The True Meaning of Smekday By Adam Rex

They have finally arrived, the aliens have come to Smekland, Er… I mean Earth. What will happen to the world now that they’re here, find out in The True Meaning Of Smekday, by Adam Rex. This strange bUnknownut fast paced and exciting book is about a girl named Gratuity, but everyone calls her Tip. The mane idea of this book is there is an invasion by aliens, the aliens are called the Boov. everyone thinks the Boov are bad news and so does Tip, at first. the Boov send all the people of the U.S.A to one one state, California. On the way to California Tip meets a Boov, his earth name is J.Lo. J.Lo convinces Tip to take him with her, and after awhile they become friends.

When Tip and J.Lo got to california they learned that the dang Boov had changed their mind, now all the people of the U.S.A get to live in Arizona, so they started the long long trek to the other side of the country. In the middle of their ride, a different alien species comes to earth, this species is called the Gorg. The Gorg and Boov fight for the planet, The Gorg win by s lot and before the Boov retreat, J.Lo convisis Tip that the gorg are bad news, much worse than the Boov, so The two of them put their heads together and think of a plan to get rid of the Gorg.

This book is very fun and never really that slow, even just diving they make fun with the comedy. I would recommend this book to pretty much everyone, this book has so many different themes that there is something for everyone (accepted if you like really slow books). I loved this book and if you read it, I hope you like it just as much as I did.

    

 

Frindle by Andrew Clements

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Over the summer I read a book called Frindle. The author is Andrew Clements and he is one of my favorite writers.  The setting takes place in a class at a school. The school was called Lincoln Elementary School. The main character is Nick. The main problem is that Nick is a troublemaker going into 5th grade. The teacher can see everything behind her back, so Nick can’t pull any pranks on her. He decides to make up a new word for Pen. The word is Frindle. Now instead of saying Pen, people say Frindle. The teacher does not like it so if anyone says the word Frindle they will be staying in after school. Nick has a plan and makes over two hundred kids say the word Frindle in front of the teacher so it will be over flooding the classroom.

 

 

What changed the direction of the story was that Nick could not pull pranks so he made up a word. That word got so big that it ended up in the dictionary and he got famous. The character has to make a very big decision by keeping with the word and getting in a lot of trouble or backing away from the word and not getting in trouble. But he kept with it and he became famous and he did not get into a lot of trouble. The conflict is that the principal wants to put an end to the word but at the end of the book the teacher was actually on her side. On page 97 the quote says “I was with you the whole time.”

 

 

I enjoyed the book a lot. It was probably the top three books ever. I really liked this book because Andrew Clements is a great writer. One example of how I liked the book is that it had a lot of details, like it said, “One fall day when the leaves were brown, green and red there was a boy named Nick walking down his school street to go to school.” Another example is that the author gets you really into the book. Like he would have some parts when Nick thought he got in trouble but he was really not. My last example why I liked this book was that it was interesting and funny. He made me laugh a lot because of when they made 200 kids stay after school. I would rate this 5 stars. It was a great book.

 

The End

 

The New York Yankees by Matt Christopher

The title of my book is The New York Yankees, The Most Successful Team in Major League History written by Matt Christopher. The setting of the book takes place in all four Yankee Stadiums. The first stadium was Hilltop Park, next The Polo Grounds followed by the two Yankee Stadiums.  The main characters were Yankees stars throughout the 1900’s. For example, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Joe DiMaggio, Reggie Jackson and Yogi Berra.  There were two major issues, other than baseball related events, that postponed games during a season.  They were World War II and 9/11.

 

When the Yankees first started, they were very good.  Then, the Mets got better and they took most of the Yankees fans away. Then the Yankees traded for Babe Ruth who was really good. But he was also known for arguing and having a bad temper. But the gamble to trade for him paid off because he got 60 home runs in one season.  Then the Yankees got even better by getting Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio.  After a couple of seasons, Lou Gehrig got sick and was diagnosed with ALS which was then renamed Lou Gehrig’s disease (after he died).  After a while, Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio got old and retired and for a couple of years, the Yankees were very bad.  But their luck was not over.  A young star from the minor leagues went to the Yankees, his name was Mickey Mantle and all the sudden, they were good again.  After awhile, he started getting old and retired.  Again, the Yankees struggled for some time. But all hope was not lost when they got Reggie Jackson, a free agent. It was a big gamble because he had a huge ego but it worked out. In more recent past, the Yankees acquired big stars named Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriquez.  In their entire history, the Yankees have won 27 championships, the most in any major league sport and will probably have future stars yet again.

