Winter 2005 Reviews:

            The book The Princess of Neptune is about Theora Theremin, a teenage drummer, and her little brother Verb. They were both whisked away by Dr. Ubermind, a famous scientist, so they could join him in his secret mission. However, not long after they joined him were they kidnapped by a moon cockroach who wanted Theora to participate in an intergalactic beauty pageant. He wanted Theora to do this so he could meet the most famous moon cockroach of all: Hortense Benway. Theora and Verb go with him to Neptune and Theora is entered in the Cavalcade of Loveliness. The book circles around what goes on in the pageant.

            I enjoyed this book very much. It would probably be appropriate for middle school students. It is too basic for high school and too advanced for elementary school. The book didn't have some in-depth plot that really made you think, but it was entertaining. That's what I liked about it. Usually I don't care for science fiction books, but I enjoyed this one. I can't really compare this book to anything that I have read before.

~ Alex Allegretto, grade 8, Boardman Center Middle School

Rose lives in Beaufort County, South Carolina. Her sister Heppi has announced that she is going to be married. Rose is a little jealous, because Heppi is marring who Rose wants to marry. At a tea for Heppi, Rose meets a real gentleman named Rene. Rose likes Rene, but thinks he is too old for her. Rene on the other hand falls in love with Rose immediately. Rene imports silk from France with his brother Adrian. Rene does everything he can to make Heppi's wedding a success, just to impress Rose's family. A little while after Heppi's wedding Rene asks Rose's father if he can marry Rose. Her father said he would leave it up to Rose. She was not going to marry for a couple more years, but Heppi said that Rene was all that their father had left in order to keep his home. Rose believed her and married Rene. They went to live at Rene's house in Brooklyn. Rose was amazed at what a different place it was compared to Beaufort. Their life went smoothly and Rose did many different things to make Brooklyn more like her old home. They had parades; she brought certain problems up to clubs, and found out what the real world was like. Eventually Rene found out why Rose had really married him, and that she never thought he actually loved her.
        I really enjoyed this book because it was full of change. It was written in journal format and was all about what one person thought of love. I would recommend this book for people in middle school. It is based on what the author imagined what life was like for her grandparents.

~ Ashley Aldan, grade 6, Boardman Center Middle School

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As I opened this book, already intrigued by the bright cover, I was expecting a pretty good read, which the book fulfilled to some extent. What I soon noticed was that some of the quirky things happening in this book’s beginning pretty much are due to the setting, which is England. Usually Dizzy’s mother sends her something interesting for her birthday, but this year, when none comes, Dizzy is even more surprised when one day her mom arrives back home after so long. She goes on a trip with her mother and her mother’s hippy-ish friends, and ends up on some crazy, somewhat misguided adventures along the way.

 I would probably recommend this book to anyone from the ages of about 8-11, and to anyone who has been in Dizzy’s shoes, or a similar situation, because this book will probably cheer them up. I’ve never heard of another book by the author, Cathy Cassidy, but I’m positive that with enough publicity she could become another famous children’s author of the 21^st century. Do yourself a favor, reader, and pick up a copy of Dizzy at a bookstore near you!

~ Emma Shebat, grade 7, Canfield Village Middle School

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~ Darla Conti, grade 9, Struthers High School

            Fat Boy Swim is a book about an obese young man named Jim Kelly. Jim is a fourteen year old who is made fun of because of his physical appearance. Nobody really wants to know what “ Fat Boy Fat” is like under the skin. He is a misfit who dreams of becoming a swimmer, and holds the gift of being a phenomenal chef. Throughout the course of the story, a sports coach named GI Joe negotiates with Jim to help reach his dream, but Jim will have to cook for an event. The coach persuades Jim to participate in the swimathon. The strenuous swim workouts results in Jim losing weight, which leads to an interest in a girl named Ellie. When Jim is told that his father was a swimmer, knowledge of his family is turned upside down. Dealing with the news of his family secrets, Jim still swims in the swimathon and beats his bully, Victor Swift. This funny and surreal book is all in all great!

