Category Archives: 2013-2014

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is about a really (you’ll see how really poor they are soon) poor family. Now what family am I talking about? The Bucket’s. Charlie Bucket lives in a small cottage with his grandparents, Grandpa Joe, Grandma Josephine, Grandpa George, and Grandma Georgina. He has a mother named Mrs. Bucket, and a father named Mr. Bucket. Charlie gets 1 chocolate bar a year. One night, Grandpa Joe tells Charlie a story about Mr. Wonka and his chocolate factory. Then, a miracle happens. Read the book to find out what the miracle is! My favorite part of the book was when Grandpa Joe told Charlie the stories because it’s like he is telling you that story, which is cool.

I would recommend the book to ages 4-? I did the question mark because some people like the book until they’re 50, and some like the book until they’re 20. One reason I like the book is because it is heavily illustrated by a good illustrator, Quentin Blake.

I would rate the book 57 stars because it was real good.

 

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Jan
28
2014

Cloneward Bound By M.E. Castle

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WARNING! DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW IF YOU HAVE NOT READ POPULAR CLONETHIS MEANS YOU!

            Cloneward Bound is by M.E. Castle. When Fisher Bas the main character finds out that Two (his clone) was not killed in the explosion at TechX labs, but escaped and is now living the sweet life in Hollywood, Fisher luckily finds out that a field trip is going to Hollywood over the weekend.

            Anxious to find Two, excited to meet the famous Doctor Devilish the host of “Strange Science” the TV show and worried that government agents will try to get Two because they suspect that he is a clone and that Fisher used AGH (Accelerated Growth Hormone). The problem is, when he finds Two, Two doesn’t want to go back to Palo Alto.

            When he finds out that his crush Veronica Greenwich is in love with the cheesy pop singer Kevin Keels, he goes crazy. With friends, Fisher decides it is time to learn the truth of who is playing with them.

             My favorite part of this book was when Amanda Cantrell finds out that Two is a clone. Actually, that was my second favorite part. My favorite part is a spoiler so I won’t tell you. Read the Book!

             I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

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Jan
28
2014

The One And Only Ivan By Katherine Applegate

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This book is about a gorilla named Ivan who lives at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. Ivan lived in the jungle with his mom dad and his sister Tag. He liked living in the jungle with his family until people came to take Ivan and Tag away, and Tag tried to escape and that was when she got killed and his parents got killed trying to save Ivan, then Ivan got shipped to the mall. Ivan is a nice gorilla and dose not really like how this big billboard in the parking lot has Ivan looking all scary, and Ivan is really a nice guy. Ivan has friends who live at the mall with him, he has a friend named Stella the elephant, Bob the stray dog, and Julia a girl who comes to the mall a lot because her father George works at the mall. Ivan loves art especially painting and Julia loves art too so every time when Julia comes to the mall she has art supplies that she gives Ivan. Ivan likes the mall but starts to miss the jungle. He sometimes also misses his family, but he does have a stuffed gorilla toy named Not Tag. Later on Ivan loves the mall, but later on the book changes start happening, and it is up to Ivan to make those changes better for everyone and especially someone new who joins Ivan and the gang. I would give this book 5 stars because this book has lots of interesting obstacles that Ivan has to face witch make me fell like i am in the book and what makes this book more interesting is that this book was based on a real gorilla who lived in the mall.  I would recommend this book to someone who loves animal books and likes poems and  because this book has a lot of descriptive and poetic words.tmp430453043746570240

Jan
27
2014

LAWN BOY, by Gary Paulsen

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LAWN BOY is about a 12 year old boy named _____ (yes, he doesn’t have a stated name) and his family is broke. He is intelligent and thinks he is dumb.

As a birthday present he gets his grandfather’s old 10-speed lawn mower. So, not knowing what to do does the obvious: he mows his cute little, old, not very taken care of lawn.

[The old mowing companies’ boss ran off into paradise with his new wife.] While he’s mowing his lawn his neighbor walks up to him and from across the fence asks; “you mow lawns?…”

And thats where his summer gets exiting.

His first client, a start to a boring, but still exiting summer. While he is mowing the lawn, another customer asks for him to mow his lawn and it happens again and again and again.

Then he meets Arnold, ‘a 70s hippie guy.’ A client who can’t find 35$ and, gets him a small account in the stock market and… before he knows it, he’s sponsoring his very own boxer: Joey Pow…

 

All of the chapters have a title that you don’t figure out why it’s called what it is called in ’till the end of the chapter

This book is a quick (88 pg.) fun, sometimes cliffhanger, and just a plainly amazing book for a plane ride or car ride that will make you think the story has just begun, so read ‘LAWN BOY returns’ if you want the rest of his story! I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

 

 

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Jan
27
2014

Popular Clone By M.E. Castle

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Popular Clone is about a boy named Fisher Bas. He is very unpopular. He is bullied by three kids called “the Vikings.”  When he makes a clone (which he calls “Two”) to live is horrible life for him, Two becomes popular. He starts causing trouble. Fisher is afraid that someone will find out that Two is a clone.

