Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis Review by Simran
Have you ever wondered what life would be like for a seventh grader? Two girls from William Gladstone Middle School, Emma-Jean and Colleen, have a pretty good iea, and they can describe it in one word: complicated.
This wonderful, realistic fiction book is about 12-year-old Emma-Jean Lazrus, who is a kind, unself-conscious girl who relies on logic to solve her and her friend's problems. After the passing away of her father two years ago, Emma-Jean has followed the footsteps of her dad's hero, a legendary French mathematician, Jules Henri Poincare. Emma-Jean describes herself to be different from her other fellow seventh graders. The only friends she has are the school janitor, her language arts teacher, her loving mother, her father's parakeet Henri, and Vikram Adwani, a university student who has rented the third floor of Emma-Jean's house. Another important character in the story is Colleen Pomerantz. She's one of the nicest seventh graders, but she cares too much about what others think of her. She has many friends, and has a loyal heart.
The story takes place during the usual busy day of seventh grade when Emma-Jean discovers Colleen crying in the bathroom. She claims to be crying because her best friend, Kaitlin Vogel, invited the fierce, manipulating Laura Gilray to her annual ski trip in Vermont instead of her. When Emma-Jean realizes how mean of a person Laura Gilroy is, she puts her logic and intelligence into action to help her new friend out.
I would describe this book to be engaging, interesting, and insightful. This book teaches you that you not only have to put your mind into the problem, but also your heart which is why I find it to be a good book. Also, this book's genre is one of my favorite genres of all time. I love to read about stories that can relate to the real world. Although this book could be enjoyed by many, I think it would be more of a book that a girl would enjoy. All in all, my rating for this book is 4/5 stars.
Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis is a book you would want to run to your local library and check out kind of book. For further reading, be sure to read the sequel, Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Indigo's Star by Hilary McKay
Indigo’s Star by Hilary McKay
Review by Natalie
Indigo’s Star is an amazing realistic fiction book by Hilary McKay about three kids who work together to solve their family problems. Indigo Casson has been sick for a whole term of school and is returning to a place full of bullies. His sister Rose and his other family members are worried about him. Rose is angry at her father who is separated from the family because he won’t come home to visit or look at her art. Back in his school, Indigo meets Tom, a new kid visiting from America for the term because he’s angry with his family. Eventually, the three of them make friends and solve their issues. Indigo is a fourteen year old boy living with his eccentric, very artistic family. Rose is eight and an amazingly talented artist for her age. Tom is about fourteen and loves playing guitar and high places. I really loved this book. It has a good ending, both happy and sad. The characters are funny, and there are lots of background details, like the oldest sister never getting rid of her old boyfriends! This is one of the best books I have read in a long time and if you read it I am sure you will agree.
Review by Natalie
Indigo’s Star is an amazing realistic fiction book by Hilary McKay about three kids who work together to solve their family problems. Indigo Casson has been sick for a whole term of school and is returning to a place full of bullies. His sister Rose and his other family members are worried about him. Rose is angry at her father who is separated from the family because he won’t come home to visit or look at her art. Back in his school, Indigo meets Tom, a new kid visiting from America for the term because he’s angry with his family. Eventually, the three of them make friends and solve their issues. Indigo is a fourteen year old boy living with his eccentric, very artistic family. Rose is eight and an amazingly talented artist for her age. Tom is about fourteen and loves playing guitar and high places. I really loved this book. It has a good ending, both happy and sad. The characters are funny, and there are lots of background details, like the oldest sister never getting rid of her old boyfriends! This is one of the best books I have read in a long time and if you read it I am sure you will agree.
Twilight, by Stephanie Meyer
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer is a fictional romance about an 18 year old girl named Bella and a vampire boy named Edward who fall in love. The plot in this wonderful book is in a small, humid rainy town called Forks where Bella has just moved in with her dad. She gets an old, red truck to drive to school in. At school she makes many new friends. When Bella goes to lunch she sees a boy who is so beautiful that she can barely stop staring at him; he, on the other hand, looks as though he hates her. But as the story goes on, they begin to fall in love. Bella is the main character; her parents have been divorced ever since she was little and she decides she wants to live in Forks with her dad, Charlie. Twilight is my favorite book in the whole entire world; it should get ten out of five stars. I liked it so much because of how exiting and romantic the story was. Also, I enjoyed the mythical creatures that were the characters in the book. Although Twilight was a great book, I wouldn’t recommend the book for boys because the vampires are not scary but romantic.
Eleven Seconds, by Travis Roy
Review by Caroline
Eleven Seconds, by Travis Roy himself is an inspiring story. Eleven seconds was all it took to change his whole life. His dreams were to play in the Division 1 hockey league and to become a Terrier. His dream to play in the Division 1 hockey league only lasted for 11 seconds. And he was able to be a Boston terrier for a little bit more than 11 seconds, thankfully about a few months. Travis Roy is a kind of person who gets along with almost everyone. Since he has been there for all of his friends and family, they were there for him when his tragedy occurred. So whenever Travis needed to cry with someone, somebody was there for him to cry with. I absolutely loved this book because Travis really persevered. He never complained about not being able to be independent and take care of himself. But again, he never held in his emotions, he said that he felt better after he cried than when he held back his tears. This book makes you realize how lucky you are to be able to actually take care of yourself, walk around, be able to move in any way without having someone else do it to you. But Travis is lucky enough to have a sip and puff wheelchair. So when he wants to move, he would blow into the straw and he would be able to move. And he would take a couple short or long breaths to go either left or right. I don’t know about you, but that makes me appreciate a lot of my capabilities. Just imagine growing up playing a sport for your whole life and then when your dream came true playing on a Division 1 team and then 11 seconds into it, you hurt yourself and get paralyzed. If you read this book, I hope you are inspired as much as I am.
