Category archives for Previous Bloggers
Posted by BOOK NAME: The Story of Cirrus Flux
AUTHOR:
Matthew Skelton
Cirrus Flux lives at the Foundling Hospital, where his father James left him when he was a baby. James Flux was doing work for the Guild of Empirical Science, and was on a quest to find the “Breath of God.” Set in 18th-century London, this novel is a breath of fresh air amidst all of the vampire books that dominate the young adult and even kids’ sections at bookstores and libraries. Every child who lives at the Foundling Hospital was left a token by their parent. These tokens are worn around the necks of the children. Cirrus is led to believe that he never had one, but this token is the focus of turmoil that is tearing through London like wildfire. Cirrus is one of the only older Foundlings left who hasn’t gotten an apprenticeship yet. His best friend has recently been apprenticed, and he is miserable.
Pandora is a foundling as well, and she was apprenticed to a woman who is after the Breath of God. Her mentor allegedly clears her patients of all bad memories, enabling them to get a new lease on life. Through a series of events, Pandora finds herself back in the Foundling Hospital and trying to help Cirrus escape.
The rest of the book is a chronicle of the adventures and events that occur after that point in the novel. Cirrus discovers that his token contains the last bit of the Breath of God, and all the major scientific powers of London are clamoring to get it. My favorite character in the book is Pandora. She is a unique, quirky girl who stands up for what she thinks is right and is not afraid to stand alone when she does so. She’s a great role model (as is Cirrus) and illustrates many characteristics that anchor concepts of true morality.
This book takes a while to get into, and it wasn’t the best storyline I’ve ever read. For me, the characters were what made reading it worthwhile. The values that were represented by each of the characters added depth to the plot where there otherwise wouldn’t have been any. It’s a good book overall, and I strongly recommend it for anyone wishing to embark upon a wild ride!
I think this book is fantasy, what with some of the things that happen later in the story. However, it is set in a real-time period London, with some twists. I prefer to think of it as an alternate universe, but I think that it’s open to interpretation! Read the book and comment to let me know what you think.
Posted by BOOK NAME: Adam of the Road
AUTHOR: Elizabeth Janet Gray
Being a minstrel, Adam wanders the streets happily, doing cartwheels and bringing joy upon others. For years, Adam has done nothing but roam the streets with his red spaniel, Nick, and his minstrel father, Roger. When Adam’s father disappears and Nick gets stolen, Adam spends all his days looking for the two dearest things that belong to him. Roger and Nick.
I really enjoyed how the author described the scenery and how someone felt. I’d have to say my favorite character is Adam, the main character. The author just put so much personality into him. In this book, the “bad guy” was the man who stole Nick and I think I enjoyed having some amount of crime and mischief in the book.
Adam of the Road was a book I read for school. It isn’t a book that I’d read out of interest, though. I wouldn’t say that is a good book or a bad book. The reading level was too easy for me and the story seemed to drag. I think that it’d be interesting for a child of a younger age, but not so much for me.
Posted by BOOK NAME: The Red Pyramid
AUTHOR: Rick Riordan
It started off when my Mom brought me home a book order from school (she’s a teacher there). I decided to get a Gary Paulsen book called Caught by the Sea: My Life on Boats and The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan. I wanted The Red Pyramid because it looked like it had some cool adventure. Everyday after school, I’d ask my Mom, “Did it come? Did it come?” It took a while for it to finally come because it hadn’t even been published yet! It finally came in the middle of one school day and I started reading it that night.
The story’s narrators switch off between the two main characters, Carter and Sadie. Carter and Sadie’s mom died when they were young so Sadie had to go live with her grandparents on her mom’s side of the family. Carter lived with his dad who’s an archaeologist, but they only went to visit Sadie twice a year. Carter was named after Howard Carter, who discovered King Tut’s tomb (if you want to learn more about King Tut and mummies, read Braden’s review of the book Mummies).
Carter and Sadie’s dad takes them to the British Museum in London, where they see the Rosetta Stone, a famous archaeological discovery. He tells them to stay in an office, but when they leave the office they find their dad doing something that looks like magic. It turns out to be that he’s summoning gods from the Rosetta Stone. One of the gods puts their dad into a coffin which then sinks into the ground.
The rest of the story is about how the kids, along with their uncle Amos, try to find their dad. It’s story is full of twists and turns and keeps you on the edge of your seat.