To make the clone,  Fisher used his mother’s very dangerous AGH (Accelerated Growth Hormone). The evil Doctor X is trying to find it. If he finds out that “Fisher” is a clone, he will take over the world. When Doctor X captures Two, Fisher must go on a dangerous adventure with his loyal pet flying pig to save him. Can Fisher keep  the secret away from Two, that he is not a clone, but his brother on a mission to find his mother. AND save Two?

I liked this book because it was really funny and the characters were interesting. My favorite part was when Fisher tried to find out what Two was doing at school. I liked that part because we learn how Two becomes popular, because Fisher didn’t know what was happening with Two at school.

This book is in a series called “The Cloneward Chronicles.”

I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

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Jan
18
2014

Fortunately The Milk by Neil Gaiman

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Fortunately The Milk by Neil Gaiman is a good book because of a lot of reasons. One of them is because the father needs to get milk for his children and the mother is away, so she can’t come back, get milk then leave again. She has to stay where she is. At the beginning of the book, if you read it, I bet you’ll get kind of confused, because what happens is that the son of one of the main characters is talking from his perspective. After the kids take out the cereal, the father goes to buy the milk. Then it switches over to a crazy adventure with the father.

 

The father was sucked up into an alien spaceship and the aliens are telling him to give them the world so they can remodel it. In the spaceship there is a door that says keep out and Emergency exit, and all that kind of stuff. So the father goes and pushes the button and walks out about, a hundred years into the past. Then he swims up to a pirate ship and they say he has to walk the plank, but then a stegosaurus in a hot air balloon comes up and get the father to grab rope ladder and climb into the hot air balloon. There’s a lot more to the story but I’m not going to tell you, so you should read this book if you are interested. I rate this book a 4 ½ out of 5 stars. This book is a quick read if you’re looking for one!

By Johnny

 

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 by John Griffin Cook

 

Jan
11
2014

Behind The Bookcase By Mark Steensland

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I think that behind the bookcase is a really good book. It is full of mystery and secret. And the main character [Sarah] doesn’t want to stay at her recently dead Grandmother’s house to clean it up for selling. Just as she  thinks that her summer is the worst weeks of her life ,she finds a unfinished letter from her grandmother that says strange things are happening behind the bookcase… She finds a new world and that is is where the adventure begins. I would rate  this a five star book. And recommend this book to 4th to 5th graders -Ruby Wexler

 

Jan
11
2014

The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley

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I think that the” Sisters Grimm” is  a very good book. It is a very good book for people who like adventures

because the “Sisters Grimm” books are all about adventure.  And I really liked it because there is a mystery

in each book that is solved at the end of each book. I also like it because it has fairy tale characters but they

don’t go through the stories, though it just has the characters after the story or event that happened to them.

I recommend  book or series to 3rd to 4th graders.

– Ruby Wexler

Jan
11
2014

The Time Garden by Edward Eager

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I think that “THE TIME GARDEN” is a very good book. As you follow Eliza, Ann and

Roger through a time travel adventure. The kids company on the Natterjack (a frog) helps them with their

adventures . When the kids want to go see there parenets  they wish to go to

london( because that’s where their parents are) they end up going to old london( in the

time of queen Elizabeth) .what will happen then?

I recommend this book to 4th and maybe advised  3rd graders .

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jan
10
2014

The 39 Clues, The Maze of Bones, By Rick Riordan

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The  39 Clues The Maze Of Bones is by Rick Riordan. The book is about a brother and sister named Dan and Amy whose Grandmother dies and creates a quest for only the Cahills. The Cahill family is the type of family who will do anything to get to be the most powerful person in the world. The quest takes chosen Cahill family members all across the world for one thing… the first of the 39 clues.

In the beginning of the book, the chosen family members are given a choice to walk out the door with 1,000,000 dollars in their hands or to attempt the life risking 39 clues. Six families picked the  39 clues, the Kabras, the Holts, Alistair Oh, Jonah Wizard, the Starlings and Dan and Amy. Dan has altitude problems and Amy has trouble speaking up to people.

A really important event in the book was in the beginning when Dan and Amy chose to burn up the million dollars and take the really small clue: THE FINE PRINT TO  SEEK OUT RICHARD S—-.  Another important part was when the mansion went up in flames which is when they discovered their secret admirer aka THE MAN IN BLACK. One last important part is when Dan and Amy find out that everyone is against them, in other words, trying to kill them but they are all family members.

This book would be ranked my fourth favorite book I have ever read. My favorite part of the book is when they are in the catacombs in Paris because I went in the catacombs when I went to Paris and I know, and can relate to the feeling of being creeped out. My least favorite was when I closed it. I would give this book ***** five stars. People who like mystery books and a little bit of realistic fiction, this book is for you.