Monthly Archives: January 2016

Jan
15
2016

Gods of Manhattan

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gmlgI read Gods of Manhattan from the Gods of Manhattan series by Scott Mebus. The book is about a special boy who has a unique gift. The book takes place in the present day in Manhattan, but there are characters in the story that have lived throughout New York’s History, some who remember it as Mannahatta. These characters are the Gods of Manhattan.Gods of Manhattan

The main character is a boy called Rory Hennessey. Rory is a Light, a Light is someone who can see what regular humans can’t see, they see what is “really” there. Regular people just see normal stuff and what is happening in the present, Rory can see details and things that other people can’t see.  For example when Rory watches a magic show he can see how they do the “magic.” He can even see the Gods and all the other strange creatures and going ons around them. You might want to be a Light but it is very dangerous being a one. When Rory first found out he was a Light he was upset and didn’t want to be one, because he was worried about the safety of himself and his family. The main focus of the story is that Rory is the only Light left alive in Manhattan and he is the only one who can save the city and perhaps the world even if he doesn’t know it. To become a God you have to do something that everyone remembers. For example John Jacob Astor, a real person is the God of Success. All the other Gods and other worldly characters in the book were created by the life they led in their real life.

Rory begun to figure out he was a Light on his sister Bridget’s birthday. She had a magician come to their house whose name was Hex. In the past Rory had always been able to see through every magician’s trick no matter how complicated they seemed to be and Hex appeared to be like any other magician. However this time Rory had no idea how the magician had been able to do the trick. This disturbed Rory because he couldn’t work out how the trick was performed so he went to Central Park to think about it. When he was in the park he noticed a squirrel and a mouse having a kung fu fight, which is ridiculous and he thought he was going crazy. Next a Native American from another time period appeared in the park and chased him out. Rory ran straight into Hex and when Rory explained what had happened to him Hex explained he was a Light…

Another important part of the book is when Rory met a “Stranger” for the first time. A Stranger is a monster that looks like a kid but it has very sharp metallic teeth like knives. It walks up to you like a little child and asks you to come and then it attacks and kills you. Luckily for Rory he managed to escape the vicious attack but spends the rest of the book avoiding these horrible creatures.

These two events changed Rory’s life positively and negatively. As a result of these events Rory decided to go with Hex and try to save the world

Rory is very responsible; for example he takes his sister around New York by himself. He also made sure that Bridget was safe at home when he ventured out to save Manhattan. Bridget is brave because she fought a Plug Ugly (a gang member) and when someone tried to shoot Rory she jumped in front of him. Even though her brother left her behind at home, she decided to go after him to save him. Rory is very cautious and does not trust anybody. Throughout the story Rory is uncertain which side he should be on and questions everything. He thinks twice before he does anything and it took him a week before he joined Hex.

A good example of Rory’s responsibility is displayed when he said to bridget, “You can not come. It is too dangerous.”

I really enjoyed the Gods of Manhattan, but I got confused at times because the book has two different but parallel stories being told in each chapter and it was difficult to follow along all the time. I enjoyed the suspense in the book often created by the two parallel stories leaving you at cliffhangers at the end of each chapter. I would recommend this book to someone who likes Percy Jackson books because it has many similarities like Gods living with humans. It is a long exciting read and if you have problems remembering storylines in books this maybe too complicated for you. Rick Riordan the writer of Percy Jackson said, “it’s a fast and exciting read,” I think he commented on the book because it is has a very similar theme.

I would rate this book four stars.

 

By Jack Bbarker  

Jan
15
2016

The Candy Smash by Jacqueline Davies

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imgresThe Candy Smash, by Jacqueline Davies, is a book about siblings named Jessie and Evan Treski and their friend Megan. They are in fourth grade in room 4-0. Their teacher is named Mrs. Overton. One day at morning recess, Jessie is working on her newspaper, The 4-0 Forum, when she accidentally knocks over her Valentine’s day box and something falls to the floor. Candy! Then Jessie won’t rest until she knows who put the candy in the box.

One day when Evan comes home, he discovers a new way to write poems. He goes into his room and locks the door and looks around the room. Then he picks up some Post-it notes and a #2 pencil and sits down at the desk. He starts to think about his Grandma and then writes words on the Post-its. Then he creates a poem about his Grandma from the notes. This is important because Evan finds something he’s good at, but he doesn’t want anyone to know about his new ability because he thinks that people will make fun of him. One big thing that changed the story is when Valentine’s day comes and The 4-0 Forum is published. This is important because Jessie is under a lot of pressure to get everything right. This changed the story because if Jessie doesn’t get the The 4-0 Forum ready, she will have an angry class of fourth graders to deal with.  

