Monthly Archives: September 2015

Sep
08
2015

From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

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511Y1shNp+L._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_ This summer I read From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg. The story takes place in a laundromat, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a school, a fountain, and Mrs, Frankweiler’s house. I think the story takes place in the present. The main characters in the book are Claudia and Jamie, who are brother and sister, Mrs. Frankweiler and her lawyer, Saxonberg. The main problem is that Claudia and Jamie are trying to find out if a sculpture of an angel in the Met was made by Michelangelo.

The story is about Claudia and Jamie running away from home and staying at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. An event that changed the direction of the story was when Claudia and Jamie saw Angel for the first time. Claudia wanted to learn more about Angel and Michelangelo so when she learned that Mrs. Frankweiler sold the statue to the museum for $250 she decided to find her. Claudia made a big decision by running away. At the end they resolved the problem of learning about Angel from Mrs. Frankweiler.

I “kind of” enjoyed my book because only a few parts were interesting, like when the kids were at Mrs. Frankweiler’s house and they had to find the sketch of Angel. I didn’t love the book because I thought it got less interesting when Claudia and Jamie started to learn about Angel. One more reason why I didn’t love my book was because it ended without you knowing what Claudia and Jamie did with the sketch of Angel. I think any type of reader would enjoy this book because it doesn’t really have a specific genre. I would rate this book three stars.

Sep
07
2015

The Homework Machine By Dan Gutman

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One of the books I read this summer is The Homework Machine By Dan Gutman. The book takes place in a city in Arizona. The main characters are Brenton, Sam, Kelsey, and Judy. The situation is that Brenton is a genius so he built a machine that does your homework for you in your own hand writing. All of a sudden mysterious people arrive and start asking random kids in their town questions like “what computer software do you use?” Or “do you know anything about a homework machine?”

 

The 4 kids have used the homework machine for a while now when all of a sudden Sam is absent for 2 days. Then after 2 days his teacher runs into the cafeteria during lunch with a tear running down her cheek yelling that Sam’s father has died. Kelsey also lost her father when she was young and she started sobbing. When Sam came back everyone gave him a big hug. Then this guy named Marley starts showing up at Brenton’s door so Brenton decides to give the homework machine to Sam for him to keep so its safe. I can’t tell you about Marley with out giving away one of the best parts of the story. After a while they become obsessed with the machine and the 4 of them decide to throw it into the Grand Canyon. It’s a short book so I don’t want to say too much.

 

I enjoyed this book a lot because it is has a lot to do with technology and the characters are extremely friendly with each other. I am labeling this as Realistic Fiction because with the technology today it is definitely possible. I rate the book 5 stars. I am looking forward to reading the next book Return of the Homework Machine.

 

 

Sep
07
2015

Summer According To Humphrey

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Over the summer I read Summer According To Humphrey written by Betty G. Birney. It takes place in room 29 at Longfellow school and Camp Happy Hollow. The main characters are Humphrey the hamster, Og the frog, Brad, and Gail. The main problem of the story is Humphrey and Og are very worried because they don’t know where they’re going for the summer because they are classroom pets.

The direction of the story changed when Og the frog got lost. Also Brad changed from bragging to being nice to other campers. An important quote from my book is “And so it went brad never mentioned his old camp.”

I really enjoyed my book because I went to sleepaway camp for the first time  this year. My camp was a lot like the camp in the book.  I met many new friends at camp too. I think that if you like books  with lots of adventures and is from the perspective of an animal, you would like this book.  I rate this book four and a half stars out of five!!!

 

 

Sep
06
2015

A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban

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The book I read this summer is called A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban. The book has many different settings. Two of the main settings are her house and her school. The main character’s name is Zoe Elias. Some other characters are Miss Person her piano teacher, her mother, her father, Wheeler Diggs her friend from school and her dad’s baking partner, and Emma Dent her “former” best friend. In the book Zoe has big dreams to become the next Vladimir Horowitz (a famous pianist). The main problem is that Zoe has been begging her parents for a baby grand piano. Instead she gets a wood-grained, vinyl-seated, wheeze-bag organ. She also wants to play at Carnegie Hall. But it’s kind of hard to play at Carnegie Hall when you don’t have a baby grand piano to practice on.

But soon a big twist changed the direction of the story. Miss Person thinks it will be good for Zoe to enter the annual Perform-O-Rama organ competition. Zoe has to make a big decision between going to the Preform-O-Rama and understanding that it’s okay to make mistakes or just staying home and giving up on the big dreams she has of becoming an amazing pianist. One quote that really inspired her when she was playing was  “just keep playing”. I know this sounds just like words but to Zoe these words were very inspirational because she just has to focus on the piano and not focus on what’s going on around her and then surely she will do great! She also have to keep in mind that everybody makes mistakes and that it’s okay to make mistakes but you have to learn from those mistakes. Zoe resolves her problem by thinking “just keep playing” and she does just that. She ends up doing an amazing performance.

