Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Everything for a Dog by Ann m. Martin Reviewed by Caroline H.
EVERYTHING FOR A DOG
The book Everything for a Dog is the sequel to the award winning book, A Dogs Life. This story tells the tale of a mutt named Bone and his struggle to survive. Bone and his sister Squirrel were the only surviving pups in their litter, their mother cared and looked after them, until that miserable day. It was when Bone was very young he watched her trot away and never come back. I loved this book because of its three stories that come together in the end; it’s a sad book but very moving too. Bone is a confident, faithful, and a dog that perserveres throughout this breathtaking story.
Can you imagine being a dog with no protection and out all alone? In the first story it’s about a boy named Charlie who is healing from a tragedy with the help of a dog. Is it Bone? In the next chapter it’s about a boy named Henry who has always wanted a dog but his parents won’t let him for one special reason that you’ll have to find out if you chose to read this book. If you still don’t get what I’m saying this might help. Imagine this (if you can) a puppy abandoned, living only about two months with its mother, then having to survive the cold harsh world of animal abusers, no food, and weather but all coming together at the end in a unforeseen way.
Will Bone ever find that one true family? Read Everything for a Dog to find out!
The Lightning Thief reviewed by Nick O.
The Vampire Diaries:The Awakening by L.J Smith review by Sarah Crowley
The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies: Review by Tommy W.
The Cobra King of Kathmandu -Reviewed by Paul C.
The two had to train their supernatural skills with their uncle, Nimrod, who trained them all the ancient djinn laws and rules, along with a few tips with the help of an elderly djinn by the name of Mr. . They learned much and travelled afar in the previous two books to Babylon, and to Egypt to stop a nefarious plot hatched by the evil djinn tribe of the Ifrit. They foiled the polt and imprisoned the most reprehensible djinn of all, Iblis. They travel far and learn much as djinn until they come across a problem that tops all their adventures until now.
After receiving an e-mail from fellow djinn friend, Dybbuk, they travel to an old cottage and find that a killer group has killed innocent civilians in search for a treasure in the possession of Dybbuk. The twin djinnn embark on a journey that takes them to the center of a group that supposubly went down in the 1950's but is back and up to a task that is beyond what the twin djinn have ever faced before.
This book deserves five out of five stars becuase this book tops the rest of the series by a mile. It has the right blend of suspense, thrill, action, and it takes unpredictable turns that drive the book up to five stars. I highly recommend this book and this series to anyone that loves a good fiction series.
Rash by Pete Hautman--Reviewed by Ellie W.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
The Rowan by Anne McCaffrey- Reviewed by Megan C.
Talents- telekinetics, telepaths, precogs,etc.
Primes- really strong telekinetics that run a station
Stations- places where Primes send shuttles to other planets and moons with shipments of products or materiel, or space ships
It takes place in Altair Station on Altair in the first part, then in Callisto Station on Callisto, one of Jupiter's moons in the second part. Even as a child, the Rowan was one of the strongest telepaths ever born. When her family's home was destroyed, her family killed, and she was trapped in a helicopter in a mudslide, a whole planet heard her mental distress calls for days until she was rescued. She was then taken in by the Altair Prime, Sieglen, and trained to become a Prime. Later, when she is running her own station, Callisto Station, she receives a mental distress call from the planet of Deneb from a man facing the destruction of his home planet from an attack from aliens. She chooses to help him, and on the way discovers her true love.
I recommend this book to people who like science fiction books. Warning: mature content.
Caddie Woodlawn By: Carol Ryrie Brink/ Review By: Hannah F.
By: Carol Ryrie Brink
Reviewed by: Hannah F
This adventurous book by Carol Ryrie Brink is one of the best historical fiction books I have ever read. In this book, it explains a about a tomboy, Caddie Woodlawn who would rather hunt than sew and plow than bake. She and her brothers, Tom and Warren, get themselves into trouble and dare each other to do dangerous things. They live near the woods in Wisconsin. Caddie is good friends with the Indians, who scare everyone else in her town. They believe that the Indians are going to massacre them. Her mother and other sisters believe that it is wrong for a girl to be “free” to do whatever she pleases. They think that she should be cooking instead of fishing down by the pond. This book is set in 1864. Caddie is a brave and smart girl who ignores the sneers from other people in her family and her town. I thought this book was very good. I would rate it a 4 out of 5 stars. This book is also very special because it is based on the life and memories of the author’s grandmother, the real Caddie Woodlawn. In summary, I think that anyone who likes the historical fiction genre should check out, Caddie Woodlawn.
