Guest Post -- Review : Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Ugly Truth

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid The Ugly Truth
Author: Jeff Kinney
Publishers: Amulet Books
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Pages: 217
Rating:9/10

It’s been almost two and a half weeks since me and my ex-best friend, Rowley Jefferson, had our big fight. To be honest with you, I thought he would’ve come crawling back to me by now, but for some reason that hasn’t happened.


I’m actually starting to get a little concerned, because school starts back up in a few days, and if we’re gonna get this friendship back on track, something needs to happen quick. If me and Rowley really ARE through, that would stink, because the two of us had a really good thing going.

This is an excerpt from the beginning of the book when Greg loses his best friend, Rowley.

This book is a series from the author Jeff Kinney, and this is book five from the series not including The Do-It your-self, and The Movie Diary. Jeff Kinney has written other books like “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid Rodrick Rules", "Diary of a Wimpy Kid The Last Straw", Diary of a Wimpy Kid Dog Days.

In the other books Greg gets pushed around because everyone thinks he has a wimpy life. Also because he lets it happen and does nothing about it. For example, a bully picks on some random little kid (who happens to be Greg) for no reason. Then the kid is too scared to tell the teacher otherwise he might get pounded to pulp. The story is continuous from the first book to the last book, so it is better to read the books in order. This book is Realistic Fiction because all the stuff Greg goes through can really happen. Some of it has to be happen to everyone. For example, puberty can. Losing your best friend can also happen to anyone.

In this book Greg has to face many things, like puberty and the responsibility of being an adult. All without his best friend Rowley? That’s right! Greg and Rowley have had an interesting history. But this time will their friendship be over ? And will Greg ever grow up? There were many more characters like his Mom and Dad, who embarrassed Greg. There is also Rodrick, who just wants to annoy Greg so much, that Greg might as well go to pieces because of him. Then there is Manny the huge tattle tale, who just got more annoying. So mostly, Greg doesn’t like his family.

My opinion of this book is that it was great, fantastic. I rated it nine out of ten because three was for the humor and that is pretty good for a novel. I remember the time when Greg was trying to find a place to hide his egg from Manny because it was for school. So because Greg was clever he hid it in the easiest place possible, so that Manny would never guess. But it ends up that Greg’s Mom turns his egg into scrambled eggs on accident. There was also the time when they went to Jordan Jury’s party and ended up being the servants. But Greg was lucky that he had to go to a wedding, and didn‘t have to be a servant anymore.

Two out of ten, was for the pictures in the book. The pictures I liked the most were when Greg was shuddering because he had a new mean, ugly looking dentist. There were a lot of pictures! The book had lots of pages, probably the most pages in all of the books in the series, so I would give it a four out of ten, to equal nine. All in all it was a good book with everything added to it in proportion, like a good recipe. This is probably the best “DIARY OF A WIMPY KID” EVER! I would recommend this to everybody who likes the rest of the series, the humor, the twists and turns, and the comics that Greg makes.

Guest Post -- Review : The Carnival of lost souls

Title: The Carnival of Lost Souls (A Handcuff Kid novel)
Author: Laura Quimby
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction
Publishers: Amulet books
Pages: 339
Rating: 8/10

The professor curled his finger and motioned for Jack to move forward. “This Tattoo is the mark of the amazing Mussini, the magician.” It is my passage into the underworld. It guides my steps out of the now and into the dark abyss of the dead.

This excerpt is from when Jack, a boy who loves magic, and his foster parent Professor Hawthorne are talking about the Professors story.

This is Laura Quimby’s first book. It is about a boy, Jack Carr, who is an orphan and from the book I think his age is about twelve to fourteen. His hobbies are magic, especially escaping hand cuffs. Jack is adopted by Professor Hawthorne but the Professor sells Jack to evil magician Mussini. Jack has to travel with Mussini to the land of the dead. Jack is not the only one who is captured by Mussini, there are other children too. Jack thinks that he will be performing magic tricks in front of living people; instead he has to perform in front of the dead, in the Forest of the Dead.

Mussini steals people’s souls away, to make the dead come to his show all the time. Jack wants to get away from Mussini because he doesn’t want his soul taken away. Will he be able to run away from the amazing Mussini?

The main characters in this book are Jack, the Professor and Mussini. There are also others like Jabber, T-Ray, Boxer, Runt, Violet and Mildred. My favorite character of the book is Jack because he is very curious and is really cool. My least favorite character is Mussini because he is really mean to Violet, a girl whom Jack likes.

My opinion of the book was that it was excellent. The book was mostly serious, but had some humorous parts like when Jack tries to act all cool in front of Violet. It was very interesting to read about how Jack did amazing things like wrestling a pig and escaping from handcuffs. But I would say that the book could have been longer and could have had a little more humor. I hope the author makes it a series just like the first book.

I would recommend this book to anybody who likes adventure and mystery.

Guest Post -- Review : The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School

Title: The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School
Author: Candace Fleming
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Publisher: Schwartz and wade books
Pages: 186
Rating: 7/10

‘Stuck!’ he wailed. ‘I’m stuck.’ ‘Oh, dear,’ said Mr. Jupiter. ‘That is a problem.’ Ham tugged and twisted. He pushed and pulled. He even tried tapping the jar on the edge of the desk the way his mother did when she could not get the mayonnaise open.

This is an excerpt of when Ham got his hand stuck in a jar. This book is about some fourth graders and how much trouble they make. They get a new teacher. Will the teachers make the kids better people? This book is not a series. This is about a bunch of fourth graders, and what they do at their school.

These are some of the students and teachers from the book. Mr. Jupiter is a fun teacher. Mrs. Turner is a librarian. There are many characters in this book, like Rachel, who likes to be quiet. Ham is a person who eats a lot. Stanford is a smart boy, and Rose is just an average person in school. Calvin is a person who is not smart. Humphrey is a good student. Amisha is a good speller and is a big show off. Lil is a person who is good at poetry.

I liked this book a lot because I am about to be in fourth grade and I would want to hear how they enjoyed or hated this grade. I think Candace Fleming did a good job with this book because she made it very humorous. She made it fun for kids. I would probably say that six to ten year olds could read this book. However, I still think she could make it better to read because in some parts it was boring.

