Choose one of the books you read over the summer and write a Book Review including:
- A concise summary
- Identify a theme (life lesson, message, meaning) and explain how this theme connects to the real world.
- Who might enjoy this book? Consider genre elements, author style, character development and real world connections.
Towers Falling
ReplyDeleteBy: Jewell Parker Rhodes
Samantha Nidiffer (submitted by Mrs. Phillips)
In the book, Towers Falling by, Jewell Parker Rhodes, the main character Deja lives with her Pop, Ma, little brother Ray and little sister Leda. She lives in Avalon, a family resident house. In one small room Deja worries about her Pop. With a bad cough and bad headaches he can't hold a job. Her first day at school, she makes two friends, Ben who moved from Arizona to New York because of his parents divorce. And Sabeen, a nice muslim who is immediately kind to Deja. Her teacher, Miss Garcia starts to teach her class about social units, working her way into the tragedy of 9/11. Deja and Ben skipped school to go to the 9/11 Memorial, feeling like they had to. Deja learns more about the event and her family. Her Pop was in the North Tower when the plane hit. After telling Deja and finally letting out his feelings they both change. Now she is closer to her family and friends, she is doing good in school and, her Pop is now feeling better in their new apartment.
One theme that I noticed was, holding in emotions can hurt. When you hold in emotions, you are hiding from the real world. Your worries can hurt you more when you hold them in rather than let them out. This can happen to anyone who does not have or want somebody to talk to.
This book is a good quick read. It opens your heart and makes you want to learn more about 9/11. This is a realistic fiction book. 9/11 did happen, but a girl named Deja might not be real. Jewell Parker Rhodes makes you feel like you are in the characters shoes.
I like how you kept the summary on topic and concise. 9/11 was such a depressing event and you did a great job explaining a life lesson that relates to that time/to the book. The only thing I am wondering is since this book is a quick realistic fiction read and opens your heart to learn more about 9/11, what age range or just type of person might enjoy this book? Overall, great job Samantha!
DeleteI like how you kept the summary on topic, well done. 9/11 was a very tragic and sad event. Great job explaining the life lesson you grabbed from the book after reading it. What age should you be to read this book because you said it was a quick read. Overall, great job Samantha. From, Bryce Nowik
DeleteCouldn’t get my school email sorry I am Bryce Nowik.
DeleteZoobreaker
DeleteBy: Gordon Korman
Bryce Nowik
In the book, Zoobreaker, Gordon Korman, the main characters Griffin Bing and his best friend, Ben Slovak fall upon a 1920’s Babe Ruth baseball card while sleeping in an abandoned house because Griffin’s family is having very bad financial issues, and doesn’t no much about baseball cards. The thing is a 1920’s Babe Ruth in mint condition could be worth a lot of money. So Griffin and Ben go to a collector to see if It’s worth anything. The guy S. Wendell Palomino, nicknamed Swindle lies and says it’s cheap and worth nothing, but the card is actually worth $974,000. What he did was sleazy, but there is no proof he lied so Swindle might get away with it. Always be careful in the real world when you could have your hands on something very expensive or important because you can get scammed and not no it even though it is the real thing. Somebody a little bit younger might enjoy thins book more than me but it was still a good book. Next time I would’ve chosen a little bit more challenging book but was a well done book.
This was a quick read but I still recommend this book.
This is a realistic fiction book because somebody might of got a Babe Ruth card scammed or close to getting scammed but these kids might be fake so can’t say it’s all real. Gordon Korman makes you feel like you’re in all the kids shoes.
The theme starts at always be careful wouldn’t let me edit things. Sorry for all the comments.
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DeleteSamantha, you did a great job with the assignment. You're summary was short, but I definitely thought that you hit all that main points in the book. From looking at your summary your theme statement looks like it connects to this book, can be proved, and could be used for other books. Great job all around!
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ReplyDeleteSami, I read that book this year and I did a theme-work report on it! It took me a good amount of thinking to find my theme, so I am sure you put a lot of thought into your theme and connections. I liked how you not only focused on the main characters changes throughout the book, but based your theme on all of the characters together. A+ Sami!
ReplyDeleteALA Summer Book Review
ReplyDeleteThe Thing About Jellyfish
By: Ali Benjamin
This Summer I read the book “The Thing About Jellyfish”, by Ali Benjamin. This Realistic Fiction Junior Novel is about a frizzy haired, science loving, 12 year old girl named Suzy who has barely spoken a word since her best friend Franny drowned on a beach during vacation. Suzy knows facts about everything, for example she could tell you that there are 150 million jellyfish stings on the planet each year, and that the average middle-schooler has about twenty million of Shakespeare’s atoms. She never really fit in at school, simply because she never tried to be something she was not. This book is about how she grieved and healed in the most unusual way, and most importantly, how she gave life a whole new perspective.
One of the lessons I saw in this story is that sometimes the people you need most are closer to you than you may think. In the story Suzy is ready to travel across the world to find closure, but ends up healing in the arms of her mom and brother. It is okay to grieve, and it is okay to be hurt. Now that Suzy is happy again she is able to open up and be herself.
I would recommend this book for someone who is ready to cry a little, and laugh out loud a minute after. The author wrote the book meaning it to be a nonfiction essay on Jellyfish, but it eventually morphed into a creative, fast paced, emotional story that has a-lot of fascinating facts! This book style is very similar to the novel “Counting by Sevens” by Holly Goldberg Sloan, which happens to be one of my favorite books!
Hi Anna! I want to read this book now that you wrote this report. I like how you described Suzy's inner thoughts and emotions instead of her physical appearance. I also like how you explained the original plan for the book. Great job!
DeleteGood job, Anna! I think that your summary of the book was really good! I would like to read "The Thing About Jellyfish". You did a good job describing Suzy's thoughts and emotions. I also like how you wrote some lessons that you've learned while reading. Great report!
DeleteHi Anna! I think your summary was great! Now I really want to read this book. I feel that you wrote this very well and included a lot of important info. Overall great report
DeleteGood job Anna!I really enjoyed your summary! The lesson you wrote about is explained very well, and I liked how you included the original plan of the book itself. Two thumbs up!
DeleteThat was Anna Reineck.
DeleteVery well writen Anna! Now I really want to read The thing About Jellyfish and Counting BY 7's. I think you described the book very well and I love how you also put the lesson that you learned from the book. Good job!
DeleteGreat job, Anna! I enjoyed reading your book review! I want to read "The Thing About Jellyfish" now! I would definitely give you 100% on this assignment! I can tell you put in a lot of effort on your review! Great job!
ReplyDeleteThat was me, Gabi Maldonado, by the way!
ReplyDeleteI read the book, “Harry Potter and the order of the phoenix”, By: J.K. Rowling. It is the fifth book in the Harry Potter series. It is about a boy named, you guessed it, Harry! Harry has been going to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry for four years and is starting his fifth year. He is the only known survivor of a certain curse that instantly kills whoever it is placed on, leaving him a lightning shaped scar on his forehead. Last year the man who attempted to kill Harry returned to power and is once again looking for Harry. Harry has to face He-who-must-not-be-named and his supporters, called Death Eaters, in a fight for a prophecy that will tell them the answers to their many Questions. He has to rely on his friends to help him in defeating the dark lord’s army. It is hard to identify a theme in this book, but if I had to pick one I would say friendship, because Harry has to stick with his friends to help him through his challenges. Even if he loses some friends along the way he still has the others to be his support while he goes through pains and guilt. My second theme choice would be bravery, because Harry and his friends have to go through many challenges during the book, some of which being: an evil teacher, a failing quidditch team (game on brooms), a war, and the many pranks of a certain pair of twins. I would recommend this book to anyone who has read, and enjoyed, the first four Harry potter books. If you have not read the first four books and this one sounds interesting, please, please, please, read those ones first. This book is also a little sad at the end and in the beginning so if you don’t like being sad in books it might not be the best. Also, I would like to point out that this book is very long and I would not recommend reading it in hard cover for that reason. I really enjoyed this book and I hope some of you do to. Thanks for reading!
ReplyDeleteHi Gabi! The Harry Potter books is one of my favorite series and this report shows you understood the main point of the content very well. I think you explained the themes you chose thoroughly and they make sense. The only things I would add are to name Voldemort not just say He-who-must-not-be-named. Also to explain why reading it in hard cover would not be the best because I am confused why. Overall this is a very nice report!
Deletethanks for the input Katarina!
DeleteGood job, Gabi! I have not read any of the Harry Potter books, but this still makes sense. I really like how you explain the story and give a easy to understand summary. I can tell that this is a complicated book, and you did a very good job of creating a theme for it. You did a good job!
DeleteThat was Anna Reineck by the way.
DeleteNice job, Gabi! You did a good job of explaining the world so it makes sense to people who haven't read the series. You also did a good job of summarizing the story without giving any spoilers. Great work!
DeleteYou were very descriptive and even though this is a book I have already read, this was very in depth and took a whole new view on the book!
DeleteGood job, Anna! You did a great job on your book review. "The Thing About Jellyfish looks very interesting and I want to go and read it. From looking at your summary, your theme looks right and looks like you put a lot of thought into it. All-in-all, Great Job!
ReplyDeleteGabi, I love the Harry Potter series and I hope you are too! The fifth book is one of my favorites in the series and your summary gets all the main points in it even with a little back round knowledge. Your theme statements connect to this book and to a lot of the other books in the series too. You did a great job!
ReplyDeleteHi Gabi! Great report, it is kind of funny hearing a summary of such a well known book, but yours was great! I definitely agree when you said it was hard to find a theme, but yours was spot on. I would definitely not be able to find a different theme for that book. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThanks Anna and Abby!
DeleteGood job Gabi! I love the Harry Potter series and I think you did a great job summerizing a book that's in the middle of a series. Well done!
DeleteI read the book "Just as long as we're together" By:Judy Blume. In this realistic fiction book Stephanie and Rachel have been best friends forever, until Alison comes along. One afternoon Stephanie sees a small girl who looks about her brothers age. Stephanie introduces herself and then finds out they are in the same grade, same homeroom class,and have a couple other classes together. But Rachel was going to be in a different homeroom class. Suddenly Stephanie is spending more time with Alison and big secrets are being kept. Also not to mention Stephanie's dad is in California for, well lets just say she has no idea whats happening between her parents. In this book girls can learn how to manage friendship problems and family problems. They can also learn about how to go through change. The theme of this book relates to real life because so many girls go through friendship and family problems as they go to middle school. I enjoyed this book and thought it was helpful to learn its main lesson. Thanks for reading hope you enjoyed reading this!
ReplyDeleteGreat Job, Branigan!"Just as long as we're together" looks super interesting. It looks like it really relates to real life. You did a great job on the assignment! Keep up the great work!
DeleteThanks Abby!
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DeleteKatarina- I would recommend this book to middle school girls.
DeleteGreat job Branigan! This book sounds amazing! I love how you wrote about a book that takes place in middle school, while we are in middle school. I also like how you put what the girls in the book learned and not just what you learned.
DeleteThis summer I read the book "Wonder" by R.J. Palacio. This book is about a little boy that is just starting fifth grade at his new school. His name is Auggie Pullman, and he has some facial differences. He is very worried that the new kids at this school will judge him based on his looks, and he won't have many friends. Well, the first few days were like that. Everyone stared at him every time he walked passed, and many kids made fun of him just based on his looks. Before the school year started, three kids gave Auggie a tour. Their names were Julian, Jack Will, and Charlotte. One day, Jack Will and Auggie started becoming great friends. They went to each others houses, hung out at school, and were turning into best friends. Auggie really liked Jack Will because he was his only friend at the time, and he was happy that he accepted him for who he was. When Halloween came around, Auggie was dressed up as a monster, and walked into the classroom to hear Jack Will talking about how if he looked like Auggie, he would kill himself. Auggie was very devastated that his only friend would say that about him. After that day, Jack Will and Auggie stopped hanging out and lost their friendship. Eventually, Jack Will was very upset about what he said and even punched someone in the face because they were talking bad about Auggie. Jack will was always a good friend to Auggie, and they started to talk and become closer once again. Soon, many people had started to accept Auggie for who he was, and understand what he was going through. Sooner or later, the end of fifth grade rolled around. At the graduation, Auggie was awarded the "Henry Ward Beecher Medal" for being kind and a friend to all. Auggie learned to not be afraid of what people think, because your true friends will always be there for you.
ReplyDeleteI think that the main theme for this book is to be yourself, and to never let others bring you down. Auggie had facial differences that he couldn't help. Although he let some people get to him in the beginning of the school year, he learned to not let others bring him down and to just be himself. This relates to the real world because many kids get bullied in school, and I think this book is just a good reminder to be who you want, and don't hang around or listen to the people that are mean to you, listen and care about the people who love and accept you for who you are. Also, it also shows kids and all readers that everyone is different, and everyone is unique and different in their own special way.
I recommend this book to all students and I think it is a "must read" because it is very easy to relate if you are a kid in school that has dealt with bullies or seen bullies at school. This story helps kids to understand that everyone is different in their own special way and that you should never listen to those who bring you down, never`listen to the bullies, only listen to your true friends because your true friends are the ones that are going to be there for you when you need it.
We read the book Wonder in 5th grade, and you really understood the theme of the book. I think you explained the book really well, great job!
DeleteGreat job Sophia! I loved Wonder and I think you found a good theme that was very relatable. Well done!
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ReplyDeleteThis summer book, “Backlash” by Sarah Littman, the main character Lara lives in her home with her mother, Kathy Kelley, her father, Pete Kelley and her sister, Sydney Kelley. Lara meets a boy on Facebook and they start to chat. Lara soon realizes she has a crush on Christian, the Facebook boy. After weeks of talking Christian starts saying very hurtful things like “-the world would be a better place without you in it”. Laura took those words to heart, and sadly enough she attempted to kill herself. Luckily, Sydney realized that it's not normal for Lara to take this long in the restroom, she got her mother, but the bathroom door was locked. So, her mother called the police and they found Lara unconscious. An ambulance took her to the hospital. At the hospital the Dr.’s and nurses were able save Lara’s life ake Lara. After all the commotion the police later found that Christian DeWitt wasn't a real person. They tracked “Christian’s,” IP address back to Lara’s neighbor's house otherwise known as Bree Connors house (which is Lara’s ex best friend). Bree admits to being the fake profile, but the twist was Bree’s mom was also involved in the harassment. This story made headlines calling Bree’s mother “Monster Mom” which brought news reporters to the neighborhood. So you could bet it was hard for everybody in the neighborhood, they just wanted everything back to normal.
ReplyDeleteA theme that struck me the most not was you shouldn’t tear other people down just to make yourself feel better. This is a good life lesson in general, making sure you share your emotions with someone rather than putting someone else in pain. It’s important to keep this message in mind at school, kids sometimes forget about this message. If everyone lived by this rule there would be less bullying, self harm, and a happier school environment.
I would recommend this book to people who like emotional storylines. There is a lot of ups and downs in this book, including an attempted suicide, so it might be very emotional for some readers
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DeleteThis sounds like a great book. The way you wrote it really made me want to learn more. Also the theme you chose is powerful and people should pay more attention to it.
DeleteElla, this review is very conveying and makes me want to read this book. The theme is deep and I like how you showed a picture of what the future could be if everybody lived by that theme.
ReplyDeleteGood job, too!
DeleteElla, your summary was very detailed, and your theme made me smile. I like you were able to find such a uplifting theme in what sounds like a sad book. You made the book sound interesting, while at the same time not giving away any of the twists. All in all, great job Ella!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anna!
DeleteThe book that I really enjoyed this summer is “Baseball Genuis.” The former Atlanta Falcons’ Tim Green partnered with New York Yankees legend Derek Jetter to write this book about perseverance and friendship in the world of Major League Baseball.