Witches by Roald Dahl- Reviewed by Allison O.
The book that I read was The Witches by Roald Dahl. This fictional story describes the adventures of a seven-year-old orphan boy, who lives with his grandmother because his parents were killed in a tragic car accident. His grandmother always told him stories about REAL WITCHES and how to detect them from ordinary people. He is able to avoid them until his grandmother becomes ill and a doctor orders them to go to a seaside resort for rest and recuperation. This is where the story becomes both scary and funny. One day the boy stumbles upon a convention being held in the hotel which he quickly realizes is a meeting of all the witches in
The character that entertained me the most in this book was The Grand High Witch. She tries hard to disguise her deformities by wearing a wig, pointed shoes, and long gloves. But, when her eyes begin changing colors, what comes next will certainly be cruel and cause much havoc for those in her path!
I recommend reading this book because it is so entertaining. I enjoyed it very much! It is such an imaginative tale, at times somewhat bizarre, that will make you want to keep reading to see what mischief will be next and keeps you wondering if the witches will ever get a taste of their own medicine in the end!
Black Duck by Janet Taylor Lisle reviewed by Sam A
Help! Somebody Get Me Out of Fourth Grade
Help Somebody Get Me Out of Fourth Grade by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver is a funny book about a fourth grader named Hank Zipzer who lives in the big apple, New York. Hank is always getting himself in trouble, partially because he’s a class clown, and partially because he’s dyslexic. Hank hates his teacher Ms. Adolf and can’t wait to go to fifth grade. The only problem is, he may have to redo fourth grade.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Mickey and Me Book by Dan Gutman Review by Kendall R
Specials by Scott Westerfield reviewed by: Leto K.
Tally used to think that they were a rumor, but now she's one of them. Tally has become an agent for the city's hidden defence, Special Circumstances. She is now a super-amped fighting machine. Shay and her are now the leaders in a group that are highly respected by Dr. Cable, and all the members of Special Circumstances. The Cutters, the group's name, are given a mission to stop rebles smuggle pills to kill the nanos that make the Pretties stupid, inother words to cure pretties from being stupid. To Tally this isn't such a big deal to her. That's what Specials do--keep Uglies down and Pretties stupid.
She soon finds out that these pills come from the New Smoke*, the place Specials Circumstances is trying to shut out. The Cutters have come close to finding it, but lose the people that they are chasing.One night the rebels kidnap one of the Cutters while they are undercover looking for people smuggling pills. Tally and Shay must go and find Fausto, the kidnaped special, for he could lead them to find the New Smoke.What will happen when they find the New Smoke? Will Fausto be okay? Could an encouter with a close friend change Tally's mind about be this no feeling, super human killing machine? Find the answers to these questions in the third exciting book Special in the sequel Uglies.
New Smoke*- Find out in the book Uglies about what happened at the original smoke.
Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko- Reviewed by Allie C.
I read Al Capone Shines My Shoes by: Gennifer Choldenko. It is the sequel to Al Capone Does My Shirts. The genre is fiction. The story is about a boy named Matthew Flanagan, who is known by Moose Flanagan. He moved to Alcatraz Island because his dad got a new job as an electrician and a prison guard. He also moved there because of his sister Natalie who has autism and so she could go to the Ester P. Marinoff School. The Ester P. Marinoff School is a school for people with disabilities. There are 24 other kids who live in the island. Alcatraz Island is a prison for the worst of the worst. Natalie loves to play with buttons. Moose gets mad sometimes because all the attention is on Natalie. His dad is home not very often because he has two jobs. Moose’s best friend is Scout. Scout is a GREAT baseball player. The story states, “And today is baseball day, because of my friend Scout from school is coming to Alcatraz this afternoon. Scout is Mr. Baseball. He has his own team and he can really play” (p.9). There is a girl on the island named Piper. She is the warden’s daughter. She is very snotty and gets what ever she wants. Piper is very moody sometimes. I say this because sometimes she likes Moose, and sometimes she hates Moose. I loved this book because you can’t predict what going to happen next. The book takes all different twists and turns. I recommend this book to all readers.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Getting Even By:Mavis Jukes - Reviewed by Lauren F.
