Category Archives: Nature

Dec
12
2014

The People of Sparks by Jeanne Duprua

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The book I read is The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau. This book is the second book of Ember. The main characters of the book are Lina and Doon. They are both twelve and Lina has a baby sister named Poppy  (if you did not read the City of Ember, STOP reading this review  and go read the first book otherwise some things get spoiled! Linas mom and dad died because The City of Ember is underground and Linas parents were trying to get out so Lina lived with Poppy and her grandmother but Linas grandmother gets sick and dies (all in the first book). She moved in with Mrs. Murdo who is like a mom to them . The book is mainly about how at the end of The City of Ember they come out  of the ground and look for a city. They find a city called “Sparks” that they join and try to share the world. They are trying to avoid war they are having food shortages and not much  supplies to live on. They have these people called Roamers who go out to new places and bring things back to use they trade at the Sparks Plaza they get things like pots and pans matches candles cloth or clothing magnets and games seeds to plant food and things like that… The setting in the book is in Sparks a very naturey place and lots of green, not many homes, fallen apart furniture and not much that we have now.

I found out that the book is in the future and the book leaves a lot of clues why like they mention that in the  past they had moving pictures called movies and now they don’t also they had things that take pictures called a camera and now they have none of that stuff now and if you read the book you will find out all the clues.  In the book the People of Sparks have a  special weapon it reveals the weapon at the end of the book.I know what the weapon is but I don’t want to spoil. One of my favorite parts of the book is when someone from either Ember or Sparks throws tomatoes at the supplies shed and then it starts to get tense between them and other things start to happen….. Three adjectives that describe Lina and Doon are adventures, nice and curious they were the ones that lead everyone out of Ember so the are like the leaders of Ember.

I really really like this book I liked the first one and the second. Something I really like about these books are that they have mysteries and you have to find them out. I would recommend this book if you like adventures books. Also if you like funny books this is a good book for you because the Emberitties don’t know what a lot of things are that the people of Sparks have because were they come from has barley  anything that we have now they don’t know what these things are like lemons,trucks,apricots, and lots more. Some other books that are like this book are Percy Jackson and Harry Potter they are just a little similar the only thing is that this book has no magic and is a lot shorter. I like this book better than Percy Jackson and Harry Potter.  Out of 1-5 I would give it a 4 ½ but you should read it!!!

Dec
12
2014

The One And Only Ivan by Katherine Applgate

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                The book I read was The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. The main character’s name is Ivan, he is a gorilla that is personified and he’s a really smart when it comes to logic and noticing all the little details in his life like the fingerprints of children on the glass of his terrain.He’s also good at seeing things a different way like how the sun reminds him of a ripe nectarine and how some humans are like chimps. The book is about Ivan doing the same things in his cage  or  terrain  then his life takes a big turn and it’s time for him to to step up and protect someone he said he would protect and be the mighty Silverback he’s supposed to be with the help of his friends and artistic vision. He lives in a mall called the Big Top Mall where he has many nicknames and a few neighbors none of which are gorillas. For 9855 days he was alone.

  Some things I liked in this book was the author’s use of language and how she was always making similes and really thinking about  how a gorilla might feel about his life and the things around him. Another thing I liked was how people in the story gave him many different names with different  meanings like The One And Only Ivan or Ivan, Mighty Silverback . The two last things  I really liked about this book were, one – I love the big feelings Ivan has in this book and the strong opinions he has and two – Ivan is a really great friend with a big heart that he’s always sharing with the animals and people around him. Three adjectives I would use to describe Ivan are; interesting, because he always has very strong opinions that I find interesting like the idea people talk to much and I really wanted to read on to see what he thought about the matter. I would also consider Ivan a little bit gross because of the stuff he likes to eat like banana peels and yogurt raisins . The last word I would use to describe Ivan is Patient, because he doesn’t always freak out when people our being mean to him by spitting, throwing rocks, and some other mean stuff but he always keeps his cool.

 I really enjoyed this book because it was full of big feelings like how he felt about being in a cage. It was cool to see how other people thought about what was going on inside a gorillas head. I think it would have been cool if I could hear it from someone else’s point of view maybe Ivans mom or dad or someone else he was close to . My teacher Jen recommended it to me so if you like it talk to her about more books. I have never read a book like this it was phenomenal  and a delight to read. I loved it I want to read it again so i give it 5 stars!

Leah

 

Dec
11
2014

Poppy by Avi

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           I read Poppy by Avi. The main characters are Poppy and Mr. Ocax. Poppy is a mouse and Mr. Ocax is an owl. The main problem is that the mouse population is growing and there isn’t enough food to feed them all. They have to move to a place with more food but Mr.Ocax won’t let them move. It takes place in the woods.