ReplyDelete“Baseball Genius” is the story of Jalen DeLuca, an underprivileged kid with an usual talent – he can analyze and predict every pitch that is about to be thrown by a pitcher. Jalen loves baseball, but his single dad cannot afford to pay for his travel team. His father runs Silver Liner Diner and barely makes enough to cover their living costs. Jalen has to think of the way to find money. He knows that Yankee’s star second baseman, James Yager has a batting cage on his grounds, so Jalen decides to steal a bag of autographed baseballs in hopes to sell them and pay for the team. When he’s caught, he has to plea with Yager not to tell his father about his act. Since Yager’s batting average is down and he might need to leave the team, Jalen reveals his hidden talent. Jalen can help Yager to increase his batting average if Yager won’t press charges.
Things become complicated when Yager’s team’s General Manager tries to go ahead with his own plan of getting rid of Yager. He requires Yager to go 4 for 4 ( get a hit in each of his 4 battings) in order to stay on the team. At the same time, he fabricates a case to remove Jalen from the stadium. Without Jalen’s help, Yager cannot do this.
One of the themes of this book is good conquering evil. Friendship and loyalty can overcome evil intentions. My favorite part of this book is when Jalen and two of his friends, including a girl named Cat, push together to find the way for Jalen to watch the game and send signs to Yager through his friends. This is the best example how perseverance and friendship allow Yager to hit the winning single and defeat the evil in this book.
This book is packed with action. It has short chapters and lots of dialogue. I recommend it to anyone who loves action and baseball.
I'm not a big fan of baseball but this book sounds like an interesting storyline. You thought of a theme not many people think about and you did a great job!
DeleteI read the book "The Knowing" by Sharon Cameron. "The Knowing" is about a girl named Samara who lives on a different planet. On this planet is an underground city in which the knowing live in. The knowing are people who remember the day they were born and every memory that comes after. All Samara wants to do is forget, so she runs away to a cursed city, where she finds Beckett from Earth. Samara realizes that she needs to save her city from destruction and the forgetting with the help of this strange boy from Earth.
ReplyDeleteA theme I identified in this book is that even though people have differences, you can sometimes find similarities. This connects to the real world because if you meet someone new that doesn't look anything like you, you can still find similarities. For example, maybe you both are funny or you have the same hobby. Similarities help bring people together, but differences can help you learn other ways of doing things.
Who might enjoy this book? I think young adults who like adventure, science-fiction, or fantasy will enjoy this book. If you like connecting with characters similar to your age, this is a great book to read.
I always found myself at the edge of my seat in this book wondering what was going to happen next and was usually surprised! Overall it was a great book, and I recommend you read it.
I love your theme, it really relates to the real world. I like how you didn't give away the entire ending. This sounds like a great book and I hope to read it sometime, great job!
DeleteHi Sammie, The Knowing looks really exciting and interesting to read. You did a great job on the book review. Your theme really did connect to the real world and you also proved that. Awesome job!
DeleteAmazing job Sammie! this book sounds very good and interesting. I really liked the theme that you found in the book.
Deletehi Sammie! i really liked your book review. I think that your theme was really clear and you backed it up with evidence really well. It sounds like a really good book, I think that I will read it soon.
ReplyDeleteNice job!
ReplyDeleteOver the summer I read the book “Who moved My Cheese?” by Spencer Johnson, M.D. In the beginning of the book there were two mice and two tiny people called Littlepeople. The Littlepeople's names were Hem and Haw. Everyday the two Littlepeople and the two mice would go to a maze looking for their special cheese. One day they finally found their cheese. The cheese was held in a station called “Cheese station C” The mice and the Littlepeople relied on the cheese and every day they would go to the station to eat the cheese. The cheese in the station was slowly getting smaller, the mice saw the change happening but the Littlepeople did not. One day when they all went to the station the cheese was not there. The mice who had seen the change coming, quickly they adjusted and went to find more cheese. But theLlittlepeople did not deal with the change very well. They dwelled on it and everyday they came back to the empty station. After a long time of being sad and hungry, Haw, one of the Littlepeople started to realize that it is time to move on and look for new cheese. After a long time he found better cheese in a new station. But Hem still came back to the same station everyday and never got over the old cheese.
The theme is that there are lots of ways to deal with change. The best way is to not dwell on the change but to move on and seek out new opportunities that the change presents. All of the characters dealt with change in a different way. The mice adjusted to it quickly, and one person was sad for a long time but soon moved on. But the other person never adjusted and dwelled on it. In the book it says “The quicker you let go of the old cheese, the sooner you will find new cheese.” This means that the sooner you move on from the change, the sooner you can seek out new opportunities. The mice got to the new cheese first because they were able to adjust. So they were enjoying the cheese for a lot longer, while the Littlepeople were in the empty station. The best way to deal with change is to not dwell on the change but to move on and seek out new opportunities that the change presents because, in the book hem never tried to adjust to the change and the whole time he was sad and hungry but Haw and the mice moved on it and found new cheese and they were happy. After Haw found the cheese and enjoyed it he srated thinking, he said, “He was so afraid of never finding new cheese that he didn't want to start looking.” But after his journey he said, “now he looked forward to finding more. Just looking ahead was becoming exiting.” this shows that the best way to deal with change is to seek out new opportunities because you let go of your fears and because the opportunities are exciting.
The theme connects to the world in that there is change in the world all of the time, in our lives, our jobs and friends. For example: Getting fired from your job is a big change that is hard to move on from. Also in the real world the best way to deal with change is to not dwell on the change and move on so you can seek out new opportunities that might prove to be better. For example: Moving to a new school is a very big change and you will miss your old friends. But the best way to deal with it is to move on, get comfortable and make new friends at your new school.
“Who moved my cheese?” is a self help book targeted to people who are dealing with change. Someone who would gain from reading this book is someone who is having trouble dealing with change. “Who moved my cheese?” is not a difficult read but it has a powerful message. Anyone can gain from this book, from children to adults.
I really enjoyed this book and I hope you enjoyed reading my review. I hope you consider reading “Who Moved My Cheese?” soon, I really enjoyed it and so will you.
Hi Tavi, this is a very thorough book report and I thought you did a good job explaining everything. In a book that may originally seem like it might not have a deeper meaning, you dug deep and spotted a great theme that definitely connects to the real world. Great job, Tavi!
DeleteThanks katarina!
ReplyDeleteEverything everything written by Nicola Yoon is a heartwarming book about a 18 year old girl who is allergic to everything.She has spent the last 17 years in her white room on her white couch in her room filled with book. Her only connection to the outside world is through the characters she reads about in her books. The only people she ever see are her mom who is also her doctor and her nurse Carla. Her life started out just like any other healthy baby. But when she was 3 months old her dad and brother tragically died in a car crash.One month later she was diagnosed with SCID which means severe combined immunodeficiency, that is why she can't go outside. But then a new family moves in next store that's when she sees him a beautiful boy her age in all black. She emetitly falls in love and we all know that this is most definitely going to be a disaster. One powerful theme is that if you want something you just have to go for it. And that life is not just surviving but living! In the story Maddy was willing to risk her life and leave the security of her home to experience true love with Olly. In life true happiness is found in the connection you share with others, and sometimes you have to risk it all to achieve your goals. If you love romance and suspense I will guarantee that you will love everything everything as much as I did. I recommend this book to female readers between the age of 12-25.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like such a sad story and I want to read it anyway. You did a good job of explaining most of the book and not revealing the ending. Good job, Unknown!
DeleteThis summer I read “Something In Between” by Melissa De La Cruz. The story is about a High School Senior named Jasmine that moved from the Philippines when she was a little girl. She is pretty and popular, also very smart and is the varsity cheer captain. Jasmine soon gets a letter telling her she is a winner of the National Scholar Award, which gives her a full ride to any school she wants for college. But soon she learns that her family's visas had expired a year ago. She can’t accept the award. As this settles into her brain she starts to rebel against her parents and family. She goes to party's, gets a boyfriend that she falls madly in love with. Royce Blakely, her new boyfriend, is the son of a big hot shot congressman. They go on adventures and make a lot of memories together. Later her family gets a lawyer to help them with their situation. Soon they are having a trial to see if her family has to be deported back to the Philippines or they can get new visas. The trial doesn’t go well and Jasmine’s family will have to be deported by the end of the school year. Jasmine's friends and family do everything they can to get her and her family to stay before it’s too late.
ReplyDeleteA theme that really shows in this book is to never give up when something seems impossible. Jasmine gives up a lot when they can’t figure out what to do with the deportation or their expired visas. Her friends teach her that they will find a way to solve the problem and Jasmine will be able to go to college in the US. She then sometimes helps them out to not give up something that seems impossible. Everyone in this book has to just keep their head up and march on.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes romance, cliffhangers, and someone trying to find who they really are. This book hits you in the heart and really makes you think about how fortunate you are. It also shows you some of the Filipino culture. This book just really shows you what it’s like to be a teen and an illegal immigrant in the US. This would be a good book for girls 12 through any age beyond.
If you are thinking of reading this book, totally read it it is so good, and all in all touches your heart
Good job, Abigail! I love your use of words and phrases such as "touches your heart"
DeleteOne Book I have enjoyed so far this summer is "The New Girl" By R.L. Stine. This novel is the first of a mystery series, Fear street. In this book, a Teenager, Corey, develops a strong relationship with Anna, the new girl in town. The only boundary between them is that Corey can't tell if Anna really exists. Most of his classmates have never seen her at all on campus, and Corey had even checked the school files, she still was not there. When he calls the families home, they are strange and evasive. In desperation, Corey drives to Anna's house, located on the infamous "Fear Street", and there is a man who tells Corey that Anna is dead. Corey wonders if the man is telling the truth or lying. A few weeks later, Anna calls Corey and tells him to meet her on the corner of her street. Anna's passion and humbleness convince Corey that she exists. Although Corey believes that Anna is real, he questions her occasionally. He rarely runs into her in school. One day Corey decides to get answers. He asks Anna everything. She claims that her brother, Brad, is dealing with loss of loved one and hates to see her happy in love. This Novel follows the same tedious pattern. Each of Corey's torrid encounters with Anna is joined by several eerie incidents. Something strange is going on, but the Mystery is not resolved until the end.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the theme of this book is to get to know someone before you develop a relationship with them. Corey made the mistake of instantly being attracted to Anna without getting to know her first. This led to a lot of trouble and drama.
I think this theme relates to he real world because if you don't get to know someone before you develop a relationship with them, you have no idea whether or not they are a good person or not.
I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys mysteries and romance. This book was hard to put down! Although it was a shorter read, I enjoyed it very much. I would think the interest level would range from 11-14 years of age. I would rate this book 5\5 stars!
I read this book when I was about 8 and I had nightmares about it. So I agree with you on the age range because I could probably read it now.
ReplyDeleteGood job Maggie! I can tell that you put a lot of thought into your summary of the book. The theme you made for this book sounds like it connects very well with the story, good job!
ReplyDeleteThis is Anna Reineck by the way.
This summer I read “Counting by Sevens” by Holly Goldberg Sloan. The story is about a twelve year old girl named Willow chance. She is very smart for her age, lives in California, has a huge garden in her backyard, and loves diagnosing medical issues. She tragically loses her much loved adoptive parents in a car crash, changing her life forever. She seeks shelter in a garage with her only friend named Mai, and Mai’s brother, whose mother had left her past home in Vietnam, to live in California. Willow has a lot of anxiety about her situation, and relaxes herself by counting things by sevens. She meets many new people, like a taxi driver who is more than he seems, and a somewhat horrible counselor named Dell Duke. Dell Duke ends up being very helpful in Willow’s situation and plays a large role in her well being. Mai’s family members are also very important to the story, adding a different perspective to the problem. As Willow tries not be taken away by child services, she does her best to learn more about the people in her life.
ReplyDeleteI think that a possible theme for this book is “You don’t have to be related to someone to be family”. This fits the story because Willow had just met her friend Mai, and they were already very close. Mai’s mom, who had moved there from Vietnam had also experienced many difficulties, and she treated Willow as if she was her daughter. She loved Willow and took very good care of her. Dell Duke also treated Willow like family, he always did everything he could to make her feel better. They were all like a big family.
I think that anyone twelve and older would enjoy this book. It is a very fun to read and heartwarming story that is not too long. The chapters switch between the different characters, showing each of their inner thoughts and emotions. It connects to real-world everyday problems, like anxiety, living in poverty, and orphaned children. Overall, this is a really great book, I really liked reading it and i’m sure that everyone who reads it will fall in love with the story.
This was made By (me) Anna Reineck by the way, my name dosen't show up at the top.
I like how in the summary you gave some information about the characters. I think your theme is unique, because that's not a very common theme. It relates to real life because a lot of children don't know their biological parents, and sometimes adoptive parents can have better bonds with their children than the biological parents ever could. Great job Anna!
DeleteDuring the summer I read Elephant In The Garden by Michael Morpurgo.Elephant in the garden is about an elderly woman named Elizabeth who wants to share her life story with a little boy and his mom. She tells them about how she escaped the bombing of Dresden with her mom and her little brother Karli, during World War Two. Not excluding, an elephant named Marlene who they took from the city zoo in order to protect her.They go on a journey to western Europe in hopes of escaping the Russian army. On the way they find a Canadian pilot. His name is Peter. They decide to bring him along only because they need his help and he needs theirs. As their journey continues they grow a close bond with him and bring him into the family. After the war Elizabeth leaves her family and moves to america with her husband where she ends up for the rest of her long life. The main message of the book is that everyone should help each other no matter differences because we are all humans with the same struggles and strengths. During their journey they learn that through the hardship,they need each everyone’s help. Still today there is no need to neglect someone because of their differences.Elephant In The Garden is a very interesting book because not like other books because it shows the story of World War Two from the German point of view, not the American point of view.Elephant In The Garden is a good book for anyone who is interested in history,animals, and a well deserved happy ending.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people in real life are judged based on race, gender, and other factors that are not related to their personality or conciense. But we all need to realize someday that we are all the same species and need to help each other (and other animals).
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DeleteThis summer, I read the book “The Outsiders” by S. E. Hinton. This book tells the story of a young teenage boy named Ponyboy whose parents are dead, so he lives with his two older brothers, Sodapop and Darry. They live in the low income section of an unspecified city. Ponyboy is accustomed to the usual brawls between the two sides of the town, the “Greasers” (Ponyboy’s group) and the “Socs” (Social rich kids). But one night things go too far when he and his friend Johnny are at the park and Johnny is forced to kill the Soc who was drowning Ponyboy. The two boys are terrified of being caught by the police, so they run away from home and hide in an abandoned church. A disaster soon strikes in the church and the two boys must make a choice about risking their lives for the common good. Ponyboy has to later overcome tragedies in his life. He also talks to a Soc who did not want to fight anymore and realizes fighting and hating each other based on social groups is not the answer to problems.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the story Ponyboy realizes that not all the Socs are the same. He talks to one Soc girl named Cherry near the beginning of the book and they realized they saw the same sunset. This means that they are not very different from each other but are separated because of their social class. Another example is that Ponyboy finds out towards the end of the book that the boy his friend killed, Bob, was actually a great guy on the inside. Bob might have just been pressured to party and drink alcohol because he was a “Soc” (and the alcohol was the reason he made poor choices) just like many other Socs. A recurring theme that ties into these examples is Judgement: people should not be judged based on their social class or group but rather on their thoughts and actions as an individual. Much like the Socs judged the Greasers and the Greasers judged the Socs, many people in society today are judged based on their friends, race, or even their income. Social groups don’t form with such a fine line as in this book but still many tweens and teens characterize and stereotype other people based on their friend groups.
I would recommend this book to teens and tweens going through emotional ups and downs, unsure of what kind of person they want to be. If you want to read this book be prepared with kleenex because the end is sort of tragic and you will most likely cry if you are like me. This book might not be for young children because the concepts are more likely for tweens and teens to understand. The characters in this book smoke and drink a lot so that would be setting a bad example for young kids, too. This book is not just a fight between two social groups but an emotional rollercoaster for many characters.
I also read a book by S.E. Hinton. I really enjoyed her book and I hope you did too!
