Undercover by Beth Kephart

Like a modern-day Cyrano de Bergerac, Elisa ghostwrites love notes for the boys in her school. But when Elisa falls for Theo Moses, things change fast. Theo asks for verses to court the lovely Lila—a girl known for her beauty, her popularity, and a cutting ability to remind Elisa that she has none of these. At home, Elisa's father, the one person she feels understands her, has left on an extended business trip. As the days grow shorter, Elisa worries that the increasingly urgent letters she sends her father won't bring him home. Like the undercover agent she feels she has become, Elisa retreats to a pond in the woods, where her talent for ice-skating gives her the confidence to come out from under cover and take center stage. But when Lila becomes jealous of Theo's friendship with Elisa, her revenge nearly destroys Elisa's ice-skating dreams and her plan to reunite her family.

I think I had different expectations for this book but I still enjoyed it. The book was well written and from the point of view of a ten grade student named Elisa. This is the first book for author Beth Kephart but I don't think it shows. While some authors try to simplify the language of their teen characters, Beth Kephart does nothing of the sort. She writes as if she is creating a piece of art and that brings more life to Elisa. Elisa is an honors student who has a more sophisticated mind than her other classmates. There are points in the story that you may not know exactly what she is thinking because she is creating poetry or trying to picture her life differently. I think the author does a good job in making sure that each reader interprets Elisa differently. This book may be a little heavy for the younger half of tweens mainly because they may not understand what Elisa is going through. She has family problems as well as problems making friends. Some people may relate to Elisa because she is the smart girl that people tend to ignore. Her sister is the popular, pretty girl that chooses to ignore her sister in the hallways at first. You can see growth in both characters throughout the book which makes it more enjoyable. It was a relatively quick read for me even though it clocked out at almost 300 pages. This is a book that I would recommend to the dedicated readers as they may understand Elisa more than an occasional reader.

Life as We Knew it by Susan Pfeffer

It's almost the end of Miranda's sophomore year in high school, and her journal reflects the busy life of a typical teenager: conversations with friends, fights with mom, and fervent hopes for a driver's license. When Miranda first begins hearing the reports of a meteor on a collision course with the moon, it hardly seems worth a mention in her diary. But after the meteor hits, pushing the moon off its axis and causing worldwide earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes, all the things Miranda used to take for granted begin to disappear. Food and gas shortages, along with extreme weather changes, come to her small Pennsylvania town; and Miranda's voice is by turns petulant, angry, and finally resigned, as her family is forced to make tough choices while they consider their increasingly limited options. Yet even as suspicious neighbors stockpile food in anticipation of a looming winter without heat or electricity, Miranda knows that that her future is still hers to decide even if life as she knew it is over.

I don't normally read disaster books but I stumbled upon this one and it was different from others that I had read. Written from the point of view of a 16 year old girl in diary format makes the reader feel like they are in a bubble of sorts. The reader is completely aware that the world is completely falling apart after a meteor has crashed into the moon but is only seeing it from Miranda. The book is so descriptive about the events going on in Miranda's life that you feel like you are living it with her. There is a sense of despair that the reader has that makes you feel like the world is ending and you have no power to stop it. There is a sense of foreboding that made me not want to turn the page for fear that something worse would happen and yet I could not put the book down. It is a bit of a heavy read and took me longer than a few of the other books that I have read in the past but I can see it being loved by boys and girls alike. The boys would love it for the disasters that are happening but the girls will love it because they can feel like they are in Miranda's place. I also liked the factor that even though the family is in hard times, Miranda still finds the time to act like a teenage girl every once in awhile. This is a book that I would recommend to all ages and not just the tweens because it is so well written and interesting.

Beastly by Alex Flinn

I am a beast.
A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright—a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.
You think I'm talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It's no deformity, no disease. And I'll stay this way forever—ruined—unless I can break the spell.
Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I'll tell you. I'll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I'll tell you how I became perfectly . . . beastly.

Beastly is a modern day fairy tale for the younger audience. I have only heard of this book in the past week because I saw a short trailer for the movie that comes out in July. I thought I would get a head start and read the book now before the popularity of it explodes at the library. I was pleasantly surprised by the book and read the book rather quickly. The main character Kyle/Adrian is one that you have a crush on but hate in high school. You think he's good looking and he knows he's good looking but doesn't care about you. Beastly is a book that really makes you think about yourself from the inside out and can change how people act around others. I thought all the characters had a great background story and didn't make me feel like I was missing anything. The author did a good job of updating the tale of Beauty and the Beast as well as bringing in other fairy tales into the mix. It reminds me of the book Into the Wild where it also brought fairy tales to life and mixed them with real life situations. Reading the book made me feel like I was actually watching the story in front of my eyes. Everything was descriptive and gave you a real picture in your head. There were only a few rare cheesy lines that I felt were out of place with the rest of the content but that did not stop me from continuing. Beastly is definitely a book I would recommend to kids, tweens and teens. It is imaginative, just the right length and good for boys and girls.