It’s really for advanced readers who are 8 and 9 and other readers who are 10-12. It’s sort of like The Lightning Thief where there are gods in modern times. You should definitely get this book. It may take you a while to read because it’s 514 pages long, but it’s definitely worth it.
Until next time…SEEYA!
BOOK NAME: The Owl Keeper
AUTHOR: Christine Brodien-Jones
Maxwell Unger is allergic to the sun. Or at least that’s the condition he was diagnosed with when he was younger. The doctor told him that he couldn’t ever be touched by sunlight, or he’d have a terrible reaction, burn up, and die.
Before Max was diagnosed with the disease, before the High Echelon asserted full control, his Gran told him stories about silver owls. After she died, the High Echelon declared that silver owls are evil and that they need to be hunted down and killed. But Max has a secret. He knows of a silver owl that is still alive – what is more, he visits her every night after the sun goes down.
Because he has to stay inside all day, Max doesn’t have many friends and isn’t connected with the outside world except for at night. But when he meets a strange girl one evening while he’s out walking, his life changes forever. Max begins to question the High Echelon as he gets to know more and more about the girl. Every week, he has to be injected with medicine to make sure his condition won’t get worse. But as he talks to his newfound friend, Max starts to wonder if his allergy is even real.
This book was a refreshing break from the monotone of other science fiction and fantasy novels on the shelves. For once, I didn’t find myself groaning once a vampire or werewolf was introduced. In fact, I couldn’t put it down until I was done. Along with providing an enticing storyline, the novel had deeper meaning to it as well–kind of like The Giver, which I reviewed a couple of weeks ago. For me, the character of Rose, Max’s friend, was the most interesting. She is a fighter, and never gave up no matter what hardship befell her. She never stopped trying to find out the truth, and didn’t let anything put her down. I think that she is a great model for kids our age today–never give up and persevere, and you’ll achieve your goals.
BOOK NAME: Shadow of a Bull
AUTHOR: Maia Wojciechowska
Everyone expects Manolo to be like his history making, bullfighter father, Juan Olivar, who died when Manolo was 3. Inwardly, he is a coward, a boy who can’t even jump down from a haystack. With these characteristics, Manolo doubts he could be anything like his father. With 6 men teaching him everything about bullfighting, Manolo worries about letting down his dead father, encouraging mother, and the whole world. Manolo has a choice; he can be like his father or let everyone know who he is… as himself.
I’ve never been into bullfighting so this book didn’t really interest me. I can’t say it wasn’t a good book, either. The author made the characters real, but I was kind of disappointed that the “6 men” didn’t have names. I don’t think the author thought through the story well before she wrote it, either. Maia Wojciechowska, the author, did however know her bullfighting, making the bullfights and characters come to life with her knowledge.
I’d probably recommend this book to someone that likes bullfighting. The whole book is filled with bullfighting terms and words. In the back of the book, there is even a glossary of terms! That is the part of the book, I liked, though. I believe she did a great job with getting all her facts right. It’s an interesting Newberry Medal winner book.
BOOK NAME: Bunnicula
AUTHOR: Deborah and James Howe
I’m back with a book called Bunnicula. This is a series of books, so if you read this one, I think you’ll like the others.
It’s about this family that goes to the movie Dracula and they find this bunny in the movie theater. They take it home and they name it Bunnicula.
This story is mainly about this cat named Chester and a dog named Harold. Chester likes to read and Harold is pretty much just a dog – he likes to sleep.
Some strange stuff starts happening. At the house where Bunnicula lives, all of the vegetables start turning white. But nothing else…just the vegetables! Chester starts being suspicious (Harold…not so much). Chester reads a vampire book and Bunnicula matches every single thing about a vampire. Harold and Chester come up with a plan…
I’m not going to tell you the rest…because I want you to read it. This time, I’m going to do something different. If you’ve read the book, tell me who’s your favorite character and why. My favorite character is Harold the dog because he does all these flopsy things…he sneaks into the pantry and steals a chocolate cupcake (his favorite).
If you haven’t read the book, tell me if you think you’ll read it.
See you next time!
BOOK NAME: Catherine, Called Birdy
AUTHOR: Karen Cushman
Catherine’s father is a pig who is determined to marry her away to any rich man. No matter how hard he tries, her father can not find a man who Catherine can’t scare off. With ash covered teeth, crossed eyes, and a sharp tongue, Catherine frightens off many men who ask for her hand in marriage. Can her burning hatred for her father and high spirit help Catherine win the battle against her own father’s greed for money?