DeleteI really did like it! She is a very good author.
DeleteMegan Ruby:
DeleteThis sounds like a good book. You did a good job of explaining it's theme and the story!
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ReplyDeleteI read “The Thief Lord” by Cornelia Funke. This book begins with two brothers named Prosper and Bo. In the beginning of the book, the boys’ mother dies and their Aunt offers to adopt the younger brother, Bo. However, the boys did not want to separate so they decided to run away. They were living on the streets of Venice, Italy. Meanwhile, their Aunt hired a detective named Victor to find the boys. In the meantime, a girl approached the boys, she called herself “Hornet” because of her long pointy braid. She led them to an abandoned movie theater called the “The Star Palace” where the girl and two other boys were living. They boys’ names were Riccio and Mosca. Bo and Prosper soon find that a 13-year-old boy named Scipio nicknamed “The Thief Lord” looks after Riccio, Mosca, and Hornet and he claims to be an orphan himself. The kids survive by selling loot that they have stolen to a man called “The Redbeard.” Redbeard introduces the kids to a man who calls himself “The Conte” who hires Scipio and asks him to steal a treasured wooden wing. From there, the kids go on an exciting journey to retrieve the wing for the Conte. This book is full of mystery, revenge, and trickery. If you want to know how the book ends, read the Thief Lord! I loved this novel and would recommend it for all sixth and seventh graders who are interested in adventure and mystery, or if you have read other books by Cornelia Funke. The main theme for this book is “Friends can help you get through hard times” because even though the kids were often cold, hungry, and tricked, they were all still happy and enjoyed each other's company and helped each other through challenging circumstances. This can often be true in the real world, even though you may not experience times as difficult as the children in “The Thief Lord”, your friends can be there when you need support. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!
ReplyDeleteI read this book in book club too and you did a really good job capturing it in your summary. I really like your theme and I'm glad you enjoyed the book. Great job Macy! :)
DeleteI didn't read this book when we did book club but now I want to read it. Good job Macy!
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ReplyDeleteI read the book "Front Desk" by Kelly Yang. The main character in this book is a young girl named Mia Tang. Mia's parents are immigrants that came to the United States from China, looking for a better life with lots of new opportunities. Her family is very poor, so when they get offered the opportunity to manage "The Calivista", a motel in California, their in. The only problem is that the the motel owner, Mr. Yao, is a mean man who has no respect for people like Mia and her family. The book is about the Tang family's experiences while running the Motel. They experience many things at the motel. Since Mr. Yao is such a cruel person, he blames Mia's parents for everything that goes wrong. Mia is desperate for a change. One day she finds an article that states that a motel is going to be given out for free. All you have to is write an essay that explains why you should get the motel. The only problem is that there is a three hundred dollar entry fee. So Mia gathers up her lucky pennies that are worth a lot because they are super old, and she sells them for the three hundred dollars. Then she writes the essay. Her mom always tells her that she has no chance with writing, because english is not her native language. Mia has a lot of courage though, and she wants to get her family out of a mess. They don't end up winning, but they find out some crazy news. Mr. Yao is selling The Calivista! So, of course Mia had to do something. She manages the front desk at The Calivista motel and collects donations from store owners and customers. She says that if they donate a little, they can own a small portion of The Calivista. Eventually, Mia collects enough money so her family can by The Calivista! They buy it and everyone is thrilled! This book was a easy read but you should read it! It has a great message!!!
ReplyDeleteThe main theme of this book is that if people have courage and persevere through challenges, great things can come out of it. This theme shows throughout the whole book, because Mia is always persevering with writing. she also has to have courage when she writes the entry, because even though her english might not be the best, she knows that she should still try because it is worth a shot. She also perseveres and has courage while raising money so her family can buy The Calivista. This theme connects to the real world, because if people are struggling, they should remember to persevere and have courage, so they can get through their struggles. I think that tweens would like this book because they can connect to the real world with having to persevere through their own daily challenges. I really enjoyed this book and I hope you read it too!!!
That essay was by Nora Miller!
ReplyDeleteI think you did a very great job of summarizing the book because it seems like it would be a book that was confusing at first. Perseverance and courage the into each other because you have to have courage to persevere and even though Mia did not accomplish her goal she might be better at it next time opportunity presents itself.
DeleteI also read "The Outsiders" by S.E. Hilton. The Outsiders is written from the perspective of Ponyboy. Pony is one of the main characters. Pony lives with his two brothers, 20 year old Darry, and 16 year old Sodapop. They have a house together without their parents who passed away. The three are apart of a gang or social group called "Greasers". They are known to put a lot of grease in their hair and they live in a financially poor area. The main conflict comes from another social group called "Socs". Socs are rich kids who live on the other side of town. Sometimes, they try to jump the Greasers. One night, Pony and another Greaser named Johnny meet a Soc girl named Cherry Valance at the movie theatre. Cherry is a nice person and she makes Pony realize that not all Socs are bad. The book says, “It seemed funny to me that the sunset she saw from her patio and the one I saw from the back steps was the same one. Maybe the two different worlds we lived in weren't so different. We saw the same sunset.” This shows how Pony realizes that Greasers and Socs aren't so different. Later, Johnny and Pony are at the park and a car full of Socs come out and jump them. One of the Socs grab Pony and shove his head in the fountain. Johnny sees that he is drowning Pony. He gets away from the Socs that are holding onto him and stabs the one who is drowning Pony. After, Johnny and Pony have recovered and realized what had just happened. They begin to fear that police will come to arrest them for murder, even though it was self defense. They get help from Dally, who is a gang member. Dally sends them to an abandoned church where they wait it out. Throughout the rest of the story, there are many more twists and turns that I do not want to spoil. I think this is an amazing book and I recommend that you read it.
ReplyDeleteI think you would like this book if you wanted to know how people and social groups interact. The book gives a good perspective of both sides because Cherry shows Pony that Socs have problems too. I also think you would like this book if you would like to meet really strong characters. All of the Greasers have unique personalities and traits.
I think one of the main theme ideas is the conflict between different social groups. The Socs didn't like the Greasers because they are poor, unlike the Socs. If the Socs just accepted the Greasers, there would not have been fighting and no one would have died. This also applies to real life. If everyone accepts each other and their differences, there will never be war, killing, and unnecessary violence between people. People will be able to get along easily and there will be no unnecessary conflict between different groups and people. I think that is one of the main lessons taught by "The Outsiders".
I did my book report on this book too. I think you had a more thorough summary than I did but I like how you didn't spoil the ending. I agree that the lessons taught by the Outsiders are based on social conflict and judgement. People are judged based on their social group and that's the main reason of conflict in the book.
DeleteI read the book "Rumble Fish" by S.E. Hinton. Rumble Fish starts off with Rusty James (the main character) reuniting with Steve, a friend of his who will lead a big roll in the story. Before you know it, Rusty James is already in a fight with Bill Wilcox and gets stabbed in the side. Later on, Motorcycle boy, his hero, and brother returns after being gone for a while in California, unlike his mom who left them forever. After that, Rusty James, Motorcycle boy, and Steve take us through a story of love, loss, and friendship.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of "Rumble Fish" is poverty can make life hard. In the story, Rusty James and Motorcycle boy have to commit petty crimes just to survive. Their only source of income is their welfare check because their dad doesn't work. Rusty James has to try to get some of the welfare check before his dad goes and spends it all at the bar. They live in a crummy apartment, and take turns sleeping on a cot. When Rusty James is hungry, he goes to the fridge for "Sardines, crackers, and milk." All of this shows how poverty has made life hard for them. This relates to the real world because many people, in many countries, have a harder life due to poverty.
I think people who like survival books, but want to see how people survive in the city (with poverty) would LOVE this book. Instead of fighting bears, people are having knife fights. Instead of picking berries from bushes for food, people are robbing stores for food. I believe tweens would like this book best, but I believe you have to have a certain level of maturity to really understand this book fully. This was one of my favorite books
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ReplyDeleteOne book I read this summer was, “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett. “The Secret Garden” is a book about Mary Lennox, a ten-year-old girl. Mary originally lived in India; she was bratty and spoiled. When her parents died she was forced to move in with her uncle in England. While at her uncle’s manor one of the maids, Martha, helps her learn how things are done in England. Mary is forced to play outside in the gardens that surround the manor. Mary eventually learns about the Secret Garden, a locked Garden that no one ever goes into. Mary finds a key one day while she is playing in the gardens then a robin leads her to the Secret Garden. She eventually gets to meet Martha's brother Dickon. Dickon helps her weed and take care of the garden. One night Mary hears someone crying and she discovers her hidden cousin, Colin. Colin has always been very ill and has been stuck in bed his entire life. He is the same age as Mary and is very pale and weak. Colin eventually warms up to Mary. Mary, Dickon, and Colin go outside to the Secret Garden every day. Colin becomes less pale and weak. Colin also learns how to walk. Colin and Mary change greatly with Mary goes from being a very bratty and ugly child to being kind and pretty. Colin goes from not being able to walk and being very ill and pale to being able to walk and being less ill and weak.
ReplyDeleteI think that one of the possible themes could be, how nature can help not just physically, but mentally. For example, a physical change was how Colin learned to walk and how his and Mary’s appearances changed. A mental change was how Mary became less bratty and how she and Colin became kinder and more friendly. This relates to the real world because when you go outside into nature after a long day either inside or doing work, it can make you happier and less stressed. Also if you never went outside into nature it would have a physical toll.
This is a realistic fiction book, I would suggest this book for students who are about eleven and older. This book can be a bit of a longer read because it was written in 1910 and set in northern England. The characters sometimes use words that we wouldn’t necessarily use, and the author writes in dialect to show some characters’ speech. This book really makes you want to learn more about the time period.
I like how you used lots of examples of why nature can help you. I'm confused on why nature changed Mary's appearance though. Laura you did a great job of convincing your readers!
DeleteThis summer, I read the book Kid Owner by Tim Green. This book is about a twelve year old named Ryan Zinna and he loves football. Ryan also never knew his dad, nor the fact the he owned the Dallas Cowboys. When Ryan finds out his dad dies unexpectedly, he gets the rare opportunity to be the owner of the Dallas Cowboys. After Ryan is named the owner of the NFL team, things start going Ryan’s way. He doesn’t feel like a social misfit, and he also has a chance to get off the bench and into the starting lineup of his own middle school football team. With the help of Ryan’s friends Jackson and Izzy, Ryan is able to take advantage of this rare opportunity. As being a kid owner, he is able to convince his middle school coach to let him be the starting quarterback. Despite his limited arm strength, his quick thinking allowed him to run a trickier offense. Just when things are looking up for Ryan, his mean stepmother comes and makes a legal play to install her own son as the Cowboys’ kid owner. With the drama rising on and off the field, he realizes he may lose much more than the Dallas Cowboys.
ReplyDeleteThe life lesson in the story is to never give up even when things seem most impossible or unlikely. This can also help you in the real world. For example, an adult may encounter obstacles when looking for a job but with perseverance, they will find success. I remember when this same lesson personally helped me a lot. Last year I had a language arts assignment that seemed really hard to me. But I worked hard at it, I believed in myself and I eventually got a good grade on it. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a lot of drama, realistic fiction, dialogue and likes football. This book has short chapters and is not a very long book. But this book Kid Owner by Tim Green is definitely one to check out.
I think you did a very nice job with grammar. Your sentences are not run on but they are not a string of brief sentences, you used commas effectively.
DeleteI think you did a nice job with getting right to the point of the book. I also think you did a great job with grammar. I would definitely want to read this book sometime.
DeleteI read the book "See You in the Cosmos" by Jack Cheng. This book is about an eleven year old boy named Alex. He wants to launch his golden iPod into space with a series of audio recording for extraterrestrial life to find. Alex sets off for Las Vegas with his kanine best friend, Carl Sagan, and some friends he meets along the way. But he will uncover his family's secrets that will turn his life upside-down.
ReplyDeleteI think the theme of "See You in the Cosmos" is to be brave. All throughout the book, Alex had to be brave because he didn't know what would happen next or what he would discover. This related to the real world because sometimes in life, things might not always go your way. Being brave can help you get over these challenges.
I think people that enjoy realistic fiction or astronomy would really enjoy this page-turning book. The book is written in first person. I think Jack Cheng did a very good job of writing "See You in the Cosmos". It is a fast read, even though it is a pretty thick book. Cheng wrote the book as if Alex were talking, so sometimes the book says "Me and (name)" instead of "(name) and I". The text is very easy to understand too. "See You in the Cosmos" is definitely my new favorite book
I wish you would have included more on the story in the summary, how does Alex try to achieve his goals? You did a great job with the theme and recommendation.
DeleteA book I read this summer is the historical fiction novel, The War I Finally Won, which is the second book in a series by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. The main character in both books, Ada, had grown up in one room, not being able to leave because of her clubfoot, or a deformity in the foot. She lived with an abusive and immoral mother and her sweet younger brother Jamie. Ada escaped her cruel mother when the government evacuated children in London to the countryside because of the start of World War II. The children were placed with a woman named Susan and grew to love her. Ada was lucky enough to get her foot operated on, and by that time it had been three years since Ada and Jamie had left their hometown. Now that Ada had two working feet, she could do many things she couldn't before. When she later learns her mother has died, Ada has mixed feelings as to if it was a loss or gain in her life because of how horrible she had been. Ada, Jamie, and Susan had been staying in a small house owned by a wealthy woman named Lady Thorton, who had to move in with their family due to her mansion being used for war purposes. Maggie, who was Lady Thorton's daughter and Ada's friend, is away at University. As if Ada's life couldn't get any more complicated, a Jewish, German girl named Ruth moved in for tutoring with Susan. Ada and Jamie are wary about her roots, and Lady Thorton disrespects Ruth throughout the novel. As wartime continues, Ada and Jamie start to learn more about Ruth and her past and develop a friendship with her, with Ada sneaking out with her to ride Lady Thorton's family's horses. One day when they are out riding, Lady Thorton comes home early and spots them, but she isn't mad after she shortly learns her son Jonathan had died. Jonathan had been a very kind and generous person and was good friends with Ada. Lady Thorton is damaged by Jonathan's death and barely eats, drinks, or speaks until Ada figures out how to bring Maggie home from school and they both feel much better. Shortly after, Susan grows ill with pneumonia, the same sickness her best friend Becky had died from. Lady Thorton took Ada with her to the hospital in London, and Ada discovers that Lady Thorton, the very fancy woman that she is, had grown up wealthy, but with a similar childhood of neglect that she had. Susan does get better and returns home. Soon after that, Lord Thorton, Lady Thorton's husband, arrives home and brings Ruth's parents with him. Ruth goes on to work with Lord Thorton and her father doing top-secret work trying to crack Nazi spy codes, using the math skills Susan had taught her. As the story ends, readers learn that Ada and Jamie will live a much better and happier life than they ever would have in London with their real mother.
ReplyDeleteI think a theme for this novel is how it's important to accept others, even if it's hard at first. It may be hard to accept someone because of a belief, social construct, or situation because changing what you're used to can be difficult. You might not accept someone on an opinion, and you just have to learn to get over that. However, lots of times it can be about something that person can't change about themselves. They are a person too, and you can't disrespect that.
This book is a sequel, so I would only read this book if you've read the first, The War That Saved My Life. The War I Finally Won is really well written, is a smooth read, and has a nice length of about three to four hundred pages. It is a very deep and sad novel, so if you cry easily, I'd be prepared. I don't usually read historical fiction, but I really enjoyed this book.
You did a great job of explaining every point in the book for somebody who hasn't read it. I think it might have been a little too much, maybe you could have left out the ending because that may have spoiled it for some people. I love your theme and I see how it relates to the book. Good job Lauren!
DeleteHaha, I wasn't sure how far into the book I should've described. Thanks for the feedback, Katarina!
