Cabot, Meg. The Princess Diaries. NY: 2000. 283 pages. (Fiction)
It is about a girl named Mia, who goes to high school in NewYorkCity Manhattan. She’s not the prettiest, she’s not the smartest, and she’s a pretty average girl. One day her grandma (who she never sees) wanted tea have tea with her. Mia was shocked: she soon finds out that her grandmother was a queen! Which makes Mia a Princess! Mia is unwilling to take responsibility to be a princess, but as the book goes on, she realizes that maybe she would be a good princess, of a whole country!!! I liked this book; I would recommend this book to a Jr. High Student, just because a younger student might not understand all of it, and an older student would find it childish and not enjoy it!
Reviewed by: PradaQueen
Friday, March 28, 2008
The Far Flung Adventures of Fergus Crane
Stewart, Paul & Riddell, Chris. The Far Flung Adventures of Fergus Crane. Great Britain: Random House Children’s Books, 2004. 215 pages. (Humor)In the Far Flung Adventures of Fergus Crane the main character is Fergus Crane. The story takes place at Fergus’s apartment. The problem that Fergus faces is his friends go on a field trip, and his friend almost gets killed in a volcano. He goes to the volcano and saves his friends and vanishes the teachers. He meets his father whom he never met or saw because he died when Fergus was a baby. Also, his mom works a lot of jobs to support her son.
I would like to read another book by these two authors, because this book was very funny. I would also like to read other books by these two authors because this book is interesting and cool.
Reviewed by: Camille
My Secret Life as a Ping-Pong Wizard
Zipzer, Hank. My Secret Life as a Ping-Pong Wizard. NY: The Penguin Group, 2005. 158 pages. (Sports Fiction)
The story takes place in New York City. The main characters are Hank, Papa Pete, Frankie, Ashley, and Sam Chin. The problem that Hank faces in the story is that he can not find a sport that he good at. One day after school Papa Pete takes Hank to a ping-pong emporium to let him see all of his ping-pong buddies that he plays with almost everyday. Hank soon loves this sport and practices as much as he can in his spare time. After going to the emporium for a week or so, he started almost beating the pros that were giving him pointers to improve his skill. Soon he is better at ping-pong than all of his friends. I selected this book because the cover and the title looked very interesting. I also selected this book because it was a part of a series I was reading.
Reviewed by: Sally56
The story takes place in New York City. The main characters are Hank, Papa Pete, Frankie, Ashley, and Sam Chin. The problem that Hank faces in the story is that he can not find a sport that he good at. One day after school Papa Pete takes Hank to a ping-pong emporium to let him see all of his ping-pong buddies that he plays with almost everyday. Hank soon loves this sport and practices as much as he can in his spare time. After going to the emporium for a week or so, he started almost beating the pros that were giving him pointers to improve his skill. Soon he is better at ping-pong than all of his friends. I selected this book because the cover and the title looked very interesting. I also selected this book because it was a part of a series I was reading.
Reviewed by: Sally56
In the Forest of the Night
Atwater-Rhodes, Amelia. In the Forest of the Night. NY: Dell Laurel Leaf, 1999. 176 pages. (Fantasy Series / Vampires)The main characters are Rachel whose name changed to Risika when she was turned into a vampire. Alexander is Rachel’s twin brother who has “powers.” Ather is a witch-vampire, and Aubrey is her assistant vampire. The story takes place three hundred years in the past in 1702, and in present day New York City. The problem Rachel faces is trying to figure out what she must do with her life and to find out who she is. Rachel goes about solving the problem by confronting Aubrey and Ather. Other interesting events that happen in the novel are when Rachel gets turned into a Vampire, and how every in chapter it goes back and forth from present time to 1702. I selected this book because my sister, Chelsea, said I would like Amelia Atwater-Rhodes’ books. She usually writes books about vampires, witches, and shape-shifters. I like these types of books because they have a lot of action in them.
Reviewed by: Kirby
Extras
Westerfeld, Scott. Extras. NY: Simon Pulse, 2007. 417 pages. (Sci-Fi Series)The book I chose is Extras, by Scott Westerfeld. The main characters in the book are Aya Fuse, her brother, Hiro, Hiro’s friend, Ren, Frizz, and Tally Youngblood. The story takes place in Japan, and later in the book, Singapore. After the mind rain, (or the world being cured of lesions put in their brains by a surgery teenagers get when they turn 16), the world is trying to piece itself back together. Where the main character, Aya, lives everything is based on fame. Aya’s number of fame isextremely high; she’s an Extra, a nobody. While searching for a way to get fame, she comes across a group of girls called the Sly Girls who do crazy stunts during the night without getting caught. When Aya tells the city what the Sly Girls do and what they discovered, she instantly becomes in danger of being killed by a bunch of freaks behind the sly girls’ discovery. I would highly recommend this book because it leaves you in suspense to read the next chapter. It also has some comedy. You also do not have to read the first three books to understand this book.
Reviewed By: DeidaraSama1
Speak
Anderson, Laurie. Speak. NY: Penguin Books, 1999. 198 pages. (Fiction)Melinda Soridino ended an end-of-school party by calling the cops. Her “ex” friends hates her and will not talk to her and people she doesn’t even know hate her more. She feels the safest when she is in her mind or in a janitors closet or what use to be a janitors closet. She can’t even be safe there because she will think back to the night she “ruined” the end-of-school party ,and it would make her more depressed then she already was when she didn’t think about it. Her life sucks and she has no real friends now that Heather blows her off for the Marthas.
I feel this book wasn’t a page turner until the end so in other words it had a dry beginning. I wouldn’t tell anyone to read this book unless they like the books with dry beginnings. If I had to choose to let anyone of my parents read Speak it would be my mom and not my dad. I would not recommend this book to my dad because it is not his type of book (his type is historic, wars).
Reviewed by: Duke o'Earl
GUTS
Paulsen, Gary. GUTS. NY: Scholastic Inc., 2001. 148 pages. (Survival Non-Fiction / Autobiography)
The main character is Gary Paulsen, he is the one who wrote the Brian books. The story takes place all over in the world like Canada, and Minnesota, and other places. Some problems that he faces are a plane crash, he had to hunt for his family, no food, and no water at some times. Gary solves the problems by using survival techniques that he used in the Brian books. Some interesting events that happened are that he had to go through so many things like moose attacks, snapping turtles, eating eye balls, and the brains of animals. How I selected this book is that he is my favorite author, and he wrote some of my favorite books like Hatchet, Brains Winter, the River, and Brian’s Return, and many more.
Reviewed by: LT28
The main character is Gary Paulsen, he is the one who wrote the Brian books. The story takes place all over in the world like Canada, and Minnesota, and other places. Some problems that he faces are a plane crash, he had to hunt for his family, no food, and no water at some times. Gary solves the problems by using survival techniques that he used in the Brian books. Some interesting events that happened are that he had to go through so many things like moose attacks, snapping turtles, eating eye balls, and the brains of animals. How I selected this book is that he is my favorite author, and he wrote some of my favorite books like Hatchet, Brains Winter, the River, and Brian’s Return, and many more.
Reviewed by: LT28
The Journal of Patrick Seamus Flaherty
Flaherty, Patrick. The Journal of Patrick Seamus Flaherty. NY: Scholastic. 187 pages. (Historical Fiction)
The main characters in this book are Patrick, Bebop, and the professor. The story takes place in Khe Sanh, Vietnam, during the Vietnam War in 1968. The problem that Patrick faces is that France asked the U.S. to keep the Communist North Vietnam from taking over the Democratic South Vietnam. The U.S. sent troops over to advise South Vietnam and from there we were in a war. The war never ended, we just took our troops out.
The character I liked the most was Bebop because when he got hurt or shot he didn’t want to go to the hospital. He just kept going and going until a doctor forced him to get into a helicopter to go the hospital. I also like Bebop because he plays the saxophone, and I like to listening to the saxophone.
Reviewed by: RedSoxRULE
The main characters in this book are Patrick, Bebop, and the professor. The story takes place in Khe Sanh, Vietnam, during the Vietnam War in 1968. The problem that Patrick faces is that France asked the U.S. to keep the Communist North Vietnam from taking over the Democratic South Vietnam. The U.S. sent troops over to advise South Vietnam and from there we were in a war. The war never ended, we just took our troops out.
The character I liked the most was Bebop because when he got hurt or shot he didn’t want to go to the hospital. He just kept going and going until a doctor forced him to get into a helicopter to go the hospital. I also like Bebop because he plays the saxophone, and I like to listening to the saxophone.
Reviewed by: RedSoxRULE
Stormbreaker
Horowitz, Anthony. Stormbreaker. NY: Philomel Books, 2001. 192 pages. (Action / Adventure Series)The main character is Alex a young boy who loves adventure. The story takes place in and around a computer factory, and he is there on a mission. The problem he faces is that there is something fishy about the way the creators of the computer are acting. They seem to be hiding something from the world. Alex locates a mine shaft and finds the secret room that has people that are carrying metal trays. He has to swim though a submerged mine shaft. Alex is trapped with a giant jelly fish, but he ends up getting free.
Alex is like me because he likes to explore and does extreme stuff. This book is so good you would want to read it all night long. The book is exciting and it is interesting.
Reviewed by: McMuffin
Lily’s Crossing
Giff Reilly, Patricia. Lily’s Crossing. NY: Yearling Books, 1999. 208 pages. (Historical Fiction)
In this story the main characters are Lily, Albert, Grandma, and Dad. The story takes place on a beach in Rockaway during World War II. Lily faces a problem of letting her friend go to Michigan for her father’s work. Lily also faces the problem of letting her dad go to fight in the war in France. Also, Albert, Lily’s new friend, has left his sick sister in Europe. Lily and Albert solve their problems by trying to sail to France in a rowboat. Since that doesn’t workout, they wait for the war to end and send letters to the family members. If I were to describe this book in ten words it would be interesting and kind of boring and dry because there’s nothing to keep you reading.
Reviewed by: Urbs518
In this story the main characters are Lily, Albert, Grandma, and Dad. The story takes place on a beach in Rockaway during World War II. Lily faces a problem of letting her friend go to Michigan for her father’s work. Lily also faces the problem of letting her dad go to fight in the war in France. Also, Albert, Lily’s new friend, has left his sick sister in Europe. Lily and Albert solve their problems by trying to sail to France in a rowboat. Since that doesn’t workout, they wait for the war to end and send letters to the family members. If I were to describe this book in ten words it would be interesting and kind of boring and dry because there’s nothing to keep you reading.
Reviewed by: Urbs518
Eldest
Paolini, Christopher. Eldest. NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. 668 pages. (Fantasy Series)The main characters in the book, Eldest, are Eragon; the shade slayer; and Saphira, the dragon. The story takes place in Carvahall and Ellesmera. Eragon has to go to Ellesmera to start practicing more on his fighting and magic skills. I haven’t finished the book. I don’t know what is going to happen. I think there is going to be a battle.
