Book Review - Alien Investigation

Alien Investigation: Searching for the Truth About UFOs and Aliens

By: Kelly Milner Halls
Publisher: Milbrook Press
Publication Date: April 2012
ISBN: 978-0761362043
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: April 2012

Leek was seriously wondering if there could be life on another planet. It would be an exciting venture to the blue planet in the distance, but they were ready to take the risk. The alien creatures would “carefully prepare and hope they [would] make it to Earth--and back home again.” No doubt these green creatures with their purple eyes are fictitious beings, but then again, are they? Here on Earth we’ve also wondered if there is life on other planets and if they are making an attempt to visit us. What do you think?

According to physicist Stanton Friedman, we need “the development of advanced technology” in order to reach the stars. Perhaps there are civilizations out there that already have this technology and have been taking a close look at life on Earth. In order to form your own opinion, you’ll have to ponder the reports of people who claim to have seen everything from unusual beings to spacecrafts that have landed or crashed. Perhaps you are a Doubting Thomas when it comes to believing in UFOs, but a few of the stories in this book just might sway you!

The book, “starting with the first UFO report filed with the U.S. military in 1947,” relates one event that happened in each decade, ending with a tale from a very frightened family who had a visitation from aliens who touched down in Monahans, Texas in 2009. One person claimed these creatures “looked very skinny like they had no meat on their bones...their heads were large and their arms...hung down to their knees.” In this book you’ll read about sightings from around the world, including a few that proved to be elaborate hoaxes. In some instances, only one or two people sighted something unusually alien, but what about the sixty-two children who panicked and screamed when they experienced a strange visitation in Ruwa, Zimbabwe in 1994?

Naturally, any UFO aficionado worth his or her salt knows a lot about the crash in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947, but this book has a few odd ones I hadn’t heard about. The sightings, most of which are in North America, do swing around the world in such diverse places as Hangzhou, China and Tehran, Iran. Interspersed throughout the book we are treated to interviews from a variety of people, including the scientifically oriented as well as those such as Belinda Perdew Taylor, a librarian from Kentucky. We also are treated to Yllek’s fictitious story as he boards his mother ship to head to Earth. There are numerous, artist’s renditions, and a map. In the back of the book is an index, a glossary, source notes, a selected bibliography, and a listing of UFO organizations and festivals.

Quill says: This is a fabulously fun look into the possibility of alien life in the universe and on Earth.

Book Review - The Not-So-Perfect Planet

The Not-So-Perfect Planet (Way-Too-Real Aliens)

By: Pamela F. Service
Publisher: Darby Creek Publishing
Publication Date: January 2012
ISBN: 978-0761379195
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: April 2012

Josh had written an award-winning story that had actually turned "into real worlds somewhere else." There was no such thing as fiction, because in the universe he had simply tapped into the lives of some blue guys. The rest was history, because he and his kid sister, Maggie, had gone on a wild and crazy adventure after they placed an alien circlet gizmo on his head. Off they went into the wild blue yonder. Nope, he'd never do that again. Just being a real human kid was wild enough for him.

It might have been the end of it had Maggie decided she'd had enough of weird creatures, but she was up for another adventure. Maggie looked up to her big brother and wanted him to create some idyllic place with "white sand beaches and a sparkling green sea." She figured he could add some nice touches and include maybe a unicorn, a mermaid, and some pretty stones. Josh went to work, but his planet sounded pretty dull, and Maggie claimed it was "Kind of a lame story." Ummmm...not for long!

Josh gathered up two translation devices, a set of walkie-talkies, and the alien circlet gizmo and they were off to Maggie's "tourist brochure planet." That sand-filled paradise was anything but a paradise when a doofmelopalan came snarling at them. The only thing unicorn about him was the horn on top of his head. Maggie and Josh were stunned when that "hairy fanged thing" grabbed the circlet. Princess Nwen and Prince Igi would soon arrive to complicate the mess. Googoroo, the volcano god was looking for a yummy sacrifice. Would two human freaks be tasty enough for him? Would Maggie and Josh ever get home?

