Title: The Floating Island:The Lost journal of Ven Polypheme
Author: Elizabeth Haydon
Genre: Fiction
Reviewer: George
This book is for any one who likes a good fantasy story. It is interesting because most of it is written like a regular book but it also has some pages that are written like a journal. Surprisingly
for a book written at this reading level, it also has some illustrations.
It starts out with a boy named Ven whose father owns a ship building company. Ven is a boy, but he isn’t human. He is a Nain and althougth he turns fifty years old on the day the story starts, Ven is still a boy. Ven gets sent out on one of the boats do do an inspection. Nain’s aren’t supposed to like being out on the water, but Ven is having a great time. The inspection was going fine until he hears the thunder of a cannon firing, pirates are attacking. He sets a fire and destroys both of the ships to keep the pirates from getting the new ship his father’s shipyard built. Ven is rescued by sailors on another ship. They say they saw an albatross flying over the water and it lead them to Ven. Ven visits a floating island with the captain who rescued
him. The rest of the story is a bout Ven’s adventures with friends he made on the ship and with others.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Ingo
Title: Ingo
Author: Helen Dunmore
Genre: Fiction
Reviewer: Sydney
The book Ingo is about a girl named Sapphire and her brother Connor. Sapphire and Connor have what seems like an almost perfect life. They live by the sea, have their own private cove (everyone in town knows about it, but they are the only ones that go there), their father has a boat that he uses to take them out on the sea. The only part of their life that could be fixed is the fighting. Sapphire’s parents often start yelling and screaming at each other. Sapphire hates it. She wishes they acted the way they did when she was younger. No fights. So Sapphire’s world is pretty much prefect. Right? Wrong. Sapphire and Connor’s lives are turned upside down when their father mysteriously disappears while taking his boat out one night after another fight. Now, it was normal for Sapphire’s father to take out his boat in the middle of the night, but he had always come back until this time. Search crews were sent out and neighbors helped search for their father. But there was no evidence of anything and eventually the search crews stopped looking and then the neighbors stopped looking too. Then about two months later someone found their father’s wrecked boat but still their father was missing. Everybody in the town assumes that their father is dead and they hold a memorial service for him, but Connor and Sapphire refuse to believe he is dead.
A year passes and much changes. Sapphire’s mother has a job downtown, is rarely home and always is moving. With no sign of their father Sapphire and her brother become more sober. That is when it happens. Almost a year after their father disappears and Connor disappears too. Sapphire immediately searches the house, but no sign of Connor. Then she thinks of the cove, but she knows that Connor would never go down there without her because they both promised their parents that they would never go down to the cove by themselves. Never the less she goes. As Sapphire gets closer to the cove she starts to feel a pull from the sea. When Sapphire gets to the cove she calls for Connor but he doesn’t answer. Sapphire wades into the water and that’s when she sees them. Connor and some girl she’s never seen before are sitting on a rock a couple feet away. The girl looks like she’s in a diving suit and their both look like they’ve been swimming and they were talking. Neither of them saw her so and Sapphire didn’t want them too. Sapphire looks out at the sunset for a minute then looks back to Connor and the girl. But the girl is gone and Connor is looking at the water. Sapphire calls to Connor and he looks up and comes to her. Sapphire and Connor never keep things from each other so when Sapphire ask Connor about the girl and when he doesn’t tell her she begins to wonder why he isn’t telling her, but that’s not the only weird thing. When Sapphire tells Connor what time it is he begins to insist that it is not actually that late, but it is. The two siblings go home with Sapphire thinking about how Connor lied to her and how he thought it wasn’t as late as he thought it was.
Will Sapphire find out the secret her brother is keeping from her? Will Sapphire and Connor find their father? Read the book to find out.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure and mystery. Something is always happening in this book; it’s almost impossible to put down. It is defiantly a book that should be added to anyone’s personal library.
