Sophia's Book Review

The  Magic  School Bus Hops Home

I like this book because it has animals and

adventures and you learn about animal

habitats.This book is about animals habitats

Like a beavers need a quiet pond to live in.

So they make their own habitat.Beaver are

Rodents like mice and squirrels.I recommend

that  if you like  adventures and like animals

To read and you are getting smarter,smarter,

It is call hops home from the magic school bus.

The magic school bus is a good book because

Ms.frizzle soooo fun and funny and cool.

Ms frizzle kids look at Ms.frizzle clothes

And discover what kind of the field trip.  – Sophia

Dereck's Book Review

Chameleon!  I like the book because the chameleon camouflage in the trees

And i know that chameleon isn't a insect and i know that some chameleons

Look like trees and chameleons go step by step by step

And some chameleons look like a low and some

Chameleons are white.

It has eyes that move around to see insects 

Chameleons camouflage to catch their prey. -- Dereck

Ayleen's Book Review

The Magic School  Bus on the Ocean Floor

I like this book because i love the beach a lot,

and because on the ocean floor there are a lot of

living  creatures like and because the magic

school bus is adventurous , and you can find treasure .

This book is interesting because you are getting

smarter. And  some plants you see in the ocean are

living things,some animals will camouflage so they

won't being seen  ,and so they won’t be eaten up  .

 I recommend this book because it is interesting ,

And You  are getting smarter.The magic school bus

this is a good    book  because  Ms.Frizzle is soooo

Funny ,and fun because is always up for fieldtrips

She knows a lot of things about the earth,human bodys,and

living creatures. -- Ayleen

Flora & Ulysses

Flora & Ulysses
THE ILLUSTRATED ADVENTURES

Kate DiCamillo
Newbery Medal 2014

A fun book, whimsical and cartoony but poignant. A girl with divorced parents, and a distracted, disinterested mother, saves a squirrel from a vacuum cleaner and their adventures begin. Great vocabulary, some of it comic book creative, and parts of the story are shown in comic style panels. Good read aloud.

Timmy Failure 2

Now Look What You've Done

Stephan Pastis (2014)

Actually haven't finished it yet, but really enjoy it so far. I don't think there's any other book character I've wanted to give a hug to more than Timmy, but I doubt he'd accept one. "Mendacity!"

Not as sad as the first one, but the Calvin and Hobbes-esque (totally a compliment) detective duo is still frustrated in their efforts at Greatness. And solving any case.

The Young Man and the Sea

The Young Man and the Sea

by Rodman Philbrick (2004)

A boy and his father deal with loss, the dad stuck on the couch and the boy out at sea after the tuna that can help turn their lives around. The hero is brave and resourceful and we pull for him immediately.

Deeper levels: geography of story, fish/lobsters.

Timmy Failure

Mistakes Were Made

by Stephan Pastis (2013)

Tragicomedy with bad art and a polar bear. The story of a boy detective not in any way in the same league as Nate the Great and Encyclopedia Brown. Imaginative and silly, similar to Calvin & Hobbes (or is the bear real?), but with a poignant touch of real life sadness.

I liked it, chuckled out loud many times, and definitely want to keep reading about his misadventures.

Rump

Rump

by Liesl Shurtliff (2013)

Orphaned "Rump" must find his real name and find his own destiny, amid greedy kings, trolls, feisty friends, magical aunts, and a stubborn donkey. Cute details, funny scenes, interesting characters (love to read more about his friend "Red"), and bad guy situations that keep the peril coming. The last chapters were slightly disappointing, what felt like a build up to action filled climax tended to get bogged down in Rump's inner turmoil/debate/reflection as he figures out who he is and what he needs to do. But overall, very enjoyable.

Someone needs to get a collection together of all the "True Story of..." fairy tale books and tv shows. We've been watching "Once Upon a Time" and the boys like figuring out which character is who.

Hattie Big Sky

Hattie Big Sky

by Kirby Larson (2006)

Newbery Honor Book

Having a soft spot for Laura Ingalls Wilder, this book fits right in, minus Michael Landon as Pa. A girl on her own on a Montana homestead facing extreme weather, diabolical neighbors, stubborn animals, poor baking skills, and the struggle to fence and farm her land in order to meet the claim.

