Tag Archives: fiction

Snowball Student Review by Diana

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snowballSnowball by Ellen Miles (part of the Puppy Place series)

     This book is about a puppy that has no home. The family is the Peterson’s and they have a foster home for dogs and puppies. Mr. Peterson has a friend that works at a gas station. One day, Mr. Peterson got a call from his friend while the kids were at school.  When the children were walking home, their dad was so excited and happy. When they were driving he said that his friend found a puppy at the gas station. When they arrived, they found a white Westie puppy that was about 4 months old.  They name him Snowball. Will Snowball be a trouble maker or will he be good?  What will all the puppies futures hold?

      So far I like this book because it is about dogs and puppies and I like dogs and puppies.  This book is interesting because there are happy and sad parts. I hope you will read it!

My Haunted House Student Review by Caroline

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houseMy Haunted House by Angie Sage (Araminta Spookie series)

Angie Sage must be a very creative person because when I read My Haunted House I felt like I was five again!  While reading this book I was the most engaged I have been, in at least six years.  The book made me feel very, very happy. In my opinion My Haunted House is humorous, adventurous, and also draws a lot of attention.

My Haunted House is about a girl named Araminta Spookie. Araminta lives in a house with her Aunt Tabby and her Uncle Drac. Araminta thinks that the house that they live in is haunted. Aunt Tabby wants to move to a more modern house, but Araminta won’t leave the house until she finds a least one ghost. One day Aunt Tabby makes a sign that reads “This house is for sale”.  Araminta starts to change the sign and everything turns out really goofy. I hope you will like the book as much as I did!!

The Red Pyramid Student Review by Tracy

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redThe Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

The Red Pyramid is about two siblings who barely know each other. Since their mothers’ death, Carter and Sadie Kane have been separated. Carter got to travel the world with his dad, Dr. Julius Kane, while Sadie gets to stay with their grandmother and grandfather in London. After the night of an explosion at the British Museum, Carter’s and Sadie’s life quickly changed when their father summoned a mysterious figure.  They find that they are the most powerful children born with the blood of the pharaoh.

This book made me not want to stop reading. It has electrifying moments where it’s indescribable. Such as “We only had a few hours, so listen carefully. If you are hearing this story, you’re already in danger. Sadie and I might be your only chance. Go to the school. Find the locker. I won’t tell you which school or which locker, because if the right person, you’ll find it. The combination is 13/32/33. By the time you finish listening, you’ll know what those numbers mean. Just remember the story we’re about to tell you isn’t complete yet. How it ends will depend on you…”  That was the beginning of the book and I hope it grabbed your attention, because when I read it I couldn’t stop reading. Will they manage to save the world from the gods of Egypt or will they fail? 

I recommend this book to the Percy Jackson fans or if you love Egypt, then this is a book for you.  Rick Riordan again has left us with another piece of his superb work. I hope you love this book as much as I did.

Perfect Conditions

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mockingjayMockingjay, the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins has been out for 4 days already! I have been waiting for this book to arrive for months. I’ve told kids and friends about it and we all having been waiting for the big day to arrive. I even told friends not to call me on the 24th because I would be reading and didn’t want to be disturbed. Now it’s 4 days later and you know what? I haven’t read it yet.

 What?? Have I lost my mind? Sure, I have opened it and read  the back and inside flaps more than once. This morning as I was drinking coffee and settled comfortably on the couch, I held the book in my hands and stopped to think about why I haven’t read it cover to cover yet. Others have, but why not me? A friend told me about her son who stayed up all night to read the book. I know it’s going to be great so what am I waiting for??? Finally I realized the answer….Perfect Conditions!

I want to have the perfect conditions to sit down and read this book. I don’t want to mindlessly devour the book in a couple hours. I want to savor it and take my time so I can enjoy every moment of reading. It’s the difference between wolfing down a fast-food lunch and lingering over a 5 course gourmet dinner. I want the dinner because I know that when I’m done, there wont’ be another book to take up where this left off. When I get to the final page of Mockingjay, I know this brilliant trilogy will be over and I don’t want it to be over. So, now I wait for the perfect conditions when I can sit down undisturbed to read and savor every word and chapter of this extraordinary  book.

How about you? Did you devour or take your time reading this book? Have you ever waited for the perfect conditions to read someting you have been waiting for? Let me know! I’d love to hear from you!

