Apr
19
2017

Return of the Padawan by Jeffrey Brown

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My book is called “Return of The Padawan” by Jeffrey Brown. It’s the second book in the series of Jedi Academy. The main character is Roan Novachez. She has two best friends named Pasha and Gaiana and her two enemies named Cronah and Cyrus who are probably Sith. This book takes place in the Star Wars universe before the Clone Wars.

Three adjectives that would describe Roan are hard working, force-sensitive and ambitious. She is hardworking because on page 64 it says,“I’ve been studying for star pilot simulator a lot, because I want to get the high score in class.” She is also force sensitive which means she can control stuff with her mind or hand, or befriend or hypnotize people or animals. Also, on pages nine and ten the book says she goes to Jedi Academy where force sensitive people go to train. She is ambitious because on page 64 it says, “I’ve been studying for star pilot simulator a lot, because I want to get the high score in class” (she really wants to be a pilot).

An important part of the book is when Roan throws a ball in dodgeball so hard that her best friend gets a black eye. This is important because it really changes the plot of the story and you don’t see it coming. Another important part of the the book is when Roan tears a page out of an important book that her friend’s father was studying. This is important because her last best friend stop liking her because he says he didn’t hear Roan apologize.
I loved the book mostly because it was about Star Wars. But, I also really enjoyed how it plays out with a lot of plot twisters. I would recommend this book to anybody who likes Star Wars. But also I would recommend it to people who like fast paced, plot twisting emotions. This book connects to all the Star Wars movies because they all live in the Star Wars universe. I would give this book five stars because I like Star Wars, and may the force be with you.             

Apr
19
2017

Foxheart By Claire Legrand

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Quicksilver grew up with a hard life. She was abandoned by her parents and grew up in an orphanage. She refused to go by her real name Anastazia and had no name, so everyone called her Pig Witch. Her only friend was a dog she named Fox. She was the big prankster.  One day a man came to the orphanage and got angry, he sent his seven wolves after the girls and revealed himself as the witch hunting wolf king. She fled with fox and found herself at a house of a kid and his ill parents. The kid called himself Sly Boots. Soon Pig Witch became Quicksilver, Best Thief In The Star lands. They made a deal,  he joined her in robbing and he let Quicksilver stay at his house.  On one of their lessons Fox found a stranger with magic Quicksilver just had to have. She went up to the stranger, and little did she know it was the start of a long adventure, in the past, to defeat the Wolf King. Will, Quicksilver, Fox, Sly Boots and the stranger succeed on their quest?

Quicksilver is a brave yet lonely girl. She grew up being teased with barely any friends and when she found true friends she brought them misfortune. She is brave since she was always ready for what came next no matter what the risks were.

I recommend this book to people who like adventure stories, with magic yet sacrifices too. I love it so much, the book really toys with your emotions. I give the book a five star rating.

 

Apr
19
2017

Who was Daniel Boone

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¨Who was Daniel Boone¨

by Sydelle Kramer

Daniel Boone killed a bear when he was sixteen. I learned this in the book “Who was Daniel Boone.” This book is written by Sydelle Kramer and takes place from 1734 to 1820. The setting is mostly in the woods and nature. Boone likes company and not being alone. Boone had a very sad life. Almost all of his kids died. When he, his son, his wife and many more relatives were trying to get to Kansas, his son and other relatives went to get supplies. They did not return. The skeletons of all of the relatives who went with his son were found later.

Boone is determined, strong and pays attention to things that other people may not see. For example, when his daughter was captured by the Shawnee and the Cherokee, she made a trail for people to see but nobody saw it except for Boone. He was determined because when he first went to Kansas to hunt game,  (game is the same thing as animals) all of his things were taken and he was told to go back to his town and stay there – but he did not since there was better game in Kansas. He was strong and had skill because when he was 16 he killed his first bear; which requires the skill to find and aim for the heart and the strength not to panic and miss.

