In a country filled with tension and betrayal, Digger has a past that she's desperate to hide. One night, when things get out of control, she flees her old life. On the run, she comes across a group of people leaving the city, and she manipulates her way onto their ship.

She makes up a name and a convenient background. Digger becomes Celyn. As the group finds their way home, Celyn tags along. Reluctant to leave and cross boundaries without the proper papers, Celyn stays. She reinvents herself as a lady-in-waiting, attaching herself to Lady Merista.

Digger plans to leave Lady Merista the first chance she gets. However, circumstances change and, before she knows what's happened, she's snowbound in a castle. Even worse, someone in the castle knows about her past. He's using that against her in order to find out more about her hosts.

While she feeds him information, hating herself for it, she stumbles onto large secrets. She gives him just enough to keep him happy, all while trying to unravel the secrets for herself.

After a slow start, STARCROSSED picks up with danger, romance, magic, double crossings, and secrets. Celyn's smart-aleck ways add touches of humor to an otherwise serious read. The action and danger of Celyn sneaking about the castle while uncovering clues and discovering secrets moves the plot along quickly. I couldn't wait to discover what she would uncover next, and I look forward to her next adventure.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel

STARCLIMBER is the sequel to Oppel's AIRBORN and SKYBREAKER. This was a fantastic science fiction book for young adults, and will follow in their path of award-winning writing.

Matt is an accomplished young man who has many incredible opportunities to prove himself as he climbs out of his childhood. Kate is a feisty young woman with her sights set on a future filled with women's liberation and scientific research.

Together, they meet their newest challenge of being the first to ride the Starclimber into space. They are headed to a world of life-threatening new discoveries about space, and new discoveries about themselves as they soar into adulthood.

With new creatures and an "elevator" into space, our main characters seek to meet their new expectations and out-of-this-world challenges.

The book was packed with nail-biting adventures that are bound to keep readers' interest. It was a fabulous story, and I would suggest it to any young man or woman who likes to read about worlds, not too unlike their own, and young people who are accomplishing what seems like the impossible.

Reviewed by: LaLeesha Haynes

STAKE THAT! is Mari Mancusi's sequel to BOYS THAT BITE. Mancusi is back with fun characters, plot twists and turns, and humor any teen (or adult) will appreciate.

The story of twins Sunshine and Rayne continues with the focus on Rayne's adventures. Mostly written in "blogging" style complete with comments at the end of the posts, Rayne brings readers up-to-date on the girls' vampire dilemmas.

In this second book, Rayne is faced with her new role as a vampire slayer. She's learning everything, from which vampires are which to the art of carving her own wooden stake. To complicate matters she must work with Jareth, a vampire who makes Rayne's head spin.

Add to the adventures a love interest for the girls' mother, a dangerous, unknown vampire virus, and continued confusion about their absent father, and Mancusi once again grabs teen readers and has them begging for more. Fans of BOYS THAT BITE will not be disappointed with the direction the story is headed, only with the fact that they'll have to wait for the story "to be continued"....

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

Allie Finkle's fourth grade class is putting on a play and Allie really, really wants the part of the main character, Princess Penelope. The only problem is that so does almost every other girl in her class, including one of her best friends, Sophie, and snobby Cheyenne.

Allie's not worried, though. With help from her ex-theater major Uncle Jay and her mom's new "Celebrity" job as a movie critic on a local cable show, she's sure to get the part.

But if she does get the part, will Sophie still be her best friend? How will she ever practice her lines with her two little brothers playing tackle football in the hallway all the time? Most importantly, can Allie figure all this out without breaking any of her rules?

STAGE FRIGHT, like all Meg Cabot's books, was very funny and a lot of fun. Young girls will relate to Allie's friendship (and enemy) troubles and excitement. Allie and everyone in her world are sweet, and Allie always finds a way to make any situation fun.

Reviewed by: Michaela Pallante aka "Mickey"

Bias is a dangerous beast. Frankly, I was not excited to read this book. I've grown up knowing, loving, and reading the Arthurian legends; the last thing I wanted was another sappy and overdone Camelot spin-off.

This book is not one of those.

Terence, a squire to Sir Gawain, serves in King Arthur's court during Camelot's golden days. The insurgents have been subdued. The people are happy.