 

I enjoyed the book a lot. I think it gives you a lot of facts about the Yankees and tells you about each one of their stars.  I think the writer did a good job of giving details of each season.  A reader who likes the Yankees or baseball would enjoy this book. Also, if you like sports in general, I think you would like the book. I would rate this book four stars.  

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The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman by Meg Wolitzer

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This summer I read a book called The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman written by Meg Wolitzer. The main characters are Duncan Dorfman (from Drilling Falls, Pennsylvania), April Blunt (from Portland, Oregon) and Nate Saviano (from New York City). They each represent teams at a national scrabble tournament (the YST a.k.a. the Youth Scrabble Tournament) in Florida. There are four main problems:

  1. Duncan is a new kid in his town at a new school trying to figure out a new life.
  1. April is the only person in her sporty family who hasn’t won anything and she’s trying to get into the spotlight.
  1. Nate is getting homeschooled by his dad who has high expectations for him as a Scrabble player.
  1. ONLY ONE TEAM CAN WIN!

One event that changed the directional point of the story is when Carl Slater, captain of the Drilling Falls middle school Scrabble club and bully, finds out about Duncan’s power. I’m not going to tell you what it is because you have to read the book first. Fine, I’ll tell you what Carl says. Carl says to Duncan, “You’re telling me you can feel the words underneath your fingers without looking? I have plans for you, Lunch Meat (Duncan’s nickname from the first day of school — this is a part of the story you will find out about when you read the book!)” Duncan has to decide whether he wants to use his special talent or not to win. Another event that changes the story is when Nate gets frustrated during a game and quits the tournament. His teammate, Maxie, ends up quitting, too. They have a conversation and Maxie offends Nate. Nate says, “I am not selfish, Maxie. I had no idea you cared so much about this tournament.” Then Maxie says, “Oh, you thought I was just doing it for you Nate? Well, think again.” Nate and Maxie become friends again and finish the tournament (they end up losing to Duncan’s team and place third).

I enjoyed the book because it was a story about friendship. An example of friendship is when Nate walked away from the Scrabble game and Maxie came and got him back in to it. Another reason why I enjoyed the book was there was a lot of action in it. An action scene was when Nate’s father, Larry, met his old Scrabble partner, Wendell Bruno. Wendell was talking, and talking, and talking about when they played Scrabble together. And THEN he started talking about how he looks for a Saviano in every single Scrabble tournament. But it was an action part and a BIG part in the story. Also one last reason I enjoyed the book was because it makes you want to play Scrabble. After I finished the book, I wanted to play a game of Scrabble and I did. I would rate this book 5 stars because Meg Wolitzer did a good job of telling the story and not having it get too complicated with lots of characters who play a big part in the plot.

THE END *****

 

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

 

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One of the books that I read this summer was titled Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. It takes place in the Ozark Mountains. The main character is a boy named Billy who is a dog lover but his parents didn’t have the money to pay for a dog. 

A very important part in the book is when after years of trying to make enough money to buy a dog Billy finally could afford two hounds. He named the two hounds Old Dan and Little Ann. Billy took the two hounds out to hunt beavers and the two puppies looked as if they had been hunting for years. Billy goes through a lot of tough decisions. For example his grandfather, a passionate hunter, tells Billy about a beaver hunting tournament with some of the most ferocious beavers in the country. Problem is that the dogs could get killed by the beavers and the blizzards don’t help either.

I won’t tell you what happens to the dogs or Billy but I could tell you that it was a great book. It was very touching. It was also very sad. I cried at the end of the book. But that is just proof to tell you that it was not one of those monotonous books that you fall asleep to. I got so attached to the book that it made want to shout to the characters “ no don’t do it” or “Let’s do it Billy.” If you don’t enjoy sad books then I wouldn’t recommend this book but if you like to feel emotional I think you would love this book. On a rate from one to ten I would give this book an eight.

