Category Archives: Magical Realism

Dec
12
2014

Harry Potter and Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

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The  amazing book I read is called Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling. The main character is a boy named Harry Potter. Harry goes to a school in a place called Hogwarts and meets these two nice kids named Hermione and Ron. They go to the same house called Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and the house where a lot of dark wizards went, Slytherin.

One important thing in the book was when Harry was two years old and the darkest wizard known as Voldemort (which means flight of death in French) came to Harry’s house and killed his parents. Somehow, he couldn’t kill Harry and instead of killing Harry, Voldemort lost a lot of power. Another very important part was when Harry heard Snape, the head of Slytherin, talk about a sorcerer’s stone. This made Harry feel like Snape was going to steal whatever the sorcerer’s stone was.

Harry is a very brave child, for example later in the book Harry fights someone who was being controlled by Voldemort and instead of running away Harry fights the guy under the control of Voldemort and puts up a good fight. Another thing is that he is very sneaky, for example his father had an invisibility cloak that Harry always used to sneak around the school to look for any sign of a dark wizard. The third thing is that Harry is very unselfish, he is very unselfish because he is always doing things for others and not himself. For example Harry wasn’t friends at first with Hermione but he still saved her life from a troll in the girls bathroom which began their friendship.

This is the greatest book of all time!!! It is funny, creative, emotional, and it feels as though you are in the book. I definitely recommend this book because it puts you in a good mood when you read it and when you read it, you don’t want to stop reading it. I do not compare any book or television show to this book because you could guess what happens in other books or shows and a lot of books and shows have the same plot, but in this book you have no idea what will happen. On a rating from one to five I would give it a one hundred.

Dec
12
2014

Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder by Jo Nesbo

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doctor proctor's fart powderMy book is Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder book 1 by Jo Nesbo. The three main characters are Nilly, Doctor Proctor, and Lisa. The book is about Lisa living in her neighborhood with no friends because her best friend Anna just moved very far away. A boy named Nilly moves into Anna’s old house and Nilly and Lisa become friends. Then they meet Doctor Proctor, who shows them all of the crazy inventions he made. Then he shows them Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder and Nilly and Lisa want to try it so he lets them do some tests and then they sell it. The settings in the book are Cannon Avenue, The School, The Dungeon Of The Dead, The Sewer, and The Professors Cellar.

One part of the book that I thought  was interesting was when Nilly gives Truls and Trym some Fartronaut powder and they go flying up to the top of the big oak tree. An important part of the book is when Truls and Trym steal the fart powder. Another part of the book that I thought was interesting was when Nilly and Doctor Proctor get arrested. An interesting part of the book is when Nilly goes into the sewer and he gets eaten. I think Doctor Proctor is very smart because he made fart powder. I think Lisa is really afraid of Truls and Trym because when she walks to school she tries very hard to avoid them. I think Nilly is very short because in the book it said Nilly could almost reach the top of the 3 ½ foot fence.

I really enjoyed this book because it is about farts and it has very interesting characters.I would recommend this book to others because it is funny and it has an interesting plot. I think this book kind of relates to Spongebob because it is very random and silly. I give this book 4 stars because it wasn’t the best book I have ever read, but it was a very good book.

 

Dec
12
2014

Spirits Key by Edith Cohn

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 Spirits Key by Edith Cohn is about a girl named Spirit Holden. She is twelve years old and she lives on an island called Bald Island. Spirit and her family (not including her mom because her mom died) have a gift, when they hold someone’s house key, they can see that person’s future. The story is mainly about Sky, Spirit’s dog. Sky is one of the wild baldie dogs the islanders believe possess devil spirits. Sky mysteriously dies and Spirit has to find out why.

I like the way the author makes every day objects into something magical. Two of my favorite parts were first, when spirit touches Sky’s dog tag for the first time and Sky’s ghost appears. Second, when spirit gets a letter from “holden spirits” that is delivered to her by an eagle. The letter was pinned to a box that had a dog toy in it. I enjoyed this part because the letter just falls out of the sky. The book is suspenseful because surprises seem to fall out of nowhere throughout the story.

I like that Spirit has such strong character. Spirit is brave, fearless and adventurous and she is never scared to take on a challenge or travel even if it is extremely dangerous;  For example, she goes straight into a baldie cave and almost gets her arm bitten off. I think this book is kind of like Harry Potter because both of the main characters can see the future but it’s never perfect or exactly the future. I enjoyed Sprits key and would recommend this book because of it’s strong characters and because it’s a fun-to-figure-out-mystery.

I would give this book three stars.

Sep
04
2014

ARTEMIS FOWL, THE LAST GUARDIAN EOIN COLFER

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This book takes place in two different worlds. The human world, and the underground fairy world. The main characters are Artemis Fowl, his bodyguard Butler, and a LEP (Lower Elements Police) officer the elf Holly Short from the underground fairy world. The main problem is the super villain, the pixie Opal Koboi.

