Monday, June 21, 2010

Choice Books

At some point during the 2009-2010 school year, all of the fourth graders in Mrs. B.'s class got the chance to pick the book they read from the genre of their choice. To conclude the reviews from Mrs. B.'s class, here are reviews of some of those choice books.

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
Moose is with his family on the same island as public enemy #1! He doesn't have any friends on the island because they all live in Santa Monica, where he used to live. He goes to school in San Francisco where he plays baseball on Monday. He helps this girl named Piper with her "Projects". Like the time she took all the other students' clothes and washed them in her own washer and said they were done by Al Capone. That plan backfired and Moose got in a lot of trouble even though he didn't do anything. Alcatraz Island is a place where the worst criminals of all live. Moose has never seen the criminals before but he knows they are out there. Will Moose ever see Al Capone? Read to find out.
Rating: I give this book ***** stars because I love every part of it. I also liked that it is actually true that kids used to live on Alcatraz and I would be way too scared if I lived on an island with a bunch of criminals.

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
Stormbreaker is about a boy, Alex Rider, whose uncle dies. He has been told that he died in a car accident, but when he finds his uncle's car there was a bullet hole in the window. A little later he finds out that his uncle was a secret agent. Now Alex has to finish his uncle's mission. The mission is to go to Sayle Enterprises and find out what the Stormbreaker is.
Alex is only doing the mission to figure out who killed his uncle. Is Sayle the nice guy Alex thinks he is? Will he be able to stop this computer from being launched?
Rating: I rate this book *** stars because I do not like shooting and killing and spy books. I do not think many girls would like this book, but boys who love these things would love it.

Savvy by Ingrid Law
This is a book about a girl named Mibs which is short for Mississippi in the Beaumont's family. Mibs is about to turn 13. Thirteen is the age that all Beaumont children get their savvy, their magical power. A few days before her birthday disaster strikes; Mibs' dad was in an accident on the highway. This upsets Mibs terribly when her father doesn't wake up. When she has a birthday party that Miss Rosemary arranges at the church, she finds a pink bus that has Salina written on it. That was the city that her dad was in at the hospital. She was risking a lot because damage could be done with her savvy. She gets on the bus and runs away with her brother Fish, her brother Samson, Miss Rosemary's son Will, Will's sister Bobbi, and Lester a pink Bible delivery man. They ran away to get to Mibs' father but Lester has stops on the way.
Mibs thinks her savvy is waking people up because that morning she had woken up the pet turtle and woken her sister Gypsy. She assumes that she can wake her father. This leads them to a huge adventure that is risky and dangerous. Will Mibs' savvy turn out how she thought it would? Will she be able to wake her father?
Rating: ***** I give this book 5 stars because there was always something exciting going on. I could never stop reading this book.

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart
Reynie, Sticky, Kate and Constance are some of the most talented kids int he world. The whisperer is a powerful weapon that can bring back memories, brainsweep, and many other things. Mr. Curtain is the evil brother of Mr. Benedict and the maker of the Whisperer. Mr. Curtain has a new plot to retake his Whisperer and rule the world. Mr. Curtain bribed a high ranked government official to take the Whisperer. The Ten Men raid the house and captured the children. It is up to the four children to stop Mr. Curtain, S.Q., and his evil ten men. What will happen in this book of good, evil, ten men, sentries, buckets and briefcases? Read to find out.
Rating: I would rate this book *****five stars. It was one of the best books I have every read. It always kept me on the edge of my seat. If you like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson you will love this book. It ends my favorite series of all time.

An Acceptable Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Polly O'Keefe is the daughter of Meg O'Keefe. She moves in with her grandparents, Alex and Kate Murray. She likes living with them very much. One day Polly was walking over to the Star Watching Rock and all of a sudden she was in a different place. The trees have moved, everything has changed, the Star Watching Rock is small and in better condition. Polly was about 3,000 years ahead of her time. She looked around and about an hour later she was back in her own time. She ran back to her grandparent's house and told them everything. Her grandma told her that she went through a time gate. She also told Polly that she should never go back tot he Star Watching Rock. The next day Polly's friend Zachary came over. They take a little walk and end up going through the time gate. They get stuck in the time gate and Zachary gets very ill. They have to wait there until the time gate will reopen. Will they be OK? Will they get back to their own time? Read the book and find out!
Rating: I would give this book 5 out of 5 stars because it kept me at the edge of my seat. It did take me a long time to read, but it's worth all the time.

Peter and the Shadow Thieves by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, illustrated by Greg Call
This book is about a boy named Peter who can fly and lives on an island with his other friends and protectors that call themselves the Mollusks. But there is trouble on that island. The trouble is pirates! They are out for Peter's friends but they know they can't attack the boys with the Mollusks around, so they try to sneak there by using a distraction. While that's going on at the island, Peter is flying to London with his fairy Tinker Bell to help his friend Molly. She is about to be attacked by different pirates and a creature that takes people's shadows. They are attacking Molly's family because her family has a very special object called star stuff. The star stuff is so important because it has powers that can do all sorts of things. For instance, it can make people fly. What will happen to the boys, Peter, and Molly? Read to find out.
Rating: I give this book ***** stars out of ***** stars because I think this book is very, very good and got me at the edge of my seat. Though I think you should read the first one first because then you will know what will be going on.

Muggie Maggie by Beverly Cleary
This book is about where Maggie does not want to learn cursive. Maggie is forced to learn cursive. Then the teacher finds out that Maggie is not doing what she is supposed to be doing. So then Maggie's mom gets a note from the teacher. Then Maggie starts writing her name in cursive when everyone was practicing letters. Then Maggie becomes note monitor and she delivers notes to the principal and the principal writes back. Then she still does not want to learn cursive. Did she learn to write cursive? Read the book and find out.
Rating: I give this book ** stars because there was not any excitement.

The True Confesions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
Charlotte Doyle is a young lady attending Barrington School in England, until her father sends for her to come to America on a ship called the Seahawk. Once on board, Charlotte hears strange rumors about the captain, Mr. Jaggery. She thinks he's a nice gentleman and when he tells her to look out for two circles, a round robin, she says she will even though she was warned by a man named Zachariah not to trust him. When she sees one and tells Captain Jaggery, she sees he is the murderer everyone told her about. She tries to stop him, but she just made it worse. and now captain and crew are mad at her. She needs to prove to the crew she is sorry, but what can she do?
Rating: I give this book ***** stars out of five, because it was exciting.