Three adjectives that describe Jessie are smart, kind, and persistent. Jessie is smart because she skipped third grade to be in fourth grade. Jessie is also smart because even though she is younger than everyone, everyone asks her questions if the teacher isn’t there. Jessie is kind, because she watches out for her friends. She does this by helping them and others.  Jessie is a very persistent person, because she does not quit until she gets her story. For example, she kept on asking questions to Megan about her crush in public to get a good cover story. When her brother calls her a pest, Jessie tells him, “I’m not always a pest, only when I really need something.”

I really enjoyed this book because it is about the friendship between two fourth graders. I also like this book because I can relate to this book a lot. I relate to this book because I am in fourth grade too. I think people should read this book because  it makes you think about what could happen if you were in Jessie’s shoes. It also makes you think about what would happen if you were a reporter. A few books like this are: Seaglass Summer by Anjali Banerjee, The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School by Candace Fleming, Calli Be Gold by Michele Weber Hurwitz, and Bobby vs. Girls by Lisa Yee. I would give this book four out of five stars.

 

 

 

Jan
15
2016

Robin Hood, by Grahame Baker-Smith and David Calcutt

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imagesRobin Hood by David Calcutt and Grahame Baker-Smith.Robin Hood is the main character in the story of Robin Hood. Robin Hood’s main idea is to free poor people from having to pay huge taxes. This is because the king of England, who everybody loved, was away and his brother took over the country. This happened in the early 1100s. Part of the reason why it is such a big problem that the king was giving such big taxes is that some of the poor people could not pay the taxes. Then they got hung or  tortured and then killed. Robin Hood builds a band of outlaws to stop all of this nonsense.

One big part of this book is when Robin Hood goes to an archery tournament between the head sheriff and his guards. Robin Hood is there and he is a very very skilled archer. While the sheriff’s guards are shooting, Robin Hood has a hood over his face and he is standing and chuckling with his grin hidden under his cloak. Although the sheriff does not know it is Robin Hood, by the first sight of him he knows this man is trying to make fun of them. So, he calls him over and asks him to join the contest and bet some money. Now the sheriff shoots a very, very good shot, but Robin Hood shoots right down the middle of the bullseye and splits the wood of the sheriff arrow for the win.

This book has a ton of action too. One place that shows it has a lot of action is when Robin Hood sees a man on the other side of a bridge that he is crossing. Only one man can cross the bridge at a time, so Robin Hood challenges the man to a staff duel. Although the man does not know that Robin Hood is only saying this to see if the man is a good fighter and maybe a good recruit for his outlaw band. They have their duel, and little John, after a little while, knocks Robin Hood off his feet and into the water. This is when Robin Hood invites Little John to join his band of outlaws.

The biggest decision that Robin Hood makes in the whole book is to become an outlaw. This is so important because now the government is after him and he cannot live freely. He makes this decision because he feels it is wrong that King John is making such a high tax rate and then torturing people if they can’t pay for it.

Robin Hood is very, very brave. One place that shows this is when he is brave enough to shoot down seven government warriors. This is so brave because it is a death penalty for murder. His reason for doing this is that these government warriors were trying to kill him and they were bad men who had tortured and killed many people. One of the biggest words that I would use to describe Robin Hood is strong. He is probably the strongest character of any character I have ever come across  in all the books I have ever read. There are many places that show he is extremely strong. One of them is how he can climb up to the top of trees almost as tall as apartment buildings. Climbing up a tree may seem easy, but it takes tons of core strength. Another big part of Robin Hood’s personality is that he is very polite for an outlaw. Even though he is a little violent, he does these things for a good cause. He also has very good manners and is polite. One place where Robin Hood is polite is when he says,  “You’d have to go a long way to find a better swordsman than Little John.” He is quick to notice the good in other people.

I like this book very much. One of the reasons why I like it is because I like a lot of action. If you like action, this book has a lot if it. Another thing that I like about this book is that it is not too long, or too short. I would recommend this book to people who like action. This book is also very interesting because you don’t just read a story, you feel like you are there in the story. One thing to know about this book though, is that if you cannot handle a little bit of drama and suspense then this book might have too much of that for you. One thing this book reminds me of is the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. This reminds me of Sleeping Beauty because there are very many versions of this book and movie. If I were to rate this book, I would give it a four ½ out of five.

