Category Archives: Survival

Mar
18
2016

A Tale Dark And Grimm By Adam Gidwitz

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The book I read is called A Tale Dark And Grimm by Adam Gidwitz. This is the first book in the series. The main characters are Hansel and Gretel. There are a lot of problems in this book including, finding nice parents, finding each other, etc. The setting of the book is in The Kingdom Of Grimm. The Kingdom Of Grimm is grimm.

One big event that happened in the very beginning of the book is when Hansel and Gretel decide to run away. They decide to run away because the king, who is also their father, cut their heads off. The king cut their heads off because he wanted to save Johannes, the faithful servant. One part I found interesting and very funny was when Hansel dressed up as the Devil’s grandmother. A part I thought was interesting and important was when Johannes told Hansel about his and Gretel’s parents. I would tell you more about what happens then but that would spoil the book.

Three adjectives to describe Gretel are rebellious, committed, and loyal. She fits these adjectives because she is helpful but when she is assigned something (like killing a dragon) she sticks to it. Three adjectives to describe Hansel are, brave, friendly, and sophisticated. He fits these adjectives because he is good at making plans and takes good care of Gretel.

I LOVED this book. I loved it because it is funny, and frightening. I like how the author narrates the book. I know a lot of people like fantasy, but I very strictly only recommend this book to people who KNOW they can handle violence. Those of you who can’t, please don’t read this, it is for your own good. A Tale Dark And Grimm reminds me of a TV show called Once Upon A Time. I think that because they are both classic fairy tales with crazy twists. I rate this book five stars.

Mar
09
2016

Book Review Three Fantastic MR. FOX

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Book Review Three Fantastic MR. Fox

By Alfredo

In the forest near three barns lives a fantastic Fox… Hello this is Alfredo’s third book review and the book is … Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl! The main character of this book is Mr. Fox. The main problem is that three ugly, fat, skinny, and short farmers are trying to kill Mr. Fox because he is always tricking them, an example is he always is eating their chickens or turkeys when they don’t see him. This book was made in 1970 and I think this book takes place near a forest in 1970.

Mr. Fox has at least three adjectives that describe him (I’ve been using the number three a lot). The three adjectives are… smart because he survives after three farmers try to kill him. He also is quick because he is always running from them. The last adjective is brave because he doesn’t get scared the whole time. One interesting part of the book is when Mr. Fox gets his tail shot off! One other interesting part is when he knows where Boggis, Bunce, and Bean (the three farmers) house’s are from underground. There are so many animal characters in this book like the raccoon, the mole, the rat, and their families. The final interesting part is that Mr. Fox can survive for a long time with no food, (those are not all the interesting parts, those are just some of them!) The biggest change is that the farmers almost catch Mr. Fox several times.

This book was very good in my opinion but one problem is that it was too short. I also liked that it was kind of diverse because of all the different things happening. I recommend this book to all ages. This book relates to everyone’s life because it reminds us we all have to survive. I would rate this book ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and one half.

Mar
09
2016

Demon Dentist, By David Walliams

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91BL+Jvc8yLAlfred(Alfie) hasn’t been to the dentist in six years! The book I read was called Demon Dentist. It was written by David Walliams. The book is about a kid named Alfie and his problems with dentists. He hasn’t been to the dentist in so long because when he was younger he went to the dentist complaining about a toothache, so the dentist took a look at it. The dentist tried and tried with all his might to pull the tooth out but failed. So he called some people in the waiting room to come in to pull with him, that didn’t work. Then he got the people that worked there to help him, that didn’t work. He got more and more people. It had been weeks maybe even months. FINALLY the tooth came out! Except, that was the wrong one. Poor old Alfie came home with a toothache. He hadn’t gone ever since. Imagine years of not going to the dentist. What would your teeth look like? THEY’ED BE YELLOW! OR BROWN! OR YOU WOULD LOSE ALL YOUR TEETH! Luckily Alfie didn’t lose all his teeth from this, but he did lose some. AND HE HAD brown and yellow teeth too. Yikes! He looked like a hamster that had lost two teeth. Think about that for awhile. If you don’t know what hamster’s teeth look like, then look it up!