Redwall by Brian Jacques
Redwall is a book about castle times but with animals in it. Rats are attacking Redwall and Mossflower forest. They are experienced fighters and will not stop at anything. Mattiaus is a mouse; he has lots of adventures and he is one of the main characters. One of his adventures was he had to fight a serpent to get a famous sword that might save Redwall. Will Redwall stand or will it be burned down by the rats, read the book to find out.
Rating: I would give this book ***** because it was a really good book and I loved it. I would recommend this book to other people and I think they would enjoy it.

More Fantasy Reviews. Thanks Grade 4!

Let's finish up the reviews of fantasy novels from Mrs. B.'s fourth grade class, 2009-2010.

The Secret of Platform Thirteen by Eva Ibbotson
One day three nurses take the prince out of Platform 13 and a nasty old woman, Mrs. Trottle, steals the prince. Four rescuers, a hag, a wizard, a giant and a fey, have to try to rescue the prince. The king and queen have to make the giant invisible so people will not notice him. All there is left of him is his eyeball floating in the air. The only way people will not be able to see the giant is if he shuts his eye, and he only had to do that a couple of times. The rescuers try really hard to impress the prince but all he does is insult the creatures.
All of the rescuers have lots of feelings and one the island people care a lot. The prince grew up with a rich mother so he is very spoiled. He always makes an excuse to skip school, then he says he wants to go out for lunch and has a lot of junk food. The hag got so mad when she saw this that she wished she was never a rescuer. The rescuers only have nine days until the portal to Platform 13 closes, but they never give up.
One day the wizard brings out something that will only come out once in five hundred years and the prince insults it. Then it goes back in. The four rescuers try many things to get the prince back but it is really hard. Will the four rescuers be able to save the Platform by bringing the prince back?
Rating: I rate this book **** stars because the book had many details and I didn't want to put the book down. Some parts were sad, but I think this would be a good book to read!

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
This book is about a long time ago when dragons were the kings of the earth. In the book is a dragon who likes to steal gold and sleeps with his eyes half open and can smell anyone and anything. It's also about a man named Bilbo Baggins who tries to steal the gold from he dragon. Bilbo Baggins is a small, little, fat, intelligent man. He is not big on adventures but he's good at many things. You can find out what he's best at if you read the book.
Rating: I do say *** out of ***** for everything. It's not bad but it's not good.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
This book is about a boy whose parents get murdered, but he escapes to the nearby graveyard to be raised by ghosts. By the age of six he can talk well; he knows math; he knows lots of other knowledge of the spirits. His personality gets DARKER. He soon is captured by ghouls, and that was getting to be a nightmare until his magical tutor finally got the perfect chance, and she took it! After so long his family's killer hunts him down until he tricks him, but he brings friends along! Again he finds himself running away from an unstoppable man. In the end he barely defeats them and see the future the he was always waiting for...
Rating: I gave this book 4/5 stars because the book was sweet and sad.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
The book Artemis Fowl is about a 12-year-old boy named Artemis Fowl who wants a lot of fairy gold. One night on the full moon he captured a fairy to lure the other fairies to his house so he could get more gold. What Artemis didn't know is that he captured the brave Captain Holly Short. Now, down in the inner core where the fairies live Commander Root (another fairy) is getting geared up with his gun and his other equipment to save Holly. After a while, Commander Root finds out where Artemis lives (he lives in a house in Dublin, Ireland) and gets to the house. With a little help from the mulch-digging and eating dwarf Mulch Diggums, Commander Root is able to get into the house. Will Holly ever escape and what will happen to everyone else?
Rating: I will rate this book 3 out of 5 stars because it wouldn't catch my attention. There would be some funny and interesting parts, but to me it was not a book that I would read again.

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Alice goes to her dad's friend's house and follows a white rabbit (March Hare) down a very long rabbit hole. As she was falling, she tried to grab as many things as she can to stop her from falling any deeper. Because everything she grabbed was loose, the objects (vases, flower pots, paintings, etc.) ended falling on top of her. (All she could see falling down was just darkness down to the world of Wonderland.) Alice meets the Mad Hatter, who later becomes her friend. He tells her that she has to go to the Red Queen's castle to get the Vorpal Sword, to slay the Jabberwockey on Frabjous Day. Alice sneaks into the castle but Stayne, the Knave of Hearts, sees her and tells the Red Army to attack her. She gets free. On Frabjous Day, Alice is supposed to slay the Jabberwockey's head off, but Red Queen got in the way and Alice killed her. Everyone was happy, even Stayne, the Red Army, and everyone who lived in Wonderland except the Jabberwocky. Will the Jabberwockey kill Alice? Or will Alice slay the Jabberwockey? Read the book to find out.
Rating: I would give this book 4 out of 5 because some parts were interesting and some parts I wanted to stop reading. It's not the best or worst book I have read.

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridly Pearson, illustrated by Greg Call
Peter and the Starcatchers is about Peter Pan before he became a magical person. Peter was born in 1775 and he never died because of the stuff called star stuff that was very powerful and had magic powers. Star stuff is something that falls to earth from space and these people called starcatchers find the star stuff and get rid of it. Peter meets a young starcatcher named Molly and they become friends and try to get rid of the star stuff before Black Stache. Black Stache is a pirate who loves treasure. In the end Black Stache does not get the star stuff and is carried away by his first officer called Smee.
The main characters are Peter, Molly, Black Stache, and Smee. Peter is a red headed boy who likes to be in charge of his friends who are orphans. Peter is also an orphan. Molly is a girl who belongs to a rich family and is a starcatcher who found the star stuff and is trying to get rid of it. Black Stache is a pirate and loves to have treasure and will do anything to get it. Smee is Black Stache's first officer and has been first officer longer than any other.
Rating: I would rate this book ***** stars because it had a lot of action and was very exciting at all times. Also was never boring and it kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading it, I never wanted to put the book down at all so that's why I loved it.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

The Fantasy World of Fourth Grade

Moving right along with the book reviews by the 2009-2010 fourth graders in Mrs. B.'s class, we are now up to fantasy, one of my favorite genres.

Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle
Sandy and his twin brother Dennys mess up with their father's science experiment and end up in a desert populated with munchkins. Sandy and Dennys get a sunstroke and suffer for a couple of months and have to put up with some things such as death, captivity, and a big flood. Then Sandy and Dennys meet Noah. Like in Noah and the Ark. Then Noah introduces Grandfather Lamech. Grandfather Lamech said that El has told him that a flood is coming. El is like a god that only people that believe in him can hear him. So Noah, Sandy, and Dennys build an Art. But will Sandy and Dennys be able to put up with all these things? Will the people on the island be able to survive the flood? Will Sandy and Dennys be able to get back home? Read the book and find out.
Rating: I would give this book 5 stars because I always wanted to know what will happen next to Sandy and Dennys and wondered if they were going to get back home.

Seven Day Magic by Edward Eager
There were five children named Barnaby, Abby, Fredericka, John, and Susan. They go to the library one day and Susan checks out an old book. When they are walking home Susan opens up the book. There is nothing in it! She shows the other children. When they get home they check all the pages and realize that exactly what they had just said was in the book. Maybe it's a magic book. Fredericka wishes for a dragon. They go outside. A dragon swoops down and grabs Fredericka. Will the children save Fredericka and unravel the mystery of the book?
Rating: I would rate this book * one star. It wasn't exciting or funny. A couple of times I wanted to stop reading and start a new book. It was one of the worst books I have ever read.

Emily Windsnap and the Monster From the Deep by Liz Kessler, illustrated by Sarah Gibb
This book is about a curious eleven year old girl named Emily Windsnap. She loves to explore. One day when she was exploring with her friend, Shona, they found a cave. They decided to see what was in it. They found a huge monster called the Kraken! That monster was Neptune's monster. (the King of the Sea) When Neptune found out that the monster had escaped, he was furious. Emily and Shona were the only people who could calm the Kraken down. Meanwhile Emily's enemy, Mandy, was going to go on a cruise with her family and it wasn't going well. What will happen to Emily and Shona? Read to find out.
Rating: I give this book four stars out of five stars because I like funny books better and some parts were boring. Other than that, I really liked it.

The Sisters Grimm and the Tales From the Hood by Micheal Buckley, illustrated by Peter Ferquson
This is a great book about two girls named Sabrina and Daphene and their family. The family lives in Ferryport Landing, a town full of everafters (live people that were in fairy tales). In this book they have to complete two missions. The first one is about Mr. Canis, the old bodyguard for the Grimm family. Mr. Canis is a friendly man but when he has anger he blows with rage and turns back into the big bad wolf. The police have been looking for the big bad wolf for years to put him in jail so when the police see him they arrested him. They have to get Mr. Canis out of jail before it's too late.
The second problem is that Sabrina and Daphene's parents are under a sleeping spell. Goldilocks is the only one who can break the sleeping spell because she truly loves Mr. Grimm. But they are out of luck because Goldilocks is moving from town to town because a man is chasing after her. Even though they have to battle against the man and get Goldilocks back they get to see the beautiful cities like Paris, Chicago, New York, and they even get to see the ocean. Will they complete their missions in time?
Rating: This book had an abundance of action in each chapter. There was magic, mystery and suspense. I give it 5 stars.

Which Witch? by Eva Ibbotson
Arriman the Awful needs a wife. Even though he is the blackest wizard there is, he is aging quite rapidly and needs a son to take over his role. Which witch will he choose? Will it be Mabel Wrack, half mermaid and great at fishy magic; Old Mother Bloodward who knows every spell in the book except the turn-yourself-young-again spell or the Shouter twins who would kill each other to win over Arriman? All of the witches are scared of Madame Olympia who knows the blackest magic in the universe. Poor Belladonna doesn't stand a chance against the other witches because she only specializes in white magic, not black. Belladonnna already realized that the young wizard is alive but Arriman doesn't have a clue. What will happen?
Rating: I gave this book four stars because most of the time it was exciting and had nail biting moments. The rest of the book gave me no emotions.

The Giggler Treatment by Roddy Doyle
This book is about adults getting the giggler treatment. The giggler treatment is about if adults are mean to the children then they get poop on their shoe. Adults get poop on their shoes until they stop being mean to the children. The Gigglers don't poop. The dog owner makes Rover poop outside and the Gigglers get the poop and pay Rover 20 pence.
Mister Mack was being mean to his children because he put his kids in bed early because they broke the kitchen window. The Giggler thought the kids were in their rooms for a long time but they were in their room for two minutes. The Gigglers put poop on the sidewalk. Does Mister Mack step on the poop? Read the book to find out.
Rating: I give this book ***** stars because the book was funny. It was funny because the gigglers were hilarious.

The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull
The Candy Shop War is about four friends, Nate, Summer, Pigeon, and Trevor, who discover a candy shop owned by Belinda White. She is a magician who gives magical candy to children in exchange for shady tasks. Her goal is to drink from the fountain of youth, a thing of liquid that would make her more powerful and younger. After the children find out she betrayed them they go to Mr. Stott, the ice cream man, who is also a magician. He helps them try to beat Belinda to the treasure. Belinda recruits three bullies from their school, Denny, Eric, and Kyle. She also gets a few magical creatures, a Gusher, A Fuse, and a Kinetic. Will they be able to stop Belinda White?
Rating: I would give this book five stars because it had a lot of action an magic in it. I also would recommend it to other people.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien, illustrated by Zena Bernstein
It all started with a family of four field mice and their widowed mother named Mrs. Frisby. Her children were called Teresa, Martin, Cynthia, and Timothy. One day Timothy became terribly ill with pneumonia and the seasons were turning from winter to spring. The only problem, other than Timothy being sick with pneumonia, is that in a matter of time Mr. Fitzgibbon, the farmer, and his sons pull out the plow. Mrs. Frisby's house is right in the middle of the field and she needs to find a way to move her house before time runs out. Luckily, she finds a magnificent species of super rats called the Rats of NIMH who can help her. Can she persuade the rats to accompany her with the help of her children, a crazy crow named Jeremy, an out of this world owl and another field mouse named Mr. Ages?
Rating: I liked this book because it was thrilling and always made me wonder what would happen next. I GIVE THIS BOOK FIVE STARS *****

