The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation begins with Eloise, an American girl who has traveled to England to complete her dissertation on a trio of English spies in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The spy that intrigues her the most is the Pink Carnation, an elusive and shifty fellow whose name is spattered throughout English newspapers, yet to this day hasn't been unmasked. Although she has searched through every archive and news article she can get her hands on, no clue to the Pink Carnation's identity is to be had. Fortunatly, she catches a break when Mrs. Arabella Selwick-Alderly, a descendant of the famed Purple Gentian, Lord Richard Selwick, responds to her desperate letter and agrees to let her read through some old family documents. Eloise quickly finds herself engrossed in the life of an enthusiastic young noblewoman and the dashing Purple Gentian on her search for the hidden identity of the Pink Carnation.
This book had me caught within its grasp in the first few pages. Willig creates vivid images in her readers' minds with her strong word choices. The personality of each character is portrayed in a way that is so believable it makes me want to reach out and slap them at times, and cheer for their victories at others. The novel is a mixture of adventure, mystery, romance, historical fiction, and just the right amount of humor that create a delightful read.
I gave The Secret History of the Pink Carnation 5 of 5 stars.

Singing the Dogstar Blues, by Alison Goodman

Singing the Dogstar Blues is set in futuristic times when spaceships and time travel are the norm. Joss Aaronson is the daughter of a famous news reporter and an unknown sperm donor. She loves music, and she's a student at the Centre for Neo-Historical Studies. When the Chorians, a race of aliens from the Sirius-B star, request that one of their young ones come and study time-travel at the University, Joss agrees to be its partner. Joss finds out that her partner, Mavkel, lost his birth-pair in a terrible accident and is getting sick because of it. The only way to save Mavkel's life is to pair with it, or join their minds. To do that, Joss has to find her mysterious father because to join she has to know her bloodlines. The only way to find her father is to jump back in time, which is forbidden for first year students....
This is a short novel that's a mix of science fiction, mystery, and adventure. It's suspensful and makes you want to turn to the last page to see what happens. I thought this was a great book, so I gave it 4 stars!!!

Runemarks, by Joanne Harris

Maddy Smith is a fourteen year old girl who lives in the village of Malbry in the Strond Valley. She was born with a strange runemark on her palm, a mark which is considered magic in the village, and dangerous. Her mother died giving birth to her, her father can't look at her, and her sister is a beautiful ditz. The other villagers dislike her, and she's constantly teased by other children her age. Maddy seems to have no friends, except for a traveler named One-Eye. Maddy likes to work the magic that was given to her, and One-Eye teaches her all about how to cast runes and the old stories about the fallen gods.
On One-Eye's annual visit, he tells Maddy that he wants her to descend into Red Horse Hill, a fortress of goblins and who-knows-what other vermin, to retrieve an artifact of the old gods: the Whisperer.
Harris creates a beautiful and terrible world with her descriptive writing and intricate characters. Runemarks is filled with clever plots and enthralling adventures, as well as powerful and greedy villians that the reader just wants to reach out and slap in the face. I absolutely loved this book, and I had alot of trouble putting it down. I give Runemarks 5 of 5 stars.

Where the Truth Lies, by Lucy Cullyford Babbitt

Kyra, a 17 year old from a city called Sanctuary, has been appointed to stop a bloody religous war. The thing is, her city is godless. Sanctuary has sent messages to each of the two warring peoples: the Godslanders and the Tribes. One youth from each is to travel with Kyra to the sacred cave to decide who is right. Is there one god, many gods, or no god at all? Kyra and her people believe that all the secrets lie in the 'sacred cave'. So Kyra meets up with the boy from the tribes in Sanctuary, and together they travel into the Godslander's territory with Eli (the tribal boy) dressed up as a convert and Kyra dressed as a regular Godslander to meet with the Godslander representative and travel to the sacred cave with another group of pilgrims. Through their journeys, Kyra begins to wonder if her beliefs are true.

Anyway, I didn't really think much of this book. At first it was just really silly and predictable, and then in the middle it got better. But still, a Sacred Cave? Like we haven't heard that one before. I guess I was just disappointed, because I expected a little bit more out of it. I was thinking of giving this book 4 stars, but then I read the ending. Perhaps it was genius, but I think it was just stupid. It might have worked had their been a sequel, but to my knowledge there isn't one. So, I gave this book 3 of 5 stars.

The Faerie Path, by Frewin Jones

The Faerie Path is about a girl named Anita who upon her 16th birthday discovers that she is actually Princess Tania from the land of Faerie. She had a boating accident when her boyfriend ran into a bridge, so she believes that she's in a hospital dreaming up the land of Faerie, and throughout the book she struggles with whether this amazing new world is real or fantasy. She uncovers a plot against her royal father, and now it's all up to her to save the day.
I thought this book was fairly predictable. I always had a good idea of what was going to happen next. The main character, Anita/Tania, did not seem to behave like most 16 year olds. She seemed almost childish in some parts. I had trouble relating with her.
I gave this book 2 1/2 stars.

The Other Side of Truth, by Beverley Naidoo

The Other Side of Truth by Beverley Naidoo is about a young girl, Sade (pronounced Sha-day), and her younger brother Femi. They live in Lagos, Nigeria. Their father is a journalist who writes about the oppressive government in Nigeria and how the Nigerian people should stand up to the people who push them around. The government doesn't like these brave people to write about their wrongdoings, so one day they send some men to shoot down Sade and Femi's father. The gunmen miss, however, and kill their mother instead.

After this, the children's father has them sent from the country to London, England where their Uncle Dele is to take care of them. Their father cannot join them because he does not have a passport, but he promises to reunite with them in London as soon as possible. They are taken into the care of a complete stranger until they reach London, where the are deserted and forced to find their Uncle Dele on their own.

Sade and Femi endure more hardships than any child should have to throughout the story. Sade must find a way to tell the world about her father and the unjust government in Nigeria. The story was interesting and moving. It contained some events that actually did happen during the time which made the book all the more realistic. I gave The Other Side of Truth 3 out of 5 stars.

Funny Little Monkey, By Austin Auseon Book Review

Funny Little Monkey, by Austin Auseon, is about an extremely short (four foot two inches, to be exact) teenage boy named Arty. He's got his problems, like with his freakishly huge twin brother Kurt who never seems to stop picking on him and stuffing him in enclosed spaces. He recruits the help of an underground organization of misfit kids such as himself to get back at his abusive brother and put an end to the torment once and for all.

I thought this book was hilarious. Although some parts were confusing and even at the end I didn't entirely get it, I found it entertaining and interesting. Arty finds out some things about himself that he never knew before, and about his brother as well. It mixes mystery with a story of growing up. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.