Monthly Archives: March 2016

Mar
18
2016

The Peddlers Road: Secrets Of The Pied Piper by Matthew Cody

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24934636The book I read was The Peddlers Road The Secrets of the Pied Piper by Matthew Cody. This book is the first of the series The Peddlers Road. The main characters in my book are Carter, Max, and their new friends, Lucas, Paul, and Emily, but the story is mostly about Max and Carter. Carter, Max, and their friends set of on an adventure, because of a map given to Lucas by the Peddler. The map had a prophecy on it. The prophecy said, “Only when the last son of Hamelin appears and the Black Tower found will The Piper’s prison open and the children return safe and sound.” Everyone believes Carter is the last son of Hamelin, the town that was mentioned in the prophecy, and that he can save Hamelin. My book takes place in 2 different dimensions – New Hamelin and the Summer Isle. It is called the Summer Isle because it is summer all year round except for one night called the Winter’s Moon. The sun never goes down and the moon never goes up on the Summer Isle, except on the Winter’s Moon. When the dark covers the Summer Isle, all of your fears will come alive. I thought it was interesting that in the dark anything that frightens you will appear on the Winter’s Moon, also called a true night.

Max is a 13 year old girl and her younger brother Carter is 10. They were stolen by a magician called The Piper who was locked away in a black tower. He brought Carter and Max to the Summer Isle so that Carter could set The Piper free like the prophecy says. When Max and Carter arrived at the Summer Isle, they found a village where all of the kids The Piper had stolen were being kept. Max and Carter met Lucas, Paul, and Emily. Lucas realized that the Black Tower appeared on that night. That is a big part in the story because that is the beginning of their big adventure. I think an important detail in this book is that the hero, Carter, is a boy who has had a brace on his leg for his whole life. Carter has disabilities in his leg that he was born with it and it doesn’t work and I think it’s really unique that he is the hero. He is different than other heroes; he can’t run or jump or climb, all things that a hero usually does. The author showed that knowledge can be just as important as strength. On their way to the Black Tower, the kids find a village built only for dreamers and ghosts called Shades Harbor, where anything you dream will come to the village. The ghosts in Shades Harbor did whatever they did when they were alive because they didn’t realize they were dead yet. For example, one ghost was a butcher, which is what he did when he was alive

One adjective I would use to describe Carter is brave. He was very brave when he was kidnapped on his way to the Black Tower by Grannie Yaga. Grannie Yaga is a cannibal and a witch. “If you are a nice young boy, I won’t eat you,” Grannie Yaga told Carter. Carter is also very smart. He fought the giant rats on the troll bridge which was an actual troll sleeping and being used as a bridge. The rats were winning the fight but then Carter won the fight, not by fighting but by thinking. Carter is an optimist, and if he has a problem, he solves it with a smile on his face. A quote that helped me understand Carter better was when he said, “Words only hurt if you let them, but sometimes things people say are sharp enough to cut, no matter how thick you think your skin is.”

I really enjoyed this book. It had so much action and adventure. It also had friendship and care. I recommend this book, but it had a big cliffhanger at the end. I have to read the second book to find out what happens next. It’s a really exciting ending and it is an amazing story. I can’t wait to read the next one. Matthew Cody was also the author of Powerless, which I haven’t read, but I hear a lot of people like it, so if you like Matthew Cody’s books you should definitely read this one. From a rating of 1 to 5 stars, I would give this book 5 stars.           

 

Mar
18
2016

Who Was Steve Jobs? by Pam Pollack

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  13543010The book I have read is Who Was Steve Jobs? by Pam Pollack. The name of the series is Who Was _______? Steve was the creator of Apple which is a brand of technology. Steve didn’t create things like tablets, phones, computers or MP3 players. He improved them. For example an phone was a small flip phone and instead of a touch screen like we have you would press buttons to call and email people. What Steve did was make it with a touch screen. On this new phone you play games, listen to music, email, text, call, use a map basically anything a computer could do back then. Steve’s goal was to improve and update technology. Steve lived from 1955 – 2011.

A big event that happened in 1997  was when Steve returned to Apple from when he was fired in 1985. That was important because he became more successful after his return. Another big event is when Steve’s introduced the Macintosh computer to the world. That is a big event because after that Apple got a little more popular. I thought it was weird and interesting how Steve didn’t wear shoes to meetings because he thought that it was a good way to express he he was.