I recommend this book for whoever likes funny books and books about school.

Guest Post -- Review : Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

Title: Diary of a Wimpy kid Dog Days
Author: Jeff Kinney
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Publisher: Amulet Books
Pages: 217
Rating: 9/10

Well I wish I had spent more time watching what the cranium shaker actually DID to a person, because I never would’ve gotten on if I had. This is an excerpt from the book when Greg is on the cranium shaker, which is a ride on the beach.

This book is about a boy named Greg, he thinks he is always the best when it comes to doing things. When Greg tries to help people like his family every time he basically messes up. Sometimes Greg is really careless. This is the fifth book of this series. Jeff Kinney has written other books like Diary of a Wimpy kid, Diary of a wimpy kid Rodrick Rules, Diary of a Wimpy kid The Last Straw, Diary of a wimpy kid Do- It - Yourself book. There is another book coming out it is called Diary of a wimpy kid The ugly Truth.
This book is about Greg and what he does during his summer vacation at different places. Will Greg like his summer vacation?

These are the main characters in this book : Greg is a person who doesn’t like to swim. Rowley is a person who is jealous of Greg. Manny is a person who tattle tales a lot. Rodrick is a person in High school who doesn’t understand much. Greg’s mom is a person who tries to bond people up. Greg’s Dad is a person with some anger issues.

I thought that this book was really good. I thought that Jeff Kinney did a wonderful job with the book. I hope he keeps on writing books like these. I also hope, when he finishes this series, he will start a new one.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes comedy and drawing.

Book Review: The Golden Compass

Title: The Golden Compass
Author: Philip Pullman
Publisher: Random House Children’s Publisher
Pages: 399
Genre: Fantasy, adventure, fiction
Rating: 8/10

‘The Master took from his pocket a folded piece of paper and laid it on the table beside the wine. He took the stopper out of the mouth of a decanter containing a rich golden wine, unfolded the paper, and poured a thin stream of white powder into the decanter before crumpling the paper and throwing it into the fire. Then he took a pencil from his pocket, stirred the wine till the powder had dissolved, and replaced the stopper.
Lyra whispered, “Did you see that, Pan?”’

This excerpt describes the scene as seen by Lyra, and her daemon, Pan. A daemon is a part of you that is seen on the outside. But it is connected to you, so you can’t go that far apart. Lyra and Pan live in Oxford. They lived in Jordan College, since both of Lyra’s parents have died.

The Golden Compass is a book about a little girl, Lyra, her daemon, Pan, her uncle, Lord Asriel and an alethiometer, a golden instrument that could answer any question. It also about a bunch of bad people, who try and separate humans from their daemons, which is basically like ripping someone’s soul apart. These people are called the Gobblers, The Obligation Board. Lyra and Pan must try and save their friends who are being kidnapped by the Gobblers. Lord Asriel in the meantime is trying to make a portal to a different world. But when he suggests sacrifices that Lyra doesn’t agree with, for his experiment, things don’t go as Lyra planned.

My favorite character in this book is Pan. His full name is Pantalaimon, but Lyra calls him Pan for short. Being a daemon means that you can be any animal. But when you are an adult your daemon cannot change into another animal Right now Pan can be any animal, but soon he will be stuck as one animal forever.

A reason that I like The Golden Compass is because Mr. Pullman describes everything realistically. And the worlds that he describe seem magical in their own way. He makes the impossible, become a little less hard to believe.

Other reasons that I liked The Golden Compass were that even though some parts were boring most of the parts just grabbed my attention as if someone was waving a big red
flag. And even if that big red flag seemed miles/pages away, if I kept on walking/reading I would reach it.

Will Lyra be able to save her friends? Will she find out who her parents were? And who is the real Lyra? If Lyra survives will she be able to travel through the portal Lord Asriel has made?

Join Lyra and Pan on their adventure to save people from the Gobblers.

Book Review: Gregor and the Code of Claw

Title: Gregor and the Code of Claw
Author: Suzanne Collins
Pages: 412
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Genre: fiction
Rating: 9/10

                                 THE PROPHECY OF TIME

THE WAR HAS BEEN DECLARED,

YOUR ALLY BEEN ENSNARED.

IT IS NOW OR IT IS NEVER

BREAK THE CODE OR DIE FOREVER

TIME IS RUNNING OUT

RUNNING OUT

RUNNING OUT.

TO THE WARRIOR GIVE MY BLADE.

BY HIS HAND YOUR FATE IS MADE.

BUT DO NOT FORGET THE KING

OR THE CLICKING, CLICKING, CLICKING.

WHILE A RAT’S TONGUE MAY BE FLICKING,

WITH ITS FEET IT DOES THE TRICKING.

FOR THE PAW AND NOT THE JAW

MAKES THE CODE OF CLAW.

TIME IS STANDING STILL

STANDING STILL

STANDING STILL.

SINCE THE PRINCESS IS THE KEY

TO UNLOCK THE TREACHERY,

SHE CANNOT AVOID THE MATCHING

OR THE SCRATCHING, SCRATCHING, SCRATCHING.

WHEN A SECRET PLOT IS HATCHING,

IN THE NAMING IS THE CATCHING.

WHAT SHE SAW, IT IS THE FLAW

OF THE CODE OF CLAW.

TIME IS TURNING BACK

TURNING BACK

TURNING BACK

WHEN THE MONSTER’S BLOOD IS SPILLED,

WHEN THE WARRIOR HAS BEEN KILLED,

YOU MUST NOT IGNORE THE RAPPING,

OR THE TAPPING, TAPPING, TAPPING.

IF THE GNAWERS FIND YOU NAPPING,

YOU WILL ROT WHILE THEY ARE MAPPING

OUT THE LAW OF THOSE WHO GNAW

IN THE CODE OF CLAW.

That is The Prophecy of Time. It is the last prophecy that will end either the life of the rats, or the humans. The setting is under ground, in the city of Regalia. There humans live with bats. The people have purple eyes, and pale skin. But when Gregor first falls in the underground, (the entrance is in the laundry room of the apartment he lives in) Gregor leads a mission to go and find his dad, who he thinks fell into the underland. But for some strange reason, Gregor is a warrior in the prophecies of Regalia. He must train, fight, and argue against his enemies and so called friends.