It was short, but I liked it. I think the character Catherine would be my favorite. She’s kind of rough, but not tomboy-ish. If I was put in her position, being forced to marry, I’d act the way she does. Her family is very much like a common family back in the medieval times. I disliked her father very much. He seems like an ugly step father in a fairy tale, being bitter, prideful, greedy, but very much real.
The author did a great job getting her facts right in this book. I compared the way they did things in this book to some of my history books. Everything written in this book is in line with history. This book was the author’s first novel she ever wrote. I was surprised at how interesting it was and everyday I looked forward to reading it. I really enjoyed that the book was written in the form of a diary. There was minor cursing and I was surprised at this, just twice if not that. I recommend it to just about anyone, especially someone who wants a breath-taking quick read.
BOOK NAME: Versus: Warriors
CONCEPT: Hannah Wilson
ILLUSTRATOR: Steve Stone
This is definitely not a regular book. It’s about Warriors…not present-day warriors, but warriors from back in time. For example, one of the warriors is the Knight, who had heavy armor, a long sword and a helmet with a facemask. Knights fought from 800 A.D. to about 1500 A.D.
The book is not a story, but it’s about 10 different kinds of favorite warriors. The warriors are Viking, Samurai, Zulu, Gladiatrix (a female Gladiator), Mongolian, Ninja, Gladiator, Aztec, Knight, and Spartan. In the book they pick two different warriors and they have a battle. They talk about the warriors and then you have to pick which you think would win. One of the pages tells about the different warriors so you can make a choice. The next page tells you who would win and why, and then another page tells you more about the winning warrior and then the losing warrior.
My favorite battle was the Mongolian versus the Spartan. I like the Mongolian and the Spartan and it was one of the closest battles. I’m not going to tell you who wins though.
At the end, there’s one overall winner. And the winner is…
You have to get the book to see who’s the Ultimate Warrior.
BOOK NAME: The Book Thief
AUTHOR: Markus Zusak
Liesel Maminger is a thief. She has a habit of picking up books and taking them…for good. The Nazi book-burnings are where she is the most successful–she justifies that taking just one book won’t make a big difference. With the help of her accordion-playing foster Papa, Liesel learns to read. She feeds her soul with books and uses them to create a better world for herself and family.
I think the Jew that lives in Liesel’s basement, Max is my favorite character. The love he has for Liesel is just amazing. Max shows his fatherly love for Liesel by doing simple things, such as writing her a short letter, and she does the same in return. I like how Liesel’s foster mother’s personality unfolds; she acts bitter and mean, yet inside she is really kind and loving. One thing I don’t appreciate is how she curses at her daughter. The characters were all so different, but combined all of them made this book more than memorable.
This book was just flat-out amazing. It was well written and the author was incredibly descriptive! I’ve written a review on his other book, I Am The Messenger, and that one was just as superb. This author writes great books for young adults and teens.
Markus Zusak wrote this book from death’s point of view, so at times it was a bit complicated and confusing. Honestly, there were a few parts where I just read a whole page over again to understand it. I strongly suggest teens interested in reading this book to look up a sample page from the first chapter online before purchasing. I had to stop at times and let parts of the book sink in, but I also think that’s why I have truly loved it so much.
BOOK NAME: Oceans
AUTHOR: Johnna Rizzo
Hey guys, sorry I haven’t written a blog lately. I’ve been busy visiting Mrs. Obama at the White House. But you’re gonna see a lot more books out of me. I’ve been reading a lot more books than ever. And exercising more than ever too!
I like this book because of the great photography and all of the fun facts that they put into the book. They have all types of animals: from jellyfish to stingrays to sharks.
For an example of some of the great photography, there’s a picture of a bunch of manta rays opening up their mouths getting ready to chomp on a snack of krill and plankton, and you can see right into their mouths and see their ribs.
They also have fun facts of all the types of the animals. For example, for the whales they tell you all about these different whales: the narwhal, minke, sperm, blue, right and bowhead. I never knew that the male narwhal had the long horns on their heads and their horn is actually a tooth!
People will like this book if you love nature and photography and beautiful fish and sea creatures. This book is great if you want to be a photographer someday.