Steve was funny because, like I said he doesn’t wear shoes to meetings. He is also funny because he says a lot of jokes. Steve is  also smart  because he knows how to code technology. And he can build a bunch of different electronics.  And he is always creative because he made more fashionable and daily use electronics. And where very cool blazers. Steven said “Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful , that’s what matters to me.

I enjoyed learning all the facts about Steve and hearing about his life. I recommend this book if you’re into electronics, coding, creativity and technology. I rate this book 4 and and half stars.

 

Mar
18
2016

A Tale Dark And Grimm By Adam Gidwitz

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The book I read is called A Tale Dark And Grimm by Adam Gidwitz. This is the first book in the series. The main characters are Hansel and Gretel. There are a lot of problems in this book including, finding nice parents, finding each other, etc. The setting of the book is in The Kingdom Of Grimm. The Kingdom Of Grimm is grimm.

One big event that happened in the very beginning of the book is when Hansel and Gretel decide to run away. They decide to run away because the king, who is also their father, cut their heads off. The king cut their heads off because he wanted to save Johannes, the faithful servant. One part I found interesting and very funny was when Hansel dressed up as the Devil’s grandmother. A part I thought was interesting and important was when Johannes told Hansel about his and Gretel’s parents. I would tell you more about what happens then but that would spoil the book.

Three adjectives to describe Gretel are rebellious, committed, and loyal. She fits these adjectives because she is helpful but when she is assigned something (like killing a dragon) she sticks to it. Three adjectives to describe Hansel are, brave, friendly, and sophisticated. He fits these adjectives because he is good at making plans and takes good care of Gretel.

I LOVED this book. I loved it because it is funny, and frightening. I like how the author narrates the book. I know a lot of people like fantasy, but I very strictly only recommend this book to people who KNOW they can handle violence. Those of you who can’t, please don’t read this, it is for your own good. A Tale Dark And Grimm reminds me of a TV show called Once Upon A Time. I think that because they are both classic fairy tales with crazy twists. I rate this book five stars.

Mar
18
2016

Matilda By Roald Dahl

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MatildaThe title of my book is called Matilda and it’s by Roald Dahl. The main character is Matilda. The main problem is that the Trunchbull, who is the headmistress in Matilda’s first grade class, is really mean and strict to everyone and she causes most of the problem. Her rules are Terrible.One of Trunchbulls rules is if she thinks a child did something wrong, she puts that child in a closet that has lots of nails sticking out of it. The story takes place in a couple of places which are in Matilda’s house, Ms. Honey’s (Matilda’s nice teacher’s) classroom, in the cafeteria, and Ms. Honey’s house.

About in the middle of the book Matilda finds out she has powers, and she can move thing with her mind. Now Matilda probably feels really amazing. She probably plays around with her powers when she’s alone. The only person she showed her powers to was Ms. Honey. I think this is important because if I had superpowers I could move thing with my mind like, move my jacket to the coset. I would use it all the time so I don’t have to do a lot of things like, move my jacket to the coset. My point is that being able to move things with her mind is awesome. Three really important parts of book are: Mrs. honey’s parents are dead. She’s not sure how her dad died. Matilda is so smart and she’s so small.

Matilda is smart because she knows all of the multiplication combinations, and because she knows how to talk to her parents without getting angry. She is calm because she never gets angry at her family. Matilda is very curious, because when she went to Ms. Honey’s house for the first time, she asked her a lot of questions. One of the best quotes Matilda said was, “Dad you made exactly four thousand three hundred and three pounds and fifty pence altogether,” because she’s making it seem like she’s smarter than her dad. Because her dad thought kids can’t be smart, so he thought that Matilda lied by looking at his sheet with the answers.

I like this book because it’s not scary. I also like this book because it’s about a really nice girl. I recommend this book because it’s not about a ordinary girl. I also recommend this book because it’s full of surprises. The movie Matilda is just like the book. The only difference is that in the book the mom is fat and the dad is skinny, but in the movie the dad is fat and the mom is skinny. I also think the book Matilda is similar to the movie Annie because because both of their care takers are mean. I’d give the book five stars.

