Category Archives: Friendship

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

THE WILD ROBOT by Peter Brown

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This book is about a robot named Roz. In the beginning of the book, she is being shipped somewhere on a boat. The boat gets wiped out in a storm and Roz is stranded on an island inhabited by wild animals. Roz has to learn how to get along with the animals. Roz has a few problems she has to face on the island. One problem is that other dangerous robots come searching for Roz. The main characters are Roz, Brightbill, Roz’s adopted son who is a goose, and the island animals. This book is set in the wilderness in the future, in a time when tons of robots are trained to do jobs like fight, build, and play with their human creators / owners.

Roz is smart, brave and strong. Roz is smart because her robot computer brain can tell her almost anything. She uses it sometimes to find out stuff, for example she searched up how do birds fly to help Brightbill learn to fly. She is brave because when the robots come for her, and endanger her friends, Roz leaves her friends even though she is sad to leave them, to make sure that will not happen again. Roz is strong because her robot body is made of metal and she can knock down trees for building houses. She uses that skill to build her own house.

At one point, Roz gets attacked by two bears named Nettle and Thorn, and then she falls down a mudslide in a thunderstorm with lightning, wind, rain and thunder. She starts thinking about how to survive. Since she does not know what her purpose is, she tries to be like an animal. She learns animal language. She learns about playing dead, camouflage, and other survival strategies. The other animals teach her that and she observes them. The animals are mean to her and call her a monster because they had never seen a robot before. Once they get to know her they stop. She is climbing rocks one day but the rock couldn’t take the weight of a heavy metal robot. It causes an avalanche and ends up killing a family of geese below the rocks. The only survivor is an egg. Roz adopts it and names the baby that hatches from it Brightbill.

My three favorite parts were: When the Rico robots came looking for her because it had a lot of action and fighting. When a fish tries to eat Brightbill because there is suspense and it makes the reader think Brightbill will die but he doesn’t. Also, when the storm with the mudslide happens because it has a lot of detail and it makes a movie in the reader’s mind.
I enjoyed The Wild Robot   because it had a lot of action, humor and sadness. The part when the Ricos came looking for Roz and the animals fought the Ricos and won had a lot of action. A sad part was when Roz had to leave because she could not enda
nger her friends. It had humor because it is kind of funny to see a robot become an animal and try to learn camouflage. I would recommend this book to people who like animals, science fiction and action because it has robot battles. I think this book is unique because there are animal books and robot books but no animal and robot books. I would rate this book five stars.

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

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.  

Mar
17
2017

The Invisible Day, By Marthe Jocelyn

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This book is called The Invisible Day by Marthe Jocelyn. It is about a girl named Billie who finds a makeup bag in Central Park. When she tries to put the makeup on, she realizes she becomes invisible. Billie and her best friend, Hubert make it their mission to make her reappear again through one big adventure in New York City.

Billie is curious, determined, and clever. She is curious because when she first sets eyes on the makeup bag, she can’t stop wondering about it until she finally opens it up and tries out the mysterious makeup. Bille is determined. She works hard to figure out how to become visible again. She is told that the juices from chewed up gum will help to make her reappear. Bille chews and chews and chews. Together with Hubert, the friends keep chewing until they have plenty of gum juice. Lastly, Billie is very clever. She is clever because when Billie reappears, she crafts a story so good that it convinces her family and the police that her backpack was taken by a thief and she was on a mission to get it.

One important and interesting part is when Billie has to step into a bath of crushed crackers and chewed gum juice in the dark. That was the only way that she could become visible again. This part was interesting because it made me think, “Wow! What if I tried to do that!? It might work!” Another interesting part is when Billie was walking by a kid and a grown-up. Billie threw out a banana peel, but she was invisible. The kid called, “Daddy daddy daddy! There is a banana peel floating around!” This was interesting because it made me think, “Does Billie know that there is a kid who might see her throwing this out?” Another funny and interesting part was when Billie was in the bathroom and she was invisible. Two girls came in and Billie heard them talking about her. They didn’t know she was there since she was invisible. This part was funny and interesting because Billie heard all of what they were talking about and she was just trying to get her backpack without them hearing her!

I enjoyed this book. The first reason I enjoyed it is because it was really awesome and every chapter ends with a cliffhanger. It is one of those books that makes you want to read more because you think, “I really want to know what happens next in the book!” Another reason I enjoyed it is because in the book, it is a combination of fantasy, adventure, and realistic fiction. It’s a really good kids book because it’s not too long and it is really interesting. I would recommend this book because if you like adventure and science, you will definitely like it. Also, in the book you meet a lot of different characters and they have different personalities. One character is really funny and you wouldn’t expect it. This book is so unique because it is really just an awesome book about being invisible. It really shows you that if you are determined to succeed at doing something, you can always do it with hard work. I would give this book a five star rating because I could just read it over and over again and still love it every single time.