DeleteDuring the summer I read the Hunger Games Book 1 by Suzanne Collins. This book is about a 16 year old girl named Katniss Everdeen. Katniss lives in one of 12 districts, district 12. Her country Panem lives under dictatorship of President Snow and the Capitol. The Capitol Holds an annual event called the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is where children ages 12-18 have to kill each other in arena with everybody watching.The Capitol made these cruel games just for entertainment purposes. In the picking for one female and male contender for District 12, Katniss sister was chosen but Katniss decided to step in for to spare Prims life for her own. Katniss departs district 12 with Peeta Mellark, a young baker. Once arriving at the Capitol, the interviews of each tribute, where Peeta announces to everybody watching that he loves Katniss.
ReplyDeleteThis act runs through in the actual games where the Capitol made a rule that both tributes from a district can win. These star crossed lovers carried there spirit to try to come alive in the Hunger Games.
The main theme I understood after reading this book is survival and keeping your true dignity and your former self to go against the greatest odds. This was shown when Katniss was keeping to self respect and treating this experience like any other day in district 12. This relates to the real world because many refugees will have to defy all odd and keep their true dignity and know who they truly are.
I would recommend this book for anybody who is into social and political issues that may be going on around the world. This book could easily relate to some political topic. This book helps people realize what it could be like for some people in another country.
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DeleteI really liked it and it helped me organize mine =)
DeleteThis summer I read the book The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann. Every year, on the day the people call the Purge, in the dull gray land of Quill 13-year-olds are sorted into three categories. The intelligent Wanteds, the strong Necessaries, and the creative Unwanteds. While the Wanteds and Necessaries go to the universities, the Unwanteds are ‘put to rest’ in the Great Lake of Boiling Oil.
ReplyDeleteAlex and Aaron Stowe are twin brothers that grew up together until the day they were sent to the Purge. Aaron became a Wanted while his brother was sent to his death with the other Unwanteds. When Alex arrives at the lake, the Unwanteds are magically saved by a man named Marcus Today who takes them to a colorful land called Artimé where the Unwanteds live their lives and are free to be creative. Alex and his friends learn to paint, draw, play music, act, write and how to perform magic. While all the other Unwanteds forget all about their families and friends in Quill, Alex struggles to forget his brother. What Alex doesn't know is that Aaron is in on something that could reveal Artimé to the people of Quill.
I think that the theme of this book is that it is not right to judge people by their abilities, even if they are your family. Aaron had misjudged his brother because he could draw. And Samheed, one of Alex’s friends, was judged by his classmates for his acting skills. People in the real world also tend to misjudge each other because they can not look past their abilities to see the actual person.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes good fantasy adventures. The Unwanteds has a very diverse array of characters and an intriguing story line that hardly ever lets you get bored. The book is around four hundred pages long. I loved it and highly recommend it.
"It is our choices that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities."-Albus Dumbledore
DeleteDumbledore knows everything.
Good job Kenzie, this is very well written.
DeleteThanks. Yes, Dumbledore does know everything.
DeleteThe book I read this summer was The Selection, by Kiera Cass. In this book, a girl named America is living a normal life, in a normal town, in the country of Illea. The country is separated by Castes, 1 being the royal family, and 8 being the poorest. America's family is a 5, she and her mom are both singers, and her dad is an artist. America is in a serious relationship with a boy named Aspen, who she secretly sneaks out to see every night.
ReplyDeleteOne day, she gets a letter saying that the prince of Illea, Prince Maxon, is holding an Selection in order to choose his queen. Of course, America wants no part in it. She considers the prince as some stuck up, rude boy who has no passion. Her mom is stuck on having her do it. All she thinks about is marrying Aspen. She goes to him later that night to discuss it, and he thinks it would be a good experience. So, she applies, thinking she wouldn't even have a chance. But, two weeks later when they announce who was accepted, she was announced. America is shocked. She thought that she had no chance at all. When she saw Aspen, he acted quick, and broke up with her. America was HEARTBROKEN. All she could think about was the breakup. But, she had no choice but to move on and leave for the castle.
When she got there, she made friends with some of the girls, but others were rude and clearly weren't interested in making friends, they were only interested in winning, unlike America who didn't even want to be there in the first place. She is so overwhelmed with all of this, the first night that she is there she has a panic attack. She quickly runs downstairs and runs into a guard who won't let her outside, but shockingly, Prince Maxon himself comes to take her outside. And even more shocking, he isn't the stuck up, rude boy like she expected. Instead, he is kind and considerate, even though she yelled at him. They didn't officially meet until the next day, when they talk for a while and Maxon tells her that he will keep her in the Selection as long as she wants to stay, and he tells her that they will be close friends, due to the fact that America doesn't like him.
Through the next weeks, they start to get closer and closer, spending lots of time together. They even make up secret signals to help signal when they want to talk. But, what most of the girls hadn't considered going into the Selection, was the attacks. They started becoming more and more common, both the Southern and Northern groups attacking, and they were both wanting different things.
When America and Maxon were talking, she told him about the Castes and how difficult it was for them. Maxon was so moved he created a program to help provide food for the lower castes and America realizes that she really DOES love him.
One day, when they get a new guard, everything changed. Because that guard, was Aspen, her old boyfriend. He tells America he misses her and wants her back. She is torn. She had just discovered her feelings for Maxon and decides to tell Aspen she isn't choosing him, and she wasn't choosing Maxon, she was choosing herself.
That was the end of book one, (I know the ending is really random) but there is a whole series, and the next book is called The Elite.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys drama, romance, fantasy, and fiction. Some of the issues connect to political things and issues as well.
I think the theme of this book is "Don't judge a book by its cover", because in the beginning, America thinks Maxon is stuck up and rude, and she thought she would never love him, but it turned out he was actually really passionate, considerate and kind, and she ended up starting to get some feelings for him as they got closer.
Hi Madeline! I think you did an awesome job describing the book and really were able to show the emotions the main character has. I really like the idea of your theme and the evidence you used for it, but next time try not to use a cliché as your theme statement and instead re-word it. Anyways, you did a great job!
DeleteI love your summary, it pulls me in and I really want to read this book now! I agree with Lauren though, remember what Mrs. Ortel said about not using cliches. Overall you did a great job!
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ReplyDeleteDuring the summer I read the book, If I Stay, by Gayle Forman. This realistic fiction book was about a teenage girl, Mia, who pretty much had it all. Until one snow day she was in the car with her family, and then a horrible car accident happens, and almost everyone is killed. After this happens Mia is almost having a “ghost” like experience. As she is “looking around” she can see that her parents and Teddy (her brother) are more than likely dead. When the paramedics arrived they said that Mia would need to be transported to a hospital in Portland. Also, she heard them say that Teddy was still alive and holding on. During all of this, Mia is having flashbacks, for example one is when Adam (her boyfriend) and her went on there first date to the Yo-Yo Ma cello concert in Portland. (Mia really loves music and plays the cello, and really wants to go to Julliard). Next thing you know Mia is going into surgery and she can see her “real” self on the table. Mia is just always constantly looking and thinking about everything that is going on. Through all of this Mia heard one of the nurses say that it’s her decision to live or die. She starts to reflect on how her life would be if she lived, but also of the pain. Mia then learns that her brother died, which made her very very very upset. By this point she just wanted to die, but before she could Adam came to her room and started to play music from her favorite cellist Yo-Yo ma. Listening to the music, Mia realized she had to think about what is ahead of her life. Then she squeezed Adam’s hand and decided she was going to stay alive!
One of the themes that I noticed in this book is choice. Mia had the choice to either give up or fight for her life. This choice was an offer suggested by Nurse Ramirez. While Mia was deciding on her choice she often times wished that others could make it for herby just pulling the plug. But in the end she needed to think about what was ahead!
I would recommend this book to you if you like more emotional stories that are realistic fiction. Hopefully you now want to read this book and enjoy it. I know I did!
This was by Rhian Marshall
DeleteI could really feel the main character as you described her experiences. I know you gave away some of the ending but you left it at a subtle ending which sums up the book well. You did a great job Rhian!
DeleteYou could really feel the characters emotions, with a "Ghost like feeling" described the character well. Good job Rhian!
DeleteI read the book "Hour of the Bees" by Lindsay Eagar. This book is about a girl named Carol who is forced to go to her dad’s old home in New Mexico for the summer because his dad has dementia. There has been a drought in the land and Carol’s grandfather, Grandpa Serge, says that the bees took away the rain. Everyone believes he's crazy but as he starts to tell her stories about a special tree and a village that surrounds it, everything he says starts to make sense. Later, Carol finds a seed and buries it in the ground, even though she doubts it will ever grow in the dry desert soil. Before she sees any result from the plant, Grandpa Serge is moved to a nursing home and then Carol hears news that the drought has finally ended. Carol decides that Grandpa Serge needs to see his home after the rain comes, and she takes him back to the ranch in the middle of the night. When they get there they find a lake by a tree and when Grandpa Serge takes a boat across the water, the boat tips and Grandpa Serge gets very injured. When Carol’s family finds them, they take Grandpa Serge to the hospital, but the people that work there say that he’s not going to make it. In his last few moments, Grandpa Serge and his son mend their relationship that was broken, because he didn’t trust his dad and made assumptions about him. Carol’s dad decides to buy the ranch back to honor Serge’s memory, and the whole family decides to live there.
ReplyDeleteI think the theme of this book is that trust builds relationships. In the book, Carol trusted Grandpa Serge and she was the only one he liked to talk to. In real life, we need to trust our friends and family so they feel like you care about them and they will put their trust in you too.
I think this book is for people that like fantasy books, but who also like books where you connect with the characters and might cry at multiple points in the story.
Book review by Claire Walker.
I read this book for Battle of the Books and I cried so hard! You described every point in the book and it all made sense. I love your theme because Carol was afraid of her Grandpa, then later in the book she cared for him a lot and went to see him every day. Great job, Claire!
DeleteThanks Katarina!
DeleteI have read this book before, and I agree about how you connect with the characters. I like how you connect your theme to real life too, as well as in the book. Good job!
ReplyDeleteComment by Anna Reineck
I read "The Boy In The Striped Pajamas" by John Boyne. It is about a nine year old boy named Bruno, who moves from his home in Berlin to the concentration camp called Auschwitz because his dad is a Nazi SS commander. Bruno then meets a Jewish boy named Shmuel, the two boys become very close friends over the course of a year through the barbed wire fence that separates them. But when Bruno tells Shmuel he is moving back to Berlin, Bruno realizes how much Shuel is depending on him to keep him alive.
ReplyDeleteThe lesson of this book is that no matter what your beliefs are, or what you look like, we are all human. And that is how we should treat each other. I think that John Boyne really shows this through Bruno and Shmuel and how they treat and respect each other throughout the story.
I think that this book was written to show reader's that are interested in WW2 history and how the prisoners at the concentration camps were treated. This book is unlike other WW2 books and is written from the standpoint of a nine year boy, this is unique because Brune doesn't know that the people on the other side of the fence are prisoners and that they're being mistreated and held against their will. He doesn't know that his dad is and SS commander, he only knows that his dad has an important job. He thinks that " The Fury" (Hitler) is his dads boss and that he has no power and no right to enter their home. This is connected to the real world because it explains how cruel the conditions were at Auschwitz and how it actually operated. While you're reading, it puts you in perspective of how Jewish people were treated in this time period.
I like how you explained the view of Bruno in the third paragraph. You did a great job Unknown!
ReplyDeleteI liked how you went back and explained Bruno's backstory. Good Job Unknown!
DeleteThank you. This post was from Matthew Boor
DeletePosting for McKinlee Brumm
ReplyDeleteOver the summer I have read a good variety of books, but the one book that kept me reading till 10:00 pm at night was this book called 10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know. This book is by Kari Kampakis, she is a newspaper columnist, blogger, and former children's photographer from Birmingham , Alabama. Her passion is her family and God. The book talks about different things girls will go through like friendship, bullying, rejection, and many other things. “Kari Kampakis offers practical advice, loving support, and important discussion questions that will stir your soul and move you to action.” She gives life experiences, and talks about how no girl should go through anything alone. She shares stories of girls she knew and even herself, like on pg. 35 when she talks about how when she was younger, she only liked to observe life instead of jumping into action. She also puts in Bible verses that go along with each page and makes you relate to the question that just was discussed. At the end of reading this book you will feel more self confidence and will feel a touch on your heart to help someone else who is going through something like, bullying, friendship, rejection, etc..
I think the theme of this book would be: Never catch yourself watching when you know you can make a difference. This connects to the real world because if I saw someone being bullied I would step in and try to make things better. I would recommend this book because even though it might appeal as an “easy read” it teaches you life lessons and stirs your heart to make a difference. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did, thanks!!!
I like how you chose a different genre and found a theme relating to a book that wasn't a story.
DeleteHoop Dreams
ReplyDeleteBy:Ben Joravsky
Lane Robison
Hoop Dreams was Originally a documentary filmed from 1989 to 1994 about two boys from Chicago named William Gates and Arthur Agee, and their rough journey through high school. They both came from the slums of chicago where gangs were on the streets and drugs were common. In their Freshman Year,They both went to St. joseph high school to play Basketball. The St. Joseph Basketball team was good, but they Didn't win the state championship that year. The next year Arthur had to transfer to Marshall high school because his parents couldn't pay the bills for St. Joseph. Arthur Made the Basketball team At Marshall. That same year, Williams Girlfriend Catherine became pregnant. This was a big deal for william since he was only 15. The Baby was born and they decided to name it Alicia. In their Junior Year, william felt a rip in his knee at one of the Practices at St. Joe. The next day he went to the Doctor and his cartilage tore in his knee. He couldn't Play Basketball for half of the season. Arthur's Dad,Bo, was a very bad person. He broke into peoples houses at night,consumed drugs,and Abused Arthur's Mother, sheila. In Arthur's Junior year, Bo decided to take a trip to alabama. Well, Bo was wanted in alabama for a robbery he commited a few years ago. Bo went to prison. In prison, He learned to worship god. he praised God and prayed every night and swore that he would become a better person. After his sentence was over, he went back to chicago and went to Church every Sunday. He forced himself off Drugs and stopped all the other Bad things he did. God saved him. In His senior year william got an offer from marquette and decided he would play their. Arthur, got an offer from a small school in Missouri and decided to take it. Neither of them made it to the NBA, Despite their hard work and talent.
There are Many Lessons in this Book. One is that God can save you. Bo was a very bad and cruel person. But he started worshiping the Lord and all his problems went away. I think the main theme of this book is that You have to work hard. Look at Arthur and william, they worked hard for 4 years went to good division 1 colleges, and both didn't make it to the NBA. It just shows how much hard work and commitment you need to have if you want to fulfill your Dream. I recommend this book to someone that Likes sports. I do not recommend this book to people want an easy read. This book is Long and takes lots of critical thinking.
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DeleteOver this summer I read a book that a lot of people have recommended to me, the book is called "A Night Divided". This book is about a girl named Gerta who is living with her family on the east side of Germany. Her brother and dad have been sent for a couple days to the western side of Germany to look for new work to find out that the night they left the Berlin Wall was built. And just like that, Gerta's family was divided over night. Her mom, her, and her brother on the east, then her dad and other brother on the west. As years pass Gerta still wonders how to get to the west side for freedom and to her dad and brother. Then one day on her way to school she saw her dad across the wall on one of the platforms doing some weird dance that he did for her when she was younger. He was giving her clues. And as the days passed she concluded that she was going to build a tunnel to the west, that was what her dad was telling her to do. However, Gerta certainly cannot do it on her own and many deadly consequences will come upon her if it isn't done perfect. Will she get caught? Will she ever see the rest off her family? Read the book to find out.
ReplyDeleteThe there many different themes in this book, but the two that stand out to me is having hope and perseverance. Many people give up or lose hope when something doesn't go there way, but that's when you need to persevere. Gerta wouldn't have gotten so close to seeing her dad if she didn't persevere or have hope.
You would love this book if you are interested in the history of Germany and the Berlin Wall, but really anyone would love this book. It has a lot of twists and turns and is very hard to stop reading. If you are very into fantasy and fairy tales then this isn't the book for you, but if you like historical fiction books then this is definitely your book!