Naturally when Maggie asked her big brother to "tune into a place that's not so scary," he had no clue of the dangers in paradise. The "Not-So-Perfect Planet" is loaded with wild `n crazy creatures that make Legg, his six-legged pet look like a newborn kitten. The new alien creatures they encounter are quite unique and definitely have some very memorable personalities and characteristics. Their arguments and spats somehow seemed very kid-human and familiar. When Doof claims "All sea creatures are the same. Nasty cheats..." Well, you get the picture. This is yet another quirky, fun adventure in the "Way-Too-Real Aliens" series young readers will love. Say, you'd better watch out for the evil Zurz before one flies down and swoops you up into the sky!

Quill says: Josh and Maggie's new adventure on an unsettling, freaky planet will wow the young sci-fi fan.

Book Review - You Can Run

You Can Run (Robyn Hunter Mysteries)

By: Nora McClintock
Publisher: Darby Creek Publishing
Publication Date: April 2012
ISBN: 978-0761385301
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: April 2012

Robyn "Robbie" Hunter was hanging around with her two best friends, Morgan and Billy, when she spotted Nick. She found him "inherently fascinating" but her parents didn't. Robbie's father, Mac, owned his own private investigation company and her mother, Patricia, was a criminal lawyer. They wern't crazy about her going out with Nick N'Angelo because he was the bad boy type. He'd "been in trouble for most of his life" and was living in Somerset, a group home. Her mother had even represented him in juvie court once, but what did her parents know about love? Heck, they were divorced and Robbie was being shuttled between the two of them.

Robbie was drawn to Nick because he looked "like a tough guy, dressed all in black," and was "tall for sixteen, and lean." She was almost sixteen, responsible for the most part, got great grades, but still got grounded now and then. When she was at her dad's he was always preoccupied with work. This weekend it was about some guy named Carmine Doig. There had been a stable fire and five horses died. Things were looking pretty shady when all of a sudden the insurance adjuster conveniently committed suicide. Her father and his partner, Vern, were checking out that case when all of a sudden they had another one.

Carl Hanover needed their help to look for his stepdaughter, Trisha Carnegie. The cops were giving him the runaround because she'd taken off before. He was desperate to find her, but no one at school cared about her because she was so bizarre and psycho. Robbie felt really guilty because she felt like she had a hand in this one. Just before Trisha took off she snarled at her, "Maybe if you weren't so weird, people would care, but they don't." She had to at least try to find her and deliver a mysterious letter from her dying mother. It wasn't going to be easy because Trisha's friends were even more psycho than she was. Robbie stepped out of her safety zone into the dark and all she saw "was an enormous, shadowy shape" heading in her direction...

Robbie, who is definitely her father's daughter, can't help but become involved in investigating a case, especially when she feels she may have caused the disappearance of the girl they are desperately searching for. Things unexpectedly take a turn for the worse when Robbie ends up in the middle of things, things that could threaten her very existence. This new mystery series undoubtedly will be a popular one. The characters are well-rounded and the plot filled with intrigue, parent angst, and just the right touch of forbidden love. Robbie is a self-assured young woman, a young PI who has a lot to learn, but will definitely be a detective to watch out for!

Quill says: This subtle, smooth mystery will captivate young mystery buffs.

Book Review - The Girl Who Owned A City

The Girl Who Owned a City: The Graphic Novel

By: Dan Jolley
Publisher: Graphic Universe
Publication Date: January 2012
ISBN: 978-0761356349
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: April 2012

Lisa's arm reached through the glass of a door she'd just broken through in an attempt to turn the doorknob. She stumbled across a lifeless body after trying to apologize for breaking and entering. She was hungry and was in search of food for herself and her young brother, Todd. There was nothing but dust, that body, and a letter sitting on a desk. Well, there were maggots in the wastebasket and a sour smell emanating from the fridge if you want to add that to the mix. The letter was curious, but really nothing to her. A Mr. John Williams had written to his son. He was describing the virus that has spread around the world claiming, "It's the worst in history" and that it was "not fatal to children under the age of about 12 years." Yes, but would it lay dormant until they got older?

There was no time to think about the possibilities because Lisa Nelson was simply concerned about surviving. Her eyes lit up when she found a can opener. She hopped behind the wheel of a car, hoping she could remember how her dad drove it and was off to find seven-year-old Todd. It was hard to find food and keeping it was dangerous with gang activity. The Chidester gang was a "bunch of hungry kids who think they can bully people." They were smart, but not as smart as Lisa. Even though she promised Todd he'd be fine, they'd attacked him and stole his food. Tom Logan was behind this mess and he was enlisting other kids to steal for him. It would have to stop!

