Category Archives: Dan & Tara

Jun
09
2017

Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff

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I read Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff. The book is about a girl whose brother died and is really cautious. The girl’s name is Annie and her brother’s name is Jared. She has to find her way back to not being so cautious. On the way she also has some trouble with a friend named Rebecca. I think that the book takes place around now because she has messages on a phone. I think this book takes place more in the countryside because they are taking their bikes around and they aren’t that old. Maybe twelve or eleven. Also Rebecca has a back yard.

Annie Richards is very cautious, sad, and creative. She is cautious because after Jared died she wanted to make sure that she didn’t either. At one part she started sweating and thought that she was sick. She is sad because whenever Jared is not around at a family event it reminds her of old times and gets sad. She is creative because in the book it said before her brother died she loved making obstacle courses and the doing them. You have to be creative to make a good obstacle course.

I think that one important part in this book is when Annie spits out some stuff about her brother and how he is more important than a hamster. I think this is important because it shows that it is hard for her to think about her brother. Another important part of the book is when she gets told to close her umbrella. She got told to close her umbrella because when Jared died she got really cautious. Closing your umbrella is basically saying to Annie that she should stop being so cautious. When she told Annie to open her umbrella they were talking about Annie’s brothers birthday. I think that this is important because if she was not told to open her umbrella she would not have tried and let go a little. One more important part of the book is when Tommy, Jared’s friend, is talking and being nice to Annie. This is important because he also feels her pain about Jared dying.

I like this book for a lot of reasons. One is that the book is sad. I like books that are a little sad because it gives the book a nice plot to reflect on. The second reason is that I liked how she had a little problem with her friend. I like this because it makes the book more interesting when the book already is interesting. I would recommend this book because it always has something new to make it interesting. For example when she was just riding her bike and then a kid came and scared her. You did not see it coming, and it made it a lot more interesting. I think that this book is unique because does not remind me of any book or movie. Another reason why this book is unique is that in this book she has many problems not just one. I would give this book a four star rating because it was really good and I really liked it. I would not give it five because it wouldn’t have the same reaction if you read it again.  

 

    

Jun
09
2017

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The book I read is called Stella By Starlight by Sharon M. Draper. The main characters in this book are Stella, Mom, Dad, her little brother, her neighbors (I would say the neighbors names but that would take up too much space) and her teacher. This book is about an African American girl named Stella who lives in a segregated town called Bumblebee in North Carolina. One night her little brother wakes her up and takes her outside. The Ku Klux Klan is burning a cross very close to her house. Throughout the book they must face the KKK and other segregation. Stella also figures out who one of the Klan members is. Stella’s father and neighbors register to vote and in the end are able to vote. This book takes place in the early 1900’s.

 

WARNING – SPOILER ALERT THESE PARAGRAPHS GIVE AWAY IMPORTANT INFORMATION IN THE BOOK

 

Stella is brave, quick to act, and smart. She is brave because she has to deal with all kinds of awful stuff but she gets through it. She is quick to act because when her mom is bitten by a venomous snake Stella acts fast and makes her a bandage. She is smart because she recited a long important quote easily and she is a good writer even though she thinks she is not. Every night she practices writing.

 

At one point in the book Stella gets a typewriter. She uses it to write newsletters to herself about stuff that has happened. One time her friend who really likes track gets beat up by these really mean and racist people. Then Stella writes a newsletter about that. She also writes a newsletter about when her neighbors, the Spencers get their house burned down by the KKK. A really important part of the book is when the KKK is burning a cross near Stella’s house because that starts the story off with a bang and Stella sees one of their horses and recognizes it. Another important event is when Stella’s mom is bitten by a rattlesnake and the white doctor will not help. That is important because it proves the guy is super cruel and cannot be changed. I think the last really important part is when Stella saves the white doctor/ KKK members daughter from drowning. Then Stella finds out that the girl’s father really is part of the KKK and Stella finds out that he is abusive. A quote that describes Stella is “The roosters don’t go far from the pen. I wonder if they ever think about flying. I do.”  This describes Stella because she is wondering about stuff bigger than Bumblebee and if there was no segregation.

