Category Archives: Dan & Tara

Feb
16
2017

The War That Saved My Life, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

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The War That Saved My Life is about WWII happening in London. Kids had to leave London for their safety because of bombing. They had to go to the countryside and move in with random people. The character the book is focusing on is a girl named Ada Smith. She has a twisted foot and a very cruel mother. The mother keeps Ada locked up in her apartment by herself. Ada sneaks off to the countryside with her little brother Jamie because her mom was being to mean to her. They were forced upon a pretty nice woman named Susan Smith. Then when they all are there they learn to love each other

           Ada Smith is brave, nervous and resilient. She is brave because she was strong enough to sneak away from her mother and walk very far without stopping. She is also brave because she taught herself how to ride a pony. She is nervous because in the book she gets scared, angry or nervous about what other people do. She is resilient because WWII is happening and she is following everything other people say to do, to stay safe.

          One of the most interesting parts in the book is when Ada learns to write because she asks a lot of questions about what words mean. So learning to write might help her to understand those words and it will help her learn to read. Another interesting part of the story is when the villager tells all the other villagers that if they put up black curtains in the night the German spies will not see anything when they come to invade.

           I definitely enjoyed this book because it is a very interesting part of history. Even though Ada Smith is a made up character, kids actually were sent to the countryside to stay with a stranger. It is such an interesting and unique book because of its theme and I have never read a book about WWII. I would definitely recommend book if you like realistic fiction or history books. Ada Smith is unique because she has a clubfoot and she has to survive through WWII. I would give The War That Saved My Life a five star rating because it is so amazing.

 

Feb
16
2017

Diary Of A Wimpy kid Old School By Jeff Kinny

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Diary of a Wimpy Kid Old School is a book about school drama. It is funny, and it has cool characters. It takes place in modern time because they have TV and iPhones. The main character’s name is Greg Heffley. He has a  younger brother and an older brother. His older brother is the troublemaker in the family besides Greg. Greg is spoiled but he does not think he is because of his lifestyle, he is lazy and kind of selfish but that partly makes the book good. This book is about his adventures. Greg mostly has to deal with problems that will get worse in the future. In this book he goes to a camp and has a bad time with the help of cabin mates and bad parents. He ends up surviving camp.

Greg is lazy, a trouble maker, brave,and determined. Greg is lazy and kind of a couch potato because once he tried to stay inside and play video games for an entire summer. He is always a troublemaker because  . He is brave because he traveled through the sewers to go to his friends house. He is determined  because he stayed at camp and didn’t .

I found Greg’s family is interesting. Greg is being lectured by his mom and dad all the time. His dad is always saying “you should get out more,” “When I was your age all I did was play outside” and getting him to play and be a “man.” His mom is always telling him to learn more like “let’s start a reading club!” Or “Why don’t you go outside more it’s a sunny day.”I also thought his friend Rowley is interesting because he is a goody two shoes and can’t have fun with his parents around. They will say, “Rowley Jefferson put that stick down this instant!” Greg always finds a way to get out of a mess, though most of the time he gets in trouble.

This book series I would recommend if you like easy reads, fun stories, and interesting characters. I would rate the series 3 and a half out of 5. I rate this that way because sometimes the series is slow but the characters are fun to learn about. And the characters always have funny reactions to what Greg or others do and there are other characters to learn about in the series.

Feb
16
2017

Poached, by Stuart Gibbs

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Poached by Stuart Gibbs is a fun story about an amazing zoo. Not just any zoo, but Funjungle, the biggest theme park in the world. The story takes place in Texas, around now. Teddy Fitzroy, (the main character), is living at the amazing zoo! As pretty much any average school, there is a bully. And Vance the bully forces Teddy to play a classic prank on Funjungle. Putting ketchup on top of a mannequin’s leg and dropping it into a shark tank was the last thing Teddy needed to be doing. When security of Funjungle caught the boys, they ran for it and Teddy ended up hiding in the koala room. Coincidentally, that night, the koala gets kidnapped. Head of security, already on Teddy’s nerves, is spending valuable time trying to prove he poached the koala. Then Teddy realizes two things, number one  he has been framed, And number two, if no one is going to look for the real koala-napper, Teddy Fitzroy, at age twelve, will have to crack the case himself.      

Three adjectives I would use to describe Teddy would be sneaky, brave, and unsympathetic. I would say he is sneaky because he tries to hide from the police and learn top secret information, that maybe he shouldn’t know. I think Teddy is brave because it takes a lot of gut to sneak around the police, especially when they think you’re the culprit. I also think he is unsympathetic because he pulls a lot of pranks on Funjungle, not realizing how it will effect his beloved zoo, and the people who work there.

