Category Archives: Animals

Genre

Jan
19
2016

Survivors: The Empty City By Erin Hunter

Posted by

 

dogs-survivor-dogs-31634005-183-275

Lucky is a lone dog. He is trying to stay alive after the big growl (a earthquake) shook everything up. Buildings are caving in and pipes are leaking. Disaster is caving in for Lucky, his life is falling apart piece by piece.  Then Lucky finds some leashed dogs (dogs that are owned by someone ) there names are: Bella, Martha, Mickey, Bruno, Sunshine, Daisy, and Alfie. Can they survive in the wilderness? From Lucky’s perspective, he just wants to be alone. He decides that he’ll teach these dogs to survive and then leave. Lucky has the wisdom and he is the best at strategy he is a very quick thinker. Bella is kind to the other dogs. Martha has webbed paws and can see things out of the corner of her eye, Mickey is fast and smart. Bruno is strong and buff. Sunshine is small and keen Daisy can brighten up everyone’s hearts to hope when there is none. And Alfie is a good digger. Can these dogs survive?

 

The most interesting and important parts in the story were when Lucky escaped from his cage and the building he was trapped in collapsed. He and a dog named Sweet both got out of the building and he Sweet became a pack for a few days and then they split. After Sweet left, it changed Lucky’s perspective on survival. Lucky’s then decided “i’ve got to get a pack and be with someone because I’m lonely”.  Which was a big change from the old Lucky who said “ I’m a lone dog. I don’t need people and dogs to care for me.”  Lucky felt this even more when Martha saves Alfie from drowning.  Lucky changed his mind and started thinking maybe the whole pack thing isn’t so bad.

 

Lucky is independent because he chooses to do his own thing and be alone all the time. This was revealed when Lucky said “ I am a lone dog and I will never be in a pack”.  This is how Lucky thinks of himself and his life ahead. Lucky is inspiring  because he inspires the other dogs in the book. For example when, “I want to be just like you Lucky! I want to hunt!” said Daisy about Lucky. Lucky is intelligent because he always has good strategies. “We are going to going to come up the right side of the hill then Sunshine and the smallest will creep up on them from the forest so you guys will be look out” said lucky about his great plan to creep up on the other dog pack and surprise them.

 

I enjoyed the book a lot because of the amazing adventures of the dogs. To be a dog, I mean that would be awesome! This book is great and I definitely enjoyed it. I recommend this book to people who love dogs and who are going through situations like moving. The book makes you feel stronger and bigger. After I read this book, I said in my head “yes, totally reading the series!” I think the book “The Tiger Rising” is related to this book because the main characters are feeling the same thing. They want to get out of their situation and make changes in their life. I would rate this book ***** 5 stars.                          

 

                                                     

Jan
15
2016

The Cricket In Times Square

Posted by

 

 

9780374316501_xlgThe book I am reading is called The Cricket In Times Square by George Selden. The main character’s name is Chester, he is a cricket. Three other important characters are Mario, Harry the cat, and Tucker the mouse. The main problem is that Chester came from Connecticut, but he got stuck in a picnic basket between two liverwurst sandwiches and he could not get out. Now he is in New York City and it is too crowded for him. The setting of the book is a newsstand in Times Square and the year is around 1957.

One important part of the book is when Chester gets stuck in the picnic basket. It is important because Chester would’ve not gotten to New York City if he hadn’t got stuck in the picnic basket. One other important part is when Mario hears Chester playing his music. That is important because if Chester did not play his music, Mario would have not heard him. And if Mario did not hear him, Chester would have not been rescued by Mario. One big event that happened in The Cricket In Times Square is when Chester gets stuck in a picnic basket and then gets to New York. This event is really important because if this part did not happen, the book would not be called The Cricket In Times Square. Another important part is when mama Bellini almost killed Chester. She did not kill Chester because Tucker told Chester to play his music and he did and the song he played was her favorite song. So mama Bellini was really happy instead of being really mad.   

Chester is honest, because he never tells a lie to anyone about  anything. I also think Chester would do anything to help his friends. Chester is friendly because he made two friends really easily. The two friends are Harry the cat, and Tucker the mouse. Chester is very musical because he can memorize a song after hearing it once. Once, he was listening to the radio and he heard a song about a minute later he started to play along. One day, there was a fire, and Chester said, “I’m going back there, if the Bellinis find me gone, they’ll think I set the fire and ran.” This quote shows that Chester is honest because it is very risky for him, but he does not want to disappoint them so he goes back there.

