Category Archives: Friendship

Dec
10
2015

Lunch Money, by Andrew Clements

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453392I am going to talk about a book I read called Lunch Money by Andrew Clements.  Who also writes other series and books. It is about a boy named Greg and a girl named Mura who are trying to find a way to be allowed to sell comic books that they made by hand at school. This story takes place in a school a suburban city and a little town in 2001.

While they are trying to figure out how to sell their comics the two kids are constantly fighting until greg decides to let Mura join the business.  Also they make a big decision to let the math teacher join Mr. Z he is nice and funny and likes there comics  and the principal does not allow them to sell their comics at school because she thinks they’re inappropriate . So they bring it up to the school committee because they figured if the book clubs could sell their books why couldn’t they.

I enjoyed this book because it was interesting the choices they made and why they made them. I also enjoy that they talk about money and how to handle it. Finally because he made a friend and he never stopped trying till he got what he wanted. I would recommend this book to you if you are interested in money how to spend it how to use it or if you like business decisions. I give this book four out of five stars.

Dec
10
2015

The School for Good and Evil, By Soman Chainani

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 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.

 

 

                            

 

Dec
10
2015

Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide To Not Reading! By Tommy Greenwald

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81tobuDxVNLI’m reading Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to Not Reading by Tommy Greenwald. The main Character is Charlie Joe Jackson. Charlie comes up with a lot of crazy plans, gets in trouble but never really learns. The book takes place in Charlie’s school and home. Charlie has a  problem. He hates reading!

To get out of reading Charlie had a deal with this kid named Timmy. For five years Charlie would buy Timmy a ice cream sandwich and Timmy would read all of Charlie’s books over the semester. But Timmy told his mom about the deal because he didn’t what to do it any more. Then Charlie got in a lot of trouble because Timmy’s mom told Charlie’s mom what was going on for the past 5 years.

You would think Charlie would have learned his lesson but NO he didn’t. For the end of the year assignment, he had to write this thing called a Position Paper. For the Position paper you have to pick a topic and write a five page essay on it, and read a bunch of books. Charlie chose to do his Position paper on Cliques. He got one of his nerdy friends and bribed his dream girl to go out with each other. So he could do his report based on them. Then, he tricked his nerdy friend to read the books for him and tell him what happened. But he got caught, again. His punishment was… well you’ll have to read the book if you want to know.

I enjoyed the book because, Charlie would never give up on what he wanted to do. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy comedy books. In my opinion this book gets four out of five stars because it was hilarious and interesting.

Sep
09
2015

In A Glass Grimmly

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Lucia

This summer I read In A Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz. there are a lot of different settings, but the major one is in a kingdom near England called Märchen. The main characters are a boy named Jack and a girl named Jill. The main conflict for Jack, is that all the boys in the kingdom make fun of him because he always follows around a boy named Marie. They made up a song about it that goes like this: “Marie had a little lamb..” and you probably know the rest (lamb can also mean someone who follows people). Jill is the princess in the same kingdom and she also got humiliated because she was tricked into being naked in front of the whole kingdom. This happened because a dishonest merchant was pretending to sell the finest silk that could only be seen by the people with the most refined eyes. So the queen had the dress made for Jill, who wore it outside. She did not actually have anything on.

An event that changed the direction of the story is when  Jack has to sell his only friend Milky the cow. I think this changes the direction of the story because now Jack does not have any friends and he sells the cow for magic beans. When Jack and Jill meet an old lady, they have to make a big decision: either agree to get a glass and get all they ever wanted, but they will die if they don’t get it, or don’t agree to anything and just live thier nomal lives again but you don’t get all you ever wanted. I can not tell you what they choose but how I know they have to make this decsion is when it says “Now will you swear on your very lives to get the glass?”. The problem does get solved at the end of the book. How I know this is when it says “the boys from the village sat beside Elsie and her little sister.” so they were friends with them now.

 

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed it because it has lots of action and adventure. I also enjoyed it because it is really funny in some parts. And the third reason I enjoyed it is that it has a lot of fantasy. This book is in a series,it is the second book. I would recomend this book to readers who love fantasy because a lot of the book has fantasy in it. I would rate this book five stars, I  really enjoyed it!                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Sep
04
2015

Flora & Ulysses Book Review

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floraUlysses is a plain old regular squirrel until he gets sucked up by a vacuum cleaner. I read Flora and Ulysses by Kate Dicamillo. It is about a girl named Flora that saved a squirrels life. She breaths into the squirrels mouth and all of a sudden it lifts up the vacuum cleaner and starts to shake it. Flora is 10 years old and she is a cynic. Her parents are divorced so part of the book is with her dad and the other with her mom but she lives with her mom. The setting is mostly in Flora’s neighborhood.

