Category Archives: Friendship

Jan
14
2015

Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson

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I read Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson. This is the fifth book of the Moomin series. The main characters are Moomintroll and Too-Ticky. The main problem is that Moomintroll wakes up in his hibernation and can’t fall asleep so he has to survive winter. This book takes place in a House a Bathing House and mostly in the Woods.

 

Moomintroll is curious, kind, and brave. He is curious because he saw someone under the sink and he tried calling out “ it’s ok” and he tried leaving out food he tried really hard to find out who was under the sink. Moomintroll is kind because he was kind enough to let a lot of people stay in his house. Moomintroll is brave because he was brave enough to go and save Little My on the breaking ice. Moomintroll and Too-Ticky have to take care of a lot of people that come over so they have a warm place to stay. Something called a Hemulen comes over and the Hemulen is really annoying to everybody. But Salome, the little creep, likes him. Too-Ticky knows about the lady of the cold so she warned everyone to stay inside. If the Lady of the cold looks you in the eye then you freeze. But when the lady of the cold comes, a squirrel forgets to stay inside, so he gets frozen. Moomintroll makes a big decision to not go back to sleep but to see what winter is like.


I enjoyed this book because it shows you how Moomintroll reacted to his first winter. I also like how Tove Jansson is really descriptive about the snow. I would recommend this book because it’s a really good book for people who like books with animals, adventure, friendship, survival and nature. This book connects to my life  because I bet I didn’t like my first winter either because it’s cold and you have to wear too many layers! I rate this book five stars out of five.

Jan
14
2015

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing By Judy Blume

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Peter, in the book Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, has a problem in his family. My book is Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing By Judy Blume. The main characters are Dribble the turtle, Fudge, and Peter. The story is about a boy named Peter who is in fourth grade. He has a little brother named Fudge who is very annoying. All the chapters have a mix of different problems in their life. The book takes place in New York.

 

Peter is very patient because Fudge sometimes does not want to do activities and is babyish. So no matter what Peter encourages Fudge to play nicely. Peter gets frustrated when his mom doesn’t support him when he is arguing with his brother. Peter is also very annoyed that he has a little brother because Fudge is always messing around with Dribble. In fact Fudge actually ate him. One part I found interesting was when Fudge thought he could fly so he jumped off the top of the jungle gym and lost his two front teeth. Then Peter kept calling him “Fangs” because it looked like he had fangs. This made his mother mad but I thought it was funny. Fudge really didn’t care and joked pointing to his mouth saying “All gone.” The funniest part is when Fudge actually ate Dribble… Peter discovered Dribble was missing from his bowl and Fudge was pointing to his belly saying “Dribble in this tummy!” Then his mom took Fudge to the emergency room and the doctor gave Fudge castor oil, milk of magnesia, and prune juice to get Dribble out. Finally at midnight Dribble came out! Fudge came home from the hospital with a hand full of presents from his mom because she felt bad for him. Then their dad came home from work with the biggest present of all. It was for Peter and instead of a new turtle it was a dog!! Peter named it Turtle to remind him of Dribble. The dad said it was for Peter ONLY. This made Peter feel so happy and loved.

 

 

I loved the book because Peter has a lot of things to deal with and it is very funny. I recommend this book to people who read the other Judy Blume books because it is awesome. This book is not really connected to any books I have heard of. I give this book 3 stars because it is not that interesting. I prefer books that are long and take a while to read and are about adventures.

:0 🙂

Jan
12
2015

Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little by Peggy Gifford

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This book is called  Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little. The author’s name is Peggy Gifford. The name of the Series is Moxy Maxwell. This book is about a little girl named Moxy.She has some friends and their names are Sam and Pansy. She has a big brother named Mark and she has an uncle named Ajax. Moxy’s teacher gave the whole class an assignment. The assignment was to read Stuart Little. Her brother read it on the first day of summer but Moxy has not started the book and it is the last day of summer. The setting of this book is in Moxy’s house and the time is September.

Some of my favorite parts of this book are when Moxy keeps stalling so she does not have to read her book. Even though her and Stuart Little are almost inseparable. I also like the part when Moxy comes up with a great idea but it does not turn out so good and when she tries to clean her room! Moxy is kind of bossy because in the book she tells Pansy and Sam what to do. Moxy procrastinates a lot because she does not like to do what she is told! She is a troublemaker because in the book she floods her mother’s prize dahlias!

