By Piranha T. and Super Kitty

Philias Fogg is not the sort to plan a fantastical trip around the world. A reclusive English gentleman, he divides his time between his home and the Reform Club, where he spends time with colleagues and plays whist. One night, however, a disagreement arises at the Reform Club—according to a newspaper article, it is now possible to go around the world in just eighty days, and although his companions think it impossible, Mr. Fogg bets that he can do it. Accompanied by his manservant Passepartout, he sets out immediately, traveling by steamship, train, elephant, sledge, and more, and overcoming all manner of storms, setbacks, and an inspector from Scotland Yard named Fix, who believes that he robbed the bank of England and is determined to stop him at all costs.

Around the World in Eighty Days is an entertaining read, although it does take a little bit to get into. There are funny characters, clever plot twists, and interesting facts about transportation and the world in general in the late 1800s. Full of humor, wit and adventure, we’d recommend Around the World in Eighty Days to readers ages 10 and up, not as much because it would be inappropriate, but because the language may be more difficult for younger readers to understand.

*Note: there are many different editions of Around the World in Eighty Days, in many different languages, so we did not include a publisher or copywrite, as it was translated from the original French to English several times.

By Super Kitty
Aramanth is a perfect city. There is no crime, no favoritism of certain races or people. Each citizen is tested in mathematics, history, and the like in a fair and unbiased way, and it is by their test ratings that they are categorized—determining where they live, what their jobs are, and the class in which they are ranked—and nothing else matters. If someone works hard, they can rise in position; if they are lazy, they are demoted. Everyone has a job, and all jobs are considered equally important. Aramanth is, in all, perfection.

At least, that’s what its leaders say.

Twins Kestrel and Bowman Hath have lived in Aramanth their entire lives and have heard of its superiority more times than they can count. But it’s not a fair system, not a true story, and certainly not a perfect place—as Kestrel learns all to well when she revolts against the harsh laws governing her family’s lives, finding out just how flawed their world is. Without any other choices, and determined to make a difference, she, Bowman, and an unexpected (and somewhat unwelcome) ally flee the city and set off on a desperate quest to find the voice of the wind singer, a legendary object that may be the only thing capable of returning light and happiness to Aramanth. But as they journey deeper, they realize that they have taken on far more than they realized, becoming involved in an ancient conflict and drawing the attention of the Morah, an ancient keeper of powers that control Aramanth—powers that could just as easily destroy it.  

​This was one of those wonderful books which I saw at the library, flipped open, and couldn’t stop reading. Clever and entertaining, it also managed to be a thought-provoking read. Exciting, engrossing, and liberally sprinkled with clever twists, The Wind Singer is an excellent book that I would recommend to readers ages ten and up.  

Find the review on a great book on sewing under our 'Nonfiction' tab, or by clicking here!

By: Contributing Reviewer, Radical Reader (age 10)

This book is about a girl named Emma who is in high-school and is also the drama club stage-manager which is putting on the play, Hamlet. When her friend Stanley cuts a hole in the stage, she falls through it and ends up at one of the original productions of Hamlet, also becoming the assistant book-keeper. On opening night of her high-school performance, the star is sick and the director is nowhere to be seen! Can Emma keep the show together through all of this? I liked this book because it had an interesting plot line but I did not like that it had some inappropriate topics. Parts of the book is written in Elizabethan English so it is kind of difficult to read. I would recommend this book to young adults because of the language and some of the topics that are inappropriate.

By contributing reviewer Radical Reader, age 10

This book is about a girl from the 1970's named Julie. She meets a new girl in school named Carla. She immediately bonds with her, but something seems off. The stories of her family just do not add up. So Julie goes on a hunt to figure out who Carla Warner really is. I liked this book because it had so many plot twists in turns and in the midst of all the lies I could not figure out what was real and what was not. I'd recommend this book to kids of the age of 8 and up because it can get confusing and it might be difficult for younger kids to follow the plot.