Author Archives: 25imogenn

Jun
09
2017

Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder

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I read Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It is the second book in the Little House series. Farmer Boy tells the story of the childhood of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s husband, Almanzo Wilder. This book describes a year in nine-year-old Almanzo’s life, including the many chores (feeding livestock, milking cows, and cleaning out the barns) involved in running his parents successful farm. Almanzo grew up alongside his elder siblings Royal, Eliza Jane, and Alice, and they had a happy rambunctious childhood on the farm, where there was always plenty to eat and plenty to do. The book details the work required on the farm in the different seasons, like picking ice from the river for the ice house in the winter and helping with summer harvesting. Almanzo’s parents taught their children the importance of honesty, patience, and the value of hard work. The setting of this book is upstate New York, near the town of Malone, in the 1860s.

 

Almanzo is hardworking, dedicated, and extremely hungry. He is hardworking because he wakes up everyday before 5am to feed the livestock, milk the cows, and clean the barns. In winter, Almanzo hauls logs, helps fill the ice house, and trains a team of oxen. In the spring and summer, he plants and tends crops. When his father does not need him to help on the farm, Almanzo occasionally goes to school. After school, Almanzo and his brother Royal have more chores, making sure the animals are fed, warm, and clean. Almanzo is dedicated because he spends most of the book trying to prove to his father that he is responsible enough to train his father’s colts. Almanzo first has to learn how to train his own calves, Star and Bright, before he is even allowed to go into the stable with his father’s horses. He is eventually rewarded for his perseverance and patience by receiving a colt of his own. Almanzo is also extremely hungry. There is a description of at least one meal in every chapter of Farmer Boy.  The amount of food Almanzo eats is amazing! Almanzo consumes a full dinner, three slices of pie for dessert, and (very soon after) apples, apple cider, and popcorn by the fire for a snack.

 

One of the most interesting parts of the book is when Almanzo’s parents go away and leave Eliza Jane in charge of the other children. It was enjoyable because the children spend almost all the time their parents are away eating desserts and candy (they manage to use an entire barrel of sugar in a week). Another interesting part of the book is when Almanzo is trying to teach his calves Star and Bright to haul lumber. It is amusing because Almanzo’s father rode past him when he saw that Almanzo had fallen into a ditch with his calves. After the accident, Almanzo “had to sit down and rest a minute. But he got up, and he petted Star and Bright and spoke to them encouragingly… That was one trouble Almanzo had got out of, all by himself.” His father refused to help him because he believed Almanzo needed to learn to be independent, and to solve his own problems if he was going to become a good farmer. Almanzo does not seem angry with his father, and respects his way of teaching.

 

I enjoyed this book because it thoroughly describes what life was like on a farm more than one hundred years ago. I also liked the book because Almanzo and his siblings were likable and relatable characters, even in 2017. They fought with each other, were sometimes annoyed about helping around the house, and complained about going to school. I would recommend this book because it is entertaining and educational. Farmer Boy  is almost like listening to a parent or grandparent tell stories from their childhood. This book is obviously similar to the other Little House books and television show. This book does not remind me of many books I have read because I usually do not read books with a boy as the main character. I would rate this book 4.5 stars.

May
04
2017

One Crazy Summer By Rita Williams Garcia

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I read One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia. This is a historical fiction novel about three sisters, Delphine (11), Vonetta (9), and Fern (7) who live with their father and grandmother in Brooklyn, New York. The girls’ father sends them to Oakland, California one summer to stay with their mother, Cecile, who abandoned them seven years before. Cecile is a Black Panther, and spends most of her time in her kitchen writing poems and printing flyers. The Black Panthers were a political party whose  purpose was to patrol African American neighborhoods to protect residents from acts of police brutality. Cecile repeatedly tells the girls that she never asked them to visit her. She sends them out of the house everyday to The People’s Center, run by the Black Panther Party, for breakfast and day camp.The setting of the book is Oakland, California in 1968.

 

Delphine is mature, loyal, and cautious. She is mature because she is responsible for her two younger sisters the whole time they are in Oakland. Delphine makes sure the girls have been fed and bathed, and encourages them to behave properly. Delphine is also loyal to her father and grandmother. Delphine knows that her father and grandmother would not approve of the girls eating takeout every night, so Delphine decides to go grocery shopping to make a dinner similar to one they would eat at home. Lastly Delphine is cautious. She is nervous about possible violence at the Black Panther rally and tells her sisters they will not attend.

 

One of the most interesting parts of the book is when Delphine rides her friend  Hirohito’s go-kart for the first time. This is the first time in the book that Delphine acts like a child having fun, not like a parent to Vonetta and Fern. “As the go-kart went faster, I felt the rumbling of the wheels hitting the concrete underneath me. I screamed. So loud I startled myself. I had never heard myself scream. Screamed from the top of my lungs, the pit of my heart. Screamed like I was snaking and falling. Screamed and hiccupped and laughed like my sisters. Like I was having the time of my life, flying down that glorious hill.” This is the first glimpse of Delphine enjoying herself, without concern for her sisters. Another part of the book I enjoyed was when Fern spoke at the Black Panther rally, and announced that one of their members, Crazy Kelvin, was friendly with the police. It was exciting that Fern had made the discovery, and was praised by the Black Panthers at the rally.