Sleeper Agenda by Tom Sniegoski:Review by Kevin S.
Tom Lovett is a normal teenage boy at first sight. He has blonde hair and blue eyes. Despite his condition, he is very athletic. Because of his condition, he doesn't know a lot of people.
I liked this book because it was interesting and not like other books. There's always something new "around the corner," so you're never sure what's going to happen next. Before you read Sleeper Agenda, you should read Sleeper Code first.
Slob by Ellen Potter
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan- Reviewed by Elias C.
So I think this book is great and very suspenseful. After I read the first book I couldn't just stop reading the other books in the series. With the all new adventures that he faces. There are five books in the series The Lightning Thief, Sea of the Monsters, The Titans Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian. I would suggest this book to anyone who likes adventure books, suspense, and of course Greek Mythology. So if you like these things I say that you should really suggest reading this series.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Artemis Folw: The Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer, Review by Ricky P.
Blister by Susan Shreve reviewed by: Julie M.
Then one day things took a turn for the worst. Her little baby sister was born dead and her mother can't seem to get over it. All her mother does now is sit around and cry. Finally her dad comes up with a solution or so he thinks. Alyssa's dad decides that they should move into an apartment. This wouldn't have been such a big deal except for the fact that she was leaving all her friends and animals behind and her dad wasn’t even going to live with Alyssa and her mom. So Alyssa decides to change her name to Blister and have a personality that everyone would love. She thought that by joining the new cheerleading squad it would get everyone’s mind off of everything that was going wrong. The only problem with her plan was the cheerleading tryouts were not about talent it was about popularity. Will Alyssa be able to become popular enough to make the squad? Read Blister to find out.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Review of Swindle
My Sister the Vampire Vampalicious by Sienna Mercer- Reviewed by Jen K.
My Sister the Vampire Vampalicious is the 4th book in the fantasy/ fiction series written by Sienna Mercer. This book is about the continuing story of two identical twins separated at birth that end up discovering each other when they attended the same middle school. Olivia Abbot and Ivy Vega look exactly a like but are totally different. Olivia is a perky cheerleader and Ivy is a gothic vampire! Literally!
In this volume the girls face their worst nightmare….losing each other again. Just after being reunited with her long lost human twin sister for just a few brief months, Ivy is faced with the worst event possible ….moving away to Europe with her adopted Dad. After thinking about all the great times she had with her friends, her best friend Sophia, her boyfriend Brendan, and of course her twin sister Olivia at
Will these four friends figure out a way to change Ivy’s Dad’s mind and keep the twins together or will they be lost to each other forever? DON-DON-DON!!!! What secret does Ivy’s Dad have that is driving him to
Reviewed by Jennifer K.
Tales From the Odyssey by Mary Pope Osborne Post by Eic R.
Have you ever read Tales From the Odyssey by Mary Pope Osborne? It is a 270 page book packed with action!!! The book to me was amazing because it was fast-moving. You couldn’t put it down. It was a quick read, because the words were understandable, but was worth the read.
The main character is a king named Odysseus and his crew on a ship. Odysseus is strong and courageous character, and the crew is loyal to him. Because of the dangerous things that they encounter, sometimes the crew doesn’t want to do what Odysseus wants to do. When there’s a challenge, Odysseus draws a name out of a hat to make it fair and square.
The plot of the story is that the king went out to war to fight the battle of
Odysseus inspired me to be more aware of my surroundings. I recommend this book because it was action-packed, fast moving, and the greatest tale ever told, in my opinion.
Vampire Diaries:The awakening by L.J Smith reviewed by Sarah C.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Brian's Hunt by Gary Paulsen- Reviewed by Ryan V.
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer Review by Hailee L.
“And so the lion fell in love with the lamb…,” He murmured.
“What a stupid lamb,” I sighed.
“What a sick, masochistic lion,” He stared into the shadowy forest for a long moment, and wondered where his thoughts had taken him.