I like how you added a couple questions at the end of the summary to make the readers want to read the book.
DeleteOver the summer, I read “Insurgent’ by Veronica Roth. This book is the sequel to Roth’s “Divergent”. In this book, there are different groups of people, these groups are called “Factions”. Each person gets tested to determine what Faction they will live the rest of their lives in. Everybody should only get one test result. Some people however, get multiple, like the main character Tris. When you have more than one test result you are considered “Divergent”.
ReplyDeletePreviously in “Divergent”, Jeanine Matthews, leader of the ‘Smart Faction’, Erudite, used the ‘Strong Faction’, Dauntless, to attack the ‘Selfless Faction’, Abnegation. The Erudite were controlling the Dauntless with a simulation. Though Tris belongs to Dauntless, she is Divergent. A Divergent person is immune to simulations that affect any of the Factions that they have an aptitude for. Along with killing half of Abnegation, Jeanine also wanted to kill all of the Divergent, including Tris.
In the beginning of “Insurgent”, Tris, Tobias - a Divergent, and the remaining Abnegation, take refuge at the ‘Farming Faction’, Amity headquarters. As Tris' stay with the Amity lengthens, she realizes that Marcus, leader of Abnegation and Tobias’s father, is hiding some important information that the Erudite, unfortunately, have access to. After a while, Tris, Tobias, and the Abnegation leave and go to the Factionless headquarters. The Factionless are a group of people who once belonged to a faction and had to leave for some reason. The Factionless leader is Tobias’s mother, Evelyn. She left Tobias with his father, who Tobias hates, when he was very young. Tobias has no idea that his mother is even alive until he meets her to discuss her plan to attack Erudite. Evelyn wants to attack Erudite then, she wants to create a new government system without any factions. After some time, Tris and Tobias hear that many Dauntless are at the ‘Honest Faction’, Candor headquarters. So they leave for Candor.
At this point there are two different groups of Dauntless, the Candor-Dauntless and the Erudite-Dauntless. The Erudite-Dauntless attack the Candor-Dauntless and implant transmitters in them. Later, these transmitters activate a simulation. Only three are under simulation and they tell Tris “Every two days until one of you delivers yourself to Erudite headquarters, this will happen again.” Moments later, two of three people die. Tris offers herself to Erudite and she is told that they want to do research on her so that they can develop a simulation that will work on everyone including the Divergent and that no matter what happens they will kill her. With help of a ‘Frenemy’, she manages to escape.
Now, the Factionless decide that it is time to attack Erudite. The Candor-Dauntless plan the attack, but Tris, her best friend Christina, and Marcus are not going to help fight, but save the ‘important information’. The three don’t want all of the Erudite to die so they call upon the Amity for help. When Tris, Christina, and Marcus enter Erudite, Tris heads to Jeanine’s private lab where she must fight her double in a simulation or die. When Tris comes back to reality, Jeanine dies and Tris’ brother Caleb is forced to retrieve the information. In the end, the Factionless and Dauntless join together and the information turns out to be a presentation that tells Amity to unlock the gate of the city forever.
One theme in this book is: with help from others, you can accomplish almost anything. Tris and Tobias get help from the Amity, Candor, and Factionless to take down Erudite. Also, Marcus has Tris help him get the ‘important information’. You might like this book if you enjoy science-fiction, action-adventure, or bold and brave characters. Overall, this was a great book.
You did a good job of explaining the world they live in and I like how you recapped the first book. Good job Riley!
DeleteI considered reading Divergent and now I should try it because I might understand it better. You did a really good job explaining all the fighting between the factions and I didn't see any grammar mistakes. Great job Riley!
ReplyDeleteI've read this book and I really liked it. Your theme is good and I like how descriptive your summary is. Good job Riley.
ReplyDeleteOver summer I read Trials of Apollo #1: the hidden oracle, by Rick Riordan.
ReplyDeleteApollo falls to earth as a mortal, where he meets a demigod named Meg. They go to camp halfblood and learn about the triumvirate, an evil company of past emperors of rome who have come back to life and are semi-immortal. Apollo and Meg also hear that campers have started to go missing. Meg and Apollo go into the woods to find the missing campers. They find the campers outside the entrance to the grove of Dodona, an ancient oracle, tied to posts. Soon, Emperor Nero comes with guards. Meg goes to Nero, who is her guardian. Nero forces Meg and Apollo to open the gates. Emperor Nero tries to set the grove on fire, and Meg grabs the matches but Nero uses a lighter instead. Apollo gets his godly strength back for a second,takes out the guards. Nero runs and Apollo gets the campers down from the posts. The dryads put out the fire. Apollo looks for Meg in the grove, but she runs away. Apollo gets a prophecy and heads back to camp with the campers. I think the theme of this book is that sometimes things change, and you should try your best to overcome the changes, even though it can come with challenges .
I think this book would be enjoyable for teenagers or young adults, because it’s fantasy, so may be more entertaining for younger ages, but is mature and long enough that younger kids may not understand it, or be as interested. It is also good if you have read the other rick riordan books, as they connect to this one. It is also aimed toward teens in the humor, as the main characters are that age (13-17).
I like how you described reasons why you think this book is for certain ages. I wish you could have explained a little more on how the theme relates to the book along with how it relates to real life. Overall very good Kate!
DeleteI read this book before! I think that you summarized it really well. Good job Kate!
DeleteOver the summer I read the Hunger Games. It is a sophisticated book in the dystopian literature genre written by Suzanne Collins. This is the first book in a trilogy series. The story is about a sixteen year old girl, named Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a dystopian society called Panem with 12 economic districts all ruled over by the Capitol. To keep control over the districts, the Capitol “reaps” from a bowl the names of one girl and one boy from each district every year to fight to the death in the “Hunger Games” arena. The victor is the only survivor left standing out of the 24 kids. In the story, Katniss’s younger sister has her name drawn from the bowl during the reaping. Katniss volunteers to take her sister’s place and save her from going to the Hunger Games. Peeta Mellark is the boy chosen during the reaping. The people in the Capitol watch the games televised as they happen and make bets on them, like we do with the Super Bowl. Katniss is athletic, good at hunting, being in nature and using a bow and arrow. Peeta is not athletic, but smart and good with people and tries to get sponsors (like in sports) to help him and Katniss with the games. Sponsors will get you things like water or medicine during the games, when you need it. You need to get the people in the Capitol to like you and want to be your sponsors. So Peeta tries to get them sponsored by initially saying he is in love with Katniss and that they are a team. When the games first begin, Peeta joins a bad group of kids who are straight up killers, to protect Katniss. Katniss teams up with a one of the youngest players, a 12 year old named Rue, the same age as Katniss’s sister. Rue dies helping Katniss destroy the bad kids’ food and weapons supplies. After a few days, Peeta’s plan was working, because they announced that for the first time, there can be two winners if they are from the same district. So Katniss finds Peeta but he is badly hurt. She gets medicine for Peeta during a bloodbath the gamemakers designed to force the kids to fight and most of them to be killed. She almost dies, but a boy named Thresh helps her. She heals Peeta, and Peeta accidentally kills someone. After that, they are left with just one other player named Cato. There is a big fight and Cato dies a sad death being ripped apart by mutated dogs. What happens next is pretty bad. The gamemakers announce that only one person can win now! So Katniss and Peeta decide to commit double suicide by eating poisonous berries. Seeing their plan, the gamemakers stop them by saying that they can both be winners. We also learn then that Peeta really does love Katniss and wasn’t pretending just to try and survive the game. Still, the first book ends with Katniss not having romantic feelings for Peeta.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of this book is that people make sacrifices for the ones they love and for the greater good of your team, your family or for people in general. The sacrifice that Katniss made for her sister had to be made to keep her sister alive. And Rue and Thresh made sacrifices to help protect innocent people too. Peeta also sacrificed himself in many ways to keep Katniss alive long enough to win the games. This can connect to real life in many ways, including in sports. In sports, individuals often need to sacrifice themselves so the entire team can prevail. Examples include sacrificing your body as a goalie to save shots in lacrosse and sacrificing personal glory to make the best play for the team to win the game in sports like basketball or football. As a player, you often have to make personal sacrifices if it means the team has a better chance to win. I recommend this book to anyone who likes dystopian genre books and sophisticated books that really make you think.
I like how you related the Hunger Games to sports through your theme.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteThis summer I read The Awakening of Sunshine Girl by Paige Mckenzie. This book was about a girl named Sunshine Griffith who was an adopted child with special abilities that allowed her to see spirits. Sunshine was a luiseach. That means she can help spirits move on. Spirits are drawn toward her because they know that Sunshine can help them. She faces many challenges because of her unique lusiech powers but she is not alone. There to help her are her biological father Aidan, her protector/would be boyfriend Nolan, and a fellow luiseach, Lucio to help in order to save the world from the darkness(a group of spirits that have been lingering too long and turn into demons). She fights off many different kinds of demons like water and fire ones. One of her greatest enemies was her mom who wanted to kill her for disrupting the reproduction of luiseach when she was born. This happened because when her mom was pregnant she was very close to the spirits her mom helped move on. Once Sunshine was born many of the luiseach thought that it would be better if they killed her but her father didn’t think that was right and gave her to a hospital. At the hospital she was put up for adoption where a woman named Kat adopted and raised her. When she turned 16 she became a luiseach and later that year she found her biological father and went with him to Mexico to train. Near the end of the book she finally has to face her mother because Nolan is being held captive only to find that she has to trade her life for his. In the end she realizes that the darkness wants her dead and it’s all part of their master plan to conquer Earth. The ground starts splitting and she starts rising up. The rock moves away, as Sunshine falls down a spirit named Anna has come to the rescue carrying her back to the ground.
ReplyDeleteOne of the themes I found was, love the ones you have and follow your gut. This applies to the real world because a lot of people love each other but sometimes you have to make hard decisions without the influence of loved ones.
This book is fictional and also like a ghost story. I would recommend this to girls who are going into or already in middle school. It is a quick read but it has an amazing storyline that will hook you in.
I read the whole trilogy and I think you did an overall great job! I think you could have described briefly what happened in the first book (like Anna and the water demon) because I assume you read the haunting of sunshine girl. I love your theme and how you connected two life lessons.
DeleteThe book I read is called Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson. It takes place during the American Revolution and is about a girl named Isabelle and her journey through slavery. The book contains two parts. Part 1 starts off with two slave sisters named Isabelle and Ruth, who get sold to a family named the Locktons after their caretaker passed away. On their travel to their new location, a town called Newport, Isabelle meets a boy named Curzon who tells her all about Newport. The story continues and Isabelle overhears Master Lockton’s plan to kill George Washington. She uses this information to try and get help from the Patriot soldiers at the local fort in order for her and her sister Ruth to escape the abuse they were experiencing from the Lockton’s. The soldiers tried to help her, but were unable to free her from her slave owners. Mr. Lockton fled the city, but the girls were still forced to stay with Mrs. Lockton. Part 1 ends with Isabelle charging at Madam Lockton after she hears that her sister Ruth had been sold. Isabelle was taken to trial and branded with the letter I for Insolence.
ReplyDeletePart two of the story picks up in New York City when it was overrun by the British and the Patriots were fleeing the city. Isabelle tries to escape again, but she was stopped by Master Lockton who had joined the British, and was once again returned to the Lockton’s home. One day when Isabelle was in town she saw the prisoners marching in the streets and recognized the boy Curzon who she had met on her way to Newport. She decided to help Curzon escape prison and began visiting him in order to try and break him out. The other prisoners agreed to help her if she would pass notes between the forts in the attempt to take down the British. Madam Lockton found out what Isabelle was doing and punished Isabelle. Isabelle also discovered that her sister Ruth had never been sold and had been hidden with a friend of the Locktons this whole time. She was so happy that her sister was safe, but decided it was time to finally get out of there. One night while the Lockton’s were away, she escaped and went to the prison the free Curzon. They made it to a small boat where they successfully crossed the river Jordan to freedom. That is how Chains ends.
One of the takeaways I learned was that no matter how hard life gets, family is important and will always be there in the end. I think this is one of the main messages of the story. The author described many problems throughout the book that Isabelle and Ruth faced, but they survived because they had each others support and love. Many people count on their family like Ruth does with her sister Isabelle who was always there to protect her and risk everything to make sure she was safe.
I think anyone who likes historical fiction and turn of events, would like this book. I first read it when I was in fifth grade so I think anyone of the age or older would be able to read and enjoy this book. The way the author writes about Chains makes you feel like you are part of the story. Isabelle goes through huge changes in this book from being scared and wanting to protect her sister, to standing up for herself and escaping on her own. I think people who enjoy learning about history would enjoy reading this book.
The story sounds really good even though confusing. I love the theme but remember to not use absolutes like always or never. Good job Kaitlyn!
DeleteThe War I Finally Won written by Kimberly Bradley, is a book full of personal courage and risk. This book is a sequel to the heartwarming and engaging book titled The War That Saved My Life.
ReplyDeleteThe book starts off with the main character, Ada, in the hospital having surgery to reconstruct her horribly deformed clubfoot. Ada then learns that her mother, whom she fled from in the first book, was very wrong about her, she also learns that due to the bombing of World War II she’s no longer her daughter. Therefore, Ada and her brother Jamie move in with their new guardian Susan, Ada’s best friend Maggie, and Maggie’s cold and harsh mother, who owns the cottage they are all staying in. As the war goes on, living together gets more and more complicated, especially when a Jewish German girl named Ruth moves in to get tutored by Susan. Everyone was questionable and alert when the German girl moved in. However later, Ruth is very needed to help save Jonathan’s horse who was very near from death. Just when things are going well, everything starts going downhill. Everyone starts struggling of sadness when they hear the news of Jonathan, Maggie’s brother dying in war. Susan gets very sick from pneumonia and has to go far away from young Ada and Jamie ,for the first time, to go get help at the hospital. After this, Ada was forced to take some very adventurous risks which required a lot of courage and bravery. Throughout the book, everyone has to work together, trust one another, but also grow individually.
A common theme that I saw throughout this book was personal courage. Everyone in this book had to face challenges and overcome struggles either with or without the help of other people. I would recommend this book to someone that likes historical fiction and can catch on to things easily.
I like the theme of personal courage, not just general bravery but overcoming challenges by yourself and with others. Great job Megan!
ReplyDeleteThe War Within
ReplyDeleteA Novel Of The Civil War
Written By: Carol Matas
The War Within is as it says, a novel of the civil war. When we remember problems of the civil war, we commonly think about slavery, equality among black and white people, but there are more than just two skin types in our world, and our country. This book focuses on a particular family called the Greens.
The Family of 8 is made up of the main character Hanna Green, her sister Johanna who ends falling in love with a union soldier, David the youngest at 8 who can be a cause of trouble at some points, Leon and Simon are confederate soldiers in the war along with their father, Ma and Henry. Because they are confederates, they do endorse in slave owning, Mr. Green owns 3 slaves, Moses, a 34 year old negro, Jule who was currently 28, and Emily who is 31.They live an ordinary lives as confederates in Holly Springs Mississippi, that was until Union General Grant's order #11 came out.
You see, The Green family was a family of Jews, and Grants order #11, it forced all Jews to evacuate their territory for violating trade regulations. Hanna had to live a real horror as she watched her shop that the family earned from and ran, be stripped down from almost as if it were another casualty of war. Union soldiers raided their town and blew everything up, Hannah and her family had just nearly lost everything. Grants order also forced Jews to get a pass done in Cairo Illinois, so that they could meyander in his territory.
Most of the story focuses on Hannah's internal struggles of finding what's right, and what's wrong, like slavery, her sister in love with a union soldier, her brother Leon ends up a prisoner of war, and she is losing everything, how does she manage! As The Greens are forced to march from Mississippi to cincinnati, they have a small fight with some boys causing many injuries of the union soldiers, as johanna runs into action, to save the union soldier, Hannah feels so much conflict and anguish about this, Should she help him, should she let him rot to die? She decided to help after seeing that this young man was no older than Leon, and if her brother got shot in the arm, she would have wished someone would have helped. This was one of the starts of Hannah's changing emotions.