I like this book, because I like books about animals. I think it was a good idea that a cat, a mouse, and a cricket would be best friends. I would recommend this book, because I think a lot of other fourth graders also like books about animals and we all live in New York where the book takes place. A Cricket In Times Square also won the Newbery Honor. I think this book is similar to Stuart Little, because it is about animals that talk and act like humans. I would give this book five stars.                                                            

Jan
15
2016

It’s Like This, Cat by Emily Cheney Neville

Posted by

818095The book I’m reviewing is called It’s Like This, Cat, by Emily Cheney Neville. The main characters are a cat named Cat and a boy named Dave. Cat is Dave’s cat. Dave is trying to achieve a lot of thing but one is to get his own pet. The book takes place in the 1950s in lower Manhattan.

One very big part was when he and his best friend Nick had a fight and wouldn’t talk to each other for a week or two. The fight was about Dave being grumpy about the movie they had seen with some girls. This is really important because Nick and Dave do pretty much everything together and now won’t talk to each other or hang out. One thing that is important is that Dave goes on his first date with a girl named Mary. This is interesting because Dave doesn’t seem like a kid who would go on dates because he is calm and low key. He doesn’t seem like a guy girls would want to go out with, or like a guy who would want to go out with girls. The date is also important for the plot because he can share everything going on at home with Mary. Another thing that is important is that Cat runs away into a cellar of a building and gets stuck in a cage. When Dave got down to the cellar a college age boy freed Cat.

An adjective to describe Dave is that he is brave. He is brave because he fights his best friend when his best friend insults him. Dave is also good in school. He is a good good in school because he took extra classes because he was smart. Dave is also friendly. He is friendly because a lot of kids want to hang out with him. One quote that helped me understand Dave better is he said “Do I have to pay for the girl at the movies,” said Dave. This helped me learn about Dave because it meant that he liked the girl but he was not willing to pay for her.
 I really liked this book because it told me a lot about the 1950s and the story was told very well. I also really liked this book because I never spaced out because the book was boring. I would recommend this book to someone who likes history.  I would also recommend this book to someone who likes Historical fiction. This book doesn’t really remind me of anything because I don’t read a lot about the past. I would rate this book four stars.

Jan
15
2016

When Life Gives You .O.J By, Erica .S. Pearl

Posted by

OJ-with-Border

This book is about Zelda ( but everyone calls her Zelly ) a eleven year old who just moved from Brooklyn to Vermont. This girl lives with her Mom, Dad, Brother, and her grandfather Ace. Zelda really wants to go home to her house back in brooklyn, she also wants a dog but her parents just say no, because they think it’s too much to take on in there small apartment. Ace is pretty crazy and has a big booming voice like an elephant you could probably hear his voice from a mile away. One day she wakes up with a jug on the side of her bed that says, “meet me in my room it’s important!” – ACE. When she goes to Aces room Ace is at the side of his bed watching .T.V   she asks what the jug thing is all about and Ace says it’s a practice dog and she could use it to get her a dog but if she is going to have to name it, so she names it OJ after all it is a orange juice jug! In astonishment she takes on the challenge and walks the dog three times a day (morning, day, and night) , and feeds him at lunch time with dog food and water, and on every walk she must unscrew the cap of the jug and pour out the wet dog food on the curb of the sidewalk. Her goal is to get her parents to notice her responsibility, and get Ace’s scheme done by the end of the summer. The setting of this book is in the summer in Vermont mostly at her house mostly outside and mostly with OJ.

 

At some point in the book she meets a new friend besides her other friend at sleep away camp. The new friend is Jeremy who is her neighbor     and surprisingly thinks oj is a great idea and that changes her perspective in moving to vermont ( that moving to vermont was not a bad idea ). Also at one point she has a sleepover at her friend’s house and then it really  backfired and everybody started being really mean to her. And that changed her perspective in staying friends with allie the girl who went to sleep away camp. One part was when ACE her grandpa gets a heart attack and goes to the hospital and she has to go home from her sleepover and that really changes her emotions and life. Before ACE has the heart attack she throws out ok because she thinks it’s her fault that ACE had a heart attack and that really changes the way she thinks about everything and ACE. The two adjectives i would describe Zelda with are, serene because she is quiet and keeps a lot of things in her head and to herself. Then for the second adjective, she is very circumspect because she was very catious and made sure nobody saw her walking OJ.

 

I really enjoyed the book for a fun- to read book and learned some things from the book and reading the book was a senior adventure into this 10 year old’s life. I really liked this book because it was about dogs and a girl with the love for her grand father. This book is also really interesting because it’s about her grandpa and usually it’s about the mom or the dad or BFF. And that’s why i found this book really interesting to read. I would rate this book a 4 because at some points in the story it got really boring.