I thought the most interesting part of Poached was when the zoo found out who actually stole the koala. This part was interesting to me because the way everyone in the situation acts, reflects a lot about there personality.  If people react nicely, then they might be kind and  sorry for accusing Teddy. If they weren’t sorry and still trying to prove that Teddy was the culprit, than they are stubborn and persistent. Another interesting thing that showed up in this chapter was that people were so honest and showed  what they really felt, even if they were trying to build a reputation.

I definitely enjoyed Poached because it was a fun mystery as well as a thrilling animal book where you really get to know all the characters and creatures. I would recommend this book to animal lovers and mystery lovers. Teddy Fitzroy is unique in the way that he loves animals, lives in a zoo, and came back from a recent trip to Congo, Africa. I would give Poached 5 stars because of the book plot and unique setting and characters.

Feb
16
2017

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling

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The book is about a kid named Harry Potter who has a scar from Lord Voldemort,  very powerful wizard who also killed his parents who were also very powerful. The main characters are Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The story takes place in London and Hogwarts. The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is divided into four houses, each bearing the last name of its founder: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. It is located in the Highlands of Scotland.

Harry is brave, caring, intelligent, a fast thinker and lucky. Harry is brave because he faces Voldemort, the man who killed his parents. I  think Harry is caring because he always helps someone when they need it. Harry is also caring because he always thinks about others before himself. I think Harry is intelligent because he is very good at figuring things out when he needs to. I think that Harry is a fast thinker because when he’s in danger and all else fails he will come up with something and get out of there. Harry is lucky because when he is in danger someone or something will help him like in the Chamber Of Secrets when he was battling the basilisk and Fawkes came in and gave him a sword.

An important event in this book was when Hagrid finally got out of Azkaban. Which is a place that is pretty much escape proof guarded by scary demons called Dementors. This is important because Hagrid really helps Harry, Hermione and Ron and now he’s back as a teacher that teaches about animals and how to take care of them. I found the most interesting part of the book was when Neville changed Professer Snape into a boggart and then everyone had to say their greatest fear to confuse the boggart until it was so confused it exploded. A boggart is a shape shifter that usually lurks in dark spaces. I found this interesting because it made me laugh so much and I just couldn’t stop reading the book and the book just kept on pulling me in.

I enjoyed this book because as I said before, I enjoy this genre and it was very enjoyable. I like the parts that are appropriate but still enjoyable. Another reason I would recommend this book because it is funny. One of those parts was when they went to Hagrid’s class and they had to take care of a slug. It also has amazing scenes even though it is a book and there are no pictures but you can still imagine amazing pictures. I think this book relates to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I think that they are alike because they are both magical adventures and action packed. I’ll give this book a good four stars. Four stars = I really liked it. As a fun fact I learned that there is a theme park for Hogwarts in Universal Studios in Florida.

 

Feb
16
2017

PAX By Sara Pennypacker and Jon Klassen

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The book I read was Pax by Sara Pennypacker and it is illustrated by Jon Klassen. It is realistic fiction and there are some nice illustrations. This book is about a boy named Peter who has a pet fox named Pax. They are inseparable, but when Peter’s father goes off to war, he forces Peter to abandon Pax in in the forest. The story starts as Peter drives to the forest and leaves Pax. Then Peter has to live with his grandfather while his father is fighting in the war. Peter realizes it was wrong to leave Pax and decides to go on a journey to find him. The main characters are Peter, Pax, some foxes that Pax meets, and a later, a character that Peter meets: Vola. Pax is set in modern times. It is set in a very big forest, Vola’s farm, and the road to the forest where Pax is while Peter is trying to find him.

In this book Peter is the main character. Peter is brave, determined, and strong. He is brave because he went on the journey alone. The journey is dangerous and he does not think he will have help. He is determined because he knows he will find Pax no matter what. He even wants to keep looking for him when he breaks his leg. He is strong because he gets hurt a lot, for example, breaking his leg and he never cries.

After Peter breaks his leg Vola finds him and takes Peter to her farm to help him. Peter is there for a lot of the book. Breaking his leg causes him to live at the farm for a while and that is why it is an important event. Another interesting part of this book is when Pax first meets the other foxes. It makes the reader want to learn more about the foxes, but the reader can’t learn more about the foxes right at that time because the chapter is over. This is because in this book each chapter switches from Pax’s perspective to Peter’s perspective. For example, in the chapter Pax meets the foxes the reader will be reading about Pax and the foxes but the next chapter will be about Peter.