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Twelve year old Meggie and her father, Morimer, were snug in their house when suddenly a strange man appeared outside. Mortimer led him inside and took him into his office. The next thing she knew Meggie was in the car on the way to her Aunt Elinor's house. Aunt Elinor was obsessed with books and her walls are all book shelves. Meggie and Mortimer take the stranger with them whose name is Dustfinger. When Mortimer reads aloud characters come out of the book. He read Dustfinger out of a book named Inkheart. When someone comes out another person goes in. When Dustfinger came out, Mortimer's wife went in. Dustfinger is a fire eater. He puts on a show for Meggie later at night. The next day they are off to Capricorn's village.
Capricorn is a cold souled person whose heart is ink black. Capricorn captures them and puts them in a horse stall that Capricorn uses as a dungeon. Later they escape and find an old shack to hide in. After awhile Dustfinger sets fire to Capricorn's house as a distraction. What will happen next? Read Inkheart to find out.
Rating: I give this book ***** stars because I loved the adventure in the book.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Coraline had just moved to a new apartment, but her parents still ignore her. They are always busy. Then one day, Coraline found a locked door. when she unlocked it, she found another world. Living there is a magical mother. Coraline thinks the other world is a wonderful place, until one night at dinner her magical mother says she wants to sew buttons on her eyes. Coraline goes back until her magical mother steals her parents and locks Coraline in a secret room. In the room there are three ghosts that the magical mother already stole. They tell Coraline to find their souls and she will be free from the magical mother. The magical mother says if Coraline can find the souls and where she hid her parents, Coraline can go back to her world with them. But how can Coraline find them? And what if the magical mother doesn't let her go back.
Rating: I give this book ***** stars because it was really suspenseful and it had a lot of action in it.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Jess is a boy who loves to run. He also loves to make up animals and draw them. One day a girl came to live next to Jess. Her name was Leslie. Leslie and Jess became best friends. They wanted a place for just the two of them. They find a creek and a tree hanging over it. That gave Leslie an idea. She tied a rope onto the tree sot hey could swing across the creek.
Then they started to build the castle. They built and built every day after school until it was finally done. They named the area Terabithia.
On Easter they had to go to church. Leslie found out and wanted to go with Jess's family. Leslie went with them. When they got there, Leslie started reading the Bible. She said, "I don't believe this." Jess's sister said, "If you don't believe this then you might not got to Heaven!" Still, Leslie didn't believe it.
One morning, Jess got a call from his favorite teacher to go to the Smithsonian with her. Jess was so excited he told his mom and was running to the driveway, where the teacher would be waiting. On the car ride, he thought about Terabithia. Then he thought of Leslie. Jess forgot to tell Leslie! Jess thought she would be fine and everything will be all right. Or will it?
Rating: I give this book **** stars because it made me want to read more. At the end of the chapter it stopped at an important part and made me want to continue reading. I think some people may not like this book though because it wasn't as action packed as other books.

The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks, illustrated by Brock Colein
This book is an action of adventure that inspires children to read the fantasy and mystery of Omri and his action figures. Imagine a young boy with his action figure coming to life and trying to defend themselves from danger. How the action figures come to life is a secret you can uncover by reading the story. Many magical things begin to happen as you go deeper and deeper into the book and discover the purpose of Omri's birthday present, the cupboard. Omri finally discovers the secret, but you can only find out by reading this fantasy story.
Rating: I really enjoyed the book because it was full of adventure and magic. Even though it was a fantasy book, I still felt like it was a real story! It was easy to read because it was so exciting and in parts of the book it had dangerous parts. I would give it 5 stars and I would suggest that all my friends should read it.

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
Fablehaven is a story about a girl named Kendra and her younger brother Seth. When their parents are going on a cruise, Kendra and Seth must go to their grandparent's house until their parents are back. While Kendra and her brother are at their grandparent's house they soon discover a big secret. Their grandparents own Fablehaven, a secret sanctuary that gives magical creatures a place to stay. They find out that fairies, satyrs, and freaky demons all exist and find refuge in these secret sanctuaries. Kendra and Seth gain all of this knowledge fast and soon after quickly find trouble. An evil witch named Muriel is set loose in Fablehaven and she wants to release Bahumat, an evil demon who could destroy Fablehaven and everyone in it that has taken refuge at Fablehaven. Can Kendra and Seth, along with their grandparents, Lena, and Dale (who are new friends) save the day? The existence of Fablehaven and the existence of themselves? Read the book to find out.
Rating: I give this book 5 stars because each chapter was full of suspense and the author has so many wonderful ideas. I would highly recommend it to people who love magical creatures!

Half Magic by Edward Eager
Half Magic is about a girl named Jane who has a magic coin. The problem is the coin only wishes half of your wishes. So they travel around making unsafe wishes and it turns into a big problem, they mess up history, their cats speaks English and meows, and their little sister has only half her body.
Everybody in town is worried because a dog statue starts speaking and Mark's friends play basketball with half a body. Now they are worried because they messed up everything and might not be able to fix it. They only have limited wishes and they have only a couple more wishes left. Can they fix all their problems? Will anybody believe them? Will they be able to fix any trouble?
Rating: I give this book ***** stars because it really caught my attention so I felt like I was int he book.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

More mysteries--Thanks, 4th grade

More mystery books reviewed by Mrs. B.'s 2009-2010 fourth grade class.

Daredevils by Franklin W. Dixon
One day Frank and Joe Hardy were watching a movie called "Flame Broiled". When the movie was over they went home to find that their dad had a note from Brian McCaully, an old friend in Hollywood. It said that his son, Terrence McCaully (a friend of Frank and Joe, also a stuntman) was entering the Daredevil Fest and thought someone didn't want him to compete. Now the boys have a one way trip to Hollywood to solve the mystery.
While they're in Hollywood they meet some pretty suspicious suspects and do a lot of dangerous stunts like hang-gliding, sky diving, and extreme truck driving.
Rating: I give this book 4 stars because it made me want to look deeper into the book and find all its secrets. It made me want to read it for hours and hours.

Stolen Stegosaurus by Paleo Joe
This book is about two kids, Dakota and Shelly. Shelly is 9 years old and she thinks she knows everything. Dakota, on the other hand, is much different. He's average. He is 10 years old. Dakota doesn't like Shelly very much. He thinks she's a total brat. They go on a dino dig with their friend Paleo Joe. They head out to North Dakota because that is one of the best digging sites. Then Shelly finds some dinosaur eggs and thinks she is the best person in the world. They figure out that the dino eggs belonged to a stegosaurus. Then they find some bones of a stegosaurus but don't find any more! Can they find the dino bones? Read the book and find out!
Rating: I would give this book only half a star because it didn't really catch my attention and it didn't really have much action. I would recommend it if you are the type of person who likes mystery books.

