The False Prince, by Jennifer A. Nielsen

A poor orphan boy was running for his life. He stole a roast from an angry butcher who was chasing him with a cleaver. A wealthy man stopped the butcher from killing off the boy when he was sure to die. The wealthy man, Sir Conner, payed the butcher for the roast and turned to the orphan. The orphan introduced himself as Sage. Sir Conner took Sage and two other orphan boys. He planned to train all three of them to impersonate Prince Jaron, prince of Carthya. Prince Jaron was rumored to have died in a shipwreck, and his parents and brother were all poisoned so searching for the lost prince was the last hope Carthya had. Conner gave the three orphan boys two weeks to educate themselves, learn manners, and ride a horse. He would choose one of the three and pass him off as Prince Jaron, while the other two boys would be killed for security reasons. There was Tobias, the smart and polite orphan who had no skill in battle. The second orphan was named Roden. He was strong and was an excellent listener. Sage was not smart or polite. He was strong and knew how to be a rebel, just like what Prince Jaron was famous for. The three boys competed hard to keep their lives.

The False Prince, by Jennifer A. Nielsen, is one of my personal favorites. It has suspense, drama, action, a bit of romance, etc. I love all of the characters' personalities and their motives. Conner's wicked schemes, Tobias's inner strength, Mott's kindness, Sage's cunning personality and Imogen's story all are examples of things in the story that I enjoyed and what I thought was inspiring. The story plot is incredible and only a creative genius would be able to create such story. I recommend this story highly to young and old teens and adults. I am looking forward to reading the next books in the series and I hope you read this and maybe consider reading the book. :)

Reviewed by Anonymous, Grade 9

Glendale Central Library

Independence Hall, by Roland Smith

Independence Hall, by Roland Smith, is a story about a thirteen year old boy named Quest ( ‘Q’ for short). His life turns upside-down when his mom, Blaze, marries a man named Roger and starts a band with him. When they book their first tour, Blaze and Roger decide to bring along Q and Angela (Q’s new step-sister), hoping to spend some quality time together as one family. During the tour, Q and Angela notice some strange people who happen to appear at all their pit-stops. They discover strange clues that lead them to believe they may have terrorist relations in their families. Can this really be true? The new siblings go on a mission to find out the truth about their relatives.

In my opinion, I,Q is quite a mediocre book. To be honest, the character development was terrible and the outcomes of the mysteries were quite predictable. The plot could have been thought out better by the author. There was not a lot of depth, breadth, or even significance. The book did not make me feel any emotions (fear, awe, anger, joy, etc.), which, for me, defeats the purpose of reading a book outside of school. I would not recommend this book to anyone who is looking for good read. Needless to say, I will definitely not continue to read this series. 

Reviewed by R.O., Grade 10

Casa Verdugo Library