 

Flora is very Strong, Brave, and kind. She is Strong because it is really hard to have divorced parents and have your mom trying  to murder your pet squirrel. She is Brave because it is really hard to tell your mom that you want to live with your dad instead of her. She is Kind because she saved Ulysses life. An interesting thing about this book is how Ulysses can fly! Because he is a normal squirrel not a flying squirrel. Another interesting thing about this book is how Ulysses writes poetry if I was writing this book I would never thought of making Ulysses write poetry. Another interesting part is how Flora’s mom thinks Ulysses is a dirty animal and wants to murder him. And Flora’s dad likes Ulysses and is kind to him.

 

I really enjoyed reading this book. I like how it is really unique I have never read a book like this. I recommend this book to people who like short books where you can’t put it down. I also recommend this book to people who like animal books. I rate this book 5 stars!

 

Sep
04
2015

Spirit Animals book 3 Blood Ties by Garth Nix and Sean Williams

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The book that I will do my review on is called Spirit Animals book 3 Blood Ties. The authors are Garth Nix and Sean Williams. It is located in the world of Erdas which is completely fiction and the time I would say is in the 1200s. The main characters are, Conor, Meilin, Abeke, Rollan, and Tarik. The main problem is that the devourer has risen and is trying to conquer Erdas.

The devourer has risen again and the quest for talismans has begun. with the talismans of the great beasts, the devourer is unstoppable. Can the greencloaks prevent that from happening? read spirit animals to find out.

 

 

An event that changed the direction of the story is that Meilin ran off away from the others and made them try to get the Slate Elephant talisman without her. Meilin made a big decision to run off and find her long lost father one of the five highest generals in her country Zhong. It was a big decision because her spirit animal Jhi the great panda advised against it. The problem with the devourer was never resolved because even though the devourer made an appearance in the battle for the Slate elephant, he ran away from the battle once he was injured. “the crocodile turned and streaked away with astonishing speed.” page 179.

I enjoyed the book because there are 2 different stories in one. Meilin trying to find her father and the greencloaks quest to the great beast Dinesh’s temple. I also liked the intense part when Abeke and Conor try to get the banana gourds. I lastly liked the part when the rhino riders knock everyone unconscious. I think people who read Percy Jackson would like this book because the story is like Percy Jackson’s story. I rate this book 4 stars. 

by Alon.

Aug
29
2015

The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman by Meg Wolitzer

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This summer I read a book called The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman written by Meg Wolitzer. The main characters are Duncan Dorfman (from Drilling Falls, Pennsylvania), April Blunt (from Portland, Oregon) and Nate Saviano (from New York City). They each represent teams at a national scrabble tournament (the YST a.k.a. the Youth Scrabble Tournament) in Florida. There are four main problems:

  1. Duncan is a new kid in his town at a new school trying to figure out a new life.
  1. April is the only person in her sporty family who hasn’t won anything and she’s trying to get into the spotlight.
  1. Nate is getting homeschooled by his dad who has high expectations for him as a Scrabble player.
  1. ONLY ONE TEAM CAN WIN!

One event that changed the directional point of the story is when Carl Slater, captain of the Drilling Falls middle school Scrabble club and bully, finds out about Duncan’s power. I’m not going to tell you what it is because you have to read the book first. Fine, I’ll tell you what Carl says. Carl says to Duncan, “You’re telling me you can feel the words underneath your fingers without looking? I have plans for you, Lunch Meat (Duncan’s nickname from the first day of school — this is a part of the story you will find out about when you read the book!)” Duncan has to decide whether he wants to use his special talent or not to win. Another event that changes the story is when Nate gets frustrated during a game and quits the tournament. His teammate, Maxie, ends up quitting, too. They have a conversation and Maxie offends Nate. Nate says, “I am not selfish, Maxie. I had no idea you cared so much about this tournament.” Then Maxie says, “Oh, you thought I was just doing it for you Nate? Well, think again.” Nate and Maxie become friends again and finish the tournament (they end up losing to Duncan’s team and place third).

I enjoyed the book because it was a story about friendship. An example of friendship is when Nate walked away from the Scrabble game and Maxie came and got him back in to it. Another reason why I enjoyed the book was there was a lot of action in it. An action scene was when Nate’s father, Larry, met his old Scrabble partner, Wendell Bruno. Wendell was talking, and talking, and talking about when they played Scrabble together. And THEN he started talking about how he looks for a Saviano in every single Scrabble tournament. But it was an action part and a BIG part in the story. Also one last reason I enjoyed the book was because it makes you want to play Scrabble. After I finished the book, I wanted to play a game of Scrabble and I did. I would rate this book 5 stars because Meg Wolitzer did a good job of telling the story and not having it get too complicated with lots of characters who play a big part in the plot.

THE END *****

 

Aug
28
2015

The Report Card

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A good book I read is called, The Report Card. The Author is Andrew Clements (He also wrote Frindle which is another good book). It takes place in Philbrook Elementary School. It is about a girl named Nora Rose Rowley. She is a genius but she doesn’t want anyone to know. She has Hyperthymesia (which means she remember pretty much everything) but nobody knows. not even her parents. Her best friend Stephen is a good hardworking kid but she feels like he thinks he’s stupid. And she doesn’t think he’s stupid at all. So she get bad grades (on purpose) to prove he’s not stupid. But then her parents get the principal and all the teachers involved.

