Monthly Archives: April 2017

Apr
19
2017

Chasing Secrets by Gennifer Choldenko

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Is the plague really here?

By Jade Young

A girl was seen trying to get into Chinatown while it was being quarantined. She was trying to find Jing a really important person in her life and the book. The girl’s name was Elizabeth but everyone called her Lizzie, except when older people in her family got mad at her. Except Billy her older brother. This book takes place in Chinatown, San Francisco in 1904 to 05. The name of this book is Chasing Secrets: A deadly surprise in a city of lies. The author of this book is Gennifer Choldenko.

The characters in this book are very different but sometimes they are the same or have the same thoughts. The majority of the characters in this book are related somehow. Not always family but they know each other friend or foe sometimes. Here are some of the characters: Lizzie, she doesn’t much like her life when her dad goes away for work and she can’t go. She wants to be like her dad. A doctor. She helps her dad sometimes when he gets called away. Lizzie goes to a school called Miss Barstows and she doesn’t like it until she meets a girl named Gemma and a boy named Gus who are brother and sister. Lizzie had no friends before, so she was thankful. Lizzie also cares so much about everybody, even Maggie the maid.

Noah is Jing’s son. He is Chinese like Jing. He calls Jing “Baba.” Only Lizzie knows about Noah and is good about keeping him a secret. Noah’s Chinese name is Choy.

Papa, as Lizzie calls him, is the dad to Billy and Elizabeth. He is a doctor who goes to patients to treat them for very little money or even none sometimes.

Uncle Karl: Uncle Karl is married to Aunt Hortense and their last name is Sweeting. Uncle Karl knows more than he is telling Lizzie about the plague and what she wants to know.

I loved this book so much. The book is historical fiction and it has a very adventurous part too. I recommend this book to people who like reading a nice mix of sad, delightful, and mystery. A lot of parts make you wonder what’s going to happen next and think, “I hope no one dies.” That’s the mystery. Delightful because of turns of events, and sad because of the plague and the quarantine. I give this book a five star rating. It has a lot of sudden turn of events. It’s a really amazing book! I really recommend this book.

Apr
19
2017

The Good Fight: The Feuds of the Founding Fathers (And How They Shaped the Nation)

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It’s easy to be fooled by the Founding Fathers, what with all the greatness and everything. But did you ever wonder what they were doing before they founded anything? You’re in luck, because this book holds all the answers! It’s called (and I know, the long name’s annoying, I just call it The Good Fight) The Good Fight: The Feuds of the Founding Fathers (And How They Shaped The Nation) by Anne Quirk. This book is about what the Founding Fathers did before America was in full swing! (Those of you who have seen Hamilton― it’s about some of the things described in the play.)

 

It has four chapters:

 

  • George Washington vs. King George III: The War of the Georges
  • Benjamin Franklin vs. William Franklin: The Radical Father and the Conservative Son
  • Alexander Hamilton vs. History: The Outsider
  • John Adams vs. Thomas Jefferson: The Founding Frenemies

 

All the chapters focus on the two people in the story (with exception for chapter three). The main characters in this book are all of the Founding Fathers. If you don’t know who those are, they are: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington. Only problem, John Jay and James Madison aren’t mentioned that much. The time and place is around 1776 and almost the entire book takes place in America, but there are some scenes in England and Paris.

 

For adjectives about a character, I want to focus on Alexander Hamilton. He was eager, he was combative (which means ready or eager to fight), and he was persistent. Eager, because on p. 59 it says: “‘I wish there was a war,’ Hamilton wrote to his friend Edward Stevens in 1769. ‘I mean to prepare the way for futurity.’ He was combative because, also on p. 59 it says: ‘Apology,’ he wrote, trying to explain himself, ‘is out of the question.’ Alexander Hamilton could never resist a fight. Persistent, because on page 72, it says that Washington asked Hamilton if he wanted to be the first ever Secretary of Treasury. This was a really hard job, and if he failed, the United States could fail too. Of course, Hamilton said yes.”

 

The plot of the entire book in general is that the American Revolution is going on and all the chapters (especially “The War of the Georges”), are about different details and facts about the Revolution and what other people were doing during that time. One of those facts are that George Washington and King George III both were VERY eager to win the war. I like this because it makes the book a lot more interesting. It’s cool reading about the war that shaped our nation. It’s also cool reading about all the politics that were happening in the background.