But now after going to the underland to go see his mom, he and Luxa, the future queen of Regalia, must find out why the nibblers/mice are in trouble. Luxa had given the mice her crown. If they were in trouble they would send it back. And they do.

As they (Gregor and Luxa) take a second trip though, Howard, their friend, Hazard, Luxa’s little cousin, Boots, Gregor’s little sister, and Nike and Thalia, the bats, come too. And soon they are on their way. On their journey they meet up with Ripred. As they finish the journey out of the treacherous tunnel, the group tells Gregor to go back and get Sandwich, the great future teller’s sword. Otherwise, Gregor wouldn’t be of any use to his friends.

Now it is the time of war and the warrior in the Prophecy of Time comes in. Gregor must get the sword and kill the Bane in the battle between humans and rats. The prophecy says he will die killing it, but Gregor still has the choice of whether he wants to do this or not. In the prophecy it says that they need to crack the Code of Claw. What is this Code? Will they succeed? Will Gregor fight the Bane, or will he go home with this on his conscience? Join Gregor, Ares, Luxa, Aurora, and of course little Boots on an adventure that might end the species of either the rats or the humans.

My favorite character in this book is Luxa. Luxa is the future queen of Regalia. She is a daring girl. Her bat’s name is Aurora. When Luxa was little, they had bonded. Bonding is when you pledge yourself to save the human or bat you are bonded to as if you were saving your own life.

The reason that I like the Gregor the Over Lander series, is because just like The Hunger Games, and Catching Fire, this series is interesting in a way that it is more dangerous, scary (a little), and very engaging. It appears that Suzanne Collins wrote this book with just more enthusiasm. This book isn’t as full of questions as The Hunger Games. It is more straight forward, so you can probably guess what is going to happen. Some parts are just too hard to believe. But all in all, I enjoyed the Gregor the Overlander series better than a lot of series I have read, but that isn’t a surprise to me, since Suzanne Collins is one of the best authors of books I’ve read.

And if I had to chose between Suzanne Collin’s writing and J.K. Rowling’s writing, (author of the Harry Potter series), I would pick Suzanne Collin’s writing, because J.K. Rowling’s writing isn’t as captivating. Harry Potter is interesting, but it says that he is the only person in the whole world that has survived a killing curse, and then it goes on about how Harry Potter escapes from the evil wizard Lord Voldemort, and how he trains in the magical school, Hogwarts. Now that is interesting, but not as interesting as Suzanne Collin’s writing.

But when Suzanne Collins writes, she writes so that it can hook anyone’s attention. Now I’m not saying that J.K. Rowling doesn’t do that. She does, but after I read it, parts of it just don’t jump and grab my attention. I could read Suzanne Collin’s books over and over again, and not get bored.

Guest Post -- Review : Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw

Title: Diary of a wimpy kid The Last Straw
Author: Jeff Kinney
Publisher: Amulet books
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Pages:217
Rating:8/10
Main Character: Greg

I was just hoping that the person who took the dictionary would hurry up and come clean, because I had two cartons of chocolate milk for lunch.

Greg says this when somebody takes the dictionary from the teacher. Whoever took the dictionary would stay in for recess. This is the third book of the Diary of a Wimpy kid series. Jeff Kinney has written more books like, Diary of a wimpy kid , Diary of a wimpy kid Rodrick Rules, Diary of a wimpy kid The Last Straw, Diary of a wimpy kid Do-it yourself, Diary of a wimpy kid Dog Days.

This book is about Greg and what he does on his summer vacation and school. In this book Greg has a lot of problems to take care of like he wants to be popular. But he gets embarrassed a lot in this book by his little brother Manny. He gets locked out of a hotel room one time in his underwear, and had to hide behind the vending machines. Greg sometimes pulls pranks on people and sometimes he gets fooled. Don’t you wonder if he will fix everything that goes wrong ? Will he be more and more embarrassed?

The main character in this book is Greg, the most sensitive Heffley of all. Manny is the youngest Heffley and the most annoying one. Rodrick is the laziest and not-so-smart Heffley. Greg’s Mom is the smartest and least focused Heffley. Rowley Jefferson is the second weirdest friend of Greg’s, the first is Fregley.

My opinion of the book is that it was very good, and very interesting because when Jeff Kinney writes about what happens in middle school it is fun to hear. Like I said Jeff Kinney is the best author for surprises. So it was a very surprising book. In this series Greg is very gullible. But he is still the laziest person in their family besides Rodrick. I think Greg gets the most embarrassed in his family. But he is the funniest of all. With the unluckiest life in the world. Greg is smart in different ways and in some ways he is really dumb.

I recommend this book to anybody who likes to hear about what happens in a boys life in middle school.

Review : Catching fire

Title: Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 391
Genre: action, romance, fiction
Rating: 9/10

‘If it were up to me, I would try and forget the Hunger Games entirely. Never speak of them. Pretend that they were nothing but a bad dream. But the Victory Tour makes that impossible. Strategically placed almost midway before the annual Games, it is the Capitol’s way of keeping the horror fresh and immediate. Not only are we in the districts forced to remember the iron grip of the Capitol’s power each year, we are forced to celebrate it. And this year, I am one of the stars of the show. I will have to travel from district to district, to stand before the cheering crowds who secretly loathe me, to look down into the faces of the family whose children I have killed…..
But coming back form one of her hunts before crawling under the supposed-to-be-electrified fence, Katniss hears a hum. It seems to be coming from the fence. Carefully she walks closer. Throwing a twig she finds she’s right. She’s stuck in the forest. ’

This excerpt is thought by Katniss Everdeen. Katniss participated in the 74th Hunger Games and outwitted the Capitol and survived with her friend Peeta, the other contestant from the district she came from. District 12. District 12 wasn’t the strongest district. In fact it was the weakest and still would be even if District 13 was still here. They specialized in nuclear weapons, and they could blast the Capitol apart.