Author: Helen Dunmore
Genre: Fiction
Reviewer: Sydney
The book Ingo is about a girl named Sapphire and her brother Connor. Sapphire and Connor have what seems like an almost perfect life. They live by the sea, have their own private cove (everyone in town knows about it, but they are the only ones that go there), their father has a boat that he uses to take them out on the sea. The only part of their life that could be fixed is the fighting. Sapphire’s parents often start yelling and screaming at each other. Sapphire hates it. She wishes they acted the way they did when she was younger. No fights. So Sapphire’s world is pretty much prefect. Right? Wrong. Sapphire and Connor’s lives are turned upside down when their father mysteriously disappears while taking his boat out one night after another fight. Now, it was normal for Sapphire’s father to take out his boat in the middle of the night, but he had always come back until this time. Search crews were sent out and neighbors helped search for their father. But there was no evidence of anything and eventually the search crews stopped looking and then the neighbors stopped looking too. Then about two months later someone found their father’s wrecked boat but still their father was missing. Everybody in the town assumes that their father is dead and they hold a memorial service for him, but Connor and Sapphire refuse to believe he is dead.
A year passes and much changes. Sapphire’s mother has a job downtown, is rarely home and always is moving. With no sign of their father Sapphire and her brother become more sober. That is when it happens. Almost a year after their father disappears and Connor disappears too. Sapphire immediately searches the house, but no sign of Connor. Then she thinks of the cove, but she knows that Connor would never go down there without her because they both promised their parents that they would never go down to the cove by themselves. Never the less she goes. As Sapphire gets closer to the cove she starts to feel a pull from the sea. When Sapphire gets to the cove she calls for Connor but he doesn’t answer. Sapphire wades into the water and that’s when she sees them. Connor and some girl she’s never seen before are sitting on a rock a couple feet away. The girl looks like she’s in a diving suit and their both look like they’ve been swimming and they were talking. Neither of them saw her so and Sapphire didn’t want them too. Sapphire looks out at the sunset for a minute then looks back to Connor and the girl. But the girl is gone and Connor is looking at the water. Sapphire calls to Connor and he looks up and comes to her. Sapphire and Connor never keep things from each other so when Sapphire ask Connor about the girl and when he doesn’t tell her she begins to wonder why he isn’t telling her, but that’s not the only weird thing. When Sapphire tells Connor what time it is he begins to insist that it is not actually that late, but it is. The two siblings go home with Sapphire thinking about how Connor lied to her and how he thought it wasn’t as late as he thought it was.
Will Sapphire find out the secret her brother is keeping from her? Will Sapphire and Connor find their father? Read the book to find out.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure and mystery. Something is always happening in this book; it’s almost impossible to put down. It is defiantly a book that should be added to anyone’s personal library.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The Legend of Luke
Title: The Legend of Luke
Author: Brian Jacques
Genre: Fantasy
Reviewer: Kyle
Though this book it titled The Legend of Luke, the main characters at the beginning are Gonff the Mousethief (a mouse), Martin the Warrior (a mouse), Trimp the Rover (a hedgehog), and Dinny Foremole (obviously, a mole). The book starts with Trimp wandering and finding a partly built Redwall Abbey. There, she is welcomed in. She tells everyone that she is from the northlands. Martin then remembers that he was raised on the northland shores. He asks about it, and soon he is always in thought for days. Eventually, the rest of the creatures get worried, and allow him a journey to his homeland. Gonff and Dinny go with him on his quest. On his way there, he meets Log-a-Log Furmo, a shrew, and Krar the Woodwatcher, a goshawk. They travel to the northland shores, where Vurg, a mouse, and Beau, a hare, tell Martin the story of Luke, Martin’s father.
The second part was about Luke trying to get revenge on a stoat named Vilu Daskar, because his horde killed most of Luke’s tribe. Most of the story is about Luke riding a ship called the Sayna, named after his wife, to find Vilu.
