Dec
11
2015

Skeleton Creek, by Patrick Carman

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skeletoncreekMy review I will talk about is called Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman. The story is about two friends a boy named Ryan and a girl named Sarah. The story takes place in Skeleton Creek. The main problem is that there are a lot of scary and weird things happening in Skeleton Creek. Ryan and Sarah are trying to find out who is behind all of these ghostly events.

Sarah goes to the Dredge which is a big building that someone had died in and now there is a ghost who haunts it. Sarah finds the ghost and gets so scared that she runs away. She takes videos and e-mails it to Ryan while he writes it in his journal. The whole book is written like it is Ryan’s journal. When Ryan was watching Sarah’s video he saw a message in the background and it said “Are you the alchemist?” An alchemist is like a potion maker. Sarah decided to go back to The Dredge to figure out more clues using a video camera. She then returns to the dredge with Ryan a second time to find even more clues. Ryan is brave because he was not allowed to talk to Sarah on a phone or ever,because she keeps going back to the Dredge.  Ryan is also secretive because he has been talking to Sarah for so long and the parents don’t even know.

Skeleton Creek is my favorite book because it is scary and exciting. You also get to go on the computer and watch videos that relate to the story being told. I rate this book a whopping FIVE STARS!!! It is my favorite book EVER!

Dec
11
2015

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl

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charlie_and_the_chocolate_factoryThe title of this book is  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The author is Roald Dahl. The main characters are Charlie, Willy Wonka and grandpa Joe. Also if you are wondering how is Willy Wonka, he is a chocolate maker.  Also he opened his factory because he did not see any people in 10 years. Also the setting is winter. The main problem in this book is that Charlie is very poor and he does not have a lot of food. Suddenly he stopped eating and he got skinnier and skinnier.He stopped eating because he felt bad for the grandparents. Then the people said that Willy Wonka is now opening his factory. Charlie is trying to get inside. Also it is going to be even harder because it is winter and there is going to be a lot snow.

The most important things that happen in this book are, Charlie finds the silver dollar in the snow when he is going to school. It is important that he found the silver dollar because it lets you buy a something and the one thing he wanted is a chocolate bar. After that he bought two Wonka chocolate bars and one of them had the gold ticket inside the chocolate bar. The golden ticket means that you could go inside Wonkas factory. Another important thing is when Charlie was in the the factory and he drank the soda that makes you fly. But he could not come down until he burped. It was important that he did that because if he did not do that he would go to space.

The event that happened first was, when Billy Tv tuned into a 10 feet tall person by going into a machine that makes chocolate bigger and longer.That is important because every coach in basketball wanted him. Also it made everyone scared of him. The second event that happened was, when the girl that chews gum ate a piece of gum and it had a power to make you eat a meal and when it gets to desert the person that eats the gum turns into a blueberry.  The third event that happened was Veruca Salt went into the room of squirrels because she wanted one and fell into the garbage shoot and her parents fell in the garbage shoot too.

I like this book because it is exciting and you never know what is coming next. I also like this book because Charlie is poor and he finds a way to get into Wonka’s factory. That is important because most people would not be able to do that.  I would rate this book a four because I have seen the movie, and I read this book because I wanted to see if the movie is better than the book or is the book better than the movie. The book to me was better because Roald Dahl added more details to it then the movie.


the end      

Dec
11
2015

The Goblet of Fire, by J.K.Rowling

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imgres-1The book The Goblet of Fire by JK.Rowling is a very nice read. It is about Harry Potter and his friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. In the Wizarding world Quidditch is the popular sport but … in Harry Potter’s fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry the  Quidditch cup was cancelled. The Quidditch cup was canceled for a different event called the Triwizard Tournament. There are three wizarding schools Hogwarts, Durmstrang Institute and  Beauxbatons Academy. Each school is supposed to have one winner that will try to compete the Triwizard Tournament, but Hogwarts somehow gets two, Harry and Cedric Diggory. This is a big problem for Harry because he doesn’t want to compete in this tournament but he has to, also someone wants his name in the pot that picks the champions. You have to end up with the most points in the end to win the tournament. This year the Triwizard Tournament takes place at Hogwarts.