 

Dec
11
2015

Hamster Princess, by Ursula Vernon

Posted by

imgres-1The book that I read is called Hamster Princess, by Ursula Vernon. The main characters are called Princess Harriet and Ratshade. Harriet is not an average princess. When Harriet was only a tiny baby, a witch who is named Ratshade. cursed her so that when she was at the age of twelve, she would prick her finger but it also meant she would sleep for a very long time.  The curse made her invincible, but it also meant what I told you before, she would sleep for a very long time. The settings of the book are Harriet’s parents’ castle, her parents’ village, in which the name of her village is Hamster Vill, and other Kings’ villages in which are friend’s parents villages

One important part of the book is when Harriet gets cursed. It meant nothing could hurt her until she was twelve years old. Another important part of the book is what she does with the power. The power is invicibility.  Everyone started calling her Crazy Princess Hamster Bone because of some of the things she did like: jump off the highest tower in their village and attacking trolls and ogres. 

One event that changed the story is when Harriet swung Ratshade into the spinning wheel  and Ratshade got cursed instead of Harriet. Also when Harriet found a prince because that is what made the story find an ending because she got a friend too. An adjective to describe Harriet is that she is brave. She is brave because she is a risk taker. She jumps off towers in the kingdom and in the Hamster village, people don’t do that. Harriet is strong because she fights ogres and swings Ratshade into the spinning wheel. 

I liked Hamster Princess because the author threw out amazing ideas. One reason I did not like the book is the author would throw out  too many amazing ideas, which made it hard to follow. It was like too many facts just like this: there was a cow, and then a pig and then a chicken and then a cat and then the cow pooped. I  give this book four stars because sometimes the book was confusing, and it was like the pages were in the wrong order. I liked Hamster Princess because it was really heart warming.

Dec
11
2015

Arnie The Doughnut: Bowling Alley Bandit, by Laurie Keller

Posted by

61uZ2PjMQXL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_The title of the book that I read is called Arnie The Doughnut: Bowling Alley Bandit by Laurie Keller. The main characters of this book are Arnie, Mr. Bing and Peezo. The problem is that Mr. Bing’s bowling ball got stolen and nobody knows who stole it. The book takes place at  Lemon Lanes bowling alley.

There are many important events that happened in the book. One important isevent is that someone stole Mr. Bing’s bowling ball. This event is important because Mr. Bing needed to use it to win. The 2nd big event is the Bing Bats the bowling team won the finals of the bowling tournament. This is important because Mr. Bing never won a championship and now he did. One more big event is when Arnie finds Mr. Bing’s stolen bowling ball. Another big event is when Arnie decides to help Mr. Bing find his bowling ball after he wanted to help find the bowling ball. Arnie is really talented because he can sing a lot of songs. Like Take Me Out for Some Bowling it’s such a great song. Also he is always determined because when he accused some one who wasn’t the bandit he did not give up.   

I enjoyed the book because it was really funny when Arnie said he could not bowl because he is smaller than a bowling ball. It was also funny when Arnie met Einstein and Einstein said, “You + bowling = impossible” and there were a lot of other funny things too. That is why my rating for this book is FIVE STARS!!

Dec
11
2015

The Black Stallion, By Walter Farley

Posted by

 

Black-Stallion-Book-Cover-the-black-stallion-13136793-420-617I read The Black Stallion by Walter Farley. The main characters are Alec and the Black Stallion. The main problem in the book  is when the ship Alec was on (Drake) was shipwrecked. The setting of The Black Stallion is on the ship, then on the island and at the end at Alec’s home.

One important part of my book is when the Drake was shipwrecked. It was important because Alec was the only human survivor of the shipwreck and the Black Stallion was the only horse survivor. A second important part is when the Black Stallion and Alec were living on the island. It was important because he lived on an island where no other people live and they become best friends. A third important part is when Alec raced with the Black Stallion and won in the most famous horse race with the two most famous horses. It was important because now he became famous. Two events that changed the story are first, when Alec met the Black Stallion and the Black Stallion and Alec helped each other survive. The second event was when the Drake was shipwrecked and Alec had to live on the island. Alec is strong because he lived on an island all by himself and he had to live on his own. I think Alec is brave because he learned how to ride on a wild stallion all by himself and survived on his own.

I enjoyed this book because I like stories about animals. I also like this book because I think it is cool how a wild stallion saved Alec and how on the island the Black Stallion and Alec bonded. I would give this book a five star rating.     

