Category Archives: Fiction

Jan
19
2016

Crossover by Kwame Alexander

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the-crossoverThe book I’m reviewing is called Crossover by Kwame Alexander. The book is about a boy named Josh Bell, also known as Filthy McNasty, and about his twin brother Jordan Bell, also known as JB. They are thirteen year old twins. The author uses poems and rhymes to describe their lives on and off the basketball court. The main characters, Filthy and JB  fight often as brothers do and the conflicts get pretty bad.

 Josh got the nickname Filthy McNasty when he and his dad were listening to a musician named Horace Silver and his dad says, “Josh, the cat is the real deal. Listen to the piano, fast and free, Just like you and JB on the court.” His dad dedicated the song “Filthy McNasty” to Josh.

One day, Filthy decided that he wanted dreads like his dad. While watching a replay of his dad’s old games, Filthy noticed that his dad’s hair looked like wings taking him higher and higher. Filthy is girl-crazy but never gets any girls. He is good in the paint (an area on the basketball court) and he can dunk. Jordan got the nickname “JB” from the initials of his first and last name. JB is bald, a great shooter, a girl magnet, and likes to bet with his brother. His dad is a sportscaster and was a former basketball player for the European League. His mom, also known as Dr. Bell, is the assistant principal at the boys’ junior high school.

Filthy and JB made a bet. The bet was that if the game was tied and it came down to the last shot and JB get the ball didn’t miss the shot, then he gets to cut off Filthy’s hair. If JB misses the shot, he has to walk around naked at lunch time. The twins changed the bet because they thought it was too bad. They changed it to if JB lost he would have to moon the nerdy group of 6th graders at lunch, but if Filthy lost, he would only have to cut off one lock of hair. The game was tied with three seconds left. He shot with one second left; the ball was flying in the air and went right into the hoop and Filthy lost the bet.

Filthy and JB’s dad has a heart attack and dies. Filthy had a one-on-one basketball game with his dad. While his dad was trying to dunk, he fell and passed out. Filthy screamed “HELP PLEASE!” to the crowd. His dad was rushed to the hospital and was in a coma because of a myocardial infarction. Myocardial infarction happens when blood flow to an area of the heart is blocked long enough time that part of the heart muscle is damaged or dies. After 19 days in the hospital his dad died at thirty-nine years old.

On page 14, Filthy’s quote helped me discover more about his character. “My hair is long my height’s tall. See I’m the next Kevin Durant, LeBron, and Chris Paul.” This quote helped me discover that he thinks he is really good at basketball like Kevin Durant, LeBron, and Chris Paul.

 

Jan
19
2016

Survivors: The Empty City By Erin Hunter

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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
19
2016

The G-Man Super Journal by Chris Guiarroso

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The book that I read is called G-MAN SUPER JOURNAL AWESOME ORIGINS written by Chris Guiarroso. The main character in this book is G Man. All of G Man’s friends are getting super powers one by one. G Man is the only one without super powers so he uses a blanket as a cape then he gets super powers. This book takes place at G Man’s school in the future.

One thing that I found that was interesting was that every time one of his friends got a super power then G Man tried to get that kids super power the same way that kid had gotten it. I found this interesting because he fails over and over again. Another interesting thing was that a blanket gave him super powers. G Man’s family had a special blanket that they would use whenever they were sick to make them feel better. He got desperate for super powers and he thought since the blanket had magical powers to make his family feel better that he could use it for a cape to fly. He cut a piece off and he could fly. In the end his brother got jealous that G Man got super powers so he uses the rest of the blanket as a belt and then he flies too. One big event that happened was when there were superhero tryouts at G Man’s school. He couldn’t go because he got detention for talking back to the teacher.  It changed the whole book because he couldn’t go to the tryouts to get super powers because he was in detention.

G Man was determined because he kept trying to get super powers.  He kept failing but eventually he got super powers.  He was determined because when he had super powers he had to fight a bad guy and he didn’t quit until he won.  He was emotional because many times in the book he got mad and sad.  He got sad when he could not go to the super hero tryouts.  G Man was brave because when someone said to him “This is my flying area, you are not allowed to fly here,”  G Man said, “Well guess what, who said we can’t.”

I enjoyed this book because it’s about super heros and I like super heros. I would recommend this book because it’s really fun to read. There is a lot of action in this book. This book reminds me of AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON.  It reminds me of this because at the end of the book they are all fighting the bad guy. In the movie, at the end they all fight the bad guy too. My rating for this book is five stars! It was so fun to read. I felt like it was happening all around me. It was so cool.  

Jan
15
2016

The Lemonade War, by Jacqueline Davies

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imgresThe book I am reviewing is titled The Lemonade War. It was written by Jacqueline Davies. The book was based on a real story because the author has two children that had lemonade wars all the time. It is about two siblings that used to get along really well but then they got into a fight, so they decided to have a lemonade selling contest because they both loved selling lemonade together. Their lemonade war meant whoever sold the most lemonade by Labor Day which is towards the end of the summer won all the money they earned. The main characters in my book are Evan and Jessie Treski. Evan and Jessie are going into 4th grade but Jessie is eight and Evan is nine. They live in a suburban neighborhood. This book takes place in the five days before Labor Day.