Hattie is definitely independent and capable, but needs and helps her neighbors as they face the harshness of frontier life. The story also deals with the fears of "The Great War" as friends and family are in Europe fighting and the pressure put on German townsfolk to prove their patriotism. A lot of outside issues to explore with this book: WWI, propaganda, farm life, even baseball.

The Meerkat Wars

The Meerkat Wars, The Gradual Elephant, and Paka Mdogo Little Cat

by H.S. Toshack

Our trilogy of readers is working through this trilogy of African Animal Adventure books...

Guest Reviewer Son #3:

In “The Meerkat Wars” a house cat gets accidentally lost on a trip that she was never supposed to go on. In the wild Sheena must help a young Meerkat in need. The Meerkats befriend Sheena because she helped the young meerkat. I recommend this book to people who like the ‘Warrior’ books because they both involve a house cat that gets lost in the wild and then get befriended by untamed animals.

Guest Reviewer Son #2:

The Meerkat Wars by H.S. Toshack is a very interesting and exciting portrayal of life in the African Baragandiri National Park. The author tells the story of a house cat named Sheena who encounters rival meerkat tribes living on the reserve. Both tribes believe they live under the “one true sun” and battle over supremacy of the desert. The tribes hate each other because they think they are very different from each other, but in fact they are almost identical. The meerkats learn to coexist, and they become allies and friends. In my opinion the tribes represent the many religious groups of the world. The author is conveying that if people just communicate with each other and look past their differences, they will realize that the differences are in  fact very small, and that they are more alike than they ever thought before. If people would stop hating and fighting, and listen to reason like the meerkats, the world would be a much better place. I would recommend this book to anybody who enjoyed reading The Warriors books. Both authors portray the animals in the story as “people” who live and survive as a clan or tribe. Also, both books feature a newcomer who must learn the ways of the animals, and make peace between rivals. In The Meerkat Wars the author places a poem at the start of each chapter, which sets the mood and foreshadows things to come, making the book more interactive with the readers. After each poem, it was fun attempting to guess which animal was being hinted at to appear next in the story. I loved reading the book and I can’t wait to read the other books in the series.

Not much I can add to that!  Interesting adventures, danger and humor, and lots of great animal & Africa learning connections. Some of the humor was British, and some of the jokes (lots of computer themed riddles in the Elephant book) and wordplay would be lost on most students, especially ELLs. Almost seemed it was written for the clever/higher reading child, but there is a lot of good stuff for all level readers. These would be great books for read aloud in younger grades or classes with lots of English learners.

Unfortunately, our cat doesn't seem the adventurous type. I'll have to read the books to him. Special thanks to LitWorks.com for introducing us to these books.

 

Archer's Quest

Archer's Quest

Linda Sue Park (2006)
Newbery winner for A Single Shard

Just an afternoon adventure with a time travelling, expert archer King and Legend of ancient Korea, doesn't that happen to every 12 year old boy?

A lot of discussion of respect, discipline, bravery, and trusting one's abilities to solve a problem, as well as Korean history and the Chinese Zodiac. And archery. Clever story, a little humor and enough adventure to keep the pages turning.

Caddie Woodlawn

Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink (1936)

Newbery Medal 1936

WondLa

The Search for WondLa
by Tony DiTerlizzi  (2010)

Good mix of the tried and true and new twists.  Fresh characters, interesting and creative settings, action and thought, with an ending that recalls Planet of the Apes. (Not a real "ending" of course, there must be a minimum of 3 books due to the Children's Lit Stretch It Into a Series Law, right?)

A little futuristic, a child raised by a robot with an iPad-like device, and a little medieval with dragons, beasts, and questing adventure, with a nod to Oz/Yoda as the hero gathers friends as she seeks her home. Great illustrations and interactive maps when you use your webcam to view certain images. A hint at the future of books, if we want books to have a future. Would be a good read aloud book, and I'm looking forward to the next books in the series keeping up the standard.

Thor's Wedding Day

Thor's Wedding Day

Bruce Coville (2005)

 The story of Thor having to cross-dress to get his hammer back, as told by his goat boy.  Good intro/connection to the Norse myths, with lots of humor.

Nicholas St. North

... and the Battle of the Nightmare King

William Joyce and Laura Geringer (2011)

Very cool, on so many levels. Not the least of which is the author is the guy who created Rolie Polie Olie.  The illustrations are cool, the chapter titles are cool ("In Which a Twist of Fate Begets a Knot in the Plan"), the setting is cool, and the posters for the upcoming movie are cool.