Lisa scoured the Grand Avenue finding the "same story all over the neighborhood." Logan and his gang were enlisting kids to steal for them, holding them hostage with little to eat until they did his bidding. She had to figure out how to take care of all the children, while learning how to protect them. She had to use her head and soon found guys like Craig and Charlie to help her. Lisa had found a warehouse full of supplies, but she needed to form a militia to protect them all. Her new city would be called Grandville, but they'd hardly begun to organize when flames began to climb to the sky. Would they be able to fight the gangs? Could they protect the young children? Would they even be able to survive?

This is an amazing apocalyptic tale of survival...survival of the fittest. The fittest in this tale were all young males around the age of 12, but an amazing girl, Lisa, gave them a run for their money. A disastrous plague had overtaken the world, a world that soon found itself without a single adult. I found the tale to be powerful, intriguing, and hard-hitting as it posed an interesting question...could children actually survive if there were no grown-ups to help them? No spoilers here, but I was mesmerized with the action as Lisa Nelson struggled to find a secret hideout to create a city where the innocent and weak could survive. This tale, set in in a graphic novel format, had exciting (and sometimes dark) panels that matched the high drama of the tale.

Quill says: If you have a young reader who likes anything dark, apocalyptic, and gripping, this is one tale you should add to your list!

Book Review - Relationship Smarts

Relationship Smarts: How to Navigate Dating, Friendships, Family Relationships, and More

By: Joyce Markovics
Publisher: Twenty-First Century Books
Publication Date: January 2012
ISBN: 978-0761370185
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: April 2012

The world would be a mighty lonesome place if we didn't have relationships of one sort or another. A relationship "connects two or more people" in some way or another. There are many different types, including family, friends, nontraditional, casual, and romantic. Each one of these types of relationships has different components, but family relationships are "probably the most important." All have varying degrees of intensity or passion. Take for example, the sometimes challenging romatic relationship, one that involves "an intimate emotional connection with another person." The heart can flutter, the hormones can start to race, but in actuality, these relationships "can also be pretty bumpy and the hardest to maintain."

All around you people are talking about relationships, but just how do you develop them? It seems simplistic, but the "first step to developing relationships of any kind is to meet people." You'll learn how to go about meeting people, where to meet them, and how to avoid problems. If you run across a cyberbully, it's helpful to know just how to deal with this destructive behavior. It's also useful to know how to develop positive, nurturing relationships. In any relationship "both people should work together for the benefit of each other and their relationship." There is a lot to learn about relationships, but sometimes we all need a bit of help. In this book you'll also learn about the importance of your self-image, how to handle problematic relationships, the importance of developing trust (including that of your parents), finding friends who share your values, the problems with cliques, dating problems, you'll ponder whether or not to have sex, you'll learn about sexual orientation, heartbreak, and many other interesting facets about relationships.

To grown-ups it may be easy to dismiss teen relationship angst, but in reality it's a very serious issue. A guide such as this one is not all inclusive, but rather gives young people a lot of food for thought. One of the things that jumped out at me was the section on abuse. The term is defined and briefly discusses physical, sexual, and emotional abuse as well as outlining its "warning signs." There are suggestions as to where to get help, including numbers for helplines. There are some informative sidebars, including one on cyberbullying from the pages of USA Today. In the back of the book is an index, a glossary, source notes, a selected bibliography, and additional recommended book and website resource to explore. There are free downloadable educational resources on the publisher's website.

Quill says: This is a helpful guide to help teens understand and develop an assortment of relationships.

Book Review - I Date Dead People

I Date Dead People (My Boyfriend Is a Monster)

By: Ann Kerns
Publisher: Graphic Universe
Publication Date: April 2012
ISBN: 978-0761385493
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: April 2012

The Reilly's had just moved into a new home in good old St. Paul, Minnesota. Nora, Aiden, and her little sister Bean were sitting at the breakfast table eating Fun Hoops and Honey Bombs when their mom, Jean, noticed that someone had braided Bean's hair. When Mom asked who'd done it, Bean calmly claimed that Inge, the maid, did it. Huh? They didn't have a maid, but her hair looked great. All of a sudden ... "SLAAAM!! The door quickly slammed shut. Everyone thought it was the wind, but Aidan knew better. Nora was soon heading off to school with her new friend, Kirsty.

