Category Archives: Fiction

Apr
19
2017

Foxheart By Claire Legrand

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Quicksilver grew up with a hard life. She was abandoned by her parents and grew up in an orphanage. She refused to go by her real name Anastazia and had no name, so everyone called her Pig Witch. Her only friend was a dog she named Fox. She was the big prankster.  One day a man came to the orphanage and got angry, he sent his seven wolves after the girls and revealed himself as the witch hunting wolf king. She fled with fox and found herself at a house of a kid and his ill parents. The kid called himself Sly Boots. Soon Pig Witch became Quicksilver, Best Thief In The Star lands. They made a deal,  he joined her in robbing and he let Quicksilver stay at his house.  On one of their lessons Fox found a stranger with magic Quicksilver just had to have. She went up to the stranger, and little did she know it was the start of a long adventure, in the past, to defeat the Wolf King. Will, Quicksilver, Fox, Sly Boots and the stranger succeed on their quest?

Quicksilver is a brave yet lonely girl. She grew up being teased with barely any friends and when she found true friends she brought them misfortune. She is brave since she was always ready for what came next no matter what the risks were.

I recommend this book to people who like adventure stories, with magic yet sacrifices too. I love it so much, the book really toys with your emotions. I give the book a five star rating.

 

Mar
17
2017

The City of Ember, by Jeanne DuPrau

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 This book is in the City of Ember series. It is about a boy named Doon Harrow, and a girl named Lina Mayfleet. They go on all sorts of adventures. They live in the City of Ember. It is always dark and there is a shortage of light. There is a system of pipes called the pipeworks that leads to the generator. They are very complicated. The generator is what powers the lightbulbs in Ember. Lina thinks that there is a City of Light somewhere and she sets out an adventure with Doon.

SPOILER ALERT

Lina Mayfleet is brave, determined, and smart. She is brave because she went on the adventure to find the City of Light. In the book, it says: “As far as anyone knew, the darkness did go on forever. Still, Lina wanted the other city to exist.” She is determined because she did not give up on the adventure. In the book, when Lina and Doon receive a secret message and they can’t entirely understand it, Lina keeps on trying to decipher the code. She is smart because she found her way through the pipeworks without

getting lost.  

Two interesting parts of the story were when Lina got the job of pipeworks helper and Doon really wanted that job. Then, Doon got the job of messenger and Lina wanted that job. Then they traded jobs. Also, it was interesting when Lina finds the secret message and she tries to decipher the code. This is interesting because it kept me on my heels and I was kind of nervous.

I really enjoyed this book because it is really mysterious and full of adventure. I really like suspense. I would recommend this book because if you like suspense, action, and challenging reads, this is going to be the book to read. This book has its own movie, and it (and the book) are very unique because there are not many books or movies that I know like this book.

I would give this book a four star rating because I’ve already read this book before I wrote this review, and nothing gets in their way for more than a few pages.

Mar
17
2017

Dream On, by Sarah Mlynowski

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Dream On is the 4th book of the series Whatever After. Dream On is about a girl, Abby. Her brother Jonah, and Abby’s friend Robin. Abby, Robin, and Jonah all get sucked into a mirror in Abby’s basement and go into a fairytale. The fairytale Abby, Jonah, and Robin get sucked into is Sleeping Beauty. Robin pricks her finger on the spindle like Sleeping Beauty and Abby and Jonah have to wake her up before it’s too late.

Abby is sweet, a little rude and caring. Abby is caring because when Robin pricked her finger on the spindle Abby didn’t want to leave her. Abby is a little rude because also when Robin pricked her finger on the spindle Abby grabbed Jonah and pulled him to the corner after she got over missing Robin. Abby is also sweet because Abby is always there for everyone when she needs them.

One of the most interesting parts of this book is when Abby, Robin, and Jonah get sucked into their magical mirror because not everyone has a magical mirror in their basement. Another interesting part is when Robin pricks her finger on the spindle because that’s what the whole book is about.