I really liked this book because it is really funny how she puts off reading until it is too late. I would recommend this book for people that like family books and who like funny books! For example she has one day to finish her book and she wants to train her dogs. And I think it is a family book because it includes her friends and family. This book reminds me of Ramona’s World because they both get into so much trouble! I would give this book 4 stars!

The End!

by:Sierra McDonald

Jan
05
2015

Ophelia an the Marvelous Boy

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imgresThe book I read was Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy written by Karen Fox. The main character is Ophelia. In the book Ophelia’s father works at a museum and when she goes into a room while exploring the museum, she finds a boy behind a locked door. The boy does not have a name and he can never grow old and he tells her to find three keys to get out and defeat the ice queen. The book takes place in London, England on Christmas Eve.

There were some parts that I thought were interesting like there was a part when Ophelia has to find the second key and she goes into a room full of ghosts and one ghost named Kiera helps Ophelia get the key. Another part I thought was interesting was when a statue in the museum of a spanish warrior comes to life while Ophelia is looking for the boy’s sword to defeat the ice queen. Ophelia is an adventurous, brave, and outgoing person. She seems like that because she and the boy go through a lot together.

    I really liked the book because It has magic and adventure. Ophelia and the boy help each other through all the problems.I would recommend this book because it’s a fun book about dark magic on Christmas Eve. It also has a lot of mystery.  From 1-5 I would rate it a 5.

Jan
05
2015

Pie By Sarah Weeks

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10284324I read a book named Pie by Sarah Weeks. The characters names are  Alice  and Polly Portman also known as the pie queen of Ipswich . She is Alice’s aunt too. When Polly passed away no one knew her recipes so they tried to make other pies but none were as good as Polly’s. In her will she left her famous pie crust recipe to Lardo  and that happened to be the name of her mean disagreeable cat Lardo. Then she leaves Lardo to Alice but it doesn’t mean what most people think it means. But luckily for Alice she has a friend that helps her figure out the mystery.It takes place in a town called Ipswich .

Something that I found interesting was Alice’s mother didn’t like her own sister and she thought that Alice loved her aunt but she was still pretty mean to Alice. Alice wasn’t very true to herself when it came to other peoples opinion. That was interesting to me because she  seemed really courageous but when she tried to change who she was that altered my opinion about her. I liked how her friend was always watching her back and helping her when she needed help. I would describe Alice as nice , demanding and funny. Nice because even though she didn’t like a girl from her school named Nora she wasn’t mean and rude to her. Demanding because she wanted to  find Lardo and she was a little demanding  with her friend. Like when her friend didn’t want to ask someone that they didn’t like that much out she was like you have to. Last but not least she is funny because she likes to make funny little songs.

 I liked this book because I really liked Polly’s characteristics like she was wise and she gave good advice.  Alice’s mother went from really mean to nice and they were all happy at the end. I would recommend this book because it was bittersweet. Also the characters were very interesting. I give this book two and a half stars.

 

Jan
05
2015

A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’engle

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wrinklecover9The book that I read is called A Wrinkle In Time. It is written by Madeleine L’engle. The series is called The Wrinkle In time Quintet. The main characters are Meg, Calvin, Charles,  Mr.Murry and Miss Who, Miss Whatsit and Miss Which. The book is about the main characters trying to defeat the Dark thing. There are lots of settings in this book but one of them is called Comotz.

Something that is really interesting is that the author really describes what the characters are feeling and why they are feeling what they are feeling. I found that this book is really complicated so you really have to read slowly. Adding on to what I just said is that sometimes you might have to read the page all over again and then you will get what they’re talking about. Sometimes the author gives you riddles you have to figure out. Meg is very, nice, outgoing and loving. She is nice because when she meets Calvin she helps him and she cares for him. She is outgoing because when she meets Miss Who, Miss Whatsit and Miss Which she does not get all shy, she goes for it and makes friends with them. She is loving because when her brother is in danger she helps him because she loves him.

I thought this book was ok, it was not great but it was not terrible. I like books that have more suspense. And I like books that have a tiny bit of violence in them. I would recommend this book to people who like riddles and to people who like mixed emotions in their books. I wouldn’t recommend this book to people who like violence or to people who don’t like a little love in their books. There is really nothing that I have read that is similar to this book, this book is unique in its own way. I would rate this book a three. I thought it was ok. It was not the best book and I would not read it again.