Disappearing Acts by Betsy Byars
Disappearing Acts is a book about a girl named Herculeah Jones, and her friend, Meat. Herculeah is a detective who helps Meat with finding his father who ran away when Meat was born. When Meat goes to joke classes at Funny Bonz Night Club, he finds a dead body in the bathroom. When the director goes back to check, the body is gone. Meat tells Herculeah, and she comes back to look. But then she finds a clue to Meat's case and she thinks she can find his father. Can she solve both cases? Which case will she choose? Read the book to find out.
Rating: I gave this book **** stars because it was good, but it was sometimes a little boring.

Howliday Inn by James Howe
This book is great. It's about a family who goes on vacation and leave their pets, Chester and Harold, at Chateau Bow-Wow. Chester gets worried that Howard and Heather are werewolves. When Harold wakes up, Chester has gone missing. Harold can't trust anyone, not even Howard or Heather! He talks to his friend Max--Louise has now gone missing, too! They look at the gate and it was opened. What happened to Chester and Louise?
Rating: I gave this book five stars because it has a lot of detail and is interesting, but I knew that they would solve the mystery.

Chet Gecko in Farewell My Lunch Bag by Bruce Hale
In this book someone has been stealing food from the kitchen and if the lunch lady does not figure out who has been stealing the food from the kitchen she will lose her job. So the lunch lady asks Chet for help and Chet agrees. It is only because he does not want to say good-bye to stink bug pie. Chet's partner, Nattily Attired, helps him with this mystery. They try talking to many people who do not like the lunch lady, but none of them did it.
This book takes place at Emerson Hicky Elementary. All the teachers there are mean. The only nice grown-up is the lunch lady. Can Chet save his stink bug pie and the lunch lady? If you want to find out, read the book!
Rating: I rate this book **** because it was good, but if you read it again it is no fun because you know the ending and it will not be a mystery. This book had a lot of details.

Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe
This book is about two children that have a dog named Harold and a cat named Chester. One day they go to a Dracula movie and find a bunny; they name him Bunnicula. Chester finds out what Bunnicula is doing every night. Chester is worried that Bunnicula is going to take over the house. Will Bunnicula take over the house or will Chester and Harold stop him?
Rating: I give this book a * star rating because it was not really a mystery book. It was boring. A lot of other people like this book, but, personally, I don't.

Seven Day Magic by Edward Eager
This book is about five children who love to read. One day they find a book at the library that is due in seven days instead of fourteen days. While they start reading it, they notice that it is about their own lives. They didn't know where the book came from. They start making wishes to the book thinking they would come true, and they do. Their first wish was to go to Oz land and help save the munchkins from the evil dragon. They traveled there from a flying house. Mr. Oswaldo is the one who made the house fly by using a special potion. Ms. Funkhouser is Mr. Oswaldo's maid who cleans up all the magic that goes wrong. Will the five kids save the munchkins or will the dragon eat them all? Read to find out.
Rating: I gave this book **** stars because people who like adventure and mystery would love it. Also that most parts were exciting and they kept me on the edge of my seat.

The Tower Treasure by Franklin W. Dixon
This book is about the Hardy boys. The Hardy boys are the main characters in The Tower Treasure. First is Frank Hardy. He has blond hair and is a little older than Joe Hardy. He is also a little more responsible than Joe. Joe Hardy has short black hair and is more athletic than his brother, Frank. He is also a little more positive than his brother. The setting takes place in Bayport, New York. Bayport is a small town with a a lot of people. This is where Frank and Joe were born and raised by Mrs. and Mr. Hardy. The mystery in this book is about money and jewels that were stolen from these rich people called the Applegates. When the Applegates found out that some of their property was stolen, they were both furious. What will happen next? Will the Hardy boys solve the case or not? Read to find out.
Rating: I would rate this book **** because it had a lot of action in it and it was really good at times, so I would recommend this book to all readers.

The Hardy Boys and the Arctic Patrol Mystery by Franklin W. Dixon
This book is about two boys named Frank and Joe Hardy that go to their friend's house. A man tries to kidnap them from solving the mystery of their disappearing friends. They go to Iceland to give a man named Rex Hallbjornson $50.000 for saving a billionaire's life at sea. The pilot of the plane is the man who kidnapped Frank and Joe's friends. They killed him and then the plane crashed, but they were fine. Will the boys catch the thief? Read the book to find out.
Rating: I would give this book a **** star rating because the book had a lot of suspense and I never was bored of it.

Sammy Keyes and the Psycho Kitty Queen by Wendelin Van Draanen
This book is about a girl named Sammy Keyes who notices a problem in her neighborhood: there are cats disappearing everywhere and their owners aren't happy. In this book, Sammy goes out of her way to find these kitties. Now for the facts: There are dead cats in garbage cans. There were wrestlers that had weird names. Some people were acting very suspicious. Cats were forced to fight each other. A police officer was dressed up as the wrestler Al Gato. Crazy people were betting on fighting cats. The main characters in the book were Sammy, the sleuth; Mom, the liar; Grams, the worrier; and Tony, the betrayer. Now you know the basics of the book. Read it for the fun of it!
Rating: My rating was 4 out of 5 stars. It was awesome!

Nancy Drew and the Invisible Intruder by Carolyn Keene
This book is about a teen-age girl detective named Nancy, who loves to solve mysteries! The mystery in this book is about an invisible intruder who tries to get a deed to a hotel. In order to do that he has to scare the people who are staying at the hotel. Eventually the word will spread that there is a ghost in the hotel. He wants that because nobody will stay there and it will get bankrupt. Nancy has to try to find the person who is making all these ghosts appear and report that person to the police. Will Nancy be able to find the person before the hotel gets bankrupt? You'll have to read to find out.
Rating: I give this book *** stars out of five stars because it was a little boring. I never got interest in the book and I knew Nancy would solve the mystery.

Nancy Drew and the Mystery of Nancy's Mysterious Letter by Carolyn Keene
This book is about a teenager named Nancy Drew who gets a letter that is supposed to be for a famous actress named Nancy Smith Drew. While Nancy is trying to find Nancy Smith Drew, another mystery has taken place. Nancy's friend, Ira Nixon has a stepbrother named Edgar Nixon who has stolen a LOT of money from him. When Nancy stays at the hotel that Nancy Smith Drew stayed at, she finds out that Nancy Smith Drew is going to marry Edgar Nixon. Finally, Nancy finds Nancy Smith Drew at an airport. When Nancy tells Nancy Smith Drew that she is about to marry a thief, she doesn't know what to say. Then Nancy sees Edgar walking to the bathroom. Will she ever catch him?
Rating: I will rate this book *** stars out of five stars because it was to read but it was too short of a book.

