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

Madison Finn By Laura Dower

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9780613750387The title of this book is Madison Finn by Laura Dower. The main character is Madison Finn and she has all different kinds of personalities because she gets into all different problems in this book. For example, after Madison gets into a fight with best friend, Ivy/Poison Ivy, they become enemies. Then, her dad comes to her house (her parents are divorced) with his new girlfriend and things get crazy with her parents. It is awkward for Madison and her divorced parents because Madison is stuck in between them. The setting of this book mostly takes place at school and at her house.

 

Madison takes a long journey through all different emotions and gets caught up so many times. She doesn’t know what to do because right after she starts to settle down, its like she gets a really loud wake up call jolts her back into action. The book begins with Madison working on the school elections. Then, somebody nominates Madison for Class President, but she doesn’t know who. Throughout the rest of the book, she tries to figure out who it was. Her email pen pal gives her advice throughout the book, especially about boys. Madison has a crush on a boy named Hart. One quote that best describes the book is from a file Madison wrote, “Rude Awakening: Crushing can be hazardous to your health. I just don’t get boys. One minute they’re so nice, the next minute they’re so not. Does crushing on someone mean my heart is going to get squashed?”

I really liked the book a lot. I liked it because I can understand how Madison was feeling. For example, sometimes, I have mixed emotions and I don’t know which one is most powerful. Madison is also overwhelmed by her emotions when Ivy always gets her way in everything. Then Madison feels mad and sad and doesn’t know which feeling is worse. I also liked the book because it had email sections that were fun to read. It made it really easy to understand her emotions. I would recommend this book to people who experience mixed emotions sometimes. The book really captured Madison’s different feelings. I would also recommend it to people who have trouble figuring out their problems. Madison’s pen pal helps Madison figure out her problems, so maybe the person reading the book could get help as well. I would rate this book four stars because it was a good book and I could relate to it, but it wasn’t my favorite book (which would be five stars). It is only four stars because it didn’t make me laugh and my favorite kinds of books are funny ones.

 

Feb
27
2014

Salamandastron By Brian Jacques

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I read a book called Salamandastron. It is about many things.There is

the mountain fortress called Salamandastron, which is being attacked by the vermin hoards of Ferahgo the Assassin, and his son Klitch.

Also, The is the voyage of Mara the badgermaid, and Pickle the chunnering hare. they travel with the shrews of Guosim. Guosim stands for Guerilla Union Of Shrews In Mossflower. Take the first letter of each word, and it becomes Guosom!

Another adventure is that of Samkim the squirrel, and Arula the molemaid. They are traveling to retrieve the Sword of Martin the Warrior, from two stoats.

Last but not least, we have Baby Dumble, and Thrugg. Dumble is a dormouse, and Thrugg is an otter. The two of them are going to the north mountains to get the Flowers of Icetor, because the only medicine for the raging fever that is sweeping Redwall Abbey, is the Flowers of Icetor, boiled in springwater. The abbey is about to be swept by the terrible Dryditch Fever!

Eventually, all these creatures do meet up, and together they do their best to help the hares of Salamandastron survive against Ferahgo’s hoard.

This book is action filled, and has a lot of funny stuff. Also, it is funny and shows what young creatures can do, when driven to it. I would rate this book 5 stars out of 5 stars!

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Feb
27
2014

Alex Rider: Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

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My book is called Alex Rider: Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz It is about this kid Alex who becomes a spy. He is very fast, sneaky, and well built up.He is a black belt in Karate, he has been on many hikes, bungy jumping, and mountain climbing.This book takes place in England.

Alex’s parents died before he really got a chance to meet them. He lived with his uncle Ian Rider who worked for a bank called the Royal and General. When Ian dies Alex learns that Ian was in fact not a banker but a spy. When Alex was called upon by MI6 (The Royal and General) his life is changed completely. And at age 14 Alex Rider is shipped off to boot camp. He hates boot camp the assault course he refers to as “The adventure playground from hell”. Alex works with a couple of people they are not very nice but he helps one of them and then they are nicer to him.

I loved Stormbreaker because it is very fast exciting and a spy book. I would recommend this to anyone who likes fast moving spy adventures. I give it fifty of five stars. *****I*********************************************200px-Stormbreakerbook

Feb
27
2014

The Nine Lives Of Alexander Baddenfield By John Bemelmans Marciano

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The Nine Lives of Alexander Baddenfield is an evil but awesome book by John Bemelmans Marciano. Alexander is the main character and lives in the Baddenfield castle in New York City. Alexander is an evil boy who thinks life is too short. He does all these horrible things such as find a mouse and put it in his python’s cage to be swallowed. His guardian/servant Winterbottom lets him do these things, but only because Alexander will probably tackle him if he says anything.

 

Alexander comes from an evil line of Baddenfields. It was Pieter Boddenfield who bought Manhattan for $24 in beads and such and cheated the Native Americans. But the earth always found a way to kill a Baddenfield, because of their meanness. So after Alexander’s parents and only relatives get killed in a hunting expedition for endangered species, Winterbottom swears to keep Alexander alive for as long as he can. He has Alexander on diets. He makes him look both ways before crossing the street. He even made Alexander use a stroller until he was eight. But Alexander wants to change that, once and for all. And he will, because this is what he says when he doesn’t get what he wants: “Alexander Baddenfield is unfamiliar with things not going his way. Alexander Baddenfield does not like the word ‘no.’ Alexander Baddenfield is going to start firing people.  And worse.” And he does change, but not in the way he thinks…read the book to find out!