Lots of things have changed in District 12. For one there are bunches of peace-keepers around and not the ones from District 12. These are peace-keepers from the capitol that make the laws stay in place. Changing things so that maybe the unspeakable may happen. Maybe like not being able to talk?

But now it’s almost time for the Hunger Games again. The Hunger Games is a bloody fight against 2 people from each district (there are 12 districts), making 24 people. Each person must fight against each other to keep their life. And usually only one person survives. But when Katniss plays, with help of her friend Peeta from District 12, they pretend that they are star crossed lovers. Or she does anyways.

The only catch is, is that it’s Quarter Quell this year. Quarter Quell happens every 25 years of the Hunger Games. But Quarter Quell is different from the Hunger Games in one way. The winners of the Hunger Games are drawn to go back in the arena. And since Katniss is the only female winner she already has to go. But if President Snow already hates her, how will she survive? Especially with him being one of the people that control the games. It will be impossible to win. Or will it?

My favorite character in Catching Fire is Katniss. Now having buckets of money, being able to buy practically anything in the world, she could support both Gale and her family. But for some reason Gale, won’t accept a penny of it and now that he goes to work in the coal mines since he is eligible to work, Katniss continues to hunt. She has to try and try again to rekindle the friendship they had. But after the Hunger Games and kissing Peeta bunches of times it seems like things are never going to be the same. Katniss is about 17 in this book. She has gray looking eyes, olive skin, and straight black hair.

When Suzanne Collins wrote The Hunger Games, and Catching Fire, it’s like she writes everything from her heart, as if there is actually 12 districts in a country called Panem. But the settings in North America. But Panem is actually North America after it was burnt up after a humongous fire. So if I just went in the “future” I would find myself in the country Panem and it’s 12 Districts that are under the Capitol’s rule.

I like Catching Fire, I guess a bit more than The Hunger Games, because this one is more daring, exciting, more mysterious and shocking. Thanks to Suzanne Collins this is one unforgettable book. To me it practically tops all the other books I’ve read, and that’s something.

Join Katniss as she may fall back into the arena with Peeta. Will luck save her again? Or will she be killed in the bloody Quarter Quell Hunger Games by the other winning tributes.

Guest Post -- Review : Diary of a wimpy kid: Rodrick Rules

Title: Diary of a wimpy kid Rodrick Rules
Author: Jeff Kinney
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Publisher: Amulet books
Pages: 217
Main Character: Greg
Rating: 8/10

We had to do the whole skit in Spanish. Rowley asked what I would do for a candy bar, and I said I’d stand on my head.

This is Greg saying this when they are doing a school project in Spanish. This is the second book of the Diary of a wimpy kid series. Jeff Kinney has written other books in this series, like Diary of a wimpy kid, Diary of a wimpy kid Rodrick Rules, Diary of a wimpy kid the Last Straw, Diary of a wimpy kid Do-it your-self, Diary of a wimpy kid Dog Days.

This book is about a boy in his second year of Middle school. In this book Greg’s life is getting more humiliating and harder with Rodrick hitting him, and Manny the little pest, annoying him. But his Mom and Dad are still the same, with his Dad being focused on setting up a civil war battle field set and his Mom still trying to make Greg and Rodrick more responsible.

This book tells us about Greg’s activities during his second year of Middle School. Greg is still the laziest person. Sometimes he fails tests. Greg ia also wasting money to get the sweet secrets Diary. In this book Greg has so many problems like he has a crush on a girl. He also has some stuff to worry about when his mother doesn’t try to humiliate him but ends up doing it anyway.

The whole thing started when Greg’s Mom got him a Diary to write his feelings down. Greg doesn’t want anybody to know he writes in a Diary, because he doesn’t want to look like a wimp. He actually wanted a Journal, but instead he got a diary. There is one thing that I don’t understand about this book - why doesn’t Greg just leave his Diary at home? Then nobody would think he is a sissy. But he would have to hide the diary so Rodrick wouldn’t take it.

The characters in this book are Greg who is lazy. Rowley is fat and sort of selfish. Greg and Rodrick’s younger brother Manny is the annoying little guy. Greg and Mannys older brother, Rodrick is a person who hits hard and is sneaky. Greg’s Mom is a very boring person, and his Dad is a very focused person.

I think this book was good, very interesting and had a lot of surprises. I think that Jeff Kinney is the master of surprises like when Rowley’s baby sitter changes unexpectedly. I do think the first “Diary of a wimpy kid” was better. I hope Jeff Kinney continues the series of the Diary of a wimpy kid.

I would recommend this book to most of elementary school because I think they would really enjoy having descriptions of middle school.

Review: The Hunger Games

Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: adventure, fiction
Pages: 374
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Rating: 8.5/10

‘Then something unexpected happens. At least, I don’t expect it because I don’t think of District 12 as a place that cares about me. But a shift has a occurred since I stepped up to take Prim’s place, and now it seems I have become someone precious. At first one, then another, then almost every member of the crowd touches the three middle fingers of their left hand to their lips and holds it out to me. It is an old and rarely used gesture of our district, occasionally seen at funerals. It means thanks, it means admiration, it means goodbye to someone you love."

This excerpt is said by Katniss Everdeen. She is a girl that lives in the country of Panem. In the country of Panem, there are 12 districts. Each district is special in their own way. But it isn’t a peaceful country. It is a country that wants to rebel. To make sure that no district rebels there is a game called The Hunger Games. But it’s not like a happy game like Hop Scotch or Hot Potato. It’s a bloody game in which 2 people from each district come together. Each person has to fight for their life and who ever wins, keeps their life. The worst part is that people have to celebrate the Hunger Games. But this year Katniss Everdeen volunteers herself when her sister is drawn and now she is competing in the bloody games against 23 other people.

My favorite character in this book is Katniss Everdeen. She is a hard working girl who has to support her family. She illegally hunts in the forest with her friend, Gale. Together they hunt and make money and feed their family. But now that she is participating in the Hunger Games and must survive if she wants to go back home.

Another one of my favorite characters is Gale. Gale is Katniss’s best friend but has to be separated from her as she goes into the games with Peeta Mellark, the son of a baker in District 12.