          This book suits kids from 12- 15 years of age. The book’s funny, and use of present day media mentions appeals to young adults. Since the main character is criticized because of his appearance and deals with home issues, teens can relate to the story. This book is not suitable for younger children at an elementary level due to inappropriate language and interest in significant others. The book is funny and makes the reader want the “ Fat Boy” to surmount his obstacles. Fat Boy Swim is a very good book.

 ~ Kiley Thompson, grade 8, Boardman Center Middle School

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    Hi!  My name is Gabby Shiraldi.  I am writing a review on the book called I Walk in Dread.  This book is about a young girl name Deliverance Trembley.  She lived wither her dramatic sister, Mem, and her uncle in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691.  She finds an old and blank diary hidden in her house.  She uses it to record her life from then on.  She is very opposed to witchcraft and magic.  She says that it is the work of the devil.  Many, actually almost all of the colonists in Salem, agree with her.  She disapproves of her sister when she and her friend believe that they can see the futures through a glass filled with water.  Deliverance is asked to be a witness to some of the Salem Witch Trials.  She becomes very intrigued with these trials.  Some of them got very intense.  An example of one of Deliverance's diary entries is:

        "March 1692

        The four girls afflicted - Betty Parris, Abigail Williams, Ann Putnam, and Elizabeth Hubbard - were brought in to the front of the room, screeching and crying out as they laid eyes on the prisoner . . . The adults around the girls soothed them . . . Mrs. Hathorne asked them to look upon Sarah Goode and see if she was the person who hurt them.  They all said yes, yes!"  

    How would you feel to be accused of something you didn't do, especially in front of a room of strangers, friends, and family all thinking you committed a terrible crime?  Well, Deliverance's friend Goody Corey was accused.  He wouldn't talk to the judges so he was stoned to make him talk.  After two days of agony, he died.  

    I really can't say I liked or disliked this book.  It was a little hard to interpret this book because the English was very different in 1691 -1692.  I though this book was very interesting and it gave a good view into the events of the Salem Witch Trials.  I think this is a very good book for reference of the Salem Witch Trials.  This is also a good choice for a teacher to assign to his or her class to read.  It gave a very detailed description and helped the reader to understand this era in time a little better.  The author also picked a good character to be the focus of the book.

~ Gabby Schiraldi, grade 7, St. Christine's School

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~ Ashleigh Schmidt, grade 9, Youngstown Early College

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    Anthony Horowitz's Eagle Strike is an intriguing spy adventure that I enjoyed a lot.  The story is about a fourteen-year-old boy named Alex, who becomes involved in an attempted murder mystery while he is vacationing with his girlfriend's family.  His adventure quickly becomes exciting as it is learned that he has worked for an intelligence agency in England in the past and that the attempted murder on his girlfriend's family has ties with his past.  So, he thinks the plan was to get him, but it wasn't.  After Alex finds a piece of an article that Sabina's father, a journalist, was writing, he realized that a rock-star was involved in this attempted murder.  Alex's quest to figure out what the relationship between the rock star and the recognized assassin, who also happened to be his uncle's murderer, led him to amazing predicaments.  The problem was that nobody believed him because the rock star was also an internationally recognized philanthropist who was actively involved in many charitable and environmental projects.

    The characters portrayed in Eagle Strike were very believable with the exception that it would be most unlikely that a fourteen-year-old would have the freedom to be on his own and get involved in the situations that Alex found himself.  The events described are, at times, unbelievable; however, because terrorist activity is currently a reality, the events of this spy story could really happen.  Many current events are mentioned in the story, along with familiar people, which makes this story one that kids can relate.  My favorite part of the story is when Alex is forced to physically experience the sequences as found in a video game that the evil rock star has created.  I imagined what it would be like to actually survive a video game and decided I am glad that it is not a reality.

    The prologue made no sense to the story until the end was revealed.  Throughout the book, I kept thinking about the prologue and didn't know why it was important.  Anthony Horowitz tied everything together and set the stage for another adventure for Alex by the end of Eagle Strike.