(AD) Find out how to get Oceans at the National Geographic Store.
BOOK NAME: Surviving Antarctica: Reality TV 2083
AUTHOR: Andrea White
When you think of all of the hardships in your life, you might think of the time your pet passed away, or when you broke your leg. But I can be absolutely certain that you wouldn’t think of struggling for survival in Antarctica-on a reality TV show.
The year is 2083, and education past middle school is rare. Kids learn in a virtual classroom, watching TV shows about history or literature. One of the channels is a reality TV show called Historical Survivor. This year, the contestants will be 5 14-year-old children, and the top prize is $100,000. In a world where most kids don’t have enough to eat, let alone extra money, this is huge.
Andrea White’s book follows the five teens that are picked to compete as they journey through Antarctica, trying to recreate Robert F. Scott’s 1912 attempt to reach the South Pole. But as they trek through the barren desert, obstacles crop up in their path that make them suspicious of the fairness of the show.
This book was amazing. It incorporates action, adventure, and survival, while still allowing the reader to connect with the characters. It offers an intriguing concept of the future, and really made me think about what people want in life, as well as ideals of friendship and perseverance. I also gave this book to my 9-year-old brother to read, and he loved it as well-proving that it appeals to all audiences, both young and old! It provides a history lesson as well-but it doesn’t feel like you’re learning because you need to find out what happens to the main characters. In short, this book is a great futuristic read that serves a dual role as a science fiction and historical fiction novel.
The nook is an electronic book where you can download books for cheaper than at the stores. You can download books or newspapers and read them in the “My Library” section on your nook. You can buy cases and different screen savers also.
You get the books by either looking them up on the nook by title or author or you can look on the Barnes and Noble website and they have a section for eBooks. When you find a book that you like, you can download a sample for free, which is the first couple of pages and if you like it, you just click on “buy now”. It takes about a minute for the book to get on your nook. Then you click on “Check for new Barnes and Noble Content” and the books get there by a wireless internet connection.
You can get kids books and ones for adults. The nook is my Dad’s, but I have some books on it. I’ve read Arabian Nights on the nook and I might even review it here.
On the Barnes and Noble website, you can make a wish list where you put all your books that you hope to get and you can save up your money to buy them.
My favorite part of the nook was exploring it when you first get it.
BOOK NAME: Flightsend
AUTHOR: Linda Newberry
House hunting first started when Charlie’s mum wanted to move away from all her past and have a new beginning. Charlie seemed to be satisfied with her life, but her mum (Kathy) wasn’t so impressed. For a while, Charlie and Kathy looked through every single house recommendation from the estate agency and compared prices, quality, and even went to see some, only to be left disappointed. After many discouraging visits to different houses Kathy and Charlie seemed to slow down on looking for a house… until Flightsend. A flyer for Flightsend came in the mail one morning and while Charlie was at school, Kathy went to see it and came back reporting perfection. Taking Charlie with her, Kathy went to see the little cabin in the country town once more; they moved there in a matter of a month.
Charlie didn’t know how much her life would change in that little cabin, but it did. Many people entered her life while others left. Charlie also learned the importance of her small family.
I have to admit I was a bit disappointed with the way this book ended. I wanted to take the last chapter and rewrite it. Other than that, I thought this was a great story. There are some heavier concepts discussed in the end of the book that were a little confusing to me because I can’t really relate to them. This is a book about a girl who lived like any other person in this world. It was realistic and believable – definitely a book I would read again someday.
Posted by BOOK NAME: Viola in Reel Life
AUTHOR: Adriana Trigiani
I just finished the book Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani. This book is a realistic fiction book. It’s about a girl named Viola who has to move from her beloved home in Brooklyn to an all-girls boarding school in Indiana. She has to leave her BFFAA (best friend forever and always) Andrew, and replace him with three new roommates, Romy, Marisol, and Suzanne. They actually seem to want to be there. At first she hates it but then she realizes this could be a good change. She also gets a boyfriend. Viola loves filming, that’s what her life is around. She keeps a video diary and everything. So she begins filming for the school and enters a video contest. This year might be the best for her.
This book was not the worst but not the best. I would not recommend it. For about a day she hates school and then she likes it, but she mentions it throughout the book. She keeps saying that I can’t believe I was so mean in the beginning but she was only grumpy for one day. Also I get it if someone kind of obsesses over her first boyfriend but she counts how many times she sees him. She will say like two kisses, one dance, and three hugs. I mean that seems just a little weird, doesn’t it?