I would recommend this book to my friends because I like this book; it has a lot of stuff that is exciting, and it has dragons.Eragon rides a dragon named Saphira.This is a sequel
to the book Eragon. Mr. Seymour recommended the book to me.
Reviewed by: M.C. Kibbles
I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You
Carter, Ally. I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You. NY: Hyperion Paperbacks, 2007. 284 pages. (Mystery)
The main character in this book is Cammie, a teenage girl who goes to Gallagher Academy! This is actually an all girl’s spy school! Gallagher is where most of the story takes place (since no one is allowed to leave the school). The problem Cammie faces is that she falls for a guy when out on a mission. Also she will never get to see him again, and he’ll never know who she really is. Cammie solves this problem by telling him her real feelings and who she really is. When her Mom finds out, she gives him a special forgetting tea potion, and he forgets all about her. Other interesting things that happened in the book are that Cammie and her friends are taking a special course called CoveOps. This class involves going on spy missions.
I would highly recommend this book to any other girl my age because it is exciting and keeps you in suspense the whole way. I probably wouldn’t share this with my parents, because they probably wouldn’t find it as interesting as girls my age would. I would definitely read another book by this author because she captured the events in the book wonderfully. If I were to give this book a one word label, it would be AWESOME because she describes everything in this book so well! In 10 words, I would describe the novel by saying: this book is fantabulous, awesome, cool, terrific, amazing, and superb because it rocks out loud!!!!!!!!!!
Reviewed by: Doodles33
The main character in this book is Cammie, a teenage girl who goes to Gallagher Academy! This is actually an all girl’s spy school! Gallagher is where most of the story takes place (since no one is allowed to leave the school). The problem Cammie faces is that she falls for a guy when out on a mission. Also she will never get to see him again, and he’ll never know who she really is. Cammie solves this problem by telling him her real feelings and who she really is. When her Mom finds out, she gives him a special forgetting tea potion, and he forgets all about her. Other interesting things that happened in the book are that Cammie and her friends are taking a special course called CoveOps. This class involves going on spy missions.
I would highly recommend this book to any other girl my age because it is exciting and keeps you in suspense the whole way. I probably wouldn’t share this with my parents, because they probably wouldn’t find it as interesting as girls my age would. I would definitely read another book by this author because she captured the events in the book wonderfully. If I were to give this book a one word label, it would be AWESOME because she describes everything in this book so well! In 10 words, I would describe the novel by saying: this book is fantabulous, awesome, cool, terrific, amazing, and superb because it rocks out loud!!!!!!!!!!
Reviewed by: Doodles33
Stormbreaker
Horowitz, Anthony. Stormbreaker. NY: Penguin Group Inc., 2004. 234 pages. (Action / Adventure Series)
The main characters of the book Stormbreaker are a fourteen-year-old boy named Alec Rider and his uncle Ian Rider. It took place on a long stretch of beach lines and steep cliffs next to the ocean. There is a secret headquarters called M16-agency and it also takes place in the company called Sayle Enterprises. The problem that Alec faces is trying to find out why these computers called Storm Breakers have been infected by a virus on purpose by Sayle Enterprises who hired someone to kill his uncle Ian. The other problem Alec faces is trying to stop the computers before they get shipped out to every school and infect all the computers in the world. Alec went about solving his problem by going undercover as a boy called Felix Lester and trying to solve why the computers were infected by the virus and finding evidence to send back to the M16 headquarters.
The character that is most like me is Alec because he and I are very brave and adventurous. Alec also likes to pretend he is someone else like I do. Alec also likes to spy on people like I do on my parents to find out information. Lastly, Alec likes to solve mysteries and I like to play games like Clue to solve mysteries.
Reviewed by: BookWorm8
The main characters of the book Stormbreaker are a fourteen-year-old boy named Alec Rider and his uncle Ian Rider. It took place on a long stretch of beach lines and steep cliffs next to the ocean. There is a secret headquarters called M16-agency and it also takes place in the company called Sayle Enterprises. The problem that Alec faces is trying to find out why these computers called Storm Breakers have been infected by a virus on purpose by Sayle Enterprises who hired someone to kill his uncle Ian. The other problem Alec faces is trying to stop the computers before they get shipped out to every school and infect all the computers in the world. Alec went about solving his problem by going undercover as a boy called Felix Lester and trying to solve why the computers were infected by the virus and finding evidence to send back to the M16 headquarters.
The character that is most like me is Alec because he and I are very brave and adventurous. Alec also likes to pretend he is someone else like I do. Alec also likes to spy on people like I do on my parents to find out information. Lastly, Alec likes to solve mysteries and I like to play games like Clue to solve mysteries.
Reviewed by: BookWorm8
Lorwyn
Henderson, Cory J. and McGough, Scott. Lorwyn. NY: Wizards of the Coast, 2007. 305 pages. (Fantasy Series)
This book follows the adventure of Rhys, an Elven hunter; Brigid Baeli, a Kithkin hero; Ashling, a Flamekin pilgrim; and Veesa, Endry, and Iliona, a Faerie clique. Each traveler begins on their own separate path though their paths all collide, and they must fight, run, and use their wits to escape the dangerous Elven hunters. Definitely a must- read for any fantasy, action, adventure fan, or fan of Magic the Gathering. Each chapter will keep you glued to this book.
Reviewed by: MagikMonque
This book follows the adventure of Rhys, an Elven hunter; Brigid Baeli, a Kithkin hero; Ashling, a Flamekin pilgrim; and Veesa, Endry, and Iliona, a Faerie clique. Each traveler begins on their own separate path though their paths all collide, and they must fight, run, and use their wits to escape the dangerous Elven hunters. Definitely a must- read for any fantasy, action, adventure fan, or fan of Magic the Gathering. Each chapter will keep you glued to this book.
Reviewed by: MagikMonque
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life
Mass, Wendy. Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life. NY: Little, Brown andCompany, 2006. 289 pages. (Fiction / Adventure)
Jeremy, a 12-year-old boy, lives in New York City with only his mother as his father died when Jeremy was eight years old. Jeremy receives a package in the mail three weeks before his 13th birthday. The package contains a present that his father arranged for Jeremy to have, prior to his father’s death. Inside the package is a box that requires four keys for it to be opened. The only problem is that there are no keys with the box. Jeremy and his best friend, Lizzy, spend three weeks of their summer searching New York City to find the keys. While looking for the keys, they get arrested, have to do community service, and meet a pawnbroker. It’s very important for Jeremy to open the box because on top it is engraved “THE MEANING OF LIFE: FOR JEREMY FINK TO OPEN ON HIS 13TH BIRTHDAY.
I would, and did, recommend this book to my Mom. I liked it a lot and I thought she would also. My Mom likes to read and likes adventure stories. This book was very adventurous. My Mom did read the book and she enjoyed it very much.
Reviewed by: Kae5495
Monster
Myers, Walter Dean. Monster. NY: Scholastic Inc, 1999. 281 pages. (Mystery / Murder)
This book is about kids named Steve Harmon and James King. This story takes place in Harlem, NY. The problem is Steve is on trial for committing robbery and murder. In this trial two people have already confessed to the robbery. They were on trial for a while arguing back and forth. The day they read the verdict was a heated day. Steve Harmon reminds me of my sister because they both like to play around with film. Bobo Evens is who I despised the most because he always lied. Yes, I would highly recommend this book because it’s a good drama.
Reviewed by: ????
This book is about kids named Steve Harmon and James King. This story takes place in Harlem, NY. The problem is Steve is on trial for committing robbery and murder. In this trial two people have already confessed to the robbery. They were on trial for a while arguing back and forth. The day they read the verdict was a heated day. Steve Harmon reminds me of my sister because they both like to play around with film. Bobo Evens is who I despised the most because he always lied. Yes, I would highly recommend this book because it’s a good drama.
Reviewed by: ????
Small Steps
Sachar, Louis. Small Steps. NY: Delacorte Press, 2006. 257 pages. (Fiction)
The book I read was called Small Steps and was written by Louis Sachar who also wrote Holes, a fantastic bestseller. This book is about Armpit or Theodore Johnson after Camp Green Lake correctional facilities has closed down. Armpit’s best friend, X-Ray who he had met at Green Lake, and a young girl named Ginny who lived next door to Armpit are in the story. The other main character in this book is Kaira DeLeon who is a pop star. This great book takes place in the city of Huston, Texas. The big problem is that Armpit and X-Ray have purchased a bunch of tickets to Kaira’s concert then sold them all to people for $270. But Armpit saves two for him and Ginny to go together. When they arrive, they find out that their tickets are fake! I would recommend this book to both teachers and students because of its many good messages.
Reviewed by: SuperReader22
The book I read was called Small Steps and was written by Louis Sachar who also wrote Holes, a fantastic bestseller. This book is about Armpit or Theodore Johnson after Camp Green Lake correctional facilities has closed down. Armpit’s best friend, X-Ray who he had met at Green Lake, and a young girl named Ginny who lived next door to Armpit are in the story. The other main character in this book is Kaira DeLeon who is a pop star. This great book takes place in the city of Huston, Texas. The big problem is that Armpit and X-Ray have purchased a bunch of tickets to Kaira’s concert then sold them all to people for $270. But Armpit saves two for him and Ginny to go together. When they arrive, they find out that their tickets are fake! I would recommend this book to both teachers and students because of its many good messages.
Reviewed by: SuperReader22
Killing Mr. Griffin
Duncan, Lois. Killing Mr. Griffin. NY: Trademark, 1978. 223 pages. (Mystery / Murder)
The main characters are Jeff, Mark, Sue, Betsy, David, and Mr. Griffin. The story takes place in the school where the kids first find out that they don’t like Mr. Griffin. The story also takes place near a waterfall where they planed to scare their teacher. Everything was going perfect, until Mr. Griffin actually dies. They think they’ve solved their problem by covering up his body and not telling anyone. I would recommend this book to a friend or family member because it is very interesting and suspicious. I would read another book by this author because she is very creative in writing books.
Reviewed by: Aprilgrl
The main characters are Jeff, Mark, Sue, Betsy, David, and Mr. Griffin. The story takes place in the school where the kids first find out that they don’t like Mr. Griffin. The story also takes place near a waterfall where they planed to scare their teacher. Everything was going perfect, until Mr. Griffin actually dies. They think they’ve solved their problem by covering up his body and not telling anyone. I would recommend this book to a friend or family member because it is very interesting and suspicious. I would read another book by this author because she is very creative in writing books.