 

I did like the book. Like I said before, it’s exciting reading about the war that shaped our nation, and all the politics behind it. I would definitely  recommend this book because it is very educational and it is also really funny. There are also lots of funny pictures. This definitely relates to Hamilton: The Musical because it focuses around a lot of the things that the musical focuses around.

I think my rating of this book is ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐= I loved it! I want to read it again!

Apr
19
2017

Space Case By Stuart Gibbs

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Space Case

By Stuart Gibbs

 

Who would would commit murder on the moon? Space Case is a book about a base on the moon called Moonbase Alpha. The main character is a 12 year old boy named Dash. Being one of the first people to live on the moon all the moonies (people who live on the moon) become famous on earth. After a couple of months living in space something bad happens. Dr Holtz an adult moonie went out of moonbase alpha onto the surface of the moon with his space suit put on the wrong way. Then after two minutes he was dead.

 

Dash is a very curious kid because he looks into the death and thinks it’s a murder he does it even though the person in charge of the base named Nina tells him not to. Dash is also kind of brave because he knows there will be punishments for investigating the murder and he might be threatened or killed himself. He is also desperate because he’s willing to do dangerous things to prove it was a murder,like getting on people’s bad sides.

 

During his investigation he runs into problems. like getting in trouble with Nina for still investigating. After thinking everybody liked Dr Holtz he finds out more people did not. He finds more about people finding secrets about them and their connections with Dr Hotz. A good part of the book is when a rocket with more food and people come to the moon base.

 

I really enjoyed this book if you like murder mysteries I suggest reading this book or if you’re  looking for a book to read. I would definitely recommend this book to anybody. There are a lot of murder mystery books but I don’t know that many that take place on the moon. If I had to rate this book from 1 to 5 i’d give it a 5.     

 

Apr
19
2017

Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome

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Review by Margot Story

 

Is Captain Flint an ally, or an enemy? Over Spring Break I read the book Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome. The Swallows and Amazons series consists of twelve books. Swallows and Amazons was written in 1930, and the rest of the books were written in a pattern: 1931, 1932, 1933 etc. It is also a British book, which changes some of the language. The main characters are the four Walker siblings and the two Blackett sisters. The Walker siblings are: John Walker (the eldest), Susan Walker, Titty Walker, and Roger (the youngest). They also have a baby sister Vicky, who is mentioned throughout the book. The two Blackett (usually mentioned as “Amazon”) sisters are: Ruth Blackett (though her pirate name is Nancy, and that is her name throughout the book – She changed her name after her Uncle Jim said that pirates were “ruthless”.), and Peggy Blackett. It is set in the Lake District in England, though some of the later books are set in other places. The four Walker siblings convince their mother to let them go on an adventure while on summer vacation. They consider themselves explorers, while the Amazon sisters consider themselves pirates.  They meet the Amazon sisters and they form an alliance. Then they get into a whole series of events which included the Amazons and the Amazon’s Uncle Jim, who they refer to as Captain Flint.

 

I am going to describe Titty because I feel that she is the most interesting. Titty is independent, brave, and curious. She is independent and brave because she stole the Amazon during one of the events that happened in the book. She also volunteered to stay alone on the big island at night, with absolutely no contact with her sister and brothers. She is curious because when she was alone she thought that some pirates were burying treasure on the island, and to have proof when her sister doubted her, she actually went to the spot and dug around. She also was very curious about Captain Flint at first, and decided to try and find out things she was curious about throughout the entire book. She has a big imagination because she thinks that Captain Flint is a retired pirate, and also she loves role-play. Whenever she role-plays she is Robinson Crusoe, and she pretends that her mother is Man Friday, two explorers from a very famous old book a little similar to Swallows and Amazons.

 

One of the most interesting (to me) parts of the book is when the Swallows see Captain Flint waving his fist at them. It is a minor point in the book, but I find it interesting because they have absolutely no idea what he is waving his fist about, yet later in the book when John goes to visit Captain Flint it is made known that Captain Flint believed that the Swallows lit his houseboat on fire. While the visit seems more interesting, I think that the fist waving is more important. It starts the relationship between the Swallows and Captain Flint, which is needed to start the series of events in the books that makes Swallows and Amazons one of the most interesting and pleasurable to read.

