Category archives for Previous Bloggers
Posted by BOOK NAME: Midnight for Charlie Bone
AUTHOR: Jenny Nimmo
Charlie Bone always knew that his family was “Endowed”. Endowed families are certain families that have special powers. No, we’re not talking about super powers but more magical powers.
Charlie’s special power is discovered when his friend, Benjamin, is having s birthday party. Charlie decides to get a picture of Benjamin’s dog, Runner Bean, as a birthday card. He ends up getting the wrong card, though. It is a picture of a man who is holding a baby. That is when Charlie discovers that he is Endowed!
Charlie has the power to see and hear what is going on in pictures. In the picture that he is holding, the man and woman who are taking the photo are fighting about what to do with their orphan niece. The woman wants to keep her while the man does not. Charlie is very puzzled, but doesn’t know the dark secret, behind this photo.
Grandma Bone has been waiting for Charlie to get his powers. Charlie’s father was Endowed but he died in a deadly car crash, so Grandma Bone is so excited when she finds out that Charlie is finally Endowed. Grandma Bone calls her sisters over to see if Charlie is worthy to go to school at Bloor’s Academy. All Endowed children go there along with good musicians, artists and actors. Charlie is heartbroken that he has to leave his best friend Benjamin behind but on the bright side, he gets to come home for the weekends.
Charlie will meet new friends and, with the help of them and Benjamin, they will solve the mystery of the orphan girl. This book is a lot like Harry Potter and it is a very exiting book. I tore through it and I hope that you will, too. See ya later alligator!
BOOK NAME: Shark Wars
AUTHOR: EJ Altwater
What’s up readers, I’m back with another action packed review. This book really has some bite. I hope you enjoy my review.
This book starts on the warm Caribbean waters. Grey and his best friend Barkley are going to school for another boring day in their opinion. But Grey runs into some trouble on his way back and ends getting banished from his shiver (group). When Grey is banished, Barkley goes with him. But the rouge pair ends up running into other rogue Sharks.
Snork, Striiker, Mari, Shell, Barkley and Grey end up making their own shiver. But they end up wandering into another the Goblin shiver’s home waters. The Goblin shiver is led by Goblin (unique name, huh?). They are at war with the Razor shiver. They are forced into joining this shiver. Grey loves it in the Goblin shiver because he is treated great by Goblin. But then Barkley overhears some of Goblin’s line (the line is like the right-hand man except there are 5 of them) talking about using Grey for battle. Will Barkley end up saving Grey or will Grey be sucked into Goblin’s plan? I can’t tell you the end, because I don’t want to ruin the book for you.
P.S. Did I mention that this book is about sharks? No, I mean it’s actually ABOUT sharks! Grey and all his friends are sharks!
This book is for advanced 5th graders and up and it’s pretty good. Well, it was fun making this review so I hope you enjoy it. See you later.
BOOK NAME: Guardians of Ga’Hoole: The Capture
AUTHOR: Kathryn Lasky
Hello readers, how are you all? I sure know that I’m good. I’m here to
tell you about the first book in an amazing series. You may have heard
of the movie Legend of the Guardians of Ga’Hoole…well, that’s
based on the first three books of a 14-book series. I haven’t quite
gotten through all of them yet – I’ve only read the first two, but I’m
going to keep reading the series. Did I mention that the series is all
about owls? Talking owls. And they wear battle armor.
Enough of this introduction! On to the review…
The first book in the Guardians of Ga’Hoole series is called The Capture.
It starts when there is an egg hatching at Soren”s hollow. Soren is the
main character in the book and he has an older brother named Kludd who
really isn’t the nicest owl. He is pretty mean to Soren. There is also
a nest maid in the family. A nest maid is a snake that is born blind
and they serve for barn owls. Her name is Mrs. P and the owl family
loves her. Eglantine is the owl that’s hatched and Soren loves his new
sister with all of his heart. When Soren somehow falls out of his nest,
Kludd refuses to help him and he threatens to eat Mrs. P so nobody can
help Soren. His parents won’t be back from their hunting trip for a few
more weeks.
Soren is then snatched by St. Aggie’s patrols. The patrols are looking
to capture any and all owls who fall from their hollows because they
want to make them their slaves. On his way to St. Aggie’s, he becomes
friends with a little Elf Owl named Gylfie. St. Aggies’s is a horrible
place for Owls and Book 1 is about how Soren and Gylfie try to escape.