 

I really like this book. I like it because it is a mystery when Stella is trying to figure out who is in the KKK. It is really suspenseful because you never know when the KKK is going to strike next.

I would recommend this book because it is a good length. Also it is educational and teaches about segregation and that kind of stuff. It is a good book and it makes you want to keep reading. This book reminds me of Turning Fifteen On the Road to Freedom. It reminds me of that because they are both about segregation and take place in the South. I would rate this book four stars.

Jun
09
2017

Wonder By: R.J. Palacio

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Wonder By R.J. Palacio

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SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!

This contains spoilers.

 

 

Wonder is a series and the other books are “Auggie And Me”, “The Julian chapter” Is a  different chapter in the book from Julian’s perspective. “360 days of wonder” is  different book but it has the concept and quotes from people. . Wonder is about a boy named August who has a deformed face and how he lives. But the book has perspectives of different people and August’s friends.For a while August didn’t have any friends but later people started to hang out with him. The book switches between a few people August, Via, Justin, Jack Will, Summer, and Miranda.`This book is about at 2012 to 2017 because texting was a thing and face-touch water fountains(they have sensors so if you put your face in it shoots water).

 

August is brave because he once heard people talking about how if they were him they would kill themselves. August is at the same time kind of scared because for two years he wore a helmet to hide his face. August is nice because he gives everyone a second chance like when his friend said he was told to be his friend and to be nice to him. However, August forgave him.

One quote from Wonder is “beauty is not in the face beauty is in the heart.” by R.J. Palacio I think she was saying that you can be beautiful on the inside and on the outside doesn’t matter as much. In Wonder I really liked one of the scenes where when August was with his friends and he was bullied by other people and there was a fight and then a chase which added a lot of action. Another scene I liked was when August told his story about how he wore a helmet for two years of his life because he got out of that phase and had grown up. One last thing I liked was when August was hanging around after he graduated from lower school and he was with all his friends.

 

I really liked this book because of all the characters and how they acted. I liked this because all the characters had different thoughts about August. I would recommend this book to people who like action and realistic fiction. I also would recommend this if you enjoy character swaps (when the perspective changes). If you read Wonder you should read “360 days of Wonder” and “The Julian Chapter” because it continues the story. I give this book 5 stars because it is long and is very realistic about August life.

Jun
09
2017

The Wishing Spell, by Chris Colfer

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The Land of Stories

Image result for the wishing spell cover

When I was little I wondered what happened to characters like Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood after their stories ended. Well in the Land Of Stories series, you can find out. The book I read is called the Wishing Spell and it is written by Chris Colfer. This book is about two kids, Alex and Conner, who are brother and sister. They are going through a hard time because there father recently died. For their 12th birthday, their grandma gives them a book called The Land of Stories. One night the book starts humming. Weird right? Alex then starts dropping her pencils on the book and they fall into the book! Eventually Conner and Alex jump into the book! When they land into the different world they realize that all fairy tale characters they knew growing up are real. As much as Alex and Conner enjoy this world they realize the only way back to the old one is to get the Wishing Spell.

Alex is smart, brave and cautious. She is smart because she remembers thoughts and lessons from the past and uses that to help her in the future. She is in the top of her class (unlike her brother) and pays attention to things. She is brave because she takes risks to do things that pay off in the end. She is cautious because she doesn’t trust everyone and makes plan B’s.

I thought the most interesting part of the book is when they realize their family used to live here. I thought it was interesting because the way the two twins reacted differently tells a lot about their personality. Alex is surprised and happy, she feels like she finally has a connection to some place because for the past year the twins had to move around a lot. Conner on the other hand doesn’t want his friends to know and is highly embarrassed. I think that Conner has less confidence and sometimes does things he might not necessarily want to do, for other people.