 

Then Nora comes up with a plan with Stephen to get all the kids in the school get bad grades on purpose and then it turns into a big mess. If you don’t want to know what happens in the end don’t read the rest of this paragraph. So there is a big meeting and Stephen’s parents are there and Nora’s parents are there and all the teachers, the principal, the superintendent and of course, Nora and Stephen. Then at the meeting Nora finds out that Stephen did a lot without her knowing and a lot of kids listened to Stephen. If you want to know what Nora does next you’ll have to read the book.

 

I liked this book a lot because I like Nora and she is an interesting person and I like the fact she is so smart but doesn’t tell anyone. It’s not my favorite book but I still liked it. I would rate it 3 stars

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Aug
25
2015

Emily Windsnap and the Ship of Lost Souls

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My book is called, Emily Windsnap and the Ship of Lost Souls. It is by Liz Kessler. She lives in Cornwall, England. If you want to read the first book I would not suggest reading this book reveiw. Emily Windsnap is an Eighth Grade girl who is also a Semi-mer. (a Semi-mer is a Human but if the go deep enough into water they turn into a mermaid/man) Her best friend is Shona who is a full time mermaid and Her other friend Mandy (who used to bully her) is a full time Human. And her Boyfriend Aaron is a Semi-mer like her. This is the sixth book in the series I suggest reading the other books first: 1,The Tail of Emily Windsnap. 2, Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep. 3, Emily Windsnap and the Castle in the Mist. 4, Emily Windsnap and the Siren’s Secret. 5, Emily Windsnap and the Land of the Midnight Sun. This book takes place mostly at a place called Five Bays. It is run By Lyle and Lowenna Waters. She goes to Five Bays on a class trip (Shona’s School Shiprock also is coming) and everything there is unorganized and Lowenna is not there. The Emily and Aaron go and find a hidden place with a chair looking out onto the ocean. And then they see a ship that no one else can see and they don’t know why so they tell Mandy and Shona and they try to figure it out.

 

One day Shona and Emily are out in the water and Emily sees the ship up close and she sees a woman in the ship who she can’t hear but seems to be mouthing the words “Help us!” Then She goes into Lyles office with Mandy and Aaron and talked with Lyle who is suspicious about if they know anything about the ship and they denied knowing anything about it and then before they leave Emily sees a picture on his desk of the woman she saw on the ship. Later they sneak into his office and use his computer to look up the name of the ship which is Prosperous II and find out it is a boat owned by a  vacation company. They need to know more so they ended up telling Lyle everything.

 

I really liked this book a lot and if you want to know more then read the book! If you like adventure books then you would like this book because Emily loves adventure and even admits in the book she can’t help pass up and adventure. I would rate this book five stars.

Aug
22
2015

When You Reach Me

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The Author of When You Reach Me is Rebecca Stead. This book takes place in New York Upper West side 1978-1979. The main character is Miranda Sinclair. The other important characters are, Sal (her best friend), Marcus (the boy who punched Sal), The Laughing Man (a homeless guy who is always sticking his head in a mailbox and her friends,Colin and Annemarie (and Julia but Miranda doesn’t like her at first) The situation is she is getting letters and she dosen’t know who is writing them. When she got the first letter her house door was unlocked and the extra key (for if she loses her key) is gone and nothing appears to be stolen. Then she finds the first letter in her library book. This is what the first letter says:

 

M,

This is hard. Harder than I expected, even with your help. But I have been practicing,and my preparations go well. I am coming to save your friends life,and my own. I ask two favors. First, write me a letter. Second please remember to mention the location of your house key. The trip is a difficult one I will not be myself when I reach you.

 

This is confusing because why would someone who took the key ask where it is?

 

 

If you want here are the other letters but they probably won’t make sense unless you read the book! 🙂

 

Second letter:

 

Miranda:

Your letter must tell a story-a true story. You cannot begin now, as most of it has not yet taken place. And even afterward, there is no hurry. But do not

wait so long that your memory fades. I require as much detail as you can provide. The trip is a difficult one, and I must ask my favors while my mind is sound.

A postscript: I know you have shared my first note. I ask you not to share the others. Please. I do not ask this for myself.

 

 

The Third letter:

 

You will want proof 3 p.m today:Colin’s knapsack.

Christmas Day: Tesser well.

April 27th:Studio TV-15

P.S Yawns do serve a purpose. They cool the brain by bringing air high into the nasal passage, which has the effect of increasing alertness.

 

The last letter:

 

This is the story I need you to tell this and everything that has led up to it Please deliver your letter by hand you know where to find me. My apologies for the terse instructions. The trip is a difficult one; I carry nothing, and a man can only hold so much paper in his mouth.

 

 

I really liked this book because it gives you clues that don’t make sense and then the more you read the more it makes sense. Also the book is the perspective of Miranda’s letter to the letter writer. I would suggest this book if you like books like that and if you like time travel and mini problems aside a bigger one. I would rate this book five stars!