More Teen Reviews

Even more reviews from Oxford Teens:

Kaitlyn, 12, read Cloaked, a fairy-tale retelling by Alex Flinn that is a mash-up of The Elves & the Shoemaker and The Frog Prince: "I would recommend this book to anyone who likes books with adventure, fantasy, and romance. It ties many classic fairy tales into a modern world and depicts the struggle between supporting your family and following your dreams." Kaitlyn recommends this story for teens 12 and up.

High School Senior Kati read and loved Underworld, by Meg Cabot: "Underworld only proves that Meg Cabot's abilities go above and beyond the well-known Princess Diaries. This sequel (to Abandon) captures the audience from the beginning and leaves not a moment dull. The cutoff point of each chapter is so strategically chosen that the author knows it will be impossible to put the book down. This novel was full of suspense and unending action. Meg Cabot does it again!"

Not all teen reviews are positive, as proven by 10th grader Margaret's review of Cami Garcia's Beautiful Creatures, which was recently adapted for the Big Screen. Margaret read the book on a friend's glowing recommendation. However, she didn't agree: "I didn't really enjoy this book much. It's just another teen romance thing with the same old black and white/good and evil scenario. The emotional depth of this book fits, maybe, a 13-year-old mindset. Honestly, I don't see how anyone could genuinely like this book. Something like (this story) is absolutely meaningless. Don't waste your time." Needless to say, Margaret won't be recommending the Beautiful Creatures series to anyone anytime soon.

Kayla, 11, recently finished Jeanne Birdsall's The Pinderwicks on Gardam Street. She too read the book because a friend suggested it and, although she didn't absolutely love it, she felt it passed the time: "I thought that this book was very interesting and I can kind of relate to it because (the characters) had a lot of kids and I also have a lot of siblings." Kayla would probably recommend the book to a friend.

Do you like reading and writing? Submit a review at the Teen Desk for possible publication on this blog! --AJB