Category Archives: Supplemental Reading List

Sep
02
2014

The Homework Machine By Dan Gutman

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I chose to write my book review on a book called The Homework Machine by Dan Gutman. There are four main characters in this book. Brenton and Judy are the smart ones in the class and they are both really shy and unique people. Then Sam and Kelsey are the type of kids who have a lot of friends and don’t get really good grades, though Kelsey at least tries. This story changes settings throughout the book between Brenton’s house and their  5th grade class.

One really important thing is when the author reveals that Sam had a dad in the army who died. The biggest probleimagesm happens in the middle of the book when people start to find out about the homework machine. The reason the homework machine got started is because of Brenton. Brenton invented the homework machine for himself but not to do all his work just a little. Then things got complicated. Judy, Sam and Kelsey started getting suspicious when the teacher gave out homework and Brenton didn’t seem worried. Brenton eventually told them about the homework machine and then they started to use it too. Someone in the group tells the school newspaper about the machine and that pretty much puts an end to a good thing.

 

I wouldn’t say I loved this book but I didn’t think it was horrible.   I would recommend this book to people who are looking for a book to read when they have nothing to do because it isn’t exactly the book that would have you down on your knees asking for more. I would rate this book 3 out of five stars.

 

May
13
2014

The City of Ember, by Jeanne Du Prau

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The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau is an amazing book. The main characters are Lina and Doon, and they’re good friends. Lina is a kind-hearted, curious, nice, surprising, and adventurous, 12 year old girl. Meanwhile, Doon is different in some ways than Lina. Doon is smart, adventurous, and has a temper. He’s good at figuring things out (read the book to see what I’m saying). When Lina and Doon were young, Lina challenged Doon and her friends to climb to the top of the lamp pole.  “Lina could do it all even when the dares got wilder.”   Lina fell and came laughing down to the ground. This shows Lina’s surprising and adventurous nature. In Ember, there was something called Assignment Day where the 12 year old kids of Ember are assigned jobs.  When Doon picked his job, he lost his temper and threw down the paper that told him his job in front of the mayor. This is one example of Doon losing his temper.

 

The book takes place in the underground city of Ember. It’s a dystopian book.  It is different and better than other dystopian books because this one is suspenseful, but in a good way.  Ember is running out of food, supplies, etc., but mostly light bulbs. Everybody’s afraid that the lights are just going to turn out permanently one day, because they flicker a lot.  If the lights go out, the city will be in complete darkness.  Lina and Doon have other problems. Lina was looking for something she thinks might help the city.  She finds something in a mysterious special box.  She thinks it might be what she is looking for, but it is a big mystery that needs to be solved. Lina and Doon work together to solve the mystery and save the city.  Have they figured it out yet?         I really liked this book because it is funny and weird in some moments. The people of Ember didn’t know what some things were, like ‘boats’ and ‘candles’ for example. One part I really liked was when Lina and Doon found a room full of boats, that were labeled “b”ntstill din’t know what r. I ple who are 8+ nger.I oul also recommend this book to peop le who like cliffhangers, because it ens in a cliffhanger, and the second book is the exact same , but the part 2.