In the end, this book gets a well rounded Happy Ending, their father comes home uninjured, No mention of Leon or Simion, But Hannah gets better and once (or if) the two boys at war come back, they wish to live in the North, Hannah doesn't know how her southern friends could ever look at her again, Pa doesnt want any angry attacks near the capital, so the family had an idea for Michigan.
I believe a proper theme for this book could be bravery. Hannah in the beginning is a very self centered and lady like well, lady.as time passes in the book, Hannah slowly realizes that there's more to the war than just confederates fighting union soldiers. There are many internal struggles that come up and face Hannah, one example is when they are evacuating and the union soldiers get in a fight with some boys, resulting in a injured union soldier. Hannah had to be a brave girl to run into the line of fire and nearly get killed just to save someone she didn't know, didn't want to save, and wouldn't have tried to save if it wasn't for Johanna. Hannah had to be brave to control her emotions and trust in others, even when they didn't trust in her.
This book is focussing on the civil war, therefore it is like a realistic historical fiction book. I believe that the main types of people who would like this book would be an audience who has some patience to get through a slow beginning, but later be involved enough to enjoy this book, I recommend being in the age range of 11-16, it isn't a long book but is good to read on the offtimes in ones day, or even to explore the unexplored part of the civil war!
A lot of people who live in the northern U.S. think the union was the good side. But both armies did horrible things to each other and the people like Hannah who didn't want to be involved had to suffer. I like how you explained Hannah's bravery not just her physical bravery but her emotions she had to be brave to control.
DeleteOver this summer I read Day Of Honor:Ancient Blood. This is a book about a Klingon holiday called Day Of Honor. When the main character Worf has to go on a mission to stop odette khantey and her rouge klingons from taking six star systems and ten colonies from the federation, he leaves his son Alexander with Cap.Picard during Day Of Honor. The whole book goes back and fourth between Worf's Klingon mission and Alexanders holodeck adventure with captain picard as they learn about honor.
ReplyDeleteIn this story I saw the main message as think about your actions before you make them this relates to the book a lot of times like when Worf had to choose to be honorable or succeed at his mission. this also relates to real life in many ways like how your actions might not always be the best so you should think before you act or choosing to make you happy or everyone else happy.
I believe that this book is for any Star Trek fan or someone in need for a fun adventure book. This book is better for older children but still good for everyone.
I like how you rewrote the general cliche of think before you act. Maybe you could have added a little more to the summary but you had a very relatable theme.
DeleteOver the summer, I read the book Ghost, by Jason Reynolds. The story is about a boy named Castle Cranshaw, also known as Ghost, who joins a track team to try and "run away" from his troubled past, which includes his drunk dad trying to shoot him and his mom. Ghost and his mother live in a not so nice neighborhood, and are financially unstable. This makes Ghost mad, and he often times gets into what he likes to call "altercations" at school. But when Ghost joins the elite middle school track team known as the defenders, he agrees with the coach that he will have no more altercations. Throughout the story, Ghost works and trains with the team, while trying to avoid anything at school. While with the team, Ghost becomes good friends with Sunny, Lu, and Patty, who are the other "newbies" on the team. The three of them become really close throughout the story. Though there are a few bumps in the road for Ghost, he is able to make it to the first track meet, where he is slated to run the 100 meter dash. And as Ghost is on the starting line, he hears the gun sound, and imagines running away from his past, away from his father, and into a better future.
ReplyDeleteI thought that a message from this story is that you can't run away from yourself, meaning that you need to overcome your past, and look at the future. This is shown with Ghost, his coach, who's father was also a drunk, and Patty, who was adopted, because her mother couldnt take care of her. There are many characters with troubled pasts, and need to look at the future.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes sports, and who likes realistic fiction with a deep storyline like this book.
This is Andrew Floros
DeleteI like the end of the summary because you didn't just tell the end of the book you tied it into the theme. Maybe you could have added the part where he steals the shoes and somehow relate it to your theme, but overall great job!
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ReplyDeleteIn the short chapter book “Save me a Seat” a child that is entering a new school, Ravi, has just moved and is made fun of by many of one of the most popular kids in his class and his friends. While Ravi is not aware of the bullying and instead thinks that Dillion is trying to be friends with him. Meanwhile he is blaming all of the unkind actions (tripping him, stealing belongings) on a child in their class, Joe, who has APD (auditory processing disorder) and is fully convince that this boy is out to get him without realizing the fact he just wants to be friends and he is being bullied by Dillion instead. While Ravi and Joe put aside their differences eventually to come to realize that they have more in common than they originally thought it does take them a while to come to that conclusion.
ReplyDeleteThe book Save Me a Seat, is a short chapter book about all the differences that many people judge us or others by. Many people judge others without fully understanding their disabilities or differences, many people do this throughout the span of the book. One way people have judged others by their differences in the real world is when people still believed in things like segregation and slavery, then instead of being judged by a disability or culture they were judged by the pigment of their skin which was much worse than the bullying experienced in this book but also relates to the author's main message.
This book is not very long and may interest people that enjoy realistic fiction and getting to step inside of the characters shoes, which is happening throughout the book because from time to time the author will change the perspective for some chapters which gives you an insider's view of the story.
I like how you kept the summary brief but long enough to know the main plot. I think the theme relates to every time period not just the segregation.
DeleteThe summary is short and to the point. Great job explaining it Grace! I can't wait to read this book.
DeleteIn the chapter book “ Wonder” A boy named August was born with a facial deformity. He has been homeschooled his whole life by his mom until the 5th grade. His parents think he needs to go to a new school and live a normal life. He goes to meet the principal named Mr. Tushman and along with him are 3 kids named Jack, Julian, and Charlotte. Mr. Tushman has the 3 students tour August around the school. As they tour the school Julian makes many rude remarks as Jack tries to help out August. As the school year went on there where many bullys to August throughout the year untill they got to the feild trip. August and Jack got in a fight in the woods and the bullys had Augusts back during the fight. Once the bullys got to meet August in they end they became friends
ReplyDeleteI beleive a common theme in this book is perseverance. Throughout the book August is constantly being judged by Julian and his gang. August perseveers through and doesn’t let the judgement bring him down he just pulls out the good out of life and thats why towards the end the bullys become friends with August.
This book is very detailed and it really sucks you in. It puts in multiple characters point of you so you can understand the thoughts of each character. It has multiple emothions in the story too to make you feel as if you are really in the book.
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DeleteI liked your theme of perseverance because he really had to push through all the judgement and bullying of his face. Overall it looked like you grasped the main point of the book.
DeleteSumer ala homework
ReplyDeleteBook report
Avery Pummill
This summer I decided to read the book The Giver. The Giver is a story about a community that has sameness. What that means is that everybody does the same things. For instance, there is no birthdays. Once a year there is a ceremony that everyone in the community attends, At that ceremony the newborns that fit the requirements will be named and become ones, and so on until twelve. There are also things that each age group will receive, an example of that is that when you become a nine you get your bicycle.
The story revolves around a boy eleven named Jonas. Jonas’s life is perfect until he becomes a twelve. At the ceremony of twelve you will receive your adult job. Many of Jonas’s friends are assigned things like caretaker of the old or recreational manager and other ordinary jobs. In the ceremony the committee waits until the end to announce what Jonas will be doing. The committee says that they have selected Jonas to be the new receiver of memory. In the community the receiver of memory is the most highly honored job in the community. When they are introducing him on stage the lead elder tells Jonas that it will be extremely painful. When Jonas goes home that night with a folder that reads the rules of the job he will be training for in the years to come, many of which surprise Jonas. Jonas is instructed that he can ask any question to anyone and lie to anyone as well. In the community they have very strict rules and most of what his job rules go against that.
On the first day Jonas reports to the room he is supposed to go to and meets the current receiver of memory or as later known by the giver.Jonas learns that that the world was once a very different place before sameness. Jonas learns about colors and seasons and different feelings such as love. He also experiences pain and suffrage. He wonders how people have gone so long not knowing about this sort of thing. I believe that the theme of this book is the importance of memory. Throughout the book it tells how when the giver gives Jonas a memory only he has it and if a new receiver is not trained all of the community's memories will be lost. Also the receiver is the most highly honored job because when a person receives the memory they become more wise, and when the committee is having a disagreement about a new rule they will have the giver decide because he knows all of the past and can predict what might happen. This connects to the real world because without memory we would not progress in life, imagine that you tripped on a rock on your way home from school. Without memory you would do that everyday again and again.
The Giver is a dystopian, science fiction type novel. I think that anyone who is interested in dystopian would very much enjoy this book. It isn't a terribly long read but it is one of my favorites.
Memory is a unique theme because it doesn't relate to many books. I don't think we could live if nobody could remember anything like how to eat, we would all starve to death. You did a great job explaining the book!
Delete
ReplyDeleteDoombringer, a fantasy novel by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, in the series of the Edge Chronicles, is a book about protecting the many gifts of nature.
Cade Quarter, the main character, has left the city of Great Glade in hopes of a new life in the Farrow Ridges, a small area in the vast Deepwoods of the Edge. Cade lives here with his friends, Tug, a Nameless One from the Night Woods, Celestia Helmstoft, who lives with her father, Gart Ironside, a man who lives on a platform, Thorne Lammergyre, a grey goblin, and Cade’s prowlgrin (a rideable creature), Rumblix. When Cade is fishing one day, a ferocious snagtooth attacks him. He’s rescued by a webfoot goblin named Phineal Glyfphith. Suddenly, a sky-tavern, the Xanth Filatine, appears overhead, which angers Phineal because it reminds him of what sky-taverns did to his home. Phineal tells Cade how sky-taverns destroyed his tribe’s home, one of the Four Lakes, the Mirror of the Sky. The next morning, Phineal shows Cade an extremely large blueshell clam in the lake. Cade believes this clam is the Great Blueshell Clam. Cade promises not to tell anyone about the clam. The next day, many other goblins arrive. Cade finally tells Celestia that the Great Blueshell Clam is in Farrow Lake. Phineal tells Cade that the Farrow Ridges would be a good place for a new village. The following day, Cade and Tug start to work on the new village. They meet someone called Merton Hoist. Soon after, Tug goes missing. Phineal says that Merton Hoist was a mire-pearler. They find out that Merton Hoist has captured Tug. They rescue Tug. Cade is then captured by a tribe of hammerhead goblins. The goblins let Cade go because of Cade’s ring that was given to him by a goblin tribe in the last book. The goblins also tell him that a skyship is coming to the Farrow Ridges with mire-pearlers. Cade and Gart then go to visit a tribe of white trogs in a cave to ask for help. The trogs don’t want to help. Soon, they see a skyship, the Doombringer. They go to the city of Hive to get money to buy weapons to fight the Doombringer by entering a prowlgrin race. Cade chases Rumblix to a prowlgrin stable where he meets the owner of the stables, Tillman Spoke, who is an old friend of Cade’s. He also meets Whisp, a worker. Cade finds out that Whisp is also entering the race. The day of the race, Gart bets on Cade and Rumblix. Cade loses to Whisp. Gart changed his bet at the last moment, getting them ten thousand hivers. They buy weapons then lose them all in a storm. Regardless of their loss, they win the fight against the Doombringer when Trogs and logworms join the fight. The fight has ended, and Cade is able to go back to building the village.
The theme of this book is about protecting the natural world. This relates to the real world because of how fast the environment is being destroyed. Cities are taking up a lot of natural land, and are continuing to expand, taking up a lot of space, like how the sky-taverns destroyed the Mirror of the Sky. Many years ago, the dodo birds were killed for their pelts, similar to the destruction of the blueshell clams. If these things we are doing don’t stop, nature could be destroyed. Yet it is never too late to make a difference, which is what Doombringer taught us.
People that may enjoy this book are people that have read series like Harry Potter and are looking for a new series to read. The Edge Chronicles, by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, opens a beautiful new world to explore, with detailed line-drawings and storylines that fit together like puzzle-pieces. The Edge is full of quirky characters, treacherous betrayals, and a new surprise on every page. I have read all twelve of the Edge Chronicles, and I’m waiting for the final thirteenth book.If you enjoy fantasy and some of mystery, these books are for you.
Nine of the Edge Chronicles are available at our SMS library.
Book Review written by Josephine Zube.
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DeleteThanks for the advice, Katarina!
DeleteJust so you know, the series is split up into trilogies so there isn't really a main plot.
ReplyDeleteThis summer I read a book called counting by 7’s by Holly Goldberg Sloan. In this book the main character Willow Chance faces many struggles. At a young age she was adopted by a young couple who truly loved her. Willow is a strange girl, she is twelve years old and is a genius. Her favorite things are gardening and anything medical, she loves learning about illnesses. In the beginning of the school year she took a test and got 100% on it. It was the highest grade in the state! But then she was accused of cheating, even though she didn't. She was then sent to a counselor to help her learn not to cheat. The counselor known as Dell Duke isn't much of a good counselor but eventually finds out that Willow is not a cheater just a genius.Willow also meets this vietnamese girl named Mai they become really good friends and Willow learns how to communicate in vietnamese with her. Towards the middle of the book Willows parents die in a car crash, this is very hard for willow to deal with. Mai’s family and willows counselor help willow through this really rough time. Mai’s family ends up adopting Willow because they grew so close to her.
I think the theme of this book is that good friends can help you get through rough times. Willow’s good friends Mai’s family and her counselor really helped Willow get through her rough loss. They provided her with food and shelter until Lenore, Willow’s lawyer decided she would live in an orphanage. But Willows friends knew that wasn't what she wanted so Mai’s family decided to adopt her. Willow was very grateful for having these amazing friends during this tough time in her life. I would recommend this book to teens that have been adopted or have experienced tough losses much like Willows, although this book is a great book for really anyone.
Counting by 7's
book reviewed by Alex Brigham
I like how the theme isn't just about personal struggles but about how friends can help you through your struggles.
DeleteA book that I read this summer which I really enjoyed was The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. It is the sequel to The War that Saved My Life, and I have read both books. I really enjoyed them both, and I am hoping that this was not the last book in the series. I read them both for my mother/daughter book club, which I have been lucky to be a part of since first grade.
ReplyDeleteAda, the main character, was born with a clubfoot and had never been able to walk without great pain. In the first book, her very abusive mother (Mam) never allowed Ada to leave their flat, get schooling or have friends because she was embarrassed and ashamed of her daughter’s clubfoot. In this story, Ada and her younger brother Jamie went to live with Susan (their legal guardian) because they were evacuated from London to Kent due to the start of the war. Ada would have surgery to correct her deformed clubfoot. She hoped this would give her the normal life she dreamt of for so long. The surgery was a success, and Ada was able to walk on two working feet! It was at this time that Ada and Jamie learned of their mother’s death in a factory bombing in London. Ada had mixed emotions. Her mother had been so abusive to her, yet she was sad to hear she had died. Ada was also worrying about Susan’s financial situation because the surgery had been so expensive, but later found out that their neighbor Lady Thorton paid for the surgery. Lady Thorton’s daughter, Maggie, was Ada’s best friend. The two met at the stables where they both rode horses.
A few months after the surgery, a German exchange student named Ruth came to live with Susan and the kids in order to learn math. The fact that Ruth was German made it difficult for Ada and Lady Thorton to trust her. They were concerned she was a spy. Not only was she not a spy, but she proved to be very kind and loyal to them. Ruth and Ada both loved riding horses together. One day Lady Thorton discovered the two of them out riding together and she was very displeased. However, those feelings were quickly put aside when she learned via telegram that her son Jonathan had died in the war. Maggie was devastated over the loss of her big brother, and her mother refused to eat or even sleep. Ada ended up convincing Maggie to come home from her boarding school so she and her mother could be together and try to get through this difficult time. Months later, Susan fell ill with pneumonia and needed to be taken to a hospital in London, since the ones in Kent couldn’t treat her. Lady Thorton took Ada to the hospital in London to visit Susan, and they took some time to walk around the city. Ada showed Lady Thorton the street where she once lived, and they found it had been bombed and was only a pile of rubble. Lady Thorton revealed that she grew up in a similar circumstance, even though she had always been wealthy. Susan got better and everyone returned to Kent. The book finishes with Ada and Jamie living a content, happy life with Susan. That is a life that those two kids would never, ever have known back in London with Mam.