I didn’t really enjoy this book. I like this book because it’s about non magical people who get sucked into a  fairytale. I also don’t like this book because I don’t like fairytales and princesses I would recommend this book because if you like princesses and fairytales and love reading about Abby and her magical mirror. I wouldn’t  recommend this book if you don’t like princesses and fairytales. This book doesn’t really remind me of anything because I haven’t heard of a book where a girl, her friend, and her brother get sucked into a magic mirror in their basement. It is so unique because Abby is a character that is really unique and I haven’t heard of another character like her. She is so unique because she has a great personality sometimes she can be a little annoying, she’s brave, and she’s just different. I would rate this book a two out of five stars. I rate it a two because I did not really enjoy the book and I have read better books.

Mar
17
2017

The Last Kids On Earth, by Max Brallier

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The Last Kids On Earth is by Max Brallier. This book is about a orphan boy who travels the world and just ended up in Louisville where there has been a monster apocalypse! The day the monster apocalypse happened, Jack lost all of his friends. Jack has made it his main priority to get his friends back and to find the “Damsel in Distress,” the love of his life, June Del Toro. The three people that Jack is able to come across is his best friend named Quint, a old bully named Dirk, who turned out to be pretty nice, and June Del Toro. I think that this book probably took place in 2015-2017 because there are CVS’s, Home Depots, and middle school’s that sound pretty modern.

Jack is very arrogant. On almost every page that he is either talking about slaying a huge monster, or “rescuing” June Del Toro. He’s always saying that when June finds out about it, she is going say “Oh, Jack, my hero!” Another adjective that would describe Jack is that he is very brave. Every time someone needs saving, he is always willing to help do something really dangerous to help even if the person thinks that they can handle it, he is always there to help. A example from the book is when Jack, Quint, Dirk, and June were running away from a monster Blarg, Jack shoved everyone in the car and defended his friends from Blarg. The third adjective that I would use to describe Jack is that he is a natural. He learns things very quickly. Two examples is that one, he learned how to make his own Mountain Dew very quickly, and the other reason is he learned how to catch very quickly (and at the right time, as Quint was throwing Jack his sword right as they were about to kill one of the biggest monsters).

There are many more different details about what the plot is about than what I’ve already told you. One is that the family that Jack lost when the monster apocalypse was named the Robinsons. They were not very nice people. All they did was make Jack mow the lawn. No quality time. No family fun night. No Friday pizza movie nights. Some of my favorite parts in the book is when at the very beginning of the book, Jack is fighting Blarg on top of CVS when Jack just wants a tiny tiny screw driver. I think that that is interesting because it is just so interesting how everything is just focused on Jack fighting Blarg and how Jack just wants a tiny tiny screw driver. Another reason why that is interesting is because Jack, a tiny human being is beating Blarg, a giant slimy monster. Another interesting part of the book is when Jack finally does find June Del Toro and the way she reacts to finding out that Jack thinks that she is a “Damsel in Distress,” she gets super mad. The reason that that is interesting because I’d think that even if June didn’t need any help, that she would think that it was nice of Jack to risk his LIFE to save her is really nice, and she still got mad at him! Another one of my favorite parts in the book is when Dirk slowly starts becoming nicer and nicer. That was very surprising to me because Dirk was so mean at first that you’d think that he’d never be nice but the fact that Dirk risked his life to get Quint a birthday gift is, WOW.

I really enjoyed this book because it is a really good mix of comedy and fantasy adventure and the slightest bit of realism. It has comedy because there are lots of strange odd things throughout the book like the fact that the Mountain Dew that Jack makes is just a mix of water and green food coloring. I would recommend this book to a lot of people because it is a great story and also it has lots of amazing pictures to back the story up. This book kind of reminds me of The Walking Dead but with other monsters apart from zombies but it is also a whole lot less scary. The reason that I think that is a pretty similar to The Walking Dead is because there are monsters in both, and there are people are trying to survive from the madness of the monsters in both! I rate this book one out of five stars (one being I didn’t like it five being I loved it and would want to read it again) I think that I would give this book a four stars.

Mar
17
2017

Half Magic by Edward Eager

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I recently read a book called Half Magic by Edward Eager. This book is not part of a series. There are four main characters in the book. One of them is named Jane. She is the oldest and most sassy and nice. Another one of them is Mark. He is the only boy in the family and he likes to do adventures. The third one is Katherine. She is the second youngest girl in the family and she’s the smartest. And last but not least there is Martha. The youngest and the most adventurous one of them all. The book is about how one summer Jane found this coin on the Street outside of her house. She didn’t realize that the coin was magical…half magical. The four children have Four different adventures in the book and they do stuff that no kid would ever dream or think of doing. For example  defeating Sir Lancelot and going to a desert island while you’re at the park.