Reviewed by: Aprilgrl
My Brushes with Death and Other Outdoor Blunders
Barlow, Steven. My Brushes with Death and Other Outdoor Blunders. Homer, NY: Briar Hill Books, 2007. 218 Pages. (Non-Fiction / Humor/ Short Stories)
The book I read this month is called My Brushes with Death and Other Outdoor Blunders, by Steven Barlow. This book is a collection of magazine columns published in New York (or any other state) Game and Fish. So, it is basically a collection of 50 short stories. The topics range from hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, boating , and generally being outdoors. The stories take place outdoors, and they are involved with the topics above. During the book, the Barlow family faces many challenges such as getting lost, stuck on an island, losing survival necessities on trips, and many other hilarious traumas.
I think that any reader can relate well to the characters and events because they happen with everyday families. A good trait that this book has is that you can just open it up to a story for a quick snicker if you don’t want to sit down and read the whole thing. Be prepared to laugh. I would recommend this book to anyone that asked because it is an enjoyable book.
Reviewed by: Sccrsteph3
The book I read this month is called My Brushes with Death and Other Outdoor Blunders, by Steven Barlow. This book is a collection of magazine columns published in New York (or any other state) Game and Fish. So, it is basically a collection of 50 short stories. The topics range from hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, boating , and generally being outdoors. The stories take place outdoors, and they are involved with the topics above. During the book, the Barlow family faces many challenges such as getting lost, stuck on an island, losing survival necessities on trips, and many other hilarious traumas.
I think that any reader can relate well to the characters and events because they happen with everyday families. A good trait that this book has is that you can just open it up to a story for a quick snicker if you don’t want to sit down and read the whole thing. Be prepared to laugh. I would recommend this book to anyone that asked because it is an enjoyable book.
Reviewed by: Sccrsteph3
Down a Dark Hall
Duncan, Lois. Down a Dark Hall. New York: Random House, 1990. 181 (Mystery)All Kit’s problem is that she keeps seeing things in her head or so she thought. She has to stay at Blackwood Private School until her mom and soon to be dad is to marry. But she knows something evil is at Blackwood, and she isn’t giving up until she finds it. But too many people think she is lying or just plain psycho. Well, that is the teachers anyway. The only people who attended Blackwood are four girls: Kit, Sandy, Ruth, and Lynda. What do these girls have in common? Well I’ll tell you. All of them have ESP. But why has the keeper of Blackwood School For Girls only want a school full of girls who have ESP? Maybe because this Blackwood school has a mystery of its own.
I loved this book because it keeps you guessing until the near end of the book. Kit is a very nice girl who will be away from her parents for their honeymoon. Kit discovers a dark past of Blackwood that can only be explained by the book. By the help of her friends Sandy, Ruth, and Lynda, she will try to discover the past. But what she doesn’t know will kill her. But why did all for girls out of thousands make it? They all have one thing in common, ESP, and Kit realizes her hallucinations are in her dreams. I would love someone else to read this book and other Lois Duncan books he wrote. This book will be cherished, and we’ll miss the author when he is gone. In one word, this book will be “magic” because when you read this book it seems there is magic in this book.
Reviewed by: DolphinGirl76
Among the Barons
Haddix, Margaret. Among the Barons. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2003 182 pages. (Sci-Fi Series)
Among the Barons takes place in the present. The main characters are Luke and Smits. Luke is thirteen years old, while Smits is ten years old. The problem is where they live you are only allowed two children per family, but Luke had been a third child. Because of this, Luke got a fake I.D. He is now known as Lee Grant. He now lives with Smits who is supposedly his “brother” who acts very snobbish and high class. Lee tries to solve this problem by taking it one day at a time and try to help every person that he comes along to with their problems, without getting caught by the government.
An interesting event that happened in the book is just when everything was going right, Lee’s and Smits’ parents mysteriously vanished and so now Lee and Smits are trying to live without their parents. I would tell you if and how they did this, but that would ruin the whole book.
I selected this book because I have different books by Margaret Haddix, and I loved them a lot, so I’m trying to complete her whole series. They’re located at the school library. You should definitely read her books.
Reviewed by: JoDancer 6696
Among the Barons takes place in the present. The main characters are Luke and Smits. Luke is thirteen years old, while Smits is ten years old. The problem is where they live you are only allowed two children per family, but Luke had been a third child. Because of this, Luke got a fake I.D. He is now known as Lee Grant. He now lives with Smits who is supposedly his “brother” who acts very snobbish and high class. Lee tries to solve this problem by taking it one day at a time and try to help every person that he comes along to with their problems, without getting caught by the government.
An interesting event that happened in the book is just when everything was going right, Lee’s and Smits’ parents mysteriously vanished and so now Lee and Smits are trying to live without their parents. I would tell you if and how they did this, but that would ruin the whole book.
I selected this book because I have different books by Margaret Haddix, and I loved them a lot, so I’m trying to complete her whole series. They’re located at the school library. You should definitely read her books.
Reviewed by: JoDancer 6696
Eclipse
Meyer, Stephenie. Eclipse. NY: Little, Brown and Company, 2007. 629 pages. (Fantasy Series / Vampires)Bella Swan is an ordinary girl, in love with a vampire, named Edward Cullen. And, guess what? Her life gets better; her best friend is a werewolf, named Jacob Black, and old family friend. In the small town of Forks werewolves and Vampires loathe one another. While so much drama is going on between Bella, Edward, Jake, and even Charlie; Bella’s Dad, people are disappearing in Seattle. The group soon figures out that the deaths are to often to be the killings of one group or person. It has to be a Vampire. Wait. Many Vampires. Usually Vampires can handle their thirst for blood around humans, but small, new Vampires cannot control the thirst and go out of control. Bella has wanted to become a Vampire to be with Edward for so long, but she is worried she will turn into a small, frenzied, blood thirsty Vampire, just like those committing all those murders. To stop the small Vampires, and their lead Vampire, Victoria, the werewolves and the Cullens must join together to stop them.
I loved this book! I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys love stories and especially, fairy tales. I am waiting for the sequel to this book that is coming out next fall. I am very excited to read it and then, wait for the next one. One word that labels the book would have to be, adventurous. This book went very in depth and had great descriptions.
Reviewed by: PageTurner
Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment
Patterson, James. Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment. NY: Suejack Incorporated, 2005. 422 pages. (Sci-Fi / Action / Adventure Series)In this book, there are 6 main characters: Maximum, who is 14 years old; Fang is also 14; Iggy is 14, and is blind; Nudge is 10; The Gasman is 8; and Angel is 6, and is psychic. They call themselves “the Flock,” or family, even though only The Gasman and Angel are related. The flock is actually made up of bird- kids; mostly human, except they have large wings and can fly. This story mostly takes place at “The School,” which is an evil place where they were created by mad scientists. The Flock also has enemies- called Erasers, who are humans that can morph into bloodthirsty werewolves. The Erasers are after the flock because they escaped from The School. The Erasers and the Flock were in a big maul; Angel gets kidnapped by them, and is taken back to The School. The rest of the Flock sneaks back to rescue Angel.
I like the book; I think that it has a lot of suspense. The book was actually very long, but it seems like it is a quick read because it keeps you reading it. I also think that Fang acts a lot like a friend of mine, quiet, but very strong.
Reviewed by: ScooterRocks87
Speak
Anderson, Laurie H. Speak. NY: Penguin Putnam, 1999. 198 pages. (Fiction)
This story takes place at a summer party and at a high school called Meryweather. The main character, Melinda is a girl whose friends all loathe her because she called the cops on them while at a summer party. Her friend’s names are Ivy and Rachel. They are all at this summer party. At the same party there was also a guy named Andy Evans. During the party he got drunk and raped Melinda. Melinda was drunk too, but she knew when things got out of hand and called the cops. In September when they got back to school, no one would talk to Melinda; they would just laugh at her. Melinda’s mom and dad are almost always fighting too. Feeling alone, she finds an abandoned janitor’s closet in the school and makes a little room out of it. She starts to skip classes and cut school. Her grades are low, and she is almost always in the principal’s office or detention.
I really liked this book, and I would definitely read another book by this author because it was exciting and mysterious. I think that it was a really good book, so read it if you dare.
Reviewed by: LaxLady014
This story takes place at a summer party and at a high school called Meryweather. The main character, Melinda is a girl whose friends all loathe her because she called the cops on them while at a summer party. Her friend’s names are Ivy and Rachel. They are all at this summer party. At the same party there was also a guy named Andy Evans. During the party he got drunk and raped Melinda. Melinda was drunk too, but she knew when things got out of hand and called the cops. In September when they got back to school, no one would talk to Melinda; they would just laugh at her. Melinda’s mom and dad are almost always fighting too. Feeling alone, she finds an abandoned janitor’s closet in the school and makes a little room out of it. She starts to skip classes and cut school. Her grades are low, and she is almost always in the principal’s office or detention.
I really liked this book, and I would definitely read another book by this author because it was exciting and mysterious. I think that it was a really good book, so read it if you dare.
Reviewed by: LaxLady014
The Cry of the Icemark
Hill, Stuart. The Cry of the Icemark. NY: Scholastic, 2006. 490 pages. (Fantasy Series)The main characters of this story are; Thirrin – Freer Strong in the Arm Lindensheild, who is only fourteen, Oskan the witches son 15, Maggorie Totus, Grismak Blood drinker and King of the Werewolves, Tharaman Thar, the King of the snow leopards, Elemenstra, the Baslia of the Hypolitan, Their Vampiric Majesties, and Scipio Bellorum, the general to an over ranking very powerful army,… the Polypontain Army. This story takes place in the small capital of Frostmarris, in the country of the Icemark, in the Northern Continent. Scipio Bellorum had just finished his last war and is ready to go to and easily defeat the little country of the Icemark. King Redrought and his first troop of soldiers have gone out to meet Bellorum’s first round of troops just outside of the border. Little did he know that he would be outnumbered 16 men to one. They all were killed, and now, Thirrin is queen and must evacuate her people to safety. Once they have arrived in Hypolitan territory, Thirrin finds out that her father’s army has been demolished, and that there are 600 thousand more soldiers on their way. She knows that her mere army of five thousand men isn’t enough to hold them off, so she must immediately turn around and make allies for the next round of war later in the spring. She makes allies with the Wolf- folk, the Vampiric Majesties, and the talking Snow Leopards. Now she travels home and prepares for war. Three months later, spring is here and The Polypontain army is on its way. The Vampires of the Land of the Ghosts, along with the Werewolves still haven’t shown up. Only a week into the war and more than two thousand men, and 26 Leopards have died. Then, it was coming to and end, she and her army, or what was left of it anyway, were cornered.
I loved this book immensely because it was a powerful story of war, loses, and ruling a country at fourteen years old. If I were to give this book a one word label, it would be "Inspiring" because this book tells you the story of a girl who has lost everything and now must face a war with the most powerful country in the world. She makes allies with old enemies and new species only imaginable in fairy tales. This was one of the best books around. Anyone would love this read.