 

The Report Card

A good book I read is called, The Report Card. The Author is Andrew Clements (He also wrote Frindle which is another good book). It takes place in Philbrook Elementary School. It is about a girl named Nora Rose Rowley. She is a genius but she doesn’t want anyone to know. She has Hyperthymesia (which means she remember pretty much everything) but nobody knows. not even her parents. Her best friend Stephen is a good hardworking kid but she feels like he thinks he’s stupid. And she doesn’t think he’s stupid at all. So she get bad grades (on purpose) to prove he’s not stupid. But then her parents get the principal and all the teachers involved.

 

Then Nora comes up with a plan with Stephen to get all the kids in the school get bad grades on purpose and then it turns into a big mess. If you don’t want to know what happens in the end don’t read the rest of this paragraph. So there is a big meeting and Stephen’s parents are there and Nora’s parents are there and all the teachers, the principal, the superintendent and of course, Nora and Stephen. Then at the meeting Nora finds out that Stephen did a lot without her knowing and a lot of kids listened to Stephen. If you want to know what Nora does next you’ll have to read the book.

 

I liked this book a lot because I like Nora and she is an interesting person and I like the fact she is so smart but doesn’t tell anyone. It’s not my favorite book but I still liked it. I would rate it 3 stars

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Emily Windsnap and the Ship of Lost Souls

My book is called, Emily Windsnap and the Ship of Lost Souls. It is by Liz Kessler. She lives in Cornwall, England. If you want to read the first book I would not suggest reading this book reveiw. Emily Windsnap is an Eighth Grade girl who is also a Semi-mer. (a Semi-mer is a Human but if the go deep enough into water they turn into a mermaid/man) Her best friend is Shona who is a full time mermaid and Her other friend Mandy (who used to bully her) is a full time Human. And her Boyfriend Aaron is a Semi-mer like her. This is the sixth book in the series I suggest reading the other books first: 1,The Tail of Emily Windsnap. 2, Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep. 3, Emily Windsnap and the Castle in the Mist. 4, Emily Windsnap and the Siren’s Secret. 5, Emily Windsnap and the Land of the Midnight Sun. This book takes place mostly at a place called Five Bays. It is run By Lyle and Lowenna Waters. She goes to Five Bays on a class trip (Shona’s School Shiprock also is coming) and everything there is unorganized and Lowenna is not there. The Emily and Aaron go and find a hidden place with a chair looking out onto the ocean. And then they see a ship that no one else can see and they don’t know why so they tell Mandy and Shona and they try to figure it out.

 

One day Shona and Emily are out in the water and Emily sees the ship up close and she sees a woman in the ship who she can’t hear but seems to be mouthing the words “Help us!” Then She goes into Lyles office with Mandy and Aaron and talked with Lyle who is suspicious about if they know anything about the ship and they denied knowing anything about it and then before they leave Emily sees a picture on his desk of the woman she saw on the ship. Later they sneak into his office and use his computer to look up the name of the ship which is Prosperous II and find out it is a boat owned by a  vacation company. They need to know more so they ended up telling Lyle everything.

 

I really liked this book a lot and if you want to know more then read the book! If you like adventure books then you would like this book because Emily loves adventure and even admits in the book she can’t help pass up and adventure. I would rate this book five stars.

When You Reach Me

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The Author of When You Reach Me is Rebecca Stead. This book takes place in New York Upper West side 1978-1979. The main character is Miranda Sinclair. The other important characters are, Sal (her best friend), Marcus (the boy who punched Sal), The Laughing Man (a homeless guy who is always sticking his head in a mailbox and her friends,Colin and Annemarie (and Julia but Miranda doesn’t like her at first) The situation is she is getting letters and she dosen’t know who is writing them. When she got the first letter her house door was unlocked and the extra key (for if she loses her key) is gone and nothing appears to be stolen. Then she finds the first letter in her library book. This is what the first letter says:

 

M,

This is hard. Harder than I expected, even with your help. But I have been practicing,and my preparations go well. I am coming to save your friends life,and my own. I ask two favors. First, write me a letter. Second please remember to mention the location of your house key. The trip is a difficult one I will not be myself when I reach you.

 

This is confusing because why would someone who took the key ask where it is?