 

I think a couple of key things were important to Boone’s development. Being alone made Boone become a different person. People usually take companionship and family around them for granted but when all of Boone’s family either left him or died, he realised how much it meant to have family around. Killing his first bear was also important because it triggered his “hidden potential.” After he killed his first bear he was going on long hunts and killing a lot of game (although he could not use everything because it was to heavy).

 

In conclusion, I think the book was great and had lots of action and adventure. I like this genre so this was a great read for me. I thought it was interesting when the Indians had to test if Boone was fit to be one of them. The test was very dangerous but a little silly if you ask me. A group of Indians hit the one who is trying to get to the checkpoint with sticks. That person was Boone. He passed the test on his first try. My rating is 4 and a half stars. I would recommend it if you like action and adventure. There are other “who was” books so you can check them out too!

Apr
19
2017

The Big Wave

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The Big Wave

Book by Pearl S. Buck

I  read the book “The Big Wave” by Pearl S. Buck and would like LOVE to write about it.  Image result for the big wave

Pearl S. Buck has written many novels and books, mostly about Asia like China, Japan, and Korea.  But let’s get back to “The Big Wave.”

“The Big Wave” takes place in Japan, when the Great Wave takes place.  Kino and Jiya are best friends.  Kino is a farmer and Jiya is a fisherman.  Jiya is tall, handsome, healthy, and likes Kino’s  sister Setsu.  Even though Jiya is a fisherman he (and all fishermen) are afraid of the sea’s anger.

Kino is a farmer.  He loves to swim and is afraid of the volcano.  Setsu is a mischievous girl who likes to hide things.  

When Kino and Jiya swim (after checking to see if the sea is angry) they swim to an island, Deer Island.  The person who owns the Island is the Old Gentleman.  The Old Gentleman lives in a Castle and only comes out when he is angry.  

One day when IS angry, he sends a great wave that wipes out most of the fishermen…and Jiya’s family.

Jiya then moves in with Kino’s family and sleeps in sadness, scarcely waking up.

After a long while Jiya finally gets over the loss of his family and marries Setsu.
Please note that there is WAY more to the book.  If you thought that Jiya marrying Setsu was the real end you are wrong.  I really hope you read “The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck” and enjoy it as much as I did!

Apr
19
2017

Zane And The Hurricane By Rodman Philbrick

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Have you ever wondered about hurricane Katrina? You should read Zane And The Hurricane, it is by Rodman Philbrick. The book takes place in New Orleans in 2007 when hurricane Katrina happened. The book is historical fiction. It is about how rescue dogs saved people when hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans . Zane is the owner of Bandit, a mutt who saves people by choice in New Orleans from hurricane Katrina. Zane is always along for the ride with his dog. It is like Zane is on the leash not Bandit.

 

Zane is brave, curious and determined. Zane is brave because he follows his dog around to do things that are too dangerous for him to do but he does it anyway. One time his dog went into the water to save a person and Zane followed him, that makes him brave. Zane is curious because he tried to find his dog when he thought the dog was lost because he was away doing work for a very long time. Zane is determined when his dog was lost. That was the same time he was curious. He would not give up until he  got bandit back.

 

My three favorite parts of the book are when Bandit got lost, when Bandit got Zane in trouble with the police and when Zane followed Bandit to a creek. The part where Bandit got lost was on of my favorite parts because I liked how Zane wanted to find Bandit so badly. It shows the love between them. Zane went everywhere to find his dog and finally he found him near a broken down house. The part where Bandit got Zane in trouble with the police was one of my favorite parts because I loved how much the police officer cared about Bandit. This situation shows how much care was put into hurricane Katrina and the people who survived it. Another one of my favorite parts was when Zane followed Bandit to the creek. This was one of my favorite parts because it was very action packed and it felt real. To me it almost felt like I was actually in the moment. Throughout the book Zane and Bandit’s relationship gets stronger. One time a civilian was worried about the two of them but Zane and Bandit stuck together.