This book also has a lot of action. One of the places that shows that this book has a lot of action is when Harry defeats the dragon in the first task of the Triwizard tournament. Another place where this book has a lot of action is when Harry has to knock out Victor Krum (the Durmstrang contestant) with a spell. One big part in the Goblet of Fire is when Lord Voldemort (the most evil person in the Wizarding word also a mass murder) kills the house caretaker Frank who is innocent.This is big because it means that Voldemort is back and he wants to kill. Another place that is important in this book is when Harry’s name comes out of The Goblet of Fire. This is important because it means Voldemort is up to something. These are examples of how there are also a lot of plot twists in this book too. The scene when Harry summons his quidditch broomstick all the way from his dormitory to the courtyard is very spellbinding. Another spellbinding thing in The Goblet of Fire is when Lord Voldemort is able to have two of him on this earth at the same time. I think Harry is very brave because he ran right through the most dangerous people in the world at the same time (Death Eaters). I think Harry is also fair because when he could have cheated on the first task of the Triwizard tournament he told Cedric that the first task was going to be dragons.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is really fun but surprisingly not to hard. It is pretty long but it is the kind of thing that you can put aside if you have a school book or something else. The Goblet of Fire is also good for any age. The one thing that I do not like about this book though is that sometimes if you’re sensitive to scary stuff, this could give you the creeps. Overall I rate this book a four and a half out of five.

 

Dec
10
2015

Island of the Aunts Eva Ibbotson

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imgresIn the book Island of the Aunts by Eva Ibbotson, aunts kidnap children because they need someone to help them take care of the animals. The main characters are the aunts: Etta, Coral, and Myrtle. The main problem is that a man named Mr. Sprott finds his son on an island after his son has been kidnapped by the aunts. Mr. Sprott then kidnaps all of the animals and creatures. He wants to be richer. He decides to bring them back with him to his home. He is going to make people pay a lot of money to see them. Then the Kraken comes and destroys the ship. The Kraken is like a giant whale except bigger. He is bigger than a blue whale. The children meet all types of mythical creatures. Then they help the animals. The biggest event that changes the direction of the story is when Stanley Sprott rides his yacht to the island. He picks up Lambert, his son, and sets traps for the mermaids so he can catch them all. Then a fight happens between Stanley and the aunts. Stanley hits Fabio and gives him a concussion, while Fabio and Minette were trying to keep the Kraken’s son safe.  So Stanley takes the Boobrie, which is a bird the size of an elephant, the mermaids, stoorworm, and Kraken’s son on his yacht.  Then the Kraken’s father comes, smashes into the boat, and takes his son away. His son explains that Minette and Fabio tried to help him, so the Kraken turned back to save Minette, Fabio, Coral, Etta, Myrtle, boobbrie, stoorworm and Herbert (a selkie, a seal that can turn into a human and vice versa) from drowning. Minette and Fabio return home, and the aunts promised them that when they die, the island will be theirs. I give Island of the Aunts 1 stars..

 

 

 

 

Dec
10
2015

The Sisters Grimm, by Michael Buckley

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176327I read a book called The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley. The central  characters names are Sabrina and Daphne Grimm. The complication in this book is that a giant carries away their grandmother and the grandmother’s friend, Mr. Canis. The Grimm family lives in a small town called Ferry Point Landing.

The kids try to stop the giant and save their grandmother. There is a giant killer named Jack, (from Jack and the Beanstalk ) that tries to help them save their grandmother. Charming is another character that Sabrina and Daphne think is mean, he is an important character and is the mayor of Ferry Point Landing. When the sisters were trying to find their grandmother, they found a magic mirror that helped along the sisters journey. The sisters have very different personalities, Daphne is happy most of the time and a little goofy while Sabrina is a small grump and hates bullies. “I love these t-shirts the are so cute,” said Daphne when talking about their new clothes. “They make me want to barf,” said Sabrina after looking at the new t-shirts.    