I enjoyed the book because it was suspenseful. I also liked this book because it was hard to know what was going to happen next. For example, I never knew Peter would break his leg and someone would find him and take him to live at a farm. I would recommend this book because it is an adventure, but it does have some violence. Sometimes the violence can be a little intense. Also the pictures are really pretty. Pax has 276 pages so it probably won’t take too long to finish. Pax reminds me of The Good Dinosaur, because in that movie, Arlo, the main character, is far from home on a journey to to get back home. Arlo has a pet Spot, who he loves. Spot reminds me of Pax because he is the main character’s best friend. Arlo the dinosaur reminds me of Peter because they are both main characters on a long journey. Then Arlo meets some T-rex’s who help Arlo get home and they let Arlo and Spot stay with them. The T-rex’s remind me of  Vola because Vola helps Peter and they help Arlo. The T-rex’s help Arlo get home and they let Arlo and Spot stay with them. The T-rex’s remind me of Vola because Vola helps Peter and the T-rex’s help Arlo. I would rate this book 4 stars.

Feb
16
2017

Crenshaw, by Katherine Applegate

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Crenshaw is about a boy, Jackson, in a not so wealthy family who is having some rough times but when he meets a old friend, the rough times get a lot more interesting.When he meets Crenshaw, his old imaginary friend who has come back to Jackson for a reason that Jackson is trying to figure out. Jackson’s parents were forced to move out of their house because they couldn’t pay the rent.

I think that Jackson is very silly, smart, and also really nice. He is silly because who’s imaginary friend would be a surf boarding, skate boarding, and extremely smart cat for a imaginary friend!? He is smart because one he is very good with building and he really wants to be a scientist when he grows up (also when their was a raccoon in the house, he was the one who got it out when everyone was freaking out!). And last but not least he is nice because when his sister woke him up at one in the morning because she couldn’t fall asleep, (this happened about five times throughout the whole book) he just went into her room and read her her favorite book, Lyle.

One night Jackson is playing a made up game called cereal bowl and Jackson sees a giant cat that is jet-skiing which confuses Jackson because he thought that he was way past his imaginary friend. The next night Jackson heard splashing in the bathroom so he decided to check what was going on in there at that late hour. He peeked in, and it was Crenshaw. And from then on, Crenshaw and Jackson have been hanging out more and more and Jackson has been learning more and more about Crenshaw and realizes more and more about how much Jackson needs Crenshaw.

This book is a very interesting book. It is really full of curiosity because it has so many different topics in the book. The reason that I really liked this book because it really changes topic a lot which is really nice because it really it always makes you wonder what is going to happen next. If I had to pick a one to five rate with stars, I would give this book four and a half  stars because of how much it makes you wonder about that jet skiing cat. 

Feb
16
2017

Super Fudge by Judy Blume  

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Super Fudge is a fantastic book. It’s set in the 1980’s about a boy named Peter who has a little brother who they call Fudge and a new little sister called Tootsie. Judy Blume has many books in the series like Tales of A Fourth Grade Nothing, Double Fudge and so on. Peter, the main character, thinks his life is already bad when his parents knew for two months that they were going to have a baby! Now he realizes that for a year his family is moving to Princeton. Peter is a boy who has a best friend named Jimmy Fargo, and has a dog named Turtle. He named it after the one turtle that he got at Jimmy Fargo’s birthday party that got eaten by his little brother Farley, who is called Fudge by his family. You never know what’s to come in these books!

Peter is funny, easily annoyed, and a confusing person. He is funny because he loves to make jokes like making a big deal of everything. He is easily annoyed because of his little brother who is always up to something. For example, announcing to the whole school that the principal is fat (not exactly in those exact words but he did kind of did say that). He is confusing because in the book he keeps on saying he’s going to run away, but he never does.

The book is so exciting, there’s so many things to share! Some of the most important and interesting parts I thought were when Tootsie, a new family member got born in the book, because it made the story so much more exciting! (With the little brother called Fudge and the little sister called Tootsie, maybe they wanted to own a candy factory?  Another interesting thing I thought was at the end of the school year in Princeton a special drawing guest came in named Brain Tumkin who was going to call someone up to describe a person, with their features. At the end Brain Tumkin will end up drawing that person. Peter’s little brother came up and described the fat principal using the word fat, Mr. Green, for the special guest. Poor Peter, he almost got humiliated to death! I thought that was interesting because doing what Fudge did doesn’t usually happen regularly. The last fun, interesting part I thought was when Peter told his dog to sic his enemy Sheila Tubman because he knows she doesn’t like dogs. When his dog started to chase her and lick her, she started to cry and complained to the doorman that Peter wanted his dog to sic her, even though she doesn’t know what sic means!