Jacob Black on the other hand, is on the other side of the fence, with the Quileutes. The “Cold Ones,” are mortal enemies to the Quileutes as they once would hunt on their land. To me the best part was the fight scene between Edward and James. The trees formed green walls on three sides of the Jeep. The rain was a mere drizzle, slowing every second the sky brighter through the clouds. They came out to a green baseball field where the whole Cullen family was waiting. The entire story was very good; now I have read the book more than two times.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
How I Survived Middle School is a realistic fiction book about a girl named Jenny and her friends. They are trying to outdo the pops which are the popular girls in spirit week. Then the science fair comes up and Jenny and her friend Chloe do an experiment on Jenny’s pet mice and try to overcome Chloe’s fear of Jenny’s mice. The main character in this book is Jenny. She is nice to everyone and a good friend who loves her pet mice. I think this book was really good. I think this because it went through the day, not just starting a new chapter randomly. I think girls would like this book more than boys would because it deals with a teenage girl’s life.
Genre: realistic fiction
I read the book “The River” by Gary Paulsen. I liked the book “Hatchet”, I thought this book would be just as adventurous so that is why I decided on “The River”. This book is about a kid named Brian Robeson and Derek Holtzer (who is a government psychologist). Derek wanted to experience what Brian had encounted during the months he was lost over again. “Do it again, in the woods, with a knife not a hatchet, are you crazy?” Derek says, “but this time you will be with me and I will be taking notes so I can teach others the ways of survival.” Derek also wanted to bring all survival equipment and devices for this research. Brian was dead set against him bringing any survival gear except for the radio, just in case something happened.
Brian Robeson is the main character of this book “The River”. He is a young boy who has gone through: his parents splitting up, surviving a plane crash, living in the woods for almost 3 (three) months by himself, living without the luxuries of home, and mostly surviving. His character is couragerous , tough, hero, strong, determined, keen on his senses, all the movies that he had watched helped him with surviving, and determined to stay alive.
My opinion of this book “The River” is that you can’t put the book down. It is so exciting! I don’t like to read but in this case, this book is a must read book. The thrills, wilderness, adventures and the not knowing the end results kept me on edge while reading this book. I am looking forward to reading another Gary Paulsen book.
Everest by Gordon Korman
This book is Everest by Gordon Korman. This book is about these kids winning a contest from wrappers of candy bars. You win by looking in the wrappers for a letter. If you can spell out Everest than you win the contest. The prize is to get a chance to climb Mount Everest. The characters are Dominic which is the main character and Chrstian which is Donimic’s older brother. There is Ethan Zaph who is the number one climber in the country. My opinon of the book is that I liked it because it has a lot of action in it and it teaches you stuff about Mount Everest. This book is not the only one there are four other Everest books in the series and this is the first one!
Reviewed by Ilyas
Do you want to be rich one day? Read this book and one day, your dream will come true. It all started when a boy got a mower from his grandma on his birthday. It was summer vacation. One day, a man came to him and asked him to mow his lawn for money.
He needed to find enough money to buy a bike inner tube for that reason, he decided to spend his time making more money day after day mowing the neighbors’ lawns, rather than playing sports like other kids of his age.
A man named Arnold offered him stocks in return for mowing his lawn. The boy got richer and since he was doing so well, he needed to expand his business. I can imagine that a twelve year old boy being head of a company. The boy got fifteen people working for him and more lawns to mow.
The boy got richer and he invested on a heavyweight boxer with Arnold’s help. Unfortunately, the boy never told his parents about his summer business. But it was time for him to face his parents and tell them about the money gained in stocks.
His parents are the only ones who could give the permission of using this money.
I really, enjoyed this book because it has number of actions and suspense through out each chapter. It was an easy book to read and it contains some detail information on how to invest in stock markets.
The Zippity Singer by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver reviewed by Paige
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Reviewed by Robert
Brian’s Winter by Gary Paulsen is a realistic book. Brian’s Winter is a good sequel to The River but this time he is in the winter. This is hard for him because he has to make a shelter that manages in the snow, and all the lakes are frozen so there are no fish. Brian does not know what to expect. Will he make it before the snow hits? Can any one find him this time in the snow? Brian Robeson is 13 trying to survive in the Canadian forest. He knows how to hunt, make fire and other skills to survive. I liked this book because it had good detail and this could really happen to someone in real life. Also if you liked this book there is Brian Returns and Brian’s Hunt.
Monday, March 22, 2010
The Titan's Curse By Rick Riordan Review by Peter V.
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins reviewed by Jonathan S.