 

As you can probably tell already, I really love this book. I do think, though, it is a VERY difficult book to read, as the vocabulary is very advanced, using phrases like “make fast”, and using the word “native” as an offensive term. These are some outdated old British sayings which makes it hard to read, but if you use the context and read it over and over you can probably figure out what the words mean (with the help of Google), and then you can really enjoy the book.. I wouldn’t recommend this book for younger children, because of the vocabulary issue, and because it is such a long book I think they may find it draining to read. I think that if you want to try to read this book, go for it! It may be tricky at first but it’s a very enjoyable book to read. I am actually on my sixth time reading it, so get reading, you fo’c’sle crew!
My rating for this book is: Five stars! It was so fun to read. And I just loved the storyline!                   

Apr
19
2017

Return of the Padawan by Jeffrey Brown

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My book is called “Return of The Padawan” by Jeffrey Brown. It’s the second book in the series of Jedi Academy. The main character is Roan Novachez. She has two best friends named Pasha and Gaiana and her two enemies named Cronah and Cyrus who are probably Sith. This book takes place in the Star Wars universe before the Clone Wars.

Three adjectives that would describe Roan are hard working, force-sensitive and ambitious. She is hardworking because on page 64 it says,“I’ve been studying for star pilot simulator a lot, because I want to get the high score in class.” She is also force sensitive which means she can control stuff with her mind or hand, or befriend or hypnotize people or animals. Also, on pages nine and ten the book says she goes to Jedi Academy where force sensitive people go to train. She is ambitious because on page 64 it says, “I’ve been studying for star pilot simulator a lot, because I want to get the high score in class” (she really wants to be a pilot).

An important part of the book is when Roan throws a ball in dodgeball so hard that her best friend gets a black eye. This is important because it really changes the plot of the story and you don’t see it coming. Another important part of the the book is when Roan tears a page out of an important book that her friend’s father was studying. This is important because her last best friend stop liking her because he says he didn’t hear Roan apologize.
I loved the book mostly because it was about Star Wars. But, I also really enjoyed how it plays out with a lot of plot twisters. I would recommend this book to anybody who likes Star Wars. But also I would recommend it to people who like fast paced, plot twisting emotions. This book connects to all the Star Wars movies because they all live in the Star Wars universe. I would give this book five stars because I like Star Wars, and may the force be with you.             

Apr
19
2017

Foxheart By Claire Legrand

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Quicksilver grew up with a hard life. She was abandoned by her parents and grew up in an orphanage. She refused to go by her real name Anastazia and had no name, so everyone called her Pig Witch. Her only friend was a dog she named Fox. She was the big prankster.  One day a man came to the orphanage and got angry, he sent his seven wolves after the girls and revealed himself as the witch hunting wolf king. She fled with fox and found herself at a house of a kid and his ill parents. The kid called himself Sly Boots. Soon Pig Witch became Quicksilver, Best Thief In The Star lands. They made a deal,  he joined her in robbing and he let Quicksilver stay at his house.  On one of their lessons Fox found a stranger with magic Quicksilver just had to have. She went up to the stranger, and little did she know it was the start of a long adventure, in the past, to defeat the Wolf King. Will, Quicksilver, Fox, Sly Boots and the stranger succeed on their quest?

Quicksilver is a brave yet lonely girl. She grew up being teased with barely any friends and when she found true friends she brought them misfortune. She is brave since she was always ready for what came next no matter what the risks were.

I recommend this book to people who like adventure stories, with magic yet sacrifices too. I love it so much, the book really toys with your emotions. I give the book a five star rating.

 

Apr
19
2017

Who was Daniel Boone

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¨Who was Daniel Boone¨

by Sydelle Kramer

Daniel Boone killed a bear when he was sixteen. I learned this in the book “Who was Daniel Boone.” This book is written by Sydelle Kramer and takes place from 1734 to 1820. The setting is mostly in the woods and nature. Boone likes company and not being alone. Boone had a very sad life. Almost all of his kids died. When he, his son, his wife and many more relatives were trying to get to Kansas, his son and other relatives went to get supplies. They did not return. The skeletons of all of the relatives who went with his son were found later.

Boone is determined, strong and pays attention to things that other people may not see. For example, when his daughter was captured by the Shawnee and the Cherokee, she made a trail for people to see but nobody saw it except for Boone. He was determined because when he first went to Kansas to hunt game,  (game is the same thing as animals) all of his things were taken and he was told to go back to his town and stay there – but he did not since there was better game in Kansas. He was strong and had skill because when he was 16 he killed his first bear; which requires the skill to find and aim for the heart and the strength not to panic and miss.

