Category Archives: Nature

May
29
2015

Middle School book 6 by James Patterson

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My book is Middle School book 6 Save Rafe! It is by James Patterson. In the video the main character Rafe is climbing a mountain because he needs to pass a training camp to go back to his old school that he got expelled from. He needs to go back because his new school that he goes to is closing so now he needs to go back to his old school. He needs to go to the training camp because the principal won’t let him come back to the school easily because they have very strict rules and he broke almost all of them. I would rate this book 4 stars.

Finn's Book Review from Namita Tolia on Vimeo.

Apr
08
2015

Warriors: Into the Wild by Erin Hunter

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Warriors: Into The Wild

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I read the second best book in the world, it is called Into the Wild by Erin Hunter. Into the Wild is part of the series Warriors. The book is about a kittypet (a house cat) called Rusty. Rusty lives in a house right next to the woods. One day Rusty goes into the woods and gets attacked by some ThunderClan warriors (wild cats) who ask Rusty if he wants to be part of the ThunderClan. The rest of the book is about Rusty’s life living as a ThunderClan cat. The book takes place in the ThunderClan camp in the woods. The book always makes me feel like I am with Rusty on one his adventures.

 

Rusty does not always keep his name He is also known as Firepaw. If I were to describe Firepaw with three adjectives, they would be: brave, sneaky and smart. I think Firepaw is brave because he always tries to protect his clan and he always wants to help keep the clan alive by catching prey or fighting in battles. Firepaw is sneaky because he does not always follow the warrior code and does not always do what he is told. I think Firepaw is smart because he knows how to attack in different ways on different cats. The problem in the story is that the ThunderClan cats think the ShadowClan cats are going to attack. An interesting and important part of the book is the beginning of the book when Firepaw goes out in the woods and gets attacked. Firepaw gets attacked by ThunderClan cats who surprisingly offer him to join the ThunderClan. The only reason they asked this question is because the ThunderClan needs more warriors. Another interesting and important part of the book is when Firepaw fights the loner cat Yellowfang and breaks warrior code. Firepaw was hunting for food for the clan, and after the fight with Yellowfang he saw she was very hungry and he was very hungry so he caught a rabbit and gave it to Yellowfang and he ate the scraps. The first rule in warrior code is always feed the clan before feeding yourself.

I really liked this book and the writing style . I like it because it is about cats and I love cats. I also liked this book because the story is really interesting.  I was so into this book a soccer ball flew over my head while I reading the book and I didn’t notice. The characters are also really fun. I would recommend this book to whoever likes cats and is okay with a lot of dying. Like I said this book is really good and whenever I read about the cats it makes me want to cuddle with my own cats. All people who like Harry Potter and also like cats should read this book. There are other cat warrior books but they are not part of the series. There are also other books in this series that I have not read. I rate this book five stars!

 

 

 

 

Feb
26
2015

George Washington’s Socks A Time Travel Adventure By Elvira Woodruff

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imgresI read a book called George Washington’s Socks, by Elvira Woodruff. I don’t know if this is in a series or not but Elvira Woodruff wrote other books. The main character’s name is Matt. There are four other main characters, Q, Tony, Hooter, and Katie. The setting is in Nebraska and  New Jersey. The time is the 20th and 18th centuries. One night on their first club camp out, they were reading a book about George Washington when he crossed the Delaware River. They didn’t really feel that cool so they wanted an adventure. There was a lake near where they were camping so Q, Tony, Hooter, Matt, and Katie all camped out by the lake. When they got to the lake they saw a boat. Now just think of this, the name of the boat is Emit Levart, if you look closely you’ll see it. Read the title.