Reviewed by: So1cc5er
Eagle Strike
Horowitz, Anthony. Eagle Strike. London: Walker Books, 2003. 240 pages. (Action / Adventure Series)
Alex Rider is once again on a mission– but MI6 hasn’t given it to him! He’s on vacation in France with his friend Sabina and her family when he sees a white yacht and the unmistakable face of Yassen Gregorovich– a contract killer who killed Alex’s Uncle, Ian Rider (also an MI6 operative). Alex and Sabina are going to her house when they find that it has been blown up, with her father (a writer for an article a popular magazine) inside of the house. An ambulance has already taken Sabina’s father to a hospital. Alex finds a burned piece of paper that Sabina’s father was writing and it mentions a popular pop singer named Damian Cray who he ends up investigating which leads to his next adventure. I think my favorite character is Yassen Gregorovich because he shows no emotion when he is doing his job and he never messes up. He is just a ruthless killer, what can I say? This book is very action packed, exciting, and your heart is bound to skip a beat!
Reviewed by: Jazzy-G
Alex Rider is once again on a mission– but MI6 hasn’t given it to him! He’s on vacation in France with his friend Sabina and her family when he sees a white yacht and the unmistakable face of Yassen Gregorovich– a contract killer who killed Alex’s Uncle, Ian Rider (also an MI6 operative). Alex and Sabina are going to her house when they find that it has been blown up, with her father (a writer for an article a popular magazine) inside of the house. An ambulance has already taken Sabina’s father to a hospital. Alex finds a burned piece of paper that Sabina’s father was writing and it mentions a popular pop singer named Damian Cray who he ends up investigating which leads to his next adventure. I think my favorite character is Yassen Gregorovich because he shows no emotion when he is doing his job and he never messes up. He is just a ruthless killer, what can I say? This book is very action packed, exciting, and your heart is bound to skip a beat!
Reviewed by: Jazzy-G
Stormbreaker
Horowitz, Anthony. Stormbreaker. NY: Scholastic Inc. 2000. 192 pages. (Action / Adventure Series)
The main characters of the story are a boy named Alex and women from a spy agency M16 Mrs. Jones and Mr. Allen Blunt who has a computer business and is suspected of having more than just that but no one knows what it is. This story takes place in the M16 building and at Mr. Blunts computer business called Sayles Enterprises. The problem is that M16 suspects that Mr. Blunt wasn’t only making computers at his business. So what they do is send in a kid named Alex Rider who was the nephew of Ian Rider who had died on a mission, and Alex is sent in to complete it. One thing I didn’t like about this story was the character Mrs. Jones because in the story every time she had finished a mint in the story it would say that and she then ate another mint over and over throughout the story.
Reviewed by: Anawanasakian
The main characters of the story are a boy named Alex and women from a spy agency M16 Mrs. Jones and Mr. Allen Blunt who has a computer business and is suspected of having more than just that but no one knows what it is. This story takes place in the M16 building and at Mr. Blunts computer business called Sayles Enterprises. The problem is that M16 suspects that Mr. Blunt wasn’t only making computers at his business. So what they do is send in a kid named Alex Rider who was the nephew of Ian Rider who had died on a mission, and Alex is sent in to complete it. One thing I didn’t like about this story was the character Mrs. Jones because in the story every time she had finished a mint in the story it would say that and she then ate another mint over and over throughout the story.
Reviewed by: Anawanasakian
Things Hoped For
Clements, Andrew. Things Hoped For. NY: Scholastic Inc, 2007. 167 pages. (Fiction)
The main characters of Things Hoped for are Gwen, Robert, Gwen’s Grandpa, and William. The story takes places in New York City. The problem that Gwen faces is that her grandpa is missing and Gwen is going to audition at the Manhattan’s Top Music School!!! More stress is not what she wants. Then she meets Robert who is also in town to audition. When Robert and Gwen were going for a walk in New York City, Robert sees a strange shadow that scared him and he ran for his life. That night Gwen’s Grandfather was found in her Grandpa’s house, DEAD!!! The same strange shadow that Robert found was in the house!! It was talking to them…
I would read another book by Andrew Clements. I would another one because it was very exiting and scary at some parts. Also, people told me that he wrote a lot of great books like Things Not Seen and Frindle. He did a wonderful job writing this book!!!
Reviewed by: DoubleD610
The main characters of Things Hoped for are Gwen, Robert, Gwen’s Grandpa, and William. The story takes places in New York City. The problem that Gwen faces is that her grandpa is missing and Gwen is going to audition at the Manhattan’s Top Music School!!! More stress is not what she wants. Then she meets Robert who is also in town to audition. When Robert and Gwen were going for a walk in New York City, Robert sees a strange shadow that scared him and he ran for his life. That night Gwen’s Grandfather was found in her Grandpa’s house, DEAD!!! The same strange shadow that Robert found was in the house!! It was talking to them…
I would read another book by Andrew Clements. I would another one because it was very exiting and scary at some parts. Also, people told me that he wrote a lot of great books like Things Not Seen and Frindle. He did a wonderful job writing this book!!!
Reviewed by: DoubleD610
Being Dead
Velde Vande, Vivian. Being Dead. NY: Harcourt, 2001. 203 pages. (Mystery / Horror)
The main characters in this book are Danny & Brenda. The story takes place in Buffalo, New York at their new house. The problem that they are having is a girl was murdered at their new house, and they found a dead raccoon in their bushes. Brenda stuck her hand in a little pond, and she thought she touched hair. Brenda went into the little pond and there was nothing. Danny & Brenda never found anything at the end. When Brenda walked into the house, the phone rang and when she picked it up, there was a bicycle ring.
I would recommend this book to someone else because it is a really good mystery book. I liked how exiting the book is like how they mix it up a little at the end. I selected this book because a lot of people told me it was a really good book.
Reviewed by: sk8teboarder
The main characters in this book are Danny & Brenda. The story takes place in Buffalo, New York at their new house. The problem that they are having is a girl was murdered at their new house, and they found a dead raccoon in their bushes. Brenda stuck her hand in a little pond, and she thought she touched hair. Brenda went into the little pond and there was nothing. Danny & Brenda never found anything at the end. When Brenda walked into the house, the phone rang and when she picked it up, there was a bicycle ring.
I would recommend this book to someone else because it is a really good mystery book. I liked how exiting the book is like how they mix it up a little at the end. I selected this book because a lot of people told me it was a really good book.
Reviewed by: sk8teboarder
A Northern Light
Donnelly, Jennifer. A Northern Light. Orlando: Harcourt Inc., 2004. 383 pages. (Historical Fiction / Mystery)Mattie Gokey is a sixteen- year- old girl who, as the eldest girl in the family, took the place of her deceased mother. Knowing that it would be nearly impossible to be her flawless mother, she tries her hardest to earn money for her poor family, ones less fortunate, and herself. However; after she is granted with a full scholarship to a nice collage with the help of her friend, Weaver, she knows that this is her chance to escape and break free. The only problem is that she would live with the guilt of deserting her family and the probability that her father would forbid her to go.
On top of all of this, one of the guests at the hotel she works at, hands her a bundle of letters, pleading for her to burn them. Then, when Grace drowns in a lake and the man that was with her disappears, Mattie knows that the letters might be the only evidence to a murder. So, breaking her promise to burn the letters, she reads them.
This was a fantastic story describing a young girl and the lessons she learns and the romance that follows. A wonderful book. I would recommend it.
Reviewed by: DeviantDrawer12.
Half Moon Investigations
Colfer, Eoin. Half Moon Investigations. NY: Hyperion Books, 2007. 280 pages. (Mystery)
This book, Half Moon Investigations, is a great book. Fletch Moon, the Sharkey family, Herod, Red, Genie, Papa, May and April Dervereux, and more were all characters in this book. This story takes place in a town called Lock. Fletcher Moon is a detective who has been accused of committing a crime, which when he protests he’s not guilty, nobody believes him. He then begins to start working with who he thought was his enemy, Red Sharkey. Together they are able to prove themselves both innocent. I originally didn’t intend to be reading this book, but when I saw it again I thought, hey why not. This is a great book, and I recommend this book to future readers.
Reviewed by: Bmini13
This book, Half Moon Investigations, is a great book. Fletch Moon, the Sharkey family, Herod, Red, Genie, Papa, May and April Dervereux, and more were all characters in this book. This story takes place in a town called Lock. Fletcher Moon is a detective who has been accused of committing a crime, which when he protests he’s not guilty, nobody believes him. He then begins to start working with who he thought was his enemy, Red Sharkey. Together they are able to prove themselves both innocent. I originally didn’t intend to be reading this book, but when I saw it again I thought, hey why not. This is a great book, and I recommend this book to future readers.
Reviewed by: Bmini13
Dragon's Bait
Vande Velde, Vivian. Dragon's Bait: A story about a girl, a dragon, and angry towns people. NY: Harcourt, Inc., 1992. 196 pages. (Fantasy)
This book is about a girl named Alys who is being accused of witchcraft. The townspeople of Saint Toby’s sentence her to be slain by the dragon. The two main characters in this book are Alys and the dragon named Slendrile. The main problem Alys is facing is when the dragon does not slay her and she tells him she wants revenge on the townspeople. The problem is that Slendrile ends up killing a man because of what Alys said. Alys was mad that he did that, but she decided to at least give him a proper burial and they formed a pyramid of rocks on top of him. I would definitely recommend this book because it was a great book and it pulls you deeper and deeper in the book.
Reviewed by: LenaFan43
This book is about a girl named Alys who is being accused of witchcraft. The townspeople of Saint Toby’s sentence her to be slain by the dragon. The two main characters in this book are Alys and the dragon named Slendrile. The main problem Alys is facing is when the dragon does not slay her and she tells him she wants revenge on the townspeople. The problem is that Slendrile ends up killing a man because of what Alys said. Alys was mad that he did that, but she decided to at least give him a proper burial and they formed a pyramid of rocks on top of him. I would definitely recommend this book because it was a great book and it pulls you deeper and deeper in the book.
Reviewed by: LenaFan43
World War Z
World War Z is about all these people that survived zombie attacks throughout the years. There really is only one main character who is the writer of the book, Max Brooks. He finds and interviews people all around the world who have survived World War Z. The places range from the Americas, to Australia, to Japan, and to the Czech Republic. I thought the book was really interesting, and I’ve already recommended it to a couple of friends because it is a survival horror book, and I like those kinds of books.
I selected the book when I saw my uncle reading it, and I asked him: “what book it was?”
He said, “It’s World War Z”. It sounded like a good book, so I bought it at Borders and began to read. The book was a little difficult to understand at first because the format of the book was odd. It starts as the author (Max Brooks) interviewing a survivor of the zombie war and the rest of the book is Max Brooks interviewing survivors of the zombie war. I thought it was an awesome book, hard to figure out, but a good book.