I enjoyed the book because It had a lot of twists and turns; and I liked the personality of the main characters. I also enjoyed it because in one part, one of Sabrina’s enemies turned into a close friend, and one of Sabrina’s friends turned into an enemy. I would recommend it to people who like fiction and fairy tales. I would give it four and a half stars (out of five).   

Dec
10
2015

Who is Bill Gates? by Patricia Brennan Demuth

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imgres-1Who Is Bill Gates? is about Bill Gates’s life from from being a poor boy in Seattle to a very rich man because of Microsoft.  It was not all easy because his friend who made Microsoft with him got very sick and Bill Gates had to run the business by himself.  

Bill Gates was very smart even when he was young. When Bill was seven he read the whole encyclopedia. When he was 11 he entered a contest to memorize a sermon from church. He won a dinner at the top of the Space Needle a restaurant that is really tall! School was not fun for Bill because it was boring to him and he was teased for being smart.  Later he said “Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.” Bill moved school in 7th grade to an  all boys school called Lakeside.  In 1968 Bill was shown the new computer lab but there were no computers because personal computers were not made yet. There were only million dollar ones.  So the school bought a teletype machine. That is a thing with a phone cord that is connected to a fancy computer. You put commands in and they come back in letters. That was the beginning of Bill Gates and computers.

I enjoyed the book.  First, because I like to learn about computers.  Second, Bill Gates has had an interesting life.  Finally, he has said some encouraging things about being nice and a nerd. I would recommend this book to kids who like to know more about different people. I give this book five out of five stars.

         

 

Dec
10
2015

Rose, by Holly Webb

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11179335Rose is about a orphan who learns what she can really do. Rose by Holly Webb and is a great fourth grade book. The main character is named…well…Rose. Rose is a kind-hearted orphan who gets chosen to work at the most famous magician’s house! When Rose learns she has magic too, she tries to get rid of it. If she can’t get rid of it, can she at least learn how to use it properly? Someone puts her magic to the test when children are being stolen and Rose has to save the day. The beginning takes place in St. Bridget’s Home For Abandoned Children; after that most of the story takes place in Mr Fountain’s mansion.

As the first book of the four book Rose series, this book really explains who Rose is. Rose gets picked up from the orphanage to work at the house because she could’ve used her powers in bad ways by accident! There are lots of problems for Rose including when the St. Bridget orphans go missing. Another problem is the mean housecleaner Susan, who despises Rose. Rose decides to save the orphans with the snobby Freddie from the Fountain mansion which might not go as well as planned but Rose won’t give up. Rose is a determined character who struggles through the twists and turns of all the magic and weird things going on in the Fountain mansion. Rose only wants to be a housemaid and she really tries to be an obedient servant and kind orphan. For example, Rose says “It’s not that I don’t want to stay,” she murmured. “But I’d like to earn my own living.”

I really enjoyed the first Rose book and I am reading the second Rose book right now. I love the descriptions in the book and how they build Rose’s personality throughout the book. I also liked how Holly Webb added a mean servant because it gives Rose more challenges. I would recommend this book for nine to ten year olds because it has some hard words and long pages. I would recommend Rose to kids who like series of books because Rose is a four book series including Rose, Rose and the Lost Princess, Rose and the Magician’s Mask, and Rose and the Silver Ghost. Over all, I would rate Rose five stars.