 

One thing I think is important to know is when the kids cross the Delaware river  they are wearing 20th century clothes. Think of how strange it would be to be a soldier seeing them. Another thing that I think is important to know is that when they time travelled  they came back at sun rise so the parents didn’t know what had happened. Except when Katie the little sister told her parents what happened the past night. One adjective that I thought goes well with Matt is courage. An example was when Matt was riding Blackjack the horse through the dark woods. Another adjective is bravery. An example was when Matt pick up the muskets to tried to scare the Hessians. He, Hooter, and Tony all failed. The last adjective is confident. The example was when Tony got mad that they could not get home but Matt always said “We will get home, I promise.”

I liked this book because there is always a problem. You can or can’t guess what what the next thing is going to be. I recommend this book to people that like adventures. Also to people that like time travel. This book reminds me of a book we read last year called “The Magic Tunnel.” That book was also about time travelling. But The Magic Tunnel was when the English took over New Amsterdam. I rate this book five stars. *****

Feb
26
2015

The Cats Of The Tanglewood Forest by Charles De Lint

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15716291I read The Cats Of The Tanglewood Forest by Charles De Lint. The book is about a girl who gets bitten by a snake and turns into a cat and the main character is a girl named Lillian.The setting of the book is on Lillian’s aunt’s farm next to a forest. It is in the country in America.

One adjective to describe Lillian is brave. I think this because she worked for giants and she didn’t run away until she had a reason to other than because they are scary. I think Lillian is kind. I think this because she gives someone something to eat when they’re hungry. I think Lillian is curious. I think so because she tries to find fairies in the forest. A part of the book I found interesting was when Lillian turns into a cat. I think this is interesting because it surprised me that someone would turn into a cat because they were getting bitten by a snake. Another part I found interesting was when Lillian has a potion that makes you able to speak with animals. I think this is interesting because it would be cool to be able to speak with animals. I think this because you could understand what they’re saying.

I enjoyed this book. I loved it because it is fantasy. I like fantasy because anything can happen and it is a surprise what happens next. I also enjoyed it has a lot of exciting things going on at the same time. I would recommend this book. I think you should read it because  it because it is a great fantasy book. I think this book is similar to Warriors Into The Wild. I think it is similar because it also has cats. I would rate it five stars.

 

Feb
26
2015

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

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imgresThe book that I am writing about is called Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. The book is about a girl named Winnie Foster that  discovers a secret from the Tucks family and is deciding to keep their secret or tell it to someone. Also the Tucks family goes on never ending  journeys and Winnie Foster is thinking to join them or to stay where she is. The setting of the book is in several places, on journeys with the Tucks family  and at home. The setting of the country but it  changes a lot throughout the book which sometimes gets confusing because you have to read very closely.

The three adjectives I would call Winnie Foster would be stubborn, because Winnie wouldn’t listen to her friends when they were trying to tell her something important which was she needed to go  and she wouldn’t listen at all and did what she wanted to do. Another adjectives I would describe Winnie Foster is positive because there is one part where Mae, someone that Winnie knows, was in jail and they were getting her out secretly without telling the cops. And a friend of Winne’s  comes up with a solution  to bail Mae out, the boy that made the idea up doubts himself and  Winnie says, ”The plan is going to work come on lets get Mae out.” The other adjective is caring,  because there was a toad and he was drying out because he didn’t have any water so Winnie gets a cup of water and sprinkles it on the toad so it can get water in his system.

 

An interesting part in the book was when Mae had a shotgun and shot a man in a yellow suit right through the back of his skull and he dropped like a tree. I thought that was interesting because why would Mae do that to a man that didn’t do anything to her?  Another interesting part in the book would be when they were bailing Mae out of the jail secretly because the cop was watching her in the cell. And the jail guard was keeping an eye on Mae and she escaped with no problem with the guard there.