                  At the beginning of the story, one day Poppy and her boyfriend Ragweed go to Bannock Hill because Ragweed thought that it would be romantic if he asked Poppy to marry him on Bannock Hill. Then Mr. Ocax flies down and eats  Ragweed up and Poppy feels really sad. After that Mr. Ocax wants to eat Poppy but Poppy saves herself and only gets a little scratch on her forehead. Poppy makes a big decision to go through Dimwood Forest all by herself. Mr. Ocax made the mice think that he is the boss and he protects them from porcupines but. Then Poppy figures out that he’s lying and that he’s the one afraid of porcupines and porcupines are vegetarian. He doesn’t want them to move because then he will lose his food.

         I enjoyed this book because sometimes it leaves you at a cliffhanger when you just want to read more and find out what’s going to happen. I also think it is fun when the animals are talking. I also really enjoyed this book because it has a lot of feeling at the end of the book. I would recommend this book to people who like books about animals or books that are a little scary or people who like mysteries. I rate this book 4 stars out of five stars.

 

 

Sep
06
2014

The cats of Roxville station by Jean Craighead George.

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The name of the book I read this summer is The Cats of Roxville Station by Jean Craighead George. The main character is a cat named Ratchet who was mistreated by her owner. She was kicked, locked in the closet, and even went days without food and water. One night Ratchet’s owner went to the river and threw her over the bridge, thinking that it would kill her. But luckily Ratchet survived, got out of the water and wandered into Roxville Station. There she stumbled upon a life full of danger and unexpected kindness.

At Roxville station there is a order of ranking
1. Queennella ( black and white cat)
2. Ice bucket ( white but dirty cat)
3. Flea market ( brown coat matted from fleas)
4. Tatters and Tachometer (black and white sisters)
5. Elizabeth ( a small calico)
6. Rachet ( tiger striped cat)

As she settles into this new life, Rachet begins to work her way up the food chain. She gains new respect from the other cats by challenging Queennella, the head cat. One afternoon, Ratchet crawls through a cracked window and into the basement of a haunted house, owned by a women who hates cats. Little does she know, Mike, a young boy who has tried to befriend Ratchet before, is living there as well.

Suddenly, Ratchet is whirled into a world full of humans, pest control, and fierce predators. If you like action, adventures, drama, and talking animals, then this a book for you.
I rate this book 5 stars.

Jun
03
2014

Every Soul A Star By Wendy Mass

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Every soul a star is another great book by Wendy Mass. It’s kind of like Wonder, where it switches points of view. There’s Ally, Bree, and Jack.

 

Ally is a girl who has no experience with the outside world and civilization. Her parents run the Moon Shadow campground, and she’s lived there all her life. She doesn’t have any friends, except the pretend ones that live on other planets. But her parents are selling the campground, and Ally will have to move to the city and start school. She won’t be able to see the stars anymore. But there is something to be happy for. There will be an Eclipse soon, and thousands of people from all over the world will come to the campground to view it.

 

Bree is the second most popular girl in school. Her life’s ambition is to be a model and has all the magazines to prove it. But her parents are scientists, and don’t understand her at all. So when her parents buy the Moon Shadow campground, Bree is horrified. She doesn’t want to see gross bugs.  But she can’t change her parent’s minds.

 

Jack lives a very normal life, but he doesn’t have any friends. He spends all his time in class doodling, and that’s how he gets into summer school. But Jack’s teacher calls saying that if he comes on an expedition to watch an Eclipse, he can get out of summer school. Obviously, he takes the offer.

 

These three people all find themselves becoming friends. This book really is about them learning to adjust to a new life. Ally has to learn to live in civilization, Bree has to learn to live outdoors and not care about what others think of her, and Jack has to learn how to find himself and make more friends.

 

They all really start becoming friends at this campout where they’re trying to find a planet or star or something like that. There’s a big storm and they have to sleep in a shed because they can’t walk back to the campgrounds. It’s also really cool when the Eclipse is happening and Bree “lets her inner geek be released” in her words.

 

I really liked this book, and I love the author, Wendy Mass. I feel this book wasn’t as good as the others I’ve read by her because it was mostly about Eclipses, and I don’t know that much about those and it was hard to follow. I would recommend this book to people who like and know a lot about science, because it’s a very sciencey book. I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars because as I said before, it’s a little to sciencey for me, but it was still great.

 

        

 

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.

 

Jun
01
2014

Every Soul A Star By Wendy Mass

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Every soul a star is another great book by Wendy Mass. It’s kind of like Wonder, where it switches points of view. There’s Ally, Bree, and Jack.

Ally is a girl who has no experience with the outside world. Her parents run the Moon Shadow campground, and she’s lived there all her life. She doesn’t have any friends, except the pretend ones that live on other planets. But her parents are selling the campground, and Ally will have to move to the city and start school. She won’t be able to see the stars anymore. But there is something to be happy for. There will be an Eclipse soon, and thousands of people from all over the world will come to the campground to view it.

Bree is the second most popular girl in school. Her life’s ambition is to be a model and has all the magazines to prove it. But her parents are scientists, and don’t understand her at all. So when her parents buy the Moon Shadow campground, Bree is horrified. But she can’t change her parent’s minds.