One important reason that I like The Hunger Games is because of how Suzanne Collins writes. She writes so that everything seems realistic. Also the way she writes seems like the impossible can be possible. And that some dangerous things that may not be to scary can end your life.

Other reasons that I like The Hunger Games is because it is a very engaging book. It’s engaging because there are parts that surprise the reader like when Prim is chosen for the Hunger Games. As Katniss fights for her life she avoids gangs such as the Careers. The Careers are from the districts, 1, 2, and 3. And surprisingly Peeta has joined their side. So now Katniss, and her new ally Rue from district 11 have to fight the Careers or any other team of people to win. Or will they have an unexpected surprise?

Will Katniss survive the Hunger Games? Or will she die along with 22 other tributes? Read the book, The Hunger Games. And watch the slightly bloody fight between 24 people and their hunger to live ….

Guest Post -- Review : Diary of a wimpy kid

Title: Diary of a wimpy kid
Author: Jeff Kinney
Genre: Realistic, Fiction
Publisher: Amulet books
Pages: 217
Main Character: Greg
Rating: 9/10

I don’t mean to brag or anything, but what we came up with was WAY better than the Crossland High School haunted house. This is an Excerpt from the book when they made a better plan then Crossland High Schools Haunted House.

This book is about a boy named Greg who is in for a lot of trouble because he is always doing something wrong. He basically fails most of the tests at school because he doesn’t study. This book is part of a series. It has six books in the series. Jeff Kinney has written Diary of a wimpy kid, Diary of a wimpy kid Rodrick Rules, Diary of a wimpy kid The Last Straw, Diary of a wimpy kid Do-It Yourself Book, Diary of a wimpy kid Dog Days. There will be another Diary of a wimpy kid book coming out in November 2010. It is called, Diary of a wimpy kid The Ugly Truth.

This book is about Greg and his friend Rowley about their life at school and at home. I wonder if he will survive middle school ?

Greg is a person who really loves video games. Greg’s, friend, Rowley is a guy who doesn’t really know how to draw. Manny’s and Greg’s big brother Rodrick is a person who is really not thoughtful. Greg and Rodrick’s younger brother, Manny is a person who doesn’t really understand anything. Greg’s mom, is a woman who thinks before she acts. Greg’s Dad, is a person who when he starts something, wants to finish it before he does something else.

My opinion of this book is that I would recommend this to anybody who likes comedy and who likes to draw. I thought Jeff Kinney did a very good job with this book, because he draws very well, and he puts a lot of surprises in the book like when Greg found out that Manny drew something on Greg’s door with permanent Marker. This book and the series is special because the drawings have speech bubbles.

I think Greg should work more harder. But I do think that Greg has sort of a wimpy life.

Guest Post -- Review : The Last Olympian

Title: Percy Jackson and the Olympians The last Olympian
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction
Publisher: Disney, Hyperion book
Pages:381
Rating 8/10


Main Characters: Percy, Annabeth, Grover.

The gods attacked. Lightning flashed. Arrows of gold and silver streaked into the cloud like a rocket tracers and exploded. Slowly the cloud ripped apart, and I saw Typhon clearly for the first time.

This is an excerpt from the book, where the gods are trying to destroy Typhon.

This is the fifth book of the Percy Jackson series. This series is based upon Greek Mythology and Greek gods. It has a main character, Percy Jackson, who is a demi-god. A demi god is a person who is a son or daughter of any Greek god and a mortal. In this book Percy is helped by two of his friends, Annabeth, who is a demi-god and daughter of Athena, and Grover who is a satyr. Some other Greek gods mentioned in this book are Poseidon, Hades and Zeus. Poseidon is the god of the sea. Zeus is the god of the sky and Hades is the god of the underworld.

The problem in this book is that the Titans and the gods are having a war. Also Kronos, who is a Titan, has been growing stronger, little by little and now he has a lot of power. Then there is Typhon. Typhon is a minion of the Titans. But he is different from the other minions because he is so strong. In the beginning of the book they try to get ready for the war and then the war starts. Will the Gods win or will they be defeated?

I thought this book was the second best book in the series. This book was really fun to read. In this book there was no quest at all. Rick Riordan got me really excited with his introduction. I was really anxious to see what would happen in this book. I recommend this book to all the readers who enjoy action.

Review: A Wrinkle In Time

Title: A Wrinkle In Time
Author: Madeleine L’Engle
Genre: Mystery, Adventure, Fiction
Pages: 203
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Rating: 8.5
Have you ever felt like you were the one that was being punished when you didn’t do anything bad in the first place? It’s a punishment that everyone has to get but you get the worst one? That’s how Meg felt when her father went missing. She missed her father. She missed him everyday. And everyone at school thought that she was stupid. Her younger twin brothers seemed smarter than her and were more popular, and being sent to the principal’s office frequently didn’t help. But then she heard about how her father went missing, and went to rescue him from the thing, IT, that was keeping him trapped. With her little brother Charles Wallace and a friend named Calvin, they set out on the adventure against the evil, mastermind, IT.

My favorite character in this book is Meg. Even though everyone thinks she is useless she’s smarter than most people think. She just misses her dad and together with her friends she may be able to end IT. Fighting IT is hard, but evading IT is harder. With Mrs.Who, Mrs.Whatsit, and Mrs. Which’s help they may be able to find a way to destroy IT and bring Meg’s father back.

Another one of my favorite characters is Charles Wallace. He puts himself in danger to try and save his father, but may be stuck in that world if Meg and Calvin can’t save him.

I like “A Wrinkle In Time“ because it is a book that shows that not all people are the same, and that some are exactly alike, in different worlds. Also it shows that little kids can be smart. And others can be smart in their own way and that can make the biggest change in the world. People think that Meg isn’t smart. But she is. She’s smarter than most people in her own unique way.

Another reason I like A Wrinkle In Time is because this book has a lot of suspense that hangs in the air. It makes the reader seem like they can’t put the book down. On this mission Meg has many weaknesses, but with help from people that live in the world Meg’s father is stuck in, she can fight IT again.