I really enjoyed this book. I really enjoyed it because it helped me learn that everyone makes mistakes and that it’s okay to make mistakes. An example of this is when Zoe performs at the Perform-O-Rama and she makes a few mistakes but she keeps going. I also thought that a lot of the characters were really funny and quirky especially Zoe and her family. An example of this is when Zoe’s dad decorated the hotel room to look just like their house. I also just love reading about people who have big dreams and try to make their dreams a reality. An example of this is when Zoe keeps trying hard to become amazing and she puts a lot of effort into playing the piano.  I think a pianist would read this book because it gives a lot of facts about the piano. I also think a reader who likes humor would like this book because it is a very funny, quirky book. I give this book a five star rating.                                                          

Sep
06
2015

Tuck everlasting by Natalie Babbit

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THE TUCK’S ARE NOT A NORMAL FAMILY. I read Tuck everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. Winnie Foster is a well brought up girl. She lives in a place called treegap. Winnie is bored as usual so she goes for a walk in the woods. The Tuck family has a big  secret. When Winnie catches Jesse Tuck drink from a spring in the woods she wants to drink some too. Jessie will not let Winnie drink from the spring. Just then Mae and Miles appear. Mae is aware of Winnie’s wish and decides to kidnap her. Soon Mae tells her about why she couldn’t drink the water. The Tucks are immortal because the spring wasn’t an ordinary spring. It was a fountain of youth. But a man in a yellow suit hears and tells Winnie’s family if they sell the woods to him he will bring Winnie back. Mr Tuck made Winnie understand why she must not tell anyone.  “We are not people we are just rocks by the road.”

The man goes back to the Tuck’s house and tells them about the woods and the plan. That he was selling the water to people. So Mae Tuck hit him on the head with a shotgun. Mae Tuck is arrested and is to be hanged. But then Mae can not die. Winnie switches places with Mae Tuck so the Tucks can escape. Later the constable sees Winnie’s face and lets her go. Jessie is growing to like Winnie so he gave her a bottle of the special water before he runs of. Will Winnie see Jesse again?

I loved this book because I read it nonstop and couldn’t put it down. I would give it five stars.

 

Sep
06
2015

The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex

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The title of my book is The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex. The story takes place all over America. It is about aliens called the Boov who have already taken over the world and one criminal alien named J.lo helps the main protagonist, named Gratuity, also known as Tip, an 11- year-old girl who can drive.

J.lo helps Tip fix her car and then they go to Florida where all the Americans are living, or are they? Then it turns out that the Boov love oranges and make them go to Arizona. Then later, another alien race, called the Nimrogs, or really the Gorg, invade Smekland (Earth). What happened is one Nimrog killed all the other Nimrogs and then the Boov gave Gorg, the last Nimrog, a cloning machine so Gorg cloned himself into a whole entire race, the Gorg race. A big decision Tip makes during the story is letting J.lo call her Tip because “only friends call me Tip.” Ultimately, the Boov surrender and the Gorg are defeated because of cloning problems and a “cat-astrophe.”

In conclusion,  if you like aliens, bad grammar jokes, and awkward situations, this is a book for you. I rate this book 4.5 stars out of five. I enjoyed the book, but the ending did not satisfy me.    

 

Sep
04
2015

Flora & Ulysses Book Review

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floraUlysses is a plain old regular squirrel until he gets sucked up by a vacuum cleaner. I read Flora and Ulysses by Kate Dicamillo. It is about a girl named Flora that saved a squirrels life. She breaths into the squirrels mouth and all of a sudden it lifts up the vacuum cleaner and starts to shake it. Flora is 10 years old and she is a cynic. Her parents are divorced so part of the book is with her dad and the other with her mom but she lives with her mom. The setting is mostly in Flora’s neighborhood.

 

Flora is very Strong, Brave, and kind. She is Strong because it is really hard to have divorced parents and have your mom trying  to murder your pet squirrel. She is Brave because it is really hard to tell your mom that you want to live with your dad instead of her. She is Kind because she saved Ulysses life. An interesting thing about this book is how Ulysses can fly! Because he is a normal squirrel not a flying squirrel. Another interesting thing about this book is how Ulysses writes poetry if I was writing this book I would never thought of making Ulysses write poetry. Another interesting part is how Flora’s mom thinks Ulysses is a dirty animal and wants to murder him. And Flora’s dad likes Ulysses and is kind to him.

 

I really enjoyed reading this book. I like how it is really unique I have never read a book like this. I recommend this book to people who like short books where you can’t put it down. I also recommend this book to people who like animal books. I rate this book 5 stars!