Jan
15
2016

Take The Reins by Jessica Burkhart

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2865641The title of the book I read is called Take The Reins by Jessica Burkhart. Take The Reins is part of the series called “Canterwood Crest.” The main character is Sasha Silver. The setting is at Canterwood Crest, a boarding school during the school year. The main problem is that Sasha has to try to get Heather, the mean girl, out of her mind because they are competing for the advanced riding team.

In this book there is a lot going on. Sasha goes to a new boarding school and meets a girl named Heather. She’s trying to get Sasha to go back to a different school again, because she thinks that Sasha is better than her at riding. Sasha wants to be on the advance team in riding. On the advance team there are only five people who can get a spot on the team. That’s why Heather is afraid that Sasha is going to get her spot in the team. During this book you learn a lot about how boarding school is. Sasha has two best friends who stand up for her all the time.  In film class Sasha meets a boy name Jacob. In the beginning she thinks he’s cute. Later on in the book they start hanging out.  Closer to the end of the book the intermediate team which Sasha is on have to plan the winter party. Whoever wants to participate puts their name in a hat. Sasha’s name got picked out of the hat. She had to plan the party with one of her friends Page and her other friends Callie and Nicole. The day before the party she logged on to her email and asked Jacob to come out to the dance with her. One big event in the story that changed what happened is on Parents Weekend the parents finally found out about Heather. They were quite surprised. This changed the story because Heather started being nicer to Sasha because she knew she was going to get into so much trouble if her parents knew about her being mean. Sasha is nice because when her friend Nicole did not get on the advanced team she was not bragging about how she did. Sasha talked to Nicole to make her feel better. I also think she is brave because she went to boarding school and no one knows what could happen at boarding school because you can meet new people everyday. I also think she is brave because in the book she asks Jacob out to the dance. A good quote that helps me understand Sasha is when Page says “Do you like the furniture if not we can change it” and then Sasha says “I think it looks great”. I think that helps me understand the character because she is very loose about things and she goes with the flow.

I enjoy this book because it’s very fast and a lot of ideas keep popping up. One example for this idea is of the party that Sasha had to plan, and then a page later there’s a new idea of the advanced team. I also enjoy this book a lot because I feel really good when I hear stories that are specific about what they mean. One example for that is they describe how many coats of lip gloss Sasha puts on. This book reminds me of this TV series called The Saddle Club because it’s about horseback riding and in that story there’s a mean girl just like Heather. A rating of my book is 5 stars because it just is amazing and I want to read it again.

Jan
15
2016

It’s Like This, Cat by Emily Cheney Neville

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818095The book I’m reviewing is called It’s Like This, Cat, by Emily Cheney Neville. The main characters are a cat named Cat and a boy named Dave. Cat is Dave’s cat. Dave is trying to achieve a lot of thing but one is to get his own pet. The book takes place in the 1950s in lower Manhattan.

One very big part was when he and his best friend Nick had a fight and wouldn’t talk to each other for a week or two. The fight was about Dave being grumpy about the movie they had seen with some girls. This is really important because Nick and Dave do pretty much everything together and now won’t talk to each other or hang out. One thing that is important is that Dave goes on his first date with a girl named Mary. This is interesting because Dave doesn’t seem like a kid who would go on dates because he is calm and low key. He doesn’t seem like a guy girls would want to go out with, or like a guy who would want to go out with girls. The date is also important for the plot because he can share everything going on at home with Mary. Another thing that is important is that Cat runs away into a cellar of a building and gets stuck in a cage. When Dave got down to the cellar a college age boy freed Cat.

An adjective to describe Dave is that he is brave. He is brave because he fights his best friend when his best friend insults him. Dave is also good in school. He is a good good in school because he took extra classes because he was smart. Dave is also friendly. He is friendly because a lot of kids want to hang out with him. One quote that helped me understand Dave better is he said “Do I have to pay for the girl at the movies,” said Dave. This helped me learn about Dave because it meant that he liked the girl but he was not willing to pay for her.
 I really liked this book because it told me a lot about the 1950s and the story was told very well. I also really liked this book because I never spaced out because the book was boring. I would recommend this book to someone who likes history.  I would also recommend this book to someone who likes Historical fiction. This book doesn’t really remind me of anything because I don’t read a lot about the past. I would rate this book four stars.

Jan
15
2016

Evil Spy School, by Brandon Mull

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imgresMy book is called Spy School. It’s by Stuart Gibbs. The main character in the book is named Benjamin Ripley. The main problem is that there is a double agent in Spy School. A double agent is someone who acts like they’re on one side but they’re really on the other. Spy School is a school for future CIA agents. The setting of the book is Spy School in modern day.