Mar
17
2016

Freckle Juice by Judy Blume

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41HNN53nwJL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_My book review is on Freckle Juice by Judy Blume. The main characters are Andrew, Nicky, and Sharon. The book takes place at Andrew’s house and in his school. Andrew desperately wants to have a lot of freckles like his friend Nicky. Andrew’s classmate, Sharon, sells him a recipe for freckle juice. She tells him that it will make him grow freckles, as many as he wants. But, will it work?

Andrew decided to pay Sharon the fifty cents she asked for to get the recipe for freckle juice. He raced home after school and gathered all the ingredients in the recipe. He made the freckle juice and drank it all quickly – boy was it gross! He ran upstairs to sit in front of the a mirror to look for freckles. Not too long after, he started to feel really sick. When his Mom came home, she took one look at him and said, “Andrew, you’re green. Absolutely green! Are you sick?” Andrew stayed home from school for a couple days. This is important because Andrew realized that Sharon had lied to him. He couldn’t let her get away with it.

When he felt better, he realized that if he went to school, Sharon would see that he didn’t grow freckles. So, Andrew used a blue marker to put dots on his face to look like freckles. At recess, Andrew’s teacher, Miss Kelly, gave him her secret formula to remove freckles. She thought he looked ridiculous because she knew it was just blue marker. Once Andrew used the secret formula to remove his fake freckles, Nicky said, “Could I use your magic freckle remover?” Miss Kelly tried to convince Nicky that he looked wonderful with all his freckles. Sharon overheard and whispered to Nicky that she would sell him her secret recipe for removing freckles for fifty cents. This was important because Sharon was trying to take advantage of another kid just to get fifty cents from him.

Andrew was very jealous of his friend Nicky’s freckles. Even though he didn’t want to pay Sharon anything, he was so desperate to have freckles, he paid her fifty cents for her secret recipe to have freckles like Nicky. Andrew was very gullible. Sharon doesn’t really like Andrew. He let her trick him into giving her fifty cents for freckle juice that was never going to work. Not only did he not get freckles, but it made him really sick. Last, Andrew was a very determined kid. He would do anything to get freckles. When the freckle juice didn’t work, Andrew used a blue marker to draw freckles on his face. His teacher, Miss Kelly, asked him what happened. He said, “I grew freckles, Miss Kelly. That’s what!”

This book was pretty good. One of my favorite parts of the book was when Sharon told Nicky she would give him her secret recipe for removing freckles for fifty cents. I liked that part because I knew that Nicky isn’t gullible and I thought that Sharon might be able to fool him too. Another part of the book that I really liked was when Sharon got Andrew to give her fifty cents for the freckle juice recipe. Andrew and Sharon didn’t like each other, so I was surprised that Andrew was tricked into paying her. Sharon is mean to Andrew, and I would never trust a mean person. I would recommend this book because it’s a nice children’s book and it’s not that long. It’s good to read because it’s a funny story. This book is unique, because I don’t know of any other kind of book that is like this one. I would give this book a 4 star rating.

Mar
16
2016

The Surprise Attack of Jabba The Puppet: A Origami Yoda Series by Tom Angleberger

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51qv88fYzCL._SX317_BO1,204,203,200_The book I read is called The Surprise Attack of the Jabba the Puppett. It is part of the Origami Yoda series. The book was written by Tom Angleberger. In my book, the main group (because there are a lot of main characters) is the Rebellion. But the character I’m focusing on is Dwight, the owner of Origami Yoda. The big problem is that on the capital state test, Mcquarrie Middle School is doing really bad. So to pass the grades, everybody’s activities are taken away and instead replaced with FunTime. This doesn’t sound so bad, but it’s just  short  for Fundamentals. FunTime is a boring, head spinning, cheesy video with a singing calculator (Gizmo),  Professor Funtime, and a break dancing dictionary.

The Rebellion of little Star Wars finger puppets are going to stop FunTime and make their principal (Mrs. Rabasski) give back their activities. Some of the puppets are Han Foldo, Fortune Wookiee, Darth Paper, and Art-2-D-2. The setting of this book is on Earth at their middle school.