 

I enjoyed Zane And The Hurricane. I enjoyed it because I liked how realistic it was. I loved how I felt like I was actually in hurricane Katrina. I also really enjoyed how Zane was easy to relate to. I felt like I could connect with the character and by being able to connect it really helped me understand the book. I would recommend this book because it is action packed and very fast historical. I like action packed books that keep on moving and follow a strict storyline and this book did this for me. If you are like me and like this then I recommend the book. Another reason to read the book is because it teaches you a lot. It almost feels like you are in the book when you are reading it. One book that is similar to Zane And The Hurricane is I Survived Hurricane Katrina. It is similar because it is historical fiction and it is about hurricane Katrina. I would give this book four stars.

Mar
17
2017

The City of Ember, by Jeanne DuPrau

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 This book is in the City of Ember series. It is about a boy named Doon Harrow, and a girl named Lina Mayfleet. They go on all sorts of adventures. They live in the City of Ember. It is always dark and there is a shortage of light. There is a system of pipes called the pipeworks that leads to the generator. They are very complicated. The generator is what powers the lightbulbs in Ember. Lina thinks that there is a City of Light somewhere and she sets out an adventure with Doon.

SPOILER ALERT

Lina Mayfleet is brave, determined, and smart. She is brave because she went on the adventure to find the City of Light. In the book, it says: “As far as anyone knew, the darkness did go on forever. Still, Lina wanted the other city to exist.” She is determined because she did not give up on the adventure. In the book, when Lina and Doon receive a secret message and they can’t entirely understand it, Lina keeps on trying to decipher the code. She is smart because she found her way through the pipeworks without

getting lost.  

Two interesting parts of the story were when Lina got the job of pipeworks helper and Doon really wanted that job. Then, Doon got the job of messenger and Lina wanted that job. Then they traded jobs. Also, it was interesting when Lina finds the secret message and she tries to decipher the code. This is interesting because it kept me on my heels and I was kind of nervous.

I really enjoyed this book because it is really mysterious and full of adventure. I really like suspense. I would recommend this book because if you like suspense, action, and challenging reads, this is going to be the book to read. This book has its own movie, and it (and the book) are very unique because there are not many books or movies that I know like this book.

I would give this book a four star rating because I’ve already read this book before I wrote this review, and nothing gets in their way for more than a few pages.

Mar
17
2017

Dream On, by Sarah Mlynowski

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Dream On is the 4th book of the series Whatever After. Dream On is about a girl, Abby. Her brother Jonah, and Abby’s friend Robin. Abby, Robin, and Jonah all get sucked into a mirror in Abby’s basement and go into a fairytale. The fairytale Abby, Jonah, and Robin get sucked into is Sleeping Beauty. Robin pricks her finger on the spindle like Sleeping Beauty and Abby and Jonah have to wake her up before it’s too late.

Abby is sweet, a little rude and caring. Abby is caring because when Robin pricked her finger on the spindle Abby didn’t want to leave her. Abby is a little rude because also when Robin pricked her finger on the spindle Abby grabbed Jonah and pulled him to the corner after she got over missing Robin. Abby is also sweet because Abby is always there for everyone when she needs them.

One of the most interesting parts of this book is when Abby, Robin, and Jonah get sucked into their magical mirror because not everyone has a magical mirror in their basement. Another interesting part is when Robin pricks her finger on the spindle because that’s what the whole book is about.

I didn’t really enjoy this book. I like this book because it’s about non magical people who get sucked into a  fairytale. I also don’t like this book because I don’t like fairytales and princesses I would recommend this book because if you like princesses and fairytales and love reading about Abby and her magical mirror. I wouldn’t  recommend this book if you don’t like princesses and fairytales. This book doesn’t really remind me of anything because I haven’t heard of a book where a girl, her friend, and her brother get sucked into a magic mirror in their basement. It is so unique because Abby is a character that is really unique and I haven’t heard of another character like her. She is so unique because she has a great personality sometimes she can be a little annoying, she’s brave, and she’s just different. I would rate this book a two out of five stars. I rate it a two because I did not really enjoy the book and I have read better books.