Opal has reanimated buried fairy warriors called the Berserkers. She has bonded them to do her bidding. Opal’s master plan is to destroy the humans. But to do that, she must unleash the power of Danu. The main character Artemis Fowl decides he must sacrifice to stop Opal. Of course, no one expected this. Artemis has always been very self preserving, and sort of greedy. Here is a quote announcing that. “Artemis Fowl planned to attack with the one weapon Opal Koboi would never suspect him of possessing: his humanity.”

I found this book funny, intense, and full of suspense. I really enjoyed it. If you like that sort of thing to, you should totally read it. There are also some really surprising moments, of course, but that is to be expected. It’s Artemis Fowl. He always was surprising. I would rate this book ten out of five stars.

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Sep
03
2014

The Blood Guard By Carter Roy

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This summer I read the book, The Blood Guard by Carter Roy. It takes place in Brooklyn, and an anonymous urban/suburban area. The main characters are Evelyn (Ronan) Truelove, Greta, Ronan’s redheaded old classmate and Jack Dawkins, a member of the blood guard and teenaged pickpocket. In the beginning of the book there was a prologue.  Ronan stayed home sick for school. And the house mysteriously got set on fire… He evacuated safely after leaping of the roof of his house. The main problem begins when Ronan gets picked up from his new school (because he moved after his house blew up) by his mom and she told him that his dad got kidnapped and they got chased by the “police”. They actually are not police.

 

 

That was a lot of information. Let me get down to the basics. There are 36 Pure human beings who always, every single time do the right thing. If one of them dies, something really bad happens to the world. WWII happened because one of the Pure died. They are the glue that keeps together the world.

 

By the way, the people who kidnapped Ronan’s nerdy dad were the people who were chasing Ronan’s mom, Bree, and Ronan. Yeah, those people I called “police” are actually agents of a bad guy group called the Bend Sinister. They believe that the world is horrible and they want a new start where they are the only people in the world left and then they can start anew. They are basically terrorists. “HOW IN THE WORLD CAN YOU GET RID OF BILLIONS OF PEOPLE BUT YOU!!!??,” You might be asking yourself. The answer is simple. Assassinate the 36 Pure.

 

The good guys in this book are, of course, the Blood Guard. They are people who dedicate their lives to protect the Pure. Bree is one of the Blood Guard. And much more characters you discover are too! Throughout the book the Bend Sinister chase Ronan for an unknown reason. There is a lot more, I just don’t want to spoil it. Come on, do yourself a favor and read this fantabulous book. The problem does get resolved,  and I’m talking about almost everything I mentioned. Almost…

 

(PS, I couldn’t find a quote to say that the problem was resolved.)

 

 

Here are my ratings of this awesome book. I enjoyed reading it over a weekend not in 2 hours like I do with some books. I also enjoyed the book because it was medium paced. It does not have many cliffhangers, and you can put it down whenever you want which is not always the case with some books. I would recommend this book to an action adventure and humor reader that has a fair amount of time on his/her hands. I say this because it is not a skinny book but it is not as fat as War and Peace or Moby Dick so you will probably finish it in a few days if you keep at it. I would rate this book four out of five stars.

 

Aug
25
2014

Spelling B and The Missing Magic, By Lexi Connor

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My book is called Spelling B And the Missing Magic by Lexi Connor. The main characters are a girl named B her best friend George and their substute  teacher mr bishop. B’s main problem is that her whole family has a magic powers and she does not. When B’s class has a spelling bee and the prize are behind the scenes tickets to a concert with a band called the black cats weird things keep happening after B spells a word. then the prize tickets go missing and everyone starts to worry and B needs to find them.

 

I think without that small little scene where mr bishop says we are having a spelling B is a big but small event because without the spelling b the rest of the more fun events wouldent happen in this book B does make a big desision but I am not going to say because it will spoil the book. At the end B‘s problem gets resolved! “I have to miss spell it, their is no other way. Bye-bye tickets.”   

 

I loved my book it was fun, funny and magical. A reader who likes a book about mgic and fantasy and realistic ficton tied together in one  would like this book becaure the is B and B’s family who are magical and the rest of it is normal town normal school and a little bit of freindship. I would rate this book 4 & ½ stars!     

Jun
03
2014

Freakling, By Lana Krumweide

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Freakling, by Lana Krumwiede, Is about a boy named Taemon. He and his family live in a futuristic religious world that in a place called Deliverance, everyone worships “The Heart Of The Earth”.

 

The Heart Of The Earth AKA, THOTE, gave everyone in Deliverance telekinesis, which they like to call psi. But, some people in this world have other special additional powers, like clairvoyance, for example, the young lady touched her iphone™ and immediately knew who owned it before her. Basically it is when he/she interacts with an object and immediately knows some random piece of information about it.