I think that an important part of the book was when Ben met Erica Hale because Erica helps Ben throughout the rest of the book. Erica is the best student in Spy school. Another important part of the book is when an assassin comes to Ben’s room and threatens him because that’s when you figure out there’s a double agent in the school. One big event that happened in the book was when Ben gets captured by an evil organization that’s called SPYDER.

One adjective to describe Ben is SMART! He has a gift for math and can do problems like 1,235×3,478 in one second. Another adjective to describe Ben is brave. I think he’s brave because he goes to a school for spies, you go on mission and have gunfights! One last adjective to describe Ben is friendly. I think Ben is friendly because he was only in Spy School for a semester and he makes a lot of friends. Here’s a quote about Ben’s personality: Erica’s dad said about Ben, “For example you’re a straight-a-student who speaks three languages and has level 16 math skills.”

I really enjoyed the book because it has a LOT of twists. I also enjoyed the book because there’re a lot of cool characters. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to  be a spy because, well, it’s in the title. This book really similar to James Bond because there are exploding buildings and awesome gun fights. I rate this book five stars.

Jan
15
2016

Freaky Friday By, Mary Rodgers

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      unnamedThe book I read over winter break was Freaky Friday, by Mary Rodgers. The main character in this book is Annabelle Andrews. Annable is 13 years old has brown hair and brown eyes. The problem in the story is that one night Annable and her mom get in a big fight about freedom. So the next morning when Annable woke up she was in her mom’s body, her mom’s room and her mom’s clothes. The story takes place mostly in their house.

  The fight Annable and her mom had was a big bad one. It was about everything food, clothes freedom, electronics, school, and more. Annable said that it was not fair that she could not eat marshmallows for breakfast. That’s when the whole fight started. Later on in the story, Annable loses her son (little brother) and she calls the police.  In the beginning of the book, I didn’t think that anything crazy would happen like life’s switching but it happened and when it happened it turned the book into a whole different story.

 

Annable Andrews is brave, nice, and awesome. Annabel is brave because when she found out that she was her  mom, she didn’t panic she was excited to be a mom. Annable is nice because she cares for her children (siblings).

I really enjoyed the book, because I love all of the Freaky Friday books, stories, and movies. I also really enjoyed the book, because I always wondered what it would be like for a child to be a parent. If you liked the movie Freaky Friday  you’re also going to like this book. I rate this book 4 and a half stars, because it is a fun, short, easy book to read and it’s a really good book.

Jan
15
2016

Blubber, by Judy Blume

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c87aad5d03ccd04cd73b144299d63bf4812a2bd7The name of my book is Blubber, by Judy Blume. The main characters, Linda, Wendy, Jill, Caroline, and Tracy, live in a suburb called Hidden Valley. The main problem in the book is that Linda is a little overweight for her age and gets bullied non stop at school by Jill, Wendy, and Caroline. Linda knows she can’t tell on the three girls, because Wendy rules fifth grade, and she would punish Linda for the rest of the year, so Linda keeps her mouth shut.

One important part of the book is when Linda gets her nickname Blubber, which becomes her name for the rest of the story. Linda writes a report on whales, and she is talking about blubber, which is fat on a whale. Wendy, the mean girl in school, said that they are going to call Linda Blubber from now on, because Linda is also fat. Once Linda gets her nickname, all the girls start to pick on her and pressures Linda into doing things. Some things that the girls do to Blubber are make her kiss fat boys and make her say, “Hi, I’m Blubber, a smelly whale.” Towards the end of the book something big happens. Linda and Wendy become friends and now start bullying Jill. This is so important because Linda went from being bullied, to being the bully.

One of the main characters is Wendy, who is mean, controlling, and selfish. Wendy is mean because she spends all of her time bullying other people just to make them feel bad. Wendy is controlling because she demands so much from the people around her. Also, Wendy is selfish, because she only cares about herself and nobody else. One day all the kids turn against Wendy, because they have had enough. Wendy is so tough she looks at them and says, “you will regret being mean to me.” Just imagine having Wendy in your class every day.

I enjoyed Blubber because I could read the book by myself, without any help. Another reason that I loved Blubber is that there is bullying. I love when there is bullying in a book, because it is fascinating to see how the characters solve all of their problems at the end of the book. I recommend Blubber, because you can really get into the book, and that makes you understand the characters more. Also the book is short, only 153 pages, so it is good if you need to write a book review and can’t have a long book. My book Blubber is kind of like the other book I did for a book review, Schooled. Blubber is like Schooled, because they are both about bullying. Overall, I would rate Blubber four stars.   

