Archives for September, 2010
Posted by BOOK NAME: Holes
AUTHOR: Louis Sachar
Holes seems to be commonly used as a school book that the whole class reads at the same time. I read this book in 4th grade and now I’m reading it again in 6th grade. It is an amazing book and I especially love the simple yet enticing title. While reading this for class, I was supposed to read until Chapter 7, but I accidentally read the whole book! It is a real page turner and very creative.
Holes can be a grueling book. It is about some juvenile delinquents digging holes every day in the bed of a dried up lake. They are called “campers” and have a choice between Camp Green Lake or jail. Sounds like a lovely time, right? I love the strange connections in the book. They talk about the dreaded yellow spotted lizards (by the way they are very important to the story). These strange lizards are supposed to be Gila monsters.
Well this story is mostly focused on one specific camper called Stanley Yelnats. If you have sharp eyes or have already read the book then you would know that his name is spelled the same forwards and backwards! This camper has been convicted of a crime he did not commit and was sent to Camp Green Lake. He knows there is something fishy going on that involves the Warden (the Warden is the boss of the camp) and that they’re not just digging for character, they are really looking for something. Overall this is a book to remember–10 out of 10! The unique setting, phrases and dialogue will intrigue you and make you remember this book for a long time.
Posted by The wreck of the famous ocean liner R.M.S. Titanic was rediscovered by oceanographer and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Robert Ballard and photographer Emory Kristof on September 1, 1985. Last Wednesday marked the 25th anniversary of the find. New high-resolution pictures of the wreckage mark the anniversary.
The photographs were taken as part of Expedition Titanic. This expedition is using technology such as sonar imaging to virtually preserve the ship as it is now, and to estimate how long the wreck might last. In these pictures, people can get a good look at the decay of the wreck from “rusticles” and time.
See more pictures and learn about the wreck of the Titanic on National Geographic News.
Get to know Robert Ballard in this interview on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph courtesy Premier Exhibitions, Inc. and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Posted by BOOK NAME: Sports Camp
AUTHOR:
Rich Wallace
How was your summer? I know mine was great…especially with all of my books. This book is a great to read during the summer, especially if you’re at camp, because it’s about a summer camp.
If you like sports, then this is the perfect book for you. The kids Camp Olympia split into six cabins and those are the teams for the tournaments during the camp. The main events are Basketball, Softball and Water Polo. Riley’s an underdog and definitely not a star. But in one of the sports he comes up big.
The swimming and water polo events take place at Lake Surprise. It’s called Lake Surprise because Big Joe the snapping turtle lives there. There are rumors that Big Joe, has attacked and even killed people at the lake.
At the end of every chapter there’s a bulletin page for the camp, which is the daily news for the camp. It shows the results for the sports and the scores and a list of upcoming events and sometimes new rules.
I really hope you get this book and enjoy it. It took me less than two days to read, so it’s a good book if you’re looking for a quick read.
This week, the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. welcomed four new arrivals–baby lions! This is Shera’s first litter of cubs, and so far the family is doing wonderfully. The cubs won’t be out in the lion yard until late in the fall, according to keepers.
Learn more about the baby lions and watch a video on the National Zoo’s website.
Get the facts on lions in the Creature Feature.
The Big Cats Initiative, led by National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence Dereck and Beverly Joubert, hope to stop the decline of lion and other big cat populations. Learn more on National Geographic.
Locate lions and watch Crittercam videos in the Crittercam: African Adventure game on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph courtesy of Smithsonian National Zoo
Posted by BOOK NAME: Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life
AUTHOR: Wendy Mass
Today’s the first day of September, and you know what that means–time for a new book! This month we’ll read Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life. It’s another book with a bit of a mystery to it. (Like we said last week, we like mysteries!)
A month before his 13th birthday, Jeremy receives a box from his father, who died when Jeremy was 8. The label on the box says that the box contains the meaning of life! There’s only one problem… the keys to the box are missing. Jeremy and his friend Lizzy need to search for the keys.
We’ll be reading the first 5 chapters this week. We’ll talk about those chapters next Wednesday!
-DogEared