Dog Days of Summer

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 Recently some Reading with Rover dog/handler teams came to the library for a special summertime reading event. The students brought their books to the library, sat down next to a dog and started reading. Reading to dogs turns what is sometimes difficult, into something truly magical. There is no stress when you are reading to a dog! It is pure fun! As soon as you finish reading to a dog, you get a paw-stamp on a pawtograph paper, and a special individual book mark from that dog. On this particular day, each reader also received a free book, and a rover bookbag. If you want more information about Reading with Rover or want to attend future public events, visit the website at www.readingwithrover.org   Here are some highlights of the our doggie read…

Book Review: No More Dead Dogs by Gordan Korman

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no more dead dogsAfter reading a book for school, did you ever wish you could write a book report saying how much you really hated the book? Well, that’s exactly what Wallace Wallace (yes- he has the same first and last name) does after reading Old Shep, My Pal for his 8th grade English class. It’s no surprise when his teacher, Mr. Fogelman has a  fit and assigns detention to Wally until he writes a proper book report. In his eyes, Old Shep, My Pal is a timeless classic and an award winning novel – nobody could possibly hate it!

Never one to lie about anything, Wally refuses, citing he hates the books most teacher assign because the dogs always die, and he knew Old Shep would die before he even opened the book. Remember Sounder or Old Yeller? Dead dogs. Where the Red Fern Grows – two dead dogs – a double whammy! What is the deal with dying dog books that make them such wonderful classics?

When detention involves having to spend his afternoons watching Mr. Fogelman direct the school play, Wally finds himself becoming involved in making the play adaption of Old Shep more contemporary.

Strong male and female characters combined with a solid and very humorous plot line keep the book moving quickly to the end. No More Dead Dogs is not a new book, but I highly recommend it to anyone who might enjoy the humor at poking fun at the classics that students are supposed to love reading – but often don’t. (Review by Mrs. Hembree)

Book Review: Wild Girl by Patricia Reilly Giff

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wild girlIf you love everything horses, then Wild Girl by Patricia Reilly Giff is a good choice for you. After her mother dies, Lidie who lives in Brazil, finds that she has to move to New York to live with her father and older brother. She hasn’t seen them in years and they have some awkward moments in the weeks after their reunion. Add going to a new school where you don’t speak English, and nobody speaks Portuguese, and you have some tough times. Luckily for Lidie, her father is a trainer at a famous racetrack and she can live around the horses she adores.

Every other chapter tells the story about a new born foal and its start in life. Like Lidie, the foal faces many difficulties as it is removed from its mother and has to start life anew.

The story comes alive when Lidie and the foal come together at her father’s stable. A satisfying read for girls who love horse books. (Reviewed by Mrs. Hembree)

Book Review: Theo Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham

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booneI love to read legal thrillers and when I saw that John Grisham had written ,Theo Boone: Kid Lawyer I bought the book immediately. I spent countless hours as a kid immersed in the pages of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. Their books are pretty dated for today’s kids and nothing has stepped up to fill the void. I figured I finally had the chance to turn kids on to a genre I adore.  Unfortunately, I was disappointed.

Theo Boone is a 13 year old middle school kid who loves the law. He is a product of two lawyer parents, and strange Uncle Ike, also a lawyer. Through the years, Theo has apparently spent enough time in his parents’ offices, and the courtroom, that he has a fair understanding of the law. As a result, peers come to him for help at school and he gives them advice on which lawyers to see and how to proceed within the law to fix their problems.

Oh yea, there is a murder mystery which is the main plot line of the novel. Mrs. Duffy is murdered, there are no witnesses and Mr. Duffy goes on trial accused of murdering his wife. Yada, yada….Boring. To begin, Theo himself is just not a very believable character. He is unlike any 13 year old boys I’ve ever known. He looks okay on the outside, but when you poke further, there is no depth. Once you get that he likes law in chapter one, you never really find out anything else about what makes him tick and be likeable. Theo is like a piece of decorated cardboard- okay on the outside and nothing  beyond.

This book seems to be written with the boy market in mind. Grisham in an interview featured on the Amazon.com website, talks about how he loved the Hardy boys as kid and how this character, Theo Boone, a single child of two lawyer parents came to him first. However, I think it’s going to be a hard sell for most 9-14 year old boys. They typically want more action, and substance. They have been reading Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and Alex Rider – and are used to fully developed characters, mystery and intrigue mixed with thrilling action. There’s none of that recipe in Theo Boone. The plot never really builds to any great crescendo and it ends with an unsatisfying whimper.

If you are interested in the law and how courtrooms work, you will probably enjoy this book. However, I think with a few exceptions, this book will be collecting a lot of dust on our library shelf. (reviewed by Mrs. Hembree)