 

Jan
15
2016

When Life Gives You .O.J By, Erica .S. Pearl

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OJ-with-Border

This book is about Zelda ( but everyone calls her Zelly ) a eleven year old who just moved from Brooklyn to Vermont. This girl lives with her Mom, Dad, Brother, and her grandfather Ace. Zelda really wants to go home to her house back in brooklyn, she also wants a dog but her parents just say no, because they think it’s too much to take on in there small apartment. Ace is pretty crazy and has a big booming voice like an elephant you could probably hear his voice from a mile away. One day she wakes up with a jug on the side of her bed that says, “meet me in my room it’s important!” – ACE. When she goes to Aces room Ace is at the side of his bed watching .T.V   she asks what the jug thing is all about and Ace says it’s a practice dog and she could use it to get her a dog but if she is going to have to name it, so she names it OJ after all it is a orange juice jug! In astonishment she takes on the challenge and walks the dog three times a day (morning, day, and night) , and feeds him at lunch time with dog food and water, and on every walk she must unscrew the cap of the jug and pour out the wet dog food on the curb of the sidewalk. Her goal is to get her parents to notice her responsibility, and get Ace’s scheme done by the end of the summer. The setting of this book is in the summer in Vermont mostly at her house mostly outside and mostly with OJ.

 

At some point in the book she meets a new friend besides her other friend at sleep away camp. The new friend is Jeremy who is her neighbor     and surprisingly thinks oj is a great idea and that changes her perspective in moving to vermont ( that moving to vermont was not a bad idea ). Also at one point she has a sleepover at her friend’s house and then it really  backfired and everybody started being really mean to her. And that changed her perspective in staying friends with allie the girl who went to sleep away camp. One part was when ACE her grandpa gets a heart attack and goes to the hospital and she has to go home from her sleepover and that really changes her emotions and life. Before ACE has the heart attack she throws out ok because she thinks it’s her fault that ACE had a heart attack and that really changes the way she thinks about everything and ACE. The two adjectives i would describe Zelda with are, serene because she is quiet and keeps a lot of things in her head and to herself. Then for the second adjective, she is very circumspect because she was very catious and made sure nobody saw her walking OJ.

 

I really enjoyed the book for a fun- to read book and learned some things from the book and reading the book was a senior adventure into this 10 year old’s life. I really liked this book because it was about dogs and a girl with the love for her grand father. This book is also really interesting because it’s about her grandpa and usually it’s about the mom or the dad or BFF. And that’s why i found this book really interesting to read. I would rate this book a 4 because at some points in the story it got really boring.

 

Jan
15
2016

The School For Good And Evil

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SGE-CoverThe book I read is called The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani. The main characters are Sophie and Agatha. The problem from Sophie’s perspective is that she is in Evil school when Agatha is in Good school. The problem from Agatha’s perspective is that she and Sophie are at the School for Good and Evil and she wants to go home. This book takes place at The School For Good And Evil.

I found it interesting and important when at the end of the Trial by Tale, which is a competition where the top 15 Evers (good people) and top 15 Nevers (evil people) fight in the forest until a winner is declared, Tedros (the prince) finds out that Sophie was using Agatha to get good grades. I thought this part was interesting and important because if Sophie wasn’t mad at Tedros for breaking his promise, she and her roomates, Hester and Anadil, wouldn’t have attacked the School for Good. I liked the part when Agatha got attacked by the Wish Fish. The Wish Fish is a magical fish that you make a wish on. I thought it was really important when Agatha agreed to go to the ball with Tedros because at that part, Sophie realized that Agatha was her nemesis, not Tedros.

In the beginning, Sophie is loyal, kind, and beautiful because she is always doing good deeds. In the end, Sophie is wicked, demanding, and dreadful because she is always ordering people around and she kept trying to kill Agatha. In the beginning, Agatha is rebellious, lonely, and frantic because she’s always alone and never really talks to anyone. In the end, Agatha is friendly, peaceful, and loving because she has a lot of trust in everyone. A quote that describes Sophie in the beginning is when Hester says, “she smells like an Ever.” A quote that describes Sophie in the end is when Agatha says to Sophie, “You brought me here to kill me.” A quote that describes Agatha in the beginning is when Reena says, “she looks so evil.” A quote that describes Agatha in the end is when Agatha says to Tedros, “I won’t help a Captain leading his army to their graves.”

I enjoyed this book a lot. I enjoyed it because it has a topsy-turvy plot that is action packed with a little bit of violence. It also gives a good laugh. I would recommend it to everyone! This book does not remind me of anything but it’s probably related to something I haven’t read or seen yet. I give this book five stars.