I’m not going to tell you exactly what happens…you are going to have
to get the book to find out what happens next. This is a really good
adventure book…sort of like an IndiOWL Jones. Get it?
See ya next time. Reed OUT!
Want another opinion? Read Mairen’s review!
BOOK NAME: Liar, Liar
AUTHOR: Gary Paulsen
What’s up my readers? How are you all doing? I know I’m good. Today I get the honor to tell you about Gary Paulsen’s book, Liar, Liar. As you know, I love Gary Paulsen and this just adds to his long list of great books. I really enjoyed it and hope you enjoy this review.
This time, Paulsen came up with a great book for kids between ages 10 and 13. Liar, Liar is about a boy named Kevin who is great at telling lies and he uses his gift for bad things. It all started when Mr. Crosby assigned him a project. This project was to be done with assigned partners and Kevin got the worst partner, Katie. He didn’t want to work with her so he told her that he had some crazy disease and it would be mean to make her work with him.
In his mind, he is a really good liar. But what happens throughout the book is that his lies become bigger and bigger until he is in a very tough situation. All of a sudden he has made all of these lies to all of these different people and has a lot of explaining to do.
Most of his lying is because of this girl in his school named Tina, who he has a crush on. He makes up excuses and lies to get out of class so he can see her. And when he is finally with Tina it doesn’t look too good because of all of his lies that he told.
I think that if you liked Mudshark by Gary Paulsen then you will love Liar, Liar. They’re both great comedies.
Well guys, that is all that I’m going to tell you. See ya!
Posted by BOOK NAME: Thirteen Days to Midnight
AUTHOR: Patrick Carman
You are indestructible. Three words that transferred a power to Jacob Fielding that would soon change everything. Without knowing the “rules” or “guidelines” of the power, he remained unsure about it and hesitated to use it for a long time. Daily, he holds a flame under his fingers and wished it would burn his skin, but it doesn’t.
Then Ophelia James, a drop dead gorgeous daredevil at heart moves in town and become friends with Jacob and his best friend, Milo. When the secret is released to her, she becomes filled with ideas, all of which are to help people. But there is something addictive about testing the boundaries of the power and the fear that comes with running through fire unharmed, falling off buildings without a bruise and emerging yourself in water for an hour without drowning.
Jacob has to chose which lives to safe and which to let go. After a while, though, the choices become difficult and suddenly pressured. With every good deed and life they save, the power becomes cursed and Jacob only has 12 days to figure out how to release the curse.
The author wrote this beautifully and I won’t ever forget the adventure Jacob and Ophelia had cheating death. Although the cover and summary on the back might make it seem scary, it isn’t. The only thing to be cautious about was the mild language and conversations about hell. It’s an exciting quick read and any pre-teen/teen could easily eat this book up in a few days.
Posted by BOOK NAME: Feed
AUTHOR: M.T. Anderson
While walking through the bookstore with a 2-foot-high stack of books in my arms, I saw Feed and added it to the stack. It somehow managed to survive the rigorous tests that got it into my bag on the way out of said bookstore, and I’m glad that it did. I started to read it and, while being confused with the language used, was quickly drawn into the vortex that is M.T. Anderson’s book.
Now, don’t go pick up this book if you can’t take bad language. It’s in the teen section for a reason, folks. Please get your parent’s permission if you’re 13 or under.
Moving past that awkward disclaimer, the book revolves around a teenager named Titus who spends his time e-chatting people, taking Spring Break on the Moon (awesome!) and generally hanging out with his friends. This might seem normal (well, except the Moon part), but everything is done over the Feed. The Feed is a network that is integrated into people’s heads and that is used to communicate and get information. Basically, think smartphone/encyclopedia/knowledge base all in one and in your head. That’s a pretty cool idea to begin with, but the way that M.T. Anderson exploits it to force the reader to take a look at our society and what it could evolve into is really enrapturing. Titus meets Violet, a girl who likes to talk in person (shocker) and is generally a little bit strange. When a hacker disables their feeds, they are sent into rehab and Titus learns all about Violet’s view on life.