Sammy Keyes and the Hollywood Mummy by Wendelin Van Draanen
This book is about a girl named Sammy Keyes who lives with her grandmother. She runs away with her best friend, Marrissa, to see her mother who left one year before to become a movie star. When they arrive in Hollywood they discover that her mother pretends she is twenty years younger, dyes her hair, makes fake newspaper clippings about her acting, makes fake roles, and changes her name to get the part of Jewel in a T. V. show. Max, the man that Sammy's mother is going to marry, is secretly trying to ruin her career. When the friends are trying to rescue Sammy's mom, they have to go through obstacles and little mysteries along the way. Will they be able to stop Max and the maids that help along the way in time?
Rating: I gave this book four stars. It was full of suspense, mystery, adventure and action.

Mystery Books--Reviewed by 4th grade

Here are some reviews of mystery books by Mrs. B.'s fourth grade class, 2009-2010. Enjoy!

The Hardy Boys and the Secret of the Caves by Franklin W. Dixon
This book is about the Hardy Boys an their friends having a goal to solve mysteries. They are famous as detectives in the city of Bayport where they live. Their goal is to fight crime and they get into a lot of personal trouble along the way. In the end, they safely return to Bayport with the mysteries solved.
The Secret of the Caves takes place in many different locations. First, the Hardy Boys start out near Bayport where they live. Then they go to a college to look for a missing professor, to the railroads, to the cliffs, and end up at the honeycomb caves on the sea!
Rating: I give this mystery book five stars ***** because it made me feel like I was a character in the book. Another reason why I give the book five stars is because I couldn't stop reading it because it was so good.

Nancy Drew: The Ring Master's Secret by Carolyn Keene
This book is about Nancy drew, an eighteen year old girl who loves to solve mysteries. The story is Nancy's aunt sends Nancy a small horse charm bracelet with a big mystery behind it. Nancy discovers that the horse charm bracelet is missing one charm. Nancy is soon trying to find where the missing charm could have gone. Nancy found out that a woman named Lola Flanders had sold the bracelet at a shop because she needed the money. Nancy went looking for her.
Soon the circus comes to River Heights and Nancy's friend Teddy wants to go so Nancy is to accompany him. While Nancy is watching the parade her little friend, Teddy, runs up to Cinderella's carriage. Nancy chases after him into the carriage. Nancy meets a young girl in the carriage named Lolita and she soon finds out that she is Lola Flander's daughter. When Lolita said her mother supposedly died in a circus accident Nancy's hope falls. However Lolita still has hope that her mother is alive. Will Lolita ever find her mother who is supposedly dead and will Nancy ever find the last charm to her bracelet? Read the book to find out!
Rating: I give this book ***** stars because it was really detailed and fun to read.

The Hardy Boys: Mystery of the Firebird Rocket by Franklin W. Dixon
When the Hardy Boys get asked by their father, Fenton Hardy, to go to Princeton College to help find a missing rocket scientist they start on the case. They find a clue at Princeton that leads them across the world to Australia. They follow the criminals around Australia. On the way Joe almost gets run over by a car. Finally, they find the gang's hideout, an old house in Alice Springs. There were guards all around the house and they couldn't get in. Will they sneak into the house and save the scientist?
Rating: I would rate this book three stars ***, but compared to the other Hardy Boys books I have read I would give it two stars **. I liked all the action, I was on the edge of my seat. Like the other Hardy Boys, I would highly suggest it.

Under the Mountain by Maurice Gee
This book is a slow starter and is fast to end. It's almost all bad. I didn't like the book that much because I couldn't find anything to really follow in the book. The book was all jumping to different places; it didn't really tell you what was going on that much. It did have good parts but a lot of bad parts. The bad parts are when the book is trying to tell you what's going on, but it just can't get it right. The good parts are the fast pages that don't have ten things going on. I'm sorry but this is a book I want to stay away from.
Rating: not the best but not terrible--two stars **

The Mystery of the Mixed Up Zoo by Gertrude Warner
This book is about James, the grandfather of the children Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny. James' friend, Edward, owns a zoo. Someone keeps switching the signs at the zoo. A lot of animals are not behind bars. Someone stole the monkey. They found out who stole the monkey. Read the book to find out who stole the monkey.
Rating: I give this book ** stars because I don't like zoos. I also didn't like it because it had too much adventure.

The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatly Snyder
April, Melanie, and Marshall come up with the idea for the Egypt Game. They find the A to Z shop backyard and think it is a perfect place to play the game. They set up there and have a great time, but at Halloween they slip away from the group and go to Egypt. Some kids follow them and climb over the wall. These kids want to join, so now they have six players. They come up with the idea of using hieroglyphics to send secret message to each other. At the same time there is a murderer on the loose int he neighborhood. He tries to catch the members of the Egypt Game. Will the children be all right?
Rating: I would give this book 2 stars because it did not have very much mystery in it. I did like it because it moved right along.

Spiderkane and the Mystery Under the May Apple by Mary Pope Osborne
This book contents are about a young butterfly named Leon who runs away from home and falls in love with another butterfly whose name is Mimi. Mimi is in a detective group. In the time he is away from home, Leon stays in his friend's house that are also in the group. The leader of the group is a spider named Spiderkane. One day Mimi has mysteriously disappeared from under her May Apple. Leon is desperate to find her. The only way to find her is for the group to lead Leon on a wild adventure he will never forget. Will they find Mimi? Read to find out.
Rating: I give this book ** stars because it kept me on the edge of my seat if I was in one.

4th Grade Reviews--Historical Fiction

Here is the second batch of reviews by wise and insightful fourth graders from Mrs. B.'s 2009-2010 class.

Bound for Oregon by Jean Van Leeuwen
This book is about a family who wants a better life and decides to move to Oregon. They move to Oregon in a covered wagon and meet some troubles along the way. Their wagon is pulled by cattle, whose names are Ben and Buck. The main character's name is Mary Ellen. She has two sisters named Louvinia and Cynthia. They travel with many nice people who are also moving to Oregon. One of their main problems is staying healthy, because there are a lot of sicknesses going around.
Rating: I give this book four stars out of five stars because I like it a lot, but all they did was travel. Other than that I think it was a great book!

Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
This book is about a boy named Johnny Tremain whose mom died while he was growing up. Her name was Lavina Lyte. He lived with a woman named Mrs. Lapham who makes him get up at 5:00 a.m. to get milk for breakfast. He also delivered the Boston Observer [newspaper] to all the houses along the wharf and still had to get to school on time. He was a silversmith and one day he was mending an old spoon when he burned his hand. He had some trouble working, but he got the hang of it. He ran away to the place where the Boston Observer was printed. There he met a boy named Rab and he learned to ride a horse instead of walking to deliver the newspaper. Now, he didn't have to get up early and get the milk for breakfast. He helped as a troop in the Battle of Lexington. In the war someone dies! Read the book to see who died.
Rating: I would give this book a ****star rating because I didn't understand part of it, but the other part of it was very interesting.

The Pushcart War by Jean Merrill
The Pushcart War is about a time in New York a few decades ago. At this time, trucks had just been invented and were at war with the pushcarts. The reason of that is because they wanted all cars and pushcarts off the streets so they could go a lot faster and get more money, but the pushcarts wanted to fight back so they shot pea pins into the truck tires. A pea pin is a pin stuck into a pea. Who will win in the end and will this war ever stop?
Rating: I give this book 4 stars because it was really good, but I would prefer a mystery better.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Little Women is a book about four girls: Meg, the oldest; Jo, the tomboy; Beth, the shy one; and Amy, the youngest. Their father is away being a doctor to soldiers in the Civil War. One day, Jo meets a neighbor named Laurie, and he starts becoming a very good friend. Meg falls in love; Jo writes a book; Beth gets scarlet fever; Amy becomes an artist; and Laurie makes a camp. Everything is wonderful, until their father gets wounded in the war. They all hope he'll be all right, but what if he doesn't get better? Little Women is a book you should read.
Rating: I give this book *****out of five stars, because it was really interesting and funny.

The Misadventures of Maude March by Audrey Couloumbis
In the beginning Sallie and Maude's aunt gets shot and they have to move into the Reverend's house. There was a catch to staying there. They had to do all of the housework. After a few days Maude wants to run away. Sallie agreed. They stole some horses and boys clothes and were off. The next day they were hungry. It turned out that Sallie packed food. Later, they met up with their aunt's killer. He led them on an adventure they will never forget.
Rating: I gave it **** stars because it had so much adventure and suspense.

Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Bella had just arrived in New York from Italy as a small town girl. She came to America to help earn money for her family so she looked for a job right away. She got hired at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory.
Yetta was a co-worker from Russia and met Bella at the shirtwaist factory and then a strike comes in hand. She had never heard of a strike so she just followed the crowd. During the strike Yetta and Bella became great friends.
Jane was very wealthy and lived in New York her whole life. When she heard about the strike she stepped in. When she was in the crowd of the strike, she met Bella and Yetta and all three girls became best friends.
After the strike was over the workers went back to making shirtwaists. But then a tragedy happens. There is a fire. People were screaming and being burned to death. But who survived? Read the book and find out.
Rating: I would give this book 5 stars because it kept me at the edge of my seat and it would be a book that I would like to read over and over again. But the one thing I didn't like about this book is that it took a long time to get to the fire and all the action.

Willow Run by Patricia Reilly Giff
Willow Run is about a girl named Meggie who has to move to Willow Run, Michigan, during World War II so her father can make B-24 fighter planes. She had a wonderful grandfather who she didn't want to leave behind but had to. She met new friends and spent her days with her new friends or writing letters. She had an amazing adventure with new friends. Meggie's older brother, Eddie, went to war, but now Meggie and her family received a letter that said Eddie was missing in action. Will Eddie ever come home? Read the book to find out.
Rating: I give this book **** stars because it was not the best book I ever read. I don't want to read it again, but I would recommend it to other people.

A Journey to the New World: The Diary of Remember Patience Whipple by Kathryn Lasky
First, my book was about the Mayflower and the Pilgrims that went on an adventure to the New World (which was the U.S.A.) The Pilgrims sailed on the waves that were torturous and sailed away from England. The rough waves made it hard for the Pilgrims to sail across the ocean and to survive the whole way through the sea. Almost half out of all the pilgrims died on the ocean that had strong and tough waves. Whipple was very lucky to survive on the Mayflower. Next Whipple's mother made her a diary so she could remember what she has been through on the journey to the New World and she called her diary Dear Imp. When the pilgrims got to shore, they almost fell back because the land was so beautiful. Finally all the pilgrims lived as happily as could be.

Code Talkers by Joseph Bruchac
A small Indian boy goes to a school in the U.S.A. and learns how bad some whites can be. He shakes it off and goes to high school. He didn't go to college because he wanted to be a Marine. He was in World War Two and was a code talker in the war. His job was to talk to other code talkers in their language. Their language is very hard to speak, so it was the best code for the war. It's all about the reader in this book. It keeps you wanting to read and read and read some more. It let's you have good momentum when you read, so you can't slow down or speed up it's so good. I couldn't really let out anything. I can only say read it for the facts and have a good time doing it.
Rating: **** I liked it because there was always something going on. It also didn't go away from the story or branch off.

Keystone Kids by John R. Tunis
Spike and Bob Russel play shortstop and second base for the Vols. When a Brooklyn Dodgers scout asks them if they want to play on the Dodgers they accept. The team gets into a slump and falls to 9th place. They hire a new catcher named Jocko Klein. The manager makes Spike the coach of the team. Jocko is a great player but he is Jewish and some of the players can't get past their prejudices. Some of the other players treat Jocko badly. The team starts getting into fights and losing games. Can Spike save the team from falling apart?
Rating: I would rate this book four stars ****. I love baseball and it was very interesting. I would highly suggest this book especially if you like baseball.

Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
This book is about a boy named Almanzo Royal and his two sisters, Eliza Jane and Alice. It was Almanzo's first day at school. There were big bullies who came in late from recess and made a lot of noise. One of them got in trouble. Their plan was that when they got into trouble they would get sent to the teacher's desk. Then they would pounce on the teacher. When they pounced on the teacher something happened. Read the book to find out what happened.
Rating: I give this book *** stars because it made me think too much about farms.

