Reviews written by Kimberly Pauley

In the mood for something different? 12, Again has two protaganists: 12 year-old Patrick, whos mother has just inexplicably disappeared and Bernadette (Detta), his mother, who suddenly finds herself back in her 12 year-old body, but in the present day. It takes her a while to figure out just what...

If you want a great book full of humor and adventure for reluctant boy (or girl) readers, youve just found it. Chance Fortune (real name: Joshua Blevins) has wanted to be a superhero since he was just a little kid. Sure, every kid wants to be a superhero&but how many...

Ill be honest here. From what Id heard about this book, I was expecting another vapid novel about empty-headed girls latching onto the nanny gig in order to party, party, party. While there are definitely some parties going on and lots of money being tossed around, these arent your average...

Before I Go, Riley Westons first novel, is sure to invite comparisons to Nicholas Sparks (in particular, A Walk to Remember). Madison Henry is a skating phenomenon, coached by her mother, and focused almost entirely on the goal of getting to the Olympics. The rest of her life, save for...

Everyone nowadays, it seems, has joined the cult of celebrity. We want to KNOW what its like to be one, feel what its like to have their life, get the inside scoop on what theyre thinking, wearing, doing&Are they really like what they appear to be? Emily...

Simone has always known she was adopted, pretty much. After all, her parents were always upfront with her about it even though shes never really asked for details. Now, Rivka, her birth mother, wants to talk with her and Simone is feeling mighty conflicted. Shes never wanted to know...

More of a novella than a novel, Bob the Dragon Slayer is a fun, very tongue-in-cheek fantasy novel. Given the length and the humor, this is a very fast read that will bring a smile to your face more than once. Bob, a simple peasant lad who...

Okay, girls, you know you wanna know&what really goes on in the mind of your average guy? Anything? Nothing? Everything? Unlike Fly on the Wall, which answers the question by putting the narrator (literally) in the boys locker room, Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn takes us directly into the...

Avi is generally always a hit with reluctant readers and Strange Happenings is no exception. A collection of five short stories, each section is a fast and interesting read sure to capture the imagination. The only common thread between all the stories is a fantasy element and...

Grand & Humble is something new and entirely different from Brent Hartinger (Geography Club). The reader alternately follows the paths of Harlan and Manny, two boys who at first seem completely different. Harlan is the son of a prominent politician and his calculating wife. He often...

Last year, Annabel Greene had everything at least outwardly. She had a best friend named Sophie who is the It girl at school (which, consequently, made Annabel just as popular). She has a modeling career, good grades, a nice house, a good family&but the truth is that now Annabel...

Katy Baileys life has just been turned upside down. Shes supposed to be starting high school with her close-knit group of friends; instead, her parents are packing her off to Sarasota, Florida. Katy immediately goes into a tailspin where she feels like the only thing she can control is what...

Fans of Avalon (by Shelly Roberts) will be sure to like Cunninghams Cynthias Attic series. Gus and Cynthia are just about as opposite as night and day. Gus (Augusta Lee, but dont you dare call her that) is a tomboy with a good appetite and a penchant for climbing trees....

In E. Lockharts Fly on the Wall, we meet Gretchen Yee. In an artsy magnet school full of people trying really hard to be different (which really makes them all kind of the same, just in different ways), she feels really ordinary. And she just doesnt get guys. Why in...

Are you a fantasy lover looking for something a little different? Not your average boy-slays-dragon-and-captures-the-heart-of-the-princess fantasy? A fantasy, perhaps, with a bit of a dark edge to it? Well, Anatopsis may be just what you are looking for. Set on an Earth that is either far...