 

I thought this book was okay, not the best, but not horrible. I love sinister and evil books, but this was a little too sinister. But one thing about this book I love. I love how the main character is evil, because evil people do ridiculous things, like listening through a tube if you’re deaf. I wouldn’t recommend this to below 3rd grade because the character does some pretty terrible things, and pretty terrible things happen to him. I would rate this book 3 ½ out of 5 stars because as I stated before, I thought the book was okay because I like sinister books, but it was a little too sinister.

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feb
27
2014

5,6,7, Nate by Tim Federle

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Warning: This is the second book in a series

The book I read was the 2nd in a series. ( The Nate series. ) The main character’s name is Nate. Nate loves to sing and dance and his dream is to be on Broadway. He is shy but not when he’s on stage. This character is gay but he is shy about it. In this book his dream comes true. He is the understudy ET in ET: The Musical.  The setting is New York City.

In this book Nate’s problem is that he is afraid to go on stage. He is trying as hard as he can but he just isn’t getting the hang of it. One thing that happened is that one of the shows was going to be in Central Park. The guy who was going to play Elliot was a guy named Jordan. Jordan is very rich. Jordan’s mother wants Jordan to do the show with the real ET but the real ET can’t do it. Nate has to sneak on. Another thing that happens is that his best friend Libby’s mother is sick and dying. He has to comfort her and help her through it.

I really enjoyed this book because it is written in 1st person and I really enjoy reading in 1st person. Nate is really convincing and realistic. It seems like the author was Nate.  I would recommend this book to people who enjoy the theater because this book is about the theater. I would rate this 5 out of 5.

 

Feb
27
2014

Spy School, by Stuart Gibbs

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Spy School is a book filled with action…

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It’s about a kid named Ben Ripley. He is in 5th grade. He is very smart (I mean… VERY smart) but has a very boring life. One of the only things that he does is that he watches spy movies and looks at the CIA website…

 

But a second later, in the middle of the school year; a CIA agent named Alexander Hale  breaks into his house and tells Ben things he knows about him. The Hales have generations of CIA agents and Former ones. Keep in mind that skill skips a generation. Before Ben knows it, he’s being told about spy school: a school for future spys.

 

But Ben’s parents would know if Ben was missing… and the school is top secret. So there’s the lie that convinces the parents. The lie is: it’s the academy of science (they don’t say anything else). His parents say yes, and there he goes… of the Spy School.

 

But why is this happening in the middle of the school year…

 

That’s all I have to say. This is just the beginning and There are so many spoilers that that’s all I can say.

 

I would rate this book 6 out of 5 stars (yes, 6.)

 

Enjoy!

 

Feb
27
2014

Ranger’s Apprentice Kings Of Clonmel By John Flanagan

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John Flanagan Ranger’s Apprentice series is a good book. Since I am on Kings Of Clonmel. I will tell you a blurb of that. In Kings Of Clonmel, Horace Halt And Will travel to Clonmel in Hibernia where the failing king, Lord Ferris, is having a weak hold on his country.

 

For instance, raiding parties have been pillaging villages while the king does nothing. The people of Clonmel are furious. So, a group called the Outsiders, protect any village who pays for their service. But maybe there is a dark side to this mysterious group…

 

Horace is the former apprentice to Sir Rodney the knight and Horace is now an official knight, too. Horace is also Will’s best friend as shown in the past books two – seven.

 

Halt is Will’s former mentor and friend. He is an old, greybeard ranger who has a very sad life. Who, surprisingly, brings joy to Will and his friends. Halt is usually sad because he has never found a spouse until now…..

 

Will, is the biggest character in the series because he is in every single book. He also has a close friendship with Horace and Halt. He is an orphan whose dad died in a battle against fearsome creatures. Will is very kind and pleasant. People seem to be happy when Will is around. Will is also very funny. He even made a parody of a song called Old Man Joe and turned it into Old Greybeard Halt, His mentor!

 

The whole thing is set in a fantasy world but Of all the places in it, there is Hibernia, Araluen, Skandia, Genovia, Arrida, Celtica, Picta, Eastern Steppes, Nih-Hon-Ja, Gallica, Toscana, Iberian, Sonderland, Aslavia. Those are all the places.

 

Horace, Halt, and Will, travel to Clonmel and try to sort out Ferris’s problem with bandits and the Outsiders. They scavenge around the countryside for information. Will stalks the bandits and follows the Outsiders. Halt gets a prisoner bandit to pretend to be him. And so on.

 

I enjoyed this book very much. Because it has a lot of information that is exceptionally interesting because of all the mystery and medieval fantasy involved. I would recommend this book for people who surprisingly, don’t like fantasy because I assure you that once you read this series, you will love fantasy like never before.

I would rate this book and the whole series 5 out of 5 stars.

 

This series is amazing, period.

•Also, if you don’t know what an apprentice is, it’s a student learning to enhance a specific craft or skill.

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Feb
27
2014

Better Nate Than Ever By Tim Federle

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    This book is called Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle. The main character is Nate (Nathan), who is short and small with a horrible home where he’d be fine being anywhere but his home with his family. The setting of this book is in modern times so about 2013, in Pennsylvania and New York.

 

    Nate wants to run away from home to go on Broadway because his parents are horrible and the don’t care about him at all. His best friend Libby Marshall helps him with training for Broadway. When he gets to New York, he realizes that he is homeless, but out of the blue comes Aunt Heidi, his mother’s long lost sister, who had had a big fight with his mother and had run off to New York. When Nate needs someone to vouch for him she comes and vouches for him.

 

    I enjoyed this book because I liked the characters. I liked the characters because they were funny and complicated. I would recommend this book to people who like acting and to see personal problems resolved because that happens a lot in this book. I would rate this book 3 out of 5 stars because it wasn’t has hooking as some other books I have read.