The Capitol is very mad at Katniss and Peeta because their attempt to sabotage the Hunger Games was, of course, on live television, and everyone from the Capitol to district 12 saw it. Ever since ten, a rebellion has been brewing in the districts, and it could erupt into something huge! The only was Katniss can keep herself and those she loves alive is by pretending that she only pulled the berries out because of her undying love for Peeta (which she doesn’t really have). Can she do it? Will there be a rebellion? Read this book to find out!
The Queen of Attolia by: Meghan Whalen Turner
Eugenides has never been caught on a mission, nor has he ever failed. He kept this "streak" alive in the first book when showing his bravery and intelligence. But this is all about to change. Eugenides will be faced with a consequence from one he fears very much. And the traits he showed in the first book, will have seemed to be temporary. But this consequence will affect more than him. This consequence is bigger than Eugenides.
Friday, March 19, 2010
It's Not The End Of The World by;Judy Blume
Fever Reviewed by Caroline S.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
The Lost Island of Tamarind by Nadia Aguiar: Review by Jacob I.
Over the course of the book Maya and Simon search for their parents and a way home. With help from a boy named Helix,a tribe of cloud-forest orchid farmers and a troupe of giants and mermaids, the children face mighty rivers, pirates, jungle beasts, soldiers fighting a civil war, the child-snatching Lady Who Rides the Jaguar.
The book’s magic lies in its amazing plot. The author uses her knack for realistic details comparing them to the magical parts. Invisible palm trees guard a cave with a lake of healing water: “They could hear the palm fronds rustling now, a sound distinct from the rustling of the breeze through the grass. Although the palms could not be seen, the light beneath them was green and golden and played in dappled shadows over their upturned faces.” The Lost Island of Tamarind has a gentle spirit, combining its dangers with warmth.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen: Review by Andrew W.
I really like this fiction book because it is fast paced and exciting all the way through. After each chapter is a paragraph or two about what something was like in that time period. Usually, it has to do with something that happened in the chapter. This is a great book.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
HARRY POTTER and the Order of the Phoenix: Review by Hunter L.
Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer reviewed by Simran P.
This endearing novel takes place in Forks, Washington. In the book, we have our main character Bella Swan, return with the same awkward, simple personality. Bella is caught in a game of tug-of-war between her charming vampire boyfriend, Edward Cullen, and Jacob, her huge, best friend who is a werewolf. Also, Bella is trying to figure out how to answer a cruical question in which Edward is anxious for. Bella is craving the idea of becoming a vampire, but she knows that the treaty between the Cullens' and the La Push werewolves would come to an end, and she would damage the relationship between her and Jacob.
In Seattle Washington, there has been a lot of murders taking place around the area.
I would give this book a 5/5 star rating. Like I mentioned beforehand, I loved this book. I greatly enjoyed Stephanie's great description, and the suspenseful action. This book is definitely a page turner, that will reel you into it's very imaginative world of immortility, as well as humanity.
I recommend this book to fans of the amazing Twilight series. Although this book is open to both boys and girls, I think that girls would have a much greater appeal to it than boys. Be sure to read the first two books first, for you will have a hard time understanding if you skip directly to this one.
Hurry to the library, and checkout the irresistible book, Eclipse. I promise you, that it will have you addicted, and "thirsty" for more. After you're done, be sure to read Breaking dawn, the final book of the saga. :)
The Mother Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick
Hi. My name is Jessica Delaney, Jess for short. I work on a farm with my dad and two twin brothers. My mom ran off to New York to be an actress, but I miss her a lot. I’m also really smart, but super shy.
Hello! My name is Emma Hawthorne. My BFF is Jess, but I still like everybody else! I’m not really into fashion, mostly because of my curves. (But, I sort-of do care because my crush, Zach Norton, goes to my school.)
Hi! My name is Megan Wong. I have a passion for fashion, and sketch all of my beautiful ideas in a sketch book, which my “tree hugger” mother hates. My friends and I are called the “fab four” (not in a good way) by Jess (goat girl), Emma, and Cassidy. I used to be friends with Emma, but my father invented some crazy machine and we got rich quick, so I grew up.
In The Mother Daughter Book Club, these four different girls learn a lot about friendship, love, and loyalty. When their mothers (all except Jess’s) form a Mother Daughter book club, they are forced to have a meeting each month at each girl’s home.