Eleven Seconds, by Travis Roy himself is an inspiring story. Eleven seconds was all it took to change his whole life. His dreams were to play in the Division 1 hockey league and to become a Terrier. His dream to play in the Division 1 hockey league only lasted for 11 seconds. And he was able to be a Boston terrier for a little bit more than 11 seconds, thankfully about a few months. Travis Roy is a kind of person who gets along with almost everyone. Since he has been there for all of his friends and family, they were there for him when his tragedy occurred. So whenever Travis needed to cry with someone, somebody was there for him to cry with. I absolutely loved this book because Travis really persevered. He never complained about not being able to be independent and take care of himself. But again, he never held in his emotions, he said that he felt better after he cried than when he held back his tears. This book makes you realize how lucky you are to be able to actually take care of yourself, walk around, be able to move in any way without having someone else do it to you. But Travis is lucky enough to have a sip and puff wheelchair. So when he wants to move, he would blow into the straw and he would be able to move. And he would take a couple short or long breaths to go either left or right. I don’t know about you, but that makes me appreciate a lot of my capabilities. Just imagine growing up playing a sport for your whole life and then when your dream came true playing on a Division 1 team and then 11 seconds into it, you hurt yourself and get paralyzed. If you read this book, I hope you are inspired as much as I am.
The Sisters Club by Megan McDonald
The book that I read was called The sisters club by Megan McDonald. This book is about three sisters named Alex, Stevie, and Joey! They made up a club called the sisters club. The Reel family is a family of acting or actors. Alex is the oldest, she is twelve, Stevie is the middle child, she is ten, and Joey is the youngest, she is eight. The sisters are very close friends. Alex is the leader of the club so all of the meetings are in her room! Stevie is the middle and feels like she is not important. Joey is obsessed with pioneers and she does not like how Stevie and Alex get more homework then her so she gives herself fake homework! They call Joey duck since she is the youngest in the family! I thought that this book was a non-stop reader! It was a really good book so I think that if you choose to read it, you will end up liking it! When you are reading, they will have a format that looks like it is a journal entrée by Joey since she loves homework! When Stevie is talking it is normal writing and when Alex is writing it looks like play script since she loves acting! Over all I love this book and think that it is a very good book!
Reviewed by Julia
Reviewed by Julia
Brian's Winter by Gary Paulsen
Brian’s Winter
By Gary Paulsen
Review By: Peter
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Brian’s Winter is one of the alternative sequels to Hatchet. It is the story of Brian if he had never been rescued and was forced to stay in the Canadian Wilderness for the winter. The main character, Brain is a smart, creative, and optimistic 13 year old boy. At first Brian is ignorant to the signs of winter nature is giving him. When he realizes winter is coming it is almost too late. Brian now knows he must get ready for the quickly oncoming and brutal Canadian Winter. His shelter is far from weatherproof and his clothing is barely holding together. Many questions still remain on what he will be able to do in the winter though. Will he be able to hunt, gather firewood and do many other things necessary for survival?
As the fall steadily progresses into winter Brian readies himself for the biggest challenge of his life, surviving the winter. He does get some indirect help from the animals though, because of his observant eye he learns from them. These few tips greatly help Brian and his quest for survival. Although Brian has proved he can survive through a Canadian Wilderness summer will that be enough to survive the winter? Read Brian’s Winter by Gary Paulsen to find out!
By Gary Paulsen
Review By: Peter
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Brian’s Winter is one of the alternative sequels to Hatchet. It is the story of Brian if he had never been rescued and was forced to stay in the Canadian Wilderness for the winter. The main character, Brain is a smart, creative, and optimistic 13 year old boy. At first Brian is ignorant to the signs of winter nature is giving him. When he realizes winter is coming it is almost too late. Brian now knows he must get ready for the quickly oncoming and brutal Canadian Winter. His shelter is far from weatherproof and his clothing is barely holding together. Many questions still remain on what he will be able to do in the winter though. Will he be able to hunt, gather firewood and do many other things necessary for survival?
As the fall steadily progresses into winter Brian readies himself for the biggest challenge of his life, surviving the winter. He does get some indirect help from the animals though, because of his observant eye he learns from them. These few tips greatly help Brian and his quest for survival. Although Brian has proved he can survive through a Canadian Wilderness summer will that be enough to survive the winter? Read Brian’s Winter by Gary Paulsen to find out!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
The City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau
Review by Jonathan Schwartz
The City of Ember is a fiction story about two kids (Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow) trying to escape Ember before the great lights that keep that darkness that surrounds the city at bay go out. ¬¬There have been more and more blackouts lately, and eventually, a blackout will come that won’t end. On assignment day, Lina picks the dreaded job of pipeworks laborer, and Doon picks the splendid job of messenger. Messengers spend the day running around the town giving messages from one person to another, while pipeworks laborers spend the day underground fixing the pipes and taking care of the generator. Doon asks Lina to trade with him, because he wants to be in the pipeworks, because he thinks he can fix the generator.
Lina is a 12 year old girl who’s parents died from the cough sickness when she was younger, and lives with her granny and little sister Poppy. Doon is a 12 year old boy that lives with his father.
I thought that this book was great, because it has a good plot and is fast paced. You’ll be on the edge of your seat as Lina and Doon try to evacuate the city before it’s too late. Will they make it? Read The City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau to find out!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
