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Read to be Enlightened |
Donations > Contact > readers/writers  We Read So You Succeed...HOT REVIEWS!!! Imani: Never Say Goodbye By Jackie Hardrick Pgs. 264 Young Adult/Fiction ISBN# 0-9706226-2-7 Main Characters: Imani, Tyler, Fatima. Dominique, Kelli, Mercedes and Troy Rating: ********* PERFECT Who would read it? Ages 15 and up Imani in Never Say Goodbye was an awesome follow up to Love and Deceptions. It was hard to put down. It had all of the ingredients for making it a perfect book: action, death, life threatening situations and unanswered questions. In this story, Imani is faced with a question that she thought was already answered but when she received an injury she had to question whether or not she would be able to pay for college if she does not receive a scholarship for playing ball. Mercedes and Troy go through a rough relationship together and they have a child. They don’t want the responsibility of parenting and to add to their situation, Troy is a woman beater and getting worse as the days go on. No matter how many times she is told to leave Troy and take care of her baby by her cousin Fatima, she just won’t listen. One of the characters named Dominique played basketball on the same team as Imani and is constantly teased by others and decided to solve her problem in the worst way… What good would it be for me to tell you what happened? You have to read the book!!! What do you do when your best friend offers you a smoke and the people at school make you feel small? This is just another question to ponder as you read this awesome book. I think that people of all ages will like this book because it is about what a lot of teens are going through in our generation such as drug addition, sex and sexuality, and many other situations that would lead a teen down the wrong path. Don’t be mistaken; this book is NOT a negative book, but a wake up call to righteousness. Drugs and sex weren’t the only problems the teens had but also decisions to go to college, which also made money an issue. “Do I have enough money to make it to college?” was one of the questions that were asked frequently throughout the book. My question is will there be a part 3??? Excellent job!!! S. Elitou ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Secrets and Kisses By Celise Downs Pgs. 116 ISBN# 0-9752907-2-x Young Adult/ Fiction Main Characters: Skylar Knight, Ellodie Arparo, Kendren Rating: ******** out of 9 The Cover: 7 out of 9 Who would read it?Mainly girls ages 13 and up NO PROFANITY What made this book great was the mystery locked into each page but it leaned more towards the female readers than male readers since the main character was a female and she had a crush on a guy. Only a female could relate. They will love the book because this is the type of stuff that they are in to. The title, Secret and Kisses was also a winner because the minute teenage girls hear the word “Kiss” they are hooked. I continued to read the book because I was interested in what the secret was and that is what made the book smart because no matter what I was forced to read it. The book is about a girl named Skylar Knight who has a crush on a guy named Kedren and she watches him like a hawk, able to tell you the slightest details of his life (almost) but he has no idea she exist. Skylar finds herself in the middle of a mystery when she overhears a secret and guess who they about? You guessed it-- Kendren but what are the thousand questions that race through Skylar’s mind? You have to read the book to find out. The secrets drive you crazy and make you turn page after page to get the answer!!! I thought that the characters where funny and especially Skylar’s friend Ellodie who is a fast-talking chick who is always hype and wants to know everything that Skylar is going through. Kendren and his friends are definitely mysterious and keep you questioning, “What was that about?” Skylar of course carries the most weight in her ability to eavesdrop on strange conversations and hearing strange things being said. In all, the characters balance out the entire story. One other mystery that kept me turning the pages was how Skylar was going to learn how to kiss from a book? This totally baffled me… The strange things that girls do!!! All and all, it was a good book and a relief to finally learn the haunting secret and and put all of the puzzle pieces together. This is definitely a sit down and chill book for the ladies. Celise Downs did a great job!!! S. Elitou ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Dance Jams Production By Celise Downs Pgs. 140 ISBN# 0-9752907-1-1 Young Adult/Fiction Main Characters: Mataya Blackhawk, Jarek Thanos, Renee, Micki, and Tykota Rating: ******** out of 9 Who would read it? Ages 13 and up Mataya Blackhawk has a secret past that she doesn’t like to talk about and keeps it a secret from everyone including her best friends Renee and Mici and the only people who know about her mysterious life is Tykota her Native American guardian and agent. The excitement begins when a boy named Jarek notices scares on Mataya Blackhawk’s back and starts asking questions. She shies away from answering the questions by not answering them or closing up and never speaking to the person again. What could have been so tragic that she acts this way? Mataya and her friends love to dance and one of their favorite dance shows is throwing a contest in which they entered and now Mataya, Jarek and the rest of the crew are right in the middle of it all. Celise Downs who is also the author of Secrets and Kisses has done the mystery writing for teens again and she has done it well. This book was very good and full of mystery. The mystery of the scar on Mataya’s back will capture your interest and the attacks at the Dance Jam Productions. Are the scars that mysteriously end up on the people done by aliens? One would never know until they read the book. She is a very good mystery writer for the youth because she is not corny and there is always a lot to look forward to at the end of the book. I look forward to reading more from her. S. Elitou ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Wake Up and Recognize: Life of a Gang Member By Darlene Robbins Pgs. 68 ISBN# 1-889506-04-4 Coloring book/Fiction Main Characters: James, Daisy, Rico, Sword Rating:******* stars out of 9 Who would read it?Ages 9 and up NO PROFANITY Wake Up and Recognize was a fun book to read. The pictures were nice and the cover was cool. There was no profanity and it made me do a lot of thinking. A 12-year-old boy named James Daniel lives with his parents and his sister Daisy. He is beginning to feel like his parents aren’t paying him enough attention and is encouraged