I enjoyed reading this book because I just like to read stories that use swords, shields, bows and arrows, spears, and javelins for wars and fights.
Author: Brian Jacques
Genre: Fantasy
Reviewer: Kyle
Though this book it titled The Legend of Luke, the main characters at the beginning are Gonff the Mousethief (a mouse), Martin the Warrior (a mouse), Trimp the Rover (a hedgehog), and Dinny Foremole (obviously, a mole). The book starts with Trimp wandering and finding a partly built Redwall Abbey. There, she is welcomed in. She tells everyone that she is from the northlands. Martin then remembers that he was raised on the northland shores. He asks about it, and soon he is always in thought for days. Eventually, the rest of the creatures get worried, and allow him a journey to his homeland. Gonff and Dinny go with him on his quest. On his way there, he meets Log-a-Log Furmo, a shrew, and Krar the Woodwatcher, a goshawk. They travel to the northland shores, where Vurg, a mouse, and Beau, a hare, tell Martin the story of Luke, Martin’s father.
The second part was about Luke trying to get revenge on a stoat named Vilu Daskar, because his horde killed most of Luke’s tribe. Most of the story is about Luke riding a ship called the Sayna, named after his wife, to find Vilu.
I enjoyed reading this book because I just like to read stories that use swords, shields, bows and arrows, spears, and javelins for wars and fights.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Title: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Author: J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy
Reviewer: Kimberly
Harry is running out of time. Lord Voldemort, the most powerful dark wizard the world has ever known, has infiltrated The Ministry of Magic, the wizarding world’s government. People are dying. Nobody can be trusted. Everyone is terrified, people are forced into hiding, and the truth is kept well hidden. Harry, Hermione, and Ron are the only ones who can stop Lord Voldemort, known to his loyal followers, the Death Eaters, as the Dark Lord. They’re running out of clues, of hints to follow, and tensions run high between them. Ron has left his family, expecting Harry to have a plan, and Hermione has bewitched her non-magical parents into believing that they are completely different people who don’t have a daughter in order to keep them safe from the Death Eaters and in order to join Harry on his quest. To win the war, they must find Voldemort’s seven Horcruxes, parts of his soul, ripped from his body through his terrible evil, that are sheltered within valuable objects and carefully guarded. There were originally seven; luckily, two have been destroyed, the diary and the ring, and they’ve found the locket, however, they still have to locate and destroy five more. However, the trail runs cold, they’ve no means of destroying the Horcrux they already have, and Harry begins to seethe with anger at Dumbledore, who died and sent them on the seemingly hopeless task. He wants to find the truth that Dumbledore seemed so keen on keeping from him. However, their efforts go unrewarded as their only clue is that the sword of Godric Gryffindor. Finally, Ron walks out of them, on a night when tempers run high, out of pure frustration.
However, their luck is about to turn. One night, Harry is led away by a mysterious silver doe to a frozen pool. To retrieve the sword, Harry must prove he has the qualities of a true Gryffindor, which includes bravery and chivalry. When Harry uses magic to crack the ice and dive into the pool, he almost drowns and Ron rescues him and grabs the sword. He then proceeds to stab the Horcrux, and with it, another bit of Voldemort’s soul. Ron has returned through use of the Deluminator, an invention Dumbledore had left him in his will. Perhaps this proves that Dumbledore had a plan after all, though Harry still nurtures doubts. Their quest continues, as Ron’s arrival seems to coincide with, or perhaps trigger, a sufficient amount of information and hope. Their adventure is filled with far more peril and danger, but progress is far better than before. Along the way, Harry, Hermione, and Ron suffer tragedies, and occasionally, hear amazing tidings and stumble upon unlikely encouragement. Will they be able to defeat Voldemort? The fate of the entire world will depend on the answer.