 

I think a couple of key things were important to Boone’s development. Being alone made Boone become a different person. People usually take companionship and family around them for granted but when all of Boone’s family either left him or died, he realised how much it meant to have family around. Killing his first bear was also important because it triggered his “hidden potential.” After he killed his first bear he was going on long hunts and killing a lot of game (although he could not use everything because it was to heavy).

 

In conclusion, I think the book was great and had lots of action and adventure. I like this genre so this was a great read for me. I thought it was interesting when the Indians had to test if Boone was fit to be one of them. The test was very dangerous but a little silly if you ask me. A group of Indians hit the one who is trying to get to the checkpoint with sticks. That person was Boone. He passed the test on his first try. My rating is 4 and a half stars. I would recommend it if you like action and adventure. There are other “who was” books so you can check them out too!

Apr
19
2017

The Big Wave

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The Big Wave

Book by Pearl S. Buck

I  read the book “The Big Wave” by Pearl S. Buck and would like LOVE to write about it.  Image result for the big wave

Pearl S. Buck has written many novels and books, mostly about Asia like China, Japan, and Korea.  But let’s get back to “The Big Wave.”

“The Big Wave” takes place in Japan, when the Great Wave takes place.  Kino and Jiya are best friends.  Kino is a farmer and Jiya is a fisherman.  Jiya is tall, handsome, healthy, and likes Kino’s  sister Setsu.  Even though Jiya is a fisherman he (and all fishermen) are afraid of the sea’s anger.

Kino is a farmer.  He loves to swim and is afraid of the volcano.  Setsu is a mischievous girl who likes to hide things.  

When Kino and Jiya swim (after checking to see if the sea is angry) they swim to an island, Deer Island.  The person who owns the Island is the Old Gentleman.  The Old Gentleman lives in a Castle and only comes out when he is angry.  

One day when IS angry, he sends a great wave that wipes out most of the fishermen…and Jiya’s family.

Jiya then moves in with Kino’s family and sleeps in sadness, scarcely waking up.

After a long while Jiya finally gets over the loss of his family and marries Setsu.
Please note that there is WAY more to the book.  If you thought that Jiya marrying Setsu was the real end you are wrong.  I really hope you read “The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck” and enjoy it as much as I did!

Apr
19
2017

Zane And The Hurricane By Rodman Philbrick

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Have you ever wondered about hurricane Katrina? You should read Zane And The Hurricane, it is by Rodman Philbrick. The book takes place in New Orleans in 2007 when hurricane Katrina happened. The book is historical fiction. It is about how rescue dogs saved people when hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans . Zane is the owner of Bandit, a mutt who saves people by choice in New Orleans from hurricane Katrina. Zane is always along for the ride with his dog. It is like Zane is on the leash not Bandit.

 

Zane is brave, curious and determined. Zane is brave because he follows his dog around to do things that are too dangerous for him to do but he does it anyway. One time his dog went into the water to save a person and Zane followed him, that makes him brave. Zane is curious because he tried to find his dog when he thought the dog was lost because he was away doing work for a very long time. Zane is determined when his dog was lost. That was the same time he was curious. He would not give up until he  got bandit back.

 

My three favorite parts of the book are when Bandit got lost, when Bandit got Zane in trouble with the police and when Zane followed Bandit to a creek. The part where Bandit got lost was on of my favorite parts because I liked how Zane wanted to find Bandit so badly. It shows the love between them. Zane went everywhere to find his dog and finally he found him near a broken down house. The part where Bandit got Zane in trouble with the police was one of my favorite parts because I loved how much the police officer cared about Bandit. This situation shows how much care was put into hurricane Katrina and the people who survived it. Another one of my favorite parts was when Zane followed Bandit to the creek. This was one of my favorite parts because it was very action packed and it felt real. To me it almost felt like I was actually in the moment. Throughout the book Zane and Bandit’s relationship gets stronger. One time a civilian was worried about the two of them but Zane and Bandit stuck together.

 

I enjoyed Zane And The Hurricane. I enjoyed it because I liked how realistic it was. I loved how I felt like I was actually in hurricane Katrina. I also really enjoyed how Zane was easy to relate to. I felt like I could connect with the character and by being able to connect it really helped me understand the book. I would recommend this book because it is action packed and very fast historical. I like action packed books that keep on moving and follow a strict storyline and this book did this for me. If you are like me and like this then I recommend the book. Another reason to read the book is because it teaches you a lot. It almost feels like you are in the book when you are reading it. One book that is similar to Zane And The Hurricane is I Survived Hurricane Katrina. It is similar because it is historical fiction and it is about hurricane Katrina. I would give this book four stars.