Thank you for reading this review!
BOOK NAME: The Giver
AUTHOR: Lois Lowry
Jonas lives in a restricted world. Everyone and everything is controlled by very strict rules, and no one dares break them. But when job assignments come at the Ceremony of 12, something strange happens: the announcer skips Jonas. No one really knows what to do, but everyone stays in their seats. They know that it was intentional, as everything always was. Jonas tries to figure out what he has done wrong.
What will happen to Jonas as he awaits his fate What will his destiny be? What’s really going on in his society? All of these questions and more will be answered as you read on in Lois Lowry’s The Giver.
I absolutely loved this book, and it’s one of my all-time favorites. Jonas’ community seems a little bit odd to start with, but as he matures, he begins to see many things that it doesn’t allow and its many flaws. This book kept me thinking for days after I had finished it. For me, the main question that is pondered in the book is “How much control should a governmental body have over its people and how far should it go to keep them safe?” Safety is a big issue in this story, and in Jonas’ community, no personal choices are ever made, because the government worries people will endanger themselves if they have opinions. One word to think about while you read: color. I won’t say anything more except that this is an amazing book!
BOOK NAME: Speed Machines
AUTHOR: Miranda Smith
It’s me again!
This time I’m going to write about a book called Speed Machines. It has all these motorized vehicles like cars, boats, airplanes and even bicycles.
My favorite section is about Cruise Boats. It shows the inside of the Voyager of the Seas cruise ship. It has an ice rink, miniature golf course, sport courts, theaters and a lot of other cool things. My parents once went on this ship!
There’s a picture of a car underwater. It’s unique because it can ride underwater and on land. The picture has two guys driving the car, wearing SCUBA masks connected to the car. And it’s a convertible! There’s no top!
The book is a big picture book with a lot of articles. I liked how much information it had. It shows all kinds of records like the fastest ride on the moon was 10.53 miles per hour. The “fastest man on earth” was Captain John Stapp of the U.S. Air Force. In 1954 he rode a rocket-propelled sled built out of welded tubes. He set a record of 6,402 miles per hour.
I recommend this book for everyone.
BOOK NAME: I Am the Messenger
AUTHOR: Markus Zusak
Ed Kennedy has nothing going for him… nothing at all. Living in a dirty shack, he’s hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey, and is devoted to his coffee-drinking dog, the Doorman. Ed works as an underage cab driver and plays cards on the weekends with his friends… losing at every game. His life seems to have no meaning, until he unwittingly stops a bank robbery. From there he is different.
“Protect the diamonds, survive the clubs, dig deep through the spades, and feel the hearts.” These are Ed’s instructions. Ever since Ed received an ace in the mail he became a messenger. Ed had a choice, to care or not to care. Choosing to care, Ed followed the instructions helping, caring, and hurting people. Whatever the card wanted him to do.
This book had the common story line of the character’s life changing due to something that occurred, but it came in an unusual form. I’ve never read anything that had to do with playing cards like this one. I enjoyed the personality of Ed and his pathetic friends, Marv and Ritchie. One of the little things I liked about this book was that the author included what Ed thought the Doorman (his dog) was thinking when certain things happened.
There were some things in I Am the Messenger that I wasn’t comfortable with, as the book was in the teens section. However, the story was so great, I am going to read his other book, The Book Thief!
BOOK NAME: Incarceron
AUTHOR:
Catherine Fisher
Claudia is a girl who has gone her whole life knowing that she would have to marry someone that she would have no say in choosing. She has never really known her father, who is the feared Warden of Incarceron, her mother is dead, and she lives a life of luxury.
Finn is a boy who is imprisoned inside Incarceron. He is part of a gang that is fighting to survive within the vast, moving prison. He is cell-born, meaning that he was made by the prison. He dresses in filthy clothing and eats what he can find.
They live two completely different lives… until the keys of Incarceron bring them together. Who is Finn, really? Is Claudia’s father hiding something about her identity? Where is Incarceron? All of those questions and more will be answered in this twisted, suspenseful novel by Catherine Fisher.