    I would recommend this book to anyone middle-school aged and up.  I found it was easy to read and was filled with a lot of excitement.  It was hard to guess what was going to happen next.  I found myself racing to read the next chapter to find out what Eagle Strike meant.  Once the main event was discovered, the story got even more intense and exciting.  Read this story to find out for yourself. 

~ Jarrett Scacchetti, grade 8, Canfield Village Middle School

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        It is an ordinary day in New York for the young identical twins John and Philippa Gaunt.  Living in a luxurious house with their beautiful mother and more sophisticated father, John and Philippa are two very fortunate children who are dubbed “gifted” in school.  However, when it comes time for another visit to the dentist, the two twins both miraculously have four wisdom teeth growing each!  They are soon removed with surgery, but it is only the beginning of a series of peculiar events about to occur in the Gaunt family.  Next, the children begin noticing weird and unusual details throughout their lives.  First, John and Philippa have a vision of their odd uncle during their surgery, urging them to visit him in London; then, their housekeeper Mrs. Grump wins thirty-three million dollars in the New York Lottery.  Other unexplainable events occur as well.  On the way to London, an old couple mysteriously disappear from the plane and are found back in their home in Poughkeepsie.  Soon, everything becomes more peculiar and the twins find that their lives will never be the same again.

             In Children of the Lamp: The Akhenaten Adventure, many unusual, “magical” events occur.  Many new words and mythical beings are created.  This is what makes the novel appealing to younger readers, who adore heroic acts and enjoy make-believe myths.  For these reasons, this novel is most appropriate for middle school aged readers, and the adventures and conflicts that have to be overcome ideally suit people in this age group.  However, P.B. Kerr’s novel is still interesting for older readers as well, although maybe not as exciting.  The book can be extremely predictable, however; every major event turned out the way I imagined it to be.  The storyline was very basic for the majority of the book.  Furthermore, the characters and interaction with their powers and surroundings was well thought out.  The introduction of Djinn to the story made it much more fascinating.  New creatures created new dilemmas and solutions to problems.  Overall, the book and its plot can be compared to the famous Harry Potter series because of the classic theme of good vs. evil and similar concepts of magical powers used to overcome obstacles in the story.  Both books mention a distinct supreme power in the main characters that they hold over regular human beings and incorporate this into the stories.  Therefore, P.B. Kerr’s novel is an exciting adventure aimed toward a younger audience and filled with amazing events and puzzles that captivate the reader.

 ~ Rebecca Theophanous, 10^th Grade, Boardman High School, Boardman, OH

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    Charlie Bone is back to begin another semester at Bloor’s Academy for gifted children in London in his third book in a series of five.  There is a new student, Belle, who lives with the Yewbeam aunts in Darkly Wynd Lane.  There is also a new art teacher, Mr. Boldova.  Charlie and his friends discover Mr. Boldova’s real identity for what it really is, the brother of the long lost Ollie Sparks.  They soon find out that he is here to rescue Ollie who has been stuck in the attics of Bloor’s Academy for years and is somehow invisible.  Charlie and his friends decide to help, but old Ezekiel Bloor learns of their plans and tries to prevent them from finding Ollie.  While that goes on, Charlie’s Uncle Paton is trying to stop “someone dangerous” from coming, but is too late.  He comes back injured, almost dead, and remains in his upstairs room for much of the rest of the novel.  All of these subplots come together in an awesome climax that keeps the reader reading until the end.

            This book is very well written.  There is a lot of action which is always important for moving a story’s plot along.  Most middle school students and older students with a taste for fantasy would enjoy this book.  This book also has many good traits that a book in a series must have.  Like its predecessors, it gives you a little bit more information about the grand scheme which will play out by the end of the series, but not too much.  For people who may have read the past books, the characters remain mostly the same, some cocky, some funny, and some courageous.  In my past reviews about the Charlie Bone series, I criticized those books in many ways, but there were more good things than bad in the first two books of the Children of the Red King series, and most of the mistakes have been corrected.  If you like fantasy, make sure you read this book and its predecessors.