This book, once you wrap your head around the decidedly futuristic language, is great. I haven’t read a “teen” book in a while that really makes you take as big a step back as Feed did. I can see how Violet was alone in a world where everything was done on the feed, and how that could soon become our society. Basically, read this book at some point in your life. If you’re not old or mature enough now, read it when you’re in high school, or even college. It will do you some good and give you a little perspective on life.
BOOK NAME: The Titan’s Curse
AUTHOR: Rick Riordan
How is everyone doing? I’ve got another Percy Jackson blog for you. I hope you enjoy this one.
The book starts off with Percy’s mom driving Thalia, Annabeth, and Percy to a school were Grover had reported that he had found a half-blood. When they got to the school there was a school dance going on. Thalia used some sort of “Jedi Mind Trick” on an instructor so they could get in the school. Once they got in they found Grover and he pointed out the two half-bloods. Their names were Bianca and Nico–brother and sister.
Percy, Thalia and Annabeth had to blend in with everyone else by dancing to get to Nico and Bianca. They all got separated from each other at the dance, and then something weird happened and they ended up in the forest. Once they regrouped, they figured out that the same instructor that they had tricked had done this and he had Nico and Bianca captured. Then the instructor flicked his tail and spikes came flying at Percy and his friends. Wait! he has a tail and that can only mean one thing: the instructor is a monster.
You guys have to read to find out what happens and what I’ve told you is really important to the rest of the book, so keep that in mind. This is one of the best books in the series. I hope that you guys think the same thing. Well guys I got to go, so until next time, bye!
BOOK NAME: Boneshaker
AUTHOR: Cherie Priest
Rumors of gold in the frozen Klondike brought hordes of newcomers to the Pacific Northwest. Russian miners permitted inventor Leviticus Blue to design a machine to mine through the ice. Thus, Dr. Leviticus Blue created his Bone-Shaking Drill machine.
Before using the machine on the ice, it needed a test run. Destroying several blocks in Seattle, the test was a fail. It slowly uncovered an underground toxin gas, known as the Blight, that poisoned the air to the point of turning humans into Rotters.
Sixteen years later, a wall built around the toxic city allows no entrance or exit for humans or Rotters. Dr. Leviticus Blue’s wife, Briar, and his son Ezekiel manage alone, living with the ruined reputation of Leviticus. Becoming increasingly curious and disturbed by his father’s machine test failure, Ezekiel sets out to the toxic city to try and reveal some uncovered past. But when he gets stuck in the city, Briar is the only one who can bring him back to safety.
Boneshaker was a hard read, but worth the time. It’s not very long, but the events that take place in it are very detailed and suspenseful. I wanted to read more every time I sat down to read it, but I needed multiple breaks. It’s one of the best books out there, I assure you. Unfortunately it contains mild language, but besides that–a great read. Gnarly.
BOOK NAME: The Gift: Witch & Wizard Book 2
AUTHOR: James Patterson
I hope all of you know who the author James Patterson is. If not, abandon the computer and get one of your parents to take you to the bookstore ASAP. But while you’re there, don’t pick up The Gift. I’ve already made that mistake.
Okay, okay, it wasn’t THAT bad. Let me start at the beginning: I’m normally a huge Patterson fan, but when I picked up Witch and Wizard (the book before The Gift), I was a little disappointed because it was only mediocre. It was an okay plot and everything, but the way it was written was not as appealing as it could have been. Despite this, when the sequel (The Gift) came out, I went right to my local Barnes and Noble, bought it, and read it. Now, a few hours later, I’m still in a state of confusion.
Before we get into why I didn’t like it, I’ll give a little background. Whit and Wisteria Allgood are just normal teenagers until they discover they have magical powers when the New Order is established (basically, all of the job titles start with “The One” and they hate anyone who isn’t into the whole “kill people who look like they don’t like us” thing). That was the first book, in which they engage in many adventures, live in an old department store, and use magic. The Gift is the second book in the series, and follows Whit and Wisty again as they engage in even more fun adventures, sometimes involving chocolate and inevitably ending in meeting “The One Who is The One.” Don’t worry, I’m confused, too.
Basically, my problems with the book were these: James Patterson and his coauthor (conveniently listed in barely-visible print at the bottom of the dust cover) tried WAY too hard to get the teen language and vibe right–I mean, I never say ‘totes cool.’ Also, the plot was not as great as it could have been. We’ve all seen post-apocalyptic new world government stuff before, and we’ve also seen magic. But mix them together in a generic plot line, and what do you get? Not a good book, I can tell you that.