Dec
10
2015

I TOTALLY FUNNIEST, By James Patterson

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51KQihg1QYL._SX316_BO1,204,203,200_I TOTALLY FUNNIEST by James Patterson, is about the main characters and comedy contests. The main characters are Jamie Grimm, Gilda Gold, Joey Gaynor and Jimmy Pierce. Jamie is a middle school kid who is in a wheelchair and is very funny. His friend Pierce is a brainiac, Gaynor is cool and Gilda is gutsy. Jamie has been in many comedy contests before and the main problem is that he’s scared he’s going to lose the final contest.  The setting of the book, I TOTALLY FUNNIEST, takes place in Long Beach, NY. Jamie also goes to Hollywood for the final contest.  

Jamie is very nervous about the final contest because it’s on TV and it has the biggest crowd he’s ever seen.  If Jamie wins, he gets one million bucks and a TV show. His cousin, Stevie Kosgrov, is a bully but he is protecting Jamie at school because he wants half of Jamie’s one million bucks that Stevie thinks Jamie is going to win. Jamie’s friends are mad at him because he’s not hanging out with them as much as before. “I’m pretty sure we’ll all be friends again as soon as this whole comedy contest is over. I hope so. But right now, I need to focus on THE FINALS” said Jaime. 

I did not like this book as much as the other books in this series, but it was still good. The whole entire book was based on the final contest. At the beginning of the book all they really talk about is the final contest. Around the middle of the story for three or five chapters they were about Jamie going to Hollywood. At the end of the book, well I can’t tell you the end so all say the contest was too short. I would recommend this book to nine and ten year olds because they use some bathroom words but it is ok for them because it is very funny. I would give this book four stars. By the way this is the THIRD BOOK IN THE SEIRES SO READ THE FIRST TWO BOOKS FIRST they’re I FUNNY and I EVEN FUNNIER!!!!

 

Dec
10
2015

Shouldn’t You Be In School?

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bdak-square-1536The author of this book is Daniel Handler. The main character is a boy named Lemony Snicket. The main problem is that a villain named Hang fire is causing a lot of problems such as kidnapping, causing fires, and countless deaths. This all takes place in a town named Stained by the sea which was once a beautiful place when the sea was there now the Sea is gone, drained away.

The plot of the book is amazing it is very mysterious because there are unsolved mysteries, joyful because you can really enjoy this book, and entertaining because you can feel like you are right there with them. The main plot is Hang fire’s treachery he has committed countless amounts of crimes and countless amounts of death and fatalities.

The main character makes two very big decisions number one is deciding to stay in Stained by the sea and investigate the number of crimes committed by Hang fire. Number two is being the lead investigator for the sea project. “I elect to keep the sea or it will affect wildlife in a way that cannot be fixed”.

I really enjoyed this book and i hope others do too. The reason I love this book so much is because the book is filled with mystery, adventure, and big decisions. I recommend this book to 3rd grade and above because at some points the book uses big words that 2nd and below might not understand. I personally would give this book a 4 stars out of 5 stars. checkout the website, www.danielhandler.com      

 

Dec
10
2015

Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince, by J.K. Rowling

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imgresA book called Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince written by J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter, a 16 year old boy, who when he was one took down Lord Voldemort the most dangerous murderer of the century. And now Lord Voldemort is back in action risen from the dead and it’s up to Harry and his friends to take down Lord Voldemort once and for all. But still being 16 Harry has to go to Hogwarts, his school, to finish his wizard training.

Harry Potter has to defeat Voldemort by going face to face with him. Finding one bit of Voldemort’s soul and trying to rip it to shreds. Finding out  Ron, his best friend is being called Won-won by Ron’s girlfriend. His other friend Hermione, his other friend refusing to be near “Won-won” because she feels nauseous. Deciding which one to hang out with.  Figuring out who is the Half Blood Prince is and failing. Life is scattered all over and it is all day, along with homework, of course. All together they try to figure out how to destroy Voldemort. It takes a lot of work.

I liked it because it was magical and full of surprises. I also think all the names are creative and original. Like Winky is pretty weird, Kreacher’s also a really weird name. So I would recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure and fiction because it is filled with that. I would give this out of 5 stars 4 and 3 quarters because it’s really good but the chapters are so long!