~ Stelios Theophanous, grade 9, Boardman High School

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            This was a great book maybe even one of my favorites, but I did find one problem for certain readers. I found that for some big mystery fans that this may not be the best book for them. In a mystery fan’s eyes this book may have lacked a little suspense, but it still has enough to keep everyday readers involved. This was a great book to show that there is always a way to keep going and it is not “the end of the world.” This is shown by both Sara and Rob trying to survive every day situations. These characters and situations are very believable and may happen to kids today.

            In my opinion this book would be a great book for kids in sixth-eight grade. This book wouldn’t keep high school kids interested and it may be a little to old for fifth graders. For fifth graders some of the situations may be a little too confusing for them to follow, but for the older kids it will be a great book to “sink into”. 

~Megan Barringer, Grade 7, Boardman Center Middle School

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    Three days after their father died, Sam went into her sister Sophie's room and told her they had to pack.  Sam explained that, after their mother died, their father married a lady named Enid.  Now Sam did not trust Enid, and she knew that if something happened to her father, Enid would receive all of their money.  Enid would not receive the money if something happened to Sophie and Sam or if they went missing.  Fortunately, Sam had a friend named Felix who was technically a genius.  Felix gave them fake id's, changed their last name to Scott, and changed Sophie's name to Pheona.

    They moved to Indiana where their mother was killed in a car accident.  When they arrived in the small town, they rented a house, got jobs, and got into some trouble.  Sophie got a job at the local swim club and met a girl named Noelle.  Noelle went missing after karaoke night and everybody who did not like Sam and Sophie accused them for doing something to Noelle.  Well, Sam and Sophie did not want to get into any more trouble, so they decided to look for Noelle themselves.  They found out things they were not supposed to know, and things that helped them find Noelle.  The bad thing was that Noelle went missing before the Rose Parade and she was queen.  She just did not get the spot of the queen regularly.  She blackmailed the mayor and judges into making her queen.  Sophie and Sam eventually found out how she blackmailed them.  They found Noelle with some help and everything went back to normal.

    I really enjoyed this book because it was full of daring adventures and misguidance.  I would recommend this book for sixth to tenth graders.

~ Ashley Aldan, grade 6, Boardman Center Middle School

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    Once again Sam and Sophie are on the run, but they are on another case. After Sophie came home from her first day of tenth grade she had made a new friend and thought she had found some more relatives. Their assumed relatives were giving a lecture on the Jewish religion and Holocaust paintings.
     After the lecture Sophie, Sam, Colin, and Mackenzie got to meet the "relatives." Leo and Josh were the assumed relatives, Uncle Leo, and Cousin Josh, who had a crush on Sam. Leo asked if Sophie and Sam would be able to find his lost love from the Holocaust, Ruth. Sophie and Sam were not sure if they would be able to find someone who had been missing for over fifty years. They brought it up with their manager, Gus, who wasn't very happy about taking the case. They took it anyway, and Sam went on a lot of dates with Josh to find out more about his Uncle Leo, Ruth, and the painting.
     The painting that Ruth had owned was called Lovers in the City, and had supposedly caused Ruth a lot of trouble. The painting was done by Ivan Sebrid and was located at a pretty popular museum. The painting was supposed to by signed by Ivan Sebrid, dated, and presented to Ruth's family. They distracted the guard and took the painting off of the wall. There was nothing on the back, not even a mark, just yellowing canvas.
     Sophie's friend Mackenzie, had a friend that worked with and repaired paintings. She gave Sophie and Mackenzie some equipment that would show Ivan Sebrid's signature on the back. About a week later Sophie and Colin broke into the museum, with the equipment to examine the painting.
     There it was right in front of them, the signature that would go against the "owner" of the painting. Sophie and Colin almost got caught, but escaped with their evidence. They told Sam and Gus about the evidence, and Gus and Sam told Sophie they were going on a trip to Chicago to interview some of Ruth's friends.
     I really enjoyed the book because it was full of risk, adventure, love, romance, and friendship. I would recommend this book for middle school students.