I would recommend this book to others because it balances the amazing and impossible feats with crushing reality and conflict between friends. However, comprehension of the book’s theme and plot is easier if you have read the first six books. It isn’t completely necessary, as the book explains things along the way, but it allows the reader to better understand the bonds between characters and their feelings of attachment and fondness or hurt and betrayal. The book was very emotional and sometimes became depressing, but it was also extremely witty with excellent word choice and unexpected twists, which is why I personally enjoyed it and think others will too.
Author: J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy
Reviewer: Kimberly
Harry is running out of time. Lord Voldemort, the most powerful dark wizard the world has ever known, has infiltrated The Ministry of Magic, the wizarding world’s government. People are dying. Nobody can be trusted. Everyone is terrified, people are forced into hiding, and the truth is kept well hidden. Harry, Hermione, and Ron are the only ones who can stop Lord Voldemort, known to his loyal followers, the Death Eaters, as the Dark Lord. They’re running out of clues, of hints to follow, and tensions run high between them. Ron has left his family, expecting Harry to have a plan, and Hermione has bewitched her non-magical parents into believing that they are completely different people who don’t have a daughter in order to keep them safe from the Death Eaters and in order to join Harry on his quest. To win the war, they must find Voldemort’s seven Horcruxes, parts of his soul, ripped from his body through his terrible evil, that are sheltered within valuable objects and carefully guarded. There were originally seven; luckily, two have been destroyed, the diary and the ring, and they’ve found the locket, however, they still have to locate and destroy five more. However, the trail runs cold, they’ve no means of destroying the Horcrux they already have, and Harry begins to seethe with anger at Dumbledore, who died and sent them on the seemingly hopeless task. He wants to find the truth that Dumbledore seemed so keen on keeping from him. However, their efforts go unrewarded as their only clue is that the sword of Godric Gryffindor. Finally, Ron walks out of them, on a night when tempers run high, out of pure frustration.
However, their luck is about to turn. One night, Harry is led away by a mysterious silver doe to a frozen pool. To retrieve the sword, Harry must prove he has the qualities of a true Gryffindor, which includes bravery and chivalry. When Harry uses magic to crack the ice and dive into the pool, he almost drowns and Ron rescues him and grabs the sword. He then proceeds to stab the Horcrux, and with it, another bit of Voldemort’s soul. Ron has returned through use of the Deluminator, an invention Dumbledore had left him in his will. Perhaps this proves that Dumbledore had a plan after all, though Harry still nurtures doubts. Their quest continues, as Ron’s arrival seems to coincide with, or perhaps trigger, a sufficient amount of information and hope. Their adventure is filled with far more peril and danger, but progress is far better than before. Along the way, Harry, Hermione, and Ron suffer tragedies, and occasionally, hear amazing tidings and stumble upon unlikely encouragement. Will they be able to defeat Voldemort? The fate of the entire world will depend on the answer.
I would recommend this book to others because it balances the amazing and impossible feats with crushing reality and conflict between friends. However, comprehension of the book’s theme and plot is easier if you have read the first six books. It isn’t completely necessary, as the book explains things along the way, but it allows the reader to better understand the bonds between characters and their feelings of attachment and fondness or hurt and betrayal. The book was very emotional and sometimes became depressing, but it was also extremely witty with excellent word choice and unexpected twists, which is why I personally enjoyed it and think others will too.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
The Report Card
The Report Card
By: Andrew Clements
Genre: Fiction
Reviewer: Anon
Do you ever think someone may strive to get bad grades? That seems like the silliest thing ever, well Nora Rose Rowley didn’t think so. She didn’t get bad grades for no reason she did it for a friend, her best friend.
You see, everyone was so obsessed over good grades, her family, teachers, and almost all of the students except Nora. Nora was a complete brainiac but don’t tell anyone because all her life she has been in disguise as only an average, old person. If anyone knew she was so smart she could never prove her point. She didn’t know her little plan would become a huge deal but it did. She started getting treated differently, she had many conferences with her parents and teachers, and worst of all she got grounded. All of Nora’s doings became a huge commotion among all the students at her school. Did all of her hard work pay of or at least prove her point?