Before you forgo reading this, remember that this is only my opinion and I tend to be pretty tough on books. If you have read it, comment back and tell me what you thought!
A bunch of you are probably thinking: “But wait! You’ve already done a review of the Barnes and Noble nook.” But this review is going to be a little bit different. I’m going to compare two of the top e-Readers: The Barnes and Noble nook and Amazon’s Kindle.
First up is the nook. I’m going to bounce back and forth between nook and Kindle, and I’m going to ask the same question for both. I interviewed my Dad for the nook because he has one. And I interviewed my friend Noah who got a Kindle for Christmas.
REED: How do you control everything?
DAD: There’s a small touch screen at the bottom of the nook. This is where you push and slide-around to find everything you need – sort of like an iPhone or iPad. The touch screen controls everything on the larger screen above, including your shelves of books, selecting what you want to read, as well as the B&N store, games and web browser that are all on the nook. There are two buttons on each side of the nook so you can turn the pages forward or backward and use whichever hand is most comfortable. Probably the coolest feature of the touch screen is that you can slide your finger forward or back to turn the pages instead of using the buttons.
NOAH: You have a keyboard, two buttons to turn the page, there are four arrow keys, one for up, down, and side to side. There is a button in between the arrow keys to select stuff. Like the nook, the Kindle has two buttons on the side to turn the page. There is no touch screen.
REED: What options do you have from the main menu?
DAD: From the nook’s main menu, you can get to your library of books and magazines, a selection of daily blogs, the nook store, Sudoku and Chess games, a web browser and all of your device settings, like turning on and off wireless.
NOAH: You have the option to turn wireless wifi on or off. You have a web browser. You can get small board games. You can buy books on the Kindle from either Kindle.com or Amazon. It depends on which Kindle you have. You can also share your books with other Kindle users.
REED: Is there a nook/Kindle app for the iPod, iPhone or iPad?
DAD: Yep. You can access your nook library from any device, including iPod (REED: I use the nook app on the iPod Touch I got for Christmas!), iPhone and iPad as well as Blackberry phones (which I sometimes use), and your desktop computer.
NOAH: Yes. It isn’t as good as the actual Kindle.
All in all, I think both of these e-Readers are very good and are neck-to-neck. Barnes and Noble probably has a slight advantage due to their new Nook Color. I can’t tell you too much more because I don’t have one. I would recommend the nook because it’s very simple and the touch screen makes everything easier.
Thank you guys for reading this. I hope you enjoyed this blog. This was a very fun review for me because I got to interview Noah at school. If you want to see another interview, check out when I interviewed the famous kids author Gary Paulsen. You can read it here.
(AD) Check out National Geographic Kids magazine on the nook!
BOOK NAME: The Scorch Trials
AUTHOR: James Dashner
The Gladers successfully solved the Maze and everything was supposed to be over. No more confusion, no more puzzles, no more running to save their own lives. The Gladers expected to be able to get their preview lives they knew nothing about back. To have it easy again. But even the Maze was easy compared to what was ahead of them; the Maze provided the essentials. When diagnosed with the Flare, the Gladers are sent across a disintegrated wasteland to retrieve their cure, to prevent themselves from turning into a Crank, to pass another trial.
After reading The Maze Runner I immediately got online, looking to see if there was a second book, the ending of the first hinting on a continuous story. The Maze Runner was rather new at that time and The Scorch Trials was being written and worked on then. I waited patiently for this book to come out and as soon as I got it, I read it as fast as I could.
James Dashner is very descriptive and the surroundings of the story and characters are so real, you’ll want to engage in the story more than ever. I read dead into the night, curious about the unrevealed relationships between the events happening and the role which they all played in the character’s lives.
I suggest this book to just about anyone of any age. If you can read and have a longer attention span than a squirrel go and read this book!
BOOK NAME: Graceling
AUTHOR: Kristin Cashore
When I saw a friend reading Graceling, it piqued my interest and I picked it up the next time I was at the library. I started to read and was intrigued by Katsa, a girl who is ‘graced.’ Only certain people are graced, and you can tell that they are because they have different colored eyes-Katsa’s are green and blue. From the age of 8, everyone thought that her grace was killing because she instinctively hit a distant cousin when she heard someone behind her. While on a mission for King Randa to save the kidnapped Prince Tealiff, she accidentally meets Po, the son of the man she rescued. They meet again when she gets back to her king, but Katsa soon realizes that it isn’t right for her to be forced to torture Randa’s rivals. She goes off with Po to find out who kidnapped Tealiff and why, and also to save Princess Bitterblue from her evil father King Leck.
