Monthly Archives: April 2014

Apr
02
2014

Lawnboy, by Gary Paulsen

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UnknownLawnboy, is a really good book by Gary Paulsen. Gary Paulsen has some other good books too. The main character is Lawner (It never says his name, I’m just going to call him Lawner because he mows lawns.) Lawner is very poor, and nice. He doesn’t have enough money for a inner tube for his bike, and can’t even buy one. That’s how poor he is. The setting of the book is Summer, and around modern time, in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. It is a middle-class town.

 

Like I said, Lawner doesn’t have enough money for a inner tube for his bike. On his 12th birthday, he got an old riding mower (A lawn mower that you sit on, and it’s just like a tractor). Read the book to see what he gets into with the mower. On pg. 4 it says, “A mower?” Lawner seemed surprised by his present, but that’s why it made it a good part. Also, Lawners’ life is different with the mower, so if you compare that to the end of the book after you’re done reading it, it’s pretty cool.

 

I really enjoyed the book because it is very funny (if you look on pg 3). For example, Lawner’s Grandma is very strange. If you asked her, “You know, I think the Yankees will win the World Series again.” She might reply, “Yes, but it’s still nice to put carrots in the stew for flavor.” But, everybody knows, that the Mets are gonna win the World Series with David Wright and Matt Harvey. The book also teaches you about the stock market (which is VERY complicated), and investing. I would recommend the book to people who are 8-15 year olds because if you are under 8, you would not understand, and if you are older, you wouldn’t be interested. I would rate the book 4-out-of 5 stars.

 

 

Apr
02
2014

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Cabin Fever, By Jeff Kinney

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I really enjoyed Diary Of A Wimpy Kid, Cabin Fever, by Jeff Kinney. The main characters name is Greg Heffly. He lives in the present in a decent sized town with a lot of towns next to it. One thing that happens to Greg in the book is he sometimes accidentally/on purpose gets in trouble. But he talks his best friend Rowley Jefferson into it with him. A part in the book that explains that is when Greg and Rowley want to make a holiday bazaar and they put posters in front of the school when the principle already told them not to. They put up their posters and it starts to rain. Someone sees them but they do not know who. The next day the story is in the papers. After they call a bunch of people get called to the principal’s office Rowley confesses. Greg gets in trouble and is very unlucky.

 

While Greg stil thinks he is being looked for by the police “The search” for Greg gets delayed by a big snowstorm. Gregs dad is staying a resort while Greg is being touter by hunger and brothers. Then Greg’s little brother breaks his moms glasses and Greg has to look after Manny because the mom can not see. Two important events are when he finds out you can get frozen Drummies (his favorite chicken he gets at the Holiday Bazaar). That is an important part because without the frozen Drummies he never would have started his Holiday Bazaar which got him in trouble which is the big problem of the story. Another important part of the story is when Manny breaks mom’s glasses. That is important part because if Manny never broke mom’s glasses Greg would not need to take care of him for around a ¼ of the book. Greg is very sensitive self involved and loves privacy he loves to say “So I’ve started wearing sweatpants to bed because I really don’t need Santa seeing me in my underwear.” The book takes place around christmas and he wants lots of privacy from santa.

 

I enjoyed this book because even if you read it four or five times there is always suspense like: Will Greg go to jail? Did Principle Roy find out he did it?  Will Greg get in trouble for what he did? So much suspense! I would rate the book 1000000 out of 5 stars. It has everything a good book need’s like comedy and it never gets boring With no typos! Much much more! It’s GREAT! I REALLY recommend the book!  Unknown

Apr
02
2014

Emily Windsnap and the Land of the Midnight Sun By Liz Kessler

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Emily Windsnap and the Land of the Midnight Sun is the fifth book in a series by Liz Kessler. The main character is Emily Windsnap, of course, and she’s half human half mermaid. She used to live on an all-mermaid island, but she moves back to Brightport where she used to live before she discovered she was a mermaid. The reason why is in the 4th book, which you’ll have to read.

Emily is very adventurous. That’s why she accepts to go on a dangerous mission assigned by Neptune, king of mermaids. But she also is very loyal to her friends. Like when Neptune made made her promise not to tell anyone about her mission, and gives her a shell phone to communicate with her, Emily gives the phone to her best friend, Shona as a token of friendship. This book takes place mostly in the place Emily is going for her mission, but other places, too.

Neptune has been having very strange dreams lately, so he asks, or orders Emily and her friend Aaron to find out why he’s having these dreams. She’s having a lot of trouble with her mission because she doesn’t understand what Neptune asks of her and Aaron.

But during that, she’s having friendship problems with Aaron, and on top of that, missing Shona. Most of the book revolves around about that. But some of the book is also about getting past that, and doing her mission. Like once, she was trying to just do her mission instead of getting mad, so she said, “I swallowed down a furious response and tried to gather as much dignity as possible.”

I would give this book 4 stars because I loved this book and I love adventure and friendship books. I love this whole series. Also, I like how you find out more about the characters in this book than the fourth, third, second, and first. But it wasn’t the best book in the world.

 I would recommend this book to people who like adventure and friendship, and who have the other books.