I enjoyed this book because I thought the ‘after stories’ made a lot of sense and by the end of the book I felt like I knew each character. I would recommend this book as well as the other two books. (A new one is coming out shortly.) Chris Colfer is in many shows and movies such as glee and struck by lightning. I think the Bailey twins are very unique because they share both many similarities and many differences. They each know so much about each other, but respect their differences. A quote from the book that I think would best explain Alex would be, “I think what I’ve learned from all of this is that villains are mostly people villainized by circumstance.” I think this explains a lot about her personality because in the beginning of the book, Alex only thought that the heros or princesses were the good people. But in the end like it said in the quote, they were mostly villainized by circumstance. They were originaly good people and something they did wrong made them an outcast. Even if Alex is wrong, she would usually not admit that she knew she was wrong. She learned that its OK to be wrong after her experience in the fairy tale world. I would rate this book 5 stars because of the creativity and the bonds between characters.

 

 

 

Jun
09
2017

George by Alex Gino

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“George” is a book by Alex Gino. This book is Alex Gino’s first novel. The main character is George. “George” is about a transgender girl, but George’s mom doesn’t know that George is transgender neither does her friends. Another thing that happens in “George” is that the teacher is casting for Charlotte’s web. George wants to be Charlotte but she can’t because she is a “boy.” The setting of the book is in New York. I know this because at one point,  George goes to the Bronx Zoo with her best friend and the friend says the zoo is an hour away and George says she lives in New York.

 

George is friendly, nervous and brave. George is friendly because she nevers gets in fights with anyone, even if she’s mad. I think George is nervous because she only tells her best friend that she is a girl but she doesn’t tell her mom or brother. I think George is brave because she is not scared when she auditions for the play.

Another important part in the book is when George says to her mom and older brother “What if I’m a girl?” I think this quote is important because she is finally telling her mom what she is. She is also expressing herself by finally letting go of what she has kept a secret for so long.

 

I really liked George because of the concept and how unique it is, I think George is unique because of the beautiful language. I also really liked George because it is not all over the place and there isn’t too much going on at once and there is only one plot. I do recommend this book if you like extraordinary books. I would also recommend this if you like quick and easy books. This book reminds me of Gracefully Grayson because it has the same concept of a girl inside a boy’s body.  I would give this book five stars because of it’s uniqueness.

Jun
09
2017

The First Last Day By Dorian Cirrone

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The title of the book is The First Last Day. The author is Dorian Cirrone. This book is about a girl named Haleigh who never wants the summer to end. But she has to be careful what she wishes for because she finds a set of oil paints and decides to use them. When she uses them, she makes a wish that the summer will never end. The wish comes true. But instead of it being a good wish, it turns into a bad wish and the same day repeats over and over and over again. Haleigh gets bored because every day she has to do the same thing. She hangs out with her best friend Kevin, but she also finds out that her mom may be pregnant and Kevin’s grandma gets a stroke every night. When that keeps on repeating, Haleigh tries to undo the wish so that she can meet her baby brother or sister. Kevin, her best friend, helps her by figuring out where the oil paints came from and how to undo the spell. This book takes place on the New Jersey shore in a beach town. I believe this is happening in modern times because it has a boardwalk and cell phones.

Haleigh in kind, determined, and fearful. She is kind because she never gets extremely angry. When she knows Kevin wants a DVD disc to watch a movie, the next day she takes her dad’s wallet and buys the movie for Kevin because she cares a lot about Kevin. She is determined because when the day keeps on getting repeated over and over, she doesn’t give up. She just keeps on going. Although it’s not that easy for her, at the end everything still turns out alright. Finally, she is fearful because she thinks that when the summer ends she won’t see Kevin again and this makes her a little worrisome. This is why Haleigh is kind, determined, and fearful.

This book is mainly about Haleigh wanting the summer to never end, but also not wanting to repeat the same day over and over. One part of the book that I thought was interesting was when Kevin jumped out with a cow suit and they started saying puns about cows. It was really funny. During this scene, Haleigh said a pun and this is what it is, “I eyed him up and down. ‘I see you beefed up your wardrobe.’” This helps me understand that Haleigh is very funny because she said a pun that I laughed at when I was reading it. One thing that I thought was pretty interesting was when Haleigh and Kevin were writing down all of the suspects for who gave Haleigh the oil pants. Kevin kept thinking that it was Marty the Magician. When they asked Marty, he said no. So Kevin was wrong. This was important because their plan backfired and I can imagine being shocked when this happened.