Fourth Grade Reviews

School is officially out for the year. One of my great end of the year surprises was the gift of a collection of book reviews by Mrs. B.'s fourth grade class (2009-2010). I have gained their permission to post them with no further credit to the authors of these thoughtful reviews. I will be posting them here a few at a time over the summer. Thanks, kids.

This first group of reviews is for historical fiction. The reviews end with a rating based on five stars with five being the highest possible rating. (Please note that typos are mine as I am typing these in to make sure that they are readable.)

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
This book is about three musketeers and boy named D'Artagnan. The three musketeers are Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. D'Artagnan wants to be a musketeer so he goes to Paris. These four people try to save the beautiful queen. They do this when the cardinal sets a trap for the queen who loves the Duke and pretends to love the king. The queen only married the king to stop the war between Spain and Paris.

Here is the trap: One day the king gave the queen a wedding gift that had fourteen rubies. The cardinal told someone to steal two of the rubies. Will Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D'Artagnan be able to save the queen?

Rating: I rate this book **** because it had a lot of action and details, but I don't like books that have a lot of killing. This book was very interesting in some parts.

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
Bud is an orphan in Flint, Michigan. His mother died when he was only eight years old. Now he is all by himself in an orphanage doing nothing all day. He found a flier one day of a band. It looked a lot like his father was in the flier that he had found. That is impossible because Bud had never known his father. So Bud will no go on a journey to find the band and possibly his father. But there is one problem. How can Bud get to where his father is with no transportation and having to travel across the state of Michigan? Will he make it? Read to find out.

Rating: I give this book 4 stars because you never know what's going to happen in the next chapter. It gets more hair raising as the book goes on.

Old Yeller by Fred Gipson
My historical fiction is about a dog named Old Yeller and about a boy named Travis. Old Yeller is an ugly, hungry, and yellow dog who comes to steal Travis's meat. Travis's little brother, Little Arliss, says he likes the dog and decides to keep it. Travis has hated Old Yeller but now he's family so Travis watches him like he watches Little Arliss. He grows up to like Old Yeller and soon Old Yeller likes him. Their father was away and will come home soon. What will he think of Old Yeller? Will he treat him like Travis did?

Rating: I gave this book *** stars because I have read better books before.

The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
Matt is a 13 year old boy who built a cabin with his dad. One day his dad goes to get his family from their other home far away. It's the first time Matt stays home alone for at least a week. During that time, Matt meets an Indian tribe. The leader of the tribe wants his grandson (who is is 15) to learn American words and how to read. For that, the Indian boy teaches him how to set traps and fish with spears. One day Matt loses track of what day it is but it's been a month since his dad left. Matt now is really worried that his dad isn't home. Is Matt's dad okay? If he's alive, where is he and will he come back or abandon him?

Rating: I give this book *** stars because it was a good book and wanted to keep me reading, but the title didn't match the book. There was only a little part about the sign of the beaver.

Fearless by Elvira Woodruff
Fearless is about a boy named Digory who lives in a village called Mousehole. One day a man comes to Mousehole and says that Digory's dad's ship, the Flying Cloud, had sunk on the rocks of the Eddystone Reef--a reef so notorious for sinking ships that every sailor's motto was to curse the Eddystone Reef. After two seconds, his family decides to send him up to the city of Plymouth to see if his dad survived. It looked like he didn't. Digory couldn't stand losing his father, so he gave it a chance. By the time he got up there, he had gotten kidnapped, saved and met his little brother; that's a day! The next day he learned that no one had survived the sinking of the Flying Cloud. On that same day he met a man of great taste, Master Henry, who invites them to be his servants. Soon they arrive at their destination, Littlebury. After one hour of being his servants Digory becomes Henry's apprentice and Cubby (Digory's brother) is moved to a higher rank of servant. While this is happening the big storm is stirring. One day Master Henry travels to the Eddystone Reef to make repairs on the lighthouse. Digory wants to help but that took a lot of convincing. His job was to bring candles to power the light, but finding a boatman to cross the storm of the century will be tough...

Rating: I would give it 4 out of 5 stars because I loved the book.

Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
The book Fever, 1793, is about a 14 year old girl named Mattie who lives in Philadelphia. One hot, sunny day Mattie found out their maid, Polly, had gotten sick and died from the yellow fever. After Polly passed away, many other people started getting sick. Then, in the next week, 100 people had died. Then Mattie's mom gets the yellow fever so Mattie has to go into the country with her grandfather. The next morning, the grandfather got a carriage and they set off on their trip. On the way there, Mattie's grandfather had a real bad cough. When they reached the borders of the country, two doctors were there to check if they were sick. When the doctors said grandfather was sick, grandfather and Mattie are kicked out of the carriage and are on there own. What will happen to Mattie and will her mother survive?

Rating: I will rate this book 4 out of 5 stars because it was interesting but it was hard to read.

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
This is a book about an adventurous eleven year old girl named Anne. Her adventures are action packed and exciting. Anne was a girl who didn't have that much but made the best of what she had. She always got in trouble even when she was trying to do the right thing. Lots of times words slipped out of her mouth that she should not have said.

Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert wanted to adopt an eleven year old boy from the orphanage to help out on the farm. Even though they asked for a boy they are sent an eleven year old girl. When Anne comes to Green Gables she is impressed with all of the beautiful scenery and is always thinking about enjoyable things. they want to keep her because they think she will bring joy to their life, but Matthew and Marilla don't know whether it is what they should do.

Anne meets a girl her age named Diana. They always enjoy every moment of their life with each other because they didn't always have a good friend. Will Diana's mom allow Anne to stay Diana's friend?

Rating: I give this book 4 stars. Most of the time it had adventure and action.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Reading is Fun--Don't You Forget It

"Enjoy the summer, but read and do math." That is what the sign outside a local elementary school says. I saw it a couple of days ago and it still nags at me. The sign makes it sounds as though reading and enjoying summer are mutually exclusive. Good grief! I read for enjoyment all the time and look forward to summer in part because it often means more reading time. I also sometimes use the extra free time to do math puzzles and word puzzles.

This is one of my many pet peeves. When adults make reading or learning seem like punishment or a required time-out from having fun, then kids and adults soon view such things as not possibly being fun.

Let's show those folks the truth. This summer, I challenge everyone to read and have fun at the same time. Read while hanging upside down! Read books that make you laugh. Read books that make you cry. Read something that you read and enjoyed when you were half the age you are now. Read inside and outside. Just read for the pure joy of it.

Have a great summer by reading--and doing math.