Category Archives: Dan & Tara

Mar
17
2017

The Higher Power of Lucky, by Susan Patron

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I read a book called The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron. The book is about a girl named Lucky that is 10 years old and her mom died. Because of that she has a guardian to take care of her. But then after awhile she thinks her guardian is going to move. She runs away to prove to her guardian that she actually wants to stay. At the end when they find Lucky  she does something that she would not have done if she did not run away. The book takes place in a town called Hard Pan in California. The time period is sometime before 2007 but there were computers. I know this because they did not have I-phones but they did have computers.

Lucky is really brave, sometimes cranky, and sometimes really sad. She is brave because she ran away from home in a dust storm. This makes her brave because in a dust storm people are trying to get inside and away from the dust but instead Lucky  is going out. She is cranky because whenever a little boy that is five years old comes to her house she gets really mad and tells him to get out. He does not deserve it because all he wants her to do is read him a book called are you my mother. Also Lucky is not always this cranky it is only when the boy is there.And last Lucky is sometimes sad because when she thinks about her mom she starts crying. Like wants she started crying into her mom’s ashes which were in a flower pot.

In The Higher Power of Lucky, it is important that her mom dies. This is important because if her mom did not pass away Brigette would not be her guardian. Also Lucky probably would not have ran away. Another important thing is that Lucky found the passport in Brigette’s bag. This is important because if she did not find the passport she would not have thought Brigette was going to leave. She would not have ran away if she didn’t find these clues.

I kind of liked this book because it is very slow and at the beginning nothing is happening. This goes on for about three fourths of the book. Like at the beginning it was mostly talking about her job at a place where they share their stories. Once you get to the last fourth of the book it gets interesting and you want to know what is going to happen next. Once I got to the part of Lucky  running away, I just wanted to keep reading. I would recommend this book because at the end you can’t stop reading you just want to know what is going to happen. I also would not recommend this book because at the beginning it is so so slow. I think that The Higher Power of Lucky is unique because in no other story that I know of there is a girl who’s mom died and feels not loved so she runs away. If I gave this a one to five star rating this book would be a three.

 

Mar
17
2017

Al Capone Does My Shirts By: Gennifer Choldenko

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Al Capone Does My Shirts about a boy named Matthew but everybody calls him “Moose.” Moose moves to Alcatraz. Alcatraz is a jail for the worst criminals like murderers, mob bosses, and convicts. To many people these are not the average neighbors that you would get in the city. You would find that in 1935 Alcatraz was a place with regular people living there because they have a relative working or something.

Moose is a character that is responsible, brave, and kind. He is kind because his parents are always away and he takes care of his sister because she can’t take care of herself. Moose is responsible because he has to take care of the whole family and when his sister didn’t get into the school she needed Moose to take all the calls on the phone. Moose is brave because he once got up close to “Al Capone,” a world famous criminal of murderer.

Moose has to live on Alcatraz with his dad who is a guard and a electrician so he can’t see him often. One of the challenges Moose has to deal with is his own sister Natalie who has problems thinking and has a problem getting into school. One interesting thing that happened is Moose made it into a school where he has to deal with a girl named Piper who  sometimes gets him in trouble. Moose’s mom is kind of struggling to make things fit with her and trying to get Natalie in school. It’s hard because Natalie is 16 but Moose’s mom says she is 10 so she can actually get into a school because she can’t go to many schools because of her learning problems like dyslexia and will freak out.

I enjoyed this book because it always has something to keep you entertained, like when Moose was taking care of his sister and thought he found a baseball from the rec  yard that cons would play with and needed to give it to a friend. (A “Con” is a inmate of a prison). One more reason I liked this book was because you meet so many new characters that are all different. I recommend this book because you will find out new characters and weird encounters like when Moose was on a boat and he met Capone’s mother! Another reason this book is good is because you will find out things other people in the book don’t know. Then you will know and it will be a cliff-hanger because no one other than you knows what happens. Overall I would rate this book four stars because it has good characters and interesting problems. They face but the book is a mix between slow and fast paced so you might not understand some parts but if you re-read you will mostly understand the confusing parts.

Mar
17
2017

THE WILD ROBOT by Peter Brown

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This book is about a robot named Roz. In the beginning of the book, she is being shipped somewhere on a boat. The boat gets wiped out in a storm and Roz is stranded on an island inhabited by wild animals. Roz has to learn how to get along with the animals. Roz has a few problems she has to face on the island. One problem is that other dangerous robots come searching for Roz. The main characters are Roz, Brightbill, Roz’s adopted son who is a goose, and the island animals. This book is set in the wilderness in the future, in a time when tons of robots are trained to do jobs like fight, build, and play with their human creators / owners.