I really enjoyed the book because it was hilarious. It made me laugh out loud. The reason why is because the book had so many puns and the characters both had a really good sense of humor. Another reason that I liked the book was because there were moments that really touched me. For example, when Haleigh felt sad because Kevin’s grandma kept on having a stroke. I would definitely recommend this book. I would recommend this book for kids who like sad, funny, and happy stories because it’s a combination of all of those put together. It’s also about time travel and magic and I think how they put reality and magic together was very cool. This book is a little bit like The Invisible Day because Haleigh is also as determined as Billie to undo magic. I would give this book three stars because it was pretty good but I didn’t love it. It just didn’t interest me as much as some other books.

Jun
09
2017

Out of my Mind by Sharon M Draper

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The book I read is called Out of my Mind by Sharon M Draper. The book is about a girl named Melody who has cerebral palsy, a disease that doesn’t allow you to talk or walk. In her head she knows so many things but she can’t let the world know because she has no way to talk. Everyone at her school is normal except for the room H-5 where all the kids who have disabilities stay, including Melody. When she moves up to middle school she had inclusion classes that allows her to get along with the other kids. But soon enough she gets a device that helps her talk called a medi-talker. She names it Elvira. The books takes place in Ohio, mostly at her house or her school.

Melody is special, smart, and nice. Melody is special because ever since she was a few months old, things stuck to her and every moment had a word to go with it. She is smart because she knows a lot of things. Anything she learns stick to her because she has a great memory. But know one knows. Melody is nice because she cares about other people. She is thankful for everyone who helps her do things for her. Melody has a hard time eating and drinking by herself. That is why she is nice.

 In the book Melody gets a medi-talker that she names Elvira. It helps her talk in school and at home so she can respond for the first time in her life when people talk to her. But she gets jealous because her sister Penny can walk and talk normally, and she can’t even speak one sentence from herself not from a machine. I think that’s interesting because a lot of people in the world can talk and walk, but some people can’t and it makes me think how lucky I am to have a pair of legs and a working mouth. In the middle the book Melody takes a test to determine if she can be part of the quiz team that takes place in the book. But when they leave to perform on live TV in Washington, they leave without Melody. I thought that was interesting because Melody was the smartest one on the team.That’s what I think made the team loose when she wasn’t there with the rest of the team in Washington DC. Those are two things I found interesting. One quote that would be good to describe the main character would be: “All of my memories have words, and all my words and meanings. But only in my head.” I think this describes the main character because she has a lot of memories and all of them stuck with her throughout her whole life. But she couldn’t tell anyone because they were only in her head.

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed this book because it was from a point of view from someone different that you would usually see. It taught me how lucky I should be that I can you talk and walk properly. I would recommend this book to anyone because it seem special in a way that I can’t explain. Like I’ve known it in a different universe. This book sort of reminds me of Wonder because August, the main character tries to fit in in school. So does Melody, they both wish they could be normal like everyone else around them. I would rate this book four stars out of five stars which means I really liked it.

 

 

 

 

Jun
09
2017

Extraordinary By Miriam Spitzer

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The book I read is Extraordinary by Miriam Spitzer Franklin. This is a book about a girl named Pansy and her friend, Anna. Pansy is always chickening out on stuff, like going to sleepaway camp. After Anna goes to sleepaway camp by herself she gets a very high fever and suffers from brain damage. When Pansy learns Anna is getting a surgery that might cure her she tries to become the most extraordinary person possible to prove to Anna that she won’t always chicken out. She tries to learn how to ice skate/roller skate, cuts her hair to donate, and tries to be number one on the independent reader list. I think this book is set in the New York or upstate New York and takes place in 2017 because there are phones and sleepaway camp is a common thing.

WARNING: THESE PARAGRAPH CONTAINS SPOILERS!

