Priscilla the Great (edition 2011)

OK I know this is a Tween book but it was a really excellent story. The characters sounded true and it was laugh out loud funny. I can not wait to read the next installation of our newest Superhero Priscilla Sumner. Well done and and it was a great way to spend an afternoon inthe sun ( )

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

PRISCILLA THE GREAT is filled with enough action to satisfy even a hard-to-please middle grade reader. It's a Fantastic Four-type adventure but with a middle school twist.

Priscilla isn't particularly popular. She is into video games and comic book heroes. Her best friend, Kyle, offers her some competition, but most of the time he is afraid she'll beat him to a pulp. She beats him in video games and basketball, but amazingly he keeps coming back for more.

When Priscilla begins developing some strange abilities, even her extremely intelligent friend, Tai, can't figure out what is going on. The first unusual characteristic Priscilla seems to be exhibiting is the ability to set things on fire. It is an overheated feeling that accelerates to the point that Priscilla's fingertips become like flame throwers. Next, she notices a dramatic increase in her strength. These powers are accompanied by other strange feelings, and keeping them under control is a challenge.

At the same time Priscilla is struggling to understand the odd changes in her body, her father is being his usual over-protective self - requiring her to check in multiple times a day and not allowing any sort of after school activities or social life. Not having a cell phone is bad enough, but not being allowed to join in on the traditional festivities of middle school life is taking its toll.

Priscilla has taken a sudden interest in one particular boy. She would love nothing more than to have a woman-to-woman talk with her mother, but that's impossible. Her mom is always away on business. That woman's job is at the top of her priority list, with her family way down on the bottom. There is just something weird about hardly seeing her mom and having her father eyeing her every move and monitoring her every breath. Imagine living in a house your entire life and never being allowed to set foot in the basement! That's what Priscilla faces, and she vows to finally get to the bottom of all the strangeness.

Author Sybil Nelson keeps readers turning the pages with plenty of fast-paced adventure, including superhuman powers, mysterious corporations, and shady scientific experiments. Her endearing characters will capture readers and have them believing every wild and impossible situation that unfolds. ( )

This is a good book for a older middle school reader. Very good pace and written well from the middle school point of view. There will be a movie playing in your head as you read this. I enjoyed it and will let my daughter read it when she's a little older. ( )

This was a great read. I read it after my daughters did so that I could write my review, but we all loved it. We look forward for more to come!!! ( )

SYBIL NELSON'S "PRISCILLA THE GREAT" SERIES (REVIEW)

These books are absolutely wonderful. The heroine, Priscilla is spunky, spirited, and completely what you'd expect a 12 year old super girl to be. The message of 'girl power' in these books is one thing that I really loved. This is a series that every young girl should read from ages 9 and up. While I was reading I'd give my own daughter an idea of what the books were about and now she's dying to get her hands on them. I feel that Sybil Nelson has definitely found her niche in the writing world and these books are destined to become huge! I can't wait for more in the series!

The story is one that catches you in its grasp and doesn't let go, if you read only one middle-grade series this year you must make it "Priscilla the Great"! Be sure to check out the website for Priscilla as well at: http://www.priscillathegreat.com/

-Kitty Bullard / Great Minds Think Aloud Book Club ( )