Roz is smart, brave and strong. Roz is smart because her robot computer brain can tell her almost anything. She uses it sometimes to find out stuff, for example she searched up how do birds fly to help Brightbill learn to fly. She is brave because when the robots come for her, and endanger her friends, Roz leaves her friends even though she is sad to leave them, to make sure that will not happen again. Roz is strong because her robot body is made of metal and she can knock down trees for building houses. She uses that skill to build her own house.

At one point, Roz gets attacked by two bears named Nettle and Thorn, and then she falls down a mudslide in a thunderstorm with lightning, wind, rain and thunder. She starts thinking about how to survive. Since she does not know what her purpose is, she tries to be like an animal. She learns animal language. She learns about playing dead, camouflage, and other survival strategies. The other animals teach her that and she observes them. The animals are mean to her and call her a monster because they had never seen a robot before. Once they get to know her they stop. She is climbing rocks one day but the rock couldn’t take the weight of a heavy metal robot. It causes an avalanche and ends up killing a family of geese below the rocks. The only survivor is an egg. Roz adopts it and names the baby that hatches from it Brightbill.

My three favorite parts were: When the Rico robots came looking for her because it had a lot of action and fighting. When a fish tries to eat Brightbill because there is suspense and it makes the reader think Brightbill will die but he doesn’t. Also, when the storm with the mudslide happens because it has a lot of detail and it makes a movie in the reader’s mind.
I enjoyed The Wild Robot   because it had a lot of action, humor and sadness. The part when the Ricos came looking for Roz and the animals fought the Ricos and won had a lot of action. A sad part was when Roz had to leave because she could not enda
nger her friends. It had humor because it is kind of funny to see a robot become an animal and try to learn camouflage. I would recommend this book to people who like animals, science fiction and action because it has robot battles. I think this book is unique because there are animal books and robot books but no animal and robot books. I would rate this book five stars.

Mar
17
2017

Because Of Mr. Terupt By Rob Buyea

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The book I read is called Because Of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea. It takes place in a town where the kids go to a school called Snow Hill School. The book is about seven kids, Peter, Anna, Jessica, Luke, Jeffery, Alexa, and Danielle. They all end up in the same fifth grade class with Mr.Terupt. All of them don’t have much in common and they never seem to get along. But when they all end up in the same class things start to change.

Peter is sneaky, insensitive at the beginning, then compassionate at the end. He is sneaky because he tries to get into trouble without anyone noticing. For example, he put Elmer’s Glue on the bottom of Luke’s shoes. He is insensitive because when Mr. Terupt said the class was going to the Collaborative Classroom, a class with kids who have disabilities, he called the kids “retards.” Peter became compassionate because he started to realize that the kids at the Collaborative Classroom were not as bad as he thought. He even started to make friends with a kid named James from the Collaborative Classroom.

WARNING! DO NOT READ THESE  PARAGRAPHS IF YOU DO NOT WANT THE BOOK TO BE SPOILED!

One of the most interesting parts of the book is when Mr. Terupt goes into a coma. This is interesting because this part of the book reveals a lot about Mr. Terupt. The seven kids learn that Mr. Terupt did a lot of wrestling while growing up. When Peter threw the snowball at him, it cracked his skull. Another interesting part of the book is how Danielle’s family does not approve of Anna and her mother, Terri. I found the history of their families very interesting. Apparently, Danielle’s family did not approve of Terri being such a young mother.

Personally, I loved this book. I always like to read books where each chapter switches from each character’s point of view. Also, I felt the plot was very brilliant. All the drama and excitement made the book a page turner. I would recommend this book to people who like realistic fiction and school fiction. If you do not want to read a long book you should read this book. It’s fast paced and well written. This book is very unique. It seems like it would be like any other school book but the plot is so different. I have never before read a book about a teacher that helps bring a group of kids together, then randomly goes into a coma. I would rate this book 4 ½ stars.

Mar
17
2017

Castle In The Mist by Amy Ephron

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 This book is about a girl named Tess and her brother Max. Tess goes on a big adventure and finds a skeleton key that opens the gate to the castle. In the castle she finds a boy named William and he is very nice and helps them. He lives in the castle. They play lots of games, and have fun while they do it. William’s father is very protective, and that is why there is the invisible gate blocking people from seeing in unless they have the key. Also Tess and Max realize that this castle is very magical and awesome. This book takes place in England in 2017.