Look for Max Brook’s other book: The Zombie Survival Guide.
Reviewed by: Roy
The Glorious Cause
Shaara, Jeff. The Glorious Cause. NY: Random publishing House, 2002. 680 pages. (Historical Fiction / Series)
This is the second of a two volume series that tells the story of the American Revolution from the view points of several key participants. This story follows a time line that begins in August 1776, shortly after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and goes to the conclusion of the war. It is not a history text book but rather a book of historical fiction. This book does not use made up information but rather a compiling of letters, diaries, and biographies written at that time. I feel that whenever you read about the revolution, it’s always one sided, always about the Americans. This book however tells both about the Americans and their British foe as well. This is the ultimate book for the person who really wants to learn their facts about the revolution.
Reviewed by: Super Reader 22
This is the second of a two volume series that tells the story of the American Revolution from the view points of several key participants. This story follows a time line that begins in August 1776, shortly after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and goes to the conclusion of the war. It is not a history text book but rather a book of historical fiction. This book does not use made up information but rather a compiling of letters, diaries, and biographies written at that time. I feel that whenever you read about the revolution, it’s always one sided, always about the Americans. This book however tells both about the Americans and their British foe as well. This is the ultimate book for the person who really wants to learn their facts about the revolution.
Reviewed by: Super Reader 22
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Meet Kaya
Shaw, Janet Beeler. Meet Kaya. Middleton, Wisconsin: American Girl Publishing, 2002. 80 pages. (Historical Fiction)
The main character is Kaya. This story takes place in the Nimiipuu tribe of Salmon River Country in 1764. The problem Kaya faces is she boasted about her horse, Steps High, being fast and then she raced against Raven and Fox Tail. While racing, she was in the lead, when suddenly, Steps High, head down and hooves high, started to buck! Uh-oh!! Kaya bit her tongue and tasted blood. Raven spun around and grabbed Steps High’s reins and pulled her to a stand still. Then Kaya slid off; her legs were jiggly from fear. When Kaya was walking her horse to cool down, she remembered she’d told Speaking Rain, a blind girl who lived with Kaya’s family and was a sister to her, to watch the twins! Wing Feather and Sparrow, Kaya’s twin brothers, who are four winters old, are VERY mischievous. So, Kaya and Speaking Rain searched for them and found them in a tree. Then, ALL the children had to get a switching for Kaya’s selfish act. The switching was done by Whip Woman, from her name you can tell what a switching is, and how bad it was for the children. They had to lie on their stomachs and pull their dresses up if they were girls, and the boys had to pull their pant legs up and they got them on the back of their legs, only one switching per child. The book didn’t tell how old they had to be to get one. Anyway, Kaya’s main problem (all this leads up to the main problem) was that all the children started calling her “Magpie”, a selfish bird. At first, the name “Magpie” stung Kaya like a hornet, then she went along with it, but in the book it said: “Every time Kaya heard that name it reminded her she’d done something bad.” Kaya and her family were heading back up the mountain and her grandmother, Aalah, left her knife over by the river, so she sent Kaya and Speaking Rain to look for it. Kaya let Speaking Rain slip off Steps High, so they could continue searching and split up. Then, the land under Speaking Rain gave way! To know the ending, read the book.
I would definitely recommend this book because it’s adventurous, dramatic and it gives a sneak peak into the time Kaya lived in, gives definitions for some Indian words, and another sneak peak to the next book in the Kaya series: Kaya’s Escape.
Reviewed by: TinkerBell14
The main character is Kaya. This story takes place in the Nimiipuu tribe of Salmon River Country in 1764. The problem Kaya faces is she boasted about her horse, Steps High, being fast and then she raced against Raven and Fox Tail. While racing, she was in the lead, when suddenly, Steps High, head down and hooves high, started to buck! Uh-oh!! Kaya bit her tongue and tasted blood. Raven spun around and grabbed Steps High’s reins and pulled her to a stand still. Then Kaya slid off; her legs were jiggly from fear. When Kaya was walking her horse to cool down, she remembered she’d told Speaking Rain, a blind girl who lived with Kaya’s family and was a sister to her, to watch the twins! Wing Feather and Sparrow, Kaya’s twin brothers, who are four winters old, are VERY mischievous. So, Kaya and Speaking Rain searched for them and found them in a tree. Then, ALL the children had to get a switching for Kaya’s selfish act. The switching was done by Whip Woman, from her name you can tell what a switching is, and how bad it was for the children. They had to lie on their stomachs and pull their dresses up if they were girls, and the boys had to pull their pant legs up and they got them on the back of their legs, only one switching per child. The book didn’t tell how old they had to be to get one. Anyway, Kaya’s main problem (all this leads up to the main problem) was that all the children started calling her “Magpie”, a selfish bird. At first, the name “Magpie” stung Kaya like a hornet, then she went along with it, but in the book it said: “Every time Kaya heard that name it reminded her she’d done something bad.” Kaya and her family were heading back up the mountain and her grandmother, Aalah, left her knife over by the river, so she sent Kaya and Speaking Rain to look for it. Kaya let Speaking Rain slip off Steps High, so they could continue searching and split up. Then, the land under Speaking Rain gave way! To know the ending, read the book.
I would definitely recommend this book because it’s adventurous, dramatic and it gives a sneak peak into the time Kaya lived in, gives definitions for some Indian words, and another sneak peak to the next book in the Kaya series: Kaya’s Escape.
Reviewed by: TinkerBell14
The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Wrath of Mulgarath.
DiTerlizzi, Tony and Black, Holly. The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Wrath of Mulgarath. NY: Scholastic Inc, 2004. 132 pages. (Fantasy Series)
The main characters are Jared, Simon, and Mallory Grace. The two boys are twins and they are nine; Mallory is the oldest, and she is 15. The story takes place at a junkyard down the road and in a magical place. The three kids face an enormous ogre that has taken their mom, and the ogre plans on taking over the world, but that doesn’t work out so well. The kids go to the junkyard where their mom is, and the ogre tricks them into a trap because the ogre is a shape shifter. When the ogre turned into a bird to fly away, he gets eaten by a hobgoblin that worked for him. Some other interesting events that happened were that there was a brownie, but it wasn’t an edible one. It was like a miniature person, and he helped out Jared with everything that he needed to know. One scene that had the biggest impact on me was when the ogre was acting like the kid’s father, and he was acting all weird, so they finally realized that he was the ogre and not their dad. I think that it was a very cruel but clever trick. When the ogre knew that they found out, he turned into a big ugly tree and held Mallory and Simon hostage. Then, the brownie climbed out of Jared’s hood and wrapped chains around his ankles and pulled them from out under his feet, and he fell on his butt. He was dragged out the window, so he turned into a bird, so he could fly back up. When he did, the hobgoblin ate him.
Reviewed by: LonaLama13
The main characters are Jared, Simon, and Mallory Grace. The two boys are twins and they are nine; Mallory is the oldest, and she is 15. The story takes place at a junkyard down the road and in a magical place. The three kids face an enormous ogre that has taken their mom, and the ogre plans on taking over the world, but that doesn’t work out so well. The kids go to the junkyard where their mom is, and the ogre tricks them into a trap because the ogre is a shape shifter. When the ogre turned into a bird to fly away, he gets eaten by a hobgoblin that worked for him. Some other interesting events that happened were that there was a brownie, but it wasn’t an edible one. It was like a miniature person, and he helped out Jared with everything that he needed to know. One scene that had the biggest impact on me was when the ogre was acting like the kid’s father, and he was acting all weird, so they finally realized that he was the ogre and not their dad. I think that it was a very cruel but clever trick. When the ogre knew that they found out, he turned into a big ugly tree and held Mallory and Simon hostage. Then, the brownie climbed out of Jared’s hood and wrapped chains around his ankles and pulled them from out under his feet, and he fell on his butt. He was dragged out the window, so he turned into a bird, so he could fly back up. When he did, the hobgoblin ate him.
Reviewed by: LonaLama13
Who Was John F. Kennedy?
McDonough, Yona. Who Was John F. Kennedy? NY: Grosset &Dunlap, 2005. 100 pages. (Non-Fiction / Bio)
My book is about John F Kennedy who was a WWII hero who saved his shipwrecked crewmen in the Pacific, the first Catholic president and youngest ever to be elected. The biography takes place in 1917-1963 from when he was born all the way through his life to his death. JFK saved his shipwrecked crew members one who was badly burnt and swam for five hours with him on his back. He held a little piece of rubber intertube to breathe out of in his mouth until he hit land and saw two Native Americans and a canoe. He wrote on a coconut these words: NATIVE. KNOWS. POSITION. HE. CAN. PILOT .11. ALIVE. NEED. SMALL. BOAT. KENNEDY.
My book is about John F Kennedy who was a WWII hero who saved his shipwrecked crewmen in the Pacific, the first Catholic president and youngest ever to be elected. The biography takes place in 1917-1963 from when he was born all the way through his life to his death. JFK saved his shipwrecked crew members one who was badly burnt and swam for five hours with him on his back. He held a little piece of rubber intertube to breathe out of in his mouth until he hit land and saw two Native Americans and a canoe. He wrote on a coconut these words: NATIVE. KNOWS. POSITION. HE. CAN. PILOT .11. ALIVE. NEED. SMALL. BOAT. KENNEDY.
The reason I selected this book was because it was a biography and also a true story about JFK. It looked interesting and hit my eyes. I would recommend this to anyone who likes reading because this book is funny, a quick read, and interesting.
Reviewed by: M.C. Kibbles
Summer Ball
Lupica, Mike. Summer Ball. NY: Philomel Books, 2007. 224 pages. (Sports Fiction)
This is a story of young Danny Walker and the story takes place in New York City .Danny dreams of being a pro Basketball player. But he knows his chances are slim so he joins a summer league. Danny’s favorite team is the Boston Celtics. Danny was put on the summer league and he thought maybe if I practice enough he would make it to the pros. Danny team never lost a game that summer. Danny luckily made it to the pros. ON his favorite team. THE BOSTON CELTICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you want to know the rest of the story READ IT. In 10 words I would describe this story Magnificent, Great, Nothing is impossible, Funny, Surprising, Shocking, Awesome, Courageous, a Winner, Best.
Reviwed by: Antwain
This is a story of young Danny Walker and the story takes place in New York City .Danny dreams of being a pro Basketball player. But he knows his chances are slim so he joins a summer league. Danny’s favorite team is the Boston Celtics. Danny was put on the summer league and he thought maybe if I practice enough he would make it to the pros. Danny team never lost a game that summer. Danny luckily made it to the pros. ON his favorite team. THE BOSTON CELTICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you want to know the rest of the story READ IT. In 10 words I would describe this story Magnificent, Great, Nothing is impossible, Funny, Surprising, Shocking, Awesome, Courageous, a Winner, Best.