I do highly recommend the Report Card. It is a very funny book with many hooks to make you want to read more. I think many type of readers would enjoy this book.
By: Andrew Clements
Genre: Fiction
Reviewer: Anon
Do you ever think someone may strive to get bad grades? That seems like the silliest thing ever, well Nora Rose Rowley didn’t think so. She didn’t get bad grades for no reason she did it for a friend, her best friend.
You see, everyone was so obsessed over good grades, her family, teachers, and almost all of the students except Nora. Nora was a complete brainiac but don’t tell anyone because all her life she has been in disguise as only an average, old person. If anyone knew she was so smart she could never prove her point. She didn’t know her little plan would become a huge deal but it did. She started getting treated differently, she had many conferences with her parents and teachers, and worst of all she got grounded. All of Nora’s doings became a huge commotion among all the students at her school. Did all of her hard work pay of or at least prove her point?
I do highly recommend the Report Card. It is a very funny book with many hooks to make you want to read more. I think many type of readers would enjoy this book.
The Long Patrol
Title: The Long Patrol
Author: Brian Jacques
Genre: Fantasy
Reviewer: Kyle
The book’s main character is Tamello De Fformelo Tussock (Also called Tammo), a young hare who dreams of being on the Long Patrol. The Long Patrol is an army of hares from Salamandastron, a gargantuan mountain where badgers rule, and hares live. As the name suggests, the Long Patrol Patrols the area of Mossflower, a large forest where the woodlanders are free and live together. Tammo travels away from his home, Camp tussock, with his mother’s friend Russa Nodrey, a squirrel. Tammo joins the Long Patrol, and they head off to defeat the Rapscallion army, a horde of rats, weasels, stoats, ferrets, and foxes.
This is a great book because you really never expect some of the things, while you can also guess the answers to some of the riddles. It’s easier to understand the book if you read Mossflower, also by Brian Jacques, first.
Author: Brian Jacques
Genre: Fantasy
Reviewer: Kyle
The book’s main character is Tamello De Fformelo Tussock (Also called Tammo), a young hare who dreams of being on the Long Patrol. The Long Patrol is an army of hares from Salamandastron, a gargantuan mountain where badgers rule, and hares live. As the name suggests, the Long Patrol Patrols the area of Mossflower, a large forest where the woodlanders are free and live together. Tammo travels away from his home, Camp tussock, with his mother’s friend Russa Nodrey, a squirrel. Tammo joins the Long Patrol, and they head off to defeat the Rapscallion army, a horde of rats, weasels, stoats, ferrets, and foxes.
This is a great book because you really never expect some of the things, while you can also guess the answers to some of the riddles. It’s easier to understand the book if you read Mossflower, also by Brian Jacques, first.
The Year of the Rat
Title: The Year of the Rat
Author: Grace Lin
Genre: Fiction
Reviewer: Sidd
This book is a sequel to the book The Year of the Dog. Once again, it is written and illustrated by Grace Lin. In this book, the main character Pacy must deal with many frustrations. They are, such as, the possibility of Melody moving away, painstakingly trying to find her true talent, and learn that change can actually be a wonderful thing.
Written as if the person is on a day-to-day basis, this book is perfect all readers. It also has many interesting illustrations. Be sure to check those out. Singularity and happiness fill the pages of this book from beginning to the end.
Author: Grace Lin
Genre: Fiction
Reviewer: Sidd
This book is a sequel to the book The Year of the Dog. Once again, it is written and illustrated by Grace Lin. In this book, the main character Pacy must deal with many frustrations. They are, such as, the possibility of Melody moving away, painstakingly trying to find her true talent, and learn that change can actually be a wonderful thing.
Written as if the person is on a day-to-day basis, this book is perfect all readers. It also has many interesting illustrations. Be sure to check those out. Singularity and happiness fill the pages of this book from beginning to the end.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)