The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Liesel is a young girl living in Germany during World War II. On a train ride to live with another family Liesel's younger brother dies and is buried alongside the tracks in the freezing snow. On the way back, she stumbles upon a book, The Grave Diggers Handbook, lying in the snow and she takes it. This is just the beginning of Liesel's book thieving habit.
Liesel's new home is lonely without her mother and brother, but she soon makes friends. Rudy, a boy with blonde unkempt hair is one of the first to greet Liesel and they soon become friends. Life starts to get pretty enjoyable for Liesel until one by one the Jews disappear and the economy grows worse by the second. There are many secrets that Liesel is keeping, but how would anyone guess that one of them would be that she is hiding a Jew in her basement?
This book is 552 pages long and is for children ages 12 and older. I would rate this book 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. It is a great book that every child should read and is a real eye opener to what life in Germany was like.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Ebenezer Scrooge is a selfish, unkind, and wealthy man that doesn't believe in Christmas. Well, he didn't believe in ghosts either until his dead business partner, Marley, showed up at his house. He came to warn Scrooge that unless he changed his ways and became kind and loving to everyone, he would be cursed to spend his days after death in chains and sorrow. Marley told Scrooge that three ghosts would appear to him; the ghost of Christmas past, Christmas present, and Christmas future. Scrooge has one last chance to turn his life around. Will he take it?

This book is 122 pages long and is for children ages 12 and older. I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson

Kate Worthington lives with her obnoxious, temperamental, and controlling mother, sister, and her adorable little brother. After swearing never to marry, Kate finds herself pushing love farther and farther away. She has the opportunity of a lifetime to travel to India with her aunt and get away from her meddlesome family. After refusing a proposal from a man three times her age, her mother bargains with her. She can go to India, but only after she refuses three proposals. If she cannot fulfill her end of the bargain, then she has to do everything her mother tells her, which would most definitely mean marrying someone she did not love.



This book is 286 pages long and is for children ages 12 and older. I would definitely rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal

Nalia lives a privileged life at the palace as the princess and heir to the throne. Just after her 16th birthday she is told that she is not the true princess. The King and Queen have hidden their real daughter away to protect her from a prophecy given at her birth. The girl now called Sinda is sent away to live with her closest relative, an aunt that despises her. When Sinda finds that magic runs through her veins, she leaves in hopes of finding how to control it. While seeking to find someone to teach her to control her magic, she discovers a secret that could change everyone's lives forever.

This book is 319 pages long and is for children ages 11 and older. I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Unconditional (Invaluable #2) by Holly J. Wood

Eliza finally had her life organized and laid out in front of her. She knew what she wanted and would not do anything to jeopardize the possibility of getting it, she thought.

Luke, her boyfriend who was on mission, had only two months left until he got home. Before he left she had promised herself that he was the one. The person she would spend the rest of her life with. All she would have to do was wait two years. Down to two months left, Eliza finds herself falling for a handsome stranger, but with Luke coming home in just two months, she had to make a decision. Luke, or the handsome stranger?

Unconditional is such a great book for young teens and teaches good principles. This book is 276 pages long and is for children ages 12 and older. I would definitely rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Invaluable by Holly J. Wood

Eliza Moore, a teenage girl, starts making bad decisions and starts to lose hold of the Iron Rod, when her deceased great grandmother comes to her in her dreams and teaches her the Young Women values. Her grandmother takes her back into the past and shows her all of the miraculous young women like Mary and Ester and shows Eliza the potential she has.
I really enjoyed this book not only because it was clean, but because it has all of the answers to questions teens have. It made me realize the reason behind some of my acts. Just an example, like when you are at a party and they start watching a movie that you aren't really comfortable with, but you don't want them to think you are judging them if you leave. I never realized that was how I felt until I read this book.
This book is 352 pages. I think that every young woman 12 and older should read this book. I would definitely give it a 5 out of 5 stars! I hope that this book is as eye-opening to you as it was to me.