 

Jan
05
2015

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

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The book I read is called Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. This is the first book in the two book series. The second book is called Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator.  The main characters are Charlie, Willy Wonka, grandpa Joe, Augustus Gloop, Violet Beauregard, Mike TV, Veruca salt and the oompaloompas. The book is mainly about a poor little boy named charlie who wins a golden ticket and gets to go to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory and is one out of the five people in the world who get to go there. The setting takes place in Charlie’s house and the Chocolate Factory back in the late 1900s.

Willy Wonka isn’t just a chocolate factory it’s also a place to get other candies too. For example they have a everlasting gum that never loses flavor and other awesome stuff.Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory is opening for the first time in years after being spied on by other candy factories because the other factories were losing business, so they needed some of Willy Wonka’s ingredients to keep their business’s up. And so Willy Wonka is opening his factory and putting five golden tickets out into five candy bars out of the millions of candy bars out there in the world.One very interesting part in the book to me was the time when it was Charlie’s birthday and he got a chocolate bar as his only present and you would think that he would get a golden ticket but instead he just ended up with an incredible Willy Wonka chocolate bar. Another very interesting part was when Charlie found a bill on the ground which he picked right up and went right to a candy stand and asked for one Willy Wonka bar and in that bar was a golden ticket! An adjective I would use to describe Charlie is that he is very thoughtful. He is thoughtful because When he got the chocolate bar for his birthday instead of eating it all by his self like other kids would probably do he gave some to all his grandparents and parents. He’s also very skinny because he never gets enough to eat. The third adjective mature because he is always trying to do the right thing and he acts as if he’s much older than he really is like how he takes care of his family even at a very young age. The fourth adjective I would use to describe Charlie is that he is always positive.He is always positive because he is always thinking about the good in life and not the bad.

      I love this book! I love it so much that I have even read it four times and would be delighted to read it again. This is probably the first book I have ever really enjoyed and it was so good that it also made me love reading. I definitely recommend this book. Whether you’re a sporty kid, a “I hate reading kid” or an “I hate Roald Dahl kid, you would still love this book. This is definitely one of my favorite books I totally recommend it. I compare this book to James and the Giant Peach another Roald Dahl book because the two boys have crazy things happen to them like flying in giant peach and walking with a giant peach Augustus Gloop. On a one to five star rating I would definitely give it a five.

Jan
05
2015

The Bridge to Terabitha by Katherine Paterson

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Bridge to Terabithia

 

The book I read was Bridge to Terabithia, the author of this book was Katherine Paterson. In this story there are two main characters. They are Jess Aarons and Leslie Burke. Jess really wants to become the fastest kid in the fifth grade. But his plan gets thwarted when the new kid strolls on to the boy’s side and demands to run in the boys race. Later Jess’ desire to be the fastest kid is not really important thanks to the new kid Leslie Burke. She just moved in near Jess. Jess and Leslie are not close in the beginning of the book. But then they become king and queen of Terabithia, Terabithia is Leslie and Jess’s kingdom. This book takes place in Lark Creek, in the early 1970s.

I thought a part that was most interesting was when Leslie and Jess created Terabithia, their imaginary kingdom, when they crossed the dried creek on a rope. I thought that was interesting because it was so creative how they came up with all their rules and structures. I also thought it was extremely important when they made Terabithia. The reason that part was important because it was the start of a great friendship,and important bravery for Jess. I think Leslie is brave because when it was pouring she tried to get across the flooding creek when the rope could break to protect Terabithia from disaster. She is also determined because she kept trying to talk to Jess to become friends when he was mad at her for winning the race. She is really caring to Jess because for Christmas she gave Jess paints and she knew that Jess always wanted paints because Jess really like drawing.

I really liked this book because I always enjoy tough friendships. In the book the tough friendship between Jess and Leslie was when they raced and Leslie won. It was difficult for Leslie because Jess was mad at Leslie because she became the fastest kid and he wanted to be that person.I would recommend this book to fourth graders because it is the right amount of sadness and happiness. Also it is a good creative book. There aren’t any TV shows, movies, or books that I know of that are similar (but you can ask Dan). I would rate this book 3 stars ***.   