Tess is caring, adventurous and, smart. Tess is caring because she will always think about others. This is true because when Max went into the Hawthorn trees she went straight after him. Tess is adventurous because she would always chose something adventurous over anything else. Like when was going to the castle she didn’t know what was going to something bad was going to happen or something good was going to happen.Tess is smart because whenever she does something she comes with a plan or knows exactly what to do. Also when she was on her horse and completely lost she knew how to get back to her aunt’s house.

I think the most interesting part of the book is when Tess goes to the fake or real place after riding the magical merry-go-round where she rides her horse all the way back to the merry-go-round because I like how mystical and mysterious that part of the book was and how interesting it was. The second most interesting part of the book is when Tess was going to the castle because she didn’t know what was going to happen or who was there or if it was cursed even worse!!! The third most interesting part of the book is when Tess, Max and William played the golf game where they had to hit the ball to the bell because so it would make the bell sound to get a point and they had to hit it in a direct hit on the bell which Max really mad. I found really surprising by how safety/security William’s dad is because he has an invisible gate that does not allow people to see in or let them.I am surprised by how exciting this book is because at almost all the parts in this book something new or interesting is happening.

I enjoyed this book. One reason I enjoyed this book is because I like the magic and mystery. The second reason I like this book is that has lots of twists in it that make it more interesting and exciting. I would recommend this book it is fun to read and every chapter has something new. I think this book relates to nothing because it is such a unique book because nothing is like the same type as book as Castle In The Mist. This book is unique because most books don’t have the same backstory as the Castle in the mist.  I would rate this book five stars which means I love it and I want to read it again.

Mar
17
2017

Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies by Andrea Beaty

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I read Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies by Andrea Beaty. The book is about twins Kevin and Joules and their experience at Camp Whatsitooya which are unexpected. Their parents are scientists that do something called SPAM so they don’t pay a lot of attention to Kevin and Joules so they watch a lot of late, late, late creepy shows for insomniacs. So they know a lot about what to do when there are aliens and zombies and things like that. Kevin likes to have plans and charts and Joules likes to take things head on. This book takes place in 2010. It is fiction so the place is made up but Camp Whatsitooya is by Camp Whatsosmelly. Camp Whatsitooya has only three counselors and only about ten campers! That is because it is kind of in the middle of nowhere. The only way Kevin and Joules parents found out was from a spa brochure. The camp is also deep in the woods so the giant fluffy bunnies could hide! The main plot is basically about Kevin, Joules and Nelson their friend stopping the  giant fluffy bunnies from taking over!

Joules is brave, nice, and funny. Joules is brave because she likes to takes things head on like when the were battling the giant fluffy bunnies she grabbed a stick and fought them without a plan! and you have to be pretty brave to fight giant fluffy bunnies with huge teeth and swirling eyes because they can be dangerous or scary. Joules is nice because she and Kevin sat with Nelson when he had no one to sit with in the cafeteria. That is nice because they could have  sat somewhere else but they decided to sit with him to be nice and then he wouldn’t be lonely. Nelson is a boy at camp that will soon be their new friend. Joules is funny because she makes lots of jokes that are mostly about Kevin.

 

At the beginning of the book it tells you a little about the giant fluffy bunnies and where they live and I think it is really interesting because Andrea could have just said there are giant fluffy bunnies who will attack but she really explained and that was really important. It was important because I got to know more about them and I understood them more. I think it was very important when they found out the counselors were eaten and the GFB (giant fluffy bunnies) faked being the counselors. That was important because that was how Kevin, Joules and Nelson found out about the GFBs. It was also important that they found the space base because all the campers were there and the GFBs and that is a very important part of the book. It was important because that was where Kevin, Joules, and Nelson saved the campers and defeated the GFB’s
I really enjoyed the book a lot because it has a lot of humor. One time is when the GFBs are reading a button that reads: PRESS IF TENNIS ELBOW, FLAMING METEOR ATTACK OR INVASION BY THE SWEDES. That is funny for many reasons one is the Swedish are very small country and they won’t be invading anytime soon. Two is why would you launch a rocket because of tennis elbow! I would definitely recommend this book because it has lots of humor and has a very interesting plot to it. It is not very long but each page has a lot of detail, also there are some pictures and comic strips throughout the book. I think this book is very unique because I have never read anything quite like this. It is unique because it turns bunnies, the cute and cuddly animals that everyone loves into giant candy and man eating monsters from outer space. Also this is one of a few books I’ve seen use words and comics/pictures. Not many chapter books have pictures and this one has pictures and comics. I like it when authors do it because I can make a movie in my mind and there movie. I would rate this 5 stars! I loved it!

