The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen

SUMMARY:  When the royal family dies, the race is on to provide the next ruler.  A nobleman named Conner discovers Sage, an orphan boy, and tries to turn him, along with two other orphans, into the missing prince.  However, Sage has plans and secrets of his own.

AUNT SHARON'S TAKE:  After an unlucky streak with books, I was happy to find a book that I actually enjoyed.  This was one of those classic stories that keeps you coming back for more.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Aside from some violence, the content was very mild.  I would definitely recommend this book.

RATING:  PG with some Violence

AUDIENCE:  Teens and Young Adults

STARS:  4

BOOKS LIKE THIS:  Beauty, Dave at Night

The Odyssey by Homer

SUMMARY:  The story follows Odysseus, returning from the Trojan war, and his son Telemachus, who is eager to discover his father's fate, while unwelcome suitors court his mother and eat his food.

AUNT SHARON'S TAKE:  To be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of this book.  I listened to the audiobook, mostly because it was a classic I had never experienced.  However, I didn't enjoy it too much.  The viewpoints, although typical and standard of the time, were misogynistic, and the violence was grotesque.  I could definitely see teenage boys enjoying the gore and fights, but personally, I didn't like it.

RATING:  PG13 for Violence and Sexual Reference

AUDIENCE:  Adults

STARS:  2

BOOKS LIKE THIS:  The Illiad, Nobody's Princess

Poison Princess by Kresley Cole

SUMMARY:  Evie is the girl with everything.  The only bad part of her life is that she sees horrifying visions. After spending two years in a mental institution, she is determined to act like a normal teenager.  However, when her visions start coming true, she realizes she should have paid more attention.

AUNT SHARON'S TAKE:  The content in this book was very mature.  There was some bad language, overt sexual references, and grotesque imagery and violence.  In my opinion, it is not appropriate for the intended teen audience.  Although the writing style is polished, and the characters are memorable, I personally couldn't stomach it, and probably wouldn't recommend it.

RATING:  PG13 for Violence, Sensuality, and Language

AUDIENCE:  Adult

STARS:  1 1/2

BOOKS LIKE THIS:  Wither, 13 Days to Midnight

Born at Midnight by C. C. Hunter

SUMMARY:  Kylie gets labeled as a "troubled teen" and sent to a camp away from home.  She discovers that everyone at the camp has supernatural traits, and struggles to come to terms with the fact that she isn't normal, either.

AUNT SHARON'S TAKE:  Honestly, I would recommend skipping this book.  It is clearly written for teens, with lots of teenage drama and lust and angst, but I felt that it wasn't content-appropriate for teens.  I didn't even enjoy the story or the writing all that much.  I could tell that the series was very popular, but I was glad to put this book down, and not recommend it to others.

RATING:  PG13 for Violence, Language, and Sensuality/Sexual Reference

AUDIENCE:  Young Adults

STARS:  0

BOOKS LIKE THIS:  Fallen, Shiver

Top Ten Picture Books

I don't review picture books on this blog, but I still thought I'd include my very favorite picture books.

1. No, David! by David Shannon
2.  Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss
3.  Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems.
4.  Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
5.  Corduroy by Don Freeman
6.  Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
7.  Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
8.  Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
9.  Curious George Learns the Alphabet by H.A. Rey
10.  Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

Top Ten Books for Pre-Teens and Children

1.  The Invention of Hugo Cabret
2.  Holes
3.  Eight Cousins
4.  Charlotte's Web
5.  Matilda
6.  The City of Ember
7.  Little House Series
8.  Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
9.  Wonderstruck
10.  Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Top Ten Books for Adults

1.  Wives and Daughters
2.  The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
3.  Pride and Prejudice
4.  Little Women
5.  Jane Eyre
6.  Short Stories by O.Henry
7.  And Then There Were None
8.  Howl's Moving Castle
9.  The Complete Sherlock Holmes
10.  Austenland