 

 

If you want here are the other letters but they probably won’t make sense unless you read the book! 🙂

 

Second letter:

 

Miranda:

Your letter must tell a story-a true story. You cannot begin now, as most of it has not yet taken place. And even afterward, there is no hurry. But do not

wait so long that your memory fades. I require as much detail as you can provide. The trip is a difficult one, and I must ask my favors while my mind is sound.

A postscript: I know you have shared my first note. I ask you not to share the others. Please. I do not ask this for myself.

 

 

The Third letter:

 

You will want proof 3 p.m today:Colin’s knapsack.

Christmas Day: Tesser well.

April 27th:Studio TV-15

P.S Yawns do serve a purpose. They cool the brain by bringing air high into the nasal passage, which has the effect of increasing alertness.

 

The last letter:

 

This is the story I need you to tell this and everything that has led up to it Please deliver your letter by hand you know where to find me. My apologies for the terse instructions. The trip is a difficult one; I carry nothing, and a man can only hold so much paper in his mouth.

 

 

I really liked this book because it gives you clues that don’t make sense and then the more you read the more it makes sense. Also the book is the perspective of Miranda’s letter to the letter writer. I would suggest this book if you like books like that and if you like time travel and mini problems aside a bigger one. I would rate this book five stars!

 

                          

 

 

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

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One of the books I read this summer is called The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket. The book is in a big series called, A Series of Unfortunate Events. This is the first book in the series. The Bad Beginning does not say when it takes place, but I think it is the past because it  has the old time vibe. The pages are uneven and ripped like a treasure map, and the narrator uses lots of uncommon vocabulary. The main characters are Violet Baudelaire, the eldest, Klaus Baudelaire, the middle child, and Sunny Baudelaire, the youngest. They are from a very very wealthy family, and they all have very interesting talents. Violet is a inventor, Klaus loves to read, and Sunny is a bitter! The main problem is that there house had a mysterious fire and their parents died, so they had to live with their evil relative Count Olaf

Count Olaf was so evil he made them do horrible chores all day, and only took them as orphans because he wants the Baudelaire fortune. Violet, Sunny, and Klaus  are trying to tell everyone Count Olaf is a bad man. All throughout the story they are trying to escape, but when they try and fail, Count Olaf will punish them. One time he struck Klaus across the face. The only good thing is that the orphans have a lovely neighbor, Justice Strauss. Sometimes they sneak to her house in the day and garden and read in her library. Count Olaf is an actor, and he goes to work in the day, leaving them a long list of chores. The three children don’t make any big decisions. Their problem does not get solved because every chapter ends in a cliffhanger, even the end of the book, so you have to read the other books to see what happens. There is also a movie that is good which is  based on the first three books.   

The Bad Beginning was not my favorite book, but it was good. I liked it because it is very mysterious and the narrator is interesting. He says things like “ I am sorry to say but the book in your hands is very unpleasant ”. I did not like this book because at the 7th chapter it became repetitive. I think that someone that likes sad mysteries, and books in a series, would enjoy it.

I give it ***  stars!

A Crooked Kind of Perfect

1535111Over the summer I read a book called a Crooked Kind of Perfect written by a women named Linda Urban.  This book is about a ten year old girl named Zoe Elias that wanted to be a piano prodigy and play Carnegie Hall when she was older. She told her parents to buy her a piano but her dad came home with an organ.

 

Learning versions of old TV theme songs on the organ was definitely not the same as playing Carnegie Hall and  having to play an organ wasn’t the only bad thing about her life.  Zoe’s mom was always at work, her dad was at home trying to find a job and a strange boy from school named Wheeler was always following her home to hang out with Zoe’s dad.  Right when Zoe thinks everything is going wrong she enters the annual perfor-O-rama organ competition and realizes that not everything needs to be perfect and can sometimes be a little off center.

 

To be honest, at the beginning of the book I didn’t think it was going to like it, but when I kept reading I kept liking it more and more. The first thing I really liked was that I was the same age as the main character so I was able to relate to her a lot.  I also liked that the book was a fiction book but the theme was very realistic. Even though I  liked the book in general, I thought that the chapters were really short and would have loved to learn a little more about the characters and about what was happening before each chapter ended. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an easy read book with a  happy ending. I would rate this book 4 ½ stars.