~ Ashley Aldan, grade 6, Boardman Center Middle School

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         These two books were about a boy named Twig whose has been separated from his father and was raised by wood trolls. He goes off in search of his father through this big forest known as the Deepwoods. On his way to a city called Undertown he runs into a sky ship and its crew who have fallen from the sky. It ends up that the captain of the ship is his real father named Cloud Wolf. Then Twig begins to travel with his father who is after a very rare and precious substance known as stormphrax. But the only way to get his stormphrax is to enter the heart of a storm at the very same moment it releases its most intense power possible. These books will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole way through.

         I thought that this book was very well written and I would recommend to my family and friends. This book was very descriptive. While I read it, I was easily able to create mental pictures. The map in the front of the book was also very helpful since the story takes place over hundreds of miles of land. The illustrations by Chris Riddell were also very well drawn and helped with the characters image because some of the stuff they wore was very intricate or I had never heard of them before. There are quite a few characters, but not all of them were used all the way through the story. This story was very well written and enjoyable.

         Paul Stewart  and Chris Riddell worked well together to form this novel by combining Paul Stewart’s story writing talent and Chris Riddell’s art skills. Paul Stewart has won a pick of the year award for another book he has written. He has written many books like football stories, fantasy, and even horror. Chris Riddell has illustrated many other children’s books like Something Else and The Swan’s Stories. Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell create wonderful novels with very detailed artwork.

~ Whit Graff, grade 7, Canfield Village Middle School

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    Alika and Sulu were hunting for seals along with their sled dogs. Jamka is the lead dog. When they were getting ready to leave the ice they were on broke and created a floe. Alika and Sulu let their dogs swim to shore except for Jamka who stayed with them.  The other dogs swam to shore and went back to their house. Alika and Sulu's mother and father knew immediately that their sons were on a floe with Jamka.  Their mother Maja wanted to go look for them in a kayak, and they did, but they had no luck. Meanwhile Alika and Jamka built an igloo as a shelter. The next day they went out to hunt but did not have much luck. They built a larger igloo the next day and used the smaller one for storage.
    Maja told the shaman to conduct a search party for her sons but they also had no luck.  The shaman said there was nothing else he could do because the dark days were approaching rapidly.  During the dark days where they used the moon for their main source of light and hunted during the night, Sulu became sick. He had a horribly high fever to which Alika did not know what to do to bring the fever down. Alika went out on his own and hunted for seal. After he caught one he brought it back to the igloo to prepare to eat. A couple of days later Sulu was no longer ill, but he still had to stay inside.  The dark days were nearing an end when Maja decided to go and look for her sons herself. She traveled alone because her husband had a broken leg. After reaching the second village she realized that there was no hope left. She went back to her village and was horrified with herself because she gave up.  Her sons on the other hand kept hunting but never had much luck. On the day that the floe was breaking apart a group of hunters were passing on kayaks and brought Alika, Sulu, and Jamka to their village. they stayed there for about tree weeks before they left on a ship to go back to their village, after six months.
    I really enjoyed the book and thought it would be a really good inspiration for middle school students.

~ Ashley Aldan, grade 6, Boardman Center Middle School

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~ Ashley Aldan, grade 6, Boardman Center Middle School

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~ Ashley Aldan, grade 6, Boardman Center Middle School

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     In this book, Margot Frank deals with a new life in hiding, with little food and seven other people with her. This book reminds me of another book that I have read called The Diary of Anne Frank. The author creates a fictional account of what he believes Margot's views would be. He begins and ends the book with very detailed information on the lives of the eight people before and after they went into hiding. At the end of the book, the author incorporates survivors' recollections of the eight people and the survivors' own accounts of the camps.

     This is an excellent novel that I would recommend for middle school and high school kids. In my opinion this book teaches kids the horrible things that happened during the Holocaust. This is a very believable book and is a great quality story.