I really enjoyed this book. All the characters make the whole book so exciting. I think it’s funny that Peter is a calm nice brother, when his little brother is so crazy! For example Fudge was playing hide and go seek with his little sister who is 3 months old, and hides her in a closet for a long time and just leaves her there till his parents ask him where she is. In a different book in the series, Fudge ate Peter’s turtle. He literally ate the turtle! If you are searching for a book to read, this book is a great one. It is  SO funny, every book in the series has little crazy parts, and lots more! If you like Diary of A Wimpy Kid I would say the two books are kind of related. In both books the main character has a friend. In Super Fudge Peter has a friend named Jimmy Fargo. In Diary of A Wimpy Kid his friend is Rowley. In Super Fudge He has a enemy called Sheila Tubman, in Diary of A Wimpy Kid he has an enemy, his older brother. In Super Fudge he has a really annoying brother called Fudge. In Diary of A Wimpy Kid he has a sometimes annoying brother named Manny. If I were to rate this book I would give it 5 stars.

Hope you liked reading!

Feb
16
2017

Evil Spy School, by Stuart Gibbs

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Evil Spy School is about a kid named Ben Ripley who goes to a spy school and an evil spy school, called SPYDER. The two schools are rivals. Ben fought in two wars with one of the schools. Evil spy school is located toward the bottom of Florida in a secret campus were only people who have permission slips are allowed to get out of the campus. Spy school is located toward the top of Florida and it is not as secret as SPYDER. This is the third book in the series so I recommend to read the first and second one that is called Spy School and Spy Camp.

Ben is brave, good at math, and gullible. Ben is good at math because he says it is a skill of his. He is brave because he goes to evil spy school not knowing he was sent there on purpose. He is gullible because he does the math to pinpoint a target for accuracy to fire the missile. He was tricked into doing math by SPYDER. Ben is not funny so do not expect this book to be funny. No one he meets is funny either.

One of the most interesting parts is that Ben gets expelled on purpose to go to SPYDER to find out information about what their plan is. He got expelled by blowing up the principal’s office. Another interesting part is that Ben discovers new stuff like that Sandy Hook (a beach) was a spot to keep missiles. Another thing he discovers is that the Statue of Liberty is a spot where the army watched over the city. The stuff he discovers is not true in real life so do not try them or look for them ever. At least I do not think they are real.


I enjoyed this book because Ben met new people on the way and all their personalities were different. I also enjoyed this book because Ben is a surprising character. You never know what he is going to do. I would recommend this book because if I am writing a book review on it, it would mean I like it. I also would recommend this book because Ben and his friends are not funny so it makes it more serious. This book did not remind me of Steve Harvey because Steve is a comedian for a TV show. It reminds me of the army when they are in war because they would be really serious. I would rank it, four and a half stars.

Feb
16
2017

Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Smart Miss Know It All , by Rachel Renee Russell

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In this book the main character is a girl named Nikki. The main plot in this book is that sometimes the main character makes bad decisions and then needs to fix them. Also after she made the bad decision she has a hard time fixing it. For example at a sleepover she got dared to do something that was crazy and she actually did it. In this book it takes place in probably 2017. I think that it takes place in 2017 because she has a portable  phone. She maybe lives in the suburbs because a girl that Nikki is not friends with has a back yard.

The main character is sometimes very unmotivated, busy, and concerned.

Nikki is unmotivated a lot because she makes a problem and then tries to fix and it does not work and she gets really unmotivated and does not want to try again. For example Nikki tries to get a job working at the school and does not get it. After that she just gave up. Luckily her friends made her go back. Nikki is also busy because she is always dealing with a problem or an activity. In the book she has a problem with the girl she does not like and then that got her into a busy job. Nikki is concerned a lot because she is trying to fix one of her problems and she does not know what is going to happen.

In the book I found it interesting that she thought all the exercises she had to do for PE were not what they were supposed to be. For example she thought a curl up was curling her hair. Something that is important to the story is that her friends are really supportive. That is important because if her friends were not supportive she would not fix her problems because she would just give up. In the book it is also important that Nikki has an arch-nemesis. I think this is really important because if she didn’t she probably would not have as many problems. Also almost every problem she has her arch-nemesis is in it.

I enjoyed this book so, so much. In almost every chapter something makes me laugh hysterically. In one chapter she told a man she was going to the bathroom and then came back quickly because she really did not have to go. When she came back, he wondered why she was back so quickly when she said she was going to the bathroom. Another funny thing is that in one of the chapters a cat attacked her. You did not see it coming at all. Also in the book the main character Nikki is a lot like Greg in Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I think this because they are both getting themselves into big problems. In Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Greg and his brother don’t always get along. In Dork Diaries it is the same but Nikki has a little sister. I would really recommend this book because it is so funny and there is always something happening. If I had to rate this book I would give it five stars because I would love to read it again.  

 

  

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.