 

Evan is kind because whenever he is mean to his sister he tries to make-up for his mistake. There was one part in the beginning of the book where he was embarrassed because he would be in her class and he wanted to scream at her but he didn’t because he did not want to hurt her feelings. Evan is also jealous because when Jessie was selling lemonade with his crush, named Megan, Evan wanted to do the lemonade stand with Megan. Evan is also understanding. He is very careful about other people’s feelings. That is why he doesn’t like to yell at his sister.

 

One part of the book that I liked was when Jessie tells Evan that Megan likes him. She asks, “Evan, Megan really likes you. Do you know that?” I liked that part because the reader gets a lot of information about how Evan feels. I think that Evan felt very relaxed because he likes Megan too. Evan’s reaction to that was a blush. I think he was very happy to hear that Megan liked him.

 

Evan made a big decision when he said that he would do the competition because he says in the book that he was not made for competitions. The competition brought the two characters farther apart but at the end of the book they are closer than ever. Jessie asked if Evan wanted to play a game with her and Evan said “You ruin everything. You ruined my summer and now you are going to ruin school!” that shows that he is uncomfortable with her in his grade. Through the competition, Evan learned that he could trust Jessie. He realized that Megan and Jessie were honest with each other. He learned from them, that he still had things to learn, even from his younger sister.

 
I enjoyed this book because it reminds me of me and my other because we have fights sometimes, but we always make-up at the end. The book also reminds me of the summer because I sell a lot lemonade at my own stand outside of my building. There was one time I was selling lemonade and a group of tourists from India had a selfie stick and wanted to take a selfie with me. I recommend this book to kids that are interested in business. There are things in this book about business that are good to know. This book is kind of like Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing because it is about siblings that fight a lot. I would rate this book three stars because it was pretty good.

Jan
15
2016

The Cricket In Times Square

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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

Gods of Manhattan

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gmlgI read Gods of Manhattan from the Gods of Manhattan series by Scott Mebus. The book is about a special boy who has a unique gift. The book takes place in the present day in Manhattan, but there are characters in the story that have lived throughout New York’s History, some who remember it as Mannahatta. These characters are the Gods of Manhattan.Gods of Manhattan

The main character is a boy called Rory Hennessey. Rory is a Light, a Light is someone who can see what regular humans can’t see, they see what is “really” there. Regular people just see normal stuff and what is happening in the present, Rory can see details and things that other people can’t see.  For example when Rory watches a magic show he can see how they do the “magic.” He can even see the Gods and all the other strange creatures and going ons around them. You might want to be a Light but it is very dangerous being a one. When Rory first found out he was a Light he was upset and didn’t want to be one, because he was worried about the safety of himself and his family. The main focus of the story is that Rory is the only Light left alive in Manhattan and he is the only one who can save the city and perhaps the world even if he doesn’t know it. To become a God you have to do something that everyone remembers. For example John Jacob Astor, a real person is the God of Success. All the other Gods and other worldly characters in the book were created by the life they led in their real life.

Rory begun to figure out he was a Light on his sister Bridget’s birthday. She had a magician come to their house whose name was Hex. In the past Rory had always been able to see through every magician’s trick no matter how complicated they seemed to be and Hex appeared to be like any other magician. However this time Rory had no idea how the magician had been able to do the trick. This disturbed Rory because he couldn’t work out how the trick was performed so he went to Central Park to think about it. When he was in the park he noticed a squirrel and a mouse having a kung fu fight, which is ridiculous and he thought he was going crazy. Next a Native American from another time period appeared in the park and chased him out. Rory ran straight into Hex and when Rory explained what had happened to him Hex explained he was a Light…

Another important part of the book is when Rory met a “Stranger” for the first time. A Stranger is a monster that looks like a kid but it has very sharp metallic teeth like knives. It walks up to you like a little child and asks you to come and then it attacks and kills you. Luckily for Rory he managed to escape the vicious attack but spends the rest of the book avoiding these horrible creatures.

These two events changed Rory’s life positively and negatively. As a result of these events Rory decided to go with Hex and try to save the world

Rory is very responsible; for example he takes his sister around New York by himself. He also made sure that Bridget was safe at home when he ventured out to save Manhattan. Bridget is brave because she fought a Plug Ugly (a gang member) and when someone tried to shoot Rory she jumped in front of him. Even though her brother left her behind at home, she decided to go after him to save him. Rory is very cautious and does not trust anybody. Throughout the story Rory is uncertain which side he should be on and questions everything. He thinks twice before he does anything and it took him a week before he joined Hex.

A good example of Rory’s responsibility is displayed when he said to bridget, “You can not come. It is too dangerous.”

I really enjoyed the Gods of Manhattan, but I got confused at times because the book has two different but parallel stories being told in each chapter and it was difficult to follow along all the time. I enjoyed the suspense in the book often created by the two parallel stories leaving you at cliffhangers at the end of each chapter. I would recommend this book to someone who likes Percy Jackson books because it has many similarities like Gods living with humans. It is a long exciting read and if you have problems remembering storylines in books this maybe too complicated for you. Rick Riordan the writer of Percy Jackson said, “it’s a fast and exciting read,” I think he commented on the book because it is has a very similar theme.