This book is really confusing. Right from the beginning, I had to keep rereading whole chapters to figure out what was going on. After reading it a couple of times, though, I got the whole picture. It is a very good read, and is exactly the kind of book I like: one that keeps me paying attention to every little detail. I especially liked the character of Claudia; she was very intriguing at times. This book takes a lot of concentration, so I would recommend it for middle school kids.
BOOK NAME: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
AUTHOR: Retold from the Mark Twain original by Oliver Ho
Note: this is from the Classic Starts series from Sterling Publishing
Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer are best friends. They have so many adventures. But this one takes place with one of Huck’s friends Jim.
Huck found treasure with Tom Sawyer in a cave, which they stole from Injun’ Joe, a thief, which you might have heard about in my other review. He ends up living with a wealthy family. Huck’s real dad came and took him away because he thought that Huck was showing off and being better than him. His life in his dad’s small cabin was horrible so he cuts a hole in the cabin to escape. To trick his dad and make him think that he’d been killed, he puts an axe in the door and a gun on the ground and pig’s blood all over the place.
Huck runs away to a small island. His friend Jim is on that island because he thought that Huck was killed and he was very upset.
They go on adventures together like almost getting crushed in the wheels of a giant paddleboat and living on a raft with two frauds that cheat people just to get money.
And that’s all I’m going tell you because it’s a really really good book. It has a ton of adventures and Tom Sawyer will show up.
BOOK NAME: Jellicoe Road
AUTHOR:
Melina Marchetta
Taylor is now confronted with her past. Memories haunt her as little things remind her of when her mother abandoned her at age 11. At the age of 17, Taylor is in the care of a friendly woman named Hannah, and lives at a boarding school. She is the leader of a junior high girls’ dorm, leaving her no time to deal with her emotions.
The same young, cute boy appears in all her dreams offering her comfort and advice. Small memories and dreams come together in her mind, tempting her to go and find her mother. When Hannah disappears without explanation, Taylor goes searching for the missing pieces in her life.
I purchased this book in the teen section of Barnes & Noble, but disagree where it was placed for many reasons. I do like that Taylor is a bold and brave girl with a deep concern for others. My favorite character is Taylor’s boyfriend, Jonah; rough and mean on the outside, he’s really caring on the inside. I am disappointed about some parts of this book and because of this, I honestly don’t plan on reading any of the author’s other books. I don’t recommend it, but if you do have interest in this book I suggest having your parents take a look at it before you buy it or check it out.
Posted by BOOK NAME: Twilight
AUTHOR: Stephenie Meyer
I know DogEared fans have been requesting a review of this book. It is one of the most popular books ever. So here it is.
Bella Swan just moved from Tennessee to a rainy city in Washington State called Forks, where she had decided to live with her dad for a few weeks. At Bella’s new school she discovers this creepy family, the Cullens, who like to keep to themselves. One of the kids name is Edward. One day Bella nearly gets hit by an out-of-control truck! Edward somehow saves her by stopping the truck. Soon she finds out that the Cullens are vampires! Bella and Edward fall in love with each other but it’s not long after when a bad vampire comes into town trying to chase down Bella. The Cullens have to save Bella, and save the rest of her family before it’s too late.
I LOVED this book!!! I did cheat and go see the movie first. It was a long book but totally worth it. I am now reading New Moon (I went to go see that movie first too!). I would definitely recommend this book to kids who are in middle school because it is a hard read. There are four books total in The Twilight Series and they have already made two of the movies. Eclipse and Breaking Dawn are the others.
I am a Team Jacob fan! Write back if you are a Team Jacob or a Team Edward fan!
BOOK NAME: Everlost
AUTHOR:
Neal Shusterman
When a person dies, they go towards the light at the end of the tunnel. Well, what if you died and were going through the tunnel, but were such a klutz that you tripped on the way to the light? What would happen to you? Where would you go? A potential answer lies in Neal Shusterman’s novel Everlost.
In the story, two teenagers, Nick and Allie, die in a car crash. They bump into each other on the way to the light, and fall out into a place called Everlost. They wake up in a forest and meet another kid who fell out of the tunnel when he died. He’s an Afterlight like them, but is different in many other ways. For example, he can’t remember his real name and looks like he came from the year 1900! As Nick and Allie set off to find out more about their new life (or non-life), the boy follows them and they decide to call him Lief.
Lief, Nick, and Allie soon discover the many wondrous and sinister parts of Everlost as they travel to New York and beyond. They have run-ins with dead spots, Mary Hightower, other dead children, and an eerie monster called the McGill.