Dec
10
2015

Cold as Ice, By Sarah Mlynowski

Posted by

20628555 

 Abby and Jonah moved to Smithville and find out they have a magic mirror in their basement that takes them to Fairy Tales!

A few books later…

Abby and Jonah travel to the Snow Queen fairy tale! How exactly did they get there you ask? Well Prince, Abby, and Jonah’s dog got out of Jonah’s room and went downstairs to the basement. He heard Mary Rose (the fairy who lives in the mirror) speaking to Abby and Jonah to come into the Fairy Tail. He scratched on the mirror 3 times (that’s how to get into the fairy tale). The mirror started swirling and put a purple light over the room and then it started like a vacuum and pulled Prince in. Abby and Jonah were too late to get there so they knocked on it 3 times again. (Oh and by the way, they can only go in at midnight). The mirror started swirling and put a purple light over the room and they got sucked in after their dog.

They were in a snowy field and since it was really cold in their house and they had no heater they were wearing socks, hats, long sleeve shirts and sweaters when they were in bed. They were glad that  their house was not heated when they went into this fairytale. They got to the ice castle  because they heard Prince barking and that navigated them. They saw The Snow Queen and when she saw the dog she froze him rock solid!

Abby and Jonah ran away as fast as they could and they ran toward a cliff. (Of course they didn’t know it was a cliff until they got there). The cliff was made of ice. Jonah said, “Let’s slide down it!” They slid down it and landed on an icy cold pond that was frozen. Jonah stood up and the ice started to crack.

 After they got pulled out they both got hot chocolate and warm disguises. After Abby saw the disguises in the sled and all the other stuff, she thought there was a band of robbers in the story. These are the band of robbers!

I don’t want to spoil it so I’m going to stop now.

I personally think this series is really good. I don’t think it’s scary or weird.I would rate this book Five out of Five stars.

 

Dec
10
2015

The School for Good and Evil, By Soman Chainani

Posted by

 

 16248113  The book I read was called The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani. Agatha and Sophie the main characters, are from a town called Gavaldon. One day they are taken away at night by the school master. The school master runs the “School for Good and Evil.” Everyone at Gavaldon thought Sophie would go to Good and Agatha would go to Evil.  There was one “mistake” though, Agatha ended up going to the school for Good being clueless of what to say and do, “She did the first thing she thought of and delivered a swift, loud fart.” And Sophie ended up at the school for Evil looking like a pretty princess.  

Agatha wants to get home but Sophie wants to stay thinking that the girls will switch schools. Sophie always tried to be good. She would use Agatha as one of her deeds for being good. She used Agatha by tricking her that she was her friend. She did that by going to Agatha’s house everyday and give Agatha her favorite cookies. She used Agatha because Agatha’s father left when she was young and she lived in a graveyard with her mother who was a doctor that had no patients.  Agatha was shy and had no friends except for maybe Sophie. She had a cat named Reaper that kept her company, but she had a very weary life. She never left the graveyard because people made fun of her and called her Evil when she walked by.

Sophie had lost her mother when she was young and had a very selfish father who was never proud of Sophie because she was a girl. Sophie’s father always wanted a boy so he could be worshiped and have more similarities with him. Sophie dreamt often about going to the School for Good and getting a handsome prince. She wanted to have her own fairy tale. Sophie is also obsessed with beauty. Every day she would put makeup and lipstick on. Boys didn’t care that she was selfish and rude they just thought she was pretty.

I really enjoyed this book, it was funny, exciting and sad. I would definitely recommend this book to someone who likes fairy tales, chapter books, and illustrations.

 

I rate this book five stars!

 

If you would like to take the test to see if you’re an Ever(Ever After) or a Never(Never After) go on to www.schoolforgoodandevil.com. Also if you really like the book you can read the other books in the series. And you should also check the date to see when the movie comes out on the website.

 

 

                            

 

Sep
07
2015

Summer According To Humphrey

Posted by

Over the summer I read Summer According To Humphrey written by Betty G. Birney. It takes place in room 29 at Longfellow school and Camp Happy Hollow. The main characters are Humphrey the hamster, Og the frog, Brad, and Gail. The main problem of the story is Humphrey and Og are very worried because they don’t know where they’re going for the summer because they are classroom pets.

The direction of the story changed when Og the frog got lost. Also Brad changed from bragging to being nice to other campers. An important quote from my book is “And so it went brad never mentioned his old camp.”

I really enjoyed my book because I went to sleepaway camp for the first time  this year. My camp was a lot like the camp in the book.  I met many new friends at camp too. I think that if you like books  with lots of adventures and is from the perspective of an animal, you would like this book.  I rate this book four and a half stars out of five!!!