Reviwed by: Antwain
The River
Paulsen, Gary. The River. NY: Random House, 1991. 130 pages. (Survival Series)
The book I read was The River. The main characters are Brain, and Derek (survival teacher). The story takes place in the wilderness next to a river (100 miles east where he crashed in Hatchet). Some problems they face are no food, water, shelter, and fire. Brian and Derek solve the problems by using survival techniques that Brian used in Hatchet, and Brian’s Winter, such as making a trap that catches fish, but they can’t get out, boiling water to make it fresh, and sneaking up on their prey (deer, rabbits, moose, birds.) One of the problems that they face is that Derek got struck by lightning and is in a coma and Brian has to travel 100 miles south to get to civilization. One other interesting event that happens in the novel is that Brian has to build a raft and it surprisingly held up to the rapids.
How I would describe this book is, fantastic, adventurous, has a great story plot, and setting. I would recommend it to a 10-14 year old person because if they like adventure, how to survive in the wild, and other techniques then they should definitely read the Gary Paulsen Brian book series. How I feel about the novel is that it inspires me to do what I like to do and that is going to the wild.
Reviewed by: LT28
The book I read was The River. The main characters are Brain, and Derek (survival teacher). The story takes place in the wilderness next to a river (100 miles east where he crashed in Hatchet). Some problems they face are no food, water, shelter, and fire. Brian and Derek solve the problems by using survival techniques that Brian used in Hatchet, and Brian’s Winter, such as making a trap that catches fish, but they can’t get out, boiling water to make it fresh, and sneaking up on their prey (deer, rabbits, moose, birds.) One of the problems that they face is that Derek got struck by lightning and is in a coma and Brian has to travel 100 miles south to get to civilization. One other interesting event that happens in the novel is that Brian has to build a raft and it surprisingly held up to the rapids.
How I would describe this book is, fantastic, adventurous, has a great story plot, and setting. I would recommend it to a 10-14 year old person because if they like adventure, how to survive in the wild, and other techniques then they should definitely read the Gary Paulsen Brian book series. How I feel about the novel is that it inspires me to do what I like to do and that is going to the wild.
Reviewed by: LT28
Where The Red Fern Grows
Rawls, Wilson. Where The Red Fern Grows. NY: Curtis, 1961. 212 pages. (Fiction)
This story takes place in the dark hills and river bottoms of Cherokee country. A boy named Billy lived in a small house out in the country. Billy had always wanted a dog before so he could hunt and play with it. One day, Billy saw a crumpled up newspaper on the ground and picked it up. Inside of it was an add for two hound pups for sale, only fifty dollars. That whole summer Billy sold coonskins, sold minnows to the local fishermen, and helped his grandfather in his little store. Billy had finally gotten the fifty dollars and was ready to get his hound pups, but there was only one problem, the pups were all the way in Kentucky. Billy asked if his grandfather would take him there, but he said no, so Billy set off on his own to get his pups. After getting his pups he then brought them back to his house and hunted with them and trained them. He has been hunting coons for many months and one day Billy’s grandfather came to Billy with an add about a coon hunting contest. It was a test of courage for both Billy and the pups to try to win the Gold Cup.
The character that is most like me is probably Billy because I am really outgoing and I try to do everything by myself. Billy has to conquer many opsticals during this story, and I have had to conquer many myself so we are somewhat alike. This made me enjoy the story more because I could relate to Billy really well and I could understand what he was going through in the story.
Reviewed by: HockeySniper13
This story takes place in the dark hills and river bottoms of Cherokee country. A boy named Billy lived in a small house out in the country. Billy had always wanted a dog before so he could hunt and play with it. One day, Billy saw a crumpled up newspaper on the ground and picked it up. Inside of it was an add for two hound pups for sale, only fifty dollars. That whole summer Billy sold coonskins, sold minnows to the local fishermen, and helped his grandfather in his little store. Billy had finally gotten the fifty dollars and was ready to get his hound pups, but there was only one problem, the pups were all the way in Kentucky. Billy asked if his grandfather would take him there, but he said no, so Billy set off on his own to get his pups. After getting his pups he then brought them back to his house and hunted with them and trained them. He has been hunting coons for many months and one day Billy’s grandfather came to Billy with an add about a coon hunting contest. It was a test of courage for both Billy and the pups to try to win the Gold Cup.
The character that is most like me is probably Billy because I am really outgoing and I try to do everything by myself. Billy has to conquer many opsticals during this story, and I have had to conquer many myself so we are somewhat alike. This made me enjoy the story more because I could relate to Billy really well and I could understand what he was going through in the story.
Reviewed by: HockeySniper13
Incantation
Hoffman, Alice. Incantation. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2007. 166 pages. (Historical Fiction)
Estrella deMadrigal thought she knew her whole life and everyone in it. Her lovely mother who made the most beautiful yarn out of the plainest wool. She went by the name of Abra deMadrigal. Her father had died many years ago when she was only young and her mother spent a lot of time missing him. Abra always wore a ring on her left hand that Estrella’s father had given her. Then, there was her harsh grandmother who never talked to Estrella, except when she was doing something wrong. She had always been afraid of her grandmother, Carmen deMadrigal. Then there was also her grandfather who never talked to Estrella either because he thought she was a worthless girl and wished that she was more like her amazing brother, Luis, who was studying in the seminary to become a priest. Estrella knew nothing about her life. She knew nothing about who she thought was her best friend; even her religion was a mystery to her. The truth was, Estrella and her family were hidden Jews. She didn’t even know her name. Esther was her name from birth, and she was considered a Morrano, a pig, and Morranos were not welcome in Encaleflora.
I would recommend this book to people that were interested in learning about history. It had a lot of true historical material in it but it also had the emotions of a teenage girl who lives a lie.
Reviewed by: Jlee007
Estrella deMadrigal thought she knew her whole life and everyone in it. Her lovely mother who made the most beautiful yarn out of the plainest wool. She went by the name of Abra deMadrigal. Her father had died many years ago when she was only young and her mother spent a lot of time missing him. Abra always wore a ring on her left hand that Estrella’s father had given her. Then, there was her harsh grandmother who never talked to Estrella, except when she was doing something wrong. She had always been afraid of her grandmother, Carmen deMadrigal. Then there was also her grandfather who never talked to Estrella either because he thought she was a worthless girl and wished that she was more like her amazing brother, Luis, who was studying in the seminary to become a priest. Estrella knew nothing about her life. She knew nothing about who she thought was her best friend; even her religion was a mystery to her. The truth was, Estrella and her family were hidden Jews. She didn’t even know her name. Esther was her name from birth, and she was considered a Morrano, a pig, and Morranos were not welcome in Encaleflora.
I would recommend this book to people that were interested in learning about history. It had a lot of true historical material in it but it also had the emotions of a teenage girl who lives a lie.
Reviewed by: Jlee007
Angels in Pink: Kathleen’s Story.
McDaniel, Lurlene. Angels in Pink: Kathleen’s Story. NY: Delacorte Press, 2005. 227 pages. (Fiction Series / Romance)The main characters are Kathleen, Holly, Raina, and Kathleen’s mom. Kathleen, Holly, and Raina are all best friends. They are also in a program at a local hospital called pink angels, (which Raina signed them up for). This story takes place mainly at the hospital.
The problem that Kathleen faces is that she has a new friend named Carson that she likes and he likes her. But there’s a problem, Carson’s old friend Stephanie Marlow (not BarlowJ) keeps showing up at the wrong times, like on Kathleen’s and Carson’s date, and at a party at the hospital. Kathleen tries to solve the problem by talking to Carson. But that only makes things worse because Carson thinks that Kathleen is overreacting. So he tries to avoid the subject. But Kathleen is still not pleased. She wants this problem solved. But she doesn’t want to lose Carson either, so she too decides to avoid the subject. But that backfires when Stephanie shows up at the end of the summer banquet that the hospital is throwing for all the volunteers. She was very rude to her saying things like “Carson always finds a little plaything for the summer, but he always comes back to me.” What Stephanie didn’t know was that Carson was done with Stephanie and only wanted Kathleen. Some other interesting things that happened in the novel were that Holly’s older brother, Hunter, is dating Raina. And they plan on getting married and having a happy future together. Also, Holly feels that her parents are too strict on her. They are always yelling at her and telling her that she needs to grow up.
I liked Holly the best because she is the funniest one in the book becausse she is the least tense. I despised Stephanie Marlow, because she was the meanest to Kathleen, and she tried to get Carson to cheat on Kathleen. I would recommend this book to read because it is an awesome book about friendship.
Reviewed by: Garfield3
Reviewed by: Garfield3
Among the Barons
Haddix, Margaret. Among the Barons. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. 182 pages. (Sci-Fi Series)
Among the Barons takes place in the future. The main characters are Luke and Smits. Luke is thirteen years old, while Smits is ten years old. The problem is that where they live you are only allowed two children per family but Luke had been a third child. Because of this Luke got a fake I.D. He is now known as Lee Grant and now he lives with Smits who is supposedly his “brother” who acts very snobbish and high class. Lee tries to solve this problem by taking it one day at a time and trying to help every person that he comes along to with the same problem without getting caught by the government.
An interesting event that happened in the book is just when everything was going right Lee and Smits’ parents mysteriously vanished and so now Lee and Smits are trying to live without their parents. I would tell you if and how they did this but that would ruin the whole book.
I selected this book because I have read different books by Margaret Haddix and I loved them a lot. So I’m trying to complete all of her books, they’re located at the school library. You should definitely read her books.
Reviewed by: Jodancer6696
Among the Barons takes place in the future. The main characters are Luke and Smits. Luke is thirteen years old, while Smits is ten years old. The problem is that where they live you are only allowed two children per family but Luke had been a third child. Because of this Luke got a fake I.D. He is now known as Lee Grant and now he lives with Smits who is supposedly his “brother” who acts very snobbish and high class. Lee tries to solve this problem by taking it one day at a time and trying to help every person that he comes along to with the same problem without getting caught by the government.
An interesting event that happened in the book is just when everything was going right Lee and Smits’ parents mysteriously vanished and so now Lee and Smits are trying to live without their parents. I would tell you if and how they did this but that would ruin the whole book.
I selected this book because I have read different books by Margaret Haddix and I loved them a lot. So I’m trying to complete all of her books, they’re located at the school library. You should definitely read her books.
Reviewed by: Jodancer6696
The Confession
Lewis, Beverly. The Confession. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethany House, 1997. 286 pages. (Historical Fiction)
The main characters in this story are Mrs. Bennett, Mr. Bennett, Katharine Mayfield (Katie Lapp), and Lydia, her cousin. This story takes place in Lancaster, Pennsylvania other words known as the “Amish state.”