Mar
17
2017

Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes

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I read Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes. It is the story of ten-year-old Deja Barnes, who lives in the Avalon Family Shelter in Brooklyn with her parents and two siblings. Deja is just starting 5th grade at a new school where she meets her new friends, Ben and Sabeen. At Brooklyn Collective Elementary, the students learn about  9/11 as it is the 15th anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks. As Deja discovers more about New York’s history and what it means to be part of a community, secrets about her father are revealed. The setting is Brooklyn, New York at the Avalon Family Shelter and Brooklyn Collective Elementary School in 2016.

SPOILER ALERT; DO NOT READ IF YOU DO NOT WANT THE BOOK TO BE SPOILED!

Deja Barnes is mature, proud, and inquisitive. She is mature because she often has to take care of her brother and sister. Deja’s father can’t work, and spends most of his time lying in bed with a headache. Deja is in charge of her siblings when her mother is working to earn money for their family. Deja is proud because she willingly tells her friends and teachers at her new school that she lives in a homeless shelter, without being ashamed. She is inquisitive because she is eager to learn as much as she can about the Towers, even though her father has forbidden her. He and Ben skip school to visit the Tower Memorial.

One of the most interesting parts of the book is when Deja’s father tells her the story about 9/11, when he was working as a security guard in the North Tower. He was able to rescue one older women in the building, but the building collapsed after he took her to the ambulance. Deja’s father has felt guilty since then because he was not able to save his two closest friends from work. Deja starts to respect her dad and begins to see him as a hero. Another interesting part of the book is when Ben shows Deja the video of the twin towers collapsing. I found this part interesting because I realized what it is like to grow up in poverty, without access to the internet or a television.

I enjoyed this book because it teaches about 9/11 in a way that is honest but not scary. I also liked the book because Deja’s friends, especially Ben and Sabeen, as kind and accepting towards Deja. Many books show kids being cruel to each other, but when Deja starts her new school, she is welcomed immediately. I would recommend this book because it teaches about what it is like to be a homeless child in New York City. It is hard to imagine what it is like to not have enough money for a backpack or even school supplies. I also learned about 9/11 and the heros in New York City that day. This book is similar to Nine, Ten because they are both novels about the Twin Towers falling. I would give this book 4 and a half stars.

Mar
17
2017

The Last Kids On Earth, by Max Brallier

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The Last Kids On Earth is by Max Brallier. This book is about a orphan boy who travels the world and just ended up in Louisville where there has been a monster apocalypse! The day the monster apocalypse happened, Jack lost all of his friends. Jack has made it his main priority to get his friends back and to find the “Damsel in Distress,” the love of his life, June Del Toro. The three people that Jack is able to come across is his best friend named Quint, a old bully named Dirk, who turned out to be pretty nice, and June Del Toro. I think that this book probably took place in 2015-2017 because there are CVS’s, Home Depots, and middle school’s that sound pretty modern.

Jack is very arrogant. On almost every page that he is either talking about slaying a huge monster, or “rescuing” June Del Toro. He’s always saying that when June finds out about it, she is going say “Oh, Jack, my hero!” Another adjective that would describe Jack is that he is very brave. Every time someone needs saving, he is always willing to help do something really dangerous to help even if the person thinks that they can handle it, he is always there to help. A example from the book is when Jack, Quint, Dirk, and June were running away from a monster Blarg, Jack shoved everyone in the car and defended his friends from Blarg. The third adjective that I would use to describe Jack is that he is a natural. He learns things very quickly. Two examples is that one, he learned how to make his own Mountain Dew very quickly, and the other reason is he learned how to catch very quickly (and at the right time, as Quint was throwing Jack his sword right as they were about to kill one of the biggest monsters).