I like how the author Madeleine L’Engle writes “A Wrinkle In Time“. Her writing explains everything as if I was there in the story. It seems like the characters come into real life. Also in A Wrinkle In Time she makes it seem like the characters in the story are actually there and they come into real life.

With the help of her friends, and father she can destroy IT. But will something go wrong? Will she lose Charles Wallace forever? Will her father be stuck in the world he’s in and never come back? Or will she be a servant of IT the evil mastermind of the world she’s stuck in?

Read the book “A Wrinkle In Time” and catch Meg, Calvin and Charles Wallace on an adventure to save Meg and Charles Wallace’s father from IT. I recommend this book to everyone who loves a good mystery.

Guest Post -- Review : The Battle of the Labyrinth

Title: Percy Jackson and the Olympians the Battle of Labyrinth
Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction
Publisher: Disney, Hyperion books
Pages: 361
Main Characters: Percy, Annabeth, Grover.
Rating: 9/10

The last thing I wanted to do on my summer break, was to blow up another school.

This is an excerpt from the fourth book of the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series. This is Percy saying that he doesn’t want to blow up a school.. He is saying this, because if he blows up another school, then he would get in serious trouble, and he already has blown up one.

This series is based upon Greek Mythology and Greek gods. It has a main character, Percy Jackson, who is a demi-god. A demi god is a person who is a son or daughter of any Greek god and a mortal. In this book Percy is helped by two of his friends, Annabeth, who is a demi-god and daughter of Athena, and Grover who is a satyr.

The problem in this book is that Luke, a Demi-god, has joined the Titan army. They are planning an invasion, on Camp Half-blood through the Labyrinth which is a maze. So Camp Half-blood is sending some people in the Labyrinth, to convince the creator of the Labyrinth to not let the Titan army pass through. Also there is a string that will lead them to Camp Half-blood. This string is the only thing in the Labyrinth, that can help you through the maze, besides the creator.

Now Percy has to go in the maze and find the creator of the Labyrinth and convince him to give him the string and not to help the Titan army. Percy also has to be back on time, for the invasion at Camp half-blood, so he can defend Camp half-blood. Will Camp half blood win or will it be defeated?

There are a some gods mentioned in this book, like Pan. He is the god of plants. He is important because he has been lost for centuries. Luke is a demi-god who is really Kronos . Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Chiron are good characters, like inn the other books.

I thought this book was better than superb, because it had a lot of surprising parts. It also is my most favorite book in the Percy Jackson series. I hope Rick Riordan will be writing more of these types of books. This book is better than most of J.K. Rowling books, except “The Deathly Hallows“. I feel like I could read this book a bunch of times and never get sick of it or bored. This book is one the best books I have ever read.

Review: Hatchet

Title: Hatchet
Author: Gary Paulsen
Genre: Adventure, Fiction
Pages: 181
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books For Young Readers
Rating: 9/10

Are your parents divorced? If they aren’t then do they ever argue a lot? Brian Robeson’s parents had divorced because of a secret. Brian called it The Secret, and his dad knew nothing about it. But it was probably better that way.

Since his parents didn’t live near each other, Brian takes a plane to go meet his dad. But things take a turn for the worse and the plane crashes into a forest. Brian must survive until he is found. And that might take forever . . .

My favorite character in this book is Brian. Being stranded alone in a forest without any supplies except a hatchet seems hard. In the book, all missing planes are found in a day or two, if found. If they aren’t found by then the plane probably won’t be found at all. All Brian has to work with is a hatchet, and that hatchet may save his life.

One thing that I like about this book is that it has parts of it that just shock the reader, and that make the reader more curious about what’s going to happen to Brian. I think those parts just make the book a bit more intriguing, like The Secret. Mr. Paulsen describes The Secret as a nasty shock which I guess it would be if The Secret was happening to you.

I like the book Hatchet because it’s a book about a boy who can’t give up if he wants to live and must survive many days in a forest with only a survival pack and a hatchet. It shows that people can’t give up. They have to keep trying to get what they want because things are not free. You have to work to get them.

Will Brian last a week in the forest? Will he even last a day? Will he make it out of the forest alive? Will a plane even come and rescue him? Or will he be stuck in the forest for the rest of his life trying to survive ?

I liked this book a lot and I recommend it to everyone. It’s a book that I think would capture everyone’s interest and give anyone a good time.

Guest Post -- Review : The Titan's Curse

Title: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - The Titans Curse
Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction
Publishers: Disney, Hyperion books
Pages: 312
Characters: Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Thalia, Kronos, Nico, Bianca

Rating:6/10

A flicker of movement behind him, and another missile whistled so close to me that it nicked my ear. Something had sprung up behind Dr. Thorn like a catapult but more flexible… almost like a tail.

This is an excerpt from the book, where Percy is fighting Dr. Thorn (the monster from the school).

This book is the third book of the series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians”. This series is based upon Greek Mythology and Greek gods. It has a main character, Percy Jackson, who is a demi-god. A demi god is a person who is a son or daughter of any Greek god and a mortal. In this book Percy is helped by three of his friends, Annabeth, who is a demi-god and daughter of Athena, Thalia, daughter of Zeus, and Grover who is a satyr. Some other Greek gods mentioned in this book are Poseidon, Zeus, Hermes. Poseidon is the god of the sea. Zeus is the god of the sky. Hermes is the god of thieves.

Percy, a demi-god in his third year of Camp Half-Blood, has permission to recruit demi-gods to Camp half-blood to train. Percy gets an urgent call from Grover that there is a demi-god at school. Also Grover tells him that there might be a few monsters. When Percy (son of Poseidon) and his friends, Annabeth, Thalia try to recruit the Demi-gods, the monster tries to fight them. Then Annabeth falls of a cliff. So Percy and Thalia have to go on a quest to go find Annabeth. Will they make it?

This book can be read easily by eight to nine year olds, because Rick Riordan writes simple words which are easy to understand. He describes the events in the book very well and he also writes with a lot of detail.

My opinion of the book is that the “Titans Curse” was a good book but did not have enough interesting parts. I thought that it was different from the other books. It was more mysterious than the Sea of Monsters and The Lightning thief. But if you like Greek mythology and a bunch of mystery you should read this book.