This book was a little confusing at first, just to get all of the names straight and the whole setup of the kingdoms. After that, it was a thrill ride that kept me reading till the end (well obviously, since I’m writing this review). My favorite character was Katsa, and not just because her name sounds like Katniss from The Hunger Games (you’re thinking now, aren’t you?). She was a strong female character, which is becoming more and more popular with modern authors. Plus, who could think of a guy named ‘Po’ as their favorite character? Po’s character was actually very nice and brave, but whenever I saw ‘Po,’ I had to stop myself from laughing, which distracted from the plot. Other than the unfortunate name choices (Po and Bitterblue), the book was a good read. I encourage kids in middle school and up to pick it up and give it a try.
BOOK NAME: The Sea of Monsters
AUTHOR: Rick Riordan
Hola, boys and girls how are you? I know I’m good. A lot of people liked Parker’s review so I’m going to do one to. If you want to check out his review, click here. I liked this book because there is a lot of action and adventure, which are my favorite books. I hope you like my review.
The story starts off when Percy is having a nightmare at his mom’s house in Manhattan. Percy and Grover (Percy’s best friend) have this sort of link that whenever Grover is in trouble Percy can see what is going on in his dreams. Grover went out on a quest to find the wild god Pan like all satyrs do (Satyrs are a mix of goat and human). Grover was in Miami in Percy’s dream running from something while murmuring, “Have to get away, have to warn them.” Percy didn’t know whom Grover wanted to warn but had a feeling that it was the entire camp half-blood.
It turns out that a Cyclops named Polyphemus that lives on an island in the Sea of Monsters has taken Grover prisoner. Grover’s warning was a message for help.
Camp half-blood is for demi-gods. Demi-gods are people who are half god half human. In Percy’s case his father is Poseidon, god of the sea.
I can’t tell our much more because I would be a spoiler. I really enjoyed writing this one so you guys and girls could compare it to Parker’s. I hope you guys and girls do. Well I’ve got to wrap it up so see you later!
BOOK NAME: The Kidnapped Prince
AUTHOR: Olaudah Equino
ADAPTED BY: Ann Cameron
In 1755 a young African boy, Olaudah Equino, was kidnapped from his people and sold into slavery. Never being exposed to any other people or cultures other than his own village, this frightened him greatly. His first taste of the world was the bitter and cruel ways of the white people, beating people of other races and treating them like animals. As Olaudah serves as a slave for most of his life, he learns the difference between right and wrong in many instances. On his journey to earning back the freedom he should’ve already had Olaudah travels halfway around the world, experiencing things that made him famous.
This was a book I was to read as part of my world history for school. I wouldn’t have picked this book off of a shelf and read it willingly, but I’m rather glad I did. Although the book is historical fiction and my tastes tend to lean more to the ‘steampunk’ style, I enjoyed it and actually learned some things from it. I was happy to read a book that featured slavery from the view of an actual slave. Olaudah Equino wrote his autobiography and it became a best-seller. Later, author Ann Cameron edited his biography to a story that could be enjoyed by all ages.
The Kidnapped Prince is a short chapter book, each chapter being about two pages long. I recommend this to anyone who can read and even to those, like myself, who have no interest in the history of slavery. This short read with increase your knowledge in slavery and peak your interests greatly, leaving you wanting more.
BOOK NAME: Everwild
AUTHOR:
Neal Shusterman
If you liked Everlost, then you’re sure to love Everwild, the sequel and second book in The Skinjacker Trilogy. Everwild came out a while ago, but the third book is coming out this spring so I decided to wait until it was closer to that time to review it. Everwild is the second book in the series, and follows Allie, Nick, Mary, and quite a few other characters in their journeys through Everlost. Nick is dubbed ‘The Chocolate Monster’ by Mary because of the chocolate stain that just won’t go away, and he is trying to get all of the kids in Everlost to reach the light at the end of the tunnel. Meanwhile, Mary Hightower is trying to keep them all in Everlost forever. Allie goes back home to try and find her parents, and runs into some skinjackers. Near the end of the novel, she discovers the real reason why she can skinjack–and that reason will definitely be a big factor in some huge decisions she will have to make in the third book.