There are many more different details about what the plot is about than what I’ve already told you. One is that the family that Jack lost when the monster apocalypse was named the Robinsons. They were not very nice people. All they did was make Jack mow the lawn. No quality time. No family fun night. No Friday pizza movie nights. Some of my favorite parts in the book is when at the very beginning of the book, Jack is fighting Blarg on top of CVS when Jack just wants a tiny tiny screw driver. I think that that is interesting because it is just so interesting how everything is just focused on Jack fighting Blarg and how Jack just wants a tiny tiny screw driver. Another reason why that is interesting is because Jack, a tiny human being is beating Blarg, a giant slimy monster. Another interesting part of the book is when Jack finally does find June Del Toro and the way she reacts to finding out that Jack thinks that she is a “Damsel in Distress,” she gets super mad. The reason that that is interesting because I’d think that even if June didn’t need any help, that she would think that it was nice of Jack to risk his LIFE to save her is really nice, and she still got mad at him! Another one of my favorite parts in the book is when Dirk slowly starts becoming nicer and nicer. That was very surprising to me because Dirk was so mean at first that you’d think that he’d never be nice but the fact that Dirk risked his life to get Quint a birthday gift is, WOW.

I really enjoyed this book because it is a really good mix of comedy and fantasy adventure and the slightest bit of realism. It has comedy because there are lots of strange odd things throughout the book like the fact that the Mountain Dew that Jack makes is just a mix of water and green food coloring. I would recommend this book to a lot of people because it is a great story and also it has lots of amazing pictures to back the story up. This book kind of reminds me of The Walking Dead but with other monsters apart from zombies but it is also a whole lot less scary. The reason that I think that is a pretty similar to The Walking Dead is because there are monsters in both, and there are people are trying to survive from the madness of the monsters in both! I rate this book one out of five stars (one being I didn’t like it five being I loved it and would want to read it again) I think that I would give this book a four stars.

Mar
17
2017

Crenshaw, by Katherine Applegate

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Image result for Crenshaw book cover.

The author of this book is Katherine Applegate. This author also wrote The One And Only Ivan, if you liked that book you should definitely read this one! This book is about a boy who had an imaginary friend called Crenshaw, who comes back to the main character Jackson when he is in need of him. At the time it’s up to Jackson to figure out why. Jackson has a little sister named Robin, a dog named Aretha, and a mom and a dad. The story has some sad parts where the family is in poverty and struggles to regain money. I feel like the book is very well written so it feels like it is happening in real life! So at some points I got a little teary.

If I were to give three adjectives to describe Jackson they would be that he’s an optimist, fearful, and sometimes he thinks he’s imagining things. He’s an optimist because even when he’s living in poverty he looked on the bright side and said, “As long as we have a roof over our heads, I am grateful.” He is fearful because he’s afraid that he’s going to get made fun because he has an imaginary friend when he’s in 5th grade, and by the look of it he doesn’t really see anyone else that has an imaginary friend. He sometimes thinks he’s imagining things when Crenshaw magically appears, for example in the middle of the night he once he heard Crenshaw in his bathroom taking a shower!

There’s lot’s of interesting parts of the book. If I were to give two interesting parts about this book they would be when Crenshaw pops up in places at random moments. I think it’s interesting how Crenshaw pops up at random moments because it’s really cool to discover what Crenshaw will do next. For example, once when Jackson was watching a baseball game at Best Buy because they sold their T.V Jackson saw Crenshaw on the Best Buy T.V doing a headstand behind the ref in the booth! I also think it’s interesting to see how Jackson and his sister Robin react to all the change that’s happening in their lives. It’s interesting to see how Jackson reacts to living in poverty because if I were in the same situation as Jackson and Robin I would be freaking out.

This book is really well written so it makes you feel like the story actually is happening in real life. I love how the author makes it so you don’t want to stop reading and if you do it mostly ends on something stressful, so you want to read more. Also I love the book because there’s an animal as one of the main characters, and if there’s an animal as one of the main characters in the book, I’m in for it. If you are looking for a book this is definitely a good one! This book is exciting and it pulls you into the world of realistic fiction. I think the book is exciting because it is suspenseful and that makes you not want to stop reading. If I were to rate this book through 1-5 stars I would rate this book 5. (Partly because there’s an animal in the book, which means I always love it)!  

 

Thanks For Reading !!!!!!