I don’t think this book is as good as any of the Harry potter books except Harry Potter and the sorceress stone or Harry potter and the chamber of secrets. But I still think it is one of the best books I have ever read.

Review: The Wednesday Wars

Title: The Wednesday Wars
Author: Gary D. Schmidt
Pages: 264
Publisher: Clarion Books
Rating: 8.5/10


Have you ever had a teacher that always tried to make things worse for you? I mean like they let the worst people slide but when it comes to you, your teacher gives you a punishment just because you’re the person she doesn’t like. Holling Hoodhood had that type of teacher in 7th grade. And really compared to Doug Swieteck and his 410 ways to get a teacher to hate you, hating Holling made no sense. His teacher’s name was Mrs. Baker. And she hated Holling’s guts.

My favorite character in this book is Meryl Lee Kowalski. She is my favorite character because her father and Holling’s father are both architects and competing for a job that can end the relationship that she wanted with Holling. And Holling isn’t sure whether she meant to start this argument or if she is working for her dad, trying to get inside information on Hoodhood and Associates, the company that Holling’s dad owns and that will soon belong to Holling.

Another one of my favorite characters in The Wednesday Wars is Holling. Trying to evade Mrs. Baker isn’t as easy as he hopes and having a family that doesn’t really support him because they don’t believe him makes it even harder to explain that Mrs. Baker hates his guts. Telling his friends doesn’t help either because if she hated Holling, then why didn’t she hate Doug Swieteck?

I liked The Wednesday Wars because it was a funny book about Holling being the only person that doesn’t go to a church on Wednesdays. So he has to spend his Wednesdays from 1: 55 to the end of the day with Mrs. Baker with no one else and live through the school year by reading Shakespeare and going through plays that may be fun but may also be a bit embarrassing. Of course maybe there are a few happy moments. But Mrs. Baker may ruin most of them. Except one that could change his thoughts about Mrs. Baker. Maybe.

Will Holling get through the school year? We he even get through a week? Especially on Wednesdays? Read The Wednesday Wars, a book about a boy named Holling and how he gets through 7th grade with a teacher that hates his guts. Or so he thinks.

I recommend this book to anyone that likes a funny book ( almost everyone). This book is a wonderful book that places the reader in wonderful mood.

Guest Post -- Review : The Sea of Monsters

This is a book review by Guest Blogger, KBoy (Emma's brother) : 

Title: Percy Jackson and the Olympians the Sea of Monsters
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction
Publisher: Disney, Hyperion books
Pages: 279
Rating: 8/10
Characters: Percy, Grover, Tyson, Annabeth, Ms. Jackson, Thalia
Setting: Camp Half-Blood, C.C’s spa resort, Princess Andromeda

“My nightmare started like this.”

This is the second book of the Percy Jackson series and in this book also there are some gods mentioned like Poseidon, Hermes, and Hecate. Poseidon is the god of the sea and earthquakes. Hermes is the god of thieves. Hecate is the goddess of sorceress.

The problem in this book is that somebody has poisoned Thalia’s (a demi-God) tree that protects camp half-blood, which is a training camp for demi-Gods. Thalia’s tree is important because it protects all of camp half-blood. Now monsters could get in Camp Half-blood.

Percy, a demi-God, has a dream that tells him that is friend Grover is in trouble. When his mom gets a message from Chiron the activities director in camp half-blood he says Percy cannot come to Camp half-blood yet because there is a problem. Percy must try to solve the problem at Camp half-blood and help Grover. So Percy goes on a quest to get the Golden Fleece, which is the only thing that can turn Thalia’s tree back to normal.

My opinion of the book is that it has many interesting parts in it. I think Rick Riordan does a good job trying to hook the reader in his introduction. What I liked most about the book was the part when Percy had a dream about Grover and how he was in trouble. I think this book was as good as any of the Harry Potter books. Even though the beginning and end of the book was good I thought the middle of the book was better. If you like Greek gods I recommend this book for you.

california!!!!!!!!!!!

hello people who are our friends! you may have heard of hurricane alex. and we do have storms. we passed by the local volleyball court and it is now a lake! shea will be coming to california on the 10th. she will be doing the jungle book and there are still spots avalible. the age range is 6-12 so sign up! shea would love it!

Book Review: Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief

Title: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Author: Rick Riordan
Pages: 375
Publisher: Disney, Hyperion Books
Characters: Percy Jackson, Grover, Annabeth, Mrs. Jackson, Zeus: lord of the sky, king of gods, Poseidon: lord of the sea, Hades, lord of the underworld, Kronos: evil titan lord
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction
Rating: 8/10

'Mrs. Dodds spun toward me with a murderous look in her eye.
My knees were jelly. My hands were shaking so bad I almost dropped the sword.
She snarled, “Die, Honey!"'

This excerpt is from Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief the first book of this series. After being expelled from a school each year, 12 year old Percy Jackson returns from Yancy Academy and goes on a vacation with his mom to the Montauk beach. But when they get attacked by a monster, his mom asks him to go to a summer camp for his protection. Percy fights the monster (a minotaur), but his mom is taken away at the end of the fight. Percy must learn how to fight, and go on a quest to save his mother and father. He must find the lightning bolt belonging to Zeus, lord of the sky and another object belong to a god that is accused of being the thief. He must find these objects in 10 days or war will occur on Mount Olympus.

My favorite character in The Lightning Thief is Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. She is my favorite character because as she, Percy and Grover go off in their adventure, she saves them quite a few times, but also makes many mistakes on what to do. This tells us that everyone is not perfect, because even though Annabeth is the daughter of wisdom she can also make mistakes.

I like Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief because for one there is no other book about Greek gods and goddesses, that shows that even their slightest mistakes can cause huge problems. Another reason is that even though there are books on Greek mythology this is the first book I have read where myths actually come alive, and where Gods are the cause of all unlucky and lucky things.

Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief is a book that describes what is happening just right so that it seems like you have to watch out if you don’t want to be losing your head to a sword! Also it is full of twists and turns that make it seem that Percy and his friends have already solved the problem but there is still a piece missing. Rick Riordan is an author who will constantly make you want to pick up this book to finish it. Also he keeps his readers in suspense so that you can’t tell if Percy did the right thing or if he made the decision that could end all humanity.