Feb
16
2017

Artemis Fowl, by Eoin Colfer

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The title of the book is called Artemis Fowl. The author’s name is Eoin Colfer. This book is from a series called Artemis Fowl which takes place in the present in Ho Chi Minh City.  Artemis Fowl is a kid who is a thief. He is only 12 years old. He is trying to get all the money that his family lost. In this book Artemis is trying to find a book that would get him lots of money. The book can unlock fairy secrets and expose all of the fairies’ money. He had to blackmail a witch to get the book. The fairies tried to stop Artemis from getting their money especially Holly Short a Lep-recon officer

Artemis Fowl is sly, cold, determined, and smart. He is sly because he stole a lot of money by tricking fairies and got away with it. He is cold because he captured a fairy and didn’t regret it. Artemis Fowl is determined  because  he  wants to restore his family’s fortune and become the most powerful family in the world.  He is smart because when the fairies attempted to kill him he made it out alive.

One of the most interesting  parts  in the book is when Artemis’s mom didn’t recognize him. I thought this was important because I could almost feel Artemis’s sadness and anger because his mom didn’t  know who he was. One thing I was excited about was when Artemis’s mom got better. But this is bittersweet. It’s bitter because Artemis won’t have anymore Adventures because his mom will be paying attention (he still will). It’s sweet because his mom is healthy and strong and  is going to give Artemis a better childhood.

I loved Artemis Fowl  because the book is action packed, and I love books with action. This book also has trolls and goblins and other creatures, and the way the creatures interact with each other is more interesting to me than people interacting. I would recommend this book to people who like fast paced fantasy fiction. This book is also good for people who like chapter books with easy to read font. It reminded me of many of Rick Riordan’s books like Percy Jackson and the  Kane Chronicles because each book has different creatures and many adventures. It also reminded me of James Bond because he and Fowl like to be sneaky and have lots of gadgets. I would give this book 4 stars out of 5. I would recommend this book to kids aged 7 and up.     

Feb
16
2017

If I Were You, by Leslie Margolis

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The book I am reading is called If I Were You by Leslie Margolis. This book is set in Malibu in 2016. The book is about two girls, Katie and Melody who wish to redo their summer as each other. Katie wants to be stunning and rich like Melody while Melody wants to have two adorable little brothers like Katie. When their wish comes true they realize the grass may not be quite so green on the other side. In this book, each chapter is from Katie’s or Melody’s point of view.

Melody is friendly, positive and she is sensitive to her friends. She is friendly because whenever she is with Katie’s two younger brothers she always wants to hang out with them even though they can sometimes be demanding and annoying. Often, the brothers wake Katie up at 6:00 am to play superheros. On top of that, the brothers usually fight over who is which superhero. She is positive because whenever something isn’t going well she tries to think on the bright side. Melody is sensitive to her friends because she tries not to do things that hurt her friends feelings and when she does she feels bad.

The book talks a lot about friendship and what to do and what not to do. One of the most important parts of the book is when Katie and Melody get in a fight because Melody kept a big secret from Katie. This moment is important because it explains how friends should not keep secrets from each other because it can impact the friendship in a bad way. Another important moment from the book is when Katie and Melody make the wish to redo their summer as each other. This moment is important because it is the moment that drives the rest of the story.

Personally, I enjoyed this book. I liked how each chapter was from either Katie’s or Melody’s point of view. It made the book more interesting because you got to see through each character’s eyes and experience how Katie or Melody felt. I also enjoyed Katie and Melody’s personalities.They are so different from each other it makes the book more unique. I would recommend this book to people who like realistic fiction and people who liked the movie Jessica Darling’s IT List. This book reminds me of the movie Jessica Darling’s IT List. This movie reminds me of If I Were You because the characters are very alike. For example, Jessica is just like Katie. They both have long brown hair, are stubborn, and have a tomboy sense of style. Secondly, Melody is just like Bridget. They both have curly blonde hair, are popular at school, and have a girly-girl sense of style. I would give this book four stars.