Mar
17
2017

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

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This book is called Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan. This book is part of the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series. The book is about a kid named Magnus Chase who finds out that the Asgardian gods are real and that he is a son of Freya the Goddess of Fire. This book tells the story of him “dying” and saving the world. The setting is in the U.S.A. and other dimensions. It takes place in 2016.   

Magnus is strong, warm and brave. He is strong because he survived a river that was going about 100 miles per hour. He survived by luck. He is warm because he is a son of Freya the Goddess of Fire and he is welcoming to other people. An example was when he welcomed a evil dwarf. He is brave because he fought and killed (temporarily) an “unkillable” wolf. This was brave because no one had ever killed this wolf and Freya is not a fighter.

In Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Sword of Summer a part that I found interesting was when I found out how Thor actually looks versus how he looks in the comics with gold hair. He actually has a red beard and red hair. Another thing that was interesting was when Magnus was Magnus was on ship made out of toenails, on the ship was Magnus had a chat with Loki and Loki, “Oh we aren’t actually here i’m still on a rock with snake poison dripping in my eye and you’re still in the river probably dying. our souls are able to be here because these toenails contain our ancestors DNA which allows us to be here.” This was interesting to me because you never would expect someone to be on a ship made of toenails and that it’s cool and strange.

I enjoyed Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: the Sword of Summer because I like the way Rick Riordan. I really like the dialogue in the book because it makes me feel like I’m in the story.  For example: “Your father’s name was Billy, right?” said Fenris in a scratchy voice (I cannot tell you who Fenris is or else it will ruin the story. He’s a big part of it) This was descriptive because it felt like I was hearing the voice. Another reason I enjoyed this book is because it was funny. For example: one chapter name was called “Oh so that’s who Fenris smelled in chapter sixty three.” Another thing that was funny was when you meet someone named Thomas Jefferson Jr. ,TJ for short. This is funny because it’s like this the son of Thomas Jefferson is alive but Thomas Jefferson died in the 1700s well this take place in 2017! I recommend this book because it explains everything and always leaves you hanging no matter where you are. Another reason I recommend this book because it always is positive no matter where you are. This meant that Magnus was always finding the silver outline. This book reminds me of the Avengers because in Avengers there is Asgard, Thor, Loki and Balder the Brave. In Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: the Sword of Summer there is Asgard, Thor, Loki and Balder the Brave. (You never meet Balder the Brave.) I would give this book a three and a half star rating because there was way too much talking and not a lot of action.  

Mar
17
2017

Wayside School Is Falling Down, by Louis Sachar

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This series is called The Wayside School. But I am focusing on one of the books called The Wayside School Is Falling Down. The author  of the book is Louis Sachar. The book is really funny.  If you want to laugh read it. It is about a school called The Wayside School and their school year. There is no main character because it switches the perspective of the different students. The book does not tell you where it takes place but don’t let that make you not  read it.

All the characters have different personalities. Like one of the characters named bebe is really funny because she pranked the teacher by putting a dead rat in her desk. She also is a good drawer she drew 1,000 planes. She is really self conscious because she lost her two front teeth and she says she is not cute any more.   Also my favorite character, Calvin got a potato tattoo on his ankle! Who would do that? He is very clumsy because he knocked down his fish tank and the by accident he swallowed a fish!!!!

One of the most interesting parts of this book is when sharie brought in hobo Bob for show in tell. I found this part interesting because it is sort of pointless and funny. Also Hobo Bob does not wear socks because when he was younger he won a spelling bee without socks on. And now he says it is a good luck charm. I have a question for him, if you have good luck why are you homeless?

This book is similar to the series My Weird School for two reasons.One is that the art is the same. Secondary, they are both really funny. I rate this book four stars. It is a good quick read. Read it!   

Mar
17
2017

The Invisible Day, By Marthe Jocelyn

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This book is called The Invisible Day by Marthe Jocelyn. It is about a girl named Billie who finds a makeup bag in Central Park. When she tries to put the makeup on, she realizes she becomes invisible. Billie and her best friend, Hubert make it their mission to make her reappear again through one big adventure in New York City.

