Map art is a art made out of maps. In art we are doing a map project. I am cutting out the parts of the city that  mean the most to me and the least to me. Then I mount them on black paper that is mounted on black paper. After this I am going to out line it with white gel pen. Then I am going to mount them on top of each other to create a hill shape. I think that I will finish in the next 3 classes. 

When George Hagen introduces you to anyone in his book Gabriel Finley And The Ravens Riddle, within a two sentence paragraph, you will know who they are.  The two main characters are Paladin (Raven) and Gabriel(Boy).  Then there are some second main characters who accompany Gabriel on his trip under/Aviopolis, those people are Abby, Pamelia, Somes and Septimus.  But then there are people who introduce you to all of the big characters, which are in ⅓ of the book, Endora (Raven Mother), Aunt Jazz and Trudy.  You can’t forget Corax or his Valravens.  The setting takes place in two places, Brooklyn, and the underground palace of Aviopolis.  The main problem is that he needs to rescue his father and stop corax from getting the tork who will let corax and his Valravens take over the world.  With some help from friends and “bullies”. You will see just how far he gets.

There are many things that changed this story from a regular story about a boy and a Raven.  For example Gabriel and Paladin can talk in each others heads and they can merge and fly together.  Then Gabriel has to capture a writing desk that runs and has  a mind of its own.  When they capture the desk it has nothing.  If you read on you’ll see it has a kind of magic to open it.  I will give you a hint (quote) “where is my father.”  Well Gabriel makes a very big decision and that is to go rescue his father from Aviopolis and kill Corax, or at least stop him the problem gabriel runs into is like a 3 month process and if it gets resolved thats for you to find out.I loved this book it was one of the best I have read.  Here’s why.  It is a long book and that means that you can enjoy it for longer and you won’t have to write as many book reviews.  It is also a very descriptive book because you feel like you are sitting around a fire listening to Gabriel tell it.  Also it makes you dream about it.  A person who would like this book is someone who likes any theme mystery,fiction, nonfiction, animals or scary things, this book surprisingly, has it.  I would rate this book 5*****(stars) out of five stars.

The Blind Side By Michael Lewis

This book is a true story about a boy named Michael Oher. He grows up in a criminal neighborhood where a lot of drugs are going on. As a kid he got taken away from his mom (because his mom was most of the time on drugs) but kept on coming back to her. Eventually the cops stopped trying to take him away from his mom because they could never find him. He grew up and got bigger and bigger but still he thought he was this fast, small, speedy boy. At around High School he had terrible grades and got taken out of every school. His friend’s dad eventually found a school and asked Michael (also known as Big Mike) to come and see it. It was the Briarcrest Christian school. He only got accepted in because he was good at basketball and football and they were willing to give him a shot. One night he had nowhere to sleep (like most other nights) and a family at Briarcrest told him he could spend the night. Night after night he spent there and then he finally moved in. They helped him get into college with a football scholarship and make it to the NFL.d

I enjoyed this book because it made me have so many emotions, and it was not just a football book it was a meaning full book about life. It also taught me a very important lesson. And It was  mostly about sports. I think mostly readers that like sports and a lot of drama will like this.

Check with your mom and/or dad first because it has a lot of talk about drugs, violence, and cursing.

I would rate it 5 Stars out of 5 because of how well it described everything.

Marlowe Glass

The title of the book that I  read this summer is called Fablehaven by Brandon Mull. Kendra Sorenson  is not that happy to go on a “fake” vacation to her grandparent’s place, While her parents are on a 17 day cruise. Kendra feels this way because the summer before she over heard her parents saying “we have no other choice but to send them” .While on the other hand, Seth Sorenson is Kendra’s younger brother and he is very enthusiastic and always wants to do something. The setting is in the present because they have cars and cellphones. It takes place in Fablehaven where monsters of all shape and sizes can live in peace without the humans knowing where to hunt them down. But everybody on the farm knows what Fablehaven is.

One of the things that I notice about the characters is that if Kendra and Seth were not brother and sister and they happened to go to the same school they would hate each other. So they are not very compatible together and that makes teamwork hard. The book is about two kids ( Kendra and Seth) have to go to their grandparents house while their parents  are on a 17 day cruise because their aunt died. While they are there, there grandparents have these crazy rules like don’t go in the forest or don’t go in the barn but Seth goes into the forest and discovers Fablehaven. Soon after that they drink a magic milk that there grandfather was hiding and when they did they saw all the monsters in fablehaven but still are not allowed to go. I know Kendra is upset because she said “we went through all the trouble to figure this place out, but now if we go were stuck in our room for the rest of the trip”.