 ~ Stephen Eaker, grade 8, Boardman Center Middle School

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    The book is set in an underground apartment in New York. The main character is a young woman named Maria who is trying to find herself in her new life. She recently moved from Mexico to New York. The character faces troubles learning two new languages: English and Spanglish.
    The book is very believable, in fact, it felt as though I was reading an autobiography of some sort. Maria is very likable, and very interesting. She is unique and different, which makes her feel unwanted at times.
    After reading this book, I was surprised at how well-written it was. I was also surprised at how well I liked the book. It is extremely poetic and very well-written. After reading this book, I am happy that I did because it was honestly one of the best books I have ever read.  Judith Ortiz Cofer- if you are reading this review, thank you for writing this book. It was a poetic masterpiece, and I hope you write a sequel to it.
    I think that teenagers would like this book the most because at this age, we are all trying to find out who we are, and who we want to grow up to me, as Maria was. Again, this book was amazing and I will forever cherish it.
 

~ Jon Gluckner, grade 8, Boardman Center Middle School

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          With her home life collapsing on her and no where to go, Susan finds herself willing to do anything to get away from her harsh reality.  So, when she accidentally overhears a discussion between an old friend of hers and two others about exploring an old, cryptic house, Susan is willing to jump in on this opportunity.  However, she soon finds that this house is more than just an ordinary, spooky house; it, like her, holds many secrets within its walls.  House actually becomes like a person, as it was a mind of its own; a mind only Susan can understand and communicate with.  Also, this house has a ghost, named Nathan, who is about the teenagers' age, who soon becomes their friend as the group tries to figure out what they have gotten themselves into.  Susan is eventually accepted by this group, as all of the unique characters come to a true realization of themselves.  Things finally seem as they are going right for Susan, when her tyrannical father discovers that she is doing some suspicious activity.  He takes his frustration out on Susan's mother, and Susan feels directly responsible for her mother's beatings.  Cross and depressed, Suzy contemplates suicide, and comes dangerously close to doing so.  This plot keeps the reader going until the end, when Suzy's friends are able to help her out of a seemingly hopeless situation.

    I loved this book for its creative and intense story line.  Also, the descriptive phrasings were amazing.  I almost felt like I knew each character, and the scenes were so well described that I could picture the whole entire book perfectly.  Another positive was all of the strings were tied up at the end, and the reader can assume everything is going to be all right.  I would recommend this book to any other eighth or ninth grader looking for a thrill.

 ~ Elena Svenson, grade 8, Boardman Center Middle School

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     Bindi Babes by Narinder Dhami is a book about three perfect sisters with one mission...to get rid of their Auntie.  All of the teachers adore Amber, Jazz, and Geena because of their brains and sensibility.  Later the teachers would find all that would change.  The girls wanted to get rid of their Auntie because she was interfering with their perfect lives.  When Auntie moved in, their were no more expensive designer purchases.  Daddy finally learned to say no.  The lesson at the end of the book was very important.

     Bindi Babes will interest girls ages 10-14.  This book was a fun quick read.  The only thing I would of wanted to read more about was the designers and fashion Geena, Jazz, and Amber were interested in.  The lesson in the end was appreciate what you have while you still have it.  Overall I give this book a 6, and I would recommend it to girls who want a giggle here and there. 

 ~ Annie Jesko, grade 8, Boardman Center Middle School

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This book, Beekman’s Big Deal, is about a twelve-year-old boy who is struggling to stay in one area. His father, Leo, works very hard to try to keep him and his son from having to move, but sometimes this is hard to do when you’re in a business of “making deals”. Beekman has already attended several schools, none of which are public schools. Beekman O’Day doesn’t even have time to make friends in his New York City home. He lives his life from school to school trying to get by.

I enjoyed this book to the fullest because I liked the author’s writing style, and the theme of the book. This is a great book because it has suspense, and other literal elements that made me want to keep on reading. In this book, Beekman’s Big Deal, the characters are believable, in that they lead a not so normal lifestyle.