Apr
02
2014

11 Birthdays, by Wendy Mass

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11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass

This book is about a girl named Amanda. When she was born her parents made a promise to a lady named Angelina. The promise was that she would always have her birthday with her best friend Leo. Until she was 9 she kept that promise. You will read more about that later. Her parents never intended to keep the promise but they always had it happen that way. The book takes place in a place called Willow Falls.

On their 10th birthday Amanda got into a fight with Leo so they decided to not have their 11th birthday together. When she has her birthday separately she is miserable. She misses Leo but is still mad at him. The next day she wakes up to find that it is just her birthday all over again. She and Leo have to make up and then team up to get their birthday to happen just once a year. “‘ I get it.’ I announce happily.  ‘This is all just a game.’” Amanda first thinks when she wakes up on her birthday. Again.

 

I really liked this book because it is realistic fiction and a bit or a mystery. You can read this and get 2 in 1! It is told from her perspective which I really like and it gives a bunch of details. I would recommend this to someone who enjoyed other Wendy Mass books and who likes a some mystery. I really liked all the other books she written. I would give this 5 stars.

   Unknown

Apr
02
2014

Emily Windsnap and the Sirens Secret, by Liz Kessler

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Over spring break I read the third book in the Emily windsnap series, The Sirens Secret by Liz Kessler. The main character in the Emily  windsnap  series is of of course Emily. Aaron and Shona are Emily’s best friends and are with Emily throughout the story. Emily has a crush on Aaron which makes things really awkward between them.  Emily is a loyal friend, determined, funny and shy towards new people. The setting of the book is mostly in the water because well the main character is a mermaid. Emily’s mom is a human so the story of course takes place on land too.  If you have not read any of the books on this series I would suggest reading the book reviews on the first and seconded books.

UnknownOne day Emily and Shona are really bored so Shona advises that Emily and herself go to see the lost sirens. A siren is a mermaid that attacks fishing boats that come into certain parts of the sea, they lore the fishermen into the sea bringing them to instant deaths by their siren songs. Anyway shins went looking for the lost sirens and decided to split up.  Emily was swimming along when she felt a strange current pulling her into what looked like an old well. Emily made the decision to jump into the well which led her to the lost sirens. At first when Emily met the sirens they seemed so nice and gentle. But after a while their soft tone turned into an impatient sharp tone that was when Emily had a feeling that the sirens were slowly but forcing her to do something, but Emily wasn’t sure

what that thing was…at least not yet. SING! Emily was not told why she had to sing but some feeling inside her told her to do what the sirens said or else… After a few hours Emily remembered about Shona, she had to find her. As Emily was remembering Shona guess who shot herself down that well, no one but Shona. They tried to go up the well but soon realized they were trapped they had to get out some how…

One important part is Emily’s big problem problem but that is in the paragraph above so another important part which so happens to be my favorite part too. When Mr. Beaston discovers the truth about his past. With the help of Emily, Shona, and Aaron a secret of a lie is on covered. This is an very emot

ional scene when all the most of the characters help one another that’s one of the good things about the Emily windsnap series. The books are all about love, friendship, and how important helping others is.

I really enjoyed this book because of its messages and the little problems that come up here and there. People who like sad books, books about friendship, love and and a little bit of mystery this book is for you. One of my favorite quotes in this book is “So what are we supposed to do now?” I like that quote because when something goes wrong Emily assumes that someone else is always supposed to have a backup plan. I would give this book ***** out of ***** stars.

Apr
02
2014

Eleven Birthdays, by Wendy Mass

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The book Eleven Birthdays is about a girl named Amanda and her ex-best friend Leo. They have the same birthday. Every year when their birthday came around they would have a party together. This year, on their eleventh birthday they are having separate parties because the year before they had gotten into a fight. Everyone at school that day is talking about Leo’s party because his party includes a famous sports star, a hypnotist, and an awesome band. Amanda is not excited at all for her party because she has to squeeze into an itchy Dorothy costume and tight blister-giving shoes. Amanda also said “ I wish me and Leo were having a party together” Amanda just wants her birthday to be over and Saturday to come. There is just one problem the next day is not Saturday it’s friday again.

My favorite part of the book is when well I can’t really tell you because it would be a spoiler, but I will tell you why I like it. I like it because Amanda finally found something out that will really help her. My least favorite part of the book is when this woman named Angelina disappears when Amanda most needs her. I don’t like that part because Amanda is really close to solving the mystery and then she disappears. She really makes Amanda scared and confused. I liked this book a lot because I was almost solving Amanda’s problem with her. The book was a little slow at parts.

UnknownI would recommend this book to people who like a realistic fiction book with fantasy mixed into it. I really like this kind of book because it is not as simple as a realistic fiction book, but it is not as hard to follow with the adventure and the amount of characters in a fantasy book. I would give this book 4 ½ stars.

Apr
02
2014

My Name Is Mina And I Love The Night Anything Seems Possible At Night When The Rest Of The World Has Gone Sleep, By David Almond.

