DogEared Book Blog - National Geographic Kids

BOOK NAME: A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie "Peanut" Johnson
AUTHOR: Michelle Y. Green

This is a biography about an African-American girl who wants to play baseball. Her name was Mamie "Peanut" Johnson. Mamie loved baseball so much that people think that she was born with one in her hand! She wanted to play in the higher leagues but they wouldn't let her because she was African-American. They would yell at her if she tried to go in any training facilities because they are for Whites only. So Mamie tried out for the Negro League and made the team. She played hard with a winning record of 33-8 and a batting average of .284. Mamie is still alive and lives in the Washington D.C. area.

I read this book for a biography book report. I chose her because I was a softball pitcher so I thought that I would like to read a book related to that. Mamie is an awesome baseball player I found out. She even struck Babe Ruth out! I don't read biographies often so it was cool to learn about someone I hadn't ever heard of.

If you were to write a biography about yourself than what would you title it? EXAMPLE: Jordan; the Blog-Writer. Leave a comment with your answer.

BOOK NAME: Shepherd's Quest: The Broken Key #1
AUTHOR: Brian Pratt

Chad Kelon and Riyan Borenson dreamed of nothing but adventures. They continuously tell each other stories of themselves rescuing fair ladies and defeating monstrous creatures. Then there was Bartholomew Agreani who is known as Bart. He is one of Riyan's new friends and is handy with all sorts of tools used by thieves.

Accidentally, Riyan stumbles upon a cave which contained a few copper coins worth a lot of money. Unsure of what other treasures might remain deep in the cave Riyan informs Chad and Bart of his discovery leading to an adventure beyond their imaginations and their made-up stories. Along the way, the boys meet Kevik, a magic user.  They have courage and bravery while they suffer the loss of many things, but they also benefit in the discoveries that they find.

When I read the summary on the back of the book and saw the cover I wanted to read this book. It seemed mysterious and maybe kind of scary. I read it to discover that it wasn't scary at all. I think the vocabulary in this book is geared more for readers 10 and up. Shepherd's Quest: The Broken Key # 1 is the first of three books. I found this book intriguing so I am going to read the other two in the series.

BOOK NAME: Runaway Ralph
AUTHOR: Beverly Cleary

Ralph, a talking mouse with his own little motorcycle, felt under respected so he ran away from the hotel where he lived with his family. He drove to a summer camp and became the pet of a nice boy there, who kept him in a cage in the craft shop next to Chum, a cranky guinea pig.

A cat named Catso stole a watch from a girl and she accused the nice boy of doing it. The boy then found out that Ralph could talk and asked him to help find the watch. Ralph found it in Catso's bed and put it in the girls' locker room, where the girl found it and stopped being mean to the boy. When summer camp came to an end, Ralph drove back home to the hotel.

I think Ralph would be a fun pet. I have an old dog named Sonny but he can't do much of anything any more because he's 13 years old in human years, 91 in dog years.

In this book, I really liked how Ralph was able to drive a motorcycle and he did a neat trick to get it on the road. This was a fun adventure and easy to read. There are more books about Ralph, but this is the only one I've read so far. I'd recommend checking it out.

BOOK NAME: The Hunger Games
AUTHOR: Suzanne Collins

16-year old Katniss Everdeen lives in the country of Panem, which represents the last remnants of North American civilization as we know it. Each year, the capital hosts the Hunger Games, an event that makes the people of Panem realize that they are under the supreme power of the capital. During the Hunger Games, a boy and a girl between the ages of 12 and 18 are taken from each district to participate. The Games are a fight to the death in a giant arena, and the last person, or tribute, alive wins. When Katniss's little sister Prim gets picked at random to be the female tribute for District 12, Katniss volunteers to take her place. The rest of the story follows her journey in the Games.

You'll have to read more to find out what happens as Katniss journeys to the Capital and enters the games. Katniss really inspired me with her bravery and love for her family. She stood up for what she believed in and made sure she was doing the right thing. I think that a lot of themes from the book translate really well into everyday life, and one thing I liked about this book is that you get to see everything from Katniss's point of view. I also love books that I can't put down, and The Hunger Games is that kind of book-I was even reading it during class sometimes! It's an enthralling storyline that makes me need to keep reading, and seeing it from Katniss's perspective made me feel like it was me going through all of the terrible ordeals. This is a book that takes a more mature mindset, so I would definitely recommend it for middle-school aged kids.

Reed recently had a chance to interview one of his favorite authors--Gary Paulsen!  Gary Paulsen has written more than 175 books, three of which were Newberry Honor winners: Hatchet, Dogsong, and The Winter Room. Read Gary's answers to Reed's questions.

REED: Hi Mr. Paulsen, I'm Reed and I work for the National Geographic Kids DogEared Blog. I've done reviews on two of your books: the new one Woods Runner, and Hatchet. Is it OK if I ask you some questions?

GARY: You bet!

REED: What were you like as a kid?

GARY: I'm going to try and be as honest as I can be. I was a really poor student and I had a rough childhood. I barely made it through high school. I was a poor reader until a public librarian turned me on to reading. That saved my life.

REED: Who was your favorite author when you were a kid?

GARY: I had a bunch, but ultimately Herman Melville, who wrote Moby Dick. It was an adventure story. It changes each time you read it. I've read it 12 times, maybe.