I did not enjoy the book because I thought it was poorly written and it was too predictable. I would not recommend this book to anybody, the read was way too long. I think the author just ran out of ideas because this book could make sense in 3 pages. I rate this book 0 out of five.

Mysteries according to Humphrey is by Betty G. Birney. It is located in Long Fellow school. Humphrey is the main character. Humphrey the hamster is trying to find out were Mrs.Brisbane [the class teacher] is. Humphrey has a friend named Og. Og is a frog. He also has a girl that is his friend and her name is Phoebe.

When Mrs.Brisbane leaves Mr.E [the substitute teacher] comes and everything goes wrong. A letter comes from the mail that is from Mrs.Brisbane. This is what it says,”Dear class, I miss you all and I miss Longfellow school. I miss being home too. But the good news is that they say I’ll be up on my feet and dancing before long. It’s funny to think that  this all came about because of Humphrey. Please listen to Mr.E and make me proud. Your teacher Mrs.Brisbane!” Humphrey thinks, How did I do this? Humphrey has a lock that doesn’t lock, and it is a big deal because he could get caught. He helps the whole class, so when Phoebe loses her daisy watch, he squeezes through doors and finally finds her daisy watch. Mrs.Brisbane comes back and everything is normal again.

I loved this book. It was funny, a perfect reading level for me, and it was about animals and I love animals. 3rd and 4th graders would like this because it is a perfect reading level for them. I would rate this book five stars out of five*****.

Over the summer I read a book called, Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, by Jonathan Auxier. This book takes place in The Vanished Kingdom. The Vanished Kingdom is a hidden palace in the middle of a prison called The Just Deserts. Peter Nimble, the main character, is an orphan thief who is blind. He is a really good thief because all of his other senses are stronger. People also don’t suspect him as a thief because of his handicap. One day Peter steals a box. The box contains three pairs of magical eyes. One pair is emerald, one pair is onyx, and the last pair is golden. The golden eyes send Peter to the last place they saw. The onyx eyes turn Peter into the last animal he touched. The emerald pair…I can not reveal.

The novel is about his journey to The Vanished Kingdom. On his travels, he meets Sir Tode. Sir Tode is a mix between a knight, a cat, and a horse. “I am a human knight ,  Sir Tode corrected,  who has been trapped inside the body of a cat… and a horse.” Together they battle to save the slaves and defeat the evil king of The Vanished Kingdom.

Peter  and Sir Tode find themselves in a lot of dangerous situations.  Peter is an amazing lock pick. He once picked 12 locks within an hour. “It took the better part of an hour for Peter to pick the locks on the Haberdashers carriage.” He uses this skill to take down the king.

This book was really surprising and suspenseful. It had action, and a little bit of mystery. I would recommend this book to ages 9+. People who like fantasy will love Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes. I would rate this book 10 stars. I hope Jonathan Auxier writes another one.

       My book review is on The Giver by Louis Lowery. The main character’s name is Jonah. Jonah lives in a very controlled society.  When you are one you are a one, two you are called a two, so on. When you turn nine you get a bike, when your group turns twelve you stop going to school and you get assignd a job. At the ceremony when Jonah turns twelve, he is chosen  for a very special job. He is going to be the next receiver.

    Now Jonah doesn’t know what the receiver is. When he gets his sheet to start his training it says “You are allowed to lie.” Lie? Why would he lie? It also says he will go go through much pain. Why? How? The old receiver will train him. Jonah calls the receiver the giver. The giver shows him how life used to be, before this society changed. The Giver changes Jonah by sharing memory’s of the past before the society changes and makes Jonah realize pain and how other people live.

   The giver gives Jonah memories by transferring them through him to Jonah. The first memory is of sledding. But then the actual pain starts. He gets memory frostbite and cuts and burns. The society has made it so no one feels pain. There is no sadness, but not much happiness. Jonah didn’t know what snow was, he had never sledded. The society didn’t even have hills. A big thing he learns is what color is. His soceity has no color.

      I enjoyed this book a lot. I liked it because it has many feeling, it interested me and it was different from any book I had ever read. I rate this book 5 stars. I think everyone should read this book. This book is also kind of sad so maybe a reader who likes a little emotion.