Billie is curious, determined, and clever. She is curious because when she first sets eyes on the makeup bag, she can’t stop wondering about it until she finally opens it up and tries out the mysterious makeup. Bille is determined. She works hard to figure out how to become visible again. She is told that the juices from chewed up gum will help to make her reappear. Bille chews and chews and chews. Together with Hubert, the friends keep chewing until they have plenty of gum juice. Lastly, Billie is very clever. She is clever because when Billie reappears, she crafts a story so good that it convinces her family and the police that her backpack was taken by a thief and she was on a mission to get it.

One important and interesting part is when Billie has to step into a bath of crushed crackers and chewed gum juice in the dark. That was the only way that she could become visible again. This part was interesting because it made me think, “Wow! What if I tried to do that!? It might work!” Another interesting part is when Billie was walking by a kid and a grown-up. Billie threw out a banana peel, but she was invisible. The kid called, “Daddy daddy daddy! There is a banana peel floating around!” This was interesting because it made me think, “Does Billie know that there is a kid who might see her throwing this out?” Another funny and interesting part was when Billie was in the bathroom and she was invisible. Two girls came in and Billie heard them talking about her. They didn’t know she was there since she was invisible. This part was funny and interesting because Billie heard all of what they were talking about and she was just trying to get her backpack without them hearing her!

I enjoyed this book. The first reason I enjoyed it is because it was really awesome and every chapter ends with a cliffhanger. It is one of those books that makes you want to read more because you think, “I really want to know what happens next in the book!” Another reason I enjoyed it is because in the book, it is a combination of fantasy, adventure, and realistic fiction. It’s a really good kids book because it’s not too long and it is really interesting. I would recommend this book because if you like adventure and science, you will definitely like it. Also, in the book you meet a lot of different characters and they have different personalities. One character is really funny and you wouldn’t expect it. This book is so unique because it is really just an awesome book about being invisible. It really shows you that if you are determined to succeed at doing something, you can always do it with hard work. I would give this book a five star rating because I could just read it over and over again and still love it every single time.

Feb
28
2017

The Story of Texas, by John Edward Weems and Ron Stone

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The title of my book is The Story of Texas. It was written by John Edward Weems and Ron Stone. The Story of Texas is about all the important  things that have happened in and to Texas from the early 1500’s to the late 1900’s. A few of the historic people that are included are Santa Anna (the President of Mexico when Texas was fighting for their independence), Sam Houston (the first President of the Republic of Texas), Stephen F. Austin, Mirabeau Lamar (the second President of Texas), and the Indians of Texas (mostly the Cherokee). These people appear in all the stories in the book. The Parker family is only in one story. This book has many different events in each part; there are four parts. This book will help you with your knowledge of Texas because it has good stories, good pictures, and good descriptive words to go with the pictures. It tells you a lot of history.  

The Texas President, Sam Houston, was wise, brave, and consistently right.  He was wise because when he made all the laws of Texas, almost all of them worked. He was brave because you have to be brave to be the first president of the Republic of Texas, and he commanded people. He was consistently right because he predicted that the Confederacy would lose. He said that Texas was going to fall when they joined the Confederacy (Texas did fall apart after that war). Sam Houston was the most important person in this book.

An interesting part in the book is when people fought at the Alamo. This was interesting because they held up longer than everybody thought they would. Another memorable part is when the book explains how people lived. That’s memorable because the way they lived was very different from the way we live. There are no duals now. And there are much less criminals. The construction of houses is very different. One more important part is when the Texans in the military fought at Rio Grande and beat the Mexicans. This is important because it’s a big part of how Texas gained independence from Mexico. All these interesting historical facts about Texas will teach you about the people and land of the Lone Star state.

This book is good because it teaches you about a state (if you’re not from Texas) you don’t know about. Another reason I like the book is that there is more than one story. If you don’t like the first part, the second part will be totally different. Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar, the second President of Texas, reminds me of George Bush. Lamar reminds me of Bush because Bush wanted to wage war on Iraq. He was wrong to go. Lamar wanted to be in the Confederacy, forcing Sam Houston to resign as President. Texas was basically destroyed after the war just like Iraq was. I would rate this book four and a half stars. It’s cool to read about a way of life that is different from your own. I really recommend this book because Texas is not in the same location as LREI is and this book is all about Texas.