The problem is that Katharine has to find her mother (Mrs. Bennett) before she dies. Katharine was adopted by an Amish family after the lady who adopted her (Mrs. Rebecca Lapp) had a still born. By the time she finds her mother some other “Katie Lapp” has already been found.
So Katharine becomes a maid for her mother. She solves the problem at the end by telling her mother who she really is. I would like to read more books by this author because the detail that she put in the story was incredible.
Reviewed by: BlackPearl
The main characters in this story are Mrs. Bennett, Mr. Bennett, Katharine Mayfield (Katie Lapp), and Lydia, her cousin. This story takes place in Lancaster, Pennsylvania other words known as the “Amish state.”
The problem is that Katharine has to find her mother (Mrs. Bennett) before she dies. Katharine was adopted by an Amish family after the lady who adopted her (Mrs. Rebecca Lapp) had a still born. By the time she finds her mother some other “Katie Lapp” has already been found.
So Katharine becomes a maid for her mother. She solves the problem at the end by telling her mother who she really is. I would like to read more books by this author because the detail that she put in the story was incredible.
Reviewed by: BlackPearl
Stormbreaker
Horowitz, Anthony. StormBreaker. NY: Philomel Books, 2002. 215 pages. (Action / Adventure Series)
This book Stormbreaker is about a fourteen year old boy named Alex Rider who is living with his uncle Ian Rider, a banker, and their housekeeper. One day when Alex was going to bed, he heard his doorbell ring and the housekeeper answered the door. Two police men were at the door, and they wanted to talk to the housekeeper. After the police men left, Alex was shocked to find out that his uncle had been in a terrible car crash and he wasn’t wearing his seatbelt. Then it came to him, Ian always wore his seatbelt, so he wanted clues. At the funeral for Ian, a Rolls Royce pulled up and two men got out, and they were dressed up in grey uniforms. Alex got another clue when he saw that the men in uniforms had a gun. Later that week, Alex went to the junkyard where his uncle’s car was, and when he first saw it, it looked perfectly fine until he got up close and it was covered with bullet holes.
That night Alex got a phone call and the bank where his uncle worked wanted to speak with him, so the next day he went to the bank. While he was there Alex was shot with a sleeping dart. When Alex woke up, he had no clue where he was and later on he was brought out to breakfast with a man and they spoke for a while. Alex came to find out that his uncle worked as a MI6 agent, which is the British version of the CIA, and they wanted Alex to finish the mission his uncle was on when he died. It was called the Stormbreaker which involved a man who invented a genius computer and gave them away to schools and practically everyone for free. MI6 thought there was something weird about it. After Alex got to the computer plant he finally found out that they were putting toxic gasses in the computers and when they got activated, the gases would be released into the atmosphere and kill lots and lots of people. When it finally came to the day when they were having the big meeting to activate all the computers, Alex came crashing down through the roof of the building to stop the activation of the computers. Does Alex stop the activation of the computers or not??? You will have to read the book and find out.
This book is the best book I have ever read and I have read many. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the whole book and wants to make you keep reading.
If you like mystery/adventure books, this book is right for you.
Out of a rating of one to five I would give this book a five because mystery books are my favorite to read and it was very detailed and it kept you on the edge of your seat the whole time.
Reviewed by: FlyRacer113
This book Stormbreaker is about a fourteen year old boy named Alex Rider who is living with his uncle Ian Rider, a banker, and their housekeeper. One day when Alex was going to bed, he heard his doorbell ring and the housekeeper answered the door. Two police men were at the door, and they wanted to talk to the housekeeper. After the police men left, Alex was shocked to find out that his uncle had been in a terrible car crash and he wasn’t wearing his seatbelt. Then it came to him, Ian always wore his seatbelt, so he wanted clues. At the funeral for Ian, a Rolls Royce pulled up and two men got out, and they were dressed up in grey uniforms. Alex got another clue when he saw that the men in uniforms had a gun. Later that week, Alex went to the junkyard where his uncle’s car was, and when he first saw it, it looked perfectly fine until he got up close and it was covered with bullet holes.
That night Alex got a phone call and the bank where his uncle worked wanted to speak with him, so the next day he went to the bank. While he was there Alex was shot with a sleeping dart. When Alex woke up, he had no clue where he was and later on he was brought out to breakfast with a man and they spoke for a while. Alex came to find out that his uncle worked as a MI6 agent, which is the British version of the CIA, and they wanted Alex to finish the mission his uncle was on when he died. It was called the Stormbreaker which involved a man who invented a genius computer and gave them away to schools and practically everyone for free. MI6 thought there was something weird about it. After Alex got to the computer plant he finally found out that they were putting toxic gasses in the computers and when they got activated, the gases would be released into the atmosphere and kill lots and lots of people. When it finally came to the day when they were having the big meeting to activate all the computers, Alex came crashing down through the roof of the building to stop the activation of the computers. Does Alex stop the activation of the computers or not??? You will have to read the book and find out.
This book is the best book I have ever read and I have read many. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the whole book and wants to make you keep reading.
If you like mystery/adventure books, this book is right for you.
Out of a rating of one to five I would give this book a five because mystery books are my favorite to read and it was very detailed and it kept you on the edge of your seat the whole time.
Reviewed by: FlyRacer113
Travel Team
Lupica, Mike. Travel Team. NY: Penguin Group, 2004. 274 Pages. (Sports Fiction)
Danny Walker is a young boy in seventh grade. He lives with his mom in Middletown, New York. His mom and his dad (a former NBA player) have been divorced for much of his life. Danny’s greatest passion is basketball, however, he was cut from the local travel team because he was too small for his age. When his dad, Richie Walker, comes to visit, he starts up another travel team for all the players that were told they were not good enough, or too small. Danny hopes to take his team all the way to the championships, just like his father had done with his team. Danny and his team are ready to prove that you have to look for the love of the game in the players and not just skill.
Danny Walker is a young boy in seventh grade. He lives with his mom in Middletown, New York. His mom and his dad (a former NBA player) have been divorced for much of his life. Danny’s greatest passion is basketball, however, he was cut from the local travel team because he was too small for his age. When his dad, Richie Walker, comes to visit, he starts up another travel team for all the players that were told they were not good enough, or too small. Danny hopes to take his team all the way to the championships, just like his father had done with his team. Danny and his team are ready to prove that you have to look for the love of the game in the players and not just skill.
This book tells a lot about basketball and real life experiences. It is a GREAT book! The book tells so much of the struggles that the players face and every aspect of the game. Every part of it is exciting and tear-jerking. This book is a New York Times #1 best seller. If you like this book, you will love its sequel, Summer Ball. It is also a wonderful book, telling about playing basketball at a summer camp far away from home.
Reviewed by: ME
Reviewed by: ME
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Kennet, Jeff. Diary of a Wimpy Kid. NY: Amulet Books, 2007. 217 pages. (Graphic Novel / Humor)
The main characters are Gregory, Rowley, Frank, Mom, Dad, Manny, and the cheese. They all seem to be a nice group of people, except the cheese. The characters stay in the town through the whole book, except for Gregory and Rowley. They secretly leave the town during trick or treating. They get kick out of the other town by Gregory’s mom and bad teenagers because Gregory and Rowley teased the teens and Gregory’s mom calls him up tells him to come home that instant. Gregory wants to get a new game for his game station. He really wants to get it so his mom gets it for him, but his mom gets mixed up and accidentally gave the gift to charity. Gregory’s friend, Rowley gets the game so they both play the game together. If I had to describe this book in ten words I would say,” This book is the best book in the whole world!’’ This book is a great comic to read when you have nothing to do, or when you want to get a great laugh for the day.
Reviewed By: Mastercraft
The main characters are Gregory, Rowley, Frank, Mom, Dad, Manny, and the cheese. They all seem to be a nice group of people, except the cheese. The characters stay in the town through the whole book, except for Gregory and Rowley. They secretly leave the town during trick or treating. They get kick out of the other town by Gregory’s mom and bad teenagers because Gregory and Rowley teased the teens and Gregory’s mom calls him up tells him to come home that instant. Gregory wants to get a new game for his game station. He really wants to get it so his mom gets it for him, but his mom gets mixed up and accidentally gave the gift to charity. Gregory’s friend, Rowley gets the game so they both play the game together. If I had to describe this book in ten words I would say,” This book is the best book in the whole world!’’ This book is a great comic to read when you have nothing to do, or when you want to get a great laugh for the day.
Reviewed By: Mastercraft
Holes
Sachar, Lois. Holes. NY: Scholastic Inc, 1997. 233 pages. (Fiction / Humor)
Holes is a story about an unlucky corpulent boy named Stanley Yelnants. His whole family was unlucky, and the reason was that his great grandfather didn’t keep a deal to a magical lady named Madam Zerony, so she cursed his whole family. Now, you know Stanley, the one I was talking about, well he was bullied not only by kids, but also by the teachers. He had a miserable life. His dad was an unsuccessful inventor, and his latest invention that he was working on was a machine that made shoes not smell bad any more. So one day when Stanley was on his way home from school, shoes seemed to drop out of the sky, so he thought it was a miracle to help his dad with his invention. As he was running home to show his dad, a cop arrested him. The cop arrested him because the shoes were stolen from an orphanage. He got sent to court, and they give him an option ether go to juvenile hall or go to a place called Camp Green Lake. Obviously he picks Camp Green Lake, but when he got there, it turned out there was no lake, not even a pond just desert. The book is about the adventure of Kissen Kate Blancet and possible way to reverse his family’s bad luck. You know those books that keep you glued to the page this was on of those books. I loved this book! It kept me glued to the pages the whole time whether it be the plot or just a small complication. I recommend it to any body who likes to read great books.
Reviewed by: JimiHendrix
Holes is a story about an unlucky corpulent boy named Stanley Yelnants. His whole family was unlucky, and the reason was that his great grandfather didn’t keep a deal to a magical lady named Madam Zerony, so she cursed his whole family. Now, you know Stanley, the one I was talking about, well he was bullied not only by kids, but also by the teachers. He had a miserable life. His dad was an unsuccessful inventor, and his latest invention that he was working on was a machine that made shoes not smell bad any more. So one day when Stanley was on his way home from school, shoes seemed to drop out of the sky, so he thought it was a miracle to help his dad with his invention. As he was running home to show his dad, a cop arrested him. The cop arrested him because the shoes were stolen from an orphanage. He got sent to court, and they give him an option ether go to juvenile hall or go to a place called Camp Green Lake. Obviously he picks Camp Green Lake, but when he got there, it turned out there was no lake, not even a pond just desert. The book is about the adventure of Kissen Kate Blancet and possible way to reverse his family’s bad luck. You know those books that keep you glued to the page this was on of those books. I loved this book! It kept me glued to the pages the whole time whether it be the plot or just a small complication. I recommend it to any body who likes to read great books.