Pansy is dedicated, brave, and caring. She is dedicated because even after she had many big falls roller skating she kept trying. One time, she fell and dogs pulled her across the whole park. She is brave because on the first day of school when she wore mismatching shoes she didn’t care and wore mismatching shoes for the rest of the year. After a few weeks, she made some new friends and they wore mismatching shoes too. Lastly, Pansy is caring because when a boy called Anna a “retard” she stood up for Anna and told him that what he was saying was not nice. In the end, the boy started to be nicer to Pansy. When Pansy is standing up for Anna she says, “There’s no cure for brain damage. It’s like starting over except you’re stuck in this place where you can’t get any better. It doesn’t matter how smart you used to be, how good you were at everything, there is nothing anyone can do. And then you get seizures, so they have to brain surgery. Do you know what happens in brain surgery? First they shave off all your hair. Then they cut open your head and operate on you for hours. You lose a lot of blood. You can get infections. Your family sits in the waiting room and prays for you.” I think this quote shows how caring and sympathetic Pansy is to Anna. She wanted people to know that having brain damage is not an easy thing.

 

One of the most important parts of the book is when Pansy realizes that not being top of the independent reader list is okay. She realizes how hard she worked to win, and that even though she may of not been on the top she tried her hardest. Another important part of the book is when Pansy roller skates to her friends house without falling. I think this is important because after this, she starts to believe in herself more and becomes more confident. Lastly, it is important when Pansy gives a box of Oreos to Anna. After Anna got her surgery, she wasn’t moving her right arm for a few days. When Pansy gives her the oreos she moves her arm to slap the Oreos. This is important because it gives Pansy more hope that Anna will be okay.

Personally, I loved this book. I liked how I could relate to the book because sometimes I chicken out on things. Like Pansy, I get scared when I go roller skating. Also, I liked how the book was sad, but also had some funny moments. For example, when Anna gets brain damage it is sad, but when Pansy gets pulled by dogs it is funny. I would recommend this book to people who like sad books. There are a lot of dramatic moments, so if you are not a sad book person I would not read this book. This book reminds me of Wonder because they both have stad stories except in Extraordinary it’s Pansy’s view. Also, they both include a bit of bullying. I would rate this book 4 ½ stars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

Jun
09
2017

Holes By Luis Sachar

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The book I read is called Holes. Holes about a boy who is accused of a crime that he is not responsible for. This boy is named Stanley Yelnats. When something bad happens, he and his family blame it on their no-good-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather. When he is sent to Camp Green Lake, a prison camp, he has to get used to a lot of things- manual labor and mean people. Just with those two things what kind of community do you think this is?

 

Stanley is smart, kind and brave. Stanley is smart because he is trying to stay out of fights when he knows it will just get him into more trouble. He is not like the other kids at the Camp Green Lake. He is not all bad, because as I said before he didn’t even commit a crime. He isn’t scary; the kids there just think he is because he is so big. It makes him feel uncomfortable because that is not the true him. Stanley is kind because not only does he teach his friend Zero to read and recognize the alphabet, but he also becomes a true friend to him and they have some hard times together. Stanley is brave because he has a lot of problems in this book and he always takes them head-on like a bull spearing his problems with his horns.

 

One interesting part was when Stanley was just getting used to the way of life at Camp Green Lake and he was thinking that all the kids were bad and that he was better than all of them. Eventually, he started to see the good in all of them. Another eye-opening part is when Stanley was hearing everybody’s criminal stories. That was interesting to me because it was fun to hear everyone’s backstory because it was taking a break from hearing about Stanley. I could tell that it was also fascinating for Stanley because Louis Sachar described the moment so well. Additionally, a part that helped me form a picture in my mind was when Stanley told all his friends his story about how he had “stolen” the shoes. I could picture the shoes falling from the sky and him not knowing what to do except running home with the shoes so his dad could recycle them. When Stanley was done everybody started laughing and it was as if their crimes were huge and his was tiny. Some beautiful language that Sachar uses to describe Stanley was, “that his hands and muscles weren’t the only thing that had hardened his heart had hardened too”. This happened right after Zero asked Stanley to teach him to read and Stanley didn’t want to do it at first. Even after these good things about Stanley, I probably still would not want him to be my friend.

 

This book is an easy favorite. Top 15 on my list. You know how much I liked this book? I would consider writing a letter to Louis Sachar. That’s how much I loved this book. It always makes you think what is going to happen next in Stanley’s imprisoned life. This book reminds me of Pilfer Academy. The two books are alike because they both have two kids that hate what their life is so they make a change. Zero and Stanley make a lot of changes to their life. This book is an easy five stars.