Jan
05
2015

Toby Wheeler Eighth-Grade Benchwarmer by Thatcher Heldring

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I read Toby Wheeler Eighth-Grade Benchwarmer by Thatcher Heldring. The main character’s name is Toby Wheeler. The story takes place mostly in Pilchuck Junior High in Seattle. Toby loves basketball but has never played on an actual team. When Toby is playing at the rec center one day, his friend JJ points out that the coach for their school’s travel team is there. JJ is determined to make the roster. Toby meets the coach and the coach gives him a flyer that is his ticket onto the team if he wants to play. Toby doesn’t care so much about the team; he just wants to keep up with his friend JJ. The plot is about how Toby learns to be a good teammate even when he’s sitting on the bench.

 

 

Toby really wants to be on the court in a big moment in a game and when he finally gets to, he realizes that he should just play hard whatever the chance you get, big or small. Toby makes friends with the coach’s daughter, Megan, and he thinks that that friendship is making things worse with his coach, effecting his playing time. It’s not. Toby is just not playing up to his coach’s expectations. Toby thinks Megan wants to be more than friends so he writes her a note that makes the situation even worse. Megan then turns away from Toby. Meanwhile, JJ has a new friend in his band named Steven. Steven’s sister Valerie and JJ have a thing for each other. On Halloween, Toby wants to go trick-or-treating and JJ goes off with his new friends instead. Losing Megan and JJ, Toby feels sad and thinks he has no friends. When he first joins the team, Toby is overconfident in his basketball skills and is surprised to see that he’s not a starter or a key sub. He’s a reserve (benchwarmer). Toby is strong because at the end he’s able to bounce back and with hard work becomes a key sub. Toby is nervous when he wants to ask Megan to the school dance and his nerves get the best of him.

 

 

I liked this book because it was about a sport I play and also because the scenes with the basketball team are hilarious and funny. There’s one part where Toby does an imitation of his coach. It’s like a cold, it’s contagious, everybody on the team starts copying it. Toby’s old rec center rival Vinny Pesto plays for the league champions of the last three years and Toby is determined to beat him for his second time ever. They have lots of trash-talking battles which are crazy. For example: “That’s a nice costume, Pesto. I didn’t know they sold dog-butt masks.” I would recommend this book to sports fans because it is packed with basketball action. I would also recommend it to people who like stories about friendship because this book has friends and frenemies. This book is similar to some of Matt Christopher’s books which are about sports and friendship. I would give this book a rating of 4 stars on a 5-star scale. I can’t give it a full five stars because at some points there is too much happening and it gets a little complicated.

 

                                                              ****

Reviewed by Drew Kaufman

Dec
12
2014

From The Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

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The book I read is From The Mixed-up Files of Mrs.Basil E.Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg. The main character is Claudia. The book is about Claudia and her little brother Jamie running away. The book mainly takes place in New York at the Metropolitan Museum of Art but it never tells you what year it is but I’m guessing it takes place in the late 50s or the 60s because they had really cheap things like a hot fudge Sunday cost 27 cents and back then things were cheaper.

Claudia is the oldest out of her three brothers so she get the most chores and least amount of money in her allowance and she wanted to go on an adventure. So she goes to the Metropolitan Museum of Art with her brother Jamie and they decided to learn everything about everything there. Once it was Jamie’s turn to choose so he chose the Italian Renaissance because he thought it sounded important and when they  were walking through the Italian Renaissance they saw a line of people and they went to the line while the line was moving they saw a statue. Claudia wanted to know everything about the statue.The statue was a statue of an angel and people were trying to see if Michelangelo made the statue or not. So Claudia and Jamie wanted see if it was Michelangelo who made it or not so they found a clue and wrote a letter to the Museum but the Museum said that they already saw that clue and need more evidance that it was him. So Claudia and Jamie go to Mrs.Basil’s house and Mrs.Basil was the person who sold the statue to the Museum. Mrs. Basil tells  Claudia and Jamie that they have one hour to look for the files that say if he did the statue or did not do the statue.

I liked the book because I think it was a good book for me.  It also had like mystery and adventure that I like. I recommend this book to people who like mystery and a touch of adventure. I would also recommend this book because of  the style of the words they used are descriptive words and sentences which I personally liked . I think this book is different than other books because I have never read a book about someone running away and hiding in a museum before. I would give this book four out of five stars because it was a really good book but I don’t thinks it’s so good  it will  make me want to read it again and again.