April 2009 Archives

BOOK NAMES: Secret Agent Jack Stalwart: Quest for Aztec Gold (Mexico) and The Deadly Race to Space (Russia) (Books 9 and 10 in the series)

AUTHOR: Elizabeth Singer Hunt


Jack's back!

Remember how much DogEared blogger Parker loved the earlier book, Pursuit of the Ivory Poachers?? Pwilly pew poo? (Phew! Tongue-twister!) Really you do?

For those of you who have been reading along in the series about the 9-year-old secret agent, books 9 and 10 are here. Jack continues to travel the globe in search of his missing older brother Max. He's also still solving international crimes along the way as a secret agent for the Global Protection Force. This time his adventures take him to Russia and Mexico.

In The Deadly Race to Space, Jack must travel to Russia to rescue the chief engineer of the Mars space program--his dad!--um, without letting his dad discover that he is a secret agent.


And in The Quest for Aztec Gold. Jack has to stop the world's most dangerous treasure hunter from stealing Montezuma's gold. He travels to ancient temples to track down the thieves. Still plenty of cool gadgets, including the awesome Flyboard to keep each book action-packed. Plus, cool plot twists to keep you guessing what's gonna happen next!

You don't need to read 'em in order to enjoy. Each one is a story within itself. 

Wait!
Is it even possible to choose a favorite?? Probably not, but it should be fun to read everyone's rationale for their choices. So, let's try!



Post your opinion in the comments below. Which Harry Potter book is your all-time favorite and why? Maybe it's the very first, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Or maybe it's one of the more recent ones. You tell us. The next movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince hits theaters July 15, so that gives us... 88 days to decide.

BOOK NAME: Robot Riot!
AUTHOR: Andy Griffiths

Hi, I'm back with a very exciting book. It's called Robot Riot, and it's book 4 of the Schooling Around series. Another book by this author is The Day My Butt Went Psycho!

The main characters are Jenny, Jack, Newton and Henry. They think that the new girl at their school, Roberta, is a robot. They think that because they read her diary. She's a great drawer, nicer than anyone, a good story writer, and really brainy. In her diary, she writes about her being a robot.

The robot on the cover is not actually Roberta, it was made by Grant, a kid in their class. It was made to try and fight Roberta, but its systems didn't work in time, so they dressed Henry up like a robot to try and fight Roberta.

And then...

You'll have to read the book to find out the rest. I'm not giving away the ending this time! If you've read the book, DON'T mention what happens if you leave me a comment.

If you like a good adventure, with some funny parts, the book is great.

Goodbye now, people!

April is National Poetry Month, an official celebration of poetry started by the Academy of American Poets in 1996.

Do you have a favorite poet or poem? Maybe you've even written your own poems... share them with other DogEared readers in the comments below.

And how about some of these fun ways to celebrate:

--Write a poem in chalk on the sidewalk.

--Organize a poetry reading during lunchtime with your friends.

--Find the poetry section in your school library, close your eyes, pick a book at random and check it out.

--Write a poem for your mom and save it to give to her as a Mother's Day gift next month.

--Use these online poetry magnets to create your own masterpiece.

OH, and don't forget to remember Poem in a Pocket Day on Thursday, April 30. Just pick your favorite poem... or one that has special meaning to you. Then, carry it in your pocket and share with friends and family you see that day.

BOOK NAME: Julian's Glorious Summer
AUTHOR: Ann Cameron

This book is about two friends, Julian and Gloria. I think they are both 7 years old. It takes place in the summer, which is a really good time to read about when it's cold outside.

In the book, Gloria gets a new bike and learns how to do tricks. Julian wants to show off and do cool stuff too, but he doesn't have a bike and he doesn't know how to ride one. So he looks for jobs and other things to do during the summer while telling everyone he doesn't like bikes. He is almost mad when his dad finally gets him a bike and Julian then tells his mom that he doesn't like bikes because he's afraid of falling down. But Gloria helped teach him how to ride his bike and to do tricks so they both have fun in the end. Julian just had to try to learn.

I liked this book because it's about riding bikes, which is something I like to do. It can be hard to learn how to ride a bike for the first time without training wheels. This book also is about having fun in the summer, which is also something I like.

BOOK NAME: Superfudge
AUTHOR: Judy Blume

Superfudge is a fun book about a regular a boy named Peter and his brother named Fudge.  Fudge is going into kindergarten but he's a little out of control.  Peter absolutely wants to have nothing to do with Fudge but when he finds out that their mom is going to have another baby things only get worse.  On top of that, they are planning on moving for a year out of the city.  Peter tries to handle moving, two crazy siblings and staying cool all at the same time, but things tend to get a little hectic!  
     I LOVED reading Superfudge!  It was so much fun to read all the wacky things that Fudge ends up doing.  I am definitely planning on reading the sequels to it.  It was an easy read so I could take a break from all of the other much harder books I have for school.  The book reminds me of my own life in a way that I am in 6th grade and Peter is too.  My youngest brother Brady is SO the Fudge of the family.  He and Fudge are like wild childs.  We really do have a lot in common with them.
     I rate this a FIVE out of FIVE!  It is a great read for people who like humorous fictional types of books or Judy Blume's others in the series.  If you have a 'Wild Child' in the family, tell me about it.