That is, until Mordred arrives on the scene. The only people to suspect the dubious Mordred are Sir Kai and Terence. What's the secret behind Mordred's smile? Why hasn't Terence been able to contact Avalon, his father's faerie realm?

Add enchantresses, tournaments, and murder, and you have THE SQUIRE'S QUEST.

Still relatively true to the original Arthur legends, the ninth book of THE SQUIRE'S TALES series combines history (material by Cretien de Troyes) with fresh takes on essential Arthurian characters like Dinadan and Guinevere.

I read this in one evening, cover to cover. The book, that is, not the evening. The story is simple enough to be believable, but interesting enough to be entertaining. A great book to curl up with.

Reviewed by: Aubrey Hepburn

Gold Star Award Winner!

Mary Quinn used to be a thief. In fact, she was rescued from certain death by hanging and brought secretly to a special school for girls. Here, she worked hard to change her station in life. Now, she's a young lady without a job and doesn't know where to turn next.

Fortunately, her advisers at the school let her in on a secret. They have a spy agency where she'd be a perfect fit. They help out Scotland Yard and gather information. With her former skills, Mary would be perfect for the agency. Plus, they have a position in mind for her, after she undergoes training.

Mary emerges and makes her way as a paid ladies companion to Angelica Thorold, a spoiled girl. Mary's duty, besides her job, will be to gather any intelligence on Angelica's father and his business in regards to smuggling items.

Miss Thorold doesn't take to Mary. The two of them attempt to work out their differences in a variety of ways while Mary snoops about the house. When she finds nothing, she goes investigating at Mr. Thorold's business when she's caught, not by security, but by a man with similar concerns. He offers up a partnership where they share information each uncovers. Mary reluctantly agrees, but with time running out, will she risk too much and find her identity discovered?

I read this mostly in one sitting and then wanted the next book immediately. I love both spy novels and the Victorian England era, and combining the two equals pure magical entertainment. A great feisty heroine, lots of danger, plenty of mysteries to untangle, and a little romance creates a wonderfully perfect first edition to a new series.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel

SPUD has been compared to THE CATCHER IN THE RYE, but I see it more as a twisted Harry Potter minus the magic and the nasty, evil villain. It is boarding school at its craziest and best.

Even though it is set in South Africa, and I'm guessing that most of its readers will not have attended boarding school, teens everywhere will be able to relate to the trials and tribulations of main character John "Spud" Milton.

Through Spud's diary, the reader gets to follow the antics of The Crazy Eight. Their wild adventures include the infamous "night swims," porn magazines and videos, attempts to break the school farting record, and investigations into the mystery of the school's resident ghost. All their schemes and pranks are done at the risk of being caught by Headmaster Glockenshpeel, known as "The Glock."

Spud not only deals with all craziness while at school, but he also deals with issues when he goes home during breaks. His father is a drunk who is sure the country is doomed now that Nelson Mandela has been released and Apartheid is over. Spud's mother puts up with his father's nonsense most days, but there are frequent, loud battles which sometimes end in her throwing him out. Add to all that a seriously senile grandmother Spud calls the Wombat. She has never-ending stories that, due to her declining mental abilities, she constantly repeats. Spud's father is seriously considering poison as a method for ridding them of his obnoxious mother-in-law.

John van de Ruit's book is sure to be a success here in the U.S. His newfound fans will be happy to know he is at work on the further adventures of Spud and the gang.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

Go over SAT vocabulary or party it up in Miami? Danielle Hollis is faced with a very tough decision for what to do for spring break.

However, with the invite from her older sister and two very persuasive friends, Danielle finds herself in an airport, with the thought that maybe her bags had the right idea not coming to Miami. Of course, the loss of her bags is another story, planned out by a few conspirators who wanted to prevent the SAT book from becoming a beach read.

Cooper St. John has finally figured out, after a million dates and girlfriends, that he wants a girl interested in his personality and not his wallet. Accompanied by his two best friends, Ethan and Damien, Cooper knows that this spring break is his chance to break away from the life he has been known for.

Mindy feels that this break is her perfect chance to accomplish her current goal - becoming popular. After a few girls in school accepted her invitation to go to Miami, Mindy thinks she has finally grasped the highest rung on the social ladder. But the one thing she should expect is that popular girls aren't so nice. Mindy better have some thick skin.