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“My Name Is Mina” is about a girl who starts to write a journal about her life. But there is a catch. She does it at night. She says anything is possible when the rest of the world has gone to sleep. Well Mina isn’t the coolest kid around. She writes in another diary during the day in a tree. So she gets bullied a lot. This book changes years constantly so you kind of have to keep up. Mina lives in England. She gets kicked out of school because she write nonsense on an important essay the had to write.

 

Here is a quote from “My Name Is Mina.” “Sometimes I look at the world and I am amazed that there’s anything at all. Why is there anything? Why is there something? Rather than nothing? Why? Why? Why? Why? Was there just nothing? And did that nothing turn into something? And if that nothing turned into something how did it do it, and why? Why? Why? Why?

 

Well Mina isn’t exactly the worlds, average kid. She is a bit mental. So she is not mental in a way that makes her stupid just in a way that makes her strange. Find out if Mina gets back into school and gets a normal life. If you read this book. I give this book a four and a half star rating. It was good but it was a little weird. At first I thought it would be a complete waste of time.

 

But this book really taught me that we are lucky about what we have. And what our brain is like. We have normal brains. Some kids are really messed up in the head. But we are lucky enough that that did not happen to us. I also liked the book because it was they gave you interesting facts and fun things to do when you have free time.

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Apr
02
2014

Taggerung, By Brian Jacques

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This is a book from the Redwall series. It is called Taggerung. This book is about a young otter whose father was slain by vermin. These vermin took him in, and named him their taggerung. A taggerung is a beast who is very fast, very strong, and extremely dangerous. Taggerungs also have very good eyesight, hearing, and tracking skills. When this taggerung leaves the vermin clan because the chief Sawney Rath was becoming too dangerous for his own good, he goes off adventuring and eventually ends up at Redwall Abbey.

The main characters are Tagg, ( The taggerung) Nimbalo, ( a harvest mouse) Mhera, (Tagg’s older sister) Cregga Badgermum, ( The abbey’s caretaker) and Filorn ( Tagg and Mhera’s mother). This book takes place in Mossflower Woodlands.

A very important thing is that Taggerung goes through a change to find his real self. The taggerung realizes that he is not a vermin, and he has things that he wants to do anyway. Here is what the taggerung told Sawney Rath when he left. “ I no longer want to be with you or your clan, Sawney. You’ve become too dangerous for your own good. I’ve watched you change over the seasons from a clan chief, to a bad old beast. I go my own way now. our paths will never cross again, so I wish you better times and hope you learn to treat others more wisely.”

When Tagg leaves Sawney’s band, there are many plot twists. One of them introduces a very important character, Nimbalo. Tagg and Nimbalo become very good friends, and they are usually found together, having adventures.

I enjoyed this book a lot, and I would totally rate it 5 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this book to people who like funniness, action, animal perspective, and don’t mind a bit of violence. Also, you should be prepared for a little tiny bit of grossness. But other than that, I think that this book should be a movie so that we could watch it! That would be awesome!

This is the cover of Taggerung. The otter on the cover is the Taggerung.

 

Apr
02
2014

Spy School By Stuart Gibbs

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Spy School is about a boy named Benjamin Ripley. He is a normal kid, he likes to play sports etc. until… One day a agent in the CIA comes to his house and asks him to apply to a ‘science school’ which is really a secret CIA training camp. He is so excited and he says yes but there is one problem. He can’t tell his parents that it’s a secret CIA training facility. His parents are psyched that he got into a new school but they want to check it out. Ben has a tough time saying no to his parents. Because in the book it says “It was a hard choice to leave my parents but I wanted to be in the CIA so I said yes.”

 

He went to the school and as soon as he got there there was an attack by the enemy. He went into the nearest building and found a girl crouching there. Ben asked her what she was doing there and she said that she was one of the students at the school. Then the girl gave Ben a Taser. Then they snuck out of the building and went to the building where the principals office was. I don’t want to tell more about this because there will be spoilers.

I will give this book 1,000,000 out of 10 stars because it kept me on my toes waiting for something else to happen. I would recommend this book to 4th-5th graders because third graders wouldn’t understand the book and 6th graders wouldn’t like. I would also reccomend this book to people who like mysteries.

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Apr
02
2014

Game of Clones by M.E. Castle

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WARNING: DO NOT READ THIS UNLESS YOU HAVE READ THE FIRST TWO BOOKS!

This book is called Game of Clones by M.E. Castle. The main character is Fisher Bas and he has a clone who is named Two/Alec. Fisher is a science geek and isn’t very good with communicating with other people. This book takes place in Palo Alto California.

Fisher’s problem is that there is a third clone who is evil called “Three”. They have to figure out his evil plans and stop him. To do this, they have to battle a “jellyfish car machine,”  escape a collapsing library, and fight off an army of robots! “Come on! We have to follow the robot to find Three’s plans!”233

I enjoyed this book very much! This book was good for me because I like the characters and the plot is interesting because it kept you on your toes. My favorite part was when Alec/Two figured out how Three was doing  I would recommend this book to people who like adventure… (and have read the first two books.) I would rate this book 5 stars!(P.S., this book is the 3rd in a growing series.)