 

I enjoyed the book a lot because Natalie Babbitt writes very descriptive manner and I can make a picture in my head and imagine that I am in the book. Also I think Natalie Babbitt is a fantastic writer, I love her books! Another reason I loved the book is because the Tucks family goes on never ending journeys and I think journeys can end up good or bad. So I like that she included some adventurous  features in the book. I would definitely recommend this book because if you like adventurous, and descriptive writing  then you are going to love the book absolutely! Tuck Everlasting reminds me of this television show called Once Upon a Time a little bit because in Once Upon a Time they have adventures and sometimes the show can have sad parts in it. I would give this book five ***** (stars) because I love the way Natalie Babbitt writes her books the  style of the descriptive writing. Natalie Babbitt has several different books and I think you should check them out!

 

Feb
25
2015

Aaron’s Gift by Myron Levoy

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My story is called Aaron’s Gift, from the book The Witch of 4th Street, by Myron Levoy.  This story is about Aaron Kandel and an injured pigeon he found in Tompkins Square Park.  He found the pigeon when he went to the park to go skating.  Aaron noticed that the pigeon could not fly. He decided to take the pigeon home and ask his mother if he could keep it there. His mother said yes because the pigeon was injured.  He tried to fix the pigeon.  His grandmother lived with his family and loved animals. She would feed the birds that came to their fire escape and would also talk to them. The main setting of the story is Aaron’s house in the Lower East Side.

 

Aaron is thoughtful because he wanted to save the pigeon. He is gullible because later in the story he falls for a trick the older boys play on him. Aaron was smart because he taught the pigeon how to take things back and forth using popcorn. One important part of the story is when the older boys tried to kill the pigeon by putting Pidge in a fire. Luckily, the pigeon flew away before they put him in the fire. He was planning to the give the pigeon to this grandmother for her birthday. Aaron was sad because he could not give Pidge to her because it flew on top of a tenement. But his grandmother thanked him because the pigeon was free which made her happy.

 

I enjoyed the story because it was happy in the beginning when he found the pigeon. It was scary and sad in the middle when the older boys tried to kill his pigeon and beat him up. And then it was happy again in the end when he got home safely and his grandmother was happy that the pigeon was free. I would recommend this story because it has a lot of drama and unexpected scenes. I would also recommend this if you enjoyed the other stories in this book. I would rate this story four stars.

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Jan
29
2015

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

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imgres The book I read was written by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The main character is Mary Lennox. Mary was a girl who had a mother who only liked to go to parties and did not care about Mary. So, her mother gave Mary an Ayah (a nanny) to look after her. This made Mary very selfish and a person nobody would love or care about. Then cholera came to where she lived and her Ayah, mother, and father died. Then she was sent to Yorkshire to live with her Uncle Craven at Misselthwaite Manor. Which is where the book mainly takes place.

A really interesting part was when Mary heard about a garden at the manor that had been locked up for ten years. She also heard that Mr. Craven buried the key somewhere in the gardens. Another interesting part was when she heard a crying child and asked Martha ( Mrs. Medlock’s servant) what it was. She said it was the wind. But Mary knew it was a person. Mary is contrary because she once said that if a lot of people wanted her to do something she said she wouldn’t do it (even dying). She is also a lonely person because when a robin wanted to become friends with Mary she didn’t have any friends before that. She is also a nature lover because she loves gardening all kinds of flowers.

I thought this book was excellent because Mary learns what it’s like to have friends. There is also a lot of mysteries in Misselthwaite Manor. I would recommend this book because it has some pretty funny parts. Also everyone thinks of Mary in a different way. From one to five I would rate this four ½.

 

Jan
29
2015

The Elf of Union Square by Jan Carr

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I read The Elf of Union Square by Jan Carr. From the title you can figure out that the main character is a elf and that the book takes place in Union Square. The elf’s name is Hiram and he has lived in Union Square Park for awhile. Hiram doesn’t like it that people are happy in the newly cleaned-up park so he has rigged Union Square with all sorts of boobytraps such as soap on the monkey bars and doo-doo in the walkways. A 10-year-old boy named Jack thinks something is going on in the park and decides to figure out what the deal is. He gets help from a reporter from The New York Times named Will. Hiram has a diabolical plan to get everyone in Union Square to fight and to yell at each other. He gets help with his plan from lots of rats who live in the park. Hiram’s main helper is a rat named Knut. Knut is especially good at soaping because he runs fast.