 

Sep
04
2015

Spirit Animals book 3 Blood Ties by Garth Nix and Sean Williams

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The book that I will do my review on is called Spirit Animals book 3 Blood Ties. The authors are Garth Nix and Sean Williams. It is located in the world of Erdas which is completely fiction and the time I would say is in the 1200s. The main characters are, Conor, Meilin, Abeke, Rollan, and Tarik. The main problem is that the devourer has risen and is trying to conquer Erdas.

The devourer has risen again and the quest for talismans has begun. with the talismans of the great beasts, the devourer is unstoppable. Can the greencloaks prevent that from happening? read spirit animals to find out.

 

 

An event that changed the direction of the story is that Meilin ran off away from the others and made them try to get the Slate Elephant talisman without her. Meilin made a big decision to run off and find her long lost father one of the five highest generals in her country Zhong. It was a big decision because her spirit animal Jhi the great panda advised against it. The problem with the devourer was never resolved because even though the devourer made an appearance in the battle for the Slate elephant, he ran away from the battle once he was injured. “the crocodile turned and streaked away with astonishing speed.” page 179.

I enjoyed the book because there are 2 different stories in one. Meilin trying to find her father and the greencloaks quest to the great beast Dinesh’s temple. I also liked the intense part when Abeke and Conor try to get the banana gourds. I lastly liked the part when the rhino riders knock everyone unconscious. I think people who read Percy Jackson would like this book because the story is like Percy Jackson’s story. I rate this book 4 stars. 

by Alon.

Sep
03
2015

Deenie

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 820083._UY200_Over the summer I read an amazing book called Deenie. It was very well written. The author is named Judy Blume. The main character is named Deenie. Deenie is a normal girl. She is thirteen years old. But one day she gets diagnosed with Scoliosis. That means that she has to wear a brace on her back. Deenie hates the brace. It makes her look weird. Her mom also doesn’t like it. Her mom wanted Deenie to be a model. Deenie could not be a model with the brace. Deenie didn’t want to be a model so she was glad the she did not have be one. But she was still angry that she had to wear a brace. She wondered how her friends and classmates would think of her.

 

The first time Dennie saw the brace that she was going to have to wear, she wanted to scream.Forget it! I am never going to wear that thing. Deenie has to wear the brace to school. There are always times when she wants to take the brace of. One time, she wanted to take the brace of more than anything because she did not want people to make fun of her. Her father said no. She really wanted to. Her father was not there at that moment so she thought that she should take it off. But she made the right choice and kept it on. Deenie’s mom got upset when she finds out that Deenie has Scoliosis. She wanted Deenie to be a model.

 

I really liked this book. It talks about challenges that Deenie had to overcome. Like being afraid of someone bullying you. Or not being able to do something that you wanted to do. I think a lot of people could enjoy this book. It is very well written. I rate this book ⭑⭑⭑⭑

Sep
02
2015

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

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The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

     The book I read over the summer was called The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. I think the author really liked basketball because the setting of the book was mostly on the basketball court. The main characters in the book are Josh Bell and JB they are twin brothers that are 14, they’re on the same basketball team and play great together on the court. The book also had a lot of descriptive writing about basketball. Like my favorite line in the book when she wrote “ to JB, who skips downtown zips around then double dips it in the bowl SWOOSH.” They’re many problems in this book but the main one is that Josh and JB’s dad has hypertension and he is really sick, but he doesn’t like doctors so he keeps not going to the doctor and keeps getting more and more sick.

In the beginning of the book it explains who the characters are and what they’re like. Then in the middle of the book it’s all about their basketball careers and what they want to do in college and when they get older. Also what happens in the middle is that JB gets a girlfriend and he is hypnotized in a way because all he thinks about is her and cares less and less about basketball. There is also a problem in the middle when Josh gets suspended from the basketball team and school. He gets so angry. His mom who is also the vice principal suspended him because he was bad in school. Josh missed the semi final game. Later his mom decides to lets him play in the finals. Before the game Josh and his dad were playing one on one and when Chuck, their dad, was going to dunk, he fell. They called an ambulance to pick him up. He was in a coma for a while but eventually he woke up. He was in the hospital recovering and everyone thought he was getting better. But on the day of the game he had a heart attack! JB was crying so much and was so sad, instead of going to the game he went to the hospital. Josh went to the game and scored at the buzzer and won the championship! Sadly, after the game, Chuck Bell died of a heart attack.  He was 39.  Chuck played in the NBA so it was all over the news. Before he died he gave his championship ring to josh.

I really enjoyed this book because I LOVE basketball and this book was about basketball. I also liked this book because the book was written in verse and I thought that was really cool. Lastly I liked this book because I thought this author was really good at making me feel like I was connected to the characters.  It made the book very interesting. I recommend this book to kids that love basketball and like books that are told in poems. I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.