I would rate this book four stars.

 

By Jack Bbarker  

Jan
15
2016

Evil Spy School, by Brandon Mull

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imgresMy book is called Spy School. It’s by Stuart Gibbs. The main character in the book is named Benjamin Ripley. The main problem is that there is a double agent in Spy School. A double agent is someone who acts like they’re on one side but they’re really on the other. Spy School is a school for future CIA agents. The setting of the book is Spy School in modern day.

I think that an important part of the book was when Ben met Erica Hale because Erica helps Ben throughout the rest of the book. Erica is the best student in Spy school. Another important part of the book is when an assassin comes to Ben’s room and threatens him because that’s when you figure out there’s a double agent in the school. One big event that happened in the book was when Ben gets captured by an evil organization that’s called SPYDER.

One adjective to describe Ben is SMART! He has a gift for math and can do problems like 1,235×3,478 in one second. Another adjective to describe Ben is brave. I think he’s brave because he goes to a school for spies, you go on mission and have gunfights! One last adjective to describe Ben is friendly. I think Ben is friendly because he was only in Spy School for a semester and he makes a lot of friends. Here’s a quote about Ben’s personality: Erica’s dad said about Ben, “For example you’re a straight-a-student who speaks three languages and has level 16 math skills.”

I really enjoyed the book because it has a LOT of twists. I also enjoyed the book because there’re a lot of cool characters. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to  be a spy because, well, it’s in the title. This book really similar to James Bond because there are exploding buildings and awesome gun fights. I rate this book five stars.

Jan
15
2016

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

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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.

 

Jan
15
2016

The School For Good And Evil

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SGE-CoverThe book I read is called The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani. The main characters are Sophie and Agatha. The problem from Sophie’s perspective is that she is in Evil school when Agatha is in Good school. The problem from Agatha’s perspective is that she and Sophie are at the School for Good and Evil and she wants to go home. This book takes place at The School For Good And Evil.

I found it interesting and important when at the end of the Trial by Tale, which is a competition where the top 15 Evers (good people) and top 15 Nevers (evil people) fight in the forest until a winner is declared, Tedros (the prince) finds out that Sophie was using Agatha to get good grades. I thought this part was interesting and important because if Sophie wasn’t mad at Tedros for breaking his promise, she and her roomates, Hester and Anadil, wouldn’t have attacked the School for Good. I liked the part when Agatha got attacked by the Wish Fish. The Wish Fish is a magical fish that you make a wish on. I thought it was really important when Agatha agreed to go to the ball with Tedros because at that part, Sophie realized that Agatha was her nemesis, not Tedros.

In the beginning, Sophie is loyal, kind, and beautiful because she is always doing good deeds. In the end, Sophie is wicked, demanding, and dreadful because she is always ordering people around and she kept trying to kill Agatha. In the beginning, Agatha is rebellious, lonely, and frantic because she’s always alone and never really talks to anyone. In the end, Agatha is friendly, peaceful, and loving because she has a lot of trust in everyone. A quote that describes Sophie in the beginning is when Hester says, “she smells like an Ever.” A quote that describes Sophie in the end is when Agatha says to Sophie, “You brought me here to kill me.” A quote that describes Agatha in the beginning is when Reena says, “she looks so evil.” A quote that describes Agatha in the end is when Agatha says to Tedros, “I won’t help a Captain leading his army to their graves.”

I enjoyed this book a lot. I enjoyed it because it has a topsy-turvy plot that is action packed with a little bit of violence. It also gives a good laugh. I would recommend it to everyone! This book does not remind me of anything but it’s probably related to something I haven’t read or seen yet. I give this book five stars.

Jan
14
2016

Who Could That Be At This Hour, By: Daniel Handler

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Daniel Handler is the name of the author of the book I read. The main characters that appear in this book are Lemony Snicket and S. Theodora Markson. The problem in this book is that a treacherous villain by the name of Hangfire is terrorizing a community named Stained By The Sea. The main problem that the characters are trying to stop is that Hangfire is a skilled arsonist and they are trying to stop him from burning down the community around them.

Some ideas that helped me understand the book better were …

that S. Theodora Markson is the lead investigator for the problem in Stained by the Sea. This idea helped me understand the book better by giving me more background information. Two is that Lemony Snicket is the apprentice to S. Theodora Markson. This information was very helpful because Lemony Snicket ?  is a very mysterious person. Did you know that Lemony Snicket is a very caring person for people he knows and does not know. The only BIG decision that the main character makes is to investigate the case that Theodora is involved in. Hangfire is a arsonist, killer, and kidnapper and he is very proud of what he does.

Hangfire is a lethal killing machine that has haunted Stained By The Sea for many years. 

I really enjoyed this book because Lemony Snicket is a very creative and caring person. I also like this book because of the characters. The last reason I like this book is because it is for all ages. 1 to 5 stars it is a 5 star rated book.

 

www.danielhandler.com