Kiran thought she had a normal life. Until on her twelfth birthday she finds out she's an Indian princess. How does she find this out? When her parents are captured and two princes crash into her yard to help her. Her whole life is thrown upside down when she is told that she was adopted when her birth mother sent her to Earth so she could escape the clutches of her father - the Serpent King. Kiran is introduced to a whole new world with magic and fantasy creatures. This book was filled with adventure and lots of surprises along the way. One of my favorite parts about this book was the uniqueness of the concept. I learned a lot of new things about Japanese mythology and culture. Some of the words were unfamiliar to me, but I eventually figured out what they meant. Overall, this is a pretty good middle grade read. I would caution younger readers that there are some darker action scenes, specifically those that involve the Rackosh, the Serpent King and the demons. Because of those scenes, I would rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.

Sense and Sensibility is the story of the Dashwood sisters, particularly focused on Elinor and Marianne and their various romances. Elinor was my favorite character, because I am able to relate most to her. One of my favorite parts of the book is the relationship between the two sisters, and the differences and stark contrast between them. Yet, they still have that connection and confide in each other. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars, and I would recommend this book to romance booklovers and Jane Austen fans. I do not think it is a book that is meant for, or interest young readers.

Sense and Sensibility is the story of the Dashwood sisters, particularly focused on Elinor and Marianne and their various romances. Elinor was my favorite character, because I am able to relate most to her. One of my favorite parts of the book is the relationship between the two sisters, and the differences and stark contrast between them. Yet, they still have that connection and confide in each other. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars, and I would recommend this book to romance booklovers and Jane Austen fans. I do not think it is a book that is meant for, or interest young readers.

This book lives up to it's title. It inspires you to "Do Hard Things". This book encourages young people to go beyond what is expected of teenagers today, to "rebel against low expectations". The fact itself that when this book was written, the authors were teens is a testament to the book itself. I liked that the way the Harris brothers proved their point, and encouraged, was through different types of stories. For example, in some areas they would quote Bible verses and connect how they tie in to every day life. In other places they would give modern day examples of teens who were inspired, and did hard things and give personal stories and anecdotes. One of my favorite messages in the book is that hard things can look different for everyone. For some people, it can be starting a blog or a mission group to build wells overseas. For other people it can be playing the piano in public, or making an effort to get along with a sibling. It doesn't matter how big or small it is. What matters is that you do the hard thing. I would definitely recommend this book to all pre-teens and teenagers. Although geared specifically towards adolescents, it would also probably be a good read for adults. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

This book lives up to it's title. It inspires you to "Do Hard Things". This book encourages young people to go beyond what is expected of teenagers today, to "rebel against low expectations". The fact itself that when this book was written, the authors were teens is a testament to the book itself. I liked that the way the Harris brothers proved their point, and encouraged, was through different types of stories. For example, in some areas they would quote Bible verses and connect how they tie in to every day life. In other places they would give modern day examples of teens who were inspired, and did hard things and give personal stories and anecdotes. One of my favorite messages in the book is that hard things can look different for everyone. For some people, it can be starting a blog or a mission group to build wells overseas. For other people it can be playing the piano in public, or making an effort to get along with a sibling. It doesn't matter how big or small it is. What matters is that you do the hard thing. I would definitely recommend this book to all pre-teens and teenagers. Although geared specifically towards adolescents, it would also probably be a good read for adults. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Kid Authors is the next book is the "Kid" series. It tells stories of famous writers from when they were children. Each story was slightly different. Some were about their family, and childhood experiences. Others were about their inspiration for their stories and how/when they began to write. One of my favorite stories was about Roald Dahl, and how he drew some of his stories from his childhood experiences. For example, he was inspired by a local candy shop he passed everyday as a boy, and later wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I liked that this book was written in a narrative format, instead of straight facts about the author's life. It was a nice quick read. I recommend this book for elementary and middle school kids, especially those who like writing. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

This book was awesome! I haven't read all of the Ripley's Believe or Not books, although I do have some editions, but this one is definitely my favorite! This book is full of 245 brightly colored pages, with thousands of amazing facts and stories. Each set of pages are split into sections such as "Animals", "People", "Beyond Belief", "Pop Culture", etc. Some of these stories are insane! For example, one of my favorites is about Brittany Walsh. She can shoot a bow and arrow with her feet, and do all sorts of tricks while standing on her hands! And did you know "Cleopatra actually lived closer in time to the building of the 1st Pizza Hut than the building of the Pyramids"? Another page I especially enjoyed was a two-spread page about Pokémon, as I am an avid player of the game. To make my point, there were so many unusual stories, and yet many of them happened to everyday people. Another thing I really liked about this book is that at the very beginning there are a couple pages about Robert Ripley, who was the original author/collector really liked learning about how this legend first began the series. There were also tons of colorful pictures that captured the stories perfectly. This book could be used as entertainment for hours of fun, and would be a lot of fun to share with a friend or family member. It was so much fun to see all the variety of facts and stories-you never knew what you were going to read. I think this is the best Ripley book yet. And as there are both stories and photos, I recommend this book to people of all ages. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

I was very intrigued by the summary about this book. September is taken on an adventure to Fairyland where she makes new friends and is apparently the only person who can assist the new Marquess. Unfortunately, I found it hard to follow along. The language and description was kind of hard to read. Because I couldn't even understand what was going on, I didn't finish the book. I rate this book 1 out of 5 stars.