Examples of perseverance are found throughout this book. Ada had to persevere when she was recovering from surgery because she was confined to her bed and could only knit. This was frustrating to her, yet she knew she had to be patient. Susan persevered when she became ill with pneumonia, fighting to stay alive so she could continue to raise Ada and Jamie. I also felt that there were many examples of loss in this text. The deaths of Jonathan and all those who died in the war were felt deeply by me as a reader. I lost my grandmother in the fall of last year, and I felt like I connected to the sadness felt by Ada, Maggie, Jamie and Lady Thorton when Jonathan died. I can empathize with that grief.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to read historical fiction, especially those that enjoy wartime stories. I found that it brought out quite a few emotions in me as I read it. I absolutely loved this book!
I like how you connected your own life to the theme, even though it must have been hard for you, you didn't let it get you down just like the characters in the book.
Deletei like how you summarized the book it really makes me want to read the book
ReplyDeleteShadow
DeleteBy:Michael Morpurgo
Ava Mountain
In the book Shadow by, Michael Morpurgo the main character Aman and his mom flee the horrors of living life under the Taliban, for asylum in England. On their journey a dog that they name Shadow follows alongside them and protects them if they are ever in danger, which happens a lot along the way. While on their journey Shadow finds an old friend of his who can't believe his eyes when he sees him. After Aman and his mother finally make it to freedom in England, 6 years later they are locked back up and face deportation. His best friend in school and on the soccer fields, Matt is staying with his grandpa and his grandpa's dog, Dog for the summer. After Matt convinces his grandpa to go and visit Aman and his mother in the detention center, Matt comes up with a plan to have a protest to get Aman and his mother out of there and back home. To Matt and his grandpa's surprise hundreds of people show up to support.
One theme that I noticed is that treating people with equality is very important. When people get made fun of or treated different because they look or act different it can really defeat their confidence in themselves which is not fair. No matter how someone looks or acts they should be treated equally.
This book is a good short read, it makes you realize how unfair people used to get treated and how they still get treated now. This is a realistic book that I recommend for ages 10 and up. I feel like if you are younger than ten you really won't enjoy and understand the book Shadow.
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ReplyDeleteThe Zodiac legacy
ReplyDeleteThe Zodiac Legacy is a Fantasy book. The Zodiac Legacy”s theme is also a life lesson. That lesson is, “even though you might want something, it doesn’t mean that you can have it.” This is the theme because in the book, The Zodiac Legacy, the book is about how this character named Maxwell is fighting for all of the zodiac powers. He is the bad guy in this book. His actions showed that he wanted all of the powers for himself. (The zodiac powers) He mainly wanted the Dragon’s power because, the dragon’s power is the strongest power of all 12 zodiac powers. But he could not gain all of the dragon’s power because he could not handle all of the power that would envelop him. He had to share it with another person named Jasmine, and they both fought for the power but, neither of them could contain it, and were not strong enough hold the power. Therefore they both wanted something they couldn’t have. That is what the book is about. Them trying to contain the zodiac powers. This connects to the real world because let’s say I wanted a dog, but I wasn’t going to take care of it or treat it right. My parents wouldn’t let me have it. But if I was planning to treat the dog right and wouldn’t use it to be mean or cruel, I would be able to have the dog because I proved myself. I think that this book is a good book for 10-14 year olds because there is a capturing storyline and a pull from the book that a lot of ages love. The characters go through changes that we would not usually experience and that this age group would find interesting. It connects to the real world by showing that just because you want something, doesn’t mean that you deserve it.
I love how you mixed it up and put the theme in the beginning as you explained the book. Also you had a really good analogy of the book to your real life. Great job!
DeleteThank you!
DeleteThis summer I read a book called Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. This story is about a girl from Arizona who entered a public high school, after being homeschooled for some time. Stargirl, or Susan, was an enthusiastic, energetic and quirky individual. When she started at Mica High School, the students did not understand her unique personality, but once the football games started, and she began cheering her team on, students started to like her, and even encouraged her to be a cheerleader for the school.
ReplyDeleteStargirl became very popular. After the football season was over, basketball started. As the season began, Stargirl felt bad for the opposing team if they were losing, so she began to cheer them on. Her classmates didn’t understand this, nor like it. Everyone in school started to shun her. Her boyfriend, Leo, also started to become ignored by his friends as well, and didn’t like it. He panicked and encouraged Stargirl to act more ‘normal’ around the school. Over time, Stargirl did blend in more, but students stilled shunned her. She was not happy and decided that changing herself made no difference on others.
The school ball was coming up, and Leo does not ask Stargirl. Instead she attends by herself. She makes quite the entrance at the country club. She has a great time, dancing to all the songs. She asks the band to play the Bunny Hop. Everyone joins in, and allows Stargirl to lead the line. She leads the group throughout the club, on the golf course and back to the dance floor. Everyone is having fun, except Hillari, who never gave Stargirl a chance. She walked right up to Stargirl and smacked her across the cheek, claiming she had ruined the whole dance. Stargirl was never seen again after this dance. Years later, the infectious personality of Stargirl could be seen throughout the school in spirit. It became a tradition for the students to cheer when the opposite team scored at basketball games.
I believe that the theme of Stargirl, is to stay true to yourself, don’t change for others just because they don’t like who you are. Stargirl tried to change herself, and became more like everyone else. This did not make her happy, and people didn’t like her any better. She realized she was unhappy, and she decided not to cave into the peer pressures of others.
One example of how this book relates to current events of today would be the presidential elections. No matter how much a person likes the current president, or not, we can’t let what others say, or think, change our minds. Everyone has an opinion, and they don’t all agree, but you need to stay true to yourself and what you believe.
I would recommend this book, Stargirl, if you enjoy realism, romance and young adult literature. If you like books dealing with many emotions of the peer pressures that students often face within school, this book may be an eye opener. I hope you enjoyed reading this!
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DeleteDuring the summer I read the book Scarlet Ibis. It was about a 12 year old girl who's lived with her mom and brother in London. In the book, her brother is autistic and her mom never leaves the house,smokes, does drugs, and does not help with daily life at all. Scarlet has clean the house, do the laundry, and get groceries. Scalet's brother Red, loves birds, so she takes him every weekend to the zoo. One day, he discover a pigeon nesting outside the window. There was a egg, and soon it hachted! Red names the baby pigeon Little Red. A few days later, Scarlets mom causes a fire. Red was at home sick, and Scarlet was at school. After the fire, Scarlet is placed in foster care away from Red and her heart broken. She is placed with a women named Renee, and her family. At first she is very mad, then starts t stell in and make friends. Then, her friends dare her to go into the crazy bird lady's house. She goes in and the women is very nice. She takes care of all the orphaned birds. soon she starts planning to get red back. She goes to the home where he is staying and sneaks under the fence and grabs him. She sneaks back to school and leaves him at the bird lady's house. A few days pass and her friends find out. But soon the police finds red and the bird lady tells scarlet her story. Scarlet is very mad, and Renee sees this. She also devices to foster Red.
ReplyDeleteI think an theme for this book is some people you can bond with and become family.
I recommend this book for middle school aged kids. I thought it was an very good book and would recommend for kids my age.
Madison Schmidt
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the book “Feels Like Magic” by Paul Johnson Jovanovic, the main character is Alfie Trotter. He was a troublemaker and his older brother Eddie did not let him forget. Alfie is an unusual boy that likes to do unusual things. He can jump further on his bike and skip stones better than normal people.
One day while having a competition as of who can jump the furthest, a boy named Charles sees them. Later on, he pulls Alfie along and explains that he is a wizard. He said that Alfie should enroll into the Pendred Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry. At first, his parents don’t want him to go but after a lot of persistence they cave. The first lesson was a success, Alfie proved to be very powerful. After lessons, Alfie came to realize he forgot his books. On his way to pick them up, he started to eavesdrop. He learned about something called the storm bringer.
He goes to the Enchanted Cove to get a potion to become invisible. He even manages to bring his friend named Melissa into his scheme. Using the potion he got, he slipped into the restricted section where he thinks the storm bringer is being held. It turned out that he was right. Before he could leave like the telepathic typewriter named Doris told him to, Mr. Pendred and Mr. Langford came in. That is how he comes to learn the storm bringer is a wand.
Later on he learned that while moving the storm bringer there would be an ambush. Charles told his crush and someone overheard. He had to swear on his parents life that he would not inform anyone about the ambush. The wand was stolen. Alfie, Melissa, Charles, Alfie’s non-magical friend Leo and Alfie’s brother Eddie knew they had to do something. It was time to travel to Kordoba to try to obtain information to save it. The only problem, if they do obtain information, will they make it back to earth?
Use your talents for good.-- In the real world there will be many opportunities to use any talents you have. With every path you take, you will be given a choice. You can use your skills to make good in the world or use it for the wrong reasons. For example, everyday hackers are given a choice, they could steal people's information to get money, or they can try and get a job working with the government to help people. They could stop people from getting hacked or help protect classified information. Having a talent is a privilege not a right. You should find a way to use your talents in a positive manner.
I would say this book is for kids between the ages of 9 and 13. The vocabulary is quite challenging and some kids may experience difficulty comprehending the book. The length of the book is fairly long for a young child however, may be considered on the shorter side for older kids. With the genre of Fantasy, I don’t think a lot of 14 year-old kids it find it interesting. It was a lot like Harry Potter in ways but this book is not as good as engaging older kids as much as it does to a younger audience.
This Summer one of the books I read was called the Crossover. In this book the main characters are two high school twins named Josh and JB. Their Father was an NBA All star. At the beginning JB gets a girlfriend and Josh is not happy about it because the girl really liked Josh until JB cut his dreadlocks off then started to like JB more. Next , josh started to become selfish and disrespectful to both JB and his parents. So as his punishment he got kicked off his basketball team who he was the best player on, right as they were going into the playoffs. Josh and and JB continued to fight and Josh kept sitting the bench. Until one day his father signed the two up for a three on three basketball tournament so they could make up for each other. However Their family has a genetic heart disease called Myocardial infraction which means that a blood vessel can get easily clogged causing part of the heart to stop functioning, And during a game their dad had a heart attack. So he was hospitalized and in a coma for almost 7 hours. When he woke up he told JB and Josh that they had to go help their team win the county championship. So they went to the game and won. But when they got back home they had found out that their father had died while they were gone. In the end they had a funeral for their father and JB and josh got to meet all of his fathers NBA teammates.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of this story is that family is the most important thing in life because when your family gets into fights or gets separated it can very much affect your own life. So it is important to always forgive and treat your family with respect.
I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars because it was a very entertaining and emotional book. However, it was mainly a poetry book which I ham not a huge fan of. I would recommend this book to ages 10-15 because it had a very complicated vocabulary and can get pretty confusing.
Posting for:Caralyn Haas
ReplyDeleteNeverworld Wake
By: Marisha Pessl
In the book Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl, a young woman, Beatrice just finished her first year of college. Beatrice’s high school friends, that she hasn't talked to in awhile, sent her a message saying that they should get together. Beatrice is tentative to go but ends up going. All is fine until her friend Whitley crashed the car. When they make it back to Whitley’s house, an old man appeared out of nowhere. He told them that they aren't really alive. They are still on the side of the road half dead. The only reason they are still “alive” is because they are in a rare occurrence in time, called a wake. A wake is where the same day keeps on repeating and to get out of it they need to vote one person to live. After a few wakes three of the five people give up and choose not to vote. Who will be the one to survive and was it ever real?
One theme I noticed in this book was that friends can help you through hard times. When Beatrice and her friend Martha are pressed for time after deciding who should live, Martha explains why she thought Beatrice should be the one to live. Martha says, “‘I even spent a million hours talking to this kooky professor with scary facial hair and bad breath at Brown to learn the art of persuasion, to implant the idea in all of their heads that you had to go on, because you had to be the one to tell our story”’ (Pessl, 298. This quote shows the theme because Martha wants Beatrice to live and move on from the death of her friends. After Martha’s explanation, Beatrice realizes that even though she may not be perfect, her friends still appreciate her and think she should live. Friends can help you realize that you are appreciated and can help you move on from difficult situations. In life, people deal with deaths, break-ups, and people leaving. And during these times, friends can help them through it.
This book was a quick read for me. This book takes you on a mystery adventure adding in a little bit of fantasy along with it. Even though this story couldn't happen, Marisha Pessl made it seem like you were with Beatrice everywhere she went and like it could happen to you any day.
Posting for Melanie Horvath
ReplyDeleteOne of the books I read this Summer was “The Horse and His Boy” By C.S Lewis. The main character, Shasta, worked for his master Arsheesh, and was never “brought up properly”. Being treated like dirt for most of his life, he didn’t know proper etiquette or anything like it. One day, a great Calormen man wanted to buy him, but Shasta didn’t know whether this man would be good or not. He asked himself this aloud and the Calormenes horse started to talk to him. As it turns out Bree, the horse was a slave kidnapped from Narnia. They decided to run away. Bree was constantly looking down on Shasta as he learned to ride a horse and do other things that boys his age could do. On the way they met Aravis and Hwin, Hwin was a talking horse and very humble. Aravis however was a Tarkheena(a princess) and was very rude and looked down on Shasta. Through the city of Tashbaan, Shasta was mistaken for a prince. He found out plans from a Narnian king. He eventually got away. During that Aravis found out plans of the Tisroc to do a raid on Narnia and Archenland to get the queen. Eventually, Aravis found Shasta and Bree and Hwin, they set off for Archenland. Upon arriving Shasta saved Aravis from a lion, and Bree lost his pride because he ran. Shasta then warned King Lune of the Tisroc’s plan. In the end Shasta becomes someone looked up to, and Bree, and Aravis learn to be humble after an encounter with the narnian lord, Aslan.
One of the themes in this book is about giving up self pride. Aravis and Bree came from very noble backgrounds and were used to treating others with less, less. When Shasta went to King Lune and helped save Archenland they realized a person with less can and should be treated with more. When they got to narnia they were treated like everyone else. “It doesn’t follow that you’ll be anyone very special in Narnia. But as long as you know you’re nobody very special, you’ll be a very decent sort of horse,” (Pg 151-152) These words helped Aravis and Bree realize that being humble will help them become better person/ horse.
I recommend this book for anyone who likes adventures and twists in story plot. This book is easy to relate to as there have all been times when people have been looked down upon. The book has a good theme and is exciting. I really enjoyed this book.
Thanks to those who have already posted. If you haven't yet, there's STILL TIME!
ReplyDeleteIf you read a classmate's book review and have a connection or realization, feel free to share your thinking by "replying". Since teachers have not explicitly TAUGHT you how to write a Book Review, please refrain from criticizing or leaving comments about editing issues. We will get there, but not yet. We want ALL Summer Study Bloggers to feel comfortable posting their ideas without critique. Thank you!
Every Day by David Levithan is about a person named A. Every day A inhabits a different body. One day he wakes up in the body of Justin. Justin has a girlfriend named Rhiannon Justin obviously has been mistreating Rhiannon. A decides to give Rhiannon the perfect day and ends up falling in love with her. The next few days A visited Rhiannon but Rhiannon doesn't know A's secret. One day A is a boy named Nathan who is really uptight. A decides to go to a party Rhiannon is at. A and Rhiannon make a connection. They decide to meet the next day. When Rhiannon sees a girl she is confused A tells her everything. It takes a few days but Rhiannon accepts A. A and Rhiannon get so close they see each every day. It soon becomes obvious this cannot go on when A starts destructing people's life to stay with Rhiannon by this point Rhiannon and Justin were broken up. One day A is in the body of a boy and invites Rhiannon over and tells her to date him when he is gone. The next day A leaves town. I feel like this book shows how sometimes when you love someone or something and you are holding them back you have to just let them go. I also think another meaning of this book is that you should never take anything in your life for granted because if you take a step in somebody else's shoes they could be in a difficult time in their life. If you like heartfelt stories and fiction that has a taste of reality this would be a book for you. I seriously recommend this book.