One big event was when the Rebellion sent a letter to Mrs. Rabbasski to ask for their activities back. When she called the main Rebellioners (including Dwight) to her office, they were definitely in trouble. When the Rebellioners got to the office, Mrs. Rabbaski tried to compromise. Since that did not work, she decided to call their parents. Dwight really did not want his parents to know about this. But Master Yoda (Dwight’s puppet) still believed in the Rebellion, so he stayed in the Rebellion. Another important event was when the head people of the Rebellion did not know that Jabba the Hut was behind the FunTime screen and kept turning FunTime on when Mrs. Rabbaski was speaking! It was a silent victory but Mrs. Rabbaski thought it was them!

The one of the words I would use to describe Dwight is weird, because Dwight has his own finger puppet and believes that it is alive. Dwight is incompetent at having manners and listening to people, like when Dwight started to try to kiss his elbow in the middle of class. He is also passionate  at being himself, and going with the flow. Dwight is very passionate in what he does, which is being the leader of the Rebellion, known as Captain Dwight.

I enjoyed this book because the plot was very interesting, and all of the characters had really great finger puppets and were great at playing them. I recommend this book to readers who love Star Wars, comics, chapter books, and funny, fantastic plots. I think this book that is similar to the novel Archie, because the main characters are both going through similar issues in school. Like that sometimes in the book Archie (the main character) would go against their principal in situations. Like when Veronica and Betty (Archie’s friends)  wanted their newspaper a different way and had to have this whole trial with their principal. That is very similar to what’s happening to the Rebellion at their school I would rate this book 5 stars *****.

Mar
15
2016

The Glass Sentence by S.E. Grove

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51guorNbKBL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_My book is called The Glass Sentence. It is written by S.E. Grove. The main characters are Sophia Elli, Shadrack Elli, and Theo. Sophia’s parents went missing and and she lives with Shadrack, her uncle. Theo is Sophia’s friend. The main problem is that Shadrack gets captured by a monster called a Lachrima that has no face, so Sophia and Theo have to find him. The setting of the book is a reality where all the countries in the world are in different places in time. For example Canada is in the Ice Age, and Europe is in the time of castles and knights. The book takes place in America/New Occident and The South/Baldlands.

One big event that happened in the book was when Sophia and Theo met the pirates Calixta and Burr, because Calixta and Burr help them for the rest of the story. They help them by taking them to Shadrack who is in the Baldlands. I think one interesting part of the book is when you figure out that Shadrack’s captor is a Lachrima. It is interesting because this Lachrima made herself look like a human and called herself Blanca.  Another interesting part of the book is when Sophia learns about the different types of maps. It is interesting because there aren’t just paper maps. There are glass maps and water maps.

One word to describe Sophia is cartographer because she knows all about the world. She is a straight A student in geography. Another word to describe Sophia is brave because she travels all the way across the Baldlands just to find her uncle. She has fights with Blanca’s goons and almost falls off a speeding train. One last word to describe Sophia is loyal because she never abandons her friends.Theo does but then he comes back.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It has a ton of fake but cool geography about the made-up world that Sophia lives in. I think that the characters are cool and really funny. I would recommend this book to someone who likes geography. You have to be at least in fourth grade to read this book because it has a little bit of violence. This book is very unique. It is so unique because it has such a different type of genre. It has a little bit of dystopian, a little bit of fantasy, and a little bit of magical realism. I rate this book five stars.

Mar
13
2016

The Princess, The Scoundrel, And The Farm Boy. By: Alexandra Bracken,

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imgresIn a library not so far away… Alexandra Bracken’s The Princess, The Scoundrel, and The Farm boy. The novel that I am reviewing is part of a series that has three books in it, and if you love Star Wars this is definitely a good book for you to try, although I did not really enjoy it. The main characters in this book are Luke Skywalker (the farm boy) princess Leia (the princess) and Han Solo (the scoundrel). The rebels consist of these three characters and more rebel soldiers. The rebels are trying to change the fact that the evil rule the galaxy. This book takes place in a galaxy far, far, away in the future.

Han Solo’s actions are effective but yet very subtle, he steps in at the last minute and helps the rebels get the victory. He is also very kind and aids the rebels supplies. The most important part in the story is when Han Solo joins the rebel’s cause and decides to fight alongside them. Another important part in the story is when Princess Leia becomes the commander of the rebellion. The ending is important, the main character makes a big decision that was surprising and changed the path of the story, the story takes some twists you would not expect.