 

That is only one of the special powers. Taemon has one of the others. Priests in the THOTE temple arrest and banish people who have special telekinesis. Can Taemon stay safe? Can he even trust his own brother Yens? Read the book to find out.

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Jun
03
2014

Unwanteds :Island of fire

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This book is called Unwanteds written by Lisa McMann.This takes place on a island called Artime. Artime is an island that is green all over but has a mansion in the middle.  If you have read my other book reviews then you know that the main character is a boy named Alex and his new friends Sky and Crow, and his old friends Meghan, Samheed and Lani. In the third book Alex is under pressure now that the Unwanteds have no food, no water and are looking to Alex for answers. As Alex tries to pull everything together by getting the voice stealing thorn necklace off Meghan and finding Lani and Sameed.

In Quill, another section of the Island, Aaron has been planning an attack on Artime ever since he got a band of people riled up and then when he had taken over as high priestess and kidnapped high priestess haluki. Alex has to now decipher a cryptic note Mr.Today had left at his parting, a riddle:

Follow the dots at the traveling sun

Magnify, focus, every one

Stand enrobed where you first saw me

Utter in order; repeat times three.

“The unwanteds were beginning to starve. He handed it back to Henry and shook his head.”Give it to meg,”he said.”no, wait… to Carina Fathom and her baby. They need it most. Alex swallowed hard a

nd turned away so he wouldn’t be tempted to grab it back again.”  Alex is sacrificing everything for the Unwanteds, so they can live and keep Mr. Todays legend going.

I enjoyed this book because it has twists and turns you would never expect to happen, for example how Megan’s character had the necklace of thorns inserted on her neck and how they kidnapped Governor Haluki. I would recommend thisbook to people who like magical realism, action, adventure and drama. Unwanted would be a book for anyone who like dystopian books. The events in the stories fit like a puzzle piece. I would give this book 4 stars.

 

May
01
2014

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In A Ship Of Her Own Making By Catherynne M. Valente

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The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In A Ship Of Her Own Making is a very complicated but awesome book by Catherynne M. Valente. September, an ordinary 12 year old girl, is tired of washing pink teacups and playing with the same small amiable dog, and longs for adventure, the kind of adventure girls have in fairy tales. But she can’t find very much of that in Omaha, Nebraska. That’s why when the green wind rides up on a leopard and asks if September wants to go to Fairyland, she immediately accepts. (Wouldn’t you?) But there’s trouble in Fairyland, and September needs to sort it all out; and of course, there is fun included.

 

Through all her problems and adventures, September has always had friends to help her. All, strange, yes, one being made out of soap, another being half dragon half library. And she’s made many sacrifices along the way for other creature’s benefits, including trading her shadow for a pooka girl’s safety. She also has visited some very strange cities, like a city where it’s always Autumn, and a city made out of yarn. “I wonder if every city in Fairyland is made of some strange thing?” is all September can say when she steps through the bread gates of a town made all out of golden-brown baked goods.

 

I thought I wouldn’t like this book at first because I thought it was one of those magical-land books where the character goes on the same boring old-fashioned adventures, wishes to go home, and gets home. But it’s more of a mix between a book of riddles and The Wizard of Oz, with the bad parts of each taken out. So I would recommend this book to people who like both. I like both, and I loved this book, though at some points it got a little too crazy to understand the direction of the story. I would rate this book 4 stars because I loved it, but it was hard to understand at some points and it got a little boring towards the middle. But don’t stop reading in the beginning, because that’s what I did, but my mom told me to keep reading, and it got better.

P.S: The book’s as good as the title!

      

May
01
2014

Spirits in the Park, By Scott Mebus

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warning this is a second book in the series

 

Rory has known about Mannahatta, the Native American world, for a very long time. Rory is a really good basketball player, he is strong, filled with passion and loves everything. “The boy can’t relax.” Says Rory’s sister. Rory is known as the light because he can see the spirits. The spirits world is mixed with the normal world and the gods who ruled New York City in its early days.

 

Only a month ago is when the earthquake struck. The earthquake affected him and his family. And then Sergeant Kiffer takes Rory to his place which is a not very good bar. This is no ordinary earthquake, though. Is it New York City attempting at breaking the Trap around Central Park that holds the in the Munsee Indians? Or is it something else?

 

The Trap must open or the balance between Mannahatta and Manhattan will be destroyed! And only Rory can open it. But will Rory take help from his newfound friends, including the band of children of the gods? A.K.A the Rattle Watch?

 

The book includes encounters with some of New York most famous figures, including Washington Irving, Captain Kidd and Bill the Butcher who will help Rory figure out how to do that. And the answer may just surprise him. . . .

 

I give this a book a 3 out of 5 stars because I was not on the tip of my toes the whole time. I like books that have a dangerous corner every page of the book. I read the first and that was much different. Things happened after one thing was resolved. This book isn’t half as good as the first.