Will Percy and his friends find the lightning bolt? Will Percy be able to clear his father’s name? Will he be able to save his mom? Will he even survive his quest? If this book review makes you curious then read Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief. I recommend this book to anybody who is interested in any type of mythology and mysteries.

Guest Post -- Review : Percy Jackson - The Lightning Thief

This is a book review by Guest Blogger, KBoy (Emma's brother) :

Title : Percy Jackson and the Olympians - The Lightning Thief
Author : Rick Riordan
Genre :Fantasy, Fiction
Pages : 375
Publisher : Disney, Hyperion Books
Rating : 9/10

This book is the first book of a five book series. This book is based on Greek mythology. All the gods who appear in this book are Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Athena, Ares, Hermes, Dionysus. Zeus is the god of the sky, Poseidon is the god of sea, earthquakes and Hades is the god of the underworld. Athena is the goddess of wisdom and battle, Hermes is the god of travelers, and Ares is the god of war. Dionysus is the god of wine.

The main character of this book is Percy. Percy finds out he is a demigod because he is the son of Poseidon and a human. Now he has to go on a quest to save his mom, find Zeus’s lightning bolt which is a weapon that Zeus picked and Hades helmet of darkness which is the weapon Hades had chosen. Annabeth the daughter of Athena, Grover who is half goat and half human are helping Percy with the quest.

Percy also has enemies like Kronos and Furies. Kronos is the father of Poseidon, Chiron, Zeus and Hades. Furies are Hades servants. Percy is brave, cool, trustworthy and nice. He never gives up. Will Percy return with the lightning bolt or will he fail ?

My opinion of the book is that it is very good because Rick Riordan puts many details in the story. So it helps the reader understand more and lets them know what is happening in the book. I think all of the parts were interesting. I think there were just the right amount of pages in this book. I think there could have been more characters in this book. But otherwise I thought the book was pretty good.

Review: Dark Fire

Title: Dark Fire
Author: Chris D’Lacey
Pages: 567
Publisher: Orchard Books, and Hachette Children’s Books
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction
Rating: 9.5/10

“ ‘You can begin by telling me why my daughter appears to have wings growing out of her back.’”

Wow! Isn’t it intriguing? When would you ever hear this sentence? This is said by Zanna, David Rain’s girlfriend. David is the best selling author of the novel ‘White Fire’. If this excerpt makes you curious, you may want to read the book that this excerpt comes from, Dark Fire.

This is the fifth book of the Dragon Chronicles. The earlier books were about David learning about dragons and having an accident that appeared to have killed him. Before reading this book you may want to read the earlier books to find out all the details about dragons and their descendants.
After being dead for 5 years, David is seen by his girlfriend, Zanna and his daughter, Alexa. He comes back to work with his landlord, Elizabeth and her daughter (who live at 42, Wayward Crescent) to make it safe for dragons to come out of hiding from the Artic. But strange things are happening and the Ix (evil spirits) are at work again, trying to get dark fire to take over all of dragon kind. David, Professor Steiner, Liz, Lucy, and most importantly Alexa, come together with a bit more help to make dragons come out of hiding. Do they succeed or …..

My favorite character in Dark Fire is Alexa because even though she is so small she has a lot of problems weighing down her shoulders. And you usually wouldn’t place a lot of responsibility on a 5 year old, would you? Alexa is a playful young girl who can predict the future. She can also think of things (objects) and project them anywhere she wishes.

I like the book ‘Dark Fire’ because even though there are lots of books that talk about dragons, this book and the series talks about the last dragon, it’s descendants and how if affects their lives.

Dark Fire is a book that gives readers a thrill of excitement as they read the book. It’s a very good book because Mr. D’Lacey can easily change the readers mood in a couple of words. This makes the book very interesting and full of twists, turns and many surprises. One reason I like his writing is because he separates the main people and the action and then places the reader in suspense about one person while he goes and talks about the other. Another reason I like his writing is because Mr. D’Lacey’s writing makes me feel as if I was where the action was taking place. He also makes me feel as if I am the character and this is my life in danger.

Will dragons ever be accepted by humans? Will David ever be able to live a happy life as a father? Will he even survive? If you like a whole lot of mysteries and books full of different events then read the book Dark Fire by Chris D’Lacey.

New Book!

Title: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

Author: E L Konigsburg

Publisher: Walker Books Ltd.

Pages: 125

This is the new book for august. I heard someone already finished it. I hope you liked it or if you haven't started it (like me.) I hope you enjoy it!I read this last year and it was one of my all time favorites this is why...

This about a girl named Claudia and she thinks her family doesn't care about her any more, so she runs away. But instead of running to nowhere she runs somewhere. The metropolitan museum of art in New York City. They sleep in the antique old fashioned beds, bathe in the fountain, and go fishing for coins in the same fountain they bathe in(they meaning here brother and her). But what makes it one of the best books I have ever read is that, She solves one of the world most unknown treasures. Who made the angel statue. The day she got there there was a big line and she wanted to know what is for so she cuts a couple of people in line and sees something amazing. Angel. To learn more read for yourself! If you like realistic fiction this is the book for you!

 -Cali-

Review: The London Eye Mystery

The London Eye Mystery
By: Siobhan Dowd
Pages: 323
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 4.5/5

The London Eye Mystery starts with 3 kids, Ted, Kate (brother and sister) and their cousin Salim who is moving to New York. When Ted, Kate and Salim go to the fair Salim wants to go on the London Eye. When the capsule he went up in comes down and everyone walks out, something incredible happens - Salim is not there. Ted and Kate come together to help find Salim. In the end they find out where Salim was and whether he was alive.

One good thing I found out of the many in the London Eye Mystery was that the author Siobhan Dowd always kept her reader in suspense until at the very end they find that Salim was alive or dead. I think that Ms. Siobhan has done an excellent job with ‘The London Eye Mystery’. It is a book complete with all the twists and turns that makes this story a wonderful book.

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