I did not really enjoy this book because I feel this book was not really the strong point of the series. The genre of book is fiction and mystery. If you like cliff hangers I am sure you will enjoy . I rate this book three stars out of five because this book was out of comfort zone, and at some points in the story I did not really know what the author was talking about at most points where it was most important.

          ★   ★   ★

www.alexandrabracken.com

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Mar
10
2016

I TOTALLY FUNNIEST, by James Patterson

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51KQihg1QYL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_Are you really low on jokes? Well here’s a book that can help you and it is a great read. I read I TOTALLY FUNNIEST by James Patterson. The main character in this story is Jamie Grimm. Jamie is going onto the final rounds of the world’s funniest kid comic, and he needs to be extremely funny to win the competition. The competition is in Hollywood, and that is very far away from his home, Long Island. The time period is modern, so it isn’t a history kind of book.

 

Jamie loves comedy, and he is really great at it, that is what makes him Jamie. For example, “He is funny,” said someone else. Plus, everywhere in the book he says a joke. For example, when he is at the diner he tells a joke to every customer. Jamie is a disabled kid in a wheelchair, so he likes to help all the kids like him, because he understands what it is like. An example is, when all the people in Long Beach were a disappointed about a storm, because it had  been a terrible tragedy, he helped them out by giving them a laugh. He also admits when he has done something wrong, like when he said, “I was a jerk.” And then his friend said,“I know.” An interesting part was when he forgot what he said during his comedy act. He said jokes, and then forgot if people laughed or what he even said. So when they announced the winners of that round, he had no idea if he did well. Another interesting thing was when he went mean.  A very, very, kind guy, went mean. (Started to be mean and selfish to his friends and family.) I didn’t think a competition could separate him from his friends and family. And Jamie has to choose between concentrating on the competition or being with his friends and family. He has a lot of trouble trying to do both.

 

I like this book because it was different, but it was also good. I normally read Action and Adventure, but this was more, Comedy. An example is, the title. I TOTALLY FUNNIEST. It really made it clear this was a different type of book. Then you read it and it is about a guy who loves comedy. I also liked it because it started with a guy who was a normal person, living in Long Island, then he becomes a famous comedian. For example, this is a kids reaction when he sees him, “Hey, you’re Jamie Grimm!” It is everyone’s reaction actually. I also like that the author included himself in the story for a little while. I would definitely recommend it to everyone who sets eyes on it. It is a comedy book, and it is really good so at least read a chapter of it. I would recommend this book to kids, that are  8-14. But there are a few bathroom words, so just be careful of that. I have never ever read or experienced any kind of thing like that so it was cool to read those books. But, before you read I TOTALLY FUNNIEST, make sure to first read I FUNNY and  I EVEN FUNNIER first. I would give this book five stars.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mar
10
2016

Dragonbreath no such thing as ghosts by Ursula Vernon

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imgres Have you ever wondered what it would be like in a haunted house as a dragon who can barely breathe fire? Well this is the the book you are looking for. This book is creepy but some of it is funny. It all happens on Halloween when the school bully Big Eddie dares Danny, Wendell and Christiana to go into a haunted house. Then the doors lock and they are stuck in the house and they have to find a way out.

The plot is the ghost and big Eddie are trying to scare Danny and his friends but they don’t know that they are both scaring them. Danny is brave for example he always goes first up the stairs. Also Danny believes in magical things for example he believes that the ghost is real. He is also optimistic. When Danny was lost he was optimistic and trusted a rat because he trusted a rat in one of his other adventures (books). One of the most interesting parts in the book is when they see the clown for the first time and Danny breathes fire. Danny only breathes fire under pressure. Also I liked the part when Danny, Wendell and Christiana find the bathroom and then the picture on the wall changes. Something that changes the direction of the story is when the door at the end of door opens, sorry I can’t spoil the book.

I enjoyed this book because I don’t like things that are too scary but there were some creepy parts of the book. For example when they see ooze dripping from the wall or when they hear sharp claws scratching doors. I would recommend this book because it’s interesting and I think it is good for people who like scary books.  A connection I have is once I went into a haunted house and I was super scared. I would give this book 4 stars, I really liked it.