DogEared Book Blog - National Geographic Kids

BOOK NAME: Toys Come Home
AUTHOR: Emily Jenkins

Toys Come Home by Emily Jenkins is a story all about the adventures of a few soft toy animals. The soft toys teach you important morals about friendship and taking responsibility.

Stingray is a blue friendly soft toy who arrives at a little girl's house as her birthday gift. Stingray is learning all about the house and trying to make friends with the other toys, Sheep and Bobby Dot, the walrus. However, Stingray does not like their personalities as Sheep is lazy and sleepy and Bobby Dot is mean and brags. But, Stingray is a true hero for she rescues Sheep from a thorny bush he gets stuck on. When Bobby Dot dies in the dryer, the girl buys Lumphy, the buffalo to take his place. Stingray and Lumphy become good friends and enjoy playing games together. They are soon joined by a playful intelligent ball named Plastic. The three of them realize that they along with the girl are a true family.

This book is a perfect read when you want to enjoy some simple adventure. It's amazing how each toy has an individual personality that is reflected by their acts. For example, Plastic is intelligent as she reads lots of books and Lumphy is brave for he saves a mouse from a cat. Also, I could picture the toys so easily because of the detailed descriptions. This book reminds me about little children interacting with each other. I cannot wait to read more about the toy's adventures in the sequels, Toys Go Out and Toy Dance Party.

BOOK NAME: The Unknown Spy
AUTHOR: Eoin McNamee

Hi again, blog readers! I'm glad to be back but not glad to tell you that I'm reviewing a book that I most definitely did not love. It's The Unknown Spy by Eoin McNamee.

The book is about a spy named Danny and all his friends going on a quest to save the treaty stone, a stone that makes it impossible for the Lower World to invade Danny's world, the Upper World. Right before the quest begins, two of the four quest members get stuck at the spy school. Now only Danny and one other quest member are going on the quest. It's crazy how much double-crossing and lying they go through to get the stone back safely so they can save the world!

I think the main reason I didn't like it was because I thought it was full of negative stuff. For instance, my favorite character, Les was really funny and a good sport but he was excluded from all his friends' quests. Who would exclude a nice guy like Les? The guy who excluded him was a big jerk named Bruneholm. He was my least favorite character because he was kind of an adult bully. He was the assistant headmaster of the spy school that Les and his friends attended.

Anyway, this book is a bit scary so I wouldn't try reading it at night. It freaked me out a couple of times when I was up late with it! It's a book that is full of surprises, traitors, hatred and war, so if you're into that kind of stuff, you might just like it. I didn't though. Sorry!

BOOK NAME: Amelia Lost
AUTHOR: Candace Fleming

For those of you who were waiting for a review about a non-fiction book, here it is! The book Amelia Lost tells the story of Amelia Earhart, a courageous woman pilot who encouraged women to chase their dreams. The story begins with Amelia's birth, and tells the entire story of her life until her disappearance.

Amelia was always an adventurous person. Throughout her entire life, Amelia proved that you can overcome any challenge. She had many difficulties in her family life, like her father's drinking issues, and her parents' divorce. She also had many challenges in aviation, like issues with her airplane's radio, and bad weather. Yet that did not discourage Amelia from doing what she loved most; flying! Amelia broke many aviation records, including being the woman who flew to the highest altitude, being the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, being the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean alone, and others.

Amelia's biggest record was to be the first woman to fly around the world at its widest point. Yet unlike her other records, this one she never achieved. She got lost on her trip, and was never found.

In this book, the author tells the story of Amelia Earhart's life in great detail. In between each chapter, the author puts stories of people who heard Amelia's cry for help when she was lost.

I really enjoyed reading the book! It is amazing how much Amelia encouraged women not to give up on their dreams because of their gender. Amelia always showed the world that women can achieve great things just as much as men. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt said right after the search for Amelia was terminated, "I'm sure Amelia's last words were, 'I have no regrets.'"

BOOK NAME: Penny From Heaven
AUTHOR: Jennifer L. Holm

Twelve year old Penny Falucci doesn't have a father, but she doesn't mind because she has more than enough of the rest of her crazy, wacky family to fill her time. In fact, sometimes she feels like she has too much love to know what to do with it all. Penny is sick of her mom being overprotective, so to pass the time she usually gets into trouble with her cousin, Frankie. And when Penny has a question, she just goes to her Uncle Dominic who lives in a car and is full of strange wisdom. But living in the 1950s is no easy task when Penny's mother won't let her go to the movies or the pool because of the polio scare. Penny feels like she has a lot of responsibilities, especially when her dog, Scarlett O'Hara, thinks the world is her bathroom.

The summer is passing by at a leisurely pace when a tragic event occurs; her mom is dating again! But not just with anyone, she is dating the milkman! How embarrassing is that? This book is one filled with wonderful wackiness, with Penny just riding through her very different life. I loved this book because it was a very light, comforting read all about family and how Penny fits in. I love all the quirky characters that make up Penny's colorful family with their individual traits. Look for it next time you go to the bookstore or library.

BOOK NAME: Belly Up
AUTHOR: Stuart Gibbs

Hippos may not be the cutest and cuddliest of creatures. They rank second behind the Cape buffalo on the list of the most dangerous African animals. They are often ill-tempered and messy beasts. Henry the Hippo was no exception, but Henry's special title was mascot for Funjungle, a brand-new and extremely popular zoo/theme park. Shortly after arriving at Funjungle, Henry mysteriously died.

12-year-old Teddy is determined to find the cause of Henry's sudden and unexpected demise. Teddy is the son of a renowned gorilla researcher and expert wildlife photographer. He spent 10 years of his life in the Congo, so he knows his animals. Henry's death may not have been from natural causes. When Teddy secretly attends Henry's autopsy, he discovers that Henry was murdered! A small, sharp object was placed in his food, and it poked holes in his digestive tract, eventually killing him. Teddy decides to try and apprehend the perpetrator of this heinous crime. However, the case quickly gets complicated. It turns out that Henry was not well liked by many people, all of whom are possible suspects in Henry's murder. Not only that, the real murderer wants Teddy off his/her case, immediately! If Teddy does not solve the mystery soon, he might be the next casualty!

I have high praise for Belly Up. The element of mystery regarding Henry's death kept my interest. As the story unfolded and new clues were discovered, I kept trying to guess the culprit. In a startling twist, the real murder was someone I had never guessed. The book was also very suspenseful. The killer made several attempts on Teddy's life throughout the story. Those parts were very exciting. I liked how the book included an element of humor. Teddy often uses sarcasm and makes many funny comparisons and points. For example, he compares one security guard's physique to that of a rhinoceros. The story was told in first person point-of-view, which added depth to the plot. Seeing the events through Teddy's eyes, and knowing what he heard, smelled, saw, felt, and thought made it seem as if I was experiencing the story myself.