An important part in the book involves Hiram’s hat. It is important because the hobo named Lincoln (he’s called that because he thinks he is Abraham Lincoln) says that he’s seen Hiram before. To stop Lincoln from telling everyone more about him, Hiram puts a piece of soap in Lincoln’s pocket to frame him. A policewoman asks Lincoln to empty his pockets and when Lincoln does he finds the soap he didn’t know he had. Lincoln gets arrested. Hiram is mean spirited because he just wants people to fight and yell at each other. Hiram hides in a restaurant called Fare in the Square where all the kids hang out and he floods all the toilets with toilet paper when the kids are in the bathroom. The restaurant manager hates this and throws everyone out. Hiram is also very grumpy. He never listens to anybody. When Knut asks Hiram where he was born, Hiram cuts him off. But Hiram also develops a soft side in working with Knut. When Hiram figures out that there is rat poison in the park, he realizes that rats are dying so he runs to find Knut to make sure he is safe. Hiram is clever because he’s been putting boobytraps for years at Union Square Park and has never been caught.

I liked this book because it was funny and dumb. It was funny because who doesn’t want to read about people stepping in dog doo-doo? That part was pretty dumb , too. It’s also dumb because you don’t think of elves being friends with rats (and you don’t think of them talking, either). I would recommend this book to people who like humor and fictional characters. Also, people who like history might enjoy this book because it talks about Union Square from a long time ago. I think it’s similar to a TV show on the Disney Channel because it’s funny but not inappropriate. Otherwise, it would relate to Cartoon Network. I would rate this book 3 stars because it wasn’t my absolute favorite or even close to being one of my favorites.

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Jan
14
2015

The Prophet of Yonwood

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I chose this book because I enjoyed the first 2 books in the series The City of Ember. The author’s name is Jeanne Duprau, and the name of my book is The Prophet of Yonwood. The book is about Nickie who wants to accomplish three goals; something good for the world, fall in love, and not let her family sell her grandfather’s building. The main problem is a war is about to happen between America and the Phalanx Nations. The setting is Yonwood in America. The time is around the twenty-first century. Grover is another kid Nickie meets who studies snakes. He wants to study to become a herpetologist but he doesn’t have money to go to study this subject.

 

The main character is Nickie,who is adventurous, brave, and caring. Nickie is caring because she played a lot with Otis, her grandfather’s dog. Nickie is adventurous because she went downstairs to see what the clanging noise was.  Nickie hoped to achieve her goal #1,2, and 3. Nickie sent Grover $375, because Grover did not have money to study about snakes. Grover became a herpetologist and discovered a new type of snake that had a chemical that could be used as a powerful painkiller. Grover only became a herpetologist because Nickie gave him $375. Nickie was worried about the war. The president’s deadline was 1 day from war. The war didn’t happen in the end because the president stopped it. Nickie really misses her dad, who is working for the government on a secret mission. At the end of the book, she finds out where her dad is. This book also explains a lot about Ember: how it was created, why it was created and where it was created. Nickie’s dad was involved in the creation of Ember. The most interesting part was the end of the book where we got a glimpse to the future, and found out that the city of Ember was needed 50 years later.

 

I enjoyed the book because it has lots of cool things. It also has code that Nickie figures out where her dad was. It is very interesting because the prophet occasionally says things that came from her vision. The vision was a future glimpse.   I would recommend this book to people who have read the other two books, because it explains a lot of things about the city of Ember. A connection to life:  I have lived where there was a war before, and I am also interested in snakes like Grover. I would rate this book 5 stars but I wouldn’t want to read it again because I know what happens. I also don’t want to reveal a lot of information about the book, because I don’t like spoiling books for other people.

By Alon

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.