 

Alfie is very poor. He has one friend named Gabriela(Gabz), who thinks he’s a wimp. I will not be talking about her because if I talked about her I’d spoil lots of things. Well back to Alfie, his dinner is three crumbs of bread! He lives with his father who is dying because he has bad breathing from working in the mine for many years. Alfie takes care of his father all the time. He buys food, makes sure his father is warm, sees if his breathing is getting better and much more. Alfie is a very nice kid, but he can be very protective. And when he gets protective he can sometimes be a troublemaker. For example, on page 176 and 177 when he is trying to protect himself from a new dentist named Ms. Root. “As Alfie accelerated down the stairs he quickly realised he was on a collision course with the headmaster. Nothing could stop the inevitable happening. THWACK!  The tray whacked into Mr Grey’s ankles.”

 

Everything that Ms. Root has is white, even her CAT! She is VERY VERY VERY  dangerous.For example, she gave Alfie a new toothbrush and toothpaste, but these weren’t the ordinary toothbrush and toothpaste, the toothpaste was like acid! It went right through the ground. And Alfie asked for a soft toothbrush, guess what he got? A TOOTHBRUSH WITH SPIKES STICKING OUT OF IT! How is that a soft toothbrush?! After Alfie figures out what Ms. Root gave him, he knew something was going on.

 

The main problem in this story is that somebody has been taking kids teeth when they put it under their pillow and instead of putting a coin they are putting a bat, spider or a moving eyeball! Alfie is trying to catch the person who is behind this. Alfie puts his friends and family first a lot in the book. At first Alfie didn’t want to solve the mystery but when something happened to him, he started to solve the mystery.

 

A connection I have to this book is that I like to solve mysteries. Even if Alfie didn’t want to solve it in the first place and he just did it because then the town would be safe.

 

I definitely recommend this book! NO doubt about it! The book’s genre was mystery, and funny horror. Well sort of horror.

 

Something that I like about this book is that it is funny, touching and descriptive! I love this book and I think that everyone should read it if they like books that have the things that I just listed. I rate the book five stars out of five stars☆☆☆☆☆!

 

Feb
24
2016

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell

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9780553751758The title of my book is called Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. The main character’s name is Won-a-pa-lie which means The Girl with Long Black Hair. Her secret name is Karana (she is a Native American). The setting of the book is on an island in the middle of the sea and the time of the book is in the mid-1800s. The main problem in the book is that Karana is living on an island all by herself with no people, just animals. She has to survive all alone, just by the things she remembers.  One big event in the book is when a boat came and took all of her people, including Karana, away from an island (the people from the boat were nice people) and Karana’s tribe brought all of their stuff with them. But her little six year old brother went to get his fishing spear at the last second and the boat left without him. One minute later when the boat had not moved that far away from the island Karana noticed that her brother was not with her. She looked back to the island and there her brother was running on the island to the boat. Karana had to decide if she wanted to stay on the boat with her people and leave her brother behind or jump off of the boat and leave her people to be with her brother. She decided to jump off of the boat and be with her brother. That is important because it changes the whole story and it means that she cares more about her brother then everything else. One part of the book I thought was really interesting was how she made stuff, like her fence and her house. I think that is interesting because she was so creative about what she made it out of because she did not have that much stuff to build with. For example, she made her fence out of whale bones.

One adjective that describes Karana is brave. She is brave because she survived on an island all by herself. Another adjective that describes the main character is skillful. Karana is skillful because she can make a bow and arrow, house, a lamp made out of a fish and a fence made out of whale bones.The last adjective that describes the main character is loving. She is loving because she jumped off of the boat and left everything and everyone she knew and had, to be with her brother.  After Karana jumped off of the boat and swam back to the island to be with her brother. She thought “I felt the sand under my feet and saw him standing at the edge of the waves, holding his fishing spear and looking so forlorn, I forgot all those things I had planned to to do. Instead I fell to my knees and put my arms around him.” This quote/thought makes me understand the main character because it tells me that Karana cares more about her brother than creating a new life at the new island and all of her belongings.

I liked this book because it was very interesting. The parts I found interesting were how she made the things she used to survive, for example, it was interesting how she made a fence, a lamp and weapons.  (It also won a Newbery award so it has to be good). I would recommend this book because I thought it was very interesting. It also grabbed my attention and made me want to read it a lot. This book reminds me of a book called Swiss Family Robinson. The thing that is sort of in common is that the family was shipwrecked and they had to survive on an island by themselves. I would give this book a five star rating!                                                                                                                                                    

Jan
15
2016

Gods of Manhattan

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gmlgThe title of my book is Gods of Manhattan and the author is Scott Mebus. Also there are two more books. The main characters are Rory, a magician trick reader and his sister Bridget, a normal girl who doesn’t like girly stuff. This book took place on a hot summer day on Bridget’s birthday in Manhattan. The main problem of this book is they were trying to help save the American Indians from a trap that was set by a god. The god did it because the  American indians were annoying him and disturbing him. They don’t do it alone they get help by a magician named Hex that Rory does not trust.