by his friend Rico to join a gang called the Vultures, which Rico is a member of. Rico tells James that when you are in a gang, not only do you have family but you will also have money, power and respect. Eventually, James makes a decision and has to live with it. The best part of the book is when the author asks questions to help you think and discuss the book with your parents. There are many things in the book that should be addressed so that there is a clear understanding between the right and wrongs of the characters—there are some things that happen that should not be thrown in the air. The overall message of the book was not to be a gang member. What I didn’t like about the book was the ending. I thought that it should have told us what decision he made after a few days in the life of a gang member? Does he turn in his gun? Does he get out of the gang and what is there reaction? There should definitely be a part 2. It was also interesting to take a story like this and make it a coloring book. Many readers will appreciate the free gift if you answer the last questions and send them to the author. I look forward to my gift!!! My advice to the author: Keep writing kids books that will keep them on the right path. My advice to readers: Read this book!!! Alani Elitou ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Bobo World By AA Roberts ISBN# 0-9718544-0-8 Pgs. 189 Fantasy/Fiction Main Characters:Bobo, Camille Rating: ********* PERFECT Who would read it? 9-16 NO PROFANITY!!! This was a very funny book!!! Bobo has to get to Bobo World before the storm comes! He cannot let any thing get in his way. If he does he will not make it. Bobo’s World is about a boy named Bobo Sinclair who is in love with a girl named Camille Playfair but she is a “love them and leave them” kind of girl. Everyone wants to be her boyfriend but those who dare must prepare for the pain they are about to endure. The World that Bobo visits is in he’s dreams and when he is there he has special powers but the question is what is his secret power? Does her learn more about the love of his life Camille or is it for greater knowledge of the secret meaning of the alphabet? One would never know until they read the book. My favorite chapter was Far, Far Away, Where the Sun Cast No Shadows because he learns the truth about everything including what and why Camille crushes a boy’s heart like an orange under a Mack truck. Camille is known for making a boy fall in love and letting him go before he could blink. My favorite part of the book was when Latanya said, “I like it when boys fight over me,” then she said, “Big Nino, come out and whoop Bobo’s butt.” You have to read this book to find out what would have made her say that. It was so funny!!! It had me cracking up so much I was crying. I really like this book because it keeps your interest and you want to know what his power is. I am dieing to tell you his power but that is telling the whole mystery. The author did an excellent job with the characters because it made you like them a lot. You will like Bobo because he is a very funny person who has a lot of crazy things going on around him and Camille is a sweet girl and she is a good friend but with issues about boys. I think that this is a Saturday book because it’s not very long but it takes time to read and you don’t want to stop reading like you may have to do in class. I would suggest this book in place of your favorite Saturday morning program. The message was to be a good friend to those who are good friends to you. My advice to readers: You should read this book because it is fun!!! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Jayda’s Story By Caroline Ilogienboh Pgs. 106 Young Adult/Fiction ISBN# 0-9712781-0-5 Main Characters: Jayda, Kira, Yvonne, Tommy, Shakim, Salina and Juanita Rating: ******* out of 9 Who would read it? Ages 13 and up PROFANITY I think it’s a good book because it has a positive message and it is helpful for teens that are having trouble in school with kids or teachers and/or home problems with their parent/s with its direct solutions. Jayda’s Story is about a girl named Jayda who goes through a lot of problems involving school and home. She is getting into fights with kids calling her names or messing with her best friend Kira. When she goes home to get away from all of the drama and find comfort from her mother Junita she gets nothing but arguments and more name-calling or just totally ignored. Becoming fed up with it all, she did what she thought was best and ran away. It wasn’t the best idea but she couldn’t figure out what else to do. Jayda’s mother was pregnant with her when she was fifteen and while Jayda was in her belly she went through a lot of pain, which caused her to blame Jayda. When Jayda was born her mother Juanita got bored with her and left her in the care of Nana trying to rid herself of responsibilities. Jayda’s grandmother Nana eventually dies from Cancer and she returns to the care of her mother but Juanita is inexperienced. Juanita was lost in words of wisdom, discipline and guidance in order to teach Jayda that Jayda was out of control and it caused many arguments. It seemed as though Jayda’s life was going downhill until she left home and met people who were able to help her get her life on the right path. Jayda’s best friend Kira told her to go to her cousin Yvonne’s house on the other side of town and that is what Jayda did. Jayda experienced a lot of life changes as she was introduced to some people that helped her not end up a good girl turned bad. There are many people that help Jayda along they way to a good life such as Yvonne who helped Jayda by letting her stay in her apartment and giving her food and clothes and looked after her. Shakim was Yvonne’s oldest son who befriends Jayda and also looks after her by making sure that she did not make decisions that she would regret in the future. There was also Tommy who is Yvonne’s youngest son he is one year old. He becomes part of Jayda’s lifetime lesson of patience and discipline as Jayda looks after him. Last but not least there is Salina who lives with Yvonne and she helps Jayda with her problems by talking to her for sanity’s sake. I would not advise children under thirteen to read this book because there is some profanity and some sexual content in the book but there is still a positive message to this book which was to give your parents a chance to help you and there is no solution to running away from your problems as it will only make things worst. Jayda was lucky that that the people that she ran away to helped her and that she helped herself. I must say that the cover was uninteresting but the content was well worth the read. S. Elitou, President and Reviewer |