Jack lives a very normal life, but he doesn’t have any friends. He spends all his time in class doodling, and that’s how he gets into summer school. But Jack’s teacher calls saying that if he comes on an expedition to watch an Eclipse, he can get out of summer school. Obviously, he takes the offer.

These three people all find themselves becoming friends. This book really is about them learning to adjust to a new life. Ally has to learn to live in civilization, Bree has to learn to live outdoors and not care about what others think of her, and Jack has to learn how to find himself and make more friends.

They all really start becoming friends at this campout where they’re trying to find a planet or star or something like that. There’s a big storm and they have to sleep in a shed because they can’t walk back to the campgrounds. It’s also really cool when the Eclipse is happening and Bree “lets her inner geek be released” in her words.

I really liked this book, and I love the author, Wendy Mass. I feel this book wasn’t as good as the others I’ve read by her because it was mostly about Eclipses, and I don’t know that much about those and it was hard to follow. I would recommend this book to people who like and know a lot about science, because it’s a very sciencey book. I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars because as I said before, it’s a little to sciencey for me, but it was still great.

 

 

May
05
2014

Standing In The Light by Mary Pope Osborne (from the dear America series)

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Carry is a young girl living in 1763 in Pennsylvania. She loves to wright in her diary. And she has three younger siblings named Thomas and Eliza and baby Will. She goes to school every day. And she is very kind and she likes to see the good in people. Because it seems to help her in the story. She and her family are religious.


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One day when Carry was  walking to school two native men come and take her and her little brother. They take them to their clan area but it is not right there. They have to take a long journey to their  clan area. When they get there Carry and Thomas get separated. And Carry worries that she will never see him again!

I really liked this book because it is an adventure and historical story (I LOVE HISTORY!) I would recommend this book to 3rd and 4th graders because I think that they would understand it the most and I think that is that level. I would give this book 5***** stars because it is so good because it takes history and add fiction!    (There are other books in this series if you are interested!) -Ruby

 

Feb
28
2014

Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere, by Julie T. Lamana

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(“Advanced Readers Copy”, being published April 2014)

      Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere is a amazing book by Julie T. Lamana. The main character is Armani Curtis. Armani is looking forward to one thing: her 10th birthday. Armani and her mom, dad, grandmother Memaw, Brother Gorgeie, Sister Seally, and a brother Kheelin, and sister Khayla, who are about two years old live in New Orleans, in the Lower 9’s.

      Then, the family hears about this hurricane Katrina, and says there’s gonna be no damage. But, they are wrong. Once the storm starts, Armani knows she will have to be brave, watch loved ones die, and have to help the family survive this horrible storm.

 

      Armani learns while the storm is wrecking her life, that she has to help her family survive this storm, even though bad things happen, she has to fight them away and help out, then maybe come back to it. Her idea is to somehow find lost family members, and what used to be her home. “For the first time in my whole life, I felt unsafe in a place where I’d always know, no matter what, I was going to be safe.” On the blurb (back of book). Before the storm, Armani was safe in her home with her family.  Once the storm hit, she lost some family and security.  Then she didn’t feel safe in the place that always felt safe to her. The aftermath of this storm made her brave.

 

      I enjoyed the book, because sometimes it was pretty sad, and then, it eventually got better. Also, there was one big problem, and there was another small problem, which might have got solved, and then there was another one, and maybe the big one got solved at the end… Read it to find out! I would recommend the book for 10+ because it was sort of hard to take in sometimes, and it was pretty intense sometimes. I would rate this infinity stars because it was so good. I like the authors writing style because it gave me a better sense of what was going on in the book, and it was very clear. And, the characters are really interesting. (This storm is real, and it was pretty bad. This book might be a little different when it is published, so be aware.)

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Feb
27
2014

A Forest World By Felix Salten

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This book is about these wild animals that live in the forest. The main character is named Manni and he is a friendly donkey who tries to help other animals in the forest. Manni has lots of friends and he is an adventures donkey too. He lives on a farm that is not to far from the forest. There are other animals that live with him in the farm like Devil the stallion. The setting of this book takes place in the forest with lots of danger but pretty sight.

Manni and his friends have a nice life in the forest and the farm until poachers threaten them in the woods. The animals are going to have to choose whether to stay at their favorite place to live, or find a new place to live which could take days to find a new and perfect home. But also Manni does not want to go look for a new habitat or just stay, he wants to fight against the poachers and stay at his and his friends home. Also some important events from the book is when later on things start to change around. The stables change by getting all rusty and not in good shape. The trees start to get chopped down and some of the animals are starting to get sick. Another important event is when the forest gets so bad that the forest was turning into something that Manni and his friends would have never guessed.

I enjoyed this book because it shows how to keep your environment clean and healthy and to remember that animals need to be taken care of too. I would recommend this book to someone who loves animals and nature and poetry because this book has a lot of animals in it and has really descriptive words. I would rate this book 5 stars because the book was really understandable and had good chapters.1442486376