The only reason Rory and Bridget got help, because on Bridget’s birthday, Hex did a unbelievable trick. Hex did a trick where he made a card that Rory wrote on go into Bridget’s present. The card said, “Hex is full of crap.” After that Rory was thinking about he did the trick ever since. Until five to ten minutes later he heard a voice call out, “I live on Raisin street.” Those are the two most important things in the book. Also they are my two favorite parts in the book. The most important thing he did was that he actually listened to Hex and went to Raisin street. Also when to Raisin street it was hidden and scary.

 

Some things about Rory are that he is smart, brave, and strong. He is smart because when he was in a tunnel of running water and he was about to lose his friend, he found a place that could make him safe. He is brave because when a demon attacked him, he stood his ground and fought against him after he lost the first time. He is strong because he pulled an alligator 10 feet against the river current flowing at 30 miles per hour to save his friend. After he did all of that he said “Thank god I did that right or else I would of been dead.”  

I loved the book it was really good. It was really good because it was always surprising. It was surprising because in one part someone that was a watch guard was a god. Also it had a happy ending. It is really good, so I would recommend it to other people. Only read it if you like surprises. This book does not remind me of anything. But it shouldn’t because it’s so unique in its own way.It is unique because I have never read a book like this before because non of them had a cockroach ridding a rat before.   I would rate this book 5 stars!!! Because I loved it and I would want to read it again.

Jan
15
2016

Gods of Manhattan

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gmlgI read Gods of Manhattan from the Gods of Manhattan series by Scott Mebus. The book is about a special boy who has a unique gift. The book takes place in the present day in Manhattan, but there are characters in the story that have lived throughout New York’s History, some who remember it as Mannahatta. These characters are the Gods of Manhattan.Gods of Manhattan

The main character is a boy called Rory Hennessey. Rory is a Light, a Light is someone who can see what regular humans can’t see, they see what is “really” there. Regular people just see normal stuff and what is happening in the present, Rory can see details and things that other people can’t see.  For example when Rory watches a magic show he can see how they do the “magic.” He can even see the Gods and all the other strange creatures and going ons around them. You might want to be a Light but it is very dangerous being a one. When Rory first found out he was a Light he was upset and didn’t want to be one, because he was worried about the safety of himself and his family. The main focus of the story is that Rory is the only Light left alive in Manhattan and he is the only one who can save the city and perhaps the world even if he doesn’t know it. To become a God you have to do something that everyone remembers. For example John Jacob Astor, a real person is the God of Success. All the other Gods and other worldly characters in the book were created by the life they led in their real life.

Rory begun to figure out he was a Light on his sister Bridget’s birthday. She had a magician come to their house whose name was Hex. In the past Rory had always been able to see through every magician’s trick no matter how complicated they seemed to be and Hex appeared to be like any other magician. However this time Rory had no idea how the magician had been able to do the trick. This disturbed Rory because he couldn’t work out how the trick was performed so he went to Central Park to think about it. When he was in the park he noticed a squirrel and a mouse having a kung fu fight, which is ridiculous and he thought he was going crazy. Next a Native American from another time period appeared in the park and chased him out. Rory ran straight into Hex and when Rory explained what had happened to him Hex explained he was a Light…

Another important part of the book is when Rory met a “Stranger” for the first time. A Stranger is a monster that looks like a kid but it has very sharp metallic teeth like knives. It walks up to you like a little child and asks you to come and then it attacks and kills you. Luckily for Rory he managed to escape the vicious attack but spends the rest of the book avoiding these horrible creatures.

These two events changed Rory’s life positively and negatively. As a result of these events Rory decided to go with Hex and try to save the world

Rory is very responsible; for example he takes his sister around New York by himself. He also made sure that Bridget was safe at home when he ventured out to save Manhattan. Bridget is brave because she fought a Plug Ugly (a gang member) and when someone tried to shoot Rory she jumped in front of him. Even though her brother left her behind at home, she decided to go after him to save him. Rory is very cautious and does not trust anybody. Throughout the story Rory is uncertain which side he should be on and questions everything. He thinks twice before he does anything and it took him a week before he joined Hex.