I love Neal Shusterman’s writing, and he continues to amaze me with his creative and imaginative stories. I would recommend this book to pretty much all kids who aren’t freaked out by the concept of ‘ghosts.’ For more information about the series, read my review of Everlost, the first book, to see if this is for you. My favorite character was actually a new character named Zinnia (although everyone called her Zin). She had a great personality and I was constantly laughing out loud at her antics. Overall, this is yet another hit that I encourage everyone to read (but not before you read the first book).
BOOK NAME: The Strange Case of Origami Yoda
AUTHOR: Tom Angleberger
Hi guys, I’m back. I read a book that was just hysterical: The Strange Case of Origami Yoda. I think that you guys are going to like this book.
This book is about a kid named Dwight who is the strangest kid ever. He made this origami Yoda and he puts it on his finger and walks around school like that. Origami Yoda starts to give advice to people about their personal problems. Dwight puts Origami Yoda up to his ear and Yoda “whispers” the advice and then Dwight says the advice in a Yoda accent.
Tommy is the main character in the book and he wants to get to the bottom of this, so he starts a file and asks people who got advice from Origami Yoda to write a paper to add to his file. The whole book you are reading are the papers from Tommy’s file. It is very interesting.
One of the stories in the file is about Tommy’s best friend who doesn’t believe in Origami Yoda so he makes another Origami Yoda. Dwight’s Yoda says that there will be a battle of the Origami Yodas. You are going to have to read the book to find out what happens next but I guarantee you that you are going to be surprised at what happens next.
Thanks for reading my review I hope that you enjoyed it. I know I did. Thanks again, and bye! See you next time!
BOOK NAME: Incarceron
AUTHOR:
Catherine Fisher
Incarceron is alive. A prison unlike any other. It’s prisoners live not in cells, but in metal forests and ramshackle cities. Since the beginning of time, it’s been closed. Nobody coming in and nobody escaping. All except one man, Sapphique. Legend says he was the only escapee. With that inspiration in mind, Finn, a young prisoner of Incarceron claims to escape. To return to where he believes is his home. The Outside.
After finding a crystal key, Finn meets Claudia. A charming, but stubborn girl who is said to live Outside. With the evil Warden of Incarceron as her father, Claudia is able to help Finn escape, but will most certainly need his help in exchange, being in the midst of an arranged marriage with a horrifying prince.
A winner. Again, another book that will be remembered always. The characters are written so detailed, I have this elaborate picture in my mind of what each person looks like. The environment and the character’s feelings are very obvious and you start to ‘feel’ for each and every one of them! I found myself literally on the edge of my seat when I read some parts!
After reading The Maze Runner I got hooked on steampunk books. So I immediately fell in love with Incarceron when my mother bought it and took it home. After just a few chapters, I assure you the suspension and mystery will keep you reading and you’ll be hooked as well.
Want another opinion? Read Mairen’s review of Incarceron.
BOOK NAME: Time You Let Me In: 25 Poets Under 25
Editor: Naomi Shihab Nye
I recently read a book of sorts called Time You Let Me In, which is actually a compilation of poems written by 25 poets who are under 25. The poetry is almost all free verse, and is not rhythmic in the sense that many pieces of poetry are. It is jagged and raw, but it is more touching and emotionally stirring than any poetry I have read before. It is about important occurrences in the lives of the poets who contributed. The language used is somewhat mature, however, and for that reason I would recommend it to children who are at least 13. Although I usually don’t particularly like swearing, I felt that the language used in some of the poems gave more depth and meaning to the writing than it would have had had the language been left out or replaced. The poetry is raw in many ways, but it gives true, heartfelt accounts of events that happened as well as providing rare snapshots into people’s lives.
I haven’t read a book that is entirely poetry in a while, and it was refreshing, especially since the verses were so unconventional and unlike anything I had ever read before. In short, I would recommend this to a definitively older group of readers who are ready for a deeply moving emotional rollercoaster of a book.