Kirsty thought she was lucky because they'd moved into Eleanor Hays's old house. She said, "Your house is like a famous literary landmark" and figured Nora might actually find a rare manuscript. Yeah, Nora would find something, but it would be something much more interesting than old paper. Nick Harris was anxious to talk to her, but she had things to do. That night Kirsty was gabbing away on Nora's bed when she sensed something plopped on the bed. Hey! Just what was that? No one was even near the bed!

Strange things were starting to happen in the house. Nora heard some singing downstairs, but no one was around. She was definitely spooked and thought to herself, "they had to move us into the creakiest, shadowiest house they could find." Singing would seem mild in comparison to the apparition she saw staring up at her from the bottom of the stairs. "Don't move the clock" was all it said before it drifted away. When she confronted Bean and Aidan, they too had seen some ghosts ... and had been threatened.

Nora confronted the ghosts, but got knocked down for her troubles. Soon she came face-to-face with the apparition she'd seen before. His name was Thomas Barnes, Tom for short. Things were changing fast and before she could help it, she started to fall in love with the ghost who somehow hadn't passed on to the other side. They touched hands, a touch that "felt amazing ... like a cool spark." And then there was the kiss. How would she explain this to her friends? What could she possible say to Nick, the coolest guy in the school, when he asked her out?

This is a ghostly tale of romance when Nora Reilly falls mad dash in love with Tom Barnes. Tom died decades before Nora and her siblings spot him. He's a teenage poltergeist who is making a ruckus in the household. The crush Nora develops on this specter is totally unexpected and does cause a few problems in the "real" world. Just how she is going to tell everyone she's dating a dead boy is slightly problematic at the least. The action is hot in this novel, one in the series, "My Boyfriend is a Monster." Tom isn't the only creepy critter hanging around the Reilly home. A whole host of ghosts need to be driven from the home, but will Tom be one of the casualties?

Quill says: This stand alone book will excite any young reader interested in the paranormal and ghostly specters, especially the handsome kind!

Book Review - Job Smarts

Job Smarts: How to Find Work or Start a Business, Manage Earnings, and More

By: Sandy Donovan
Publisher: Twenty-First Century Books
Publication Date: January 2012
ISBN: 978-0761370154
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: April 9, 2012

When everyone is heading to concerts, going to the movies, or buying energy drinks except you, it "might be time to pick yourself up, hit the streets and find a job." It's not easy to find one these days, but carefully weighing your options might get you to that concert you wanted to go to or enable you to buy some decent clothes. The first thing you'll want to think about is what kind of work will suit you. If you aren't a people person, you may want to pass on the job where you have to wait on people, but might want to consider a pet sitting job.

Once you've decided on what type of job you'd like, you also have to consider how much free time you have. If you have a lot of extracurricular activities and need great grades, you'll quickly discover that "a job can make that calendar even more crowded." If you think that jobs are a snap, you'll need to think again because "holding a job is serious." Yes, you'll have that extra money you'll need, but along with it comes responsibility.

There are several ways to get a job, but you'll have to figure out where to find one. This book will give you several hints, show you how to apply, create a résumé, a cover letter, and make a reference list. Do you have a Facebook account? If you do, you'll quickly learn what you have on your wall might just lose you that coveted job. In this book you'll also learn how to dress for an interview, how to prepare for one, how to conduct yourself during an interview, you'll learn what you have to do to keep a job, how to "make a transportation plan," the importance of following rules, being a team player, you'll learn about entrepreneurship, tax information, managing your money, and you'll learn many other interesting things about finding and keeping a job.

No book will hold anyone's hand and walk them up to an establishment to apply for a job, but this book doles out some very sage advice for the young first-time job seeker. Job searches may seem easy to some, but in essence the advice given in this book can set the stage for future job search skills. Little vignettes such as the sentence "Sometimes a first paycheck can turn a teen into a reckless spender," can be an eye opener for the young reader. Important sentences are highlighted or italicized for extra emphasis. There are numerous informative sidebars interspersed throughout the pages. In the back of the book is an index, a glossary, a selected bibliography, and additional recommended book and website resources to explore.

Quill says: This is an excellent, essential guide for teens who would like to get a job or start a business.