A good example of Rory’s responsibility is displayed when he said to bridget, “You can not come. It is too dangerous.”

I really enjoyed the Gods of Manhattan, but I got confused at times because the book has two different but parallel stories being told in each chapter and it was difficult to follow along all the time. I enjoyed the suspense in the book often created by the two parallel stories leaving you at cliffhangers at the end of each chapter. I would recommend this book to someone who likes Percy Jackson books because it has many similarities like Gods living with humans. It is a long exciting read and if you have problems remembering storylines in books this maybe too complicated for you. Rick Riordan the writer of Percy Jackson said, “it’s a fast and exciting read,” I think he commented on the book because it is has a very similar theme.

I would rate this book four stars.

 

By Jack Bbarker  

Jan
15
2016

Robin Hood, by Grahame Baker-Smith and David Calcutt

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imagesRobin Hood by David Calcutt and Grahame Baker-Smith.Robin Hood is the main character in the story of Robin Hood. Robin Hood’s main idea is to free poor people from having to pay huge taxes. This is because the king of England, who everybody loved, was away and his brother took over the country. This happened in the early 1100s. Part of the reason why it is such a big problem that the king was giving such big taxes is that some of the poor people could not pay the taxes. Then they got hung or  tortured and then killed. Robin Hood builds a band of outlaws to stop all of this nonsense.

One big part of this book is when Robin Hood goes to an archery tournament between the head sheriff and his guards. Robin Hood is there and he is a very very skilled archer. While the sheriff’s guards are shooting, Robin Hood has a hood over his face and he is standing and chuckling with his grin hidden under his cloak. Although the sheriff does not know it is Robin Hood, by the first sight of him he knows this man is trying to make fun of them. So, he calls him over and asks him to join the contest and bet some money. Now the sheriff shoots a very, very good shot, but Robin Hood shoots right down the middle of the bullseye and splits the wood of the sheriff arrow for the win.

This book has a ton of action too. One place that shows it has a lot of action is when Robin Hood sees a man on the other side of a bridge that he is crossing. Only one man can cross the bridge at a time, so Robin Hood challenges the man to a staff duel. Although the man does not know that Robin Hood is only saying this to see if the man is a good fighter and maybe a good recruit for his outlaw band. They have their duel, and little John, after a little while, knocks Robin Hood off his feet and into the water. This is when Robin Hood invites Little John to join his band of outlaws.

The biggest decision that Robin Hood makes in the whole book is to become an outlaw. This is so important because now the government is after him and he cannot live freely. He makes this decision because he feels it is wrong that King John is making such a high tax rate and then torturing people if they can’t pay for it.

Robin Hood is very, very brave. One place that shows this is when he is brave enough to shoot down seven government warriors. This is so brave because it is a death penalty for murder. His reason for doing this is that these government warriors were trying to kill him and they were bad men who had tortured and killed many people. One of the biggest words that I would use to describe Robin Hood is strong. He is probably the strongest character of any character I have ever come across  in all the books I have ever read. There are many places that show he is extremely strong. One of them is how he can climb up to the top of trees almost as tall as apartment buildings. Climbing up a tree may seem easy, but it takes tons of core strength. Another big part of Robin Hood’s personality is that he is very polite for an outlaw. Even though he is a little violent, he does these things for a good cause. He also has very good manners and is polite. One place where Robin Hood is polite is when he says,  “You’d have to go a long way to find a better swordsman than Little John.” He is quick to notice the good in other people.

I like this book very much. One of the reasons why I like it is because I like a lot of action. If you like action, this book has a lot if it. Another thing that I like about this book is that it is not too long, or too short. I would recommend this book to people who like action. This book is also very interesting because you don’t just read a story, you feel like you are there in the story. One thing to know about this book though, is that if you cannot handle a little bit of drama and suspense then this book might have too much of that for you. One thing this book reminds me of is the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. This reminds me of Sleeping Beauty because there are very many versions of this book and movie. If I were to rate this book, I would give it a four ½ out of five.

Jan
15
2016

The School For Good And Evil

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SGE-CoverThe book I read is called The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani. The main characters are Sophie and Agatha. The problem from Sophie’s perspective is that she is in Evil school when Agatha is in Good school. The problem from Agatha’s perspective is that she and Sophie are at the School for Good and Evil and she wants to go home. This book takes place at The School For Good And Evil.