You Wouldn't Want to Be a Medieval Knight by Fiona MacDonald

You (the reader) are the son of a senior servant living in England in the 1400s. Instead of following in your father's footsteps and becoming a servant, you'd much rather become a knight! During your training and as you become a knight, you will discover the tools of the trade, such as your armor, weapons, and horse, and get a glimpse of what it's really like to be a knight.


Have you ever wanted to be a Knight? Maybe you have wanted to wear the armor of a Knight. Well, now you can what it takes to become a proper Knight. This book takes you through the process of what you need to become a Knight and what each one goes through in training and in battle. The illustrations are very well done and make you laugh about the content even if it is about dying in battle. This book is part of a series that takes you through Medieval times as well as other times in history. It gives you the facts about Knighthood all while trying to keep the reader interested in the content. This is a definite keeper and would love to check out the other books in the series.

The Usborne Official Knight's Handbook by Sam Taplin

The ultimate guide for the novice knight, covering everything from sieges to swordplay, feasts to fights and crusades to courtly love. Written in a lively, humorous and engaging style and packed with informative historical detail. Brings the period of medieval knights vividly to life. Taken from www.Usborne.com

I found this book by accident but it was one of the more entertaining educational books that I have read. Usborne writes all kinds of handbooks and guides for different time periods which makes it a better way for the student to learn. Instead of reading through a book that just mumbles out facts, it puts you in a situation and makes you believe that you are trying to become or do something. There are a number of amusing illustrations throughout the book that will catch the eye of kids reading this book and it will stick with them. This book gives information on knights and what knights had to go through but puts a one on one perspective on it. This book is a quick enough read and I breezed through it with no problems. Not only are there points touched upon on how to become a Knight but it also talks about how Knights would court ladies and what the average home was like. The book is a definite good choice to give to students who need help with information on Knights as well as the middle ages.

The Life and Times of King Arthur: The Evolution of a Legend by Susan Harkins

Centuries ago, when the earth was still young and sorcerers and fairies were believed to roam the misty forest, a mortal man changed history. Arthur, born into a dark world of savage violence, united the Britons against their enemies at the battle of Mount Badon. For centuries, Britons shared Arthur's story around their campfires. Eventually, the story passed out of the Dark Ages and into modern literature. Follow Arthur, his wife Guinevere, and the knights of the Round Table as the story evolves from a world of warlords and bloodshed into a kingdom of mythical medieval knights, sorcerers, love, and ultimately, betrayal.

I want to confess that there have been so many legends and stories about King Arthur in the movie world that I forgot that it was part of a true story. This book starts out with the legend of King Arthur which is something that really hooked me on the book quickly. It go back and forth from the legend to the real story and even going as far back as Roman civiliation. The thing that I like about this book is that it includes the different versions of the legend as well as the true story. This book goes from the legend to the death of King Arthur as well as including a picture and information about King Arthur's tomb. The end of the book does have a reason why it is hard to really give the right amount of information for King Arthur. His story has become more of a story than reality even though there was a true Arthur. A legend stays a legend and only grows in time. This book has the right balance of legend and truth that makes it interesting to read and in the right subject area for tweens. I would recommend this book for those needing information on King Arthur whether they want to know more about the legend or his actual life.

Knights: Warrior of the Middle Ages by Aileen Weintraub

Let the battles begin! Way of the Warrior takes readers into the fray with history's most valiant and infamous soldiers for a close look at warriors through the ages.

This book can be misleading with the size that it is because it looks like it would have more pictures than information. There is a lot of information packed into a mere 40 plus pages including the history of the beginning of the knights, crusades, and tournaments. Every few pages, there are little bubbles of short facts that are perfect to include in a book report or term paper for a middle school student. One thing that I liked about this book is that it doesn't just give you the history of the knight but it also gives you how knights are perceived these days. There is a small dictionary in the back of new words which is very convenient for all ages. One other section of the book that I felt was really helpful was the fact that the author gave the reader a further reading section for more research as well as resources on medieval studies. I, myself, did not know that there is a Medieval academy in America. In conclusion, I would recommend this book to students who need material for Knights and the middle ages because there is more information than I expected in the book.