I enjoyed the book because I learned more about the Civil Rights Movement and was introduced to the Black Panthers. I also liked the relationships between the three sisters, who were all very different but loved each other deeply. I would recommend this book because it teaches about the Civil Rights movement in an interesting and exciting way. I would also recommend the book because, although it addresses serious topics, can be funny. This book is similar to “Turning 15 On The Road To Freedom”. Both books have young women as the main characters and are about the Civil Rights Movement. I would rate my book four stars.

Mar
17
2017

Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes

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I read Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes. It is the story of ten-year-old Deja Barnes, who lives in the Avalon Family Shelter in Brooklyn with her parents and two siblings. Deja is just starting 5th grade at a new school where she meets her new friends, Ben and Sabeen. At Brooklyn Collective Elementary, the students learn about  9/11 as it is the 15th anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks. As Deja discovers more about New York’s history and what it means to be part of a community, secrets about her father are revealed. The setting is Brooklyn, New York at the Avalon Family Shelter and Brooklyn Collective Elementary School in 2016.

SPOILER ALERT; DO NOT READ IF YOU DO NOT WANT THE BOOK TO BE SPOILED!

Deja Barnes is mature, proud, and inquisitive. She is mature because she often has to take care of her brother and sister. Deja’s father can’t work, and spends most of his time lying in bed with a headache. Deja is in charge of her siblings when her mother is working to earn money for their family. Deja is proud because she willingly tells her friends and teachers at her new school that she lives in a homeless shelter, without being ashamed. She is inquisitive because she is eager to learn as much as she can about the Towers, even though her father has forbidden her. He and Ben skip school to visit the Tower Memorial.

One of the most interesting parts of the book is when Deja’s father tells her the story about 9/11, when he was working as a security guard in the North Tower. He was able to rescue one older women in the building, but the building collapsed after he took her to the ambulance. Deja’s father has felt guilty since then because he was not able to save his two closest friends from work. Deja starts to respect her dad and begins to see him as a hero. Another interesting part of the book is when Ben shows Deja the video of the twin towers collapsing. I found this part interesting because I realized what it is like to grow up in poverty, without access to the internet or a television.

I enjoyed this book because it teaches about 9/11 in a way that is honest but not scary. I also liked the book because Deja’s friends, especially Ben and Sabeen, as kind and accepting towards Deja. Many books show kids being cruel to each other, but when Deja starts her new school, she is welcomed immediately. I would recommend this book because it teaches about what it is like to be a homeless child in New York City. It is hard to imagine what it is like to not have enough money for a backpack or even school supplies. I also learned about 9/11 and the heros in New York City that day. This book is similar to Nine, Ten because they are both novels about the Twin Towers falling. I would give this book 4 and a half stars.

Feb
16
2017

The War that Saved my Life, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

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This review has spoilers so if you don’t want the book spoiled don’t read this review. I read “The War that Saved my Life” by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. This is the story of ten-year-old Ada, who has never been allowed to leave her one room apartment. Her abusive mother is too embarrassed to let her go outside because of her clubfoot. She cooks, takes care of her six-year-old brother Jamie, and sees the outside world only through a window. When Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada decides to leave with him, without telling her mother. When they arrive in the countryside, Ada and Jamie are sent to live with a woman named Susan Smith. With Susan, Ada is able to go outside, learn how to read and write, and is taken care of. The setting of the book is London and Kent, England in 1939, during World War II.

Ada Smith is determined, caring, and imaginative. She is determined because she teaches herself to walk so she can escape from London with her brother, Jamie, despite the physical pain this causes her. Ada also teaches herself to ride Susan’s horse, Butter, when she moves to the country. Ada is caring because she has been her brother’s caretaker and protector since he was born. She is imaginative because she when she feels scared or unsafe, Ada escapes by transporting herself to another place in her mind.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the book is when Ada rescues her neighbor Margaret, who had fallen off her horse. I found this interesting because Margaret, who is wealthy and well-educated, had looked down on Ada when she first arrived as a poor evacuee from London. The girls eventually become friends after Ada returns Margaret home safely. It was also interesting when Mam came to collect Ada and Jamie from Susan’s house in the country. Mam had been abusive to the children when they lived with her.  She had also never replied to any of Susan’s letters, so it was shocking when she arrived.

I enjoyed reading “The War That Saved My Life”. It was entertaining because there was a happy ending. When Ada and Jamie’s mother came to collect them from Susan’s house, it seems like they have to return forever to a life of abuse and neglect with their mother. The book ends happily when Susan comes to London to rescue the children from their mother. I also learned about World War II in an interesting way by reading the book. I wouldn’t typically choose historical fiction, but this book is a page turner. I recommend this book because it keeps the reader’s attention and is hopeful. Ada reminds me of Anne Frank because of her bravery. I would give this book 5 stars.

 

Jan
26
2017

A Ring Of Endless Light By: Madeline L’Engle

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imogenblog

Vicky Austin can Communicate With Dolphins

A important moment from A Ring of Endless Light is… almost 16 year old Vicky Austin is staying with her family in Seven Bay Island for the summer because her grandfather is dying. Vicky meets Adam, a friend of her brother John, who is a scientist who studies dolphins.

When Vicky is invited to Adam’s lab, they discover to understand and communicate with dolphins. She provides a lot of help for a Adams research on dolphin and communicate.That is why you should read the book.

Dec
08
2016

All About Me!

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Hi my name is Imogen. I am a 4th grader. I love to dance! My favorite types of books are magic, mystery, and realism. Some of my favorite books are When You Reach Me, Best Friend Next Door, and the Dork Diaries. Come check out what I am reading!