Too much with the "cool"?

Good story, lots of familiar yet altered characters (Santa Claus, before he became a claymation TV star, was a thief and weapons expert?), orphans, magic, and of course the battle between good and evil. Characters grow and change, the mind is valued over muscle, and people/creatures look out for each other.  Very imaginative, visual, and has a lot of good vocabulary words, which is why I think it's going to beat out The Hobbit for my end of year read aloud.

update: Finished the sequel last night, E. Aster Bunnymund... (2012).  Not as action-filled as the first book, but more illustrations (love the wry captions), more playful interaction between characters, and more humor -- including the dreaded puns on "egg" -- would have been a good book to read before the spring break. Pitch, the bad guy, is back, and the search continues for the means to stop him.  

One more cool: the website for the books, especially where Mr. Joyce visits the moon.

The Wikkeling

The Wikkeling

by Steve Arntson (2011)

A little spooky, a bit complicated, and very much well worth it. Three kids that don't fit in with the "normal" -- one would love to be a garbage collector when he grows up -- in a future society of computers for standardized testing on every students' desk and cell phones tracking one's every movement. (hmm, did I say "future"?)

A special attic is discovered, full of old books and candles and a window that shows a tree lined street of the past, and the children are chased by a ghost-like creature that is also connected to the city's Big Brother-like computer system. A little mystery, some adventure, helping friends and standing up for what you believe in. Cats, grandparents, and a man named "Oak" are also involved.

4/5 stars, highly recommend it.

connections: 1984, The Last Book In The Universe

Wonderstruck

Wonderstruck

by Brian Selznick (2011)

Just in time to go watch Hugo Cabaret on the big screen I got to read Selznick's new magical combo of words and illustrations.  There is a lot going on, the two stories in words and pictures across different time periods are not always the smoothest to follow, but it all wraps up cleanly and clearly in the end. The pencil drawings are incredible, telling a beautiful and emotional story all on their own.

 Set both in the 1920s and 1977, the stories follow a boy and a girl each searching for a parent and running away from an unhappy home situation. It's not light-hearted -- one mom dies, the other leaves the family and rejects her child -- but there are elements of mystery, searching, danger and adventure, not to mention wolves!, that will keep readers interested. I would be curious to see how a child reads just the drawing pages all the way through first, just to see how much or what story they make from it.

Lots of connections -- museums, collections, sign language, Deaf community/school, that Basil Frankenriter (?) book about kids running away and living in the museum...

The Neverending Story

The Neverending Story

by Michael Ende (1979)

About half way through, but I've been enthralled since the beginning -- and confused: Why have I never read this before?!?

I think it's because the movie came out in 1984, and as a high school senior I wouldn't be caught dead even debating seeing a silly puppet kid's flick... I still haven't seen it, and I've exposed my kids to The Dark Crystal and every Muppet epic.

......

update: Finished! It's a long one, could almost say it felt ne.  ver.  en.  ding, but well worth the full read.  Heroes, self-worth, scary and silly creatures (very Narnia-like), finding and following the right priorities of love for family and friends.  I think the first half would be a great read aloud for the classroom, but the second half gets a little long and deep.

An adventure, magic, fantasy story with elements of bullying, self-image, being who you are, reaching your potential, and putting others above self.

Love to find more info on the author and the story (beyond Wikipedia).

Gregor the Overlander

Summer is here, and with the sun, free time, and slim chance I might get a classroom next fall comes the list of childrens/young adult books to read -- the stack's not too tall yet if you have any suggestions...

by Suzanne Collins (2003)

A good ol' traditional Tolkien-ish fantasy quest, including the unlikely hero full of unexpected bravery, the quarreling companions, the ancient poetic prophecy, and right down to the spiders... these ones are orange with blue blood, but still creepy and gross.  This one adds in a cute and courageous baby sister who sings to giant cockroaches, and a good time is had by all.

Quick paced, fresh ideas, lively battles, and of course more adventures/books to come!

Mouse Guard

by David Petersen (2007)

Medieval mice having battles and adventures -- themes of loyalty, courage, sacrifice, and beautiful art.  Some of the panels were a bit confusing in the beginning, and the mice have so very tiny eyeballs I couldn't find them sometimes, but those are minor quibbles.  A collection of the monthly comic Winter 1152 is out, as are other stories involving the fearless and fearsome mice.