 

Feb
16
2017

PAX By Sara Pennypacker and Jon Klassen

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The book I read was Pax by Sara Pennypacker and it is illustrated by Jon Klassen. It is realistic fiction and there are some nice illustrations. This book is about a boy named Peter who has a pet fox named Pax. They are inseparable, but when Peter’s father goes off to war, he forces Peter to abandon Pax in in the forest. The story starts as Peter drives to the forest and leaves Pax. Then Peter has to live with his grandfather while his father is fighting in the war. Peter realizes it was wrong to leave Pax and decides to go on a journey to find him. The main characters are Peter, Pax, some foxes that Pax meets, and a later, a character that Peter meets: Vola. Pax is set in modern times. It is set in a very big forest, Vola’s farm, and the road to the forest where Pax is while Peter is trying to find him.

In this book Peter is the main character. Peter is brave, determined, and strong. He is brave because he went on the journey alone. The journey is dangerous and he does not think he will have help. He is determined because he knows he will find Pax no matter what. He even wants to keep looking for him when he breaks his leg. He is strong because he gets hurt a lot, for example, breaking his leg and he never cries.

After Peter breaks his leg Vola finds him and takes Peter to her farm to help him. Peter is there for a lot of the book. Breaking his leg causes him to live at the farm for a while and that is why it is an important event. Another interesting part of this book is when Pax first meets the other foxes. It makes the reader want to learn more about the foxes, but the reader can’t learn more about the foxes right at that time because the chapter is over. This is because in this book each chapter switches from Pax’s perspective to Peter’s perspective. For example, in the chapter Pax meets the foxes the reader will be reading about Pax and the foxes but the next chapter will be about Peter.

I enjoyed the book because it was suspenseful. I also liked this book because it was hard to know what was going to happen next. For example, I never knew Peter would break his leg and someone would find him and take him to live at a farm. I would recommend this book because it is an adventure, but it does have some violence. Sometimes the violence can be a little intense. Also the pictures are really pretty. Pax has 276 pages so it probably won’t take too long to finish. Pax reminds me of The Good Dinosaur, because in that movie, Arlo, the main character, is far from home on a journey to to get back home. Arlo has a pet Spot, who he loves. Spot reminds me of Pax because he is the main character’s best friend. Arlo the dinosaur reminds me of Peter because they are both main characters on a long journey. Then Arlo meets some T-rex’s who help Arlo get home and they let Arlo and Spot stay with them. The T-rex’s remind me of  Vola because Vola helps Peter and they help Arlo. The T-rex’s help Arlo get home and they let Arlo and Spot stay with them. The T-rex’s remind me of Vola because Vola helps Peter and the T-rex’s help Arlo. I would rate this book 4 stars.

Feb
16
2017

Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Smart Miss Know It All , by Rachel Renee Russell

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In this book the main character is a girl named Nikki. The main plot in this book is that sometimes the main character makes bad decisions and then needs to fix them. Also after she made the bad decision she has a hard time fixing it. For example at a sleepover she got dared to do something that was crazy and she actually did it. In this book it takes place in probably 2017. I think that it takes place in 2017 because she has a portable  phone. She maybe lives in the suburbs because a girl that Nikki is not friends with has a back yard.

The main character is sometimes very unmotivated, busy, and concerned.

Nikki is unmotivated a lot because she makes a problem and then tries to fix and it does not work and she gets really unmotivated and does not want to try again. For example Nikki tries to get a job working at the school and does not get it. After that she just gave up. Luckily her friends made her go back. Nikki is also busy because she is always dealing with a problem or an activity. In the book she has a problem with the girl she does not like and then that got her into a busy job. Nikki is concerned a lot because she is trying to fix one of her problems and she does not know what is going to happen.

In the book I found it interesting that she thought all the exercises she had to do for PE were not what they were supposed to be. For example she thought a curl up was curling her hair. Something that is important to the story is that her friends are really supportive. That is important because if her friends were not supportive she would not fix her problems because she would just give up. In the book it is also important that Nikki has an arch-nemesis. I think this is really important because if she didn’t she probably would not have as many problems. Also almost every problem she has her arch-nemesis is in it.

I enjoyed this book so, so much. In almost every chapter something makes me laugh hysterically. In one chapter she told a man she was going to the bathroom and then came back quickly because she really did not have to go. When she came back, he wondered why she was back so quickly when she said she was going to the bathroom. Another funny thing is that in one of the chapters a cat attacked her. You did not see it coming at all. Also in the book the main character Nikki is a lot like Greg in Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I think this because they are both getting themselves into big problems. In Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Greg and his brother don’t always get along. In Dork Diaries it is the same but Nikki has a little sister. I would really recommend this book because it is so funny and there is always something happening. If I had to rate this book I would give it five stars because I would love to read it again.