Mark is my favorite character because he struggles through being the only boy out of four kids. Mark is easy going, adventurous, and lonely. Mark is easy-going because when the others made their wish he didn’t object. Mark is also adventurous because he would go to places like a desert and the time of Kings and Queens. Mark is lonely because he is the only boy in his family because his dad died. He doesn’t have a boy to play with but he doesn’t show that he is lonely.

The plot of the story is that one summer day the four children find a coin that is magical.  They go and do many adventures. The trick about the coin is that you can only wish half of something, but if you want to wish something whole you have to say “I wish this twice.” One interesting thing in the book is when Jane wanted to belong to a different family. When she wished she forgot everything about her family. She left the house and went into a cold looking house. It made me sad because she didn’t want to live with her family anymore because she didn’t want to have a stepfather. Another interesting part in the book is when Martha was sleeping underneath a movie theater seat and wished she wasn’t there. She forgot that she had to wish it twice so she was half there. It was interesting to me because Martha started a riot and people were just running everywhere.

I enjoyed Half Magic because there’s magic and I like magic. I also enjoyed Half magic because it acts like real life. I recommend this book to ages 7 and up. You would like this book if you like magic, love, and anger. This book reminded me of Sylvester and the Magic Pebble because Sylvester finds a pebble that is magical just like in Half Magic. I would rate my book 4 out of 5 stars because it’s would not love the if somebody gave it to me to read but I would be interested in it.

Mar
17
2017

Furthermore, by Tahereh Mafi

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Furthermore

By Tahereh Mafi

The book I read is called Furthermore and it is written by Tahereh Mafi. Furthermore takes place about now but in a completely different world. In this book, Young Alice accompanies a past enemy, Oliver, to find her long gone father. They live in a place called Ferenwood and every year, there is a Surrender. Each 12 year old in Ferenwood has to enter a competition. The competition is to get the best mission by showing their talent. Alice can change the color of things, but makes a big mistake and presents her dancing instead. Unlike most kids, who get a task to complete, the judges don’t give her a task. No She decides to go with Oliver Newbanks to find her father.

Alice is brave, determined, and self conscious. She is brave to enter Furthermore, and risk her life for father. She risks her life because she is determined to find father, even if it means finding him with Oliver. Furthermore has strange creatures… not friendly ones. She is self conscious because she is constantly worrying about her pale hair and skin. One example is that in the book, for the surrender. The reason she danced instead of showing her real talent, was because she thought, what’s the point of changing the color of things… when you can’t even change your own color.

One of the most interesting parts of the book was when Alice failed her surrender. This was important because of the way everyone is the day of the competition versus when they get the envelope.The charting is laid out five to one. If you get a five, you did great, if you got a one, you did horribly, but you still get a task, just one not as good as a five task. This envelope Alice was so excited to open, but to realize she  got a card that was so bad she got a zero and didn’t get a task, (only three people in Ferenwood history had not gotten a task) made her very, very angry.
I enjoyed Furthermore a lot because there was a lot of magical, funny and shocking moments that made your heart stop. One example is when Oliver said, “It makes it so very difficult to stay alive there.” Then Alice said, “Oh, I can’t imagine, I can’t even imagine – goodness. I can’t breathe, can I? I’m sure I can’t breathe.’’ This is one of the many examples of dramatic Alice. Another reason is there is beautiful language in many spots of the book. For example, on page 146 it says, “Oliver had gone white. He was milk and paper and ghostly fright.” I would recommend this book to people who enjoy reading adventure and books you can’t seem to put down. A character I would use to describe Alice would be, yes… Alice from Alice and Wonderland. And not the original as much as the movie ‘Alice Through The Looking Glass.’ I would say this because they are both on a mission, look similar and are both missing their fathers. I would rate this book 4 stars because I loved the book a lot, but not one that I would read twice anytime soon. 

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.