I found it interesting and important when at the end of the Trial by Tale, which is a competition where the top 15 Evers (good people) and top 15 Nevers (evil people) fight in the forest until a winner is declared, Tedros (the prince) finds out that Sophie was using Agatha to get good grades. I thought this part was interesting and important because if Sophie wasn’t mad at Tedros for breaking his promise, she and her roomates, Hester and Anadil, wouldn’t have attacked the School for Good. I liked the part when Agatha got attacked by the Wish Fish. The Wish Fish is a magical fish that you make a wish on. I thought it was really important when Agatha agreed to go to the ball with Tedros because at that part, Sophie realized that Agatha was her nemesis, not Tedros.

In the beginning, Sophie is loyal, kind, and beautiful because she is always doing good deeds. In the end, Sophie is wicked, demanding, and dreadful because she is always ordering people around and she kept trying to kill Agatha. In the beginning, Agatha is rebellious, lonely, and frantic because she’s always alone and never really talks to anyone. In the end, Agatha is friendly, peaceful, and loving because she has a lot of trust in everyone. A quote that describes Sophie in the beginning is when Hester says, “she smells like an Ever.” A quote that describes Sophie in the end is when Agatha says to Sophie, “You brought me here to kill me.” A quote that describes Agatha in the beginning is when Reena says, “she looks so evil.” A quote that describes Agatha in the end is when Agatha says to Tedros, “I won’t help a Captain leading his army to their graves.”

I enjoyed this book a lot. I enjoyed it because it has a topsy-turvy plot that is action packed with a little bit of violence. It also gives a good laugh. I would recommend it to everyone! This book does not remind me of anything but it’s probably related to something I haven’t read or seen yet. I give this book five stars.

Jan
14
2016

Who Could That Be At This Hour, By: Daniel Handler

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Daniel Handler is the name of the author of the book I read. The main characters that appear in this book are Lemony Snicket and S. Theodora Markson. The problem in this book is that a treacherous villain by the name of Hangfire is terrorizing a community named Stained By The Sea. The main problem that the characters are trying to stop is that Hangfire is a skilled arsonist and they are trying to stop him from burning down the community around them.

Some ideas that helped me understand the book better were …

that S. Theodora Markson is the lead investigator for the problem in Stained by the Sea. This idea helped me understand the book better by giving me more background information. Two is that Lemony Snicket is the apprentice to S. Theodora Markson. This information was very helpful because Lemony Snicket ?  is a very mysterious person. Did you know that Lemony Snicket is a very caring person for people he knows and does not know. The only BIG decision that the main character makes is to investigate the case that Theodora is involved in. Hangfire is a arsonist, killer, and kidnapper and he is very proud of what he does.

Hangfire is a lethal killing machine that has haunted Stained By The Sea for many years. 

I really enjoyed this book because Lemony Snicket is a very creative and caring person. I also like this book because of the characters. The last reason I like this book is because it is for all ages. 1 to 5 stars it is a 5 star rated book.

 

www.danielhandler.com

 

Jan
14
2016

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K Rowling

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searchMy book is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It was written by J.K. Rowling. Harry, Ron and Hermione are really not just in one place. They travel all over the place because they are wanted. No they aren’t bad people, the Dark Lord has taken over and his first target is Harry and his friends.

In the beginning of the story, they were at a wedding and they had to run because they were attacked. When they were the ministry’s last hope of Voldemort not killing everyone they fled, so they have to make it right. If they don’t, Voldemort will take over once and for all. They have to get the Horcruxes that will destroy Voldemort, but when they start hearing about the Deathly Hallows they get a bit side tracked. So you’re wanted by half the world and you have to kill their leader, it is going to be a lot of hard work. Hermione is smart and tough. Once when she was 13 she punched a bully in the face. Without her, Ron and Harry would of been dead six years ago too. Ron is nice and not a blood boaster. Most people that are pure blood brag and say stuff like mud blood and half blood. Harry is good at duels and is kind plus brave. He gets his incredible kindness from his mother.     

I liked the book because it was long and I like long good books because they last me a long time to read. I also like the magic and imagination. It just makes the story come to life. I also LOVE the nineteen years later. It’s the best. I would recommend it to someone who likes action and adventure. It is just adventure written all over it. Exploring and magic. 100% perfect. Five full stars to this book.

 

★★★★★

So does he die? You’ll have to find out.