Reviewed by: JimiHendrix
The Second Summer of the Sisterhood
Brashares, Ann. The Second Summer of the Sisterhood. NY: Random House, 2003. 373 pages. (Fiction Series)The book I read was The Second Summer of the Sisterhood, by Ann Brashares. The main characters are Bridget, who goes to Alabama; Carmen, who stays in her home town, Washington D.C.; Tibby, who goes to a college up in Virginia; and Lena who also stays in her home town, Washington D.C. Once again, they all get spread apart, except for Carmen and Lena. So, the pants do their magic again. What I mean by that is, in the first book they were shopping at a thrift store and found a pair of pants that fit them all perfectly, they were all going to be some where else over the summer, so they decided to send the pants to each other over the summer. In the novel, Bridget finds notes written to her from her grandmother that her father has been hiding so she wouldn’t go, because he doesn’t like Bridget’s grandmother, he’s wife’s mother. When Bridget finds the letters, though, she is off on another adventure.
Tibby is now in a college in Williamston, Virginia. And when it comes to making a movie she is excited and ready for ideas. She then decides to make a funny movie about her mother, and when her mother sees it… it’s another whole story. Carmen is recently dating Porter and her mom is now dating David. Then Carmen starts to think that her mother is making a fool of herself over a guy, because she was jealous in a way that her mother had such a perfect relationship and she didn’t. She thinks of something to do about it. Lena hasn’t exactly gotten over Kostos yet, even though she broke up with him. And when he comes into town from Greece, for business, she absolutely explodes.
I think I’m most like Tibby because I love to make movies. I don’t have a video camera, but I do have a camera and a place on my computer where I can make slide show movies. The book was a magnificent book in my opinion and I hope you read it and like it too.
Reviewed by: Mator1313
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
My Side of the Mountain
George Craighead Jean. My Side of the Mountain. NY: Penguin Books, USA Inc, 1959. 177 pages. (Survival Series)
In this story Sam Gribley, a young 13 year old boy runs away from his crowded New York City apartment to live in the wilderness at his grandfather’s farm. In the forest, Sam makes a home out of a hemlock tree, tames and lives with a falcon (Frightful), and learns to live in the wilderness, with a little help from a library in Delhi. But through all this, Sam has to survive winter, escape being seen by adults, and try to live with a pesky weasel. But even that can’t stop Sam from living a good life in the wilderness as he uses knowledge of plants and herbs for food, trap and catch animals, and meet and see friends like Bando and even his own father.
I would most definitely read another book from this author because she is very good at describing the situation her characters are in or even the food they are eating. She is also very good at spreading the drama that is happening in the story, like the steps that Sam had to take to make his hard, but tasty acorn pancakes. Jean is very good at adding new characters with very good suspense. She is also very good at keeping your attention by either adding a new threat to the character or setting a new goal for the main character to accomplish.
Reviewed by: FlyingPurplePeopleEater
In this story Sam Gribley, a young 13 year old boy runs away from his crowded New York City apartment to live in the wilderness at his grandfather’s farm. In the forest, Sam makes a home out of a hemlock tree, tames and lives with a falcon (Frightful), and learns to live in the wilderness, with a little help from a library in Delhi. But through all this, Sam has to survive winter, escape being seen by adults, and try to live with a pesky weasel. But even that can’t stop Sam from living a good life in the wilderness as he uses knowledge of plants and herbs for food, trap and catch animals, and meet and see friends like Bando and even his own father.
I would most definitely read another book from this author because she is very good at describing the situation her characters are in or even the food they are eating. She is also very good at spreading the drama that is happening in the story, like the steps that Sam had to take to make his hard, but tasty acorn pancakes. Jean is very good at adding new characters with very good suspense. She is also very good at keeping your attention by either adding a new threat to the character or setting a new goal for the main character to accomplish.
Reviewed by: FlyingPurplePeopleEater
Sports Heroes & Legends “Babe Ruth”
Mercer, Paul. Sports Heroes & Legends “Babe Ruth.” NY: Barnes and Noble Publishing, Inc. 2003. 104 pages. (Non-Fiction / Bio)
My Book “Sports Heroes and Legends,” is about Babe Ruth, who is one of my hero’s about how he was. His full name was George Herman Ruth. His nicknames as he was growing up were Babe, Sultan of Swat, and Bambino. He was born on February 6, 1895. Into a poor family .He started to play baseball to support his family. As he played he loved the game and was really good at it. He was so good that he was drafted by the Boston Red Sox and then the NY Yankees. What I found interesting is that Babe Ruth’s home run record stood for almost 40 years until Hank Aaron hit 755 homeruns, .41 more than Ruth. This story takes place in Baltimore where Ruth grew up, and then to New York and Boston, playing the game he loved.
I would recommend this book to a baseball fan and Babe Ruth, who was just an ordinary man that was great with kids, loved the game of baseball. As he was turning 53, Babe Ruth developed a tumor in his neck that was cancerous. They removed most of it, but it came back. Before he died, on April 27, 1947 it was declared Babe Ruth Day at Yankee Stadium. He prepared a speech, but instead spoke from the heart to all the kids and the game of baseball. He then said, “If you love baseball like I did, you have to start when you are six or seven. You got to let it grow up with you, and if you try hard enough you’re bound to come out on top.” Baseball saved Babe Ruth growing up in the poor streets of Baltimore; it launched him to make a living, and gave him joy. Babe Ruth died August 16, 1948, but his inspiration to me and many more will live forever.
Reviewed by: Dirkadirk3
My Book “Sports Heroes and Legends,” is about Babe Ruth, who is one of my hero’s about how he was. His full name was George Herman Ruth. His nicknames as he was growing up were Babe, Sultan of Swat, and Bambino. He was born on February 6, 1895. Into a poor family .He started to play baseball to support his family. As he played he loved the game and was really good at it. He was so good that he was drafted by the Boston Red Sox and then the NY Yankees. What I found interesting is that Babe Ruth’s home run record stood for almost 40 years until Hank Aaron hit 755 homeruns, .41 more than Ruth. This story takes place in Baltimore where Ruth grew up, and then to New York and Boston, playing the game he loved.
I would recommend this book to a baseball fan and Babe Ruth, who was just an ordinary man that was great with kids, loved the game of baseball. As he was turning 53, Babe Ruth developed a tumor in his neck that was cancerous. They removed most of it, but it came back. Before he died, on April 27, 1947 it was declared Babe Ruth Day at Yankee Stadium. He prepared a speech, but instead spoke from the heart to all the kids and the game of baseball. He then said, “If you love baseball like I did, you have to start when you are six or seven. You got to let it grow up with you, and if you try hard enough you’re bound to come out on top.” Baseball saved Babe Ruth growing up in the poor streets of Baltimore; it launched him to make a living, and gave him joy. Babe Ruth died August 16, 1948, but his inspiration to me and many more will live forever.
Reviewed by: Dirkadirk3
Sort of Forever
Warner, Sally. Sort of Forever. NY: Scholastic Inc., 1999. 136 pages. (Fiction / Loss)
The main characters are seventh graders Nana and Cady. The story takes place in Los Angeles. The problem that Cady and Nana face is that Nana is feisty with Cancer!! As Cady watches her friend change, she’s not sure she knows this new Nana. L Nana is changing because of all the medicine that she is taking. Nana is never in school because she is always tired and too weak, so she doesn’t know what it going on in school with Cady. Until she realizes that it is Nana who needs to be rescued. The girls learned that life is not only a piece of heaven- it is also piece of dirt. The girls had a lot of fights and a lot of great moments. Cady and Nana go through a lot of hard and painful moments but they come to a solution. But is it too late.
So you are wondering is Nana going to die!!!!
I recommend that girls who are having a hard time with their friendship to read this great book. Because it teaches girls lessons about friendship and you should treasure your life and your friends. (Well I guess guys can read this book too.) To be honesty I cried at the end of the book because it’s the end of the book but not only that, something terrible happens. So if you want to know what happened at the end, I guess you should read the book.
By: Doublede610
The main characters are seventh graders Nana and Cady. The story takes place in Los Angeles. The problem that Cady and Nana face is that Nana is feisty with Cancer!! As Cady watches her friend change, she’s not sure she knows this new Nana. L Nana is changing because of all the medicine that she is taking. Nana is never in school because she is always tired and too weak, so she doesn’t know what it going on in school with Cady. Until she realizes that it is Nana who needs to be rescued. The girls learned that life is not only a piece of heaven- it is also piece of dirt. The girls had a lot of fights and a lot of great moments. Cady and Nana go through a lot of hard and painful moments but they come to a solution. But is it too late.
So you are wondering is Nana going to die!!!!
I recommend that girls who are having a hard time with their friendship to read this great book. Because it teaches girls lessons about friendship and you should treasure your life and your friends. (Well I guess guys can read this book too.) To be honesty I cried at the end of the book because it’s the end of the book but not only that, something terrible happens. So if you want to know what happened at the end, I guess you should read the book.
By: Doublede610
Twilight
Meyer, Stephenie. Twilight. NY: Little Brown and Company, 2005. 498 pages. (Fantasy Series / Vampires)Life looked blue , or rather overcast and foggy, when Bella Swan moved from sunny Phoenix , Arizona to the rainiest place in the country: Forks, Washington. But, that was before she met Edward. Edward and his mysterious family are and intriguing, mysterious, and strikingly beautiful. Bella soon finds herself spending more time with the strange, beautiful boy, and they soon become inseparable. Bella and Edward were a perfect match, that is before she found out that he was a vampire. Although dangerous, Bella and Edward are fighting fate to be together. Then a ravenous, sadistic vampire threatens not only their chance to be together, but also Bella’s life.
I would recommend this book to anyone that asked because it is a good blend of romance, action, and science fiction. I really like how Stephenie Meyer writes. Stephenie’s style of writing weaves Bella’s thoughts and feelings with plenty of descriptions and personality. Despite the hefty 500 pages, this triller is one you just can’t seem to put down.
Reviewed by: Sccrsteph3
Angels in Pink
McDaniel, Lurlene. Angels in Pink. NY: Laurel Leaf Books, 2005. 227 pages. (Fiction Series / Romance)The book Angels in Pink is about three girls named Riana, Holly, and Kathleen who signed up for a program at the hospital over the summer. The program was for volunteers to help out in the different parts of the hospital. The volunteers were called Pink Angles. Riana and Holly were very excited, but Kathleen was not so happy because she wasn’t very fond about the idea of blood and sick people. Kathleen’s mother was in a wheelchair, so Kathleen was always taking care of her mother, and she thought working at the hospital would be just like taking care of her mother. When they started the program they got pink t-shirts that said “Pink Angels” on them. After the first day they were assigned to different parts of the hospital, and they were given jobs in the fileing department and the children’s wing and even in the cancer wing.
I selected this book by just picking up books I thought looked interesting. I read the back and decided to read it.
Reviewed by: Mighty Mome
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