In my opinion, I think this book would be suitable for boys and girls ages preteen to young teen. The characters in this book were interesting to me. Also, I have read a book similar to this entitled Hush by Jacqueline Woodson. This book is a must-read for all young teens!

 ~ Katie Smith, grade 8, Boardman Center Middle School

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Have you ever been lost and have absolutely no clue where you are but you know that you’re in danger? Well, whether you have or you haven’t, you can join a boy named Twig who gets lost in a vast forest called the Deepwoods. Inside this dense forest, Twig encounters many odd creatures who mostly want to kill him.

This is the third book in the series. You really should read the other two books before you read this one to get the full understanding. In this book Twig, a newly crowned sky pirate captain, has earned his own ship and has gone searching into the Mother Storm, the worst storm ever to come to the Edge (where everyone lives), for his father whose got dragged into the vortex or center of the storm and couldn’t get out. His father’s name is Cloud Wolf and he stayed loyal to his ship, but he made his crew along with Twig abandon ship. While searching throughout the storm, Twig and his crew aboard The Edgedancer (Twig’s ship) get blown up. Now twig is in search of his lost crew. He has set off into a slave market and back into the dreadful Deepwoods. Will he ever find them? Read this book if you want to know Twig’s fate.

        I would probably recommend this book to anyone around the ages of 12-14 years old. Around this age would probably be appropriate because people get killed and some of the stories can get pretty scary. If you like adventure stories with a lot of twists, then this book series are the right choice for you.

 ~ Whitney Graff, grade 7, Canfield Village Middle School

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    Boy is a young child who has been working for a master of illusions, Valerian, since the first day he met him years ago. They had met in a church; Boy was an orphan who had tucked himself away in a small space to keep warm when he tumbled out of his spot and landed in front of the magician. Valerian immediately adopted him as his helper for his shows. Valerian performs his acts in a theater almost every night for vast audiences. He's always the closing performance. That's how the theater brought in money, so Korp kept him. Korp is the theater's director. He walked into Madame Beauchance's dressing room to tell her how lovely she sang during her performance before Valerian. She ends up telling Korp that things need to change. When he doesn't understand her assistant, Willow, explains that Madame means Valerian. Madame will stop performing until Valerian is gone. Unfortunately for the theater, Korp will be gone before Valerian.      
       Madame Beauchance had demanded that Willow go back to the theater and get Korp to open up so that she could have her precious hairbrush. She had found the open, and walked in. She sensed something was wrong and walked in the stalls. She was looking at the stage and didn't see anything wrong except for the fact the footlights were on. Then she noticed it was raining ~ inside the theater. It wasn't the cool rain one was used to, it was warm. This caused Willow to look up were she saw Korp's deceased body hanging halfway out of his box window.
       Not to far away, in a bar called the Trumpet, Boy was looking for a man named Green. Valerian said he had something for him. Green walks into the restroom after showing Boy a little music box. Boy decides to follow because Valerian would kill him if walked home empty handed. Inside the restroom is a flash of bright light and an abundance of purple smoke. When the smoke clears, Boy sees Green lying dead with the music box in his hand. Boy takes it and runs. He runs into the blood covered Willow who says Korp is dead. Then, a City Watchman comes and arrests them because he believes that they were involved with the murder of Korp. Valerian illegally gets them out of prison and gets them to help him find this book that will save his life. They end up raiding cemeteries in order to find this book. Walking through the cemeteries aren't bad, it's the disrupting the graves of the dead to find the book. All of this insanity will lead to another death, only this one was preplanned, fifteen years ago...
       I believe this is a wonderful novel. I did feel bad for Boy because he had no idea who his parents were, who he was for that matter. I would highly recommend this book for ages 13 to 20. It is a good book for people who enjoy unexplained death and unburying the dead for certain purposes. I thought this was an outstanding book and is one of many I'll read again.

~ Kayla Aldan, 9th grade, Boardman High School 

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Winter 2005 Reviewers

Index by Title

Index by Author