BOOK NAME: The Rivalry
AUTHOR: John Feinstein
Hey, I’m back. I’m writing about a mystery book. I liked this book because it also involves sports. It is a series of books; all have something to do with sports. It’s about two teenagers who are reporters for two different newspapers. Stevie and Susan Carol are their names.
They were both invited to the Army vs. Navy game, which is a big football rivalry. The game would take place in D.C. Each reporter would each be assigned a team to cover. Stevie went to West Point to check out Army and Susan Carol hade to go to Annapolis, Maryland to see the Naval Academy.
When the game day finally came the refs were not being fair and both coaches were REALLY mad. It turns out the same refs were at he previous game for both teams and weren’t being very fair in those either. Can Susan Carol and Stevie get to the bottom of this? I can’t tell you that. You are going to have to read the book to find out. I think that if you like mystery or sports or both then this is the book for you. I recommend this book for kids 10-13. It keeps you up all night because you just can’t put it down.
Thanks for reading my blog. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Until next time: Hasta la vista amigos.
BOOK NAME: Matched
AUTHOR: Ally Condie
In the Society, the Officials decide. Everything. Cassia has always trusted their choices, decisions, and motives. From when you’re born to when you die, the Society decides. Everything in everyone’s lives are controlled by the white-dressed Officials. When Cassia gets Matched with her best friend, Xander, for life, she is certain it’s the wisest choice for the Officials to have made in her life. Until she sees the face of Ky on her Matching screen for a brief moment before it goes black. Cassia’s certainty in Xander weakens and her curiosity for making her own choices in life such as who she loves overcomes her. Decisions don’t have to be made, but it’s Cassia’s choice whether or not to make them, herself.
Matched was recommended for the fans of Twilight and The Hunger Games, but I beg to differ. Matched had no inappropriate content and sent out a message on the wisdom in making decisions, having hope, and loving someone truly. With a romantic curve ball to the story of the Society in which Cassia lives in, the book contains girly content I honestly loved. This book is recommended for ages 12 and up, containing some harder to understand content that would most likely satisfy the older age group. This is one of the few books I’ll remember when I look back on my good reads and I hope Matched is as enjoyable for you as it was for me!
BOOK NAME: Dread Locks: Dark Fusion #1
AUTHOR: Neal Shusterman
Parker lives in a luxurious neighborhood with his family and siblings and the empty mansion next door. The mansion won’t be empty for long, though: Parker’s problem of boredom is solved quickly when a strange girl moves in. She goes to his high school, and is kind of … weird. She always wears dark sunglasses, and her hair sometimes seems alive. Her name is Tara.
Tara sees no problem in taking things that aren’t hers. She seems smart, and has a certain power over other people. The people she is friends with start developing weird behaviors, and Parker’s own brother is overtaken by the disease-like affliction. Her victims begin to drink tons of milk, eat dirt, and become very sedentary and weak all of the time. Will Parker be able to figure out what is going on and save his friends?
This was a very good book. It wasn’t one of Neal Shusterman’s best, but it was good. I personally liked it because of the references to Greek mythology. I won’t tell you what they are (you’ll have to read to find out), but if you like the Percy Jackson books, you’ll love this one. It’s a short read, which is also nice–I don’t have to spend hours poring over it. Sometimes it’s good to get a quick little book to read. It gets a little bit scary, so I would recommend it to kids in 6th grade and up. It’s certainly spooky!
BOOK NAME: Ender’s Game
AUTHOR: Orson Scott Card
Hey guys. How are you all doing today? I know I’m happy. I am going to tell about one of my favorite books. It is called Ender’s Game. I think that this book is appropriate for 11 year olds through young adults
Ender is the main character in this book. His real name is Andrew but people call him Ender because he is a third child. There is a law that says you can only have two children but Peter (Enders brother) did so well in battle school that the government thought he would be the next great commander so they let the Wiggins have a third child because they thought that Ender would also be a great commander. It turns out Peter was too violent and Ender was just right.
Ender needs to save the world from the alien Buggers just as Mazer Rackham did about 70 years ago during their second invasion. He killed the Queen bugger. He also is Enders teacher at commander school. He teaches all of the kids who generals think have a chance at being the next commander of their fleet. Ender is the last child Mazer will be able to train before the third invasion which is coming soon. Everybody hopes that Ender is the next great commander.