In true seasonal fashion, from Secret Santas to Cupid's arrow to now spring when love is in the air, Sabrina James once again takes a group of teens and creates a hilarious and romantic novel.

SPRING FLING includes a switch of identities, a bet that two people might regret, a date that ends in doing the dishes, and a Miss Spring Break competition. Also cat fights, backstabbing, mixed signals, and romance in every corner. This story is adorable, hilarious, and chalk-full of love. Smiles will form by the end of the novel, for both the characters and the reader.

Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen

SPLITSVILLE is Volume 2 in THE LIP GLOSS CHRONICLES. In the first book, the reader gets a glimpse inside the life of Britney. For SPLITSVILLE, the reader now gets to know more about Jasmine, Britney's friend from THE ULTIMATE TEST, and the girl who DJ Johnson was bothering.

Jasmine's life is out of control these days. She's practically failing geometry, so she engages Cecil as her tutor. DJ is still on her case at school. She interacted with TallandFly on the Internet and now he won't stop texting and calling her. And last, but certainly not least, her parents are constantly fighting and it looks like they're headed for divorce.

Thankfully, Jasmine has her friends. They insist on accompanying her to the mall to meet the boy from the Internet. They stand by her side when DJ gets in her face again. They tell her she's being too tough on Cecil, her tutor, who obviously has a crush on her. And they help her out when she gets her parents to agree to go on a new reality show that offers marriage counseling, Situation Number Nine.

As the reader can imagine, with all of these things going on, something is bound to happen. But I'm not one to give away such exciting plot twists. You'll just have to pick up SPLITSVILLE for yourself and find out what happens to Jasmine!

This second installment of the series continues the story of Jasmine, Britney, and Sierra nicely. It's easy to pick up from where the first novel left off. And if you're discovering THE LIP GLOSS CHRONICLES for the first time, you'll easily figure out all of the characters. It was also nice to see a different point of view in this novel as compared to THE ULTIMATE TEST.

To continue the story...Volume 3 of the series, PAPER THIN, was released in February 2010.

Reviewed by: Jaglvr

How cool would it be to move to another country and be able to reinvent yourself? When Josephine's mom first tells her that they're moving from England to the USA for a year for a job contract, Josephine thinks she doesn't want to go. But the more she thinks about it, she figures, what does she have to lose? She and her friend, Hailey, aren't part of the popular crowd. Her father is remarried. Why not go for it?

So Josephine (or Josie or Jo...) and her mom pack up and move to a Boston suburb. On the first day of school, Josie asks this Goth-looking girl where the principal's office is. She runs into the same girl at lunch and asks if she can join her. The girl tells her to get lost. Upon hearing the rejection, Josie turns around and notices that a group of popular girls are headed straight towards her. They inform Josie that she best avoid Rachel the Freak and join them at their table. There begins a fragile friendship.

After the first week of school, one of Josie's new friends, Tori, invites her to a party. The party changes everything for Josie. During a game of Seven Minutes in Heaven, Josie is selected by the IT guy, Jake Matthews. While in the closet, Jake gets a little too friendly. At this point, the story splits in two...literally.

Two different girls come out of the closet. The first storyline follows Josie after accepting Jake's advances, and ultimately being welcomed into the popular group. The second storyline makes Jo out to be a loser for not realizing how lucky she would've been had she accepted Jake.

The story unfolds, alternating between the Cool Josie and the Nerdy Jo. The book spirals to a conclusion that brings the two halves back to one whole. But which personality will win out?

Ms. Plaja creates a unique story based on the age old "What If" dilemma. If Josephine becomes Jake's girlfriend, will she be popular and happy? If she tells off Jake for his roaming hands, will she be left out in the cold and end up miserable? Josephine doesn't realize that she can be happy if she just accepts who she is and is happy with the life she has. The story is surprisingly easy to follow, even with the two concurrent storylines. The print changes for each personality of Josephine. And if that's not clear enough to the reader, the author designates the cool Josie with lips and the nerdy Jo with eye glasses.

I adore the movie Sliding Doors, which is based on the same concept. So it was a treat to read a story that uses the same idea. There are some strong characters through both storylines and the reader is rooting for them as well as Josephine for the right conclusion.

Reviewed by: Jaglvr