otherwise, skip it and read a different Haddix book, believe me almost all of her other book are much better. If you did like Game Changer, check out Above World by Jenn Reese. Happy Reading, Little New Yorker!

Girls Best Friend by Leslie Margolis

First of all, sorry for the gap in posting, I was on Christmas break and then I just kept forgetting to go to the library. Any here's my review. For Maggie, life isn't to bad. Until Ivy, her best friend until Ivy ditched her in middle school, has her dog stolen. Maggie, being a lover of animals, especially that dog and a dog walker, has to help. However, Maggie soon discovered that not only one dog had been stolen. Of course Maggie also must do this while secretly walking dogs. Oh, and the book takes place in Brooklyn. Anyway I loved this book and was very pleased with it fans of Nancy Drew should defiantly check this out but any girl age 10-14 might want to check this out. If you like this book, you should try Nancy Drew books, the Trixie Belden books, and the sequel to this book, Vanishing Acts (Vanishing Acts would also work as a stand alone book) Happy Reading, Little New Yorker!

The Seven Tales of Trinket by Shelly Moore Thomas

The Seven Tales of Trinket was a delightful book.  It is divided into 7 parts, each telling a certain tale.  They all follow a girl named Trinket and her friend Thomas the pig boy as she embarks on an adventure after he mother dies to find her father and, in the process, become a bard like he is.  Following a map of her father's that he had left behind before he left when she was three, Trinket and Thomas befriend a fourteen-telling gypsy girl, seek a child stolen by selkies, confront a banshee, outwit the dangerous fairy queen, fight a ghostly highwayman, and save a baby prince from death.  However, it is the seventh tale that changes her future forever.  I really enjoyed TSTT and would recommend it to boys or girls ages 10-14.  It was 360 pages long, however, they were rather small pages, so the book isn't quite as long as it sound.  Anyway, Happy Reading!

Redwall by Brian Jaques

First off, sorry for the lack of reviews this past month. I could list off all of my excuses, but I really don't feel like it. Anyway, here's my review.
Recently, I had to read Redwall for an English class I'm taking. We read a couple chapters a week and then answered questions about them. Because of this, my only problem with the book was that I couldn't read it faster. The book follows young mouse hero Matthias as he and the peace loving creatures of Redwall abbey fight against the nefarious rat Cluny and his evil army. I loved it. Not only was it incredibly gripping, it also was very well written. In the course of reading the book, I learned several new words. I recommend Redwall to both boys and girls ages 10-14. It was 351 pages. Happy reading, NNY'er

The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald

I read this book in a book club and there was one big thing I noticed.  Usually, people either really like this book or they loathe it (nobody in our group of girls ages 12-14 loved it).  The book follows the adventures of an 8 year old princess named Irene and a 12 year old miner boy named Curdie who both live on an imaginary mountain.  The mountain happens to also house goblins, in hollowed out caves inside of it.  While the princess and her nurse Lootie are out walking, they encounter one of the odd creatures and are saved by Curdie.  I can't tell you anymore without ruining the plot, but it involves goblins, stone clogs, an invisible thread, and Irene's grandmother.  From this description, one might wonder why not love the book, well, the plot isn't the whole picture.  You see Irene and Curdie, particularity Irene, aren't very believable characters.  Both of them are often too polite.  I have no objections to being polite, but Nobody is this polite.  Their politeness often gets annoying.  Also Irene, when not acting polite, often acts snotty and spoiled towards her nurse Lottie, who obviously loves her very much.  She also constantly cries.  That does get annoying.  But, if you can get over that, you will probably like this book.  I recommended The Princess and the Goblin for girls ages 6-12.  It is 262 pages long.  Happy Reading, NNY'er