Can Ender save the world? Will he ever get to see his family again? You have to read this book to find out. The book is part of a series. A very long series that is. It is so long that even today Orson Scott Card is still working on the last book. Have a nice day everybody and make sure you check under your bed for Buggers. I know I will.
BOOK NAME: The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn
AUTHOR: Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler
Seikei dreams of becoming a samurai, but he knows his fate cannot be like one of a samurai. Being a tea merchant’s son, he is expected to grow up and inherit his father’s trade. Living life by one day at a time, Seikei becomes familiar with the tea his father sells and almost gives up on his dream of being a samurai. Soon after, a ruby sent to the shogun (the military governor of Japan) is stolen by a ghost. Being the only witness, Seikei is required to assist the famous samurai magistrate, Judge Ooka, in his adventure to find the thief and return the ruby.
The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn is a book apart of the “Sleuth Puffin” group so it’s a mystery/adventure. This book was one I was to read for school. In full honesty, I read the summary on the back which covered most of the whole story like the paragraph above and I deeply sighed. A Japanese boy with a dream. A dream that couldn’t come true. Then something gets stolen and he has to help. So typical, right? After the second chapter in this book I kept reading and reading. I loved it so much! The storyline is admittedly common, but the authors, Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler, dazzled up the plot and the whole story came alive. No inappropriate content and a fabulous story! I suggest it to reading levels of 3rd grade and up!
BOOK NAME: The Schwa Was Here
AUTHOR: Neal Shusterman
Anthony Bonano is just a normal kid – well, look beyond his weird nickname “Antsy” and he is. He lives in Brooklyn, New York and goes to school like any other teenager his age. But one day, his life changes when he and his two best friends, Howie and Ira, meet a boy named Calvin Schwa. Calvin, or “The Schwa” as he is known to most people, isn’t a normal kid. Not a lot of people notice him–that is, he seems to fade into the background a lot, and some people can’t even tell he is there. Antsy and his friends begin to document the “Schwa Effect,” to help Calvin stay in existence (he is worried that once no one notices him, he’ll just cease to exist). On one of their missions to prove the Schwa Effect, Calvin is challenged to sneak in to the neighborhood curmudgeon’s house and steal a dog bowl. The grumpy old man, Mr. Crawley, has 14 different Afghan hounds, and while Calvin is trying to take a bowl, he is caught. Antsy and Calvin have to work for Mr. Crawley to stop him from calling the police, and they have to walk the dogs every day as their punishment.
Just in case this wasn’t too much, Mr. Crawley’s granddaughter is coming to visit, and he has offered to pay Antsy to spend time with her. Antsy figures that there must be something horribly wrong with her – but there really isn’t: she’s just blind. Her quick wit and lovable attitude bring both Antsy and the Schwa to fall in love with her, which causes tension between the two.
My favorite part of this book was the Schwa’s collection of paperclips. He has a huge collection of different paperclips from different worldwide occurrences, and at one point in the story, he shows Antsy. Some people might think that it is weird, but I think it’s quite cool. He even has one from the Titanic! Anyway, this is a heartwarming and unique story that I would recommend to all readers. Neal Shusterman really did a great job with this novel.
BOOK NAME: Masters of Disaster
AUTHOR: Gary Paulsen
Hey guys it’s me Reed. This time I’ve got an action and comedy book. Gary Paulsen is an amazing author, and you can read my interview with him. In this book he’s just amazing.
Henry, Reed, and Riley are best friends. Henry is the leader of the three. He also comes up with some of the most wacky ideas ever. He always uses Reed as a test dummy. Riley is always doing the research and he also is always prepared.
Here is an example of a crazy idea Henry came up with. A house in their neighborhood is perfect for an extremely high bike jump, and it also has a pool. The owners of it happen to be out. So Henry decides he’s going to try for a world’s record. He dresses Reed up in a lot of protection and even ties his hands to the handle bars. Riley says Reed can ride down the roof, hit the diving board and bounce really really high. He hits the diving board perfect on the first try. On the second bounce after hitting the diving board, he skids off at a 45 degree angle and slides into the back alleyway where he runs into about 4 trash cans. He got covered in baby diapers. And as Reed says later in the book: “The smell doesn’t come off. It gets worse.”
The book isn’t about one single story. It’s a mix of different stories like the one above.
This is another masterpiece by Gary Paulsen. You should definitely read it. And it’s not very long, only 102 pages!