Neal Shusterman is one of my favorite authors, and really made the world of Everlost come to life with his vibrant, innovative, and funny writing style. He really did a good job of making his characters seem real, which is one thing I liked about it–I could relate to the characters. Despite what it might sound like, it’s not really a scary book. It’s more of an adventure story! This book is one that you can read over and over again without getting tired of it, and it really makes you think. My favorite parts of the book were the ones with Lief after he had come out of the barrel and the ones with Hammerhead because they really made me laugh. I really liked the whole concept of Everlost, and would recommend this book to late elementary and middle school-aged kids.
BOOK NAME: How it Happened in Peach Hill
AUTHOR: Marthe Jocelyn
Annie’s mother has “special powers” or so she says. She can draw out people’s secrets without them even knowing! Annie’s mother is Madame Caterina, and as a fortune teller, no one can resist her.
Deception runs in the family and Madame Caterina expects her daughter to follow in her family’s footsteps. Annie must lie about herself and find information about other people so her mother can have a successful career. Annie is getting tired of being the town idiot and wants to be like every other normal teenager. When Annie meets a boy named Sammy she immediately wants to impress him, but acting stupid won’t help. This is a story about a girl who learns to understand the importance of telling the truth and how she overcomes the wrong she’s done in her life.
This book didn’t take long at all to read. It’s a pretty small book, but the story isn’t short or boring. Though the mother was kinda the “bad guy” in the story, I really liked her free and interesting personality. I liked how she got along with others and how people just felt connected to her for no reason. I didn’t care much for Annie’s personality, though. Even though fortune telling isn’t true, I still enjoy reading about characters in books that use it. I think just about anyone could read this book, but I believe girls would appreciate the story line more.
BOOK NAME: The Green Book
AUTHOR: Jill Paton Walsh
I really recommended this book for 8-year-olds. I had to do a book report at school on a science fiction book and this is the one I chose.
The book is about how everybody on Earth has to leave the planet because of a nuclear war. Pattie doesn’t want to but she has to. They all go on a big spaceship to go to their new world. When they get there, the youngest of the group on that spaceship got to name the planet. Pattie was the youngest and she named it Planet Shine.
The main story is about how everyone gets used to Shine. They use all the wood they find to build cabins. They burn jellyfish to make lamps. The bad thing is that their crops won’t grow properly. But then they notice that they can eat the jellyfish. They also found the Candy Tree in the forest and they discovered they could eat the sap and it was sweet.
Pattie was playing in a place called Boulder Valley and then suddenly the boulders broke and they turned into giant moths, at least that’s what the people called them. They were friendly until they all died.
My favorite part was when they had to leave Earth. It was cool. I recommend this book if you like made up things like magical creatures.
BOOK NAME: Crocodile Tears
AUTHOR: Anthony Horowitz
Alex Rider has worked for different intelligence agencies no less than six times: M16, the CIA, and the ASIS, to be specific. However, he’s not a James Bond character… no tailored suit or gun for him. On his missions, he wears a t-shirt and jeans; his job is to look completely innocent – a task that isn’t very hard, as he’s only 15 years old.
Alex used to be the British Intelligence, or M16′s, secret weapon. After his uncle and guardian, British spy Ian Rider, died when he was 14, M16 recruited Alex for various missions. Alex proved to be more than capable of handling dangerous situations, but he didn’t like to be a spy–he wanted to lead a normal life. Now, he’s convinced that he’s finally going to be able to be an ordinary teenager. But a series of events that occurs while he’s on holiday rapidly change his view of things. Alex is once again plunged into the dangerous spy world as he learns more about the potentially fatal situation – which wouldn’t just mean death for him, but for millions of people across Africa as well.
When one of my best friends mentioned this book to me, I wanted to read it right away. However, I couldn’t, because Crocodile Tears is the 7th book in the Alex Rider series. I’ve found that the books can stand alone, but it’s still a good idea to read them in order. One thing I didn’t like about this book as much is that it’s not really written from Alex’s point of view, which was one of the factors that drew me to the other books. I think it took away from the story a bit, but the novel is still one of the best I’ve ever read. The author also uses a technique that I like a lot: giving specific details like the model of car, what kind of engine it has, along with other things. If you liked The Hunger Games, Crocodile Tears would be a great read for you!