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ReplyDeleteIn the book See You In The Cosmos, the author Jack Cheng tells the story of a boy named Alex and his dog Carl Sagan as they journey to a rocket festival. Along the way, Alex meets Zed and Steve who help him try to find his dad after his rocket crashes. When they find out his dad is really dead they also find out the good news which is that he has a half sister named Terra. When he gets back to Rockview his hometown he goes onto the roof to look for his mom. He falls off puncturing his chest and barely survives. He was then rushed to the hospital where he recovers and find out that his mother was hospitalized with schizophrenia because she was hearing voices in her head that were not real. Towards the end of the book Alex talks about how much braveness he had to find within himself, the truth of his life on Earth, and how he made new friends and family on his journey with his dog Carl Sagan.
ReplyDeleteOne message noticed was that everyone has a destination or destiny. No matter how long it takes, you will always get there. For example, Alex went to the rocket festival only for his rocket, but if he wasn’t there then he would have never known about his dad or his half sister. Alex was destined to find his half sister and learn more about his family. This relates to the real world because everyone has a destiny, but they don't know what it is until they live it or see it.
Throughout this book, there is a lot of dialog, either Alex talking to the camera or the characters in the book. This book has a lot of emotion whether sadness, madness, or laughter. Many of the emotions the characters have bounce back to you. I recommend this book to someone who likes realistic fiction and is willing to read different formats of writing.
In Choosing Courage you learn about true stories of a diverse race of soldiers from different daring wars. Some of the larger well known wars are World War II, Vietnam and the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, there are other wars like the Korean War and the heroism in civilian life. Their unique stories bring out the hero in these patriotic soldiers. You read about what this person had to go through during these threatening situations. Most of these courageous soldiers got medals of honor for the bravery they showed and the lives they saved. These people have single handedly fought off enemies, like Tibor Rubin, who fought off personal anti-semitism of jewish faith managed to hold off Korean soldiers from his troop, and Ronald Rosser, who lost most of his troop and still kept fighting to win. Also people who have saved lives like Desmond Doss, who did not want to fight and rescued 75 of his wounded soldiers in his unit. There are people who wanted to fight for justice and the good of our country like Vernon Baker, who wanted to push the limits of his race and fight for his country, and George Sakato, who fought against his own race for the better of his country, the United States. All of these heroes are different and have shown courage for our country that they love. Risking their lives for the benefit and safety of us.
ReplyDeleteTheme: Being a hero means putting others before yourself.
When you are a firefighter or police officer you go into dangerous situations trying to save people. Firefighters rush into burning buildings to try and save peoples lives. Even though they could die they still think of the people that are in there. This is the same with police officers and walk into robberies with terrible people that could hurt them: but, they do this to protect everyone else. War soldiers put their country before themselves when they are fighting the enemies just like firefighters and police officers.
Some people who might like this book are people who like hearing war stories or people who enjoy learning about the army. Also people who like history; because, all of these wars are big parts of historical things that happened in the United States and other places around the world. Maybe there are even some people who like emotional and inspirational books, because people die in war; but, still our heroes find courage to still keep going and keep fighting for their country.
Posting for: Violet Bergman
ReplyDeleteTitle: American Warrior: The True Story of a Legendary Ranger
By:Gary O’Neal and David Fisher
Right away Gary O’Neal knew he wasn’t any ordinary boy, or soldier. He didn’t fit in, and he was growing up in a home with no mom. Just his dad and his step mom. After a fight with his so-called family, Gary ran away. He lived his life on the road with his grandparents, cousins, and friends. Anywhere away from his dad and step mom. At a young age, Gary found identity papers of his cousin and stole them. He didn’t know what to do with them, until he decided to enlist in the military. He enlisted as Butch O’Neal. Gary went on for a couple of years as Butch, and then, when Butch was drafted into the war, he was kicked out of the military. A couple years later, Gary reenlisted, but as himself. Nearly 40 years of his life devoted to the military. And it all paid off. He went on to become Chief Warrant Officer Gary O’Neal. His true bravery is why people are safe in the United States of America. He became a very well-known member of the Special Forces and was apart of a lot of battles. He met some amazing people, but not all survived. His whole life wasn’t just revolve around the military though. But it was affected by it. When he came home and retired from the military, he was showing symptoms of PTSD. However, people didn’t know what that was yet. He was having some trouble coping with it. He went and learned from Indians, and participated in several Sun Dances. He was accepted into their world, and became one of them. Today, Chief Warrant Officer Gary O’Neal, among many others, is an amazing soldier, and deserves respect from all Americans. Gary was shot several times in his career, but he never focused on the pain. He knew if he did, it could end his life. The message I took away from this book was never focus on the pain, or the bad things. If you do, it will affect you, but not in a good way. If you want to live life to the fullest, don’t focus on the pain. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in war and battles. This would be a great book for anyone interested or considering enlisting in the army. This shows “behind the scenes” content of the army.
Summary:
ReplyDeleteThe hunger games is a fictional story set in a futuristic time, where the country is divided into 12 districts that each work different jobs to power the capital, which is the richest city and takes all the money, leaving all the districts poor. Each year the capital holds a tournament, called the hunger games, and chooses two tributes from each district to compete in an arena until the last man standing. Katniss Everdeen is chosen the year she turns sixteen, to go into the hunger games with her fellow tribute Peeta Mellark. In the hunger games they must survive to get their own food, water, and shelter. The games will continue until only one person has survived. During the middle of the games there’s an announcement that if both tributes from the same district are still both alive, they can both win the games instead of just one winner. So Katniss teams up with Peeta, fighting to keep both of them alive. Close to the end, Katniss and Peeta are the only ones left, besides another tribute Cato. Even though Katniss and Peeta have agreed they both hate the idea of killing other tributes, they will have to kill Cato to survive. The three all fight all through the night, until Cato is gone and Peeta and Katniss are the ones left. They are so happy that they won, but another announcement tells them only one of them can win, which is a sudden change of events. Katniss and Peeta realize that they don’t want to kill each other, even though they were never friends. So Katniss takes out poisonous berries and they both take three, thinking neither of them has to kill the other or win. But the capital tells them to stop and they can both win, rather than have no winner at all. So this book ends where Katniss and Peeta are the winning tributes, but have both defied the capital and will soon suffer the punishments.
Theme:
My theme for the Hunger Games is stand up for what you believe in. For example, on page 324, the character Peeta Mellark says, “I will not become a piece of the capitol’s games, I will die as myself,” and during the games, he fulfills that belief that he would not become a piece of the games and defies the capitol by using the capitol to kill the other tributes. This shows that he did not become a piece of the games and he just used the capitol’s games against them. Another example is, on page 549, Katniss Everdeen teams up with tribute Rue and when Rue is killed, Katniss sings to her (a forbidden song in her district) and buries her in flowers. This shows that Katniss said that it’s not ok to kill innocent people just for fun through her actions. My last example is, on page 661, when it’s only Katniss and Peeta left, they don’t want to kill each other because they were starting to become friends, so they took out poisonous berries and both decided to die, instead of one of them ending up dying. This proves that Katniss and Peeta both believed that the capitol was wrong about killing everyone to just have one winner, so they defied the capitol so both of them could win. This theme relates to the real world, because you should always stand up for what you believe in and do the right thing. For example, if you believe in being yourself and unique then you have to stand up for that and just be yourself, not be what others want you to be!
Who would like this book:
I think teenagers (thirteen and older) who like adventure, thrill, fantasy, and cliff hangers at every chapter would really like this book because it has a lot of plot twists, cliffhangers after every chapter, and lots of thrill and adventures included. Also teenagers and older would be able to understand certain parts in this book, whereas younger kids would be confused. Also teenagers and older would be able to handle the violent and sometimes gruesome scenes in this book, better than younger kids. This is why I think teenagers (thirteen and older) would like this book to read.
Posted by Brooke Hansen
DeletePosting for: Nathalia Hernandez
ReplyDeleteTitle: House Arrest
By: K.A. Holt
In the book House Arrest by K.A. Holt, a 12 year old boy named Timothy Davidson has a baby brother, Levi. Timothy and his mom are constantly taking care of Levi who unfortunately has breathing issues. Timothy stole a credit card to try to help Levi and pay for his medicine, but was caught and sentenced to a whole year of house arrest. Timothy was given a journal to write in everyday for the rest of the year, and needs to check in weekly with a probation officer and a Therapist. If Timothy made progress over the year and didn’t get himself back into trouble there would’ve been no other sentences. Sadly Timothy was forced to jeopardize everything he had been working for all year to keep Levi safe, which landed him in a mountain of trouble.
A theme I noticed throughout the book is Risk and Love. Timothy was always risking a lot doing all the things he did for Levi and his mom, like when he stole the credit card in the first place, he risked himself for the ones he loved without a second thought. Even though it was wrong to steal the credit card his heart was in the right place when he did it. When Timothy helped out constantly with Levi’s Trach and suctioning his lungs out to help him stay alive and well, he gave up his sleep and well-being for Levi.
This great book was captivating and when I started reading I couldn’t stop. This book is a Fiction book laid out in the form of his Diary. It showed the reader what it is like in a home of sickness and what it feels like not knowing what could possibly get worse or happen next. Life for Timothy and his family is a constant unknown and could only seem to get worse, right?
Posting for: Cecilia Donato
ReplyDeleteTitle: Wonder
By:R.J Palacio
This summer I read the book Wonder by R.J Palacio. This story is about a boy named August Pullman that has health issues related to a dramatic facial abnormality. Due to that and his busy schedule involving surgery's, he has been homeschooled for his whole life. When August turns 10, his parents think that he should start attending public school. They want him learning more and they think he is ready for it.
As August prepares to start middle school at Beecher Prep, he is worried he will get stared at. Though Auggie is worried, he is also psyched that he will get to do lots of science experiments and other things involving science such as the chicks that they hatch.
One day as school is getting near, Mr. Tushman (the school principal) arranges August to meet three other kids and learn more about the school with them. Charlotte, Jack Will, and Julian. Charlotte is polite and kind, Jack is reserved but nice, and Julian can be unkind and rude.
The first day of school Auggie finds himself sitting alone at lunch until a girl named Summer comes over to sit with him. They find conversation and get along well. Auggie also gets to know Jack better. They sit by each other in almost every class.
As school carries on, Auggie gets frightened looks in the halls and they even make up a game called the plaque. It is sort of like the cheese touch except Auggie is the cheese.
Soon, Jack finds himself badmouthing Auggie and it really upsets Auggie. It leaves Auggie in the bathroom in tears and not wanting to return to school.
When they return from winter break Auggie and Jack make up. Just when everything was going well, Julian and his team turns on Jack. They turn on him just because he's friends with August “freak” Pullman.
As the school year comes to an end, everyone starts to accept Auggie more and more. Auggie was awarded the Henry Ward Beecher Medal for being a loyal and kind friend to everyone.
I think the theme of Wonder is kindness. It takes the tiniest bit of kindness to make a big difference. Kindness can form new friendships while preventing isolation and sadness. There are many examples of this throughout the book. Everyone can use kindness to make friends in the real world, just like in the book.
I think anyone of any age would enjoy this book. Especially people who like books based on a real life story and those who want to be inspired and learn to inspire.
By: Kaiden Lash
ReplyDeleteOver this summer,I read the book "QB1", written by Mike Lupica. The main character's name is Jake Cullen. Jake is living in the shadows of his older brother, Wyatt Cullen. Wyatt led his high school team, the Granger Cowboys to the state title last season and Jake's dad, Troy Cullen is a former NFL quarterback. Now that Wyatt is off to college, It's Jake's turn to prove to Granger and his dad that he isn't Wyatt but he can still be the quarterback to lead the Cowboys. The main conflict in QB1 is Jake , trying to get out of his family's shadow and proving to Troy Cullen that he isn't just his son, but a quarterback too. Jake did this by leading Granger's football team to the game Wyatt never did as a freshman.
I think that the theme of the book QB1 is perseverance because Jake had to persevere through his lowest and hardest time to get to be where he is. I think that this theme connects to the real world, because you have to persevere through the highs and lows to get to where you want to be.
I think that 10-14 year olds into sports and football would enjoy reading this book. It is full of action, competition, and emotion. This book shows how to persevere through some of your hardest points in life. This is one of my favorite books. I hope that you enjoy QB1 just as much as I did.
Michael Vey (the first book in the series)
ReplyDeleteBy: Richard Paul Evans
Book Review by Noah Puzio
This story is told by Michael Vey, a 15 year old high-schooler who lives in Idaho with his mother, Michael has Tourettes syndrome with makes him twitch and gulp when he is nervous. What most people don't know about Michael is that he has electrical powers, that come from a machine that affected him and thousands of other babies when he was born. He can what he calls pulse which is when he sends out electricity shocking things that he can touch. He also figures out about Taylor Ridley someone else who was affected and can "reboot" people, scrambling their brain and can read minds when she is contact with them. Michael gets bullied and in the beginning when he is pinned down, he electrocutes three of them, (they never tell anybody though).Taylors sees him do it and that's how they meet. The next day Taylor and Michaels mom gets kidnapped by an academy for people like Taylor and Michael.
Michael figures out and gets the bullies to drive him out of state with his best friend Ostin to the academy. Meanwhile, Taylor is getting bribed to stay at the academy, they give her jewelry, clothes, and food that she would have never had gotten at home. Then the director, Dr. Hatch takes her and the other students to a dirt bike competition and tells her to reboot the cyclist as he is doing a flip and she doesn't. Hatch takes her to a prison with three others who wouldn't do the bad things he told them to torturing them as their punishment.
Michael, Ostin,the bullies and the prisoners take on the academy in a showdown until they realize they don't have Michaels mom at that facility.
There are seven books in the series. They are fun exciting and nonstop action and thrill (although the beginning of the first book is a little slow) I believe kids nine and up would enjoy this series, there is violence, but it has a good message.
I believe the message is people matter more than things. Taylor and Michael could have just left their families and friends for the money and royalty but they didn't, they stood up for each other and always will. It sort of like either working more and not seeing your family but getting more money, or working less see your family more but having less money. I hope everybody who reads this review will read Michael Vey in the future.
The Worst Night Ever
ReplyDeleteBy: Dave Barry
Book Review By Ryan Rector
This book is about a 9th grade boy named Wyatt Palmer who was last years middle school hero. The Bevins are the popular high school brother Nick and Troy who are also bullies. The Bevin's take Wyatts friends ferret to their house to feed it to their snake Roxy. Matt who is deeply in love with his ferret get his friends to plan a mission to sneak into the Bevins household. While saving his ferret they uncover the Bevins scary secret. Now Wyatt ands his two friends have to save the Miami Zoo from complete danger.
The theme of this book is that you need to never stop trying to achieve your goals and strive for what you want to achieve. In the book Wyatt always kept pushing to stop the Bevin's sabotage towards the Miami Zoo. He was hurt and in a lot of pain and he knew he had to stop them.
I recommend this book to anyone that like mystery, horror, adventure, and friendship. It was a moderately easy read but I thought it was fascinating!I hope that my book review will get you guys to enjoy this read as I did!
Extension to Paragraph 1: The group of ninth graders filed a report against the bevin's which turned around and got him and friend grounded. With the help of his nosy sister and Jon a friendly ex Fish and Wild Life services agent who has been trying to stop this guys along with Wyatt, Matt, Victor (Wyatt's third friend), and Taylor Wyatt's sister.
Delete